Just so you all know, I won't be available much at all on Friday, and a limited amount on Saturday and Sunday.
Level 5:
Characteristics. Health +4, Speed +2
Hunter’s Expertise. When you use an action to attack with a weapon, your attack deals 1d6 extra damage and you can move up to 2 yards without triggering a free attack.
Lifestyle: Comfortable. 2 SS.
How are we all doing? Everyone working on their downtime and level up stuff?
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The incident at the tower darkens Dramm. He becomes withdrawn upon returning to the city and his obsessive studies deepen. He delves into tomes about the Fey in search of methods to combat them. A tome on alchemical materials leads Dramm to investigating metals that could expand on the effects iron creates in contact with Fey.
Dramm barely eats or sleeps during the next month. He stops cooking almost entirely, spending long nights reading and theorizing. His spells grow quickly in power, but his eyes become dark and unhealthy. The group hardly finds him outside of his home unless he is researching or practicing. Even Ezekia sees Dramm less, and when she does she can tell his healing is no longer keeping up with his "practice" in Destruction. Perhaps healing is not being applied at all.
Ezekia knows instantly that something is wrong when Dramm returns. She can feel his anger and pain at losing Anophth. Every once in a while when his attention is elsewhere, she notices a deeply buried shame festering inside him. The shame sparks fear, then dread, then defiant rejection in an attempt to regain control. It all settles into a cold, familiar hatred.
Several weeks later, Dramm receives an odd package delivered by a olive-skinned messenger. He reveals a mace crafted from a light purple metal. Carved into the handle is the name "Jezzail".
Dramm shows something new in his most recent Destruction spells: finesse. A cold morning about a month after the return from the tower, Dramm is in the outskirts of town in a small field with some battered wooden targets. His eyes are dark circles and there are already several dark bruises and cuts on his body.
He takes a deep breath and draws his knife delicately across the morning air. Soft strands are left behind. They twist and dance, writhing almost as if alive. Dramm's eyes narrow as he enforces his will on the strands and forces the magic towards a target. The image of a broken body and bloodied fine clothing worm their way into Dramm's mind. The strands become crystalline in appearance and then explode into released magical power. The backlash opens a gash on Dramm's forehead. The amber in his arms flares with his temper. The stone has consumed more of the veins.
Dramm clenches a fist in frustration when the image in his mind falls away only to be replaced by another. This time the face of an imagined queen. Dramm had heard of her from Anophth once. At the time he had been curious about her mythical beauty. Now he wanted nothing more than to destroy it. A nearby chunk of wood explodes violently and a bruise appears on Dramm's collarbone. With an angry grunt Dramm shatters another target. The area around him rings with loud explosions as his magic flares again and again.
"Dramm... you should stop." Ezekia's voice startles Dramm. He whirls, dagger glowing. Dramm's grip relaxes a little when he recognizes her face. The link between them is loud, and she feels waves of pain, anger, guilt, fear, and pain. He turns back to the targets and Ezekia feels the cold focus again.
"No. I need more. They won't come with me to get Anophth's bones. I have to do it alone." He grunts as his skin cracks on one arm from the spells. Another burst of magic bakes the cracked, blackened ground.
"You need to rest, Dramm. Anophth- The name causes another explosion. That strange cycle of emotions pours over Ezekia again in quick succession.
"No!" The magic pours back into Dramm, healing wounds and refreshing his reserves. "Someone has to set this right. I have to set this right. I need to set it right."
He sets himself and begins to carve the delicate strands into the air again. Ezekia feels a flood of hatred mixed with the cold dread of a festering fear that refuses to be buried. His focus drowns out the world around him. The strands glide towards the target. The face of a beautiful Elven queen is clear in Dramm's mind.
"Dramm?" It's not Ezekia's voice that causes the strands to wrench wildly. The gentle voice cuts through Dramm's concentration, and his eyes glance involuntarily to see Joy. Ezekia feels the icy rage in Dramm lash out blindly. It's enough to cause the spell to slip. Dramm desperately attempts to control the threads as they writhe and lash out wildly. All but one becomes crystal before detonating. The last remains delicate, but pulls taught.
"Dramm?" Joy's eyes are filled with fear. A strand connects her cheek to Dramm. The skin crackles and becomes a red mist. The scream fills Dramm with horror. Ezekia feels something inside Dramm finally break, that insistent fear realized.
He rushes forward and kneels down to the crying girl. His magic quickly eases the pain, but it does nothing for the fear. Dramm backs away quickly from Ezekia and Joy.
"I... I promised. I promised not let anything happen to her." Dramm buries his face in his hands. Ezekia feels his regret and shock at himself. She also feels the sickening chill of a horrible revelation inside Dramm. He looks at his hands as if for the first time, then back to Ezekia and Joy.
"I... I'm..." He cannot find the words. He just hangs his head.
Ezekia grows increasingly concerned as the hatred and pain takes root in Dramm's heart. She tries her best to be supportive and caution him against his darker impulses, but the sorcerer can sense the fear tingeing her worries.
"This isn't your sole responsibility. You have to let the others help you," the witch tells him. "Let go of this obsession. I love you, and I don't want to see it destroy you!"
Dramm is surprised when Ezekia embraces him. He expected fear and anger, not a plea for him to return. He stares at Joy with anguish. Dramm's magic was not powerful enough to completely heal her face.
"Joy... I..." One hand reaches for Joy, but stops. His voice cracks, "It is my fault. Don't you see? Ezra, Candice, now Joy... I am the one who kept going. I am the one who refused to stop. I could have stopped, but I didn't."
He looks to where he dropped his knife. For the first time, Dramm's swirling hatred becomes clear to Ezekia as more than cold, furious revenge. It is a hatred born of necessity, fueled by a self-loathing threatening to break Dramm with the truth.
"If I stopped, I had to see that. I killed Ez, then I killed Candace. I could have refused, but I drove the knife home. Now I've... Joy, what have I done to you? I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Dramm buries his head in his hands again. He can feel Ezekia's arms around him. "I promised you I wouldn't let anything happen to Joy."
Ezekia feels Dramm's fear of Joy's judgment.
"Joy, please..."
Tabog sat at a drafting table, covered in schematics and plans for the remaining construction on the manor. On top of all that was a book that had been burning a space on his bookshelf for months. It was something he swiped from the library they had found just a few yards below where he was sitting. He couldn't understand most of it but he knew it had to do with magic mumbo jumbo. Since the cult had it, it had to be power of some kind too and he needed to find out what it was. He spent a little time decyphering what he could with texts from the city's library and listening to Dramm and Imedren talk but he had recently hit a wall in his progress.
Tabog is all smiles when he approaches Dramm, trying to lighten the mood.
"Hello good friend! I see your studying away at your magics yes? How's that going?"
Dramm sighs. His face is more haggard than usual and his eyes are dark rings.
"What is it, Tabog? You don't like magic."
He slowly closes the book, marking his place.
"Come on now, you know that's not true. With yours and Im's fantastic magics,we'd all be... Worse for wear..."
Realizing his poor choice of words he quickly changes the subject.
"Of course I don't hate magic! Actually I had a question for you."
Suspicion crosses Dramm's face, but Tabog sees that reliable hint of curiosity too.
"Okay."
