Dominions: The Middle Ages [Tik]

[Deleted]

(The original thread, for those interested.)

(Sorry this is so late coming. I had a fair bit written yesterday, but then my laptop decided to reset itself, and I lost my progress. Kind of turned me off from writing for a little while.)

Name: Senry Gallans



Kingdom: Shinuyama



Magical Skills: 2 Points in Alteration, 1 in Enchanment



Inventory: Some food, a few bandages for his fists, a pair of magic crystals should he need to raise the undead, which Senry dislikes doing, and his teacher's old staff, the Ōgaiai, a staff made of wood painted red. At it's top is a crystal-like substance that looks eerily like an eye, but Senry has confirmed it is no more than an ordinary crystal of some sort. It's shaft is a straight piece of wood. Somewhere a little below the "eye" is a horizontal piece of wood from which hangs two paper lamps, one right of the staff and the other left. There are three more shorter vertical wood pieces that point to the lamps. The paint on the wood doesn't seem to fade, and the lamps and the staff in total seem impervious to any form of damage, as Senry has tested personally. According to his teacher, it came from Shinuyama and it's name means "Ogre Eye" in Shinuyama's native language.



Appearance: Senry is definitely human, and is a man well into his mid-twenties, and is very muscular and tall. His skin is somewhat tanned after expeditions with other mages and adventurers into lands such as Nazka and T'ein Ch'I, with numerous scars from his adventures, some from fights and some from spells gone wrong during his training. His knuckles are notably callous from continuous punching, even despite his use of spells like fists of iron. He wears worn leather boots with brown leggings and a tan shirt with an orange doublet on top. His fists are constantly wrapped with bandages to help protect them and he wears a leather strap to hold Ōgaiai for him. His face is very rough looking, with square jaw and very intimidatingly outlined features. He has light blue eyes and blonde hair.



Goal: His old teacher who invested time to teach a show brawler's boy magic has had a powerful magic staff passed down their family for the past thirteen generations, the Ōgaiai, a staff his teacher told him came from Shinuyama and it's name meant "Ogre Eye." In addition to the staff, the powerful story of the Ōgaiai and it's purpose were also passed through family, but his teacher would never tell Senry the story, and when his teacher succumbed to illness without a child of his own, Senry inherited the enigmatic staff without the story, and as this story was only ever told throughout the family orally, there were no written records of Ōgaiai's hidden past. With little to go on, Senry decided to journey to Shinuyama to see if the staff's homeland held the staff's secret.



With all those questions asked and answered, the mercenaries continue on their way, with you in tow. They go about their normal conversations on the road, and the air is filled with talking, muttering, murmuring, and the odd chuckle. A number of the mercenaries try to strike up conversations with you when they can, namely the old mage, who seems quite fascinated with your staff and what magic properties it might hold.


"After all," explains the mage "nothing with that sort of look and that sort of name is devoid of magic properties." 

Of course, neither you nor the mage could make hide nor hare of how to activate said magic properties, and eventually the old man lets it be, stating that; "Somebodies gotta know how to use that thing, but in the name of Sigbal, I'm not that somebody." 

If you're familiar with the pretenders and deities of the world, you might recognize Sigbal as the divine oak of Eriu, hinting that this mage might just have a little bit of elf blood in him. Unfortunately, he merges back into the rest of the group before you could possibly as him as such.

You find that the staff doesn't come up much in conversation after the mage leaves, save for the occasional question of how much it's worth. It seemed these gentlemen didn't much care about your staff, save for how much they could pawn it off for. For the most part, you're left to yourself for what remains of the journey. You may be traveling with the group, but it seems you're not quite well enough within the fold to be brought into conversations. This may or may not be bothersome, but regardless, your time on the road passes quickly. Eventually, evening comes, and darkness begins to creep over the silent and lonely plains of you travel. Your group rounds a hill, giving you a pleasant view of orange evening sky, but also, as a number of the men are quick to point out, a burning village in the distance. It's hard to see in detail from here, but you could see it well enough. A rather large looking settlement, not all that far from a mountain range, which seemed about thirty minutes away at a brisk pace. There was no mistaking the smoke that rose up from it; the whole place was burning to the ground. The mercenaries were quick to agree on a course of action; if we save the village, we'll get extra supplies and a place to lay our heads in what remains of the place. Worst case scenario, we end up sleeping on the ground again, which they'd be doing anyway if they decided to skip past the town. Quickly enough, the mercenaries gather their things and rush towards the village. 
 

