Kindled Magic: IC Thread, Book 1, Chapter 1

ripleycat · March 17

"Expensive date, hmm?" Makena raises an eyebrow at Cecilia's antics and the stammering Ras, not without a sympathetic half-smile. Besides, the whole flock is still a lot of money. "All right, what do you have here? 18 scales will do, I suppose that's fair, and maybe you'll have enough to keep from starving once she's done shopping."

"And happy birthday, I suppose." Makena rearranges some of her birds, and shoos the chicks into their own cage, handing them to Ras.

With the outfit-matching chicks peeping curiously from the bars of their new home, all that's left seems to be just returning them to Esi and Haibram. Nyoka, though, realizes there's more to it than a cold, blustery walk. In fact, the cold, blustery walk is the concern. Chicks are fragile and delicate little creatures. They'll need to be kept warm and dry, or the poor things may sicken and even die in these conditions.

OOC

Cecilia's success gets you 6 chicks at 3gp each, for a total of 18 gp.

It's a DC 14 Nature check to look after the chicks, but anyone Trained in Nature succeeds automatically, so Nyoka knows what to do: The little chicks are very fragile and susceptible to wet and cold, and will need to be kept warm and sheltered on the trek back to campus. How you keep them warm and dry is up to you. I don't particularly want to roleplay a nest of sickly, dying baby birds, so I'll be very forgiving as long as you attempt some sort of good-faith solution.

theredshirtwholive · March 17

Title

Adalet Bladeseeker - Character Sheet

AC: 16 Fort: +7 Ref: +4 Will: +5

HP: 24/24 Hero Points: 1/3 | Perception: +3

| ConditionsNone

Adalet gasps in a high pitched voice that none would expect from such a big girl. "Oh, they're so precious!! C'mere, little ones," she coos at the baby birds. "I can keep you warm! My sisters always said that I was like a bonfire, always hated sharing a bed with me when we had to travel. Might as well put that to use!" She scoops as many of the little fluffballs as she can carry up and cuddles them in her arms, with much fussing over their adorableness. Then, she unwraps her scarf from around her head, letting her hair loose, and swaddles them like feathery babies.

Show Mechanics

Action 1:

Action 2:

Action 3:

Show OOC

If Adalet could do anime heart eyes, she'd be doing them now.

Fletcher · March 18

Szastuhastah

Szastuhastah catches Nyoka's glance and is clearly trying very hard to keep her features as neutral as the little poppet. There is almost an element of performance to their bickering, like they have chosen this arrangement for their stalls to create this scenario. Perhaps it is actually their goal to guilt an innocent traveler like herself into feeling the need to smooth over the rift that she has caused between the two vendors. And while the nagaji does not necessarily feel guilty about the verbal blows they have come to on her account, she does feel it would be Right to bring an amicable conclusion to the negotiations taking place before them.

A glance over her shoulder and a narrowing of her ophidian eyes notes the little chicks being handed over in their little basket and it's clear they have been successful. So then Szas inserts herself into the debate before their act comes to physical violence. "My good ssirss, my ssinceresst apologies for bringing ssuch a quarrel between you. I will not have you mar your friendship - rivalry or no - on account of my missteppss, ssirss." Uncoiling from her 'seat', Szas drifts closer and between the two with a calm smile on her lips. "Sshould I need your sservicess in the future, I alsso would not wissh to make a villain of myssself in your eyess." The drawstrings of the coinpurse loosen as she speaks and the clink and flash of metal comes from between her fingers. "I sshall enlisst you both, then..." She gestures to one of the shawls the first merchant had held aloft, the dominant greens in the fabric a pleasing comparison to many of her rather themed outfits. Then turning to the second, she chooses a bolt of contrasting maroon fabric, wiling to put in the work of finding a tailor to finish the job.

"I do hope we may find opportunity to call upon your wares another time," she concludes, holding their pieces gingerly in her arms. "And I sshall sspeak to my acquaintancess of your passion for your craft. Pray you may ssoon have other cusstomerss." Szas bows at the 'waist' to the pair and starts to glide away with the textile treasures in hand. Her vibrant green eyes look up to Nyoka again.

"Perhapss they believe me fooled, for falling for their act or paying the price of their liess," she murmurs, revealing to her little companion that she has considered all of this despite the relatively innocent presentation of herself. "Whether or not the relationship iss ssour between... us and them... they are sstill working for their livelihood. Maybe we are the only kind and willing facess they ssee today? Maybe our coin feedss their children? We cannot know."

As the pair rendezvous with the rest of the group, Szas looks brightly upon their successful venture. Between the chicks and the bright fabrics she has, to the arguably unwise armload that Cecilia is returning with, it feels like they have done more than just accomplished a task.

