Turn 12
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Time passes, and the shadow on the sundial moves...
???: 49 Not now...
When you return from the market, you carefully go through your purchases before putting them away in your predecessor's suitcase. The Shark Tooth needs no special storage conditions and takes its place in one of the empty bags.
The Sea-polished glass, on the other hand, has to be carefully distributed over several receptacles, wrapped in an additional layer of cloth. Even though there isn't much of it, there are pieces of blue, red, and yellow among the usual green and brown colors.
The Dirk, or rather what was left of it by corrosion, had to be wrapped in newspaper so as not to spread rust everywhere: the only thing that gave it away as a once-proud ceremonial weapon was the greenish, probably bronze, hilt. Without it being re-forged, there was no use for it.
Before you close the suitcase, you suddenly feel a chill run down your spine. It's not a chill or an itch. At such moments, the English sometimes say, 'It feels as if someone has walked over my grave...'
* * *
Warmth is gradually returning to the bay, and spring break is approaching
Around the same time, King is likely to return from his business trip. But that moment has not yet arrived. (-1 mind action per turn for the sake of study, +1 funds in pocket every 2nd school week)
You have three actions of the body (B), three actions of the mind (M), and four actions of the passion (P). You have 20 funds at your disposal (all available savings).
Influences:
- Vitality - The drums in your ears. You can work better. (+5 to Body rolls) 1 Lv.
- Enlightenment - Enlightenment is near! I can feel the world ticking! (+5 to Study rolls. Can turn into a Fascination if it fails) 1 Lv.
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Turn 11 Results
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Leaving aside some minor mishaps, you can call the past week quite successful: the long training has more than paid off, and you finally have the Knowledge of the Knock in your hands.
It might not matter as much if King knew about Mansus, but somehow it might lend credibility to your words in his eyes.
The knowledge of the Edge was a pleasant surprise, but you consider your greatest accomplishment to be your successful Initiation. Now you can finally begin to create a proper cult, for which there are already several worthy candidates.
You stretch, adjusting the plaid on your legs. The diary didn't lie one bit: You can feel the cold inside, even with your hands over the stove on. The only part of your body that isn't affected by it is the mark you received, which seems to be drawing heat from all the other places. That's all the more reason not to delay further Ascension.
* * *
Influences:
- Vitality - The drums in your ears. You can work better. (+5 to Body rolls) 1 Lv.
- Enlightenment - Enlightenment is near! I can feel the world ticking! (+5 to Study rolls. Can turn into a Fascination if it fails) 1 Lv.
Work:
[X] (B) This body is my 3. All of these rites and rituals are rather traumatic acts, not to mention sacrifices. Yes, and some knowledge and much more than some practices injure the one who learns and performs them. You need a much tougher and stronger body so that you don't have to go to the emergency room after every vein you open. Exercise will do you good, and a good gym will help with that.
Requires 6 passes, 60% chance of success. (On completion of +1 body action, increase vitality)
Required: 40. Roll: 31 + 10 (Decreasing Growth Burst) + 5 (Vitality) + 10 (Gym Pass) = 56 Pass.
Going to the gym had already become routine, each time different from the last only with slightly higher standards for approaches. If it weren't for Mr. Fischer's suggestion, sooner or later you'd get bored.
But now you don't get bored! Whenever you finish your exercises, you go upstairs to watch the older one's practice, even if you don't know much about it yet. Sometimes, you join in when the bruises from last time start to fade.
[X] (B) Mastering the Edge. The Art of Falling. As it turns out, you're a total zero at any kind of physical confrontation. It's a good thing this was discovered in a controlled environment, not in an actual combat encounter. This deficiency can be remedied, which Mr. Fisher, aka Martin, has agreed to do. According to him first, you need to learn how to fall. Nothing
complicated, is it? Three passes are required, with a 70% chance of success. (Upon completion, access to the next stage, improvement of combat statistics)
Required: 30. Roll: 34 + 5 (Stronger Physique) + 5 (Vitality) = 44 Pass! Numbers appear on the frost-covered mirror...
Roll 1d100: 100! Natural Crit!
