Horror/survival anyone?

>>702839
try to stand up, walk out of the alley

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>>702906

Its painful to stand, but at least the bleeding has seemingly stopped. Using the wall for support, you walk to the alley's arched entrance. Water drips down from the arch into your neck and glances down your shoulder.
Shivers.
The moon is out in its half-drunken state. Low and barely visible through the thick layer of clouds.
You can tell that too much motion is going to re-open your side. You also notice that you're remarkable thirsty, and hungry. You must have been passed out for a while.

The street is two-way, and according to the signage on a lamp-post, Left (south) brings you to the city center. Right (north) towards the Warehouse district.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

>>702958
go south. your office/place of events is that way

>>703006

Office. Yes. As you turn left, you can see the Gothic towers ahead of you. Garnet street leads to... Ugh, the pain... Hillside. And Hillside brings you past one of the Old Churches, and the apothecary. Then your office at the Bank -- your car should be there, you think. You remember fleeing your office before the attack, after the attack?

You've meandered, suddenly, voices. In the walkway above you, distant, but present nonetheless.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

>>703039
>walkway
Mind the voices while sneakily walking towards your car (Vauxhall 30-98)

>>703065

The voices, while at first bring you hope, begin to engender within your throat a lump of apprehension, and then fear. You pin yourself to the wall, and continue your way, careful to stay close enough that they can't see you. You attempt to move silently.

50% chance to not be heard: Dice+1d100

>>703100

>>703100

Whoops messed up my copypaste hold on.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>703103
>twf I can't dice

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>>703109

You slip by. The voices fade behind you and your fear is momentarily abated. The Walkway above you veers another direction, and you continue down Garnet. You can see Hillside up ahead, not long. Left on Hillside, Right on Backville and then Yates.

The intersection on hillside is lit by a yellow lamp, and although left is your destination, right, there is another lamp a dozen meters away, and under it stands a man, who sees you and cocks his head. He's shaded by the light's backdrop.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

>>703133
go towards the man, maybe ask for the time

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>>703152

You approach. As you do, his hand drifts slowly to his side, he sweeps his duster back, revealing a Colt not dissimilar to yours.

"It's late, to be out and about on this type of night, especially this time of night," he replies to your inquiry.

His face is sagged with wrinkles and accented by a white mustache. Greying, greased hair glances his shoulders. A wide-brimmed, weathered hat hides his eyes. You stop about 10 paces away.

"Al-Delon," he says, "and you-?"

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

>>703193
"Philip. What you mean by this type of night?"

>>703250

He lifts his gaze. His aged, grey eyes are striking, even from where you stand you can see them dart from you, to the shadows behind you, back to you. Like they illuminate the man's face all by themselves.

He arcs an eyebrow. "Why, the Night of the Choir," he says. "Philip. A Neophyte? This far into the night? Oh the Gods have a sense of humor far beyond my reckoning."
His voice raises slightly. "You shouldn't be here, should you? Probably minding your own business, probably."

His eyes glance to your wound.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

>>703282
>"you could say that, something hit me like a wrecking ball and went over the side rail, remind me what is so special of tonight if you would."

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Shit, sorry guys, fell asleep at my desk.
I suppose thats ok since the next post was at at nearly 7 my time, or like 9 hours later.
Im gonna continue this.

>>704027

He darts his eyes to the shadows behind you. Although when you turn you hear and see nothing, there remains a stern look on his face.

"Perhaps, it would be best if we had this conversation... somewhere less... in the open. Have you heard of the Stormcrow? Probably not, if you're green. Howard Pike's estate, in Southtown. There's an alley off of Granite with an arch , you can't miss it it's the only covered alley. Big wooden door. Can't miss it. Meet me there in an hour, I'll tell you what you ask of me."

He pauses. After a moment, your ears perk up, the voices are back. The unease sets in once again.

"Stick to the shadows, Neophyte Philip. There are no men who walk these streets...

"This is a night of monsters."

He turns, and steps away from the light.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

>>704508
>"Wait, where are you going? Can't we head to Southtown together?"

>>704580

"I've things to do." Then he laughs.

He seemingly vanishes. You're a bit taken back at how quickly he was able to leave. The talking is louder, now. Hillside is more flat than Garnet, the cobblestones are worn down flat, and it's much wider than Garnet. The way you're facing, West, leads to the harbor, behind you, past a Church, the Apothecary, then onto Yates Street, on which resides your bank, and supposedly in the parking lot, your car.
Farther still on Hillside, if you don't turn on Yates, is the City Center. Second-floor apartment is on the other side of that, and then North.

The voices grow louder.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

For the record, It's early as fuck for me still. Woke up like an hour ago and havent had coffee yet. So my writing will be... well shitty, as you can see, until I get some.

>>704628
If we need to stay in the shadows off the streets, perhaps our car is best left where it is till dawn. Let's take the back alleys towards Southtown.

>>704686

You move back onto Garnet. Once again sticking to the Shadows. The pain in your side is worsening for sure. Upon touching it, you discover it's once again bleeding. A trickle of blood starts down your side, stumbling a moment at this discovery, you once again hug the wall (now on your right-hand side), above which is the walkway the voices were on before.

You have a 20% chance to be heard.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

BTW I always do High=Good.

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>704728
When/if this gets more posters, will you be doing first roll only/best of 3/average of 3/something else entirely?

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>>704786

I don't expect it to, I havtn't thought about it. Pretty new to /q/ so what do you think is best? I think first roll seems fair, Best-of and average-of seem too easy. One's toll thrice and take highest, and the other is, statistically, 50, so anything low will be auto passed and everything high will be auto failed.

I might give priority to best roleplaying, whatever.

They almost heard you, BTW
____________

You creep past the alley you woke up in, only now in the light do you see the dried blood smeared all through the walls and ground. You must have lost a whole liter. Also, in the light, you see something else. A rolled-up piece of paper, no bigger than your hand.

