Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Quest Calendar 14: The Festival (5 Days)

Because a lot of the days are various parts of the same event, I've been considering moving to posting about multiple days at a time anyway. However, I know that the more days I put into one post, the less roleplaying and thought I put into the posts, so I'm not entirely sure what to do. We'll see what happens!

 Thornsday, Deadprairie 10

I approached the festival and was asked for the 3 gold fee. Knowing this would deplete my funds, I used what little charm I had to talk the guards down to a fee of 1 gold for the entry. I graciously thanked them and made my way into the festival. (Total 2 gold)

Fruitsday, Deadprairie 11

As I walked into the festival, I was immediately met by countless booths of games and activities. I smiled. I was a sucker for a good bet.

First I tried my hands at a game of hide and seek, paying 1 gold for the opportunity (1 gold). Unfortunately, the children were much better at both hiding and seeking than I was. I next tried to find something more within my skillset and found a lock picking challenge. Excited to use my new lockpick set, I paid the 1 gold fee for this as well (0 gold). Unfortunately, even with the bending of probability, I was unable to get the lock open. From here, I found a bull riding contest. I didn't feel like I would be much of a bull rider, but I was frustrated with my losses and eager to try to get back the money I had lost. I paid 1 gold to ride the bull (-1 gold)*, and I succeeded at this with flying colors, earning 3 gold. I walked away from the games having broken even with 2 gold left in my pocket.

*When I played this day, I thought I had 2 gold more than I actually should have. I think I forgot to deduct the cost of my stay at the inn from the total on my sheet.

Starday 12/Sunsday 13, Deadprairie

As I wandered the festival, I saw a small boy sobbing and looking around franticly. No one else seemed to be paying the child any mind, which was frustrating to me. I knelt down to the boy's level.

"What's wrong, lad?" I asked.

"My mommy...and daddy..." he cried. "I don't know where they went."

"Let's see if we can't find them, shall we?" I asked, wiping his tears with my sleeve.

He nodded and I raised the boy up upon my shoulders. He laughed with enjoyment as he looked over the heads of the crowd for his parents. Something about the action felt familiar. Familiar and bittersweet. I recalled my drive to save the lost children in the forest as well. I felt defensive of them. Was this just a goodness in me, or did it relate to my past? Perhaps I had had a child, and something had happened to them. This thought raised a certain sadness in me that seemed to attest to its potential truthfulness. I also considered that I may have been an abandoned child when I was younger. This also seemed to have an emotional truth to it. Was it one of these that caused the drive? Both? Neither? I did not know.

Eventually we found the boy's parents. The father was justifying alcoholism by participating in a contest for drinking. The mother was with another group of ladies gossiping about townsfolk and about out of town visitors they had seen. I did not want to leave the child with either of these parents, but I knew there was nothing else I could do. He would likely be emotionally scarred by their faults as he grew up, but traveling with me would be more dangerous for him and likely lead to a shorter life altogether. Resigned, I brought him back to his mother.

Moonsday, Deadprairie 14

I came across a strongman game where someone would swing a hammer and hit a lever to try to get a ball to strike a bell at the top of a tower. I watched for some time and realized that there was a magical effect the man operating the game was performing, making the game particularly difficult for those who seemed arrogant or bragging.

Putting on the meekest appearance I could I approached.

"If I might, I would like to try," I said. "I'm sure that I'm not strong enough, but I don't know. I guess I want to try anyway.

The man took my 1 gold and handed me the mallet. I could sense probability against me, so I used my own magic touch to tip things in my favor. In the end, I walked away having earned 5 more gold (6 gold total).

Truceday, Deadprairie 15

There was a whisper from behind some tents.

"Hey, Tychon," a voice said. "Come over here."

Who was this, and how did they know the name I had given myself? I moved around the tent to investigate. Here I was awaited by a shady looking figure wearing a long green cloak and a wide brimmed black hat. The hat concealed most of his face except for his broad smile and angular chin.

"You want some easy coins? Come play this game," he said, gesturing towards a series of three cups upon the table. I smiled. Three card monte. A shell game. One of the oldest cons in the book. I was confident that I could out-match this huckster.

