Hyperbolic sine

Expertise (Knights) DC 15 Insight DC INeedATwenty

"Erk." Karl stiffened when he heard Josef's voice - unless he suddenly developed teleportation, that he was already there meant he had actually witnessed his earlier outburst. Rats. "More medical supplies? Come on, we're not that easy to hu- ah, they're not for us, aren't they? That's...uh, thoughtful, I guess. You should have time while we wait for the girls."

"That one!" Karl exclaimed, a bit too loudly, as soon as he laid eyes on the posted sheet - he had basically been looking for something like that since they left the inn, but actually finding something still came as a bit of shock. "Uh...I mean, that's something we have to follow up on as Knights, isn't it?" he sheepishly asked Heather, slightly embarrassed by his outburst. Good thing Josef wasn't with them.

Over the course of the three weeks trip to Merryweather, Karl's post-Blessing constitution had become apparent to everyone else, and it hadn't been long before he was permanently stuck with guard duty at nigh - though of course no one forced him, he just talked himself into a corner. He also hunted occasionally, with the prey he brough back being conveniently drained of blood. On the road, he mostly went along with the other, singing (he might have been slightly tone deaf), making dumb jokes, giving Josef weird looks whenever he started blabbering about plants, and what have you. At camp he carved little wooden figurines, and by the time they reached the settlement he had carved the entire group of Novices. He was also extremely bummed at not having encountered a single Demon. "I'm in!" he replied to Heather immediately. At this point, he'd take any chance to bump into something. Anything.

Karl was conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to simply ignore his mother, but on the other, well, this could possibly be the last time in a long while he'd be able to speak - let alone see - her. He kinda stalled for a bit, checking himself over, then just before Levont called them all over he approached her, said "Well, thanks for everything. I'll...call you when the Trial is over. Say hi to Father for me." and then turned away, joining the other Novices. *** "Do you accept this charge?" "I do!" he answered, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. "Then you First Trial begins now." Karl nodded, and took a deep breath to clear his mind of extraneous thoughts. Right now, and the coming month, he had to focus exclusively on the Trial. And, you know, avoid making himself look like a fool in front of the camera drones. "I...yeah, I'll vote for the most direct route" he had to agree with Josef, much to his chagrin. "Though we could stop by an inn every now and then, if it isn't too much of a detour." Starting the Trial with the cowardly option didn't feel like the correct choice at all.

Karl nodded along Lily's explanation, positively impressed. A Knight of the People...a kindred spirit, then (or maybe not, but nuances aren't really his forte). "Well, I'd like to preorder a copy of the Page, please" he joked. * ...wait a sec, Lily also kinda reminded him of Heather. Did that make the two of them kindred spirits as well? No, no, she called his spear creepy, that couldn't- Why am I even thinking about this?! *** The next morning, he snuck out of his house at dawn, fleeing tactically retreating from the awkward atmosphere that would have awaited him, and headed for the relative isolation of his favourite fishing spot (he didn't care for being recorded, so he refused the drone while he still could), where he started experimenting with manipulating his blood - was a spear really the only thing he could create? *** At the end of day two, the answer was clear: "yes, but". For whatever reason, the spear was the only thing he could create effortlessly; maintaining other shapes, be they sharp blades or simple cubes, required constant concentration and was extra fatiguing - to Karl, it felt like having to stand perfectly still in an awkward position. Perhaps with intensive training he'd be able to expand his options, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. He did, however, discover that he felt much less thirst and hunger, and needed much less sleep, than before the Blessing. Weird, but he wasn't going to complain about extra free time. *** From day three onwards he began asking his fellow Novices to spar - like mostly everyone else, apparently. His first partner happened to be Remy, who...well, had a bow, so wasn't exactly a "sparring" partner, but whatever. Karl welcomed the challenge, and had to quickly learn to focus his prana and blood in his legs to have any chance of catching up to her; on the other hand, her arrows had a hard time dealing lasting damage as not only were Karl's blood vessels doubling as mesh armour, but it turned out every strike of his spear restored him. Still, it wasn't until the third or so match, after he finally managed to throw his weapon like a javelin, that they were truly matched. Of course, it wasn't only her he sparred with - there wasn't much else for him to do, after all, so for the rest of their stay in Greenbrook he was basically either sparring or waiting for someone to be available (he may or may not have creeped out Heather further, once the Sanguine Lance began exhibiting the ability to actually drain blood from its target) - but he felt that the experience of facing an archer was particularly valuable, seeing as with everyone else he was the one with the reach advantage, so he took any chance he could to face her. Well, her and Josef, once he starts making himself available. He did feel a little bad for the whole "can't feel" thing (at least, after seeing the implications in the way Josef moved and compulsively checked himself...his first reaction was more along the lines of "good for him, why is he complaining?"), but I would be lying if I said that using his superior reach to strike while being too far for the thorns to retaliate didn't feel satisfying. Besides, a spear wasn't going to break any bones.

