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["IT'S NOT LIKE I CARE ABOUT THAT OR ANYTHING!"]

《Chapter 8: Training Again!

Chapter 8: Training Again!》

《Chapter 8.2: Catching Up》

[info]Previous post from Chapter 8[/info]

"IT'S NOT LIKE I CARE ABOUT THAT OR ANYTHING!" Tiffany almost shouted, her face a bit flustered after being put on the spot.

[info]You can create a side thread for meeting with Ai, Lai Ju, and Shuren. You spent an hour doing the experiments with Lu Zhihao in Ch 8.1.[/info]

Fred grins at the response, knowing he's got her right where he wants her, "You don't care about it? That's too bad~! I really thought we were all getting closer. Was that just me thinking that?" Fred looks around at the rest of the group, seeing if anyone else wants to play along with the teasing.



[info]Ai and Lai Ju[/info]

Since Fen had been discussing planning with everyone, Fred imagined that Ju and Ai were together, as Ai still hadn't gotten accustomed to most of the Ravens. Thus it was a simple matter finding the two of them, keeping themselves entertained however they could, which at the moment was brushing Ai's hair. It was a surprisingly picturesque scene.

"Heh." Fred said as he approached. "You two look so well matched, I could mistake you for mother and daughter!" He worn his trademark mischievous grin as he said this, awaiting the flustered responses. Who knew it would be so much fun to make people flustered! Just a few words, and they go all red. Priceless! He mused to himself.



[info]Shuren[/info]

Fred approached Shuren's resting place, the spirit tree at the center of camp. "Master Shuren! I'll be heading into the caves soon, but I wanted to ask you a few things."

["He gave me permission."]

[info]Previous post from Chapter 8[/info]

"He gave me permission." Lu Zhihao said, her face cracking into a smile as a whip suddenly appeared in her open hand. It took you a brief moment to realize that her whip was actually part of the clothes she had wrapped around her body. "He gave me permission!" She repeated in an almost daze-like trance as a bit of drool slid down the corner of her mouth.

"CONSENT!" She began to strike, each one more frantic than the last. Her eyes too looked more and more crazed for each strike of her whip.

Fred's eyes widen at the response to his consent. He quickly looks over to Lai Fen for consolation before turning back to Lu Zhihao just in time to watch the frenzied whipping woman head his way. I think I made a mistake...? This was all he could manage to think before his mind was completely focused on the flurry before him. A deluge of lashes fell upon him before he had time to speak even a word of caution to the woman, as he didn't know whether his power could even hold out against much damage.

[info]I don't know the stats behind the whip and the barrier, so I can't estimate/imagine anything further realistically.[/info]

[Height:]

Height: 5' 10" ~ Weight: 151 lbs ~ Age: 46 ~ Race: Dark Elf

"Is that an artifact!? Let me see!"

Personal Information

Appearance
Eydis has dark tan skin, long, platinum hair that's been left loose to hang down to the small of her back. Her hazel eyes that seem to always stare sternly, yet still gleaming questioningly. Her form is lithe, and she generally seems a little on the weaker side, which would not be expected of her considering the callouses built up in her hands that tell of constant manual labor. Her attire for adventuring and travel usually consists of a form-fitting top, a short skirt or shorts, and thigh-high boots/stockings. This outfit is usually paired with a hooded cloak.

Personality
Eydis is stern and brusque by default, mannerisms she picked up from her adoptive father around the smithy; in general, she's the type that just wants to get down to business with as little banter as possible. But despite this terse demeanor, she's nothing but kind and caring, a trait that only grew more as she cared for orphans in the New Beginnings Orphanage. However, caring for children did not help her temper, and childish antics would often bring this matron into a frustrated state where her dwarven upbringing would make an appearance. Otherwise, she keeps her dialect well hidden, mostly to avoid the strange gazes strangers give her when she speaks like a dwarf.

Biography
Edyis was an orphan herself as a child, and was taken in by a dwarven family following a tragedy involving her birth-kin. Through her new family, she grew to have a love for blacksmithing, along with the origins and tall tales surrounding it. Her childhood passion led to her becoming very studious and hardworking about all aspects of it, soon developing a self-taught magic system that combined the enchanting runes used by smiths with her own innate magic from her dark elf heritage. Upon reaching 20 years of age, Eydis learned of her past from her father, and set out to the nearby village of Nortia, hoping to learn more as well as try to give back to the world. The once-orphaned child planned to pay it forward, seeking employment at the local orphanage, and starting as an apprentice before earning her position as a Matron a couple years later. She eventually built a forge on site, and took over the task of general repairs in the orphanage. This ended up becoming her 'study' in a sense, as it allowed her to maintain her magic and smithing abilities when she wasn't helping to manage the children.

Now, decades later, she's ended up a part of Goddess Thalia's familia. And seeing multiple former orphans planning to head off into the wilderness to make a new home for the goddess in Orario, she could not help but follow along to ensure their safety. Though, most of all, it was to ensure that her former charges would not get into any major trouble on the roads due to their own mischief.

Ideals Exploring dungeons in hopes of unearthing grand historical knowledge and artifacts, so she has tales to tell back home. And also to gain more understanding in her own crafting efforts.

Bonds As a former sister/caretaker at the New Beginnings Orphanage, she's familiar with anyone that was in that orphanage for the past 2 decades. The most relevant of these is Taiga, who she considers a little brother. Otherwise, she herself is an adopted orphan raise by dwarves in the mountains near Nortia, and gets along generally well with them all.

Flaws She is fixated on history, and all subjects of smithing that she grew up around, to the point of being a sort of maniac. This leads to some very awkward social circumstances when she is confronted with relics and the like.

[Name:]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Lj-jxwTq5cK4XNZqJTPsnYMv_-SdvLo4jr-oBuu17h0/edit#gid=54832349

Name: Fred Pragtige
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Occupation: Unemployed
Country of Origin: South Africa
Approximate Origin Earth Year Calendar Date: 2010
Quirk: Black guy, but has Vitiligo on the back of his neck
Hobbies: Knitting,  people-watching, architecture
Personality: Curious, yet laid back. He's the kind of guy that stands at the side, not out of awkwardness, just distant. (Think Izaya Orihara from Durarara, but not nearly as selfishly underhanded)
Intellectual capabilities: Above average, but not exceptionally knowledgeable. He has wisdom, is quick witted, and has a lot of potential, but due to his past he does not know many detailed facts.
Physical capabilities: Somewhat wiry build, giving him a more agile strength than anything. Quick, but only has an average amount of brute force
Likes: Shiny things, food, laughing
Dislikes: People holding his shiny things, people eating his food, people not laughing/happy, goshawks/birds of prey in general
Strengths: Intuitive, adaptive, inventive
Weaknesses: 2nd hand knowledge of human interaction (Not quite socially inept, but misinterpreting social queues)
Biography: Fred was an African white-necked raven before his untimely death. Yes, a bird. He'd always taken interest in watching the people of South Africa go about their daily business, and began picking up on general human behavior in this manner. But that wasn't good enough. He wanted to truly understand what they were doing, but the speech he did manage was mimicry at best. He had no idea what he was actually saying, only that his words did actually encourage response. He couldn't question, only listen and watch. One day, he was caught off-guard by a goshawk, quickly being knocked from the sky into the mountainside below. Though normally something from which Fred could easily recover from, the goshawk had managed to tear through a good portion of his wing, leaving him helpless as he smashed into a jutting cliffside rock. His desire, until his death, to learn and communicate with people led to his rebirth as one, albeit in a much different world.
Misc: Any other note you wish to give me which might help me either understand your character more, or something you prefer like the following (though as always I have the final say, as I need to ensure everything works fine for the RP's story, these are just suggestions for me, and to help me understand what you're looking for in the RP, assume you don't get any of these so you're not too let down, remember, I aim to make things random):
-A suggestion on how you entered the New World
-If you want your character to die or not before entering the New World
-Any other specific requests
Abilities
Allocate 64 points to the following Abilities:
STR:   8
DEX:  12
CON: 10
INT:   10
WIS:  15
CHA:  9

This topic has been moved to Mission Board, as it is the sign-up sheet for the mission, not the mission itself

http://forums.fantasyworldcreations.com/index.php?topic=1757.0

["So ya wanna join the Hunters Guild registry, do ya? I can see ya as a hunter, but looks don't say everythin'! Ye'll need to complete the trials, and dependin' on how well ye do, ye'll be placed in one of our startin' ranks in Copper."]

[info]This thread is for anyone with interest in joining the Hunters Guild via the Guild of Galas'nor contract.[/info]
The old man behind the guild desk, who introduces himself as Sam, responds to your inquiry, "So ya wanna join the Hunters Guild registry, do ya? I can see ya as a hunter, but looks don't say everythin'! Ye'll need to complete the trials, and dependin' on how well ye do, ye'll be placed in one of our startin' ranks in Copper." He pauses to make sure he's got your attention. "There's 3 separate trials, one for combat ability, one testing observational skill, and one for lookin' into how ye deal with traps. Ye can still fail two of the trials and pass, but ye can't get out of the Copper ranking before ye've passed all three. We're not letting ya run into a new ranking until we know you have the basics down. Ah, and of course skipping a trial, though allowed, will result in an automatic drop in starting rank."

Sam then motions with his thumb behind him, pointing toward the back room, "If ye're still interested, head back there. The portal wizard will send ya through to the trial grounds."

[info]Mission info:

Pass the Initiation test of the Hunters Guild.
Possible ranks:
Copper                   Pass one trial
Copper Jade           Pass two trials
Copper Amethyst   Pass three trials
Copper Topaz         Pass all three trials effortlessly (Within time limits based on rounds passed)

Reward:
Badge showing your rank
Ability to enlist in Bounty listings up to one step above your current rank

Rankings can be seen here
[/info]

Word quickly spread throughout the Korinthian region about a major archaeological find in mountains north of Kinser. It was revealed that an entire ancient city was uncovered after finally managing to undo the seal on a stone door deep in the caverns of the region. The city is in pristine condition, but the explorers quickly came across difficulties and retreated. They've set up in Kinser and spread the news saying anyone is free to enter, and their only condition for the location is that artifacts be brought back for appraisal. Otherwise, finders keepers!

Those parties interested should meet with Professor Gillen in Kinser.

[info]This is not a guild contract, thus no rewards are posted. It's a dungeon delve mission.

1000 experience will be rewarded from completing your share of the exploration.

Parties should be limited to 2-4, soloing is allowed but not recommended.
There are multiple parties allowed. Each party will have a separate thread.

Those interested, post on here. Once we have everyone, you can discuss among yourselves who you'd like with you party. I will make a thread for in-character debating, if everyone likes the idea. Otherwise, PM me with your groups[/info]

With as large as Ternadan is, not all parts of it can be glorious and well-maintained. There will always be slums, abandoned residences, shady areas, and the like. And that is precisely the story with the Rubel Quarter. The streets are cracked and dust-covered, the buildings in disrepair, and fights and uncouth dealings in the streets are commonplace. In fact, there was very little guard presence there now, as it was viewed as a lost cause. Security only tended to intervene per residential request, or rumors of grander schemes and villainy rearing its head.

Thus, news of violence from that region of town often went in one ear and out the other, and the town guard tended not to make matters within the area known commonly. The Rubel Quarter was essentially corded off and isolated, having an entirely different culture.

This time was an exception.

It was kept rather secretive, but the captain of the guard, Stefan Fonseca, reached out to the guild for aide. It seemed there was a series of events that required investigation. Thus a task force was requested to delve into the slums and uncover what was causing even more unrest than normal. More details will be given upon the force's arrival to the Quarter.

[info]Mission: Uncover the disturbance and resolve it.
Party Size: 2-4
Experience upon completion: 800
Compensation: 300 gold per person[/info]

[Goal: Find the entrance to the ruins, and the legendary core.Secondary, obligatory objective: Regain funds for the guild to help with repairs/improvements]

[info]Party consists of the following characters:
Annia
Wolfrin
Gandin
Callista

After the recent siege on the guild hall, members of the Guild of Galas'nor have been sent out to find better ways of defending. One group of members in particular are chasing a legend. The legend tells of a powerful crystal core that's been formed into one of the purest magical focuses imaginable. Such an item would be able to increase the defensive magics of the guild hall tenfold, plus multiple other uses.


Over months of research, after following multiple leads and stories to their ends, you found that they all led to one place. The snow-covered mountains Naroese, the icy lands North of Korinthia. After much preparation for the journey and border customs, you all find yourselves at the foot of the proposed mountain range. All you could glean from your information gathering after this point was one landmarking phrase.


"Ascend with the spear toward the hands of the gods. Pierce their heart to enter their realm."


This was the only clue you could find on locating and entering the ruins where your target is located. You've solved the first clue after Guild scholars delved into Naroese history, finding that the 'Spear' was in fact a geological growth from the land that was now known as Procan's Pike at the far eastern end of Naroese. It was a play on words, as the sudden river bend there, known as a pike, pointed directly toward the spearhead-like rock formation, which pointed into a mountain range almost immediately. From there it was all guesswork.


Goal: Find the entrance to the ruins, and the legendary core.
Secondary, obligatory objective: Regain funds for the guild to help with repairs/improvements

Reward experience for completion: 400 experience
No inherent gold reward, all wealth gain from loot.[/info]

The party found themselves in front of Procan's Pike after months of travel to the northern lands. They immediately set out in the direction that the Pike pointed, though even with and expert survivalist, the group lost their way slightly. Having taken most of the day wandering through the snowy mountains, the group decided to rest and continue in the morrow. Wolfrin, thinking ahead about the elements of the mountains, used a spell that gave them a warm sanctuary for the evening.

This forethought proved extremely helpful, as they found their dome-like santuary half-buried by snow. It seemed that a blizzard stirred up overnight, which would have spelt disaster for the guild members.

Wolfrin and the group reoriented themselves based on their travel yesterday, and managed to right their course. They managed to spot a quad of peaks they'd seen the day before, but due to their new perspective (looking at them from a different direction), they saw that they were shaped like two hands reaching up to the sky. After some debate, they translated the ancient verbiage from their research as meaning they should be able to find something of interest in the valley between these peaks.

In a few hours' time, the party made their way between the peaks and found a cavern  leading into the ground. Believing that this was their goal, the group entered within its depths. Though the opening had seemed natural and simple at first, they soon saw that the rock walls had become worked stone, which Gandin was able to determine had dwarven origin. They'd found ancient dwarven ruins!

Not long after this discovery, they wandered into a stone chamber. The floor of the room is a room filled with square tile plates that have depictions on them. There are four pictures total, from what you see: fire, waves, rock, and tree. The tiles are 5 foot squares, and the floor is 5 tiles across and 8 tiles toward the opposite doorway. The door, a single round slab made of stone, is closed.

Callista took the chance to attempt to detect magic, which revealed that there is magic throughout the room, leading the user to believe that the floor has a mechanism to it. Callista used her ability to fly to scout over the room. Originally she'd intended to aid the rest of the group in discovering the trick to the floor tiles, but could not focus well enough to note anything of interest, nor memorize anything of importance.

The group then looked around the room more earnestly, perceiving that there are odd metal rods with spheres at their ends on either side of the room. Between the rods on the walls and the floor on which the party and tiles were located, there was a 10 foot wide opening which dropped an indeterminable distance into the depths of the mountains.

After some debate, and trial and error which resulted in triggering the floor's mechanism and shocking Gandin and Wolfrin, the group determined that the pattern that could be safely followed was waves -> fire -> tree -> rock -> waves. The group made their way through the tiles following this method, though the there were multiple paths that ended up looping back or as dead ends. Wolfrin had ended up at a dead end only 10 feet from the other side of the tiled floor, and after testing the tiles around that dead end, leading to being shocked by lightning, decided to jump to make his way there. He reached the other side safely by doing so. However, upon reaching the other side, he noted that the door was locked, without any sign of a lock of door knob. This led him to believe that the tiles needed to be walked across correctly to unlock the door.

Wolfrin shouted back his insights to the remaining party members, Annia and Gandin, who then avoided the route that led to the dead end, correctly solving the floor puzzle. The door unlocked, as was hypothesized, and the group made their way to the next room.

Upon entering this room, it became obvious that something was odd. The air was thin with oxygen, making it somewhat hard to breath. It seemed a major portion of the air had been replaced by another gas, which smelt of rotten eggs and was also making visibility difficult. After some thinking, the group determined that it was sulfur, likely caused by volcanic activity deeper within the earth. Gandin's ability to see better in the dark allowed him to note that the room had a wide pit continuing into the darkness. There was a rock bridge, supported but natural pillars, leading across. At the floor of the pit, after dropping a torch to see better, there was what looked to be tar of unknown depth. The bubbling of the tar explained where the sulfuric gas in the room was coming from. However, the dropped torch ended up catching the tar on fire.

Callista once again flew across as a scout, determining the relative distance across the pit, and confirming that the rock bridge made it all the way across. Following this information, Wolfrin and Gandin made their way across one at a time. About 10 feet into the crossing, there is a slanted portion of the rock, which causes Wolfrin to slip, but he catches himself and continues on. 15 feet after that, the ground gives way beneath Wolfrin, causing him to jump back to safety. With a 5 foot gap in the walkway, Wolfrin decides to jump over it, but ends up missing the jump, falling into the tar.