[Tikobe]

I look at the rushing mercenaries. Oddly enough they seem like good samaritans, despite their intentions. I suppose we all expect a little something for our kindnesses, after all.

I look at the village and sigh. Normally I'd have moved on, I consider myself kindhearted but I'm also practical and there was no point in saving a village that was already burning. Rather, the risk in taking such a course of action wasn't worth the return, assuming that there was any return to be had at all.

However, that being said, my teacher did tell me to pay back our dues, and these mercenaries, regardless of their scarce company, have kept me somewhat occupied along the road, and the mage himself even offered assistance. If the mercenaries were so inclined to rescue this village, then by my own personal sense of honor and duty I shall help them. As such, I made haste when following them, on the lookout for what may have caused the village fire. Generally, especially when in the presence of a land ruled by beings such as the Bakemono, a fire wasn't a mere accident. More likely than not, there was a group of faces attached to the root cause.

[Deleted]

As the sun descended and darkness arrived, the burning village became an even brighter and clearer sight, even more so as you got closer. After about twenty-three minutes, a fair time by the normal estimate, the village almost seemed to shine. There was still shouting and screaming from within by the time you got there, but seemingly no efforts to put out the flame were being made. The mercenaries begin to spread out, rummaging through the ruins of what wasn't still on fire, and seeking anyone who might need assistance . The mage goes to work putting out the fires with a bit of water magic.

[Tikobe]

I shouldn't be surprised that people were abandoning the fires. The village was burning. The natural reaction was to worry about one's self and flee as far as they can. Or to freeze up and cry.

I didn't know any water magic so I couldn't aid the other wizard. I cast a protection from fire enchantment on myself if it was possible and head into the still burning areas. It was fruitless to help the mercenaries who were already crowding the few remaining safe areas of the village, so logically I should put my efforts into the areas they couldn't manage.

[Deleted]

Your fire protection works as expected, and you head into some of the hotter areas of the town to see what you could do. It doesn't take you long to discover the apex of the fire; the town hall, which was still consumed by an inferno much larger than one might expect from such a meager building. Upon looking around, you may notice some rather large animal tracks, almost like a wolf, but much larger then your average wolf.

[Tikobe]

(So, for reference, how long should I expect these spells to last? My character is designed to be experienced with using magic, so I thought it would be helpful to know such a thing)

Purely out of bad habit, I bite my thumb due to fear and anxiety. I wasn't expecting a beast to be involved. Troops, an army maybe, but not a beast. To begin with, a beast that could cause this kind of damage would not be an easy fight, but it definitely isn't something that the mercenaries would run from. An army of men would definitely have been something any smart man would turn from.

This wolf, without a doubt, was the cause of the fire. Any man could see that. But in all my adventures I failed to think what kind of an animal could do this. The obvious solution was that the fire was caused by the villagers in a panic, not the wolf itself. But what manner of beast could throw them into such a ruckus?

I look at the town hall. That doesn't fall into the villager panic theory. Obviously, any answer I want could be found in there. Taking my thumb out from beneath my teeth, I approach the building, slowly but carefully so I don't push my fire protection as well as alert anything dangerous.

[Deleted]

(A protection spell cast by a decently experienced mage should last about an hour.)

You move slowly and cautiously towards the town hall. The flames are quite hot, but with your fire protection on, you find them oddly... comfortable. You get close enough to peer inside and get a good look at what lies within, and your hair seems to stand on edge as you spot a giant wolf within. Its coat was something you had never seen before on a beast like this; orange. You might almost mistake it for a fox if you went off its fur alone. Aside from that, the beast seems to radiate heat, to a point where flame visibly surrounds it.

[Tikobe]

Tsk.

I fight the urge to bite my thumb. It was an animal, and a large one. One with properties that I, at least, have yet to have seen before. While I didn't worry too much about the heat it gave off due to my protection, was such an animal limited to fire? And what about attributes such as strength.

