You've spent the last six or so days attempting to drill discipline into yourself with Gabby mentoring you. You've actually been living a rather austere lifestyle. Waking up early in the morning to meet with her by the beach to meditate until lunch. Eating a rather plain meal afterwards and then moving on to very slow, graceful, fluid movements of the body in sync with each other. Reminding yourself that the body and the mind is all one system, as Gabby told you a month prior when The Skipping Stone was coming in to dock at Seaside.

Then you move on to sparring. Not the hard, dirty and brutal fighting you and Gabby do in “real combat”, but one comprised of very simple, technical strikes and kicks that Gabby demonstrates to you beforehand. She also shows you how to use the quarterstaff you have, making sure to knock you off your feet with her own large stick many times until you figure out how to defend yourself with it.

At dinner time, she retells hard lessons she had to learn from her own instructor back on the Mainland. Tending his garden, feeding his horse, fixing his wagon. It sounds like he just roped her into doing chores for him, but she tells you each one provided a significant breakthrough she learned in terms of concentration or combat style. Thankfully, rather than making you do these things she just tells you the crux of the lesson because, in her words, 'it was a lot of tedious bullshit'.

Each day she has the two of you meditate closer and closer to the shoreline, until by the fourth day you're being hit by the tides as you focus. It is a minor distraction, compared the the life or death struggles of combat and you quickly overcome the disruption with practice.

You notice throughout your training that Gabby has grown much quieter in the passing days since you began. She spends much more of her time in what you guess is quiet contemplation. She's been drinking less, talking less, swearing less. She even managed to avoid an argument with Dolah despite a disagreement over some insignificant detail. You also see that pained look on her face much more frequently. The one you first saw during that spar on the beach that night a while ago. She is quite able at pretending everything is normal and keeping her thoughts to herself.

>Ask her about it
>Don't pry

>>44287317
>>Ask her about it

>>44287317
>Ask her about it

>>44287317
>>Ask her about it
>Still Mind +1 to Wisdom
Noice.

>>44287317
She's probably thinking about Great Will and trying hard to deny Him.

>>44287317
Knowing he exists does not require you to become his cleric Gabby.

Writing!

On the night marking the end of your first month on the Island, as you and Gabby dig into your meat pies after you've finally mastered the art of keeping yourself focused while burning wax is dripping on your arm, you notice about halfway through the meal that same look of uncertainty on her face.

You've given her week to handle the issues she's going through, but this is your fault. If she's dealing with a crisis of faith because of your ministrations then maybe you should be the one to be her mentor for once. You swallow the pie already in your mouth and wash it down with some ale before situating yourself in preparation for opening the gates.

“Hey, Gabby.” She looks up from the knot in the wooden table she's seemed so intent on staring at to you, the mask of normalcy falling back into place on her face.

“Yeah, Al?” She probably thinks you're about to ask about your training.

“What's going on with you? You seem distracted.”

She waves her hands and laughs a bit. “Oh, it's nothing. Just, stuff.”

No, you're not letting her get away with that. “It's something, Gabby. And I'm fairly certain it has something to do with what happened –”

“I thought we had dropped that.”

“I did too. But it's obviously still a problem for you.” You lean forward a bit and lower your voice. “Listen, I understand if it's something to do with The Great Will it might be a little discomforting –”

Again, she waves her hands. “It had nothing to do with your make-believe father figure. It was . . .” She grows pensive again as you see her search for the right words in her own head. “It was something else, OK.” This time the struggle seems to be whether she should say something or not. You look at her in eager anticipation, which pushes her to talk. It comes out in the form of a very direct question.

“Do you think Dolah's right? Am I evil?”

>No, I don't
>Yes, I do
>I don't know

AND

>Anything else you'd like to say? (write-in)

>>44287929
>>I don't know
You can be a bit self centered some of the time, but I wouldn't go so far as to say you're evil. Then again, it all depends on perspective. One man's just deed could be another's sin.

>>44287929
>>I don't know

>>44287929
>No, I don't

>>44287929
>smite evil

>>44287929
>I don't know
You haven't done anything evil in my eyes but I don't know the standard you're holding yourself to.

>>44287929
>Does it matter?

Come on, Gabby's Gabby. Evil or not, and she'd be our friend either way.

>>44287929
>No, I don't
At least not intentionally. You can be hot headed and whatnot, but I don't really think I could say that you are objectively evil.

>>44287929
>I don't know
>Anything else you'd like to say?
"I don't have Dolah's ability to see into a person and judge them against a divine moral code.
"But I think what's more important is, do you want to be?
"I've done some pretty bad things in my time, too, but I'm trying my best to be a better man than the one I was yesterday.
"Not like some cloistered monk who doesn't drink or have sex, but just a man that isn't an asshole to others; and if I ever have a kid, a father they can be proud of."

