The Rules:
The official QM Twitter is @CitizenCFKane. Watch there for when a new thread starts.

Generally, the most popular option suggested by the people of /tg/ will win for the action taken or words spoken. However, occasionally dice rolls may be used.

Please be respectful of your fellow players and the GM. Don't be that guy.

Pop culture references are allowed, but an over-abundance of them will likely result in a lackluster experience.

The dice rolls will use the AD&D method. If attacking, roll high. If rolling percentage or a skill, roll low. The majority of rolls will be made with d20.

The highest of three rolls made after the deciding post is the roll taken.

>>37384219
>Yes

Welcome back. I thought this was dead.

>>37384436
Sorry, I was on vacation.

"Yes."
"We'll wait for him to check the caravan and then attack him from behind. I'll stay in the back of the formation and cast spells, and you'll cover my back."
"Alright."
You wait until the precise moment, and then the security officers advance. They attack in a V formation, with you and professor Roth behind them. An array of magic missiles shoot out from the professor's hands.
The man in the black armor wastes no time. At the head of the formation is the senior officer, with his sword drawn. The assassin raises his hand; the officer cries out as he's raised into the air, acting as a human shield for the majority of the magic missiles. As the man is hit, the officer falls to the ground. "Psionic!"
As the officer falls, the other guards advance on him. The man in black moves with grace, vault jumping over one officer and tossing one dagger into the stomach of another, then using his abilities, he makes the dagger fly at another officer. This lasts only a moment, as he is overcome by the other officers and is nearly killed -- with a sword wound to the ribcage.
The man then disappears, appearing in front of you -- behind the professor. The guards are about 30 feet away.
You have two swords and a dagger, which do you draw?
Also, roll 1d20.

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>37384706
Standard sword.

Rolled 10, 20 = 30 (2d20)

>>37384706
Since I'm the only player here for now I'll just roll the rest. If that's alright.

>>37384765

That's quite alright.
You draw your longsword and the man raises his hand, but stops still. Professor Roth stands behind you with his hand out. It seems like a Hold Person spell.
"Strike him down!"
You thrust your blade into the chest of the immobilized assassin. Blood leaks from his mouth and the life leaves his eyes. This is the first man you've killed; it disturbs you for a moment, but you quickly shake it off.
The officers are cut down in numbers. Two of their group have been killed; there are only three left with you.
The caravan sits in front of you now, as does the shack. You hear movement in the shack. The officers head to the shack and kick the door down, entering. You and the professor are outside. What do you do?

>>37384864
Rush up to support the officers.

>>37384922

You rush to support the officers with professor Roth behind you. You never could have anticipated what was in the shack.
The officers are gone. All that remains is an open trapdoor. Entering it, you find yourself in what looks to be a labyrinth underground, lit by torches on the walls. Here at the entrance, one security officer is dead and on the ground face down. You hear the sound of battle echoing down the walls.
There is a path to the left and a path to the right.
What is your approach?

>>37384978
sweet its back

i say go left.

>>37384978
Look for footprints and try to determine where the sounds of fighting are coming from.

>>37384978
ignore mine>>37385005

go with this>>37385021

>>37385021
>>37385064

You examine the ground. Muddy footprints lead to the right as well as the left, but you hear a scream from the right. You and the professor run down the right path until you find yourselves in a square room. At the end of the room, a small window through which you can see a security officer fighting a man in purple robes, with two dead men in black at his feet. It's the nearly retired commanding officer.
The door snaps shut behind the two of you and the ceiling begins to lower.
You and the professor quickly run to the wall and he begins preparing a spell, but the ceiling is lowering too quickly. You might be able to use something to stop the ceiling for a moment by propping it against the wall, but it would mean sacrificing one of your swords. What do you do?

>>37385163
sacrifice the long sword.

im not angering my fellow anon with the choice am i?

>>37385163
I'd sacrifice the katana. We don't really know how to use it that well and who knows what we'll have to fight.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>37385271
>>37385191

As there are two of you, I'll flip on it.
1: Longsword
2: Katana

>>37385328
>>37385191
>>37385271

In a moment of desparation, you place your longsword against the wall. As you and the professor duck down, the sword begins to bend.
"Quickly!" The professor yells. The stone wall in front of you suddenly turns brown and falls down, becoming nothing but a puddle of mud. The professor runs into the room, as do you. Behind you, you hear a snap and a slam.
The man in purple robes holds a short sword engulfed in flames, with runes running down the blade. The officer is a master swordsman, but he's having trouble keeping up with the magical weapon.
The professor chants out, attempting his hold person spell -- but it fails.
The room is large, with an altar in front of a wooden door. On the altar rests a small book, open. As he sees you in the room, the man in the purple robes kicks the officer down and cuts off his swordplay hand, then retreats to the wooden door, grabbing the book on his way.
The officer had been using a damaged longsword. It's chipped in various places. He's yelling out in pain.
"You stay and patch him up! Join me once he's safely bandaged!" Professor Roth yells while running at the door.

