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  1. - Top - End - #331
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    Zombie

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    Default Re: [GURPS 4e] Banestorm fantasy game (IC)

    "Ah..." He nods and continues, "Forgive me. For the briefest of moments, I caught a glimpse of something long left in the past." Placing a hand over his chest, he dips his head slightly. "My apologies if I gave you offense earlier, and my thanks, for taking the time to indulge my curiosity."

    Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Eniarch once more takes up his spoon and sets to the remnants of his meal, before finally using the bread to sponge up the last dregs of the stew in the bowl. A long time past, indeed...

  2. - Top - End - #332
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    The young server departs, and soon returns with the other two drinks. Rann reaches out and takes his tankard happily. "Thanks, friend," he says to Cedric as he wastes little time in getting started on it. Franciszek in turn tries to attempt a smile as he accepts his own beverage.
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  3. - Top - End - #333
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    "Thank you" Cedric says to Eniarch. "I'm not sure I really did anything to deserve this, really, but I can still show my appreciation for the gesture."

    He then swallows the last of his first drink, and takes a token sip of the second. He then stretches and yawns.

    "We still need to make sleeping arrangements. I wonder if our friend Trent will accommodate us free of charge after that show."

  4. - Top - End - #334
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    "A coin in the hand is worth two on the floor," quips Eniarch. "At the very least, you did not forget our collective priorities. I think I can at least spare a drink to reward that, and our quick thinking companion is not in the mood for more." With that, he raises his tankard to the group. "To our successful commission!"

  5. - Top - End - #335
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    "To our successful commission!" cheers Rann as he reaches over to clank tankards with Eniarch. Franciszek merely mumbles, so Rann nudges him. "To our commission!" he says a bit louder.
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  6. - Top - End - #336
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    "Here here!" agrees Cedric, smiling broadly, and raises his drink to salute the others.

  7. - Top - End - #337
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    Ementha joins the others in raising her mug. "Indeed!" she proclaims with a smile on her face. When she brings it back to her lips she takes a small sip and sets the mug down. "So, another question comes to mind. When we initially considered hiring on assistance, Cedric was the only one around to hire. What do you all think? Should we keep an eye out for others, or just go it on our own?"

  8. - Top - End - #338
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    "Well...." muses Cedric, "so long as the danger is only young boys in taverns trying to pick our purses, I think we've got it covered."

    He proceeds to laugh loudly at his own joke.
    Last edited by Devereux; 2010-03-12 at 09:03 PM.

  9. - Top - End - #339
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    Eniarch scratches his chin a moment, and adds, "I think we'd best find out how much our supplies will cost, first. It would not serve us to hire an army and be unable to afford supplies!"

    He takes another drink of the ale, and continues. "As for actually hiring others, it would certainly mean reducing the split of the commission further. I do not wish to sound greedy, but I am not a charity, and neither is anyone else here. If we can complete the commission with our current strength, we should certainly do so."

  10. - Top - End - #340
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    As the evening has worn on, the Red Harding tavern is becoming noticeably less busy. Patrons who have finished their drinks have been shuffling out gradually, rather than replacing them. This could of course be normal, but the occasional nervous glances at the party's table from the locals, might cause an impartial observer to wonder otherwise.
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  11. - Top - End - #341
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    After a little time passes at the table, Cedric turns back to Eniarch.

    "Well friend, I can tell you are a complex man. One who simultaneously seems uncomfortable speaking up, but at the same time, willing to do so if the situation calls for it. A bit reserved and guarded, perhaps. And usually, I let the ale ask the questions for me, but I can see that won't do much good in your case," he says in a affable manner.

    "It's fine though, time and circumstance may be a better way to know someone than ale... though not nearly as funny to watch." He chuckles a low, slow chuckle.

    "I look forward to this trip. I love to travel and learn what everyone here can teach me about places I've only heard about."

  12. - Top - End - #342
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    Eniarch's head turns slowly to look at Cedric. "I do not dispute your appraisal, but in my defense, I was not asked where I hail from, but why I came to Fordham in such a rush. The former is an easy question to answer, while the latter is a bit more.. complex."

    Eniarch takes another sip of his ale, and then proceeds to answer further. "If I were to answer the questions asked of the others as though they were asked of me, I would tell you that I reside in the city of Arvey, in the home of my master, Claudius Marcellus. There I serve as the household's apothecary and physician, and as apprentice to Claudius."

