Your great great grandfather was a wizard, once an adventurer then had a tower and everything. You dream of becoming a wizard too, you have the aptitude, but you lack the training. You discovered how to cause a random burst of magical energies every other time you try on average, the main problem is that it hurts you too. That's the full extent of your current magical powers.

You live in the village of Hetyon. This village has existed for over a thousand years and never grew too big, as the youth tends to go look for opportunity elsewhere - the land is good, but the village is nestled in a valley between two mountains, so there isn't much room to expand.

They call those mountains Twin Peaks, even though they aren't the same size. The one to the west is much taller and its top is shrouded in mist. In there, your ancestor once had his tower, but now only long looted ruins remain. The one to the east is home to a lone elderly frost giant who sometimes comes down to steal cattle but otherwise stay out of people's way. There are many caves winding through these mountains, and even some mining tunnels from two old copper and silver mines, long depleted, which sometimes attract monsters. The forests around the village have also been home to many kinds of creatures, but at least for the time being seem to be pacified, or at least the local poachers don't report anything out of the ordinary.

Your ancestor was the only person from this village who ever been a wizard in all of its history. When he retired, he built the tower, but his enemies assassinated him and eventually the tower fell into disrepair and was repeatedly looted. Unbeknownst to them, his son, born from a local barmaid, live on, and gave rise to a dynasty of men who always had "strange things" happen near them.

So far none has been brave enough to pursue this gift, but you're about to change that.

It is your sixteenth birthday and you're now an adult.

"Father," you say, in a tentative voice, "I am now old enough to choose my fate. I desire to pursue the ancient craft of grampa Archibald."

"Son, I wish I had this kind of courage when I was your age. I don't have much to spare, but have my dagger, it has saved my life many times. Fill up a sack with as much provisions as you can carry and head north, for it is said there are wizards there in the legends."

You thank your father for his parting gifts, and then you ponder what to do next.

> Go visit your ancestor's tower
> Go find a companion
> Depart promptly

>>6257893 (OP)
> Go visit your ancestor's tower

>>6257893 (OP)
> Go visit your ancestor's tower
We shall inherit the family legacy

>>6257893 (OP)
> Go find a companion

We need a dim peasant/mutt to trigger all of our old grandpa's traps before we vist the tower.

>>6257917
>t. guy without a 10ft pole

Can we just grab our old friend (peaked in highschool typa guy) as a quick loser companion and hit up the tower

>>6257893 (OP)
> Go visit your ancestor's tower

>>6257917
And share the loot? Spread the word? No way. I'm sure Gramps designed in exceptions for his bloodline.

>>6257893 (OP)
>Go find a companion

Decided to gleam at least something from the experiences of your ancestor, you decide to go visit his tower. As you leave behind the safety of your village, the last person you see is a goat herder who gives you a puzzled look.

Climbing the mountain will take at least a week. You begin the slow ascent and by the first night you realize you're wholly unprepared. The weather gets cold fast, and you take shelter in a small cave, little more than a crevice, but enough to shelter you.

In the following morning, you wake up hearing some chittering. An abnormal amount of black birds is looking intently at you.

As you progress further, every morning there are more birds.

By the time you reach the tower, you see a massive amount of black birds circling it.

With dread in your heart, you decide to approach the tower. The stench of bird droppings assaults your nostrils. There is a massive double door into the tower, which must have at least ten levels. The upper level is busted open, the charred remains of some ancient powerful spell that destroyed the entire place. Most windows are long gone.

Luckily, the double door is busted open, the clear marks of an ariete being seen through the pierced wood. It had metal pushbars, but they're long gone.

Within, the environment is desolate. Bird's nests all over the place. The black birds it seems turned the place into a hatchery. You see some big lizards too, feasting upon the bird's eggs. But the birds aren't defenseless - bones from lizards strew the place, showing that at least sometimes they must beak the intruders to death.

Carefully not to disturb the birds, you make your way into the main hall. Everything has been looted, except a torn picture of your ancestor. You approach it. Despite being ripped, it still shows his features.

What do you wanna do?
> Take the picture with you
> Go downstairs
> Go upstairs
> Write in

>>6258229
>Take the picture with you
> Try to focus what little we have in magic to see if we can feel something and follow it

I have a sneaky suspicion that maybe some bird-like humanoid creature has taken the tower for it's throne, so we must choose if we decide to be diplomatic and reclaim this place as or own, or maybe just take what we can find and get down

>>6258331

When you try to move the picture, you feel your strength being sapped. You can't quite let go of the frame for about a minute. Then you fall to the ground. The frame is glowing and the picture repairs itself.

"Ah! I knew if I enchanted my portrait to sap magic someone would activate it eventually. Say, young wizard, who are you?"

"I am your great great grandson! But... I am no wizard. I can't cast any spells like in the legends..."

"Oh, but you have lots of raw untamed power. The tower has long been looted but... I still have a small trinket for you. Enter through the secret passage."

"What secret passage?"

You then see a section of the wall turn, revealing a room no bigger than a brooms closet. It is empty.

"There is nothing there."

"There is! Look for it!"

You drive your hand through the walls and floor of the place until you feel a sharp pain. Some blood is spilled. The blood glows on the ground. A tiny mechanism whizzes to life and three small sticks can be seen popping out of the ground."

"What is this?"

"What else, boy? Wands! There is a healing wand, a firebolt wand and a mount wand. They have have two or three charges each. If you keep one with you, your magic will recharge one charge a day. If you only use them once a day you will be okay, more than that and they might break. Pick one."

"Can't I get all three?"

"Greedy! You will probably break or lose it. Besides, your magic can only charge one. And hurry out! You have already been noticed!"

"By whom?"

"We don't have time for this, get a wand and run or hide, they are coming!"

> Take the healing wand
> Take the firebolt wand
> Take the mount wand
> Write in

>>6258358
> Take the healing wand

>>6258364
+1

>>6258364
>>6258365

You take the healing wand and leave the secret room.

"Now go!", says the portrait, "get the hell out of here and... oh, it is only one this time."

The wall closes.

You hear noise coming from the staircase.

The lizards scurry out of the premises. Even the birds seem unease.

You don't have much time!

> Prepare to shank whatever comes down
> Run out of the tower and down the mountain
> Wait defiantly
> Write in

>>6258378
> Run out of the tower and down the mountain

>>6258378
>Hide near the tower's door to see what it is
>If it gets too close, shank and run, if it sees us, just make a run

>>6258378
Try and stealth shank the creature, dagger in hand and wand ready if things go south

Rolled 77, 94, 30 = 201 (3d100)

>>6258391
>>6258405
>>6258406

Suddenly you feel your mind steel - you just got a powerful heriloom, a magical treasure that can patch you up even if you get hurt, and so this knowledge made you brave. It is time to defend your loot from whatever creature is trying to get it from you.

They want your loot? They will have to pry it from your cold dead hands!

With your back to the stone, you grab your dagger and hold your breath. The noise of the creature approaching increases and increases until you are sure it is about to pass by you!

That is when you jump in to shank it!

Roll 3d100 to shank the creature good!

> Shank it in the face DC 70
> Shank it in the chest DC 60
> Shank it in the back DC 50
> Write in

Rolled 54, 68, 35 = 157 (3d100)

>>6258419
> Shank it in the chest DC 60

>>6258449

You shank the creature right in the chest!

But you aren't quite as successful as you thought. Though it bleeds and screeches, it also hits you, sending you flying away! You land on top of a bunch of birds, breaking their eggs. They start beaking you. The creature, you notice, is some kind of bird girl. She looks no older than you.

She pauses to nurse her wounds, while you struggle to shoo away all the angry birds whose eggs you broke. The birds won't go away.

Then she jumps on top of you, flapping her small wings. She hovers a few feet above you then descend to tear you apart with her clawed legs!

What will you do?
> Run away while you can
> Shank her, you gotta kill her
> Jump her, try to bring her to the ground
> Write in

>>6258512
> Run away while you can

>>6258512
>Run away while you can

>>6258521
>>6258529

You run outside as fast as you can, though you don't quite escape the creature's talons unharmed. Three streaks of blood start to drip from your wounded right shoulder as you make your way out of the tower.

Out there, it is all downhill. The creature begins to screech like crazy and you're sure she's trying to get some reinforcements.

You see a whole bunch of them coming your way. Then you get an idea. You see part of a broken window laying around, little more than an ancient plank. But that's enough.

You toss the plank into the slope and jump upon it. You thought of surfing your way down the slope, but you soon lose your balance and end up sitting on top of the plank. Gravity helps you along and you go down much faster than you could by running.

Unfortunately, you went a little bit too fast.

Much to your chagrim, the improvised sledge is going to crash into a tree!

Glancing quick, to the right there is a big stone and to the left a sharp cliff.

Roll 3d100 for your competence at steering. DC 70. One success is enough.

What will you do?
> Steer right
> Steer let
> Try to jump at the tree
> Write in

Rolled 18, 29, 92 = 139 (3d100)

>>6258585
> Steer right

>>6258585
>Steer right

>>6258585
> Steer right

>>6258590
>>6258697
>>6258711


You steer towards the big stone and your improvised sledge grazes on it in such a way that it is throw into the air spinning, you with it.

But you lost a lot of momentum when you got thrown into the air and you fall, rolling in the dirt, your broken plank falling into the abyss.

You barely cling to a root and manage to pull yourself back up. You hide amidst the roots of the tree.

You hear the harpies screeching around, but after a few minutes of fruitless search, they leave.

You see a clear path below and so you decide to descend the cliff. You almost slip a couple times, but you manage to get down in a controlled fashion with just minor scrapes and bruises.

The rest of the path is easy enough. Took you a whole week to climb the damn mountain, but the way down shouldn't take you longer than a day or two, thanks to the shortcut you took with the sledge.

When night falls, you find shelter amidst the crags.

But you don't sleep too well. Before first lights, you start hearing screeching! The harpies must have found you somehow!

You're not really seeing anything out there so you remain hidden, waiting for first lights.

Perhaps they aren't after you specifically... perhaps they are just hunting.

When the daylight breaks, you tentatively head outside.

But a harpy spots you and descends at high speed to tackle you with its talons! Her screeches are maddening, and soon the others will be upon you as well!

You notice a small herd of mountain goats nearby, they start to run away scared of the harpy.

Roll 3d100 for success!

What will you do?
> Try to bring the harpy to the ground (DC 60, two successes to pin her down)
> Dodge at the last moment and sink your blade on the harpy (DC 50, two successes first to dodge second to hit)
> Run towards the mountain goats and hope they delay the harpy somehow (DC 40, two successes to create a distraction)
> Write in

Rolled 56, 59, 8 = 123 (3d100)

>>6258733
> Try to bring the harpy to the ground (DC 60, two successes to pin her down)
Holy shit, shut up.

Roll+3d100

>>6258733

> Run towards the mountain goats and hope they delay the harpy somehow (DC 40, two successes to create a distraction)

>>6258796
Options field, anon.

Rolled 69, 76, 96 = 241 (3d100)

>>6258733
>> Run towards the mountain goats and hope they delay the harpy somehow (DC 40, two successes to create a distraction)

>>6258796

>>6258754
>>6258796
>>6258805
>>6258823
>>6258902


You run towards the mountain goats, hoping that they will delay the harpy somehow.

When the harpy descends upon you, one of the goats gives her a headbutt that knocks her to the grounds, she has some trouble getting back up when another mountain goat hits her!

She then shrieks, making the goats rush away, but she seems to have been wounded with some severity, and so she flies away.

The goats bought you some time!

You rush down to take full advantage of as much daylight as you can.

By nightfall, you can see the base of the slope clearly, so you keep going.

You spook that old goat herder on your way back.

"Ay, boy, for a moment I thought it was a ghost or worse. Wat ya been doing up there?"

"I had some things to do. There are harpies up this mountain."

"Really? Then that explains the missing goat..."

"You never saw them?"

"They must not come below the mist often, or lots of people would have spotted them, and maybe even hunted them down. Harpy parts fetch a good price with wizards."

Out of food, you return home with your wand and this newfound knowledge.

"Already back, son?", asks your father.

"Father, I recovered a heirloom from our ancestor. A painting on the wall spoke to me and gave me this. Look!"

You wave the wand and your scarring wounds from the previous encounter with the harpy mend completely,

"You could start a healing business with that. But you shouldn't let people know you have the wand. Get an assistant to undress the people and put a blindfold on them, telling it is part of the healing process. Get some good smelling herbs. You could make some good coin with this thing."

"The portrait said I can only use it once a day."

"Still good enough. You couldn't heal an army, but you could heal Some people."

You did not knew you father had such good business acumen. Well, he managed the household on his own after your mother died on childbirth. Gotta give in him some credit.

You get a good night's sleep, and when you wake up the next morning, you fill up your travel sack with another week's worth of food then ponder what you should do next.
> Depart north promptly seeking a place to learn magic
> Find a merchant caravan to take you to the nearest city
> Go find a companion for travelling alone can be dangerous
> Write in

>>6258957
> Find a merchant caravan to take you to the nearest city

>>6259027

You ask around to check if there are any merchant caravans leaving anytime soon.

And sure enough, there is one. The king demands a tithe, but our village is so poor, we must pay it in food and in bodies.

We will send a caravan of grain soon. It is autumn and the peasants are harvesting full force. The king demand the harvest be delivered before first ice, so the caravan will depart soon. It also requires a number of able bodied men to join his army, those men will be the escorts for the caravan.

People wanting to sell their wares or migrate also will take on this caravan. You can easily find a place for yourself there.

A merchant named Dullan accepts you in his wagon. You agree to help him load and unload all his wares.

The caravan will depart towards the south, where the capital of the realm lies.

> Depart promptly
> Find a companion
> Change your mind, gotta go find those wizards north
> Write in

>>6259039
>> Depart promptly

>>6259039
>use dad buisnes idea for a few day until departure for travel funds
>find stockiest traveler in the caravan and befriend him

>>6259039
Hmm...

>>6259093
I agree with this. A little coin can only help us.

>>6259093
>>6259106

Everybody knows you in this village though. No one will buy you suddenly getting magical healing powers. You won't be able to keep the existence of the wand a secret.

>>6259039
> Depart promptly

>>6259039
> Depart promptly

>>6259135
>Everybody knows you in this village though. No one will buy you suddenly getting magical healing powers. You won't be able to keep the existence of the wand a secret

> podunk villagers spread rumors about random healing kid

> do it any way and come up with a new wizard name after

Rolled 1 (1d2)

alright, we got a tie

1 - depart
2 - do some business

>>6259454

You help Dullan with his cargo until it is time to depart.

Leaving town feels different this time, as if you're not coming back in a long while.

The hours turn into days as the caravan stops every night to light fires. One night you see something strange moving in the distance.

"Shadows.", say Dullan, "They lurk at night. Sometimes huge swarms attack. Fire keeps them away."

"What are they?"

"People say they are the spirits of the dead. I'm not sure."

Days turn into weeks and soon enough you arrive at a large city.

"This is not yet the capital. Some people will stay here. I'm headed to the capital myself. If you wanna stay it is fine.", says Dullan.

You are at a caravan inn. Dullan is paying for your stay as his assistant. You have no money. If you want to break away from the caravan, maybe now is the time to start your scheme.

> Start selling healing services discreetly
> Start selling healing services openly
> You gonna find something else, a job for your dagger
> Write in

>>6259460
> Start selling healing services discreetly
Try to find a companion as well.