Writing!

>>44288131
There's only one second between this post and mine, so I'm anxious that it'll get ignored if you don't read all of the posts.

>>44288101
>>44287929
I like this

>>44288129
I like that one.

>>44287929
Changing >>44288121 (you)
too >>44288129

>>44288256
>>44288210
Unfortunately, these will not be counted by Trick.

That caught you a little off-guard. You gather your thoughts a bit before responding honestly. “I don't know.”

Gabby rolls her eyes and shifts her legs towards the doors, as if she plans to get up soon. “Yeah, that's the fucking pussy way of saying you think Dolah's right.”

You shake your head and get a little exasperated. “No, that's not what I'm saying. I don't have Dolah's ability to see into a person and judge them against a divine moral code. I don't know if she's right either. You haven't done anything evil in my eyes. I mean you can be a bit of a hothead sometimes, maybe a little self-centered, but . . .”

She scoffs. “Self-centered? Are you fucking kidding me. See, this is the shit that pisses me off. How many fucking people get knocked around like rag dolls. It happens everywhere all around the fucking country. I decide I'm done getting pushed around and suddenly the moral crusaders come out of the fucking woodwork.”

“Gabby, I don't --”

“And who the fuck are you to lecture me on shit. I kill one fucking, drunkard, wife-beating, asshole piece of shit who deserved it and get locked up for it. You go up and down the fucking border killing people and you get medals for it? Fuck you.” Woah there.

“Gabby, I wasn't talking about your father. And I'm not proud of what I did. I've done some pretty bad things in my time, but I'm trying to be better. Not some cloistered priest, but someone that's not an asshole to others. I want to be a father a kid can be proud of. I want to be better.”

Gabby stands up. “Well, I guess that's the difference between you and me then, Al. I don't. Every asshole I've hit has deserved a fucking beating. I'm not going to stop putting me first like everybody else does. And I'm not getting on my knees to suck Big Will's big willie until he grants me forgiveness for my 'sins'.” She says that last part in a fairly mocking tone. “If that makes me evil, then fuck it, I'm evil.” She smooths down her robe and turns on her heel to leave The Sword and Shield.

No, you aren't letting it end on that note. “Evil or not you're still my friend.” That gets her to stop for a second. Only a second, but she heard you. It did something. She leaves the bar.

>Go after her
>Let her cool off

>>44288884
>>Let her cool off
She needs some time to think this over.

>>44288884
>>Let her cool off

>>44288884
>Let her cool off

>>44288884
>Let her cool off
And stay at the bar, if she wants to continue this discussion we should be here when she returns.

>>44288884
>Let her cool off

File: law vs chaos.png (199 KB, 992x1856)

199 KB PNG

>>44288884
>I'm not getting on my knees to suck Big Will's big willie until he grants me forgiveness for my 'sins'.”
Disgusting chaosfag.

Writing!

File: Wolf.jpg (9 KB, 259x194)

9 KB JPG

No point in going after her. She wasn't exactly being rational. Felt like she was arguing against somebody completely different. Most of what you said was taken in the absolute worst light possible. You order a few more drinks while you lounge in the bar, thinking about how you're going to patch this up or at least smooth things over, until The Sword and Shield's doors swing open to reveal someone you haven't seen in a while.

“Hey barkeep, can I bring a wolf in here?”

The bartender looks over at the grey wolf sitting next to Rowe and then shrugs. “Just make sure he doesn't shit on the floor or scratch it up any.” Rowe gives the man a thumbs up before walking over to your group's signature table. She flags down the servers and raises three fingers so they know how many to bring over, before turning to you.

“So, Alan, anything new, wild or exciting happen while I was gone?”

>Tell her about tapping into your bloodline
>Tell her about being Kyra for a few moments
>Tell her about Deliria having men follow you
>Tell her about your new, sick cloak
>Tell her about your martial arts training
>Ask her about the orcs
>Ask her about the wolf
>Ask to touch her? Y/N

>>44289373
>Tell her about tapping into your bloodline
>Tell her about being Kyra for a few moments
>Tell her about your new, sick cloak
>Tell her about your martial arts training
>Ask her about the orcs
>Ask to touch her? Y
>Bring out Muffin and get him something to munch on.

>>44289373
>Tell her about Deliria having men follow you
>Ask to touch her? Y

>>44289373
Infodump and touch her.