The tar is only knee deep, but is both acidic and paralytic. However, Wolfrin resists the paralytic effects and begins wading to the other side. Soon after falling in, he hears something else moving through the tar; it turns out to be an ooze that lived in the tar pools. The chase was on as Wolfrin tried to move through the tar and climb the wall before the ooze was on top of him. He managed to climb up successfully to the other side, with his only injuries being minor acid burns.

Gandin, with his pride leading the way, thought he could certainly outdo Wolfrin's jump and make his way across the 5 foot gap, but it proved to literally be his downfall as well. He plummeted into the tar, and succumbed to the paralytic effects it held. Though not complete paralysis, he was left immobile, with the oozes charging at him. The fire started by his torch was also making its way to him; at this point is was a fight with his own body as he tried to overcome the paralysis before every hazard overcame him. After being beset by two oozes, the acid, and the fire, Gandin finally regained use of his legs and made his way to the same wall as Wolfrin. During the struggle, Wolfrin, Annia and Callista were all sieging the oozes, but to little effect.

At last, with about half of his vitality remaining, Gandin made his way up to Wolfrin by climbing, obtaining some aid at the end from his allies. The group had not been prepared for such an event, and thus could not help him earlier than when he was on the wall. Determining that the pathway was too great a challenge, Wolfrin made a bridge of thorns leading back to the first landing for Annia to cross with her horse. The horse took some damage, but it was deemed worthwhile. Callista then took out a healing wand and brought the party back to full health.

The next room, or at least the hallway to it, was a much more pristine portion of the ruins, with crystal sconces on the walls that were magically lit. Gandin, intrigued by the glowing crystals, tore one off the wall, breaking it and the sconce that remained on the wall. As the magical influence was severed as well, the crystal did not continue glowing.

At the end of the hall was a square room that was about 30 feet by 30 feet, supported by 4 pillars near each corner. The entire room was made of a smooth, blue-gray stone, illuminated blue from crystal light of the sconces. In the center of the room is a 2-foot diameter, runed, gem-encrusted sphere on a stone pedestal. Callista once again detected magic in the room, showing that the sphere on the pedestal was the source of magic for the room, and possibly the ruins entirely. Gandin, wishing to touch it, steps forward, but immediately sets off a flash of light upon getting close, which envelops the whole room. Something seemed to be mentally forcing itself onto the party, which Annia and Gandin, along with the druid companion creatures, were unable to resist.

Annia and Gandin suddenly found themselves in a thick jungle, along with Wolfrin's wolf Buddy and Callista's pet Brat, which no recollection of how they got there, nor what they had been doing previously. Upon inspecting the area around them, they saw light coming through from some of the vines in one direction. Paranoid, Gandin shot through the vines a few times, but nothing happened. After a moment, the two of them decided to head through the vines to the light. When they stepped through, they came to an open area with a very shallow lake, surrounding an island with a large, old tree on it. The tree was welcoming, and unable to resist, the two of them made their way to the island. As they both got closer, they felt at peace, with warm and happy feelings enveloping them. Being so relaxed, the two of them sat down against the trunk, with Gandin pulling out his viewing crystal to watch his favored pony show and Annia breaking out her favorite Milliana Jones novel.

Callista and Wolfrin, however, were having a much different experience. The light faded, showing that the stone sphere in the center was aglow with magical energy, and all of their companions were in a trance-like stupor. Their friends were trapped by an enchantment of some form! They tried multiple methods to awaken them, including drenching Gandin in water and using a sleep-breaking spell, but nothing had an effect outwardly. However, the water caused Annia and Gandin to experience a light shower in their world.

While Wolfrin and Callista were trying to figure out what to do, Gandin was suddenly overcome by darkness in the illusionary world, with all his surroundings becoming shadowy in nature. Stalking out of the darkness toward him was a large beast of shadows, its red eyes glowing murderously, piercingly gazing at the dwarf. Though the beast was certainly frightening, Gandin was truly horrified when he saw what it had donned upon its body. Torn apart and worn over its limbs, body and visage were the bodies of the ponies he adored so much. It became obvious that the creature attempted to make Gandin join his friends. The horror was too much to handle for the dwarf, so shocked by what he saw that he couldn't disbelieve it. It reached out toward him, grasping toward him in such a manner that he couldn't steady himself.

With no warning to any of his companions, Gandin ceased to be. He disappeared from beside Annia in the illusionary world, causing her alarm. But in the room with Wolfrin and Callista, the turn of events was much more unsettling. Gandin spat up blood and collapsed with no warning, his face eternally stricken with horror. He was dead.

This set the entire party into a hurried panic. Wolfrin stabbed Annia's foot in a brute-force attempt to wake her, but it did not work. however, in the illusion, Annia's foot was painfully pierced by a root, which she immediately cut and stepped off of.

Wolfrin, using all his strength against the half-ton stone, pushed the sphere off its pedestal, resisting another mental assault as he touched it. The orb fell to the ground, but due to its mass and structure, did not get overly damaged. This action caused a light earthquake in the dream world for Annia.

Callista began to examine the stone sphere, and recognized that it might be a form of puzzle lock. She began pressing the many gems on its face, but was unable to resist the second mental assault and fell to the ground in the same trance as Annia and Gandin. However, her first reaction to the new surroundings was to go invisible and seek shelter.

With this, Wolfrin was the final member not ensorcelled by the stone. he tried to move Buddy and Callista outside the room, but was cut off by a magical barrier. In desperation, he began attacking and launching lightning at the stone, further damaging it. In the illusion, Callista made her way to the tree and saw Annia. After hearing the current events around the tree, Callista detected magic, only to find out that their surroundings were not natural in the least. The entire jungle was magical, and the big tree beside them was the source. immediately they began attacking the tree, which slowly began to shake the illusion's stability. Wolfrin saw that the stone began breaking on its own, which unbeknownst to him was from Annia and Callista's efforts.

Suddenly, Annia also fell victim to the same spell as Gandin. The world turned dark, and figures began appearing face-first from the tree and falling limply to the ground. They were all faces she recognized, and as soon as they began to speak, she realized from where. They were members from her paladin order, all blaming her for their deaths. That all her choices thus far had caused their terrible fate. At the height of emotional turmoil, a demon launched itself from the tree and attempted to clutch Annia's head in its grasp. However, Annia shook herself from this image before it completed, knowing it to be completely false. By disbelieving the new illusion, the shadowy world around her broke, and she returned before the tree, commencing her attack.

The barrage of the party finally proved too great, and the sphere crumbled before Wolfrin. As soon as it broke, the rest of the party was released from the illusion. The sphere had crumbled into dust and small rubble, leaving the gems behind as well as its core, a pure, smooth, crystal sphere about 6 inches in diameter. Callista appraised the gems to be around 2000 gold's worth.

The party gathered around Gandin's corpse, confirming his death. The party took a moment to investigate the rest of the ruins, finding one last adjacent room full of treasure. Luckily, this treasure included an exceptional diamond, which would be needed for the Raise Dead spell. At this find, the party was relieved. They gathered up their loot, and cautiously made their way back through the ruins, which were now disabled due to the loss of magical power.

While Wolfrin and Callista made their way back with the cart of loot and travel goods, Annia rode on ahead with Gandin's body to the nearest town that had an established clerical presence and had Gandin revived.

The group safely arrived back at the guild months later, presenting the core as well as the funds necessary to restore the guild. And of course have a celebration on the mission success!

[info]Mission completion!
All party members receive 1100 gold (500 gold from the gems, and 600 gold as a share from the treasure room)

On top of individual experience rewards from the mission, 200 experience will be rewarded for mission completion.[/info]

["Ludwik, you're on courtyard duty today, along with Brussel, Reinholt and Nold."]

It was a common sight to see Vladimir outside the guild hall every morning after breakfast, just around back. It was the training area, and whether to upkeep his skill, or to obtain some form of time to focus and think, he would always be swinging and practicing his footwork. Just as the sun rose and set on schedule, so would Vladimir appear in this spot every morning. He was never easy on himself, being sure to push limits when possible, which always left him tired. This lead to the only other daily routine which he never seemed to skip. A rest beneath one of his favorite oaks, a fairly large one, barely within earshot of the training grounds.

Slouching back against the elder tree, Vladimir looked up through its broad broad branches and tightly gathered leaves, daydreaming as he lost himself in the shining light through the canopy. It was a rare moment of peace for him, one he made sure to never miss. Peaceful enough that he couldn't help but close his eyes.



"Ludwik, you're on courtyard duty today, along with Brussel, Reinholt and Nold."

The gruff, but piercing and commanding voice bellowed out the order amongst the group of groundsmen. He was Keith Renzer, the Captain of the Guard for the Holst Estate. All four men wordlessly saluted, their mail clanking with the sudden motion, followed by the men marching out of the barracks. After parting from the doorway, the soldiers parted to begin their routes. As far as estate grounds go, the Duke's land was actually quite small, and only consisted of 20 guards at one moment. Two at each of the three gates, four within the manor, four patrolling the grounds, and six more along the parapets on the walls surrounding the grounds.

This time's guard rotation had Vladimir pacing around one quarter of the courtyard; he counted his blessing as it was the most serene route he could ask for from his work. This courtyard wing was home to one of the two pond sections in the gardens on the estate grounds, but this one in particular was usually reserved for one of the ladies of the manor and her young brother during their breaks from lessons. As his job called for him to pace vigilantly, there was no way he would get a moment with them; not that the nobles would spare their personal moments for a common guard. But watching them both laughing in each others' company was a wonderful way to pass the shift.

While watching them relax from an adjacent edge of the pond, he noticed a shadow creeping along the brush a short ways behind them. No one ever comes here at this time except for these two... He broke out of his wistfulness, recognizing the oddity, and placing a hand on his crossbow as he circled toward them. His gut proved correct, as a man rose from the brush, a crossbow trained toward them himself.

"BOTH OF YOU, GET DOWN!" Vladimir roared while loosing a bolt toward the assailant. The figure managed to dodge, but the crossbow bolt still embedded itself within his shoulder. The assailant's bolt fired wide because of this, but it seems he wasn't going to stop there as he drew a longsword. Vladimir rushed forward, hoping to meet him in time. As he did so, he noticed the two, brother and sister, frozen like frightened deer. He grimaced, knowing there was no chance if they didn't act as well.

"I SAID DOWN! BEHIND THE BENCH! GO!"

Giving them an actual task seemed to snap them out of their stupor somehow as they ducked behind a bench a short ways away from them, giving them some cover. Doing this allowed them to see another mystery man was running for them, blade drawn. There was no time left, so Vladimir decided to lunge. Using a potted plant for a stepping stool, the guardsman leapt through the air, bringing his broadsword over his head and downward towards the assailant. The man was forced to block instead of continuing his charge, with the force of the blow nearly bringing him to his knees. While he was still disoriented, Vladimir took the chance to to kick into the man's waistline, causing him to break stance enough for Vladimir to swipe his sword horizontally. It bit deep into his enemy's side, disabling him.

Vladimir leveled his sword to the man's neck. "Yield, knave."

"Never." The prone man growled out his words as he forced his neck into the sword's tip, killing himself to avoid any chance at interrogation. It was a gruesome action, which had Vladimir grimacing with disgust.

"Don't look. Vladimir called back to the duo behind the bench. "This isn't something you should see. I'll come to you. You'll need to stay close until it's confirmed that no more assassins are on the grounds." He pulled the tip of his sword from the man's throat, then walked to the bench. When he arrived face-to-face with the two of them, he had to hold back his reaction, thankful that his helm somewhat hid his face. The boy, though obviously tear-stained from fright, wore a look of reverence, starry eyes shining up toward Vladimir. As for the lady, well, hers was a normal, grateful expression amongst an equally tear-stained visage. But Vladimir needed to catch his breath from the sight; she was astonishingly beautiful.

The boy was the first to speak. "Thank you for protecting us! But I don't feel safe after that; I want you as our guard. After seeing that, I only trust you. What's your name, guard?" Vladimir was a little taken aback by the request, and saw the lady trying to calm her sibling down, but her glances up at you seemed to have at least some semblance of shared thought with her brother. Vladimir took off his helm, his black, Caesar-cut hair and lightly tanned face exposed to noble's view.

"Vladimir Ludwik, at your service, Milord and Lady."

[Cantripologist]

Source

Cantripologist

The Cantripologist is a caster who uses only the weakest kind of magic, but with great accuaracy and effect.

Making a Cantripologist

Designing a Cantripologist should be much like designing a Wizard.
A Cantripologist's main role includes utility spellcasting, part healing and some offensive magic. He can also research and invent new cantrips, just like a caster researches new spells.

Abilities: The Cantripologist uses Intelligence for his spellcasting. However, good secondary ability scores would be Dexterity and Constitution, to live longer and perhaps have a bit of weapon potential.
Races: Humans, Halflings and Gnomes are the most common Cantripologists due to their creativity, but there several Goblins, Orcs, and many other less cultivated races.
Alignment: Any.
Starting Gold: 2d4*10 gp (20-80 gp.)
Starting Age: Simple.

Table: Cantripologist
Hit Die: d6

Level	|Base Attack Bonus	|Saving Throws	|Special	|Pseudocasting Spell level	|Spell points
		Fort  Ref  Will
1st	+0	+0  +0  +2	Spells, Bonus Metamagic Feat	0	6
2nd	+1	+0  +0  +3	Power in Numbers	1	10
3rd	+1	+1  +1  +3	Cantrip Efficiency I	2	14
4th	+2	+1  +1  +4	Bonus Metamagic Feat	2	20
5th	+2	+1  +1  +4		3	26
6th	+3	+2  +2  +5	Cantrip Efficiency II	3	34
7th	+3	+2  +2  +5		4	42
8th	+4	+2  +2  +6	Bonus Metamagic Feat	4	52
9th	+4	+3  +3  +6	Cantrip Efficiency III	5	62
10th	+5	+3  +3  +7		5	74
11th	+5	+3  +3  +7		6	86
12th	+6/+1	+4  +4  +8	Bonus Metamagic Feat, Cantrip Efficiency IV	6	100
13th	+6/+1	+4  +4  +8		7	114
14th	+7/+2	+4  +4  +9		7	130
15th	+7/+2	+5  +5  +9	Cantrip Efficiency V	8	146
16th	+8/+3	+5  +5  +10	Bonus Metamagic Feat	8	164
17th	+8/+3	+5  +5  +10		9	182
18th	+9/+4	+6  +6  +11	Cantrip Efficiency VI	9	222
19th	+9/+4	+6  +6  +11		9	250
20th	+10/+5	+6  +6  +12	Bonus Metamagic Feat	9	306

Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level)
Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Forgery (Int), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Cantripologist.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Cantripologist is proficient with the quarterstaff, dagger, and light crossbow.

Spells: The Cantripologist's spells are Intelligence based. He can use any single arcane cantrip he knows at will, but when he uses cantrips together it costs him spell points. The number of combined cantrips he can use each round is equal to his Cantripologist caster level * 2. For example, a level 3 Cantripologist can use 6 cantrips per round and etc. Each cantrip used costs 1/2 spell points when used together and no cost when its single used. For example a lvl 2 Cantripologist can use 4 cantrips together in a round wasting 1/2 SP for each one of them, so he would waste 2 SP, while he could cast a single cantrip at no cost.

Table: Cantripologist Spells Known

Level Spells Known 1st 4 2nd 5 3rd 6 4th 7 5th 8 6th 9 7th 10 8th 11 9th 12 10th 13 11th 14 12th 15 13th 16 14th 17 15th 18 16th 19 17th 20 18th 21 19th 22 20th 23 Bonus Metamagic Feat: The Cantripologist gets a bonus metamagic feat at first level and every fourth level. When it comes to metamagic feats the The Cantripologist can use it for free, if the added spell levels aren't higher than his Pseudocasting Level. For example a lvl 15 The Cantripologist with a pseudocasting level 8, can use as many cantrips as he wants per round (not more than the limit), with maximize spell (+3 spell level) so he has still 5 levels to use in metamagic. Cantrips: The The Cantripologist can know 0-level spells from any spell list. As a standard action, he may cast a number of them (or any combination of multiples of them) with metamagic applied to them as desired. The Cantripologist learns one new cantrip each time he levels up Cantrip Efficiency: starting at level 3 and each 3 levels after that Cantripologists learn to use an additional cantrip per round at no cost instead of one, For example a 5 lvl Cantripologist without Cantrip Efficiency I could use 1 cantrip at no cost and 10 cantrips for 5 sp. With Cantrip Efficiency I he uses now 2 Cantrips at no cost, and as a result he would pay only 4 sp, for 10 spells. That increases by 1 each 3 levels. That advancement stops at level 27 with Cantrip Efficacy IX Pseudocasting level: That number indicates the level that The Cantripologist's cantrips are supposed to be.So, a level 7 The Cantripologist with Pseudocasting level 4 uses a 4th level spell DC for his cantrips, prestige classes and stuff. Power in Numbers: At level 2, Cantripologist counts all spells he casts per round as one for each target. So, a level 5 Cantripologist , can use Guidance 10 times and make the target receive 10 temporal hp. He can also use 10 rays of frost on a single target using only one saving throw and touch attack. Epic Cantripologist Table: The Epic Cantripologist Hit Die: d6 Level Special 21st Cantrip Efficacy VII 22nd +10 Spell Points 23rd 24th Bonus Feat, Cantrip Efficacy VIII 25th +10 Spell Points 26th 27th Cantrip Efficiency IX 28th Bonus Feat, 29th +10 Spell Points 30th 4 + Int modifier skill points per level. Spell Levels per Day: The Spell Levels per Day for a Cantripologist increase by 25 every level after 20th. Bonus Feats: The epic Cantripologist gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Cantripologist bonus feats) every 4 levels after 20th. Epic Cantripologist Bonus Feat List: Augmented Alchemy, Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Combat Casting, Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Epic Rod, Craft Epic Wondrous Item, Efficient Item Creation, Enhance Spell, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Spellcasting, Forge Epic Ring, Ignore Material Components, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Intensify Spell, Multispell, Permanent Emanation, Scribe Epic Scroll, Spell Knowledge, Spell Mastery, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration Spell Stowaway, Spell Opportunity, Spontaneous Spell, Tenacious Magic. In addition to the feats on this list, the Cantripologist may select any metamagic feat not listed here.

