The Warden of Two Worlds: Chapter I

>>686732
>2. Select which weapons I'll use should I have to defend myself. Even a powerful witch can fall to an experienced warrior's skill.

>>686732
>>1. Prepare my spells and attune my mind. There's no telling what tricks are in store.

>>686746
this

>>686746
>>686760
Noted.

I dismount my beast and set myself upon both knees in the sand. With a series of movements, I draw a simple ring of arcane symbols around myself, each one bearing an enchantment of one of my three sworn elements to command. I will close my eyes and allow their power to permeate my being.

>To what elements have you sworn your allegiance? These will determine your abilities throughout the story and different choices result in different alliances. Some magic types work beautifully with others, whereas other have violent interactions, which could still prove useful.

>Fire, of heat and passion
>Water, of coolness and brutality
>Wind, of quickness and carelessness
>Lightning, of sharpness and curiosity
>Earth, of steadfastness and neutrality
>Light, of brilliance and decay
>Darkness, of peace and silence
>Plants, of beauty and chaos
>Beasts, of freedom and gluttony
>Another class left unmentioned

>>686789
>Water, of coolness and brutality
>Plants, of beauty and chaos
>Earth, of steadfastness and neutrality

>>686789
>>Darkness, of peace and silence
>Water, of coolness and brutality
>Earth, of steadfastness and neutrality

>>686789
As a child, we sought Light, to illume the world that so enthralled us.

As an adult, we faced true terror and despair, and turned to Darkness as we turned our face away from all before us.

And now, we seek yet a third - one seldom spoken. We are but a novice; true mastery yet escapes our grasp. We seek Time, and perhaps this sorcerer will allow it unto us.

>>686801
Backing. These ones seem to be the most powerful.

>>686801
>>686830
They also seem to synergies like crap and are blatant meta power gaming

>>686830
>>686859
Not particularly, I just picked them because they seemed to fit with the whole curiosity (which would have been Light, Lightning or Wind) falling into despair (unambiguously Darkness) thing.

Time is literally what we're looking for, and it stands to reason that we have some experience in it.

I expect most elements to be of similar potency, though, so pick whatever you feel fits best with the character you want to play.

>>686801
>>686795
>>686794
I recall the weeks after I first arrived, when the amazement of this new world had faded and a deep fear began to set in.

During the day, the light betrayed me. In its glory, I was a target. Birds large enough to kill elephants sought even easier prey. As I climbed tall trees to scavenge fruit, massive winds from the beating of wings hot on my back threw me from the branches as the ravenous birds dove for my throat. Luckily, a watering hole laid right beneath the trees and cushioned my falls. It kept me hidden when the birds were searching for my scent. I still bear the scars from their failed attempts on my life. Every since, I've hated the wind and the beasts to which it caters, preferring the soft sands which hid the sounds of my escape.

The nights were calm, as the darkness hid my presence. In the silence, I drank from the natural well, its soothing waters bringing me a peace I never thought I'd find again in this ruthless world. The sands kept my feet silent and refused to let me freeze. From that point, the darkness of the night, the waters of the spring and all of the sands beneath me became my friends.

As a starving child in the wild I came to find a small village, and in it a wise and kind witch with a powerful, yet soothing aura. She asked me what kept me safe in those badlands.

I told her of the darkness, and how she blanketed me in her cover, the waters and how they shielded me from wicked beasts and the sands that clothed me in warmth and not once betrayed my movement.

With my answer, she awakened me.

Placing her hand on my head, she brought me to a temple within another space and time. Around the walls of this boundless room were all of the elements of the world, in large, beautifully crafted urns at altars larger than the greatest cities. At their each of their feet stood an embodiment of their power, an elemental in humanoid form.

I swore a bond of loyalty to my three and in return I became their child. They were the guardians that my parents could no longer be.

But in the highest corner, above all the rest of the altars was an ever-flowing hourglass, next to an sleepy old man holding sickle and a budding flower. I've always wondered what could have been if I had chosen Time.

Now, I finally have the chance to meet someone who has.

........

I open my eyes as the magic of the waves brings me the youthful power of the oceans.

My eyes can see everything due to the secrets of the darkness, with its peacefulness calming my fears of what's to come.

The earth's blessing brings sturdiness to my tired, old bones and heals me of my damages from the past few nights...

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>>686898
Now with my spirit readied, I'll....

>1. Take the beaten trails of Dulbrey to the mountain where I know there is an altar to Time. If I delay, I could very well miss the eclipse, and Dulbrey is full of mischief and trickery.

>2. Go out across the lake to the tower of Shenecheal, a swordswoman who has sworn herself to Time. We've fought alongside each other for thirty years, and we still butt heads. Convincing her won't be easy.

