Fantasy Koulwarth: The Initiation

[Pryno]

Joining! Yes, let’s ask him about the creature. Hés suspicious, but let’s stay friendly for now.

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Stats

Ambrose
Female Resident

Health: 89

Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 7

RELATIONSHIPS

Elmyra: 78

Meriel: 64

Laeroth: 53

Roran: 55

Viessa: 45

Aymer: 40

"That whole situation was pretty crazy," you say, chuckling softly. "What do you think that creature was?"

Laeroth looks away for a moment, then back at you. "Uspibra."

"What?"

"Uspibra," he repeats.

"What's... that?" You don't bother trying to pronounce the odd word.

"The creature. Uspibra."

"That's what it's called?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"A shadow of someone long forgotten. A ghost of what once was," he says cryptically, looking at the spot where it once stood. There is no trace.

"What did it want?"

Laeroth shrugs. "I didn't ask her."

"Her?"

Laeroth doesn't respond, still staring away from you.

You:

Press him to tell you more. He clearly knows something.

Leave it be. He'll tell you what he knows when he's ready.

OOC
( official clown business ViciousVip3R You will see soon muahaha >:3c and ah Pryno welcome!!!! Glad to have u here!! ?)
Voting ends Jan 30, 2018 at 12:30pm PST​

 

[official clown business]

You can't press Laeroth, it won't get you anywhere.

Best to leave him be for now. He definitely knows more, but we'll hear about it soon enough.

 

[Pryno]

Now that our relationship meter is higher, he will probably consider telling us later. Why risk to spoil our chances? I leave him be too.

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Stats

Ambrose
Female Resident

Health: 89

Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 7

RELATIONSHIPS

Elmyra: 78

Meriel: 64

Laeroth: 53

Roran: 55

Viessa: 45

Aymer: 40

You decide not to push the subject, and Laeroth doesn't say anything else.

Finding your conversation finished, you decide to:

Talk to Meriel.

Talk to Viessa.

Talk to Aymer.

Leave the room.

OOC
(A v v short one whoops soz ? official clown business Pryno But yall right lmbo! He aint talkin!!!)
Voting ends Jan 30, 2018 at 9:00pm PST​

 

[official clown business]

Better make sure Viessa is alright. We haven't talked to her that much yet, so now is a good time to help her get things together.

 

[Pryno]

I want to talk to everyone. Why not continue with her?

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Stats

Ambrose
Female Resident

Health: 89

Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 7

RELATIONSHIPS

Elmyra: 78

Meriel: 64

Laeroth: 53

Roran: 55

Viessa: 48

Aymer: 40

You move away from Laeroth and Meriel, giving the former a polite farewell as you do so, and head over to where Viessa and Aymer are standing.

The latter is standing about a yard away, turned away and seemingly pouting or brooding to himself. However, you decide to talk to Viessa, who is going back and forth between running her fingers through her hair and crossing her arms.

As she sees you approach, she looks you up and down, nodding in greeting. "Hey," she breathes. "Ambrose, right?"

"Yeah," you smile. "How are you holding up, Viessa?" She shrugs, but looks a little calmer since you asked. +3 Relationship!

"Fine. Didn't get hit. Just a bit... shaken, I guess. You?"

You admit that:

You feel rather invigorated.

You're so freaked out you feel a bit sick.

You feel perfectly fine.

OOC
( official clown business Pryno Gettin those relationships up I see ?)
Voting ends Jan 31, 2018 at 7:00am PST​

 

[official clown business]

whaat there's no middle ground between perfectly fine and freaked out c'mon

Alright I'll go with invigorated, the way I assume it sounds is that this experience was a tough one, but we're definitely going to be prepared for these kinds of situations in the future.
Gotta stay positive, too.

 

[ViciousVip3R]

I feel like this will determine our personality moving forward, so I'm going with invigorated. Although it's probably normal to feel sick after a first battle, I am trying to sculpt Ambrose as an experienced, strong leader so it would make sense that the thrill of battle is nothing but invigorating for us.

