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Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
On the Shores of the Unknown Sea



Charus Loryn, Paschal "The Spiritist", Eater, Ohrmazd
A few miles East of Harmuth
The trail from Bodrov has had its ups and downs. Hearing of the Old City in Harmuth, you decided to head north, until you hit the Chouyo river. At the spring of that tributary to the Tithe, the two met the strange and compelling traveler called Eater. But since the three of you left the town of Sending, you've found little success with the usual small tricks of prestidigitation or cold reading. Slowly your funds dried up, and the nice carriages that glided over rocks and bumps with ancient technology were suddenly out of your reach. A few days ago you met the man Ohrmazd, and hearing you were going to Harmuth, he joined you. So now you all find yourselves in the back of a Hackney pulled by an irritable young aneen, being whipped by an even more irritable driver.

"Come on! Come on then!" he yells as his flog slaps the rump of the creature again with a resounding thwack and the accompanying low call of an angry aneen. The road you're now on had last been leveled out what seems like centuries ago, and the Hackney's wheels are sunken down into the muddy ground at the top of a hill. With each straining pull and failure, the four of you in the back get thrown back and forth with the inertia. On the one hand, you're in a very beautiful part of Navarene, and you can see in the valley below a small pride of wild Calyptors, and hear their entrancing symphony of calls. But on the other, you feel somewhat exposed on this lonely road. It may be better to get moving as soon as possible.

Susan-Who-Goes, Mazu Ikate
7 Nautical Miles away from Harmuth

On the deck of the good ship Monstra Viam, Mazu Ikate paces back and forth. It's strange to be a passenger and have no responsibilities for the well-being of the vessel. But to be honest, there haven't been many problems TO deal with. The vessel is an old and storied merchantman, with both the triple-masted sails common to Ghanic vessels, and also an ancient engine to fill the times of ill-wind. The crew are all fine Ghanic sailors, the sails and rigging have played nicely, and Susan hasn't even felt the problems of sea sickness. After setting out the waters of Ryness Bay were clear and the wind constant. Frankly it felt a little strange. But now the winds have failed, and the engines have thrummed steadily under your feet for the past few hours. To the West the distant moon is half-visible, its green visage a good sight on a voyage. But when the ship suddenly lurches, and a sailor almost goes overboard, you think something might be wrong.

Welcome to Numenera! For your first post, please include your character sheet. Further, in your posts, if you could keep track of your stat pools like this: <Name>: M:(X/X)E:A; S:(Y/Y)E:B; I(Z/Z)E:C; XP:0
So tell me, what you were doing while traveling? Are you excited to be near Harmuth? Frustrated you have to go somewhere? Things like that!

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Tindalos
May 1, 2008

Ohrmazd: M:(15/15)E:1; S:(10/10)E:1; I(7/7)E:0; XP:0

Ohrmazd sits, attempting to meditate on the world, but every jolt sends him crashing into the sides of the hackney, or worse the others.
"Is there no faster, or at least more stable way to reach our destination? I do not wish to complain but this is not the most comfortable method of transportatio-" a sudden lurch sends him crashing into Paschal. "My apologies. But I haven't been this uncomfortable since..." he thinks for a moment. "I do not even recall when. This certainly is a new experience then."


pre:
Tier 1 Glaive
Background: Biomechanical Modification

		Third Eye Closed	Third Eye Opened
Effort		1			1
Might		15/1			15/1
Speed		10/1			12/1
Intellect	07/0			07/0

Armour: 	0			1
Cypher Max: 	2			3

Practiced With All Weapons


Skills:
Jumping					Jumping
Deception, Sneaking and Camouflage	Speed Defense Tasks
Charm, Perception and Etiquette		Visual and Auditory Perception
Knowledge, Memory or Lore		Non-combat Speed and Reflexes

Inabilities:
Speed and Perception			Deception, Sneaking and Camouflage
					Charm, Perception and Etiquette
					Knowledge, Memory or Lore

Fighting Moves
No Need for Weapons
Trained Without Armour
Shroud of Flame (1 Intellect)

Equipment
- Clothing
- Explorer's pack
- A handful of small blue stones that randomly turn into sacs full of water. 
They appear to be drinkable if you open them while in their liquid state. 
- Fireproofing Artifact
- 10 Shins

Cyphers
Emoacoustic Weapon Level: 8 Wearable:Mask Usable:Handheld device 
Effect:This device allows the user to change the emotion of a single target 
in short range with a sonic burst that only the target will hear. 
The user can choose one of these emotions or states: anger, despair, fear, 
joy, calm, great hunger, and sexual arousal. This artificial state lasts 
for ten minutes (or as the situation afterward dictates).

Fallback Clone: (Occultic) Level:10 Wearable:Two headbands 
Effect:To activate this device, the user must place a few drops of blood, 
strands of hair, nail clippings, or a piece of flesh in a sealed, water-filled 
tank with one of the headbands and wear the other one. The headband in the 
tank facilitates the rapid growth of a clone in one month. The clone is a 
fully grown creature, identical in every physical way to the user. 
However, it has no consciousness and remains in a comatose state in the tank. 
Once the clone has matured, if at any time the user dies while wearing the 
headband, her consciousness is transferred into the clone, regardless of 
distance. All skills, abilities, and knowledge are transferred.
The user does not need to wear the headband throughout the process (if, 
for example, she is worried about her cypher limit), just at the beginning 
to spur the clone's growth. However, if she dies while not wearing the headband, no transfer occurs.

Data Mine (Occultic) Level: 2 Usable:Electronic bracelet,
Effect: Allows the user to tap into the mind of anyone in visual range 
and steal the target's knowledge of a skill that it is trained in. The 
user becomes trained in that skill for one hour. During that time, the 
target loses its own training in that skill. 

QuantumNinja
Mar 8, 2013

Trust me.
I pretend to be a ninja.

Charus Loryn
M:(12/12)E:0; S:(14/14)E:1; I(14/14)E:0; XP:0

Awoken from his third attempt to nap, Charus lets out a small chain of expletives. Or, they would have been, if the words hadn't gotten lost somewhere between his mind and his mouth. "Moonrise, shilling, shins, and forest shoes! What matter of discourse is the day that elaborated evermore such an eccentric eventuality? It would be better walking on my head than listening to the simmering of the pot! GOOD FELLOW, is your mind your whip, or your whip your mind? The mud is muck is mud, and mindless milling misses most!"

With that he hops out and starts pushing at the cart to free it from the mud, flashing Ohrmazd and his musculature a sharp look. "Why wish a wisp, when might might?"

QuantumNinja posted:

Tier 1 Jack
Background: Born Lucky

Effort 1
Might 12/0
Speed 14/1
Intellect 14/0

Armour: 0
Cypher max: 2
Practiced with light and medium weapons
Fits of Insight. Whenever such knowledge is appropriate, the GM will feed you information for which there is no clear explanation as to how you could know such a thing. This is up to the GM’s discretion, but should happen as often as once each session.

Connections:
- You felt compelled by inexplicable intuition to get involved.
- You used to work with a troupe of traveling minstrels and performers, and they remember you fondly (as do people in the places you visited).
- You have known Paschal for a while, and he helped you gain control of your phase states.

