06-12-2018, 12:11 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-12-2018, 12:25 AM by The-Pendragon.)
Here is something I banged out to provide some depth as to what happened when Vassago trained to level 2.
Game mechanics: He gained his Font of Power. Gained the spellpower Magic Missile and gained 8 hitpoints
Interlude:-
Somewhere in the woods near the outpost...during first night watch.
Vassago gazed into the darkness beyond the glow of the campfire behind him. The night as uneventful so far, and he amused himself watching the graceful stride of the Sylvan elf maid, Caelynn, moved almost inperceptably among the flickering shadows cast by the distant campfire. He smiled, drawing on his pipe-weed, as he saw her make effort to conceal her movements, yet she stood out in base relief to his dark adapted eyes, their inky blackness drinking in any and all light from the surrounding gloom. He mused that be she a rogue, he might have difficulty in seeing her stealthiness, but even then, her movements would betray her to a master of shadows like himself.
It had been a long and hard won ride to the outpost, especially when the hordes of the dead attacked the night before. He had been injured, nearly killed, and his shadowy ties to the realm of death had failed to spare him their scourging. Revived by this fair elf now striding through the shadowy wood, watching for foes, he at first perceived it was none other than the Queen herself come to protect him, but that glamour was replaced by the flaxen haired Druid's smiling face as his strength returned. It made him thoughtful...and he had begun this night turning over thoughts of the true mystery that lay ahead, as well as the machinations of his Lady-faire, who was acting agent through the healing magics of nature that Caelynn had used. Such pondering sought to maybe ferret out that this lithe elf before him might actually be the Raven Queen herself, in one of her many guises, but if so, why keep her presence a secret to him, one of her most trusted and loyal? The question nagged at him for sometime before he chuckled to himself absently. This was not the Queen, but a fellow adventurer, striving, like him to discover what had truly happened, and that he had let his imagination lead him astray.
Caelynn turned at the sound, and saw the dark shape leaning against a stump. "What is so amusing, Vassago?" her face drawn up in an inquisitive smirk.
"Nothing to matter your pretty head over, my lady." His voice carrying out from under the hood he wore. "Just the absent musings of this addled fool." His smile was visible below the shadow that covered his upper face. "Just woolgathering with no apparent objective." The glow from his pipe lit up his face as he drew in another breath.
The elf studied her friend for a moment. Then laughed as he pulled his hood off..and gathered up his mass of unruly hair and bound it in a train between his horns. She paused for a moment. Vassago was such an amicable person, one easily forgot he was a Tiefling. She had heard stories of the Accursed race, but Vassago was unlike those stories as one could get. Quick with a compliment, a joke, trick or pantomime, the rakish Sorceror was quite a showman, and she had come to think of his antics as amusing. She also found that she had come to think of him as a friend, something she would have been surprised to say six moons previous. No, Vassago was indeed not at all like those stories made Tieflings out to be. "You need to trim that tangle, my friend," she smiled anew, " before that black mane of yours surpasses even your skilled attempts to tame it."
Vassago sighed in exaggerated pantomime, drawing a giggle from the elf, "Such is my lot." he lamented half halfheartedly, "The power of the Shadows seems to have infused it even more than it has infused me." He fussed with is hair more, "And lets not get started on these...protuberances..." gesturing to the small low-set horns running from his forehead over the top of his crown. "Always in the way. Providing Anchors with in which it can get into d in such a moriass that I have to resort to the knife." He feigned exasperation. "What ever did my ancestor do that warranted this?"
Caelynn chuckled again, then resumed her patrol. The Zombie attack the previous night had taxed everyone to their limits and she was probably the only one who did not feel the fatigue the others felt, well except for that demented Drow. She had yet to fully trust the dark one, but he had never given her any chance to further her distrust, and he did fight with them as a fellow.
Once again, alone with his thoughts, Vassago watched the interplay of light and shadow as his mind wandered. His power over shadow had helped him blast down the shambling assailants last night, it was not enough, and he was defeated by the rotting ones. His shortcomings gnawed on him. He was powerful. That he knew, yet he had limitations. His skill with shadow was a waxing ideal, yet he felt at a loss as to where it would take him next. He sat and toyed absently with the flame in his pipe. He would have to unlock yet another mystery within him, yet he had no idea where to start.