Picking it up, (as I assume you do), you see a note written in rushed cursive:

Speak Allowed: Duran-J'hil
You're welcome for the weapons. They should seem familiar to you.
Good luck, Neophyte. Trust no-one. This is a night of monsters.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 10
Hero Points: 1

>>704830

Also, feel free to take liberties. Its my favorite style, letting the players make the rules and the game, and building it with them. ONce you get the hang of magic, Magic is completely Liberal, and Hero Points are even more so liberal. I'll adjust your Spell Slots and Hp accordingly. For example (later on, once you're casting more) if you want to try and... I dont know, like, fly. you post something like:

"I channel my energy toward the space beneath my feat, concentrating hard, attempting to use it to lift myself free of the earth's pull."

Then, if you're really into it, you can assign a Somatic and Verbal component to it, and describe the effect. Although, I'd prefer if that was my job until I'm comfortable with others getting the vibe of the game.

So like: "I twist both wrists, with my pointer and middle-finger stopping to point down, and say 'Rael-Ja'leth.' Suddenly, in a clumsy, jerking motion, I lift myself from the ground. a few inches, off balance; blue light is barely visible beneath my feet."

I'd assign your Spell slot useage and the parameters and say "congrats, you learned to cast fly"

From then on, you really only need to say "I cast fly."

So, like, whatever you want men, if you wanna climb, climb, if you thing there should be an entrance to a subway coming up, or a box to hide behind, unless i express otherwise, please, I encourage you to write the world.

>>704830
No idea what that note means. "Duran-J'hil"? Is that a language our character knows?

Regardless, the only lead we have for now is heading to the Stormcrow, so we've got little choice but to do that.

If we've got time to spare, we ought to look for somewhere we can quickly give our wounds some treatment. Otherwise, we should probably make our way to Southtown as quickly as we can.

To prevent aggravating the wound, we probably want to stay at ground level. Perhaps there's a bike or an abandoned set of skates we can steal?


Not that I've got a lot of experience either, but I believe it depends on what kind of game you want to run.

Best of three does definitely have a higher average than a single roll, which means the players are generally more likely to succeed. It can also create more tension if the first two rolls are low or if crits are in effect. In any case, I doubt that's the tone you want to set here.

First roll only is generally best if you require lots of rolls to be made at once, so each poster can contribute - otherwise it obviates the rolls of everyone past the first poster.

Average of three is statistically identical to first roll only, and allows more posters to contribute. However, it requires a minimum of 3 posters active whenever rolls are required; and sometimes there may be situations where players are reluctant to roll, if the first 2 rolls are spectacular and the third will almost certainly drag the average down.

There are also other rolling systems. I personally find the system where 3 separate rolls are made against the same DC, and the number of rolls that meet the DC determines the degree of success (0 being critical failure, 1 being regular failure, 2 being regular success and 3 being critical success) to be a fairly interesting one, but I don't see it used terribly often because it requires some rather annoying maths to be done to work out what the DC for your desired success rate should be.

>>704976

Good suggestions. I'll keep it in mind.
_____

Upon reading the note allowed, A Pale light conjours around your palm. You're a bit in disbelief, but feel a pull in the back of your mind, as if behind your cerebral thought, your consciousness knows what to do. You touch your hand to your side once more.

You feel a rushing feeling of relief in your side. Like warm water pooling around the one specific area, soothing and muting the pain.
The pain is still present, but more as a side-stitch that you can't shake, you're no longer debilitated from your wound.

Breathing easy, you're astounded at what just happened, but there's no time to talk. You said those words louder than you had anticipated, again, as if the volume itself was more or less an instinctual thing than a conscious decision. Whoever was talking would have likely heard you and will be here soon.

Seeing a bike on its side nearby, you go to it, mount it, and begin to ride south. Hopefully Al-Delon will tell you what the fuck just happened when you get to the Stormcrow.

Garnet doesn't take you all the way Southtown, and you'll have to take the pedestrian route through Southside Park, or turn down an alley to get onto Kenelly Way.
____

'Grats, you learned 'Restoration.' You're no longer enfeebled by your wound.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

>>705053
Sticking to alleys is probably the best thing to do. If there are indeed 'monsters' about tonight, we want to stay out of open areas where we can easily be seen. Kenelly Way it is.

>>705132

Gotta rewrite. Fucked up my Copypaste. Gimmie a Minute.

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>>705132

Kenelly Way. Typically busy at this time of night, you're not surprised to see nobody on the street. Beggars used to line this street, as well as Women peddling their diseased bodies. But there was more to this narrow, cramped street than the undesirables it often housed. School Children had a rhyme about it, which you gradually recall as you continue on the poorly-lit cobblestones.

The Cannibal King with the big nose ring fell in love with the Zulu maid,
And every night in the pale moon light they'd cross Kenelly Way,
To hug and kiss int he dusty mist while under the big Bey tree,
There they met, and sang a duet that sounded like this to me:
"Oh Jason Lee!
Shakka-La-Booya
Oh-Papah-Wallah
Shinikitty."

Then they'd drum on their laps and chant "Oompa-Oompa-Oompa" until one shouted "Horses woah!" The rhyme would end with all the kids shouting "Back!" as loud as they could, hopefully causing an echo which would reverberate the word back to them.

Harmless Children having Harmless fun, yet the thought, now, was a bit disturbing.

Lost in thought, you only now notice the acoustics of this pseudo-alley. The echos are separated by a near full-second, something which, architecturally, shouldn't be possible.

Moreover, you notice two distinct sounds.
One, a low, muttering murmur.
And another, the sound of something metal dragging on stone.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

>>705229
Which direction are the sounds coming from? If it's at all possible to go around them, perhaps by ducking into a side alley, that would be preferable.