Skills:
- Deceiving
- Flex Skill
- Numenera Knowledge
- Walk Through Walls (2 Intellect). You can slowly pass through physical barriers at a rate of 1 inch (2.5 cm) per round (minimum of one round to pass through any barrier). You can’t act (other than moving) or perceive anything until you pass entirely through the barrier. You can’t pass through energy barriers. Action.

Inability:
- Fragile Mind (mental defense +1 step)
- Erratic Behavior When you are in the presence of a major numenera discovery, or at times of great stress (such as a serious physical threat), the GM can use GM intrusion without awarding XP that directs your next action. (Oh, my, yes!)

Esoteries:
- Hedge Magic (1 Intellect)
- Trained Without Armor

Equipment:
- Clothing
- Light Armor: Leather Jerkin
- Rapier
- Bow with 12 Arrows
- Explorer's Pack
- Bag of Light Tools
- 8 Shins

Cyphers:
8, 99: Grub Armor.
Anoetic. Numenera Level: 1d6+1 2. Usable: Canister of dried worms. Effect: This cypher requires a bit of water to activate the dried worms in the can. Once activated, the grubs grow to enormous size in 1d6 rounds and swarm over the user’s body, providing +2 to Armor for one hour. Further, if the user is targeted by an effect that specifically affects a single creature, such as something that controls or reads her mind, one of the grubs is affected instead, effectively rendering the user immune to such things for the duration. This does not apply to straightforward physical attacks of any kind.
15, 56: Projectile Module (Teleport).
Occultic. Level: Numenera Level: 1d6+1 5. Usable: Small metal and synth plate. Effect: This cypher must be attached to another cypher or artifact (a level 4 task) that fires solid projectiles, like a slugspitter or a compactor. Once attached, it no longer counts against a character’s cypher limit. The projectile(s) of the cypher or artifact it is attached to now teleport through barriers to get to the target, but the target must be seen. The attack ignores Armor and can even pass through solid barriers. The module cannot be removed from the device without destroying both the module and the device.
Oddities:
Oddities: 2#1d100 75 77
- Pair of tiny metal rods that, when brought within 1 inch (2.5 cm) of each other, vibrate exactly fifteen minutes before the sun rises
- Bottle of twenty-four pills that make you vividly dream about your favorite memory when you next sleep (SO GOOD)

QuantumNinja fucked around with this message at 20:36 on Sep 4, 2014

ThreeStep
Nov 5, 2009

Eater
M:(13/13)E:0; S:(12/12)E:0; I(13/13)E:1; XP:0
Flex Skill: Perception


Since the jolting had begun, Eater had spent some time trying to keep steady a couple shins in the air, using only her will. It had become a game of sorts, timing their motion with the rocking and swaying as the driver urged his beast on. But when Charus jumped out, the slam of the door broke her concentration and the they fell back in her lap.

With a shrug and a smile, the pilgrim followed the madman. She hitched up her robes up from the mud, turned her back to the carriage and started to push as well, leaning her sparse frame against the vehicle. In between shoves she yelled back to Ohrmazd.

"What is discomfort, but a narrow mind? By focusing on a few pleasing sensations you blind yourself and in their absence, feel as if you are lacking. Open your senses to what is offered and partake in that. Do not, as the sages write, be as a man at a banquet, starving because his mother's porridge is not there."

pre:
A Mystical Jack who Works Miracles
Tier 1, Effort 1

Might 13, Edge 0
Speed 12, Edge 0
Intellect 13 Edge 1

Skills
Philosophy (Jack)
Numenera Training (Descriptor)
Sense "Magic" (Descriptor)

Inability
Unnerving Aura (Charm, persuasion and deception +1 step)

Abilities
Flex Skill (Jack)
Practiced with light and medium weapons (Jack)
Hedge Magic (1 Intellect) (Descriptor)
Healing Touch (1 Intellect) (Focus)

Tricks of the Trade
Thrust (1 Might)
Trained in Intellect Defense

Equipment
Backpack
Clothing (well-worn robes)
Punching Dagger (Light, 2 damage)
Razor Ring (Light, 2 damage, short range)
Leather Jerkin (Light, 1 armor)
Two oddities
Two cyphers
Explorer's Pack
Bag of Light Tools
6 shins

Cyphers and Oddities
Numenera Net. Anoetic. Level: 6. Usable: A square of fine mesh. 
Effect: Before this device can be activated, at least three cyphers must be activated within a short distance of it. 
Once this occurs, the net becomes charged for 28 hours. The next time the user uses an occultic cypher 
while in possession of the net, he can transfer energy from the net to the cypher so that the cypher can be used one additional time.

Clamp Trap. Anoetic. Level: 5. Usable: Mouthlike metal clamp. 
Effect: When activated, this device becomes a pressure-plate trap that clamps around anything that triggers it. 
The device is similar to a bear trap, except that when it is fully activated, it becomes invisible. 
Once triggered, it inflicts damage equal to the cypher level, plus 1 additional point of damage per minute until it is removed. 

A stub of paper with writing on it that says something different to everyone who looks at it
Shirt that displays your muscles, bones, and internal organs when you wear it


Links and Connections
Eater believes this would be a great way to learn more about the numenera.
Another PC suspects Eater is a messiah or supernatural being.

Haystack
Jan 23, 2005






Susan-Who-Goes
M:(10/10)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(15/15)E:1; XP:0

Susan stands on the foredeck, quietly musing at the strange and terrifying sight of so much water. Thoughts come unbidden to her, mirrored by the unconscious tattoo of fingers upon her drum. Not two winters ago, the largest body of water she had experienced was the limp pool at the base of her tribe's cliff dwelling. Now that was behind her, fate and spirits having lead her away from her comfortably dry home to... this. The words of the Elder Shaman upon her departure come to her ears, unbidden. "Seek the strange, Susan-Who-Goes. Seek it, know it, enter it, and bring to us."

Was this endless water, so large and so dangerous in defeat, strange enough? How did it not simply vanish or roll away in shame, like the water spirits of her homeland? Perhaps...

Susan's thoughts break off as the deck lurches beneath her, prompting a decidedly undignified scream and equally undignified scuttle towards the nearest mast. Pure, blind terror at being eaten by the vengeful waters fills her, sending her tattoos crawling.

"Mazu!"

quote:

Tier 1 Nano
Background: Plugs and Ports (As magic tattoos)

XP expenditures
:
Tier 1
-

Pool/Edge:
Might 10
Speed 11
Intellect 15/1

Other Stats:
Effort 1
Armour: 0

Skills:
Ⓣ All tasks involving electrical machines
Ⓣ Sense Magic
Ⓣ Numenera Training

Inabilities and Drawbacks
:
Ⓘ Unnerving aura (Charm, persuasion, deception +1 step)
Ⓘ Unable to swim

Abilities:
Ⓔ Practiced With Light Weapons
Ⓐ Hedge Magic (1 intellect)
Ⓔ Machine Affinity
Ⓐ Distant Activation (1 intellect)

Esoteries:
- Hedge Magic (1 Int)
- Onslaught (1 Int)
- Resonance Field (1 Int)