>>44289373
>>Tell her about tapping into your bloodline
>Tell her about your martial arts training
>Ask her about the orcs
>Ask her about the wolf
>Ask to touch her? Y/N
Y

>>44289373
>Tell her about tapping into your bloodline
>Ask her about the orcs
>Ask her about the wolf
>Ask to touch her? Y

>>44289373
>Tell her about tapping into your bloodline
>Tell her about being Kyra for a few moments
>Tell her about Deliria having men follow you
>Tell her about your new, sick cloak
>Tell her about your martial arts training
>Ask her about the orcs
>Ask her about the wolf
ALL THE THINGS
>Ask to touch her? Y
Explain the touch in quite a bit more detail. Wouldn't want a Gabby 2.0

>>44289373
Yes for everything

Writing!

“Well, I have this cool new cloak that helps me sneak.” You pull the drab thing out from behind you and show it to her.

She reaches over and feels the material, before nodding approvingly. “That will be useful, for sure.”

“I spent a week learning how to focus my mind under harsh conditions from Gabby.”

She quirks an eyebrow. “Harsh conditions?”

“Y'know, while sitting on the shoreline as the tide comes in. While she yells at me. While hot wax is dripping on my forearm. To get used to having to focus in battle.”

She laughs. “Well, that confirms it. You're a masochist alright.”

You think about some other things that have happened. “Oh, girlfriend of that dude we killed had some men follow me, but we were able to convince her to not to do anything stupid.”

“Gabby convincing or regular convincing?”

“Regular. Oh, I also was Kyra for a moment.”

Rowe laughs and makes you wait until she gets her drink before you continue. “Are we talking body swap here or some weird mind meld thing?”

You shake your head. “No, it actually relates to what Quissonce, Eve and I have been talking about recently with regards to my powers. I recently was able to tap into them a bit more and we think I might be copying more than just skills. Personality quirks too, enough so that they can take over if I tap a bit too hard.”

Rowe frowns at that. “That sounds unnerving. Freak you out at all, that you can lose yourself completely like that?"

>Not really, feels right for some reason
>Yeah, its freaky as fuck

>>44289811
>>Yeah, its freaky as fuck

>>44289811
>Write in
"It feels right, but that's the creepy thing about it, and that's what freaks me the fuck out. Not that it happened, but that it feels...right."

>>44289811
>>Not really, feels right for some reason

>>44289883
>>44289811
This

>>44289811
>Not really, feels right for some reason

>>44289811
Seconding >>44289883

Still writing!

“"It feels right, but that's the creepy thing about it, and that's what freaks me the fuck out. Not that it happened, but that it feels . . . right." ”

Rowe shivers. “That's pretty fucking terrifying Alan.”

You shrug. “Oh, also. So, I've actually developed a new power that relates to my, uh, special ability. With a bit of focus and a single touch I can grant a person some small amount of skill from somebody else I've incorporated into myself.” Rowe squints her eyes slightly confused. “So I gave Quissonce the ability to eschew spell materials. I gave Eve the ability to run faster I think? And I may have given Gabby some insight into how to, uh, reform?”

Rowe laughs. “Did she convert?”

You shake your head no. “Do you, uh, want me to try it on you.”

“Well with such great recommendations like that, how could I possibly say no.” She pulls up her sleeve and puts her arm forward. “If Eve's personality takes over my body, though, promise you'll kill me.” You give her your solemn vow to not let such a sorrowful fate befall her. You give yourself the power you need and then push it into Rowe's arms.

She takes it back then pulls up the sleeve as she thinks to herself for a few minutes. You wait in anticipation for what insight came to her. “Hmmmm, well, that was interesting. As a totally unrelated question, would you mind teaching me how to cast magic some time, Alan?”

Huh, so a little bit of Eve or a little bit of Quissonce?

>Sure
>No

>>44290229
>>Sure
Let's try.

Did one of our ancestors fuck a mimic?

>>44290229
>Sure

>>44290229
>Sure
Let's start of by learning what type of magic she received.

>>44290229
>Sure

>>44290345
No, it's Santa.

Why else could we give such fine gifts, and peace between enemies like we do?

>>44290345
Maybe a doppelgänger.

I have yet to stop writing!

“Sure, I'd be up for playing the role of teacher for once. But, enough about me. You're the one going on the interesting solo adventures. I see you've still got your friend there.” You gesture to the wolf who's lying down by her feet. She looks down at the wolf before reaching her hand down and petting its head. “Story behind that?”

“Yeah, it was weird. I found him chewing on the carcass of one of Paul's friends. And I think I tamed him. I fed him a bit of the meat from my rations and we've been pals since. I named him Sif.” Sif nuzzles Rowe's hand.

“How did the scouting mission go?”

Rowe sighs. “Well, we should really have the rest of the group here for that. I passed Gabby on my way over, but she told me to fuck off when I asked her to go back. I can gather the rest of the group easily enough and we can leave her out for our discussion about how we're handling this. Or we can talk about it later, when she's calmed herself. I'll tell you this, however. As callous as this may sound, it's not really a time sensitive issue. She's alive, she's healthy. The orcs aren't going anywhere.”