Mister Doctor · March 21

Rasalhague - Character Sheet

KAC: 18 Fort: +9 Ref: +8 Will: +3
HP: 20/20 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +3

"Th-thanks?" Ras just about managed, "Thank you."

As soon as he could Ras snagged both Adalet and Cecilia and dragged the two of them somewhere relatively out of sight from the rest of the market. "Gentle Adalet, those little guys are delicate. We want them covered and, not that I don't trust your sisters, warm... so hold still."

He held out a hand towards her and took a deep breath. This close to him, both Cecilia and Adalet were well within the perimeter of the ghostly flames that began to wick off of his body and seemed to reach out towards anything potentially flammable. There was a pressure but no heat, a hint at something that should be there but was held just under the skin of the world. Ras, however, had the morning damp rising from his hair and clothes as steam. A second later and Adalet felt the air around her warm suddenly, her clothes suddenly feeling like a towel that had been left on the hearth to warm by the fire.

"That should do for now, let me know when your clothes cool off and we can do it again,"Ras said, drawing his hand back and clenching it into a fist. He massaged a part of his forearm, wincing slightly as he did so.

ripleycat · March 23

Bundled securely in Adalet's formidable arms, and warmed by Ras's gentlest flames, the chicks remain dry and happy little puffballs for the journey back to the Magaambya.

On reaching the Spire Dorm, the students find that Esi has gone off to class, but Haibram is present, practicing combat forms in the middle of the common room, along with Anchor Root, carefully tending to her pet fruit beetles, who trundle about in their habitat, looking like fat little jewels, and a young, handsome Bonuwat man who stops dragging tables and chairs out of people's rooms long enough to brightly introduce himself as Okoro Obiyo and eagerly re-invite you to game night in the same breath. He stops mid-sentence when he sees Adalet's precious cargo, and rushes over to Anchor Root's door. "Are these the magic chickens you were talking about!?"

"You got them! Great! We can settle them here tonight. Root keeps a chicken for some reason. Boring pet." "She's my familiar!" The anxious little gnoll turns positively fierce when defending Urupuru, who, to be fair, seems to mostly wander around eating bugs and nesting in laps, and hasn't done anything remotely magical in the presence of any of the new students. The tumult does drag her out of her room to nervously examine the peeping quarry. "Y-yes! These are definitely Ojofiris. E-even more than we asked for. Oh, they're so cute!"

"I'll take the little peepers to Miss Bisola's farm tomorrow, and you can all grow up big and strong and start hatching us all sorts of things, and eventually I'll get to have a dragon!"

"You passed! We'll have Esi make you Rain-Scribe diplomas or something. It's a good choice, the Rain-Scribes. I wanted to be a Tempest-Sun Mage at first, flying and raining destruction down on our foes! But they're rigid, and all about defense. They don't let them go very far from campus. Always vigilant. The Rain-Scribes go all over the Expanse and beyond. Exploration is one of our most important tenets. And that teaches the best lessons, I think. If you're versatile, you can handle anything, even if it's strange and new."

"Come on! Let's get a couple rounds of something in before Ignaci gets back and starts cleaning people out. Don't trust the pretty smile - he will wreck you when the card games start."

OOC

Congratulations on completing the Rain-Scribe Perquisite!

Loot: You are allowed to keep any of Esi's allowance that remains unspent. In your case, you get 2 gp to divide up as you wish, to lose playing cards in a few hours, to start a communal pot, or to spend on equipment at the Powderpile or Kafesi (we'll handwave and say you spent it while there).

Edited March 30 by ripleycat (see edit history)

Mister Doctor · March 24

Rasalhague - Character Sheet

KAC: 18 Fort: +9 Ref: +8 Will: +3
HP: 20/20 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +3

Once the little peepers were retrieved and it was clear they had not lost any of them Ras breathed a sigh of relief. Stopping to refresh the heating of Adalet's clothes regularly had him sweating a little, one of his hands tucked gingerly into his pocket to keep it out of the way. His wincing had been obvious the last time he had called upon his connection.

"I got nervous and flubbed the actual sale bit, so we've got too many," Ras said, giving Anchor Root a sympathetic smile. Of the people here, she probably understood the anxiety best, "I'm sure no one would object if you wanted to take one or two of the extras."

Kavonde · March 25

"Well, wait, if the chickens lay so few eggs, wouldn't it be better to give them all to Miss Bisola?" Nyoka asks. She's been silent for awhile, content to ride along on Szasz's shoulder and take in the sights. The world is so much easier to navigate from up high! So enjoyable was the experience of actually being able to see peoples' faces instead of up their noses, the little poppet didn't want to remind anyone of her presence in case they asked her to go back to walking on her own two legs.