"Great! Say you were to have some magic bits you've never seen before; you know they're magic but you don't know what their deal is... Like the Elven words at the shrine! Or the weird stuff the cult says. What do you do to.... Uh. Figure it out?"
"Depends on what it is. History helps. References. Determine source points in the object and the conjoining configurations. Context can give hints. Sometimes you just hope it doesn't kill you." He lists some of the starting ideas quickly. Then he pauses. "...Why?"
Listening intently, Tabog was nearly startled by Dramm's question.
"Oh! Uh... It's come up a couple times now, in the field you know, I figure the more people that know magic like that, the better."
Dramm just stares at Tabog, unmoving.
"I- Uh- Wel-..... What does it matter? We're learnin' magic right? I'm sick and tired of being the only damn person who doesn't know how to protect himself against your b~!@#@~*!"
Unjustified anger appeared on Tabog's face as he lashed out against Dramm's question, as if he was being attacked.
Dramm blinks at the outburst, clearly surprised. His face quickly goes stony with the unexpected intensity of the situation.
"Oh." He says. "I didn't realize I bothered you."
"You didn't bother me Dramm! You're fine!"
Tabog turns and begins to walk off while still spouting lines at Dramm.
"Stop being so defensive! With your damn shields and healing and gee-ma-nee man...."
"I keep telling you to stop that. It's not funny like you say it is."
Tabog puts a parchment in front of Dramm's face, just close enough so he can read it clearly. It was scribbled quickly but it was clear to any magic user that this was some kind of incantation, and a fairly complex one at that.
"Real quick what's this first part? Come one man! quick, you're busy! Gogogo!..."
Dramm bats away the paper. "Gah! It's fusing something with a protective lattice. What are you doing? Where did you get that?"
"The word, there, this one... Theeeeeere. Meta-blahblah-ious. That's the word for like metal thingys right? That's what it sounds like."
"Metallicus. And that part there is for domination." He frowns. "That's stupid."
"Okay, rude but yeah, sure. I get to control s+** or something? or does it... Thanks Dramm! Have fun doing... whatever it is!"
As quickly as he appeared, Tabog was gone. He had turned the corner and a feeling of confused despair rose up in Dramm. Whatever Tabog is getting himself into, it can't be good.
It has been a few days since anyone had heard from Tabog, even Nutmeg. This caused the young boy to ask around the his dad's "Hero Group"; that's what he called his dad's friends. When no one had said anything about seeing him he became worried. The first place Nutmeg tried to check was his dad's room but the door and window were both locked, a normal occurrence when Tabog leaves the house but now he needed help getting in.
A few heals or a day in the infirmary is enough to wake Tabog up. He is speechless, literally. To everyone's surprise he is unable to speak, sing, or make any other noise save for the mewlings, meows, hisses and growls of the feline his true form would make in the wild.
Dramm came quickly when Nutmeg asked for help. He had barely seen the child over the weeks. Truthfully, he had avoided Nutmeg. This was too important to though. He told Nutmeg to find Uruuna and anyone else he could, then to meet him at Tabog's home.
All assembled, they gathered outside the door and no answer came from knocking. Dramm's impatience gets the better of him and the lock explodes shortly after. The sight of Tabog unconscious pours a cold flood through Dramm. His breath hitches when he sees the crudely constructed diagrams and circles.
"No. No. I told him it was stupid. The diagrams weren't complete. The magic wasn't properly linked. Incomplete controls. Unchecked feedback." He rushes while he mutters. The practiced, fluid motions of the battlefield add a surreal quality to the homely setting. When Tabog takes a steady breath and his eyes open, everyone else starts breathing again too.
Shortly after Tabog's incident, Uruuna is out on patrol when she hears faint music. It seems to be accompanied by some familiar lyrics: "Halfling woman/So brave and bold/You're gonna make those/Bad guys fold"
She looks around for the source of the sound. Eventually she discovers it is coming from her cloak, which vibrates softly with the battle hymn. Experimentation reveals Uruuna is able to command the cloak to play the song or fall silent at will.
Uruuna is dumbfounded by this strange development, unsure of what, if anything, it portends...
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The days after their excursion into the Moon Spire and recovering the Oracular while also rescuing Nutmeg found Imedren simultaneously happy, but also upset at the information he’d learned from Uruuna. What were Katandramus and his allies up to now? They had the Oracular now, so it was a question, he supposed, for another time. He finally had his own answers as to what Uruuna had been so worried over… Selgaer. The faun made Imedren angry every time he thought of him. If he had found out in a worse way…
If he’d still been within 50 paces of me.
But that was behind them already. Or so Uruuna claimed. Selgaer had left before Imedren had learned the truth. He and Uruuna were working through it. It was harder for her, he thought, but it was in a way, fresher for him. She’d held back the truth from him after she’d returned and that had hurt when he’d found out. Selgaer had stolen Uruuna from him, for nearly a year. Though here, it had only been minutes. She’d moved on, in that world. Maybe it had been circumstantial, maybe it had been for a good cause, rescuing those kids, but Imedren still couldn’t forgive the Faun. He hoped he’d never have to see him again, now that he knew the truth.
Now he just had to prepare for the future. He had to get his magic stronger than before and he knew just the field to pursue. The question was, what else could he be doing with his time? The thought gnawed at him as he found himself wandering to his study
It would be faster. he thought.
” It would be easier, wouldn’t it? But what else would I lose by summoning her again?” Imedren said to himself out loud, looking down at the book. They’d rescued Nutmeg, now Katandramus didn’t have a trump card he could hold over them.
It costed us to do that; an ally, Dramm’s pet, and time… but we’re no longer bound by that madman’s will.
” Anophth was a friend, not just an ally. But I already promised Uruuna I wouldn’t do anything else to put my soul in further jeopardy. So, I’ll have to do this the normal way.” he said out loud.
With that, Imedren took the book that contained the name of Druxcanor and placed it among the shelves in a small river of books. He walked over to the small desk, he opened the glass bottle filled with a brandy and stopped. He picked the bottle up and held it, slowly swirling it about.
This does nothing good for me. It impairs my mind, my judgement and my body. It lets me be idle when I shouldn’t be. Maybe I should stop with such excess.
The next few months were spent with Imedren practicing magics he thought were to be useful. He no longer drank for comfort during this time, he hadn’t sworn off drinking, he just didn’t seek the comfort in it he used to. His mood became much more serious as he continued exploring the mysteries of their worlds magic. His exposure to the tears within the fabric of the world from within the tower allowed him to gain a greater degree of understanding and control. The random chaos energies were still present but he could now move through them to even greater degrees. Not just himself but items and eventually other people.
The continued learning and experimentation of such magics had an unexpected breakthrough. As he began to move objects, his body, and other through such breaks in reality, he began to attempt sending his consciousness into the rifts too. At first there was nothing, but then he began to have flashes, moments of insight into danger or his own movements. It wasn’t much yet but he theorized he was perhaps just beginning to touch the very fabrics of time itself.
Discord is down right now. Imedren's spell will take out most of the bugs remaining but they act on fast initiative so waiting to see what Tabog and Selgaer do before posting an update.
Level 5 Expert Magician
Characteristics
Health +2 -> 21
Power +1 -> 3
Magic
You discover a tradition or learn
one spell.
