You wake up. You blink your eyes, looking around your darkened room. You were dreaming of that girl you liked, the one with red hair and blue eyes. Why’d you have to get woken up from that dream?You’re about to go back to sleep when there’s a loud crash from downstairs.Shit. Are you being robbed?There’s another crash, and you hear the sound of your beer cans rolling on the floor. You frown. Something’s in your kitchen. Did you leave the backdoor open? You get out of bed and put on a dressing gown and some slippers. If there’s an animal downstairs you just hope it’s a rat or something small, you don’t want to pay the fee for an animal handler at, 3 O’clock in the morning. You go down the stairs and hear the distinctive crunch of potato chips. This thing is in your cupboard too? You brace yourself as you open the door to the kitchen, expecting to get jumped by some wild animal, only to get a beer can thrown at your face.“Thine drink is pigs piss!”You open your eyes. There’s a man there, an old bearded man sitting in your kitchen, dressed in a robe not dissimilar to yours, a can of beer in one hand and a thick stick as tall as you in the other. He has some sword strapped to his waist, and all kinds of leathery pouches. The fridge door is open, and you can see that he’s pulled out almost everything you have in there, not that there was much to begin with. Did some fucking hobo break into your house?You take a step towards him, intending to throw him out, but he puts up a hand and for some reason you feel compelled to stop. “There are evil things out tonight! Demons, fey beasts, and sorcerers who seek to do thine world harm! We must stop them! Come and be mine helper, before the forces of darkness overwhelm all that thou loves!”He waves his arm and several objects appear on your kitchentop. A sword, a wand, and a floating mirror. “Pick one, mine apprentice, and let us do battle with the forces of evil!”What do you do?>Pick the sword. You like swords. You’ve always wanted to swing a sword.>A wand seems cool. You wonder if it can do magic?>The mirror. You can’t see your reflection in it. Why is that?>Slow down. Who the fuck is this guy and what is he doing in your kitchen?
>>6405230>Slow down. Who the fuck is this guy and what is he doing in your kitchen?That wasn’t a microdose.
>>6405230>Slow down. Who the fuck is this guy and what is he doing in your kitchen?
>>6405230>A wand seems cool. You wonder if it can do magic?I'm in, wizza.
>>6405230>Dropkick old man
You shake your head. Wizards? The Forces of Darkness? This is the plot to a bad movie. >Slow down. Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing in my kitchen?“Who am I? Art thou so ignorant? I am PHARNABAZUS, the great wizard! Master of the mysterious magics, walker on the mountain, slayer of the Dragon Phantasm, and now thine teacher and guide!”He sneezes, and you swear smoke comes out of his nostrils. “I am here to save your world! The prophecy boy, the prophecy! A inhabitant of this plane will become its champion, braving the terrors that assail it, and it will save this world from certain destruction and eternal darkness!”He looks at you as if expecting a response, but you say nothing, instead going to your fridge and picking out one of the few beers he hasn’t drunk already. It’s lukewarm, but it’ll do. >What the hell are you talking about old man? And you still haven’t told me how you got into my kitchen.He rolls his eyes. “Ach! Ye must not have been told by the magisterium of this world. Such ignorance is unbecoming. I will teach you.”He drags you to your window, and you look outside and gasp. There’s an aurora overhead. You never knew you could see them here, but the wizard doesn’t look so shocked. He pulls out a paper and pencil, and waves them in front of your face.“This be your world! This be mine! They’ve been connected by forbidden magic, and now both are in peril!”You sigh. He just pushed the pencil through both pieces of paper. You’re pretty sure you’ve seen that before. “The veils of reality are collapsing, the secret treaties have been broken! Your world is under threat, boy! Only a hero can save it, one who fits the prophecy! And that is thou! I have chosen thee to be thy world’s champion, for thou hast the strength and will to wield one of the Doyens Three, the most powerful magical artifacts built for mortal hands! So pick one, and let us be off!”
>>6405649You take a long sip of beer. You think you’re getting a headache. Even if this guy isn’t some crazy hobo high off too much weed, you’re not really sure you’re a prophetic hero. Champion of the world? Other planes of existence? This guy would normally be in a loony bin. You’re still thinking of what to say when there’s a heavy knocking at your door. A very heavy knocking. Like someone is trying to break in. What the hell is going on now?The Wizard, Pharnabazus, stands up and points, his eyes flashing as he speaks.“It is here! The foul homunculus of Al-alfazar! Dark Lord of the inverted mountain! We must slay them and flee! They have come for you, mine apprentice!”He slams his staff down on the floor, cracking it, and you wince. You just had those tiles installed last week. He begins chanting something as he points his fingers in the direction of your front door, and you wish this guy would shut the fuck up.What will you do?>Pick one of the artifacts. Might as well see if this guy is telling the truth. [specify which, the Sword, Wand, or Mirror]>Fuck this guy. Call the cops. You’re not dealing with this shit.>Go downstairs and get your guns. You’re not sure what this guy is on, or who’s at the door, but someone needs fucking up. >Write in.
>>6405651>Pick one of the artifacts. Mirror.And then >Go downstairs and get your guns. You’re not sure what this guy is on, or who’s at the door, but someone needs fucking up.Surely kind word(some sort of social/illusion magic/ability?) and the gun will help us get much further then we can with kind word alone.
>>6405651>>>Pick one of the artifacts. Wand.
>>6405651>Pick one of the artifacts. Wand.Fiiiiiiine, damned meddling wizards...
>>6405651>>6405651>>Pick one of the artifacts. Might as well see if this guy is telling the truth. [specify which, the Sword, Wand, or Mirror]Sword
>>6405691+1
>>6405691>>6405835Mirror>>6405740>>6405748WandLooks like we have a tie. Will need a breaker vote, otherwise I'll roll for it.
Rolled 1 (1d2)1 = Mirror2= Wand
Phew, wanted to vote (for mirror plus guns, wallet, car keys and a flashlight) earlier but work got busy and I forgot until now.
Ah what the hell. There’s a weird old guy in your kitchen and something loud and heavy is banging on your door. How much weirder can this night get? You reach over to the counter and pick up the mirror.You hear distant whispers, as if They are in another room…You do not touch the mirror, so much as it floats in your hand. It is a oval shape, no bigger than your face, with a strange, carven stone frame. It looks old. And you cannot actually see yourself in it. Only a strange, shadowy reflection of the room around you. It almost looks like something is crawling on the walls in there…“You have picked the Palantir!” The Wizard is at your shoulder, peering over it, his bushy beard flowing over and brushing against your cheek. You swat him away.The Mirror of [T̶̢̯̫͙͍̝̩͒̌̌̎̏͐̓̔͒̔̚͘ͅO̶̦̫͇͓͔̰̔W̸͕͉̪͕͌͜ͅĘ̵̱̟̤͈̰̤̿̓̈͆̂͊̍́̚̚͜͜ͅͅŖ̸͎͛̓͘] Gained!The Wizard then goes back to chanting something, his staff in one hand and the other making strange gestures which you think may be obscene.>What the hell does this thing do?He waves his hand and points it in the direction of your door, and the wall crumbles to show the hallway. This fucking guy.“What it does? It is a thing of illusion and transformation! It has changed elves into frogs and bewitched even the mightiest daemon lords! Do not treat it lightly! And do not call it a thing! It is the Mirror of Erised, and it is a lot older than you, boy!”[In it’s current form, the Mirror has two uses. You don’t know how or why, but you have a feeling that you can upgrade or unlock more abilities by using it…][Ability 1: Memory Eater: Briefly make a single target forget you were ever there. Cost 6 Cracks.] [Ability 2: Pale Echo. Create an illusion of yourself and give it simple instructions. Cost: 4 Cracks.][The Mirror has 25/??? Cracks remaining…]
>>6406355>The Mirror of- Hey isn’t that from Harry P-There is a loud thud, and your door shudders beneath the sudden blows of something heavy. The wizard screams and slams his staff on the ground, scattering more tiles, before waving it around his head and pointing it at your door. He grunts with effort, and by the looks of things he’s preventing whatever it is outside from getting in. You poke your head around the ruined wall and notice that your windows are right there. Shit. If this thing stops trying to get through the door, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble. Time to get your guns.You run to your basement stairs and take them two at a time. You hear more screaming from the wizard in the background, and more thuds against your door. When you reach the bottom you flip the light switch and smile. Oh yeah. Time to put these babies to use.PICK TWO>Sawed off shotgun. The classic. Groovy.>Mossberg 590. The 12 gauge. You could put down just about anything with this.>The Deagle. This don’t have replica written on the side. >M1911. Two World Wars! And now an interdimensional wizard war?>M16. The workhorse service rifle of Uncle Sam. >FN FAL. Formerly your uncle’s. You don’t even want to know.>Write in.Grabbing your gear, you head up the stairs, just as the wizard lets out a great shout and a bolt of light flies above your head and impacts the door. It’s still on its hinges, but now there’s a singed hole in the middle. Good God, this guy is just demolishing your house.What next?>Put some rounds through the door. Let’s see if this Homunculus thing can eat lead.>Use the Mirror. (Which ability?)>Time to get out of dodge. Grab the wizard and get to your car.>Write in.
>>6406356>FN FAL. Formerly your uncle’s. You don’t even want to knowWe now have the dubious magical artifact and the equally dubious family relic. We are set.>Sawed off shotgun. The classic. Groovy.>Time to get out of dodge. Grab the wizard and get to your car.Purely because it amuses me dragging the guy away from his very important standoff. Fine with going in blasting too
>>6406356>FN FAL. Formerly your uncle’s. You don’t even want to know.>Time to get out of dodge. Grab the wizard and get to your car.
>>6406356>FN FAL. Formerly your uncle’s. You don’t even want to know.>Sawed off shotgun. The classic. Groovy.>Time to get out of dodge. Grab the wizard and get to your car.
You have the FAL and the shotgun slung under your arm and a bag of ammo over your shoulder, but you decide against using them. Instead, you run towards the Wizard, and when he doesn’t acknowledge your presence you yank on his beard. He lets out a big yelp, and shoots a bolt of energy out that blows out your living room windows. You don’t even want to know what the repair bill for tonight will be. Dragging him by the collar, you run towards your garage as the impacts on the door become quicker, and just as you pull open the door you hear the crunch and splintering of wood.Looking behind you as you shove the Wizard in you see two great glowing eyes atop a misshapen lump of flesh that looks more like a melting candle than anything that could be human. It lets out a roar, and begins pulling itself through the broken remains of your entry hall. Goddamn.You slam the door shut and lock it, then turn to your car. It’s a shitbox, but it runs and that’s all you need. You open the back door and shove the wizard in, not even bothering to be gentle, before getting into the driver’s seat. You start the car, the engine whining into life, before hitting the switch for the garage door. It opens, and as it does the door to the house begins shaking, before getting thrown across and dinging your car. You put your foot on the gas and swerve onto the street, and you try to avoid looking in the rearview mirror as an unearthly scream fills the air behind you.>Fuck me! What the fuck was that?“A dark homunculus. You should have let me kill it.”The Wizard is suddenly sitting in the passenger seat in a puff of blue smoke. Fucker.>Well maybe I didn’t want you to blow up my house while you did. The wizard merely shrugs his shoulders. “It will follow us until you are dead. It must be slain sooner or later. And, mine apprentice, you should not delay your destiny.”