>Let's discuss the orcs now, without Gabby
>Well, want those magic lessons right now?
>Go see what Kyra's up to
>Ask Dolah or Calloway for advice about the Gabby situation?
>Spend the rest of tonight wrestling with the magical helm

>>44290723
>>Well, want those magic lessons right now?

>>44290723
>>Spend the rest of tonight wrestling with the magical helm

>>44290723
>Well, want those magic lessons right now?

>>44290723
>Well, want those magic lessons right now?

>>44290723
>>Well, want those magic lessons right now?

Alright! Roll me 1d100 + 7, best of 3.

This is how well Alan succeeds at teaching Rowe about magic!

Rolled 92 + 7 (1d100 + 7)

>>44290981
FOR SANTA!

Rolled 58 + 7 (1d100 + 7)

>>44290981

>>44290990
Didn't we roll high on having her us to shoot too?

Rolled 34 + 7 (1d100 + 7)

>>44290981
no nat 1 plz thx

Rolled 93 + 7 (1d100 + 7)

>>44290981

>>44290990
For Santa indeed

>>44291013
>her us
Her teach us*

Good job Santa!

Writing.

>>44290990
>>44291029
Santa confirmed for granting presents early

>>44290990
Seems like we are as good at teaching as we are at learning.

“Well then, if now's not the best time to talk about the orcs, want those magic lessons right now?”

Her eyebrows raise up. “Tonight? I mean, I just got back . . . eh, sure. So, how's this work?”

“Well, it would start best if you had some idea of what type of caster you are. Are you a sorcerer or a wizard, you think?”

“Alan, I have no clue what either of those words mean.”

“Book or no book?”

She leans back in her chair. “Would you mind touching me again for a second.” You power up your finger and tap her again. She sits and thinks for a bit. “ . . . No book! Yeah, I'm pretty sure we're talking intuition.”

You sigh. “Well, unfortunately that's a lot harder to teach. That type of casting relies a lot more on your own inner journey and struggle. Your power comes from inside yourself, from the bloodlines of your ancestors. There's a book I can lend you that will help, but you might also need to learn your family's ancestry. Focusing on the power of your blood can also help. There are some meditation techniques you might want to indulge in.”

Rowe puts her hand to her head. “Sounds like a lot of homework. Anything you can do hands-on so I don't end up wasting my time?”

“Well, I could try to help you learn something extremely basic. I don't know if it will work, but we could try it.” Rowe nods her head.

You end up back on the beach, Rowe holding a gold coin in her hand. You give unto her the wise teachings of your own master.

“You must take a strong stance.” She does so. “Then you must focus on the object you want to move.” She seems to stare more intently at the gold coin. “Then you must tap into the inner reservoirs of magic pooling in your blood and . . . boom baby, it's magic.” She continues to stare at the coin. It doesn't move. “Uhhhh . . . don't lock your knees.” She bounces a bit.

After a minute or two, she turns to you in exasperation. “I don't think this is working. Can you touch me again?” You walk over to her and tap her again on the shoulder. She lets whatever happens to her sink in before trying some more.

“Here, let me show you.” With your hand still on her shoulder, you start to move the coin a bit with your own spell, while simultaneously channeling more of your touch into Rowe. “Can you feel me doing that?”

She grunts a bit. “I think so. Keep up the touching, I think that's helping.” You keep pouring it into your finger and pressing it into her. Soon, however, you run out of it. Seems like you do have some sort of daily limit. You keep your hand on her shoulder however, as a bit of moral support.

It takes her thirty minutes of standing there on the beach focusing on the coin, but eventually she pulls it off. She's able to lift it up to stand on it's side.

She starts to breathe heavily. “Wait, are you doing that?”

You smile. “Nope, all you.”

She's able to lift the coin up out of her hand and spin it in mid-air before reaching it out and grabbing it. “WOOO!” She turns around and hugs you. “Thanks Alan! Shit, I'm telekinetic now.”

“We call it Mage Hand at The Circle. Only works on small, light objects.”

She looks at the coin in her hand. “Weird then. Felt like I could . . . eh, whatever. This is really cool. Thanks for keeping that touch power of yours going for that long.”

“It actually ran out after the first minute or so.”

She nods her head, slightly. “Oh. OK. Um, well, then, uh. See ya later, buddy!” She quickly turns around and starts walking back up the beach towards Seaside.

>Ask her what she's doing for New Years
>Go to bed
>Ask her about her parents and what her bloodline might be
>Go find Gabby, see if she's calmed down a bit

>>44291916
that's horrible advice.

