Sylvia wasn't exactly sure what to do, but the woman didn't seem like a threat. "You...knew I'd be here? What do you mean?" she asked bluntly. "Sit down, Sylvia, we have--" the other woman began to say before Sylvia cut her off. "Hey, wait, what?! So you know who I am?" She scrambled into the chair with wide eyes. "Please, how did I get here? Who am I? Why am I here!" she spat out rapid-fire. "Please, calm yourself child. I know of you, not who you are. In this place, memories are mutable. But that's neither here nor there, child." Sylvia was immediately nonplussed by the response. Her expression went flat and she blinked multiple times, lips tight and straight. "Oh. I see. Well, I guess I'll--" "Sit down. I may not know who you are but I think I know what you'll be." With no real reason no to, Sylvia stopped trying to leave. She looked at the woman expectantly. "There now, not so hard. I have seen things, child. I've seen you in combat with a man who is stalking these grounds. A mercenary only here for one thing: to kill me. I have seen it in my dreams and it is dire." The woman shook her head. "I would rather not meet such a grisly fate, but I am no fighter. I have sight, but only what is shown to me. I wouldn't be here asking for your help if I didn't need it." Sylvia nodded along, now much more interested in what the mystic had to say. "So I'm to...get rid of him? I guess I could do that but... I mean... I'm no murderer..." "I understand that, child, and I'm not asking you to be. This is as much a request as it is a warning. He will not give you a choice in the matter, I assure you. You will know him when you see him, covered in blackened armor as if it were set in a campfire and covered in ashes. Come back here when it is done and I'll have something for you. I will know when it happens." OOC Art created with Dream by WOMBO. Pretty good after a bunch of iterations. Just...don't look at the fingers... I need some kind of opposition she wants hunted. Let's get a prompt from Mythic: Ruin Goals Interesting. Let's combine that with UNE: Prying Mercenary Okay, next room is: Wha--another Treasure Room?! Nice! I'm also going to roll d6 to see if the guy is present. He is there on a 6 and I'll add 1 every time he's not there. He's definitely in the last room if nothing else. Got a 3, so he's not here.  

HP 13/13 EXP 5/5 BUY 2/7 STR 8 AGL 12 PRS 11 MND 16 Crossbow & Shield 2 Treasure ☐ Transform Objective ☐ Banish Other Pushing the next door open, Sylvia found a small room covered in fabrics with exotic geometric patterns on them. They covered the walls, floor and even the ceiling. Draped across a corner of the room, they formed a kind of tent. An older black woman sat inside of the tent on the far side of a small circular table. A single chair sat on the other side with an inviting nature.   "Come inside, child, long have I waited for you. Yet, I knew you'd come...eventually," the woman said with a slight croak in her voice.   OOC Let's use UNE to determine an NPC. d6 says it's a woman. Description is: Elderly clairvoyant -- So she's an older mystic, that's cool (and very appropriate). Motivation is: Process Military -- The target she has in mind is some kind of soldier of this castle. Okay, that gives us an idea of the kind of people that "belong" to this place at least. Bearing is: Friendly & Aid -- She's here to warn and help us... I think she definitely knows more than she's letting on! Let's ask Mythic GME! We'll call it Likely... Result is: Extreme Yes.  

The heavy door swung open reluctantly as a bright light filled the entryway. A prayer room of sorts was here, with a circular raised dais in the center, dominating the area. Four columns of white and black marble went from floor to ceiling here, which was easily twenty or more feet tall. Preserved murals depicting a devilishly handsome man with curling black hair and goatee were present on each wall. An ornate iron and gold chest sat in in the center of the dais. A chill ran down Sylvia's spine as she realized this was perhaps a poor choice. "Okay, creepy room... Why does it feel like the eyes are following me..." Shaking her head to try to steel her nerves, the woman stepped up onto the dais slowly. Nothing seemed to happen save for the feeling of being watched intensifying. Quickly she fumbled with the chest to open it and found a crossbow and quiver of bolts. She furrowed her brow in deep confusion. "All this, the murals, everything... for a crossbow? Something's not right but... beggars and choosers and all that," she said, convincing herself to take the items. She strapped the quiver around an arm and shoulder and tried loading the weapon a few times. "Geez, that's... URGGGG... strong...Good thing its got this crank thingie." Two doors led out of the room; one left and one right. She knew left was the way without much thought. OOC Acquired a crossbow. Comes with "all the ammunition you need" apparently. And it uses Presence so that'll help a lot! Next room is: Safe Harbor Beyond the heavy iron door was a small hallway and second door. Behind that was a strangely shaped room with odd angles across the ceiling. Yet, a fireplace burned here and a small bed was laid out. An inviting smell of roasted meat and vegetables met her nostrils at the entryway, calling to her stomach. A rumble immediately answered the call from her belly. A small pedestal to one side held a porcelain bowl full of clean water with a small towel beside it. "Ohhh gosh, I don't think I've eaten in... um... Yeah. However long it's been. Stupid memories..." she said, just accepting the details. She pushed the door shut behind her, which came with a lock. Immediately shutting herself inside, Sylvia took the time to refresh herself, eating first and then washing her hands and face off. The bed was overly comfortable and the second she sat down, Sylvia felt the pull of a nap overtake her. "I'll just..." she said, interrupted by a yawn, "...rest here for a little bit." An unknown amount of time passed. A chill woke the woman as the fire had burned itself out. No longer did the bed and pillow feel comforting, instead now seeming drab and rigid. It was time to move on. She pulled the lock off the door which fell from her hands and clattered on the stone floor, breaking into several pieces. Making her way back into the previous area, Sylvia would try the other door. OOC No wandering monster (only on a 6). Next room is: Friendly NPC. Type: Swords = Hunter  