>>6259460
> You gonna find something else, a job for your dagger

>is this downtime between caravan or if not stick with Dullan

>>6259460
>Start selling healing services discreetly

>>6259504
>>6259525
>>6259728

You search for a companion who could help you with your magical healing act. You find a (former?) prostitute called Marika. She knows the ins and outs of the city and easily finds clients for you. You book one miracle healing a day and the first few days are hard, for you're doing it from a shack in the outskirts of town where Marika used to attend her clients, but over the course of a month your reputation grows and more and more people want the miracle healing. You gradually update your price from 1 gold to 10 gold due to the increased demand!

After the winter is over, you lined your pockets with 300 gold, after paying all expenses! That's a lot of money!

You've been as lowkey as you possibly could, but then you attracted attention from the authorities! They demand half of your money in taxes! What will you do?

> Pay the taxes and stay in town
> Slip away to the next city alone
> Slip away to the next city with Marika
> Write in

>>6259911
>> Pay the taxes and stay in town
Let's gain some experience. About how much is 150 gold?

>>6259923


Even after paying all your taxes, 150 gold still isn't anything to sneer at, after just one season of honest work.

Some prices to put things into perspective:

A comfortable cottage in town, or a small plot of fertile land nearby: 1,000 gold.

A day's stay in a decent inn: 1 gold

Fancy Clothes: 30 gold

Mercenaries: 2-20 gold a day each, depending on reputation

Longsword: 20 gold for a common one, 200 gold for a masterpiece

Chainmail: 150 gold

Breastplate: 800 gold

Shield: 20 gold

Leather Armor: 20 gold

Rations: 1 gold per 2 days of non-perishable food

Wagon: 70 gold

Horse, draft: 100 gold

Horse, riding: 150 gold

Donkey: 15 gold

Saddle, pack: 10 gold

Saddle, Riding: 20 gold

If you want to know the price of something else, just say.

> Buy a bunch of stuff
> Just keep working for awhile (choose how many seasons)
> Travel (where)
> Look for quests
> Write in

>>6259933
>> Just keep working for awhile (choose how many seasons)
Work for another 2 seasons.

> Buy a bunch of stuff
Buy a draft horse and a wagon. After we finish another season.

>>6259933
>buy
Shield longsword leather armor donkey and packsaddle
> seek quest hopefully heading northwards

>>6259974
+1

>>6259943
>>6259974
>>6260061


You didn't come here to become a charlatan physician, you're looking to learn magic! And for that you gotta brave the wilderness until you find someone who can teach!

You decide to buy some equipment and get ready to travel.

You buy a shield, a longsword, a leather armor.

For hauling stuff, you buy a donkey and a packsaddle.

As you're buying the donkey, the guy selling it to you says

"You should invest on material to make fire. Sometimes the dead become restless out there. But fire is usually enough to shoo them away."

You take the advice to heart and buy a jug of oil, a few throwable oil flasks, lots of torches and some fire starters.

Finally, you decide to buy a map of the region!

All this sets you back 100 gold.

You now have 50 gold to buy food and assorted supplies, then you can pretty much go wherever you want!

You are in the town of Marak.

To the north there are several small villages, yours amongst them (the map calls it simply "Twin Peaks Village"). Further north the maps says "Here be Monsters.", with bizarre drawings of creatures.

To the south it show the capital, Terak, with the name of the Kingdom above "Trandya", and a few other walled cities (Kedras, Fajor and Zurdran). When you ask the map maker about them he says:

"Kedras is a port city in a large sea. Fajor is a mining town. Zurdran is a walled farming enclave. Those three cities form the backbone of the kingdom economy."

It shows a few minor villages as well, named after local features (Fog Forest Village, Swamp Village, Peaceful Hills Village and so on).

To the east, it shows the border with a kingdom called "Svatoreich". The only city of that kingdom in the map is called "Fortress Urlab". "That kingdom is very extense, all its cities are called fortress something or another. There are way too many monsters wandering outside their cities."

The map maker says "We've been at peace with them for a hundred years."

To the west, it shows three kingdoms, and a inscription to the southwest "To the Elvish Kingdom". From northernmost to southernmost:

"Werdlos" with a city called "Donerburg". "These guys are constantly at war with monsters in the north. They say they are very rich from looting monster lairs."
"Garfrei" with a city called "Zenora". "These guys have strong diplomacy and enjoy peace with its neighbours and has few monsters due to constant knight patrol. Their women are very beautiful, some say they have elf blood, their princesses marry nobles in all countries."
"Lakerfen" with a city called "Brort". "They have a very extensive border with the elvish kingdom. I heard they constantly have problems with monsters as well."

Say how many days worth of food you wanna buy, then decide where do you wanna head next?
> North
> South
> East
> West
> Write in

>>6260353
Let's buy 6 days worth of food and go
> South

If we come across any village called Silent Hill Village, we should stay far far away

>>6260353
Hm. It might be worth checking in with our prostitute friend and her contacts about whether or not she's heard anything about wizards or where to find them before we commit to any direction.

Dad said north, but according to the map maker that's a bad idea... The capital or port would be our next best options, but I'm not sure our MC is street smart enough for that... I say:

>check with Marika about wizards and maybe someone who can teach us how to fight properly
>if Marika knows something check it out
>if she doesn't buy 2 weeks worth of rations and a sturdy canteen or two and head south

Staying in town long enough to hire a reputable mercenary might be an idea too. That or we join another caravan or similar group.

>>6260353
>Garfrei
20 days rations

>>6260353
"Garfrei" with a city called "Zenora". "These guys have strong diplomacy and enjoy peace with its neighbours and has few monsters due to constant knight patrol. Their women are very beautiful, some say they have elf blood, their princesses marry nobles in all countries."

>corpse looting monster, elvish blood, extra beutiful women

I've been trying to generate a map for awhile, this is the best I managed so far.

I will update later today, I'm a bit busy rn

>>6260420
>>6260477
>>6260478
>>6260501


You talk to Marika about wizards.

"There has been a wizard purge a few centuries ago, and ever since wizards have been very secretive, rarely using their powers openly. There is no longer any distrust about wizards of course, it is the other way around - the wizards distrust everyone else. I've met a couple wizards before, they were in adventuring parties. They are always looking for some ruin or another where they can find old treasures from the age of magic. Why do you wanna know?"

> I think I could become a wizard (show her your special magic explosion)
> Would you travel with me? I'm seeking wizards for a reason.
> I was just curious
> Write in

When inquired about who could teach you to fight, Marika says she knows a few guys.

"If you wanna learn to fight in formations, you could join the militia training. Everyone is required a day of training every spring, but you can train there as often as you want. The contact is lieutenant Kai.

If you wanna learn to fight dirty, there is an underground fight club! They pay decently, but injuries happen quite too often. You already healed some of their people. The contact is the innkeeper Veras, he knows the people that hold the fight club.

If you wanna hunt monsters, there is a poaching guild. They require you kill a dangerous animal to even let you into their door. Once you kill a wolf a cougar or whatever you could knock on their lodge with the proof. The contact is lodgemaster Kirito."

Will you contact any of them?
> Specify

You go check with the mercenaries. There are three who are willing to fight for you.

Beseidas, a huge warrior with a battleaxe. He hails from the northern tribes and knows the paths there. He has a beef with a wizard called Pantrus who killed his wife and might waiver the fee if you are willing to help him kill the wizard. 5 gold per day.

Folas, a warrior from Lakerfen. He is skilled with javelins. He was a poacher many years and been searching for a bird fabled to revive people. If you will help him find it, he may waiver the daily fee. 2 gold per day

Trisha. She's a trap expert. She's been in adventuring parties dungeon delving. If you are going to a place with big treasure, she might waiver the daily fee in exchange for a share of the loot. 3 gold per day.

Will you hire any of them?
> Specify

All the locations in the map are weeks away, except for a few villages. Civilization exists spaced by vast areas of wilderness in this kingdom, it seems. Travelling can get expensive, fast.
> Buy up to 7 days of perishable food for 1 gold
> Buy 20 days or rations for 10 gold
> Buy 40 days of rations for 20 gold
> Write in

>>6260787
>Treat Marika well as an underground contact
>Use her to join fight club for a season bairganing for solid training and paid healing as long as I dont get hurt
>also use alis and wear some sort of bandana thing

>>6260798

You head to the "Purple Eye Inn" and go talk to Veras, the innkeeper. He wears an eyepatch and his remaining eye is bright purple. He says he once drank a potion a wizard made and his eye got that color. The story of how he lost his other eye he might tell some other day.

You talk to him for awhile, and when the tavern is about to close and all the usual drunken patrons have been kindly asked to leave for the night, you tell Veras you talked to Marika about the fights.

"That girls blabber too much.", he says.

You say that you are interested in training with the people that fight in these underground rings. You say that he also might have heard that you can do some magical healing in the proper setting, once a day. You are willing to employ this gift in exchange for the training.

"Show up in the back alley in two days around midnight, and you'll find your contact. Come alone, wear a cloak."

The next day you buy a dark cloak for 20 gold. You're now down to 30 gold.

In the appointed day, you find the guy. He's also wearing a dark cloak.

"Veras spoke about you. One of my boys vouched for your magic. Marika is a good girl. Come, I'll show you the place.", he says briskly.

You wander through what can only be described as gang checkpoints in the slums, where a bunch of men in cloaks are discreetly patrolling the streets. They could be anyone, carrying any kind of weapons.

Then when you get to an alley, he shows you an entrance to the sewers.

"Go in. You'll meet someone who will take you there."

You enter the sewers. The place stinks. After walking for awhile, you hear a cackle.

"New Blood! How nice! Who told you about this place?"

"Marika."

"She talks too much. Come, I'll lead you to the ring. Just follow me."

You see a very disturbing creature wearing dirty rags come into view. He is deformed and has a third arm protruding from his back. He leads you through the sewers into a cave.

In the cave, about a hundred people are there enjoying the show, the fights are going on under torchlight, people are betting, some are consuming illegal narcotics, and there is a lot of prostitution going on. A nice place.

You then meet a guy who is very finely dressed. The people call him Prince.

"Hey Prince, we got a new Doc for ya."

"Ah! So you're the healer guy. Nice to meet you. Can I call you Doc?"

"Sure."

"Well, Doc. We have plenty of injured people. The fights occur once or twice a week. Can you heal the wounded?"

"I can only heal one person a day."

Prince laughs.

"That should do. Magic, huh? Very well. I heard you also want to learn how to fight?"

"Yeah."

"Then come with me."

He shows you into a small chamber, smelling of rat piss, with dry blood all over the place. There is what you believe is an operating table in the middle.

"Here you go. Your quarters. When can I bring the first client?"

"Soon, let me prepare the place first."

>>6260835


You decide to keep up the charade. You have the guy undress, you examine him. Then you say the magic doesn't work if there is anyone observing you. Prince leaves the room, and so do the couple bodyguards. You have the guy wear a blindfold. You then use your wand and heal him instantly. You hide your wand again.

He thanks you, takes off the blindfold, wears back his clothes and leaves the room.

You leave the room as well and say

"I'm spent. This magic consumes all I got."

"It's fabulous! Let's drink to that!"

They offer you booze and drugs and girls. You decide that it is safer for you to adopt a sober persona in here, so you refuse everything. This seems to earn you some respect.

"Let me introduce you to Rupert. He is the trainer of these boys."

"You're too frail. You'll need better diet and exercise for several months before I teach you any fighting at all."

"Then let's get some food for the doc!"

They bring you food and a patient everyday. You are led to a secluded area of the sewers once a day where you can get some sun.

You exercise to exhaustion everyday. You spend all day everyday in pain from the exercises.

Over the next season, you grow some muscle.

"Alright, you got a little meat in those bones. I guess I could start teaching some fighting techniques. What kind of style you wanna learn?"

> Kai Wu. An ancient martial art that focus on fast precise movements. Requires much stamine to tire out the opponent. A few weeks training you get the basics, then it is training like a madman to get faster and increase stamina. Master Rupert recommends this one.
> Tui Meng. A recent martial art, if focuses on powerful kicks. Requires a lot of strength and flexibility in the legs, which could take a long time to develop.
> Jue Gong. The most difficult art, it involves doing a very powerful strike at a vulnerable spot in the opponent, aiming to incapacitate in one hit. Requires both precision and strength, and takes many years to master to any decent level.
> Write in

>>6260839
> Kai Wu. An ancient martial art that focus on fast precise movements. Requires much stamine to tire out the opponent. A few weeks training you get the basics, then it is training like a madman to get faster and increase stamina. Master Rupert recommends this one.
> focus specifically on dodge tanking with MA and on days without healing work blast magic till badly injured to train offense

>>6260839
> Kai Wu.

Seems most compatible with our dagger and eventual magic. Opting for speed and stamina will help us if we wind up in another situation where we have to run for our lives; great for keeping us alive.

>30 gold
We're going to have to think about restocking our funds before we leave. Might want to explore options if our wand is spoken for for the time being

>>6260839
>Kai Wu. An ancient martial art that focus on fast precise movements. Requires much stamine to tire out the opponent. A few weeks training you get the basics, then it is training like a madman to get faster and increase stamina. Master Rupert recommends this one.

>>6260859
>>6261017
>>6261086


"Train me in the arts of Kai Wu, master Rupert!"

The old warrior seems pleased.

"Very well, I will start teaching you the form. But you gotta practice! The moves are simple, but to get fast enough and resilient enough to keep fighting to outlast your enemy is the real challenge. Calm me Master Rup."

Besides teaching you the fast punches and kicks of the art, Master Rup has you run for longer and longer everyday. He seems to never be satisfied, and always wants you to run longer. One day you complain this is unecessary, and he says "Race me then."

He starts running side by side with you. After you run for half an hour or so you tire, but Master Rup taunts you "giving up so soon?".

When he stops, he doesn't even look tired at all.

"You have no stamina. You can't outlast your enemies like this. You have to focus on that."

He has you practice running and the same punches, kicks and dodges over and over again everyday.

Another full season goes by, and you feel slightly better at fighting than you were before you began.

You become 17 years old!

Merchant caravans are travelling to the capital again in large numbers.

What will you do for the rest of the fall and winter?
> Continue training with master Rup
> Thank him for his teachings and take a caravan to the capital
> Join the underground fights! Master Rup says you're not prepared.
> Find a group of adventurers and go adventuring!
> Write in

We could do a longer timeskip as well if you prefer, just say what you wanna do and for how many seasons.

>>6261095
>> Continue training with master Rup
>> Join the underground fights! Master Rup says you're not prepared.

Might help us build funds too

>>6261095
I think season-long timeskips are good, QM! We're still young and every month counts.
>Continue training with master Rup
We shouldn't join the fights yet. If we're knocked out, our wand could be stolen.

>>6261095
> what's the danger in fighting if we can heal?
> any pay for the healing we do?

>>6261110
>>6261112
>>6261299


You decide to continue training with master Rup!

You learn a lot about the layout of the cave you're living in.

Beside the area for sunbath, there is a large communal area where people go to train. There are some holes that let a little bit of natural light in. The place gets drenched when it rains and take a long time for the water to drain. From the looks of it, it is a natural cave. The place is big - a lap around this area is a about a mile long! There is a very large amount of crates in this area.

Master Rup has you run as many laps around it as you can everyday! Over time you start to increase the amount you can do.

Master Rup seems dissatisfied with your progress, though he respects your dedication.

"You can't even run ten laps yet!"

You usually become too exhausted around four or five miles, but Master Rup says it is all in the mind - if a predator showed up, you could run at least twice as long.

He also introduces a bullshit training where you punch and kick heavy sand bags all day long whenever you're not running around.

He says that if you train another full year you should be able to join the fights!

You're getting a little tired of all these trainings, and you're not even being paid for your "medical services", the only payment is the food and training.