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Stats

Ambrose
Female Resident

Health: 89

Strength: 7
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 7

RELATIONSHIPS

Elmyra: 78

Meriel: 64

Laeroth: 53

Roran: 55

Viessa: 38

Aymer: 40

"I actually feel pretty great," you admit. "Sure, it was a little crazy, but taking that thing out was kind of... fun, I guess?" You smile at her, but she doesn't look impressed. -3 Relationship!

However, you do actually feel quite confident and invigorated by this feat. And sure, you might not have landed the killing blow, but the battle itself really got your blood pumping. +1 Strength!

"Well," Viessa says, looking a bit annoyed. "I'm glad you had such a blast. Maybe the next time someone gets slashed across the face you can have a party." -8 Relationship!

You seem to have struck a nerve. You quickly:

Tell her you were just kidding.

Retaliate with a jab at her.

Apologize.

Ignore her. You don't want to bother with this.

OOC
( ViciousVip3R Muahahahaha official clown business Gotta make it difficult for u guys, no? ?)
Voting ends Jan 31, 2018 at 9:00pm PST​

 

[official clown business]

I really... didn't want to choose any of those three options, to be honest...

We weren't kidding, we have nothing to be apologetic for, and we shouldn't just walk away. If you're really concerned about that relationship bar then consider what little each of those options will do to amend what definitely isn't a small wound here.

Gonna have to go with the verbal jab.
Viessa didn't really get the clue here, but perhaps it's the way it was worded that makes Ambrose sound more like an absolute masochist than anything, honestly, because people could've died if we weren't careful. We totally get that. I mean, the very first thing we did was check up on Elmyra to make sure that thing hadn't done anything serious to her.

Going back to what I suggested earlier - learning experience. We've fought this guy once and we'll be prepared for when something like that shows up again. Come on Viessa, it wasn't supposed to sound like Ambrose gets high off violence.

 

[Pryno]

A...what? According to Google Traduction, "retaliate with a jab" means "riposter avec un coup", which could also be translated as "answer back with a blow". How will that help her feel better and see Ambrose as something else than a masochist? A verbal jab, which basically means "a verbal attack" isn't better. The others options are not good either.

Could someone enlighten me please?

 

[official clown business]

I have absolutely zero love for Ambrose's way with words here, and Viessa's taken things even farther in that direction.

The only options that seem like they could be good are apologizing or giving her the verbal smackdown (I sure as hell don't want to throw any real punches!) and right now I'm liking the verbal jab more because it seems like it'll be far more successful against Viessa's current attitude. As a matter of fact, I think it's the only action of the four that's likely to have a positive impact here. The other two are just damage control.

 

[Pryno]

A make-or-break or a damage control...The risky or the safest-but-not-greatest decision. Hum...I'll see the other's votes.

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Stats

Ambrose
Female Resident

Health: 89

Strength: 7
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 7

RELATIONSHIPS

Elmyra: 78

Meriel: 64

Laeroth: 53

Roran: 55

Viessa: 33

Aymer: 41

"Well, at least I did something in the fight," you point out, scoffing. "You just stood around and followed the others."

Viessa gasps, then growls in the back of her throat, eyes narrowing at you. -5 Relationship!

However, before either of you can say more, a bell rings. Likely, it is the bell you heard before, from your room. All seven of you look up at the sound, and as you turn back to Viessa, she huffs and quickly stalks away from you, visibly angry.

"Good one," Aymer remarks quietly as he passes you, moving to the door on the far side of the room while swinging the sword in his hand. +1 Relationship!

All members of the group stand around the door (Elmyra included, though she is leaning on Roran for support), and suddenly it opens on its own. Startled but not surprised, the seven of you move through the door and find yourself in a library of sorts.

The room is bigger than the previous one, and even has a ladder leading to a balcony. Rows upon rows of bookshelves fill the salls and the floor, though you note that there is a small sitting area similar to a study room or desk, with a rug and lamp. Beside it, there is also a grand stone fireplace, though you notice that the flames are a pale blue, as opposed to a natural deep orange.

"What the heck is this?" Aymer groans. "This room doesn't even go anywhere. Let's go back."