HP 13/13 EXP 5/5 BUY 2/7 STR 8 AGL 12 PRS 11 MND 16 Fists & Shield 2 Treasure ☑ Transform Objective ☐ Banish Other Now entering new zone - Cathedral of Temptation -   Sylvia was lucky to find the stairwell lit by a few ensconced lanterns here. Unlike the previous area which used torches, these used oil. Each was set into the stonework and impossible to remove.   Halfway down the steps, the stones changed and showed a much more refined look. They were polished and set intricately such that all lines were nearly straight and inline with one another. Even the mortar between was even and smooth. Sylvia didn't know much about architecture, but could recognize when more care had been put into its creation.   A door at the end of the stairwell was black iron with gold accents which glimmered in the light. Pushing it open revealed...   OOC Next room is: Treasure Room!  

Entrance Hall

I'll keep the maps here that I use while playing. They will be uploaded in totality once I finish a zone, that way I'm not posting tons of image versions.

CATHEDRAL OF TEMPTATION OOC Created using DALLe A.I. A decent try for a single generation.  

OOC Determining theme of new zone via Mythic GM Emulator: Struggle Advice This whole zone is some kind of temple to a deific being. Is it beneficent? Let's ask the MGME: It is not, but barely. So maybe some minor evil. A devil? Mythic says yes. ChatGPT suggests Mephistopheles. Bit more than minor, but I think he'll do.  Let's call this the Cathedral of Temptation. It is opulent and has bits of gold architecture here and there. Some rooms are made of marble. The Goal of this zone will be this goal: Acquire 3 treasures  

HP 13/13 EXP 5/5 BUY 2/7 STR 8 AGL 12 PRS 11 MND 16 Fists & Shield 2 Treasure ☑ Transform Objective ☐ Banish Other Waking from her dreams with a start, Sylvia nearly fell out of her chair. A cold sweat broke upon her brow and it took her a moment to realize where she was.   "This is becoming a bit much... Will more of my memories be so unpleasant? Worse? I dare say I'll find out. Probably faster than I'd like."   The woman began to pick her way back through the castle, it's dim torches burning here and there in unattended sconces. She wondered how they stayed lit, but then again this place didn't make much sense to begin with.   "Magic castle," she said with a weird voice and air quotes. "Lazy writing you ask me..." she mumbled, rolling her eyes. She cupped a hand to her ear dramatically. "But Syliva, darling, what writing? This is just some hallucination, isn't it?--I hear you ask. Truth be told, I have no idea, Imaginary Voice!"   Stepping back into the long hallway, Sylvia spied the many doors on either side. "Left again," she said with a nod. Behind it was a yawning dark pit with only a small beam of stone to walk across. A high frequency noise pierced her mind and she struggled to pay attention to anything but it. Across the way a single treasure chest lurked--waiting for her.   The woman tried to balance on the beam, but she got only three steps in before the sound became unbearable. Her footing slipped as she grimaced in pain. She tumbled off into the darkness, only to land on her feet at the threshold of the room. She watched as the chest winked out of existence in a mote of light.   With a heavy sigh, Sylvia decided the best thing would be to just keep moving forward and not dwell on failure. As such she turned around and tried another door, only to find a tiny area filled with stairs. One larger set seemed to go up and out into the courtyard. She could see natural sunlight and hear the hints of birds. To her right was a smaller staircase that went deeper into the complex.   She turned and stared upward to what could only be an exit. Another sigh escaped her lips--this one involuntarily. "I can't. Not yet... There's still so much I don't know. So much I don't remember. And I have a feeling I need more than I have now..."   Sylvia gripped a fist, hefted her shield, and stepped down into the darkness.   Entrance Hall Zone Completed! OOC Wandering Monster: Nope, only on a 6. Next room is: Challenge Challenge Type: Presence  Presence Test    

