>>4439526
The ingredients Camille asked me to find are

* a small bagful of "Rainbow Moss" (but she also stressed that more is better than less)
* a piece of Amber (but in this case more is NOT better than less and it shouldn't be larger than a fingernail!)
* a Giant Apple from the oldest tree in the forest

The first one, "Rainbow Moss" I've never even heard of. And if there's rainbow-colored moss out there, I definitely think I should have heard of it! Camille explained that it only grows in certain very special places and that I should search at the ring of stones. The same one where my initiation took place. I should be able to find that very easily by now!

The second, amber, is pretty self-explanatory. Or at least Camille thinks so, since she had nothing to say about where I should look. Honestly, looking for it at all seems like it could easily end up taking ages. The merchants that are always passing through Hinde are sure to have some, so I could just go ask them instead. That's much smarter!

And the third, the giant apple, I was actually sure that one was just a myth. I'm sure one of the trees in the forest is the oldest one, but the stories of a tree that sprouts apples large enough that you could feed an entire household with just one? That's obviously fake! Except, Camille says it is real, though finding it is "tricky". Apparently I should "walk around the lake until I see a blue leaf in the wind, then follow it." I'm still not entirely sure that's not a myth, but she is my senior and insists it's true, so...

The question now is, where to start?

CHOOSE ONE
>Head for the ring of stones to look for Rainbow Moss. I'm sure I still remember the way, so that should be an easy one!
>Go ask around the market in Hinde for some amber. Now that I have my own money, maybe I could even get a bit of shopping done?
>The story about the giant apples just sounds too weird. Now I really want to go put it to the test!

NOTE: Since this is the first Witch Apprentice Quest thread in a very long time, I am including a summary in the next post to help both new and old players.

>Witch Apprentice Quest Summary for Players Old and New!
>Events taking place between the last thread before the extensive hiatus of WAQ and this thread are marked with BLUE.

A young blacksmith's daughter, Nadja sets out, without consulting her father, to become the apprentice of a witch dwelling near her hometown, aiming to learn of a way to help her father achieve success over his rival. Rejected at first, the witch strangely accepts upon learning who Nadja's father is. Learning the craft under the odd witch, Nadja undergoes the ritual initiations and swears her oaths. Unknown to her, this is only the beginning of the strangeness about to spill into every aspect of her life.

In the days that follow she sees many new faces, including former students of her new Mistress, an energetic rival witch apprentice, and even a young noblewoman looking to make use of talents Nadja has barely obtained yet. Moreover, she learns that the faces of the friends she thought she knew were but a fraction of the truth, especially challenging her bond with Amalia, her oldest friend, yet in the end emerging stronger and closer than they were before. A face far more uncertain however, is that of Nadja's own as she becomes beset by strange dreams and accusations from a fellow witch of actually being less than completely natural. Only time can tell what she has yet to learn of her own nature.

As she continues to practice the craft, the apprenticeship she had tried to keep secret from her father is accidentally revealed to him, infuriating the giant of a man. Forced to lead him to her new witch mistress, the wily and more experienced witch manages to appease him, leading him to agree to let her continue her apprenticeship but forbidding her from using magic to try to help him with his troubles, putting a serious dent in Nadja's original goal. How to change his mind on this matter is a puzzle yet to be solved, yet Nadja is not one to abandon Hope.

Eager to both help out and to prove she is not so soft as others claim, Nadja has managed to, somewhat forcefully and with more than a little dumb luck, include herself in a mission originally belonging to Camille, daughter and former student of Nadja's mistress, to cure, not slay, a werewolf. While ultimately succesful, the task ended in Camille sustaining serious injuries, alleviated only by a combination of the more experienced young witch's potions and Nadja's many years of experience treating her reckless older sister.

For the past three days, Nadja has been doing her best to nurse her senior back to health in the home of her mistress who, in turn, has been mysteriously absent since that nearly-fatal night, leaving only the brief message "Something has come up." Though Camille insists that this is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about, Nadja is not quite as convinced. But what is a barely-initiated apprentice to do..?

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>OP Paste with many words:

>Some rules:
Write-ins are always very welcome in WAQ! As a rule, I will always attempt to include write-ins to the extent that it's possible. This may include editing the tone and wording, but unless your write-in is simply incompatible with what's going on, I will attempt to include in at least a minor way.
Dice rolls are almost always d20, with difficulty being set by me based on circumstance and Nadja's relevant skills.

>Seal Value: 70/100

>Nadja's Seniors:
>Mistress' current opinion: 45/100
>Lily's current opinion: 25/100
>Camille's current opinion: ??/100

--

>Nadja's Witchy Skills:

Skill ranks:

0 ticks: Unitiated. The apprentice knows nothing of value about this subject.
1 tick: Initiated. The apprentice has been introduced to the basics of this ssubject and nothing more.
2 ticks: Fledgling. The apprentice has begun to show signs of actually understanding the basics.
3 ticks: Practised. The apprentice has fully grasped the most basic routines and theories.
4 ticks: Promising. The apprentice shows the potential to comprehend the core contents of the subject, one day.
5 ticks: Student. The apprentice has begun to slowly piece together common routines and theories.
6 ticks: Intermediate. The apprentice has learned as much of this subject as could be reasonably expected. The path to further understanding is open to her, should she choose it.
7 ticks: Insightful. The apprentice shows an understanding of this subject far beyond the expected. Given time and guidance, she may one day unlock the deeper secrets of the field.

--

>Communication:
>Twitter: https://twitter.com/FriendQM

--

>Archives:
>4plebs archive (thread 1-24): http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/search/subject/Witch%20Apprentice%20Quest/order/asc/
>moe archive (threads 25+): http://archived.moe/qst/search/subject/Witch%20Apprentice%20Quest/type/op/order/asc/
>Suptg archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=witch+apprentice+quest

--

>Resources:

>Nadja's Notebook is intended to serve as a reference material for witchy things and other stuff related to the quest. It's perpetually a bit of a mess and I need to tidy it up, but it exists for those who are interested.
>It's divided into the following categories:
>1. General Witchcraft: Intro to Nadja's Notebook as well as any witch-related topics outside of the three major arts will go here when Nadja learns about them:
http://pastebin.com/FvemAzKN
>2. Herbalism: http://pastebin.com/vMWeFhd0
>3. Pencraft: http://pastebin.com/BTUR8F94
>4. Infusion: Nadja doesn't know this yet.
>5. Nadja's Notes: Where Nadja writes her notes about various things.
http://pastebin.com/76btWGte
>6. Characters: Nadja doesn't actually keep a written list of people she knows, but you may find it useful to have:
http://pastebin.com/GbRsNuw3

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>>4439532
Last one, inventory!

>>4439527
>The story about the giant apples just sounds too weird. Now I really want to go put it to the test!

>>4439527
Hmm...
I dunno where we'd find amber naturally, but [s]google[/s] The Witch's Almanac tells me it's mined or found on the beach so...not very good odds? Sounds like shopping is smart. Maybe we can even find someone who knows where to find Rainbow Moss in town!
>Go ask around the market in Hinde for some amber. Now that I have my own money, maybe I could even get a bit of shopping done?

Nice to see Nadja is back! I only wish I had time today to re-read the last few threads to remember everything properly, but oh well.

>>4439527
>Head for the ring of stones to look for Rainbow Moss. I'm sure I still remember the way, so that should be an easy one!

Oh right, I should also clarify rules for voting again! Pretend I posted this earlier when I was supposed to.

>Vote times are arbitrarily decided by me, based on the level of activity and last until I post saying that I've closed the vote. I would hope for about 30 minutes during "live" sessions but am willing to extend it if needed, such as during a draw.
>I usually follow each live session with a "slow burn" where I aim for one update a day. In those cases, the voting window is open until about the same time next day. Again, I will announce when the voting is closed and I begin writing the next update.

>>4439542
>I only wish I had time today to re-read the last few threads to remember everything properly, but oh well.
I will be doing my very best to make sure that any information from past threads is present in-quest again as it becomes relevant, to make sure that old players (and honestly, myself too) can gradually catch back up, and so that any potential new players aren't too confused.

>>4439547
Sounds like a good idea! I see us anons are dedicated to testing your tiebreaker rules as well.

>>4439527
>Head for the ring of stones to look for Rainbow Moss. I'm sure I still remember the way, so that should be an easy one!
We know where the moss supposedly grows, so it probably won't be too difficult to find.

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Closing the vote here!

Heading for the ring of stones wins 2-1-1!

As always, randomly chosen image from my witch folder will accompany the closing of each vote to better grab your attention.

>>4439575
Do you have updates partly pre-written or are you starting fresh today?

Is it too late for a write-in that we meet the fairies like are in OP's image?

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>>4439527
Let's start with something simple! I've been to ring of stones enough times by now that I'm sure I could find my way there in my sleep. After all, not only was it where my initiation took place, it's also where I summoned the daemon Vanda! Though now that I think about it, both of those things were kinda scary. Maybe I should just save it for last...

No! No turning around just because of that! Witches can't be cowards, can they now? Of course they can't. Witches are the ones you should be scared of, not the ones being scared.

The way to the ring of stones is actually really easy to remember. When leaving from Mistress' house, you just have to follow the edge of the lake all the way up to its end, and then keep going in the same direction. You have to keep going for quite a while so it's easy to get confused if you're not used to being in the forest. But I don't get confused! Honestly, it's surprising that I've never found that place before I became an apprentice. Hmm...

Oh well, now's not the time to worry about that. Now is the time to enjoy the gold-and-green forest canopy, the wind playing its song in the leaves, and the still-fresh morning air. Just like yesterday and the day before yesterday, I made sure to wake early so I could leave home and go see how Camille was doing, so it's still pretty early in the morning even after that. I'd bet Big Sis still hasn't even gotten out of bed!

And just like yesterday and the day before yesterday, she's still sleepy all the time. But the wound that she got from the werewolf that we cured is completely gone, which is actually really amazing in such a short time! I hope I can learn to make potions like that soon. Not that I want to ever need them, but shouldn't we make sure everyone has one of these, just in case? Except the bad guys, I guess, but everyone else! Right?

Which reminds me, I should be looking out for any interesting looking herbs or mushrooms. Or maybe just tasty ones, since I don't really know much about which ones can be used for making potions yet. Maybe I'll even score some chanterelles! Or...

[1/2]

>>4439636
Hey, isn't that rabbit strangely close? Usually they're afraid of people, but this one is only a few strides away from me. How strange. And even as I keep walking, it just keeps trailing behind me. I'm sure I can't possibly have anything on me that it wants!

Just out of curiosity I stop completely to look more closely at it. It stops too. It's staring right at me, and I can't help but stare back into its big, blue, glassy eyes. For some reason it makes me feel... nervous? About a rabbit? But why?!?

And it just keeps staring. It twitched its big cinnamon-colored ears once, but other than it's not moving at all. what should I..?

>It's just a rabbit. Stop overthinking, ignore it, and keep going. Who's afraid of one dumb little rabbit anyway? Not a real witch, that's for sure!
>Try to feed it some nearby grass. Maybe it wants to be friends? Aside from the staring, it's kinda cute...
>Try to catch it! I wouldn't normally, but this one rabbit is clearly different and definitely up to no good! Villains aren't welcome here, not even rabbit villains!
>Something else? [Write-in]

>>4439639
>>Try to catch it! I wouldn't normally, but this one rabbit is clearly different and definitely up to no good! Villains aren't welcome here, not even rabbit villains!

>>4439639
Well, I don't believe we have any spells for seeing through illusions or detecting magic or the like yet, so.
>Ask what it wants! If it's a normal rabbit, it means nobody heard me ask an animal a question as if expecting an answer. If it's not, it was clearly the right decision.
Witches have authority, even over the forest creatures!

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>>4439607
I have plotted a rought outline of possible events and decisions for this ingredient hunt mini-arc since I want to use it as a gradual reintroduction to the overall quest. As a general rule, I pretty much only pre-write things that are unchanging, such as the content of books that Nadja can read. I feel that pre-writing actual plot can very easily make me subconsciously "tethered" to them.

I know it would alleviate the fact that I'm a slow writer, but I don't think it's the right way to go.

>>4439631
You don't look for the fairies. They simply appear when the mood strikes them, and when that happens they will find you, whether you want them to or not. Your behavior affects how often they will impulsively decide to visit you, but since they're fairies the correlation between action and reaction is not always what you would think.

Fairies are weirdos. Friendly and cute ones, but still weirdos.

So the real answer to your question is: You'll see them soon.

>>4439639
>It's just a rabbit. Stop overthinking, ignore it, and keep going. Who's afraid of one dumb little rabbit anyway? Not a real witch, that's for sure!
Seems harmless enough.

>>4439657
That's understandable, your updates don't take that long to come out so prewriting doesn't seem necessary. Always interesting to hear how different QMs prefer to approach structuring and writing updates.

>>4439639
>Try to feed it some nearby grass. Maybe it wants to be friends? Aside from the staring, it's kinda cute...

>>4439643
Supporting. Weird things are best addressed directly in case they are conversant.

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Counting the two votes for talking to the rabbit together with the one for trying to befriend the rabbit, that's a 3-1-1 lead, which I will take. I'll need to see 3 rolls of 1d20 for befriending the rabbit!
DC is hidden for this one due to unusual circumstances!

>>4439643
>Well, I don't believe we have any spells for seeing through illusions or detecting magic or the like yet, so.
Nadja has 2 (two!) scrolls of the Truthful Hex left over in her backpack, which is the closest thing to what you're describing. But using that on a rabbit would be difficult, since that hex requires a personal item belonging to the target of the hex in order to trigger. And what's a personal item to a rabbit..?

You can see everything that Nadja currently has prepared in her inventory here
>>4439533
Hopefully most of those items should be self-explanatory. In any case, any time that I think that a particular spell could be useful to a situation I'll include it as a prompt and try to have the actual text of the quest explain the important details so that you don't have to memorize a whole lot of trivia for a piece of interactive fiction posterd on a mongolia throatsinging board

Feel free to ask if you want to know how any of it works. All of the potions, hexes and such that Nadja knows about will also be listed in the Nadja's Notebook pastebins if you want to look it up yourself, but to be honest they're a little messy and I don't expect most players to bother searching through that. It's just there for those who DO want to do that.

So feel free to ask!

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>4439690

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>4439690

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4439690
let be frends

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4439690
Well, we could give it food and then take back the food and maybe that would count as a personal item, haha. But yeah, I saw some potential for creativity in our spellbook/inventory, just not very rabbit-oriented ones.

>>4439698
Nice.

>>4439700
Whew, just missed that.

>>4439700
>>4439702
Thank god I decided to reply instead of just rolling...

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>>4439694
>>4439696
>>4439698
19 it is! And a barely dodged 1.

I don't think I remembered to specify it, but yes, crit on 1 and 20 does overrule, because apprentices are expected to occasionally fall on their faces for no apparent reason. Not this time, but in general.

The wait may be a bit longer on this one. This is because I'm hungry and want to eat.

>>4439711
>because apprentices are expected to occasionally fall on their faces for no apparent reason.
I'm sure cramming all those witching skills into a small body simply means less developed hand-eye coordination during moments of poor concentration.

>>4439639
>>4439690
>>4439711
>Rolled 19 (1d20)

Just to be extra sure, I look all around me twice to make sure that nobody's around to see this, because it just feels too silly. But still, I just have to try this...

"Uhm, hello?"