Insight DC 20

"Ah, so that was you? I thought I'd heard something. But why didn't you say so earlier?" Karl said, nodding. 'Making stuff go boom' was easy to understand, and it certainly sounded effective. "But then I don't get why illusions. You've got a weird one, huh?" Just lik- uh, no, maybe that was best left unsaid. *** Bubblegum? Another wei- "Wait a sec, is this why you were chewing like a madwoman on the way here?" Karl blurted out. "I thought you were just nervous! Lily, right? I think you're now my favourite person in Greenbrook." he said, with sincere respect. *** "Hmm. Uh, thanks. I guess". He stared a bit harder at his weapon. It was rather simple - if anything, calling it an oversized toothpick wouldn't have been that far from the truth. Yeah, he didn't see how it could be creepy. *** "Yeah, I don't think I'll have to worry about that ever ag- I'm not anemic!" Karl snapped, a bit belatedly. "I was just preparing my Thi- whatever! Well, I'm not planning to bail you out when you set fire to a forest!"

So, fire, huh? It looked like Josef had gotten what he wanted - well, no surprises there. He sure could have stood to look a bit happier, though...fiery thorns were kinda cool. Only kinda, though. No more that that, ok? *** "If anyone was going to be flying from day one, I shoul've guessed it would've been you." Karl lightheartedly commented once Remy landed back among them. "So, uh...can you also do wind blades and stuff?" *** Karl could only stare flabbergasted at Heather's one-woman show once she came out of the pool. It was...well, it definitely suited her. But what can you actually do? was the question that remained unasked - he was't so insensitive that he would risk ruining the moment. He hoped she didn't get shafted by the Blessing, though...that would be really sad. --- Well, from what she was telling Josef, it seemed it wasn't just illusions, so...good. But he still couldn't quite manage to wrap his head around the concept, and this time, curiosity won. "So you could just buy a lottery ticket and say that's the winning one?" *** Karl had given mostly perfunctory applauses to the various speeches - not as any kind of statement, of course, it was merely that no one said anything particularly outrageous or unexpected. Well, except Eugenides. He got a vigorous applause, and an approving "Ha! Well said". --- When the hlaf-Oleimian (almost literally) shot out of the enclosing and came to a stop in a rather cartoonish manner, he couldn't help but crack up alongside Heather. "Do you even need that sword now? You could be One Punch Gen!" As he laughed, though, he could feel the pressure rising. Being last sucks. *** And finally, finally he too was Blessed. And the first reaction he got was... "...Creepy?" He looked at the spear - somehow at the same time crystalline yet made of flowing, crimson blood - then back at Heather, dubious. "Where?" Man, girls really didn't get it, did they? -- "Huh...me? Well I guess the Blessing left me a bit spent, but I'm...fine?" The question - or rather, the questioner - was so unexpected that Karl didn't even think about putting up a strong front and pretend the process had left him entirely unscathed. Why would Josef of all people be worried about him? "Oh, wait, you mean this? Oh, it's not permanent or anything." he continued and, eager to show off, let go of the Sanguine Lance which immediately lost cohesion and crumbled, threatening to splash anyone nearby - but it never did, instead gathering around Karl's hand and being reabsorbed like tape being rewound. "See?"