HP 13/13 EXP 5/5 BUY 2/7 STR 8 AGL 12 PRS 11 MND 16 Fists & Shield 2 Treasure ☑ Transform Objective ☐ Banish Other "Speech color"    Memory Spread: ➤ The Chariot (Transform Objective) ➤ Two of Pentacles (Banish Other) Reserve Pile: ➤ None Sylvia has: ➤ No weapon ➤ No armor ➤ A shield  

Dreams took Sylvia's mind as she rested on the monk's chair. A memory found its way into her mind and fused with it. The power to make proper judgement calls the woman. She remembers being asked an important decision that affected her future. She remembers how desperately she wanted to make the "correct" decision without realizing she should have been more cognizant of her own wants and desires. Sylvia feels Fear from this memory. Sylvia awoke in a panic, nearly screaming out. Small beads of sweat broke on her brow as she relaxed back in the chair. She shook her head and wished the memory hadn't come. As the memory sank into her she was left with the power to Banish Other. She just wanted to push it all away and not face tough decisions.

HP 13/13 EXP 5/5 BUY 2/7 STR 8 AGL 12 PRS 11 MND 16 Fists & Shield 2 Treasure ☑ Transform Objective As the contents of the chest were emptied, a door appeared in the wall behind it. Sylvia pulled on the handle to reveal a small room with no other way out.   Sitting in a chair was an older man with his eye shut. His hands clutched a set of prayer beads. He wore a red and yellow toga-like outfit.   Opening his eyes he nodded to Sylvia. "Well, hello there. Most fortuitous you've found me," he said with a slow nod and drawn-out words.   "Uh, yeah... what are you doing back here? Do you have food? How are you--" she began to ask, but the man held up a hand and shook his head.   "No time for that my dear. I have no answers for you anyhow. What I know is I cannot leave this room, yet there is a monster that must be sent back to the hell from which it came. It does not follow the cycle of life and death and is thus abomination. It has stepped outside the boundaries and I require your aid bringing it back to the fold."   "Okay, sure, why not? I'm not doing anything else in here. What's it look like?"   "You will recognize it easily, for it lives in that pool of green you passed."   Convenient timing seemed to be the theme of the castle, as on cue something stirred from within liquid's depths. A grotesque skeleton of a man pulled himself out of the goo which clung to him, dissolving his flesh even still. His body was half-eaten away, leaving behind bones bearing spurs in all directions. A moment later a second undead crawled out, also mostly dissolved by the liquid leaving only goo-clad bones.   "I thought there was only one!" Sylvia said as battle began. She brought her shield up and kicked one of the skeletons. It was taken off-guard and hit--but didn't care. It swiped down at her and clawed her arm. She grit her teeth and punched the air, managing to roll the claws off her shield. Focusing on the attack didn't do her much good; she bashed forward with the shield, leaving herself wide open to a swipe across the stomach.   "NO!" Sylvia declared with a commanding voice. She looked at the creature behind the first, trying to get through the doorway to her. "DEFEND ME!" she demanded as her eyes glowed with blue fire. The undead's empty eye sockets lit with the same blue flame as it began to attack the back of the other creature.   Sylvia back-handed the skeleton with her shield as her minion clawed from behind, shredding ribs. Again, she left herself open and her leg ended up slashed. It finally stopped as the other creature buried its arms into the rib cage, causing it to melt into green goo which slowly receded into the pool.   "Well, thanks. I, uh, guess you gotta go too," she said, picking up a piece of broken stone from the floor. She shoved it into the skeleton's skull, which turned it to goo.   "You've done it! Strange methods, but I cannot argue the results. Please, catch your breath and take my prayer beads. They are precious stones, which you need more than I. Thank you, Sylvia," the man said as he slowly faded away from existence. His beads were left on the chair. She took them and sat down to look her wounds over. It was weird why he knew her name, though.   OOC Next room is: Friendly NPC Cups: Priest Enemy: 2 Average | 6 HP / 6 HP | deals 2 damage | worth 2 EXP Using my power... I don't want it to auto-win for me (despite it being powerful!) so let's say it automatically damages the other foe but I still have to make rolls. They are mindless undead so it would ignore being attacked--it's goal is to end poor Sylvie. I won a battle, I'm taking a quick Rest. I'm spending 5 EXP. One will grant me a memory, the other increases Agility to 12.