>>44291963
>>Go to bed

>>44291963
>Go find Gabby, see if she's calmed down a bit

>>44291963
>Ask her what she's doing for New Years
>Go find Gabby, see if she's calmed down a bit

Writing!

Well, it's coming up on midnight now. You've given Gabby a good few hours to cool off. Maybe you should go find her and see if there's anything left to be said between the two of you. Although, you realize that if she's not back at The Sword and Shield, you have no clue where she might be.

Maybe somebody at The Sword and Shield knows where she's holed up. You head back to the tavern and look around.

Oh. There she is. Sitting with Kyra, Quissonce and Eve. Looks like she's been drinking. A lot. She's pretty wasted. You can tell by the way she's wobbling. You've been gone from The Sword and Shield for two hours or so. How'd she do that so quickly?

You sit down and she looks over to you. “Al, how are you?” She raises her glass to you. That's a lot nicer than the words you two parted on.

>Move on, forget the argument even happened
>Go for closure
>Orc discussion time, grab Dolah and Rowe

>>44292709
>Write-in
Say we're doing okay, that Rowe is back. Feel out how Gabby is doing and if she seems ready to go for closure.

>>44292709
>>Go for closure

>>44292709
>>Move on, forget the argument even happened

>>44292827
>>44292709
This

>>44292827
Thirding

>>44292827
Fourthing

>>44292827
Writing!

Also, roll me 1d100 + 3, best of 3.

Rolled 41 + 3 (1d100 + 3)

>>44293059
Will Alan-Santa's luck hold out?

Rolled 46 + 3 (1d100 + 3)

>>44293059

Rolled 74 + 3 (1d100 + 3)

>>44293059
What could possibly go wrong?

>>44293104

Looks like every thing is fine.

>>44293080
You need to believe, not wonder!

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>44293376
I believe!!!!

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>44293426
You killed Christmas.

“I'm doing alright Gabby.” You get yourself your own drink and clink glasses with her. “Rowe's back, if you all didn't know.”

Gabby laughs. “That's good to hear. Figured she'd get captured and raped for sure.”

Quissonce sighs. “Glad to see you have so much confidence in your friends, Gabby.”

Wait, that's a little odd. You lean back in your chair a bit. “Rowe said she ran into you while she was coming in.”

Gabby looks at you a bit puzzled, before laughing to herself. “Oh yeah. Must have slipped my mind. I don't remember seeing her on the way out. Focused on other stuff.” She looks into her tankard, before ordering another one. Huh, that makes six she's drunk in the last two hours or so.

Well, she seems much more focused on drinking and being friendly than the little tiff the two of you got into.

Kyra is being as quiet as ever.

Quissonce and Eve are chattering amongst themselves about magic.

>Orc discussion time
>Ask Kyra about what she's been up to
>Ask Quissonce and Eve if they've made any breakthroughs or learned any new spells

>>44293585
>Ask Kyra about what she's been up to

>>44293585
>Ask Kyra about what she's been up to.

>>44293585
Punch Gabby in the face.

If she's herself she'll be fine and try to fight us.

If not, doppelganger revealed!

>>44293585
>>Ask Kyra about what she's been up to
>>Ask Quissonce and Eve if they've made any breakthroughs or learned any new spells
Can't see why not both

>>44293646
seconding.

Writing!

“So Kyra, what have you been up to?” She told you she was investigating disappearances a while ago. And she's gone most of the time and told you she was very busy. She finishes her drink before talking.

“Watching people. Certain guards disappear for a while. Come back a couple hours later. Acting a bit strange. Blackburn's cautious, has me make sure they're not doing things they're not supposed to. So far, they've been pretty normal. Too normal, though. Known whore mongers not going as often. Known drunkards not drinking as often. So far, no proof of anything.”

Quissonce leans forward. “It could very well be some sort of spell they're under. Enchantment magic can do some very powerful things.”

Kyra shakes her head. “Detect magic turns up nothing. Something else. Natural most-like. Brainwashing?”

>Offer to accompany Kyra tonight on her people watching
>Orc discussion time
>Ask Quissonce and Eve if they've made any breakthroughs or learned any new spells

>>44294210
>>Ask Quissonce and Eve if they've made any breakthroughs or learned any new spells
We most likely can't help Kyra with anything.

>>44294210
>Orc discussion time

>>44294210
>Offer to accompany Kyra tonight on her people watching

>>44294210
>Offer to accompany Kyra tonight on her people watching

Writing!

“Well, do you need any help people watching tonight Kyra?” Kyra looks up at you with a slight smile.

“Already doing wonderful work. Providing a good excuse to sit here while I watch that man with the bulbous nose, sitting in the corner over there. Don't look.” Gabby begins to turn her head to look at the other corner of the tavern before Kyra nudges her. “I said don't look.”

