《Re:volutionist》 00: After death experiences on the imaginary ballcony Two things I need to mention at the begining. a) This is a cooperative work of me and a friend. b) We are bothly from Central-East Europe, so you may expect some errors ;_; **************************************************************************************** Prologue: After death experiences on the imaginary ballcony My name is Leszek and you most likely just butchered the pronunciation of it, no matter. I¡¯m a 20 years old student. You know the type - no idea what to do in life and just studying something not really relevant. Anyway, right now I¡¯m sitting in a chair on the balcony of my flat reading a book¡­ And somehow there¡¯s a black creature standing right beside me, his silhouette slowly shifting and changing into more or less humanlike shapes. Why am I so calm about it? ¡°That is probably because most of your emotions were depending upon glands and hormones of your body. And now, few seconds after your death, your consciousness is solely in charge.¡± That black abomination just spoke? It doesn¡¯t even have a mouth¡­ or does it? Another question, did it just say that I died? ¡°If you are having trouble understanding your current situation may I suggest you to look over the railing?¡± Its tone was generally reminding me of a lawyer. Technically looking away from that thing isn¡¯t a smart decision but for some reason it made it sound like a really good idea. I stand up from the chair and lean over the rusty metal barrier only to see a body lying on the ground in pool of blood¡­ My body. I knew it was mine simply because I just remembered how it got there. I was actually sitting here reading a book when the balcony broke off and tipped, I fell on the railing which didn¡¯t stand the impact and freed me to fall 15 meters to certain death. Certain but painful as I recall. Sitting back in a chair, which became slightly uncomfortable, I look back at the creature. Something about it is different. It¡¯s weird to say that as it was an ever changing collection of blackness in a roughly human shape. But the feeling I have just by looking at it is different from before. ¡°Well, damn. Now that¡¯s what you call a traumatic memory.¡± I comment with a loud sigh. ¡°Not like it matters anymore since that trauma was rather blunt. Wait, did I really just think it will be funny?¡± It¡­ smiles? It is only a feeling that I can¡¯t describe, but something in that creature seems amused. ¡°It looks like atleast one religion was right and there is life after death¡­ though I¡¯m not sure which one hit the nail. ¡± I add. ¡°Pastafarians.¡± It promptly answers. And while I made a shocked expression it¡¯s starting to laugh. ¡°Aff, you actually believed that? Well, I¡¯m not connected to any of Earth¡¯s religions, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking about. While, in a way, you¡¯re dead, you¡¯re yet to discover if there is some sort of afterlife. But hey, what¡¯s the worst that can happen, now that death is behind you. Even tax collectors can¡¯t find you here.¡± It¡¯s in a very good mood, flooding me in jokes like that. With quite a bad timing though¡­ I can¡¯t really feel anything positive when some strange entity is making jokes about my untimely demise. But I have to agree, that those aren¡¯t the worst jokes I heard in my life. ¡°So.., are you here to torment my spirit for some sins I no longer remember or something? Because you really look alike to a demon. And angels shouldn¡¯t be shapeless blobs of black matter.¡± He smils wryly¡­ or so I believe. It gives of a feeling of a gaping maw full of sharp pointy teeth. ¡°I¡¯m neither demon nor angel.¡± It answers with a strange smile still glued to its face. ¡°More like¡­ a trespasser. Or a visitor. I¡¯m currently looking through recently deceased part of the Earth¡¯s population to find someone suitable to¡­ mmm¡­ let¡¯s call it working for me.¡° Atleast it didn¡¯t say ¡®under me¡¯. It¡¯s something. ¡°That¡¯s the strangest job interview I¡¯ve ever heard. Have Satan finally decided to stop pretending that all bureaucrats don¡¯t belong to Hell¡¯s legions with their mission being destruction of humanity? Will I be sorting mountains of contracts signed with blood?¡± It suddenly burst into laughter. And then, smiling in a slightly creepier way than before, it answers. ¡°While, as I said, I don¡¯t belong to any of this world¡¯s theological systems I must say that it was amusing on so many levels. Death to all bureaucrats!¡± It loudly exclaims while doing a grotesque salute. And then it shifted. In a second its attitude changes completely. One moment it¡¯s laughing from a good joke, and the next it feels completely serious¡­ giving me a grim look. Wait¡­ is that a split personality? I never really meet someone with such problem, but I could imagine it looking exactly like that. I instantly decide to call them Jester and Lawyer. Those names fit so well anyway. ¡°First matter that must be resolved before we proceed to the main part of this meeting - I regret to inform you that I feel highly discontent about you using pronoun ¡®It¡¯ to describe me in your thoughts.