Playing a couple rounds of the game, I found myself up eight coins. I was waiting for him to pull the turn, upping the cost and making the game theoretically impossible. But it didn't happen. Instead, I felt a weakening magical force overcome me. A fatigue seemed to flood my body. Using my own magical capacities I pushed off the effect, but when I looked around again, the man had vanished, his table, cups, and orb with him. (14 gold total)

Who had this magical conman been? How had he known my name? Given his skillset and what I knew of my skills and dispositions, he seemed like someone who I might have run into before. Had he been a previous companion or ally? Or perhaps he had been a previous enemy? Regardless, he was a danger. A metaphorical dagger. I knew that I needed to keep my eyes open for him and be prepared to play my own game against this sly con.


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Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Quest Calendar 13: Gold (2 Days)

Truceday, Deadprairie 8

Waking well rested and still having some days to the festival, I decided to put myself to work and to pick up some more gold coins. I checked out the job board the previous day and took on several jobs in pursuit of funds.

I worked as a guard at the city entrance. This was tedious, but increased my funding by 5 gold. I helped to set up for the festival, which was quite tiring, but which also provided me with 5 gold. By the time that I got to the third task, helping to sell festival tickets, I was exhausted and it negatively impacted my work performance. I only ended up making 2 gold from this task. (Total 18 gold)

Windsday, Deadprairie 9

With more coin in my pocket now, I went to the market to see if there was anything worth letting go of some of these newly earned funds. The two things that stood out to me were lockpick tools and a set that included map and compass. Each cost fifteen gold, so I could not afford them both. On the one hand, I felt I would be better at picking locks, should the need arise, than I would be at traveling. So, in this way, the map and compass would give me a greater advantage where I was lacking. And it was more foreseeable that I would want to travel than it was that I would want to pick a lock.

And yet, I ended up purchasing the lockpick tools. I couldn't resist them. What did this mean about me? Was I some sort of thief, that I would be drawn to such things? Thievery didn't seem a huge jump from gambling, so it didn't seem like something that would surprise me. But it wasn't something I wanted to have be true of me. (Total 3 gold)


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Monday, February 7, 2022

Quest Calendar 12: Graycliff (2 days)

Starday 5/Sunsday 6, Deadprairie

Finally having arrived in Graycliff, I decide to walk around the city to get my bearings and search for anything that might be familiar. Everywhere I looked I could see banners and posters proclaiming the festival and its festivities. It looked like the festival was going to open in a couple days, and that it would cost 3 gold to participate.

I saw a shop selling various potions, including antidotes to remove poison or health potions to restore one who has been injured. Each cost 4 gold pieces. Feeling the 9 gold that I had in my pouch, I was hesitant to purchase any potions, knowing that I would need funds for a place to stay as well as for entry to the festival, if that was something I chose to attend.

As I walked an alleyway, a beggar approached me. He was haggard and appeared as though he were suffering an illness.  

"Please!" he called out, his voice rasping with each syllable. "If you have anything to spare..."

I gave him a slight smile as I flicked a coin in his direction. "May your luck improve."

"Thank you!" he called out as I continued on my way. I didn't have much in the way coin myself, but I had more than the beggar did and I felt that with my abilities I was more likely to be able to stay on my feet than the man. I did genuinely hope that his luck would improve. I felt I knew something about how a streak of bad luck could ruin someone.

Had I suffered such a streak before? Perhaps even in this very city I had been a beggar like him. Perhaps I knew someone else who had experienced that. Either way, it felt increasingly close to my heart as I considered it.

I continued on my way and I saw a local job board where citizens and the guard would post tasks they needed performed. This could be a way for me to make some coin, but I was too tired to peruse it at this viewing. I decided to look for a place to sleep.

Moonsday, Deadprairie 7

I found an inn called the Shiny Servant. The staff there seemed friendly, and I was able to purchase a night of rest there for 2 gold (down to 6 total). It was nice to finally get a chance to be at peace. I knew I would sleep soundly this night.
 
Tychon Level 2 Character Sheet: 
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Friday, February 4, 2022

Quest Calendar 11: Journey and Destination (2 Days)

Thornsday, Deadprairie 3

As we traveled, we came to a place where two roads diverged. One path was clearly more used and worn than the other. The mother of the family that I was traveling with explained to me that the worn path was the main road while the other was a shortcut. She said that they had been planning on taking the main road as the path would be clear and as there would be safety because of crowds and other travelers along the road. However, the shortcut could be faster and get us to better lodgings than the wagon with more speed. Since I was traveling with them, the mother acknowledged that I could potentially guard them on the shorter path, and she asked my opinion on what we should do moving forward.