>>6407169>Yeah yeah, the prophecy and all that bullshit. Well what now? I have the mirror, you say there’s evil that needs to be slain, yadda yada, so where to?The Wizard strokes his beard thoughtfully. “In truth, I do not know. Many things of the evil that faces us are obscured.”You roll your eyes. Great. He doesn’t even know what he’s doing.“But! I do know that this Evil has placed its agents in positions of power through the land, and if we are to combat it we must go to the fountains of darkness, and destroy them! These will not be the source of their power, for they are within the Other World, but the places where evil is created and spread through the land. Think, mine apprentice, of where they could be!”>What do you mean, fountains of darkness?The Wizard rolls his eyes. “The places of misery, of pain, and suffering! The causes of those things in this world! The powers of darkness will be attracted to them like moths to a flame! A flame we must extinguish! Think of where your people are most miserable, and let thine steed carry us there!”Where to?>The CINEMA. Perhaps the dirtiest, stinkiest place in town. That place has barely stayed alive for years. You think it's more of a drug den these days anyway.>The SUPERMARKET. The Shophouse, or as people call it, the slophouse. People only buy their products because they’re the only place that sells anything. Even the attendants looks like soulless automatons.>The TOWN HALL. If there’s a source of misery in this world, it’s the petty bureaucrats that make a living there.
>>6407171>The CINEMA. Perhaps the dirtiest, stinkiest place in town. That place has barely stayed alive for years. You think it's more of a drug den these days anyway.
>>6407171>The TOWN HALL. If there’s a source of misery in this world, it’s the petty bureaucrats that make a living there.
>>6407171>The TOWN HALL. If there’s a source of misery in this world, it’s the petty bureaucrats that make a living there.Down with the bourgeoisie!
>>6407171>The TOWN HALL. If there’s a source of misery in this world, it’s the petty bureaucrats that make a living there.My first thought would’ve been a hospital or a clinic.
>>6407171>The TOWN HALL. If there’s a source of misery in this world, it’s the petty bureaucrats that make a living there.>>6407217>My first thought would’ve been a hospital or a clinic."I cast Summon Single Payer Healthcare! I cast Banishment of Insurance Broker! I cast Enlarge Vicodin!"
You think for a few moments. Fountains of darkness? A place of misery, pain, and suffering? That attracts even more evil to it? You think of a few other places, but it doesn’t take long for you to begin driving to TOWN HALL.ENTERING DUNGEON 1: THE TOWN HALLBosses: 1 You drive into the car park, the sky still dark overhead. Shit. Does the Wizard want you to break in? You’re going to get the cops called on you if you do. >Hey, do you want me to break in here, or…?“Hm? Oh! Yes, your rulers castles aren’t inhabited during the night, are they? We must fix that!”He waves his hand and the carpark is suddenly full, and everything is brighter. You can’t see the sun though, because the entire area is covered in a thick, dark, almost smoky cloud that seems to be emanating from the building. >What the hell did you just do? And what’s that smoke? Is the building on fire?The wizard merely shakes his head. “You are learning quickly, mine apprentice. I just sped up time around us, and we are now ready to do battle with the Darkness! What you are seeing is its foul miasma, your third eye being opened by contact with my magics, and the influence of the Mirror.”Passive ability: Second Sight unlocked! You can now see signs of recent magic and magical corruption.>What do we actually have to do?“Find the source of evil here. And destroy it! There will be a guardian, whom you must defeat to get to the evil itself, which you will know from your Sight. It will be a foul, poisonous thing, methinks. But we will find out. So let us be off! We must slay the beast!”He gets out of the car and begins hobbling towards the building, and you follow behind. It’s an ugly, grey, concrete thing, and the signs of evil around it honestly don’t change anything about its appearance. You don’t come here often, and when you do, often for some bullshit paperwork, you feel happier once it’s out of the rearview mirror. Maybe what you’re about to do will fix things, but you doubt it. Time to find out.
>>6408090The inside lobby is as depressing as ever. Furniture and decorations that were out of style in the 80s abound. There’s a few people slowly shuffling by, office workers or petitioners, you can’t really tell the difference. You head towards the front desk, staffed by a grey haired woman with glasses who ignores you for several seconds until you begin tapping on the glass. She glares at you from behind her desk, harumphs, and says nothing for several seconds. You’re about to begin tapping again when she peers at you and says,“You must have a formal appointment if you wish to make any complaints, suggestions, or other communications with members of the town council. If you wish to speak with the mayor, please state your name and address, and if you have scheduled a meeting. If you have not scheduled a meeting, please fill out the relevant form which you will find on the…Blah blah blah. Your mind glazes over and you momentarily forget where you are and what you’re doing until you feel a tugging on your arm. What?“Wake up!”You shake your head. The wizard is urgently pulling on your arm, and the receptionist is still droning on about something. It makes you want to sleep…“Don’t listen to her! She is an agent of the Darkness! Remember our quest!”You blink your eyes. You stare at the woman. She stares back, unblinking.ENEMY ENCOUTERED: THE PETTY BUREAUCRATHP: ???ATK: SPELL OF BOREDOM – DEALS MENTAL DAMAGE, ???DEF: ???ABILITIES: ???Damn that Sight is useful. Can it tell you your current stats?THE SLEEPY HOMEOWNERHP: 100/100ATK: FN FAL, DOUBLE BARRELED SHOTGUNDEF: NONEABILITIES: SECOND SIGHT, THE MIRROR OF [FORBIDDEN]“She is a disciple of the Darkness, but not its wielder. You must defeat her if we are to confront her Master!”What will you do?>Go back to the car. Get your guns.>Use the mirror. Disappear and explore the building (Use 6 cracks)>To hell with this. You have a fucking wizard. Get him to do something.>Write in.Also feel free to write in any character details for the sleepy homeowner!
>>6408091>Go back to the car. Get your guns.
>>6408091>Use the mirror. Disappear and explore the building (Use 6 cracks)I’ll only become a terrorist if the mayor did something to deserve it, like raise my taxes.
>>6408091>Use the mirror. Disappear and explore the building (Use 6 cracks)Good to know we're allowed to flesh out the MC a bit; I'll probably try doing that in an update or two (when I have more time I and feel more creative perhaps).
You pull out the mirror. Well, not pull out, more like it appears in your outstretched hand after you think about it. Man, this magic stuff is weird.“What on Earth is that-You concentrate on its glossy black surface, and moments later small cracks start spreading from the edges, and you feel it shake. It feels like pushing something heavy, but a few moments later it gives way and you feel a release of… something. A weird, tingly feeling goes through your entire body, like cold water flowing through your veins. You gasp, and the receptionist’s face goes blank. You experimentally wave your hand in front of her. Nothing. Seems like the Mirror works. You wander to an important looking door, turning back to look behind as the receptionist looks around the room hazily, before leaning into the microphone and shouting,“NEXT!”THE PETTY BEAREAUCRAT: AVOIDED!+5xpYou head deeper into the building, making sure to look like you belong by grabbing a clipboard from a desk. Time to find this Evil the Wizard keeps raving about. Speaking of which, you ask him how the Mirror works and why it cracks when you use it.“The cracks? Why, thou are simply not its proper owner.”>I’m not? But I picked it-
>>6408948“Yes yes yes, but it once belonged to a man, whose name I cannot pronounce, long ago who was the most powerful sorcerer of his generation. Echoes of his power still remain, and the Mirror resists being used by anyone who is not he. That is why it cracks. You can repair it, once you learn more magic, or bend it to your will, but for that you must wield a part of the power he did, and that, mine apprentice, will be a quest in itself. For its power lies in places that are not and never will be part of this world, strange and distant dimensions, and dreaming things that cannot step foot here. It has many powers, that Mirror, and you have only unlocked a fragment.”Interesting. You hope the Wizard will be able to teach you some more when he’s not prodding you on along this Quest to Destroy the Evil. Whatever it is. You’re beginning to wonder if this place really does have any evil in it when you come into a large room, with a desk, some doorways, and a staircase going down. You blink. Something strange is going on here.In front of the desk is a small man, who has a faintly glowing white outline around him, and he’s trying to speak over the robotic voice of the bureaucrat in front of him, who seems as grey and lifeless as the concrete this building is made of. Next to the desk is a line of doorways, which seem normal except for one which is shaking and glowing red, though neither the man nor the bureaucrat seem to notice. You squint at the sign. That can’t be the mayor’s office, can it? It looks more like the door to a broom closet.And then there’s the stairway. There’s a green fog lurking around it, and you’re also aware of a putrid, pungent smell. The Wizard already has a clothes peg over his nose, though he’s not offering any to you. Sheesh, that really reeks.Where will you go?>THE GLOWING RED DOOR OF THE MAYOR’S OFFICE>THE SMELL FROM THE ̶D̶U̶N̶G̶E̶O̶N̶ BASEMENT>HELP OUT THE SAD PETITIONER
>>6408949>THE GLOWING RED DOOR OF THE MAYOR’S OFFICEThis one sounds urgent. Meanwhile the petitioner is probably best helped by dealing with the mayor and the NotDungeon is probably lengthy but necessary to be dealt with after.>If possible, drag the petitioner along with us into the mayors closet.Maybe the petitioner even turns out to be stocky bald Joe, the local shooting range owner for whom we used to work before we inherited our aunt's house and subsequently finished our SAP consultant certificate, starting our current career of sleep deprivation and smooth talking coked up managers on conference calls?
>>6408949>HELP OUT THE SAD PETITIONER
>>6408949>THE SMELL FROM THE ̶D̶U̶N̶G̶E̶O̶N̶ BASEMENTWe need to grind before the boss fight
Sorry for the delay, been swamped with stuff this weekend. Will update thread soon.
SIDEQUEST THE SAD PETITIONER: Unlocked!You shrug your shoulders. The glowing red door is giving you the heeby jeebies, and so is that basement. You wander over to the white outlined man who looks like he’s going to cry. He’s saying something to a white-haired bureaucrat behind another glass panel, and getting a shaking head in response. You wonder what’s going on there. “I’m sorry sir, but you must fill out these forms, otherwise by law I cannot release to you the requested documents. If you wish to dispute this, you must take it up with the clerk on level 4, and file a formal complaint form, number 21.b, that will be sent to the Mayor’s office for review. Now please-You tap the sad looking man on the shoulder.>Hey. What’s going on here?He jumps around, and you get a look at his bespectacled, pale face. His hair is fuzzy, and greying at the ends, though he looks like he’s not even 30. He’s also sweaty and clammy all over, and you wonder how long he’s been down here.“Oh! Excuse me! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were there. If you want to make a petition, I can let you go ahead of->No, I don’t want that. I want to know what you’re trying to do.He frowns a moment, hesitating, until he notices the smiling wizard by your side and his face lights up.“Oh, you are on a quest! I am on a quest too! A terribly difficult one, I had no idea that they could be so hard. I’ve been trying to get information about some artifact buried beneath this town, and of course the most logical place to get that information would be the town hall, but all they do is bully me! Send me here, send me there! Fill out this form, then that and that! And now I’ve lost my glasses! I can’t see without them, and they tell me that unless I declare that I can understand all the forms I’m reading, they can’t help me!”
>>6411182He sniffs, and starts complaining about how he was bullied in school. Yeah, okay. This guy is kinda pathetic, but you do feel a twinge sorry for him.>Okay, so what is it that you actually need to do?He blows into a handkerchief. “I must find the maps of the sewers! They contain the information I seek!”The wizard taps you on the shoulder. “Be careful, mine apprentice. The magic aura of this one is from that idiot Mithridates.”>Oh, so he wasn’t going to succeed on his own anyway?“No! Mithridates is stupid because he imbues people like this with unimaginable power, and then leaves until they do something catastrophic. Unlike myself, who grants one a taste of power, and teaches you to use it properly. This one may look like a pathetic fool, but he could slay dragons if he so wished. If he ever got that creative.”You look at the man. He honestly looks like a wimp. He's smiling nervously, he dresses like some highschool professor, and he even wears a bowtie. You haven’t seen anyone wear one of those since you last visited grandpa. You shrug.>Well okay. Hey man, I’ll see what I can do to help you.He breaks out in a squeaky shout. “Yay! Thank you so much, I will owe you my life for this I’ve been stuck here for 3 days and the vending machine was running out of crisps and I was running out of hope but now you’re my saviour and->Yeah yeah, okay, got it. Let’s focus on what I can do. He nods vigorously, and you turn to look at the bureaucrat in front of you. There’s a door next to the booth that reads: ARCHIVES, which you assume is where the maps are kept. Alternately, there’s the pile of forms that this guy has been trying to fill out, and a pen right there.What will you do?>Kick in the door to the archives and look for the maps yourself. You doubt this pencil pusher can stop you.>Help him fill out the forms. It’ll bore you out of your mind, but it can’t be that hard, right?>Try and find his glasses. They’re probably lying on the floor somewhere.>Write in.
>>6411184>Try and find his glasses. They’re probably lying on the floor somewhere.Get a glasses strap after this you nerd
>>6411184>Try and find his glasses. They’re probably lying on the floor somewhere.
You decide to help the sad man look for his glasses. It beats drawing more attention to yourself and getting in a fistfight with the custodians of this place. Knowing them, they’d die before they let you in without the proper forms. And hey, how hard can finding a pair of glasses be?[SEVERAL D̶A̶Y̶S̶ H̶O̶U̶R̶S̶ MINUTES LATER]Okay, it’s actually pretty hard. You’ve walked up and down this hallway several times and not a single pair found. On the positive side, you haven’t stepped on them, but you’re beginning to wonder where exactly these things have gone to. He insists he lost them here and not elsewhere in the building, but you’re beginning to doubt his memory. While you do your seventh pass of the archive door, you decide to strike up a conversation with the guy.>So what’s your name, glasses guy?He jumps so high his head nearly hits the ceiling. “M-m-my name? It’s G-Gene.”>Pleasure to meet you Gene. So you get some special artifacts too or-“SHHHHHHH!”You both turn to look at the wizard, who has a crazed look on his face. His eyes are darting from side to side, as if something might jump out from the walls and attack you. Nothing does.>What is it?“’tis best to keep your wits about ye, mine apprentice. Knowledge is sacred, do not share it wastefully. There are Things that watch and listen, and ye never know where or when they might be.”Right. You’re beginning to wonder how sane this guy actually is. Hell, you’re beginning to wonder how sane you are following along with it. But, he seems to have powers of some kind, and now so do you, so why not see how far this goes? >So, uh, Gene. What did this Mithril guy say to get you on this quest anyway?“Oh, Mr. M? I… I don’t really know. He made me drink from a weird potion thing that made my head hurt. Then he gave me this empty pouch and a book which I can’t read, then told me to find the artifact and bring it back to him, and then he vanished! I only found out it was even in town when I visited the library.”So it seems like all wizards are nutty weirdos. You look to Pharnabazus with a question about what the things Gene has might do, but he shakes his head. “Professional courtesy not to reveal a colleague’s secrets.”
>>6412360So not help on that front either. You sigh, and look longingly at a drab brown couch lying against a wall. You imagine yourself taking a long, relaxing rest on it. You can even see a little fairy guy waving you over like he made the couch just for you. You blink. The fairy guy is still there. You walk over, thinking that you must be imagining this, but no, there really is a little man, no taller than your knee, standing on the couch and smoking an elegant tobacco pipe. He’s dressed in a brightly coloured suit and waistcoat, and his shoes look like they’ve been freshly shined. He nods his head as you get close.“Greetins to ye! And to you Pharnabazus, ye old rascal.”The Wizard takes off his hat and bows. >Uh, greetings. What are you doing here?“Oh, I just be takin’ a break. Tough work settin’ up here, ‘specially with the stink thing in the basement. Got to be quiet, y’know, don’t want to wake it.”>Right. You wouldn’t have seen a pair of glasses around here, would you?The fairy man nods his head vigorously. “Oh yes! Me master took it for the King’s Grand Design, it had a good bit ‘o pieces he needed. Good glass work ye humans have here.”>I see. Is there any way I could get it back? You see it belongs to my friend here, and he would like them back.The fairy frowns and shakes his head. “Hm. Difficult that be. Me master seemed pretty set on it. But, why don’t ye ask him yerself!”He disappears in a flash, and reappears a moment later with an extravagantly dressed man as small as he is next to him, whose cloak flaps to some invisible and silent wind. Pharnabazus breathes out by your shoulder. “A lord of Elfland! The barriers are breaking down quickly indeed if they are here! Be careful, for they are quick to anger if insulted!”The Lord looks at you in much the way you think kings look at peasants. You resist the urge to kick him across the room. “My manservant says ye want to reclaim the paraphernalia?”>Um, yes. Your lordship. It belongs to my friend here, and he wants-“Quite impossible. It is an essential component in the King’s Grand Design. I have already gifted it to him.”>Oh. Um, surely there’s some way to-“I am afraid not. We cannot give up what we have claimed. But I see that we have wronged your friend. If you allow us to keep it, I shall grant you a favour from Elfland, which you may call upon when needed, or we shall gift you gold for a new pair. Which do you want?”
>>6412363You look at the sad petitioner, Gene, and he looks like he’s on the verge of tears. He does need those glasses to get through to the archives, but you suppose you can just do the forms for him if you can’t get them back. What will you do?>Take the favour. You’ll just fill out the forms for Gene and get him a pair once you’re done here.>Take the gold. You can probably get him even better glasses than before! You’ll still need to fill out those forms though.>To hell with this stupid Lord. Gene deserves his glasses. Insist that these elves give them back, or else. >Write in.
>>6412365>Take the favour. You’ll just fill out the forms for Gene and get him a pair once you’re done here.If our weirdo wizard is afraid of angering the little lord, a favor from those guys might be helpful later on. Maybe we can at the least occupy the couch while we fill out the stupid forms?
>>6412365>Take the favour. You’ll just fill out the forms for Gene and get him a pair once you’re done here.
>Take the favour. You’ll just fill out the forms for Gene and get him a pair once you’re done here.You awkwardly bow down to the Faery Lord.>I’ll take that favour. How will I call upon, uh, Elfland to use it?The Lord tosses you a shiny silver coin. It looks old, with a strange face on one side and a tree on the other, like the kind of thing you’d see in a museum.“Find a tree when ye are in need, bury the coin beneath it, and ye shall be answered by Elfland.”Favour with Faery gained!He nods his little head at you, and with a wink he and his servant are gone in a flash. You swear you hear ringing laughter and signing as they go, but you chalk that up to your own imagination. The Wizard is wisely stroking his beard.“Aptly done, mine apprentice. But we have wasted enough time, and must be off!”You shrug, and turn to Gene.>Hey man, I’m sorry. It didn’t look like they were going to give it back. Come on, I’ll help you fill out your forms and get you a new pair once we’re out of here.You expect Gene to be sad, disappointed even, but his face breaks out in a wide smile as he begins (limply) shaking your hand.“Thank you so much! I could never deal with this on my own! I owe you one when we get a new pair! Oh, I’ve been meaning to get one for months! Thank you!”You let him shake for a little while longer before turning back to the archive keeper. You ask for the forms that Gene needed to fill out, and after signing another form declaring that you are empowered to assist him in the signing of documents, the archivist reaches behind his desk and plonks down a gigantic pile of paper. Sheesh. You think you’ve seen thinner bibles than that thing.Archivist attacks you with Paperwork!Mental health degraded – Now at 70/100Health degraded – Now at 99/100It feels like a lifetime later that you finally get Gene to sign the last paper. Your hands are covered in papercuts, and you have a splitting headache, but it’s done. You’re about ready to march yourself out of here, but the Wizard is insistently tugging at your shoulder and pointing at the Mayor’s door. You could investigate the basement, but you get the feeling that the Mayor is more important right now, and whatever is down there probably isn’t going anywhere. So with Gene in tow you walk up to the ominous red door, and open it.
>>6414189Inside, it is not a broom closet as you expected, but a spacious atrium, which you swear is much bigger than the space between hallway doors would allow. The floors are made of marble, a far cry from the bland concrete in the rest of the building, and strange, avant-garde paintings decorate the walls. There is a desk next to an elaborately paneled door, and behind that desk is a severe looking woman, who, if looks could kill, would have incinerated you the second you walked in. You feel a cold sweat on your back. The door is covered with a strange black pitch, which seems to be slowly spreading throughout the room, but she isn’t even blinking.-5 MENTAL HEALTHYou take a few uncertain steps in her direction, and clear your throat.>Uh… I’m, h-here to see the mayor.She stares at you for several seconds, a blank but subtly furious expression in her face, before asking,“Do you have an appointment?”-5 MENTAL HEALTHThe Wizard leans over your shoulder. “Careful mine apprentice. You can see the door, but I see worse signs in this place. Defeat this minion quickly and let us continue on!”[ENEMY ENCOUTERED: THE EVIL SECRETARY]HP: 50/50ATK: POLISHED NAILS – 3 DAMAGE, PEN STAB – 5 DAMAGE, SCISSOR CUT – 10 DAMAGE. ACCUSING STARE – 5 MENTAL DAMAGE, ???DEF: ???ABILITIES: NOT ON THE SCHEDULE – 10 MENTAL DAMAGE, ???What will you do?>Barge past into the office. She can’t hurt you. >Say that you’re on official business from the government, and that obstructing you is a crime.>Tell her you’re here to make an appointment. And you won’t leave until you’ve gotten it.>Write in.
>>6414191>Tell her you’re here to make an appointment. And you won’t leave until you’ve gotten it.
>>6414191>Say that you’re on official business from the government, and that obstructing you is a crime.We had to leave our permit at the lobby and she can check with them later, but if she holds us up for more than one minute here, we have to assume she is assisting the mayor in hiding critical documents, which in itself constitutes another federal offense.
>>6414605Same goes if she informs the mayor about our visit of course. Can't do our job of spontaneous controlling if we are announced.
You scoff at her. Does this bitch think she can stop you from seeing your democratic representative? Sure, you didn’t vote for him, and sure, you’ve never had anything good to say about him, but getting let into his office isn’t a right then you don’t have any rights at all, goddamit!>I don’t have an appointment, but that’s why I’m here. And I ain’t leaving until I get one, lady. She harumphs, and glares at you through her glasses. You can feel her stare boring into your soul, the disapproval, barely disguised disgust, and seething resentment bubbling below her carefully composed surface. Most of the time she’s free to manicure her nails, write notes to her girlfriends, or whatever it is secretaries do all the time, but you’ve just ruined her day. At this moment, there is nothing on Earth that hates you as much as she does.“You’re not on the schedule.”Her voice is cold, like a biting wind from Antarctica. The cadence is well practiced, and you distantly hear the wails of the tens of souls that have been chased out of the room by the professional condescension of this secretary. You’re made of sterner stuff though, and stand your ground with only a healthy patch of sweat building underneath your armpits.-10 MENTAL HEALTH>I told you lady, I ain’t leaving until I get on that schedule.She glares at you again, and sighs.“Well, there is a free slot on the Friday, in 3 months, I can put you in for a 15 minute->I don’t think you understand. I’m here now. The mayor is here now. And I want to see him.“Excuse me, this is highly irregular. I don’t->Your schedule is irregular. Put me on that list now. I won’t say it again.She glares at you. You glare back. You feel sweat roll down your face. Neither of you is willing to give in. The Wizard looks like he’s about to speak but you shove a hand in his face. No. This is all on you. You’re getting that appointment, and you’re getting it now.ACCUSING STARE – 5 MENTAL DAMAGECurrent Mental health is at 45!You stare unblinking at each other for what feels like a lifetime. More sweat rolls down your back, but you notice that she’s sweating now as well. Her eyes are wavering. You bend over the desk, hands perspiring all over her precious office papers. She almost looks away, almost, but she holds your gaze. And then she blinks.You step back in triumph. You’ve got her now. She lets out a sigh, and deflates in her seat. You almost miss what she mumbles next."He’s free now. You can go in."THE EVIL SECRETARY: DEFEATED
>>6415069Ability unlocked! Death Stare: Degrade an enemy’s mental health and restore your own. Best of a 1d20.She presses a button on the desk and speaks into a microphone.“Mr. Craven? You have a visitor.”You mutter a contemptuous thanks to her and walk into the Mayor’s Office.The first thing you notice is his desk. It’s massive. You can tell it’s made of solid wood, some kind of dark timber you’ve never seen before, with frankly concerning carvings of suffering and torment decorating its sides. The next thing you notice is that the room is bathed in deep red lighting. And then you see the mayor himself. You’d never paid attention to his campaign material in election years. Maybe you should. He’s enormously fat, rolling folds of flesh compressed into a too tight suit that seems like its fit to burst. He stands, and you realise that this guy won’t be an easy fight. If he just fell on you you’d be crushed like a ripe tomato.The Wizard whispers in your ear. “This is a mighty foe! I can cast a spell, but it will take time!”The Mayor smiles, and you see that his teeth are rotten.“Mr. Homeowner. Pharnabarzus. And the little man. To what do I owe the pleasure?”DUNGEON BOSS ENCOUNTERED: THE MAYORHP: ???ATK: ???DEF: ???ABILITIES: ???What will you do?>Cut the bullshit. Ask him about the dark artifact you’re here to destroy.>Stall him while the wizard casts his spell. Complain about the state of public amenities.>Jump over the desk and punch him in the face. You don’t need your Second Sight to tell this guy is Evil.>Write in.
>>6415070>Stall him while the wizard casts his spell. Complain about the state of public amenities.
>>6415070>Stall him while the wizard casts his spell. Complain about the state of public amenitiesIf it gets to taxing mentally, I'm all for punching his rotten face though.
Busy with work today, will update tomorrow.
Rolled 1 (1d100)Well, if the wizard is going to cast a spell, guess you better stall. You point an accusing finger at the mayor.>We’re here to make a complaint!The Wizard snorts and rolls his eyes as he begins muttering under his breath while Gene looks at you in confusion.“Um, no, aren’t we->That’s right, I’m sick of the shitty way this town is being run! Sick of the corruption and graft!The mayor coughs lightly into his hand.“The rest of the state is far worse than we are, so…>I don’t care! All the crime, all the lack of amenities, all the breakdown in public services! It’s too much!“I don’t see how you can blame me for issues that have been ongoing for->It’s your job, Mr. Mayor, and you’re failing at it! Last week my internet was out for 3 whole days! And don’t get me started on the public library, the amount of bums that live there, it should be renamed the town homeless shelter! And the cops! The fucking cops! When they’re not too busy shoving sticks up their asses, they’re bullying poor citizens like me for driving a mile or two above the speed limit. I haven’t even gotten started on the kids! They don’t belong in school, they belong in the youth prison! I’ve had enough, Mr. Mayor, and I’m holding you to account!There is a silence in the room, only broken by the wizards whispering. The Mayor leans (or melts into, it’s hard to tell), over his desk.“Are you done?”>Why yes, I think I am.You feel pretty good about it too. Damn, you really do hate how things have been run in this shithole. You should have come here to complain years ago.+15 Mental Health restored! You are now at 60 Mental Health.The next thing you know, you’re on the other side of the room, bits of debris falling all around you. Did the mayor just hit you? You cough, and a bit of red comes out. Shit. The mayor just hit you across the room.MAYOR ATTACK 1: FISTS OF DOOM-20 Health!Gene is at your side, trying to pull you up. He’s saying something, but your ears are ringing from the blow. You feel like you just got hit by a train. Maybe you should have brought your guns.The mayor stands up, and it may just be your disorientation, but you swear he’s looks like he’s 8 feet tall. You unsteadily get to your feet. You look at the wizard, and his eyes flash white before he points a finger at the Mayor and some bolt of energy hits him square in the chest. The Mayor only growls, pushing his desk aside with one arm and barreling straight towards you. The wizard pulls you away and begins shouting in your face.“Hit him! I’ve hexed his flesh to become brittle, you just have to hit him!”You look at the mass of flesh that’s charging at you and wonder if anything can even scratch the blob in a suit. Hell. Guess there’s only one way to find out.Roll 1d100 to hit the Mayor. Beat his roll. Bo3.Write ins may give you a bonus to your roll…
>1lmao
Rolled 53 (1d100)>>6416595>1
Rolled 34 (1d100)>>6416595
Rolled 75 (1d100)>>6416595Here's for the homeowners!
Usual life things going on, update will be tomorrow.
You shift your stance and get ready to hit the Mayor. A strong right hook, that’s all you need. And not getting hit in return. Your chest is still sore from the hit he gave you, and you don’t think you can take many more like that. You can feel the thud of his feet through the floor as he gets closer, and you’re starting to wonder how much damage you can even do to this guy when Gene steps forward with his hands raised, and pulls a shelf into his path.The mayor hits it hard, and it shatters into so many splinters of wood. Which would be bad enough, but he takes another step and trips on a fold in the carpet.He goes down in an instant, to the sound of a massive CRUNCH which echoes through the room when he hits the floor. Ouch. The Wizard starts shaking his head. Then Gene gasps and points to chandelier in the ceiling, which is swinging dangerously in place after the Mayor’s fall. You all watch it swing like a drunken Irishman on St Paddy’s, and then something snaps and it falls on the Mayor with a crash. You hear him let out a scream of pain as it shatters into pieces on his back. Guess this just isn’t his day.He pulls himself up off the floor, and you gasp. The Wizard wasn’t joking about brittle, parts of his skin on his face and arms have fallen off, and there’s cracks spreading all over like he’s made of marble. You can see the rippling red muscle underneath, and already his shirt and jacket are becoming stained with red. There’s still bits of chandelier sticking out of him, and some of his skin has embedded itself into his own flesh. Jeez. You wonder what other gruesome things the Wizard keeps up his voluminous sleeves. Your attention is drawn back to the Mayor who is screaming his lungs out, you’re not sure whether out of rage or pain. Doesn’t make much difference. His eyes are locked on you, and it doesn’t take a genius to understand that he’s going to rip you limb from limb if he gets his hands on you. If. THE MAYORHP: 50/200ATK: FISTS OF DOOM, -20 HealthDEF: HEXED, ALL DAMAGE TAKEN DOUBLED.ABILITIES: ???Somehow the monster of a man is still standing, and his injuries aren’t crippling him. He takes one step forward, and another. He’s walking towards you, no longer running, but his steps are steady. You can see the muscles in his fists harden and blood dripping from them as bits of his skin simply flake off. You’re still a bit scared of the guy, but after all that you’re sure you can take him now. What will you do to finish him off?>Goe toe to toe with him. A proper boxing match.>Pick up a piece of debris and start wailing on him. With that hex you’ll beat him into a pulp.>Look at him. He’s bleeding out all over. You don’t need to hit him. Just wait for him to collapse. >Write in.
>>6418404>Pick up a piece of debris and start wailing on him. With that hex you’ll beat him into a pulp.
>>6418404>Pick up a piece of debris and start wailing on him. With that hex you’ll beat him into a pulp.What a critfail from the mayor
You spit. More out of a need to look cool than any personal animosity towards the mayor or need to spit, but it feels good. You bend down to pick up a piece of debris, a curved metal part of the chandelier that’ll fill the need of a crowbar. It feels good in your hand. The Mayor is still walking towards you, so you step forward to meet him.His chest, or what’s left of it beneath the damp and reddened suit is heaving, and through the ruin of his face you can make out a vague expression of pure rage. He raises a hand to strike. And then swing at it with your bar.Chunks of flesh break off like you’ve just hit a rock. The mayor lets out another scream, and you swing again. And again. Every blow you feel something crunch beneath you, and though the Mayor tries to get at you his swings are easily avoided, or intercepted with your weapon. Eventually he’s on his knees, and you hesitate for a moment, only to step back when you see his eyes. They’ve gone completely black, and you hear the Wizard whisper at your side.“The sign of a corrupted soul. Ye may know the disciples of Evil by it. Few doth reach the stage where their very soul turns completely black. The eyes are the last part to change.”The mayor makes a gurgling noise and tries to move towards you, and you bring down your makeshift weapon on his head, shattering it into pieces. His body sways a moment, then falls to the side, twitching. A foul stench rises from the body, fouler than any you’ve smelled before.The Mayor: DEFEATED+50xpWith the deed done, you look to the Wizard, who nods solemnly.“You have defeated a true servant of the Evil, mine apprentice. Now we must find the artifact he guarded, and destroy it.”You look around the ruins of the Mayor’s office. There’s not much here that hasn’t been damaged in some way or another. The paintings are on the floor, there’s debris from the battle, and chunks of the mayor covering most of the floor. You walk over to his desk, and begin looking through the drawers. Usual things. Pens, papers, schedules, etc. You’re beginning to wonder if there’s anything here when you find a key.
>>6419301It’s coloured grey, like stone, yet it feels incredibly light. You wonder what it’s made of. The Wizard is quickly at your shoulder, staring at it.“A key! And if there’s a key, there must be…”He waves his hand, and the world turns translucent. Everything except a small, strange, wooden box. The world turns to normal and you blink, staring at a painting that somehow still hangs on the wall. You move closer and pull.It opens like a door, revealing a crude alcove with a dark wooden box. It looks old. Older than anything you’ve seen. And it has a lock on it. You put the key in and turn. Something clicks.The lid opens slowly, and as you peer inside you feel an ominous foreboding. You’ve only had this… sight, or power, or whatever for all of a single night, but even you can tell that whatever is in there is immensely powerful. Perhaps as powerful as your Mirror. You are looking at a battered, dusty, metal helmet. It is round, with two holes for the eyes and a thin slit for the face. You can immediately tell it’s ancient. How ancient you haveno idea. The Wizard would probably know.You gingerly reach in to pick it up, and immediately there’s a rush of power. It’s trying to rush into you, but you resist, and it disappears as soon as you set the helmet down on the desk. You can tell it’s still in there though. Waiting to be used. “Destroy it!”The Wizard is staring at it, a strange mixture of fear and hatred on his face. >What is it?“An artifact of the dark lord Bezcuzar, infused with his power and evil! You must destroy it lest it fall into the hands of one who can wield it!”>And how will I do that?“I will grant you a measure of my power, and you must channel it into the artifact and overwhelm it! And we will be rid of it forever!”You look at the helmet and think. You begin to wonder if it’s worth destroying it after all, if you can’t use it for yourself. You don’t quite know what it does, but you know it’s something on the level of your Mirror, or the other two artifacts the Wizard showed you in your kitchen. You can feel its power waiting for a new user. It’s been waiting a long time. What will you do?>Listen to the Wizard. Destroy it.>Try to claim it. You could use another artifact in your wheelhouse.>Keep it. Don’t use or destroy it, not yet. You need to know more about what it does first.>Write in.
>>6419303>Listen to the Wizard. Destroy it.
>>6419303>Listen to the Wizard. Destroy it.We've already got one annoying source of magic to deal with. We don't really need another
>>6419303>Write in. Demand an explanation as to why you shouldn't use it. If the reasoning is at least somewhat sound: try to haggle with the wizard for one of the two artifacts he didn't give us. If it doesn't work out, destroy the helmet anyway.
Sorry for all the delays lately, I have been extremely busy with work but I do intend to continue this. Guaranteed new update tomorrow.
You decide that listening to the Wizard, as nutty as he is, is probably best. You look at him and nod. He steps back and begins chanting with his arms raised as you stretch out a hand to the helmet, and you feel his words transcend space and time as they worm their way through your ear into your very soul. You feel the power within you.The Power of The Twelve Suns, first bound by the Mad Sorcerer upon a shattered moon.Power unlike any that has touched the Para-worlds in all their history.Power that raised mountains and sank continents, flooded entire worlds with flame and wind and water. Power that locked away the Great Worm, and freed it, and created it, and destroyed it.Power spoken and shaped and sealed and secreted.Power now flowing into the helmet, undoing the ancient spells that bound a fraction of that power many, many years ago. The helmet shakes and glows blue as it soaks up the energy until it begins warping and cracking, and explodes in a great flash of blue. Small pieces of worthless metal fall around you. The Helm of Artimas is destroyed. Quest complete: Quest to Destroy the Evil.+50xp!Boss defeated: +50 xp! LEVEL UP!
>>6422045You breathe heavily. Getting used as a power conduit by the Wizard is a lot more intensive than you thought it would be. Those visions you saw… is that the kind of power the Wizard has at his disposal all the time? You also feel different, as if a remnant of that same power is still within you, or perhaps something has been unlocked by your efforts. You feel something slap you in the back.“Well done, my boy, well done! We have struck a grave blow against The Evil. Now, let us be out of here before more minions come and discover the ruins of their Master’s plans!”He clicks his fingers, and you’re suddenly back in the carpark, next to your car. Gene is there too. The skies are still overcast, but it feels somewhere near midday. You haven’t slept since this morning.>So, what now? I get to go home?The Wizard looks positively shocked. “Home? Now? Art thou insane? A homunculus is surely waiting there, and the forces of Evil will have it in their sights! No, we must continue on! Continue the quest, fighting the Evil that seeks to bring about ruin and woe! Ach, can ye be so foolish?”You sigh. Guess it wasn’t going to be as easy as that. >Well, okay. But we gotta find somewhere to eat and drink, unless you can magic those too.The Wizard merely rolls his eyes and suddenly there’s a big hamper of fruit and what looks like salted meat in the back of your car.>Ooookay. Uh. Can you tell me about this fuzzy feeling I got in the back of my eyes? I think I absorbed some of that power or something…The Wizard looks a lot more interested in this and sticks his face right in yours, staring into your eyes.“Yes… yes… You have not absorbed some of mine power, but your experiences have unlocked some of the latent energies hidden within you! Focus, mine apprentice, and choose what you wish to wield!”He offers no explanation beyond that, so you close your eyes and try to think about what it is that you’ll be getting from this…Current xp: 155/100xpLEVEL UP: [Pick ONE]>A new Mirror Ability (Blinding Light)>A Magical Word of Power (AKR)>An upgrade to Second Sight (Signs of Magic)
>>6422046>An upgrade to Second Sight (Signs of Magic)
>>6422046>A Magical Word of Power (AKR)
Rolled 1 (1d2)Rolling. 1 = Second Sight2 = AKR
>Second Sight Upgraded! Signs of Magic – You can see evidence of magic use and active magical enchantments. Appears as a glowing field of different colours around an object or person.You blink, and your vision goes kaleidoscopic. Only for a moment though, before dying down into your normal sight. Except, for something in the Wizard’s palm. It is a little ring, a trifle really, but around it you can see a subtle blue glow that pulses steadily. The Wizard grins at you. “Ye see it. Good. Thou cannot see enchantments hidden by deliberate artifice, and it will only tell ye that magic has been cast, and when, but not by whom. This is only the first part of thy abilities, and with more experience thou will grow to understand the mysteries of Magic. At least,” he says, scoffing to himself, “the mysteries for uninitiated minds like your own.”Right. Because Wizards are so good at sharing knowledge. Your shrug your shoulders and turn to the car, only for the ground to suddenly shake. An Earthquake? Here? You’ve never-“Ah. That would be the Master discovering his artifact has been lost. Time we were away, mine apprentice, and you, smelly hanger-on.”Gene only looks crestfallen at the comment. You get into the car and put it into gear, speeding out of the carpark to several angry looks by passing bureaucrats. You’re about to ask the Wizard a question about your abilities, when there’s another rumble, a violent one, and you swerve hard to keep the car on the road. You look in the mirror and wonder why you can’t see anything behind you, before a sudden boom physically hits your car and nearly pushes you into the sidewalk.You hit the brakes, hard, and only barely avoid hitting anything. Then you get out and look behind to see the flames and smoke. The Town Hall is gone. The eerie part is that it’s completely silent. Like watching a movie on mute. And then your ears start to ring, buzzing with noise, and as your hearing returns you begin to hear the car alarms and screams.Gene is throwing up beside you, and even the Wizard looks pale. He says something, but you still can’t hear him. Then he waves his hand and the buzzing disappears, but the rest of the chaos, the noise, doesn’t, and you have to lean in to hear his horrified whisper.
>>6424080“He destroyed it. To demonstrate His power so openly… the barriers are breaking down sooner than I thought.”>What just happened?The Wizard looks at you, and for once he does not look mischievous or happy.“The Master of Evil has struck a blow, punishing those who failed him. I had not expected Him to move so soon. We are in danger, mine apprentice, we must move. They will be after us soon.”>Move where, who will be after us?“His minions. Come, we must away, they will be swarming this place soon.”You all get back in the car and begin driving. Your windscreen is cracked, and the radio is on the fritz, but at least it drives. You look to the Wizard as he strokes his beard. He says nothing at first, but once you are far away from the ruins of the Town Hall he begins speaking.“We must find ourselves a place to hide, recuperate, and plan our next strike against the Evil. A place of significance, secure against danger. A place to train yourself, mine apprentice!”“Um, excuse-“It cannot be too open, yet must not be too obscure. It would not do to have the Evil’s minions catch us unawares. They cannot maintain a fair form for long in public-“Uh, excuse me-“A place that we may call our own. A fortress! Though I don’t suppose you have many of those here. A place of knowledge and sustenance! Like a pub. Or a library. Good choices, those.”“Excuse me!”You look in the mirror at Gene, and after a moment the Wizard sighs and turns around in his seat.“Yes, little man?”“I’m- I’m not little! And, I want to know when I’m getting a new pair of glasses! You promised to get me some.”The Wizard rolls his eyes. “Did we? I hardly think->I did promise, yes. Look, Gene, I want to get your glasses too, but I think the Wizard is right that we need to find someplace to get organised first, and,“You can use my house.”>What?“You can use my house. It’s in a nice neighborhood, and I don’t have a family so it’s private. I don’t know if it fits your needs, but it’s there. But only if you get me my glasses.”You look at the Wizard, who seems annoyed. He mutters under his breath “It’s better to be a place of significance. This cretin will ruin me.” And then he shrugs. "We are in thine carriage."What will you do?>Go to Gene’s house. He’s offering it for free. Though you’ll have to get him a pair of glasses ASAP.>Go to the Scotsman. It’s a good bar, and you know the owner, Scot. He has an entire floor that he doesn’t use, something about an old curse.>Go to the Town Library. You remember reading that the basement isn’t used for anything these days. Though, the librarian, by reputation, is a real hardass.>Write in location.
>>6424083>Go to Gene’s house. He’s offering it for free. Though you’ll have to get him a pair of glasses ASAP.At least we have a better chance of bullying him into submission than the librarian, and his place is (hopefully) 100% curse free.And let's be real his glasses will be lurking where evil once again dwells: the mall, a dark temple to overconsumption
>>6424083>Go to Gene’s house. He’s offering it for free. Though you’ll have to get him a pair of glasses ASAP.
>>6424083>Go to the Scotsman. It’s a good bar, and you know the owner, Scot. He has an entire floor that he doesn’t use, something about an old curse.It's a good bar, Scot is probably a normal person compared to Gene and the Wizard, Wizard seems to favor somewhat public places and our upgraded sight should be able to see whether there is an actual curse. Plus the Wizard might be able to break the curse if needed.
>Okay. Let’s go to Gene’s. We did promise to get him his glasses.You shoot a pointed look at the Wizard, who merely gives a loud Harumph! in response. You get the address from Gene, and head on over.--->THAT’S your house?You have to give it to Gene, his house is pretty nice. It’s in a nice, quiet neighbourhood with trees lining the footpaths, everything is clean and well kept, and the house itself is situated on a small hill, with a perfectly arranged garden out front.>What is that you do again, Gene?“I’m a researcher. In a laboratory. I never thought I’d actually be wielding magic… ”Right. The pasty, nerdy type. You won’t judge. You park in the driveway, and Gene leads you all to the front door. Once inside, you wander through the rooms, which are tastefully decorated, if a little kitsch. Gene shows you and the Wizard some spare rooms upstairs, and he briefly mentions getting some furniture before the Wizard waves his hands, and beds, cabinets, and all the other furniture you need appears in them with a Pop! In the Wizard’s room is all manner of strange, presumably magical implements, and what you swear is a second door that wasn’t there before. “It will do.” Is all he mutters.Back downstairs, the Wizard wastes no time in flopping in front of the television and flipping through the channels. You wait for him to finish, but it looks like he’s staying put.>Aren’t you coming?He waves his hands at you in a shooing motion.“No no, I must set up the wards, the enchantments, the spells that will hide and protect us from the Evil while thoust are gone. It will be done by thy return, have no worry." You narrow your eyes, because you’re pretty sure he’s just being lazy, but you don’t know enough about magic to challenge him.>What if we run into trouble while we’re there? There could be Evil about.The Wizard merely shakes his head. “You can handle thineselves, ye have nothing to worry, now begone!”He puts his palm up and you feel yourself almost blown through the house all the way back to your car. Gene gives you a look and shrugs. You sigh, and get in the car.A little while later, after spending far too long in the car park, you get out and look upon the modern monument of unlimited and unconstrained capitalism, the Shopping Centre. It’s midday, and the crowds are thick and loud. You only hope that nobody else is having vision troubles today, because you’re already sick of it, and you’re not even inside.>We’re after an optometrist, right?“Yes, I know the place, just follow me and we’ll be back before that damned Wizard can curse my house.”You shrug and follow Gene in.
>>6425226DUNGEON ENTERED: THE TEMPLE OF GLUTTONY“What? This is terrible!”The optometrist has closed for renovations. You had to read out the sign to Gene, because without his glasses he can hardly see. >What now?Gene is pacing in circles. “There’s another one on the other side of the mall but I’ve never been there and I don’t know the people or how well they grind the glass and this place was the specialist recommended to me by my doctor I don’t know what to do they seemed to be doing so well-You mentally block him out while he rants. Once he calms down, you calmly suggest checking out the other optometrist, and set out. You walk for several minutes. Then several minutes more. Eventually, you end up at the same optometrist as before. You must have gotten lost. You quickly find a map of the store, and set out again. Several minutes later you’re back where you started.>Hell.“Would be an improvement.” Gene mutters.You scratch your head. Something strange is going on here. Walking up to the window of the store you peer inside, and you feel your stomach drop when you do. The entire inside of the store is glowing, and it takes you a moment to realise that your Second Sight is at work. What next?>Investigate the shuttered optometrist. What kind of spell or magic got cast here?>Damn this place. You’ll try and navigate your way out, eyes open for any enchantments while you do.>You don’t know why, but you get the feeling you should use the Mirror. Maybe it’ll show you the true path?>Write in.
>>6425227>Investigate the shuttered optometrist. What kind of spell or magic got cast here?Time to use our fancy new upgrade
>>6425231+1 to this. Using the mirror should probably be next after this.
>>6425227>Investigate the shuttered optometrist. What kind of spell or magic got cast here?Lovin' your quest
>>6425227>Investigate the shuttered optometrist. What kind of spell or magic got cast here?
Apologies for no update, was completely bedridden yesterday. Will try to get next update out ASAP.>>6425265Glad to hear it anon!
Recovered now, your regularly scheduled updates will be resuming tomorrow.
>>6427470Good to hear QM
You decide that the best option right now is to investigate. If you know more about what happened here, you might be able to figure out what’s going on in the rest of the mall. You also think it is the safest option too – Whatever cast these spells is probably long gone.You look around and the crowds don’t seem to be paying you any attention. They don’t seem to be looking at anything except the endless shop windows actually, which suits you just fine. You give the doors a great big kick, and you hear something snap. You give them a gentle push, and you’re in.Inside, despite the lack of lights, is extremely bright, owing to your Second Sight. Almost every surface is glowing in a strange, purple colour, pulsing every second. There’s so much magic here you’re really starting to wonder what’s going on. Maybe this is a bad idea and you’ve walked into a-Your skin suddenly feels like its freezing cold and your head starts spinning around like you’ve had too many drinks. You reach out a hand to steady yourself on a bench. “Are you okay?”>Yeah, Gene, just felt like I walked into the air-con blast or something.“What? But there’s nothing here.”You look around, and true enough, there isn’t any air-con or anything at all that could have made you feel so cold. You stop. Experimentally, you wave your hands around a bit more, but you can’t find the spot of cold, or whatever it was that just happened. Weird.You shrug your shoulders and move deeper into the store. Nothing much changes, except you don’t have any more experiences of cold dizziness. When you get to the far end however, you see a door that seems to be glowing brighter than everything else. You open it and find that it leads to the back corridors of the mall, some kind of staff only area for janitors, and no more strange glowing. Strange. What on earth happened in the optometrist?
>>6427879You’re about to head back in when Gene tugs you on the shoulder and points to the roof. You look up and there are faint, so faint you didn’t notice, traces of magic on the roof. You squint. You can see two types. A thicker kind, coloured blue, that leads off to the left, and a thinner kind that’s red, which leads to the right. Are these traces of whatever cast the magic in the store? They seem to start at the door here, and go in opposite directions. The thick to the left, thin to the right. You pat Gene on the back, and he mutters something about at least not needing glasses to see magic.You spend some time looking at them and talking with Gene about which way to go when you notice a third trail. It’s fainter than the rest, so faint that Gene didn’t see it at first either, and it was only when you examined the store again that you found it near the doorway. You can’t quite tell the colour of this magic trace. It’s strange, so faint it seems transparent, which doesn’t make sense because you’re supposed to be able to see colours with this thing, or at least as far as you know. It follows the thick trail, before turning off suddenly and going down another corridor, which according to the signs leads to the deliveries bay. It’s hard to follow though, and you’re not sure you can trace it as reliably as the other two. Which trace will you follow?>The Thick one. That seems like the most powerful, and whatever made that has got to be behind what’s going on.>The Thin one. Probably the safer option, if the strength corresponds with the power level. >The faint one. This one intrigues you. Why is it so faint? It’s going to be difficult to follow all the way though (will require a successful roll, if chosen).- Write in.
>>6427881>The faint one. This one intrigues you. Why is it so faint? It’s going to be difficult to follow all the way though (will require a successful roll, if chosen).Mystery box
>>6427881>The faint one. This one intrigues you. Why is it so faint? It’s going to be difficult to follow all the way though (will require a successful roll, if chosen).
Right, will need 1d100 for that, Bo3.
Rolled 34 (1d100)>>6428521
Rolled 58 (1d100)>>6428521
Rolled 40 (1d100)>>6428521
You decide to go after the faint trail. The other two might be stronger, but you can’t resist a good mystery. You grab Gene and start following it, heading down the corridors of this back area, heading straight for the delivery bay. It’s a little tough going, because the signs are barely visible and sometimes seem to be drifting in and out of view, but you keep at it. Eventually, you end up in a large spacious area with all kinds of crates and forklifts, and lose it completely.>Damn. You see anything Gene?"Um, no. I can’t see very well without my glasses…"Right. The reason you’re even here in the first place. You look around for where the signs of magic might have gone, but you don’t find anything. The room is mostly sunken a driveway for forklifts and other vehicles, with small walkways on either side and bridges crossing it, which curves slightly as it goes along. It seems to go on forever, but that’s probably just an illusion. You assume it goes round the entire building. You’re almost about to give up when Gene tugs your arm and points at a doorway sticking out on the far end.“Look! There’s a bit of glowing on the handle!”>You’re right. How’d you even see that?He shrugs. “My Second Sight isn’t affected by my normal vision.”Good to know. You walk on over, intending to follow it again, when a man steps out from behind some boxes. At first, you think he’s some kind of worker here, but if he is, he’d be the first you’ve seen. He’s also not dressed like you think any workers would be, he has a perfectly pressed suit on, so clean it’s like he took it off a display. Something’s off about him. It takes you a moment to realise, but you take a small step back when you do. The man has no right side. His right hand has the palm on the open side, and his right foot curves to the left. His right eye, you also notice, is a perfect copy of his left. Still, maybe you’re just being prejudiced. Before you can say anything, Gene calls out to him. “H-hello there! We-we’re just p-passing through! We won’t be long!”ENEMY ENCOUNTERED: THE MIRROR MAN HP: ???ATK: ???DEF: ???ABILITIES: ???The man looks at you with a frown. Both eyes twitch. Then he responds. “Lewd did I live, evil I did dwel, never odd or even, deified!”He begins laughing, and it’s a strange, halting laugh, like someone who doesn’t know how is trying their best to. He also has two serrated knives in either hand. Uh oh. He does not look friendly.What shall you do?>Retreat. You’re just here for some glasses, not a fight. Maybe you can find what Gene needs back at the optometrist and get the hell out of here.>Fight it out. You’ve got a semi-blind Gene with you, you can take this guy down.>Run straight by him and follow the trail. A guy with two left feet probably can’t run that fast.>Write in.
>>6428687>Run straight by him and follow the trail. A guy with two left feet probably can’t run that fast.
>>6428687Living proof that two lefts don't make a right.I was inclined to fight at first, but running is probably the best as we don't have any weapons on us. >Run straight by him and follow the trail. A guy with two left feet probably can’t run that fast.
To hell with it. You don’t know what this guy’s deal is, but with those feet he probably can’t outrun you. You lean over to Gene and notice that this Mirror Man is leaning over two. You whisper as quickly as you can.>Okay, plan is we’re going to run by him. Look at those feet. See em? Even you can outrun a guy like that.Gene looks over, and after a moment of hesitation, nods. Good. You look back at the Mirror Man, who’s staring right back at you. You take a step forward, and he steps forward too. You take another, and then you start running full tilt at him, with Gene panting at your side.The Mirror Man, to your surprise, doesn’t stay still. He begins running straight at you, and you worry for a moment that he’s going to gut both of you, but he keeps running, mating your every stride, and, you realise he’s going to run straight into you.But he doesn’t. What happens instead is stranger. You don’t dare stop, not when he has those knives at either side. If you knock each other out, at least Gene will be able to do something. But when you get so close you can see the blood vessels in his eyes, as you brace for the coming impact, he passes through you like he’s not really there.It feels strange, like you’ve just walked under a veil of freezing water, or something slimy. You feel the sensation crawling all over your skin, racing to cover you in its grasp. You feel cold, so, so cold, and as you blink you see a bright flash in a dark, shadowy place, and innumerable eyes open and shut. One keeps blinking. And then a warmth spreads throughout your body, banishing the cold touch of this Thing. You hear a sharp crack, then all is silent, and the vision disappears.THE MIRROR: 18/??? Cracks remaining.You look behind you, and the Mirror Man is gone. You stop running, and it takes Gene a moment to realise you’re no longer by him. He lets out a little squeak when he does, and runs back over to you.“Wh-why’d you stop? Where’d the creepy guy go?”You look around, but there’s nowhere he could be hiding. You wait a moment, listening for any sign of him, but all you hear is Gene’s heavy breathing, and your own. You take a hazardous step back down the corridor, and keep walking slowly, looking over your shoulder every now and then to see if you’re being followed, but nothing comes.THE MIRROR MAN: Defeated…?
>>6430200When you reach the end of the corridor, your find a door to a room. It’s locked, but you quickly break it down with your foot. Inside, is a long mirror, reaching from floor to ceiling. And in front of that mirror somebody is lying face down. The body is glowing faintly, and you’re sure that this is the source of the trail you were following, but the Mirror, strangely enough, isn’t glowing at all. You approach slowly, but rush over when you see the dark stains in their clothes. You reach a hand to their neck.>He’s still breathing.Gene helps you pull them over, and you see the face a grizzled man, probably in his mid-50s. There are old scars all over it, and from what you can tell, he’s bleeding pretty bad too. Your hands come away stained when you place them briefly on his chest and legs. Gene looks at you.“What do we do?”The man’s eyes suddenly open, looking around wildly before settling on you. He grabs you by the neck and pulls you closer, his grip surprisingly strong for someone who looks like he’s on death’s door."The Mirror! Destroy it! You can’t let-He lets go of you, and begins coughing heavily. You can’t tell if the blood in his hand is from that or from some other wound. "Wh-did she send you? Where is she?"You look around, but there’s nobody else in the room other than you, Gene, and this man. You look at him and shake your head.“I’m sorry. I don’t know who you’re talking about.”His eyes blink, and then he closes them, and lays his head back.“Then she’s lost in there… Another one gone…”He seems to fall unconscious after that, and you see that he’s not doing too well. You look at Gene, who seems as shocked as you are. “We need to get him to a hospital!”You look back at the man, and wonder if he would even last that long. Then again, you know next to nothing about medicine more complicated than a bandage, he might hold on for the next few hours for all you could know. Maybe there’s some emergency medical supplies somewhere in the building? Your gaze settles on the mirror. For some reason it unsettles you. Then you realise why. None of you are reflected in it. It’s empty. Or…You shake your head. You already know what the Mirror Man felt like. You can’t imagine what being inside that thing would do.What will you do?>Try and look for some medical supplies for this man. Maybe you can keep him alive long enough to get him out of here.>Destroy the Mirror like he asked. Obviously nothing good can come of it.>Enter the Mirror. He mentioned someone else, stuck somewhere. Maybe you can get her out?>Write in.
>>6430202>Enter the Mirror. He mentioned someone else, stuck somewhere. Maybe you can get her out?
>>6430202>Ask Gene to look for medical supplies (despite being kinda blind without his glasses)>Enter the mirror
>>6430202>Try and look for some medical supplies for this man. Maybe you can keep him alive long enough to get him out of here.
You look at the man lying before you. He doesn’t look too good, but you feel you need to at least try and save whoever he was talking about. You turn to Gene.>Okay. I’m going to go into the mirror, and I need you to stay here and try and find any medical supplies you can for this guy. I know it’ll be difficult, especially without your glasses, but you just need to try.Gene hesitates a moment, before a determined look settles on his face, and he nods at you. You pat him on the shoulder and turn to the mirror that doesn’t reflect properly. It seems to not reflect the proper colour of everything either, like there’s some sort of grey haze obscuring the image. You’re not really sure how this is going to work, but as you place your hand against it, you feel the surface give way like some sort of thick liquid. Your hand pokes through a moment, and it feels cold, but not freezing, before you abruptly withdraw it. Guess you can walk straight through. You take a breath, and grip the sides of the mirror, before climbing in. Inside is much the same as you saw from the outside. Everything is grey, and the shadows are a little darker than they should be, the light a little weaker. You turn around and see Gene waving at you by the side of the injured man. You wave back and step down the corridor, noticing for the first time small balls of light floating in the air. You realise that they correspond to the small hints of magic you were following before. Do things here affect things in the real world and vice versa?You feel a tugging at the back of your mind, and you realise that your Mirror, the one the Wizard granted to you, is acting up. You summon it into existence, and it seems to rotate in space, and looking in it you see a reflection, not of you in this place, but the real world, with colour and light. Is this another of its powers?
>>6431168The Mirror Dimension unlocked!You can now travel instantaneously to the Mirror Dimension. It might be an easy way to get out of trouble, or it may land you in even greater danger than before…It’ll be a useful way to get out of here. You de-summon the Mirror and continue looking. You follow the trail of lights all the way back to the optometrist. Inside is a mess. The entire store looks like a bomb went off, shelves overturned, glass shattered and melted, and scorch marks everywhere. Even a few bullet holes. Guess this is the source of the magic signs you saw earlier. And then there’s the other two trails, the more noticeable ones. You can actually see what they are now, instead of vague glowing lights. The stronger one is a trail of blood, a lot of blood, while the weaker one is small piles of salt. The salt trail is probably who you’re looking for.You follow the salt until it leads you to an open area of the mall, where it abruptly ends. Damn. You look around for any other signs but don’t see any. Hell. How are you going to find this woman now?There’s only three stores here, and you guess that she must be in one of them, but which one you don’t know. You look at the signs and frown. You weren’t paying much attention to the shops when you were wandering around earlier, but you’re pretty sure these aren’t the names they have in the real world. One of them definitely looks like a bank, and the other two don’t have names you’d see in a normal store either. Which one should you investigate?>THE HEART OF DARKNESS (You’re pretty sure this is a bank)>THE BAZAAR OF FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE (This one looks like a bookstore)>PANDAEMONIUM CAUSEWAY(You’re not even sure what this one is supposed to be)
>>6431169>PANDAEMONIUM CAUSEWAY(You’re not even sure what this one is supposed to be)
>>6431169>PANDAEMONIUM CAUSEWAY(You’re not even sure what this one is supposed to be)Mystery box
>>6431169>PANDAEMONIUM CAUSEWAY(You’re not even sure what this one is supposed to be)Was leaning towards the bookstore but we wouldn't have time for books anyway and the mystery box rephrasing got me.
The Pandaemonium Causeway intrigues you. You can tell what the other two are, a bank and a bookstore, but you have no idea what this is supposed to be, what, you assume, it reflects in the real world. It’s obviously themed around hell. There’s a sketch of a demon crossing a bridge as its logo, lots of flames, etc. It’s also brightly coloured, with lots of red and yellow lights glowing from behind opaque glass. Perhaps its a trendy clothing store?You shrug and head in. You’re not sure if this woman you’re looking for is here or in any of the others, but maybe someone or something in here can give you a clue.The first thing that hits you is the noise. It’s an absolute cacophony of sound that threatens to overwhelm you with its violence. The next thing that hits you is the light, strobing, pulsing, blinding. The only thing you can see is brief flashes in the darkness, and the flickering flame-like light of the floor. After that is a man slapping you on the back, pushing you into the crowd of bodies at the centre of the room, dancing and moving like puppets on string. Their movements are unnatural, jerking, artificial, as if they’ve forgotten how to use their limbs. It’s so hot in here, you see jets of flame at the edges of the room, and the pulsing light and music is like a drumbeat on your brain. You feel like you’re going to get lost, as if you’re never going to find your way out of this thick forest of people, when a hand suddenly grabs hold of you and pulls you away from the mass of dancing bodies. You suddenly realise that there’s a transparency to them, like spirits of the underworld. You shake your head as you look to your rescuer.He’s dressed like nobody you’ve ever seen before. Flared bell bottoms and loose fitting white clothing. A full headed afro, and small dark glasses covering his eyes. His black skin is curiously absent of sweat. He gives you a toothy smile.
>>6432405“Welcome, visitor from the living!”>Where the hell am I?He puts up a sudden hand. “Not quite hell. The Disco Inferno!”The music hits a chorus and you’re momentarily deafened. When you clear your head, the man is bobbing his head and grinning. “Sorry, friend. Force of habit. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of you.”>One of me? Who are you?“Oh, I’m just The Ghost. Sometimes a guide. I answer questions. And lucky you, you have one left!”You frown at him, and he laughs. “Do not worry friend! I know what you seek. The woman who is not among our dancers! Or perhaps you wish to know more about your Wizard, Pharnabarzus? I see many things that may come to pass.”You think a moment, but before you can say anything he leans in and pulls his glasses down, looking at you from the empty sockets where his eyes should be. “But know this, O chosen of the Blue Sorcerer, that all knowledge comes at a cost. Even the Evil must pay. I can tell you about the girl, or I can tell you about your Wizard. Or we can cut a deal and I tell you about both.”What will you do?>Ask about the girl>Ask about the Wizard>Ask him about the deal>Ask him about something else? (You may have to pay a greater cost)>Write in.
>>6432406>Ask him about the dealNaturally
>>6432406>Ask him about the deal
>>6432406>Ask him about the dealJust curious
>Tell me more about this “deal”The man with no eyes smiles and adjusts his glasses.“I knew you were worth it, man.” He leads you to an empty table by the side of the main floor. There are several others, each with more of those pale spirits milling around, some staring at you, others paying you no mind. He grabs a seat and motions for you to grab one too.“So I see a lot. I know what’s going on out there. The Evil that’s trying to break through. Means the barriers are getting thin, real thin, the worst they’ve been since the Treaties got signed. Don’t need no incantations anymore. Just mirrors with the right hex on ‘em. Your Wizard can lecture you more, but boy, you gotta learn a lot before you fight one of the bad guys.”You sigh. The Wizard has been frustratingly vague about what it is he actually expects you to do. Or even what you’re fighting, or who. Maybe you should have asked this guy about those, but you’ve got more immediate problems to worry about. Like what this is going to cost.“Hey man, I hear you. Look, I ain’t gonna ask you for your firstborn or something stupid like that. See, the way this deal works is like this: Everything has a cost. I give you an answer, I gotta take something in return. The cost of one answer is steep, and you ain’t able to pay for a second. Not normally that is. But see, I got a loophole in the rules that run this place. A little push and pull with the management. Enough that if I say so they can guarantee that you’re gonna succeed at what you’re gonna do. But the cost is that whatever you do next is also gonna blow up in your face. And I can give you your two answers. What do you think?”The Prophet’s Boon:You may choose any one roll in the future to automatically succeed. However, the next roll will automatically fail. >And that’s it? No other catches?“No man! I ain’t a cheater. You play your cards right and you could really hit the jackpot. Or ruin whatever you just did. And hey, you could always just stick with one. There’s loads I can tell you about those two. Like how your Wizard hexed the rest of that little council of theirs so he could pull this stunt with you. Or who that girl you’re lookin’ for is really workin’ for. But it’s up to you. I’m stuck down here whatever you choose."What will you do?>Accept the deal>Reject the deal and stick with only one of the questions (pick the Wizard, Girl, or write in.)>Alter the deal (write in. This may have consequences)
>>6433280>Accept the deal
>>6433280>Accept the dealWhat could possibly go wrong, eh?
You don’t hesitate. You look this Ghost in his (missing) eyes and shake his hand. He gives you a grin and begins to laugh.“Excellent. Excellent! A pleasure doing business with you, my man.”The Prophet’s Boon gained!The sockets where his eyes should be are filled with fire and as you look into them the pulsing music of the disco fades away, and you feel a coolness spread from your head to your feet. Something sorcerous is happening here. He’s not so much as telling you about these people, as showing you.You feel yourself being swept away to some distant place, a cold and secretive government facility that looks like it came from some sci-fi movie. Clean corridors and thick metal doors. You see a woman with short blonde hair, and though you have never met het you know she is the one you are looking for. But this is not where she is now, but where she was. It is the home of her organisation, humans who know about the existence of magic and work to maintain its secrecy. But there is so much they do not, cannot understand, they in the white lab-coats and glazed goggles, trying and failing to understand the ancient detritus of long gone civilisations who once strove with gods. You see her with the older man you found with Gene, investigating the Mall, the Temple of Gluttony. They know that the “incidents” they are tasked to investigate are becoming worse, more common, harder to hide. You see the ambush in the Optometrist, the cackling fast food mascot casting them into the Mirror Dimension, and you watch as she flees deeper into the complex, heading into the Bazaar of Forbidden Knowledge where she remains now, bartering for cursed books with the fat and oily shopkeep. You also see the pair of eyes that watch over her, the spell cast by the Master of her organisation. And then she disappears, and you see a face you have become all to familiar with over the past day, the weather-worn, thickly bearded face of the Wizard Pharnabarzus.
>>6434745He is saying something, standing at a vast round table around which many other bearded and pointy hatted men sit. The table is shattered, and wind whips up their robes as they shout and wave their hands, raising mountains and fortresses with a single flick of their wrist and sinking cities with a word. It is a battle of awesome proportions, a Wizard War among the most powerful, and prideful, of that arcane class.And then you see them scatter in horror amid the Evil that arose and struck them down before they could realise their folly. You see them cast mighty spells, mightier than have ever been cast by their hands, and the powerful counter-magic cast upon them by the Evil. And then they turn in their desperation to ancient prophecies they long ago dismissed, and cold vaults full of old weapons and artifacts they sealed away, desperate for anything to counter the Evil. You see the Wizard steal these artifacts away, spiriting them to the distant dimension of Earth. You see him now, lazily watching TV in the comfort of Gene’s home.You open your eyes and see that the Ghost, and all the inhabitants of the Pandaemonium Causeway are gone. The music no longer plays, and the lights are out. You shiver. Those were some strange images the Ghost showed you. Still, at least you know where this girl is, so you head out the front and walk into the Bazaar.The vision had not quite prepared you for the sheer mustiness of the shop. It reeks of mildew and an equally heavy pang of incense hangs in the air. Further in you see the scene that the Ghost showed you, the woman, in normal clothes that glow subtly with enchantment, arguing with the fat shopkeep. He looks more like an ogre than a man. A little bell rings above the door as you enter the shop, and the shopkeep looks up.“Welcome, welcome! A new customer! A more suitable one than what I have to deal with here. I will be with you in only a moment!”The woman harumphs and begins pointing her finger at the shopkeep.“I’ve already told you! I’ve passed the fifth examination, and I’m entitled to be here!”“Oh little lady, you are entitled, but not in the way you think. There are rules, and they are not broken easily…What shall you do?>Pretend you’re a customer, and see where this is going. Maybe you can pick up some new information.>Get her attention. Her friend is in trouble. She should get back and help him.>Talk to the shopkeep directly. You’re here for her, but you’re interested in what he has on offer too.>Write in.
>>6434746>Pretend you’re a customer, and see where this is going. Maybe you can pick up some new information.
>>6434746>Pretend you’re a customer, and see where this is going. Maybe you can pick up some new information.With the recent revelations it is becoming increasingly clear that we are severely under informed in about everything magic.
Apologies for the delays recently, update will be coming ASAP.