The rabbit blinks twice, but otherwise doesn't move.

"I uh, I know you probably can't answer me, at least with words, but do you want something from me?"

It tilts its head slightly to the side, but still doesn't say anything. Probably because it's a rabbit, but clearly it's not an ordinary one. I'm definitely not crazy or anything!

I try smiling at it to see if maybe that helps. No teeth though, because you shouldn't show teeth to an animal. I know that. It looks threatening to them!

"Are you perhaps hungry? Here, rabbits like this, right?" I ask as I crouch down and pick out a handful of grass with my left hand and hold it out towards the rabbit.

It briefly looks at my hand, then looks back up at me. Staring. Again.

"Aww, no good, huh? But hey, you seem like you're pretty smart, so maybe you can just point to what you want and I'll try to help you! You know how to point, right?"

More staring. Staring with those big, blue, glassy eyes. Come on, little rabbit, you have to give me some kind of a hint!

Finally, it looks down, then up at me again. It repeats the same movement twice more. Does that mean that it wants..?

"Aha! You want up! Heehee, you should've just said so!" I reach out for the rabbit with both hands to pick it up, then as soon as I touch it-

[1/2]

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>>4439842
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The rabbit screams as its body rapidly twists before my eyes, small stubby legs extending and shifting into the arms and legs of a human, its fur flying off and coalescing into a long red dress, until every single detail of what was once a cute little rabbit has been replaced, all within the span of at most a second, and before me stands-

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?"

It was her all along! Cinnamon! The apprentice of another witch who lives not so far from here, and who proudly proclaimed herself my rival the first time I met her.

"ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS TURN AROUND SO I COULD GET THE DROP ON YOU! WHAT KIND OF PERSON TRIES TO TALK TO A RABBIT?!?"

She doesn't stand very long, instead quickly falling backwards in a combination of confusion and frustration. She lets out a long, defeated sigh.

"Fine! You win this time, Robin!"

- That's my "witch name". I had to choose one during my initiation, though most people still just use my real name, so I'm not sure what the point is. Maybe I'm just missing something? Though, I'm pretty sure Cinnamon is not Cinnamon's real name either.

"Go ahead, then, you diabolical genius! You get one minor favor according to the rules of our honorable duel, so make it quick so I can get back to planning my next strike!"

...I never agreed to any duel, but I get the feeling that in her mind I definitely did. And she'll definitely be upset if I don't play along.

"What counts as a minor favor?" I ask as I reach out to try to help her back on her feet.

She quickly hops back up, completely ignoring my attempt to help her, and dusts herself off with a dramatic hmph!

"Minor favors include anything that can be done in 2 hours or less, and-"

She squits her eyes really hard at me while stressing the next part.

"Isn't. A. Public. Humiliation."

Very strange rule. In that case...

>Ask her to show me how she turned into a rabbit. That's kinda cool!
>She could help me find the Rainbow Moss. Honestly I don't think I need it, but she never sticks around for very long, but this way she'll have to and I'll get a chance to actually talk to her for a while.
>Actually, I think I'll just save that favor for another time. You never know when I'll need it!
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>4439845
>>Actually, I think I'll just save that favor for another time. You never know when I'll need it!

>>4439845
I knew it. Our enemy #1.
>Actually, I think I'll just save that favor for another time. You never know when I'll need it!
>Ask if she wants to come along and find the Rainbow Moss.
No need to make it a favor!
I really wanna know about the rabbit, but I don't mind saving the favor either.

>>4439845
>She could help me find the Rainbow Moss. Honestly I don't think I need it, but she never sticks around for very long, but this way she'll have to and I'll get a chance to actually talk to her for a while.

>>4439853
I guess I should say, if anons want to have her help with moss to ensure we have a better lead I'm ok with that too, I just figured we could try ourselves first.

Closing vote in 10 minutes, so if anyone wants to get in before now is the time!

>>4439845
>Actually, I think I'll just save that favor for another time. You never know when I'll need it!

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And that seals the deal. The favor is being saved. How devilish.

Vote closed and writing commenced!

>>4439915
It's not devilish, it's proper witch behavior!

I bet Cinnamon would do the same...if she had the foresight to plan ahead.

>>4439845
>>4439915
"Hey, Cinnamon? Would it be okay if I just saved that favor for another time instead of using it right away?"

She chuckles to herself. "Haha, well if you really can't think of anything, I suppose I'll have to deign to accept that."

"Okay, good! I'll be sure to ask you when I have something better to use it on. Thanks, Cinnamon!"

She stops laughing, her eyes slowly opening wide as if she was suddenly realizing something horrible.

"You.." She's staring at me again, with big, blue, trembling eyes. "You're trying to.."

She swirls, as if trying to make her clothes furl in the wind while she turns her back to me, then looks back at me with a sharp squint.

"I will not be chained so easily, nemesis! You think you can just keep saving up favors and make me your slave, but I see right through you!"

That's not at all what I-

"Hmph! Don't think I'll underestimate you twice. When next we cross wits, it will not be so easy!"

She grabs the broom conveniently strapped to her backpack, and immediately prepare to set off.

"Wait, Cinnamon! would you like to-" I try to call out, but she's already off, shouting back at me.
"YOU WILL TASTE CINNAMON JUSTICE!"
"-.. to come with me to look for ingredients?"

But she's gone already. I let out a frustrated sigh. I really don't understand how I'm supposed to talk to her. She talks really big, but she also doesn't seem to actually want to do[ anything serious. Is it some kind of game that I'm playing wrong?

I just don't get it. If I did, maybe I could actually learn something from her. For now, I suppose there's nothing to do but get back to the task. Though, one thought keeps distracting me while I walk the rest of the way to the stone ring...

What is Cinnamon Justice?

[1/2]

>>4440043
The rest of the walk continues without any surprises. I do spot a few more rabbits, but these ones were definitely the regular, skittish kind of rabbits. Not long after, I find myself again looking at the strange circle of stones at the far end of the forest.

Had it been anywhere else, I doubt it would mean anything to see a few stones arranged in a vaguely circular pattern, but in this exact spot, in this exact clearing, somehow it feels significant. Somehow, the air feels heavier here, the singing of the birds more distant, and the sky a little closer.

Instinctively I reach out a hand and place it on one of the stones, a part of me expecting... something. But nothing does happen. The stones continues to be a stone. I continue being me, and the sky is still above me. Then the thought strikes me.

The first time I came here was for my initiation, during the night of the Joining. I stood at the center of the ring.

The second time I came here was when I summoned the Daemon Vanda. She stood at the center of the ring.

The third time I've come here, I'm looking for Rainbow Moss, so I should look at the center of the ring!

And while it appears no different from the other patches of grass, digging slightly underneath it with my hands - I didn't think to bring anything to dig with - reveals...

A silver ring?

-

Actually, now that I think about it, I don't even know why I was expecting to find the moss by digging. Moss doesn't grow under the ground, it needs sunlight just like every other plant! And yet, somehow my body decided to do the exact opposite of what I know I should have been doing.

I stuff the distracting ring in a side pocket of my backpack, after wiping off the dirt of course, and then go search the stones themselves. Not surprising, after a few tries I find the Rainbow Moss along the shady north side of one of the stones. Again, I briefly wish I had brought some kind of tool to scrape off the moss, but my hands will have to do. At least I have the little bag that Camille gave me to put it in. A few minutes later, I can mentally check off the first item on today's list.

>Rainbow Moss acquired!
>...strange ring also acquired?

All in all, even with the distractions I don't think this took me more than an hour, so I'd say I'm making good time. Now, next I should...

CHOOSE ONE
>Head back home to Hinde and ask around in the market for some Amber. And maybe get some early lunch too!
>Try out what Camille said about finding those Giant Apples. It's on the way, regardless!
>Something else? [Write-in!]

As for that ring...
>I'm definitely not putting it on, I'm not that dumb! But maybe I should give it a closer look before continuing.
>It's not important now! I'll ask Camille later what she thinks I should do with it, focus on the task.
>Actually, I think I'll just put it back. Better safe than sorry, right?
>Something else? [Write-in!]

I forgot that text formatting breaks greentext. Oh well!

>>4440045
That was surprisingly easy! And we even got a silver ring for the trouble.
>Try out what Camille said about finding those Giant Apples. It's on the way, regardless!
It just seems time-efficient.
>Actually, I think I'll just put it back. Better safe than sorry, right?
We know where it is, if it's important we can just retrieve it later right?

>>4440045
>Try out what Camille said about finding those Giant Apples. It's on the way, regardless!
>I'm definitely not putting it on, I'm not that dumb! But maybe I should give it a closer look before continuing.

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Since this particular QM is not just getting old, but also tired, I'm choosing this point to end for the day. I will post the next update tomorrow, around the same time that today's session began. If there's still interest, we'll continue "live session" style at that time. Otherwise, I'll dial it back to one update per day and exploit that /qst/ threads seem to be near-immortal nowadays. We're not anywhere near done!

In the meantime, feel very free to ask questions, discuss, or just tell me if you liked or didn't like anything.

See you tomorrow!

>>4440083
That's alright, I have to sleep now anyway. Thanks for running! It's fun seeing Nadja again, I'm really looking forward to more of the cast showing up as well.
Live tomorrow works for me at least. It might be interesting to see if there are more votes/replies for full day update cycles, but otherwise I think lives are good for engagement.

>>4440083
Good night.

Oh shit... I don't believe this quest returned

>>4440045
>Try out what Camille said about finding those Giant Apples. It's on the way, regardless!
>I'm definitely not putting it on, I'm not that dumb! But maybe I should give it a closer look before continuing.
Awesome to see this quest back, it was one of my favorites for sure! Thanks for the run, sorry I missed the live.

>>4440045
>Try out what Camille said about finding those Giant Apples. It's on the way, regardless!
>Actually, I think I'll just put it back. Better safe than sorry, right?

Write in- Put the ring on and try a variety of things to see if its magical

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>As a rule, I will always attempt to include write-ins to the extent that it's possible.

And with that one last minute vote, I'm gonna close the vote and get started on today's first update.

>>4441173
Encouraging write-ins is definitely a good idea.

>>4440045
>>4441173
Unanimous vote:
>Try out what Camille said about finding those Giant Apples. It's on the way, regardless!
2 + 1 write-in in favor vs 2 opposed:
>I'm definitely not putting it on, I'm not that dumb! But maybe I should give it a closer look before continuing.
>Write in- Put the ring on and try a variety of things to see if its magical

-

Next on the list, I should check out the claim about the oldest tree in the forest and its giant apples. I still don't believe in that story at all, but Camille wouldn't lie to me like that!
...well, except for those times she die lie to me, but she apologized since then so she definitely wouldn't lie to me anymore. Because she apologized and meant it so now we're friends for real. That's how it works!

But before that, I really can't hold in my curiosity for that ring. The way that my just seemed to know where to find it is just too strange to ignore. The more I think back, the more I keep feeling as if something was making me look there. Or maybe someone. Like a ghost! Maybe the ring is haunted!

It doesn't actually look haunted. It mostly just looks dirty, even after I tried to brush off the dirt. But it's definitely silver, I can tell that much. Or maybe just silvery? I've heard they sometimes do that, make jewels and such that look like they're silver or gold, but it's actually just the surface and below is some cheap metal. I wouldn't really know though. Papa is a blacksmith, not a jeweler, and even that I don't really understand much either!

It's still smooth beneath the dirt, the simple kind that's just a regular band with nothing much to it. So I guess that means it probably didn't belong to a noble or some other really rich person. Probably even this was the most expensive thing they had. Maybe an heirloom, or a gift from someone. But then, why bury it here. Doesn't make sense to me!

That is, unless it's magic! That's definitely a good reason to bury something! Maybe I should-

No.

try...

Nope, nope, nope.

it...

Don't do that.

on?

It's not yours.

[1/3]

>>4441263
"Aaargh, w- w- what the-?!?"

It doesn't fit! It's too small for my fingers! No matter how hard I try I can't get it to fit! What a huge disappointment! This is even worse than a curse!

And that's when the true depth of this horror began to settle into my mind, washing over me like a black tide and bringing me to my knees, defeated and devastated:
"...do I have fat fingers?"

Dork.

That does it! This ring is definitely going back where it came from. It is worse that cursed, clearly some kind of evil artifact created by an ancient, evil god. I toss it back into the hole it came from, cover it back up, then stomp the earth extra hard to make sure it doesn't escape. Stomp it with BOTH feet!

Done, finished, the end. Goodbye, ring. See you never again!

>Strage Ring unacquired!

-

Now, back to the things that matter. Apples! I make sure to take the trek back to the lake in extra-long strides to make sure I get away from that evil ring as quickly as possible. As a result, I find myself back at the lake so quickly, I barely even noticed that I was walking at all.

According to what Camille told me, all I have to do is walk around the lake until I see a blue leaf in the wind, and then follow it. And since she didn't say which way to go around the lake, I decide to continue in the same direction I was going when I followed the edge of the lake on my way from Mistress' house to the stone ring. Against the clock! And of course, I make sure to just walk near the lake instead of actually at the edge. I don't want to walk in the mud!

To be honest, I'm not so sure that I like this lake very much. It's murky, muddy, you probably couldn't even fish in it if you wanted to. And it smells weird, kind of like wet clothes. The frogs and toads, I don't mind those, they're kinda cute actually, but does it have to be so muddy and stuff. It feels like my dress is getting diry just from being near it!

Hopefully this won't take too lo-

No, no way. Right there in those tall reeds, fluttering in the wind as if it was dancing between the stalks is... a blue leaf. Is it the one I'm supposed to follow? And if it is, then why isn't it going anywhere? It just keeps swirling in place!

This wasn't part of the instructions! What am I supposed to do now?

[2/3]

Oh look, I fucked up the formatting again. What a genius I am. Let me just retry that.

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>>4441267
>This is where I introduce a brand new element to the quest: Witch Style

>In short, witch style is a mechanic that reflects the ways that a witch tends to behave and approach problems. This is present in the form of a five-axis graph, with each representing a "style trait". The more often actions that lean toward a specific trait are chosen, the more each value will increase. This does NOT mean that the value goes up every single time a prompt is chosen. Instead you should think of it as a more broad reflection of behavior.
>So it's a bit like a personality test, I suppose. Or the witchy equivalent to alignments. What matters is, the more experienced a witch becomes with thinking and acting in certain ways, the more competent she becomes at that. Therefore, difficult actions that lean towards one of the five traits gets a bonus to its rolls equal to that trait's point value!
>The values of each trait vary from 1 to 9. 3 represents a perfectly average and normal tendency towards that attitude.

>The five traits are
Power: This trait represents direct application of brute force to solve problems. This mindset generally avoids overcomplicating problems. Note that this doesn't only mean violence and combat, as there are many other, smarter, ways for a witch to apply force.
Pacts: This trait represents the idea that the best way to solve a problem is by having someone help you. This can mean anything from making and calling on friends, to forming pacts and alliances of convenience with otherworldly beings. Either way, strength through numbers is the name of the game for this mindset.
Control: This trait represents an approach based on "stacking the odds". A witch of this mindset seeks to alter the environment, or society, around her to get her way. This attitude leans most heavily on traps, illusions, and deception.
Wisdom: This trait represents the most cautious of approaches. A witch of this nature almost never shows her hand, preferring instead to solve problems through careful observation and planning, only making her move once she feels confident that she has analyzed her way into the smartest and most efficient solution.
Ruthless: The one point of the style system that actually relates to morality. The ruthless value represents how willing the witch is to do the things that are NOT NICE. A witch with a very low Ruthless value will struggle to do the hard thing even when it's clear to her that it's the smartest solution. On the other hand, a witch with a very high ruthless value may find herself becoming TOO prone to resorting to harsh methods.