I liked our odds at taking the shortcut. It was known that there was a shortcut here, so even if it was somewhat more perilous than the main road, others had succeeded at it before.

Taking the shortcut proved to be a boon. With all the extra time that we had from the shorter path, we even had the opportunity to break and hunt for food. Not only did this mean we did not have to consume rations, but it also allowed me to tuck some of the extra food away for if I might need it in the future.

Fruitsday, Deadprairie 4

At last, we came upon the gates of Greycliff. Two angry-looking guards were processing the crowd as they came through. As we drew near enough to hear, I heard the guards demanding a three gold weapons tax from someone ahead of us in the line. I scowled at that, knowing that the tax should have been two gold. 

I was surprised by the knowledge, but also hopeful. If I knew what the weapon tax to Greycliff was, then it was likely that I had been here before. If I had been here, then I might be able to find someone who had answers about my past. Regardless, just being in a familiar area might trigger some of my memories to return.

"Let me handle this," I told the family as we approached the guards.

"Three gold for anyone carrying weapons," one of the guards demanded.

"What do you think you are trying to pull here?" I asked of the guard, drawing up near to him and speaking quietly. I knew that if I brought the rest of the crowd to anger, it would cause the guards to react poorly to me. "I know that the tax is only supposed to be two gold. I suggest that if you don't want the mayor to find out about your extra charge, you let me and my company through without paying the tax."

"You'll pay just like anyone else," the guard said. "Two gold per person carrying weapons."

I sighed at not being able to talk them down to letting us through for free, but at least I knew we wouldn't be paying extra. Returning to the family, I told them that I had managed to get us a discount on the entry tax, making my efforts seem more like an accomplishment than they really had been. The family was appreciative of this as we moved through the gate, me paying my 2 gold as I went. Back down to nine.

I had lied to the family. It hadn't made much difference, but there had been no reason to do so. Still, it had seemed natural. Was that the sort of person I was? A liar? Perhaps Greycliff would hold the answers.

Tychon Level 2 Character Sheet: 
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Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Quest Calendar 10: Escape or Tragedy (4 days)


Who would have thought it would be after getting back from vacation that it would get harder to keep up with these posts?

Starday 29/Sunsday 30, Winterwary

As I tried to take the children and go, I turned to find two hideous beings blocking our escape. Hags. Perhaps they had been human witches once, twisted by dark magics into horrific beings. Regardless, as they began casting spells, I stepped in front of the children and summoned my cards. Knowing that this could be a difficult struggle, I dug deep into my arcane reserves, giving my battle ability a boost for the whole battle.

The first one slung a spell at me, but I absorbed its energy unaffected. I threw a card right into the hag and it fell over dead. The second followed much the same pattern.

I had been prepared for a much more difficult struggle, but I wasn't going to complain about a straightforward success. As we went to leave the room, I found two gold coins upon the ground.

As I led the children through the maze back to the well, I couldn't help but consider the hags, twisted and warped by their magics. I had access to some sort of arcane energy, even if I did not understand it. Could my use of the manipulation magics become a dependency? If it did, would it become an addiction? Would it turn me into a monster like them? What was the probability of that?

Moonsday, Winterwary 31

We came to the well, rope stretching down to us. I remembered how difficult getting down the well had been, and I knew that the children would need help. I was able to get the girl up without difficulty. With the boy, I saw myself slipping and getting rope burn, but with a shift of golden-yellow light, I tipped the odds in my favor and was able to get him up safely.

Truceday, Deadprairie 1

I returned the children back to their parents. They asked how they could repay me, but I made no such demand upon them. They told me that they were going to Graycliff for the Festival and Tournament of Lords, and asked me to go with them. I am uncertain as to if it was an offer of kindness from them or a request for aid and protection from me. Regardless, I looked around to find Seth and saw no trace of him. He must have continued on.

Without my previous companion, I accepted the offer of the kind family to ride in their wagon. Perhaps it would be restful. Perhaps, in that rest, I would have time to reflect on my journey, possibly even regaining some of my memory. I could only hope.