Regardless, this fire wolf was, most likely, the source of the fire. Upsetting as this was, it means the problem would be reduced to a degree by slaying the hound. But, being as this was a beast I had yet to see before and one that terrified me to no end, I needed to start by testing it out.

I begin by taking advantage of the fact it had not yet seen me by casting Quicken Self on myself and then, if I had the time and energy, follow by casting Earth Grip below the fire wolf.

[Deleted]

The ground and wood open up under the wolf, nearly partially swallowing it up. The beast awakens, and lets out a confused cry, before trying to force its way out of this newly cast entrapment. You'd best make your move now, before it can break free.

[Tikobe]

I run into the building, taking out the Ogaiai (Ignoring the accent cause convenience). I don't want to cast anymore spells to avoid wasting time on something potentially fruitless, so for now I'll depend on the three spells I have active right now.

I try to close distance with the trapped beast, putting my boosted speed to the test. As soon as I was close enough, I'd drive the butt of the Ogaiai right into the beast's eye as hard as I could in an attempt to break it's skull.

[Deleted]

Your slam the butt of your staff into the creature, and you can hear a distinctive 'crack' and you blind him and break his skull. The trauma doesn't seem like quite enough to kill the creature, however, as it just howls out in pain, and struggles even harder to break free.

The howl seems to have attracted a few of the nearby mercenaries, who run in moments after, and all unanimously exclaim "What the hell is that thing!?"

You've not enough chance to strike the beast as is, as it breaks free of your spell, jumping out from the pit within which it was trapped and flies into a berserk rage, charging and striking all about in an effort to kill its attackers before it can be killed.

[Tikobe]

Damn it! I hadn't expected the mercenaries to have gotten this far so quickly. If they were with me in the first place, I would've had time to place on the proper protections, but now they were completely undefended against this thing.

Acting as fast as I could, I cast a spell of False Fetters on the beast in hopes that it had enough sense to be restrained by an illusion, and tossed the Ogaiai to the mercenaries.

"Get out of here! It's a cornered beast, and something too threatening for you to take on right now. Get the mage, and anyone who can use a bow. It's best we keep our distance from this one!" I shout. I take a quick glance towards the roof to determine it's condition. It's a gamble, but I have a plan that might stall the animal long enough for the others to come and get ready.

[Deleted]

One of the mercenaries gets slammed against the wall by the power of the beasts strikes, and the others retreat quickly, taking your staff and going to get help. You're once again on your own against this colossal monster.

[Tikobe]

Alright, but what about the Fetters and the roof? That'd be seriously helpful to know about.

I run over to get the mercenary out of the beast's rampage, hoping that my Quicken Self doesn't wear off beforehand.

[Deleted]

You grab the mercenary and move him out of the way before the beast has a chance to finish him off. The whole building doesn't look particularly stable at the moment, the roof included, and it likely wouldn't take much more force to bring the whole place down.

[Tikobe]

Perfect!

I run over with the mercenary over to the entrance, and cast one final trick. I had hoped to kill him at the start and avoid this whole scenario, but now that that has failed looks like all I can do is delay it until help arrives.

I try to see if I can cast Enlarge on the wolf in hopes to use it's new size to make it impossible for the wolf to escape the building without it collapsing all over and injuring the wolf.

[Deleted]

Your spell works, and the beast grows to an immense size. You only catch a glimpse, however, as the building collapses in around him. You'd certainly better hope this has wounded or killed the beast though, as that spell tired you out quite a bit, and now you've got an even bigger fire wolf to deal with.

The rest of the mercenaries come running, all in with drawn swords, and wearing whatever armor they have. The man who you gave your staff too, jogs over and presents it back to, while a couple other men offer to take their unconscious comrade out of your arms.

[Tikobe]

Phew, saved.

"Alright guys, I'm spent. No magic I can cast, and no weapons to hit him with. For now, I'll just rest in the back and support you guys whenever I can, if I can, that is."

It certainly doesn't grant me any favors, but there was no getting around it. My mentor taught me to value myself above others in situations where there was nothing I can do. After all, I was raised to punch things, and there's no point in punching a giant wolf. Not unless I wanted to get his other eye but that wouldn't help in the slightest.