“Fine. Fuck. Sorry.” Gabby rubs her side as she sips on her seventh mug of ale.

“However, there's six others I've been watching. Can't keep track of all of them at once. Alan, you want to help out, maybe go off and keep watch on one of the others, I'd appreciate it.”

Gabby snorts. “I guess I can watch one too if you want.”

Kyra shakes her head. “Nah, need to have someone keeping me company. So, Alan. Most of them are sleeping right about now, but two others are on night duty. One on the eastern wall. One on the western wall. Keep an eye out on one of them, while I keep track of this one. Make sure we keep at least two of them honest. Which one you want to look after?”

>One on the eastern wall
>One on the western wall
>I'd rather not do this

>>44294644
>>One on the eastern wall

>>44294644
>One on the eastern wall

>>44294644
>>One on the western wall

Writing! And roll me 2d100.

First for watching the guy.

Second for stealth.

Rolled 44, 34 = 78 (2d100)

>>44294869
rollan

Rolled 43, 9 = 52 (2d100)

>>44294869
We nailed it.

>>44294894
No we did not. Not with those rolls.

Rolled 5, 30 = 35 (2d100)

>>44294869

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>44294869
Clutch roll

Rolled 32, 80 = 112 (2d100)

>>44294869
We're using our Cloak, aren't we? And can't we have Muffin do more of the actual looking so that we don't get caught?

>>44294891
>>44294894
>>44294920
44 and 34...
We suck at this.

File: The guy you're looking for.jpg (62 KB, 736x1128)

62 KB JPG

“I'll take the one on the eastern wall.” Kyra nods before giving you a quick description of the man's facial features, build and which portion of the wall he patrols around. You say your goodbyes to your friends before pretending to leave to go back to the Circle.

Instead you head your way towards the east side of Seaside. You walk around the city streets with the hood of your cloak up, moving from shadow to shadow in the darkness, keeping an eye out for this guy.

And for the life of you, you just can't find him. You search up and down the entire eastern half of Seaside looking for this dude. He's supposed to be here.

After you realize the guy is obviously in dereliction of duty, you begin to stride back to Rowe to give her the information that her man has disappeared again. But as you're walking down the streets of Seaside back to The Sword and Shield, you pass a familiar-looking guard who greets you quite graciously.

“Hello there.” He bows his head slightly as he walks past you.

That was the guy, wasn't it?

>Abort, he's seen you, go back to Kyra
>Attack him
>Walk and talk with the guy (write-in)
>Try to sneak and watch him again

>>44295198
>Try to sneak and watch him again

>>44295198
>>Walk and talk with the guy (write-in)
Ask if he has seen any more of those fire bugs.

>>44295198
>Abort, he's seen you, go back to Kyra

>>44295198
>Try to sneak and watch him again
RETRY

>>44295291
You have to write-in something to say. That's why it says (write-in).

>>44295198
>Try to sneak and watch him again

And, roll me 2d100s!

Rolled 83, 34 = 117 (2d100)

>>44295367
come on lucky dice.

Rolled 34, 62 = 96 (2d100)

>>44295367

Rolled 83, 6 = 89 (2d100)

>>44295367

Writing!

File: Attackers.jpg (9 KB, 236x314)

9 KB JPG

Well, he didn't seem to realize you were following him, so you'll try again and see what he does.

You continue walking past him and then duck into a side street before circling around to follow him again. This time you're able to keep much better track of him and he fails to see you sneaking behind him as you trail him through the rough roads that crisscross Seaside.

He just does a regular routine. He walks up and down the street of the town, using his lantern to light any place where someone could potentially hide.

He whistles to himself as he does this, casually strolling through what is most likely another average duty.

Every once in a while he will pass another guard and stop to chat. Make sure everything's normal tonight in town. Most people are asleep by now and very few people are up and about, stalking through the streets.

You're about to call the whole thing a bust, when the guard you're following spots what looks to be a shiny silver coin on the ground.

He makes a little bit of an 'ooh' sound and walks over to where the coin is. “Looks like somebody dropped a little something from there coin purse.” As he bends down in the middle of the road to pick it up, you spot the three men hiding themselves in a nearby alleyway, right off the bigger road the guard is standing in. They rush out and the lead one pulls out a blackjack.

The attacker knocks the guard over the head once and his allies rush to keep the body from falling as the guard goes limp. The three of them grab the body and drag it into the alleyway.

Oh shit.

>Engage the attackers
>Call for the guards
>Sneak closer and watch

>>44295711
>Sneak closer and watch

>>44295711
>Sneak closer and watch

>>44295711
>Sneak closer and watch

>>44295711
>Sneak closer and watch
>Have Muffin sneak out and watch our back from the rooftops.
This guard is one that Kyra thinks got replaced, right? Then we shouldn't be saving him, but watching what happens when a Replacement is in danger.