Though people keep offering you booze, drugs and women, you just keep refusing...

It is Spring! You will be 18 next Fall.

> Talk to Prince, you want some money!
> Start drinkings, using drugs and enjoying women!
> Focus on the training for a full year!
> Leave this place!
> Write in

>>6261309
>Focus on the training for a full year!
Enough distractions. Let's throw everything we have into getting the strongest we can be.

>>6261309
>> Focus on the training for a full year!
Let's channel that frustration and impatience into training (though I wouldn't be surprised if something reckless was done at some point).

Anons, idk you but I say that it would be cool if once we travel and shit we could get back home, specifically to the Giant on the mountain so we can see if he can show us some Giant Magic (if there's any lmao)

>>6261351
>>6261393

You focus on the training full time for a while year!

You're now 18, will be 19 soon. It is Summer.

At some point you befriend one of the girls there. Her name is Sarah and she's Marika's friend or so she claims. The two of you become conversant, and though she seems down to it you continue on your policy of abstinence. Largely, she seems to be impressed by your dedication, magical powers and how you look so unattainable. She feels special just by talking to you now and then, though you notice she doesn't press things further because she's not used to rejection.

Master Rup seems well pleased with your progress.

"You can now run satisfactorily for a beginner. Your punchs and kicks take some effort to block and dodge. You may be able to tire out a weaker opponent now. Would you like to join the fights, or wanna keep training?"

> What about another year of training, master?
> I feel ready for the fights, bring it on
> Start drinkings, using drugs and enjoying women!
> I thank you for your teachings, but I must find my place elsewhere
> Write in

>>6261409
>"Master Rup, I'm going to start big. I wanna fight with any other newbie that's around until either I give up or I'm knocked out"

Trial by fire, let's see how many asses we kick before we give in, and hopefully make great gains out of such an event.

>>6261446
I agree, no masterwork was ever forged without pressure.

Rolled 23, 88, 28 = 139 (3d100)

>>6261446
>>6261450
"Master Rup, I'm going to start big. I wanna fight with any other newbie that's around until either I give up or I'm knocked out"

"So be it! I'll talk to Prince, we'll set it up."

They organize the match, and put you against Tork, he's quite a big guy.

"Don't worry, he's slow. Just do like we trained and you'll be alright.", says master Rup.

The bets are stacked 7 to 1 against you!

You still have 30 gold. Do you want to bet it all on yourself? 10% broker fee.
> Yes, bet 30 gold
> No, don't tbet

Then you're tossed into the pit to fight!

"Well ladies, no weapons, no poison, no magic. Fight clean and I won't have to intervene, alright?"

Decide on your strategy and roll 3d100!

> Just keep dodging to tire Tork (boring, the crowds will think you're lame) +10 to rolls
> Hit Tork fast and often like in your training, you gotta tire him out, however you'll be hit occasionally as well. No bonus.
> Try to finish the fight quickly, take big risks. If you succeed, the crowd will go crazy! -10 to rolls
> Write in

OPTIONAL: Surge! Use all your Speed in the first round! Roll one extra dice. If there are other rounds, you will receive an additional -20 penalty for being tired.
> Do it (roll 4d100 instead of 3d100)
> Don't do it

If you get more successes than him, you win. If there is a tie, we will roll again. If you get less successes, you lose.

DC 50 for both.

Rolled 24, 20, 42 = 86 (3d100)

>>6261462
>Yes, bet 30 gold
Let's do some gambling!

>Hit Tork fast and often like in your training, you gotta tire him out, however you'll be hit occasionally as well. No bonus.
>Don't do it.
It's not flashy but it works.

>>6261462
>>6261487

Tork got 1 success!

You got Zero successes!

After a very unimpressive fight, you end up knock out cold. You lose your 30 gold and realize you need far more training to reliably win fights - this guy was just another newbie, he was just bigger and that might have helped him.

"It happens, boy."

But after you got a taste for combat, you can't quite stop now, can you?

Master Rup says there is a championship coming. Sixteen fighters. The prize is 1,000 gold. First timers don't pay to join, but must be amongst the last men standing in a free for all fight! You could join if you want.

But there are championships every year. You could train a little longer.

> I feel ready for the fights, bring it on
> What about another year of training, master?
> Start drinkings, using drugs and enjoying women!
> I thank you for your teachings, but I must find my place elsewhere
> Write in

>>6261501
>What about another year of training, master?
We shouldn't try for a tourney until we know we've got a chance to win.

>>6261501
>join the tournament
>keep training in the meantime

We might have lost a fight, but no plant grows sturdy in a greenhouse. And the 1000 gold will be a great foundation for when we leave. If we lose we'll just have to make enough to join the tournament next year.

>>6261556
(Or reassess because we're getting off track on the "learn magic" thing)

Rolled 24, 99, 57, 39, 82, 12, 55, 34, 46, 40, 86, 51, 3, 49, 25, 45, 98, 34, 38, 83, 87, 6, 51, 77 = 1221 (24d100)

>>6261519
>>6261556
>>6261557


You keep training for another season!

And then the tournment comes!

The fight happens in that large place you are used to run laps around. They emptied it of all the boxes and illuminated it with a very large amount of torches.

Over a hundred people are tossed into the arena! They chain one strong guy to one weak guy for maximum entertainment value. The evaluator is some old guy. He looks at you and marks you with some ink - yellow for the weak, red for the strong. He figures you are one of the

> Strong ones
> Weak ones

"We only got 4 spots for all of you! You will fight until only four remain."

What will be your strategy?

> Stand in the edge of the fight trying not to draw too much attention (you will draw the bad kind of attention) +10 to rolls, but you roll only two dice
> Hit anything that gets near you, try not to be hit too much. Roll 3 dice.
> Join the thick of the fray, throw punches, kicks and try to dodge, but you gonna be really battered in the process, you roll 4 dice but you'll get fucked up whether you win or lose
> Pick your battles, but beware, if you look too strong you will attract a large mob Choose how many dice you want to roll. The more dice you roll, the bigger the penalties (-10 for each beyond one).

Also roll dice for your companion. If he is weak, roll 1d100 and you get an extra -20 penalty. If he is strong, roll 3d100 with just a -10 penalty.

You want to get a HIGH NUMBER.

I'm gonna roll 24d100 for the best contenders, 6d100 for each (a strong and strong pair who cheated), their rolls will have a -10 penalty on each dice.

You have to beat all but one team to be successful!

Yes, this is a massive shitshow.

>>6261572


TEAM 1 24, 99, 57, 39, 82, 12 Score: 253
TEAM 2 55, 34, 46, 40, 86, 51 Score: 252
TEAM 3 3, 49, 25, 45, 98, 34 Score: 194
TEAM 4 38, 83, 87, 6, 51, 77 Score: 282

Now take your picks and roll your dice to see if you make it!

>>6261572
>Weak ones
Let's be real with it. We're a youngster with barely two years of training and a win-loss ratio of 0:1.

>Hit anything that gets near you, try not to be hit too much. Roll 3 dice.
The basic strategy, low risk, maybe high reward. I rolled last time >>6261487 so another anon should roll.

Rolled 6, 89, 46, 95, 86, 45 = 367 (6d100)

>>6261576

Rolled 56, 53, 69, 28, 16, 34 = 256 (6d100)

>>6261576
+1
I'll roll!

>>6261605
DAMN

>>6261608
Glad I rolled first

>>6261605

Your team: 6, 89, 46, 95, 86, 45 Score: 307

You were labelled the weak one, but somehow you still get paired with a goddamn girl.

But the girl turned out to know some kind of martial art herself, and the two of you fought with great synergy, covering each other.

In the end, it was just you and two other martial artist guys at it.

Seems like knowing martial arts makes all the difference in these tournments.

You ask the girl's name when they are unchaining the two of you.

"You can call me Trixa."

The next stage of the tournment is next month. They will organize the sixteen fighters so that each week there will be one fight (16 -> 8), then the next stage one fight every two weeks (8 -> 4), the semifinal one fight per month (4 -> 2), then two months wait for the final (2 -> 1, prize of 1,000 gold).

"Most people that participate in this tournment get contracts with mercenary guilds. You already bested over a hundred guys back there.", says Master Rup.

"What do you know about this Trixa?"

"About her personally? Nothing. But she fights in the style of one of the northern tribes. Dushe, I think. It is a fighting style specific for daughters of chiefs."

"Why do they have such a specific fighting style?"

"In some tribes, women aren't allowed to touch weapons. They believe that a weapon touched by a woman is cursed and will fail in the hour of need. So the daughters of chiefs learn a martial art instead of armed combat."

"So she's the daughter of some chief?"

"Either that or learned with one. Could be a handmaiden."

The fights are being decided. For lack of a better room THEY PUT THE DAMN LIST IN THE MEDICAL ROOM.

You can just check who will be your opponents before they announce it, no one will even notice.

So you check it.

Your first fight is against a guy called Garad. You never heard about him at all.

They only announce it weeks later.

Rolled 36, 90, 82 = 208 (3d100)

>>6261626


Garad is dark skinned guy, really tall. He's a regular in the tournment, a Tui Meng expert!

"Tui Meng? With arms that size?"

"Well, you can't outrange him because he is taller and fights with leg swoops. Try to hit his leg when he's swooping, and punch him real hard whenever you get a chance. You'll fight on the defensive on this one. It is unlikely you can tire that guy, but you could try. If you land a few lucky blows you could knock his lights off."


Choose your strategy.

> Go on full offensive. +20 on rolls, but if there are further rolls you get -50 histamina
> Fight the way you know it. No need for fancy tactics. - 30 stamina on next roll.
> Go on the defensive. Try to tire him by dodging his swooping attacks. -10 on the rolls but if there are further rolls you get only -10 stamina.

You have 150 stamina. You will lose stamina by the amount each opponent dice roll above yours.

Roll 3d100 for success.

I'm rolling for Garad. He always opens with Full Offensive, aiming to defeat his opponents in the first round.

His secret technique "Triple Kick" is well known. It allows him to deplete twice as much stamina from the oponent when he fights in Full Offensive.

Garad has 200 stamina.

The calculation is done dice by dice.

Rolled 2, 56, 53 = 111 (3d100)

>>6261631
> Go on full offensive. +20 on rolls, but if there are further rolls you get -50 histamina

>>6261637
I'm crashing out

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6261637

Looks like I rolled too good numbers.

34+34+29 = 107

Let's see if his secret technique lands.


1 - it lands. You're defeated with a Triple Kick.

2 - it doesn't land. There will be a second round.

Rolled 31, 99, 91 = 221 (3d100)

>>6261640


You have 43 stamina for second round.

But oh no!
You lost 50 stamina from the tiredness.

You are in no conditions to fight, at -7 stamina.

> Ask for a short break (regain 20 stamina and get to 13)
> Concede defeat
> Write in

Garage has now 150 stamina (170 after short break). He will now shift to a defensive stance to try and tire you out.

>>6261643

Damn dude, I rolled way too well twice in a row.

>>6261643
>call for break and use heal wand

>>6261643
Aw shit. Maybe it's time to go adventuring and learn some more magic.

>>6261648
This is some cunning shit, I'll support

>>6261648
>>6261650
Although we could get banished or killed if we were caught. The wand would almost certainly be stolen, too. Is it worth the risk? If you think it is, we can push on, but cheating in underground tournaments is dangerous.

>>6261651
Don't care didn't ask, imma win

>>6261648
>>6261650


You call for a short break and ignoring the rules of the fight about no magic you heal yourself with your magic wand!

You are now back at 150 stamina.

Do you wanna continue in the fight?

Choose your strategy and roll 3d100.

>>6261654
Did your idea change

>>6261655
Id*

>>6261655
>>6261656


Ya, I was phoneposting, didn't know my id would change.

it is me here

>>6261654

Rolled 56, 88, 32 = 176 (3d100)

>>6261652
Fair, I just don't want to get beaten and robbed if we can avoid it.

>>6261654
In for a penny, in for a pound. Continue the fight!

>Go on the defensive. Try to tire him by dodging his swooping attacks. -10 on the rolls but if there are further rolls you get only -10 stamina.

Let's fight like we're exhausted and at the end of our rope.

Rolled 44, 88, 38 = 170 (3d100)

>>6261654
> Go on full offensive. +20 on rolls, but if there are further rolls you get -50 histamina

Rolled 42, 15, 15 = 72 (3d100)

>>6261659
>>6261643


Rolled 31, 99, 91

Rolled 56, 88, 32


Garad loses 25 stamina + 10 from the defensive combat! Garad has 135 stamina left.

You lose 70 stamina + 10 from the defensive combat!

You have 70 stamina left.

New round!

Choose strategy and roll the dice!

Garad will continue with the defensive strategy.

When you fight on the defensive, you can restore 40 stamina with a short break. Garad did not ask for short break.

> Ask for a short break
> Don't ask for a short break
> Write in

Garad continue to fight on the defensive.

>>6261663

Oh, I rolled very poorly. This is the chance for the "lucky strikes" master Rup was talking about.

Rolled 69, 30, 49 = 148 (3d100)

>>6261663
>Don't ask for a short break
Unless we roll some dog water dice, this is where we either get the upper hand or we take a HUGE chunk of Garad stamina

FUCK IT WE BALL

>>6261687
Oh also, on defensive, I forgot to declare it

Rolled 7, 24, 44 = 75 (3d100)

>>6261687
>>6261689


42, 15, 15

69, 30, 49

27 15 34 = 76

You start following master Rup advice and hit Garad whenever he is giving a sweeping blow. That gotta be very tiresome for him.

Garad asks for a short break.

Garad is down to 89 stamina.

You have 100 stamina left.

You notice Garad is getting tired...

Garad decides to go on a full offensive one last time, before he's too tired to keep fighting! He'll give his special attack a second shot.

Garad modifiers will get 10 points worse because it is the second time he uses full offensive! (bonus drops to +10, penalty drops to -60, resting drops to 10)

Choose strategy and roll the dice!

> Full offensive (get the 10 points penalty to modifiers as well)
> Continue on the defensive
> Fight as per usual
> Write in

>>6261701

Another piss poor roll.

Seems like the dice gods are against Garad tonight!

Man... I REALLY wanna go full out offensive, but our style is about tiring out our enemy until we win... FUUUUCK I'LL LET THE OTHER ANONS DECIDE

Rolled 32, 66, 74 = 172 (3d100)

>>6261701
>Continue on the defensive

He seems more experienced than us, so let's finish this carefully.

>>6261701
>>6261707


Rolled 7+10, 24+10, 44+10

Rolled 32-10, 66-10, 74-10

5 + 22 + 10 = 37

Garad loses 37 stamina, then 60 more. He's out!

Taking advantage that Garad is getting tired, you continue on the defensive.

His swooping blows get slower and slower.

Then, when he's slow enough, you yourself finally approach and deliver a barrage of blows on him.

Realizing he's in his last legs, he taps out and concedes. His trainer calls bullshit! He must have lost a lot of money...

"That was great kiddo!"

The odds of the bet were 13 to 1. Master Rup bet 50 gold on you!

He decides to give you about 5% of his earnings, after brokerage.

You get 29 gold!

Everything is fine and dandy until it is time for you to heal someone...

> Heal someone anyway (risk breaking the wand, don't cause suspicion)
> Claim the fight got you too tired, you can't heal anyone (suspicion increases)
> Admit to Prince that you cheated
> Flee before they can catch you
> Write in

>>6261724
>Heal someone anyway (risk breaking the wand, don't cause suspicion)
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This isn't the only magic wand out there and I really don't want to get crippled or killed.