Windsday, Deadprairie 2

Imbolc, Foundation of the Realm of the Bearded Beard

As I traveled with the family, I considered the events that had transpired since I had awoken. In successfully rescuing the children from the hags, I had undergone many trials. I was happy to have them all behind me now, but I felt that they had helped me to grow. I now had a better sense of my probability manipulation powers, being able to use them at will instead of just on instinct. I still had no idea where the power came from or how I was able to perform it, but I was growing in my understanding of its application.

With that understanding, I felt that I had a deeper mastery of my powers allowing me greater use of them. A "level up" of power, one might even say.


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Friday, January 28, 2022

Quest Calendar 9: End of the Cave

Fruitsday, Winterwary 28

My path through the maze-like tunnels brought me to an open living space. This seemed to be the homiest of the rooms that I'd encountered in this underground space. Someone lived here, or was at least camped out here. Someone who was more sentient than just a monster. Perhaps those beasts had been the pets of whomever it was that lived here.

In this room, I finally discovered what had happened to the children.
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Thursday, January 27, 2022

Quest Calendar 8: Below the Well (2 days)

Windsday, Winterwary 26

As I emerged from the well down below, I was met by a glowing eyed creature that struck at me. I threw two magical cards at it. The first seemed as though it would miss, but j used my power to edge probability in my facor and the card hit the creature square in the face. The second card glanced off its side, seeming not to hurt it.

The beast sunk a tooth into me, drawing blood. I was able to shake the creature off and send it running.

Thornsday, Winterwary 27

Continuing into the dark caves, I found

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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Quest Calendar 7: The Well

Truceday, Winterwary 25

With no other way forward, I took a closer look at the well. It appeared that there was a rope that I could use to climb down, and so I did so, while bracing myself against the walls of the well with my legs and slowly, carefully, descending. I found the odds low that the kids would have tried to use the rope to get down. But I could still hope.

We would see what would await at the bottom. I could only hope that the kids were alright, despite having every reason to believe they weren't.
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Monday, January 24, 2022

Quest Calendar 6: Abandoned Cabin

Moonsday, Winterwary 24

Continuing to follow the path that the children had left in the woods, I eventually reached a clearing in which there stood an old log cabin and well. It seemed to me that playful children would potentially want to entertain themselves with such a place. The odds seemed good of finding them here.

I walked around the cabin, observing its outside, but finding no clues to where the children were. As I'd looked underneath the porch, however, I did find a golden coin. I approached the well, hoping that they had not fallen in here. As I saw the children's footprints were more dense here, and I did not see them lead away. I felt anxious about this. A tumble down the well would potentially kill a child. Despite my anxiety, I could not feel a heavy heartbeat within my chest, a detail that I found unlikely, but not one that was the important focus at the moment.

I called out for the children but received no response aside from my own voice echoing back at me. I reached down and grabbed a rock to throw down into the well. Underneath it was, of all things, a golden coin. I hurriedly placed the coin within my pouch before tossing the stone down the well. It landed with a thud. There was no water down below, meaning that if the children had fallen in there would be nothing to have broken their fall.

Not wanting to consideration of them having gone down the well, I turned my attention back to the cabin. The windows were boarded up, and trying the door revealed that it was locked. I did not think there was a way the children could have gotten into the cabin. As I began to turn away from the shelter, I felt as though I had missed something. With a yellow glow, I found myself a few moments before. I peered between gaps in the boards of the windows into the inside of the house, but found that it was completely empty.

Why had I felt there was something else here? Why had I manipulated probability for this? I hovered my hands over the lock into the house, and heard it click open based on my application of arcane energy. As it appeared from the outside, there wasn't anything worthwhile inside, and no signs of the children or anyone else. I did find one coin lying on the ground, but that was hardly a meaningful contribution to the search.

I was becoming disheartened in my search. With the footprints ending at the well, I had no other lead moving forward to pursue to find the kids. But such a way would be treacherous for them, and I became more concerned for their safety. But if they had already fallen down the well...was I too late? Would I be able to adjust probability to help in this situation? I did not know. Only time would tell.

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Sunday, January 23, 2022

Quest Calendar 5: Wolves!