Now that they're back in their dormitory, though, Nyoka feels safe asserting herself again. "After all, if she has more chickens, they can lay more eggs. If they lay more eggs, she can have more chickens. And that way, future students won't end up having to break school rules to go illegally buy more chickens." She puts her tiny fists on her hips and glares disapprovingly up at Haibram.

ripleycat · March 30

"Yeah, yeah, that's fair." Haibram is trying so hard not to burst out laughing at Nyoka's stern pronouncement, and he almost succeeds. Anchor Root is sorely tempted by the realization that the extra chicks could be hers, but the poppet's words are ruthlessly sensible. "Th-they should probably go with Bisola, yes. A farm is a better place for them... Maybe one? Maybe just one? No, no, they need friends to grow up with..."

In the end, all the chicks get to go to their new home, despite a great deal of cooing and fussing when the rest of the students get back to the dorm and discover their temporary guests, and Haibram's attempt to use them as poker chips later that night as the game night hits its disreputable dregs. Okoro takes the pot, and returns his confused winnings to Anchor Root and Esi, who are trusted to deliver the chicks where they belong.

“Morning, o!” Esi bobs her umbrella in greeting as you reassemble after breakfast the next morning. It's a drizzly, exceedingly humid morning for your second assignment. Ras is a column of steam, and the frogs in the pond outside are in full throat, so loud that Esi has to raise her voice to be heard. “It’s only me today, I’m the only one of us who plans to join the Tempest-Sun Mages. That’s the branch that defends Nantambu and the people around the city from outside threats, big and small. Today, you’re going to help us with a very small threat. Some gremlins have gotten into one of the school’s storage rooms. I want you to get them out without harming them."

“I mean it,” Esi adds with emphasis. “They’re sour little pests, but they haven’t done anything except throw some jars around and be obnoxious. The Magaambya doesn’t approve of killing anyone just because of who they are. A student was even expelled because of it. That was back before I came here, but they're serious about such things."

“Between you and me, I don’t think anyone will mind much if you gave one or two a whack to the head - defend yourselves, if you have to. Don't be stupid. But get them out of the storage room and release them off the grounds—really, it’s probably best to release them outside of Nantambu entirely.”

OOC

A general note that I may have forgotten to mention, but might be relevant here, since I'm sure someone's got questions about this assignment: When you're on campus and want to roll to Recall Knowledge, you can go to the library and research your topic. This means that the Recall Knowledge attempt takes 1 hour, but you get an extra +2 bonus to the roll, regardless of topic.

Mister Doctor · March 31

Rasalhague - Character Sheet

KAC: 18 Fort: +9 Ref: +8 Will: +3
HP: 20/20 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +3

"Uh, my tricks don't really let me pull my punches," Ras noted sheepishly around a mouthful of breakfast pastry. Fire is not much know for letting itself be easily controlled. Something was either on fire or it was not. It did not escape Ras that this was the second of the tasks he was mostly just going to be a warm body for.

"Do we have anything like gremlin catching supplies? Really big nets or something?" This was a school, surely they had equipment for capturing and subduing specimens for study. The university in Ustalav had stuff meant for wrangling trolls... but there was a distinct difference in ethos between the University of Lepidstadt and Magaambya. Ras did not think the University much cared about what kind of state the trolls were in once they had been wrangled. He vaguely remembered one of the tools being a very big saw that had seen use.

Toraka_Stormheart · April 1

Cecilia - Character Sheet

AC: 18 Fort: +3 Ref: +8 Will: +5

HP: 17/17 Hero Points: 2/3 | Perception: +5

Ammunition: 30/30 | CantripsMessage
Draw Moisture
Stabilize | ConditionsNone

Looking very much like the cat whom ate the canary on the way back to the University, Cecilia found herself filled with pride at her impromptu and clever means of ensuring that their mission was a success. So much so that she didn't mind the myriad bags of trinkets, decorations, and numerous indulgences that she had procured for herself and had to carry the whole way back. Dropping such off, the Taldan spent much of the evening cavorting with her fellow classmates, making a middling show of cards until finally retiring fairly late into the night.

The following morning, Cecilia overslept, again, making her late to the meeting, again. A sweetroll was dangling from her lips as she rushed to the meeting spot, another in hand as she regained her breath, catching up on what the assignment was this particular time. "Gremlins, hm? Shouldn't be too difficult to rein them in. Which storage room do we -mmph- have to go to?"

Show Mechanics

Action 1:

Action 2:

Action 3:

ripleycat · April 2

"I think these are... what was it? Pugwampis?" Esi, surprisingly, isn’t entirely clear on the distinction between gremlin types, but Ras's long travels serve him well here. The name does ring a bell.

"Nets... ehh, you could go get some from town, there are always fisher-folk working the canals. Okoro might have some. He's got enough sports equipment to supply the whole school. Or you could ask Tzeniwe. I think she's still here. She could make you some!"