>>6261724
>Heal someone anyway (risk breaking the wand, don't cause suspicion)
Our ancestor said it got three charges and now it's when we're using two for the first time. I say that maybe after this we actually get a medicine book or something and we start to bullshit people into telling that all those healing stuff are finally getting caught up to us.

If we win, we can kinda expect some room as good as the office we have, and as we take more time between healing people (and learning how to actually be a doctor) there will be a time when we stop depending on it.

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>6261731
>>6261752

Let me roll to see if the wand will break!

1 - doesn't look like it is broken but it stops working
2 - looks like it is broken, but works just fine the next day
3 - nothing strange happens. Phew!

>>6261724
>> Claim the fight got you too tired, you can't heal anyone (suspicion increases)
If it breaks then we're screwed entirely; we don't have a great explanation for what suddenly happened to our healing if that happens. Heck, feign a head injury (especially if any of Garad's strikes came close to our head) and say it's dangerous to try it with a concussion. We only have 29 gold and all our current contacts are more loyal to Prince than to us... but if we make it through the tournament there's 1000 gold, offers from mercenary groups and the ability to get the heck out of dodge. Sure, we might be able to run for it and find a merchant caravan but I'm not counting on those odds.

>>6261731
>>6261752
>>6261757


After you use the wand, it starts glowing in a blue hue and then the glow disappears with a loud snapping sound. You're pretty sure it is broken.

But you keep it close to you, and the next day when you get to heal someone else, you try to use it and it works.

Seems like it ran out of charges, but you managed to recharge it with your magical energies somehow.

You recall that your ancestor told you that these things have "two or three charges". Perhaps your magic is not powerful enough to fully charge it, perhaps it only has two charges max. You have no idea.

But you think it is a better idea not to risk it unecessarily.

You are now waiting for the next fight. Will be against a guy called Soreen.

> Wait until the fight so you'll be well rested
> Plead with your mentor to teach you some secret move!
> Train endurance everyday until shortly before the competition, you have a long time
> Escape this place, you'll end up dead or worse in here
> Write in

>>6261761
> Train endurance everyday until shortly before the competition, you have a long time

>>6261761
>Train endurance everyday until shortly before the competition, you have a long time
Or
>Ask to our Master if he can show us something about Jue Gong, try to develop our own style where if we play defensive or dodge attacks maybe we can attack weapon points on our opponents so their limbs get tired faster

I think this could give us something of an edge if we can implement it

>>6261761
>Train endurance everyday until shortly before the competition, you have a long time
We're going to be a cardio fiend.

>>6261763
>>6261765
>>6261772


You ask master Rup if he can show you something about Jue Gong, you say you want to try to develop your own style based on it.

He gives a hearty laugh.

"If you had some fifty years to study all the energy lines in the human body, then maybe you could change the techniques passed down by the ancestors without making them worse. Heck, maybe you could improve them a little bit."

He says the basic moves revolve around hitting the obvious weak points, the problem is everyone defends them. With the right technique, you could hit at non obvious weak points and cause equallly incapacitting blows. But the level of strength and precision to do it takes a very long time to master.

Still, he could teach you one advanced move that you could practice relentlessly and would surprise the enemy! It will probably only work once... like, ever... these moves are too silly.

> A weird defensive blow that has a good chance of deflectig someone else's special attack! (if a special attack against you while on defensive stance was going to work, it fails; and if it was going to fail, it drains stamina from opponent)
> A crazy succession of attacks that brings the fight to the ground! (enemy may loses stamina even on a success that turn; if your roll is lower, calculate as if you rolled twice as much, to a maximum of 90. you still lose stamina all the same)
> The most total of all total attacks, the flying kick punch (it is an special attack, has 50% chance of working. If it succeeds, double your rolls for the purpose of calculating enemy stamina loss this turn. If it fails, halve it.)
> Train endurance in very unortodox ways (get a +20 bonus to endurance next fight, starting with 170 instead of 150, valid for that fight only)
> Write in

>>6261784
>Train endurance in very unortodox ways (get a +20 bonus to endurance next fight, starting with 170 instead of 150, valid for that fight only)

>>6261784
>> Train endurance in very unortodox ways (get a +20 bonus to endurance next fight, starting with 170 instead of 150, valid for that fight only)

If we can do--
>A weird defensive blow that has a good chance of deflectig someone else's special attack! (if a special attack against you while on defensive stance was going to work, it fails; and if it was going to fail, it drains stamina from opponent)

Without disrupting our stamina training I'd go with it, but it sounds like an exclusive choice in terms of time/energy

>>6261812
+1

Rolled 94, 72, 73 = 239 (3d100)

>>6261810
>>6261812
>>6261934


You ponder learning some special technique, but in the end you decide that it is better to just train endurance. Your master puts you through lots of weird exercises and weirder breathing routines that he says will increase your endurance!

Then the day of the fight arrives!

You meet your opponent, the guy called Soreen.

He doesn't look like much! With delicate features, he looks far weaker than the last guy you fought.

"Appearances can be deceiving! I heard Soreen was trained since childhood as a Dodge Master! Even landing a hit on him is difficult!"

Soreen special move: Dodge Master: you can't even touch the guy if you roll less than 70!

Soreen Stamina: 120

With a relaxed stance, Soreen starts fighting regularly!


Choose your strategy.

> Go on full offensive. +20 on rolls, but if there are further rolls you get -50 histamina
> Fight the way you know it. No need for fancy tactics. - 30 stamina on next roll.
> Go on the defensive. Try to tire him by dodging his swooping attacks. -10 on the rolls but if there are further rolls you get only -10 stamina.

Your stamina is 170 for this fight!

You have 29 gold. The bets are 3 to 1 in your favor! Seems like people think you can easily win.

(if you bet on Soreen and win, you triple your money, if you bet on yourself and win you 1.3x your money. 10% broker fee)

Do you wanna place a bet? Say also how much gold you wanna bet.
> Bet on yourself
> Bet on Soreen
> Don't place a bet
> Write in

>>6262004
>> Go on the defensive. Try to tire him by dodging his swooping attacks. -10 on the rolls but if there are further rolls you get only -10 stamina.
Tiring him out seems to be the best option.
>place a bet on yourself
15 gold

I rolled the last combat action so I'll let someone else do it this time

Rolled 73, 69, 41 - 10 = 173 (3d100 - 10)

>>6262077
Seems like a good plan. Especially considering his skill.

>>6262004
Have at thee!

Rolled 89, 63, 6 = 158 (3d100)

>>6262077
>>6262097


Rolled 94, 72, 73

Rolled 73-10, 69-10, 41-10

31 + 13 + 42 = 86

You can't hit Soreen even once, the guy is a genius at dodging! You wonder how long he can keep it up...

You are down to 74 Stamina!

He's down to 90 Stamina.

Will you ask for a short break?
> Yes
> No
> Write in

Soreen did not ask for a break. He will continue fighting as usual.

What will be your strategy?
> Defensive
> Fight as usual
> Offensive
> Write in

Rolled 54, 66, 67 = 187 (3d100)

>>6262121
>No
>Defensive

>>6262124


Rolled 89, 63, 6

Rolled 54-10, 66-10, 67-10

45 + 7 - 51

Soreen's Dodge Master ability prevents him from losing stamina from your attacks!

You are down to 63 Stamina!

He's down to 60 Stamina!

Will you ask for a short break?
> Yes
> No
> Write in

Soreen did not ask for a break. He will continue fighting as usual.

What will be your strategy?
> Defensive
> Fight as usual
> Offensive
> Write in

Rolled 19, 23, 7 = 49 (3d100)

>>6262132

forgot dice

>>6262135


Oh my! Got a bad roll. The dice gods are not with Soreen.

Rolled 90, 10, 78 = 178 (3d100)

>>6262132
Defensive

>>6262137
No on break btw

>>6262135
>>6262137


Rolled 19, 23, 7

Rolled 90-10, 10-10, 78-10

+61 -23 +61

You notice that Soreen is getting tired and wait until the right moment to unleash a barrage of strikes!

Soreen drops to -152 Stamina, he's knocked out cold!

You drop to 27 Stamina! Still Standing!

You win by Knock Out on third round!

You win 2 gold on your bet. You have 31 gold.

Your next opponent will be a guy called Tauron. You hear he is the crowd's favorite to win the championship!

A guy from a mercenary company approaches you after the fight:

"We are from the Goreclaw Mercenary Band, we are looking for guys just like you! We have guaranteed contracts year round, and a team of the highest caliber mercs! Would you like to work for us?"

> Accept to work for them after the tournment
> Accept to work for them starting right now
> Say you must talk to you trainer, and postpone the decision
> Decline, you are not interested
> Write in

While you wait for the next fight, what will you do?

> Wait until the fight so you'll be well rested (your dice will be shifted around so you get the most beneficial possible roll match on the first round)
> Plead with your mentor to teach you some secret move! (choose what you want, one use)
> Train endurance everyday until shortly before the competition, you have a long time (+20 to endurance, starts with 170 instead of 150)
> Escape this place, you'll end up dead or worse in here!
> Write in

>>6262144
>Ask exactly why would he need someone like us

I mean, we're just a once-per day medic, and we're just a newbie fighting, it would make sense if he was talking with Soreen or Tauron

>Tell that we will ask to our trainer and postpone the decision until then
I feel we're still green. Do we have some talent? Yeah, but I'm sure some mercenaries would be wise enough to know the difference between a newbie making it far in a tournament and people with more fighting experience

>>6262144
>I'll consider your offer
We're still green, and started training so that we could keep ourselves alive... but our ultimate goal is still magic. A mercenary is a step closer to adventuring, which is the only "reliable" way to find a wizard so far (but is any adventuring wizard going to want to teach us? Odds are we're going to have to find contacts and build enough trust to find a magic settlement).

I'm torn between build endurance and take an actual break for better dice rolls

>>6262144
> Say you must talk to you trainer, and postpone the decision

>>6262160
We're probably a lot cheaper than those guys

> Wait until the fight so you'll be well rested (your dice will be shifted around so you get the most beneficial possible roll match on the first round)

Rolled 91, 52, 83 = 226 (3d100)

>>6262160
>>6262169
>>6262194


You give out excuses of why you can't answer right now. Alone, you ponder - why do they even want me? Aren't I just a newbie who got lucky? Maybe they just want meat for the grinder and I'm cheaper than the others...

You clear your mind and decide to rest now. You figure next fight is a big one, so you want to be at your best.

The day of the fight comes! Tauron is some massive guy!

Tauron's special ability: Hulk Punch. By halving his two lowest rolls, he doubles his highest roll. Incurs a -30 penalty in stamina.

His Stamina is 300.

He always fights offensively! He uses his ability on every round.

"This guy is dangerous! He often wins by knockout. He overexerts himself to win quickly. Maybe you could tire him if you're lucky."

You have 150 Stamina for this fight.

Because you are well rested, your first roll will be reorganized to be as favourable to you as possible!

What will be your strategy?
> Defensive
> Fight as usual
> Offensive
> Write in

>>6262214


The bets are 30 to 1 for Tauron!

"No one believes you can win kiddo. If you win, we'll make a fortune!", says master Rup.

You have 31 gold. Will you bet?
> Bet 31 gold
> Don't bet
> Write in

Rolled 75, 95, 29 = 199 (3d100)

>>6262217
>Fight defensively
>Bet 15 gold

Oh god... Please let me a good roll

Rolled 88, 77, 14 = 179 (3d100)

>>6262220


Rolled 91, 52, 83


Rolled 75, 95, 29


182+20 26+20 41+20

95-10 29-10 75-10


Tauron wrecks your shit with a motherfucking Hulk Punch! You are left at 6 Stamina, and drop -6 by the time the round is over. Master Rup ask for a short rest, and you recover back to 34 stamina.

You barely managed to land any hits on Tauron!

300 - 50 -30 - 4 = 216 Stamina. On his short rest, he recovers back to 226 Stamina.

"I'm impressed you aren't down.", he says, spitting.

He will throw another Hulk Punch. He will fight offensively.

What will be your strategy?
> Defensive
> Fight as usual
> Offensive
> Write in

Rolled 83, 79, 66 = 228 (3d100)

>>6262226
Hm. We're meant to be fast and precise which means we might be able to take a note from Soreen's book and focus on dodging that strike, then swapping to full offense.

We're not going to outlast him, so maybe it's best to go all in.

>>6262235

The goddess smiles upon you!

You got a chance - just one chance - to dodge his Hulk Punch!

You know it is coming! So all you have to do is dodge it!

Saying a prayer, you prepare for it.

Roll 1d6

1 - Sacrifice you 83 roll and dodge his Hulk Punch
2 - Sacrifice you 79 roll and dodge his Hulk Punch
3 - Sacrifice you 66 roll and dodge his Hulk Punch
4-6 You didn't manage to dodge, sorry buddy, you got Hulk Punched right in the face!

You could say a prayer to the Demon King under your breath instead!

4 - Turn your 83 roll into a Hulk Punch.
5 - Turn your 79 roll into a Hulk Punch.
6 - Turn you 66 roll into a Hulk Punch.
1-3 You didn't manage to dodge, sorry buddy, you got Hulk Punched right in the face!

But you gotta declare it in the same post you roll your 1d6!

You never know with the gods...

> Stick with the Goddess
> Pray to the Demon King instead

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>6262245
First come first serve! Goddess... PLEASE LET US SAVE THIS

>>6262247
FUCK YEAH ANON

>>6262247
>>6262248

Rolled 23, 92, 69 = 184 (3d100)

>>6262247
>>6262248
>>6262251


The Goddess smiled upon you! And you smiled back!

You managed to dodge the Hulk Punch somehow! The Goddess must really like you! The crowds go crazy!!!

"But... how?!", asks Tauron.

You start hitting Tauron again and again with the opening. His trainer calls for a short rest.

Rolled 88, 77, 14

Rolled 83, 79, 66

176+20 (dodged), 38+20, 7+20

83+20, 79+20 (sacrificed), 66+20

+45 +59

You end up fainting again, with -16 stamina. You're not waking up...

"C'mon boy, get up! Get up!"

He puts something into your nose and you regain 20 stamina instead of the regular 10 when you're in agression! You're back to 4 Stamina.

Tauron had 226 stamina. He lost 50 from aggression, 30 from hulk punch, and 104 from your hits. He is down to 42 stamina.

He starts arguing with his trainer. You overhear something "...don't be stupid, go defensive, the boy is almost fainting..."

Tauron decides to adopt a defensive stance! No Hulk punch this time. He recover 10 stamina with his short rest, and is now at 52 Stamina.

"Oh! It is the first time I see Tauron in a defensive stance!", says someone in the crowd.

What will be your strategy?
> Defensive
> Fight as usual
> Offensive
> Write in

>>6262257
I'll let the next anon decide and roll, I feel I already drained all the luck for this encounter lmao

Rolled 63, 100, 77 = 240 (3d100)

>>6262257
>4 stamina
>have to somehow come through another round

Going on defense doesn't seem natural for this guy... so odds are we can get him to abandon it by mouthing off and pissing him off. The question is, can we take advantage of an enraged fighter of this caliber and turn the tides? Ah well, let's give it a try; it's a hail Mary regardless of what we do. Goddess be with us.

>>6262266
HOLY SHIT

>>6262266
CHAMPION

>>6262266
And you literally god a godlike trips, this shit is cinema

>>6262258
>>6262266
>>6262272
>>6262273
>>6262275


Rolled 23, 92, 69

Rolled 63, 100, 77

23-10 92-10 69-10

63 100 77

50 + 18 + 18


You didn't choose so I assumed normal fight.

Tauron wasn't used to fight on the defensive! Getting strength only the Goddess knows from where, you launch a flurry of blows!