"Why, at the beginning." a whispery seductive feminine voice filled his mind. "Really, Vassago, you can be so dense sometimes." The coy amusement in the voice assured him that the voice was just teasing him.
"So, you are there." he replied in his mind, "and here I thought you had forgotten me."
Laughter filled his mind, "Oh Vassago, I would never forget you." the chuckle in her voice evident, "Not you, my dear Shadow Given Form. Not ever." the voice paused, "Besides, you are embarked on the task I set before you, so I am paying close attention to you, my sweet."
He looked upward and about into the darkness, but could not make out any form he could discern. "Silly boy!" she chastised mockingly, "I am not there, nor anywhere close, as I do not need to be." she paused again, "The shadows stretch throughout the world itelf, and I can see and hear everything said or done in their presence." The mirth slipped a little, "The Raven Queen is the Mistress of Shadows. None can deny her."
"Forgive my insolence, my lady." Vassago quickly replied, "I just long for your beautiful face is all." He smiled impishly.
More laughter, "Oh you charmer, you" the mirth and coyness returned, "I begin to wonder what I saw in you. Was it true potential..or that your devilish charm had overwhelmed my common sense?"
"A little of both, perhaps," he replied, "I am quite the 'catch' you could say."
"Oh you!!" the voice mockingly chastised him before yet more laughter filled his mind, "My love, you do so enrapture me sometimes," she paused, "probably more than what is prudent, but still, I am the Raven Queen, and one such as I has lofty expectations..." the voice trailed off before the laughter resumed
Vassago shared in the laugh for a few moments. When they had both caught their mental breath, the voice continued, "Now, back to why I am speaking with you in the first place. " she paused, then quickly continued, "Now, stop that! This is important, you rake. Behave and let me finish."
"If I must." Vassago intoned disappointment.
The voice giggled, "You are terrible!"
"Just how you like it" he replied.
"Stop it, you imp!" the voice continued, "I mean it this time."
"Okay...okay" he relented, "You were saying.."
"Yes," the Queens voice continued, "I gave you the power over Shadows. Your gift allows you to weave their substance into your powers. However, you are still not entirely skilled in their use." She paused, gathering her thoughts, "What I need you to see is that the shadows are power themselves. You need to see that you do not need to weave them, but use your mind to channel them into what form you desire. Once you achieve that, your power will flow freely within you, allowing you to re-sculpt anything you desire without weaving." She paused again, "That is what secret I am here to help you unlock."
Time seemed to fly by as images and words came at breakneck speed. Vassago's understanding of how his power worked got rewritten upon his soul and he could see the true source of his power at last, a dark roiling well..that he could bend and twist to how ever he saw it. In the end, the Raven Queen's final words to him filled him with new vigor.
"Now, my dearest," she praised, "you are one step closer to the power I wish you to have. Your skill and power will now be only limited by your own experiences, and it will become as powerful as you are capable. Few will be able to match you, but do not be reckless." A tone of hurt entered into her voice, "I would hate to lose you, Vassago. So please be careful."
"I will be, My Lady-faire," He replied, "but now, I know you are there should I need your assistance. What more could one ask for?"
A note of caution entered into her voice, "Yes, I can hear you, but my omniscience is not all encompassing, and thus I may not see your query for several hours, or even days. I will do my best, but you have to rely on your own ability and wits to get through most challenges."
He stood up and looked into the darkest part of the wood, there he could just make out two midnight blue-purple eyes staring back at him. "I will, my lady." He said aloud, "Be well and care not. I will be safe."
"You better..." the voice trailed off as the eyes faded.
Caelynn turned back after taking only 3 steps, "Did you say something Vassago?" she was surprised to see him on his feet so quickly.
Vassago turned to the Druidess, realizing only moments had passed, while hours seemed to have. "I said be careful and be safe." he replied. "I would not like to see my savior injure herself tripping over that root at your feet.
Caelynn looked down, seeing the root for the first time, and marveled at his perception in near darkness. "Thank you." She replied. "I guess I was a little preoccupied with my own woolgathering."
