Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Someone knocks several time on the door of your room, and as you open the door, a sailor stands in front of you.
<The captain wants to talk to all the passenger on the deck>
He doesn't says anything else as he proceeds to the next rooms, knocking and informing the other passengers in the same manner. It's early morning, the air is chilling and you are still sleepy, but nonetheless you put something on and make your way up the stairs leading to the meeting point. As you pass the door leading to the deck, turning your head to your left, your eyes are greeted by an astonishing landscape: a broken mountain range. A long series of mountain arranged along a seemingly straight line, almost as to form a natural barrier, shattered in one point, leaving what seems to be a passage to another different sea.
You are tempted to remain here, looking at the wonder of nature, but a rough voice grabs the attention of all the people on the deck.
<So you guys are the newcomers, eh?>
A man is standing on a platform, looking down on all the passengers, and from how he's dressed, you can guess that he's the captain. He's tall and well-built, a testament to his harsh sea lifestyle, and he has probably seen his fair share during his life, as his many scars attest to.
<I'm Norach, captain of this ship, and as such I'm here to inform you that we are now officially entering the waters of New Moon and will arrive at Marittima's docks before noon.> He turns around, giving the impression that he's leaving, but then he turns around again and resumes his speech <You thought that was all? If so, then maybe you all should just return home, yer too naive for those dangerous lands. Back in the day i also was an adventurer, and even if now i'm retired i still work for the Guild, back on the island. What is my work, if i'm never there? Use your head for a bit and you'll understand.><My work is to teach you noobies all you need to know before setting foot on land, so you'll be able to tell the difference between ass and pass, so open your ears and listen> The captain looks around to make sure all are listening, as he won't repeat his babbling a second time. <I don't know from where you come from or why you came here, or what you heard about this place, but I'll tell you this.>
<Yes, in this land it's possible to become immortal>
Those words predictably cause a stir in the crowd, however the captain refuses to yield and shushes everyone before continuing. <Becoming immortal doesn't mean you're invincible, and it also doesn't mean that you won't get your ass shot off. If you're killed, you will die. You will undoubtedly die, and feel all the pain of the event, however instead of moving on to whatever afterlife and gods you swear to you'll find yourself back at the main portal to the city. The founder and leader of our guild, Sir Elbait, was part of the group of explorers to first arrive, and during his adventures he found a certain artifact that can directly interfere with the soul of a person bonded to it. It's a complicated matter, and even if you studied magic for the rest of yer lives you'll probably only understand the basics of how it lights up. If you really want to know how things works you're free to do so, but i think you'll just waste your time>
<Don't even bother asking me, I'm just a seaman and know jack about hocus-pocus. The point remains that if someone receives the Artifact's blessing, when he or she is killed they'll just return to the city>
The hardy sailor surveys the crowd for a moment before grimacing, having found what he expected. <Don't any of you bother to try and steal it either. No one on the island but Sir Elbait knows where it's stashed, and he ain't a man anyone can beat down. No one's seen the bloody thing anyway either. That mystery's something no one has cracked yet, so you greedy idiots will be in for a hell of a time just trying to figure WHAT it is in the first place, though as said before, nobody will stop you from trying.>
The man sighs, which prompts the erratic thought if he too was one of the countless many that tried and failed to steal it.
<Now to the next item on the list. The fools trying to flee with their souls still bonded will turn to ash on leaving the island. Me and my crew would be mighty appreciative if none of you newcomers try and be as stupid as those men; it leaves a mess no one wants to sweep up!>
He tries to joke about it, but from his expression it's clear that it's not something he want to see again. His expression also tell that he's resigned himself that someone will still try again as well. <If you're itching to leave the island, go to the guild's building and get unbounded. You won't be immortal anymore, but you can go wherever you want, just like me>
<Something else. Since the first explorers first came to the island, interaction with the natives has been rather shaky.
