[2026/04/14 14:13] Sapphire: last session: http://81.133.27.194/Dungeons&Kittens/logs-2025arm/20260407.html
[2026/04/14 14:14] Sapphire: -------
[2026/04/14 14:16] Sapphire: Greetings! Glad to have you back. Last time you'd done some adventuring in the villages south of the castle, and then made your way back in to settle in to your shared lab and individual quarters. It'll be winter soon, I imagine you probably aren't amazingly excited to be traveling around through snow and ice, which probably means staying inside a lot more.
[2026/04/14 14:16] Sapphire: But! We can apply XP still. For the Adventure, let's call it 6 xp, distributed to any Ability or Art you used during the adventure.
[2026/04/14 14:18] Sonja Bikergrrl: so... I could increase INT?
[2026/04/14 14:18] Sapphire: Int is a Characteristic, those more or less don't change without big rituals or other life changing events
[2026/04/14 14:19] Sapphire: more likely you're interested in something like Area Lore (Provencal) or one of your arts. Perhaps Charm.
[2026/04/14 14:19] Sonja Bikergrrl: hmmm.... so, increasing Ig?
[2026/04/14 14:19] Sapphire: Ig would be natural
[2026/04/14 14:20] Sapphire: how much XP does it have in there at the moment?
[2026/04/14 14:20] Sonja Bikergrrl: what's the rule again? 1+2+3...?
[2026/04/14 14:20] Sapphire: indeed!
[2026/04/14 14:20] Sonja Bikergrrl: says 12+3
[2026/04/14 14:20] Sapphire: so you have 12 Ignem plus the Puissant virtue
[2026/04/14 14:20] Sapphire: it'll take 13 xp to raise it to the next click
[2026/04/14 14:20] Sapphire: but you can allocate the 6 in advance
[2026/04/14 14:21] Sonja Bikergrrl: right... and Au is 0 and has 2.... so... 1 to Au for Au 2, and 5 to Ig
[2026/04/14 14:21] Sapphire: yep, that will work
[2026/04/14 14:21] Sonja Bikergrrl: awesome.
[2026/04/14 14:22] Sapphire: by your Ig it's probably easiest to list as
[2026/04/14 14:22] Sapphire: Ig 12+3 (83)
[2026/04/14 14:22] Sapphire: for "Rating + virtue (total xp invested)
[2026/04/14 14:23] Sonja Bikergrrl: why 83? It's 5/13 isn't it?
[2026/04/14 14:23] Sapphire: it took 78 xp to get up to 12 in the first place
[2026/04/14 14:24] Sapphire: so you can -either- think of it as "5 / 13 to next" or you can think of it as "83 total and 12 is the highest click that gets to"
[2026/04/14 14:24] Sonja Bikergrrl: and it needs 13 to get to 13... and I put 5 towards it
[2026/04/14 14:24] Sonja Bikergrrl: I'll go with 5/13
[2026/04/14 14:24] Sapphire: ok! Long as you're consistant about it
[2026/04/14 14:24] Mecha: With the six XP she now has a total of twelve and will hold tight to them for the time being.
[2026/04/14 14:25] Sapphire: xp doesn't save
[2026/04/14 14:25] Sapphire: you're meant to apply it to whereever you're earning it when you get it
[2026/04/14 14:25] Sapphire: since books for example don't offer general xp, they offer advancement in specific things
[2026/04/14 14:25] Sapphire: you were supposed to allocate that first 6 the first time you got it
[2026/04/14 14:26] Sapphire: since it might not be in the same place
[2026/04/14 14:27] Sapphire: what'd we do back in the earlier adventure you got it from?
[2026/04/14 14:28] Mecha: trying to remember. Think it was after dealing with the fire snail
[2026/04/14 14:28] Sapphire: probably your Perdo, I remember a quite dramatic Fist of Shattering going off
[2026/04/14 14:30] Sapphire: though i don't know if much perdo happened this time around
[2026/04/14 14:31] Mecha: Perdo was 3 Not sure 6 XP would give it a bump
[2026/04/14 14:31] Sapphire: should do. perdo 3 is 6 xp total
[2026/04/14 14:32] Sapphire: adding 6 gets you to 12 xp, which is betwwen rank 4 and 5
[2026/04/14 14:32] Sapphire: if that makes sense?