>[Power] Try to catch the leaf, that should get it going!
>[Pacts] Try to talk to the leaf. It's not THAT much worse than talking to a rabbit, so...
>[Wisdom] Keep watching its movements more closely. Maybe it's some kind of hint?
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>4441271
>>[Wisdom] Keep watching its movements more closely. Maybe it's some kind of hint?

>>4441271
>[Wisdom] Keep watching its movements more closely. Maybe it's some kind of hint?
Leaves can't talk, they're not rabbits. Robin may be a pacty kind of witch at times but not to such an extent!
Watching carefully seems like a solid start.

>>4441267
What a spooky ring! We definitely have to ask Camille about the ring.

>>4441271
>[Wisdom] Keep watching its movements more closely. Maybe it's some kind of hint?
Camille did say simply to follow it.

>>4441271
Is ruthless the only 'balanced is best' option, since it's specifically called out? I could see how e.g. wisdom (slow to act, perhaps worse snap intuition) or pacts (too reliant on the help of others) could be spun as negative if raised too high, but it's not an obvious consequence like with ruthless - you could certainly do those traits without the drawbacks as well.

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Vote is both unanimous and not what I expected to be chosen. My favorite kind of vote!

Vote closes now, by the way.

>>4441312
Mechanically speaking, the style chart can only REWARD your behavior, never punish it. It also can never lock you out of options. I think that would be very bad. So if for example Nadja had a very high Wisdom alignment, that only means that she' gets a higher bonus to actions aligned with that trait, but you still have the option to do the exact opposite at any time.

In the case of Ruthless, it gets a little more complicated. None of the other traits are opposed or related to this one, so it stands completely on its own. So like all of the other traits, it can be increased by using it. But unlike all of the other traits, it can never be decreased again by neglecting it. Witches are humans, and everytime they push their boundaries in this way, it stays with them forever.

Further, while no action can ever rely on more than one of the other traits, Ruthless can combine with any of the other traits. Example: No action can be aligned with both Force and Control, it must always be one of the other. But an action can be both Force AND Ruthless, or Control AND Ruthless, letting you acquire the bonus from both.

So no, I will NEVER lock you out of doing nice things just because you did a bad thing once. Humans do NOT work that way. But the more you increase the Ruthless score, the more it will keep rewarding you for using it.

And no, it doesn't alter your appearance or anything, either.

It's all carrots, no stick.

>>4441353
All carrot and no stick is a nice approach, especially for a fun quest! That said the reward for doing things in character is surely the tastiest carrot of all.

...I forgot to mention that I need 3 d20s again. I am way too scatterbrained tonight.

+3 to all rolls due to Wisdom Score!

Rolled 17 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4441373

Rolled 16 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4441373
Let's get wise

Rolled 15 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4441373

>>4441379
>>4441383
>>4441390
Oh neat. Not only are these high rolls, they're in descending order like a countdown!

Highest roll is 17+3=20!

Which makes this a good time to clarify that 17+3 is NOT a crit success. It's just a very good roll.

>>4441267
>>4441271
>[Wisdom] Keep watching its movements more closely. Maybe it's some kind of hint?

Camille did say to follow the leaf, but maybe that actually means to follow its movements by watching it. Maybe there's some kind of pattern to the movements, or some other kind of hint that I'm not picking up on.

...which means that this is the perfect time to prove that Amalia is DEAD WRONG for calling me stupid. Hmph, I still can't believe my best friend would say something like that. I am NOT stupid!

And I'm done getting distracted by stupid things like that too. Time to unlock the secrets of the swirly blue leaf. Surely if I just keep watching, and think very carefully about what I see, it will become obvious what I have to do. Time to put down my backpack, find a nice place to sit, because I'm now going anywhere until I've cracked this code. So let's see...

...

...

...

So it goes up and down, up and down, again and again. Does that mean anything? Probably not, I can't just go up and down like it does so that wouldn't help me at all. Maybe I need to watch the other directions?

...

Forward... Left... Right, right again, then left... Then back where it started. But it keeps repeating that. It's definitely a pattern, so I must be unto something! But if I did like it and kept going forward, left, right, and back again I wouldn't be going anywhere, so I'm still missing something.

...

>Rolled 17 + 3 (1d20 + 3)!

...

Oh. Oh no, please don't be what I think it is. That is way too simple. That's just insulting! And yet, the more I keep looking... Forward, left, right and right again, then left and back where it started.

It's just drawing an arrow. That's all. IT'S AN ARROW!

>Nadja is CLOSER to increasing her Wisdom score thanks to using the power of analytical thinking!
>Nadja also feels somewhat insulted that she spent time looking for something much more complicated, but that exclusively a morale problem.

After some thorough groaning and eye rolling, I pick my stuff back up and set out, grumbling extra loud while passing by the reeds. I know a simple leaf can't understand my annoyance, but just in case anything intelligent is behind it I want to make sure it knows.

If I'm not completely mistaken, the arrow the leaf was making points more or less toward the west, so all I have to do is keep going in that direction and hopefully I should eventually find a tree that looks older than the rest. Hopefully it won't be too difficult to sp-

"YAYEE!" I feel myself jump into the air as a high-pitched, cheerful voice suddenly calls out behind me. "YOU FIGURED IT OUT! YAY!"

[1/2]

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>>4441487
I turn to find the blue leaf rushing right towards me, only slowing down at the last moment to land elegantly on my shoulder. Except, it's not a leaf any more. That's...

"I knew you would solve it in no time. I told her you would solve it. Hi, Nadja!"

I remember this fairy, with the long blue hair, blue wings, and the light blue dress, and actually speaking like a normal person unlike the only other fairy I know. Her name is Seel. She's the familiar of the other former student of Mistress, the one called Weeping Lily. Lily is scary. And creepy. Sometimes friendly, but that's when she's actually most scary!

Seel isn't scary at all though. In fact she's been very nice and not at all scary. I don't have a familiar myself yet so I don't know for sure, but if those two are anything to go by, familiar and master definitely don't rub off on each other personality-wise. But...

"Seel? Why are you here?"

She gives me a smile so happy, I almost feel as if she was giving me a hug just by smiling. "It's my job to help you find The Old One! That's what Mistress Lily asked me to do and it made me so happy because I would get to see you again!"

"Oh. That's uh..." It's confusing! Why would Lily know anything about this at all? Camille would have to tell her, but Camille hasn't left the house for days because she's still recovering, so how..?

Seel is starting to look a bit worried at me now, and I quickly blurt out "Thanks, Seel!", and her smile immediately returns, leaving no trace or hint that she was ever worried.

"But is it okay for you to be here with me, Seel? Shouldn't you be with your Mistress?"

She shakes her head. "Mistress told me to help you first. Do you want me to show you the way now?"

>Accept Seel's guidance! It'll be nice to have some company too. That also gives me a chance to...
CHOOSE A SUB-OPTION
>... ask her about how Lily is doing and what she's up to. If she's planning something spooky again, it's better for me to know ahead of time!
>... ask her if she knows any of the other fairies in this forest. I know at least one, but I'm sure there are more that I haven't met.
>... ask her if she thinks I have fat fingers.
>... ash her something else? [Write-in!]
>Ask Seel if she could just tell me what to look for so I can find it on my own. I'd love to keep her around, but I'm also afraid of what Lily will do if Seel isn't around to rein her in.
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>4441489
>Accept Seel's guidance! It'll be nice to have some company too. That also gives me a chance to...
>... ask her about how Lily is doing and what she's up to. If she's planning something spooky again, it's better for me to know ahead of time!
>... ask if she knows anything about the ring!
Fairy time!
Wonder where Lily is at right now.

>>4441489
>Accept Seel's guidance! It'll be nice to have some company too. That also gives me a chance to...
>... ask her about how Lily is doing and what she's up to. If she's planning something spooky again, it's better for me to know ahead of time!

>>4441489
>>Ask Seel if she could just tell me what to look for so I can find it on my own. I'd love to keep her around, but I'm also afraid of what Lily will do if Seel isn't around to rein her in.

Soo...

About 25 minutes ago now, my connection suddenly died. I have now tried everything i know, but i think the problem isn't on my end.

Nothing has been lost or anything, but it looks like I would have to post updates from my phone (which I'm using to post this) in order to continue. Which I really, really do not want to do.

So in light of that, afraid i have to end this session early. Sorry to disappoint like this, but trying to keep running from my phone is way too much.

I'll post the next update tomorrow, and then from there I'll dial back to the 24hr update schedule. Hope you'll still want to participate in that!

So good night, and sorry again!

>>4441555
That's okay, it was a productive session! Thanks for running.

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Sorry about no update last night, Life distracted me. Once I'm done with today's errands I'll have some time to sit down and finish it. Probably later in the afternoon, Europe time. Thank you for being patient with me!

>>4443624
>>4441489
>Accept Seel's guidance! It'll be nice to have some company too. That also gives me a chance to...
>... ask her about how Lily is doing and what she's up to. If she's planning something spooky again, it's better for me to know ahead of time!
>... ask if she knows anything about the ring!

"Well if you're sure it's not a bother then I'd be happy to have you show me the way, Seel. Thank you!"

"No bother!" She happily chirps as she cheerfully springs from my shoulder, doing a circles around herself before fluttering off toward the west at a casual pace. "No bother at all, none at all! I'm always happy to help good humans!"

If Seel wasn't attached to Lily, I'd definitely love to have her around all the time. Everyone should be as nice and helpful she is instead of always trying to trick me into doing what they want. I wonder why those two are even together. Maybe now is a good time to learn a little more about them. Seel doesn't seem like she would mind a few questions, and we'll probably have enough time before we find the tree that maybe exists.

"Hey Seel, how is Lily doing anyway?"

"In her head, you mean?"

The bluntness of her answer has me taken completely aback. I was trying to be very careful not to actually call Lily weird, but she just happily says something like that without seeming bothered at all.

"Mistress Lily has been very focused, very sharp. She's working very hard, but almost doesn't need me to tell her to to take breaks to eat and sleep. I'm so happy that she's happy!"

"O-oh, that's... Good?" I say while trying to suppress the trembling at the thought of what she could be plotting. "Is she still working on that... body swapping ritual?"

"No no, that project is completely on hold now." She blurts with no hint of even pretending that it was supposed to be secret, then turn in the air to face me with a concerned expression. "Oh sorry, did you like that spell too? It does seem very fun, but Mistress Lily is focusing on something much more important now. But I'm sure she'll come back to it eventually. Maybe you can even come and help!"

"I uh- I... may have uhm..." Why is talking about this making my face feel so hot? "Wanted to try it just a little bit... But it's fine! Not important at all! Just forget about it!"

By now Seel has stopped completely in place, just staring at me with a puzzled expression, just hovering for what feels like a literal age of pure embarrassment. And I'm still not even sure what I'm embarrassed about! Finally, after far, far, far too long she just flips back into the same smile she had been wearing until now and gives me a happy "Okay!"

[1/3]

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>>4443865
"So uhm- what... what is this 'much more important' thing Lily is working on now?" I realize there's probably no way she can tell me THAT too, but it doesn't hurt to-

"War, of course!"

Oh, nevermind that then. Wait did she just say-

"WAR?!"

"Heehee, it's great! It's Mistress Lily's favorite hobby, but there hasn't been anyone to fight for a very long time. She's so excited!"

How... how can she be excited about something like that?!

"Bu-but I don't want a war to happen! Especially not here! Wars are bad and break everything and- and-"

"Why?" She asks as if it genuinely doesn't mean anything to her. "Mistress Lily won't hurt you or the forest. Only the intruder! You probably won't even notice anything ever happened. You didn't notice the last one, did you?"

"But Seel, there hasn't been a war here in more than 50 years!"
Or maybe it was more? I don't really remember, history classes in Sunday School are always so boring!

"Nuh uh!" She vividly shrugs her head, so much she always sways from side to side while still leading the way. "It was two years ago. But you didn't notice a thing, like I said! Mistress Lily was very upset that she wasn't in it. She said that her old Mistress Raven stole it, but I think that the Old Mistress just wanted to protect Mistress Lily."

I... I have no idea how I'm supposed to wrap my head around this. Is she really being serious? Fairies aren't supposed to lie, but then how..?
"That's impossible, Seel. There were no armies or-"

"Witch wars are secret, silly! No armies! Armies are for dumb kings." She says it as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

I still don't get it.
"If it's a war but there's no armies... doesn't that mean it's just a duel?"

"Mistress Lily says duels are also for dumb people. I'm not sure what the difference is. But you don't have to worry! Mistress Lily is very good at war. Even better than Old Mistress Raven! So nothing is going to happen. I promise!"

This is exhausting to think about! Stuff like that has really been happening without anyone knowing? But if those things really do happen, well... I think now I am glad to know Lily.

[2/3]

>>4443867
Several minutes pass in silence as I try to make sense of the things Seel just told me. But I don't think I'm managing to at all. I really wish Mistress was here to explain it. And to give me a hug. Her hugs are the greatest. I want one of those again.
Now and then Seel looks back at me with a smile, not seeming the slightest bit bothered or worried. For a fairy, she's surprisingly patient. Finally, having given up on trying to deal with all this war-talk, I remember a different topic I can change the conversation to.

"Hey Seel, do you know anything about a ring buried under that circle of stones in this forest?"

"Nope!" She answers with almost startling speed. "I'm very sure Mistress Lily has never buried anything there. Are you hunting treasure? I think you're supposed to find a map or a clue first, then look for the spot."

Well, that rules one out, at least.
"Actually, I kinda found it by accident, earlier today. But I couldn't really figure anything about it, so I put it back."

"That's good!" She responds with continued vigor. "If it belongs to someone, they might be upset if you took their things!"

That wasn't why I put it back, but let's not worry about that now.

"But if it was buried there, finding the owner should be easy! Only a witch can find that place because Old Mistress Raven warded it many many years ago, so the owner is probably a witch too!"

Aha, so that's why I never knew about it until my initiation! But if it belongs to a witch, and NOT Lily, then that's only a handful of people who could be the owner. If I ask all of the ones I know, I'm sure to find out more! I'll see Camille later today, but if it's not hers it could also be-

"eeeeeeeeEEEEEE-" My thoughts are quickly interrupted by a whistling sound that reminds me of watching Amalia practice with her bow, though this one is much slower and sounds like it's coming right towards-

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!" A reddish light suddenly darts into vision from the right, ramming right into Seel and causing both of them to tumble to the ground!

"FRIEND STEALING MEANIE!" A new voice screams, another very familiar voice...

"Human girl Nadja is Flimflam's friend! Not Seel's! Flimflam's! Seel go away and stay gone!"

...It's Flimflam. The very strange fairy that speaks weirdly and seems very obsessed with something she calls 'friendship levels'. I think... I think they're fighting! She's trying to hurt Seel!