Cyphers 3[4]/3:
  • Reproductive Sac. Occultic, Level 4. Usable: An expandable organic sac Effect: This organic device allows a character to reproduce asexually. First the sac is grafted onto a character for 28 hours. Then it is removed and placed in a warm, moist environment. Half a year later, it bursts open and reveals a living, infant clone of the character.
  • Disrupting Nodule. Anoetic. Level: 2. Usable: Crystal nodule affixed to a melee weapon Effect: For the next 28 hours, each time the weapon the nodule is attached to strikes a solid creature or object, it generates a burst of nanites that directly attack organic cells. The affected target takes 1 additional point of damage and loses his next action.
  • Bloom (Fireflower). Anoetic Level: 10 Usable: Ceramic, glass, or other breakable material in the shape of a flower or seed pod with a fuse stem (lit and then thrown or launched, long-range) Effect: Ten seconds after the fuse is lit, the device explodes, sending shards of red-hot glass out into the pattern of a flower. Any living creature that comes into contact with falling or spraying shards suffers burn damage equal to the cypher level.
Oddities: 2
- A ball of fur that squeals when submerged in water
- Eye lenses that glow in the dark

Equipment:
- Bag of Light Tools
- Book (numenera)
- Clothing
- 4 Shins
- Ritual Drum (from Mazu)

Weaponry:
- Hatchet (2 damage)

Links and Connections:
- Ohrmazd is quite leery of Susan. Superficially it is because of her heritage, but in actually, he can hear her in his mind.
- Mazu and Susan struck up a friendship during their travels. Mazu crafted a fine synth and hide drum for Susan, who had broken hers.

Haystack fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Sep 4, 2014

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
For the folks on the road, just pushing the hackney with your shoulders is a difficulty 6 task, with an initial Might cost of 2. My suggestion would be either to work together (i.e. have one of you roll, with difficulty -1 for the others helping) and/or find something to help lift the back end.

Friar John fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Sep 5, 2014

Tran
Feb 17, 2011

It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.

Paschal "The Spiritist"
M:(11/11)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(17/17)E:1; XP:0

As the wagon rocks about, Paschal can't help but scowl. Too much like the early days, roaming mud trails between two bit shows in flea infested villages. Only the thought of working Harmuth lightens his mood. A true city, not one of those jumped up farming towns. The people of such must need diversions, and were they not the best showmen in the world? This was all a temporary inconvenience, their time would come again.

The pleasant daydreams are shattered by a large man crashing into him. Biting back a sharp retort, Paschal fakes a smile. "Think nothing of it," he says smoothly. "The rigors of the road can be a shock to those unaccustomed." As he speaks, he subtly checks his belongings for any that might've gone wandering.

As the mad performer hops up to assist the wagon driver, Paschal moves to follow. "Remember when we used to have people to do this sort of thing for us, Charus" he asks wistfully. "I miss having someone to deal with the muck for me, I'll tell you that. Speaking of, I think you're quite right." Turning back to the interior, he looks pointedly at the larger man. "You seem a strong fellow, care to lend an arm down here?" Not waiting for the reply, he starts off into the brush. "I'll fetch a good lever," he calls back. "No sense tiring ourselves out before we even arrive."

Searching for a good strong branch to lever the wheel. 1d20=12

pre:
Tier 1 Nano
Background: Psychic


XP expenditure log:
Tier 1
-
-
-
-

Pool/Edge:
Might 11/0
Speed 11/0
Intellect 17/1

Effort 1
Armour: 1

Skills:
All tasks involving social interaction
Numenera Training


Inabilities and Drawbacks:
Open Mind: Intellect Defense Difficulty Increases 1 Step


Abilities:
Practiced With Light Weapons
Telepathic (1 intellect)
Mental Esoteries: Automatic Training In Mind Control & Mind Reading
Minor Effect: Double Range or Duration
Major Effect: Take Another Action In Same Turn


Esoteries:
- Ward
- Onslaught (1 Int)

Equipment:
4 Shins
Book on Numenera
Travelling Clothes
Performer's Robes
Focusing Crystal in Removable Setting: +1 Int Pool (-5 if Lost and not replaced.)
Travelling Hat with Notch for Crystal Setting
Oversized Mentalist Wrap with Pin for Crystal Setting

Weaponry:
Dagger (Light)

Cyphers:
Memory Cube. Anoetic. Level: 1. Usable: Extracts one memory for storage/replay.  Original memory lost.
Sonic Hole. Anoetic. Level: 7. Wearable: Silences long range area for one round per level.
Lutin (Light Drops). Anoetic. Level: 3. Usable:(long range). Creates luminescent cloud for 1d6 rounds.

Roll to determine the effect:
01–50 Blindness. Blind for level/rounds.
51–75 Sleep. Sleep for level/rounds.
76–00 Dazzle. Daze for level/rounds, increasing difficulty by one step.


Oddities:
A knitted square that adds a new row of stitches on its own

Tran fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Sep 4, 2014

Tindalos
May 1, 2008

Ohrmazd: M:(15/15)E:1; S:(10/10)E:1; I(7/7)E:0; XP:0

Annoyed by Eater's jibes, Ohrmazd swings himself off the hackney at Paschal's request.

"A lever would be helpful. I must admit, I have tired of performing all manual labour without aid. I may appear strong, but even I have my limits." A frown appears on his face. "Do not mistake me for a machine or thrall. I am Ohrmazd, and I am no one's slave." A moment later it's gone again as he reaches the back of the hackney.

Seeing the pulling muck surrounding the wheels, Ohrmazd is careful to avoid getting mired in it as he goes to reach the carriage's axle. Unfortunately this seems a bit of a losing proposition, and soon his bare feet are caked in the stuff. Still, he has reached the wheels, and planting his feet on two mostly solid pieces of ground, he gets ready to lift the hackney.

"When you are ready, give the word, and it shall be done."

ThreeStep
Nov 5, 2009
Eater
M:(13/13)E:0; S:(12/12)E:0; I(13/13)E:1; XP:0
Flex Skill: Perception


Eater grinned, moving aside to give him more room. "That's the spirit. Just remember that if you strain yourself, I can undo that. Within limits, of course. Breaking a leg would be unwise in this situation."

saberwulf
Mar 3, 2009

Pipe rifles and snack cakes.

Mazu Ikate: M:(11/11)E:0; S:(13/11)E:1; I(12/11)E:0; XP:0

Flex skill for today: Persuasion

Aboard a Ghanic ship, there's nothing more suspicious than perfect operation. No offense to Ghan's shipbuilders, but even with the refinement over the years, the fleet was still a bunch of ancient, half-understood tech lashed to beat-up sailboats and trimarans built by hand in wooden drydocks. So when a floating junk sculpture isn't sputtering smoke or groaning like a frilled baul, there's probably something really wrong.

Mazu's still pacing, sun glinting off the shiny skin of her work suit, when the ship decides to violently list. She instinctively catches herself on a rail and digs her heels to keep from being thrown to the deck as it lurches. When it settles a bit, Mazu's gaze shoots up towards her traveling companion.

"Susan! Are you hurt?" Without waiting for a reply, she pulls the crankbow off her back, and gripping it tightly, peers over the side to see what they've hit— Or what hit them.

quote:

Mazu Ikate
Tier 1
Effort 1

Pool/Edge
Might 11/0
Speed 13/1
Intellect 12/0

Skills

-trained in all tasks involving swimming, fishing, or fighting in water.
-trained in all tasks involving boats or watercraft of any kind.
-trained in navigating by the stars. At night, the difficulty of any task involving navigation or map reading is decreased by one step.
-Flex Skill:At the beginning of each day, choose one task (other than attacks or defense) on which you will concentrate. For the rest of that day, you’re trained in that task. You can’t use this ability with a skill you’re already trained in to become specialized.
-trained in lockpicking, the numenera, and any task that involves sabotaging an object. (From Sabotage)
-trained in identifying the function of any kind of device. (From Master identifier)
-Woodworking
-Metalworking

Inability

Something about dry land makes you feel slightly off kilter. The difficulty of all Speed-related tasks on dry land is increased by one step.