HP 13/13 EXP 0 STR 8 AGL 11 PRS 11 MND 16 Fists & Shield ☐ Transform Objective The fire burned itself out and the relaxing nature of the room seemed to pass. No longer did it really feel that safe. Wrinkling her nose at the thought, Sylvia decided to try the door on the left side of the room.   Pushing open the door revealed a circular room with a pit in the center filled with a glowing, green liquid. A stinging smell of sulfur filled the room. The liquid gurgled and roiled about, casting the room in a sickly green light which shifted as bubbles rose to the surface and popped.   A wooden chest adorned with gold beckoned her on far side of the room. The path to it was blocked by a set of pillars on either side of the pit. Above the chest, etched into the stone of a dropped portion of the ceiling was the word "TRUST" filled with gold.   "Well... Good adventurers go left..." she said, stepping to the pillar on the left. "Trust in the Light" was displayed on a plaque attached to the cylinder of stone. She stepped back to watch the way the glowing pit threw its light around the room, never leaving the pillar in front of her. She nodded and stepped through it as though it didn't exist.   "Trust in your Instincts" was listed on the next pillar. Sylvia raised and eyebrow and immediately stepped back. As she did, a series of spikes raised from the floor and dropped from the ceiling as though a jaw of metal. She shivered and watched as they retracted. "Okay, great, deadly traps too."   "Trust in the Unknown" was the next challenge. With a deep breath, and without much thought, Sylvia simply stepped forward. As she did so, those same spikes returned where she had just stood. She shook her head with wide eyes. Her luck was unbelievable.   The final pillar was listed as "Trust in Yourself" which gave the woman pause. She squinted at it, unsure what to do until a puzzle "grew" out of the stone. She had to connect certain points in such a way that a single path could go from one opening to the other. "Oh! I love these ones!" she said, clasping her hands together.   And just like that, Sylvia faced the Challenge of Trust and earned herself a nice little reward. She looked at the chest, hoped she wasn't in an OSR game, and just opened the thing. Luckily no poison gas or chopping blades came out at her. Inside she found a round wooden shield she could use to block attacks--very handy. Beneath it was a leather pouch of golden coins stamped with the seal of some kingly sort on a throne. She didn't recognize them.   OOC Next room is: Challenge. We'll call this a Mind challenge. A 1! That's the best possible; elsewhere it's used as a crit. I'm going to rule that means a second Treasure. Keywords: Trust Competition  

HP 13/13 EXP 0 STR 8 AGL 11 PRS 11 MND 16 ☐ Transform Objective There was no time pressure and Sylvia knew she needed to rest or something bad may happen. She walked back to the room with the mirror and tipped it over slowly so it faced the floor. She shut the door and pushed the table against it.   With that, the woman pulled the cover off one of the chairs and sat in it, taking an hour to recover and collect herself. Her sickness passed and eventually she made her way back down the hallway to the door at the end. There were no sounds coming from the other side of the wooden door, so she pushed it open. A small room with a lit fireplace, comfortable looking chair, and a steaming-hot plate of food beckoned her inside. There was a large woven rug on the floor that seemed to eat sound and cushion each step as if walking on a cloud.   "Day-um. This is luxurious," Sylvia said, kind of stunned. She poked at the food; a plate of chicken and scalloped potatoes in a white sauce. It smelled divine and before she knew it, she'd eaten it all and gotten comfy in the chair. An hour or so later, the woman awoke peacefully and well-rested. Definitely no pinch in her neck driving her up the wall or anything. Definitely not affecting her sleep for the past two days in any way whatsoever.   "Hmmm, that seems specific," Sylvia said, breaking the fourth wall.   Oh, hush you!   OOC I've won a battle already; I'm using the Resting option. Takes 1 hour, heals half max. HP (round up). This first time I'm going to skip the "check for ambush" rule since I should've just rested back there anyways. Still learning the rules. Next room is: Safe Harbor (of course!) Sylvia fully heals.  

HP 3/13 EXP 0 STR 8 AGL 11 PRS 11 MND 16 ☐ Transform Objective It was time to leave, as Sylvia had explored everything she could from this initial room. It had but one exit--a heavy oaken door with iron reinforcements.   Pulling on the door, it opened with a long creak that echoed down a ten foot hallway. This area was considerably darker as it had no torches for light. She already felt unsafe without a weapon.   "I do hope I can rest somewhere safe soon. I feel faint..." she hoped aloud.   Pausing to lean against a wall and catch her breath a bit, Sylvia closed her eyes. When she looked back up, the hallway had actually grown longer! Suddenly a feeling of vertigo overtook the woman and she nearly fell over.   A moment later Sylvia's senses came back to her and she pushed off the wall.   "That's... unexpected. Geez... ugh, I'm sick now..." she muttered.   The hall actually held a number of doors; she'd have to remember it for later in cause she ran into a dead-end. There was irony in that.   OOC Long Hallway with many doors.  