>I'm not going near that! Who knows what crazy things they'll do when they're upset! [Difficulty: None][Wisdom]
>Stop Flimflam, quickly before she can hurt Seel! [Difficulty: Low][Bonus: +3 from Power]
>Try to calm them down. Fighting is stupid! [Difficulty: Very high][Bonus: +3 from Pacts]
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>4443868
>>Try to calm them down. Fighting is stupid! [Difficulty: Very high][Bonus: +3 from Pacts]

>>4443868
Oooof...calming them down is clearly the best option, but I don't like the look of that very high test. Then again, I don't know how fairy minds work, or how badly Flimflam will take it if we intervene on Seel's behalf. And I don't really feel like Nadja would go for power here.
>Try to calm them down. Fighting is stupid! [Difficulty: Very high][Bonus: +3 from Pacts]

Witch war huh. Wonder if we'll notice anything of it this time. And how serious it gets.

>>4443868
>Stop Flimflam, quickly before she can hurt Seel! [Difficulty: Low][Bonus: +3 from Power]
It's probably best to act fast.

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Update status: I'll be busy for the next 3 days, so it's likely that the next update will be on SUNDAY. I know that's quite a while to wait, so I hope you'll all be patient!

I'm setting the vote deadline for this one at 24 hours from now, since this one was quite a bit delayed. I'll call for a roll after that, since it's extra important to keep vote and roll separate when the choice is between low-difficulty low-reward choices and a high-difficulty high-reward.

On a different note, I can't believe it took me this long to realize that I could avoid bugging out the greentext by just putting the color-coded brackets at the end of the prompt. Do you guys think it's a good idea to use colors for these, or does it look ugly? I know now that I should defintiely have put a space between the brackets with the difficulty and the brackets indicating traits, but I'd like to hear if you guys think it would be better without red and blue.

>>4443968
I like the colors, so feel free to keep using them. Sunday is a long wait but we will persevere!

>>4443868
>Try to calm them down. Fighting is stupid! [Difficulty: Very high][Bonus: +3 from Pacts]

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>>4443871
>>4443872
>>4443973
Alrighty, time to see if you can have your cake and eat it too*.

Roll is highest of 3d6+3!
DC is 20 for a full succes, 18 for a gradual success.

*Fairies are not suitable for eating. Side effects include everything.

Rolled 4, 6, 3 + 3 = 16 (3d6 + 3)

>>4446436
What a funky diceroll!

Yeah sorry my head is all over the place. I meant highest of three rolls of d20+3. That's a brainfart.

Rolled 14 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4446436

Rolled 4 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4446436
Better roll again then.

Rolled 3 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4446436

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>>4446443
>>4446444
>>4446559

14+3=17!

...which is one less than we needed for a partial success. That's a real shame, but the dice can't be with you every time.

As mentioned earlier, ETA on the next update is Sunday!

>>4446779
We can't win em all, but Nadja tried her best!

Quick heads-up, next update will be delayed until tomorrow morning!

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>>4443868
>>4446436
>>4446779

>Try to calm them down. Fighting is stupid! [Difficulty: Very high][Bonus: +3 from Pacts]
>Rolled 14 + 3 (1d20 + 3) = 17 vs DC 20 (18 partial)!

"Sto- stop that! Don't you know fighting is bad?!"

Even calling as high as I can, it's clear neither of the two are even hearing me over Flimflam's continued screeching from inside the cloud of leaves, dust, and dirt they kicked up by crashing against the forest floor. But I have to keep trying. Seel hates violence, I remember that. The last time I saw her she disappeared immediately when a fight broke out. Just completely vanished. There's no way she can handle a fight like this!

"You can't steal friends, don't you know that? They're not something you own, they're the people you trust and who trust you, and... and you're not listening to me at all, are you?"

The pointlessness slowly dawns on me as the dust begins to thin and I actually gain some image of the fight between the two girls each only as long as hand at most. Lying on the ground curled up with her arms in front of her face and wings folded around herself is Seel. Flimflam meanwhile, still screeching a series of varyingly high-pitched noises that stopped resembling words long ago, slides off of the "shell" made by Seel's wings a few times in her attempt to grapple with her, then finally decides instead to go for the one weak point she can still find: Pulling on Seel's hair.

This is not a fight at all! This is... BULLYING!

Now I know. Words were never going to work. Bullies don't care at all how friendship works or how much they're making everything worse. That's what Big Sis always told me. Bullies are too busy being angry to listen. They won't ever stop being bullies until you-

>Attempting to reason with a fundamentally irrational being, though unsuccessful, has led Nadja to understand something she previously only knew...

-until you make them your friend.

A sudden flash of white fills my eyes, and by the time my sight has returned Seel has completely disappeared, leaving a confused Flimflam looking at ground where her "opponent" had previously been, looking from side to side, looking up and down, clearly not understanding a thing. She turns, one final time, to face me with an overjoyed smile, the same way a misbehaving child looks at the toy they just took from another child.

"Flimflam wins!" She squeals. "Flimflam is the strong-"

Her victory speech is crudely interrupted as an unseen force flips her and sends her flying backwards and face first into a large tree, hanging there for several seconds as if she had been glued to the bark. And for some reason the only thing I can think in that moment is how much I could just swear that it looked as if she had been pulled and thrown by her hair...

[1/2]

>>4450910
The strange display continues, and the bark of the tree around her begins to grow, slowly at first but picking up pace soon after. A weakened, whimpering chant of "Wait-wait-wait-" is briefly heard as the wall closes around her, turning into a muffled noise and then, finally, silence.

The lump of bark that has formed around where the fairy was loosens then falls to the ground with a soft thump, its shape changing and compressing until settling on a form that reminds me of a butterfly's cocoon, or perhaps a seed. It's completely still...

Then, as suddenly as she had disappeared, Seel appears from out of nowhere standing over the "seed". She gives the "seed" an angry look, then grabs hold of it with both arms, beating heavily with both wings as she just barely manages to carry it into the air.

All this time I am left completely at a loss for words, unable to do more than stare as she slowly returns to me, dropping the former fairy into my right hand. She forces a smile from behind the dishevelled hair now hanging in front of her face.

"I brought you a gift."

It's hard to touch, just like a real seed, but still warm and no larger than a fingernail.

>Fairy Seed "Flimflam" acquired!

"Seel... What did you... Is she..?"

She lets out an offended "Hmph!" and begins attempting to fix her hair with her hands.

"She was naughty. I gave her a timeout."

"A... timeout? Does that mean she's..?"

Somehow, probably for some strange fairy reason, just running her hands through her hair is actually working and within mere seconds Seel is actually looking her usual self.

"Just plant her if you want to deal with the dumb noisy-head again. Or keep her if you like. Or use her as an ingredient. She's been useless since she sprouted anyway."

...It looks like I had no reason to be afraid of what would happen to Seel. And with the tone of her voice just now, I can't help wondering what Seel would have done if I wasn't here.

At least they're not fighting any longer?

>No no, this isn't right at all! They're supposed to hug and be friends again! Ask Seel to turn her back right away so I can make them be friends again! [Difficulty: Still very high!][Bonus: +3 from Pacts]
>Maybe I should just keep "Flimflam" in my backpack for now. I'll have to decide what to do with her later. Right now we still need to find the tree with the Giant Apples! Meanwhile I can ask Seel...
>...what she meant by Flimflam having been useless since she "sprouted". Did she know her? Do fairies sprout?
>...what she meant by using Flimflam as an ingredient. Witches don't actually do that, do they?
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>4450911
>Maybe I should just keep "Flimflam" in my backpack for now. I'll have to decide what to do with her later. Right now we still need to find the tree with the Giant Apples! Meanwhile I can ask Seel...
>...what she meant by Flimflam having been useless since she "sprouted". Did she know her? Do fairies sprout?
Flimflam kind of earned the timeout. Hopefully it'll make her sorry!

>>4450911
>Maybe I should just keep "Flimflam" in my backpack for now. I'll have to decide what to do with her later. Right now we still need to find the tree with the Giant Apples! Meanwhile I can ask Seel...
>...what she meant by Flimflam having been useless since she "sprouted". Did she know her? Do fairies sprout?
Flimflam will probably be fine in the seed for a little while.

>>4450911
>>Maybe I should just keep "Flimflam" in my backpack for now. I'll have to decide what to do with her later. Right now we still need to find the tree with the Giant Apples! Meanwhile I can ask Seel...
>>...what she meant by Flimflam having been useless since she "sprouted". Did she know her? Do fairies sprout?

>>4450911
>Maybe I should just keep "Flimflam" in my backpack for now. I'll have to decide what to do with her later. Right now we still need to find the tree with the Giant Apples! Meanwhile I can ask Seel...
>...what she meant by Flimflam having been useless since she "sprouted". Did she know her? Do fairies sprout?

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Hello friends.

You can probably already tell, but I've been having difficulties finding the time to properly sit down and focus on writing.
With that said however, I am still intent on seeing this thread through until the point I planned for it to end at. So if guys are willng ton continue being patient with me, I'll keep this thread going after I've had a few days to work up some free time again.

I'm not going to try to give you an ETA on this one. Instead I will let you know both here in this thread and on my twitter when the clouds have cleared.

Thanks for sticking with me so far!

>>4453484
We're patient as can be! Take care and write when you can.

>>4450911

>Maybe I should just keep "Flimflam" in my backpack for now. I'll have to decide what to do with her later. Right now we still need to find the tree with the Giant Apples! Meanwhile I can ask Seel...
>...what she meant by Flimflam having been useless since she "sprouted". Did she know her? Do fairies sprout?

Useless.

The word keeps repeating in my mind, filling the silence that has fallen over the both of us. Though Seel didn't take long to regain her joyful attitude after the encounter with Flimflam, there's something that just won't stop bothering me. It probably means nothing. I know that. Nothing seems to mean much for very long with fairies. They're too carefree for that. Or so I thought at least.

Useless.

It's such a terrible word. Such a cruel word. A word you should never ever say to someone!

"Why did you say that?"
Part of me wanted to just let it be, yet the words leave my mouth anyway. Whatever is between these two, it's probably smartest to just let it stay between them. But I can't. I have to ask, even though just voicing the word is painful.
"Why did you call her... useless?"

"Because she is."
Seel answers without a single hint of hesitation or doubt. As if what she's saying is the most obvious thing ever.

I remember that Amalia said that word once. Said it exactly like that, as if it was nothing to her. Gilbert, her Papa-but-not-really explained that it's because she's from a land far from here and it doesn't mean the same where she's from. I don't really understand how that could be, but apparently that's how it is. Is it like that with fairies too, perhaps? Maybe I'll learn more if I ask her something more concrete.

"Did.. I mean, do you know her? Did she do something bad to make you think that she's.. you know, that?"
I'm not saying that word twice! Once was enough!

Seel sighs, not seeming very happy to keep talking about Flimflam, but she still answers.
"I knew her when I lived in the village. When I was a new-sprout. I don't any more because only new-sprouts live in the village. Well, and the bigger-sisters. And the Queen! But Flimflam isn't any of those! She's not a bigger-sister and she'll definitely never be a Queen! And she doesn't leave! She doesn't get smarter! She's useless! Useless-useless-useless!"

Hey, I remember reading about some of that! It was in that journal that belonged to Hope, a girl who was an apprentice to Redwing long ago, just like Mistress was once, and who Mistress seems to miss very much even though it's been... actually I have no idea how many years. It was when Mistress was still just a girl I guess, but I don't actually know how old she is.

Anyway, Hope was researching fairies and her journal had some stuff about this! I even wrote some of it down in my notebook!

[1/3]

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>>4460443
>I learned more from a book about fairies and copied the highlights:
>FAIRY FACT ONE: Fairies are deathly afraid of iron weapons!
>FAIRY FACT TWO: Fairies quite literally sprout from trees, like a leaf or a flower. That flies, and talks, and thinks (sometimes).
>FAIRY FACT THREE: Fairies cannot lie, but they can be clever!
>FAIRY FACT FOUR: Fairies magical abilities seem to be tied to their emotions.

And I remember something else too. Seel's name was in that journal! I get the feeling that Seel is just going to get angry if I keep asking her about Flimflam, which suddenly seems like something I should definitely avoid.

"Hey Seel, did you know a girl called Hope once?"

"Old Mistress Raven asks me about her a lot too. Hope was the nicest human girl I ever saw, but every time Old Mistress Raven asks me about Hope again, she goes and disappears for a few weeks and then comes back sad, so maybe she's not that nice after all?"

...Oh. For a second I thought maybe I had found the one miraculous clue that would let me help Mistress find that Hope girl, but of course she already thought of something that obvious. She's not an idiot. Though I bet there's one thing she would never think to ask!

In the journal, Hope was still an apprentice, and she wrote about meeting Seel. And Seel remembers Hope too, so it is clearly the same fairy. Which means.. if I ask Seel how long ago that was, I'll actually know how old Mistress really is!

I know Mistress is older than she looks because she uses witchcraft to extend her life. But I don't actually know how old she is. She could be 100 years, 200 years, maybe even 300!
But am I sure that I want to know how old Mistress is? She might find out that I know and then.. and then I'm not sure what she'll do but it's probably not pleasant! But I also really want to know...

"Uh, Miss Nadja?"

Huh? When did Seel get behind me?

"You have to stop here, Miss Nadja."

"Wha- why? I don't see any great old trees with giant apples here."

Seel shakes her head.
"You have to stop and close your eyes before going any further. The tree is very shy about how old it looks, so it'll only appear if you close your eyes!"

...

...

...

She's serious. Fairies can't lie, I know that for sure now, so Seel must be serious. I'll just pretend that the idea of a shy tree isn't absurd. At the very least, it WOULD explain why I've never seen it.
"But how am I going to pick an apple with my eyes closed? And I might bump into a tree or fall over a root or-"

"If he thinks you're good, he'll reward you with the biggest apple! And if he thinks you're bad, he'll give you a rotten apple instead! But you're good, aren't you Miss Nadja?"

"O-of course I am! I've always been a good girl! Papa always said so! But..."

[2/3]

>>4460445
"But after all this time and effort I put into something I didn't even believe in to begin with... Now I'm not even allowed to see it? That's no fun!"

Seel gives an indifferent shrug to my concern.
"That's what the rule says, and you have to follow the rule."

Awww, why do I always have to miss out? Seel is right though, you have to follow the rules. That's what good girls do, and I am always good!
But would it really be so bad to sneak a little peek? How would a tree even notice if I did? It's a tree!

What if it somehow does know, though? Then I don't get the ingredient that Camille needs for... whatever it is she's going to do! If only there was some way I could both get to look AND get the apple that she needs. I know the Sighting Hex which I could use to see what someone else sees, like Seel... But I don't have one prepared and I don't have the materials for it with me!

Really, a spell that you have to write in chocolate is just ridiculous anyway. How did anyone ever figure that out? It's just a waste of good chocolate!

If only I could think of another way...

>Just follow Seel's instructions and continue with my eyes closed. Even if it's a tree it would be mean and selfish not to respect its wishes!
>Surely one little peek wouldn't hurt anyone? I've never agreed to its rules, so it's not lying or cheating, technically...
>[Write-in alternate solutions, if you can think of one]

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Whew, that was a bit of a wait. Things should be looking a bit more stable for me from here on though, so I expect to get back on schedule with the daily updates now.

So expect the next update some time tomorrow!

>>4460452
>Just follow Seel's instructions and continue with my eyes closed. Even if it's a tree it would be mean and selfish not to respect its wishes!
Nadja is a good girl and that's final. Until it becomes important to not be a good girl, anyway. Also, we gotta make sure we get the good apple!

Anon's guess about Hope seemed good at the time, but I guess nothing is that simple. We'll just have to keep thinking!

>>4460473
Great to hear we get more regular Nadja this week.