More often than not there were conflicts and wars, but every time we have shown them who's the boss. The guild managed to arrange a cease-fire recently, so everyone's on edge waiting to see if the fighting starts up again. Again, I'd appreciate it if none of you go around causing trouble and setting off a war.>
<The locals are divided in two main groups, the Sha and the Aisu. The Sha live to the desert south-west, where their capital city Huo is. They look like elves with a redder skin and some feline looks, like a tiger. Their lands are sandy and their cities exotic, too bad that their temper is as hot as the temperature of their town>
<Meanwhile the Aisu live in snowy Shimo, directly on the opposite end of the island in the north-west. They're also like elves, but instead they're pasty white and have wolf traits. Their old capital was in a warmer place, but in the last centuries they've settled in a small snowy valley surrounded by icy hills and mountains. You might be able to get them to be more amicable, but don't be fooled: they hardly trust anyone outside of their race, and never forget grudges>
<Be them from either tribe, the ones living inside their cities are unfriendly with both foreigners and their rival tribe. We have a few of em both living in Marittima, our lovely maritime town, but at best they're barely cordial and at the worst condescending, but not violent, usually.>
<Since you'll become immortal, I don't think I have to warn you about any of the island critters. You can find out for yourselves. Just remember that you will still need to eat and sleep, so be sure to keep yourself healthy. Ah, i was about to forget. The island is full of majestic mountains and cliffs, and awesome landscapes to see... if it wasn't for those cursed jumpers. I really don't get why, but some of your predecessors like to get high by jumping down from the highest places they can find, those idiots>
<Now for the last. First of all, before we dock and enter the island boundary, I'll grant you all the artifact blessing with these pebbles. They've been infused with the Artifact's energy before ya start asking, and all ya need to do is touch em to receive the mojo. They won't last long either so don't pilfer any of em.>
<You all shouldn't have any problems with the bureaucracy, but should any problem arise, come to the Adventurer's Guild main building, as it works both as a guild and as an embassy for whoever comes to this place. Once you are on the island, you are free to go wherever you want as long as ya got the clearance for it. The city gates are sealed, so the only way to go out of Marittima is by using the portals in the guild building. They are connected to both the capitals and the "exploration spots", dungeons sounds much better, so you don't have to waste time traveling around on foot. Still, if you want to walk around from one place to another, first you have to go out of Marittima. Other towns's gate are open, so if you want to take a stroll in the wild nobody will stop you>
<Now, if any of ya needs any more information, I'll refer ya to the lovely ladies at the guild building. That should be all. You can go rest, i'll get some sailors to inform you before we arrive> The captain takes a deep swig of rum from his canteen at this point, effectively ending the conference. Already in the distance you can spot the outline of Ancient Towers, reaching towards the sky. Seeing the monument gets your heart racing, but they're not the only things catching your interests, as in the horizon is possible to see the far mountains surrounding the inlet sea that the ship is actually passing through.
Someone knocks several time on the door of your room, and as you open the door, a sailor stands in front of you.
<The captain wants to talk to all the passenger on the deck>
He doesn't says anything else as he proceeds to the next rooms, knocking and informing the other passengers in the same manner. It's early morning, the air is chilling and you are still sleepy, but nonetheless you put something on and make your way up the stairs leading to the meeting point. As you pass the door leading to the deck, turning your head to your left, your eyes are greeted by an astonishing landscape: a broken mountain range. A long series of mountain arranged along a seemingly straight line, almost as to form a natural barrier, shattered in one point, leaving what seems to be a passage to another different sea.
You are tempted to remain here, looking at the wonder of nature, but a rough voice grabs the attention of all the people on the deck.
<So you guys are the newcomers, eh?>
A man is standing on a platform, looking down on all the passengers, and from how he's dressed, you can guess that he's the captain. He's tall and well-built, a testament to his harsh sea lifestyle, and he has probably seen his fair share during his life, as his many scars attest to.
<I'm Norach, captain of this ship, and as such I'm here to inform you that we are now officially entering the waters of New Moon and will arrive at Marittima's docks before noon.> He turns around, giving the impression that he's leaving, but then he turns around again and resumes his speech <You thought that was all? If so, then maybe you all should just return home, yer too naive for those dangerous lands. Back in the day i also was an adventurer, and even if now i'm retired i still work for the Guild, back on the island. What is my work, if i'm never there? Use your head for a bit and you'll understand.><My work is to teach you noobies all you need to know before setting foot on land, so you'll be able to tell the difference between ass and pass, so open your ears and listen> The captain looks around to make sure all are listening, as he won't repeat his babbling a second time. <I don't know from where you come from or why you came here, or what you heard about this place, but I'll tell you this.>
<Yes, in this land it's possible to become immortal>
Those words predictably cause a stir in the crowd, however the captain refuses to yield and shushes everyone before continuing. <Becoming immortal doesn't mean you're invincible, and it also doesn't mean that you won't get your ass shot off. If you're killed, you will die. You will undoubtedly die, and feel all the pain of the event, however instead of moving on to whatever afterlife and gods you swear to you'll find yourself back at the main portal to the city. The founder and leader of our guild, Sir Elbait, was part of the group of explorers to first arrive, and during his adventures he found a certain artifact that can directly interfere with the soul of a person bonded to it. It's a complicated matter, and even if you studied magic for the rest of yer lives you'll probably only understand the basics of how it lights up. If you really want to know how things works you're free to do so, but i think you'll just waste your time>
<Don't even bother asking me, I'm just a seaman and know jack about hocus-pocus. The point remains that if someone receives the Artifact's blessing, when he or she is killed they'll just return to the city>
The hardy sailor surveys the crowd for a moment before grimacing, having found what he expected. <Don't any of you bother to try and steal it either. No one on the island but Sir Elbait knows where it's stashed, and he ain't a man anyone can beat down. No one's seen the bloody thing anyway either. That mystery's something no one has cracked yet, so you greedy idiots will be in for a hell of a time just trying to figure WHAT it is in the first place, though as said before, nobody will stop you from trying.>
The man sighs, which prompts the erratic thought if he too was one of the countless many that tried and failed to steal it.