Pugwampis are fey creatures, like all gremlins. Mean, dog-faced, and craven, pugwampis take disproportionate enjoyment from the accidents and missteps of other creatures—something that happens often, due to the supernatural aura of ill fortune they project. They enjoy preparing pranks, the mean-spirited, dangerous kind that involve things like spike traps or tumbles into latrine pits, so forth and whatnot.

Ras recalls two other quirks that might serve a band of novice gremlin hunters. One, pugwampis, being small and doggish creatures, have an obsessive love of gnolls, much as kobolds adore and follow dragons. The feeling is not usually mutual. Two, almost all gremlins, not just pugwampis, have an extreme aversion to bells made of precious metal. "O', gremlin bells, yes!" Esi knows this one, at least. "There are chimes and bells hung up all around campus - their magic keeps out all sorts of pests, not just gremlins. Nantambu's peace-keepers and guards are called the chime-ringers, but they don't come deal with campus problems unless it's much more dire than some pests. Xhokan sells little silver bells at the Powderpile. They're cheap, little things for class rituals. He might even give you some for free, if you explain why you need them."

Mister Doctor · April 4

Rasalhague - Character Sheet

KAC: 18 Fort: +9 Ref: +8 Will: +3
HP: 20/20 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +3

He was not about to ask Anchor Root to suffer the indignity of the fawning attentions of a bunch of gremlins but Ras paled a little at the prospect of needing to go back to the Powderpile. Images of the alchemical dusts and oils going up like a stack of fireworks played out in his mind's eye. He did not know which prospect would be worse, dying in such a conflagration or needing to live with the embarrassment.

"If, um, if someone else were to go pick some of those bells up, I'll help pay for them," it was a not so subtle request for Szas to make good on her earlier offer to handle the the Powderpile for him. Besides, she was good at talking to people, and if there was anyone who could convince Xhokan that chasing off the pugwampis was in everyone's best interest, it was Szas.

Kavonde · April 4

"I could go," Nyoka volunteers. "I'm sure if we explain the situation to Xhokan, he'll agree to lend us the bells. No reasonable person would demand money for such a thing, especially if it's for the good of the school."

If the tiny poppet is being even the tiniest bit sarcastic, there's not a trace of it on her sincere little face.

Fletcher · April 9

Szastuhastah

Quietly lingering behind the others of her cohort, a newly acquired shawl draped over her head to protect her hair from the soppiest of the rainfall, Szastuhastah listens with her hands clasped politely before her within deep sleeves of another, differently-colored outfit. The Tempest Sun does not appeal to her and the hesitance she shows with engaging the tactics behind defending the school and the greater city probably hint at that. It's not that she isn't capable, of course. A few of the proficiencies she brought with her from the jungles might be very valuable in clear out a pest without harming them. But the thought of battle, is worrying.

"Of coursse, Rasss," Szas answers, straightening from her slowly-slouching coil and attending the others thoughts once more. "What iss promissed iss not forgotten." A genteel smile finds her lips, which she turns toward Nyoka as she, too, volunteers. As a known party to the Magaambyans, the little poppet has a good chance at swaying the shrewd shopkeeper. And perhaps a little honey-tongue would sell it if he is resistant. It was clear he was very particular about his inventories and accountabilities. "I will go with you, if you wissh, Nyoka. Lesss to deceive thiss time, but rather entreat?"

Turning to Esi and the others, the nagaji adds, "Perhapss we parley with Xh...Zho...kin-" She frowns at the failure of her translation, but presses on. "- while otherss sseek possssible weaknesssesss for the creaturess?"

Toraka_Stormheart · April 9

Cecilia - Character Sheet

AC: 18 Fort: +3 Ref: +8 Will: +5

HP: 17/17 Hero Points: 2/3 | Perception: +5

Ammunition: 30/30 | CantripsMessage
Draw Moisture
Stabilize | ConditionsNone

Pensively munching on her bready breakfast, Cecilia glanced between the others as she chewed. The thought of having to fight is not something she expected out of the school, but if it's part of their service requirements, then she supposes that's how it is. Besides, how hard can some gremlins be?

"mmph...want me to come with? If we can't convince the keeper, there are undoubtably other options to pursue."

Show Mechanics

Action 1:

Action 2:

Action 3:

Text_1	Text_2	Text_3	Bold_1	Accent_1	Mood_1
Warm_1	Warm_2	Warm_3	Bold_2	Accent_2	Mood_2
Cool_1	Cool_2	Cool_3	Bold_3	Accent_3	Mood_3
Bright_1	Bright_2	Bright_3	Bold_4	Accent_4	Mood_4

Kindled Magic: IC Thread, Book 1, Chapter 1

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