[2026/04/14 14:33] Mecha: Right but at Perdo 3 to begin with so adding six to it would not do anything, but since this one didn't spend it she now has 12
[2026/04/14 14:33] Sonja Bikergrrl: 4 to get to 4, then 2/5 of the way to 5
[2026/04/14 14:34] Mecha: that works will bump that to 4 and maybe use these six on Auram or try to bump up brawl since she caught villagers out of the air.
[2026/04/14 14:36] Sapphire: Brawl would be good, what's your number on that?
[2026/04/14 14:37] Sapphire: yep sonja, that sounds about right
[2026/04/14 14:37] Mecha: Brawl right now is 3
[2026/04/14 14:38] Sapphire: ok, and that's an ability
[2026/04/14 14:38] Mecha: yes
[2026/04/14 14:38] Sapphire: so it's x5 cost compared to arts
[2026/04/14 14:39] Sapphire: (yes i know it's weird, it makes other parts of the system math work better)
[2026/04/14 14:39] Sapphire: so brawl 3 -> 4 will cost... 20 xp total
[2026/04/14 14:39] Mecha: okay, so that's not happening any time soon
[2026/04/14 14:40] Sonja Bikergrrl: put it to book reading
[2026/04/14 14:41] Sapphire: Could alternatively ask one of the militia-men at the castle to train you in it, if you wanted
[2026/04/14 14:41] Sapphire: learning from a teacher is often stronger
[2026/04/14 14:41] Sapphire: indeed, you have the option to teach each other if you're ok spending a season on it
[2026/04/14 14:41] Mecha: to Brawl? This one is down for that. So.. then the Auram for dealing with wind magic?
[2026/04/14 14:42] Sonja Bikergrrl: I get to indulge in fisticuffs with Bookface here?
[2026/04/14 14:42] Sapphire: Aurum is wind magic, yes
[2026/04/14 14:43] Mecha: Yes
[2026/04/14 14:44] Sapphire: so, for the Autumn season, adventure XP.... then for Winter season, what do you seek to do? Try to bind the Firehawk as a familiar? analyze that wind ribbon and gratitude you got? seeking training from someone else?
[2026/04/14 14:45] Sonja Bikergrrl: Yes, yes, no
[2026/04/14 14:47] Sapphire: Do you know your Creo Ignem lab total?
[2026/04/14 14:48] Sapphire: it'll be Creo, Ignem, Int, plus the local magic aura of 3.
[2026/04/14 14:48] Sonja Bikergrrl: 32
[2026/04/14 14:49] Sapphire: ok. There's a calc i need to do on the fire hawks side
[2026/04/14 14:50] Sapphire: it's size is negative 3 (smaller than a human), and magical might of 10
[2026/04/14 14:50] Sonja Bikergrrl: differentiate wrt x... take log.... add reciprocal of hp.... take away number first thought of... carry the one... apply Laplace Transform...
[2026/04/14 14:51] Sapphire: you need 20 minimum, and exceed by 10 (12, but the math cares about breakpoints of five)
[2026/04/14 14:53] Sapphire: /me reads through what the overage can be spent on
[2026/04/14 14:53] Sapphire: Do you strongly care about the details of the possible bonuses, or just want an even spread?
[2026/04/14 14:53] Sonja Bikergrrl: I'm curious about them, certainly
[2026/04/14 14:54] Sapphire: So when a wizards binds a familiar, there are three "cords" that are created between them, each rated from 0 to 5
[2026/04/14 14:54] Sapphire: the Golden Cord helps you avoid magical errors, reducing the number of botch dice you roll in complex situations
[2026/04/14 14:55] Sapphire: the Silver Cord lets you better defend against mental influence, be it spells, or more mundane situations involving Personality checks
[2026/04/14 14:57] Sapphire: The Bronze cord applies to mundane damage soak rolls, healing, and rolls against deprivation like holding your breath.
[2026/04/14 14:57] Sonja Bikergrrl: what's a soak roll...
[2026/04/14 14:57] Sapphire: looking at the numbers, with your overage, you can apply a +1 to two cords and a 0 in the remaining
[2026/04/14 14:57] Sonja Bikergrrl: Golden & Silver, I guess
[2026/04/14 14:58] Sapphire: whenever something attempts to deal damage to you, and you have a roll to resist it, that'll be a soak roll
[2026/04/14 14:58] Sapphire: you know how your pilum of fire deals +20 damage?