From 52 stamina, he's down to -34! He loses another -10! He is not getting back up!

You win by Knockout on the third round!

After you're pronounced the winner and leaves the ring, you too faint. Your trainer has to carry you back to your quarters.

"We're made boy, we're made! I got so much fucking money! Here, have 300 gold! We could leave this place and start our own Dojo!"

He tosses you a bag full of gold!

There is a whole crowd out there mad because they lost a sure bet, but a handful of people who made it big.

One of them is Sarah. She bet all her hard earned money on you. She appears at your quarters.

"I heard that the next fighter is Trixa.", she says.

She seems to have something else to say.

"Talk woman, what is it?"

"Well, I made all this money... I was thinking... maybe you and I could... you know? Get away from this place. Go live somewhere else... together...? I know a secret passage... we could escape the angry mob out there..."

> Get out of dodge while you're ahead, take Sarah's offer to run away
> About that mercenary contract... say yes and get out of here!
> Start your own Dojo with your master
> Escape this place and go find an adventuring party to join
> There is no escaping now, you're going to fight Trixa!
> Write in

>>6262290


Oh yeah, you did bet 15 gold.

You got 405 gold + 16 + 300 master rup gave you...

721 gold.

Not bad.

>>6262290
>There is no escaping now, you're going to fight Trixa!
We're in too deep to back out now, but we'll remember her, win or lose.

>>6262290
> There is no escaping now, you're going to fight Trixa!
Why not go as far as we can

>>6262295
>>6262297


Prince manages to calm down the mob. You stay resting until the day of the fight. Your head still hurts from that Hulk Punch, you think it might have messed up your brain. You healed yourself, but the headaches persisted for weeks.

Then the day of the battle arrives!

Your opponent is Trixa!

The bets are evenly matched.

As you were considering how much to bet right before the fight, there is a massive commotion in the common area. You hear people screaming.

You go check what is going on.

Three girls are slaughtering everybody, outright killing them with their bare hands. You never saw such strength - it is beyond even Tauron. It is unnatural.

Trixa stands there to fight them, but one of them just slaps Trixa and sends her flying. She hits her head on a rock and lays there bleeding.

The girls bite some of the people they killed and drink their blood!

It is then you realize... they are Vampires! You thought that was a legend.

"Our master knows there are magic items in here! Where are they?! Give them to us or we will kill everyone here!", one of them screams to no one in particular.

Oh shit!

What are you going to do?
> Surrender your magic wand to them and beg for your life!
> Back away slowly and then run through the tunnels!
> Run to help Trixa!
> Write in

>>6262290
>720 gold
Hm. Probably enough to travel, but probably too much to travel with.

Let's see how far we can get in this tournament. We can make any decisions about our future afterwards.

>>6262306
Oh, well, no wonder QM was so pushy about us leaving.

If we know where Sarah is, let's run and get out through her secret passage. If not let's run for it and try to get to a public place; we'll need a disguise and to see if there's a mercenary group or merchant caravan leaving today. Destination doesn't matter, getting out does.

>>6262306
Oh shit, looks like the tournament is off!

>>6262318
Agreed, we need to vamoose, vaminos

>>6262318
>>6262306
Er, I meant back away slowly then run for Sarah/the surface

>>6262318
>>6262320
>>6262326


You back away slowly and then you run away, looking for Sarah, looking for a way to the surface!

Let's see what you find!

1 - Sarah
2 - A way to the surface
3 - Master Rup
4 - Prince
5 - Tauron
6 - A vampire
7 - The adventuring party looking for the vampires
8 - The vampires find you!

Please roll 1d8.

Rolled 4 (1d8)

>>6262344
Oh fuck, here we go

>>6262344

Oh shit, I forgot to give you choices!

> Scream for Sarah (roll 2d8 pick whichever unless one of them is the vampires)
> Ignore everyone, search for the exit (3-4-5 become a way to the surface
> Look for a stake, you gonna bag some vampires (you find the vampires automatically, but the lower the number you roll the better the weapon you find to fight them
> Write in

>>6262349
>>6262351


Tell me, do you want to keep your roll or make a choice and reroll. Please tell me.

I don't usually allow rerolls, but this time I simply forgot to give you the choices, and I don't want you to make the choice based on the value you already rolled.

>>6262352


I know how to solve this!

You gonna find, who was it again, ah, Prince, regardless, since you already rolled it!

Now make a choice and reroll to see what else you find.

I'm gonna write the encounter after the new roll.

>>6262352
The die is cast. I lean towards keeping the roll and result, but it doesn't make much difference.

>>6262354
Okay, sure!

>>6262351
We'll regret it if we get an innocent killed.
>Scream for Sarah (roll 2d8 pick whichever unless one of them is the vampires)
If we go this route I won't roll again, another anon ought to.

It is just I don't like asking for rolls if there is no choice involved (I could simply roll myself), and I totally forgot to put choices this time. Sorry about all this mess.

>>6262359
No need for apologies, it's all good

>>6262354
>> Ignore everyone, search for the exit (3-4-5 become a way to the surface
Prince gets us to the surface, no reason to call attention to ourselves.

Rolled 1 (1d8)

>>6262366
>> Ignore everyone, search for the exit (3-4-5 become a way to the surface
>Prince gets us to the surface, no reason to call attention to ourselves.

I think you forgot to roll, here, let me roll for you.

>>6262366
>>6262381


You run into Prince and Sarah.

"You gotta give them the damn things, Prince, they gonna kill everyone!"

"No way I'm giving those bitches my stash! I'm just gonna... oh hey there, Doc! Just the guy I was looking for! You don't happen to have some magic that kills vampires, do you?

"Nah."

"A shame. Well, we'll take the secret tunnel out of here and things will be just fine! Come with us."

The three of you take the secret tunnel and leave to the surface. It leads to a forest, outside the city. Prince then pulls a lever and collapses the tunnel.

"Whew! That was a close call. From here I'm bugging out. Gonna find a new place to start a fight club. I got a reputation to repair. I'll get some boys to escort my stash and then I think I'm going west."

"Well, we part ways then. I'm headed to the capital. I always wanted to be a perfumist. I'll find someone to teach me.", says Sarah.

"What about you, good man? What are you going to do?"

> I'm going with you, Prince
> I'm going with you, Sarah
> I'm going my own way
> Fight Prince and steal his "stash"
> Write in

>>6262385
>I'm going with you, Sarah

>>6262385
Hmm... our options are to continue fight club, go to the largest city in the region, or wander on our own. I think the capital will be best to further our ambitions. For now.

>I'm going with you, Sarah

I wonder if we'll see anyone else again. Maybe seeking vengeance later would be a worthwhile goal.

>>6262399
My ID keeps changing, I'm still >>6262360

>>6262385
Hm. Nothing good will come from traveling with Prince; wish him well. Sarah might be an option though; not to stay with her but as a way to get to the capital. The other option is to swing back to the city and join up with the first caravan or mercenary troupe that will have us.

Have to do that anyway to get travelling supplies. (Did we have our gold on us when we fled...? Was it all of it or just a fraction for whatever bet we were going to make?)

>>6262401

You had like three bags of gold or so, I'm gonna rule you have it all with you, cause why not. You were going to decide how much to bet, and there was no reason why you should leave it behind when you could very well have decided to bet it all.

Rolled 1 (1d3)

>>6262396
>>6262399
>>6262400
>>6262401
>>6262405

"I'm going with you, Sarah."

"Well, suit yourselves, lovebirds. I'm out of here.", says Prince, storming off with his oversized backpack. You assume it is all gold or his "stash", whatever it is.

You and Sarah figure it is better not to enter the city again. You walk all day under cover of the forest until by nightfall you find a caravan inn - these are common on the way to the capital.

You see two guards and they ask who are you.

"Well, we have gold, does it matter?", says Sarah.

They look at each other, laugh, and let you in.

Inside there are a couple caravans and some travellers.

Sarah quickly discovers that one of the caravans is inbound to the capital and asks for a ride. The caravan master is reluctant, but a few gold coins make him change his mind.

You put another day of distance between you and the city you just fled from.

And then another, and another.

Now let me roll to see if you find trouble.

1 - bandits
2 - monsters
3 - safe trip

Rolled 1, 5 = 6 (2d6)

>>6262409


Along the road, you find a bunch of bandits! (rolling how many)

The caravan has a couple guards.

But there are several bandits!

Do you help the guards out?

> Yes, join the fray
> No, stay out of trouble
> Write in

>>6262411
>> Yes, join the fray
Dagger + Martial Arts.

We haven't decided our next steps so getting some credibility as mercenary or adventurer can't hurt things... (or at least a recommendation for one of those types of jobs) but it's probably best to mix up our fighting style a bit to throw off possible pursuit.

Rolled 11, 33, 98, 41, 4, 83, 8 = 278 (7d100)

>>6262424

As the merchant tries to calm down things with the bandits, you jump out from behind the wagon and land a killing hit with your dagger on the neck of one of the bandits. The dance is on!

Three bandits will hit you, one will hit each of the guards.

The bandits are armed with clubs.

The guards are armed with spears.

Rolling for the bandits (5d100) and for the guards (2d100).

Everyone has 100 HP. Each enemy that rolls higher than you gives you 1 damage for each point above your roll.

You have 150 HP. Roll 3d100 to defend against the three bandits.

The bandits and guards rolls have a +30 bonus from their weapons.

Also choose one roll to get a +20 bonus from your dagger.

Rolling Dubs double damage. (11, 22, 100, etc)

Choose your strategy:
> Focus on dodging. You can dodge one hit, sacrificing your highest roll.
> Focus on striking hard. You can double your highest damage, halving the other two rolls.
> Bring the fight to the ground. If you roll higher than one enemy, he'll be prone! Prone targets take double damage.
> Fight as usual.
> Write in

Rolled 16, 15, 69 = 100 (3d100)

>>6262433
>> Focus on dodging. You can dodge one hit, sacrificing your highest roll.
3 on 1 means let's play this safely. Since highest roll is sacrificed for dodging second highest gets dagger bonus.

>>6262435
... well I guess I ate my luck earlier in the thread. Someone else can get the combat rolls from now

Rolled 81, 24, 100, 87, 48, 58, 67 = 465 (7d100)

>>6262435
>>6262436

Rolled 11, 33, 98, 41, 4, 83, 8

Rolled 16, 15, 69

69 cancel 98

11+30 vs 16+20 = 5
33+30 vs 15+20 = 28

You get beaten up by the bandits for 33 damage.

You're down to 117 HP

The guards hit for 42 and 4 HP respectively.

BANDIT 1 HP 100
BANDIT 2 HP 100
BANDIT 3 HP 100
BANDIT 4 HP 58
BANDIT 5 HP 96

Turn 2

Choose your strategy:
> Focus on dodging. You can dodge one hit, sacrificing your highest roll.
> Focus on striking hard. You can double your highest damage, halving the other two rolls.
> Bring the fight to the ground. If you roll higher than one enemy, he'll be prone! Prone targets take double damage.
> Fight as usual.
> Write in

I'm not doing crits for the bandits.
I even ignored their dubs.

Still, these bandits are rolling quite high numbers...

>>6262447


The combat might take awhile, but I don't really want to auto roll everything myself.

Do you enjoy these detailed combats, or you'd prefer to roll a simplified combat instead?

> One roll simplified combat
> This way is fine
> Write in

hmmm, no rolls

I wonder if anons are sleeping or if this many combat rolls bored them

>>6262444
>Bring the fight to the ground. If you roll higher than one enemy, he'll be prone! Prone targets take double damage.

>>6262457
>This way is fine
Until it feels tedious or too much I feel this is okay, but maybe a way to deal with this is making like small groups of enemies and roll a single die for each if it gets too massive

Rolled 71, 71, 98 = 240 (3d100)

>>6262621

Rolled 20, 87, 73, 50, 93, 32, 13 = 368 (7d100)

>>6262621
>>6262622


Rolled 81, 24, 100, 87, 48, 58, 67

Rolled 71, 71, 98

You take 32 damage!

You are down to 85 HP

You bring one enemy to the ground and cause 94 damage!

One guard takes 29 damage! The other, deals 19 damage!

BANDIT 1 HP 100
BANDIT 2 HP 6 (PRONE)
BANDIT 3 HP 100
BANDIT 4 HP 58
BANDIT 5 HP 77

GUARD 1 HP 71
GUARD 2 HP 100

Choose your strategy and roll 3d100:

> Focus on dodging. You can dodge one hit, sacrificing your highest roll.
> Focus on striking hard. You can double your highest damage, halving the other two rolls.
> Bring the fight to the ground. If you roll higher than one enemy, he'll be prone! Prone targets take double damage.
> Finish a prone enemy that has less HP than you by sacrificing HP
> Fight as usual.
> Write in

Rolled 71, 98, 88 = 257 (3d100)

>>6262632
>Focus on striking hard. You can double your highest damage, halving the other two rolls.
I have faith we can one shot one of the bandits and the 6 one can be taken care of next round

>>6262648

Rolled 20, 87, 73, 50, 93, 32, 13

Rolled 71, 98, 88

20+30 vs 71+20 = 51 damage

87+30 vs 98(x2, enemy prone)+20 = ded

73+30 vs 88(x2 dubs, x2 again striking hard)+20 = ded


You find an opening and sink your dagger on one of the bandits! He dies!

With a swift motion, you end the career of the one tha was prone.

You even manage to deal a large cut on another bandit.

"That guy is a monster! Run!"

The bandits disengage and run away!

BANDIT 1 HP 49
BANDIT 4 HP 58
BANDIT 5 HP 77

You have 88 HP left.

The guards won't give chase.

Will you give chase? Your superior stamina would allow you to catch them.
> Yes (roll 1d2 to find their hideout, on a 1 you find it, on a 2 you just fight them in the open)
> No, continue your trip
> Write in

>>6262660
>No, continue your trip
>Ask if the guards have some really serious wounds, if they can make it with whatever medical supply they have then just don't use our wand and ask for some medical attention too

>>6262660
> continue trip be try and change routes or avoid possible tracking by remaining bandit
> get to know Sarah (I'm very suspicious) did/can she fight? Why was she at the fights? Does she know anything about magic/attack in fight ring?

>>6262660
>> No, continue your trip
>ask for first aid treatment if possible
Let's hide the wand for now; we don't want word getting out and a possible repeat of last time

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>6262694
>>6262695
>>6262833


After asking for some first aid, you continue the trip. You decide against using the wand to avoid causing suspicion.

One night you get curious and ask a lot about Sarah's backstory. She says like most girls there, she was an "entertainer" at the fights - probably an euphemism for prostitution. They offer a lot of gold to pretty girls from poor backgrounds - often ten times more than they could earn with regular professions, sometimes even more.

She is not a figther, nor has any magical powers.

Despite her role, she's very shy. She also has a history as heavy drinker.

She know a lot of ancient religious poetry and songs from being raised in a nunnery, never knew who her mother was, and has already travelled extensively, having visited three different kingdoms.

During the rest of the trip you find:

1 - more bandits
2 - bandit leader
3 - monsters
4-6 nothing

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>6262843

A group of bandits shows up!

But one of them says "Isn't that the guy from before? RUN!", and he runs away.

The rest follow suit.

"Guess you're growing a reputation around here.", says one of the guards.

During the rest of the trip you find: During the rest of the trip you find:

1 - scared bandits
2 - bandit leader
3 - new bandits
4 - monsters
5-10 nothing

>>6262846


You were on the caravan and you see smoke in the distance.

The bandits caught a boar and were having lunch!

"Goddamnit, not you again!", one of the bandits say.