Writing!


And roll me 1d100 + 18.

For sneaking!

Rolled 39 + 18 (1d100 + 18)

>>44295881

Rolled 24 + 18 (1d100 + 18)

>>44295881
Bleh

Rolled 83 + 18 (1d100 + 18)

>>44295881
Clutch?

>>44295963
Indeed

Rolled 30 + 18 (1d100 + 18)

>>44295881

>>44295963
fukken saved

You open your familiar satchel and tell Muffin to watch your back from the rooftops. He looks at you strangely. You don't know if he understood what you just said, but he gets out of his satchel all the same and begins to climb up a nearby building.

You yourself stealth up to the edge of the alleyway where the three men who attacked the guard are. If anybody walks up the main road they will easily see you, but you are quite well hidden from view from anybody in the alleyway.

You watch as the three men proceed to strip the armor off of the guard. They take his spear, his coin purse, and even his helmet. It seems the only thing they leave him are the clothes on his back and his life, of course. As they've gathered all of his equipment and gold they've stolen from him, they begin to rush away down the alleyway with their ill-gotten gains.

>Rush after them, stop them
>Let them go, go help the unconscious guard
>Let them go, watch the unconscious guard
>Let them go, call the guards

>>44296062
>Rush after them, stop them
The guard's not gonna die after all.

>>44296062
>>Let them go, watch the unconscious guard

Wonder who is gonna come by to fuck with him now.

>>44296062
>Let them go, watch the unconscious guard

>>44296062
>Let them go, watch the unconscious guard
Remember the mission, and this guys is one of the ones that's been acting strangely and could be replaced with a doppelganger.

Writing!

You decide to not let yourself get distracted. You focus on your target. This guy has been acting suspicious, so you're paying attention to what he does. You sit there and wait for him to regain consciousness.

About an hour later, it's maybe two or three now, he finally comes to. It starts with a small groan of pain that quickly shifts to a more angry, louder groan as he slowly sits himself up and rubs the back of his head. He quickly pushes himself to the side of the alleyway he's in and lies against the wall of a building. “Who just does that to one of their own species.”

He slowly lifts himself off the ground and wobbles in place as he tries to get his footing underneath him. He looks at his body, devoid of equipment and money. “Ugh, this will take me forever to earn back. Betsy'll kick me out of the guard for sure.” He starts to shuffle back up the alley towards the main road towards the road where you're currently watching him from.

>Bug out, but continue to watch
>Bug out, but go home and sleep, you've seen enough
>Let him find you, talk to him (write-in)

>>44296477
>Bug out, but continue to watch
Sleep is for those who haven't learned how to not sleep.

>>44296477
>Bug out, but continue to watch
I think we should read the book written by Betsy next. Read it, get a feel for her, and then when we talk to her next, compare her current personality with the one that comes through from the book.

>>44296477
>Bug out, but continue to watch

Writing!

You quickly extricate yourself from the situation and find another building to hide behind as the guard stumbles out of the alleyway. He starts to slowly walk through the city streets, calling weakly for help.

Eventually, after traveling for a block he runs into another guard who approaches him as he leans against a nearby building.

“Shit, Darvus. The fuck happened to you? Where's your crap?” the other guard asks as he looks him over with a lantern.

“I was ambushed by six thieves. Their leader was a nasty looking half-orc and he held me down while the others pummeled me into unconsciousness.” Well, that's a fucking lie.

“That's pretty bad. Betsy probably won't be too happy about that. Listen, go home and relax. Go get Father Calloway to heal you in the morning. I'll call it in. Here, take some water.” The other guard pulls out a canteen and hands it to Darvus, who drinks deeply of it, before handing it back.

“Thank you my friend. I will do just that.” Darvus stands up a little straighter and begins to head away from the other guard.

>Follow Darvus all the way home
>Go talk to the other guard, tell him Darvus lied
>Go talk to Darvus
>Go home and get some sleep
>Warn Calloway about this guy

>>44296809
>Follow Darvus all the way home

>>44296809
>Follow Darvus all the way home

>>44296809
>Follow Darvus all the way home

Writing!

You stay on him, watching him the entire time as he makes his way towards his house. You are sure to keep distance between the two of you, ducking and hiding behind buildings and street signs while you watch him. He walks all the way down to the waterfront district and goes before a rather shabby looking shack. He fishes a key out of his pocket and uses it to unlock his front door.

He goes inside his house and draws the curtain across the singular window the shack possesses.

It's now probably around four in the morning. You are getting rather tired.

>Go to bed
>Break in
>Something else? (write-in)

>>44297017
>Break in
all sneeki breeki like.