Forest Walk p134
Counterspell: When a creature you
can see attacks you with a spell,
you can use a triggered action to
counter it. The triggering creature
makes the attack roll with 1 bane and
you make the challenge roll to resist
it with 1 boon.
"Nutmeg, I'm glad you're safe."
Joy breaks from the hug, and fiddles in her pocket, eventually pulling out the odd metal marble.
"I found this, it floats a little. I wanted you to have it.", she says, her palm extended in front of the boy, the ball floating there.
Joy is in shock.
And it takes Dramm getting visibly upset to shake her out of it.
"Dramm...please...it's....it's fine."
When he doesn't respond to that, and as she recovers her wits, she speaks up.
"Dramm, it hurt then, but I'll live. It's only a burn, either of us can heal it away. Please don't be upset. Please calm down."
Joy does her best to assist in the local community, trying to get food to the hungry and clothes to the poor. And doing her best to play down a small but angry-looking burn under her left eye.
And someone decides to leave her a pale blue dress, with an odd dark stain on the front. One that has formed into a pattern, which she takes to studying.
Uruuna Level Up:
Health +5
Durable: When you would heal damage equal to your healing rate, your healing rate equals your Health divided by 3.
Fighter Talent (Swift Shot): When you make an attack with a ranged
weapon that does not have a reload property, you can use a triggered action to attack with the same weapon. You make the second attack roll with 1 bane.
Imedren Level Up:
Characteristics Health +2
Magic: You either discover a new tradition or learn one spell
from a tradition you have already discovered.
Time Tradition:
Delay: 0th, Utility
Accelerate: 3rd, Utility
Spell exchange:
Swap 1st, teleportation becomes Augur, 1st Divination.
Control Flame, 0th, Fire, becomes Flame missile, 0th, Fire.
Greater Sorcery replaces the Sorcery talent. When you
cast a spell, you can choose to gain 1 strain and apply any
one of the following effects to the spell.
- Empowered Spell: If you cast an attack spell, this talent
grants you 2 boons on your attack roll and imposes 2
banes on challenge rolls made to resist this spell.
- Enlarged Spell: If the spell affects an area, you double it.
Thus, if the spell would affect a sphere with a 5-yard
radius, you could affect a 10-yard radius instead.
- Far Spell: If the spell affects an area or a target other than
you, you can increase the range from touch to short
range, short range to medium range, medium to long, or
long to extreme. Thus, if you would choose a point within
short range, you can use this talent to choose a point
within medium range instead.
- Lasting Spell: If the spell has a duration, you can use this
talent to extend it. A duration of 1 minute becomes 10
minutes, 10 minutes becomes 1 hour, 1 hour becomes 8
hours, and 8 hours becomes 24 hours.
- Potent Spell: If you cast an attack spell that deals or heals
damage, you can use this talent to increase the damage
dealt or healed by the spell. If the spell deals damage or
heals damage to one or more targets, each target takes
or heals 2d6 extra damage. If the spell deals or heals
damage over time, the spell instead deals or heals 1d6
extra damage.
Characteristics. Health +4
Expert Guide. You always know which direction is north, and you can always retrace your steps. In addition, when you travel over land, everyone in your group that has Speed lower than yours moves at your Speed.
Expert Tracker. When you find tracks, you can make an Intellect challenge roll. On a success, you learn a useful piece of information about the creature or creatures that made the tracks.
Level 6 Witch
Characteristics Health +2 -> 23
Magic You discover a tradition or learn one spell.
Brambles p134
Flying Broom: You can use an action to touch a broom and expend a casting of a spell. You imbue the broom with magic that remains for a number of hours equal to your Power plus the rank of the spell whose casting you expended. Until the effect ends, while you sit on the handle, you can move by flying. You can carry one or more passengers whose total Size cannot exceed 1.
Joy stands in the dark alley, leaning on her new broomstick.
Before her, the maddened rogue witch Dread Peggy Frogwart, lay riddled with arrows, grasped by vines, and scorched by potent magic.
She glances at the rooftops, and several hooded allies run off.
I'll speak with them later. I'm glad they helped.
She turns to the motley assortment of witches, townsfolk, and guards that she was able to rustle up at short notice. Ezekia was elsewhere, handling trouble that Peggy had set in motion.
I'd better say something.
Joy turns to face the group.
"Thank you all, we needed everyone to stand up to Peggy and we all did!"
The motley crew cheers to their victory. Among the group, Regis gives Joy a knowing nod. None of this would have been possible without her foresight and leadership skills.
Dramm is surprised by the Gunderson's concern for the well-being of his employees. He takes the coin with a thoughtful look.
"We found something in the mine." Dramm produces several chunks of iron ore, as well as the Viridium ore. "I'd like to purchase this. Do you know a skilled smith who can work it?"
He listens to Ironmonger before appreciatively shaking the man's hand. He approaches Selgaer outside of the bar.
"First deal in this city I've felt good for taking. You helped defend the miners. Stood firm with Uruuna. Reliable. Gunderson too. Maybe I wasn't fair to either of you." No apology follows. Instead, Dramm changes the subject.
"Your legs... horns... are you fey? If I push you into iron, does it burn? Serve the Elf Queen?"
Dramm makes careful use of his fortune over the next three months. He puts more money into the mansion's reconstruction. The considerable resources also let him hire professionals to search for the whereabouts of Katandramus. He meets with them often and at odd hours, scratching every surface for information. He also gathers the group a few days after the adventure into the mines.
"For everyone." He produces an iron coin for everyone except Joy. [b]"I forgot yours at home. I'll give it to you later." He never gives one to Joy. "Joy's" coin instead goes to Ezekia that night.
"For protection." He explains to to the group. "Small. Painful to Fey. Easy to carry as well. It can be very disruptive."
As time drags on, something changes in Dramm. His destructive practice results in daily burns, cuts, bruises, and breaks. Dramm no longer appears to be keeping up with healing the wounds consistently.
About a month after the mines, Dramm shows up at Imedren's home with a loud, sharp knocks. Dark rings are around his eyes, and deep cuts show through tattered clothing. It appears he was studying at two in the morning. Joy notices that Dramm avoids coming home at night, staying often with Ezekia or falling asleep studying at the mansion.
"Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Tried to practice, but it's not enough. Need your help. I figured you'd be the person who would know." He coughs awkwardly. "Do you have something? Like you might have used to avoid the hangovers? Dreamless?"
He fidgets awkwardly in the doorway.
Hey, just glad we could do something right. Sel says with a half smile.
Upon the questioning of the fey, Sel responds a bit more harshly, F%#$ no, I ain't fey. And that queen b!~&! can go f$@& herself. You got a problem with that?
When Dramm inevitably says no, Sel relaxes a bit. Look, I'm sorry things got off on the wrong foot. Hey, I'm going out for drinks with a friend later on; would you like to join?
Officially, Commander Rena commended Selgaer for his admiral performance at the mines. His representation of the Crossings Militia was top notch.
Over the next week, Selgaer spent his time going back and forth to the mines, bringing back bodies and bringing out new miners and supplies. Rena would ride along side here and there on the normal patrols and to check in with Gundren.
After the mission was finally wrapped up and all the bodies were recovered, Rena and Sel could be seen hanging out again. When they were hunting deer together, they were hunting girls together. Or they were at a random bar, drinking, laughing, and swapping old war stories retold for the hundredth time.