Abilities
-Practiced with Light and Medium weapons
-Pierce (1 Speed)
-Sabotage
-Master identifier

Cyphers
2/2

-Access Glasses. Anoetic. Level: 6. Wearable: Goggles plus gloves or rings. Effect: The user can see through up to half an inch of solid material and can pass his hands and anything his hands are holding through that solid matter. Once the area to be looked and passed through is chosen—about 18 inches by 18 inches (46 cm by 46 cm)—a new area cannot be chosen. However, the effect lasts for an hour.
-Goss. Anoetic. Level: 4. Usable: A small, moist tongue. Effect: To activate the cypher, the user must place it under her tongue and then speak for up to one minute. The device records everything she says. At the end of this time, she can place it anywhere she chooses. For the next day, the device repeats whatever she said in her voice and tone to anyone who moves within 10 feet (3 m) of it. Once the device repeats the recording, it makes no further noise until another creature approaches, at which point it begins the speech all over again. When the effect ends, the device breaks up into chunks of foul-smelling filth.

Oddities
3/3

-A small sphere nested within a cube, but the cube exists out of phase and cannot be touched.
-A black box from which issue faint calls of “Hello?”
-an egg-shaped, turquoise opal that always smells of sea salt. When held in the right palm, the narrow end points the way to the nearest shore. When held in the left, it points the way toward the nearest fresh water.

Equipment

-Clothing: Sun-bleached tank top and boat shorts printed with ocean designs and Ghanic script, synth sandals
-Light armor: Ghanic work suit
-Forearm blade
-Crank crossbow
-Explorer's pack
-2 bags of light tools
-Woodworking tools
-Metalworking tools
-Handmade fishing pole
-8 shins

Contacts


Captain Yo-won Silla
Discovering Mazu's talent and determination at a young age, Captain Silla's fondness for the girl was key in Mazu's quick rise through the fleet ranks. Years later, the two are still good friends, Mazu spending much of her time at sea aboard Silla's ship Aldous. Though her sponsorship of Mazu's captain rank hasn't proved fruitful, Silla is hopeful, and will help Mazu achieve her goal however she can.

Connections
Ghanic: I need money to purchase my own ship and prove I can captain in the fleet.
Jack: My older sister is a skilled nano. I wasn't able to follow her path, but the numenera is not unknown to me.
Crafts Unique Objects: Susan has a ritual drum I crafted for her.

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
On the Road

As the driver continues to hit his aneen, he yells back at you "Don't expect to get a discount for helping!" and then begins murmuring to himself. As Eater, Ohrmazd, and Charus prep the hackney, their feet sucking and popping loudly in the mud, Paschal sees a sturdy-looking rock and branch at a distance off the road. Hitching up his robes so they don't get as dirty as they need to, he picks his way through dewy shrubs and prickly flowers, and curses the wild. Picking up the branch, he reaches for the rock when he realizes it's moving subtly on its own. He finds out why when the rock unfolds and changes color suddenly, revealing itself as a Drebil, a fierce and hungry ambush predator. But disturbed, it flies straight as Paschal's face, seeking to claw and bite at its disturber.


On the Sea
With the sailors, Mazu looks down into the water, and sees little beyond the clear and bright ocean. Schools of multi-colored fish and the large Zoadonts, those friends to sailors, dip and weave in their acrobatics. When the captain of the vessel, one Jibra Sask (an old and unprepossessing sailor, whose coat buttons look like they survive encasing his bulk through sheer divine intervention) bursts out of his room at the aft deck, he's already yelling at everyone he can lay his red eyes on, including his passengers. "WHAT in the NINE HELLS just happened? Why are my engines off?!" You're struck at his anger, but you realize that the steady thrumming you've felt for the day has suddenly ceased.

Paschal! Give me a Difficulty 3 Speed Task to avoid 3 damage, then you can take your own action. If anyone wants info about Drebils, that'd be a Diff. 4 Int test to recall general information about them (basic stats, if they travel alone or in groups, &c.). Paschal is a short distance away from the rest of you.

Susan and Mazu, feel free to narrate about the ship, you've spent a few days on it and haven't been restricted except from captain's quarters and the engine room.

Finally, in Numenera the players roll everything. If you want to do something (search for something, convince someone, the like), go ahead and roll for it if you want, and if I consider it unnecessary you can just refund any points you spend in it. That or you can ask me on IRC.

Tran
Feb 17, 2011

It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.
Paschal
M:(11/11)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(17/17)E:1; Armor: 1; XP:0

Startled, Paschal falls backward with a shriek. Had he more time to think about it, he'd be inwardly railing against the damnable wild spaces with their mud, thorns, and murderous creatures pretending to be rocks. At the moment however his thoughts largely consist of blind panic and a particularly focused will to kill the beastly little thing. Unlike for most men, that ill intent is enough to cause grievous harm by itself. Hopefully it would do so before the ghastly little beast tore off his face.

Mental Onslaught versus not-rock 1d20=5 Defense roll: 1d20=13

Tran fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Sep 5, 2014

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
EDIT: Mis-posted

ThreeStep
Nov 5, 2009
Eater
M:(13/13)E:0; S:(12/12)E:0; I(13/13)E:1; XP:0
Flex Skill: Perception


The clouds looked nice, Eater thought to herself while she waited for the big push to happen. That cloud kind of looked like the first symbol of Mie's Meteodiviniation I. Then Paschal's struggles broke her reverie. Leaning her head around the corner of the wagon, she the mentalist go down in a flurry of wings and mud. Then she was off, taking an easy lope towards the trouble.

That hunting cry sounded familiar, a drebil for sure. But was it an Eastern Plains or a Northern Crag Drebil, assuming Linneal's observations were..."Hey Paschal! Quick, does that have an odd or even number of claws and is there any unusual coloration to the underbelly?"

Drebil Info: 1d20 11

Tindalos
May 1, 2008

Ohrmazd: M:(15/15)E:1; S:(10/10)E:1; I(7/7)E:0; XP:0

Hearing Paschal's echoing cries, Ohrmazd releases his grip on the axle. "Paschal! I shall be there momentarily."

Running across mud may be a foolish action for most to perform, but Ohrmazd barely notices now that danger has reared its head. He swiftly crosses the short distance between him and Paschal.

Haystack
Jan 23, 2005






Susan-Who-Goes
M:(10/10)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(15/15)E:1; XP:0


With practiced effort, Susan clamped down on her panic. Taking deep, controlled breaths, she forced herself to open her eyes and assess the situation. Around her, the ship was not tipping over or obviously under attack, as she had feared.

Like I would know, she thought, shifting her attention to the surrounding sailors. One young sailor openly smirked at her overreaction, whom she pointedly ignored. The rest didn't seem particularly alarmed, although she saw faces that betrayed annoyance, and concern. I'm ok. Get up. Susan released her death-grip, and regained her feet. If the sailors thought something was wrong, then she had lost only a little face by overreacting to it.