It is then that you realize: Aymer is right; there is no door leading to another room from here. As the group of you turn around to go back, you realize something else: there are now no doors in the room.

"What?! Where did the door go?!" Elmyra gasps, flailing while Roran tries to calm her down. "Are we trapped in here?! Or is this a puzzle?!"

"We should spread out and look for clues," Roran says. "There has to be some way out of here."

You all nod, and everyone begins to spread out around the library. Some people (like Elmyra and Roran) are looking together, but others are alone. You already decide to leave Viessa alone to blow off steam. No point in burning that bridge further.

You decide to examine the library:

With Elmyra and Roran.

With Aymer.

With Laeroth.

With Meriel.

On your own.

OOC
( official clown business Pryno Uhhh i can tell yall are a little upset w me ? but like? Ive planned this lmbo; these decisions are rigged/all negative (varying degrees, but u get the idea); i probs shouldnt be saying this but i cant have you befriend Viessa just yet ? so dont get too mad lol ? (also just as an aside, apologizing would have included ambrose explaining herself and given some relationship boost back but...) oh well ? youll just have to earn it back l8r ?)
Voting ends Feb 1, 2018 at 11:00am PST​

 

[ViciousVip3R]

(Ah, I didn't realize you were French Canadian. In this context it could really mean both a verbal dig and a physical attack, so it is really up to our interpretation.)
With that being said, I don't think either of those choices are in our best interests, especially since we are trying to establish ourselves as a leader, so I think we should defuse the situation by apologising and explaining that we didn't mean it that way. (That we got a high from our success
in defeating the monster as a result of our teamwork, not the fact that someone was hurt.)
--------------------------------------------------
(Whoops, seems like I didn't post this yesterday, oh well, leaving it since I don't want to waste it)
Let's search with Meriel, it would be a nice change compared to butting heads with Viessa.

 

[official clown business]

Ah, yes. Gonna need some serious foresight in the future.

Yeah, I don't have a problem searching with Meriel. We're not actually looking for anything yet, but reading a few books should be a calm experience for now.

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Stats

Ambrose
Female Resident

Health: 89

Strength: 7
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 7

RELATIONSHIPS

Elmyra: 78

Meriel: 67

Laeroth: 53

Roran: 55

Viessa: 33

Aymer: 41

You head over to Meriel, who is standing in the middle of the rug in the sitting area, looking nervous. When she sees you, she perks up and smiles. "Hi, Ambrose!" she says, excitement evident in her quiet voice. She then hesitates and looks unsure. "Is there... something... you wanted...?" She looks unsatisfied with her word choice, but leaves it be.

You smile back at her. "Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to look around together. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, after all."

Meriel's eyes light up, but she tries to keep herself from looking too excited. "Oh, s-sure! I'd love to!" +3 Relationship!

She glances around. "So... where do you want to look first?"

You decide to examine:

The sitting area.

The fireplace.

The upstairs balcony.

The bookshelves in the middle of the room.

The bookshelves along the walls.

Where the door used to be.

OOC
(Uhhh Im from USA? Idk where u got French Canadian from lmbo ViciousVip3R ? and nah its chill official clown business ive already planned each option/arc but if Ambrose is reckless u could just pick w/e u feel like! No need to stess out trying to predict the results haha)
Voting ends Feb 1, 2018 at 9:00pm PST​

 

[ViciousVip3R]

(Oh, I was referring to Pryno lol. She introduced herself as Canadian and she translated from French, so I assumed she was French Canadian. I was going to assume she was from Quebec but I remembered there are French speaking communities all across Canada, it's one of our official languages after all haha)

The bookshelves acquitted themselves well last time we checked them, so I think that is where we should look first. The bookshelves in the middle in the room would probably catch our eye first, but I think we should look at the ones on the walls first because maybe the clues are well hidden and someone else will probably check the ones in the middle of the room.

(Wow, what I wrote was pretty bad, run on sentence and everything, but I'm too lazy to fix it. Hopefully people understand what I am saying. xD)

 

[official clown business]

Definitely want to check out the bookshelves along the walls as well.

