Several hours after breakfast, Varian finally works up the courage to go back into his room.
Twice-dead zombie mice don't smell good.
After a bit of searching, Varian finds them under a stack of papers he had been grading for the beginning illusion classes. How'd they get there? And, is that really all of them? Time, and airing out the room, will tell.
Next on the list of things to do: talk to Loannae.
Almost the entire west wall is made of stained glass windows in this room. Each of these painstakingly detailed pieces of art show dragons battling each other or brining terror to a human community. The very center window, however, does not allot any light through. It is almost as though someone built a wall behind this window, though no doubt it would have looked beautiful if light shone through it. This window depicts two dragons warring as burning human flee below. The centerpiece of this window is a piece of black glass, cut in the shape of an eclipsed sun.
The eastern and northern sides of this room house cased weapons and armor, decorated with dragon artwork. Most of it seems very well crafted, and are probably quite valuable.
The Sign of the Fallen Obelisk is subdued at the moment. People drinking, people eating, people talking.
But wait, what is Fergus doing here? Walking up the stairs.
Why? To get to the attic.
What's he doing in the attic? Stomping spider eggs.
Why would he do such a thing? I'm sure I don't know.
You have been courteously invited to the manor of Lord Edward Terny Theone III, for the reading of the late Lord’s will and last requests. A fine dinner will be provided for you, and we look forward to your arrival. Please bring this invitation, as access will be denied without it.
That was all that the note said. The late Lord Theone, the words seem difficult to believe at first, and perhaps even now you still refuse to accept their truthfulness. Certainly, Theone’s obsession about immortality may have seemed mad at the time, but if any man had the resolve and the resources to discover a means to cheat death, it was Theone. Especially the resources, that man was perhaps as rich as they come, without actually being royalty. And tonight, perhaps there is a slice of those riches for you in that will. If nothing else, does that not deserve your attention?
Perhaps not, you think as you force your way through the mud and the rain, walking uphill to Theone’s manor. Nevertheless, you reach the door where the elderly butler greets you. He asks for your invitation and your name, and as you give him these things he checks you off of a guest list. He gestures inside, and you step in, grateful to be out of the rain.
The dining hall is exactly as Theone left it. Paintings of great battles are on all four walls, marble busts of long dead men and woman sit within glass cases and the table has enough seats to serve a small army. You take your seats, and are understandable cautious of those around you. Other men and women either trickle in, or have already been seated, depending on the time of your arrival, and you cannot help but to size them up.
Your eyes fly to the most flamboyant figure in the room, a Mulan woman of Hazlan. Her head is ritualistically shaved, and her entire body is tattooed, as is the custom for the Mulan. It takes only a moment for you to recognize her, and you gasp to be in the presence of royalty. You recognize her from countless paintings and descriptions, Eleni, heir to Hazlik the Red Wizard, lord of Hazlan. It seems that Theone had more powerful friends than you imagined.
The next guest you can barely stop yourself from cringing from, a bearded elderly man dressed in a soldier’s uniform. However, you only note these things after noticing that the entire right side of his face is scarred and deformed, along with his right arm. His eye is still there, and appears to function, but the wound has taken a terrible price. His right eye is almost decaying, has turned yellow and has become overrun with red.
A scholarly, attractive woman is next, dressed in far more modest clothing than the other guests. She wears a wooden holy symbol and holds a journal in her hands. She cannot be more than twenty years old, and she seems naïve for lack of a better word. Her eyes constantly jump from one guest to another, as though they could answer some question for her.
Then we have what appears to be a gentleman from Darkon, wearing a golden chain, complete with two guards, each carrying a walking stick. The gentleman keeps his right hand pressed against his chest, and occasionally gestures to one of his guards to come closer, to whisper something into the man’s ear, only for all three to burst into laughter.
You gasp, the next man, perhaps only eighteen, is the spitting image of Lord Theone. For a moment you even believe that he is the same Lord, but catch yourself. This young man has subtle, but important, differences; slightly different shade of brown hair, blue eyes instead of green, smaller build. No, he is not Theone. But he’s darn close.
A man covered in furs is the last to enter. He simply sits down, only grunting as he passes. When the food is served, he digs in, caring not for manners or subtlety. This man was hungry, and cares for little else as of the moment.
The food is brought out, and it all looks quite good. Breads, soup, cakes, wine, just as extravagant as when Theone lived here. You may want to introduce your characters now, whenever the butler, who has introduced himself as “Christian Daryl, at your service,” refuses to answer any questions about Theone or the will “until all of my guests are properly fed and comfortable.” If you wish to make an action now, or contradict an assumed action that I have put in this scene, including attending the dinner in the first place, go right ahead.
Ionjae, Canas, Ruzakeel, and Uzman gathered near the gate to Sigil to leave for Mechanus. Why? That, it seems, would depend on who you asked.
Okay, I’m gonna start the auctions now. In an ideal world, I would do each stat individually. However, seeing as this is a play by post, and considering the time that it would take to do all four, I’m gonna run all five auctions at once. Here’s the run down of the stats.
Strength:
Okay guys, this is the most important stat. Not only does it handle close hand-to-hand combat, martial arts and feats of physical power, it deals with how well you can take a blow. I know what you’re thinking, shouldn’t that last past be in endurance? Well, no, strength gives you a layer of muscle, to absorb punches. So, not only are you dealing more damage, you’re taking less.
Endurance:
Easily the most important stat. In any other stat, if the contest is even close, you can turn it into an endurance battle and outlast your opponent. In a wrestling match? Just fight defensively and have your opponent wear himself down. Endurance is how long you can keep going, your overall energy, how long you can stay awake, your resistance to disease and how long it takes for you to heal.