On the bright side, even if the mercenaries go melee, as long as they're careful there won't be too many casualties. Speaking from experience, it's difficult to proper gauge distance when you're larger, so it'd be easier for a person to dodge. And besides, even if I was wrong about this wolf, as long as they followed my earlier advice and kept their range from it, there shouldn't be too many injuries.

I run to the distance behind all of the mercenaries and keep on eye on the situation. They shouldn't loose, but just in case, I should be there to support them.

[Deleted]

The mercenaries seem fine with you needing to rest, and are perhaps used to it thanks to the mage who travels with them. They carry their fallen comrade, and offer you a shoulder to the back of group, farther away from the monster, as the mage begins to cast his spells, and the rest of the gang form up in attack positions. Not a moment passes when you arrive in the back before the monster bursts from the crumbled building, howling. Its body is bruised and broken, and its one fine fur is now caked in crimson. You can feel the intensity of its flame, even from your spot in the back, and it likely would have incinerated all of you had it not been for the flame protection spell that the merc mage cast. The group encircles the beast, poking and prodding at it to keep it in the center of the formation while the mage and the archers take shots at it. It strikes and claws at a couple of the mercs, but the creature is having some difficulty adjusting to its newfound size, and the mercs have little trouble dodging out of your way.

While this is going on, the blind boy runs up to you, alongside one of the larger men, carrying a glass of what appears to be water. He offers it to you.

[Tikobe]

"Ah, thank you," I smile. Everything worked out okay in the end. Now's time for relaxing. It is unfortunate that my original plan of ending it with it's guard down didn't work, but there's nothing I could do about that.

"So," I ask to the elder mercenary, "would you happen to know what manner of beast is this? Never seen anything like it before, and I've definitely seen a lot out in the world."

[Deleted]

The elder has a stern face, and a quiet voice. He pats the blind child on the head as he runs back his side.

"Dunno. Magical beasts aren't my thing. Probably a pet of some Oni or something." The man doesn't dally about with his words, and turns to pay attention to the battle at hand as soon as he's finished answering your question.

The water is certainly refreshing, but it's quite the odd situation you're in at the moment. Drinking and relaxing while you watch your companions battle a giant fire wolf, almost like something you'd read in some sort of joke book.

[Tikobe]

Well, if the bards who stalk adventurers can do it, why can't the mages who are exhausted after going one on one with things like that do it? This certainly isn't time I've had to do it, and it sure won't be last.

You know, that's an idea, I should've been a bard. I shouldn't have learned to fight for gamblers like my father or to cast magic like my teacher. Should've just said "Why not?" and picked up a lyre. Same adventures, lot more peaceful and less life threatening. All I'd need to do is spot some epic looking adventurer and then stalked him for days, months and maybe even years.

Oh well, no point in complaining about my life choices. If what that man said is true, this town's problems don't end with this fire hound. For all we know we didn't just save it, we may have made it a target. Perhaps I was too hasty in my attack of the creature. After all, if this village angers it's neighborly little Oni, what will that Oni do to it?

"Hey boy," I look to blind kid, "would you happen to have found someone who knows the Oni or the myths of Shinuyama well during this rescue?"

[Deleted]

The boy turns to you, and thinks for a moment, stroking his non-existent beard while doing so.

"The head of the village is still alive. He's pretty old, and old know know those kind of things. We left him over there, with the other people who lived."

The boy points to a large, somewhat intact building not too far from where you sit. A few ash covered faces are peering out, watching the fight.

[Tikobe]

I look at them, and then back at the battlefield.

"Well then come, young man. If what that man said was true and this beast is an Oni's pet, we're risking their spite. And this is their kingdom and their laws. So unless there's a purpose for a nearly powerless mage and a blind man on the battlefield, we're better off doing things so we don't get invaded by demons and goblins and what not in our sleep."

I finish the water and set it down before standing up and stretching a bit as I begin to head over to the survivors. I look back occasionally to see if the boy is following and to make sure he doesn't walk into a burning wall.

[Deleted]

The boy seems to have a good enough sense of hearing to follow you without crashing into anything. You and he arrive at the survivors, the eldest of which stands up, and greets you.

"I am Boten, elder of this village. We thank you for saving us, noble man."