It's good to know there's a sitting area and a fireplace around. Perhaps we could sit here for a while, when we're not looking for important things. Just relax - share some words, read some books. It'll be a comfy experience.

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Stats

Ambrose
Female Resident

Health: 89

Strength: 7
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 7

RELATIONSHIPS

Elmyra: 78

Meriel: 67

Laeroth: 53

Roran: 55

Viessa: 33

Aymer: 41

"What about the bookshelves along the wall?" you suggest, and Meriel smiles, nodding.

"Okay," she agrees, and the two of you move over to the closest wall.

You don't have a terribly astute memory, but you notice the two books you read earlier -- Heroes of Old and Field Guide to Leaping Lizards -- among the titles. Other than those, you don't recognize any other books as being in your room.

"Um... do you know... what exactly... we should be looking for...?" Meriel's voice returns you from your thoughts.

"Anything... out of place, I guess," you shrug, and Meriel nods pensively.

She looks hesitant, then turns to you, playing with her hair. "Um... there were books in my room, and... I read one about Magic Theory..." She pauses, biting her lip. "There was a... spell I read... that can find mechanisms. Like... a secret passage, that sort of thing."

You blink at her. "Can you... do that? Do the spell?"

"I... I don't know. I've never done it before. Or, I guess, I don't think I have. I could try it."

"Yeah! Try it! What's the worst that could happen?"

"Well... my hands could explode. Or it could create a loud sound that would destroy the eardrums of everyone in the surrounding area. Or... well, y-you get the idea. It's a higher level spell. It takes training or natural magic talent to perform it successfully. I-I don't know if I can do it."

"I see..." you say softly, scratching your head. "A bit risky, then."

You decide it's best to:

Have Meriel try the spell. You have confidence she can do it!

Try the spell yourself. You have about the same chance of success, maybe more. (Requirement: 6 Intelligence)

Ask someone else to try the spell. They might know more about magic than you or Meriel.

Forget the spell idea and go back to searching manually.

OOC
(Ohhhh okay ViciousVip3R ? You didnt tag her so ig I just assumed u were talking to me whOOPS ? also lmbo official clown business technically youre 5 min late but w/e its the same vote so ill count it ?)
Voting ends Feb 2, 2018 at 7:00am PST​

 

[ViciousVip3R]

As much as I am tempted to just perform the spell ourselves since we meet the intelligence requirement, I think Meriel would actually be better suited for it. We know that each person here was chosen for some reason (I'm guessing for our skills, in a sort of Predator scenario) so since Meriel is the one that read the book and seems to know so much about magic (at least more than us), we should let her try.

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Stats

Ambrose
Female Resident

Health: 89

Strength: 7
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 7

RELATIONSHIPS

Elmyra: 78

Meriel: 67

Laeroth: 53

Roran: 55

Viessa: 33

Aymer: 41

"I think you should try it, Meriel," you say, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a confident look. "You can do it; I know you can!"

Meriel shivers a bit and wrings her hands. "I-I don't know..."

"Just try. For me?" you plead, giving her a kind and sympathetic look.

Meriel fidgets some more before sighing and shaking herself. "O-okay... I'll... try it." She holds her hands in front of her, and closes her eyes, eyebrows furrowing slightly in concentration.

For a few moments, nothing happens.

Then a few more moments.

Nothing happens.

A few more.

Nothing.

You look at Meriel again, and see that there are two silent streams of tears coming from her eyes. Her eyes are shut tight, and her shoulders are shaking.

"Meriel, are you--"

Meriel cuts you off. "I can't! I can't do it!" Her hands fly to her face and she falls into a full on sob. "I can't do it!"

She is obviously upset, so you:

Pull her into a hug.

Soothe her with comforting words.

Touch her shoulder softly.

Call someone over to help calm her down.

Let her cry. You don't know how to deal with this.

Chastise her for not even trying.

OOC
( ViciousVip3R Boiii I had half a mind to explode yall lmbo ?)
Voting ends Feb 2, 2018 at 9:00pm PST​

 

[ViciousVip3R]

(? I'm glad you didn't!)
I think the best thing to do here is give her a hug while murmuring encouragingly.