Otherwise, if there's a convenient hiding spot to hide behind/in, like a large mailbox or garbage bin, concealing ourself until they both pass would be a good idea.

If hiding isn't an option, and they happen to both be coming from the same direction, turning back and going the other way would probably be the best option to avoid a possible confrontation. (It should be pretty apparent by now that I'm going for stealth, given that we've met something that almost killed us before, and don't know how common they are).

If there are no side alleys or alternate routes, no hiding spots, and they're both coming from opposite sides of the street - basically, we're caught in the open with no hope of avoiding meeting at least one of them - stand in the open to hail them, in case they're actually friendly, with a hand on the grip of the Colt, in case they're not.


I should think the first two alone would be reasonable possibilities, but the others are there just in case they contradict anything you've got planned out.

>>705314

I like the way you think.

The sounds are coming from either side, the echoing makes it hard to pinpoint exactly how far away, but you surmise that retreating isn't an option.

The closest alley is a dozen paces in front of you, but you know the alleys on this street aren't deep, more like alcoves for side doors and perhaps garbage dumping. So that's a possibility, however poor. However, there is a fruit stand you can hide under/behind, and it's far enough away from the street lamp that you think the shade can provide a hiding place.

You duck behind the fruit stand. Luckily, you can see out of it as well. Peering, you watch and listen as the sounds draw closer.

From your right, (where before was in front of you) you see a man in a trench coat pass under the lamp post. He's in tattered clothing, and he's carrying a large knife in his hand -- perhaps a butcher's cleaver. Muttering to himself under his breath indistinguishable words. His tone varies from relieved to... weeping? to anger. Randomly. No words either -- muffled, like his mouth was behind a sheet.

From the other side, (once behind you) you hear the sound of dragging metal. Another man, equally tattered, this one taller than the other. They meet nearly in front of your fruit stand, look one another up and down.

The mumbling one sputters out his first understandible words: "G-G-G-Goood. H-H-Huunntting. The Bl-blo-ood-- K-k-ill the mon-mons-monst-ers. Kill the mum- monsters."

The other doesn't reply. Stands motionless. His wide-brimmed, belted hat and tangled black hair completely obscure his face.

The mumbling man takes another step forward.

The other man, wordless, in one fluid motion, swings an enormous axe from lower-right to upper-left. The smaller man didn't seem to react. You hear flesh tear apart and see the lower half of his body fall backward. The axe had tore through his body just above the right hip and exited in the left armpit. Brown-red and white entrails seep onto the cobblestones.

His upper half lands a few feet away from you. Eyes making contact with yours. His lips move as if speaking, but no air passes through.
That eye contact is broken, as the eye rolls horizontally toward the ground -- As if there was no muscle which bound it to the skull, and the organ was simply resting in place.

A mere foot and a half away, the man's lips stop moving.

You watch the other man drag his axe behind him once again, and continue down the path to your right, (the direction you were headed).

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

>>705481
Once the axeman is gone, we should close the dead man's eyelids and perhaps drag the two halves of his body closer together - he deserves at least that dignity in death - before we quickly search his pockets for anything useful - he won't need it where he's going.

Keep an ear out for anyone approaching while we're doing so.

Once we're done, we should look for any other paths that we can take to avoid the axeman and others like him on our way. Perhaps we can climb a fire escape to reach the rooftops and find a way from that vantage point? If the buildings are packed closely enough, we might even be able to make our way from roof to roof, though that would probably be questionable.

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>>705534

You brush your fingers across the man's eyes, the slight pressure rolls them in their sockets. It appears they were enucleated.

You pat down the body, starting at the top half. There's nothing of value.

Gazing up at the walls, you see a ladder which leads to the top of Kenelly Way's lining buildings. There isn't a whole lot more you can see, and the cloud cover is preventing the light of the moon from illuminating anything, as such you are essentially seeing what the glow of the streetlights and uncurtained, upper-windows of buildings allow you to see. (Pic somewhat related.)

It does help orient you, however:

North: Back the way you came, There's a lot of rich folk that way, but it's mostly housing and old archetecture. Churches as well. South: Your destination, the slummy, over-hanging, excessively Southtown. East: the farther East you go, the more extravagent the building design gets. Clock towers dominate your view, the Cathedral eclipsing even them. This is the great city of Recadentia's City Center. West: The more west you go, the more industrial it gets, eventually ending in warehouses end on end, and several Ports and Docks. That side of town always reeks of fish, and is nicknamed by many "Flotsom District."

Loot:
Half a tattered overcoat, bloody meat cleaver.

The buildings you think are close enough that you could jump, but you don't know if you could do so as ... stealthfully as you wanted to.

Up on the roofs of Recadentia's many-layered buildings, there's even more housing, as shacks and small markets, clumsily-placed wooden bridges and rickety, improvised buildings clutter the area, particularly growing thick as you approach Southtown. Colloquially, these buildings are called Recadentia's Canopy City, and is technically illegal, although there's never any recourse about it, and it's been allowed to exist for as long as you remember. Only seldom have you heard of officers taking down sections, which were built back up within the week.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

>>705676
I think we should keep heading to the stormcrow to see what the duck is up with this night. It's probably better if we stick to the streets, our bike should give us a good mobility. We should also move at a pace slow enough to allow us to hear if there's trouble ahead.

>>705676
If there's also a ladder on the other side of the roof we're on, allowing access to an adjacent street, we should take it and continue on that way - should we eventually face an engagement on the ground, undesirable as it would be, it will still be far less hazardous than an engagement on the rooftops. Again, keep to back alleys where at all possible.

If not, the best course of action may be to head for the Canopy City. Though a fall will be almost certain death, it will serve to provide passage to Southtown, and hopefully there will be less potential enemies to avoid this far off the ground.