[2026/04/14 14:58] Sapphire: the guy getting it is rolling to try and soak that
[2026/04/14 14:58] Sonja Bikergrrl: wow, really :O
[2026/04/14 14:58] Sapphire: hit*
[2026/04/14 14:59] Sonja Bikergrrl: moar pillars of fire!
[2026/04/14 14:59] Sapphire: so Bronze Cord is relevant to resisting *other* peoples damage
[2026/04/14 14:59] Sapphire: like if someone is stabbing you or something
[2026/04/14 14:59] Sonja Bikergrrl: eh, they'll be ahad before then
[2026/04/14 15:00] Sapphire: fair, making sure you cast your spells correctly even when people are trying to counter spell you makes sense
[2026/04/14 15:01] Sapphire: also!
[2026/04/14 15:01] Sapphire: for all famliars, add to your sheet a new Virtue
[2026/04/14 15:01] Sapphire: True Friend (my familiar)
[2026/04/14 15:02] Sapphire: the familiar also gains True Friend, to you
[2026/04/14 15:02] Sapphire: this also causes you to gain Personality Traits of Loyal +3 to each other
[2026/04/14 15:08] Sapphire: that make sense? so you can note the cords as Gold +1, Silver+1, Bronze +0
[2026/04/14 15:08] Sonja Bikergrrl: yup, done
[2026/04/14 15:09] Sapphire: so that's your first season... Mecha, what is Sarah doing to do while the lab is occupied?
[2026/04/14 15:09] Sapphire: also, Syra, the castle can spot you the vis needed to empower the bond, you can track down some more later to pay them back for it
[2026/04/14 15:11] Mecha: Becoming an earth bender
[2026/04/14 15:12] Sapphire: hmmmm, there are a couple ways to take that. Practicing one of your spells by casting it repeatedly ?
[2026/04/14 15:12] Sonja Bikergrrl: /me already has wood bending covered
[2026/04/14 15:12] Sapphire: or seeking to raise your raw arts?
[2026/04/14 15:12] Mecha: Kidding training at brawl with the guards and them trying something knocking a rock into the air and then using Terram to punch the rock. Mainly for show but her own strength might add power to the shot.
[2026/04/14 15:15] Mecha: So using a trick Mecha saw watching Avatar the animated series
[2026/04/14 15:16] Sapphire: Ok, tracking down the best wrestler in the castle guards finds a burly man with Brawl 6 and willing to do a couple practice matches a day with you. That's 9 xp in brawl, to a maximum of Brawl 6, assuming you're sharing your parma with him during the training.
[2026/04/14 15:17] Sonja Bikergrrl: it'd only be polite.
[2026/04/14 15:17] Mecha: yes
[2026/04/14 15:18] Sapphire: ok, note those down... make sure your sheet saves....
[2026/04/14 15:18] Sapphire: and in the half hour or so we have left, what do you want to spend your wintering over season on?
[2026/04/14 15:19] Sonja Bikergrrl: getting my familiar to breathe fire and naming the little guy/girl
[2026/04/14 15:20] Mecha: try to focus and work on some Aquam even if it can be brought up only one level.
[2026/04/14 15:21] Mecha: It's winter nice to be able to have a hand with ice and snow
[2026/04/14 15:21] Sapphire: your best bet is probably to check out a book from the castle library, actually
[2026/04/14 15:22] Sapphire: wizards often like to demonstate their knowledge by writing textbooks
[2026/04/14 15:22] Sapphire: the Fire Kite is male, Syra.
[2026/04/14 15:23] Sonja Bikergrrl: idk, he seems kinda femme.
[2026/04/14 15:23] Mecha: Sounds like a plan. Off for more book in face
[2026/04/14 15:23] Sonja Bikergrrl: claws, tendancy to ferocity, a real spitfire... definitely femme
[2026/04/14 15:23] Sapphire: brilliant and dramatic plumage
[2026/04/14 15:24] Sonja Bikergrrl: he can be a girl if he wants to be.