Psyche:
Pay attention to this one, it’s the most important stat out there. This is your mind, how willful you are, and how powerful your magic is. A must for spellcasters, and anyone who thinks that he may end up in a psyche battle.
Warfare:
A favorite all around, this is the most important stat. This shows how good you are with a weapon and your sense of strategy. High warfare people are difficult to take by surprise, because they tend to look over the entire room, expecting and anticipating attacks from all angles. The most skilled are even impossible to take by surprise while invisible, they can see you coming based on what they would do in that situation.
Secret Auction:
???
It’s a secret. I’m not tellin’ you. Bid and find out!
So, basically the way that this is going to work is that you guys list off your starting bids. Those points are spent, gone, and invested into these stats. Then you guys try to outbid each other, with the goal of getting to the top. Now, if anyone has any plans of saving their points, and just matching someone who’s higher than you guys after the bidding, that sort of thing doesn’t work. You can only match the highest person that there is in your group to start, and even then you are just a little bit weaker than he is. Now, the exception is the secret auction, only the winner needs to pay. If you are done with a stat, please indicate that in some way so I know when to end the bids.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them, but the bidding war is officially open now.
Lycanthrope, Afflicted: You were bitten by some shapeshifting monstrosity, now you must bear its curse. You have a beast within you, a creature of bloodlust, hate and destruction that would like nothing more than to run wild and kill all that stands in its path. Normally, you are in control, however some trigger gives the creature within you the boost it needs to shift the balance of power in its favor, if only for a little while. Keep in mind that in Ravenloft, this need not be the full moon. It could be the scent of a specific flower, the tides, a specific lunar phase, a certain emotional state, or almost anything else that you can imagine. However, full moon tends to be the norm. Also, in Ravenloft these changes are very painful, so a high endurance is advised for this power. 30 points
Lycanthrope, Natural: What afflicted lycanthropes achieved through accident, you were born with. Through your bloodline, the souls of the beast and the man have merged, until there is no difference. You are not a man, you are not a beast, you are both, and the distinction simply does not exist for you. However, this comes with a small curse: A hunger for raw flesh from any creature, that you must sate daily. 45 points
Ghost Sight: You are constantly haunted with a ghostly sight. You see the abnormal as though it were completely natural and normal, though this may lead others to believe that you are simply insane. This makes you uniquely suited to fight the forces of darkness, as their most valuable power, that of deception, is robbed from them. Put simply, spirits, ghosts and creatures that have special abilities that make you overlook them are powerless to hide themselves from you. This does not include creatures that physically change, such as lycanthropes, and some creatures may be too powerful for you to see through their cloaks. 10 points
Spellcasting: Pick a type, divine or arcane. This allows you access to spells from that area, and gives you the ability to cast them. However, in this version of the game, spellcasting takes a toll on you, and is limited by your psyche. Put simply, the more powerful the effect, the more psyche points you “lose” until you rest, and as you lose them you become increasingly tired. Also, you start the game with a limited number of known spells, if you are an arcane spellcaster. 20 points
Royal Title: You are considered a lord by whatever creature rules that domain in which you were born. This gives you a certain amount of leverage and influence, and you have friends in high places. But be warned, a Darkonian lord will find himself most unwelcome in Barovia, and vice versa. Also, titles are often handed out in exchange for favors, it is a common joke that nobles can outnumber peasants in some domains. As such, while you are considered royalty, you may not have a surplus of gold, and if your family is rich, then I will need a reason why it is not conveniently accessed by you at this point. 10 points
Allied with the Vistani: Somewhere along the line, you helped a vistani, and now the rest view you with, if nothing else, moderate tolerance. They may listen to your requests, and even grant them if it is convenient. However, the vistani are known for having a swaying attitude, so you would do well not to abuse this arrangement with them. You must have a way of identifying yourself when dealing with the vistani to gain the benefit of this power, usually a vistani necklace or ring that you wear. 20 points.
Half-Vistani: You can only take this if you are human. One of your parents was a Giorgio, or non-vistani, where the other was one of these gypsies. In addition to knowing the vistani’s secret language, you may have a talent for fortune-telling. You start with a tool, a deck of vistani cards, some bone dice, or something to that effect, and you can tell fortunes. Be warned though, males with the power of precognition are shunned, or killed, by the vistani. Also, everyone tends to shun half-vistani, they are known for bringing trouble to the Giorgio and are seen as having “watered-down blood” by the vistani. 10 points.
Telepathy: You can communicate telepathically with anyone that you meet eye contact with, within 30 feet of you. If you wish, you can push, attack their mind, which will result in a psyche battle. Depending on the respective Psyches of the combatants, the winner can do different things, freeze the loser, “mindrape” him (stealing information) or, if he is much more powerful, control him like a puppet for a little while. 30 points
Darklord’s Favor: Certainly a risky power at best, you have some personal contact with one of the true lords of this world. If this is a blessing or a curse is often argued, certainly Lord Azalin’s favor could be useful, but he most always demands some service in exchange. Also, Darklords tend to check up on their favorite…pets I suppose would be the best description. 10 points
Now, don’t go buying your powers just yet, there are two points that I’d like to make. First, you are not restricted to these powers, these are just to get you started. You may invent powers and submit them to me, and I’ll tell you if you can buy them, and how much they cost. However, I'd like to say that I'm not allowing vampires. Next, buying powers comes after the auction, a post that will be up shortly.