The training didn't start quite the way you expected: after demonstrating a few correct actions for falling from different positions, and making sure you had them memorized, Martin started "dropping" you. Over and over again, accompanying the techniques with a lecture on how a wrong fall could cripple or kill you. The interested old-timers, taking a breather on such an occasion, began inserting comments and additions of their own about how you can "accidentally," or not so accidentally, drop a person to death. Or at least cripple them.
Over the noise of the blood in your head, and the hum of the voices around you, calling out in their essence to the Edge, you feel the Knowledge descending from nothingness. The ancient story of the warriors and their leader, and the wounds they received and inflicted, flood your mind. The world around you trembled, every corner stretched into a merciless blade, eager to plunge into flesh, the air showed a sharp tension... Darkness came.
A little later, when you woke up from the cold water on your face, Mr. Fisher apologized to you for "overdoing it a little". According to him, in their circle, it's a common ritual to greet a newcomer, designed to test his spine. Except that it had never been tested on such young applicants.
Your mentor said he'd understand if you didn't want anything more to do with them, or if you sued him at all. But if you decide to stay, Martin promised to bring you up to a "decent" level, because he sees some potential.
Received: Chiliarch's Lesson. This is the bone-deep story the thousandman learnt in antiquity, of blood and its exits. To speak it aloud is to hear the sword hiss. [Use this in a Rite with a corpse and Winter power, and the corpse will rise.] (Knowledge 2, Power 4)
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
[X] (B) Dedication - Power. It has occurred to me that I hold in my hands the key to power. In search of immortality and power, I can turn to the Hour known as the Forge of Days. Its touch awakens special desires and grants special marks. Requires 1 pass, 100%/70%/30% chance of success. (Cult founding is impossible without Dedication. It is impossible to change a decision once made).
Required: 0/30/70. Roll: 57 + 5 (Initiate) + 5 (Stronger Physique) + 5 ( Vitality) + 6 (2d6 (1.5) Ardent Orison) = Pass.
When you realize that there is no point in waiting any longer, you begin the rite of dedication. It's quite simple, really: all you need is the most modest of the Forge's knowledge and some simple materials to make it work. It's a good thing you made sure you had enough strength before you started the sacrament.
This night, instead of falling asleep or going to Mansus, you turn to the Forge of Days with the knowledge known as the Ardent Orison. And the moment the last word falls from your lips, the heat inside you is concentrated at one point.
And at the same time, you see, not with your eyes, which are useless here, a vast space illuminated by the light of the roaring crucible. In it, like strange machines, hundreds of beings are at work, ceaselessly devoting themselves to the Great Work. And in the midst of them all, like a mountain, a volcano, rises one. One.
The Forge of Days, never taking a moment's break from her work, lowers the monstrous hammer to the anvil. Her hands are almost shoulder-length and covered in soot as if covered by an outlandish glove, and her body is concealed by an apron of some titanic creature's skin. She throws only a fleeting glance at you, which evaluates, weighs, checks, and...
You realize that you have been deemed worthy material. And at the same brief moment, something in you has changed forever.
One last whisper escapes your lips as the internal heat becomes unbearable, and you curl up on the floor, biting your hand to keep from making a sound. But just as it appeared, the fever suddenly subsides, and you feel cold, everywhere except in a single part of your body. There is no wound, no burn, only the Mark, which will remain with you until the end, whatever it may be.
The ritual was more than successful, causing no abnormalities. According to the Diary, some initiates suffered exhaustion or even wounds in the process, but you probably met the criteria of your current divine patron. The only consequence, however, which, if the Predecessor is to be believed, haunted all initiates of the Forge until death or Ascension, is reflected in your Diary as a kind of milestone:
No warmth is enough for me now.
(The path of Ascension of Power has begun! From now on, only a few steps separate you from Immortality and Might! But to go through them, you will have to make an effort. "Almost impossible work!" - Someone else will say.
All you can say is, "It's worth it!")
[X] (P) The creation of art. Your parents and teachers have mentioned more than once that you're not a bad painter. It's true that you've given it up lately, but getting an album and paints out of a drawer is a minute's work. And although the painting will take a long time. If you put the picture in a frame, it can try to sell. And you'll need the money and a lot of it. It takes 1 pass, and the chances of success are 80%/60%/40%/20%/5%.
Required: 20/40/60/80/95. Roll: 8 x 1.5 (Emotional Fountain) + 10 (Wild Imagination) + 5 (Painter) + 5 (Good Paint Set) = 32 First Order Passes.
Because of the other events of the week, it wasn't easy to concentrate on painting, but you did manage to finish the picture. It's a pretty sketchy cityscape of a mid-nineteenth-century settlement. Brick, tiled roofs, and the ubiquitous smog. Certainly not your best work, not bearing a trace of Principle, but it might well adorn someone's living room.
Finding no other use for the painting, you sell the Smog at an art store. I'd rather have a few bills than a painting that takes up useful space. If you're going to decorate your home in the future, it's going to be better quality things.
(Received: 3 funds.)
Dream:
[X] (P) Way: The Wood. I've learned the path to the Wood, tangled darkness that grows around the walls of the Mansus (thought the Mansus has no walls). I can Dream with this to return to the Wood. Requires 1 pass, 90% chance of success.
Required: 10. Roll: 25 x 1.5 (Emotional Fountain) + 5 (Initiate) + 9 (3d6 (4,3,2) from The Ecdysiast's Parable) + 10 (Wild Imagination) = 62 Pass!
It's time for another visit to the Wood. Perhaps you should come here more often because after all, this is the only place where you can find your way to the walls of the Abode...
Now I pass between scar-barked trees. The moon passes behind branches, though her fingers remain in my hair. I am stumbling over roots, now. It is tempting to drop to all fours, to avoid the low branches. Pale wings move, deep in the night.
The Well in the Wood is sacred to the Grail, the Hour that hungers, and to the Velvet, the Hour that guards secrets... tonight as I approached, it heaved with the Velvet's moss, struggling waves of deep and vibrant green, pulsing again and again from its throat. It surged around my calves, rose to my thighs, and this morning I still feel the Velvet's breath, strong within me.
(The influence Vitality has advanced to the Encouraged Vitality, and will take effect from the next turn (+10 to Body rolls. May disappear if failed) 2 Lv.)
Study:
[X] (M) School attendance. As a minor U.S. citizen, you are obligated to receive a general education. The state doesn't need savages. Well, more than there already are. The usual school routine has set in. Repeated action, odds of success Automatic passage (thanks to the Silver Quill trait).
Required: 0. Auto Success.
This week the number of stares from the Empire and the cult has noticeably diminished. Though that may be because you've been avoiding them yourself, spending your time between classes collecting interesting rumors. In any case, they all seem to have better things to do without you.
In school, everything goes as smoothly as possible: teachers are willing to give you positive grades just for being in class. You don't abuse your privileges, though, doing all your work on time and with enough care. You're not going to draw unnecessary attention to yourself, especially for such a insignificant reason.
[X] (M) Books are immortal memory. Among other things, the Predecessor's possessions contained books. It is unlikely that he kept tabloid journalism along with mystical pigments. The subject matter of the books and the references in the diary suggest the same thing: Whatever the content, these texts are related to Mansus and the Principles. There is much to be gained by reading them... Except, where to begin?
- "The Locksmith's Dream: Portions and Proportions" by Therese Galmier, volume 2
Requires 1 pass, 70%/10% chance of success.
Required: 30/90. Roll: 13 + 5 (Scholarship) + 5 ( Enlightenment) + 2 (1d6 from Watchman's Secret) + 17 (3, 4, 6, 2, 2; from Silver Quill trait) = 42 Pass!
In this volume, Galmier discusses fewer dreams, but describes more of her own intricate and incomprehensible theories 'We see this again and again: what is below can't escape what is above.'
'The finest artisans all dream of the White Door in the end. I'm no artisan, only a scholar. I think there's a Secret that all these artisans know, but I think that Secret is only half the story.'
(Secret Knowledge Gained: Locksmith's Secret - The Knowledge of the Knock)
A Locksmith's Secret. Sooner or later, every locksmith has the Dream. Now we recite its seven phases... [Nearly every summoning rite requires Knock influence. This lore will provide it.] (Knowledge 1, Power 2)
In addition, because of the analysis of the author's reflections on serious topics, the influence of Enlightenment has advanced to the Bright Enlightenment step, and will from the next turn (+10 to Study rolls. If it fails, it may turn into a Fascination) 2 Lv.
[X] (M) There is knowledge in words 2. A mind is a useful tool. Especially when the path to greatness involves comprehending the Secret Knowledge. To better understand them, to gather them into a single mosaic, decipher them, and perhaps to find new ones - one should keep this tool sharply honed. There were some of your parents' old school textbooks left in the home library, and the articles found on the Internet are still relevant. Requires 1 pass, 60% chance of success. (On completion of +1 mind action, increase in erudition)
Required: 40. Roll: 22 + 5 (Enlightenment) + 10 (Last time almost worked) = 37 Minor Failure.
Your efforts to develop your mind have once again hit some kind of limit, in exactly the same way as the last time. Perhaps you are doing something wrong? Or is fatigue making itself felt?
You feel it's probably worth a little distraction before the next attempt. Change your perspective on the problem, or take a new approach... Either way, it's a matter of the future.
Conversation:
[X] (P) Interesting rumors. Going back to school, you can't help but wonder how many potential followers are within its inhospitable walls. And, of course, it never hurts to know what kind of relationship the factions are arriving in right now. Listen to the chatter here, ask a few leading questions there... there's a chance to learn something interesting. Requires 1 pass, chance of success 60%/???%.
Required: 35/??. Roll: 70 x 0.5 (Emotional Fountain) + 10 (Wild Imagination) + 12 (+ 3d6 (1, 5, 6) Ecdysiast's Parable) = 57 Pass.
Like a true social butterfly, you gently flit from one group of students to the next. The mangled English of the Asian immigrants is replaced by the street lingo of the docks, which, in turn, is the usual but crude language of the natives of more affluent neighborhoods. No one pays any attention to you, taking you for a part of the neighborhood, but that's normal, that's how it should be.
After a while, you manage to catch on to a curious rumor... A certain Adam Green, having failed to qualify for the Math Olympiad (second place, to be exact), is absolutely convinced that you have somehow cheated, and intends to expose the alleged cheating. At least in words.
Taking a moment during your lunch break, you watch this hypothetical source of trouble for a while. At first glance, the skinny nerd with the huge glasses doesn't seem like a threat, but the sharpness of his gestures and the glint in his eyes suggest that he may well be an asset, not a problem. Still, it's always nice to talk to an intelligent man, and since he's so interested in your cheating, it might be worth introducing him to a couple of methods.
(Recruitment candidate received)
Travel:
[Х] (P) Streets Strange by Moonlight. Sometimes the moonlight becomes the key. You meet an alley where for one or two nights the streets change their direction and lead to an unfamiliar place. If you go there, you might find secret knowledge - or feel a touch of madness.
Requires 1 pass, 70%/50%/20% chance of success. Disappears after 2 turns.
Required: 30/50/80. Roll: 94 x 0.5 (Emotional Fountain) + 10 (Wild Imagination) + 13 (+ 3d6 (2, 5, 6) Ecdysiast's Parable) = 70 Pass.
After properly equipping yourself and warning Linda that you'll be back late, you set out to explore the sinister tangle of streets under the light of the moon.
Finding the right spot in the gathering twilight, you dive into tangled alleys that clearly don't belong in a town like Brockton Bay. It's too young for such cramped streets, not to mention the ups and downs that are nowhere to be found in the flat, table-like terrain of the Bay Area.
Gradually you fall into a kind of trance. Visions replace one another with the leisurely grace of pavanilla dancers (you don't even know what pavanilla is, but the thought seems only right): a window over the forest, an icy garden, the shivering sun, a glass woman. You don't feel like going home.
(Obtained Contentment influence. To be spent next turn.)
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