    He continues in a tone that reveals how much he delights in the city, "Arvey itself is built into the hills, such that the streets are often stairs. The city itself is tiered into a myriad of different levels, instead of the downtrodden and centuries-flattened plains that most cities seem to occupy." He smiles a bit as he remembers the place and continues describing the city that is his home. "I love the way the walls and stairs and differing heights can make the place into something of a maze. A few stairs can take you from a hidden walled garden out into an open plaza, while another set might lead you from there into a busy marketplace and a final set back into that same private garden by an altogether different route."
    Last edited by NamelessArchon; 2010-03-14 at 12:25 PM.

  13. - Top - End - #343
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    "That sounds interesting," says Rann. "I've never been to Arvey. The times I've visited Megalos has mostly been Craine or New Jerusalem, which I understand are the biggest cities in western Megalos. Carrick's the only city in Caithness of comparable size," he muses.
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  14. - Top - End - #344
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    At the mention of New Jerusalem, Eniarch turns to Rann immediately, but as the other man finishes, he only nods in agreement. "Well, I didn't say it was the biggest maze. They are certainly larger, 'tis true. I'm not really as familiar with New Jerusalem as the others. I haven't been there in years, aside from passing the city on my way to or from Craine or Arvey."

    He looks around the table and lowers his voice. "Frankly, the Hospitallers in New Jerusalem make me a little uncomfortable, as a mage."

  15. - Top - End - #345
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    Cedric leans forward, and his eys light up, "I would love to see your hometown some day! Perhaps if I have not found further employment, the lot of us, or at least I, could travel back with you for a visit. Carrick is lovely I'm sure, but after 30 some odd years there, a man would find a tannery in Megalos more interesting. Oh sure I have a little hometown pride when it comes to local goods, but the city has lost a bit of its gleam over the years. Mazes and gardens sound lovely. Carrick has mazes, if you count the twisting alleys and pathways between the houses."

    "I wonder what sort of ale and wines they brew up in Megalos," he muses half to himself.

    "But tell me, can't a wizard just heal someone or conjure up a cure? Being a physician sounds too... physical... for a wizard. Forgive me I'm a bit ignorant with these things. If you've been hired on to serve as the physician and apothecary, why are you also the apprentice for such things?"

  16. - Top - End - #346
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    ClericGuy

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    "I'd imagine it's all about the right tool for the right job. That's what Widow Griselda always used to tell me. She trained in the more mundane arts of healing as well as how to do some healing with magic. While I know enough magic to allow me to close a deep wound, often times it is easier to clean and bandage a wound by hand. A few of the right herbs mixed to make a good strong pultice can do nearly as much as a spell."

    She blushes slightly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Why have you studied both arts? Your reasoning may certainly be different than my own, and I'd certainly be interested in hearing it as well."

  17. - Top - End - #347
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    The young wizard turns to answer Cedric, and he opens his mouth to speak before closing it and then beginning anew. "Well, alleyways and narrow stairways can seem like a maze, anyway. The city's not so large as New Jerusalem or the capital, so it's hardly the sprawling wonderland I must make it sound. Most of the city is fairly rural, outside the walls and not so much different from Fordham, really, except for the hills." He takes another sip of his ale, and then licks his lips before he speaks again. "Now, as for your question, Cedric, I wasn't actually hired. Claudius taught me nearly everything I know about my trade, my magic and my methods, and I live in his home as his apprentice, where I also serve as apothecary and physician to his household and staff."

    That is to say nothing of the fact that he still holds my sister's slave contract, pays me wages too small to truly escape his thumb, or that he knows I am a necromancer and subject to execution simply for the things I can do, but why would people I've just met concern themselves with the complexities of my existence? He shrugs slightly as though it's simply a fact, and continues his story. "As for the other, being a physician isn't really particularly physical, per se. It's just about knowing how to use mundane methods to deal with mundane injuries. Spells are certainly miraculous, but they are not an infinite resource, nor are they always.. appropriate. Any man may learn what magic can do. A wise one learns to appreciate what it cannot do, and understands when it may not do."

    He turns to Ementha and nods in agreement. "The right tool for the right job. I've never thought of it that way, but that's close. I found as I learned more about how the body works, I learned better how to deal with the times it doesn't work right, a case of one discipline informing the other." He manages a slight smile, no doubt thinking about his experience learning his trade. Of course, most of my time learning how the body works has been about how to make it work when it has stopped working for the original owner, but why should we obsess over trivial minutia?
    Last edited by NamelessArchon; 2010-03-15 at 09:25 PM.