Vassago chuckled. "Careful, it's contagious."
Game mechanics: He gained his Font of Power. Gained the spellpower Magic Missile and gained 8 hitpoints
Interlude:-
Somewhere in the woods near the outpost...during first night watch.
Vassago gazed into the darkness beyond the glow of the campfire behind him. The night as uneventful so far, and he amused himself watching the graceful stride of the Sylvan elf maid, Caelynn, moved almost inperceptably among the flickering shadows cast by the distant campfire. He smiled, drawing on his pipe-weed, as he saw her make effort to conceal her movements, yet she stood out in base relief to his dark adapted eyes, their inky blackness drinking in any and all light from the surrounding gloom. He mused that be she a rogue, he might have difficulty in seeing her stealthiness, but even then, her movements would betray her to a master of shadows like himself.
It had been a long and hard won ride to the outpost, especially when the hordes of the dead attacked the night before. He had been injured, nearly killed, and his shadowy ties to the realm of death had failed to spare him their scourging. Revived by this fair elf now striding through the shadowy wood, watching for foes, he at first perceived it was none other than the Queen herself come to protect him, but that glamour was replaced by the flaxen haired Druid's smiling face as his strength returned. It made him thoughtful...and he had begun this night turning over thoughts of the true mystery that lay ahead, as well as the machinations of his Lady-faire, who was acting agent through the healing magics of nature that Caelynn had used. Such pondering sought to maybe ferret out that this lithe elf before him might actually be the Raven Queen herself, in one of her many guises, but if so, why keep her presence a secret to him, one of her most trusted and loyal? The question nagged at him for sometime before he chuckled to himself absently. This was not the Queen, but a fellow adventurer, striving, like him to discover what had truly happened, and that he had let his imagination lead him astray.
Caelynn turned at the sound, and saw the dark shape leaning against a stump. "What is so amusing, Vassago?" her face drawn up in an inquisitive smirk.
"Nothing to matter your pretty head over, my lady." His voice carrying out from under the hood he wore. "Just the absent musings of this addled fool." His smile was visible below the shadow that covered his upper face. "Just woolgathering with no apparent objective." The glow from his pipe lit up his face as he drew in another breath.
The elf studied her friend for a moment. Then laughed as he pulled his hood off..and gathered up his mass of unruly hair and bound it in a train between his horns. She paused for a moment. Vassago was such an amicable person, one easily forgot he was a Tiefling. She had heard stories of the Accursed race, but Vassago was unlike those stories as one could get. Quick with a compliment, a joke, trick or pantomime, the rakish Sorceror was quite a showman, and she had come to think of his antics as amusing. She also found that she had come to think of him as a friend, something she would have been surprised to say six moons previous. No, Vassago was indeed not at all like those stories made Tieflings out to be. "You need to trim that tangle, my friend," she smiled anew, " before that black mane of yours surpasses even your skilled attempts to tame it."
Vassago sighed in exaggerated pantomime, drawing a giggle from the elf, "Such is my lot." he lamented half halfheartedly, "The power of the Shadows seems to have infused it even more than it has infused me." He fussed with is hair more, "And lets not get started on these...protuberances..." gesturing to the small low-set horns running from his forehead over the top of his crown. "Always in the way. Providing Anchors with in which it can get into d in such a moriass that I have to resort to the knife." He feigned exasperation. "What ever did my ancestor do that warranted this?"
Caelynn chuckled again, then resumed her patrol. The Zombie attack the previous night had taxed everyone to their limits and she was probably the only one who did not feel the fatigue the others felt, well except for that demented Drow. She had yet to fully trust the dark one, but he had never given her any chance to further her distrust, and he did fight with them as a fellow.
Once again, alone with his thoughts, Vassago watched the interplay of light and shadow as his mind wandered. His power over shadow had helped him blast down the shambling assailants last night, it was not enough, and he was defeated by the rotting ones. His shortcomings gnawed on him. He was powerful. That he knew, yet he had limitations. His skill with shadow was a waxing ideal, yet he felt at a loss as to where it would take him next. He sat and toyed absently with the flame in his pipe. He would have to unlock yet another mystery within him, yet he had no idea where to start.