>>705796
I somehow forgot about the bike. I'm not sure that keeping it is worthwhile, given that it's not particularly stealthy, and it basically forces us into somewhat more open areas.

Moreover, it'll likely set us at a quick enough pace that we'll eventually catch up to the axeman, in the event that he's travelling the same route as we are.

>>705905
There's no place to hid on the roof tops, and it's not worth risk of falling

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>>705796
>>705808
>>705905
>>705938

I see you saw the slight contradiction: Can't both take the bike and find another way down. To compromise, we'll take the other ladder down, but there's a 50% chance you'll find another bike on the other side. After, if you can't come to an agreement, we can do something like a dice roll to see who has more influence over the next set of actions. As it stands I think you're pretty much on the same page.

You move to the other side of the building, it's rather wide, with three different enclosed courtyards before you reach the opposite wall, which dips an astonishing six stories down to Beyard Street which should take you to the east-most portion of Southtown. The ladder is in face a fire escape.

You start down the fire escape, but stop at the sound of a murmer of voices. Many of them. Still up along the 6th floor, you see a rowed of a dozen or so people. Two of them, in the lead, have two dogs on leashes. Large, rummaging, sniffing about. It's too far away to see details. You're at least 100 feet away, likely more. All of the men look somewhat disheveled -- walking slowly, either muttering or silent, some lofting torches or lanterns as they drag behind them weapons. One is dragging an enormous cross, and another is dragging what looks to be a crippled, roughed-up dog.

You know the light form their torches won't reach you up here, you hope they cant see past the light.

They are headed North. Do you wait for them to pass?

As it is, you have a 10% chance to be seen.

(Pic Kinda related. Just realized that this is in fact gonna be a lot like Bloodbourne. Oh well, great minds and all that.)

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

>>705970
Wait for them to pass. If they can't actually see us, we don't want to move and make any noise that will have them notice us.

If they do end up seeing us, though, hopefully there'll be an open or unlatched window nearby that we can go through to escape off the ladder, in the event they have guns like we do.

Otherwise, all we can do is climb away from them and hope they can't hit us.

I had sort of assumed from near the beginning that Bloodborne was one of the inspirations for this.

>>705938
There's apparently a veritable wooden city on the rooftops which grow thicker the closer we get to Southtown.

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>706036
It was, watched a 30m letsplay, kinda jsut guessed the plot. turns out i was more or less bang on.
And sorry, afk without notice.

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>>706036
>>706261

You lay low, and they pass. There's a moment where you're wondering what's specifically going on -- what is the mob after? But you push it aside. Later.

The air is insistingly damp, and the chill of the night is bothering you a bit. Hair begins to stand on end. You climb down once you're sure they won't see you, and eventually make it to Southtown without incident.

Southtown seems to be more busy. There are people around who don't seem hostile. More or less. Although you do detect a distinct air of... revulsion? perhaps? by the inhabitants. Like they're not accustomed to seeing you -- or perhaps you're projecting. The general appearance of the civilians is one of poverty. They seem... broken, in a morale sense. You approach Howard Pike's estate, an apartment complex with rooms too small for suitable living. Although it takes a it, you walk the circumference of the estate, and eventually find Granite street. Granite itself seems to be an alley, no more than 5 feet wide, and 40 feet long. You're peering down the corner, and are startled by a decrepit voice below you:

"Arms?" says an elderly man. He's black skinned and apparently blind. A grey blanket is draped over his hunched shoulders, his face is the texture of worn leather, but peeling and enflamed as if infected. He holds up a small tin cup, wobbling with dying strength.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

>>706335
To be clear, did you mean to type "Alms?", or is the man actually asking for arms?

If he is indeed asking for alms, check our pockets for change and give him some, or else apologize that we've got none at the moment. Also, ask after his name and identity.

If he's actually asking for arms, tell him that we're rather attached to ours; perhaps he should ask someone else - and let him hear the clink of our rapier being readied if he doesn't leave and fails to justify why.

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>>706449

I was kinda hoping my mistake would come off as a slummy accent for Alms, yes. Also, my power might cut, cause we've got a storm in Victoria today. 200mm over 4 days, baby!

You apologize for not having any money, and to your inquiry, he cocks his head.

"You've got a lot of nerve," he says. Looks away.

You head into the alley. The door for the Stormcrow is marked with a painting of a Black Raven, sprawled out as if done in fingerpaint. You open it, there's a dimly lit staircase down which leads to another door.

Inside there are 5 people, including the bartender, who is serving a slim woman a glass of hard liquor.

Eyes immediately fix on you, but only the bartender actually addresses you.

"It's been a while since we've seen a new face. Who are you stranger? How are you fairing on this long night?"

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

>>706539
Move over to the bar and introduce ourself by name. Explain that we got jumped by someTHING earlier and we're confused as all hell - but we've managed to make our way here, are hoping to get some answers some time soon, and have somehow managed to not die, so it could be worse.

Ask about what exactly this place we've been directed to is.

My last post for now. Thanks for the run. Hopefully more posters show up eventually, as it's been pretty interesting so far.

>>706577
I second this
I really like your posts man, I hope you come back.

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>>706577
Alright man, talk later.
____

"A Neophyte," says the woman next to you. She tosses back her drink and waves for another. She's wearing a corset, maroon in color and knee-length skirt which hikes up at the thigh to match. She's ridiculously attractive, with full, red lips and grey eyes which shine like Al-Delon's. Belted to either thigh is a long knife, and another pair, mush smaller, down by her ankles, strapped to her lifted leather boots. Two holsters dangle beneath her armpits, each carrying a flintlock. Beside her is a folded jacket and short, rumpled hat.

"Just what we need."

"Now, Stormy, that ain't a way to treat the greenhorn, is it?" Says the bartender, then to you: "Nikkoli. Philip, was it? Welcome to the Stormcrow, the only Tavern worth staying at. Its where those devoted tot he cause can take a rest, train, find jobs, or take refuge. You're welcome to it."