One early morning whole out on a hunt, she broached an add question.
You know I don't really see you in that way, right?
Uhh… yes?
Well, I don't know what's going on with me lately. Maybe it's too many close calls. Maybe it's the patrols through the city. Maybe it's that I don't want to live alone anymore.
Sel stayed quiet as she talked.
I want a child.
Sel was about to say something, when Rena interjected. Shut the f%*! up! Don't laugh at me! she said, punching Sel's arm.
So just how do you plan on doing this? You know how that happens, right? Sel asked.
Yes, yes. I know. It's why I'm telling you. I want you to be the father. No, don't say anything yet. I'm not saying I want a relationship. Not anything more than what we have now. But I still need a surrogate. She paused long enough to down a shot. And I want that surrogate to be you.
Sel knocked an arrow and loosed it. The arrow stuck out of the neck of a rabbit. Yes, he said. I'd be happy to.
Good, she said. And we sure as f@&& are not together.
Within three months, Rena was starting to show. It didn't stop their nights out drinking. Instead, it shifted. As the midwife told Rena, "The proper drink for pregnancy is white wine or red wine of thin consistency with a bouquet and notably hot and dry."
Likewise, they still went on morning hunts together. And she still patrolled the city, hunting down and killing threats.
[ooc]Conversation with Sel:[ooc]
Dramm seemed surprised at Selgaer's invitation.
"Uh... yes? I think I'm supposed to say yes. Not sure I want to. Don't know you yet. Everyone looks at you strange and no one will tell me why." He shifts from one foot to the other as he considers. "Kept me alive in the mines. Did the same for you. That is when the others started drinking with me as well."
A pensive frown holds Dramms face captive.
"If that is the norm, many people owe me alcohol..." Dramm decides to accompany the faun. He's an awkward drinking companion, but not a bad one when given to comfortable silences.
Sel ignored Dramm's comment about not wanting to go. Good! Glad you're coming along.
Along the way, Sel talks. Truthfully, I have spent a lot of time in th fey worlds. After I was taken by the elves, back when I was just a kid, they trained me to be a hunter. I was in and out of many different hidden realms, hunting, tracking, and killing monsters and beasts. I didn't have much choice; I was just a child, after all.
Sel opened the tavern door, allowing Dramm to enter. When he got to the bar, he ordered two blackberry and vodkas, as well as two honey ales.
But I planned my escape. Grabbed my brother and we got the hell out of there. But we didn't escape cleanly. We thought we got away, but a few months later our home was assaulted. The elves sent the hobgoblins after us and they burned down the entire village we were staying. Kidnapped all the kids there.
Sel downed his blackberry and vodka, and then started sipping his ale.
I hunted them down. It's where I met Stuart, actually. You know, that talking jackrabbit that hangs out with me? I also met a woman. Fierce she was. Absolute firebrand and damn good with a sword.
So anyways, the elves had this druid who masked their path. Tracking them was a b*&+&. But we didn't know that at first. When we got to the hidden realm, we had thought time went slow there. You see, every hidden realm - every Fey realm - works on a different clock. You could stay in one for ten years and come back only to discover a day has passed. Or if you're unlucky, you could he gone for a day and have ten years pass.
So when we got there, we saw how overgrown everything was. There was no tracks. No trails. We thought it was time. It took us months to track those kids down, and by the time we did, we figured that decades or more would have passed. I mean, I was only hours behind the kids when they were taken; yet there was enough overgrowth to account for years.
But we made the sacrifice. For those kids. That's what you do, right? I only had my brother back home, but better to lose him and ensure all these kids wouldn't have to grow up like I did.
That firebrand and I - we were good together. We complimented each other. We made a good team. We started to fall in love. She was a widow; her husband died in what must have been years ago back in the mortal world. It must have been more than a century that had passed in the near year we were gone.
When we got back, we had plans to adopt most of the kids - especially if we couldn't find any living family they had.
But that's when we realized just how wrong we were. When we got back to the mortal realm, only half a day had passed. It wasn't altered time that caused the fast growth making tracking those kids so hard - it was that damn elven druid.
She realized that her husband must have still been alive. She ran off back to him.
After I returned the kids to their families - my brother adopted those whose family's had perished in the hobgoblin assault - I set off to find her. I didn't want things to end the way they did.
I was a fool. I was stupid. Of course she wouldn't leave her husband for me. Of course she'd stay with him. But ya know, she was my first love, so I acted the fool.
And that's the story of how I met Uruuna.
After a moments pause, someone entered the bar in a very loud and boisterous manner.
Oh, she's here! There's the friend I was talking about. Come on, let me introduce you to Commander Rena.
Dramm's eyes suddenly snap from a glaze when Selgaer mentions Uruuna's name. Up to this point, the barrage of words had been a bit much. He chokes on his drink.
"Uruuna?!" He coughs out. "Oh... OH." Dramm's eyes slide about the room uncomfortably. He looks relieved at the cheer, but sits up rigidly with the appearance of Rena.
"Rena. We've met. Doesn't like me." He says to Selgaer as the faun waves down the commander. "Thought she might have hired you to kill me for a while."
Dramm grips his drink tightly and his voice drips with acid.
Rena shakes hands and claps backs as she greets the regular patrons of the bar. She grins at Selgaer, but her smile fades when she sees Dramm sitting at the table. "What's he doing here?" she scowls, glaring at the sorcerer.
"I was invited." Dramm growls back. "Was hoping your animosity would fade. People used to say I could hold a grudge..."
Dramm drums the table thoughtfully with his five-fingered hand, clearly enjoying a chance to prod Rena. Her cold attitude even after his actions during the outbreak had only made Dramm more spiteful toward the commander recently. It was not a pleasant look for him.
"I didn't know you'd brought me here to be harassed, Selgaer."
"What do you expect?" Rena counters in a harsh whisper. "Every time I look at you, I see her. It's not fair. We had a good thing going before you came along." Her knuckles turn white as she grips the edge of the table.
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"It was good. She cherishes the time you had together. Cares about you." Dramm's tone suddenly shifts from childishly spiteful to dead serious. "Then she chose me."
Dramm rises from the chair to glare at Rena from over the table. An amber glow emanates from under the cloth over his arms.
"You will respect that choice." His eyes burn into hers, daring any contradiction.
Rena narrows her eyes but doesn't back down. "I will honor her choice, as I expect you to honor your promise to me. I heard what you did to the girl, Joy."
Dramm grits his teeth at the cutting remark. He hadn't expected Rena to be so informed. His arms flare a little brighter.
"Leave Joy out of this." He snaps. Selgaer catches just a hint of amber light flickering in Dramm's eyes. "You'd use that girl as a tool to justify your failure?"
For a tense moment, Dramm's right hand hovers uncomfortably close to his knife before the glow recedes.
"You extended that warning to me once. Now I'm returning it: You will not hurt Ezekia." Dramm's eyes still blaze.
Rena sighs and lowers her eyes. "That's the last thing I'd ever want to do. And hurting you would hurt her. Let's just have a f&@$ing drink."
Sel looks on, then claps his hands once and puts forth a smile. I didn't know you two had already met! Looks like we're all becoming fast friends. Bartender! Six shots!
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"That's fine, Sel, but what will you two drink?" Rena asks with a smirk.