> Steal their roast
> Attack the bandits
> Scare them so they run away again
> Tell them you're not going to hurt them and ask why did they became bandits
> Write in

>>6262851
"You wouldn't have to deal with people like me if you lived honest lives." Then we could maybe ask why they became bandits; they obviously have enough skills to catch their own dinner.

I'm not in favor of telling them we're not going to hurt them; sometimes that's all these types need to start acting up.

>>6262851
>"Ok I'm done with running and I'm sure you too, so if you tell me where other bandits groups are around so we can avoid them we won't see each other for a long time, deal?"

>>6262858
I'll back this, maybe they have ties to someone we've heard from our earlier career.

>>6262858
>>6262860
>>6262861

"You wouldn't have to deal with people like me if you lived honest lives."

They laugh. "It ain't that simple..."

"Why did you became bandits? You obviously have enough skills to catch your own dinner..."

"Life outside the comfy walls of a city is harsh, young man. We do what we have to to survive. We have many mouths to feed, and costs that can't be covered by a luck hunting catch now and then. Gold is the answer, and these fat merchants have a lot of it."

"What kind of costs would drive you to risk your lives robbing people?"

"The dark spirits, boy. Out there, they will eat you alive. There is a witch that keeps them at bay. But she always needs more and more gold... she and the boss control this area."

"The boss?"

"Yeah, the boss!", says another bandit, "He's stronger than you and if he was here he would beat you up!"

"How can I find these two? The boss and the witch?"

"Ah, the boss is out there wandering. The witch lives in the hideout."

"Hideout?"

"You talk too much, dumbass!", one of the bandits slaps the back of the head of the other one.

"Now I got curious, what is in this hideout?"

"It is just a big cave... has rats and bats and stuff..."

"And a witch, apparently."

"Yeah... we kinda of stumbled upon her one day. She is scary!"

> Chase them back to their hideout
> Let them go and hope you won't find them again
> Ask them something else (specify)
> Attack them
> Write in

>>6262867
>Let them go and hope you won't find them again
This is something to keep in mind for when we're stronger, later.

Rolled 4 (1d12)

>>6262884


You keep travelling, hoping to finally arrive at the capital.

1 - scared bandits
2 - bandit leader
3 - new bandits
4 - monsters
5 - shadows
6-12 nothing

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>6262898


1 - A Lone Dire Wolf with a dead rider
2 - A Ghoul from a nearby cemetery
3 - A Griffon seeking to eat the caravan's beasts of burden
4 - A hungry Chimaera
5 - An Auroch Stampede
6 - The ghost of a little girl

>>6262900


You hear a loud screech!

In the blink of an eye, a large gryphon descends from the sky, headed to eat one of the caravan's donkeys!

> Let it
> Jump on its back (roll 1d100 DC 70)
> Hit it with your dagger before it can escape with the donkey (roll 1d100 DC 60)
> Write in

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>6262901
C'mon!
>Hit it with your dagger before it can escape with the donkey (roll 1d100 DC 60)
Chicken legs ain't SHIT!

>>6262902
Okay, maybe they are shit. Good thing we've got a healing wand.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>6262902


It was all too fast!

You tried to hit the gryphon with your dagger, but the creature descended from the skies, grabbed the donkey and flew back up with such speed that even your fast reaction wasn't enough.

You're left with a donkeyless wagon in the caravan. You have to put all the stuff on other wagons and abandon it.


You keep travelling, hoping to finally arrive at the capital.

1 - scared bandits
2 - bandit leader
3 - new bandits
4 - monsters
5 - shadows
6 - zombies
7-20 nothing

Rolled 2, 6, 4 = 12 (3d6)

>>6262907

You find a bunch of bandits robbing another caravan. This one is way smaller than yours, only has a couple wagons, but they have horses!

"OH HELL NAW, NOT YOU AGAIN!"

There are the rolled number of bandits.

> Let them rob the other caravan
> Intimidate them so they run away
> Attack them
> Write in

>>6262910


Forgot to add!

Roll 3d100 with your choices!

Rolled 45, 32, 89 = 166 (3d100)

>>6262910
>> Intimidate them so they run away
Attack them if intimidation fails

Rolled 64, 45, 28, 27, 69, 58, 27, 57, 36, 66, 23, 80 = 580 (12d100)

>>6262928

Let me roll a morale check for the bandits.

Failure and they flee!

DC is your highest roll. If more than half flee, everyone flees.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6262936

"Dude, that guy over there, he is the goddamn SHANKER!"

"The SHANKER? The guy who killed six guys at once with just a dagger?"

"Yeah, that one! RUN!"

The bandits leg it.

The people from the other caravan thank you for your help. It is six people (4 men and 2 women), heading:

1 - on the same direction as you
2 - on the opposite direction

They have 4 horses and 2 wagons.

> Demand something from them (specify)
> Let them go
> Write in

>>6262941
>Ask that we travel together
That went as well as we could've hoped for. I'm starting to think the bandits in this kingdom have some self-esteem issues.

>>6262941
> demand horse
> offer to travek together

>>6262949
At least they're entertaining?

+1 btw

>>6262941
>6 guys at once
Wot. I guess the story grew legs and ran.

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>6262949
>>6262952
>>6262953


You ask them to travel together.

On the first night that you stop to camp together, you learn that one of the girls travelling in this caravan is daughter to nobles from the capital. She went to visit parents in the countryside.

"I never knew the country roads were so infested with bandits, or I would have brought a larger retinue. Thank you again for saving us, mister Shankler. I am lady Cecilia."

Sarah and lady Cecilia spend many hours talking in whispers, the gods only know about what.

You keep travelling, hoping to finally arrive at the capital.

1 - scared bandits
2 - bandit leader
3 - new bandits
4 - monsters
5 - shadows
6 - zombies
7 - royal guards
8-20 nothing

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>6262956

On the second night, a swarm of shadows appear!

"Fire! Fire! Light fires now, or we won't survive!", says one of the men from lady Cecilia's retinue.

They light torches. You scramble to do the same.

No one sleeps that night!

You are lucky that the fire keeps them at bay. It is the light that hams them you think. You'd never be able to defeat that many creatures.

When the first signs of dawn appear in the horizon, they rush away as if running from death itself.

You wonder where they hide during the day.

Exhausted, you continue your trip.

1 - scared bandits
2 - bandit leader
3 - new bandits
4 - monsters
5 - shadows
6 - zombies
7 - royal guards
8 - necromancer
9-20 nothing

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>6262958


You see them in the distance!

A large horde of zombies!

"Oh by the gods, what is that?!"

"Turn! TURN!", you take a huge detour to avoid the hungry dead ahead.

"Undead? This close to the capital? We must warn the people there!"

You keep travelling, hoping to finally arrive at the capital.

1 - scared bandits
2 - bandit leader
3 - new bandits
4 - monsters
5 - shadows
6 - zombies
7 - royal guards
8 - necromancer
9-20 nothing

>>6262960

You arrive at the capital, with a horde of undead at you heels!

The guards scream:

"GET DOWN!"

A bunch of archers start shooting the approaching undead. About a hundred guys with shields run up to your group and escort them to safety. The last thing you see of the battleground is a large army of armored knights charging into the undead!

"These attacks are getting too common. I'm Dortmund, captain of the guard."

"Oh, Dortmund! You saved me again!"

"You keep getting into trouble, Lady Cecilia! Don't you know we are under siege by a necromancer?"

Siege by a necromancer? Are you serious?

"They are bound to run out of corpses in a few months. Until then, we should remain inside the city walls."

"Who is this necromancer?"

"It is a certain Pyrexas. He has a feud with the court magician. They studied together in the North."

"Don't worry. The capital has about a thousand armed men it can recruit at a moment's notice. We are not going to fall."

You say farewell to Lady Cecilia, who heads to the inner city.

You head to a much more mundane destination, in a local inn called "Soaked Dirge". It looks seedy and disreputable.

You want to learn magic, and it seems in here there are a few magically capable people. Though even here, there are very few.

> Seek magical apprenticeship
> Find a magical street performer
> Petition the court mage
> Write in

>>6262965
>Use lady Cecilia to get to court mage

>>6262956
>Mr Shankler
... I guess Doc Shankler is as good a name as any. Good on Sarah; getting her hustle on for that perfume apprenticeship she wanted.

>>6262958
This Kingdom's roads just seem to get worse and worse the farther we go. Wew.

>>6262960
On look, a break.

>>6262965
Well, that explains the zombies.

Let's get the lay of the land and see what word on the street is like. The general situation in the city, where one might find employment opportunities in a besieged city, how one should ideally go about learning to become a healer, mercenary/adventurer, wizard, other random trades (just to obscure what we're after given what rumors did to us on the road and in the previous city).

>>6262965
>Let's follow and help Sarah and also look for a place to stay, use the time to also ask if she's friends with Lady Cecilia

We can hit two birds with one stone, if they were in good terms we could personally ask Lady Cecilia to ask for the mage to either help us or an interview to see if he's willing to give us the apprenticeship

>>6262965
An interesting situation.

>>6262976
>>6262977
>>6262983
I agree with all of these, Cecilia's connections might be able to get us an in with the mage, if we're lucky.

>>6262953
>At least they're entertaining?
Can't fault them for that, kek. Maybe we should lean into it and practice using a blade later.

>>6262976
>>6262977
>>6262983


You learn the city of Terak, the capital of the kingdom, houses over 100,000 people!

It has five concentric layers of walls, thousands of soldiers and guards and even a few War Mages, though people rarely see those guys. You learn all the magical personal live in the inner city, except for a few magical street performers.

Before you depart from Lady Cecilia, you mention you are looking for an apprenticeship in magic, and whether she knows the Court Magician. She says she has talked to him once or twice. She'll see if she can get you an audience. She recommends you buy new clothes though.

"The people at the inner city are a bit... picky... about what kind of clothes you should wear there. Ask for fashionable courtier garbs on one of the fancier seamstresses and you will get just what you need. If I can get an audience, I'll send someone to talk to you. You're staying in the... Soaked Dirge? Oh dear..."

"What is wrong with that place."

"It's... it's a whorehouse, that's what it is."

Phew. For a moment you thought it was something worse.

"Well, I could change inns if you...?"

"No, no, I'll send someone, I'll send someone...!"

Lady Cecilia manages to get you an audience but... in six months time. Apparently, the Court Mage is too busy with the invasion and everything.

Well, better than nothing.

He will meet you by mid winter. You will be 18 years old by then!

The capital is overcrowded with refugees. What means you can probably score a free meal any day, if you stay in line long enough.

The city is built in layers. The outer layers are poor and crowded. Situation improves the closer you get to the Inner City.

But you need special permits to travel anywhere other than the Low Wards, which is how the outer perimeter within the walls is called.

Though you soon learn from the people in the Soaked Dirge that this city has vast sprawling catacombs, far more ancient than the city itself, and you could find guides that could take you closer to the inner city... for a price.

You also learn that the War Mages patrol those very same catacombs, but only the exits - entering or exiting the city through the catacombs is bound to put you face to face with an army detachment with a War Mage.

Asking around, you learn the War Mages are trained right here in the city. They are divided in two groups - the best ones learn Wards and the weak ones learn Combat Spells. Wards are far more difficult to learn than just hurling a spell at an opponent.

When you try to discover how many of them exist, you draw attention and an army guy asks you to the district. He interrogates you.

He places your wand and your dagger in front of you by a table and asks:

"Who are you? Why are you asking around for the army's numbers? Are you a spy? What is this wand for?"

"I'm Doc Shankler. I'm just a wandering healer. This wand is my instrument of work. I'm no spy."

>>6263004
After questioning you some more, they issue a document with your new name:

Doc Shankler, Healer.

In it there is a stamp with a temporary access permit to the Inner City, schedule for six months from now.

"Don't lose it!", says the guard.

You have 720 gold. You ask and the clothes you're supposed to buy cost abou 100 gold.

What do you wanna do for the next two seasons?
> Work as a healer to make some more money
> Find mercenary work. Even within the city there are people to be killed or protected.
> Apply to the Outer College, low tier wizard servants
> Blend in with refugees, offer help at a healing station
> Apply for courier jobs
> Look for the witch that rumors say live in the slums
> Find the magical street performers and ask if they can teach you some magic
> Deposit your money at the local bank (10% deposit fee)
> Write in

>>6261409
>You're now 18, will be 19 soon. It is Summer.
>>6263004
>you'll be 18 years old by then

We aging backwards boys!

>draw the wrong type of attention
...
>actually use the name Doc Shankler

>>6263012
>officially a healer
Oop. If our official documents say we're a healer we should probably work in that direction and get enough training we aren't useless without the wand. But after what happened in the fight club I kind of want to keep the wand as a card up out sleeve.

Courier work would allow us to keep training our stamina for our marital art without risking our lives.

And palling around with the street performers or applying to be a wizard servant might help us scratch that itch to learn magic... but might teach bad habits that we don't want if we're going to aim for the height of magic... I'd be good with any of these choices but let's see what other anons are thinking

>>6263012
>Buy clothes (-100 gold)
>Deposit 400 gold in the bank, (-40 gold)(360 gold stored)
This'll leave us 220 gold in spending money, which ought to be more than enough.

>Find the magical street performers and ask if they can teach you some magic
They may be able to teach us some practical magic. Right now, we're dependent on our wand. If we lost it, we're no different than any other young thug.

>>6263012
>Talk with the innkeeper to make a deal where we pay in advance for a few months with some discount and put it on a legal paper (and give a copy to the people that handle those legal stuff), see if our charisma works to sneak maybe some free meals or something.
>Apply to the Outer College
>Buy the clothes we need
>Deposit like 80% of what's left of our money and keep the rest with us
>Let's look for another prostitute friend that can help us start our underground healing business

Like good old times (a years ago) with the difference that we have some good fucking money

>>6263027
Hmm... on second thought, anon makes a lot of good points.

>>6263025
That is true, yeah. If we learn flawed fundamentals it'll take years to unlearn them. Just like a martial art. Working as a courier is a good idea, it could let us build stamina and stay low key while getting a good grasp of the city's layout. I think our goal should be to reach our physical potential while studying magic, if possible. Nobody expects a wizard to throw hands.

>>6263025
I like the idea of actually working as a healer but we need actual training, so I say we could go to some of the healing stations, see if someone has some old medicine book they wanna get rid off and perhaps ask for a discount if they're willing to have us as a nurse for example

>>6263025

Sorry, I got the age wrong, you'll be 20 by then.

Thanks for pointing it out, the notes can become confusing after awhile.

>>6263034
Yeah, that's a solid option and not mutually exclusive to working as a courier during the day.

>>6263032
Exactly, we're young enough that impatience can win out over good sense but we've already experienced the importance of building good fundamentals. Maintaining our marital arts skills while we can is another card up out sleeve that can keep us alive, turn the tables, and give us unexpected advantages.

>>6263035
You're doing good QM; seems complicated to keep track of everything going on and how much time is passing. Really enjoying this one so far

>>6263040
Why does autocorrect keep replacing our with out AAAHHHHHH

>>6263034
>>6263040
I think both have some benefits. Working as a healer will get us more knowledge and possibly a reputation, whereas working as a courier will improve our stamina and sense of who's who in Terak. Personally, I'm leaning towards working as a healer so we can further our skillset but working as a courier would do the same, just in a more martial direction. Which do you anons think is better?

>>6263044
I do think we should put at least 60% of our money into the bank. I don't trust banks but after the vampire incident, paranoia is deep.

>>6263044
We could probably do both. Courier during the morning; healing in the evenings. Wouldn't leave much time for study, but odds are they won't need us every day.