>>4460452
>Just follow Seel's instructions and continue with my eyes closed. Even if it's a tree it would be mean and selfish not to respect its wishes!

>>4460452
>>Just follow Seel's instructions and continue with my eyes closed. Even if it's a tree it would be mean and selfish not to respect its wishes!

>>4460452
>>Just follow Seel's instructions and continue with my eyes closed. Even if it's a tree it would be mean and selfish not to respect its wishes!

>>4460452
>Just follow Seel's instructions and continue with my eyes closed. Even if it's a tree it would be mean and selfish not to respect its wishes!

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>>4460522
>>4460715
>>4460749
>>4460765
>>4460767
That's a nice and unanimous vote you gave me there, though I suppose that was to be expected given the options for this one.

Since I got home way later today than I expected to, I might have to finish this one up in the morning instead. Please look forward to it!

>>4461907
>>4460452
I barely manage to restrain a groan, rubbing my forehead in frustration. This is so stupid! And dumb! Stupid and dumb!

...but when somebody feels bad you have to be nice to them so they'll feel better. That's one of the most important rules to being good, that's what Papa taught me. You should always try to be nice, but it's extra important when someone is sad or unhappy. And he never said they have to be people, so it must count now too.

And I am always good!

"Will you at least tell me if I'm about to walk into a tree branch or something?"

Seel laughs in response, only seeming to realize I wasn't joking after several seconds.
"I can't! I have to close my eyes too!"

Huh. Now that I think about it, I have no idea why I thought the rule shouldn't apply to her too.

"Fi---ine." I say, catching myself sounding more whiny than I thought I would, but closing my eyes anyway. "So we just keep going straight ahead and then..?"

"Fifty-two and a half steps ahead, and then we wait!"

I briefly wonder how a fairy who never has to walk anywhere knows how long a step is, but quickly remind myself that it's probably better for me to worry about it.

I carefully count out the steps while nervously reaching ahead with both hands in an attempt to avoid getting a face full of a low hanging branches, and occasionally calling out to check if Seel is still there.

She is.

...

Forty-nine...

Fifty...

Fifty-one...

Fifty-two. There!

"You're missing the half step."

How does she know that?!?

[1/3]

>>4462534
I feel my body immediately taking the last half step, despite my still questioning how it could possibly matter. Just follow the instructions, stop trying to think too much about it. And the next part of the instructions were to wait. So now I wait.

With nothing else to do, I find myself paying particular attention to the sounds of the forest. The rustling of leaves in the fresh, still slightly warm early autumn wind above and around me, one wave after the other, like a cradle being rocked gently. The occasional scampering of birds in the undergrowth. And somewhere not too far from me, a robin begins to sing.

But that's just a coincidence, right?

To my right, Seel begins to hum quietly in a tune that feels strangely familiar but which I also can't quite seem to put a name to. Before long, I feel my foot begin to tap along as well, almost-words seeming to echo in a part of my mind that's just barely out of reach.

And then I notice it. The unmistakable feeling that someone is looking at me. The kind where you just know it, even though you don't hear or see anything.

Seel continues to hum as if nothing is happening while I try to fight back the instinct telling me to look. The harder I try, the more my mind is filled with the image of myself, seen from the perspective of this other presence.

In my head, I see myself swallow nervously as I strain to keep my eyes shut. I see goosebumps form on my arms, and a slight trembling of my legs. I see my mouth open slowly and I hear my own voice.

"Hello?"

I see nothing again. Everything seems to turn quiet. Even Seel. And I feel much calmer, my next move becoming so much more clear and obvious to me.

"I feel a bit silly like this, but if someone really is there... I hope you have a nice day!"

Nobody answers me, but I don't mind. I feel better having said something, and instead of feeling nervous I'm finding it difficult to stop smiling. I'm not even sure any longer if I was just imagining the presence or not, but it doesn't seem to matter now.

A few moments later, the silence stops. The wind, the birds, and even Seel's humming, resumes as if they had never stopped. And I open my eyes, finding myself stood in the middle of a small clearing, the tiniest opening in the leaf canopy above allowing a thin ray of light to shine down from the noontime sun. And where it hits the ground...

[2/3]

>>4462536
A Giant Apple! Though it's not quite as big as my head like Camille claimed it would be, it's still far larger than any I've ever seen. This will only barely be able to fit in my backpack!

"Hey Seel?" I ask, causing her to jump as if I had just woken her from a slumber. "If you have to close your eyes every time, does that mean you've never seen the tree either?"

"Uh-huh!" She nods happily.

"Then... how do you know there's a tree at all?"

"Where else would the apples come from?"

I remind myself again, not to think about these things too much. I got the apple I needed, that's what is important.

>Giant Apple acquired!

That just leaves the piece of Amber. For that one, my best bet is definitely to visit the markets in Hinde. More than half the town is just the markets and lodgings for travelling merchants and the like, so somebody is bound to have it, or at least know someone who has it.

But before then... It is noon. Maybe this is a good time to think about lunch. I do have my lunchbox with a few pieces of bread left over from breakfast. With butter and slices of salted ham! And a pear for snacking! The question is... where should I eat?

I could just have a quick lunch right here, but since all I have left to do today is finding that piece of amber, I'm not really in a rush.
I could go back to Mistress' house to have my lunch. Mistress probably still hasn't come home, but Camille should still be there since she's still recovering from when she was wounded. It might be good to check in on her and make sure she's remembering to eat too.
Or I could go home, maybe Papa will have time for a lunch break from working too. I do feel like I see Papa so much less after I started apprenticing...

>Have lunch right here. Maybe Seel would like some too before she goes back to help Lily with whatever creepy things Lily is doing.
>Go back to Mistress' house and make sure Camille remembers to eat too. I can deliver the ingredients I've found so far while I'm there.
>Go home for lunch. If nobody tells Papa to stop and eat, he might forget entirely and work too much!
>Something else? [Write-in!]

This update was planned to be short enough to fit into one post when I started yesterday. I have no sense of pacing whatsoever.

>>4462537
>Go back to Mistress' house and make sure Camille remembers to eat too. I can deliver the ingredients I've found so far while I'm there.
The apple must be kinda heavy, I don't want to carry that all the way to town and back.
Is being a witch really all about walking around in the woods looking for stuff?

>>4462537
>Go home for lunch. If nobody tells Papa to stop and eat, he might forget entirely and work too much!
It's important to keep your papa fed.
Wonder who actually gives out the apples. I'm not convinced by magic trees!

>>4462543
It's the curse of words!

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Regarding next update, I may be able to have it ready some time tonight, since today is looking pretty clear for me.

I'll still keep the vote open at least until tonight, but if I see enough votes then I'd like to get started on the next one then instead of tomorrow.

>>4462545
>Is being a witch really all about walking around in the woods looking for stuff?
Would you like to ask Camille that question if having lunch with her wins the vote, or just next time Nadja sees her if it doesn't?

>>4462568
Let's hope some anons come in and break the tie then.
Asking Mistress and/or Camille important questions about witching should be top priority, of course.

>>4462537
>Go back to Mistress' house and make sure Camille remembers to eat too. I can deliver the ingredients I've found so far while I'm there.

>>4462537
>Go home for lunch. If nobody tells Papa to stop and eat, he might forget entirely and work too much!

>>4462537
>>Have lunch right here. Maybe Seel would like some too before she goes back to help Lily with whatever creepy things Lily is doing.

expression of happiness at this not being dead

>>4462537
>>Go back to Mistress' house and make sure Camille remembers to eat too. I can deliver the ingredients I've found so far while I'm there.

>>4462568
Hope you're doing fine, Friend!

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Hello. Sorry for the radio silence. Work has been rough.
Getting jobs is a mistake.

Continuation tonight!

>>4463265
>>4462620
>>4462545
Time to force feed the world's worst senpai.

>>4468287
I will be, thanks!

>>4469754
>Getting jobs is a mistake.
I really feel that.

>>4462537
>Go back to Mistress' house and make sure Camille remembers to eat too. I can deliver the ingredients I've found so far while I'm there.

Now that I think about it, an apple that big must be pretty heavy! I definitely don't want to carry that all the way home and back again for no reason. Checking in on Camille wouldn't be a bad idea either. I think she's about as old as Big Sis, so I'm not sure she can really take care of herself.

I hope I won't be as bad when I turn 17!

"I think I'd better take this back to Camille now. She's staying in Mistress' house." I put my backpack down next to the giant apple, taking one last moment to appreciate its shining, smooth, red surface. "What will you do now, Seel? Would you like to go with me and visit her?"

She slowly sets down on the ground next to me to help me lift the apple up into the backpack. Given that it's several times her weight it doesn't actually make a difference, but I appreciate the sentiment anyway.
"I already visited Witch Camille this morning to deliver a message from Mistress Lily. If you don't need my help any more, I will return to Mistress Lily now."

"Huh, you did..? What was the message?"

"It's a secret!"

I'm not sure if that should worry me or not. Maybe they're just good friends and not plotting anything creepy and weird.

"Then... thanks for the help today, Seel. I think I'll find my way back on my own!"
After all, we pretty much walked in a straight line the whole way. In fact, I've probably been here before plenty of times! But perhaps the secret wasn't how to find the way to this place, but rather what you do when you're there...

"Oh! But uhm Seel, I did have one last question if you don't mind..."

She seems to smile just a little more than she already was. "I'm always happy to help!"

"Well uhm, it's just..."

I just can't shake the thought, it keeps coming back to me. I can't stop looking. I have to know!

"Do you think I have fat fingers?"

The smile slowly fades from her face, the look in her eyes seeming to keep growing more and more empty as she stares at me for an age and a half. Finally, she blinks and answers in a monotone voice.
"I don't understand that question."

[1/3]

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>>4470201
The trip back to Mistress' house goes without any surprises. The mid-noon sun flickers in between the leaves above on the beeches and oaks, their shadows dancing across the disappointingly mushroomless forest floor. Maybe they're just sprouting late this year because of the warm summer, but I was really hoping for something delicious I could bring back for dinner. Papa says the mushrooms I picked are always the tastiest. I can't actually tell the difference, but picking them is fun anyway!

The lake by Mistress' house is its usual, muddy, toad-filled self. I don't need any toads today, so I make sure to swing wide around to avoid getting any more mud on my shoes. Climbing the short stairs, I raise my hand to knock on the door out of habit, before remembering that I don't actually need to do that any longer. Instead I take off my shoes right away and walk in to find Camille fast asleep in the large padded chair in the study, an open book resting in her lap.

She has been sleeping a lot in the past days. Maybe even too much. Though Big Sis sleeps a lot when she's actually home too, so maybe that's a 17 years old thing too?

"Camille? It's already noon Camille, you need to wake up."

She grumbles some nonsense in response and weakly lifts a hand to wave me away, but otherwise doesn't move. Yep, just like Big Sis...

I briefly consider some of the funnier ways I know usually works to wake up Big Sis, but remember that Camille is still recovering from her injury so I probably shouldn't try any of those on her. Instead, I just shake her shoulder lightly for several seconds until she, begrudgingly, returns to consciousness and slowly opens her eyes.

"Oh hey Na-" Her sentence cuts into a long, graceless yawn. "-dja. Got the stuff?"

"Almost." I answer and begin to unpack and set the ingredients I found so far up on the table next to her. "I'm only missing the piece of amber now. But it's already noon and you really need to eat something."

She eyes the moss and apple sleepily. "I can't eat that, we need it for the boo- I mean, the potion!"

"Wuh- no, that's not what I meant! I was just showing you what I found so far!"
"...wait, it's for a potion? You didn't actually tell me WHAT we're gonna make with this."

"Sure sure! A potion! Sort of!" She quickly replies and begins to stumble to her feet.

"Uhm Camille, are you sure you don't want me to get you something to-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" She grumbles while stumbling toward the kitchen in the same way you'd expect a sack of potatoes to move if it came alive. I'm amazed she can even see anything with her long, tangled hair hanging in front of her face. I do want to help her, but I know she's not going to let me. Instead I take my lunchbox to the kitchen table and wait for her to dig whatever she decides on today out of the cupboards.

[2/3]

>>4470204
She chooses cheese, just like she did yesterday. Though today I manage to convince her to put it on some slices of the bread I brought here yesterday, since I don't want her to into town to buy something on her own in her current condition.

"Say, Camille, is this really what being a witch is about? Just going around looking for stuff in the woods?"

Surprisingly, she immediately springs to attention, a stark contrast to the half-conscious version of just a few seconds ago.

"You wanna get to the fun stuff?" She asks, an almost unnatural light shining in her eyes.

"We could summon a ghost!" She continues excitedly, while somehow still munching down the half-bread half-cheese lunch. "Or I could teach you how to turn into an animal! That'd be fun! Heeeeh, especially seeing you roll on the ground trying to adjust to your new body.."

"Uhhh, m-maybe we should just-" I can't help feeling a little scared by her sudden enthusiasm. "Maybe that's rushing ahead a bit?"

She munches down the last bit of cheese and leans back with a happy sigh. "Fair enough. Heeh, didn't mean to scare you or anything. But, I promise you, you will love what I have planned for you! Guaranteed!"

I notice her beginning to eye up my lunch as well, and I quickly resume eating my own before she gets any ideas.

"I get where you're coming from though. Honestly, if you knew just half of the things I had to put up with as an apprentice.." She falls silent as her eyes seem to stare into nothing.

Uhh.

Should I say something?

>"What DID you have to put up with as an apprentice, Camille? Is that why you always talk bad about Mistress?" I have been wondering what is up with their weird daughter-mother relationship...
>"Did you have to do all kinds of crazy things for Lily while waiting for her to give you your first witch's hat too?" It HAS been a long time now and the tradition says that's the job of the previous student, so a little nagging is allowed at this point!
>"What is a boo-potion? I've never heard of that. Is it something spooky?" I hope she's not making me find all these things just for something weird and stupid.
>"...do you think I have fat fingers?"
>Something else? [Write-in to ask Camille anything you want!]

>>4470201
That's a yes isn't it, oh dear...

>>4470204
Aha, I see. So that's what we're making. Not very responsible getting Nadja to help with that!

>>4470206
>"Did you have to do all kinds of crazy things for Lily while waiting for her to give you your first witch's hat too?" It HAS been a long time now and the tradition says that's the job of the previous student, so a little nagging is allowed at this point!
These are all good, really, but more BACKSTORY

>>4470206
>"What is a boo-potion? I've never heard of that. Is it something spooky?" I hope she's not making me find all these things just for something weird and stupid.

>>4470206
>>"What is a boo-potion? I've never heard of that. Is it something spooky?" I hope she's not making me find all these things just for something weird and stupid.

>>4470206
>"Did you have to do all kinds of crazy things for Lily while waiting for her to give you your first witch's hat too?" It HAS been a long time now and the tradition says that's the job of the previous student, so a little nagging is allowed at this point!

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That's two votes for questioning the exact nature of the "boo-potion", and two votes for questioning the continued absence of cool hats in Nadja's life.

No need for a roll or tie-breaker on this one though, I'll just try to split attention between the two evenly, hopefully without going off too long on either.

Expect the update later today/tonight!

>>4471355
>>4470206
>"Did you have to do all kinds of crazy things for Lily while waiting for her to give you your first witch's hat too?" It HAS been a long time now and the tradition says that's the job of the previous student, so a little nagging is allowed at this point!