What do you do?

>>37385357
As he says.

>>37385357
bandage him up and rejoin the professor Roth.

>>37385457
>>37385495

You quickly bandage him up.
"Take my sword!" The officer yells. You grab it and nod to him, then run through the door. An extreme heat blasts through your body as you open the door. You're in a round room -- professor Roth is standing in front of you with a magical shield blocking a massive fire cone.
As the flames stop, the professor dispels his shield.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mTXhhPM1a0

Before you stands the man in purple robes. He's put the book onto another altar, behind him -- and he's currently polymorphing into something. The professor begins preparing a spell. An orb of flowing colors forms in his hands.
"Stay back, Buddy -- wait until he's in a form from which he can no longer cast spells!"
A roar echoes from the man. His form is twisting. What do you do?

>>37385671
get ready to attack.

>>37385671
>>37385726
Yep.

>>37385726
>>37385729

The man finishes his spell, dropping his flaming shortsword onto the ground, and stands in a new, terrifying form. He stands on four massive legs, with powerful looking amethyst claws protruding from his flesh. Two lightly purple wings come from its back; its body is covered in purple crystals. As it roars at you, you can see three rows of teeth in its mouth.
What stands before you is a dreaded Amethyst Dragon, a creature thought to be long since extinct.
"Now, Buddy!" The professor's orb flies at the dragon, taking on a white color. It slams into the dragon's face, ice engulfing it, stopping it from opening its mouth to shoot its breath weapon at you.
You run ahead and raise the tattered longsword to strike at the neck.
The dragon raises its amethyst claw up and your blade strikes deep into it, cutting deep into its flesh. Its wrist goes limp, but that doesn't stop it from slamming its massive front leg into you, sending you flying back to the professor's feet, skidding across the ground on your back. You're still okay to fight, but goddamn that hurt.
The grip and crossguard of the sword are in your hand, but the blade broke off in the dragon's arm.
"Stand back!" Roth yells, a cone of icy cold magic flying from his extended hand.
The cone of cold is cut short by flaming breath from the amethyst dragon's mouth, now free of ice.

What do you do?

>>37385923
have Roth keep attacking with ice magic while we attack from the side with the katana.

>>37385923
Grab his dropped flaming sword and attack with both weapons while Roth continues his attacks.

>>37385923
can you combine these two.
>>37386023
>>37386078

>>37386023
>>37386078
>>37386104

"Keep his flames from me!" You yell, running to the dragon's injured side. You draw the katana as you run, and raise it to cut into the side of the dragon as you run.
"Buddy, no!" Roth yells. The flames stop and the amethyst dragon roars out, a magical force flowing from his mouth, forcing the professor to the ground.
The dragon begins turning and you dive, grabbing the flaming sword from under it. You quickly stand and force it up, into the dragon's underbelly, then run back to the professor, giving a swipe with the katana as you exit from under it.
Though it is large, it is also a slow beast. You run back to the professor's side, holding both swords.
"I'm nearly out of energy," Professor Roth says to you, getting up.
"Fools," the dragon roars, "I am Aleithilithos, the amethyst thane of Sardior!" A fiery ball shoots from his mouth, which the professor stops by summoning a wall of ice.
The ball, on the other side, explodes, destroying most of the wall.
"I've damaged its stomach, professor -- aim for that," you say, sheathing the katana and weilding the shortsword with both hands. Though it's no longsword, it's still more familiar to you than the katana.
"I haven't the power, Buddy," Roth says. "I may be able to stop it for a moment, but you'll have to go in and enhance the wound until it dies."
"Alright, I'll try damn hard."

Roll 1d20.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>37386237
for the dice gods

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>37386237

>>37386305

You run, the flaming short sword in your hand, along the left side again. The dragon raises its injured claw and tries to stomp on you.
You drop to your knees and slide in the blood on the ground, avoiding the stomping claw. Looking up, you see the injury. It's cut deep into the skin.
Then you see where to aim. The beating heart of the dragon can be seen clearly through the wound.
You quickly thrust your sword up into the gaping wound, aiming for the heart.
The dragon roars, stepping forward. You dash out behind it, hiding behind the altar.
"Buddy!" The professor yells out. You look to him. The dragon is staggering towards him. He chants a Hold Monster spell at the dragon.