"Why, at the beginning." a whispery seductive feminine voice filled his mind. "Really, Vassago, you can be so dense sometimes." The coy amusement in the voice assured him that the voice was just teasing him.
"So, you are there." he replied in his mind, "and here I thought you had forgotten me."
Laughter filled his mind, "Oh Vassago, I would never forget you." the chuckle in her voice evident, "Not you, my dear Shadow Given Form. Not ever." the voice paused, "Besides, you are embarked on the task I set before you, so I am paying close attention to you, my sweet."
He looked upward and about into the darkness, but could not make out any form he could discern. "Silly boy!" she chastised mockingly, "I am not there, nor anywhere close, as I do not need to be." she paused again, "The shadows stretch throughout the world itelf, and I can see and hear everything said or done in their presence." The mirth slipped a little, "The Raven Queen is the Mistress of Shadows. None can deny her."
"Forgive my insolence, my lady." Vassago quickly replied, "I just long for your beautiful face is all." He smiled impishly.
More laughter, "Oh you charmer, you" the mirth and coyness returned, "I begin to wonder what I saw in you. Was it true potential..or that your devilish charm had overwhelmed my common sense?"
"A little of both, perhaps," he replied, "I am quite the 'catch' you could say."
"Oh you!!" the voice mockingly chastised him before yet more laughter filled his mind, "My love, you do so enrapture me sometimes," she paused, "probably more than what is prudent, but still, I am the Raven Queen, and one such as I has lofty expectations..." the voice trailed off before the laughter resumed
Vassago shared in the laugh for a few moments. When they had both caught their mental breath, the voice continued, "Now, back to why I am speaking with you in the first place. " she paused, then quickly continued, "Now, stop that! This is important, you rake. Behave and let me finish."
"If I must." Vassago intoned disappointment.
The voice giggled, "You are terrible!"
"Just how you like it" he replied.
"Stop it, you imp!" the voice continued, "I mean it this time."
"Okay...okay" he relented, "You were saying.."
"Yes," the Queens voice continued, "I gave you the power over Shadows. Your gift allows you to weave their substance into your powers. However, you are still not entirely skilled in their use." She paused, gathering her thoughts, "What I need you to see is that the shadows are power themselves. You need to see that you do not need to weave them, but use your mind to channel them into what form you desire. Once you achieve that, your power will flow freely within you, allowing you to re-sculpt anything you desire without weaving." She paused again, "That is what secret I am here to help you unlock."
Time seemed to fly by as images and words came at breakneck speed. Vassago's understanding of how his power worked got rewritten upon his soul and he could see the true source of his power at last, a dark roiling well..that he could bend and twist to how ever he saw it. In the end, the Raven Queen's final words to him filled him with new vigor.
"Now, my dearest," she praised, "you are one step closer to the power I wish you to have. Your skill and power will now be only limited by your own experiences, and it will become as powerful as you are capable. Few will be able to match you, but do not be reckless." A tone of hurt entered into her voice, "I would hate to lose you, Vassago. So please be careful."
"I will be, My Lady-faire," He replied, "but now, I know you are there should I need your assistance. What more could one ask for?"
A note of caution entered into her voice, "Yes, I can hear you, but my omniscience is not all encompassing, and thus I may not see your query for several hours, or even days. I will do my best, but you have to rely on your own ability and wits to get through most challenges."
He stood up and looked into the darkest part of the wood, there he could just make out two midnight blue-purple eyes staring back at him. "I will, my lady." He said aloud, "Be well and care not. I will be safe."
"You better..." the voice trailed off as the eyes faded.
Caelynn turned back after taking only 3 steps, "Did you say something Vassago?" she was surprised to see him on his feet so quickly.
Vassago turned to the Druidess, realizing only moments had passed, while hours seemed to have. "I said be careful and be safe." he replied. "I would not like to see my savior injure herself tripping over that root at your feet.
Caelynn looked down, seeing the root for the first time, and marveled at his perception in near darkness. "Thank you." She replied. "I guess I was a little preoccupied with my own woolgathering."
Vassago chuckled. "Careful, it's contagious."