>>6263047
Bank takes 10% as a fee, so should probably do less and keep a private stash somewhere.

>>6263025
Question for QM-- does having money in the bank generate interest over time? Or is that concept too anachronistic?

>>6263094
>Question for QM-- does having money in the bank generate interest over time? Or is that concept too anachronistic?

You are just paying to keep your gold safe. A merchant that actually took out the gold and loaned it to everyone to get even more gold and then started printing more and more IOUs would be hanged for sure.

This would be how interest would be paid (how interest is paid actually), but the whole thing is very illegal. As it should be.

I'll be down to change my vote from >>6263029

And do the idea of working as a courier, mostly to keep our training and only work as a Healer when needed/ when we have time. I'll just keep suggesting the idea of maybe buy our stay on the inn and pay forwards and try to get a discount, everything on a nice legal paper so the owner doesn't screw us over

You consider what to do with all your hard earned money! 720 gold in a big city go by so fast...

A stay in the inn, even a disreputable one like the "Soaked Dirge" costs you 1 gold every other night.

For two seasons, it is 90 gold.

> Pay in advance, trust the innkeeper
> Pay for an even longer time period, you wanna have a place to go back to, haggle for a discount (select how many seasons, you might get a discount)
> Find a lawyer to draft a legal document, register it with the authorities (+10% of the value of the document, minimum 10 gold)
> Write in

A set of courtier clothes sets you back 100 gold. But do you really want to wander through Low Ward dressed like a posh noble?
> Buy a set of courtier clothes and wear it everyday (100 gold)
> Buy a set of courtier clothes and stash it (100 gold)
> Wait to buy the clothes just days before the event (100 gold)
> Buy also some regular sturdy adventuring clothes (120 gold)
> Write in

You visit the bank! They explain you how they are very safe and will keep your gold stored for a fee of 10%.
> Stash 90 gold for a 10 gold fee
> Stash 180 gold for a 20 gold fee
> Stash 270 gold for a 30 gold fee
> Stash 360 gold for a 40 gold fee
> Write in

You easily find some magical street performers. They are part of a wandering troupe, but they are stuck in the city until the undead emergency is over. They could teach you the basics of magic - how to create some magical sparks (do no real damage, but can serve many utility purposes), minor illusions (same) and even a versatile offensive magical spell that can hit a single target at first, but later you can train to hit multiple targets or add effects (one of the most basic spells, it is called Bolt). For a hefty fee of course. The training takes all day.
> One month of lessons is 600 gold (how many months do you want to learn from the Street Performers?)
> You're not interested
> Write in

>>6263413

Looking for a job in the city, you find some warehouses are always in need of couriers. The pay isn't stellar, but is livable from 0.5 to 1 gold a day. However, this gets you tied down for the whole day working. You could work for a shorter time, but pay doesn't scale down very well, if you're not available all day, they will pay you per trip, and you may end up earning as little as a couple silver (0.2 gold per day).
Of course if you don't mind exactly What you're carrying, you could get better jobs. Pays of even 20 gold a day are not unheard of. You'd use the catacombs to go through the wall checks.
The guard is very interested in the contents of such packages, however, and that could net you some jail time...

> Work as a courier all day (half to 1 gold per day)
> Work as a courier part time (about 0.2 gold per day on average)
> Work carrying "unconventional" cargo through the catacombs (about 20 gold a day, a small chance of being caught and going to jail)
> You're not interested
> Write in

You learn that the city has a large number of healers, but very few Magical Healers! You should be able to charge anything between 5 and 10 gold a day for your services. Though you will need to rent a place to perform your work. The cheapest place you can find sets you back 50 gold per month. Hiring an assistant will set you back 30 gold. If you don't work full time, you might not be able to book healing everyday, as people seek healers at their own convenience and it is hard to schedule when you're going to get hurt. You also look for books on healing. You learn your average healer has read at least 16 books on healing. They cost anywhere from 100-300 gold. You could buy the most basic ones. You don't think you can start practicing healing proper until you read at least 6 books. Hiring a tutor from a healer school could help. These guys work for as little as 2 gold a day. Without help, you might be able to read a book in 3-6 months. With help, maybe a month or two, maybe less (depending on how often you get help).

> Start working as a healer full time
> Start working as a healer part time
> Buy some books on healing (how much are you going to spend? Minium 100 gold)
> Hire a tutor from a healing school (2+ gold a day, the best ones are more expensive)
> Write in

>>6263417


You have about 180 days of time until the meeting, so feel free to allocate it however you want.

>>6263419
Questions
>is the wand broken? I remeber something happened but didnt seem entirly clear
> how long would steet magicians need to teach us bolt or even the minor flame or sparks stuff
> whats Sarah up to?
> with smuggling, is there much curruption/ opurtunity for bribes and could we learn how to traverse under the walls through the city

>>6263419
>plan for first 40 days
>Get papers for tavern 100G
>Spend 1 month with street magicians if possible learn bolt if not then the illusion stuff 600G 30 days
> buy basic adventure clothes 20G
0 left
>Smuggle for 10 days gain 200G and using underground contacts look for witch
> buy and store fancy clothes 100G
>100G pocket money left 140 days left

>>6263504
>>is the wand broken? I remeber something happened but didnt seem entirly clear

The wand isn't broken. It displayed a strange behavior once, but it is still working.

>> how long would steet magicians need to teach us bolt or even the minor flame or sparks stuff

I'm gonna roll a bunch of dice. Usually it takes at least a year or two, but you could get lucky.

>> whats Sarah up to?

She's in the same inn as you, but she's also looking after her own interests - trying to find a teacher of her chosen art, supplies, etc.

>> with smuggling, is there much curruption/ opurtunity for bribes and could we learn how to traverse under the walls through the city

you're not sure how corruptible the guards are, but with how expensive everything is in this city you're sure a poorly paid guard might consider a generous offer in gold.

you Have to use the catacombs to go from one layer of the city to the other without passing by the checkpoint. the same way you'd learn about the surface if you go common courier route, you'll learn about underground routes if you go smuggler route

>>6263530
Not trying to samefag, but idk if anyone else has any other ideas to start us of in the capital.
Think we gotta get focused on magic physical healing seems like a huge time sink and using magic items seems fairly dangerous.
And with my plan we will spend the majority of our excess money instead of wasting at a bank

>>6263413
>lodging
Hm. 90 gold for an inn vs 300 gold for our own place? We'll need to grab and prepare our own food if we rent our own place for the next few months... if food is included in the price of the inn that works out in our favor unless the innkeeper screws us. Our own lodging would be preferential if we choose the healer route for secrecy reasons at the very least.

I'm not quite paranoid enough to get a notarized agreement on it, but we can check with the word on the street about whether or not this innkeeper keeps his word and where to go if he doesn't. Will need to send word to Cecilia about the change in our lodging if so.

>courier clothing costs 100 gold
>the job only nets 0.5 to 1 gold a day
wot. Also, couldn't we just run jobs in the clothes we traveled in? No need to wear the noble clothes.

>bank
Let's get financially stable before we worry about savings, especially given that these options could bankrupt us if we choose wrongly.

>a month of teaching costs 600 gold
Nope. Not worth it. It'd make more sense to apply to the magical servants college instead (and given that they're training to be servants they probably aren't wealthy enough to be charged that much or more) or try to learn by observation. 600 gold/month for questionable fundamentals? Nah bro.

>healing book cost
Is there anywhere we can read them without bringing them with us like a library? Or to volunteer someplace to get access to them and teachers?

Hm, I say:
>part time courier work in the mornings
The goal here is to maintain our endurance, not necessarily to make money
>do the work in our old village/travelling clothing/the armor we bought in the previous town unless we can find a secondhand courier outfit for cheap.
Let's not risk the catacombs until we know the low wards well.

>volunteer as a healing hut grunt in exchange for access to books/teachers if possible during the afternoon and evenings
If it isn't possible, the financials (for books and tutors) aren't really going to work out unless we sell our magical healing services... which means we need our own place (or a secret nook somewhere). The wand only has one daily use so it isn't going to make sense to heal full time until we have more training (study, sure)... but we can make sure people are aware we're available in the afternoons and evenings (and maybe work out a sign or something so people know whether or not the magical healing is still available).

>2 gold tutor would cost 360 gold for 180 days
>would need at least 6 books to work from at 100 gold each (but at least we would be able to keep them after or sell them when we're done)
>50 x 6 = 300 gold for a place to rent
>food and furnishing expenses if we go our own way
>5-10 gold daily for magical healing is 900-1800 gold income (assuming we get someone every day... can our wand treat old injuries or chronic conditions? Have we tried?)
>courier work would be about 45 gold income if we did it part time (90-180 full time).

>>6263723
>>courier clothing costs 100 gold
>>the job only nets 0.5 to 1 gold a day
>wot. Also, couldn't we just run jobs in the clothes we traveled in? No need to wear the noble clothes.


It is courTier clothes, with a T, as in a person who attend a noble's court. They are meant to be expensive.

Courier jobs you can do with any regular old clothes, nobody cares.

>>6263728
... guess that's what I get for questing with a headache. Sorry QM.

>>6263728
>How does the street magicians compare to the outer college
> reading 6 basic healing book in one or 2 months each takes between 180-360 days up to double our time and costs between 960 Gold to 1320.
>This is to begin practicing healing essentially as I novice, I ain't doing that

I say the best we can do is

>Get the longing for two months
>Get the courier job with some decent clothes but we're not paying 100 hold coins for the official attire
>FUCK THE STREET MAGES MFS WANNA RUIN US SO THEY CAN SHOOT LASERS FROM THEIR ASSHOLES AND LIVE LIKE A KING
>Do like the last town and befriend some prostitute of the inn, tell her to keep an ear out for anyone with enough money that needs some fast healing, we'll give her something

We make sure to have an honest work and learn how the smuggling works, and if we get lucky that means some extra money for our healing gig, where we just use the wand if we make some solid money

>Save money on the bank but keep some on us, once we find some nice and secure place to stash it then we can do it

Listen wether it's better at outer college or street rats we pony up big buck for the basics, then with a bit more magic we smuggle get our money up and once we're good with the criminals Mr Shankler moseys in to the bad witches hut and asks to learn some magic

>>6263413
>>6263723
Gonna condense this down into actual choices for QM.

The healing dream requires too much investment; let's set it aside unless we stumble upon a place that'll teach us basic first aid and herblore for volunteering (bonus points if there's books). Might be worth hiring a tutor just to learn those skills but they probably don't want to work without the books.

>stay at the inn
720-90
>buy and stash the fancy clothes for our meeting with big boss mage
630-100
We might come back for the adventuring clothes.
>work as a courier full time; stay legit for the first season then start taking catacombs gigs
>befriend local prostitutes to give us a discrete way to make extra coin with our wand (or experiment with the limits of the magic; can it heal old wounds? If so, how severe? Illness? Or is it injury only? Chronic illnesses? We probably want to know these things)

Maybe investigate the costs of the wizard servant college (and how many seasons or years the course is) and learning how to knife fight (it'd be a disgrace to the Shankler name if we shanked ourselves by accident).

Let's stash 360 gold for 40 fee...
530 - 400 (360 in bank) = 130 gold spending money left over disregarding income.

I guess we'll need to figure out a story if we're questioned on why a healer is working as a courier.

>>6263759
+1 I like this plan

>I guess we'll need to figure out a story if we're questioned on why a healer is working as a courier
"Mr. Guard my name is Doc Shanker, unless you need to amputate an arm or open someone like a pig I'm of no use to actually heal someone. It just so happened that people needed me and they started to call me doc"

>>6263759
I honestly hate this plan, smuggling seems like a more profitable endeavor and the wand gut us literally hunted by vampire OC girls who solo the entire fighting tournament
> I want to seek the witch, already have renown as shankler and might be able to fight the necromancer
>QM it's very obvious there's to many choices for us to all agree so just do whatever you think

QM?

>>6263759
>>6263807
>>6264222

You decide to pay for six months in advance at the inn for 90 gold. You feel notarizing it is going too far, but you ask around. The innkeeper is a guy called Gerald, he seems trustworthy enough. He was once an adventurer, decades ago. He gives you the keys to the tiny bedroom you rented, and the chest held within. It has no windows, but you think this is even better - less to worry from thieves.

You buy the courtier clothes for 100 gold, they take your measurements, adjust it and then you take them home. You stash them on your chest.

You think your nice cloak you bought on the other city is good enough an attire to go work as a courier.

You start to learn the lay of the city working as a courier for the first season. Many customers tip you, so you end up making more money than was expected. You make 130 gold.

You befriend some local prostitutes! By word of mouth, you occasionally manage to get a few people healed. You make 100 gold this way.

You learn your wand can heal any wounds, no matter how old. I leaves no scars, but doesn't remove scars that existed prior. It mends broken bones (which is most of the cases that come to you) but doesn't cure chronic illnesses (you tried a couple times and had to apologize to the patients for being unable to cure them), though it does heal infected wounds (you healed a couple really nasty infections).

After the first season, with careful budgeting, you have more money than you started out with, 760 gold!

You decide to stash 360 money in the bank for a 40 gold fee.

MONEY IN THE BANK: 360 gold

You now are left with 360 gold for the second season (the inn is already paid).

The guards never actually ask you why you're working as a courier, they don't find it particularly suspicious.

>>6264589


You go to many places in the city and the three that draw your attention the most are:

The Copper Slums - the place is very poor, but there are a few very rich patrons. You learn from word of mouth you could get some smuggling jobs from here. You're not sure what the stuff is, but it is implied it some sort of dangerous substance that the local nobles abuse. You'd have to take the catacombs route to avoid the checkpoints, but you hear there are several unguarded routes. Should be quick in, quick out for a quick buck! (1 chance in 6 per month of being caught)

You hear about a witch that lives there as well. The people there seems to be very protective of her for some reason, but she definitely exists, though her whereabouts are unknown. You learn that you must tell everyone in the slums why you want to meet her, and word will get to her, and if she wants to meet you she'll invite you.

The Willow Ward - the place where most healers work at. There are not one but two healer's colleges there. They have a program for people that can't pay tuition, but you need to do a very hard test before they pay for your scholarship, and then you're expected to work for the king for at least two years. The fees of the healer's college are 300 gold per month, and most people take at least two years to graduate, though if you know all the curriculum already you can take an accreditation exam for 1,000 gold and become an accredited healer. Healers starting pay is around 10 gold a day, but with experience and more clients you can make twice that easily.

In there, you also have the wizard's servant college. The test to get in is hard but not as hard, as the wizards need lots and lots of servants, and the classes you heard are laid back. You learn the basics to be an alchemical lab assitant, ritual preparator, tasting for poison without dying, library sorter and monster feeder. All these skills are in high demand in the inner parts of the city, and you may end up making 5-10 gold a day! They say most of the specifics you will learn on the job, but the basic qualifications you get there. The course lasts six months and costs 1,000 gold.

The Stone Quarry: it is named like this because at some point there was a quarry there. The quarry has long since been closed. It is a martial district, where aspirants to officer study before being admitted to the king's army. You learn that if you enroll in the program, they will feed and house you for free, but you must follow martial discipline. The actual pay is meager, less than one gold a day, but within a year, you could be taken to the inner city to learn at the War College and become and officer. Most people don't make it though, and end up being hired as common soldiers by then end of the first year.

What do you want to do for the next season before meeting the Court Mage?
> Specify

>>6264590
Question, QM: does the healers college train magical healers or is it just herbs and other techniques?

I'll vote/discuss later when I have more time.

>>6264657
>Question, QM: does the healers college train magical healers or is it just herbs and other techniques?