>>37386467

It doesn't work.
The dragon opens its mouth and bites down on the professor, who manages to avoid the bite. Mostly.
You hear him yell out in pain and see the dragon collapse. You get up and run to the professor beside the dead dragon. Its mouth is clamped down on his arm, right above the shoulder.
"Professor!" You cry out.
"Buddy, I -- I need you to listen carefully. The sword. You need to cut off my arm and seal the wound with its flames."
"But professor, your instruments! You're a ba--"
"I am bleeding out from the arm and the bones are broken. This is the -- ugh -- the only way."
"Surely there's something else I can--"
"Buddy, there's no time! Do it now!"

Do you?

>>37386570
Do it.

>>37386570
do it but give him the broken sword hilt to bite down on.

>>37386596
>>37386627

"Bite down on this." You place the hilt of the broken sword in his mouth.
It isn't pretty. He yells and screams as you do it. After a moment, the job is done.
The great bard before you, your lifelong friend, mentor, and world-famous hero will never play an instrument again.
"Can you stand?" You ask him.
"I can," he says, and gets up. He's off-balance, but he pats you on the shoulder. "Thank you."
He may have thanked you, but it seems like an empty victory. Sure, you took down a league of assassins and killed a dragon, but at the cost of many lives and the arm of one of the greatest musicians on the planet.
Professor Roth limps to the altar and looks at the book. He picks it up, looking over it for a moment, and gives a faint smile.
"Here." He holds it out to you. "Take it, dragon slayer."
You take the book. It appears to be a spellbook, purple and gem inlaid.

You, the captain, and the professor find your way out of the labyrinth. With the sword, you set fire to the caravan full of drugs, then take the horses and the three of you go back to campus.
Do you want to do anything on the way? Talk to anyone?

>>37386828
ask what the captian and the professor are going to do now.

>>37386828
Study the spellbook. Maybe somewhere in there we can find a way to restore limbs. Probably not very likely but if it can transform someone so drastically maybe there's hope?

>>37386828
>>37386912
>>37386932
Could we mix these?

File: DragonMap.png (87 KB, 1600x1200)

87 KB PNG

>>37386948
>>37386932
>>37386912

"So what're you guys going to do now?" You ask them as you ride.
"Retire early," the captain says. "I'm no good as a swordsman without my hand."
"At least you've got the rest of the arm," Roth says to him. "I guess I'm going to have to put off my adventuring plans and continue teaching. What about you, Buddy?"
"Ah, I don't know. Grab a pint of ale and get ready for next semester."
"You'll need shortsword training. Maybe a few magic classes, too."
"And, of course, your other music theory class."

As you continue down the road, you study the spellbook. It's filled with advanced spells you can't understand, but there are some advanced healing spells in there.
As well as a map.
You look over the map. The purple mark seems to be where you were, near the college. You don't know the other marks, though.

You're nearly at campus. Anything else?

>>37387112
Ask Roth if he can make any sense of the advanced healing spells.

>>37387112
this>>37387155
and ask the captain about the map and the X's.

>>37387189

"There are some healing spells in here, professor. Can you make sense of them? They might be able to help you."
"I've seen spells like these, Buddy. I can't cast them. They're spells of dragonkind. Only a dragon or one blessed by a dragon can cast that kind of magic."
"Blessed by a dragon? How can I do that?" The professor laughs when you say that. "What is it?"
"A dragon would have to be in your debt. Maybe in your adventures, you'll be in that situation -- but not me. Not anymore."

>>37387189

"There's a map here, captain."
"Eh, a map?"
"Look over it. Does it mean anything to you?"
"Well, it might have something to do with draconic lore. They seem to coincide with the colors of the gem dragons."
"Thanks."

The three of you arrive on campus and go your separate ways. What do you do first?

>>37387292
to the girlfriend she needs to know.

>>37387292
Go see Miranda.

>>37387340
>>37387346

You go up to the room to see Miranda.
She's on the bed. It looks like she has been crying.
"Miranda?" You go over to her. "It's over now, Miranda. We've stopped them. Killed a dragon, too!"
She gives you a weak smile, but her eyes look down to her chest, where she was shot.
"You're okay now, right? The healers helped you?"
She looks up to you. She points to the wound.
"What's wrong?"
She gets up and walks over to a desk, where she writes a note. It says:
"The shot hurt my vocal chords beyond repair. I can't be a bard. I'm leaving in the morning."

How do you react?

>>37387449
tell her about the book it might help her all we need is to get a blessing from a dragon.

>>37387512
This. After freaking out a little and pleading with her not to leave, of course.