>>44297017
>Something else?
Check around outside the house, examine the soil around it, see if there are any waste bins around that we can look through.

>>44297087
second

Writing!

You decide to inspect the outside of the house before you do anything drastic. It's a fairly simple-looking wooden structure with plenty of sharp edges and errors in the woodwork of it. It was probably built very badly for very cheap. You examine the soil nearby for any sign of, well, something. You have no clue what you're looking for but the soil itself seems to be regular.

The shack does however have its own personal latrine out back. You quickly duck in to see if that may have some clue about Darvus's activities.

And you'll admit, something is off about it. There's no smell to it. At all. Like it hasn't been used in quite a while. Now, while there are multiple mundane explanations for why a man would not shit in the toilet outside his own home, it's still a tad odd.

>Go to sleep
>Break in
>Something else? (write-in)

>>44297236
>Something else? (write-in)
Any holes in the walls of the home?

>>44297236
>Break in
>Ask Muffin if he hears anything from inside, or smells anything odd.

Alright, roll me 1d100 + 3!

Rolled 20 + 3 (1d100 + 3)

>>44297340

Rolled 64 + 3 (1d100 + 3)

>>44297340

Rolled 85 + 3 (1d100 + 3)

>>44297340

Writing!

You quickly check around his house and find it surprisingly devoid of any good holes to peak through. Well, its four in the morning and you're either going to sleep or breaking into this guy's house. Those are the only options you really have left. And you don't want this whole night to have been a waste of your time.

You go around to the front door and check it. It's locked. You then go for the window. That, however, was left unlocked by the guy. Rather than risk making more noise than necessary, you cast a simple open/close spell on it so it slowly rolls itself up. You then use mage hand to silently push the curtain out of your way so you can gingerly tiptoe in.

You spot Darvus, sleeping in his bed. He looks pretty normal, from where you're standing. His house looks a bit bare, but there are some fruit and cheeses in his little ramshackle home. You quickly glide over to his bookshelf. You check it out. It contains some historical accounts and a few novels, a jar of pickles. Again, entirely mundane things.

Maybe you were wrong about this guy. He seems like an average person. There's nothing here that suggests anything out of the ordinary – CLICK.

You quickly glance behind you. The front door is being unlocked. You glance around for somewhere to hide from whoever is entering, but see nowhere you could possibly conceal yourself to escape being seen.

In walks . . . that guard you saw Darvus talking to before, the one who gave him water. He enters and stares directly at you, not saying a word. Behind him you see two of those men who attacked Darvus. Both of them stare at you too, no emotion on their face.

Darvus suddenly sits straight up in bed and looks directly at you, his eyes wide open. His face is smiling a smile wider than the human mouth is actually able to manage.

“It's impolite to follow people.” The voice that comes out of his mouth is not the one you've heard Darvus using before. It's your own. You watch as the two hands that lay by his sides grow into oddly-shaped three-pronged claws.

Muffin starts to squeak and chitter as loud as he possibly can in the most frantic manner the flying squirrel can manage. You don't need to speak squirrel to understand what he's telling you.

“Yeah, buddy I know.”

You reach for your sword.


>End of Thread
I will most likely run this next time on Tuesday. https://twitter.com/TrickQM

>>44297580
Fucking skinwalkers man.
Thanks for running boss.

>>44297580
Goddammit it, copying people is our thing.

>>44297649
Wait. If we get one alive, can we learn how to shapeshift?

>>44297658
Hard to say. We haven't tried to learn an innate ability without help from the owner of said ability yet. It's going to be a hard roll is what I'm saying.

>>44297658
>>44297668
We must capture one alive.
So that we can tie it to a chair down in one of the labs, and absorb from it everything we can.

But first things first; we need to escape alive from this.

>>44297682
Daze one, Flare another and Grease the boots of the third.
That takes care of the mooks. I think "Darvus" is controlling the three considering their entrance and non-action. He might also be able to read minds if my shadowruns are right.

>>44297744
Grease should be first in order to make them unable to get to us, then Flare on Darvus.
We could dive out the window since none of them are covering it, and then leg it back to Kyra.

>>44297762
This, but don't run away

>>44297762
My rationale for the order, targets and spells was as follows
1. We don't know if these guys are actually dependent on their sight or if they're in control of their bodies. Daze will effect a person if he's not being literally puppeted and Flare will only effect a person that can only see through the eyes of a single person.
2. This building is too small so aiming Grease at the ground would result in everyone needing to roll to stay in balance including us thus needing to aim it at an object. This forces a reflex save so it's independent of the mind control or senses.
3. "Darvus" seems like a bigger threat so casting a relatively easy to resist spell at him risks wasting the spell.

Oh god I just realized. We might be able to steal Psionics from this dude.
>Quissonce detected no magic.