"Huh? Oh, you mean because she was my senior?" She leans forward, resting herself against the table with a complacent smile. "Honestly? She wasn't too bad at all."

"Wha- really?" I instinctively give her a look up and down for signs that she's hallucinating or something. Are we really talking about the same Lily? "Was that before she... well..."

"Snapped?" She interjects casually. "Na---ah, nah that happened way longer ago. She was always off when I knew her."

She locks her eyes unto mine, staring with a weird intensity. "Does she scare you?"

"I- ah, I-I... yes?"

She grins briefly, the slumps the rest of the way unto the table, chest and head both lying right there on the surface. Is that even comfortable?
"She's never going to harm you. Not one hair. Took me a bit to realize that, but behind her weird behavior and creepy looks, well, let's just say the real Lily is still in there. And that one, she loves every one of her sisters more than anything else. Don't even know why, I know for sure I've never done anything to her to deserve that."

She shrugs, despite her unusual pose. "Mother dearest won't tell me a thing about Lily's past, and Lily isn't a very reliable source herself, so..."

For a moment, Camille seems to be dozing off again, her eyes struggling to stay open, her mouth struggling to stay closed. Just as I'm about to put down my sandwich to give her another nudge, she springs right back to attention, jumping back upright.
"Oh right! Your hat! I finished it last night!"

"You did?!?" I nearly yell, completely forgetting to finish chewing my food before speaking. This is it! This is finally it! I'm finally going to have my very own hat to show off to Amalia with! And to Big Sis! And to Papa! "Can I have it now?"

My excitement quickly fades, replaced by regret as I see the mischievous grin growing on Camille's face. "Bring back the last ingredient and it's yours!"

...

...

...

"Deal." I swallow the disappoint. One last task, and then I will finally have it. "No more backing out this time, though! Or stalling!"

Still grinning, Camille puts her right hand over her chest. "Promise!"

"...why were you working in the middle of the night, though?"

She answers only with a nonchalant shrug. I suppose it makes sense if you're sleeping all day anyway.

>[1/4]

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>>4471747
>"What is a boo-potion? I've never heard of that. Is it something spooky?" I hope she's not making me find all these things just for something weird and stupid.

"Ah, it's an- ahem..." Her eyes flick to the left, to me, to the right, and back to me again. "Ah, saints be damned, you've been more than patient, I may as well give it to you straight."

She bites her lip nervously, weighing her words several times before simply stating. "It's booze."

I feel my own jaw dropping, just as my stomach sinks in horror.
"YOU WANT ME TO HELP YOU MAKE ALCOHOL?!?"

"He-hey now, just listen it's not like-"

"YOU JUST WANT TO GET DRUNK?!"

"It's not for me!"

"YOU'RE GOING TO SELL IT? THAT'S EVEN WORSE! YOU'RE MAKING ME DO ALL THIS STUFF JUST FOR-"

"It's for you, dammit!"

The words hit me like a sledgehammer and I feel the heat rising to my face, my heart pounding in my chest, my hands twitching in anger.

"Le- just let me explain, you're totally misunderstanding!" She cries out, thick drops of sweat falling from her forehead. "It's for teaching, I was gonna-"

"I don't want to learn to drink." I state while folding my arms in front of me. "Good girls don't drink!"

"Look just... Just give me a minute to explain, okay?"

I don't want to. I want to go home. But...
But she actually does look sad now. So, against my better judgement, I stay.

"I want to pay you back, right, for helping me out with the whole werewolf situation. And then you even helped take care of me while I've been recovering and..."
She clutches her forehead, breathing loudly and quickly as she stares right down at the table, visibly avoiding my eyes as much as she can.
"But since I really shouldn't strain my body for a while I thought, well, what if I taught you the one thing I won't need my body for at all? Dreamwalking!"

"And the drink, well, I get that you don't like the idea but, for a first timer it's the easiest way by far to learn how to open your dreamer's eye. Otherwise, it could take months of practice just to get started without it! Or, well... something even stronger, but I guess you don-"

"No! I am not doingthat!"

She looks up, a small glint in her eyes. Is she.. Is that a tear?
"You mean you'll-?"

I pack the rest of my lunch that I haven't finished and stand back up from the chair.
"I'm going to go get the last ingredient now so I can earn my hat. See you later, Camille."

I hear her weakly whisper something as I close the door behind me.

>[2/4]

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>>4471749
Was that too harsh of me? I don't really know. I think that she actually meant well, but... I don't really know.

Papa would be heartbroken if I drank. I don't want to disappoint Papa! But if it's for a good reason, and only a little bit, then should I..? I really don't know!

I'm not going to think about that any more now. I'm going to walk back to Hinde, and I'm going to find a piece of amber for Camille. I can decide what to say to Camille later.

The trek between home and Mistress' house seems to grow shorter every day. I'm pretty sure the first time I had to find it I spent hours walking in circles, now it feels like only a few minutes before I see my home town rise up before me at the end of the tree line. So short, I wonder how I could have never found it before. Some kind of magic? It must be.

I've always heard that other towns aren't built vertically like Hinde is. I don't know, because I've never seen another town. This makes a lot more sense to me. We have four levels, each built further up the side of the mountain, with stairs between each.

The lowest one is where the stables, and the inns, and the taverns, all the places that the travellers passing through need, are located. On the second and third is where most of us live, and they each have a market square, because the first one isn't always big enough! And on the last one is the church, the town hall, and a lovely park square where you can watch the sunset from. Or the the sunrise! I don't know why you would want to build it any different.

Louis is watching the town gate today, and he give me a friendly wave on my way in. I wave back, of course!

I'm not sure exactly who is in town today, I haven't had as much time to spend in the markets any more since I started my apprenticeship, but I'm sure if I start looking in the lower market, it won't take too long to find someone I know.

As I climb the last step of the stairs up to the second wall I am immediately hit by the wall of voices, merchants trying to drown each other out, hagglers locked in their battles of wit, a mother and her children excitingly browsing the selection of a sweets stand, a small group of hopeful adventurers arguing over how to spend their funds before setting off to the west. From a glance, I recognize Papa's work strapped to one of them's side and find myself smirking joyfully.
That jerk Appleton didn't get that one!

And there, set up at the end of the south end of the square, I recognize Marcus. He's a trader from the Republic who specializes in jewels, gemstones, and the like. And even though he's from the Republic, he also speaks nearly perfect Golish. Perfect!

>[3/4]

>>4471751
"Marcus! Hey Marcus!" I call out as I run towards his stall.

"Ah, young Miss Nadja!" He smiles and holds out his arms in welcome, his fancy purple cape and hat waving around him as he does so. "I was beginning to fear I wouldn't see you at all this trip!"

"Marcus, I told you that you don't have to call me Miss!"

"Ohoh, is that so?" He retorts with a wicked grin. "Then you've already found yourself a handsome young gentleman fortunate enough to shower you with my fine wares?"

Immediately I bury my face in my hands in embarrassment. "Stop that! You know I'm way too young for that still!"

"Ah well." He says with a dramatic sigh. "Perhaps next year. Just looking as usual, then?"

Marcus knows that I can't actually afford to buy anything from him, but he has never minded and lets me look as much as I like, sometimes he even lets me try on some of his less expensive items. Heehee, is he going to be surprised today!

"Actually.." I say, barely containing the joy as I see his greedy eyes light up with anticipation. "I was wondering if you had any pieces of amber for sale?"

"Ah, is that so.." He says, drawing out his reply as much as he can. "As much as I hate to disappoint you, I've already sold the last piece I had. However, perhaps you could try to convince one of my clients to give up theirs? For a damsel in distress, I'm sure they could be swayed. Particularly if said damsel is carrying coin-"

"I am!"

"Then I am sure you will have no problem convincing one of them. Three clients in particular spring to mind: First, there's Grigorius.."

"Not him..." I can't help but whimper at the thought of that man. Everyone knows he's a cold-hearted opportunist, always price gouging wherever he can. He's definitely not going to offer me a fair deal!

"...I understand your sentiment." Marcus nods in sympathy as he continues. "However, he may be your best bet. The second is a travelling swordsman by the name of Thomas who, unfortunately, already set off towards Marastadt this morning. On foot, granted, but unless you're hiding a much longer pair of legs somewhere.."

Hrm. Not exactly a pair of legs, but if I 'borrowed without asking' the practice broom from Mistress' house again...

"And the last one is... Malcolm Appleton."

That name! The evil rival smith, the one stealing all of Papa's customers with his overpriced wares! I DEFINTELY don't want to deal with HIM!
...although, if I did, maybe that would be the perfect opportunity to find some kind of weakness, some way to put an end to his villainy. If I'm not too scared, that is...

>Try to make a deal with the miserly Grigorius. It will probably be expensive.
>Try to catch the travelling swordsman and ask him for his piece of amber.
>Begrudgingly pay a visit to the Evil Rival Smith to ask for his piece of amber.
>...Anything else I should do while in town? Maybe some shopping? [Write-in!]

>>4471753
Poor Camille just doesn't know how to deal with them keedz.

Hmm, an interesting decision. I will go for mr smith just because he seems most likely to be a recurring character.
>Begrudgingly pay a visit to the Evil Rival Smith to ask for his piece of amber.
We should keep an eye out moving around just in case we see someone we know! Chatting is fun!

>>4471753
>>Try to catch the travelling swordsman and ask him for his piece of amber.

>>4471753
>>Begrudgingly pay a visit to the Evil Rival Smith to ask for his piece of amber.

>>4471753
>Try to catch the travelling swordsman and ask him for his piece of amber.

>inb4 he's Big Sis's Evil Rival Swordsman instead

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Good morning!
So far we have two votes each for chasing the travelling swordsman and for braving the lair of the Evil Rival Smith.
I'll check back in about... 8 hours or so probably, to see if a winner has been decided.

>>4471761
>Hmm, an interesting decision. I will go for mr smith just because he seems most likely to be a recurring character.
You're not wrong, but you do of course also have the power to make anyone a recurring character simply by liking them enough and showing it. Still, looking back I'm actually astonished that I somehow have gone this long without having him ever appear "on screen".

>>4472320
>inb4 he's Big Sis's Evil Rival Swordsman instead
Not gonna lie, I'm starting to like your idea better than the one I had in mind. Maybe I could... combine them. Hmm.

>>4472434
We're very good at ties!

>>4472434
>"One time your sister pretty much collapsed from exhaustion after I was done with her you know"
>"W-what?"
>"Yeah, she could barely walk after that, let me get back to town first and have the whole reward for myself."
>This monster, he beat my sister almost to death... I'll never forgive him...

>>4472464
This posting is illegal in a Nadja thread, what if she read it anon!?

>>4472466
Nadja hasn't learnt the spell to read 4chan yet don't worry.

>>4471753
>Try to catch the travelling swordsman and ask him for his piece of amber.

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>>4472523
>>4472320
>>4471770
>Try to catch the travelling swordsman and ask him for his piece of amber.

3 votes against 2! I'll get to work on the next update as soon as I've finished my dinner.

>>4472464
>>4472466
Well it made me laugh. I couldn't possibly put something THAT explicit in the quest, but Nadja failing to pick up on lewd things being said around her (or by her, though I'm awful at setting those up) is one of my favorite things to write.

>>4472434
>>4472464
It's actually a reverse trap

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>>4471753
>Try to catch the travelling swordsman and ask him for his piece of amber.

"...I think I know what I have to do. Thanks, Marcus! You're the best!"

I set off as quickly as I can, back to Mistress' house. Even if this swordsman won't have gotten too far on foot, the more time I waste is more ground to search. It sounds like he must be some kind of adventurer, just like Big Sis, and if he's anything like her he could be distracted by almost anything on the way. Like a cat in a tree or a lost child, or a rampaging dragon...

Hopefully not the last one.

Louis gives me a weird look as I sprint past him at the town entrance, but he's busy dealing with some foreigner who doesn't seem happy with the toll so he doesn't care for very long. I can come and go whenever I please anyway, but some of the guards still insist on telling me that it's dangerous to be walking around the forest alone. I really don't know why they think so, nothing bad has ever happened to me!

Back at Mistress' house Camille is, surprisingly, still awake. Looks like she was busy setting up some tools and instruments in the cauldron room, but she immediately stops and turns when I enter.
"What the- Hells, you work fast!"

"Camille, Camille!" I stop only briefly to catch my breath and don't bother with all the explaining. "Do you think Mistress will mind if I borrow the flying broom again? Just the small one?"

She shrugs indifferently. "Let's hope she'll be furious. It's upstairs in the usual place."

Camille is weird.

The usual place is the closet by the window in Mistress' bedroom. I don't think she likes me going in there without permission either, but I'm pretty sure it's not forbidden, and this is an emergency after all. And it's not like she would have tidied it up even if she knew I was going in there, so can she really complain about it anyway?

>[Flight Check: Trivial]

I've already practised flying with this training broom plenty of times (I would have totally asked for permission those times too, if I had the chance!), so I easily set off without crashing into the lake, or into a tree, or into the ground. In fact, you can barely even see the scrapes I got when I was still learning any more!

Just to be sure I only go slowly at first, until I'm above the trees and there's nothing to get in my way any more. Up here, I can safely go much faster than I could ever hope to run.

Marcus said the swordsman was heading towards Marastadt. That's to the Northeast from here, and even if he is the crazy adventurer type he'll probably still follow the road. It's pretty much the only road, other than the one leading south into the Republic, after all, so if I just keep following it, I should spot the swordsman sooner or later.

Hopefully there aren't too many lone swordsmen travelling the road today.

>[1/2]

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>>4472924
I spot a few carriages travelling together near the Ohne Bridge, and it suddenly occurs to me that unlike the last time I travelled by air, this time I'm actually doing it in broad daylight. Just to be sure, I pull up a bit higher to avoid drawing too much attention. Hopefully they'll just think they're looking at a big weird bird or something.

Past the river is where the Heidel farmlands begin, and also where I begin to notice a lot more people below. Mostly the farmers working to bring home the last harvest of the year though, and they've all got their eyes fixed on the ground, giving me the opportunity to go a bit lower to get a closer look.

Finally, not far past the Old Mill, I see something promising. A man, walking alone unlike almost everyone else who's travelling by carriage or at least in groups to keep each other company, and who I can tell even from up here must be a swordsman. His armor and sword is glinting in the early afternoon sun!

Filled with optimism, I set down a safe distance away from him, hoping that he won't notice how I arrived, and begin to chase after him.

"Excuse me! Mister Swordsman!" I call as soon as I'm sure that I'm close enough for him to hear me. After calling for him three times, he finally stop and turns, letting me fully catch up with him.

"Yes, little Witch?" The blonde-haired, extravagantly armored man asks with a stern look in his eyes. The steel of his armor, the cape waving from his back, even the sheath of his sword, everything on him seems to shine and is heavily adorned. I don't think this guy is the same kind of adventurer as Big Sis at all. He must be some kind of Noble! At the very least a Knight!

"Eh-? How did-"

"Most people barely pay attention to their surroundings. I, however, do." He says, briefly turning his eyes upwards to demonstrate his meaning. "In addition, I don't see any floors in need of sweeping."

...Ah. I was in such a hurry, I didn't think to take a second to hide the broom somewhere. It's still in my hand! Stupid!

"We-well you see..." I notice myself beginning to stammer. This guy is so tall, and he looks really strong and... kinda handsome. "I heard that you bought a piece of amber today, and I wanted to ask if maybe I could-"

"While your sources have been true to you, I regret to inform you that I have no intention of parting with it. However, I do wish you luck in your search." He says in a calm, lofty tone, then turns to walk away. "Good day."