>3. Head into the Chasm in Neubuleah, where in the darkness there is a cleric who can take me to the sorcerer, for a price.

>>686908
>1. Take the beaten trails of Dulbrey to the mountain where I know there is an altar to Time. If I delay, I could very well miss the eclipse, and Dulbrey is full of mischief and trickery.

>>686830
Sorry, I was already writing.

I'll start putting out poll closings when I'm preparing to write.

>>686908
>>3. Head into the Chasm in Neubuleah, where in the darkness there is a cleric who can take me to the sorcerer, for a price.

I'll close polls at 1430.

>>686908
>1. Take the beaten trails of Dulbrey to the mountain where I know there is an altar to Time. If I delay, I could very well miss the eclipse, and Dulbrey is full of mischief and trickery.

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>>686909
>>687041
I can't deal with that sword swinger's bickering on a night like this and I could lose far more than I hope to gain by bartering with that troublesome cleric. I'll take my chances with the mischievous town of Dulbrey and its countless temptations.

I board my steed and head to the city. Tonight there's a festival; I pray to my guardians that I don't fall into some odd scheme.

Roll a d100. The first five will be averaged. Choose an option and state a reaction.

>A dancer crosses my path and asks me for a favor. When she comes close, I can't help but feel hypnotized by her perfume and her gentle smile... I must open up my mind before she overcomes me!

>A group of entertainers toss glittering dusts in my path and tell me to stop for awhile. My mount seems reluctant to move forward...

>A massive man calls out to me for a challenge. His cohorts attempt to block my path, hands resting on their weapons...

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>687114
>>A group of entertainers toss glittering dusts in my path and tell me to stop for awhile. My mount seems reluctant to move forward...
Power through them and gallop away as fast as possible, maybe kick the mount in the side if that'd work

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>687114
>A dancer crosses my path and asks me for a favor. When she comes close, I can't help but feel hypnotized by her perfume and her gentle smile... I must open up my mind before she overcomes me!
Our chosen elements alone should be enough to hold against this - the flowing depths of water quench burning passion in favor of cool calculation, even as solid earth grounds us from being swept away. Darkness, too, calms us in its shade, even as it strips all secrets before us.

So, approach without fear, and bid her speak straight and soothly - for if she'd have aught of us, she must have it so with word and wit, not enchantment and enthrallment.

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>687114

>A massive man calls out to me for a challenge. His cohorts attempt to block my path, hands resting on their weapons...

Using our natural ability to slip into the shadows, vanish quickly between the myriads of tents propped up around the fairgrounds

>>687164
This

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>687114
>>A dancer crosses my path and asks me for a favor. When she comes close, I can't help but feel hypnotized by her perfume and her gentle smile... I must open up my mind before she overcomes me!

Give that bitch the cold shoulder.

>>687229
Roll and I'll begin to write. Polls are closed. Might be an hour.

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>>687164
>>687235
>>687229
Sweet rolls! You're on it.

I've been traveling for over forty years. I've met countless sorceresses, seductresses and enchantresses. I've been victim, dominator and student; I am a stranger to nothing.

This woman, she's nothing new. I can show her what good her tricks are to a skilled mage.

The first and most important step is to focus and clear my mind. The water my soul embodies quenches any desire, the darkness in my mind allows me to silence any visions of a sensual and alluring body....

You are currently immune to charms, hexes and mind-altering spells.

She walks forward, her hourglass hips swaying with every step. Her eyes a shining amber, she sweeps an errant strand of wavy dark chestnut hair away from her dainty, smiling lips. A seemingly mindless gesture, but I can read the ministrations of a hypnotic spell on her fingertips:

Dark magic, for certain. Little does she know...

I could...

>Let her believe I've been taken by her spell.

>Reveal I haven't succumb to her talents.

>Show her the error of tempting a master of darkness.

>Maybe something else...

If you have other ideas, you can add them onto a choice to further flesh out whatever you want to see happen.

>>687543
>Let her believe I've been taken by her spell.
Answer trickery with trickery. The moment of seeming triumph will have her reveal more than she would otherwise - and her balance will be all the more thrown when she realizes who she has crossed.


Are there clearly defined limits to our magics, or will it just be what we can reasonably justify to be within our domains?

With regards to future actions, I'd rather not kill her, if at all possible; she may prove a useful informant of goings-on while we were gone, and her motives may yet be of merit, even if her means were questionable. Better to spare her and have her in our debt, if we can be assured of such a thing.

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>>687572
Without spoiling anything, you are at the peak of your power. That's quite likely to change by the end of the first chapter. However, you'll gain new advantages.