[info]Mini mission!

Requirements: Character must have at least a +5 in Perception

Max Players: 2
Exp Reward (varies from 50% to 200%): 100
Gold: Unknown[/info]

While traveling through a detour route back to Ternadan, you find that path leads through a tunnel. Lighting your torch, you head straight into the dark path. There are several, long torches lining the walls of the cavernous path, though they seem to have been poorly maintained, with some of them left unlit, and others with barely any time left. This leaves you straining your eyes to stay cautious of your environment.

It's about 10 minutes in that your eyes catch something for an instant that glints with light along the left wall. The torchlight only catches for an instant, and the dimness of the light in the area makes it hard for you determine where it came from. Something about this makes you curious.

[info]Find the shiny thing![/info]

["2 gold!? You're charging so much for workmanship like this!? It's charming, I'll give you that, but it's no masterpiece!"]

[info]Mini mission!

Max Players: 2
Exp Reward (varies from 50% to 200%): 200[/info]

While wandering through the open market in Ternadan, you note a commotion a short ways ahead. It seems to be a dispute between a customer and a stall merchant.

You arrived at the scene just in time to witness a climax of the outburst. "2 gold!? You're charging so much for workmanship like this!? It's charming, I'll give you that, but it's no masterpiece!" The yelling man was holding a cloak clasp discerningly in front of him. "I'll give you 40 silver for it."

The merchant had a calm demeanor through the initial criticism, but it soon contorted in rage at the offer to pay 20% of the cost of the piece in question. "You dare to look down on my work so much!? If you want a clasp at that price, go to a general store. What I sell is art! This wasn't cast in some mold at a forge! It was shaped by hand! My hand! Are you calling my skill worthless!? The merchant's fists were balled up in anger.

"And what if I am? I've critiqued multiple pieces here, and it's all grossly overpriced! I wouldn't even be surprised if the materials were cheap." The comment was said sharply, and you felt as though something else was going on here. You also felt a sudden aura of blood lust from the vendor at the man's comment.

"You...!"

It was apparent that if someone didn't act fast, there was going to be a fight. A possibly lethal fight.

[Rank]

The Hunters Guild has become a world-wide established organization in Yslia, spanning across most regions as a regulated and accepted way of turning in an processing criminals with a price on their head. The guild has a major building in each region's capital, with hubs spread throughout the smaller, established cities. Due to being regulated and contracted out by the governing powers of each region for bounty management, certain quality-of-life facilities have been granted. The main one being destination-locked portal networks that lead to the main city facility, maintained by province-assigned wizards.

But aside from the guild's contracted job of managing the capture or proof of execution of dangerous individuals, it serves another purpose. The Hunters Guild has a registry and ranking system in which to keep track of its members. People from all across Yslia make a living by hunting through the guild, and for those that have greater skill a large amount of renown is achieved as well. Often, those with high renown in the Bounty Guild are sought out by nobility and government officials for special tasks.

Recently, the Hunters Guild has mended its rivalry with the Guild of Galas'nor, instead turning to a sort of mutual business. Galas'nor members may now register in the Hunters Guild, and the Hunters Guild will share their bounty listings with Galas'nor. It was agreed that this would expand the renown of both establishments, as well as working around the competition and frustration caused by it. In return, the Guild of Galas'nor is able to use the portal network at the Hunters Guild rate, instead of the 20% fee.

Hunters Guild membership is not an easy license to obtain for most; there are trials involved in simply earning the lowest rank of entry. Advancement tests are also an established system within the Hunters Guild, which, barring some exceptions, can only be attempted when the proper amount of bounties are claimed by the individual seeking advancement. The ranking system is as follows.

Rank	No Subrank	Jade	Amethyst	Topaz	Sapphire	Emerald	Ruby	Diamond
Copper	Starting Rank	125g	250g	375g	-	-	-	-
Bronze	500g	625g	750g	875g	-	-	-	-
Iron	1000g	1250g	1500g	1750g	-	-	-	-
Silver	2000g	2750g	3500g	4250g	5000g	5750g	6500g	7250g
Gold	8000g	9500g	11000g	12500g	14000g	15500g	17000g	18500g
Platinum	20000g	23750g	27500g	31250g	35000g	38750g	42500g	46250g
Adamantine	50000g	55000g	60000g	65000g	70000g	80000g	90000g	100000g

note: Gold amounts are amount of gold that needs to be claimed.

["When we do find the local Hunters Guild hub, let me take the lead. This is one area that I have a decent amount of influence. I can prevent things from going...poorly. You see, with the Guild of Galas'nor being predominant in Ternadan, a lot of the Hunters Guild's work instead goes directly to us, leaving local hunters with little renown. So Galas'nor isn't exactly a well-received presence."]

[info]This RP is following the events of the "Triple Bounty" mission, and thus only those on this mission can participate.[/info]

With the recently acquired bounties from his last mission, and because he is the only registered bounty hunter among the group of captors, Vladimir was given the chance to make use of a persona he'd constructed decades ago in the city of in Heldenburg: 'Shade', the bounty hunter known for his capturing and shadow-stalking abilities. It had been years since he'd last actively submitted a bounty under this alias, but today would be a much larger haul than his usual petty thieves. The bounties were the duo Roadhog and Junkrat. Though both of them were certainly worth more than their current bounty compared to their skill, a 500 gold total bounty was nothing to scoff at.

Vladimir turned to address the group, "When we do find the local Hunters Guild hub, let me take the lead. This is one area that I have a decent amount of influence. I can prevent things from going...poorly. You see, with the Guild of Galas'nor being predominant in Ternadan, a lot of the Hunters Guild's work instead goes directly to us, leaving local hunters with little renown. So Galas'nor isn't exactly a well-received presence."

After a bit of asking around, the group managed to find the Hunters Guild hub in Ternadan. It was a small operation, with some scattered tables in the main room for client and hunter discussion. The front desk was similarly simple, with a single staff member, an old man, resting on his elbow in boredom. In fact, the guild members' entry into the hub seemed the most exciting event of the day. The man at the counter looked up, a little bit of a spiteful tone in his speech. "Well, what an honor. What can I do for the illustrious Guild of Galas'nor?" It seems that your arrival wasn't what surprised them, but who you represented. just as Vladimir had warned, your Guild emblems gave rise to some unrest.

Vladimir spoke up first, ignoring the spite. "We captured someone for interrogation, but found out he and his partner had bounties on their heads. We'd like to claim that reward." He motions to Maeve to bring Junkrat forward with Roadhog's mask, being the 'Keeper of the Cell', so to speak. Quite a find, that portable hole.

The man spat into a spittoon at his feet, still leveling a hard gaze at the group. "Well, since you folk aren't part of our establishment, you'll need pay the necessary fee. It's a 20% cut for outside hunters using our claim and transport system."

This was the first Vladimir had heard of a 'transport system', but he'd bring that up in a moment. First he had to right the man's assumption. "What makes you think we aren't rightful hunters?" The rogue says as he takes a small, silver badge faceted with a sapphire from his pocket and slides it across the table. "It's been a while, but I'm still active." The man's eyes showed surprise as he looked over the the piece. His eyes held surprise as he looked back to Vladimir.

"It's real. Though I haven't seen a badge of this design in a very long time. It's been around 20 years since we changed the style of our badges." His gaze turns suspicious, seeing that Vladimir is hardly above 40. "That would make you a pretty young starter to reach a Silver-Sapphire rank at that point in time. What's your alias?" The man's voice was now more accusatory than taken aback, and the small number of hunters in the building had now gone silent to watch the spectacle.

Vladimir smirks at the man, happy to have a veteran before him, "I go by Shade. Silver-Sapphire rank. I'm here to claim the duo Roadhog and Junkrat." The announcement was followed by murmurs around the group and another shocked look from the man at the desk.

["i should have known to be cautious this morning after dropping all those things in camp. But why'd it have to be that..."]

[info]Mini mission!

Max Players: 3
Exp Reward (varies from 50% to 200%): 200
Gold: 50g [/info]

While traveling along the southern region of the Korinthian Kingdom, heading through a craggy region, You come across an trader. The man is in what you would guess to be his late 50s, with his brown hair distinctly fading to grey. He's looking down the crag with his hands at his hips.

"i should have known to be cautious this morning after dropping all those things in camp. But why'd it have to be that..." As he turns around to go back to his wagon, he spots you. "Oh! You! Could I ask a favor? I dropped my bag of food stuffs for my trip through the mountains over the edge. I can see it caught on a branch some 10s of feet down, but I don't trust my strength to climb down without falling. The man pauses thoughtfully, "It's a, uh, long way down past that branch..."

He motions back in the direction he came from, "I'm already half way to my destination, and the nearest town is a long ways away. Without that food, I'm stuck trying to eat off the land or starve; unfortunately all my goods are inedible. That's when he turns back to you. "But you seem like a capable sort. Much more able than I at least. Could you possibly fetch that bag of food for me? I don't plan to have you risk your life for free; I will gladly pay you for your troubles. 50 gold! Deal?" The man offers his hand for a handshake.

[Max players: 2Base exp reward (Can vary between 50% and 200% depending on the outcome): 200 expBase gold: None]

[info]This is my first attempt at a "Mini-sode" mission. It will be very short, with low reward, and a varying experience gain based on the results of the mission. Consider these "Slice of life" moments for guild members.

Max players: 2
Base exp reward (Can vary between 50% and 200% depending on the outcome): 200 exp
Base gold: None[/info]

Wandering down the streets of Ternadan, heading back to the guild after a mission along the coastline, you find yourself heading through the main plaza. A young woman suddenly runs over to you from a short ways away.

"Excuse me! You're with the Guild of Galas'nor, correct?" She meets your gaze with a pleasant smile and a hopeful look in her eyes. She's around 5'7", with long, wavy brown hair that reaches just past her shoulders; her eyes are green, and she has a fair complexion. Though you wouldn't exactly consider her a knock-out as far as looks, she was certainly a comely woman. You'd estimate her age to be in her late 20s. She noticed your guild emblems and happily continued. "Oh, good! I was wondering if you could help me with a...well an uncomfortable situation I'm in. You see, there's this man over by the fountain- oh, don't look! If he knows I've noticed him, and am talking with you about it, he may put his guard up." She has a brief panic about you almost turning around, then lets out a sigh of relief at preventing it, before going on with her issue. "He's rather unkempt, with ragged clothes and a worn hat. Very hard to miss. Well, it's been a few days now, and every time I run errands here among the stands in the plaza, his eyes always seem to follow me. I would have gone to the guard about this, but I feel that it wouldn't work out well. It's not like I want trouble." She kind of trails off in her speech at this point before picking back up. "I wanted to more casually approach the matter, but every time I've tried to confront him, he somehow or another avoids me."You can see she's rather flustered about that fact, and it becomes obvious that she's tried many times.

"Could you ask him why he keeps watching me? It's really begun to creep me out."

["Hey, Thistle."]

Work in progress. Will delete this when complete.

It had been a good while since his encounter with Thistle and her family, and though Dan certainly understood why she held that encounter against him, she had yet to warm up to the ranger. Pulling her from her home forcefully like that was not something easily forgiven, but her truly wished to gain her friendship, and to show that it wasn't his intention to be that forceful. He'd explained on a few occasions to Thistle that he'd made his decision to protect her and her family from the unpredictable behavior of the stranger, Vinny. But that didn't make his actions right, and they both knew it.

Due to her rejection of Daniel's role as her trainer, he'd only learned a handful of things about her. She was forced to eat for survival, so he had learned that she loves sour food and dislikes bitter flavors. She interacted with his Pokemon well enough, and through observation he learned she was very laid back in nature. If it weren't for the gravity of his transgression, she would have most likely let it slide and been as friendly with him as she was with the rest of his friends. She'd forgiven Bolt for being part of the capture, as his jolly demeanor convinced her that he'd had no part in the decision. She'd seemed to warm up to him slightly, or at least listen to him, during his battle in the streets. So though he didn't know much, Dan felt now was the time to learn.

That's why he was currently sitting across from Thistle in the grassy hills outside Celadon, having some down time from teaching. The Drilbur was still disinterested, lounging a few feet from him. It was an improvement from active aggression, so he was happy enough.

"Hey, Thistle." Dan tried to get her attention, with her response being a disinterested look back over her shoulder, continuing to lounge on her side. "What was life like in that cave? What kinds of things did you do?" It was a tough question to ask, one that immediately put Thistle on edge. Obviously she couldn't tell him about it, but he was looking for actions. Maybe excitement, or a longing look. If she were to actually interact, it would be a miracle. What Dan wanted to know is if she was willing to open up about the very issue he was involved in.

Her response was immediately aggressive with growls, and her glare was blaming. She had opened up as Dan had wished, but he had not expected her to still be this aggressive about it. Family must be extremely important to her. "I understand. I know I am to blame. But you were with me on that island, and know I couldn't have gotten through it without you. I truly wish you to continue traveling with me, but it is obvious I have much to do to make up for my mistake." Though still angry, she at least stopped growling. 'At least he knows.' was the displeased expression on her face. "If that's the case, we'll just have to visit your family, won't we?" Daniel gave a reassuring smile. The Drilbur immediately perked up in shock. "I'll go cancel my plans this afternoon. There were no classes for me to teach today, all I have is a staff meeting. The tunnels where I caught you are just up those mountains behind you." Daniel pointed, with Thistle following the direction. Her demeanor was now that of excitement, but still completely shocked. "Come with me, and we'll let everyone know, then depart." Though Thistle found it unbelievable that Daniel would offer such a trek, and was a little skeptical, she knew he was honest, at least. He's never lied to her, in all the time they've been together. Though she still hated him, just this once, for this cause, she would trust him.

[Nena]

Nena

Your determination and investigation led you to the outskirts of the woods near the dorms. There was an intense amount of rustling and various creature calls coming from deeper in. Before you got too far toward those noises, you saw Lynne exit from her dorm building, fully prepared top confront and record the commotion.

Lynne

With your Pokemon in tow, you charged from your room and hurried out of the building. The sounds that had alerted you only intensified as you went outside, and you realized that a sizable hoard must be near the building. You see Nena hurrying toward your direction, also aiming for whatever was in that forest.



Suddenly, the brush seems to liven further, and Pokemon come rushing out. It was a hoard of white and blue squirrel Pokemon, and they seemed strangely disturbed and enraged. It was obvious they were not about to be calmed.

[info]5 Pachirisu burst onto the scene![/info]

["Good morning! I'm Mr. Daniel Rask, and I've been assigned as your Survival teacher starting today."]

You were all surprised at the beginning of the week with the announcement of a new class on Wednesdays. A Survival course, which as far as you could tell meant a new teacher, since the current staff at the academy didn't seem to have anyone to teach the subject at the caliber of the other classes. For the two days leading up to your Wednesday class, the academy was a-buzz with gossip of the curriculum change. But there was still no news. What was this class going to be like?

The morning finally came, and upon arrival to school, you proceeded to the track field as instructed. There, you were greeted by hiking bags set in rows, one for each student, and a sole man sitting in a folding chair, watching your approach expectantly. He seemed to be in his thirties, with brown hair and blue eyes. You couldn't be sure from his sitting position, but he seemed fit and of average height. beside his chair was a similar bag to the rest, though obviously more worn. Once you were closer, he stood up to address you all.

"Good morning! I'm Mr. Daniel Rask, and I've been assigned as your Survival teacher starting today." The murmurs rose of other students with whisperings of the St. Jude. It seemed that the past few days had led to some speculation about this possibility. "I realize that many of you come from prestigious households, and as such do not know much of the wilds. You may even be scared of them." He turned turned his rather stern face into a smiling one. "That's where I come in. You see, as a trainer, there will times were you are stuck spending the night out of town. Sometimes, the environment might even be perilous, depending on what kind of trainer you wish to be. I want to show you that it can be fun, and welcoming, too. After all, the best Pokemon are often far from civilization, and the most beautiful locations are within the depths of places people rarely wander. Some day, I hope you can experience those things. So."