[2026/04/14 15:24] Sapphire: Mecha, roll a d12 and a d10 for me please
[2026/04/14 15:24] Sonja Bikergrrl: as his mommy I support his lifestyle choices
[2026/04/14 15:24] D12: Mecha rolls 7
[2026/04/14 15:24] D20: Mecha rolls 4
[2026/04/14 15:24] Sapphire: to determine which book you manage to get hold of
[2026/04/14 15:27] Sapphire: Ok, Sarah, you check out a book on the subject of Aquam that, despite it's water damage, is decently instructive. It has a level of 7 and a quality of 8, apparently the *good* books are being bogarted by higher seniority mages at the moment.
[2026/04/14 15:27] Sonja Bikergrrl: they're being kept under fedoras and wrapped in raincoats?
[2026/04/14 15:28] Sapphire: they would explain the water damage, yes. The librarian is quite cross with the mage who apparently did it.
[2026/04/14 15:29] Mecha: Funny one Mistress
[2026/04/14 15:30] Mecha: So gonna read, study and practice. Since the lab is occupied, going to do it outside
[2026/04/14 15:32] Sapphire: "I should start chaining the books to the shelves again," the librarian mutters as the book goes outside.
[2026/04/14 15:33] Sapphire: ok, so "breath fire", hmmmm... we'll need to design a spell effect for that if you need something bigger than the kindle power it starts with
[2026/04/14 15:33] Sonja Bikergrrl: kindle will do
[2026/04/14 15:34] Sonja Bikergrrl: /me plans dropping many F bombs
[2026/04/14 15:34] Mecha: Sarah pauses."I will endeavor to keep it safe and dry. a destroyed book is no good to anyone."
[2026/04/14 15:36] Sapphire: "Appreciated. Even for worn down copies."
[2026/04/14 15:37] Sapphire: Anything else, sonja, more lab stuff or looking at books?
[2026/04/14 15:37] Sonja Bikergrrl: idk
[2026/04/14 15:37] Sonja Bikergrrl: not sure what's possible?
[2026/04/14 15:39] Sapphire: hmmmm, the Laboratory chapter is like 10 pages. There's a section on studying magic items, we just did familiars, you could distill raw vis to help pay back the vis you borrowed and be done with the matter, you could try to research new spells with any of your arts
[2026/04/14 15:39] Sonja Bikergrrl: did I get that flame thrower spell....
[2026/04/14 15:40] Sonja Bikergrrl: also a sturdy staff with a large knob on the end
[2026/04/14 15:42] Sapphire: um, did you? I think... oh!
[2026/04/14 15:42] Sapphire: you were experimenting and it failed!
[2026/04/14 15:43] Sapphire: would you like to make a second try?
[2026/04/14 15:43] Sonja Bikergrrl: I'll experiment with that iron tube, maybe
[2026/04/14 15:43] Sapphire: ok, describe the effect you're trying to get and how ambitiously you mean to experiment
[2026/04/14 15:43] Sonja Bikergrrl: some magnesium, sulphur, metal filings, we'll get an explosive force out of that
[2026/04/14 15:44] Sapphire: where you getting magnesium from?
[2026/04/14 15:44] Sapphire: is that known in 1220 ad?
[2026/04/14 15:44] Sonja Bikergrrl: drop chemicals down tube, stuff in stone marble, or iron ball, start fire
[2026/04/14 15:44] Sonja Bikergrrl: should be
[2026/04/14 15:44] Sonja Bikergrrl: the local magic shoup should have that
[2026/04/14 15:45] Sapphire: magnesium does not appear to be known to plato or aristotal, the experts on the natural world
[2026/04/14 15:45] Sonja Bikergrrl: aluminium will do
[2026/04/14 15:46] Sapphire: known but more expensive than gold.
[2026/04/14 15:46] Sapphire: granted, wizards have a spell to make gold
[2026/04/14 15:46] Sonja Bikergrrl: eh, iron filings
[2026/04/14 15:46] Mecha: be just a moment while Sara is Studying
[2026/04/14 15:47] Sapphire: Ok, so in game terms
[2026/04/14 15:47] Sapphire: (because "firearms" are kinda against the genre convention)
[2026/04/14 15:47] Sapphire: you're using a contained space to make a Create Fire spell do the work that would *normally* be the job of a Rego Terram spell
[2026/04/14 15:48] Sonja Bikergrrl: something like that, yes
[2026/04/14 15:48] Sapphire: does your sheet have any notes from the last time we were trying this?