Killing or sparing her is entirely up to you. The characters will have as much impact as you decide they will.

Also, sorry about the late response times. I had a meeting for a LARP guild I'm in, and phones didn't fit the setting. On the weekends, I can promise a full day. On weekdays, two full hours a day.

>>687543

>>687572

This and try to lure her away to a more secluded place before revealing the ruse

>>687543

We're late to a date with destiny and time and we're wasting both on some harlot with parlor tricks? Shroud her mind in darkness and make her forget we were even there, continue moving through the fair!

>>687572
>>687661
>>687712
Writing.

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>>687855
Keeping the time until the eclipse in mind, I looked straight into the maiden's eyes.

I'll find out her ruse, perhaps it'll be something entertaining... If she tries anything vile, I'll quickly end her nonsense.

As she pulsed forward a mental suggestion, I used a simple and quiet spell to turn the whites of my eyes inky black, mimicking the universal sign of the possessed. I let my jaw go slack as she smiled a massive grin and pulled out a brass coin. She carved a notch on her left bracelet with it as she turned around sharply and beckoned me with a sultry coo.

"Follow me, eleventh one."

As we walked down winding streets and alleyways lit by oil lamps and the occasional sigil of frozen light, we came to a dead end in a bazaar. Kissing the tips of her right index and middle finger, the dancer knelt down and touched the lowest brick in the middle of the dead end wall. Suddenly the stones shifted and gave way to a staircase that fed into the earth.

Beneath my feet, I could sense great magic, familiar to my own. Someone I knew was down there...

She brought me through numerous square rooms with walls lined by tapestries and scrolls of umbric protection. Along the floors were earthspeaker runes that granted the domain a gentle yet radiant orange light. We came into a long hall filled with many men and women much like herself, dancing and practicing the magic of the night. This must have been made as a gathering place for Umbric scholars, perhaps a school for the arts of darkness? None of them were particularly powerful, but there were a good number that had an outstanding presence that I could not ignore.

I was brought before the greatest of them, an old hooded woman enjoying a tea scented of coriander and smoking a long pipe that smelled of mint and cannabis.

"What's this now, Shenqri? What do you feel to show me on night of the Shadow Moon?" she said with a sleepy smile.

The girl replied confidently,

"I have brought you my eleventh enchanted being. With this one's presence, you now have to keep your promise. I need to you teach me, honored Shuuni. I have people I need I protect."

A Shuuni? This woman is a master of the darkness!

The Shuuni chuckles heartedly.
Is that so, Shenqri? Then why did you bring me a sober person? Girl, this fish did not take your bait!

I've been discovered! I need to act, quickly!

But before I could move, she passively waved her hand and laughed with a great smile.

I sensed no malice in her. Only the gentle darkness I know so well. I have met her, someplace...

Your aura is akin to my own. I know you from some time before.

What is your name? Pull off your hood, do not be shy!

I planned to do this later, but now is as good a time as any would be.

>What are your name, gender and appearance?

>>688134
Nel, Male, slim, blond, and equiped in chainmail

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>>688134

Sen, Female, Short Black Hair

>>688134
>Sen, Female, Short Black Hair

>>688199
Backing this.

>>688199
>>688199
Backing this

Nabur, male, scrawny, brown skinned and black hair. Dressed in foreign fancy clothes.

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>>688199
>>688238
>>688307
>>688372
Haha, and we have a tie! I was already tossing around a story, but I'll let this one sit overnight. More votes and I'll be back with something sweet and sumptuous tomorrow!

I'm on Eastern Time (US & Canada). Sleep well and work hard, magi!

>>688432
Thanks for running :)

>>688238
I suppose I might as well explain my rationale & pic choice in the meantime.
So our elements are Darkness, Water and Earth. They all tend to lend themselves as something low key with coolness, neutrality, peace, rather than something direct, so the lack of blatantly obvious armor and wearing something less conspicuous (and slight hints to ninja-esque attire, cause darkness? :P)
The look in her eyes is also quite dead so it matches up to the brutality and coolness part of water. And maybe the silence part of darkness if we stretch it.
Finally, given the names the dancer cult have using it seems like there's an asian influence to this place,so the name & look aren't out of place.

And as an extra it mentions that we have a sword in the first post, so yay the pic matches?

>>688199

Battlemage woo!

>>688238
Voting for this

>>688199

This is good.

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>>688199
>>688372
>>688412
>>689960
>>690068

A smile takes her lips as she exhales a cloud of large cloud of shining smoke.

Nelnabur-jan... I'd recognize your lanky brown bones even without the jingle-jangling of your chains.