¡° Before I fully understand what that means, it switches back to Jester. ¡°No, seriously. What the fuck? I¡¯m a man. A MAN! Maybe my body is highly unorthodox from your point of view, but it¡¯s MANLY! Now beware of my MANLY TENTAC¡­¡± But before he can finish the sentence, there is another shift to the Lawyer. ¡°Yes - I do read your thoughts. No - it is not possible for me to avoid doing it. We are currently residing in still mostly undamaged part of your brain. In here, from my perspective, your thoughts, and words you are saying, are equally real as myself or you for that matter.¡± Shift back to Jester. ¡°I tried to avoid mentioning it because... well... I know it¡¯s pretty shitty to talk with someone who can read your mind¡­ sorry. ¡° He doesn¡¯t really look sorry at all. More like ¡®haha, his reaction was hilarious!¡¯. Atleast he didn¡¯t return to the topic of ¡®MANLY TENTAC¡­¡¯ for which I am most grateful - I do not want to know what he meant by that. Of course he is smiling wryly while I think that¡­ ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s about time for our business talk. So, how about visiting a fantasy world for me?¡± ¡­ what? ¡°As I just said - a fantasy world. I need someone to visit one for me and do a few¡­ things... there.¡° While I remain speechless, he switches to Lawyer. ¡°The matters I mentioned will be explained later after you decide whether or not you commit yourself to do it. Now I am afraid I can only provide you with the most basic informations. By choosing to accept this offer you also decide to be exempt from all forms of afterlife, if one is arranged, in this world. After completing our requests you will receive a great reward. Moreover, after you abandon this world all your friends and family members will receive necessary compensations so that you do not have to worry about their well-being.¡± Shift to Jester. ¡°And there will be a¡­ guess what? RPG-MECHANICS! You and all of your future companions will be capable of getting all sorts of cool stuff like stats, skills and all of that dungeons and dragons bullshit everyone is so crazy about! There will even be a, pause for dramatic effect... RESPAWN SYSTEM! Well, you won¡¯t be able pull of getting your head chopped off three times a day, but you could come back to life three or four times with more ¡°lives¡± gained after certain thresholds in your main quest! Damn, I¡¯m so awesome I can¡¯t believe it myself!¡± And now he¡¯s laughing¡­ This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°By the main quest you mean princess rescuing or something?¡± Mustering enough strength to say it wasn¡¯t easy. Or worth it. ¡°Nah, they aren¡¯t worth saving. Most of them are either wicked or arrogant, or stupid, or obese, or¡­¡± ¡°Okay, stop! I understood.¡± But now I feel like I have to ask one more question. And like following some sort of script for a play¡­ ¡°Personal experience?¡± ¡°Man if you had ever met my ex... ¡° He says while making a truly terrified expression and bursts into nearly maniacal laughter. Before I knew I was joining him. If not the omnipresent feeling that I am in the same cage as a hungry tiger, I could even like the¡­ Trespasser? Good temporary name. ¡°So, what exactly is that mission?¡± I finally ask him, after both of us stopped laughing. ¡±Am I going to fight some poor Demon Lord fella?¡± ¡°Quite the opposite actually.¡± Jester smiled. ¡° You¡¯re gonna become this ¡®poor Demon Lord¡¯.¡± And¡­ he shifts. In something much worse than Lawyer. Something absolutely terrifying. He smiles again but this time in the most wicked way I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°I want famine, droughts, and horrible diseases to befell this land. I want ethnic, racial and species cleansings. I want war between countries, war so great that entire races are wiped out in the process. I want armies of brigands raping and killing, and stealing indiscriminately. I want corruption to taint the nobles and bureaucrats alike. I want just revolutions to turn into regimes even worse than the ones they overthrown. I want entire Earth¡¯s history of bloodshed to take place within few years.¡± Looking into his eyes I literally see oceans of fire and death. I stay like that with my mind blank. I have problems with comprehending the words I just heard. It takes me atleast half of minute to get back into right shape. I also decide to name his third personality Nazi. Fitting. ¡°And you expect ME to do it? A slightly obese bookworm who spends most of his free time either reading books or on the internet? What am I? A bastard son of Hitler and Stalin!?¡±. And he shifts again, into his Jester mind. This time it takes me some time to actually recognize him, since my shock was serious. ¡°Listen.¡° His expression is a mixture of grief, sadness, well controlled anger and hatred, but not directed at me. ¡°That world is corrupted. Almostly beyond saving. You have a revolutionary spirit dwelling within you. The spirit that¡¯ll be no longer chained by powerlessness if you decide to go there. I need is someone to shatter the current highly unjust and stagnant system which is plaguing that world like cancer. Only then it¡¯ll get another chance.¡° Tempting. He¡¯s saying the right words to persuade me. But how can I really believe someone who can read my mind? And has possibly the worst Dissociative Identity Disorder in the history of at least two worlds? Not to mention that I suck in MMORPG¡¯s and it looks like I¡¯m supposed to play one solo, and with limited respawns. ¡°Ok, for a moment let¡¯s assume that I agree. How am I going to get there? Are you going to toss my soul towards some pregnant female so I can get ¡®reincarnated¡¯? If so then please make sure I won¡¯t turn into a girl. That would be¡­¡± ¡°...disturbing. Yes.