  18. - Top - End - #348
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    "Fascinating! So he's something of a boss, master, and caretaker all rolled into one."

    "What you say about magic makes sense. Though it's too bad, though, I was hoping you knew a spell to make my lute sound a little better. Certainly many of the entertainers who traveled through our inn had always claimed a magic instrument. And I always believed them, a bit naive on my part I suppose." Cedric says, taking out his lute and attempting to tune it.
    Last edited by Devereux; 2010-03-16 at 05:45 PM.

  19. - Top - End - #349
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    "Oh I have no doubt that such magics could exist. Whether nearly every musician who passed through your inn had them, I could not say. I certainly don't possess such powers though. I don't have a musical bone in my body. If I tried to play that thing," she nods to Cedric's lute, "The strings would probably all snap rather than play for me. Let alone the protests from the others here, which I imagine would be sent by way of flying food." She laughs at the thought.

    "So are you then offering to treat us with a song or two?"

  20. - Top - End - #350
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    He's certainly bossy, and never lets me forget who the 'master' is or that he's 'taking care of Tessa'. Eniarch sighs softly at Cedric's summary and nods while setting the ale back on the table. "Yes, that's reasonably close."

    Looking at the lute Cedric is tuning, Eniarch comments on his enchantment questions. "I have never been trained to manipulate sound, but in theory, an enchanter that knew how could provide such an enchantment to an instrument. I would be eager to learn, though I do not know if Claudius can teach me."

    He puts his hands beneath the table and leans in to look closely at the instrument, as though appraising it more carefully. "The receptacle that holds an enchantment must be of good quality, and the process is rather laborious and time consuming for an enchanter working alone. I have made precious few items, myself, though if I had the time and the laboratory, I might take up the profession. Many people would pay a premium for healing items, I suspect."

    Straightening, he adds, "Aside from making bodies function properly, my skill is primarily with tricks of the light." With his hands concealed by the table, he makes a short set of ritual gestures, and speaks a few tongue twisting syllables.

    Spoiler
    Show
    If you're not UP, you shouldn't be reading this...

    UP:
    Concentration, then spellcast - since we're not in combat time, I'm not too worried about timing, but let me know if I need to hold my tongue for a second or two.

    Eniarhc will cast Simple Illusion at Skill 15, -5 for low mana, adjusted skill 10.

    Eniarch is going to try to make the ale tankard in front of Cedric "multiply" itself, such that tankards appear to slide out of the first, then new tankards sliding out from those, until the table appears to be covered with them for a moment. Just demonstrating "a trick of the light", if it works. If not, he'll just waste a couple of FP and just let the moment pass.

    (3d6)[8]
    Last edited by NamelessArchon; 2010-03-17 at 12:59 PM.

  21. - Top - End - #351
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    @NamelessArchon
    Spoiler
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    That roll was a success. Note though, that the -5 for Low Mana is one of the few times when adjusted skill does affect the required ritual. Usually in Caithness, Eniarch will find that both gesture and words will be necessary, so you might want to amend your IC text to reflect that.
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  22. - Top - End - #352
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    Looking up at the sound of Eniarch's speech changing, Franciszek watches with barely concealed disdain as the illusion unfolds. Tankards of ale appear to multiply, new ones emerging from the existing ones in some sort of sliding dance across the tabletop.

    Rann however, is a little more impressed. Uttering an expletive, he laughs and reaches excitedly out to grab one of the shifting tankards. With a silent pop, the spell is broken. "Oh!" he says, and looks disappointedly at Eniarch. "Sorry. I didn't know that would happen."

    Spoiler
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    Quote Originally Posted by NamelessArchon View Post
    Done, and thanks for the catch - the result's not as subtle as I'd have liked, but I /did/ want to demonstrate.
    Sure, I spotted the edit. To be fair, you could have posted the effects of the illusion yourself in the original post. But as you seemed to be expecting me to do so, I thought I'd have my two charges react appropriately.
    Last edited by Unwitting Pawn; 2010-03-17 at 10:03 AM. Reason: typo
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  23. - Top - End - #353
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    Cedric looks dazzled at the display, and when the display disappears, claps a bit and laughs.

    "That's a nice show there! It's a shame you couldn't duplicate a finer specimen than this one, though," he gestures at his ale, "and one that stays around when you pick it up and drink it."

    "It's a shame you cannot extend tricks of light into tricks of sound... surely it couldn't be that different, even if it weren't some permanent enchantment... perhaps you could trick everyone to thinking I play well."