Gendra, from the meadows of Sombra... A woman I once travelled with after years of schooling under the same Shuuni. During our travels, this woman taught me how useful a good illusion could be; its countless applications as well as the raw destructive potential it wielded when used in combat. It's been twenty five years since we...

Suddenly, she cackles and blows a puff of smoke towards me. It quickly becomes a breeze that blasts my hood and wrappings clean off of my head. Dark hair spills across my face as Gendra laughs even louder.

Replying in kind, I neatly take her hijab off with a upward spout of water from the rest of the tea in her cup. She sputters as she too wipes her own hair from her eyes, casually ignoring the heat of the liquid. Then again, a firedancer doesn't burn easily...

She's not using her magic to hide her age. Her beauty is still intact, but it's plain to me that she wants to be a mother to these young mages and not a sister, peer or lover.

Bibi Shuuni Gendra, caretaker of so many children. Never figured you the type to become a Den Mother.

Oh silence to you, Nel! We're hardly four years apart! Not all of us can age so well, or hide behind a beard...
So, brother, what brings you here on this night of the Solar Festival? Aside from this naïve young peri so eager to learn my arts....

Her hopeful disciple offers me a cup of tea and I sit down in front of Gendri on a long, soft cushion. The young woman stares at the runes and totems on my chainmail as I speak to Gendri about the significance of the eclipse.

Well, well... Still trying to go back to your family's little dream hut in the golden sands of "Baresenine"?

I nodded my head.

I have three hours left until the gate is opened.

You're usually more punctual, Nel-jan.

She smiles as I shoot a sideways glance at the dancer, who looks away with a grimace...

Oh come now, I can get you to your destination, dear....

My ears perk up at the sound of this. She wants something from me, I know it.

I have two great things to offer you in fact, but it'll need to be a more... equivalent exchange. I'll trade you a bit of my work for two favors that will greatly help you. And by my wondrous grace, you'll arrive at your destination an hour early. But I'm a busy lady, my friend. I could use a hand, and I know you're more than capable.

I hate doing grunt work, but I might be late without her assistance.

Gendra wouldn't do me any harm, but am I willing to handle more of a burden? She might be my last opportunity to get to the peak...

>Accept her offer.

>Decline and find another way.

>"I have another idea..." (Write-In)

>>690951
>>Accept her offer.

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>>688512
>>688413
>>688199
I did my best to incorporate features from each choice. The dark hair, brown skin and slim body, complete with chainmail!

But it's more than simply chainmail.
You're a mage of Earth. Your shield is also a weapon!

You can take actions to prepare weapons still, so that curved blade is still waiting to be defined. At this point, you're a seasoned adventurer. Your bags are full of cool shit. Check 'em out!

>>690951

>Accept the offer

>>691002
Let's check our shit out! Please let there be a cool warhammer or other blunt one handed weapon inside

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>>690987
>>691273
I nod my head.

"Whatever will get me to that peak the quickest."

My old friend smiles from ear to ear.

"I knew you'd come through, Nel! I have something for you here. It'll help you keep your head about you in the most dazzling lights and the most impenetrable darkness."

She hands me a small, round object wrapped in a kerchief. I unravel it, and find a small, hazy purple stone. It's smooth and cool to the touch, tingles my hands slightly as I hold it. This is a Memoriam Stone, something that will let me control time and space to a very limited extent. Mostly, these are used to create subspaces for holding goods so they never expire. They also keep simple-minded thieves from easily identifying targets like merchants and bankers. They have plenty of other uses, left more to the imagination. An experienced mage could use this twice a day to teleport to a place within sight.

This is quite a gift.

...An expensive gift.

"...What's the damage? You've never traded lightly, bibi."

I promised my pupils a display of great magic tonight. Three days ago, I sent for a dark wizard to come here and help me provide a demonstration of a Shadowplay. He was strong enought to hold his own in a contest of shades, but tonight he sent word that he would be filling his gullet with wine instead.

In short, I need an opponent for tonight. What say you to a Shadowplay between old friends, for old time's sake?

Hmmm, I could use my weapons, granted I charge them with my aura and attack with their traces. She's a physical mage, so that might be best...

1/2

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>>691867
I pull a incense pot from my satchel and hit it with a burst of my energies. It grows to full size, as large as a small chariot. Inside is where I house my armoury...

Choose one primary and two secondaries. They all react differently to different enchantments, and change form with enough power imbued. Any magic can go with any weapon.

>A curved sword from my time as an officer of the Narumbian navy. Long and sleek, it runs four feet long and can be used like a whip when charged with energy. I can fight at middle or close range when it's enchanted. The beautiful golden and scarlet finish has seen combat numerous times, but some of that shine still remains. Smooth enchantments like water, shadow and wind make it more powerful.