The most advanced books teach weak out of combat healing magic rituals, that use herbs and medical knowledge plus energy work to heal people faster than they normally would. It doesn't look magical though, there's no weird glow or anything, but mechanically it is out of combat magical healing that takes about one hour depending on skill some herbs and heals you somewhat.

Think of it as a ritual healing cantrip that takes one hour to cast and can be applied once a day to each target. Skilled healers can do it faster. Healers usually charge 1-2 gold a day per patient.

Since your magical healing is better, you charge extra.

>>6264667
>Send word to the witch that the Shankler wants to meet on peaceful term, possible for an apprenticeship or to fight against the necromancer

>>6264798
+1

>>6264589
>>6264590
Hmm... it looks like we don't have time to really get into a career and are already doing decent in terms of money-intake. I'd like to get educated as a healer but we're not literate and books are as expensive as we'd expect them to be. I think the best thing to do is stay the course and keep up the courier work, although this witch is interesting.

>>6264798
I'll support this, maybe we can make a good impression. The odds are high that the court wizard will want nothing to do with us, as we're not an influential noble's son and aren't a child with high neuroplasticity. We do have a good amount of natural talent but that's not everything. It's best to hedge our bets.

>>6265140
>we're not literate
??? I don't think MC's literacy or lack thereof has come up yet. Sure, you can make the argument that a rural village kid probably isn't going to have ready access to many books... (though it depends on QM's world building) but I got the impression that his family has kind of been waiting for someone bold enough to run off and learn magic and has probably prepared accordingly. MC might've only read his world's equivalent of the Bible before now but I'm pretty sure he knows how to read.

>>6264590
Thoughts more than votes:
>1d6 chance of getting caught per month
>still waiting to meet with the court mage

On second thought, probably not worth the risk of getting caught if we want to get into the War Wizard college (if I'm not just making up its existence).

>slums zealously protective of the witch
Either she takes good care of them or has enchanted them.

>300/month to learn healing; typically for 2 years (so 7200 gold)
>can barely teach healing magic
Bruh

>alchemical lab assistant
Sounds like a good plan C if we can't talk the court mage into taking us as an apprentice or tossing us at the war mage college (I guess plan b is befriend the witch atm)

>quarry
Hm. Was thinking more street knife fighting than formal training like this... but this part is why I'm convinced they train their war mages locally. Probably a boneheaded way to try to get magic training; pestering a wizard master as a servant or becoming an adventurer is more likely to work.

Votes/write ins:
>let's help people out in the Copper Slums; odd jobs, repairs, extra food or other resources
>if people get suspicious be upfront with our ulterior motives (though maybe play up the young, harmless, naive angle a bit): we want to meet the witch and learn magic
>continue strait laced courier work, but shift to part time; devote free time to the slums
>maybe look into word on the street about the court mage and whether or not he takes apprentices (and what he looks for in them)
>slow down on using the wand as our curiosity about its limits is satisfied (for now)

After all, we don't know whose stash brought the vampires on our heads: our wand, or Prince's hoard. Probably getting a little paranoid by now.

>>6265164
>ID changed
Wot

>>6265164
I was assuming from >>6263417
>You don't think you can start practicing healing proper until you read at least 6 books. Hiring a tutor from a healer school could help. These guys work for as little as 2 gold a day. Without help, you might be able to read a book in 3-6 months. With help, maybe a month or two, maybe less (depending on how often you get help).
Although, it could be that we're not familiar with the jargon that the books are trying to teach. We don't have a search engine or dictionary on hand, either, which further complicates things.

A little bit of paranoia never killed anyone... Or has it? You make a lot of good points. I'm also wary of the witch but think trying to meet her could be worth the risk. This confirms that magic is rare and valuable, and that our wand is consequently super-vulnerable to theft. We'll need to be cautious.

>>6265166
Yeah, I assumed QM was referring to jargon, unfamiliar concepts, or complicated processes that we might need help wrapping our head around. We can always ask for clarity though.

It's really too bad we didn't bring grandpa's portrait; magic might be the kind of thing that requires a living teacher but he probably could've taught us. Damn harpies.

Good thing is, if we play earnest and naive she probably won't expect us to stab her when/if she turns on us (I have a feeling the other option here is anons wanting us to wife her, but alas).

QM have you abandoned us or when will you post next

Alright, from what you all posted, these are the options...

You could decide to apprentice yourself to the witch in the slums, spending time doing odd jobs and building trust until she’s willing to teach you hedge magic or even darker secrets. This would also connect you to the people she protects, potentially entangling you in conflicts against the necromancer or the court wizard. Alternatively, you might pursue the court wizard directly, offering yourself as a courier or errand-runner to prove your worth and slowly building enough reputation to become an apprentice, even though you’re not noble-born — a risky but high-reward move. Another path would be to find a way into the healer’s college by working part-time, bartering, or paying what you can, focusing on literacy and practical ritual healing that could one day save lives, giving you a useful fallback. You might also approach an alchemist’s workshop, offering to be an assistant, which would expose you to potions, herbs, and magic-adjacent research, with good opportunities to learn and make contacts. Instead of waiting around, you could investigate the necromancer yourself, gathering intelligence, forming alliances, or even trying to sabotage his operations before he becomes a bigger threat. Finally, you might reject schools and formal study entirely, instead gathering a band of adventurers from the Copper Slums or mercenary circles and taking small monster- or bandit-hunting jobs to build up your skills, experience, and gold, preparing yourself to eventually break into war wizard circles by reputation alone.

What will you do? You still have one full season.

> Apprentice to the witch in the slums
> Seek an apprenticeship with the court wizard
> Enroll in the healer’s college
> Work as an alchemical lab assistant
> Investigate the necromancer directly
> Gather a band and take the adventurer path
> Write in

>>6266346
For the season, hopefully in secret
> Apprentice to the witch in the slums
Still be ready for this and hopefully play both sides (if enemies) for the meantime
> Seek an apprenticeship with the court wizard

>>6266346
>Seek an apprenticeship with the court wizard
I do think this should be our primary goal. It's a bit of a longshot and we can't really start working for it until we actually meet the guy. If we're going to learn magic we might as well aim to learn it from the best (of course, the court wizard may not be a good teacher; got his position through corruption/nepotism; be otherwise incompetent... but seeking him out may allow us to find other high up wizards looking for an apprentice).

The witch seems like a solid plan B, if the court wizard wants nothing to do with us, and it's going to take time to build up trust there anyway. We've got six months, might as well use it.

If we can work as a lab assistant without attending the wizard servant college that might be a good way to spend our season; I was under the impression the training was required though. It might even build the right contacts to make the court wizard take us seriously

>>6266373
Wait it's 3 months at this point.

>>6266346
> Investigate the necromancer directly
Time to get corrupted to the side of evil

>>6266346
Intriguing. I'm >>6265166 and think we should-
>Seek an apprenticeship with the court wizard
If we fail, so be it, we have options, but if we pass up a meeting we scheduled, it's not going to do our reputation with the nobility or their magicians any favours.

>>6266368
>The bandits said this awhile back

"What kind of costs would drive you to risk your lives robbing people?"

"The dark spirits, boy. Out there, they will eat you alive. There is a witch that keeps them at bay. But she always needs more and more gold... she and the boss control this area."

"The boss?"

"Yeah, the boss!", says another bandit, "He's stronger than you and if he was here he would beat you up!"

"How can I find these two? The boss and the witch?"

"Ah, the boss is out there wandering. The witch lives in the hideout."

"Hideout?"

"You talk too much, dumbass!", one of the bandits slaps the back of the head of the other one.

"Now I got curious, what is in this hideout?"

"It is just a big cave... has rats and bats and stuff..."

"And a witch, apparently."

"Yeah... we kinda of stumbled upon her one day. She is scary!"

>assuming this is the same witch she's a woman of the people in some sense

The people there seems to be very protective of her for some reason,

So we can assume she's familiar with the polotics of magic between her the necromancer and the court wizard, and that's she's not a force entirely of evil. Whether we stick with her or not we should try and spend the remaining season with her, learning the basic of both magic and the larger players in this power struggle.

>>6266368
>>6266373
>>6266374
>>6266418
>>6266487


You decide to focus your efforts in getting an apprenticeship with the court wizard. You look for people that have been his apprentices.

In the entire Low Ward, there is only one guy, the Alchemist Kroft. He set up a shop in here because his daughter was banished from the inner city for becoming paralytic. She died in a horrible accident later, and even though he was invited to return to the inner city, he felt disgusted with it and decided to remain the low ward. You talk to him one day:

"They live in a pretend world, the folks at the inner city. While the soldiers die in droves killing the monsters outside, those people live feast after feast without a care in the world. I think I can do more good in here, even though the goods I sell are basically charity from how low the prices go."

"Is it true that you've been an apprentice to the court wizard?"

"Yeah, it is true. He learned a lot of magic in the north and when he arrived here he was better at magic than everyone else, so the king hired him. Most magicians who study in the north return much more powerful after a few years. I wonder why they don't stay there though..."

You ask him if he could put a good word for you.

"A good word? Well... the best I could do is give a letter of recommendation. Not sure how my name is remembered in there. But for that you first have to work for me! If you work for me, I'll give you a Gatherer permit and you'll be allowed to enter and leave the city through the catacomb tunnels, to go fetch potion materials for me. What do you think? About the pay... well, I can barely survive myself... I can't really pay you. At most, I can share my food with you. The people in the Low Ward bring me plenty of food. In fact, people often pay me with food. As I said, I'm basically doing charity."

> Accept Alchemist's Kroft work proposal
> This is slave labor, decline
> Write in

>>6267060
Will this also make smuggling easier if so yes

>>6267060
>Accept Alchemist's Kroft work proposal
Wizards almost always have a sharp memory. Taking a few months to work our stamina and jostle it is worth our time. Even if we'll be working pro-bono.

Rolled 100, 90, 91 = 281 (3d100)

>>6267088
>>6267094
Alchemist Kroft marches you over to the catacomb checkpoint, where the city guards manage traffic in and out of the Low Ward. The torchlight gleams off his worn spectacles as he grumbles, “This is my new assistant. I want a gatherer’s permit for him.”

The guard squints at you, then shrugs. “Paperwork?”

Kroft produces a folded, stained parchment bearing his sigil. The guard looks it over, then nods, scribbling your name into a battered ledger before handing you a small wax-stamped permit.

“Don’t lose it,” the guard warns.

Kroft turns to you, handing over a list of essential potions he expects you to help restock:

Healing Balm for cuts and scrapes
Blood Stopper Paste
Minor Infection Cleanser
Lung-Clearing Syrup
Fever Reducer Draught
Anti-Parasite Tincture

He also rattles off the forest-gathered components needed for each, scratching them into a slip of parchment:

Healing Balm

Marrowleaf
Softmoss
Oak resin

Blood Stopper Paste

Ironwort
Crushed crow petals
Pine tar

Minor Infection Cleanser

Yellow cohosh
Bitterroot
Thorn apple bark

Lung-Clearing Syrup

Balsam flower
Hollowgrass
Wild anise seeds

Fever Reducer Draught

Frostmint
Sweet elderflower
Willow bark

Anti-Parasite Tincture

Quillvine
Saltberry
Wild garlic bulbs

He pats you on the shoulder. “Claire here will show you what’s what.”

Claire, a wiry young woman with a street-tough grin, gives you a nod. “Come on,” she says, tossing you a gathering basket.

When you reach the entrance to the catacombs, the guard on duty eyes you both. “Ah, Claire — bringing new blood today? Watch he doesn’t get bit by the undead, like the last one.”

You blink. “What happened to the last one?”

Claire shrugs, looking faintly uncomfortable. “It happens too often,” she sighs. “I hope it doesn’t happen to you.”

You pass through the checkpoint and leave the city, emerging into the shadow of the forest. Claire takes you along narrow trails, pointing out each herb carefully.

“These aren’t too rare,” she explains, “but we need a lot of them to keep up.”

After hours of gathering together, you and Claire split up to cover more ground.

Not long after, you hear a sudden scream — raw and panicked. You race toward the sound and find a mob of shambling undead clawing through the brush, two of them already gripping Claire by the arms as she struggles.

What will you do?

> Charge the undead with your gathering knife to cut them off of Claire
> Throw rocks and branches to distract the horde
> Set fire to dry leaves nearby to drive them away
> Try to circle around quietly and pull Claire free
> Shout for help, hoping other gatherers or guards are close enough to hear
> There’s too many, run for your life
> Write in

In any case, roll 3d100. The DC will depend on what you do, but will be between 30-70, unless you want to solo the horde with your fists or something equally ridiculous.

alright, whatever the fuck you do realize the undeads already have 4 successes out of 3, so be very afraid

Rolled 59, 1, 42 = 102 (3d100)

>>6267134
Ah shit. It's our first day on the job and our manager is already dancing on death's doorstep.
>Throw rocks and branches to distract the horde
We need to do what we can. Undead are lethal in close-combat, we're too close to the capital and have too little time to start a fire, and shouting will take too long. Fleeing isn't an option. That leaves the strongest weapon in mankind's arsenal: throwing shit as hard and fast as we can.

>>6267153

you crit failed somehow

let's see...

>>6267153
Damn. Looks like we aren't getting that letter of recommendation!

>>6267157
If worse comes to worst, all of that stamina training will come in handy.

>>6267161

You throw rocks and branches at the undead to try and draw away their attention.

But more of them come from an unexpected direction! You get boxed in!

You and Claire do escape, but both of you get bitten by undead multiple times.

When you get back to the catacomb's entrance, the guy there seems pissed off.

"You got bitten AND you drew the entire fucking horde to the entrance of the catacombs? Now that's just great, no one will be able to leave town for a week."

He sends you to the healers.

But the healers have a massive line! Seems like a lot of people got caught by surprise by the hordes recently.

"We're low on supplies! We don't have salves for everyone!"

"What are e gonna do?! These people will turn!"

"It is no use, we'll have to quarantine the entire Low Ward until we get a new shipment of salvos."

A curfew is installed.

"No one gets in or out until the situation is sorted!"

You heal yourself with your wand of course, but Claire wasn't that lucky... she turned the very same day!

There are multiple delays in the salvos and even a few minor undead outbreaks.

The guard deals with the undeads by killing them and tossing them outside - there's shortage of fuel to burn them.

This only makes things worse and by the end of three months you hear.

"All survivors head to Craftsmen Ring! People with bites or fever should not apply!"

The people in the slums refuse to go to Craftsmen Ring. They will take their chances in the undead infested city!

You do have an appointment with the court wizard in a few days, but that letter of recommendation... not gonna happen.

> Head to Craftsmen Ring
> Go meet with the court wizard
> Take your chances in the undead infested city
> This city has fallen, it just hasn't noticed it yet, leave while you can
> Write in

>>6267163
Whew. It's a good thing we chose to take the healing wand. R.I.P. Claire, she didn't deserve it.
>Go meet with the court wizard
We've waited this long. We might as well. Even if the city is overrun, if anyone has a secret escape route, it's the king and then the king's spymaster, but his court wizard is a strong contender for third place.

After all of this, I'm pretty sure Doc is NOT fond of the undead.

>>6267163
>> Go meet with the court wizard
It's only a few days; we might as well

And what >>6267166 said about escape routes is true.

>>6267181
Oh wait...

>wizards trained in the north are better than most others
>necromancer trained together with him there per >>6262965

WELP. If we meet him we can at least ask WHERE in the North we go for training and how we get there (knowing he's probably going to give us a dangerous route to get rid of the competition).

>>6267163
> Go meet with the court wizard

>>6267506
Rip quest, was cool for what it lasted