<Now to the next item on the list. The fools trying to flee with their souls still bonded will turn to ash on leaving the island. Me and my crew would be mighty appreciative if none of you newcomers try and be as stupid as those men; it leaves a mess no one wants to sweep up!>
He tries to joke about it, but from his expression it's clear that it's not something he want to see again. His expression also tell that he's resigned himself that someone will still try again as well. <If you're itching to leave the island, go to the guild's building and get unbounded. You won't be immortal anymore, but you can go wherever you want, just like me>
<Something else. Since the first explorers first came to the island, interaction with the natives has been rather shaky.
More often than not there were conflicts and wars, but every time we have shown them who's the boss. The guild managed to arrange a cease-fire recently, so everyone's on edge waiting to see if the fighting starts up again. Again, I'd appreciate it if none of you go around causing trouble and setting off a war.>
<The locals are divided in two main groups, the Sha and the Aisu. The Sha live to the desert south-west, where their capital city Huo is. They look like elves with a redder skin and some feline looks, like a tiger. Their lands are sandy and their cities exotic, too bad that their temper is as hot as the temperature of their town>
<Meanwhile the Aisu live in snowy Shimo, directly on the opposite end of the island in the north-west. They're also like elves, but instead they're pasty white and have wolf traits. Their old capital was in a warmer place, but in the last centuries they've settled in a small snowy valley surrounded by icy hills and mountains. You might be able to get them to be more amicable, but don't be fooled: they hardly trust anyone outside of their race, and never forget grudges>
<Be them from either tribe, the ones living inside their cities are unfriendly with both foreigners and their rival tribe. We have a few of em both living in Marittima, our lovely maritime town, but at best they're barely cordial and at the worst condescending, but not violent, usually.>
<Since you'll become immortal, I don't think I have to warn you about any of the island critters. You can find out for yourselves. Just remember that you will still need to eat and sleep, so be sure to keep yourself healthy. Ah, i was about to forget. The island is full of majestic mountains and cliffs, and awesome landscapes to see... if it wasn't for those cursed jumpers. I really don't get why, but some of your predecessors like to get high by jumping down from the highest places they can find, those idiots>
<Now for the last. First of all, before we dock and enter the island boundary, I'll grant you all the artifact blessing with these pebbles. They've been infused with the Artifact's energy before ya start asking, and all ya need to do is touch em to receive the mojo. They won't last long either so don't pilfer any of em.>
<You all shouldn't have any problems with the bureaucracy, but should any problem arise, come to the Adventurer's Guild main building, as it works both as a guild and as an embassy for whoever comes to this place. Once you are on the island, you are free to go wherever you want as long as ya got the clearance for it. The city gates are sealed, so the only way to go out of Marittima is by using the portals in the guild building. They are connected to both the capitals and the "exploration spots", dungeons sounds much better, so you don't have to waste time traveling around on foot. Still, if you want to walk around from one place to another, first you have to go out of Marittima. Other towns's gate are open, so if you want to take a stroll in the wild nobody will stop you>
<Now, if any of ya needs any more information, I'll refer ya to the lovely ladies at the guild building. That should be all. You can go rest, i'll get some sailors to inform you before we arrive> The captain takes a deep swig of rum from his canteen at this point, effectively ending the conference. Already in the distance you can spot the outline of Ancient Towers, reaching towards the sky. Seeing the monument gets your heart racing, but they're not the only things catching your interests, as in the horizon is possible to see the far mountains surrounding the inlet sea that the ship is actually passing through.