"His eyes don't shine," says another man, as he approaches. He's dressed in black and grey. Casual wear, not sleek like the woman. His eyes reflect an intense emerald light. He's also old, and only carries two weapons: both slung across his back. One is a large, flat firearm of some kind, and the other is an even bigger, metal-headed maul.

"Captain Rye," he says, in answer to your next question.

"Indeed, he must be very new, then," says the bartender. "Exactly how long ago were you attacked?"

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

And I hope this keeps up, I'm having fun.
Pic semi-related. Closes I could find in 15 seconds to whats in my head.

>>706777
Bumping my own thread out of lonliness

>>708096
I'm back, by the way. In the morning at least.

>>706777
No new posters make me sad.


We were attacked just a few hours ago. We're not sure how long we were unconscious for, but the last we checked the time, just before we were knocked out, it should have been just past dawn - though 'dawn' hardly means anything now in this damnable darkness.

Speaking of which, what time has it gotten to now?

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>>710472
*Heart Skips a beat* A SIGN OF LIFE!
You're telling me. I'm glad you're back though.

The man nods in understanding, "very new."

The bartender agrees, then regards you again. "Dawn is something you forget, here, Philip. Time is kept track of by the bells from the Grand Tower. Now, it's just past forth bell, there are four bells to a Verse, Two verses to a Chorus. This repeats-"

"It doesn't always. Sometimes there's a bridge," says the man in the uniform.

"Aye," says the woman "an undetermined length of time where there are no bells. But it hasn't in a while, there aren't enough of us to make one, anymore."

"You're speaking french to the man!" says the bartender, shaking his head.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

>>710581
Nod in agreement. There's clearly some significance to the names, but they mean basically nothing to us, and will remain likely just as abstruse until we know quite a bit more than we do now. Perhaps they would not mind starting from the beginning?

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>>710629
"Right. Hold on a moment," says Nikkoli, then, to the hooded person seated in the farthest reach of the bar: "Vix, get a table together."

The hooded figure stands, shrugs off its hood, and reveals a pale face with black makeup. A beautiful face -- another woman. She's heavier set than Stormy is, but that might be because she's not wearing a corset.

She guestures.
The sound of wood on floor startles you as the furniture jerks into motion. A few tables lift into the air and settle next to one another, then the chairs. They surround the table equal spaces apart and slide their seats under. A chandelier sparks to life above the table, and a single candle in the middle adds to the light.

All present people walk to the table, you hesitate a moment, and as you're about to move, the Bartender touches your arm.

"Just relax. You're among friends here. Talk more, and they'll seem less intimidating. We haven't seen a new face in a long time, they're just as nervous about you as you are of them, lad. Be friendly.

Oh, and what's your poison?"

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

>>710722
Ask for something relatively weak to start off with; we'll probably want a clear head going into this conversation.

Then head over to the table and take a seat, somewhat nervously.

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>>710883

He puts a stine of beer in front of you, and everyone is seated.

"Wait," says the pale faces woman, as she looks tot he door.

A heartbeat passes, and the door opens. In walks the familiar old frame of Al-Delon, who, closing the door behind him, silently takes a seat at the table.

"And where were you?" asks Stormy.

"Doing your damn job," the older man replies.

"I don't ask-"

"You don't have to, Stormy."

They both fall quiet. Looking to Nikkoli, everyone waits as he lights his pipe. He then addresses you, sitting directly to his left.

"Neophyte Philip, you are now a piece of the Holy Instruments of Transition. This is oging to seem very strange to you at first, but you'll catch on. First, though, Introductions. I am Nikkoli, Lead."

He glances right. The burly gentleman wearing a uniform of some kind, it resembles a mix of a sea captain and a modern soldier. He has Emerald eyes.
"Captain Rye, Power Percussion" the man says, looking right.

"Vix," the woman says abruptly. Her hood is back on, but you can see a very small, untraceable amount of violet light emanate from it. Her skin is pale, and the netting she wears around her wrists does nothing to hide the swirling tattoos underneath. She's striking in appearance, and her rounded features make her seem less formidable than what you think she really is.

The man beside her waits a moment, as if he was expecting something more. But looks to you and says: "I'm Readj, accent winds, nice to meet you." He has a thick accent you cant place and dark skin.

Then its Al-Delon, who nods to you. "We've met. Al-Delon, Power Strings."

The next one is the bodacious woman. "Stormy. accent Strings."

They look to you, then to Nikkoli.

Nikkoli shrugs. "He hasn't found a role yet, Nor a rank. Be patient.

We're known as the Holy Instruments of Transition, it's out job to ensure the Choruses are punctuated by the Bridge. As of Late, there have only been Choruses, ... but I digress.

To answer your questions; I don't know. This ... realm, is older than we are, any of us, and Even my mentor's mentor, doesn't know how or why the realm chooses people to be dragged in, only that it does."

He breathes.

"We are a section of the Church, the Orchestra. We hunt monsters -- beings who I'm told beat out of sync with the rest of the Song, and are thus mutated and driven mad. There's no predictable pattern to it, only that discord breeds insanity, and insanity is a plague all too many people succumb to here."

Stormy looks to you.

"He seems like a Strings."

"I'm getting to that. But first, Neophyte Philip, do you have questions? I'll do my best to answer."

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

This is where you can introduce yourself in Character and make up a bit of backstory. Don't worry about the titles yet.

>>711171
I haven't a clue what you mean by 'Strings' - I've not even touched a musical instrument in years, but I doubt that's what you're talking about here.

I'm not even sure exactly what it is I ought to do from here on. I mean, I did have a life back- well, back in the world I came from. Is there any hope at all of returning? No offense meant, but I don't enjoy the thought of losing everything I had to start over in some strange world I don't know anything about.

That is to say, I do recognize some of the terms you've used, but they seem to have entirely different meanings. You said earlier that a 'Bridge' was a time when the Tower's bells don't toll? I recall the bells back before having to be rung by hand - who's ringing them now? And what consequences are there, if you aren't able to create a Bridge?


Starting with this for now. I'm trying to consider what we could have been doing in the pre-WWI period that would have us wealthy enough to own a car, and have an office. Perhaps we were a doctor, or a wealthy businessman?

>>711423
I thought something like Banker/buisnessman.

Sorry I took so long, ive been super busy. I have to do a bunch of housework before my kids get back.

Nikkoli doesn't reply right away.

"There is, as far as I know, no way... home. I dont know if I can remember what home is anymore. Unfortunately, you're here to stay. I'm sorry. Although it is strange that you're brought in this... late."

He sighs. "We must move on." he says after a moment.

"You mentioned music, an instrument. Yes. That is what we are. Instruments to play the bridge. The Bridge occurs when no... I suppose the best word now is 'evil...' is done through out the Chorus. We ensure its arrival by slaying those who would keep the Chorus going."

"Every toll is a reminder of how we failed" interjects Stormy.

"Yes indeed. There are so few of us now, that we can't keep the evil at bey. The Chorus continues to play, over and over, driving people mad. Madness is currency in these lands. It's the language. That insanity is what causes discord, and from that discord... monsters. And the night is a night of monsters."

He waits a moment before continuing, refilling his glass of yellow, frothy ale.

"The Instruments are divided into three groups. The Winds, strong users of the Houses and Holds -- Magic, as you might know it. The Strings, Masters of assassination, lithe action, and shadow dancing, and Percussion, those who would not go unannounced, and declare their presence with... well, percussion.

Its up to you to decide which mold you would like to fill. Your talents can be drawn from all aspects, but once you decide you can train easier in some. Its up to you to discover how to use powers and invent your own, but we will teach you what we know, once the choice is made as to which section you want to become a part of."

"You dont need to decide now. Give it some thought, it's an important decision," says Al-Delon.

"Indeed, anyone else?" Nikkoli looks around, nobody speaks. Then he looks to you. "And Neophyte Philip, do you have any more questions for me, or us?"

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

Basically, you're choosing a favored class. hahaha. Winds is Mage/Wizard, Strings is Rogue/assassin/thief, Percussion is fighter/barbarian/warrior/knight, etc.

Right now, you have a chance to... I guess go around and interact with NPCs.

>>712182
Ask how long they've been here, and if there are any others they know of that haven't been driven mad. How have they managed to survive? Where do they even get food and drink from, if basically everyone else is insane - if not worse?

And from what he's said, it could be inferred that there used to be more of their number. We can guess what befell the rest, but what changed to make the status quo shift this way?

Is there any significance to how this world greatly resembles the one we came from? Does it encompass a facsimile of the entire planet, or does it somehow border around a smaller area?

Lastly, relate our encounters with the axeman and his victim, and the group with the dogs, and ask what to make of them. Also, show them the note we found in the place we woke up in, and ask them if one of them left it.

Apart from that, we might take a look around the place after, and we'll probably have even more questions once we're more familiar with things, but we won't hold them up right now if they need to be elsewhere.

I understand, we often have more important things to do than post anonymously on online image boards.

I figure it's best to move the narrative on, and let you reveal things as they become relevant. This'll probably be my last post for a while again, though.

As for our erstwhile job, Banker seems fair, but somewhat boring. I imagine being a Doctor would be the most useful, but it seems rather contrived. An Engineer would have some transferable skills without being too directly abusable, but I'm not sure how their wages were in the early 1900s. Perhaps a highly paid university lecturer would be able to own a car?

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>>712462
"I arrived in a place which looked like my home town," Rye says.

Then Raedj speaks up. "I don't know what else is out there, I honestly haven't been able to leave the city. In fact I've never felt he urge to. Now that I come to think about it... it is rather strange."

"I agree. Never brought up before. In fact I don't even know if I've seen the edge of the city while on the rooftops. The roofs here dont get high enough to see past... well, other rooftops. I assume if we were able to get to the Cathedral or Stadium in Old town we might see past the walls," says Stormy.

You've never seen walls around your city. You press further.

"I don't know, I just assumed there were walls."

"It might be a property of the plane," says Vix, "Some sort of... noneuclidean geometric property of the city which keeps the people inside. Like an echo off walls."

"To answer your other questions," says Nikkoli, "I don't know that either. As we've said, time is measured in bells. I do know I watched Vix grow up here, and have grown old myself. My mentor before me was older still."

"Food is exchanged in quiet doings. We avoid the corrupted townsfolk as best we can, although clumsy, they're ruthless. They see everyone as a monster."

"During the Bridge," Rye says, "food was delivered in plenty."

When you ask from where, he shrugs.

Upon asking about the note. Vix twists her fingers. The note is lifted from your fingers and she snatches it from the air.

"Duran-J'hil..." she whispers. "Interesting."

"What is it?" asks Stormy.

"Song of Duran. Healing magic. I've never seen this particular iteration, though, and I'm the only caster here." She waves her hand, it falls back to you.

"So we don't know where it came from; only that it wasn't one of us."

"Concerning." Says Vix.

"Exciting," says Rye.

The rest of the night carries on, you begin to feel sleepy. Drink and socialize or ask for a room? Either way, you find yourself in your bed eventually, with Nikkoli making you a promise:

"Tomorrow you decide your section."

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

You can go to bed, or you can do other stuff, like a 1 on 1 conversation with someone, They seem to be staying here. Or you can get up and describe your 'morning,' etc. Hope you've thought about your Class.

I think Strings is what we've been doing already, to an extent.

I'm having trouble keeping up with all this Song and Chorus stuff, but that's my fault.