¡± It¡¯s his Lawyer mind once again. ¡°I am going to use that ¡®reincarnation¡¯ method you mentioned though as there is no such system in that world the better words to describe that process would be ¡®hostile takeover¡¯. You are going to possess a body of a child still in it¡¯s mother¡¯s womb and within few years after birth his personality, and mind will be completely erased, and overwritten by yours.¡° ¡°That¡¯s sick. Completely sick. It¡¯s something I would expected from that Nazi-like personality of yours.¡° ¡°I would personally look into the most corrupted of great wealthy families to find you a suitable candidate for a host.¡° He shrug his shoulders. ¡°The child would most likely turn into another criminal. You could actually save some people this way.¡± ¡°And you expect me to accept that logic?¡± He rolled his eyes as I said that. I could sense that he¡¯s simply annoyed with my resistance. ¡°You think that ¡®most likely¡¯ is enough to kill a child? There is nothing that would justify something like that.¡± ¡°Then let it be your way - I can even find a child that is mentally impaired to the point that it will be most likely killed after birth. Is that acceptable?¡± ¡°Not really, it¡¯s still a sick idea. So how about you make up some other method?¡± He sighed. ¡°Technically there is another option for such transportation. But it is much worse and regrettably costly whilst it remains unsatisfyingly inefficient. I could try to use some of my powers in the other world and create you a new body from scratch. But that would mean starting as an infant in the middle of nowhere without parents, family or anyone to take care of you. Not mentioning the lack of someone to teach you about the world, any language to communicate with or even common sense, which counts as the most basic knowledge you would require. And the only result of that method would be a small morsel for local predators. Or four morsels if counting your respawns. Can you see now why the ¡®possession method¡¯ would be infinitely better? ¡°I would still prefer that other option.¡± Experiencing a visit in a fantasy world is ok, but doing it by killing some child¡­ that isn¡¯t worth compromising my morality. I am not a saint. I might be called a hypocrite - I had no problems with the possibility of killing God knows how many people but I couldn¡¯t stand wiping out a mind of some unfortunate child. The difference is that I could justify killing people who are more or less evil but¡­ Stop! Damn, I had to face it. That WAS hypocritical! I can¡¯t become a killer! I have wrong personality for that. All my attempts at justifying it just¡­ fails. I simply aren¡¯t a right person for that. I open my mouth to refuse his offer but at that very moment he shifts. It¡¯s the Nazi. ¡°Too bad we are going to do this the hard way.¡° He informs me with perfectly neutral expression on his face. ¡°I can¡¯t really let you limit your chances of succeeding in doing what you are supposed to do as it is simply too important to get compromised by something as frail and insignificant as human morality. RPG elements will fully launch after you will consume all remnants of your new body¡¯s original personality, so you will need to wait until at least around your fifth birthday. And now - good luck to you.¡± He smiles wryly and jumps forward. Too fast for me to do anything. He reaches me¡­ and there the only thing left around me is darkness. 01: My new family and all the reasons why I wont like them Chapter 1: My new family and the all the reasons why I won''t like them That darkness part is actually starting to get on my nerves. Seriously, why does it take so long. Not that I can judge the passage of time with any reliable precision. But still it takes much too long! Why is it suddenly so cold? I feel numb and cold, and¡­ blind? It¡¯s not dark anymore but when it was at least I understood what was going on. Now the darkness has been replaced with blinding light. Wait, not just that¡­ everything is also blurry as hell. Oh, right¡­ I¡¯m an infant now. I should have expected something like that ¨C blurry vision, bright light, silhouettes of grownups all around me. I guess the main attraction ¨C my birth ¨C is already over. In the very least I didn¡¯t have to experience my new mother''s vagina from the inside. That would have been disturbing. I think there¡¯s a conversation going on but I can¡¯t make any sense of it. And not just because it¡¯s in a foreign language¡­ I also can¡¯t clearly hear. I hope it¡¯s only temporary. Darkness¡­ again. Probably the owner of that body didn¡¯t like it here, or wherever he went when I was in charge, and threw me out. Right now I should probably feel something like ¡®yay, I¡¯m not dead and I¡¯m in a fantasy world¡¯. Instead I can only think about various ways in which I¡¯m going to mutilate that FUCKING BASTARD whenever I¡¯ll have an occasion to do it. I¡¯m going to TEAR HIS EYES OUT and feed him with them. If he has any eyes. Wrrr, it¡¯s so frustrating to be powerless. For now I¡¯m just gonna plan a painful end... for a being that is most likely much, much stronger than I will ever be.... What was he? A demon? A god? Yet to find out I guess. No! Such thinking will get me nowhere! I¡¯ll definitely kill him in a most painful way imaginable even it it¡¯s the last thing I¡¯ll ever do! Now, back to my present