[2026/04/14 15:48] Sapphire: I'd like to reread how far you got last time
[2026/04/14 15:48] Sonja Bikergrrl: er.... no?
[2026/04/14 15:49] Sapphire: hmmmm
[2026/04/14 15:49] Sonja Bikergrrl: how about a bottle of lamp oil. I could settle for that
[2026/04/14 15:49] Sapphire: like, to just carry around lamp oil? That should be pretty doable, it's a mundane sort of item.
[2026/04/14 15:50] Sonja Bikergrrl: Bah, forget the whole thing. A staff with a large (ideally iron) knob on the end.
[2026/04/14 15:50] Sapphire: do you want olive oil or beef tallow?
[2026/04/14 15:50] Sapphire: big staff with a knob on the end, quite doable
[2026/04/14 15:50] Sonja Bikergrrl: let's do this!
[2026/04/14 15:50] Sapphire: talking to the blacksmith again?
[2026/04/14 15:50] Sonja Bikergrrl: yeah
[2026/04/14 15:50] Sapphire: for the knob part.... any particular preference on the wood?
[2026/04/14 15:51] Sapphire: for the staff?
[2026/04/14 15:51] Sapphire: or just heading out to the woods to pick through fallen branches for good candidates?
[2026/04/14 15:51] Sonja Bikergrrl: Syra: "Say, Blackie, you know where I can get a nice big knob from, and, did Pythagoras cure her disea... wait, forget that last, no one is supposed to know that."
[2026/04/14 15:51] Sonja Bikergrrl: hmm... let's go with....
[2026/04/14 15:52] Sonja Bikergrrl: Birch.
[2026/04/14 15:53] Mecha: Yeah Syra really is a birch
[2026/04/14 15:55] Sapphire: After a moment of thought, blacksmith decides *not* to be crass with that question and after some bouncing the staff question back and forht, can arrange to wrap the end of the staff in a nice cladding of iron, also with hand hold. With a bit of extra work could add a crystal or some copper in there as well. "Or do you mean this more as a thumping stick and need it nice and durable?"
[2026/04/14 15:56] Sonja Bikergrrl: Syra: "Some crystal would be nice, yes. Hmm. I should take some crystal to Pythagoras, maybe that'll heal up her dose of... shoot, there I go again, blurting out my inner thoughts."
[2026/04/14 15:59] Sapphire: "You really don't like that lass, do ya?"
[2026/04/14 16:00] Sonja Bikergrrl: Syra: "EXCUSE me! I'll have you know I'm her best friend, how else do you think I know her ailments... and I'll have you know I -NEVER- said she had any infection! Now if you'll confine yourself to making big heavy balls, I shall be very grateful!"
[2026/04/14 16:04] Sapphire: "Of course, big heavy balls and a stout shaft, coming right up."
[2026/04/14 16:05] Sonja Bikergrrl: Syra: huffs, turns aside to hide her grin. This should spread.... quicker'n a book before Sarahs' puss, certainly!
[2026/04/14 16:06] Sapphire: And Sarah! You later that week have someone knocking on your door, a message for you from another Redcap coming through.
[2026/04/14 16:06] Mecha: I open the message after thanking the redcap
[2026/04/14 16:08] Sapphire: "A letter from your parens, sealed." he presents the rather large tube.
[2026/04/14 16:08] Mecha: I take it eagerly and unseal it to read
[2026/04/14 16:08] Sapphire: in the interest of time... we'll summarize
[2026/04/14 16:10] Sapphire: your Parens, Seneca, wishes to give you a heads up that he has had Wizards War declared upon him by Cato Ex Tremere, as well his filia, Pythagora ex Tremere. He inquires if you'd be willing to provide your skills in his aid.
[2026/04/14 16:10] Sapphire: There is also a message wand inside.
[2026/04/14 16:10] Sapphire: and with that.... we'll clock things in as a cliffhanger, beign 10 mins over time
[2026/04/14 16:11] Sonja Bikergrrl: woo!
[2026/04/14 16:11] Sonja Bikergrrl: I better dash