Now, what was it that Mazu yelled back? Ah, yes. "I'm fine!" Susan yelled, returning to the railing, "Just took me by..."

Susan trailed off at the captain burst onto the deck below her. She watched his display with interest – she had never met a man of his... proportions before and watching him in a full froth fascinated her.

The engines? With a small start, Susan realized what had been nagging at her. The the constant growl and hum of the ship-spirit was gone! Icy fear at the thought of being stuck upon these hostile waters percolated through her, but she kept it off her face, as she had been trained. As one who lived on the margins of the weird, the dangerous, and the unexpected, a shaman did not have the luxury to lose control of themselves. Maybe this was just a small, trivial problem? Susan had no way to know.

Susan picked her down to Mazu. "Friend, is this normal? Regardless, I think I'm going to go below decks, and see what there is to see. The men of this ship know the spirits here better than I do, even if they cannot speak to them... but sometimes a word from a stranger is better than a thousand gestures from a friend. Best to be well placed, I think."

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
Drebil Country
Even as Paschal flings the horrid little beast away from himself, avoiding anything worse than the shallowest of scratches, he sends out a burst of psychic force to rip it apart. But the creature is swift and deftly avoids the attack, and as Ohrmazd and Eater rush to help Paschal, the blast runs between the two and splits a small stone in half.

Eater can tell from the dark purple coloration on the underside of the flapping monster that it is, in fact, a Northern Crag Drebil, which makes perfect sense, seeing that the group is now in the middle of their known habitat, as espoused by the old naturalist and explorer Jeran of Pytharos, whose works were vital to the proper classification of the many diverse and divergent families of animals to be found in the Ninth World, especially those smaller ones...

Oh wait, Drebils. Small, annoying little bastards, with the intelligence of a child and comprehensible speech. Tough to find when they camouflage themselves, and they tend to hunt in mated pairs, but they often run very soon after being shown their prey is tougher than they may have sensed. But Eater's remembrance is cut short, as the little gremlin decides to go after her instead!
The Drebil is level 2, but it has a speed defense of 3. HP: 20/20, Armor 1, does 3 damage. Attacking Eater!

Gonna wait on Saberwulf for a day before moving the boat scene along.

Tran
Feb 17, 2011

It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.
Paschal
M:(11/11)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(17/17)E:1; Armor: 1; XP:0

Paschal crawls away from the tiny murderous rock impersonator in panic. He only halts when it becomes clear the little beast has chosen a new victim. Dragging himself to his feet, he absently wipes at the newly accumulated muck in a futile attempt at restoring his pride. However useless a gesture, it does serve to calm his nerves somewhat. The slowly fading fear is rapidly replaced by outrage. Not only had this trip sought to strip him of his dignity, but now it threatened his very life. Someone or something must be held accountable. Fortunately there were several potential candidates nearby.

"What the bloody hell is that thing," Paschal demands. "This is why I hate travelling. As if the everpresent mud and stomach churning roads weren't enough, there's always something out there plotting to skin and eat you. Even the blasted rocks have gotten in on the game!" For all the bravado, he clutches tightly at his dagger.

ThreeStep
Nov 5, 2009
Eater
M:(12/13)E:0; S:(12/12)E:0; I(13/13)E:1; XP:0
Flex Skill: Perception


Right, the details clicked. Eater stopped next to Paschal, wrapping calloused fingers around the worn grips of her punching dagger. "A Northern Crag Drebil, that's what it is," she informed the mentalist. "Intelligent enough, but not too dangerous if you put up a fight. Problem is, they usually hunt in pairs and if you found one of them, the other should be-"

Then the drebil lunged at her and Eater focused on the new threat. With her dagger in one hand, Eater tried to duck under its path and thrust her dagger into the unprotected underbelly. But she misjudged her footing in the mud, overshooting the drebil.

"Nice move, drebil!" She called out as she tried to stop her fall. "But it won't work a second time!"

Attack: 1d20 5 using punching dagger (light weapon, 2 damage) and spending 1 point of Might for Thrust, adding +1 damage. No luck though.
EDIT: Speed Defense: 1d20 9

ThreeStep fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Sep 8, 2014

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
You need a speed defense roll to avoid the Drebil's attack, ThreeStep - difficulty 2 to start, so a 6 and above to succeed in dodging.

Tindalos
May 1, 2008

Ohrmazd: M:(13/15)E:1; S:(10/10)E:1; I(7/7)E:0; XP:0

Finally within range of the Drebil, Ohrmazd tries to grab it by its wings, attempting to pluck it from the air. When he gets a firm grip on it with one hand, his other grasps the other wing, and Ohrmazd begins to tear them off the poor beast.

Attack roll 15. Ohrmazd applies Effort (2 points of might thanks to his Edge), cauing his fists to deal 7 damage, or 6 after armour.

saberwulf
Mar 3, 2009

Pipe rifles and snack cakes.
Mazu Ikate: M:(11/11)E:0; S:(13/11)E:1; I(12/11)E:0; XP:0

Engines? Well poo poo, guess something had to give eventually. Still, Mazu could almost fix engines with her eyes closed. The repair shouldn't take long if the captain lets her.

Haystack posted:

"Friend, is this normal? Regardless, I think I'm going to go below decks, and see what there is to see. The men of this ship know the spirits here better than I do, even if they cannot speak to them... but sometimes a word from a stranger is better than a thousand gestures from a friend. Best to be well placed, I think."

Mazu flashes Susan a toothy smile to help alleviate her fears. "A Ghanic vessel that isn't falling apart at the welds is bad luck, Susan. But we've broken down in good seas, and the Zoadont are surfacing starboard today. The ancestors send their blessings from the Tùngfā. Still, you're right about going below. Come on."

Mazu grabs the tool bag she left sitting on the deck earlier and makes her way over to the yelling captain.

"Sawat, Captain Sask," she yells back. "Something's gone off below, sounds like!" Once she's close, Mazu swings the bag over one shoulder and informally salutes Sask. "If you'd allow it, sir, I'd like to head down there with my companion and figure out why we've gone drifmai."

QuantumNinja
Mar 8, 2013

Trust me.
I pretend to be a ninja.

Charus Loryn
M:(12/12)E:0; S:(14/14)E:1; I(14/14)E:0; XP:0

Charus watches as the others rush to Paschal's aid, and seems to stare off into the distance for a moment. In reality, however, he's contemplating joining them. That is, until he realizes the driver is still there, and starts storming him with questions. "What is the mud, to you, good sir? Aren't you traveled on this roads? I mean, better than the stars! Whilst the rest of your passengers scream, you enjoy your cream. What manner of man are you that manners matter minutest?"

He stand here, covered in mud, half-glaring at the driver, while he hears the combat sounds of his compatriots.

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
The Sea
Sask eyes Ikate, and you can see the battle between wanting the workings of his engines to stay secret and his desire to get moving again through his face. "Ohhh, alright," he growls out, "Yo-won said you're a good tinker, but I'm going down there too, and you better not tell any of those n'wahs like Captain Uhan how my ship works!" Pulling out a heavy key, he leads you and Susan to the lower decks. You pass by the bunks for the sailors, and in the deck below you pass the various heavy crates filled with merchandise bound for northern ports. You get to the heavy wooden door to the engine room and Sask pounds on it. "Open up, Jimma! What the hell's going on in there!" He pounds again, but with no answer. The only sound is that of your own shifting and breathing. Growling, Sask puts his key in the massive lock and, straining some, shifts the bar lock.