Daniel stops his small speech and motions to the bags before you. "To start things off, we're going on a nature hike. Nothing too intense; we'll be hiking the northern forest up to the base of the mountains. I've packed all the things you might need. Once we find a spot, we'll sit down to eat. Oh, right." Dan walks to his backpack on the ground and digs out a good-size zip-lock bag. "In case you haven't eaten yet, I made these. You'll want the energy."

There were various energy bars in the bag, all home-made. Though hesitant, after taking the first bite, you realize that they're delicious, almost candy-like.

"Now then, grab your packs. They're all the same. Let's go check out the hills."

[info]RP as you like here, I'll be asking for skill checks at a later point.[/info]

This thread is for Letina. One other trainer may join, with Letina's permission.

Being stranded on an island located who-knows-where had not been kind to you; in fact, you were starting to expect the difficulties. But this time it was one step beyond that. Finding a cave that was flooded with smoke, which often indicated volcanic activity on a volcanic island such as this, had for some reason snapped the last straw for the day with you. Yet another obstacle blocking your path, when you knew there was something more than vents inside. So you plunged into the smoke with abandon, your eyes keen from your stubborn determination. finally you wandered into an open area, where the smoke lifted toward the ceiling. This revealed two large tortoises with smoke billowing from their shells. It was never volcanic vents, it was Pokemon!

[info]2 Torkoal appear![/info]

This thread is for Grey, one other person may join Grey, with his permission.

The handful of Pancham were surprised at the authority with which this young man spoke, and slowly set down their rocks. Still, they were not about to just overlook someone entering their territory, especially crashing their daily exercise. They were ready to fight.

[info]2 Pancham appear![/info]

["Oh! You're a trainer, too! How about a battle so our Pokemon can compete as well?"]

This battle is for Vinny. One other may join if desired, with Chugs' permission.

You and the young woman tear through the water, but you manage to pull ahead at the last moment. Upon getting out and drying off, she notes your Pokeballs among your belongings.

"Oh! You're a trainer, too! How about a battle so our Pokemon can compete as well?"

She smiles and pulls out a few Pokeballs of her own.

"Come on out, Bubbles!"

At her call, and a flash of light from her Pokeball, a blue, round mouse Pokemon with a ball-tipped tail and white belly comes out cheerfully

["What? First you're refusing to pay for the clothes you ruined, THEN you're looking down on me and telling me what to do. YOOOOOU'RE in the wrong! Fine, I'll take you both on!"]

This thread is for Grey and Lynne.

The girl stared you both down defiantly.

"What? First you're refusing to pay for the clothes you ruined, THEN you're looking down on me and telling me what to do. YOOOOOU'RE in the wrong! Fine, I'll take you both on!"

The girl calls out two of her Pokemon, an onion-like Pokemon and a small boulder. "Oddy, Rolly, let's go!" She then turns back to you both, "If I win, you get me whatever I want. If you win, I'll say I'm wrong."

["Come on, Spike! Let's win some ice cream!"]

This thread is for Miera only. One other may join, with Ella's Permission.

The boy was desperate to have that ice cream, it seemed. He called out his Pokemon hastily to start the fight.

"Come on, Spike! Let's win some ice cream!"

The boy calls out a round-headed Pokemon with...sagging pants? It's a strange but fitting sight.

This thread is for Letina. One other person can join, if desired. Ask Ella to participate.

You make your way through the cold fog, ending up down an embankment toward the shore. After a bit of wandering along the shoreline, you spot a few Piplup playing in the water. They take note of your approach, stopping their play and going a little on guard.

This thread is for Vinny. One other person can join, if desired. Ask Chugs to participate.

After climbing down the rock face into the ravine, you see some Onix making their way through the chasm. Well, truthfully, you saw them a while ago, but it was easier to pay attention to when your back wasn't facing it. The Onix hardly seem to notice you.

Following the rumors, you head just outside town to a small gully. There, you see two Meditite having a mock battle; they are not inflicting damage, but simply going through motions. Once in the general vicinity, the duo are immediately aware of you, going on their guard.

[info]You've encountered two Meditite. They're just barely outside what you would consider a normal melee range for a Pokemon (Overland speed of 4).[/info]

Intro Thread

Whether you had been eager, curious, or chewing the head guard's face off, you made it to the sewer drain in question outside the town in a few hours. It seemed just like an ordinary drain. With one exception; as stated, the water flow from the sewer, as well as traces of any refuse were non-existent. Except for the moss and regular, natural build up, it was like it had never seen use. Whatever was causing it, there were no hints or traces out here.

["What kind of place have I stumbled upon."]

Daniel really did enjoy the mountainous region near Celadon, and wished he could stay longer, but it was time to get to work. After all, the main reason he came to Kanto specifically was a summons from some academy. It seems his survival from the shipwreck had made him well-known in a way, and this academy wished to speak with him about his experience. Dan had not really expected to be interviewed by a school, maybe to help with their curriculum on survival and travel.

Either way, It was supposedly just south of the mountains he was in now, so he could easily make his way there by afternoon. Thus he and Bolt began making their way south down the mountains and through the woods. Daniel then realized that the sun was just rising above the horizon, now would be a perfect time for Rue to be out so she could have some nourishment. Thus he let her out and placed her in his breast pocket as normal. He immediately smiled seeing her cheer up with the sunlight, chirping away happily. He'd not climbed up too high along the cliffs, so there were no sheer surfaces that needed to be scaled. It was instead a very casual, relaxing hike down to the city.

Following the map he had on hand, he managed to make his way to the school grounds from behind, leading straight to their track and field. Daniel was quite impressed with the facilities, which were top notch, maintained, and seemingly well used. Though he questioned how they were used, as he saw a bunch of students running for their lives down the track while being chased by a horde of Beedrill. The supervising teacher seemed to be sitting there laughing to himself.

"What kind of place have I stumbled upon." Daniel muttered to himself. Still he approached the man on the grounds, who seemed to be sighing blissfully as students screamed and medics worked. How is this place still in business?

"Excuse me!" Daniel called out. The man turned and looked to see a rugged, somewhat dirty hiker with a couple Pokemon at his side. When he realized he seemed to have crawled out of the woods, the teacher grimaced.

"A drifter? What did you come here for? And how did you even get on this campus?" The man said haughtily, obviously upset to have his fun interrupted.

Daniel defensively answered, "A drifter? No no, you've got it all wrong. I'm a ranger, and was officially invited here for some sort of interview. My name's Daniel Rask."

"Ah, the Rask fellow. I remember hearing about you coming here." He affirms, though still displeased. "You'll want to head to the Prez's office in there." He points to the building across the track field. "Now if you don't mind, I'm busy with class." The man then dismisses Dan and turns back to the sight before him. Smiling.

Daniel was rather off-put by the teacher, and both Rue and Bolt shuddered at the cruelty, but he had no place in objecting. All he could offer was a prayer, wishing he could aide them. Sorry, kids. Please survive. He says, raising a single hand vertically in prayer before heading inside to the main office. After a bit of winding through the halls, and getting looks from students, Daniel finally stumbles into the chairman's office, happy to see a receptionist to receive him.

"Good afternoon. I'm Daniel Rask. I came here for some sort of interview?" Overall he was clueless as to what they wanted from him, but he wasn't nervous. He'd told stories of survival multiple times, and if that's what they wanted to hear, so be it. If not, he could definitely offer tips for the student's studies. After all, it looked like they may need the help.

["Such a pretty face for a street rat...a shame really."]

This takes place just after the "Chicken Thief" point in time, described in "Life is but a Dream" (when Vladimir was around 98 years old), so about 20 years prior to the current Vladimir in the guild.

Part 1

"Such a pretty face for a street rat...a shame really." The noblewoman stated bluntly, looking down upon Vladimir, standing in the prison cell of his most recent city. "Yes, captain, this is certainly the man that pocketed my purse. Are you sure you searched him well enough?"

"Milady...the man is naked. There's nowhere left to search."

There Vladimir was, naked and on display. And framed.

"I've told you both enough, I'm not your thief. I may live on the streets, but I'm not some common pickpocket."

The woman made a 'hmph' sound, upturning her nose to the side a bit.

Gods, but this one is a stubborn one. Vladimir thought with frustration as he held a level gaze back toward both of them.

"Then explain these weapons you were carrying. A little too extravagant for a simple vagabond, don't you think? And you've not a scar on you, save for a few that must be from craftsman's tools. You're not a swordsman." The woman continued to drill into the man, intent on having him confess something.

Fine, you want a confession? I'll give you a confession.

"Not a swordsman, milady? You wound me! I'm a professional bounty hunter, Shade. As for the lack of scars, well, let's just say targets don't usually see me coming. I'm good at what I do." The part about not being hit was a lie, of course. He could never admit to the supernatural healing of his vampirism.

"Sh-Shade! You're pulling our legs, you miscreant! No one's ever seen his face, and plenty of people claim to be him!" The guard was immediately doubtful and defensive. "Besides, why would Shade live on the streets and be caught by authorities like this?"

"Who's this 'Shade' character? Someone important? Doubtful." The woman asked with a condescending tone, meant to hide her lack of knowledge. Vladimir was tempted to blurt out 'I am', but figured it would be counter-productive.

"He's a well-known bounty hunter. Doesn't go for any high-end targets, sticks to local bounties wherever he's located. But he has a near 100 percent success rate on bounties he's targeted. The sheer number of bounties, along with his general secrecy has led him to be somewhat of an urban legend in the bounty and guard business. The guard spoke excitedly, then paused and his face drooped back to a stern one as he looked to Vladimir. "This guy could never be him."

"Are you sure about that? You have my effects, correct?"

Both of them looked at him quizzically before the guard answered, "Yes? But there was nothing that stood out as interesting."

"That's because you were focused on looking for a purse, or its contents. I think you'll remember a scroll case with some papers rolled up inside. Please read one of them in more detail." Vladimir kept a stern look as the guard grumbled, grabbing Vladimir's backpack and rummaging through its contents. Once the captain popped out the scroll case, he quickly retrieved one of the documents within.

After skimming a moment, the guard's eyes widened, and he read more intently.

"What? What is it?" The woman asked with increased urgency as the captain read.

"It's a bounty writ, affirming the successful capture and reception of a serial pickpocket a few years back. The captor is listed with the alias...Shade..." Both of them look at Vladimir astonished, like a deer subjected to a wizard's Daze spell.

"Yes, as I said, I'm Shade. Which explains why a street rat was walking around with 200 gold without staying at an inn. Now that that's sorted out, let me out and give me back my belongings so I can be on my way."

"O-Of course!" The guard stammered before quickly gathering him belongings and unlocking the cell. While the captain hurried, the noblewoman asked one final question. "So you have that sort of money. If you have such funds, why not stay in an inn and make yourself look less like a crook?"

"How am I supposed to go unnoticed and get close to my targets if I don't seem like one of them? Also, staying out on the streets gives me a lower profile. Not being noticed is how I coined the name 'Shade'. Getting mistaken like this is a rare event. I happened to choose a bad place to stay for my first day in town, didn't realize it was a commonly known hideaway." Vladimir said as he quickly got into the clothing that the guard captain had returned. After he was fully clothed and geared up, Vladimir looked back to the two of them. "You're two of the few people that know Shade and I are the same person. I trust you'll keep that a secret? It's for my own safety, and now yours. So that no one comes chasing me down for revenge." They hesitate for a moment before nodding with understanding. They knew who Shade was, and that knowledge was very dangerous. If they let slip that they knew, unpleasant visitors could come knocking.

Finally, after some silence, as Vladimir was about to walk away, the woman spoke up. "Wait! If you are a renowned swordsman and hunter, might I ask a favor?"

Vladimir sighed, "You have me falsely imprisoned, force me to speak of something I shouldn't to prove my innocence, and now you want a favor? Milady, you're overreaching your station here. I've no obligation to aid you." The man kept walking. The guard returned to his post to manage Vladimir's release.

But the woman was persistent, "Alright. Not a favor, may I hire you for a time?"

"I'm not gonna bother catching your cutpurse, if that's what you're after. You spent so much time holding and questioning me that a simply theft like that has already been pawned off. So no thanks." And he continued to walk.

"No not that, I need a bodyguard! Please just stop walking so I can ask properly!" She was starting to have trouble keeping up, and was getting flustered by his constant refusals.

He stopped, and gave her a stern look. "I have it on good authority that there's a protection service for hire in this city. So why me?"

She took a quick moment to catch her breath before speaking, "Because you mentioned the importance of blending in. You're obviously practiced in it. I need someone strong to act as a noble."

Vladimir nearly guffawed. "Milady, I'm practiced at acting like a criminal. I know nothing of nobility! You'd be better off finding someone else."

"I will not! You are the right one! If cleaned up, you can easily look the part of a noble. Normal bodyguards are too obviously warriors. Your figure and stance makes you seem normal, and your skin is near-flawless. I will teach you how to act. So...please!" She clasped her hands, staring with a desperate look toward the bounty hunter.

Vladimir sighed once more, "Why do you even need someone so specific? Who are you that this would solve all your problems?"

Happy that she caught Vladimir's interest at last, she gave a slight, pleasant smile, "First, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Lady Rosaline Merrington, of the Merrington Estate just outside town. With the passing of my husband, Henry, I inherited our wine business, and thus the workings of our vineyards. It was expected that the Merrington vineyards would collapse, but I managed to instead bring an increased profit using techniques that my late husband...refused to incorporate when I advised him. After all, what is a woman's word to a successful philanthropist?" She paused to give her potential hire a knowing smirk. "But enough about the past, the problem is the present and future. Our competition, who had been thrilled at the idea of us falling off the map, is now rather unsettled that we've pulled away from some of their profits. A couple in particular are being rather aggressive at the Merrington success. I have it on good authority that someone plans to steal those techniques at a wine tasting in a few weeks. So I plan to keep the compiled tome of them on my person during the event. I want you to be my eyes. Scope out the event for suspicious individuals, and prevent the tome from leaving my presence." Lady Rosaline turns back to Vladimir, "I will pay well, and put you up in the estate for the time you are hired. Will you help me?"

The entire time, Vladimir had been observing the lady as though sizing up a mark. Checking her habits, profiling her personality. He didn't see a way out of this. No, she might even speak of knowing him if he refused. "With how stubborn you've shown yourself to be, I don't believe I have a choice, do I?"

Lady Rosaline clapped her hands together happily, "Wonderful!" She grabbed Vladimir's hands "Yet another reason you're perfect for the job. Your intuition." She then paused in realization. "If not your...other name, how should I call you?"

Vladimir turns and raises an eyebrow, "Knowing one name brings you danger and you ask for my real name? Do you have a deathwish, milady?" Rosaline flinches at the remark, but Vladimir continues, "Though it is true you need a name to call me by...Joseph. My name is Joseph Stravilov. You may form whatever backstory you wish for me at this point. Since I'm now a noble."

Part 2

For the first time that he can remember, Vladimir rode a carriage out of town to his new temporary abode. It was decent quality, but nothing too embellished, made of deep brown wood that was possibly mahogany, and set up with red interior and curtains. Lady Rosaline was constantly asking questions about his adventures and the bounties he'd hunted. It was...nosy. But the ride was nice, and the seats were comfortable. The windows in the carriage gave a pleasant view of the plains, over which wheat, wildflowers, grass and sparse amounts of trees could be seen rolling into the horizon. A few miles out from the town, the carriage made a turn off the travel-worn main road and onto a private path. At this point, it was nearing sunset, and the entire area had turned golden with the setting sun's light. At the last moments of sunset, the carriage made its way to the estate grounds, which were also the vineyard grounds enclosed by guarded fences. Rows upon rows of posts linked with hanging cords held the grape vines above the ground, with the workers running around to finish their duties before the sun's light let up. And then, there was the house. The white manor was slightly raised, with stairs leading up to the first of three stories. There was a full porch, supported by decorative columns and banisters. It was definitely a high-end establishment, one that stretched at least a couple acres.

"That's an impressive estate..." Vladimir muttered in surprise. "I feel out of place."

"Nonsense, Joseph, you will fit right in. First, however, I'll have a bath drawn. You need it." Rosaline made purposeful eye contact, with Vladimir raising an eyebrow, then shrugging. That was one luxury he did miss while living on the streets, so he didn't really mind.

The carriage came to a stop a few paces from the stairs to the house, and the driver let down the carriage steps for Vladimir and Lady Rosaline to exit. The lady led Vladimir up toward the house, and it was then that Vladimir truly understood he was out of his element, despite Rosaline's attempted words of comfort.

"Welcome home, madam. Dinner will be ready in an hour, as per usual. Is there anything I might prepare for you in the meantime while you settle in?" A tall man, about Vladimir's height, dressed in clean, formal attire answered the door upon Lady Rosaline's approach. He had brown hair, tied back into a 6 inch pony tail, and a slightly tan complexion.

"Thank you, David. Yes, could you please draw this gentleman a bath. He's had a long journey and is in desperate need of one." Rosaline continued on into the house to take care of her own duties, leaving Vladimir at David's mercy for guidance. It was unsettling being in such a nice house all of the sudden. The floors were polished hard wood, the hearth in the room next door was stoked and warming. Gorgeous rugs, art and fine furniture decorated the walls and floors. There were times when Vladimir was breaking INTO these dwellings. To be invited in as a guest, and for work, was odd.

The servant looked Vladimir over, barely unable to suppress a look of confusion at Vladimir's presence. It was understandable, as Vlad was basically in tattered travel robes, dirty, and armed. "...Right this way, sir." David led Vladimir through the living room, and toward the lounge at the back of the house. The bathroom ended up being right through the lounge and next to the kitchen, as it had been designed to use the cooking hearth to double as a water heater. The smell from the room nearby was intoxicating, so much so that even Vladimir, who did not necessarily need to eat, was left salivating.

"It will be 20 minutes until I can draw the water for your bath, sir. May I suggest relaxing in the lounge here while you wait?" David suggests as he heads into the bathroom. Vladimir nods and goes to take a seat in a nicely cushioned chair, leaving his eyes to wander the room. It seemed that this room also doubled as a trophy room, with the heads of animals mounted on the wall along the ceiling. Notably, there was a krenshar head mounted, which have always been a fearsome creature to encounter in the plains. It was an impressive trophy. Other than those mounts, paintings also adorned the walls, a good number of which were done by Lady Rosaline. From what Vladimir saw, she was quite an accomplished painter. The last item that caught the methuselan's attention was a book shelf. Though he'd started as a simple farmer, Vladimir had learned how to read and write in the common tongue over the years he'd been alive, which at this point he estimated to be twice his expected lifetime. Since he'd gained this skill, he realized that the books one owned often said much about the owner. There were a collection of around 30 volumes; some of them were almanacs, others manuals and guidebooks, and still others historical accounts. But one that caught Vladimir's eye was a small, fictional tome that seemed to be quite worn. It seemed to be a standard common-to-heroic character development, a way to escape the mundane. The man simply smirked, and placed it back where he found it. Everyone needs inspiration in some form. That must be hers.

Shortly after, David emerged and signaled Vladimir to enter the bathroom, which ended up being another surprise. The bathroom was spacious, with a smoothed cobblestone floor, as though the creator sheered the cobblestone flat, then polished. There was a basin in which the stone tub sat, with pipes feeding into it from one of its sides to fill with water. Beside it were various soaps and otherwise to use. There was a sink on the left side of the room of similar design, with clean towels hanging beside it. Lastly there was a shower in the corner of the room for fast rinses. It was certainly the most luxurious bathing area Vladimir had seen. Which meant he wasn't about to waste the opportunity. He quickly shut the door, undressed and jumped in the bath tub. It was heavenly, and a long overdue moment of relaxation. Of course, he spent time cleaning off the grime he'd had with him for a few weeks, but as soon as he could he simply soaked. It was during the bathing thoughts that randomly flew through his mind that he realized something very important.

It will be weeks here...how am I going to obtain blood? I have enough for a few days, but I will need to find a source, or I will starve...!

Thus the rest of his time was spent thinking of a way to obtain his secret needs without causing suspicion. It was when he finally dressed and left the bathroom that it dawned on him. As he viewed the trophies, he realized the easiest solution, if the lady would buy it. Hunting!

He had been given a more formal outfit, courtier's clothing, to wear to dinner. The meal served was much better than his usual mutton. An herb roasted chicken, with russet potatoes and a spinach salad. Being a vineyard, the wine served with it was an exquisite pairing. Easily the best meal that Vladimir had in his life. But he could not allow himself to get caught in that feeling. He had the luck to be dining with the lady of the house, Rosaline. Upon first seeing him arrive in the room, she gave him a knowing smile, "I knew I had made the right choice. Those clothes suit you quite well." After a short moment of being flustered, he sat down to eat.

When he had his moment in conversation, he immediately brought up his concern. "Lady Rosaline, I was wondering if I may be able to hunt between...whatever you have planned for me these weeks. I don't wish for my senses to dull, and it could mean easier meals for the chefs. Would this be alright?"

The lady raised her eyebrows in surprise for a moment, but nodded her head as he explained his rationale. "Certainly. I wouldn't want my bodyguard getting rusty before the main event. I trust you not to be foolish and get yourself hurt?"

"Not to worry. I hunt for a living. Beasts are no exception." Vladimir affirms genuinely. The meal continues, with the occasional pleasant conversation. Lady Rosaline regaled him of the details of how she brought the vineyard business back to life, which turned out to have a lot more risk involved than he'd expected. She was much more daring than he originally gave her credit. Afterward, he returned with some of the more exceptional and even chaotic bounties he'd pursued. There was a mixture of laughter and nail-biting tension as he spoke for the rest of the meal, and around an hour afterward. Before the two of them realized, it was already time to turn in for the night.

Vladimir was shown to his room, and at this point he was becoming jaded to the luxuries thrown his way. The furnishings were similar to the rest of the house, but of course the main attraction here was the bed. Silken sheets, down pillows, and a non-hay mattress. He fell asleep almost as soon as he hit the surface, and it was the best sleep he'd had in years.

Part 3

Upon waking at around 6 in the morning, he found an outfit laid out for him already. However, he chose to let it be for now, instead opting for his usual garb. It was time to hunt. Vladimir crept toward the kitchen to speak with the cooking staff about his hunting intentions. After a bit of searching, he found and approached the head cook. "I'll be heading out shortly, but I know that the gates are well guarded here. Is there some sort of pass I should know to get back in?" He asked curiously.

"So you're Joseph, huh? You're a cautious fellow. Good! Well, it sounds like you'll be doing the hunting for us now, so you can use mine in the mornings." The burly chef before him jovially took out a badge from his pocket. "Just be sure to give it back when you return. I do need to leave the premises myself, after all." Vladimir assented and took the badge graciously, then headed out the back.

The sun was just beginning to rise as he made his way through the fields to the gate, and flashed his newly acquired badge on the way through.. As he wasn't sure what was in store for him today, Vladimir decided it was best he finished the hunt as soon as possible. It took him about 20 minutes from leaving the premises to pick up an animal trail, which seemed to be from boar. He carefully crept along it, keeping his ears perked for signs of movement. After around an hour of stalking, he heard hooves beating down the trail, and was able to peer out slightly to identify the number of the beasts moving toward him. He readied his blades waiting for the majority of the boar to pass, then suddenly pounced as the last one made its way through, plunging his rapier diagonally below its jaw, through the throat and into its heart. He then swung around and jabbed his kukri into the other side of its neck, slicing it open as he straddled it and forced it off the path. From there he drained what blood he could as it bled out, cleaned himself up, packed the boar into a large sack he'd borrowed from the chefs, and carried it back to the estate.

He ended up returning just a little past 9am, and surprised the staff with his quarry. "Such a clean kill... The head chef muttered as he examined and butchered the boar. "And most of the blood is gone, keeping it from coagulating. This is a grand boar to carve, indeed. I wish we could hire you permanently as our hunter. Though I would fear you'd hunt out the area at this rate." The chefs all share in the head chef's hearty laughter.

"Well, luckily it's only a few weeks, so I can't do too much damage." Vladimir chimes in with a smile. Vladimir bid them farewell for the day to go take a shower. He'd managed to procure around 3 vials of blood before the heart stopped beating, which meant he extended his survival for that many more days. It was enough for the week now, and he was more comfortable at that thought. After his shower, he went to get changed into the outfit that was meant for him: the courtier's clothing that was left for him in his room. Vladimir then went down to the main room to meet with Lady Rosaline.

"Well," Rosaline started as soon as she saw Vladimir enter the room, "the first order of business, Joseph, is the hair. A noble would not wear such long hair freely, especially in court." She approached with black ribbon, and motioned for Vladimir to sit in the nearby wooden chair. She combed and pulled it back tight, then tied it off with a ribbon at the base of the hairline, to make a clean ponytail. "There, much more fitting. The image is coming together. Next, the intricacies of high society. You'll need to learn proper etiquette, social approaches and dance. Three weeks' time will be enough to keep you from making a complete fool out of yourself." Rosaline stated with a wry smile.

Vladimir raised an eyebrow, returning the smile, "'A fool out of myself'? You wound me, milady. I am prime example of a courtly man!" Vladimir stands straight in a self-important pose, then loosens and laughs, Rosaline giggling with him. "What first?"

"First is your stance, as you just reminded me." She walks you over and has him stand up straight. As she circles him making comments, she taps what needs to be changed, sometimes guiding it. "Lift your chin. Square your shoulders. Straighten your back and don't slouch. Good, now walk with that in mind." Vladimir semi-stumbled forward in this posture. "Keep your pace steady. You need to make each step look purposeful. To show off your confidence and pride. Appearance and first impressions are extremely important in this social circle."

Vladimir kept focusing on one habit and forgetting another while walking, at times making it look like he'd forgotten how to walk entirely. There were brief moments that he got it, but overall it was a failed attempt. Rosaline sighed. "You are a natural in some ways, but you are too roguish for your own good here. You are unconsciously trying to make yourself less visible, when you are supposed to be eye-catching. Thank the gods we have a few weeks. You are going to need daily practice." Rosaline thinks for a moment. "In fact, I would like for you to attempt walking like that through the house from now on." She saw Vladimir stiffen at that thought and immediately started laughing. "On to the next task. Let us construct your background. To facilitate this, what is a bulk, widespread product for which you have knowledge and understanding?

Vladimir thought a moment. Throughout his life, he'd been a thief, a beggar, a lab rat, and a sailor. But way back 60 years, he'd been a farmer. He knows his livestock, tooling, animal products, and leather. "I'm pretty knowledgeable with livestock and leather. Would either of those be good for background."

"The easiest would be leather. If you know quality leather, we can have you be a leather magnate. But you have to be unknown, and they will know leather magnates." Rosaline became lost in thought this time, but Vladimir quickly offered a solution.

"I have noticed that not many in Yslia know much of the western land, Dolan. I'm from there, so I could probably pass as a Dolan noble." Vladimir stated.

Her eyes widened, "Dolan? You are from Dolan? No wonder you have such a unique look about you. I would not have thought you to be a foreigner. Then where would you recommend?" Rosaline leaned in, surprised by this turn of events.

"Hillrock was known as good land for raising goat and cattle. So I would think that would be a good province." Vladimir reasoned, holding his hand to his face then finally nodding to confirm his thoughts.

"Fantastic! Then you will be known as Joseph Stravilov, a leather trader from the Hillrock province of Dolan. This is a nice surprise. You no longer have a need to practice your background as a noble. Next is dance." Rosaline said with a smile that was a tad devious. "I wonder, how well you can hold out in this subject, Joseph?"

Vladimir gave a nervous smile. It had been decades since he last danced, and that was not any sort of formal gathering. "Time to shake off decade-old rust... He thought to himself. "I'd danced, but I have no idea if it matches your standard. It would be best to assume that I am a novice."

Rosaline cackled with glee, "At least you were honest. I would be able to tell if you were lying. Very well! Let us dance." She took him by the hand, which was a rather sudden move for a lady in Vladimir's opinion, and began to do a simple waltz at first. Since there was no music, Rosaline instead counted out the beats and led the motions. Much to both of their surprise, Vladimir did not end up stepping on her feet even once. "Good! You are not a lost cause in this, and for that I am thankful."

The two of them continued dancing for a while more, and then went straight into social etiquette, covering various types of small talk, expressions, gestures and other seemingly random subjects. As a final note for this session, Rosaline set a general rule, "One thing you must not forget is that flattery is an abused notion in noble affairs. As long as it's not overdone, flattering compliments assert humility, gentleness and politeness." Turning her voice to a less sophisticated tone, she says, "Nothing turns a noble in your favor more than telling them how great they are." She winks at this, and Vladimir busts a gut, having not expected the dry remark.

With that, the class was ended, and it was already early evening. From that point onward, Vladimir followed that same routine schedule. he hunted in the morning, and practiced noble etiquette the rest of the day, with meal breaks. Slowly he gained some form of composure as a noble. The lesson he completed fastest was dancing. He seemed to have a natural talent for it due to his dexterity. Next was having a proper posture and gait. But what took the most time was small talk, as well as learning of the attendants. For someone who always lived a rougher life, talking as though he were from a sheltered lifestyle was a struggle itself. Many of the luxuries that nobles treated as normal were distant knowledge for Vladimir. Thus the majority of the three week period was spent teaching Vladimir the basics of noble life, as well as notable figures all lords should know. He was finally considered fully trained a few days before the gathering, which gave him some time to rest. The training had been much more rigorous and exhausting than he'd ever imagined it could be, so it was a welcome break.

Part 4

At last, the day arrived. During the last few days, the estate and its cellar had been prepared for company and entertainment. Upon finally seeing the cellar, Vladimir was astonished. It must have stretched through a quarter of the vineyards underground, easily larger than the home itself. casks, barrels and bottles lined the the walls for hundreds of meters. The house servants were busy setting up tables and sample bottles for the guests, under the supervision of Lady Rosaline. As it was Vladimir's overall job to watch and protect, he simply accompanied Rosaline. Almost as soon as the room was complete, the first wave of carriages arrived to the estate. Nobles from across the continent poured out into the household, all dressed in various cultural and extravagant garb. Even with all the training, Vladimir still felt extremely out of place. Still, he steeled himself for the evening to come. Soon enough, the crowd began their approach.

"Lady Merrington!" A portly man with a waxed, brown mustache and dressed in golden finery called out, "You have my sincerest gratitude for hosting this fine event. I had heard that this year's vintage was top notch, so when word reached me that you were hosting a tasting, there was no choice to be made! Ah, and who might this fine fellow be? I do not believe I have had the pleasure of making his acquaintance before." Vladimir smiled warmly. The man seemed cheerful enough, but as Vladimir had learned, it was hard to read nobles. He would wait until Lady Rosaline's reaction to pass judgment.

"My dear Lord Roster! I am so glad you could make it. Your knowledge and discerning taste is bound to let me know whether I deserve such praise." Rosaline replied endearingly.

Ah, he's one of the competitors. It's cordial now, but there is no guarantee that he isn't behind the suspected assault.

"As for this man, well..." She trailed off to let Vladimir introduce himself, a queue which he did not miss a beat picking up.

"My name is Joseph Stravilov, I deal in high-quality leather. I came here from Dolan to become more well versed in Yslian cultures and needs, and my contact here pointed me to Lady Merrington." Vladimir points his eyes to Rosaline in a gracious manner. "She has put me up for a time while I make final travel arrangements, and has been a most wonderful host."

"You deal in leather in Dolan, you say? You certainly have come quite a long way, and at a wonderful time. I expect this to be a lively and joyous evening. Welcome to Yslia, Lord Stravilov." The man again was genuine, which made Vladimir believe he was a fair competitor, and a good man. Even though it was just a formal greeting and introduction, that was what Vladimir's intuition told him. As the man walked away, Rosaline spoke up in a whisper.

"Lord Roster was a close friend of my late husband, Henry. They both ended up starting in the wine business, but the competition was always cordial. They were rivals. When my husband passed, Lord Roster helped me stabilize while I figured out the business. It was all done 'under the table' so to speak, so it's not a very wide known fact." Vladimir was happy to know this, since it meant his intuition was right and the man had no reason to sabotage the Merrington Estate. Of course, he still had to keep an eye on him, but it was still a relief nontheless.

"Lady Rosaline Merrington." A firm male voice, whose tone dropped semi-condescendingly, called out from the side. "I'm honestly impressed with what you managed after all the trouble you have met." The man had short black hair that was combed to the left side, and a neatly trimmed, straight mustache that tapered out to the corners of his mouth, short enough to not obstruct the lip. He wore a blue jacket with silver embroidery, with black pants and shoes, and stared at the lady with icy blue eyes, smirking the whole time. This one is bound to be a handful. Vladimir thought immediately.

"Lord Richard Nols." Rosaline pronounced coldly at his biting comment, as she knew full well that was said with some disappointment. "I could almost hear the sigh you held back. Tell me, my lord, am I such an eyesore? Or was that simply your envy?"

And as I could have guessed, she can certainly bite back.

The man continued to ignore Vladimir's presence, instead staring coldly back at Rosaline before lightening into a false smile. "Not at all, Lady Merrington. Though you are certainly one to be envied, with your accomplishments." He waves and walks off, "I lok forward to seeing what else you have managed."

"Of all the pompous- I wish I didn't have to invite him. He's not even in the wine business. But there exists a Merrington-Nols trade agreement, and as cheese goes well with wine, and he deals in some of the best cheese I've known, there's not really a choice but to advertise each others' products. It sounds petty, I know, but that's how business works."

The final man to personally greet Lady Rosaline was a shorter, shrewd-looking man, who was balding a third of the way back along his head. His clothing was still lavish, but the embroidery was on the simpler side, which matched his personality well. "Good evening, Lady Merrington. I trust you are doing well?"

"Mister Granstein! I'm so glad you could make your way out here. Yes, I'm doing quite well thanks to you." Rosaline was legitimately excited with this man's arrival. But having not been told this name, Vladimir was quite confused by the relation. The two men met eyes for a moment, both scrutinizing each other. "Ah, of course. Forgive me for not introducing you. Lord Joseph, may I present Mister Alex Granstein. Alex, this gentleman is Lord Jospeh Stravilov, a Dolanite that deals in quality leather.

She then leans down and whispers, "In fact, he is actually the hired hand we had talked about procuring." Vladimir was astonished at the reveal, while Alex nodded thoughtfully. Is she MAD!? That's not something you can admit to ANYONE right now! After a few more pleasantries, Alex bid them both farewell.

Vladimir quickly leaned to her ear, "Lady Rosaline, are you insane!? To admit that here is extremely dangerous for us both. What were you thinking!?" The panick in his voice was obvious, though he still managed to keep a straight face.

She simply smirked, pausing before responding. "Oh, he's not anyone to worry about, Joseph. he was my financial adviser for for restarting this wine business in my husband's absence. He was behind much of our initial growth. I owe my current life to his hard work. And he was the one who initially warned me of the risk, so there would be no reason for treachery."

Vladimir stayed silent, but inside turmoil was brewing. No matter to whom, revealing that was a blunder, and she was naive. It may have the rumored thief postpone his theft until the coast is clear. Or call in reinforcements. Things just got much more difficult. And now it would be harder to determine who was behind it, since he didn't know who might know his identity with that information in the open.

The evening went on fairly uneventfully. But the wine was indeed wonderful. The variety of flavors, aromas and viscosity of the Merrington wines were better than any other Vladimir had imbibed; they possibly rivaled those of the elves. The company, however, was a little more stiff to deal with. With all of them wearing social masks and fake smiles, it was becoming overwhelming and tedious. He was repeating similar tales he'd constructed about his alias again and again, and between that and keeping an eye out, it was wearing him down. Finally, it started to make his facade crack.

"Sir, you have such pride in that hide pauldron. Though I do admit the embroidery is a fine work of art, the hide itself is low quality."

"Nonsense! I assure you this is real basilisk hide."

Vladimir leans in to examine it, with a 'may I?' look about him, after a curt nod, he continues."Indeed, it is definitely basilisk hide, The man puffs out his chest, "but it was improperly treated. I see parts of it that seem rough when they should not be. I believe your eyes have been fooled." The man's chest deflated.

"But I paid good money for that! I don't believe you. It's a fine piece!" The man was beginning to get defensive, but Vladimir was beyond the point of heeding. In fact his eyes were watching elsewhere, further angering the lord.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, my lord, but this piece is worth 1000 gold at best."

"You aren't even looking at it, nor myself any longer. You are a liar, and have besmirched my honor with your fraudulent claims." Vladimir snapped back to attention at the raised voice, he felt blood lust. "Duel me! I will not stand for you looking down on me, charlatan!"

Vladimir stood there dumbfound. He was challenged to a duel for noting an item's quality. Are all nobles this maddening!?

"Come outside at once, we will settle this affront." The man marched off, handing his coat to his attendant. Vladimir looked back to Lady Rosaline, who shook her head and followed.

"His pride is too great, all I did was note his pauldron's quality." Vladimir explained.

"Why would you question the quality of an article of clothing worn by someone who values social appearance and standing above all else?" Rosaline retorted. Vladimir could only sigh. He was not cut out for this. "And things were going so well, too.

Rosaline tried her best to break up the duel, but the man was hard-headed, "Rosaline! I realize that this is discourteous, but do not interfere! This is a man's battle!"

Vladimir stood before him, rapier at his hip, staring down his opponent under lamp light. The man had certainly had training with a sword, but was a novice in actual combat. For the sake of not further wounding pride, he would go easy so it was a good fight. Lord Roster acted as judge, and at his command their rapiers were drawn.

"Prepare yourself, dastard!" Vladimir offered no response, but both Rosaline and Vladimir had similar thoughts.

My lord, it is you that is in over his head.

Vladimir made a stead pacing toward the man, shuffling side long, and the man did the same. He understood the basics, Vladimir gave the man that. The man thrust, quickly, but Vladimir batted it aside with a beat parry. The man advanced and swiped back, which Vladimir blocked and parried once more, negating his advance. There was then a conversation of blades held as the two combatants clashed rapidly again and again. There were cheers and gasps at the swordplay exhibited, and the lord was smirking as though he'd won. Vladimir's face was plain however. That is, until he heard a familiar voice squeal and muffle. Vladimir's heightened hearing picked it up momentarily, and he immediately recognized it as Lady Rosaline. he was then reminded with what he was tasked.

He turned quickly, observing where the sound came from, "Lady Rosaline!?"

"Where do you think you're looking, knave!" The enraged noble aimed a downward cut, straight at Vladimir. Vladimir quickly turned and caught it on his blade, forcing it back. While the noble recovered, Vladimir lunged forward, the nobleman barely blocking. But it was then that Vladimir smiled, sliding his rapier blade down his opponent's while sidestepping, catching the tip in his opponent's guard, then making a stabbing and flicking motion. He sent the noble's rapier flying, then quickly brought the tip of his own under the man's chin. Cheers erupted at the sudden turn of events

"Stop! Joseph wins!" The noble falls to the ground on his knees, and Vladimir sheathes his blade.

Then he whispers down to the man, "Your pride has cost me dearly." Immediately, he dashes through the crowd, shouts and gasps of astonishment following him. But he pays them no heed, instead looking to the ground. finally he found what he was looking for: signs of a struggle in the dirt. He was able to make out a slight trail and continued on.

"Well that was strange..." Lord Roster muttered. "Wait. Where is Lady Rosaline?" The crowd muttered in confusion looking every which way, and it donned on the duelist what had happened.

"Joseph...Follow Joseph! He must know!"

Vladimir ended up around the right side of the house, and found the lady down on the ground with hurried footsteps leading to the back. He quickly looked her over to see if she was unharmed; luckily, she was just unconscious. When he heard others approaching, he yelled out to them. "Look after her! I'm going to chase him down!" And then disappeared around the house, following the trail through the vineyard. As he continued on, he could make out two men in the dark, with a carriage drawn and ready. Luckily, Vladimir could see clearly in the dark, so he approached silently and with ease. But instead of directly approaching, he circled around as quickly as he could and entered the carriage fro the other side. He climbed up the walls and held himself against the ceiling, awaiting his window.

In the mean time, he was able to listen in on the conversation's last moments. "Finally, that wench will be out of the picture. She'll lose her wealth and end up dependent on the revenue I bring her."

It was Lord Nols, the cheese merchant. once they heard the commotion up the hill nearing, Richard climbed into the carriage, with his partner driving. Still Vladimir waited. he wanted no chance for escape.

"I thought disposing of the lord would be enough for me to take over their wine business...but then that damned Roster beat me to acting as a 'savior', and she recovered. That lost me both Lady Rosaline AND her business. Now all I need to do is ruin her crop and use her techniques for my own wine..."

That was enough. Vladimir quickly jumped down, slamming the pommels of both his rapier and kukri into the back of the delusional lord's head. He was out immediately. Next, Vladimir knocked on the driver's wall, signalling a stop. The henchman slowed to a stop, then came back to the cabin, where Vladimir laid in wait, using the passed out Lord Nols as bait. With both perpetrators unconscious, Vladimir went to the carriage store box to pull out a spare riding reign and tied the both back to back. All that was left was the easy ride back to the estate.

Upon returning, a crowd was gathered, and the Lady Rosaline was awake, albeit weakened and held up by her servant, David. Vladimir hopped down, "One Lord Nols and company, chased down and captured, milady." He'd dropped any stature as a nobleman at this point, causing even more bouts of confusion. That they were outside meant Lady Rosaline explained what had happened, but it seems she had not revealed his purpose.

"Please do not be concerned, Joseph is a bodyguard I hired for fear of this exact event. Yes, we have lied to you, but it was because we did not know who was going to attempt the robbery." At that announcement, Vladimir approached with the book that was stolen, handing it to her. "Thank you, Joseph." She said with a weak smile.

Then it was Vladimir's turn to speak. "That is not all, I had overheard Lord Nols muttering to himself while he thought he was alone, and have some information on his past and future plans." From there, Vladimir recounted his actions, and the words he'd overheard to those present. Lady Rosaline was in tears at the news that Lord Nols was behind her husband's death. But they were also of relief at the closure of knowing why such hardship happened.

"...Such a craven man, to sabotage our hard-earned business out of greed and envy. He was successful, and comfortable. I have no idea why he would do such awful things...But I do not wish to know the thoughts and feelings of the mad. David, could you properly tie those men up now that we have access to good rope. We'll bring them to the authorities in the morning."

Still, the crowd began ogling Vladimir, who turned out to be a much more different man than they expected. Again he was overwhelmed with questions, statements and flattery, only this time, it was about his real life. After around 30 minutes, it became too much, and he was slowly drained of his ability to converse. Slowly, he was able to slip away and retreat to the house, passing the story-telling to Lady Rosaline, finally gaining peace. Later that evening, once the visitors had taken their leave, he received his payment; It was a solid 500 gold. Lady Rosaline offered for him stay the night once more, and though he may have agreed, he was well aware that he had already overstayed his welcome. So later that night, he sneaked away from the premises.

"Already departing, Joseph?" As he made his way away from the back door, the familiar voice of Lady Rosaline called down from the second story.

He smiled and looked up, "Seems I've been caught. Apologies, milady, but I really am better off as a street rat." It was semi-joking, but they both knew what it meant.

"Farewell, Joseph. Do stay at an inn once in a while. You deserve that much."

"Maybe, Rosaline. Maybe."

["Seems he'd gone out to drink at the Sword and Barrel tavern, as he usually did. Mrs. Holstein, who'd been home that evening, thought it strange that Ethan had not returned before midnight, but decided to head to sleep in the mean time, which she noted to be restless. When she woke up to find he was still not home in the morning, she began running around town asking of his whereabouts. Then she came across this gathering in the streets and, well, you saw from there."]

[spoiler]Mission Thread[/spoiler]


Onlookers continued to gather and watch as an investigatory group gathered. At first, due to the style of the announcement from the tiger-woman, the crowd almost thought the scene to be some sort of act, but as it became apparent that those gathering around the body were various members of the Guild of Galas'nor, the grim reality of the scene set in. Nearby town guard made rounds through the crowd to settle panicked individuals, and disperse those that should not be present, being children and elderly. But with Garrin's comment about questioning those present, the majority of the crowd was asked to remain.

The deceased was identified as Ethan Holstein, a local cobbler. The lady next to him is his now-widowed wife, Marianne Holstein. One of the guards reported to you after speaking with Marianne.

"Seems he'd gone out to drink at the Sword and Barrel tavern, as he usually did. Mrs. Holstein, who'd been home that evening, thought it strange that Ethan had not returned before midnight, but decided to head to sleep in the mean time, which she noted to be restless. When she woke up to find he was still not home in the morning, she began running around town asking of his whereabouts. Then she came across this gathering in the streets and, well, you saw from there."

Hello everyone! I plan to make Vladimir a shadowdancer because I love the flavor of the class, but it's always been seen as underpowered. I was wondering if we could instead use these changes, and maybe include options for further sneak attack damage.

Please take a look and let me know what you think!

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-307465.html

Added text from link in next post. Never know when sites will delete their content :P

A multi-room flat located in the apartment community at the center of Staten Island, it's well known as a rather luxurious complex. Well designed architecturally, with the occasional marble accents to all of the buildings' stonework, the location exudes a certain standard of living unknown to most, despite being a shared community. There is access to just about anything someone might want, with an underground garage, a large pool, security and every sort of basic living facility or appliance. Not only that, but it is conveniently located when considering several nearby shopping districts. The unit itself is fully stocked, complete with a lavish balcony and well made furnishings. It was well-carpeted, with the exception of the bathroom and kitchen's ceramic tiling. The entire living quarters was spacious enough to accommodate much more than the intended two individuals that would be living there.

[All you need to do is post a vague idea/summary of what you want to be made.]

SO! I'd meant to do this a while ago, but I'm making this thread for the players to pitch game ideas to the DMs. I know a lot of you have plenty of good ideas, and just don't have the expertise and/or time to run them. BUT WORRY NOT, MY FELLOW GAMERS! We'll cover you, and if the idea is well-liked, we'll run it with you as a reference. Sound good? I hope so.

All you need to do is post a vague idea/summary of what you want to be made.

That way, no spoilers for if it's picked. Once everyone's posted a few ideas, we'll make a poll for voting, and the top few will be kept for when we're looking to plan a new mission.

If yours is chosen, we will message you for a bit more detail on what you want to happen.

We'll discuss if things can and can't work, as well as offer suggested compromises, though if you want to play in your own idea, we'll probably not ask for too much. Can't spoil YOU either :P

Anyways, let the brainstorming begin!

It was about two days before you made it out to the site of the ambush, though the journey had not been a rough one. The turn of events was immediately obvious; arrows riddled the ground, blood and scorch marks spanned the gullies beside the road, as well as the roadway itself. And then there was the wreckage. The coach that had been carrying the merchants' goods was smashed and off to the side of the road. All that remained was the remnants of broken crates, nothing of value left behind. Even the oxen, though assumed to have also been slain due to the pools of blood in front of the coach, were missing. The one thing that wasn't missing were the scorched and mangled bodies from the slaughter. It was neither a pretty sight, nor smell.

Efficient and deadly, that's all you could think while perusing through the area and viewing the carnage. There was not a single body of whatever had attacked, leaving only the remains of their victims to lie burnt and butchered among the wreckage. This only meant that the perpetrators were bound to be somewhere nearby. All that was left was to search. Though the only real options were to venture into the forest on either side on the road. Where exactly, you couldn't say.

One body in particular caught your interest, mostly due to its position at first. From where it had fallen, you could tell it had fought hard to protect the vehicle, but was still overwhelmed. This was one of the few places that strange blood was spilt, but still no sign of the source. It was hard to tell at first, but the figure was not actually that injured. The bloodsplatter along their chainmail, shield and pick was quite deceptive. But what truly brought your attention to them was their looks. Metallic, blue-tinted, silver scales adorned their skin, which you'd almost mistaken for a scale helm from a distance. However, now that you had a better look, there was no mistake to be made. They were draconic, in some form.

And from your examination, another surprise. They were very much alive.

["Honestly, how did such a situation ever come about? Who tries to force-feed someone garlic!?"]

After a certain deception and misunderstanding in the guild hall, Vladimir was left without a home for around a week or two. Returning before that could spell death for him, after all. He sighed at the turn of events. "Honestly, how did such a situation ever come about? Who tries to force-feed someone garlic!?" He rustled through his hair in frustration before finally resigning to fate. Instead of fretting about the ordeal, he would make the best of his free time. He had decent funds at the time being, and two weeks afforded him time to travel. "Now where would it be good to wander to? Hmm..." He began walking to the city gate as he thought of his options. However, before going into the open, instinct told him to disguise himself. He quickly replaced his circlet with a hat he'd dug out of his bag. Upon wearing it, the methuselan suddenly took the form of an older man, with grey, balding hair and a commoner's outfit. Note, he wasn't decrepit in this form, actually, he seemed fairly strong. It made him look like a weathered traveler, which was perfect.

This hat of disguise really does have its uses at the strangest times... He remarked mentally as he began to head to the crossroads. He made sure to pay attention to the rumors of passers-by, hoping to get hints as to where was best to travel nearby. Though as he listened, a thought occurred to him. Isn't that port around here...? Ah, what was the name...Right! Gelon! The port town of Gelon.It'd been decades since he'd been there. Well, mostly because he'd been chased out after he was found out to be a vampiric creature. But the way he parted from them wasn't without regret. He yearned to know of the well-being of those he left behind. Until that day, it had been a very pleasant life there. "It's been what...? 50 years, now?" Vladimir smiled wistfully. "Yes, that will do. Worst case, I'll flee once more. I'm skilled enough to avoid bloodshed now." Vladimir had made his decision. Though, having been half a century since he'd ventured that way, he ended up asking for someone to point him in the general direction. Much to his surprise, it seems it had become quite an established port, and was along the main road.

The trip was actually quite nice. It had been a while since Vladimir had traveled alone, and though he did miss being with a group of comrades-in-arms, the solo journey was still refreshing. It was much easier to move at night, so he made it to the town in record time. Upon arriving, he was in for a surprise; the town really HAD grown. What was once a small, rural port of little renown was now bustling with activity. He couldn't make heads or tails of the town with all the development that occurred. Well of course it would be developed...it's been 50 years. He slowly made his way through the town; though it was not the size of Ternadan, it was by no means small any longer. Despite the size and difference from his memory, he was not lost. Or more, he knew what he was looking for in the maze of a town. 'Symons Jewelery'. It was the the establishment of the only family he'd had a close connection with while he lived here. The daughter had always gone to him for sagely advice about the man she loved, or what to do with family matters. In return he received a basket of random living necessities. Truly a sweet girl, with a big heart. One that he'd tried to protect, but only ended up shattering when she saw his true form. Nonetheless, he still wished to see her and hers, if no one else.

Finally he reached the location of the corner shop where their family jewelery shop had been. It was no longer there, instead replaced by a bakery. But this was his only clue, and he was not about to give up. "I've been on the road a while...worst case, I get a bite to eat." He says to himself as he pushes the door open.

"Welcome, traveler! What can I get for you?" A middle-aged man yells out from behind the counter.

"Good evening! Hmm...I'll have a venison pie, and a mug of ale."

The man nodded, but saw Vladimir leveling his gaze at him, "...Is there something else, sir?"

"Ah...my apologies. But yes, I do have a question. I was looking for a woman by the name of Heather Symons. I believe this was once owned by her family. Do you possibly know of her whereabouts? I've a message for her." It was a partial lie, but he knew he needed a reason to get a truthful answer.

"So you're playing the courier, are ya?...Heather, is it? That name rings a bell." He took a moment as he heated up the meat pie. "Ah yes, that's why it sounded familiar. She ended up with a fairly large sum of gold through proper investment, and is now living in some out-of-the-way house up the cliffs with her family."

Vladimir lit up, as this was better news than he'd expected to receive. She's still alive. And in town! And has a family! Excellent!

"That's wonderful news! I was afraid she'd left town, or something foul had played out. It has been many years since I last had been here." The man smiled back at Vladimir, then struck up conversation with him as he ate. Vladimir ended up telling the adventurous tales of his 'client' (which was actually himself, were he not still disguised as an older man), lighten the mood before finally heading out. It was already fairly late, however, so he decided to spend the night at a nearby inn and visit in the morning. It was hard to sleep due to the anxiety of it all.

Does she fear me? Does she forgive me for lying that whole time? For leaving? What's her family like? Should I stay in disguise after all? Thoughts were shooting through his head rapidly, and it was hours before he finally got to sleep. Surprisingly enough, he rested well, most likely due to the long time traveling.

The morning greeted him well enough, and he was sure to leave before the town became too busy. With his magical hat donned once more, he made the trek up the cliff-side, toward where the baker had mentioned. As he moved along, he realized the pathway seemed a bit familiar. It was only when he saw the house that he knew why. ...That's my old house! Heather and her family were living in the house he'd once resided in, and he was standing in the very place that he'd been confronted and ousted from the town. It was...and indescribable sensation. All he knew is he was uncomfortable. Why would she purposely retire here? From the sound of it, she had plenty of gold to live elsewhere.

As he approached, closer, he realized there was a young boy playing in the grass just in front of the house. He was swinging a wooden sword at imaginary foes, fighting some sort of grand battle. Without realizing it, Vladimir had ended standing and watching from a distance for some time. Long enough that the boy realized he was there, looking somewhat embarrassed. He quickly ran inside for safety from the stranger, and soon after an elderly couple made their way defensively onto the porch. They eyed him for a moment before the man spoke, his hand on a dagger at his belt. "I don't know you, and can tell you're not from here. What do you want?"

It was a fair reaction. The area up on the cliffs was distance enough from the city that they knew not to trust strangers at their doorstep. Vladimir nearly got cold feet, realizing he had to keep up a facade. "I've got a message from some fella for a Heather Symons?" He prayed to all the gods that his acting, however poor, paid off.

The lady behind the man stepped forward and spoke, "This is she. Who sent you?" Vladimir's features lightened slightly. That she truly was well was a blessing in his eyes.

"A man who said he knew ya, named Ludwik." It took everything he had to not falter his words. He needed to see how they reacted. They both pondered the name for a moment, as though grasping their distant memory for the name. Suddenly it dawned on them.

"It couldn't be...Vladimir...?"

"No way..."

They both turned to face the disguised methuselan. "What's the message?" This was unexpected. Vladimir had thought they would turn him away upon hearing his name. He was sure of it. After all, he only wished to see if those he knew were well. He honestly had no message. I must think of SOMETHING.

"...He simply sends his regards, hoping that I found you well and happy. He's found a home at last. One where he can act openly. In a good way. That's all." They couple had a expression mixed with relief and disappointment.

"...Nothing else? Did he say where he was? Is he close?" Heather spoke up with a sort of hopeful sound to her voice.

"You act like you wished to see him. He'd given me the impression that you'd parted in a less-than-favorable way?" Both turned their gaze downward, going silent. After attempting to raise their voices once more, the man finally spoke up.

"...We certainly did. But it was wrongly so. His parting words proved true, and his person was genuine. So we wanted to apologize to him if we ever got the chance...and thank him. Without what he'd done, we probably wouldn't be here. Even if he doesn't realize that himself. Besides." The man said, pulling out the dagger to show. "I never did thank him for my birthday gift back then."

Vladimir's eyes grew wide. That was the knife he'd presented before leaving. Then...Oliver...? He collected himself once more.

"Let me make sure of this once more. Despite whatever hardship caused you three to part, you want to meet him once more?" They both nodded without hesitation.

Heather once again pleaded, "So please, if you have any idea where he is...won't you let us know?"

Vladimir stood silently for a time, returning their hopeful gazes with one of scrutiny. "I suppose I could point you to him." He finally said, with a slight smile. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he removed his hat, the illusion shattering and showing him as himself once more. Vladimir Ludwik. The couple was struck speechless, so Vladimir spoke first.

"I'm glad he liked the necklace, Heather."

[Still, kudos to the craftsperson, whoever made it.]

[spoiler]I never intended for Kin and Vladimir to talk...so they both had black text. Gonna change Vlad's, and may stick with it, just in case.[/spoiler]

Kin was completely uninterested in the robe adorned with needles. Well, it actually seemed intriguing, but he personally had no use for such an item. What DID pique his interest were the rewards of the winners. The goblin got a falchion, but the aura it off-putting, so Kin avoided inspecting it. Isaak seemed to have obtained an intricate crossbow, and though it certainly seemed well-made Kin had no interest in ranged weapons. Still, kudos to the craftsperson, whoever made it. He said as he passed by Isaak.

The final piece, however, was something to behold. Vladimir had acquired a sleek, artfully-made rapier. Kin had only spoken to the man a couple times, but he'd seen him fight as well as met him in the training grounds of the Guild of Galas'nor. Thus, the halfling knew that the prize suited him perfectly, as the roguish swordsman was a rapier user. Even the look of it matched him well. However, Kin knew the rogue also used a kukri for striking exposed areas in his opponents' defense, as a follow up to his rapier. The weapon-maniac inside Kin began to stir. "No no no, I can't let go of the thought that he would be fighting with a lesser kukri while wielding a blade like that...!" He muttered aloud to himself as he approached the man. "Oi, Vladimir! Lemme see that blade of yours."

"Huh?" the rogue responded, pulling his gaze from his prize to look at the halfling in bewilderment. "Why?" He'd only just gotten to see it himself, to hand it to someone else so soon was...

"Just do it." Kin said simply, holding out his hand expectantly. After a moment, Vladimir resigned to the fate of being Kin's target on interest and handed over the rapier. Kin immediately began to study it, sweeping his finger along the surface, memorizing its intricate patterns, noting the adorned gems. "Hmm, definitely a good blade. Good!" He hands Vladimir the blade back carefully, then begins to walk off. "I'll swing by your quarters in a couple weeks." Kin was so focused, he forgot to mention that he was making Vladimir a new kukri.

"What just happened...?" Vladimir said to himself aloud, looking between the new rapier and the halfing a couple times. He was very confused, but still happy. He'd certainly put the sword to good use.

Kin is crafting Vladimir a masterwork kukri of the same style as the new rapier. DC is 15 for a martial weapon, and the DC for the masterwork component is 20.

However, I won't be rolling now, because I'd like the discuss crafting rules. It seems I misunderstood them, and have been doing it wrong all along. The base rules would take Kin half a year to make this weapon, which I don't think fits this style of game well. I'm posting a homebrew idea I found for discussion. I like it overall, but want to change the time it take to craft (I still think crafting should take more than a week if it's a mundane item, just not half a year >.>)

Discussion: [Variant Rule/Discussion] Craft Skill

So because I don't think any of us want to spend half a year or more to craft a single masterwork item (though that's fairly realistic), I'm proposing a new set of rules for crafting.

Base idea: http://www.paperspencils.com/2013/01/29/crafting-weapons-armor-in-pathfinder/

This is the best solution I came across, but there are two things I want to balance out, as how they resolve crafting ends up making magic item creation lackluster, and somewhat breaks crafting.

Issues with above link:
1)The crafting time is now too SHORT (1 week), instead of extremely long.
2)Magic items can be created based on character level, which is good. But it basically made the "Craft magic arms and armor" feat unnecessary, and removed the requirement of being a caster to make them. This doesn't sit well with me.

For the second, my thought is that there should be a feat for regular crafters to make magic items based on an insane amount of craft skill instead of magical aptitude. They would still require someone to cast the appropriate spell for special abilities, but otherwise could to everything themselves. It would be like combining the "Master Craftsman" feat and the item creation feats, then splitting them into separate specializations. [i.e. Master Craftsman (Magical Arms and Armor)].

The first one is a little more unclear. How long SHOULD it take to create an item? 1 week feels too short, and would break NPC item creation. Maybe a month for masterwork, with reduction in time based on how much you beat the check by? (1.5 times the DC -> 3/4 time, 2 times -> 1/2, 3 times -> 1/3, etc.)

Please help me out here!

[6:00 PM]

6:00 PM

After a short break from the arm wrestling competition, the festival staff had set up a long table with multiple chairs lined along it to face the crowd. "Now that you've all worked up a sweat, and considering the time, how about some dinner?" A man in a well-tailored noble's outfit slowly steps out on stage, speaking almost sweetly. But you could tell it was deceitful, and sickeningly so. Soon enough, his face broke into a devious grin, "But why stop at just being sated? We're here for fun, right? Let's have another competition while you 'enjoy' a meal" He finished with a grim tone in his voice. "I'm sure you'll eat as though your life depends on it..."

"That's right, it's an eating contest! You'll be served a large plate of a single foodstuff, and the person to eat the most wins! There'll be as many rounds as contestants, and our chefs are eager to surprise you!"

Once again, he drops to a devious tone, "Bon Appétit!"

• To participate, have your character get on the stage, grab a number, and sit in a chair. Then roll a Constitution check.
  
• There will be continuous rounds, but no repeat contenders, thus I'll keep going until we run out of contestants.
  
• Only 5 people allowed per round. Once 5 post, I'll resolve and start the next one. If it takes too long to get 5, I'll NPC the remaining spots.
  
• All participants automatically get 1 New Years Festival Competition point, and +200 exp.
  
• Winner will receive 500 exp, 10 New Years Festival Competition points, and a random Greater Minor Wondrous Item.
  
• Second place will receive 400 exp, 8 New Years Festival Competition points, and a random Lesser Minor Wondrous Item.
  
• Third place will receive 300 exp, 6 New Years Festival Competition points, and 500 gold.
  
• These winners occur each round, however you'll be up against random townsfolk as well. May RNGesus be with you.
  

["Ethan! Ethan, why!? WHY!?"]

The whole town of Ternadan was unsettled this morning, with both the guards and citizens baffled and afraid. About what, however, you weren't sure; there was a crowd in the distance surrounding whatever it was. As you approached to take a look, you could hear the uncomfortable murmurs more clearly.

'What in the world is going on?'

'Who or WHAT could do that?'

'Mommy, what's going on?'
'Joseph, dear, let's go back inside and join your father.'
'But what-'
'Just do as I say, dear.'

'Poor soul. No one deserves that.'

'Gods bless and keep us...'

Finally you managed to pierce the crowd, and saw a few of the town's guard gathered around...something in the middle of the street. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a pale, withered husk with a humanoid shape. It was drained to the point of being unrecognizable, as though all of its muscle mass had decayed. Before you could get a better look, a woman rushed forth through the crowd, immediately kneeling down next to it and looking at what was left of its hands. She was shaking horribly, seemingly unable to speak.

Then, she suddenly screamed, wailing unintelligibly. Everyone's blood curdled at the sound of her despairing voice.

"Ethan! Ethan, why!? WHY!?" She was now cradling husk dearly dropping the hands finally, and allowing you to see something glint in the morning light. A wedding band.

There's been a murder of a strange nature in Ternadan! The guards are clueless as to how to deal with it, and the town as a whole is unnerved.

Goal: Ask around to find out details. Try to uncover what happened, and apprehend the culprit!
Level: Total party average of 4 or higher (this could mean multiple 3s and a high level, or even 6 3s).

No limit to number of people, as this effects all characters, being the guild's home town. Choose whomever you like, and if you want, multiple characters can be played. But if you go inactive I WILL move past you (limit of 4 days, but I think this'll move pretty fast).

Completion reward: The bounty reward of 1500g, to be split. 600 exp per person.
-Note: This is the minimum reward, which is level 4. I will scale it to party level. Of course, I will also make things more difficult with that scaling, hehehe...

Source: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Dragonblooded_%283.5e_Class%29


Dragonblooded (3.5e Class)

The sorcerer is said to draw his power from the blood of dragons in his veins. However, the Dragonblooded has blood so pure it begins not simply to grant him mystic powers, but change his form until he becomes a half-dragon. It is said that every so often a half-dragon is actually born with human features, and the manifestation of its true direct parentage does not manifest until they age.
Making a Dragonblooded

Dragonblooded are tough and durable, gaining powerful ability boosts over their fellow humanoids. They focus on their growing natural abilities beyond all else, and eventually obtain some arcane spellcasting out of it as well. It is neither a direct fighter, tank, or caster, but may fit into any of those roles.

Abilities: Constitution is important to support their already huge health and for determining the DC of their breath weapons. Charisma controls the DC of their frightful presence, number of Megaflares, and powers their best skills, while Strength is important to any melee build. Intelligence and Wisdom both help, with Dexterity often ignored in favor of the heavy natural armor of the Dragonblooded.

Races: Any. Dragons have known to match with any species, thus their spawn pop up in the strangest of places.

Alignment: Any.

Special: Must not already be a Dragon (not Half-Dragon, Dragon).

Starting Gold: 5d4×10 gp (125 gp).

Starting Age: Simple.

Table: The Dragonblooded

Hit Die: d12
Level    Base
Attack Bonus    Saving Throws    Special
Fort    Ref    Will
1st    +0    +2    +0    +2    Dragonblood Bond, Breath Weapon 1d8, Spell-like Abilities
2nd    +1    +3    +0    +3    Claws and Bite, Draconic Resistances
3rd    +2    +3    +1    +3    Breath Weapon 2d8
4th    +3    +4    +1    +4    Dragon Skin +1
5th    +3    +4    +1    +4    Low-Light Vision, Draconic Muscle
6th    +4    +5    +2    +5    Breath Weapon 3d8
7th    +5    +5    +2    +5    Darkvision 60 ft
8th    +6/+1    +6    +2    +6    Dragon Skin +2
9th    +6/+1    +6    +3    +6    Breath Weapon 4d8, Wings and Tail
10th    +7/+2    +7    +3    +7    Blindsense 30 ft., Dragon Apotheosis, Draconic Muscle
11th    +8/+3    +7    +3    +7    Frightful Presence
12th    +9/+4    +8    +4    +8    Breath Weapon 5d8, Dragon Skin +3
13th    +9/+4    +8    +4    +8    Arcane Scales
14th    +10/+5    +9    +4    +9    Draconic Immunities
15th    +11/+6/+1    +9    +5    +9    Breath Weapon 6d8, Draconic Muscle
16th    +12/+7/+2    +10    +5    +10    Dragon Skin +4, Blindsense 60 ft
17th    +12/+7/+2    +10    +5    +10    
18th    +13/+8/+3    +11    +6    +11    Breath Weapon 7d8
19th    +14/+9/+4    +11    +6    +11    Megaflare
20th    +15/+10/+5    +12    +6    +12    True Dragon Apotheosis, Dragon Skin +5

Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level)
Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (All) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Dragonblooded.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Dragonblooded are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light and medium armor, and with shields (except tower shields)..

Spell Like Abilities: At every level a dragonblooded gains one level 0 spell from the sorcerer spell list as a spell like ability. These can be use unlimited times a day

Dragonblood Bond: At 1st level, choose a dragon type which you descend from. You gain the dragonblood subtype for your character, and the elemental type of your breath weapon, and a 30 ft cone and 60 ft line breath weapon, damage depending on your dragon type. See the Half-Dragon for details on dragon types. If your dragon's breath does not deal energy damage treat it as force damage instead.

In addition to determining your breath, your blood's connection runs through you stronger than normal. A Dragonblooded must stay within 1 step of alignment to their chosen dragon type. If they change alignments, they become an Ex-Dragonblooded (see below).

Breath Weapon (Su): The dragonblooded gains two breath weapons from the dragon you are descended from, which are a 30 foot cone and a 60 foot line (for Medium characters; scale for smaller or larger characters according to the ranges of a true dragon), and which may be used once every 1d4 rounds. At 3rd level and every three levels beyond, your breath weapon does 1d8 more damage. The breath invokes a Reflex save, DC 10 + 1/2 class level + Con modifier, half damage on a successful save. Metabreath effects may be applied as per any dragon's breath weapon.

Claws and Bite (Ex): At 2nd level, a dragonblooded gains two claws and a bite as natural weapons if he does not already have them. Medium creatures have a claw attack of 1d6, and a bite attack of 1d4. Smaller and larger characters scale their damage accordingly. Your bite is your primary attack, while your claws are secondary.

Draconic Resistances (Ex): At 2nd level you begin to pick up the resistances of a dragon. You may add half your class level, rounded down, as a bonus to saves against sleep and paralysis, and resistance to the energy type of your chosen dragon.

Dragon Skin (Ex): At 4th level and every 4 levels beyond, you gain a +1 increase to natural armor as your skin hardens into visible dragon scales.