As usual, Uruuna throws herself into her work as a Brown Cloak with loyalty and determination. The halfling has quickly become one of the most dangerous warriors on the force, her skills with a bow now on par with her deadly sword style. Jon Crawley recognizes her dedication and steadily mounting record of success by promoting her to lieutenant, along with a commensurate pay raise ensuring that Uruuna has wealth to spare! She doesn't waste her money on fripperies, though, instead investing and saving up a nest egg for the future with Imedren.
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Returning after the task in the iron mines seemed to be difficult for Imedren. He couldn’t go back to help with the bodies, the dreams and nightmares had convinced part of him that one of the bodies they would find would be his.
Upon returning to Crossings, Imedren found the total of expected wealth to be much more than he had ever had in his life. He finally chose to contribute some wealth to the side project they had of renovating the mansion.
He threw himself into studying and acquiring as much lore as was possible. He worked within the wizard’s tower as his primary place to gain research materials. He quickly filled up his study at home as he gathered tidbits of research into time magic, learning that most of it seemed to be based on bending reality and creating what were effectively time bubbles around those who were subject to such magics, speeding or slowing time. There were warnings about how taxing it was but the benefits were often viewed as far more beneficial than the setbacks. But the thing he was interested in primarily was time reversal.
Imedren knew he had died. He was convinced, and yet in defiance of all logic, he was still alive. As the days turned to weeks, his research and practical applications yielded some interesting results, especially when he combined the ideas and theories of time with magic. During his practical applications, he became aware that something strange had happed to him though, when he harnessed his powers of chaos and reached for his sorcerous power, he could feel an unusual surge of energy that had not been there before. It was as though the well had deepened and a previous restraint had been removed and now, he could pull more. The power now encompassed all his magic. Letting him strengthen its potency even more, he could make it reach farther, extend its duration, widen how large an area it might fill, and make it more destructive. This thrilled him but despite this, it did little to answer his lingering questions of why he was still alive or the new question of why he’d received this newfound power. He’d hit a dead end.
When bringing his troubles to his sometimes employer, Caribdus, the wizard suggested the man look deeper into the study of divination and effects of Chaos in the world, of which there were already many theories. Eventually he stumbled across a strange variation of theories. Texts describing timelines which could be viewed through divination magic and other theories with slight differences known as worldlines that could be traveled between. Causality from the choices that each individual made and the correction of chaos to set right again those things which should not belong. Something close to fate, he decided. He recalled his warring ideals in those moments before his actions overruled his conscious mind and all rationality.
Had he been forced to die in a different timeline? Had he needed to in order to pursue this line of reasoning. Had the correction of chaos made it so that he was still alive? It made some sense. The surge in his abilities seemed to account for multiple people’s worth of power. Was he connected to them all, or they connected to him?
He couldn’t be sure unfortunately, the more he learned the more he realized how vast this ocean of possibilities were. His studies on divination were limited by his minimal study in the field but he was able to make use of a spell with a deck of cards he purchased which seemed to allow him to receive answers to simple questions. Mostly he used this to slowly weed out unhelpful pieces of information or give him an answer when he felt completely frustrated. He had another use for his divination magic, which helped him focus on one other thing which had plagued the back of his mind. Katandramus and his dark brotherhood. Steadily his study began having walls covered with large sheets of parchment with writings dedicated to theories and how they might be interconnected. A much smaller section was dedicated to questions he’d been asking about Katandramus and the cult.
He was however, keenly aware that he couldn’t ignore his current life that he had been given. When he could, he made sure to spend time with Uruuna on her days away from the Watch. His friends occasionally showed up on his doorstep with problems. While he was tempted to turn them away, he often did not. Instead he invited them in to see what they needed.
Imedren didn't really seem to notice the strange effects the study of time magic seemed to have on him at first. Once every few hours he would flicker in and out of view. Sometimes he seemed to interrupt people mid sentence as if knowing what they were going to say next. Or when asked a question he seemed to have the perfect answer ready. There were times when he was excited, determined, or happy and he seemed a bit younger. Other times, when he seemed contemplative, sad, or worried he looked aged. Other minor, or abstract phenomenon occurred as well.
Spending 2 GC for the Rich lifestyle.
Joy maintains a comfortable lifestyle, and the rest of her earnings go into charity or into the mansion. Perhaps gardens, if there are any.
About a month after the mines, Dramm shows up at Imedren's home with a loud, sharp knocks. Dark rings are around his eyes, and deep cuts show through tattered clothing. It appears he was studying at two in the morning. Joy notices that Dramm avoids coming home at night, staying often with Ezekia or falling asleep studying at the mansion.
"Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Tried to practice, but it's not enough. Need your help. I figured you'd be the person who would know." He coughs awkwardly. "Do you have something? Like you might have used to avoid the hangovers? Dreamless?"
He fidgets awkwardly in the doorway.
Imedren looked at the normally calm man, noting just how worn down he seemed. He put a hand to his head and sighed in exasperation. "You're a mess, Dramm and you look about ready to fall over. Come inside already." He let Dramm enter and closes the door after him. "Lucky you came to me, I happen to be an expert on dealing with hangovers both before and after." He led him to the kitchen where he had him sit down on a chair. He filled a cup with water and handed it to him. "Don't talk about your project right now. Here, drink this. You probably need to eat something too. Uruuna likes to have biscuits slathered in honey, I know we have some around here, she shouldn't mind too much. I personally find greasier foods to be more helpful."
He paused only momentarily, his nose twisting. "You smell terrible. After you eat, you're taking a bath and cleaning the blood and grime off of yourself. "
"No, no. Not necessary. I haven't rested, Imedren. I can't. Don't want to fall asleep in the water or they'll pull me under. These dreams are too much. I'm starving too." It seems to be the only advice Dramm takes in. He looks around for the mentioned bread almost fanatically, snatching it up quickly. You're sure hes eaten, Ezekia wouldn't let him get so hungry as to truly starve. Imedren had heard more than once or her dragging him away from the studies to force him to cook."Spells used to work. Kept things at bay. Not any more. They come anyway to watch me."
Imedren paused, looking at Dramm, his earlier demands of the man to take care of himself falling away. His gaze narrowed and he was using all of his senses now, as if to attempt to detect some before unseen threat. "What things, Dramm? What comes to watch you? What are you trying to avoid?"
"Been having bad dreams. Lost in the woods, hunted by wolves." Dramm shudders involuntarily. "The nightmares are bad... Keep me from resting."
Imedren relaxed some as Dramm explained, he shook his head some and began pacing back and forth. "When did this all start? Can you think of something that brought these nightmares on?" He paused after a moment. "Wait... are you asking me for something that that will let you sleep without dreaming?"
"Yes. That. Sleep without dreaming." Dramm snaps his fingers. "Started a few weeks ago. Getting more frequent."
Imedren sighs. "There is some disparity on the ideas of where dreams and nightmares come from. I won't bother going into details as it's only peripherally relevant to what we're talking about. There are two ways... well three ways really, to avoid dreaming that I am aware of. The first and most obvious, is simply never to sleep. There are magics, luckily in your field of study with healing or rather Life magics that are able to rid one of fatigue. Sleep deprivation itself is a buildup of toxins within ones body that harm it over time and the bodies natural response is to try and flush those toxins out while sleeping. With your curative magics you should be able to remove those toxins directly. However, the esoteric entries I've read on this all say that the vast majority of those who attempted this became strange after a time, if left unchecked. Eccentric quirks and erratic behaviors began to pop up in most subjects after several weeks, delusions and eventually behaviors bordering on psychotic became notable after months. Strength of will and level of focus as well as various hobbies helped keep one steady for a much longer period of time. Those few who had regular infusions of curative magic aimed at stemming the flow of madness were able to carry on for years, but even then odd quirks still appeared. The entries supposedly recorded one individual lasting 8 years without detrimental behaviors developing but there were not followups past that point."
... ...
Imedren paused for a time then continued. "The second method that is known, and one that I am intimately familiar with, is becoming blackout drunk. This one is somewhat debated by scholars as the memory loss induced from it is an unknown quantity. Most often it results in a recovery rest where the subject rarely remembers much of anything from a certain degree of drinking up to the point of losing consciousness and passing out. The debates come from the idea of people saying things and performing acts one would never normally do under regular circumstances. Is it the subjects Id taking over once the inhibitions of the Ego and Superego are gone? Are they becoming possessed by outside entities for a time, now that the host body is effectively unguarded? It's fascinating really." he gave a half grin at Dramm but then realized that he was ranting again. " Either way, the conscious mind seems to be rendered unable to remember such things before the body passes out in order to recover. I don't really keep as much alcohol as I used to around the house. But I should have enough for the moment, if you wanted to try it." There was another pause and he frowned after a moment, sighing again. ” Lastly, there is pure physical exhaustion of the body and mind. I don’t mean a tired or even fatigued. I mean utterly drained of all energy, physically, mentally, and very likely emotionally. It’s like entering a state on your way to dying, so it’s extremely dangerous. Your body must recover and can do nothing else during this time. It’s stated that no dreams can penetrate into such a state.”
Dramm listens to Imedren's sermon quietly. He only speaks at the end.
"I was hoping more for medicines or herbs." He picks at the bread in his hand. You catch him staring at it as if it might suddenly disappear. "I'll visit an alchemist. Someone in town must have something that can make me restful."
He tenses in his seat.
"I can't keep going back, Imedren. I haven't eaten there in days. Time doesn't work the same way. I never know how long the dream will last."
"I'm not an alchemist or an apothecary Dramm. Like I said, I know of ways to limit getting hangovers and how to best deal with them if you do. Ways to sleep are not my strong suit, but I'm sure we can help you find something." He paused again, listening as his friend seemed to be making less sense.
"Am I missing something here Dramm? Time doesn't work the same way? You haven't been going back where? Dream... are you talking about your nightmare? Look if you are hoping for answers, I've been studying a way to help us do that. A way to learn answers to questions we couldn't get. It's not a precise as using the Oracular but we won't have to sacrifice our souls to do it. I'm certain I could help."
Dramm nods slowly, biting into the bread.
"The nightmares. Or... like one long one. Traps me inside. I sleep, and I'm lost in the woods. Sometimes I'm there for hours. Even days. There are monstrous wolves that hunt me." Dramm shakes his head. One hand instinctively reaches down to his legs as if to rub an old wound. "There's no food, Imedren. The longer I spend there, the worse it gets. No matter when I ate while I was awake. I'm always starving."
He is quiet for a while. "If you think you know a way to help..."
Imedren's face creased with worry. "I want to say this is just nightmares but just looking at you is enough to know better. This sounds like faerie magic at work. I can start getting you answers... then if there is an entity that is doing this to you. We might be able to see it with the Oracular, or maybe Caribdus has a chance of helping. If we can see it, I can start honing in on it's location. If we don't, then it will take longer."
"Oracular is a bad idea. Fey magic inviting demon magic. Seems like it might make things worse."[b] He rubs his eyes. [b]"The tower has books. And we have funds. Maybe we can still order some. I've... been looking into maintaining Anophth's shop. Maybe he had some connections."
"You're probably right." Imedren's worry turned to sadness at the memory of the Goblin. His shoulders slumping a little. Between the worry and the sadness, Imedren seemed older somehow. "That's... kind of you to have done Dramm. But as I recall there was a lot of problems towards the end of Anophth still being in charge. Particularly when he scared off Nutmeg and Uruuna's increasing duties with the Brown Coats left her with less and less time to help out there. But I suppose it couldn't hurt to check."
Dramm nods. "I'd like to do the drinking part now."
"Fair, I think I've got some Brandy around here."
"Stop it."
Tap! Tap! Tap!
"Ow, quit! What do you want?"
It was quite, save for the sound of agitated writing and padded hits, then rasping on a door.
"Imedren! Apparently this is important enough to wake up before dawn."
With a quick swipe, Tabog hits Dramm's shoulder accusingly.
"...Wha- Yeah, I was awake anyway. But not him!"
Begrudgingly, the two younger men follow Tabog to the mansion. It was apparent that Tabog was living here. Not being able to sing took most of his income from him and allowed other musicians to take over most of his territory... This was not something he could just handle, this was the main reason he was with his two friends tonight. A drastic measure had to be taken.
It was a slow going process as both Dramm and Imedren had to be coerced into every experimental application of magic used to fix Tabog's loss of voice. After a few "safer" methods of healing and alteration magic applied to the area around his larynx, the two started to inquire about what Tabog was feeling. After a series of questions and some magic used to look into the feline man's throat, it was discovered that Tabog's botched magic circle turned his voice box into solid steel!
"Wait... Didn't you ask Dramm about an incantation with some kind of control.... Metal formation... You used transformation magic on yourself!?"
"Saw it. Incomplete and unstable circle. Desired final result was beyond the structure's capabilities. Needed more experience. Haven't found a solution yet. We're lucky he isn't dead. Mixing magics requires calculations and experience in the design of..."
Tabog slumps and looks at Imedren, apparent about his disinterest in the lecture he's was about to get on the subject at hand.
Imedren saw TaBog and easily discerned the nature of his gaze. Shaking his head he held out a hand.
"Save your breath, Dramm. TaBog doesn't need to hear it. Doesn't want to either. TaBog is merely a dabbler in magic and woefully inexperienced. We all know it and it looks like he's already learned his lesson. As much as I don't really like the idea, I think we have to acknowledge this just isn't our area of expertise and even between the three of us we probably don't have the ability to undo this. We'll need assistance."
Tabog slaps is head and points at Dramm, then makes several gestures that may or may not be too lewd to describe.
"What are you doi-!"
"It's Ezekia. He want's to get help from Ezekia..."
With an exasperated sigh, Dramm gathers his gear and begins to trudge towards his beloved's hut.
All of the monsters Tabog has faced thus far with his friends were nothing compared to the wrath of the red haired witch that Dramm has been bound to. There was no doubt in his mind that the six or so hours she spent casting spells, that delivered varying levels of excruciating pain, at Tabog were purely for her own vendetta against him. Now well into the late morning, it seemed as though she had run out of the energy needed to continue her torture and sent Tabog to the market for the materials she needed to actually help him. She began to explain the process in great detail to the two magicians, but after receiving the list Tabog vanished; he could already tell he wasn't going to be able to follow along. He returned to the hut and the disenchantment process finally began.
"Take everything off... Leave your shirt and pants on, please!"
As if she had read his mind, he stopped mid way to throwing his pants off in front of the beautiful woman and made a mocking sad expression.
"This will be quick, it's going to hurt more then anything else I've done this morning. You might pass out... "Say something if you don't want me to proceed..."
She smiled at herself, truly wicked when she wants to be.
"Great, let's begin, and don't move!"
Tabog's eyes shot up like a goblin at a feast and he began to wave his hands in protest. A single step back was all the time he had before the incantation was read and a dart of energy was flung at Bog's neck. To the witnesses of the event: as the spell hit the rogue, a huge blast of light was created and he was thrown to the floor. Unharmed but unconscious, the others rushed to him. Ezekia looking the most worried, frantically double checked her inscription of the spell.
"What the..? I don't know what could've happened, there wasn't enough energy in that to produce something even remotely that bright!"
As their eyes adjusted back from the flash, there were more questions instead of answers. The KO'd cat-man appeared to have a pattern of purple star shaped speckles originating at the spell's contact point and scattering like an explosion down and across his chest.
"What the hell is that?"
They all seemed to say in unison.
That night after Rena's announcement, Dramm is more distracted than normal. Ezekia can feel him puzzling something, but without the single-minded fervor of his normal studies. He sat with her in her hut drinking tea without tasting it.
"Rena is pregnant now. That was surprising." His small talk is worse than normal.
Again, a surge of conflicting emotions makes it difficult to parse exactly what Ezekia is feeling. "Yes. It caught me off-guard."
"She'll make a good mother, I think." Despite the hostilities, Ezekia feels the sincerity of the statement. It is followed by a fearful chill that pours through Dramm like a waterfall. "Would you have been a mother with her?"
Ezekia takes a long sip of her tea before responding. "Maybe. I don't know. We talked about the possibility of having a family together, one day. I thought it was just daydreaming but..." She shrugs
Dramm gently rubs his knuckles. "Are you... I..." He grasps for words, his face pinching together in thought. He speaks slowly, carefully choosing his words. "We are together, but I do not know what future you wanted for yourself. I did not think I had one." He draws thoughtfully, and there is a twinge of guilt. He corrects himself. "No. No that's not true. I did not want one, so I did not consider yours. I assumed I would die, I think. Wanted to."
Worry ripples through the connection. "I know. I've seen the way you've been pushing yourself. Driving your body to its limits, and sometimes past them. I care about you, and I've tried to temper your self-destructive tendencies as much as I can. I want a future with you, but this can't be a one-sided desire. You have to want a future with me, too." She meets Dramm's gaze. "So what do you want, Dramm?"
Dramm's eyes quickly soften under Ezekia's stare. He had yet to hold any secrets from her gaze. "You." He says simply, but thoughtfully. "Did you want more than that? Rena did. Now I wonder if I took that from you. I... am not sure I will be alive to be there. The dreams... Anophth..."
"Hey." Ezekia gets up and moves around the table to be next to Dramm. She kneels down and takes his hands in hers. "You didn't take Rena away from me. She was the one who felt like she couldn't trust me with her troubles. She pulled away, and I chose to end things. Your dreams are just that. They are not a prophecy. They are not an inevitability. You can't give up simply because you're scared. This is a dangerous world. Either one of us could die at any time. But you can't be so afraid of dying that you become afraid of living!"
"No, I don't fear being alive, Ezekia." He squeezes her hands. "I have not truly wanted anything for a very long time. I have only had this thing I had to do. I have not conceived of my own future for years. Now I do not know where to begin."
"Just focus on the here and now. Focus on us. We don't have to make grand plans. Let's just take it one day at a time." She stands up and kisses Dramm gently on the lips. Despite her words, Dramm can sense a faint longing through the connection.
Dramm nods, but inside him Ezekia feels a struggling confusion at the concept. He takes comfort from her touch. For a while he enjoys simply sitting with her.
"You felt something when you saw Rena. If you want something more... am I the person you want it with?"
Ezekia nods. "Yes. I want it to be you, Dramm."
A flicker of Dramm seems legitimately surprised, as though the thought had seemed impossible. He smiles and holds her tightly.
"Yes, you too."
Now with what Joy has hopefully recovered and overheard, we should be able to put Quick away for good.
Hear, hear!
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Selgaer was doing a fine job at track Tabog. So far he had stayed out of sight and was unimpressed with Tabog's predictable movements. After a moment of reflection he turned back to his prey to find him gone. Surprised, he began to pursue his quarry but he was stopped suddenly by an arrow that pierced the wall in front of him. Luckily he could tell by the angle of the shot that the rogue was right behind him. Sel had his spear inches from his target's belly instantly. The air was thick with tension as the two master hunters stood threatening the life of one another.
"You and Uruuna, you slept with her didn't you?"
What's it to you? Sel responds. He's defensive about the subject, but more to protect Uruuna than himself.
"I'm sure you have friends and family you'd kill for. Imedren and Uruuna are two of the most important people in my life and I'd do anything to protect them."
He tightens the draw on his bow.
"Even kill man... A Fae, anyway."
Is that what happened to that Goblin friend of yours? Sel asks; he has no fear with the bow drawn at him.
"Anophth died trying to save my son! He was a true hero and a great friend. I don't suggest you throw accusations around, like you know what the hell you're talking about."
Tabog's eyes, dilated from the hunt, glisten with emotion.
"Did you get bored hunting all the squirrels across the veil and decide you wanted to try your hand at breaking up a marriage?"
Do not speak of what you know nothing about, human.Sel retorts. Uruuna thought he was dead. The hidden realm plays tricks on time. We thought more than a century had passed here while we were there. We thought everyone either of us had ever known was dead.
And what few I still knew were alive, we killed. Child hunters, thieves of children - the elves we hunted were traders and barterers of human lives - human children. And we put a stop to it.
We rescued over thirty kids that day. Took us over a year to find them. You know how f$*~ing hard it is to track an elven druid through a fae forest? But we did it. And we killed every one of those elven bastards. We brought those children home to their parents. Those who still had parents. The rest my brother adopted.
That is what Uruuna and I were doing.
Tabog lowered his bow and put his arrow back into the quiver. His expression stayed the same but his body relaxed.
"And then... You followed her and hoped that she would give up her life for you? I've done some questionable things in my life, but it takes another level of arrogance to think you're such hot s~&# that you're worth giving up everything for."
Sel lowered his spear as TaBog lowered his bow. Yup. Pretty much. Sel turned his back on the cat-man; not so much as a show of pride but more so as to not have to look him in the eyes as he spoke. I was a fool. I was an arrogant a@%+#~+. It took some growing up to recognize I was wrong, and some more to admit it out loud. He doesn't put any inflection on the words, but he does pay attention to see if TaBog catches on to what he is saying.
Tabog sighs and rubs his temples.
"And now you're staying for unrelated reasons, fantastic. Have you spoken to Imedren about this? Made amends...? Do I have to worry about more than just the enemies in front of me?"
I've been keeping my space, or at least trying to. I meant to leave this all behind, but ran into Commander Rena and her militia on the outskirts. Helped her kill a monstrosity. She ended up retaining me. From there, I've gone on plenty of other missions, only a few of them have been with you folk.
"He's a reasonable man, and very intelligent. He probably knows already, actually I would wager Uruuna has told him outright by now..."
He shrugs and steps toward the job at hand.