"Wait wait wait!" I yell as I set after him, half-running to keep up with his long strides.

>Maybe if I know more, I can find a way to convince him. "...can you at least tell me what you need it for?" [Difficulty: Medium] [Wisdom+3]
>"...is there anything I can do to help you in exchange for it? Some kind of favor?" [Difficulty: Medium] [Pacts+3]
>"...I'll pay you for it! As much as you want!" [Difficulty: None, but expensive!]
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>4472925
>"...is there anything I can do to help you in exchange for it? Some kind of favor?" [Difficulty: Medium] [Pacts+3]
>Explain to him we need it for boo- uh, to create a remedy for healing our hurt friend!
Nadja loves pacts!

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In the interest of avoiding last week's embarrassment, I am just going to declare right now that the next update probably won't be until Sunday. However, if there's enough interest, I'd like to another short "live" session this Sunday to finish off this thread properly, starting at 12:00 UTC/GMT.

Since it's short notice however, I am not going to rely on the hope that you guys can actively participate, and if that turns out to be the case we'll just continue with the normal 1 update per day schedule, starting back up on Sunday. I've been keeping an eye on that page counter and there should still be enough time to finish off what I had planned for.

>>4472694
Well I don't think I've used THAT one before. Maybe another time.

>>4472932
>Explain to him we need it for boo- uh, to create a remedy for healing our hurt friend!
Just to be clear here, that statement is a lie, and Nadja would know that it is untrue. Would you like Nadja to attempt to lie?

>>4472925
>>Maybe if I know more, I can find a way to convince him. "...can you at least tell me what you need it for?" [Difficulty: Medium] [Wisdom+3]

>>4472977
I think it would be very humorous to see Nadja attempt to lie about something this inconsequential!

And a live session would be fun, if enough anons will show up to make votes reasonably snappy.

>>4472925
>Maybe if I know more, I can find a way to convince him. "...can you at least tell me what you need it for?" [Difficulty: Medium] [Wisdom+3]

>>4472932
Lying like that wouldn't be very nice. He might need it for something more important, and we can still try to get the amber elsewhere, if we have to.

>>4472925
>>"...is there anything I can do to help you in exchange for it? Some kind of favor?" [Difficulty: Medium] [Pacts+3]

>>4472925
>"...is there anything I can do to help you in exchange for it? Some kind of favor?" [Difficulty: Medium] [Pacts+3]
This is how you make friends.

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>>4472932
>>4473140
>>4473739
Attempting to trade a favor for a favor has it!

Standard DC for this one is 12. Degrees of success apply, so higher roll = more positive outcome!

Expect the next update tomorrow around 12:00 UTC/GMT!

Rolled 3 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4477406

Rolled 1 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4477406

Rolled 12 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4477406

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Good morning! Can you believe it's finally Sunday again?

I'm here, awake, and only mildly bruised, so I fully expect to be ready on time. Time being just over 2 hours from the time of this post!

>>4477734
>Rolled 3 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>4477896
>Rolled 1 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>4477907
>Rolled 12 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>Rolled 1 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
Uh oh.
Well, rules are rules, so it looks like mistakes are about to be made.

>>4472925
>>4477406
>>4478412
>"...is there anything I can do to help you in exchange for it? Some kind of favor?" [Difficulty: Medium] [Pacts+3]

"Mister Swordsman Sir, isn't there anything I could do for it?" I plead between staggered breaths, trying to keep with his pace.

"Like some kind of favor maybe? I am actually very-"

>Rolled 1 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

The sudden sting of pain in my right toe catches me off guard at first, precious moments wasted as I, all too slowly, realize what is happening. A loose brick in the road jutting out from the ground that I hadn't noticed. Panic sets in as my left foot strikes my right ankle, leaving me completely at the mercy of gravity.

It has none.

Instincts take over and both my arms flail wildly, desperately looking for something, anything to hold on to, anything to stop the impending disaster. The right finds the swordsman's regal purple cape, immediately latching on with all of its strength, yet succeeding only in ripping a large piece off.

It won't help.

I see the swordsman turn his head in response, spinning around with astonishing speed as he catches sight of me, dropping and reaching out with both arms towards me, moments too late.

A loud, dull thud fills my ears along with an overwhelming burning sensation in my entire head, my face crashing right into the smoothened brick road. Accompanying it, a myriad of feelings rush through my mind.

Embarrassment; Why must this happen now, right in front of Mister Swordsman with his cool attitude and shining armor?

Helplessness; He's definitely not going to think I'm a cool and awesome witch whose help he totally wants now!

Fear; Is this going to leave a mark? Everyone is going to know I tripped and hurt myself like an

Idiot!

I feel my eyes grow wet while the heat spreads across the rest of my face.

>Don't cry. Witches don't cry! I have to show Mister Swordsman that I'm not just a helpless little girl, otherwise he's defintiely not going to want any favors from me! [DC: 14]
>Run away in embarrassment. This has all gone wrong and nobody is ever going to know because I'll just get the amber from someone I didn't humiliate myself in front of. It's the only way to save face!
>Cry. Cry a lot. It doesn't matter if he thinks I'm a baby because that really hurt!
>Something else? [Write-in!]

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As mentioned previously in the thread, I'd like to finish this thread off properly with a mini live session, so we'll continue immediately if I see enough votes.

And if not, then it's not a big deal either because we'll just finish over the next few days. There should be enough time for that too!

>>4478459
>Don't cry. Witches don't cry! I have to show Mister Swordsman that I'm not just a helpless little girl, otherwise he's defintiely not going to want any favors from me! [DC: 14]
Sorry Friend, I've already got one foot in my bed so don't count on me voting anymore tonight.
Also what's the going rate on Witch tears? I'm sure they must be useful in something.

>>4478459
>Don't cry. Witches don't cry! I have to show Mister Swordsman that I'm not just a helpless little girl, otherwise he's defintiely not going to want any favors from me! [DC: 14]

>>4478459
>Don't cry. Witches don't cry! I have to show Mister Swordsman that I'm not just a helpless little girl, otherwise he's defintiely not going to want any favors from me! [DC: 14]
It will be ok! Probably!

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I'll take those three unanimous votes happily. We need 3 rolls of d20, then!

DC is 14, degrees of success most certainly apply.

>>4478465
Well, I'll happily take the one vote too. Sleep tight, probably-australian (or just alternate sleep schedule) anon!

>Also what's the going rate on Witch tears? I'm sure they must be useful in something.

There are quite a few potions and hexes that call on tears as an ingredient! For the most part, the tears in question are actually just those of the target of the spell. Occasionally you do want a specific TYPE of person's tears instead, for example the Tears of a Maiden or the Tears of a Crone. The latter being far more valuable, by the way.
Just witch's tears however, are only used in one spell, and none of the witches currently alive know that one.

On a related note, some spells instead require tears shed under certain and often very specific circumstances, for example the joyful tears of a newlywed couple (yes, both of them) or the tears of a grieving parent after losing a child. Spells requiring such tremendously specific components are, as you can probably guess, generally the most potent ones and the ones that you would rarely ever see since it's so unlikely that you would ever be able to gather them and 99.99% of people have the common sense to not even try.
The people who would do that are not people you should associate with.

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>4478479

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>4478479
I lied I stayed up just long enough to roll a dice for you.

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>4478479
I don't want a 1...

>>4478479
Clearly the clever witches get married and then divorce over and over so they can collect their own tears!

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>>4478482
>Rolled 14 (1d20)
>>4478484
>Rolled 17 (1d20)
>>4478485
>Rolled 14 (1d20)

Very strong rolls! Nadja is NOT a baby!

>>4478487
...but wouldn't she just be pretending to be happy?

>>4478491
Crying of joy at all the rare reagents of course! What is better than a rare reagent?

>>4478459
>Don't cry. Witches don't cry! I have to show Mister Swordsman that I'm not just a helpless little girl, otherwise he's defintiely not going to want any favors from me! [DC: 14]

I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry!

"Little girl? Are you hurt? Let me help you up." The swordsman's voice is much softer now, his concern obvious in his voice.

And his pity.

>Rolled 17 (1d20)

I grimace, biting down my teeth to try to ignore the pain and push back the tears. Looking up I see the swordsman kneeled in front of me, his open hand reached out in assistance.
I ignore it, instead pushing myself up from the ground with both hands. Quickly and as coolly as I can manage, I brush away the dirt (and tears) from my face. There's blood on my hands.

Don't panic. I close my eyes. I tell myself it's probably nothing. Just a few scrapes. Ignore it.

I open my eyes to stare straight into his.

"My name is not Little Girl. I'm Robin. The Witch."

...it sounds cooler if I use my witch name, right?

I would have liked to see his eyes tremble a little, maybe even avert my gaze because he thought I was that cool. They don't. He does raise one eyebrow very slightly though.

"My apologies then, Miss Robin."

He reaches down to the scrap of his cape that I tore off, picks it up and hands it to me.

"Please use this, Miss. To stop the bleeding."

I take it, and after a few moments of feeling about my face correctly identify the bleeding to be coming from my nose. It's just a bit of nosebleed. It'll stop in a few minutes.

The swordsman stands up again, immediately making me miss the few seconds when he did not tower over me. But as much as it makes me wonder if I'm too short, I make sure not to show it. I have to be cool!

He smiles. Just barely visible, but there. "My apologies also, for neglecting to introduce myself properly. It was disrespectful."

Then, as if having read my mind, he bows before me, smooth and elegant and exactly like the nobles did in the book about court etiquette that I read when I was preparing to meet the young Baroness for the first time. Actually I mostly looked at the pictures of the noblewomen and their beautiful dresses, but I did learn something too!

"I am Thomas Nereius, third son of Duke Conrad Nereius of Ruhn and Silver Knight of the Renouncers."

...that sounds way cooler than mine, doesn't it?

"And if you are willing, I do believe I would like to take you up on your offer. Namely, your advice."

I did it, I did it! I impressed him so much he wants my advice now! I am the coolest!

>[1/2]

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>>4478541
"If you would walk with me, I will explain my situation to you." He says, gesturing for me to walk beside him as he sets into a much more casual pace, one I can easily keep up with.

He hold out the small piece of amber, no longer in length than a fingernail but smooth and round and reflecting the sun beautifully, then begins his tale.

"You see, I acquired this piece, intending to bring it to Marastadt and have one of the master craftsmen there have it set as a centerpiece of a bracelet. It was to be a gift to a maiden most fair."

Awww, he's in love? I'm so jealous!

"It has occurred to me however, that while I feel confident that the ladies of court who I grew up around, in a land far from the seas, would be quite taken with a gift of this nature, I no longer feel confident that she would be quite as impressed."

"Why not? I think it sounds really sweet! Is she some kind of princess or something?"

He shakes his head.

"Not exactly. In fact, she is a commoner by birth. Measured by her courage, kindness, and skill with the sword however.."

His eyes stare into the distance for several seconds, lost in fantasy.

"So my question to you is, what gift do you believe is the right one, the one that can win the heart of the beautiful adventurer, of the Maiden of Blades?"

...I may have bitten off more than I can chew here. Love isn't really my specialty.

But I'm here now, and he wants my advice and will give me the amber for it, so I just have to give it my best shot!

>"I think something like the bracelet is just fine, honestly. A swordswoman is still a woman, she'll like it as long as you make sure it has meaning! Like, being the same color as her eyes, maybe?"
>"I think she'll want something more practical. Uh, maybe a really good sword? Or instead of a bracelet, you could give her a bracer!"
>"Don't give her a gift at all! You'll impress her much more by doing adventurer things. You know, saving innocents, slaying dragons. If you're good at those things, she'll want to be your partner, right?"
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>4478542
>>"Don't give her a gift at all! You'll impress her much more by doing adventurer things. You know, saving innocents, slaying dragons. If you're good at those things, she'll want to be your partner, right?"

>>4478542
>"Don't give her a gift at all! You'll impress her much more by doing adventurer things. You know, saving innocents, slaying dragons. If you're good at those things, she'll want to be your partner, right?"

>>4478542
>"Don't give her a gift at all! You'll impress her much more by doing adventurer things. You know, saving innocents, slaying dragons. If you're good at those things, she'll want to be your partner, right?"
Of course!

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Seems we've got a bunch of anti-materialists in here. And a lot of unanimous votes today!

Looks like I'll have time for one more update today. After that, one more update tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow!

>>4478586
We'll try to split the vote next time, don't worry.

Haha, I would say these have been pretty fairly characterized by Nadja, and perhaps simple story logic for the last one, so unanimous anons is not that strange.

>>4478542
>"Not exactly. In fact, she is a commoner by birth. Measured by her courage, kindness, and skill with the sword however.."
Upthread someone thought he was Sis' rival, I have an alternate theory now.

>>4478542
"Don't give her a gift at all! You'll impress her much more by doing adventurer things. You know, saving innocents, slaying dragons. If you're good at those things, she'll want to be your partner, right?"

"Hrm." He replies with a grunt. "You believe deeds speak louder than worldly goods, then?"

"Of course! She didn't give you any gifts, did she?"

He stops suddenly, just staring at me with his mouth and eyes wide open, a strange contrast to the stoic look he had been keeping up until now. He then looks down at the piece of amber, cringes at it, then puts it in my hand.

"You are quite wise, despite your age. I will take your advice to heart and stay true to the path you have set me on."

>Amber acquired!

He slams his right hand against his own chest, closed into a fist. "Should you ever have need of me or my sword, you shall have both at your call. This I swear to you, Robin the Witch. May our paths cross again."

With that, he turns and begins to walk away, at his usual rapid pace, leaving me on my own, still confused at what just happened. I think...
I think an actual Knight just swore fealty to me?

>Thomas' fealty acquired!
>Earning the loyalty of an actual Knight has increased Nadja's proficiency with Pacts to +4!

...I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to "call him" if he's out there wandering around doing adventurer things, but maybe I'll figure that out when I know more about magic. Sending a message can't be too hard. I'd rather not need his sword at all, but I do feel a little more safe just knowing that I can.

Waiting for him to walk far enough to be out of sight which, between the pace he likes to keep and the hilly terrain around The Old Mill, doesn't take long, I only barely manage to contain my excitement before having to jump and squeal in excitement.

I was totally cool and awesome!

... and none of my friends or family were here to see me do it.

>[1/3]

>>4478738
After taking some time to clean up my face as best as I can without a mirror, I set off back to Mistress' house and Camille, a much quicker trip now that I'm not actually looking for anyone. Not as quick as it could have been, however, as I find myself having to slow down to avoid freezing! Even with the warmth of the afternoon sun, the wind is no joke at these heights and speeds!

I should probably get warmer clothes for this.

Back by the lake, I find Mistress' house in a much less sleepy condition. Smoke rises from the chimney, and even on my approach I can hear clattering and banging noises coming from within. I put the broom back where I found it and make my way downstairs, to find Camille busily shuffling through shelves and drawers. So busy in fact, that she doesn't even notice me arriving.

"Camille, I'm back!" I call to her while holding up the piece of amber proudly, at which she turns and gasps in surprise.

"Da-a-amn, who did you get in a fight with to get that?"