CS
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Name: Velma
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Entertainer (Merchant)/Cleric (Witch)
Appearance:
Background:
A shrewd business woman at heart, Velma is a manipulative woman who spent her youth in the markets of her home city accompanying her uncle. She learned the tools of the trade from watching him collect piles of coins from innocent travelers. His master over wordplay inspired the young girl to emulate him when she grew. She started off assisting her uncle, sweeping up around his shop and greeting customers as she reached womanhood. Flowering into a curvacious young woman and showing an immense talent for bargaining she did everything in her power to rake in money hand over fist. From having some thugs vandalize a competitor to slipping between the sheets of a supplier to gain better stock, she did what was needed. Eventually she took over the shop for her uncle.
Finding friends in low places, Velma did all she could to get a leg up on the competition in her city. She even took to bribing the local witch coven to teach her their dark magics for a reasonable chunk of wealth. Eventually she had expanded from her crappy general store, operation several shops and doing long distance trade with caravans whom docked in her area. As accomplished as she was, the young woman had a thirst for opportunity. When news of the immortal lands came upon her she immediately chartered a ship to the islands to prey on the less savvy with her mercantile skills and maybe cement her lifespan for the rest of time.
Inventory:
Voodoo Doll
Stiletto Dagger
Fine Clothing
Several sacks of coin
Several pounds of fine spices
Strength: 1 (-4)
Agility: 4 (-1)
Endurance: 3 (-2)
Intelligence: 8 (+3)
Perception: 5
Willpower: 4 (-1)
Charisma: 10 (+5)
Appearance: 10 (+5)
Health: 6
Base Damage: 1
Base Magical Damage: 4
Skills:
Dark Charm - Uses the dark arts to charm an opponent, temporarily binding him to the character's will. Reaction of the opponent upon release of the spell might vary depending on various factors
[If the result of the d20 plus intelligence is higher than 10, the opponent is charmed. If the result is 20 or higher, the opponent is enslaved. Every turn a d20 will be rolled for every charmed opponent, and if the result is 10 or less, the opponent will break free of the spell. The enslaved opponents can't break free until the character herself frees them (usually). Using the voodoo doll and something from the opponent's body might add further bonuses, but increase casting time]
Hot Trades - The character makes use of her looks in an attempt to end trades and negotiations in her favor. Sometimes might backfire on her, though.
[If the result of the d20 plus appearance is higher than 10, any type of transaction will end as the character wants. If the result is 20 or higher things will go too well, and the other party might attempt to get into the character skirt]
Shrewd Merchant - Being in the business for so many years has made you more receptive towards other's true intentions while trading.
[Passive: +1 to perception rolls during commercial transactions]
Features:
Enchantress: Velma, despite her lack of dedication to the arts is a talented magic user. Her spells and charms are very potent in comparison to some.
+2 to magical damage done
+2 modifier to Dark Charm's periodical rolls
+2 damage received from magical sources
Manipulator: Being that her entire trade revolves around subtly manipulating people with kind words and smoky eyes, Velma is a very diplomatic person who knows how to get exactly what she wants.
+2 to social interactions with most people (from 3 to 8 intelligence)
-2 to social interactions with extremely stupid or extremely intelligent people (1, 2, 9 or 10 intelligence)
Air of Nobility: Something about Velma makes her a very desirable contact. The way she holds herself and acts makes people around her want to please her, to be on her good side, to follow her wishes.
Easier to gain and to lose reputation with factions.
Sexual Preference: +Oral, Being on top, Paizuri, Big Cocks / -Forced, Animal, Anything involving the bathroom, BDSM
Name: Velma
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Entertainer (Merchant)/Cleric (Witch)
Appearance:
Background:
A shrewd business woman at heart, Velma is a manipulative woman who spent her youth in the markets of her home city accompanying her uncle. She learned the tools of the trade from watching him collect piles of coins from innocent travelers. His master over wordplay inspired the young girl to emulate him when she grew. She started off assisting her uncle, sweeping up around his shop and greeting customers as she reached womanhood. Flowering into a curvacious young woman and showing an immense talent for bargaining she did everything in her power to rake in money hand over fist. From having some thugs vandalize a competitor to slipping between the sheets of a supplier to gain better stock, she did what was needed. Eventually she took over the shop for her uncle.