situation. I hope it won¡¯t take too long till the next time I¡¯m gonna get in charge. As I said before this darkness is annoying. Although this time it¡¯s not exactly pure darkness. There are some barely visible lighter spots. And they change shape rather fast. I¡¯m focusing as hard as I can and trying to make sense of them but it¡¯s hopeless. Or so i thought. There seems to be some sounds in the background. They remind me of static noises on the radio, but i can tell that there¡¯s clearly more than one. Like¡­ a song¡­ sang in a very high pitched voice¡­ on the other side of a wall¡­ very, very fast song? Could it be that I¡¯m experiencing sights and sounds from my host¡¯s point of view, but somehow distorted¡­ and accelerated? Because if this reminds me of something I¡¯d say it¡¯s like watching a movie on fast forward. If that is the case then those next five years might not take too long. I mean, it¡¯s quite the pace I¡¯m seeing here. Too bad I can¡¯t make any sense of those images. I don¡¯t know why though¡­ My host¡¯s eyes and ears should function normally right? I know it wasn¡¯t as bad even right after our birth. Maybe that¡¯s just because the connection between me and the body is still weak. Time passes and I¡¯m starting to feel like it takes longer than when that bastard of a shapeshifting black mud put me here in the first place. And finally something¡¯s happening! The vision before me begins to take colors and grows till there¡¯s no darkness left. The same goes for sound - distortions and static fades away and I can hear music, and voices. I¡¯m in a spacious room. Stone walls, high glass windows, crimson carpets and drapes - you know that style? Seems like it¡¯s some kind of meeting or family gathering going on right now. There are four parallel tables with wealthy looking people standing on both sides of each and one longer table perpendicular to them with chairs only on one side. Seems like I just entered, or rather the person holding me just did. She¡¯s a woman so... my mother maybe? We¡¯re heading to the longer table and everyone are looking at us. Now that I think about it, even though they all look human¡­ their hair, which I thought were simply black, are in a peculiar dark bluish shade of black¡­ or rather very dark shade of blue? Same goes with their eyes but with lighter shades of blue. Only a few people don''t have those traits, so most likely they are outsiders married to the family. Anyway, we¡¯re standing beside the table apparently waiting for something and everyone¡¯s focus shifts to the big open doors carved with floral motifs. An old man enters through them¡­ He¡¯s tall and walks with confidence. His hair is partially grey, and his high forehead suggest that he¡¯s slowly balding but something in his cold blue eyes gives him a very intimidating look. He comes to the chair in the middle of our table and right before sitting barks few short words. I guess it was an order to start the feast because few seconds later servant-looking men and women - some of which had animal ears and fur on their hands and faces - brought big plates with various drinks and dishes. Seriously? Beastmen? Cliche, it¡¯s just... so damn cliche! At least there are as many humans among them so it¡¯s not the terribly unoriginal setting where humans oppress non-humans. Everyone seems equally unfortunate to serve this purely human family. Although... each and every one of them is wearing identical metal collar. I know this family was supposed to be bad but I certainly didn¡¯t expect to see so many slaves. Their numbers gives me pretty good idea about what business my family dwells in¡­ I just hope I¡¯m wrong about it. But I remember that black bastard words about my host being a part of a ¡°bad family¡±. Shortly after that, while everyone sit down and starts to eat, servants line up along the walls most likely to be ready to serve if needed. Some of them steal a glance or two at the food on the tables with visible hunger in their eyes. All the while family members are happily eating, without even noticing that hunger. I doubt they even noticed the slaves at all - for them they must seem more like furniture. I notice a certain trend in everyone¡¯s behavior. From time to time two people start to whisper, one of them points in my general direction, the other seems to be a bit surprised, and after some more whispers they resume eating. And after a few seconds the same thing happens somewhere else. Even that greying baldy stole a few glances at me and each time something in his face was giving me the idea that he¡¯s surprised. A few minutes later I finally understand what¡¯s happening. I remember what that black bastard told me - that my unwilling host will be mentally impaired or something. So that¡¯s what they¡¯re talking about? That¡¯s the shocking news everyone must know? I guess that if my host mental problems were in some way visible, the current normal me in their eyes must be completely different from their expectations. Judging by the arrangement of tables I belong to the most important part of this family, so things like my host acting in a way that suggest any disability must have been a big news. And the fact that right now I behave like a normal infant is something equally surprising. I can guess that at least few of them are wondering if the gossip about me was in fact nothing more, maybe even intentionally forged as a part of some internal power