    He strums the lute a bit, which sounds faintly like a bar or two of something familiar, which could only be described as "jolly with a hint of rowdy" mixed in.

  24. - Top - End - #354
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    Eniarch just laughs and shakes his head. "No need to apologize, Rann. Your reaction was all that I could have desired for such a meager display." He gives no sign of having noticed the Megalan wizard's contempt, though whether it is from not having seen it, or from a desire not to allow it to color the moment is impossible to say.

    He turns to Cedric's questions. "If I could so easily conjure ale, I would open a tavern instead of taking these commissions with their travel and their risks!" He laughs and continues, "As for learning a few new tricks, well, I am always eager to expand my talents, and perhaps we may find such as a side bonus of this commission. A truly gifted illusionist could fool more than just the sense of sight, and it could be a useful talent to possess. Fooling the minds of others, however, is another trick altogether."

  25. - Top - End - #355
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    Ementha takes another small sip from her drink, trying to determine exactly how much she wants to reveal. "Yes, it is another trick, but certainly is possible. It is an area I have some familiarity with, so I can tell you it would probably be easier to make the sound more pleasant. To effect one's emotional reaction to something requires a very light touch, and to do so to an entire room full of people at once is more difficult still. Once you consider the fact that people's minds often attempt to resist such influence, whereas reshaping the notes from your lute would not be resisted, you can see how difficult such a trick would be."

    Ementha turns to face Franciszek. "So, Fra..." She stops herself before calling him Frankie, but just barely. Instead the rest of his name turns out as little more than a mumble. "What magic do you specialize in? What do you think magic should be used for, if not the occasional parlor trick for fun."

  26. - Top - End - #356
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    Cedric peppers comments throughout the explanation, head bobbing in understanding and agreement, "Interesting! .... Hmm, I see .... Makes perfect sense now, thanks...."

    I'm no dummy, but I'm thankful they explained in terms I could understand. I'm sure I'd be lost if I was listening in on a conversation between them.
    Last edited by Devereux; 2010-03-18 at 04:48 PM.

  27. - Top - End - #357
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    Franciszek's face twitches at the possible mispronunciation of his name. He exhales. "Those with a talent for magic shouldn't waste it on idle tricks," he says, answering Ementha's second question first. Then he seems to relax a little. Perhaps it is the alcohol, or perhaps the topic of magic is enough to cause a crack in his generally sardonic and unsociable exterior. Whatever the cause, he responds to Ementha's query with more than a few short sentences. "Specialise? No. I don't consider myself a specialist really. As I am largely self-taught, that did limit my studies initially, due to what books I could get my hands on. But, I seek to rectify that at every opportunity. I am interested in all magic. Except summoning.

    "The role of a freelance wizard requires as broad a magical knowledge as possible, if one wishes to be hired often. This task we have taken on, appeals to me because of the potential learning experience, as much as the fact it is a 'job'. Much like my countryman here, it seems.

    "As I said back at the tower, a number of my spells concern the elements of air and earth. I also have some that relate to the nature of magic itself, as well as a disparate mixture of other basic spells. My general magical knowledge encompasses magical lore as well as thaumatalogical theory, and a basic understanding of alchemy."
    Franciszek stops and smiles briefly, before concentrating on his tankard.
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  28. - Top - End - #358
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    Eniarch pushes his tankard around idly in front of himself, as though mulling Franciszek's words over in his head. "Surely a wizard who has studied the elements would benefit from an elemental to serve and protect him. I must ask: Why the aversion to summoning, of all things?"

  29. - Top - End - #359
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    "Another time, perhaps," says Franciszek. He returns to his drink and doesn't look interested in discussing the matter.
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  30. - Top - End - #360
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    One of the wizard's eyebrows rises for a moment, but Eniarch allows the subject to lapse, rather than prying at someone uninterested in providing any information. "As for your dislike of 'idle tricks', I must disagree. For no real cost, I have entertained my companions, and lifted their spirits with my art. Heavy hearts fight like chained and cowed slaves. Light hearts," Eniarch sweeps his tankard up in a clenched fist in front of himself, "fight like lions."

    He looks at the Megalan wizard searchingly as he lowers the ale to the table. "Surely someone who has studied how to bend the invisible air should recognize that even ephemeral or intangible things can have purpose and power?"
    Last edited by NamelessArchon; 2010-03-19 at 09:08 AM.

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