"Huh? I didn't fight any- Oh. Does my face still look-"

"-Yup." She answers before I could even finish the sentence. "Come on, we gotta fix you up." She looks over the disorderly shelves briefly, then pulls out a small, wide bottle with a completely illegible label slapped across it. She forcefully pulls off the lid and then sticks her finger right on in, twirling it around a few times. Seconds later, her finger emerges covered in a thick, dripping, white goop.

"Hold still now. This'll burn a bit at first, but it gets way better soon. Oh, and don't lick it!" With the warning given, she gently glides her finger down and around my nose, trailing a tickly sensation behind it that soon grows into a scorching heat. I do my best to bite down the pain (again), yet before I know it my hand has found its way into Camille's other, goop-free, hand, grabbing it tight.

"I know, I know," She whispers softly. "Just a few seconds more and... Done!"

It takes several seconds more until the burning actually stops but then, just as she promised, a strangely pleasant and comforting sensation starts to take its place. "What is this?" I ask curiously.

"Goat's milk mixed with Troll Gall. Twenty-five parts to one, volumetric."

>[2/3]

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>>4478740
A bit of light gagging later, I find the courage to ask the second question immediately on my mind and point to the label on the bottle and its wild, untamed scribbles. "Camille, can you really read this?"

"Not at all." She answers with a grin. "I kinda remembered the shape and color, then the smell confirmed that I had what I was looking for."

That's not very comforting, and my concern must have been showing because Camille quickly continues. "Mom's really hopeless when it comes to keeping things in order. You kinda just learn to deal with it. Swim or sink, you know? Oh, but that reminds me!"

She storms out of the room with surprising vigor, especially when compared to how she was earlier today. A startlingly brief moment later, she returns proudly holding a piece of paper in front of her. "I made you this!"

"What... what am I looking at? It has weekdays, but it's not a calendar, is it?"

"This is your greatest weapon against Anarchy!" She exclaims proudly, then begins to actually explain. "It's a timetable of your week. So this way, you can just look at each day and you know what you'll be doing and, most importantly, if dear Mother gets any crazy ideas you can just point to this and tell her that you're not shovelling snow for her because right now is your time for study and practice!"

"Huh... So does that mean that since today is Marasday, and it's afternoon, I should be studying or practising now?"

She nods. "Exactly! And tomorrow.. is going to be special!"

"I think that makes sense... but what should I be studying?"

She shrugs. "That's for your teacher to decide, but since the old hag still hasn't returned from whatever, I guess I'll just have to help you with whatever you choose to study. Let's stick with the fundamentals for now, though. So, either Herbalism, Infusion, or Inscriptions. Your choice!"

>I still don't know anything about Infusions, except that it's how magical objects like the flying broom are made. Maybe it would be smart to get started on those?
>Mistress said I seemed to have a natural talent for hexes and wards, so let's continue with Inscriptions.
>Potions are fun! I want to learn more about Herbalism!
>Anything else you'd like to add? [Write-in!]

>>4478741
>>Mistress said I seemed to have a natural talent for hexes and wards, so let's continue with Inscriptions.

>>4478741
Oooh, his fealty huh. Could be useful...
>I still don't know anything about Infusions, except that it's how magical objects like the flying broom are made. Maybe it would be smart to get started on those?
I feel like getting introduced to everything makes sense.

>Valasday
>Marasday
Excellent day names!

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That'll be the last update for today. I plan to continue on a one post per day basis for the next couple of days and we should be able to wrap up this thread for good.

And we're still "only" on page 9! That must mean at least several days more until we drop off the catalog.

>>4478634
>Upthread someone thought he was Sis' rival, I have an alternate theory now.
I couldn't possibly imagine what that might be!

>>4478593
>Haha, I would say these have been pretty fairly characterized by Nadja, and perhaps simple story logic for the last one, so unanimous anons is not that strange.
Looking back, I realize I presented them unevenly. The last one clearly stands out, making it seem like the "correct" option, when I intented all of them to be equally correct answers that just set him on different paths. Or at least that's my theory.
I like all three of them anyway, so I can't be disappointed regardless.

>>4478741
>I still don't know anything about Infusions, except that it's how magical objects like the flying broom are made. Maybe it would be smart to get started on those?

>>4478754
Thanks for running! Nadja always puts a smile on my face.

And yeah, I dunno how long quests last on page 10 nowadays but I'm sure it'll take quite a few days at least. Probably a week.

>>4478780
I think it's probably closer to half a week, but we're not on page 10 quite yet.

>>4478741
>Potions are fun! I want to learn more about Herbalism!

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Woooops, looks like I managed to fall asleep on the couch last night instead of being productive.

Going to lock the vote before I forget again. I see two votes for Infusions, and one each for Inscriptions and Herbalism.

This one won't have a roll to see how quickly Nadja learns, logic being that what Camille intends to show her is basic enough that she simply can't fail it at this point.

This one might take me a while longer still, but definitely expect it today!

Hey, what do witches who don't live around here do when they need a giant apple from the oldest tree in the forest? Is there an oldest tree with giant apples in every forest? What about witches who don't live in forests? Are there desert witches?

These are important questions a young witch in training needs to know the answer to.

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>>4478741
"I still don't know anything about Infusions, except that it's how magical objects like the flying broom are made. Maybe it would be smart to get started on those?"

"Oh really, you haven't?" Camille asks, shocked. "Just as well, I suppose. Mom is the worst at it anyway. You're better off asking just about anyone else!"

"...really? Shouldn't a teacher be good at everything?"

"Naaaah, I guess not." Camille answers with a shrug. "Nobody's good at everything anyway. Doesn't matter if you know how to use your strengths to compensate for your weaknesses. You're gonna be awful at some things too, you know. And nobody's going to give a rat's ass because they're no better than you. Aaaaanyway, gimme just a second to think about where to start."

She looks around the room a few times while rubbing her chin, her expression changing several times over the next few moments, seemingly having an entire conversion with herself inside her head. This goes on for quite a while, but I guess I should be patient since she probably hasn't ever had to teach any of this, and probably hasn't prepared at all. In fact, I'm just glad she's awake!

"Right!" She suddenly shouts, clearly a little more loudly than she intended as she briefly holds her hands in front of her own month. "Uh, right so, first I'm gonna try to explain the basic idea of the craft. Uh, an introduction, I guess. And then I'll show you a few of the examples we have on hand and try to show you how those were made."

"Okay!" I reply while I bring out my notebook and pen from my backpack. Camille looks a little surprised that I intend to take notes, but she waits patiently for me to get everything ready anyway.

"Righty then, first I just want to give you a small warning. Out of the three crafts, I can guarantee that this is the one that's going to frustrate you the most. By far. Lots of witches never really bother to learn that much because it takes a lot of work. But... personally, it's actually my favorite. So, you know, if you never actually do much with this one I won't hold that against you, but if you do decide to put in the work, well, I'd be glad to finally have some company."

I'm not sure if I like the sound of that, to be quite honest.

"Like you said yourself," She continues after waiting for me to finish taking notes. "Infusion is how magical objects are made. More specifically, it's how we take mundane objects and infuse them with magical properties. Like turning a regular broom into something that you can fly on. As a consequence, the first thing you will always need for infusion is The Vessel. Could be a broom, could be a necklace, could be a sword... And most of those things, you probably won't know how to make on your own, certainly not high quality ones. You're going to want to make friends to rely on. Lots of them."

Vessels and making friends, got it!

>[1/4]

>>4481881
"And the reason we call it The Vessel," Camille proceeds in her lecture, seeming more and more lively as she goes on. "Is because your job is to fill it with an Essence. This almost always means sparkles. You've learned the basics of sparkles right?"

"Mhm, I remember!" I'm sure I also wrote it down, but I don't stop to look it up before answering. "Sparkles are the source of all magic, and they fall from the Twin Moons, Vala and Mara, once every year on the night of The Joining. There are two types, red for the Red Moon, Vala, and blue for the Blue Moon, Mara. Oh, and they're also extremely volatile and you shouldn't ever touch them!"

Camille nods. "There are a ton of different techniques we can use to try to safely transfer sparkles from one medium to the intended vessel. It's going to depend on what you're actually working with. We actually lean a lot on the knowledge and techniques of the actual craftsmen for those kinds of objects. Carpenters, smiths, tailors, and so on. That's the part that so many witches hate, actually. You need to learn at least a little from all these professions if you want to master Infusions. Which takes time, effort, AND earning the good will of said craftsmen..."

"My Papa is a smith!" I happily note. "Though, I never really understood how he works."

She smiles. "I don't actually know much about that yet, myself. Smiths are particularly tight-lipped about their trade. Probably a guild thing. But hey, maybe he'll make an exception for you!"

I'm not really sure how I feel about that. I would love to learn from Papa, but his work has also always been so scary. I'm not sure I want to learn that...

"Either way, the last thing we need is The Seal. Like the name implies, this is partly to keep the sparkles contained so they don't just, well, fizzle out. But just as importantly, this is how we can shape the effects it will have. On their own, sparkles are almost completely unpredictable, so we use the seal to guide their effects, so to speak. How we do that is also going to vary completely dependent on what kind of object we're working with, but the two main methods are The 526 Symbols and using certain Exotic Materials that have proven especially conductive."

"Huh? What are the 526-"

"That's for another day, just write it down for now." She interrupts.

"Okay..."

"Since this is getting pretty heavy, let's move on to some practical examples. I think I know one you'll definitely like..." She says with a smug grin.

>[2/4]

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>>4481883
"Ta-dah!" She yells proudly as she holds out her chosen example.

"Is... is that?" A whisper is all I can muster as I realize what I'm looking at. The wide brim, the pointed tip, and with a lovely little green band to finish the look. This is my...

"Yup, I finished it, just as promised. It's yours now, Sister in the Craft.

"...eh? Sister in-"

"Don't get started with that now." She looks away with folded arms. "It's a tradition, I have to say that part, it doesn't mean anything more than that."

"Okay then..." I barely restrain a giggle as I notice the red glow across her cheeks. "So uhm, is it actually magical? I thought the hats were just for looking cool."

"Hm hmm, yes and no." She answers with a twisted smile. "The magic is actually right here." She says, pointing to the green band wrapped around the hat. "Which is actually way more convenient, since that way you can change just the band instead of having twenty different hats for each spell. And before you ask, NO, YOU SHOULD NEVER PUT MORE THAN ONE ON AT A TIME ON."

"...explosions?" I ask, trying to imagine just what could be so bad.

"If you're lucky." She answers in a dead serious tone.

"...okay, then. So if it's magical, what does it do, other than looking cool."

She rubs her head in annoyance. "This is the part where I'm supposed to give you a history lesson, but honestly there's been plenty of lecturing so let's make it short. This one has a spell of Obfuscation weaved into it. It subtly the influences the minds of those that look at you, making them basically 'glance over' your face. They see your face, but don't really notice it at all, and they'll quickly forget it again."

"The original witches of the Age of Magic were slaves, so they were made to wear these so that the citizens of the time wouldn't think of them as 'real people'. Though, the ones they used were much worse and made you look completely faceless. We use a less severe, and not disturbing, variation. Everyone gets this as their first, supposed to give you a connection to all the witches that came before you, before we freed ourselves from the shackles of the Wizard Kings. Plus, this can actually be really useful."

"Oh and, just to be clear, anyone who knows you well, like friends, family, people you've spent a lot of time with in general, the spell is far too weak to affect them. They'll recognize you just fine. So yes, you can go show off later."

How did she know I was going to ask that...?

>[3/4]

>>4481884
"But before you do that, have a look here." She says, grabs hold of the band and releases it from the hat, then turns it inside out. "See here, on the inside layer is where I've woven in The Seal."

She points along a series of symbols wrapping all the way around the band, woven with a peculiarly black thread, blacker than any other I've seen before. "The material I used is called Tenebrim, which can be extracted from a rare and elusive species of mountain goats. A damn pain to get a hold of, but not the most expensive thing ever. The texture is weird, so nobody wants to make clothes from it."

Curiously I run a finger across the symbols, and immediately understand what she means. Shivers run down my back as I touch the black thread, and my entire hand is filled with a strange tingly feeling. I can't imagine having to work with something like that!

"And the symbols... well, honestly we don't exactly understand these. We know they came from some ancient language, presumably spoken all the way back in the Age of Gods, but that's about it. We don't know their real names, or their meanings, though we can at least guess based on what kind of spells they appear in. We pretty much just work with whatever knowledge has been scavenged from the wizards that made it to the New World."

"...this sounds really hard, Camille." I comment after several seconds of silence.

She nods. "The payoff is that anything we make with Infusion is permanent, unlike hexes and potions. Your hat will keep serving you as long as you don't break it. Same with that staff I made you. So it's a lot of work, but it's absolutely worth it. Though for now..."

Camille lets out a long yawn, her eyes beginning to flicker open and shut. "I think I need another nap." She whispers as she leans back into the chair and immediately drifts off.

I... I guess that's it for this lesson?

>Nadja's skill with Infusions is now 1 (Initiated)
>Nadja acquired Witch's First Hat (Obfuscation)

Which means I have the rest of the day off to go show off that I finally have my very own witch hat! The question is, to whom?

>To Papa, of course! I bet he'll be real proud!
>To Amalia! She's my bestest friend, and bestest friends are the one you tell first every time! I wonder what she has been doing all day, besides!
>...To nobody. I want to go test if it really does what Camille says it does. A walk around Hinde should be a good test of whether anyone recognizes me!
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>4481888
>>To Amalia! She's my bestest friend, and bestest friends are the one you tell first every time! I wonder what she has been doing all day, besides!

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Phew, that one ended up taking way too long for what actually just amounted to a lot of talking. Apologies for the verbosity.

At this point, I consider it a very real threat that the thread could fall off the catalog at any moment, so I'm going to declare this to be the end for now. I'm probably going to take a couple of weeks before the next thread, to give myself time to prepare properly.

We'll continue based off of the winning choice for this one vote.

Oh and if anyone was wondering, I have just remembered to make an archival request on suptg.

As always, announcements will happen on my twitter here: https://twitter.com/FriendQM

Thank you all very much for participating. I hope you enjoyed it despite the bumpyness of the road and irregular updates and that I'll see you next time!

Feedback, comments, and questions are of course always welcome! I WILL keep checking the thread until it drops off completely. You know, when I'm not sleeping or doing other stuff.

>>4481400
I also want to note that I did NOT miss your questions. While I do make it a rule to include all write-ins to the extent that it's possible, this update was simply becoming too long. I'll make a note to try to remember your questions for next time, but it would definitely not hurt if you reminded me next time as well.

I can be very forgetful.

>>4481888
>To Amalia! She's my bestest friend, and bestest friends are the one you tell first every time! I wonder what she has been doing all day, besides!

>>4481916
Thanks for running.

>>4481888
>To Amalia! She's my bestest friend, and bestest friends are the one you tell first every time! I wonder what she has been doing all day, besides!

>>4481888
Loot AND forbidden knowledge, Nadja is well on her way to be a proper witch
>To Amalia! She's my bestest friend, and bestest friends are the one you tell first every time! I wonder what she has been doing all day, besides!
Visiting Amalia sounds like a great idea. Additionally, I'm not quite as optimistic as Nadja about Papa's reaction...and well, the last one we can always test later.

>>4481916
Thanks for running! I hope to see Nadja again soon.

>>4481888
>To Amalia! She's my bestest friend, and bestest friends are the one you tell first every time! I wonder what she has been doing all day, besides!

>>4481916
That's ok Friend, they probably wouldn't have fit into that post anyway. I'll remind you later when they're more appropriate.
And thanks for running!