 
Starday 22/Sunsday 23, Winterwary

Three large wolves began to circle me from within the wood. Because I had previously been aware of their presence, this did not take me by surprise. It was an area, however, where I would need to be careful. I tried to puff myself up to seem more frightening than I truly am, hoping to convince them that their odds of success in this venture were less than their animal minds may have originally conjured.

As I tried to put on an intimidating air, I could feel a shift in the odds of success, tipping ever so slightly in my favor. I knew that I had somehow done this, but I was still unaware of how. 

The wolves seemed somewhat frightened of me, but they still moved forward with their attack, coming after me in succession.

Suddenly, glowing magical cards appeared in my hand. I did not know where they had come from. There appeared to have been nothing up my sleeve. I threw one at the first wolf as it lunged at me, but the card went wide and embedded itself into a tree before vanishing. The wolf struck me, but very lightly. I'm not sure if it was because of my foreknowledge and preparation of their attack, or because the wolf was frightened of me. Either way, I counted myself fortunate for its glancing blow.

Before the second wolf could lunge, I threw one of the arcane cards in its direction. The card struck the creature square on the jaw, and the creature fell over, not moving any longer.

Spinning, I threw another card at the third. The card struck the wolf's side, but did not stop its assault. It clawed against me, but seemed to notice its fallen companion as it did so, failing to actually do any harm. As the wolves considered their fallen friend, I rushed off deeper into the woods, hoping to avoid them in the future.

This had been the second time that I felt like I'd tipped probability in my favor. The mysterious magical cards were also new. Who was I that I had these magical gifts? I did not understand them, nor did I understand myself. These seemed like unlikely abilities, but who was I to make such an assessment? Genuinely, who was I?

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Friday, January 21, 2022

Quest Calendar 4: Into the Woods

Fruitsday, Winterwary 21

As I surveyed the surrounding area, I determined that whether playing or taken, the place with the greatest probability of finding the children was the nearby forest. The woods were thick and dark as I searched around in them. The darker the woods became, the more they felt like a metaphor for my own mind. As I searched for the children, a task that increasingly seemed to be in vain, it felt like searching for my memories, a potentially equally useless task.

It became evident to me that I had failed, and that I was not going to find the children. But an odd feeling crept over me as I was about to give up. I didn't have to fail. I had a feeling that somehow I could tip the odds back in my favor. I cast my hand in a swinging motion like how one would roll dice. I didn't know how I knew to do this, but it felt remarkably familiar. For but a moment, the forest around me seemed to glow and shift in a yellow glow. Then it was gone, and it seemed as though I were a few paces back from where I had been when I'd had the odd thought and feeling.

Near me, on the ground, I saw a slight glimmer, shining in the merest ray of sunlight that somehow made its way through the tangled branches above. I knelt to investigate the out of place shimmer, and found a gold coin on the ground.

"Can never have enough of these," I muttered, slipping it into my coin pouch. Near the footprint, on the ground, was a footprint. A child's footprint. I was on the right track at last. But the child's footprint wasn't the only footprint on the ground. More recent than that are the footprints of wolves. I knew I would have to be ready for a potential ambush from these lupine threats.

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Thursday, January 20, 2022

2022 Quest Calendar 3: Missing Children

Thornsday, Winterwary 20

While traveling today I came upon a couple that was yelling out for their children. It seems that the family had all made camp along the road last evening, and that when the parents awoke the children were missing.

My brain did a quick calculation. The highest probability was that the children
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Wednesday, January 19, 2022

2022 Quest Calendar 2: Envy for Seth


Windsday, Winterwary 19

As we traveled the road, Seth spoke of his home in a city called Dawnhollow. There he had friends, family, acquaintances, and a life. At one point he apologized for boring me, but as I had none of those things in my own memory, I found them worth listening to.

When we made camp, Seth showed me the hand-carved goods that he was hoping to sell at the festival. They were
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Tuesday, January 18, 2022

2022 Quest Calendar 1: Tychon Awakes

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Truceday, Winterwary 18

My head pounded as I awoke. I decided it was best to first assess my surroundings. I appeared to be in a plains landscape. Nearby, a worn down road stretched out farther than I could see in both directions. I had no memory of this place or how I came to be there.

"Hmm..." I wondered. "What are the odds of that?"

I made my way to the road and considered which way to turn: to the left or to the right. I found a coin in a pouch at my side and decided

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