As he opens the door, the portal is thrown open, blowing Sask back onto his rear end, and hundreds, if not thousands of thin black membranes fly out of the room, past you and everything else, towards the open sky. "Aah!" Sask screams, throwing his arms willy-nilly in front of his face, but the creatures (if they can be called so, for you can distinguish no limbs nor orifices on them) pay you no heed. After a few whirling moments, the stampede is over (though you can hear people yell in surprise and fright above you), and a dead body is lying on the ground, his hands stuck as if he were still clawing at the door that had kept him in. Turning him over, you can see his eyes, nose, ears and mouth are filled with the black fliers.

With the immediate danger over, Sask trembles to his feet. "Oh no, notules," he says, seeing Jimma's body. Behind him, inside the long engine room, you can see the left and right walls are dominated by two strange mechanisms, clearly of ancient make. Several panels show evidence of being shattered from the inside. Who knows what the notules must have done to them?

Impromptu Zoological Expedition
Hearing Charus' tone of voice, if not quite understanding his exact vocabulary, the driver looks at the player and spits onto the ground. "You paid me to getcha to Harmuth my way. You don't like it, you can walk the rest of the way. But there're packsa broken hounds around, so I've seen, and they don't like aneen cuz of the smell. So if you wanna take your chances, go right ahead. But it was yer fella there who decided to go off the road."

What a bastard.

Off the road, the Drebil screams in Ohrmazd's hands. "STOP! STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" it begins wailing, its voice high-pitched and reedy. Flapping out of Ohrmazd's grip, it lands on the ground and wobbles a bit away from the three big people, its skin color already changing to reflect the greening grasses around it. "You surprise Hog! Then you hurt Hog!" it yells at you. It begins to make a strange noise, until you realize that it's crying. You don't think it's going to attack you anymore, unless you do so first. Eater, no longer being attacked, remembers another passage from Jeran, where the naturalist wrote of asking Drebils about the lay of the land when in strange environs.

Notules are an Int 5 task to remember info on, and the Drebil is out of the fight, being just over half health. If you want to find a real stone to use as part of a lever for getting the hackney out, that's an automatic thing, don't worry about another fight popping up now.

ThreeStep
Nov 5, 2009
Eater
M:(12/13)E:0; S:(12/12)E:0; I(13/13)E:1; XP:0
Flex Skill: Perception

The dagger goes back into a robe pocket and Eater takes careful steps towards the drebil. Jeran never mentioned the noises they make, not like this. "When two parties meet for the first time, they are coming together halfway across a bridge. Sometimes you step through a rotten plank and stumble. Be thankful the whole structure did not collapse." The jack kneeled and a thin-fingered hand shot out and touched the drebil.

"Now, remain still. Let me pull you back up." There's the familiar double vision as one injured drebil becomes many, each slightly different. Many are injured, some more or less, other healthy but different: too large, or small, not the right sex or species. Eater remains still, eyes flicking between the possibilities, onlookers seeing just a slight blur. There. That one will do nicely. A drebil that looks just like Hog, is Hog quivering and sobbing but less bloody. A mental tug and the drebils collapse back into one.

Healing Touch: 1d20 19, Healing Touch Amount: 1d6 3 on the drebil. Oh yeah.

Haystack
Jan 23, 2005





Susan-Who-Goes
M:(10/10)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(15/15)E:1; XP:0

Susan peeled herself off of the deck. Once she was certain that the immediate threat was gone, she knelt down by the dead man, carefully inspecting him. A death by suffocation, or perhaps crushing? Either way, the poor man's spirit would be in a frenzy from the violent death, likely obsessed with his lost breath. If it was not calmed down, it could become a chindi, stealing breath from those nearby it, possibly suffocating the unwary. Still, she did not have the time or the permission to perform a full funerary rites. She contented herself with speaking a few calming words in the sacred tongue, her hands beating a sympathetic rhythm on her drum, her tattoos shifting in soothing patterns. Hopefully it would be enough.

With that done, Susan joined the others in peering into the wrecked engine room. She was not familiar with the darkness spirits that had flooded the from the room, but clearly they were efficient at causing havoc. Still, there was nothing for it. Either the engines were fixed, or Susan would have to learn to swim.

"We must press forward, I think. Will those darkness spirits attack if we enter?"

Susan fails on knowing what a notule is, vs 15: 1d20 14

Haystack fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Sep 10, 2014

Tran
Feb 17, 2011

It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.
Paschal
M:(11/11)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(17/17)E:1; Armor: 1; XP:0

Paschal glares at the whining rock poser. "The absolute gall," Paschal spits. "This vile little monster tries to devour my eyes and then claims to be the victim? Will the indignities of this blasted day never end?" He takes a deep breath to collect himself before speaking again. "Enough, I'll waste no more time on that thing. Let's just get the cart moving and be on our way." Pointedly ignoring the wailing creature, the mentalist collects his lever and a more cooperative stone before setting off toward the wagon.

Tindalos
May 1, 2008

Ohrmazd: M:(12/15)E:1; S:(10/10)E:1; I(7/7)E:0; XP:0

When the Drebil speaks, Ohrmazd drops to his knees in shock.
"My gravest apologies. I did not realize you were not am enemy out to attack us." he extends a hand, open palmed to it. "I am not from here, and your kind were not known to me. I offer you unreserved apologies."

He looks over his shoulder at Paschal. "Fear is the mind killer, it makes some cry out when they should be silent, and others attack when they should be still."

Still, no sense letting Paschal do all the work himself, Ohrmazd returns to the axle of the hackney and, when Paschal inserts the lever, lifts.

Spending 1 Might to lift the wheels out.
The hackney unfortunately does not move. Doubt. Ohrmazd realizes it almost at once, a weapon almost as dangerous as fear, and far more insidious. He slumps to the ground. "I... have failed. My strength is no longer my own."

Tindalos fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Sep 10, 2014

saberwulf
Mar 3, 2009

Pipe rifles and snack cakes.
Just realized my stat formatting was hosed up and showing my pool maxes wrong. Sorry about that!

Mazu Ikate
M:(11/11)E:0; S:(13/13)E:1; I(12/12)E:0; XP:0

Mazu had gone flat against the hull at the notule swarm's sudden escape, and now slowly removes herself from the wall and approaches the engine room with her arm blade at the ready.

"Know what caused the stop at least," she says grimly, glancing down at Jimma's body. She bows deeply over him and makes a silent prayer with her hands brought together. Once done, she looks to the damaged engines and groans.

"Yetāmai, those little bastards wrecked this thing! I think they're all gone, at least. Susan, watch my back if you would? I'm gonna head in."

Mazu hefts her bags and approaches the engines carefully. She wasn't going to let a pack of vermin stop her goal now. Something feels a bit off, though— The panels are burst from the inside. Where the hell did Sask haul this thing up from again?

Fixing the engine: 1d20 18
Trained with Numenera, and if it counts, any tasks involving boats.

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
Fixing the Ship
Wracking her brain, Susan thinks of the myriad of spirits and their various desires and appetites. She knows that many darkness spirits tend to drink heat and life -- perhaps that was the fate of Jimma? But these look nothing like the Tayo or the intelligent and evil Simur.