You wander off behind one of the shelves, pretending to be a customer but staying close enough that you can eavesdrop in on the conversation. The books here are old, ratty, and probably mouldy too. You try reading the titles of a few but they’re in Latin, or written in strangely curved letters that you don’t recognise. You do find a copy of Harry Potter though. “And I’m telling you, Aziz, I know the rules! I had to study them for 5 godforsaken years, so don’t you go telling me I don’t know them!”You peer at them from behind a gap in the shelves. The shopkeep, this Aziz, is grinning widely, gently polishing a pair of reading glasses on a dirty apron, while the woman paces up and down with her hands in the pockets of a very official looking dark grey trench coat.“Ah ah ah ah! Those are the rules that are written. But those laws which govern that which is unseen are themselves unspoken, and can never be revealed to those who do not have the tongue to speak them, or the mind to know them. So sayeth the First Sorcerer.”“And so those laws say you’re not allowed to let me even look at your books? Hm? They tell you to restrict knowledge from those who have guarded this magic for centuries, do they?”The fat shopkeep gives a small shrug.“The Scroll of Loge is a powerful artifact. I am willing to sell to those who know what they are talking about. You may study these things, yes, but you do not know it. You do not wield it. You do not even know what these things do. And you do not know where they came from.”The woman huffs.“Yes I do. It was discovered by the First Sorcerers, which you love quoting. And then they disappeared and their books were discovered by the Wizards, who passed the knowledge to their apprentices, who wrote most of what you’re not allowing me to see. That about right?”Aziz shakes his head and smiles.“Not quite. The First Sorcerors did not discover it. They made it. The Arts which you claim to know so much about. The Sanctioned Arts and the Unsanctioned. And the Unknown, which you and your silly small-minded doctors keep trying to find. You’d think the name would clue them in.”“I know about the Sanctioned Arts. We have people who can actually use them, and I’m sure they’d love to get a piece of you.”
>>6436433The fat shopkeep leans back in his chair and begins laughing.“Ohoho, I’d like to see them try! Those fools don’t even know what disciplines they’re in! Each one thinks he is a Wizard when they have barely enough power to match my latest customer, even if his technique is a little crude. Typical of old Funny Business to not teach his students.”The woman looks around, and locks eyes on you immediately, despite the thick shelf you’re hiding behind. Does she have some kind of X-Ray vision?“Why is he standing there? Has he been staring at us the whole time?”“Well, that is a result of him not realizing that an uninitiated fool like you can’t see the books he’s hiding behind.”You sheepishly step out from behind the shelf. Whoops. You raise your hand and wave.>Hi.The woman lets out a tired breath while Aziz the shopkeep grins.“And to think she wants something from my Special Collection. What can I do for you, friend? After a book? Your master has already read much of what I have for sale, but I think you have not, yet. Do not worry about cost, the Wizard already has a tab, and it is quite generous.” You have a look at the catalogue he slides you, with the woman peering over your shoulder. There’s all kinds of titles here. A History of the Sorcerers, The Dimensions and the Dreams, The Thesaurus of Spells, The Kabbalic Cabbage, A Journey through Faery, Arcane Symbology,the list goes on…The woman gasps and points to something titled The Magic of Xanadu.“They were looking for that! Aziz, you have to-“No! This is a catalogue for the gentleman here, not you. It is my mistake to not have cast the same spell I cast on the books. Now be silent while the customer chooses.”What will you do?>Find a book for yourself. You do need a way to learn more magic. >Buy the woman the book she wants. Maybe you can find out more about her organisation?>Try and convince the shopkeep to let you see this “Special Collection” he mentioned.>Write in.
>>6436434>Try and convince the shopkeep to let you see this “Special Collection” he mentioned.
>>6436434>Buy the woman the book she wants. Maybe you can find out more about her organisation?
>>6436434If possible, I'd like us to tell the woman that her companion needs help and we'll meet her there. And then try to get a book for ourselves and maybe the one for her too. Regardless of that, we can always ask about the special collection, I guess, so I'll vote for that. >Try and convince the shopkeep to let you see this “Special Collection” he mentioned.
You look through the catalogue this Aziz is showing you. There are several books that catch your interest, books on magic, books on other dimensions, all kinds of things that you might make use of if you keep on this strange and unexpected path. But something nags at you. You turn to look at the woman, who seems very frustrated at the shopkeep’s continual refusal to help her out, when you suddenly remember why you’re here in the first place. You slap your face.>Hey, uh. I ran into your friend, the old guy. He didn’t look too good. You might want to go check on him.Her eyes widen and she checks something on her wrist. “Robert? Shit, I thought he had that Chameleon covered. Thanks stranger. I owe you one. You ever pass by the Siamese Antiques Shop, give me a shout. Janet’s the name.”And then she runs off. You might catch her when you get back to Gene, you’re not sure. You turn back to the shopkeep, Aziz, who’s frowning.“You let her get away!”>Get away? What do you mean?“Ach! She was beginning to forget about the outside world. I nearly had her. She would have made a delicious meal.”You’re not sure how to respond to that. You’re starting to wonder if he’s going to try the same thing on you when he begins laughing.“Oh don’t look so worried. You have the magic juice, she doesn’t. Ruins the taste. Besides, your master would be annoyed. I had a cousin who did that to a wizard once. Spent 3 years as a newt. He got better though.”You nod politely. You’re still getting used to this world of wizards and magic. Too many strange powers and beings. Aziz shakes his head.“But now she’s gone, you must pick something! Have you thought about it yet?”>You mentioned a Special Collection earlier.“Oh indeed. They’re very special books. Though you may not be ready. Even adept apprentices have been driven insane by some of the pages I have.”You scoff. You just want to take a look.
>>6437800“Ah, but sir, that is the dangerous thing. Many men have wanted to look at the sun and gone blind for their trouble. But, you are apprenticed to one of the Supreme Council, so I will show you some of what I have.”He leads you past the overflowing shelves to a small wooden door that leads into a back room. It is dark, and all sorts of junk is piled to the roof, but he ignores it all and leads you towards a heavily worn chest, that is wrapped with chains and a large iron lock.Reaching for a key that hands about his neck, he unlocks it, and gently reaches in and pulls out three books, which he clears space for on a nearby table. “My special collection is small, and this is not all that is contained within, but for you, I think, any of the stronger ones may lead to some damage. And I do not want to get on the bad end of your master, as lazy and ill-witted as he is.”You look at the books which he has brought out, and immediately see that they’re different from the others in the store. One is covered in a thick leather cover, as red as blood. It’s covered in all kinds of cuts and scrapes, and you swear you can hear a distant cry of barbarian rage whenever you look at it. You get the feeling that this is a book on something that will help you fight.The next book is strange. When you look away it almost seems to disappear, and even when you’re looking at it, it feels like you’re not looking at anything but a patch of empty air. It is blue like the sky, but anything more than that you’re not able to tell. You can’t see any pages, and the cover is frustratingly difficult to focus on. It’s almost as if it’s phasing in and out of existence. Something magical is definitely going on there.The last book is black. The only decoration is a small white skull on the cover. It is otherwise normal, except that whenever you look at it you feel a cold dread spreading throughout you. It almost seems to suck the air from the room. You don’t know why, but that book gives you the creeps. “These three are nameless. No title was ever written by their authors, and no soul has ever succeeded in discovering their true name. They are part of a long series, which some wizards call the Final Words of Babel, but I have only these three. You may not buy them. They are not for sale. But you may look at them, and maybe you will discover something of import.”What book will you choose?>The Red Book>The Blue Book>The Black Book
>>6437802>The Blue BookThis one seemingly fits our mirror magic; the red one would be interesting too though.
>>6437802>The Blue Book
>>6437802>The Red Book
You briefly think about picking the Red Book. Fighting skills are always useful, and there’s a primitive appeal to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women. But you’ve been picked by a Wizard, granted an object of Arcane power, and you do admit the phasing in and out of reality thing is kinda interesting. You reach your hands out towards this strange Blue Book, unsure if you can even touch it. Aziz does not stop you. You grasp it, and it feels like you’re holding a breeze. You do not turn the page so much as the pages turn themselves, and as you read these ancient pages written in a language you do not know you feel the arcane knowledge imbued in every letter and glyph imprint themselves into your very soul. The blue essence of magic flows around you, whispering, murmuring, touching you like water in a stream. But there is so much, and you realise that it would take a lifetime to master the knowledge in this book. The power to move mountains, cities, entire planets. A mastery of the fundamental rules of reality, and the skill to re-write those rules, re-write the very essence of place. But as quickly as you understand this power, the knowledge begins to melt away, finding your body too weak, your mind too small. You are no Wizard, and even they would struggle to comprehend the magnitude of all this book, this Word contains. The blue light recedes, and robs you of sight. When the darkness fades you see a Wizard in his tower. No, not a Wizard, a Sorcerer. Very much unlike your Wizard. For one, his hair is black, not some shade of grey, and he looks strong, powerful, used to command. His beard is also more stylish. This is a study of some kind, books and scrolls and dried parchment stacked high across desks and shelves. He looks up, and locks eyes with you. You take a step back as he frowns, and then you hear a voice.“The people are revolting, milord.”“I thought I told you to knock.”The man at the door, which you are standing in front of, walks forward, passing through you.“I do not think the rabble who are tearing down this place will give you the courtesy.” The bearded sorcerer sighs, and turns to look out an oval window. Outside in the darkness you can see the glow of fires, and rising smoke. You are very high up, somewhere above a city, though whether this is the highest point of the tower you can’t say. The sorcerer turns away from the window, his eyes returning to the servant.“I am not afraid of them. But the Thrones are coming, and I cannot stand against them, not yet. So let us be away.”
>>6439268He lifts a cloak and it expands to cover the entire room, to cover you, and you hear the whooshing noise of reality bending around this space, taking the sorcerer and his servant to some distant other you know not where. You, it takes somewhere else.You are taken back to the bookshop. Except there is something different. Something strange. Something new. A spell. Knowledge springs from a scrap of the book you have been touched by. Spells come in all shapes and forms, some spoken, others through complicated hand gestures, others at a mere thought. This is one of the latter. Think of where you will, and there you shall appear.Spell gained: Teleportation! You may now teleport anywhere you have been to before, or somewhere you haven’t been to with sufficient effort. 1 day cooldown – This may be improved with practice. “Glorious, isn’t it? Though I hope you’re prepared.”Aziz is by your side, placing a cover over the three books. You look at him and tilt your head.>Prepared? Prepared for what?“The side-effects. You have just been given a spell and you don’t know the safety rules. Best try not thinking too hard about where you’ll be next, my friend.”Oh this bastard. You should probably think of Gene, or the Wizard at Gene’s house, and definitely not somewhere dangerous like the ruins of the Town Hall or somewhere else in this strange mall, and your mind is already wandering thinking of all the places that you don’t want to be in right now.You end up thinking of… >The Insurance Company. If there were a place that were filled with soul-sucking vampires, that would be it. Yeah, you hate those guys. >Your home. Yes it’s probably got cops crawling all over it by now, but it beats jumping feet first into somewhere really dangerous.>Gene. It takes a real effort to not think of anything else though… (Roll will be required, and failure will have consequences.)>Write in.Announcement: Going to be taking a break. Losing a bit of steam, and need to take some time to plan things out a bit more. Might be a couple weeks, will probably be a new thread. Thanks for playing so far!
>>6439269>Gene. It takes a real effort to not think of anything else though… (Roll will be required, and failure will have consequences.)
>>6439269>Your home. Yes it’s probably got cops crawling all over it by now, but it beats jumping feet first into somewhere really dangerous.Don't forget to archive this
>>6439269>Gene. It takes a real effort to not think of anything else though… (Roll will be required, and failure will have consequences.)A half-blind Gene is waiting for us in a corrupted mall. Not thinking of him will most likely have consequences too, so let's try to do the right thing. Thanks for running this up to now and have a good break. See you in a couple of weeks then!
>>6439571Ah, thanks for the reminder, will do that now.