>The spear I was given by a Chief from the tribes of the Chunkat jungles. The wood has carvings of wild magic that allow the blade to seek blood from a distance and bend its own shaft much like a serpent coils its body. Shadow, nature and beast magics make this one more formidable than it already happens to be.

>The massive battlehammer of the brutal Juhan Tha Buuzen, a man who had given his soul for absolute command over water and ice. He taught me that this heavy weapon drinks from its user's mana in exchange for more raw, physical power. When sheathed, it grants too much power. In using this, I'll have to constantly expend energy to keep from fainting. Some enchantment increase the rate and others impede it.

>A stone mace from Catanbur. It's surprisingly light and wieldy, most likely due to my elemental affinity. A child soldier in the town taught me that this weapon is best used to beat the ground and walls like a drum, to generate shock waves and murmur a spell into each drumbeat. Of course to do this, I need to cast an enchantment.

>A lyre from an oceanside village of Bombass. If I stay still, I can use the music to cast powerful illusions and projected spells. Granted I can keep the dancer away, this could end the match quickly. I need to think of a song or melody and what it will do before playing.

>The bow of Jiu-Sing, a hunter of earth dragons. It doesn't fire arrows, but bursts of air filled with the words of a spell. Gives my word impact. No reloading, I just have to aim and keep speaking. While using this, I cannot use other spells and this weapon by nature cannot be enchanted, as I'd end up firing enchantments at my opponent, though that might be worth a shot. Echoes make this more powerful.

>Daggers of Syme. They can be thrown as streaks of shadow that return to my hands and anchor to whatever I throw them at. I can also drain mana from a distance and affix them to a point.

>Write in a weapon! Vote on an idea, needs more than three votes.

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>>691953
Primary
Daggers of some
Secondary one
The bow of Jui-Sing
Secondary two
Can we have a chakram?
Pic related

>>691953
Throwing some write-ins in because why not:

>An urumi of the Dancers of Quicksilver Dusk. Its enchantment is simple yet effective - its wielder may perfectly control the movement and position of its blade, and its blade may, in an instant, extend (or reduce) so long as its user has mana remaining to fuel its magics.

>A Mirror-shield from the Lost Halls of Argent, said to draw upon the user's mana to stop any attack or spell. With greater expenditure, it may even turn blows back upon the attacker.

>A spool of thread imparted unto me by Selene the Weaver, who could not help me turn back the wheel of fate, but instead gave this gift unto me in the hopes of aiding me in crafting my future. It weaves itself not into fabric, but into a lesser facsimile of any item I can recall having seen before. Though the spool is endless, only so much can be used at once; items of greater size or magical potency will require more thread.

>>691988
Flesh out the chakram! All our items are special crafts, give a good description and we'll see!
>>692051
I'm liking it! Can I have some drawbacks as well?

>>691953
>>battlehammer for primary and spear and lyre for secondary

>>692278
>The Twin Chakrams of Relativity. Existing as uncertainty in the timeline the Chakrams can speed up or slow down their movement throw space-time allowing it to move in theory as the user wants and cut through almost anything. But due to their uncertainty their existence is fragile and their ability to exist is finite. After too much of it's subjective time has passed they shall be gone forever.

This can be somewhat mitigated by setting them up as 'stopped in time's but that will only stop the drain. It can't be undone.

>>692278
The urumi requires great focus to fight while maintaining full spatial awareness of a long, large piece of metal of variable size, let alone also actively extending and shortening it during a fight. It is, in many ways, more dangerous for an unskilled wielder to use than a regular urumi.

The Mirror-shield has no directly offensive capabilities, instead committed almost entirely to being an impenetrable defense. The drain exerted by regular attacks is imperceptible, but truly powerful attacks may leave the wielder exhausted of mana, or even overwhelm the user's mana supply entirely.

The thread draws upon the user's past experiences as its strength. It does not grant knowledge of how to use the item it replicates, and its flawed duplication requires the user to call upon an item or weapon which is inherently advantageous to the situation, rather than meet an enemy strength for strength - against stronger enemies, the amount of thread that can be used at once may itself be insufficient unless the user utilizes it exceptionally well.

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1 vote for:
Chakrams
Bow
Spear
Urumi
Mirror Shield
Thread
Daggers
Mace


Two votes for:
Battlehammer

First three to reach three votes will be the chosen armaments.

>>691953

Battlehammer! Skull crushing goodness for everyone!
Daggers and bow as secondary

>>693310
Oh yeah will throw a vote for thread and daggers with the chakram.the battle hammer sounds exhausting

>>693310
Daggers and Warhammer are locked in!

What'll be number three? Chakram, Bow or Thread?

>>691953

The mace as a primary, the shield and daggers as secondary
let's get paladin'd up in this bitch

Rolled 5 (1d9)

>>693624
Daggers set as primary, Warhammer and unspecified weapon as secondaries.

I'll roll for the last weapon.

>>693745
Mirror Shield it is.

Will write and post after work, in 3 hours. Stay tuned, magebros and witchchicks.

Post strategies and tactics, I'll implement your combat plans if they're interesting.

>>693749
>>691953 (You) #
>>692051 #
>>692341 #
>>692365 #
>>693373 #
>>693376 #
>>693624 #
>>693749 (You) #

The apprentice mages back away toward the walls of the long chamber as their Den Mother makes her way to its center. In front of her walks a young man bearing a candle lit with a lavender-colored flame.

From my pocket armoury, I draw my Mirror Shield, from the Lost Halls of Argent, and pull my arms though its straps. Its moderate weight is easily dwarfed by the gigantic, icy warhammer of my former ally and teacher, Juhan Tha Bhuuzen, which I have slung across my back and underneath my shield. To his massive self, this hammer would be what my mace is to me. But due to my powerful muscles and bones, blessed by my earlier prayers to Water and Earth, even this won't offset my balance.

I draw my twin daggers, blades of two assassins from Syme that nearly took my life. These can drain Gendra of her mana and possibly anchor her, if I imbue them with an element of which she is not in tune.

She stands before me, wearing loose robes of black, scarlet and dark purple. Her hands are raised before as she stands in a defense, reactionary posture. Her fingers glow with a dark hue of magenta.

The young man stands betwixt us at the center of the room as we look one another over from opposite ends. He lowers his other hand over the candle and Gendra and I both reach out for the other's hand, mine holds hers with my palm toward the ground, as is custom from a senior mage, and hers holds mine as her palm faces upward. We lower our hands to the earth. We both recite the peace words in unison:

"In the darkness, we are all as one. What lasts in night's light may be lost in sun."

The young man quickly smites the flame as Gendra and I quickly move away from one another.

She smirks as her hands glow bright with a fierce aura of black flame.

The Shadowplay has begun!

>What is your first action, Nel?

>Attack
>Cast
>Enchant
>Switch Weapon
>Defend
>Write-In (Be specific, please!)

>>693827
>Attack
>Cast
>Defend
Call upon fleeting shadows and flowing water to imbue our form; let us be untouchable and uncatchable as we take the opening, probing steps of this dance.

Rash action is ill-advised. Keep her on her toes with intermittently-thrown daggers, but let us first feel out her style before committing to any offensives.

And this should go without saying, but ward our mind against her magics, as she will against ours. It will not do to lose to such basic trickery.

Be ready, at a moment's notice, to draw our shield, in the event she decides to take the fight to us in earnest - she could well have the power to annihilate us in a single blow; a den-mother she may be, but she was our equal all those years ago, and it would do well to assume she still is.

>>693827

Oh shit here we go.
Well, for starters, since both we and the den mother wield powerful dark magic, we know what tricks she has up her sleeve and what she can throw our way. However, we have the extra benefit of being proficient in earth and water magic as well, something she isn't.
As previously mentioned, she's a physical mage and has taken a defensive posture; she's probably expecting us to hit her hard with something up close like our warhammer.

So I say go against her plan! Taunt her to attack us, and then our shield and enchanted chainmail, plus a general idea of what she's attacking us with, should prove more than enough to counterattack (preferably with a water or earth-based spell)

TL;DR:
>Defend and taunt

>>694334
>should prove more than enough to counterattack
should prove more than enough to defend and counterattack*

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>>694204
>>694334

>Defend + Cast = Barrier Armour Unlocked!


Calling upon the shadows of the den and the mists of my hammer, I create an fog that weaves through the talismans in my chainmail and shrouds my being in a powerful, inky black armour.

Not only will I be harder to see, but now she'll be less able to catch me in her illusions. The mists will throw off her ability to read me in the darkness.

+ 7 to Evasive rolls
+ 7 to Defensive rolls
+2 to Dark Resistance

I call out to her, to provoke her to attack me.

>Taunt

"Are you sure the years have been kind to you, bibi? I understand if you can't move like the enchanting dancer you once were; save yourself the back aches, and we'll call it a tie, dear mother."

She smirks. Then in an instant she charges forward, smashing a flame shrouded leg into my left side. My armour handles her blazes well, dampening the searing touch of her blow. As I lean to the right, I twist and cleave across her chest with both daggers. The extra charge from my barrier resonates with the shadowy blades as they force her backward.

But before I can recover, she uses her new momentum to twirl back toward me, hands tightened into a hammerfisted strike and burning with a red hot flame!

>Roll a d100!

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>>695022
First three rolls determine the outcome.
Call to Defend, Evade or Counter.

Counters do take half the damage, but you can roll to mitigate some of it.

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>695022
>Evade

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>695022

>Evade

>>695812

Fugg :(((

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>695022
Have a third roll.
>Evade

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Rolled 32 (1d100)

>>695080
>>695812
>>696343
I'll write and post an update in three hours. Tomorrow, I can devote all night and the weekend to running. I've been pretty busy with work lately.

Nice quest OP, i was too late to let but looking forward to participate. Keep going!

>>695080
>>695812
>>696343

I dodge her swing narrowly, as her fists smash heavily into the ground between us. The sheer heat of the flames melts the earth at her feet.

...And here I thought this was a spar.

In an instant, I launch a burst of my mana toward the molten rock surrounding her hands. It may be lava, but it's still my element! Clasping my hands together, I close the material around her hands and force it to cool with the overwhelming mana drawn by the ice hammer.

She's been anchored in place!

+20 to Attack rolls!

As I attempt my next movement, I stop dead in my tracks. Her eyes are glowing... and her aura is detaching itself from her body in a most vicious form. I'm hit hard in the chest by twin beams of fire from her eyes and I'm sent flying backward. I land into a roll and quickly get back to my feet.

My barrier is still at half strength.

Gendra is currently releasing her Ifrit, a Djinn born in hellfire.
I might be able to stop her. If she summons this familiar, I might be backed into a corner, though it's nothing I haven't handled before. The only way to prevent her is to hit hard and fast. That's the gamble.

If I'm quick, I could use the overbearing mana of my hammer in order to summon something of my own...

Cast: Summon Unlocked!

>What should Nel do?

>Attack
>Cast
>Enchant
>Switch Weapon
>Defend
>Write-In

Choose two.

>>696608
>Attack
With a free hand, toss a dagger to plant her in place and drain her mana. If nothing else, it will momentarily distract her as she acts to counter it; with luck, depleting her energies while restoring our own will tip the scales in our favor.

>Cast
In all mythologies and stories, Fire falls naturally to Water. Summon forth an Ifrit to beat back her flames!

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Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>696721
Roll a d20 for Attack and a d100 for the summon. Creature is player's choice, it can be water, earth or shadow. Ifrit are actually fire creatures.

I'll roll for her summoning.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>696721
>>696756
Meant to type Undine, but I am retarded. Should we be rolling before player consensus?

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>696756
>>696788
Rolling 1d100, in case no one ever places another vote.

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>696756

Smash roll!
Are we still going by the 'average of 3' roll system?

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>696721

>>696756
Oh fuck.

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>>696721
>>696788
>>696880
>>696994
>>697055
>>697098

>Cast: Water Summon - Undine Daryā, Spirit of the Waves

As the Ifrit frees himself from his master's form, he finds his wrists shackled, arms immobilized like Gendra's hands. He hisses as he notices my grin.

"ERRGHHHH, YOU AGAAAAIN!!!! NEVER DO YOU CEASE WITH YOUR EARTHEN TRICKS! I'LL BURN THESE RESTRAINTS TO ASH, THEN YOU'LL HAVE THE MOST OF MY RAGE!!!"

The crowd of students cry out in a mixture of amazement and fear at the hulking form of this Djinn. He towards over Gendra, glaring down upon me with hungering eyes of fire.

Soon, that will change. Grabbing a vial of wine, I begin the ritual chant of my water spirit, Daryā.

I wet my hands with dew from my hammer, before weaving the name of my familiar onto the floor and pushing forth a tribute of mana from my own wellspring into the symbols. As the Ifrit continues his struggles, I trace a circle around the Undine's symbol in blood and pour a vial of wine across it.

A blue wave of aura spills through the room as a bright blue form rises from the glowing ground.

The Ifrit releases a torrent of fire at her, smothering her with hellfire. My skin becomes slick with sweat from just my proximity to the flames.

The smoke clears. My hammer has all but lost its coolness and harsh energy, while my barrier has all but faded.

Barrier Armour is now gone.
Its bonuses are now null.


Mana fatigue from Juhan's Warhammer
-25 to spell rolls


Daryā sighs, and then she yawns.

"Oh shame, I was hoping to face a real opponent. I'd rather not make waste on some prince with a fetish for destruction.

Kourosh, you're just as much of a royal pain as ever..."

Elemental Advantage!
+30 to Attack and Defense rolls

Kourosh huffs a cloud of smoke from his nose and then grins.