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>>713771

You awake to the toll of a bell. it's clear as if it were next to you, and you feel awake and refreshed.

Slipping back on your boots, you head back downstairs. The smell of cooking meat wafts into your nose and you feel a predictable prang of hunger.

"You're still confused, aint you?" asks Rye as he settles in the seat next to you.

When you explain that you just don't exactly know what section you want, but you're leaning to Strings, you see his Emrald gaze fall.

"Probably best," he says, "Not many percussionists hold onto their sanity for long. Go see Al. He'll guide you through it and get you outfitted."

You scarf down whatever the meat Nikkoli gave you was, and head to where you assume Al-Delon is. The door in the Stormcrow's farmost wall creaks open with a deliberate push, and inside you see a few more tables, a fenced-off area with hay, and a few wooden dummies with severe battle damage. Sitting alone at one of the tables, twiddling his knife, is Al-Delat. The only other person in here is Vix, and she's sitting above a carved fountain, trickling water into a small pool. Legs crossed, arms folded in front of her, hood up, and eyes closed.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

The time thing? Think of it this way: Each bell is a cerian ammount of time, like na hour (Dont compare them, the passage of time isn't relative to ours. Its closer to a half-day.) Four bells to a Verse, Two verses to a Chorus, What you might consider a 'season.'

>>714174
Al-Delon, my bad.

>>714174
>The songs and choruses and stuff are measures of time
It all makes sense now.

>>714200
Ahyup

>>713771
I was actually thinking Winds might be viable, since our previous life likely left us with a decent memory and a head for numbers.

There's also that if we want to unravel the secrets of this world, magic is probably the way to go.

I'm wondering if we can't run through the basics for each Section over today, and decide at the end which one suits us best?

>>714174
Greet them and ask them what they're doing right now.

>>715632

"Just waiting. And there's no reason to decide now, I guess," says Al-Delon, "Just make sure you choose soon. Vix is meditating, recovering spells. It's something Winds need to do, Don't ask me."

Rye comes through the door behind you.

"Good," Al-Delon says, "Captain Rye will show you the ropes of Percussion first, then I'll show you Strings, and then Vix, Winds. Sound good? Are you ready to start?"

>>716268
We've got nothing else to do now, so let's get to it then.

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>>716288

Rye takes you to a dummy. It's essentially cotton and burlap and wood wrapped in rope and leather. Barely being held together at all.

"Percussion excel in using their energy in direct ways. Watch."
He brings up his fists, wide and calloused, in front of his face, crouching slightly. He punches the dummy, the head of which immediately breaks off.

It's a bit... underwhelming, something you point out to him.

"Yeah, I suppose." He leans against the wall, meets contact with your eyes. "Woudl you mind picking it up and putting it back?"

Begrudgingly, you move over to the burlap head and reach down. Clasping the sides, you lift it-
-Except you don't. It doesnt move. It weighs more than you expected, and try again.

Still nothing.You notice the cobble beneath it: cracked. you glance back at Rye, who smiles at you. He walks over, lifts the bag with one hand, and sets it back on the dummy.

"It's not just punches, its channeling your energy into your physical body. It's the thrumming of your heart to continue beating although it shouldn't. The ability to ignore the stress of pain and bodily damage." He closes his eyes and slumps in a chair. "I practiced with Rye," he said. "Drank it until I could channel my energy to my blood. Force my body to overcome the poison, force my brain to think clearly. Sheer willpower through the physical form. It's hard to learn without actually fighting, and hard to fight without actually harming, sorry, lad I don't know what else to say."

"Sentiment." You hear Vix say from the corner.

"And what about you, Vix? Winds 'aint much different."

"Of course it is. Leave me alone."

Rye harrumphs, and re-addresses you. "You learn skills like Rage and Might. But much of percussion is passive and not active. But I've seen my mentor achieve feats I can't even explain. Things like elongating his arms and splitting his form. Not my style, but everyone develops methods of their own."

He offers you a smile. "Give it a try. Punch the dead off the Dummy. Focus your energy, concentrate on your arm and Fist -- Where your knuckles will land, the path of swing. Then will your fist to travel faster, to strike harder. Will the impact's force to multiply. Will your strike to do transfer the damage to your knuckles intot he bag. It only weighs 100 pounds. You've got this."

He sits back and watches.

Roll a percentile, Higher is better.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>716438
Channeling energy into our body? Forcing the heart to continue beating? Ignoring stress and pain? The most we can think of that would produce such an effect is adrenaline - yet, clearly the rules are different here.

But if it's hard to learn without fighting, how are we supposed to gain the experience necessary to succeed at this?

...Of course, this isn't the first time we've 'channeled energy', is it? Think back to that time, not so long ago, when we felt that tug at the back of our mind. The effect is drastically different, but we have indeed felt some manner of energies flowing through us that one time. Its passage even took it down our arm and out our hand.

Perhaps we can work off of that to produce something akin to what we need.

inb4 we instead accidentally cast a spell instead

>>716480
You Take a deep breath, and think about your punch. There's a moment before you throw where you hesitate, and that momentary break in concentration makes the blow connect with the bag and sent a jolt of pain up your wrist.
But, the bag, all 100 pounds of it, slowly leans backward and slumps to the floor with a crack.

Smiling to yourself, you look back at Rye.

"Alright. Now pick it up. Same ordeal. Will your muscles into working harder, lifting more than you should be able to. Go on."

Another percentile.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>716684
We can do this. We know we can.

>>716710
You struggle. But it's not coming. In the back of your mind you know it's too heavy. I mean, it's 100 pounds, so it's not like you can't move it, but you're not one to lift weights. After a minute, you get it a few inches off the ground before dropping it once again.

"Not awful, for a first attempt. It's probably my fault. You're used to weight being different. Think of it this way. You can push and pull it, right? Your confident in that? Use that same level of confidence to lift the bag. Energy works as an extension of your will, your will is more or less an instinctual thing, Animals have it too, but nowhere near as powerful as ours."