Low-Light Vision (Ex): At 5th level a dragonblooded's eyes become cat-like and striking, gaining low-light vision. He can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

Draconic Muscle (Ex): At 5th level a dragonblooded surges with the strength of his parentage. He gains a +2 bonus to Str. At 10th and 15th level he gains another +2 Str.

Darkvision (Ex): At 7th level a dragonblooded's eyes glow with a soft inner light, and the color seeps over the whites of their eyes turning them into seas of hue. He can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dragonblooded can function just fine with no light at all. As the dragonblooded ages his pupils fade away, making his eyes look like molten spheres of color.

Wings and Tail (Ex): At 9th level, a dragonblooded grows a set of draconic wings. He may now fly at a speed equal to his normal land speed, with average maneuverability. The dragonblooded can slam opponents with its wings, even when flying. Wing attacks deal 1d4 damage for medium creatures plus ½ the dragon's Strength bonus (round down) and are treated as secondary attacks.

In addition, they grow a tail. This tail starts to warp their body into a more monstrous shape. The dragonblooded must wear armor made for inhuman characters, doubling the base masterworked item price. They may get their current armor re-fitted by paying the difference.

Blindsense (Ex): At 10th level, the dragonblooded gains blindsense with a range of 30 feet. Using nonvisual senses the dragonblooded notices things it cannot see. He usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice and pinpoint the location of creatures within range of his blindsense ability, provided that he has line of effect to that creature.

Any opponent the dragonblooded cannot see still has total concealment against him, and the dragonblooded still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment. Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against attacks from creatures it cannot see. At 16th level, the range of this ability increases to 60 feet.

Dragon Apotheosis: The transformation from humanoid to dragon continues. At 10th level, if it hasn't already occurred yet, the dragonblooded's body becomes completely draconic, much like a Dragonborn. The dragonblooded's type changes to Dragon, they gain damage reduction 5/magic, and they gain +2 Int and Cha as they surge with new mental prowess. They no longer need the dragonblood subtype, and lose their previous type entirely. In addition, they are now immune to the frightful presence of dragons.

Their mind begins to change and they show more draconic qualities (especially those qualities associated with their color). They may also consume, and may develop a taste for, inedible metals which may now be digested.

Frightful Presence (Ex): At 11th level a dragonblooded can unsettle foes with its mere presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the dragonblooded attacks, charges, or flies overhead. Creatures within a radius of 10 feet × dragonblooded class level are subject to the effect if they have fewer HD than the dragonblooded . A potentially affected creature that succeeds on a Will save (DC 10 + ½ dragonblooded 's HD + dragonblooded 's Cha modifier) remains immune to that dragonblooded 's frightful presence for 24 hours. On a failure, creatures with 4 or less HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds and those with 5 or more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds. Dragons ignore the frightful presence of other dragons and dragonblooded.

Arcane Scales (Ex): At 13th level, a dragonblooded gains spell resistance equal to her current dragonblooded level + 10. In order to affect the dragonblooded with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the dragonblooded's spell resistance.

Draconic Immunities (Ex): The fortification of the draconic resistances are complete. At 14th level you gain complete immunity to sleep, paralysis, and the element of your chosen dragon. This overrides the benefits of Draconic Resistances.

Megaflare (Su): At 19th level the dragonblooded unlocks the secret of overloading their breath weapon into a devastating attack. If an dragonblooded spends 1 round powering up and then uses his breath weapon, it bursts in a tremendous wave. It's range or spread is doubled, and it deals 2d6 damage per class level. In return you take 5d6 in non-lethal damage. They must make a Fortitude save DC 10 + 1/2 class level + Cha vs dazed effect for 1 round, negated on a successful save (they must still save on the Reflex save to halve the damage). This is taxing on the inner magical reserves of the dragonblooded. They may perform it up to Cha/day, minimum 1. If they run out of uses per day, they are fatigued.

True Dragon Apotheosis: The physical form of the dragonblooded has changed irrevocably to that of a dragon. They often begin walking on all fours, living in liars, and being almost impossible to tell that they were every humanoid. They become True Dragons (and thus may qualify for true dragon only prestige classes and feats), and gain an elemental subtype according to their draconic blood. They gain an additional +4 Str, and their damage reduction rises to 10/magic. Finally their size increases to one larger, and they gain age categories as a dragon of their kind. They are always at "young adult" stage when they reach this moment. Aging does not grant them the abilities noted on their dragon's table, it merely serves as a record of their general appearance and time left in the world, which has become very very long indeed.

Now that they are a size larger the length or spread of their breath weapon increases as a true dragon of the same size (minimum 30 ft cone, 60 ft line). They also are able to use their tail to attack, dealing 1d8 damage for large, 1d6 for medium. The dragonblooded can slap one opponent each round with its tail. A tail slap deals the indicated damage plus the dragonblooded's Strength bonus (round down) and is treated as a secondary attack.
Ex-Dragonblooded

A dragonblooded who strays too far from the alignment of his base dragon is unable to level in the Dragonblooded class any longer. They lose their breath weapon and frightful presence, but keep all other class features. An atonement spell may return their class abilities.
Epic Dragonblooded

Table: The Epic Dragonblooded

Hit Die: d12

Level    Special
21st    Breath Weapon 8d8
22nd    
23rd    
24th    Breath Weapon 9d8, Dragon Skin +6
25th    Bonus Feat
26th    
27th    Breath Weapon 10d8
28th    Dragon Skin +7
29th    
30th    Breath Weapon 11d8, Bonus Feat

4 + Int modifier skill points per level.

Breath Weapon: At 21st level and every 3 levels after, the damage of the breath weapon increases by one die.

Dragon Skin: At 24th level and every 4 levels after, the natural armor bonus of the dragonblooded increases by one.

Bonus Feats: The epic dragonblooded gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic dragonblooded bonus feats) every 5 levels after 20th.

Epic Dragonblooded Bonus Feat List: Armor Skin, Energy Resistance, Epic Fortitude, Epic Leadership, Epic Prowess, Epic Toughness, Epic Will, Extended Life Span, Great Charisma, Great Constitution, Great Strength, Improved Darkvision, Improved Low-Light Vision, Improved Spell Resistance, Legendary Commander, Multiweapon Rend, Perfect Health, and Perfect Multiweapon Fighting.
Human Dragonblooded Starting Package

Weapons: Lance, Longbow.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.
Skill    Ranks    Ability    Armor
Check
Penalty
Bluff    4    Cha    —
Knowledge Arcana    4    Int    —
Spot    4    Wis    —
Use Magic Device    4    Cha    —

Feat: Improved Initiative.

Bonus Feats: Improved Toughness.

Gear: Tent, Backpack.

Gold: 28g
Campaign Information
Playing a Dragonblooded

Religion: A dragonblooded is focused on what the power inside them foretells, and so many do not have focus for religion. Those that do worship draconic gods, ones which are similar to their blood.

Other Classes: Dragonblooded understand sorcerers and bards the best, and consider them distant kin. They have little opinion on others, but as they advance in the class many grow distant and stop considering themselves human.

Combat: A dragoonblooded makes an excellent front-line tank. They have health to spare, and deal with groups with a blast of their breath. A dragonblooded with wings may swoop down with Flyby Attack, making several strafes with their breath.

Advancement: Classes which promote the draconic theme work well with dragonblooded. Early departures may qualify for dragon disciple, while those deep into the transformation may find dragon-only prestige classes exciting..
Dragonblooded in the World
"    RWAR I'm a dragon! 12 dragons! Run!    "
—The 12 Dragons, Tiefling Dragonblooded

Dragonblooded are the result of a dragon and a humanoid's offspring, but which takes on a new, and significantly different twist of their form, becoming complete dragons in the end. The exact nature of this mutation is a complete mystery to scholars.

Daily Life: The dragonblooded, consciously or not, begin to mimic the dragons they take off of. In general this involves a greedy eye for shiny things, and a sense of absolute pride. How a dragonblood holds those emotions, with kind respect or cruel tyranny, is up to them and their blood.

Notables: It is said that the silver dragon in the north, Aerogon, was once human.

Organizations: Dragonblooded are alone in the world. They are rare to begin with, and have no desires to meet each other. They desire the company of gold in their lairs.

NPC Reactions: Early in the class the dragonblooded is treated no differently than a sorcerer or bard with pointed dragonic aspects. As they advance, they may be confused for dragonborn. This continues until 16th level, which they rapidly evolve into something not human at all. Others begin to fear or respect the dragonblooded for what they have become.
Dragonblooded Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge Arcana can research Dragonblooded to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
Knowledge Arcana DC    Result
10    Dragonblooded are those who were born heir to a dragon, and it gives them the power to breath energy.
15    The dragonblooded evolves over time, growing more and more monstrous as they go on.
20    Dragonblooded are said to eventually turn into true dragons which can persist for a thousand years..
30    This level of success nets you information on a specific dragonblooded, his name, location, goals, and perhaps rooting out if the dragon everyone knows is really a former human.
Dragonblooded in the Game

Dragonblooded are fighters. While they lack the full BAB of a normal fighter, they can still manage, and their breaths never miss. They have plenty of hit points, letting them take massive damage.

Adaptation: Perhaps not all breath attacks deal energy damage. Ability damage such as the Fang Dragon may be possible.

Sample Encounter: The heroes are called in to deal with someone who is said to be possessed by a demonic dragon, only to find a dragonblooded in the midsts of transformation... and sorely pissed at his imprisonment. Find a way to calm his wrath, or take him down before he wrecks the town.

ECL: 16.

["...It's starting to get dark, huh?"]

"...It's starting to get dark, huh?" Daniel noted to himself as he looked up through the trees, and the confirming purr from near his feet let him know his partner thought the same. They were currently within a mountainous forest just North of Celadon city, hearing from a local that the scenery couldn't be beat. So of course, they'd gone to take a look. "Alright! Bolt, Rue, it's time to set up camp! Let's find a good spot." Daniel exclaimed to the Shinx below him and Petilil in his chest pocket, and both responded with agreement. After a short while longer, they came across a small clearing just off the main pathway of the route. Pretty much all three held the same expression at the sight of it, as though saying 'Perfect!' All three quickly got to work. Bolt ran off into the surrounding brush to gather any edible plants and berries, Daniel began setting up the tent and making a fire pit, and Rue took the time to absorb and clear out any of the brush that would be near the fire to make the area safe.

And soon enough, it was just that. Bolt had returned with plants, berries and mushrooms to cook with. Well, most of the berries, as it seems he'd eaten a couple due to telltale signs along his mouth. Daniel had managed to gather a good amount of firewood in the brush, and now had a pot boiling over the campfire he'd made while Bolt was out foraging. As soon as he had the ingredients, he got to making the stew for himself and Bolt. Rue, in the time Daniel and Bolt were working, and in an attempt to make up to the plants cleared around the fire pit, had begun to make a small garden patch off the side. It was a hobby of hers that seemingly was shared among most Petilil, and she took pride in gardening. Soon enough, however, Rue and Bolt were playing around to entertain themselves while Dan cooked. In short, the trio were right at home.

The stars were just starting to come out in the dusk sky as Daniel served his stew, all three of them relaxing after the day's hike. "Honestly, this kind of life can't be beat!" Daniel exclaimed happily. He'd only arrived in Kanto recently, but it was already turning out to be a worthwhile trip. He'd already met some great people, and looked forward to meeting more.

["Hey, old man Cayne!"]

"Hey, old man Cayne!" Kin calls as he walks into the rather creepy shop unfazed, only this time a little girl was in tow. "I found this while out on the job, could you tell me what it does?" And with that request, Kin sides the rather large glaive he'd walked in with onto the counter for inspection. "I've no actual need for it, but if it sound interesting I may keep it. Otherwise, it's going to help fund our trip south. And no, it's not a vacation, it's business." Kin almost hung his head dejectedly. How long HAD it been since he went out on vacation?

[spoiler]Identifying and maybe selling the glaive from the troll cave. If I can get a bette price at a weapon shop, I'll sell it there, since I have a dagger to sell, too.[/spoiler]

[Request for Investigation]

It was another comfortable, sunny day in Ternadan, even for the colorful and rowdy Guild of Galas'nor. Other than a few mishap missions, and a rather odd, experimenting wizard, things were going smoothly for all the members. But in the midst of the calm, joyous day, one rather unsettled character was standing in front of the request board. A town guard, in fact, with his hand scratching his head as he stared at a piece of paper in confusion before tacking it to the message board. Once done, still confused, the guard walked out to return to his duties.

Of course, this activity had caused more than a few curious glances, and slowly, members began to approach the message to investigate.

Request for Investigation

Recent patrols around the city sewer outlets have come back with some rather strange reports.
About two weeks ago, the guards noted a strange lack of refuse and debris, and that the area generally seemed cleaner.
We were more rejoicing at this notion than anything, and quickly reported to the city that whatever efforts they'd made to
clean the underground were having noticeable results. A few days later, someone responded to the report.
They weren't cleaning the sewers.

It was at that point in time that the first patrol went missing, and there were signing of blockages within the sewer depths due to the
decreased water flow. Since that began, we lost multiple patrols trying to investigate. It's obvious we don't have the skill
and expertise to deal with these strange happenings. Visit the the guard barrack and seek me out. Please help us
solve this mystery.

-Stefan Fonseca, Captain of the Guard

[info]
Goal: Venture into the sewers and track down the cause of the "cleanliness".
Would like as many people as possible for this so I can make it bigger, at least 4. Since we're all level 3 now, everyone's welcome.
Completion reward:
3000g, split between party
1500 experience bonus, split between party.

This does not include loot and combat rewards, nor "Best of" poll experience rewards.
[/info]

["You're more than ya seem...?"]

It'd been a few days since the incident at the troll's den, and things had more or less settled down. Kin and a few other other guildmates took the time to collect what was left of the dead and perform a burial, staying to make sure the town was ell and could rebuild before heading back home. But the entire way, Kin was still bothered by the words of that strange necromancer.

"You're more than ya seem...?" Kin said to himself, but aloud, while looking toward the young girl that was now in his care. 'Ana' was the lone survivor of the village's slaughter, at least among those that went missing. During the rescue, whether through trauma or otherwise, she became practically attached to Kin's hip, constantly gripping at the hem of his shirt. At this point, though, he was relieved of her clinging as she was eating with her usual, emotionless expression. Kin was getting better at reading that expression, however. It was obvious she was content, if not a bit pleased with the meal. Other than the excessive tendency for silence, the girl seemed just that. She was just a normal little girl.

But the words still bugged him. They had enough suspicion that they'd assault with full force, whoever they were. What sort of conspiracy blames a child for evil. Though, Kin had heard of stranger things. He let out an exasperated sigh. At this point, it was best to check if something was possessing or affecting her in some way. If anything, such a check could help rid her of whatever trauma she's faced.

Once her meal was done, Ana was immediately back to Kin's side, watching her surroundings as always. That fear and paranoia really did make Kin unsettled. "Ana, I've told ya plenty of times, ya don't have to be so guarded. This is a safe place, with good people." In truth, he wanted to commend the child's vigilance. If she WAS going to be under his care, it was a good habit and skill to hone. But Kin knew that for her sake, it wasn't good.

"Come on, we're gonna go talk to someone here. For your sake. I think it'll help the both of us." By that, he meant seek out the help of any clerics or mages that specialized in mental manipulation and the detection of such magics. He may dislike wizardry, but he knew better than to avoid it completely. It was a necessary oddity, in that he was certain.

[Eirik Wolff]

Eirik Wolff

Nicknames: Whisper
Nature: Air - Sound (Remove this attribute if this character is a regular human)
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 165 lbs
Hair color: Graying-brown
Eye color: Foggy light-blue
Occupation: N/A
Personality: Docile, Passive
Biography: TBD
Additional Info: Blind man that "sees"

["Hey everyone! I just heard some really interesting news! It's about that abandoned building on the campus."]

Just before lunch begins, a fellow student runs up to the front of the class and tries to get everyone's attention. If you recall correctly, his name was George. "Hey everyone! I just heard some really interesting news! It's about that abandoned building on the campus." At first everyone was going to ignore the boy, as were you when you realized the only reason you recognized him was due to his exaggerated stories and love for extraordinary rumors. However, the topic seemed interesting. George smiled excitedly despite the crowd's reaction. "By now I'm sure some of you know it was a lab building intended for the sciences, so they'd have their own building, but funding was cut short on it so it's been left abandoned. Well, recently, it seems odd lights and sounds have been heard coming from the building during the night, meaning it's not necessarily abandoned anymore." He took a slight pause, obviously meant for drama.

"IT MIGHT BE HAUNTED!"

He uttered eerily, moving his hands in a semi-creepy manner for effect.Reactions throughout the room were varied. From gasps, to disbelieving comments, to accusations of lying, and even a couple yawns. Of course, there were suggestions that pokemon were behind the rumor.

"Well, either way, I'm going there tonight to investigate! Can't miss a scoop like this! Who wants to come along? If anything, consider it...a test of courage. Who knows WHAT we'll find!" Many did not share his enthusiasm, whether it be fear or because his excitement was overwhelming. But nonetheless, his offer stood.

Scenario
Help George investigate the incomplete building at night, and find out what started the rumor, and try to confirm, or at least resolve the rumors.

Reward:
1 Trainer EXP

The Sheet

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