"As long as you're not acting against us and/or actually a demon trying to kill us all, I have no longer have any qualms with you. I will be bringing this up with Imedren later on though."
He takes a few steps and falls to the ground as his body morphs into a hefty white lynx. He cranes his head back to look at Sel, eyes still huge black pools.
"Try to keep up now, Pauly's got to be a few blocks away already."
He then dashes away, taking the first corner and disappearing from view.
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Apparently, news had gotten around about the group's involvement in taking down Quick. Perhaps it was through some of the Cloaks that assisted in the raids. They knew Uruuna performed missions with her husband and the others. No doubt her organization of the arrests garnered notice. Dramm found eyes sometimes watched him in the street. He was never sure if they were appreciative or vengeful.
To distract himself, Dramm renovated Anophth's old shop. A new sign hung out front: "Another Man's Treasure". The shop remained furnished with odds and ends that Anophth had collected, and Dramm did his best to maintain the stock. He lacked the Goblin's fast speech or keen entrepreneurial eye, and the shop only managed to stay afloat at best. Dramm occasionally traded in strange, macabre, or unusual items that people brought into the location. He spent most of his time studying at the counter and inviting Nutmeg to work there. Ezekia could see that Dramm kept careful track of the boy.
Wealthy Lifestyle (for mansion and shop upkeep)
1 Investigator - 1 month
Special Purchase - See DM
New armor - replacing old set
Lantern
Net
Holy Water
Ore Refinement (Viridium and Iron)
Trap Parts
Dress - High Quality (see clothing)
Not long after the raids are completed and Paulus resigns from his station, Dramm find Joy sitting at the great table in the mansion where the group plans its outings. He sets a wrapped package on the table and seats himself next to Joy.
"I got this for you. Celebrating what you've done in the city. I meant to give it to you on the island, but Rena's announcement interrupted things." He hands her the bundle. Undoing the twine reveals finely made dress. The fabric is soft and light and silver embroidery creates gently twisting vines and leaves at the hem.
Under the dress is a pair of silk-like gloves that match the dress. Their dainty and delicate appearance and silver embroidery are accentuated by the tiny leaves at the hem that move and twist ever so slightly, as if in a breeze. Under the wrist is the name "Joy Summers".
"They're durable. Very durable. You can garden with them and they won't tear. Don't think you can even get them dirty with normal soil. The dress is not durable. You should thank Caribdus. He helped me find them through an old associate of his, a woman to the North. I think he's fond of you and the things you do for the Crossings."
Dramm pulls out his manuscript, makes a couple of quick notes and then flips to a diagram on magical storage in the body.
The rest of Dramm's downtime is spent studying or with Ezekia. He buries himself in his manuscript while at the shop with Nutmeg or reading about healing. Lucretia's visit inspired him to advance his knowledge in mundane medicine, a task easier said than done. Though he could not restore the mind, Dramm had found ways to rapidly unravel magic within a person's body to release the energy in a controlled and rejuvenating process. If the healers of the city will allow him, Dramm spends time visiting hospitals and healers where he practices his craft. He makes notes as doctors clean wounds, set bones, and perform surgeries. At times, he offers his assistance with magical power. The staff is grateful for his use of healing magic, but somewhat unnerved by Dramm's willingness to experiment. More than once a doctor brings him to an abrupt halt for overstepping bounds and has to eject him from the facility.
As time goes on, it becomes clear that Dramm is suffering from his nightmares. The visit to the alchemist with Imedren helped to acquire a sedative. Despite this, Dramm insisted that it was not always effective and the dreams sometimes found their way through the sleepless drought. Ezekia notices a constant hunger in Dramm. Not emotionally, she had become oddly accustom to the intensity of his focus and drives. Dramm carried food with him often, and could be seen absentmindedly chewing while thinking. At times, the group catches Dramm checking the stock of the mansion larders. It is almost a relief when the next mission comes.
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During the quieter months, Dramm speaks to Gunderson multiple times. With some help and direction, he is able to locate a smith with the required skill to properly forge the viridum ore. The craftsmanship does not come cheap, and Dramm makes contact with Dreen. It is fortunate that the group has so publicly shown their efficacy or Dreen may not have loaned Dramm the 3 gold pieces he needed to purchase smith's work. It seems adventurers have a habit of dying before paying off their debts. The sorcerer strikes a deal, confident he can earn enough to repay the debt quickly.
It is difficult to leave his knife in the hands of the smith. Dramm has no trouble attuning a new blade for casting, but nothing feels quite the same wielding a replacement.
Joy is happy to see someone take up where Anophth's shop. Especially someone as thorough as Dramm.
I'm glad it's still going.
*****************
When Dramm hands Joy the package, she is a little confused, then amazed once she opens it.
"Oh! Dramm...thank you! I'll wear them happily and often. The gloves. I'll wear the dress too, but not nearly so often! Thank you!"
As Bog waited for him to break off from the others, the apprehension he felt was clear as day.
Sel moves away from the group with TaBog. What's on your mind? he asks.
Tabog became neutral once again, almost unnaturally so, when addressed.
"The Marry girl that the old woman spoke of, she had said something about her getting married off to the mayor but she was too young. I decided to find out for myself. When I got there it was obvious that the mother.... Uhh, Kyra I think, was abusing the child. Luckily Joy was with me and was able to talk to the girl and confirm it."
He speaks steadily but the anger in his voice is not hidden.
Sel stops and looks at TaBog. Ok. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to kidnap a girl to stop it?
Tabog scoffs and palms his face at Sel's remark. He cools his agitation after a moment and answers.
"Of course not! I might be a fool but I'm not an idiot! The preferred solution is to help the girl get out of the situation and become independent. She's nearly a damn adult, 17, she can figure things out at this point."
His face darkens and he lowers his voice substantially.
"If that fails... Let's just say, I'm more than prepared to... find those that would hurt children disposed of... and no one would know, except maybe you."
Ok, yeah. I get that. I don't like it when people hurt kids. So the question is - is this near adult ready to be independent? If she isn't, what happens when you remove the person she's dependent on?
If she is ready, then we can set her up in Crossings with a job. I can certainly do that, with my station. What are her skills?
Also, what's wrong with the marriage to the Mayor. Sure, he's a bit ugly, but he doesn't seem too bad a guy. And she'll at least have a decent life with status.
"We have the resources to make sure the kid is fine, learns the ropes; your station the shop, honestly not a issue. As for the arrangement... A decent life? Status? Did you recently hit your head and forget that the town was about to be decimated by a pair of drakes if it wasn't for us? Ha, town... There is nothing here. These people are delusional thinking this place is worth staying in."
He shrugs, it seems like he might have more to say but he waits for the faun to speak.
Drakes? They're not that bad. Just run to a building. No worse that some of the f$!*ed up s~#@ I've seen in Crossings. Did you hear about that serial killer about a year back who was taking people's body parts and wearing them? The city ain't no safer than the country.
Sel pauses, but them acquiesces. But yeah, I can offer her a job. We could always use another governess at my brother's estate. Quite a few kids there.
Tabog's face scrunches up toward the end of Sel's comment but he brushes the feeling away.
"Alrighty, sure, whatever works. Honestly, why don't you go evaluate the situation yourself; see if you agree. Let me know."
My posting may be patchy this weekend. I doubt I'll get to post tomorrow.