Finding friends in low places, Velma did all she could to get a leg up on the competition in her city. She even took to bribing the local witch coven to teach her their dark magics for a reasonable chunk of wealth. Eventually she had expanded from her crappy general store, operation several shops and doing long distance trade with caravans whom docked in her area. As accomplished as she was, the young woman had a thirst for opportunity. When news of the immortal lands came upon her she immediately chartered a ship to the islands to prey on the less savvy with her mercantile skills and maybe cement her lifespan for the rest of time.
Inventory:
Voodoo Doll
Stiletto Dagger
Fine Clothing
Several sacks of coin
Several pounds of fine spices
Strength: 1 (-4)
Agility: 4 (-1)
Endurance: 3 (-2)
Intelligence: 8 (+3)
Perception: 5
Willpower: 4 (-1)
Charisma: 10 (+5)
Appearance: 10 (+5)
Health: 6
Base Damage: 1
Base Magical Damage: 4
Skills:
Dark Charm - Uses the dark arts to charm an opponent, temporarily binding him to the character's will. Reaction of the opponent upon release of the spell might vary depending on various factors
[If the result of the d20 plus intelligence is higher than 10, the opponent is charmed. If the result is 20 or higher, the opponent is enslaved. Every turn a d20 will be rolled for every charmed opponent, and if the result is 10 or less, the opponent will break free of the spell. The enslaved opponents can't break free until the character herself frees them (usually). Using the voodoo doll and something from the opponent's body might add further bonuses, but increase casting time]
Hot Trades - The character makes use of her looks in an attempt to end trades and negotiations in her favor. Sometimes might backfire on her, though.
[If the result of the d20 plus appearance is higher than 10, any type of transaction will end as the character wants. If the result is 20 or higher things will go too well, and the other party might attempt to get into the character skirt]
Shrewd Merchant - Being in the business for so many years has made you more receptive towards other's true intentions while trading.
[Passive: +1 to perception rolls during commercial transactions]
Features:
Enchantress: Velma, despite her lack of dedication to the arts is a talented magic user. Her spells and charms are very potent in comparison to some.
+2 to magical damage done
+2 modifier to Dark Charm's periodical rolls
+2 damage received from magical sources
Manipulator: Being that her entire trade revolves around subtly manipulating people with kind words and smoky eyes, Velma is a very diplomatic person who knows how to get exactly what she wants.
+2 to social interactions with most people (from 3 to 8 intelligence)
-2 to social interactions with extremely stupid or extremely intelligent people (1, 2, 9 or 10 intelligence)
Air of Nobility: Something about Velma makes her a very desirable contact. The way she holds herself and acts makes people around her want to please her, to be on her good side, to follow her wishes.
Easier to gain and to lose reputation with factions.
Sexual Preference: +Oral, Being on top, Paizuri, Big Cocks / -Forced, Animal, Anything involving the bathroom, BDSM
The travel has been pretty uneventful, at least until some hours ago, when the captain of the ship gathered all the passengers on the deck and gave some pointers about the island. Maybe now you understand things a bit better, or maybe not, but a thing is sure: after you got infused with the Artifact power... you don't feel that anything has changed. It's like it never happened. The captain said that now you can't be die... no, to be exact, you can be killed, but you'll somehow find yourself back inside the city. Since you have to die to find out if that's the truth, for now you can't do anything to confirm what he was saying.
After receiving the Artifact's blessing you've been given a strange magical crystal apparently named "Magical Tracker", some local currency and a guidebook. You spend your time as you see fit, and after one hour a sailor knocks on your door, informing you that the ship is docking and you'll have to get off soon.
And so here you are, finally down on the dock, ready to set off towards... wherever you want to go. You started this journey because you wanted to expand your business and, if possible, obtain an eternal life, but now that you are there, what will you do? Well, probably first thing first you might want to check if your cargo of goods arrived, and if it arrived, in what warehouse is, or you might want to see how's business in this area, but you could even just forget everything for today and relax yourself, so... what will you do?
Status
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Velma
Money:
100 F
88 Gold Coins
Weapon:
Stiletto Dagger - Rank F
+1 Damage Dealt
Armor:
Cloth - Rank F
-0 Damage Received
Belongings:
Voodoo Doll - Rank F
Warehouse:
1x Cargo of Rare Spices - Rank F
Velma
Money:
100 F
88 Gold Coins
Weapon:
Stiletto Dagger - Rank F
+1 Damage Dealt
Armor:
Cloth - Rank F
-0 Damage Received
Belongings:
Voodoo Doll - Rank F
Warehouse:
1x Cargo of Rare Spices - Rank F
New Moon Map:
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Marittima Map:
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Externals:
Internals:
Externals:
Internals: