Jasper turned to the next entry on the list.
Messenger of the Sacred Flame - Armed with a slew of spells and a trusty blade, the Messenger of the Sacred Flame always has some tool to deal with his foes, whether by fight or flight. An extremely versatile class, the Messenger is a variant of the Explorer class. The class provides a 10% bonus to inspiration, willpower, and endurance when fighting with four or fewer allies, a 30% bonus to the damage of daggers and swords, and quadruples the experience earned whenever you kill a new type of foe.
Note: All current spells and bonuses may be retained, and three new spells or skills will be selected.
Unlocked Stats - Strength, Endurance, Vision, Inspiration, Willpower, Charisma
While the description wasn’t great, Jasper had toyed around with an Explorer character in the game before eventually re-rolling so he had a pretty good idea of what this class would look like. Basically a spellsword with a lot of bonuses orientated toward stealth and healing, the messenger would be a pretty safe pick, but it didn’t really call his name. Moving on.
Priest of the Sacred Flame - A holy warrior of the light, the Priest of the Sacred Flame eschews physical violence, embracing instead the all-consuming power of the hidden fire. For every two points you invest in Inspiration or Willpower a free point will be added.
Note: Although this class is incapable of using Stamina-based spells or abilities, the Stamina pool can be used to cast Essence-based spells. Two (2) currently known spells are incompatible with this class. If this class is selected, replacements for these spells will be provided.
Unlocked Stats - Strength, Endurance, Vision, Inspiration, Willpower, Devotion
Priest? Jasper had never really given much thought to the name of his class. He supposed an acolyte was a term for an initiate priest, but his class had never felt remotely religious. He wasn’t even exactly sure what the “Sacred Flame” was, but he had certainly never been asked to worship it.
He wanted to reject it out of hand, the religious aspect thoroughly unappealing, but Jasper had to admit that the bonus seemed especially strong. A free point in inspiration and willpower for every two invested was pretty hard for a mage to pass up.
“Kas̆dael?”
He didn’t even need to voice his question. She just shook her head. “I would prefer you not to select that class.”
Doubt bubbled in the pit of his stomach. “The Sacred Flame…it isn’t something bad, is it? There’s just something about the ‘all-consuming power’ that sounds a bit - I don’t know - crazy?”
She didn’t bother to hide her surprise. “Of course not. Do you think I would have arranged for you to receive a starting class from a dark god? The Sacred Flame is simply another name for the original god of the Djinn, one now all but forgotten.”
“The original god - do you mean Nūr?”
He frowned as she nodded. “But Shamsha's a good guy, isn't he? Why don't you want me to take this class?”
Kas̆dael's eyes darkened slightly. “Is that really a mystery? You are mine. I might share you with my sister, but certainly not with her husband.”
Suddenly feeling very awkward, Jasper dropped his eyes back to the list. O-kay.
Priest of Selene. He didn’t even bother to read the rest of the description, glancing up at Kas̆dael with a wry grin. “Let me guess, not this one.”
“Not this one,” she agreed amiably. He skipped to the next, wrinkling his brow as he read the name. Heir of Zaginnu. The name didn't ring a bell. Some sort of ancestor? Curious, he read on.
Though the Djinn are counted amongst the oldest races of the land, the Children of Shamsha were not always of this world, once walking beneath the light of another sun. Preserved in the sacred gis̆ātu trees, the spirit of that world lives on in the hearts of the chosen. A mage-oriented class, the heir of Zaginnu relies on powerful fire and plant-based spells. The class provides a 25% bonus to strength, endurance, inspiration, willpower, and light when in combat during daylight.
Note: While Essence and Stamina Spells can still be cast by this class, the primary mana pool for the Heir of Zaginnu is Nuska (governed by willpower and light). If selected, you will have the opportunity to reinvest points from willpower or inspiration into your new stat.
Unlocked Stats - Strength, Endurance, Inspiration, Willpower, Charisma, Light
“Damn,” he whistled.“That’s quite the list of bonuses.There’s no negatives for fighting at night, right - just a buff during the day?”
Kas̆dael shrugged. “This class is a favorite among the Djinn's royal house, and they are hardly weak. If they had a vulnerablity at night, I imagine that weakness would have been known and exploited long ago.”
“Alright, so that’s a definite possibility, then.” He turned to the next entry on the list.
The Bloodied Blade of M3tas̆@mîm. A shiver ran down his spine. This again? It seemed that the shadow they had encountered beneath Dūr-Yarha was determined to not let him go. He didn’t bother to read the entry, not even wanting to know what the dark power offered. The next entry was only a little more palatable.
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The Winnowing Fire - The dark grows ever stronger; daily its tendrils snare the heart of young and old, rich and poor alike, luring them onto forbidden paths. Embrace the winnowing fire and burn the darkness from their hearts. The Winnowing Fire is a combat-oriented Inquisitor class. Class provides a 20% bonus to fire damage, and 40% bonus damage when fighting worshippers of a dark god. It also unlocks a new mechanic, Dread which scales off charisma.
Note: All current spells and bonuses may be retained, and three new spells or skills will be selected.
Unlocked Stats - Strength, Endurance, Vision, Inspiration, Willpower, Charisma.
He frowned as he read through the description. He had only reluctantly accepted an inquisitor class in the first place, and the existence of a mechanic called “dread” did little to change his opinion of their nature. But he had fought more than his share of cultists already and, given his connection to Kas̆dael, he couldn’t entirely dismiss the useful choice. Please let there be a better option.
He was surprised when he saw the next entry was once again named for the Sacred Flame.
Pilgrim of the Sacred Flame - While the Djinns’ days of wandering have long been left behind, their nomadic past has never been forgotten. The Pilgrim is equally at home on horse or on foot and specializes in spells, glaives, and swords. The class receives a 10% bonus to endurance, inspiration, and willpower when fighting alone or in groups of less than ten and is guaranteed to receive a healing spell.
Note: All current spells and bonuses may be retained, and three new spells or skills will be selected.
Unlocked Stats - Strength, Endurance, Vision, Inspiration, Willpower, Charisma.
While the bonuses weren’t amazing, the flexibility was appealing. Jasper loved the idea of a cavalry class in theory, but the reality was that a significant part of his combat thus far had been in buried cities and caverns deep beneath the ground, and he wasn’t really sure how that would work with a mount. The last thing he needed was to be regularly debuffed for fighting on the wrong terrain.
But he wasn’t at the end of the list yet.
Royal Dragoon - While the Firebirds represent the elite of the southern tribes’ armies, the dragoons are no less respected. Capable of fighting on horse or on foot, the dragoon remains primarily magic focused. Often utilized as scouts, dragoons receive a 25% fire damage bonus when fighting alone or in small groups, and receive the signature skill, Dragonbreath.
Note: In addition to stamina and essence spells, the Royal Dragoon, if one satisfies certain conditions, is also able to unlock gilding. All current spells and bonuses may be retained, and three new spells or skills will be selected.
Unlocked Stats - Strength, Endurance, Vision, Inspiration, Willpower, Charisma.
As he read over the description, Jasper realized that it covered almost everything he had wanted. Even the signature skill, Dragonbreath, sounded like the trick he had used a few times and, perhaps, if it was a proper skill, it wouldn’t barbecue his mouth every damn time.
The possibility of unlocking gilding was nice, too. The magic, which scaled off of charisma plus strength, was mostly used for buffs or illusions, so it wasn’t crucial that he unlock it, but a little flexibility never hurt anyone. That meant there really only two choices he was interested in: Royal Dragoon or Heir of Zaginnu. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to throw Pilgrim in there too.
The choice was too hard, and he stood frozen in indecision for quite some time. The bonuses offered by the Heir were almost too good to pass up, but Jasper wasn’t particularly interested in plant magic. Meanwhile, the bonuses offered by Royal Dragoon were, by contrast, almost underwhelming, but they played into his natural strength - fire - and the idea of a mounted class was intriguing. And then there was Pilgrim, which seemed a very solid jack-of-all-trades option. In a game, those sorts of classes were rarely optimal, but in the real world, having a useful tool for every situation and a guaranteed healing spell might just be the difference between living and dying. It was an impossible choice.
He had no idea how long he had been standing there when Kas̆dael finally reached the end of her patience. “Do you intend to make a decision at some point before I end the universe?”
He rolled his shoulders exaggeratedly, meeting her gaze with a rueful grin. “Nope. I want to pick Dragoon, but the Heir of Zaginnu just seems better. If this was just a game, I’d pick what I wanted and not worry about it, but this is my life now. Picking a potentially weaker choice just seems…well, stupid,” he admitted.
“Perhaps you’ve overlooked a better option,” she said with a smile.
“No?” His brow wrinkled as he looked back at the box. “I’ve read through all the-' His sentence fell unfinished as he noticed another entry below Royal Dragoon. That wasn't there. Was it? He glanced up at Kas̆dael in confusion. “Did you add this,” he demanded.
She smiled innocently, “Maybe you need to get your eyes checked.Go on now, why don’t you read it?”
Suffocating a sigh, he did as she said.
Watchman of Aldāru - Universes come and go, but Aldāru remains as a reliquary for the souls of all life. Few amongst the living can claim to have walked the sacred streets of Aldāru, and fewer still have crossed the bridge of the Dingiruggû to gazed upon the beauty of S̆uhruru, but you are counted among them. Take your place, Djinn, amongst the chosen few.
As a guardian of the dead, the watchman is skilled in both spirit and fire and famed for riding the feared tsusēkur. The class provides a 30% bonus to strength and endurance when mounted and a 30% bonus to inspiration, willpower, and intuition when in the dark.
Warning: Not all spells and stats currently known are compatible with this class. Substitutes will be provided.
Unlocked Stats: Strength, Endurance, Vision, Inspiration, Willpower, Intuition.
As soon as he had finished reading, he glanced up at Kas̆dael. “Well?” she asked, with an expectant smile.
“It sounds pretty cool,” he admitted.“But I’m not exactly clear what it does.It’s not some sort of a necromancer class, is it?”His nose wrinkled in disgust at the mere thought of being forced to mess around with zombies and corpses.
She laughed, a few of her ebony curls shaking free from her veil as she shook her head. “No, there will be no zombies involved, nor any other sort of dead that you can raise back to life or unlife. The watched is not a necromancer class, at least not in the normal meaning of the word, but it does have a number of skills that involve summoning ghosts.”
He chewed on the side of his lip absent-mindedly. “Just ghosts?”
She nodded. “You already have a skill that is shared with the class, Scourge of Despair, and there will be others like it.”
The thought reassured him. The spell was one of his new favorites and not remotely creepy - unless, of course, you considered summoning three hungry specters to feast on your enemies "creepy." “That doesn’t sound too bad then," he agreed. "I'm guessing this is the class you want me to choose?”
Kas̆dael nodded. “You are free to choose any of the classes - other than the Bloodied Blade of M3tas̆@mîm. Even the priest ones, much as it would upset me, are yours to choose, but this is the class I’d recommend. Not only is it the strongest, but it works well with the subclass I’ve already given you.”
Jasper paused with his hand over the button as he ran through the options one last time. But in the end, the choice was fairly simple. He’d trusted Kas̆dael thus far, so why ignore her advice now? Before he could second-guess his choice, he selected the Watchman of Aldāru.