>>37387512
>>37387562

"Your vocal chords? You can't sing or cast spells at all?"
She nods and falls to her knees. You go and embrace her.
"You can't go, Miranda. There's still hope. I can't let you give up on your dreams."
She buries her head in your chest.
"I have something." You stand up and place the spellbook on the table. "It is a draconic spellbook. If I gain the blessing of a dragon, I can cast these spells -- spells which can heal any wound."
She goes to the table and writes a note:
"Even if it were possible, you can't do so in time for me to stay here."
"There must be a way. I promise I will do this for you. The new semester begins in two month's time. All I have to do is find a dragon which will give me its blessing before then."

But how are you going to do that?

>>37387649
get some friends grab some books on draconic lore and go find a fucking dragon in 2 months and get a blessing.

>>37387649
Are there any history professors who might be able to help us understand the map and/or teach us something about the gem dragons?

>>37387705
>>37387713

The librarian works as the history professor. It is now morning; you rode through the night. Surely the library is open. You go there with Miranda.
The professor points the two of you to the section on Draconic lore, but he cannot do anything with the map other than say it is "a fairly accurate map of our country, seemingly defaced by an unpatriotic vagrant," and gives you a stern look. Jeez.
It takes you an hour of searching, but you find five books on gem dragons.

Roll 1d20, aim low. Lowest of three gets it.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>37387827

>>37387843
perfect.

>>37387843

Well that was quick.
With extreme precision, you go through each of the books and manage to come across sentences scribbled into each of the books which seem related, all added in at random points. They read:

"... And so it came about that Sardior had 6 thanes, generals of his armies to defend against the increasingly powerful armies of Tiamat and Bahamut. Aleithilithos, the amethyst dragon; Hrodel, the crystal dragoness; Smargad, the emerald dragon; Charisma, the sapphire dragoness; Tithonnas, the topaz dragon; and Seradess, the obsidian dragoness."
"... But Seradess was deemed traitorous for her love of music and poems, and thusly she was banished from the presence of Saridor; and she swore vengeance against him and his thanes, for they did not raise any objection."
"... Thusly it was so that Sardior the ruby-god was banished and the Power was taken from the thanes for a time. Only over hundreds of years of gathering power can the thanes and their armies become powerful once again, and they shall summon Sardior; and his kingdom shall cover the earth."
"... Should the Song of Obsidian Hearts be played by The Chosen at the palace of Seradess, he may gain counsel with her."
"... It is not written nor written of, other than if The Chosen knows truest sorrow he will come to know it."

>>37387843
Damn anon. Nice.

>>37387874
Well, that kinda seems like it won't be worth the cost.

>>37387961
i dont think were done with the info dump.

>>37387990
Seems like it is.

>>37388084
>>37387990
>>37387961

"... It will not come quickly or immediately, but when the memory of greatest sorrow is brought back in his heart, The Chosen will write his ballad."

You walk back to the librarian.
"Is it possible that you have spellbooks here which can bring about memories as if they were happening currently?"
"I know of such a spell, but it is not simple."
"Please, I need to find it."
"I can cast it on you if you wish, but I cannot guarantee you will be happy with the results."
"I must relive a memory. Please, cast it on me."
"Are you sure?"

Surely reliving the death of your parents would give you such sorrow. Do you want to live with seeing it again, though?

>>37388108
yes

>>37388108
Yes.

>>37388146
>>37388147

"Yes. I'm certain."
"Then sit down."
You sit and the librarian chants a spell.

The world is dark. Mother and father went to guard the wall. Mother loves you. You are hungry and it is cold outside.
Mother loves you. Look away. There's nothing in the house. You go outside. The snow is falling. There is yelling.
Mother loves you. It is warm in her arms. She'll cook for you. Look away. Go back. Surely she can come home and make you some supper.
Nobody is in the streets. Look away. It's dark out and cold. You walk to the wall. Nobody is there. You go through the gate.
Go back. The snow is red. Mother loves you. There is an orc. Mother is standing over it. She has a dagger.
"Look away, Buddy. Go back. Go home." Mother speaks to you. It is soothing to hear her voice. "The snow is falling. Go home. I'll cook for you."
Mother is bleeding. Father is on the ground. "Is father sleeping?"
"Yes, Buddy, father's sleeping."
"Should I go home now?"
"Look away, Buddy."
"Why?"
"Mother loves you."
Professor Roth walks up to you and pats you on the head. "I'll take you home. Come on."
"Take care of him, Finnegan."
"I will."
"Mother's not coming with?"
"She's -- she's just a little busy right now. I'll make you supper. Go home."

You're still sitting in the library. What's that song mother used to sing to you?
Ah, you remember now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsjI7ekciZs

And that's where we're stopping this time.

>>37388314
Damn. Poor kid.

Thanks for running.

>>37388314
good to see this back and thanks for running.