struggle within the family. I can¡¯t help but wonder what sort of mental problems my host have. Maybe some form of autism? That would explain why I got control when he suddenly was in front of so many unknown people. And why my calm behavior was so surprising to everyone. Anyway, some time passed rather uneventful, everyone was eating and¡­ gossiping. At least I think they were because I can¡¯t understand a word they¡¯re saying. Didn¡¯t that black bastard put me into this body so I won¡¯t have to learn the language? I know that my host is still an infant¡­ and because of that can¡¯t speak or understand anything yet, but how much longer do I have to wait for it? And now back to the present, something is happening at our table. Firstly I should mention who¡¯s sitting at it right? So, in the middle is that greying baldy and from what happened in the beginning of the feast I think he¡¯s some kind of patriarch or family head. On both his sides are - judging from similarities in their looks - his sons. The one on the right is probably my father since the woman¡­ who despite eating is still holding me¡­ is most likely my mother and is sitting beside him. And that would make the man, woman and boy on the left side from baldy respectively my uncle, aunt and cousin. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. I didn¡¯t mention it earlier because I was busy with other insights but the atmosphere at our table was heavy from the start. Women were silent that entire time and two brothers were constantly trying to entertain their father. Now it seems like he asked them for something because they practically threw themselves on the table to reach the saltshaker. My father lost that pissing contest and his brother were the one to pass the trophy to the baldy¡­ who seemingly didn¡¯t notice any commotion. Judging from everyone else¡¯s behavior - or rather lack of change in it - what just happened is seen as normal. It still takes me a few seconds to guess why. The patriarch is my grandfather and most likely a head of this family/clan/whatever else it is. And right now two of his sons desperately fight for his attention just to make sure he will choose one of them as his successor. I pretty much keep my finger crossed for my father - his victory in that struggle will be highly beneficial for me in the future. More money, more influence, more of everything. I¡¯m still unsure if I want to do the ¡°mission¡± I received from that bastard. I postpone the decision until I¡¯ll know more about this world. Now I am just observing. It takes me about twenty minutes to gain another valuable piece of intel - my family doesn¡¯t consist of aristocrats. Though they are pretty damn wealthy - that¡¯s for sure - so merchants, perhaps? Most likely slave merchants, as I mentioned earlier. Two family members sitting at one of the tables carry swords and give more noble-like feeling (or it¡¯s just arrogance - hard to guess) with the older one having brown hair instead of very dark shade of blue. By his side sits a much more family-like woman, so¡­ poor aristocrat that was forced to marry into wealthy merchant family for money. I might be going too far in my guesses but this theory looks plausible enough. Suddenly there¡¯s an uproar at the aristocrats table. The older noble¡¯s standing and shouting at someone at the next table, who¡¯s seemingly trying to apologise or explain. Aristocrat unsheathes his sword and points it at the¡­ offender, I guess¡­ all the while the younger noble offers his own blade to the unarmed target of his father¡¯s rage. The feast has been going on for a while now, so everyone is drunk or almost drunk, but man staring at a nearly meter of sharp steel is suddenly sober. Out of fear, or simply panicking, he refuses offered sword and starts speaking in a high pitched voice while desperately gesticulating at a nearby slave. Everyone¡¯s attention is already drawn to the angry noble and his squeaking adversary whose situation is getting worse and worse. Especially after pointing at a slave¡­ because now not only the older noble looks like having some sort of stroke but also his son join in the shouting and points his own sword at the unfortunate man. As much as I can understand from that situation, and once again all I can do is guessing, the squeaking man somehow offended that old aristocrat and was angrily challenged for a duel or some local equivalent. That¡¯s why the young noble was offering him a sword. But the offender panicked and tried to blame the slave? No, it¡¯s more like he demanded that the slave should fight instead of him? Anyway that wasn¡¯t received well as now both aristocrats are pissed. Obviously I never saw anyone fighting like that for real so maybe now¡¯s gonna be my chance to see some bloodshed? That possibility however is ruined by my mother who, after exchanging a few words with my father, takes me out of the room. Immediately after the door closes behind us and we¡¯re alone in a hallway I feel pressure in the back of my head. But before I can react to it I¡¯m already back in the darkness. Although this time the vibe here is somewhat different. First of all, distortions of pictures and sounds are less annoying. I can more or less see and hear what¡¯s going on around my host. As I said before, that probably depends on my link with the body which after the last ¡®possession¡¯ definitely grew a bit stronger. Suddenly, I hear a loud ping.