Looking into one of the panels, Mazu thinks she understands what happened to the engines -- their powers are heavily drained, and so the great turbine that drives the screw is stopped. The notules must have been nesting and feeding off the energies of the engines, before bursting forth when their meal had ended. Though the particular mechanical architecture is unknown to Mazu, the design is similar in many respects to an ancient piece of tech she saw when she was apprenticed. The peculiar silver glass that, when she shines a light onto it, becomes gold, is a dead giveaway.

With this realization, she looks to her right, near the door she came in on. Another broken section of casing juts out from the machine with a razor sharp jagged edge, and it suddenly dawns on Mazu just how many there notules must have been in there, to shatter this material with such force. But peering down, she sees the blue cube that powered the other machine. Grabbing a thin tool, almost like a screwdriver, but with a black point of light on the end (a gift from Hu-Ji, though he never told you what exactly it did or where he found it, that son of a bitch), Mazu pokes it in, and just like years ago, the strange device begins to pulse with a potent light. But the notules seem to have degraded the channels the energy takes. Not enough to stop the machine, but enough to make arcing jets of red lightning appear inside the machine. And before she is able to extricate herself from the inside, a snap of that power fires towards Mazu!

Getting Out of the Mud
As Eater works her strange magic on the Drebil, it runs its claws over its eyes and snout, before sniffing loudly. Its wounds are lesser than before, but without a word of thanks it runs away, back to whatever hole it calls home in this territory.

Though Ohrmazd alone is unable to shift the Hackney, after several more attempts by the passengers, the abused aneen is finally able to shift the back wheels out of the mud, and with a sigh of relief from the passengers the Hackney starts trottering along again.

...though you have to jog a bit to catch back up to the back, as the driver refuses to stop to let you back on. What a bastard.

Outskirts of Harmuth
Some hours later...

As the sun lowers into the West, to be drowned by the World-River Uroboros, the Monstra Viam slides into the dock of Harmuth. It is a modest town, with three decent-sized piers for the larger vessels, but Mazu's seen better. Sask waddles up to his two passengers, still a little pale from having to sink Jimma into the sea not too long ago. "Well, here you are, ladies, your stop. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning, as we've got nothing bigger than a few casks to unload here. I want to thank you for your help, and pray Jēma that you find what you're looking for. But for a place to stay, I can only recommend two places here - Taia's place and the hospice run by the Amber Priests. Beyond that I can't really help ya."

On the other side of town, a group of four walkers trudges down a dusty street that slides down towards the sea, where they can see a large vessel harbored near the beach. Their driver having told them he wasn't going further than his stop, a mile outside of town, they had to walk the last bit themselves. Around them the mis-matched buildings of homes and businesses lean on each other or hang precariously over the street. You can hear some carousing in the distance.

A matron, seeing your somewhat disheveled appearances, tuts, and says "The beggars go to the Priests, near the fishermen's homes," before going on her merry way.

Welcome to Harmuth.



We're here! Saberwulf, give me a difficulty 4 Speed Defense or suffer 4 Speed damage. Everyone, feel free to fill in what happened on the way in. You got some time to kill before you can talk to the Ealdorman in the morning, so have some fun!

ThreeStep
Nov 5, 2009
Eater
M:(12/13)E:0; S:(12/12)E:0; I(13/13)E:1; XP:0
Flex Skill: Perception


"Yes, but where do the beggars come from?" Eater called out to the woman's retreating back, before turning to the others again.

It had been a good walk. Along the way Eater had started looking for shapes in the clouds, pointing them out to her traveling companions and how they matched to the shapes and portents recorded in Bruin's Nimbusmancy. The Stricken Oaf, the Hungry Wind, the Viscera, so on and so forth.

"That was an enlightening stroll here, but I do admit weariness at the feeling of mud in my sandals. And a powerful thirst. Not as potent as your might-" nodding to Ohrzmad. "But strong enough. And it sounds like there might be a solution in that direction." Gesturing to the sounds of the crowd further along.

QuantumNinja
Mar 8, 2013

Trust me.
I pretend to be a ninja.

Charus Loryn
M:(12/12)E:0; S:(14/14)E:1; I(13/14)E:0; XP:0

Charus stammered at the unhelpful man, but soon enough his compatriots were back without additional fanfare. But it didn't matter, and soon enough they were back on the road, and then much closer to Harmuth than before. The sea water was sharp in his nose, but pleasantly-scented. And that little voice, that little calling, in his head was finally quieted: he had indeed come to Harmuth, and the maddening voice had abated for just time. It put Charus in a cheery mood, and a salient one at that. "Oh, the mud is but a small trick, and something less than important, Eater. Look again, and see that it is not so bad as you think."

-1 Intellect to use Hedge Magic, cleaning the Small Area of us four travellers.

He winks at Eater then, and says. "So, where to? Shall we see the sayer, find some food?"

Tran
Feb 17, 2011

It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.
Paschal
M:(11/11)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(17/17)E:1; Armor: 1; XP:0

Though the damnable cart driver had once again proven his uncertain parentage, Paschal walked the final mile in relative cheer. Finally he'd be back in civilization, mere moments away from a comfortable bed and a distinct lack of greenery. Even the fauna was likely to be tame, nothing greater than a stray hound or adventurous rat. A place where coin could be had for just a few clever words and a bit of showmanship. Yes, the day was looking up. Even that one final indignity hurled by an unknown woman couldn't rile him. Just a faceless voice in the crowd.

Even still, he was glad for Charus' intervention. "Good of you Mr. Loryn," he says. "Good riddance to any reminder of that particular trip I say. Best we find a boarding house straight away, one with a proper bath. We'll need to be at our best if we're to secure rights to perform." After a moment's hesitation he looks toward his fellow entertainer with an almost apologetic expression. "Speaking of, perhaps I should handle the negotiations. I know the necromancy trial wasn't your fault, but best we avoid any misunderstandings."

QuantumNinja
Mar 8, 2013

Trust me.
I pretend to be a ninja.

Charus Loryn
M:(12/12)E:0; S:(14/14)E:1; I(13/14)E:0; XP:0

Charus smiles at Paschal, excited to entertain once more. "I think that'd be capital, and best while I'm still me, before I become I and I and I and I, you know. Perhaps we could do it this very evening, and then find our way into that great city beyond this town, down in the depths. What of you, Eater, Ohrmazd? Aside from shared passage, would you like to share more? Lodgings perhaps? And an adventure into the deeper truths on the morrow?"

He flourishes his hat with a small laugh as they walk further through the sea-scented town, then stops and spends a shin on some street food. As they keep walking, he enjoys the meat sandwich and tall ale. After a particularly large mouthful, he suggests, "What a bore, a boarding house. Perhaps we should see the sea first!"

ThreeStep
Nov 5, 2009
Eater
M:(12/13)E:0; S:(12/12)E:0; I(13/13)E:1; XP:0
Flex Skill: Perception


"To paraphrase an old poem: I am leaf on the wind and have no plan but to keep soaring." Eater shrugged and kept walking towards the sounds of carousers. "I've been on the road a long while and it has been enlightening." She sidesteps a street performer and changes the color of their instrument through the rainbow, giving a quick grin and bow. "But, also, tiring. I'm looking forward to getting familiar with a place, for a while." Speaking of which- The pilgrim racked her brain for what she'd read of the coastal town. Until something Paschal said caught her attention.