"Wave wench, you may be immune to hell's flower, but your summoner isn't. WAIT UNTIL HE FEELS THE THORNS OF THE DEVIL'S ROSE!!!"

Gendra chokes on a laugh as her swaying body turns pitch black with dark flame. Kourosh begins to lower his jaw as ribbons of his summoner's aura funnel into his mouth. I see a smile creeling across that crazy woman's face.

And I sense a power absolutely horrifying.

Something wicked this way shall come!

>What should Daryā and I do? This may be our last stand. I still have my shield and now, a powerful summon. We can still dominate this battle!

>Write-In

>>697451
Daryā shall call forth her waters, ready to counter the flames. Holding the natural advantage against the Ifrit, she shall be our defense, should we need it, and our counterattack.

She should also likely draw their attention.

Meanwhile, we shall cast but a simple cantrip with our remaining mana, one even a novice could work - but sometimes the simplest tricks are the most effective:

We will throw a dagger down at the ground dividing the field; and the earth beneath us, ever our ally, shall obligingly bounce it back up, redirecting it to strike again upwards. With luck, it will pierce through the Ifrit's lower jaw, pinning it shut and draining the mana within.

If this fails, and Daryā's defense is overwhelmed, we will likely fall. We must still be ready for the worst outcome, though; one can only hope that our shield and remaining mana will be enough to weather what remains of the attack after Daryā's waters are boiled away.


The shield shouldn't work well at this point, due to mana deprivation. It's honestly a poor combination with the warhammer, but that's how the votes swung.

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Roll three d100 for your actions. One for Daryā, the spell and the attack.

Tomorrow night and the subsequent days, the real story can start. I'll be available all weekend.

Rolled 66, 88, 13 = 167 (3d100)

>>697612
>>697782
Three 1s incoming.

Honestly still not quite sure where this story is headed. Will freeform spell combat still be a thing we'll do?

Rolled 99, 14, 69 = 182 (3d100)

>>697782

Rolled 79, 93, 23 = 195 (3d100)

>>697782

LETS GET IT

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>>697816
>>698283
>>699523
Oh man, good shit, good shit~!

I'll start typing and post in roughly an hour. After that, I'll continue running at around 1700 Eastern Time. From that point, I'll be on it 24/7 until Monday.

>>697816
You'll make it to the Sorcerer's Domain and then things will change heavily. This is still Chapter 1, the tutorial portion. I have seven planned out past now and I'm currently plotting out the four beyond that.

The combat will grow more as you gain allies and start fighting in situations where you have to deal with certain circumstances that'll change the way you approach enemies. Allies will have drastically different skill sets and abilities and will alter the mechanics of how you fight.

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>>697612
>>697816
>>698283
>>699523
>>699667

There's a way out of this hole. And the keys are in my hands. I call out to Daryā in her native tongue of Zhulezh, so our opponents stay unaware of our plan.

I tell her to put on a show. "Nhubaza shembe zda, zie Pa Coumbi." I nod with a smirk as Daryā smiles and begins to sing.

An angelic voice as cool as spring rain pours from her lips as she pulls forward, closer to the furnace of Kourosh. All eyes are on her as she drips forward, step by step. The Ifrit has his focus locked on her, the new target of his fury.

A large, fanning torrent of sparkling water shoots out from the earth behind her, obscuring me from sight. As the light of the of the summons sigils beneath her color the spraying waters with dazzling, myriad lights, I pour the better remainder of my mana into an obscuring shroud and give my daggers a taste of my blood's heat. I set them to seek the warmth of a living body.

I throw a dagger at the far wall to my left with a shadow trail, as I sprint to the right and ricochet my other off of the ground before Daryā. The fire Djinn roars a flare of his flames toward the dagger that hit the wall. Soon after, my second dagger soars on course toward the bottom of the fiend's jaw!

The blade lands squarely in Kourosh's chin as I rush forward and strike him with the full force of my hammer. I pour all the remainder of my mana into the growing cold of my weapon as I connect.

There's an explosion. A roaring scream. And then... silence.

I open my eyes... and the first thing I see is Gendra laying on the ground, robes burned away. She's exhausted, sweating and covered in soot.

She laughs.

"You haven't lost your touch, Nel-jan!"

I give her a smile and laugh as well.

"You haven't either, Shuuni.

>>699898

>robes burned away
>she isn't using magic to hide her age

so we're ogling grandma Shuuni's sagging titties and telling her she hasn't lost her touch

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>>700148
If that's what you want, then sure~

Though she did have undergarments underneath the robes...

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Alrighty, I can start another thread this week, 1800 on Tuesday. Thus concludes this part of Chapter 1. Next time, we'll be starting up on our meeting with destiny; the Domain of Time awaits! Stay tuned!