HP 3/13 EXP 0 STR 8 AGL 11 PRS 11 MND 16 ☐ Transform Objective "Speech color"    Memory Spread: ➤ The Chariot (Transform Objective) Reserve Pile: ➤ None Sylvia has: ➤ No weapon ➤ No armor

As the demon's essence went back into the mirror, a bright light shone from within it. Motes of light fell upon Sylvia. Her eyes partially rolled back in her head as a memory fused itself with her mind. The power to take charge challenges the woman. She remembers stopping a group of friends from making a mistake. She steps in to convince them that vandalizing things should only come with a purpose and not out of boredom. She remembers one friend being too inebriated to listen--so she punches him when he makes a gross comment. Sylvia feels Joy from this memory. Sylvia stood up, feeling a bit empowered by herself. It had been a long time ago, but it made her feel better all the same. That power stirred within her core and she felt a flash of heat overtake her body. She felt feverish as the castle's power rose in her veins. The feeling passed as quickly as it had come, leaving her with the power to Transform Objective. She felt like she could talk someone into damn-near anything.

As Sylvia stared in the mirror, remembering the barest of a shadow of herself, something stirred from within the glass. Sylvia stopped grooming her hair as she saw her reflection wasn't behaving correctly. Her eyes went wide and her heart raced. "The supernatural... is real?" she asked, trying to hold back panic. This seemed only to strengthen the demon that stared back, wearing her face, but moving differently. The demon reached to the edges of the mirror--fingers reaching through to grip the frame--and pull itself out. Sylvia darted away from the mirror, holding the axe ineffectively in front of her. She pursed her lips and slapped herself in the head a few times rapidly. "No! NO NO NO! This isn't happening! I'll kill you, I swear! Stay the f*** back!" she screamed. "That's not what you reeeeally want and you know it," the demon mocked with Sylvia's voice. The demon leapt forward and tried to dig its fingers into the woman's skull. Sylvia swung at it, slicing it open as the demon clawed her. After a few dodges and swings, the demon rolled behind her. When Sylvia went to swing, it caught the axe by the handle and crushed it. Sylvia was left holding a sharp shaft of wood. A harrowing tit-for-tat would see Sylvia come within an inch of her life as the demon beat the shit out of her. Bloody lipped, the woman jumped forward and used the creature's own attack against it; digging her fingers into its eyes. Sylvia closed her own so she wouldn't have to see it, just continued to press down. A warmth enveloped her hands and then disappeared. "Where'd... is it gone? Did I... win? F*** it doesn't feel like winning..." she said. The demon was nowhere to be seen and Sylvia sat on the floor, heaving for breath. OOC I already rolled this fight with physical dice, so here's the summary. I have 3 HP left...  

HP 13 EXP 0 STR 8 AGL 11 PRS 11 MND 16 Sylvia awoke with a kink in her neck and something cold against her face. She opened her eyes and rubbed the sleep from them. How long had she been out? There was no way to know for sure.   "Uhh, my head. It's pounding. Why can't I... remember... anything?" Sylvia asked aloud.   Shaking her head, knowing she'd get no answers, the woman stood up and looked about. She was in a room built of dark, smoothed stones with mortar between them. There were two sconces on opposite walls, each holding a lit torch.   "A castle? Sure, why not. I have... literally no idea where I am, how I got here, or who I am. At least talking out loud to myself feels natural. Right me?...."   Blinking rapidly, she pinched the bridge of her nose.   "Plllllease get your shit together, girl."     The room was empty but for a few pieces of furniture covered by sheets. "Boring."   Near a wall without a torch stood a huge, body-length mirror. It was hold, but in fine condition. The frame was made of mahogany with golden filigree, all with a coat of veneer. Only a thin layer of dust clung to it. "Hello there," she said striking a quick pose.   On a table near the mirror was a single weapon; a one-handed axe, as if calling her. It was not hers that she'd ever known, and yet, it was hers. She picked it up and swung it a couple of times. "Oof. That's not great."   Suddenly she felt herself remembering things--core parts of herself--as she felt an urge to stare in the mirror. "Yeah... that's right, I'm not super strong so I use my mind. So... what the heck am I going to do with this axe? Like, what, kowabunga it is?"