"Oh, and also. What necromancy trial was this? Am I in the company of ressurectionists? We should compare notes on techniques."

I pretty much went with an Intellect edge to spam Hedge Magic whenever :v:. And maybe to be smarter at stuff occasionally. But probably not today. Intellect: Harmuth Info: 1d20 3

Haystack
Jan 23, 2005






Susan-Who-Goes
M:(10/10)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(15/15)E:1; XP:0

After seeing to the engine (and possibly Mazu's wellbeing), Susan takes charge of the deceased man's funeral. Thankfully, the sailors seemed willing – even grateful – to follow her lead on the matter. Poor Jimma's remains soon sunk beneath the waves, and Susan lead a sober vigil for the man. Sensing that it put the sailors on edge, she chanted and sung less than she normally would, instead focusing on the people themselves, talking to them and leading conversations. It was, she had to admit to herself, somewhat frustrating work. The men and women of the boat seemed to take Susan's careful explanations of the afterlife as an opportunity to compare superstitions, each wilder and more morbid than the last. Several times Susan had to be more forceful than she would have liked in redirecting the conversation, for fear of drawing the deceased's chindi upon them, drawn by the morbid talk.

And so Susan was more tired and cranky than she would have liked to admit when she debarked. She looks out over the city, bleary eyed, considering what she knows of the place.

Rolling to know what Harmuth is all about. Rolled a 10

Friar John
Aug 3, 2007

Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night
Have my old feet stumbled at graves!
As Eater scours her memory for more info about Harmuth, her mind falls back on the Mystic Journeys guaranteed to Shower the Undertaker of the Travails with Blessings or; Further Journeys of the Master of Salvador of Estra, who had written that the siting of various ruins and artifacts inscribed a labyrinthine geography which, if properly viated upon by the pilgrim, would open up the 3rd center of enlightenment. Or get you devoured by broken hounds, the actual fate of the man. Either one! But as she remembers that fact, she realizes she doesn't really know anything beyond what the yellowed advertisement had said. Old City, Ealdorman Stenwith, at the mouth of the river.

At least you ended up in the right town?


Susan, however, has a better time piecing together the various tidbits and rumors the sailors and others he had met had said. The town as it was now had been founded just about two and a half centuries ago, when an explorer had dug up what would become the civic shrine of the town. In it he found a small diamond that constantly repeated a short plea, that of a woman asking for her love, named Harmuth. Seeking to placate the spirit, the town was named such. Being the last stop in the Steadfast for ships heading north, or going into the Tithe, in addition to the logging industry and the mining of the Old City for numenera, means the city does not lack for prosperity, and has been growing steadily as men come from all around to find their own fortune.


As Susan and Mazu alight from the ship and head up slope away from the beach, they catch the sight of Charus Loryn enjoying his street-side meal, and the rest of them. The same thought goes through everyone's minds - what the hells are they doing here?

The party is connected! Faces are recognized! The past remembered! Now you can all decide what you want to do together. Or not.

saberwulf
Mar 3, 2009

Pipe rifles and snack cakes.
Mazu Ikate
M:(11/11)E:0; S:(13/13)E:1; I(12/12)E:0; XP:0

Dodging: 1d20 14

It's close, but Mazu manages to leap out of the way just in time. The bolt is cut short by the far wall, and once she;'s sure she isn't going to get fried, Mazu climbs to her feet and returns to properly fix the engine.

"If there's one thing universal about numenera," she says as she begins loosening some bolts, "is that it's got a temper."

Later...

Mazu had seemed fine when she bid the captain farewell and set off with Susan, but by the time they're on the beach she's already looking a bit off from being on land. She'd been at sea even before she boarded the Monstra Viam, and by her count it'd been a good month and a week on the water. In short, Mazu currently has the physical faculties of a fish in the desert.

"Ugh, my legs feel like noodle nam giao." Mazu's hunched over slightly, head dropped like she's been stricken with some disease. "I don't see how you do this so often, Susan."

A ways up the path she notices the other group, and her strength seems to return with a huge grin. She raises one of her arms high in the air and calls out, "Sawaati ka, stone throwers!"

After the friendly Ghanic insult, Mazu hurries Susan towards the group and gives one of the customary greetings of Ghan— A touch of the forehead with two fingers before ringing her palms together at her chest and bowing her head.

"The land's curse upon me must be worse than I thought. Charus Loryn, the cheshire ghost! Been many season since you've graced the Fleet with your troupe." She scans over the others, and gives a small nod specifically to Paschal. "The Nạmāyāku. I imagine dark energies have infested this poor city, and you've come at a moderate price to cleanse it?" Mazu snickers. "I'm joking. Good to see you haven't been burned and stuffed in a jar yet." She looks to the others and smiles. "I'm not familiar with you folks, but a pleasure to meet you. Mazu Ikate, engineer and technical advisor to the Sea Kingdom of Ghan and her FLeet. I wish you good winds and hot meals."

Something about Eater's robes makes Mazu step back a bit and give a deeper bow. She says something short in Ghanic, though the words don't lend much for translation.

"So, what brings you all to the coast? I'd bet a good piece of shin on it being the Old City."

ThreeStep
Nov 5, 2009
Eater
M:(12/13)E:0; S:(12/12)E:0; I(13/13)E:1; XP:0
Flex Skill: Perception


"I see some of us are already acquainted. And nobody has had their wings torn off! This is a sign of good things to come." Eater bowed back at Mazu, raising an eyebrow. "Does my garment mean something to you? They're comfortable and easy to wash, if that's what you're asking."

"I'm Eater. Its as good a name as any, as you'll see. But also witch, pilgrim and wanderer work as well." With her introduction out of the way, she looked over the newcomers a little closer. A landsick sailor and an initiate in numenera. On an impulse she closed her eyes halfway and focused on a pattern in her mind.

The smell of the sea seemed to rise from her robes, tickling everyone's olfactory nervee, a strong yet brief burst of salt and seaweed. Eater grinned.

Hedge Magic-ing a cool ocean scent because why not :v:? Assuming that's a reasonable use of the ability.

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Tran
Feb 17, 2011

It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.
Paschal
M:(11/11)E:0; S:(11/11)E:0; I(17/17)E:1; Armor: 1; XP:0

Paschal gives a look of mock outrage. "The ingratitude! Without my ministrations who knows how many sailors might have been plagued with the demons of excess coin and cheap rotgut? I may very well have saved their lives, or at least spared them an unpleasant morning after. Should any spirits take offense at a pleasant fiction now and again, they're given me no sign." He offers a broad smile. "There is magic enough in a clever tongue and observant eye, and I plan to offer both to the fine citizens of this grand city. As for the old city, I suppose we are not without our talents. Perhaps tales and artifacts wrested from the lost ruins of the world before might serve as a new attraction?"

But you must excuse my manners, I don't think your friend and I have been properly introduced. I am Paschal the Spiritist, master mentalist and entertainer. The fellow there is Charus Loryn, a master escape artist among other abilities. We two are all that remains of our troupe I fear, though that may change yet. You have already met Miss Eater, and the large fellow is Ohrmazd. We met on the road, where they valiantly came to my aid when assaulted by the dangers of the wilds. So come now, please introduce us to your companion.

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