Dimitri's shout made Karl's gaze instinctively turn on him, and then he glanced at Josef with a mix of envy and reproachfulness. Sure, the man's outfit was a bit corny, but at least- Despite himself, he looked back at where Dimitri was, having caught an unexpected sight in the corner of his eyes. Could it be that... Oh. Guess not showing up at all would've been too conspicuous. Once again berating himself, he forcefully tore his toughts away from the dark direction they were taking, and turned them to the matter at hand - specifically, he totally forgot about the speech! Hopefully he'd go first and get it done quickly. *** Of course he was last, and Josef got the first slot. Some people really get all the luck in the world. At least he'd have a bit of time to cobble something toghether...maybe. *** "Gree-" *SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE* Trying to keep up the appearance of being unfazed, Karl adjusted the voice collector crystal in front of him. "Ahem. Greetings, fellow citizens of Greenbrook. It is an honour to be standing, uh, to be standing here in front of you in such a joyous occasion." He rattled off some more uninspired platitudes, his eyes darting at quick intervals towards whoever would give him the signal that he could stop talking and enter the Pool...until he met his parent's. "...and I would like to...to..." His words kinda petered off, as he was struck by a sudden thought. What was even the point of such a rote, unfelt speech? He was just checking boxes. When he started speaking again, a fire had been lit in his eyes, and his voice grew louder and firmer. "Well, enough about that. I think after all the other speeches, I've bored you enough. Let me say this: to those that supported me throughout this journey, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. To those that tried to stop me, well, this is the path I've chosen. Deal with it." "But to everyone, I say: I take up arms for those we lost, and those we haven't. Even if I lay down my life, as long as I slew a single Demon, as I saved a single person, then it will have been a path worth walking. Dragons watch upon us." And with that, he stepped off the podium, whether or not he was given the cue to finish. *** Finally, it was time. After a moment spent gawking at the Pool, he quickly stripped off his clothes, undid the bandages on his right wrist, reached for the robe...and stopped; he looked at the Pool, then at the robe, then the Pool, then the robe again, back and forth several times, and in the end left it where it was. No one would be able to see him, so he might as well go all in with the plan of not bringing anything unnecessary. So, in his birthday suit, he approached the mystical waters, opened the urn he had closely guarded since leaving Lomorre, and carefully poured the blood it contained over the iridescent liquid; then, taking a deep breath, he steadily advanced inside until the Pool took hold of him. *** Karl awoke with a start, having forgotten for an instant where he was. Huh...what a strange vision. Though, given the origin of the pools, he guessed it might not have been that strange after all. Who could say? No one ever spoke about these things. After regaining his bearings, he stood up, and looking down he noticed the large sapphire embedded over his heart; intricate runic script crisscrossed his chest, converging upon (or perhaps radiating out of - he couldn't quite tell) the Soulstone. The wounds on his wrist were gone, and he could feel power coursing through his veins- Wait. He could literally feel power coursing through his veins. Almost as if... A sharp pain ran through his wrist, one that he had recently experienced while preparing the Tithe; but unlike those times, the blood spurted out much more violently, and then kinda hovered in midair, forming into an elongated shape as it kept flowing. Once the process was over, the cuts immediately healed, and Karl was left holding a staff - no, a spear, or maybe a lance - feeling no worse for the wear. He gave it a couple test thrusts, and it was unlike anything he'd ever wielded, not even when he tried dragonsteel equipment; it felt like an extension of his body, and in way, it was. Besides, his instincts told him it was not just a spear, but much, much more. Perhaps it wasn't as flashy as illusions, or flying, but Karl had wanted one thing from his Blessing - the power to slay Demons. For that, this was perfect. Much better than some thorny flames, anyway. And then, a draft of cold air reminded him he was still buck naked, and he hurried off to put his clothes back on again. *** His entrance (exit?) wasn't anything special, but as he marched out of the Pool's enclosing, proudly holding the materialised Sanguine Lance, he was positively beaming.

Routine Perception DC 15 Oh, hey, actually I get the Routine bonus. So 24.

Karl waved all concern off. "No need, I'll be fine" he said, though he made no effort to stand up. Eugenides - as children they hadn't interacted much, as Karl's parents feared the kid's unnatural strength, and as teens, well, unlike the young Dragomir lady the half-Oleimian was not shielded by status, and Karl had not wanted to cause problems for him. Unsurprisingly, once he finally got to know him better during their stay at Fort Naoth, he turned out to be a good guy. "I just, uh...I guess I got up a little too quickly this morning. Yeah, that's it. Don't worry about me." *** Karl was, indeed, thankful to the Baron for the hearty meal. After a good night's sleep, he was as new...or he would've been, anyway; between the excitement for the day to come and the fact that he hadn't been very active during the day, he did not manage to get a lot of actual sleep. *** As he stepped out of the VTOL, Karl ran his eyes over the crowd - and for a moment, his smile faltered. Mentally berating himself for - evidently - having harboured a sliver of hope, and wishing none of the others noticed, he strengthened the grip on his urn and turned his thoughts to the future.

Karl had spent the last couple of days preparing his Tithe - no matter how resourceful the Archives were, they could not have provided him with his own blood - and it was taking a toll on his body. He had managed to procure some anti-coagulant reagents, but being nowhere near actually knowing what he was doing, he hadn't wanted to risk gathering blood too early and wasting everything; and besides, as long as he managed to get to the Pool, what state he was in didn't really matter. When the lanky recruit arrived the at the runway, it was immediately obvious by his messy attire and hair that he had hurriedly scrambled out of bed that morning; he looked rather pale, a bit unsteady on his feet, and a bandage peeked out from his right sleeve. But there was fire in his eyes, and he after nodding a greeting to the other assembled recruits, he confidently climbed aboard the VTOL, protectively carrying a small urn with him. *** "Recruit Karl Dimilis" he stated at the drone. "My Tithe is my own; I requested nothing." he then said, temporarily setting aside the urn to open the empty wooden chest. He specifically did not want to give the Blessing any particular direction, and he had no tattos either. Perhaps that was where the others who offered blood failed. *** Once back out of the VTOL, Karl felt the tension in his muscles (which he hadn't even noticed was there) relax, and he...kinda flopped down on the ground, remainign seated to fight a dizzy spell.

They do. Clarified on the sheet.

Will probably migrate everything to the actual post once I'm done writing everything, but I'm mostly restricted to a phone so until then Google Docs it is.