Vix huffs.

Rye ignores her. "It's not about convincing yourself that it only weighs a 10 pounds, it's knowing that you can lift 100. Try again."

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>716838
Perhaps we simply need not to think too hard about it this time? Logic dictates that we should struggle, but logic has little place here.

>>717033
He smiles.
"Well at least you can punch."

"Percussion is about the body. Focus it in any way you want. Be as creative as you can, but be warned, push yourself too hard without expending your energy and it'll cause your body to fail you. Try expending your energy, Use a fraction of it, release as best you can."

You Exhale and try once more, letting your instincts take over and guide you the way the healing spell did. You feel them again, moving your muscles without conscious thought, present and subtle, you lift the bag with a struggle.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 8
Hero Points: 1

You rolled too low and used a spell slot, essentially, that's how percussion works.

>>717075
Thank him, and ask him before we move on to the next thing how we would go about learning new skills. Do we simply need to think of an effect and will it successfully into existence, or is there a more complex process?

>>717100
"That's about the long and short of it. I've heard of a percussion, a long time ago, when the night was young, whose very saliva was poison." He pats you on the back and sits back down. "Lad, Percussion is the easiest to learn, you'll get the hang of it if you choose. I think Al-Delon is waiting for ye'"

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

Basically, yes. You jsut say something like "I try and jump over the street, to the other side, and use my energy to propel me forward." I set a DC, you roll percentile, high enough means flawless, Beat the DC means completed, almsot beat the DC means completed but barely, and below the DC means fail, or burning a spell slot. Sometimes the action is big enough that you simply burn a spell slot regardless.

>>717143
Fair enough. I haven't anything else to ask just now, so unless some other posters show up, we can probably move on to Strings now.

>>717237
gtgtowork for a while

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>>717237

you approach Al-Delon, and he looks up at you from the chair.

"Strings is similar to Percussion. Although perhaps less forward with its use of energy. You can use energy to ... see. See motion and trajectory, see vital areas, see punches, almost before they're thrown. You can also use it to move between shadows. But it does require you to be more clever than your opponent. While we can use energy to heal and bolster out strength, it's not as effective as precision and forethought."

He lights a cigar.

"Take the Axe wielder you saw earlier. From Right Hip to Left arm you said? That probably means he's right handed. A person trained in Strings can see the path his arm will take, see the tendons most likely to disable him, and place his blade there with unnatural speed so the arm is rendered useless. From there it's merely a matter of when to dispatch him at your leisure, even if he remains standing, there might be more pressing matters."

He thinks.

"We Strings are more precise, but require more skill, I suppose, if you're up for it, I can try and teach you."

He directs you to stand thirty feet away. then produces a few throwing darts.

Oh no.

"Oh yes. See the projectile's path, and will your body to move out of the way before it gets there. When you're ready, try and catch it from the air."

He throws it without warning.

HP: 100
Spell Slots: 9
Hero Points: 1

Percentile

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>718411
These teaching methods are, uh, interesting.

>>719712
The dart hits your hand, punching into your palm. You scream, and after a moment, pull it out with a trickle of blood.

"Fear is your enemy, Philip. Again."

You don't want to.

"Unfortunate."

He throws another.

HP: 95
Spell Slots: 8
Hero Points: 1

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>720932
Watch as we unconsciously learn body-strengthening spells as a result of getting hit repeatedly.

>>720989
You catch the dart in your hand as it breaks the skin.

Smiling, you hand it back to him, proud.

"Well done," he says. "That's enough for now."

Just catching a Dart?

"For now."

You turn to Vix.

HP: 95
Spell Slots: 8
Hero Points: 1

>>723350
She seems not to have moved since we arrived. Ask politely if she is finished meditating, or if we should leave her be for a while longer.

>>724013
"You may approach."

You walk to the fountain. She hops down.

"Winds are the opposite of Percussion, you see," she says. "While for Percussion you try not to think, with Winds, you need to concentrate. The principle remains the same, though. Magic is an extension of your will, you incrementally change the laws of physics through concentration, and willing the universe to behave as you demand."

She looks at the ground, and picks up a small rock.

"Lift this. No touching it. Consontrate on lifting it: picture it in your head, sure, but lift it with your mind the same way you would lift it with your hands. Do you understand?"

Nodding, you ready yourself.

She places it on the ground.

HP: 95
Spell Slots: 8
Hero Points: 1

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>724341
With our hands? If she says so...

Then, first we would apply a moderate amount of upward force from below-

>>724353
The rock hope into the air, much farther and faster than you anticipated. It clatters off the ceiling and 20 feet away.

"Nice job. Something bigger. The table. Try."

HP: 95
Spell Slots: 8
Hero Points: 1

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>724360
The table's pretty big though. And lifting that rock wasn't exactly flawless either. We can go with it for now, but maybe we need to picture lifting it another way?

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>>724371
The table wobbles, but lifts. When you settle it down, proud of yourself, you see Vix nod as well.

"Not bad." She said, "Telekinesis is the basic skill of Winds. Its exerting your will to move a physical object. There are many, many, many branches and facets of Winds Skills, though. Enchantment, Illusion, Transmutation, Evocation, Conjuration... Which would you like me to help you with, and which would you like to discover on your own?"

HP: 95
Spell Slots: 8
Hero Points: 1

>>726062
As we currently have little confidence in our actual combat abilities, perhaps it would be best for us to start off learning spells which are more oriented towards healing and protection?

>>727587
I had a grueling 3 days of work. Sorry. Should I re-post?

>>737199
Don't worry about it. Go ahead and do whatever you prefer - though I believe this thread has already entered autosage for inactivity.

>>737224
It has. I'll write a recap and remake it.