Well, if you aren¡¯t a smart little bastard :D Yup, you hit the nail with that idea about slave trading.
¡°Well, guess who that might be. And emoticons? Seriously? Well, I can¡¯t imagine Nazi or Lawyer using them, so that leaves me a single possibility¡­¡±
Aye, it¡¯s me, your friendly murderous psychopath Jester! :] I just decided to pay you a visit, since because of Nazi I didn¡¯t have time to fill you in about some small, yet important details. :/ You better focus on that, as it¡¯s most likely our last conversation in at least ten to twenty years.
And now he is even using the names I gave him¡­ well whatever. ¡°Let¡¯s hear¡­ or read it.¡±
As you already noticed your family is full of bad, very bad people :C Well, maybe not literally full but all key members are... uhm... corrupted? Not in some crazy magical way mind you, just too much money, too much power - shit like that :P And yes, they deal in slaves. This collars you saw earlier were actually magical, and quite ingenious if I might add. Inducing pain as an automatic response to rejection of orders, ability to monitor the location of all collared slaves by their owner, et cetera, et cetera. So it would be quite easy for you to gain some great monster girl harem! Yay you :D
¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t come here to get a monster girl harem, you know? Especially not when they can¡¯t refuse you, it¡¯s pretty sick. Just like FUCKING ABDUCTION!¡±
Awwwww :C Don¡¯t be so angry. No, I changed my mind! BE ANGRY! }:-> Corrupting people with strong morality is soooo much more entertaining.
¡°Well¡­ fuck you. Anything else you want to tell me?¡±
Yeah, actually yes. :| It¡¯s about magic you see. I¡¯m here to inform you that when it¡¯s about natural ability towards magic yours is¡­. ZERO :D
¡°Just fucking great¡­¡±
Nah, don¡¯t worry :D I¡¯ve already thought about a solution. So, whenever you¡¯ll think you¡¯re ready - take a blade, find a virgin¡­
¡°¡­ seriously?¡±
Nope, just kidding :D Get some legit fighting skills and pretty high position in your family (you know, money is everything!) by sixteenth birthday. Around that time you¡¯ll receive instructions about a way to start learning magic. :) It¡¯ll require visiting some nasty and potentially deadly places. I know it doesn¡¯t make much sense yet... But hey, what fun is there in making sense :P Though I doubt you will avoid killing people for that.
¡°Great. I will try to do it. Anything else?¡±
Ah, actually yes. Be so kind and don¡¯t mention my existence to anyone :P For now it¡¯s a no no. When RPG elements fully activate you will be able to extend them to anyone you deem worthy (your harem, your harem! }:->) and after being blessed they won¡¯t be able to talk to anyone about us without our acceptance, so it won¡¯t be a problem, but hearing voices in your head isn¡¯t something good even in a wizard¡¯s world ;_;.
¡°Wait, was that a quotation from¡­ nevermind, I¡¯m not sure about that. Wait, was there a plural form there?¡±
Well, I most likely butchered it anyway :C And yup, plural form. If you meet the others, give them my regards :D. I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s anything I forgot to tell you, so if I¡¯ll remember it, I¡¯ll let you know D: So, have fun, and kill something nice for me :D Bye bye!
¡°...¡± 02: My cousin is an asshole but I can be one too Resus: Hi there, coauthor here. First of all thanks everyone for reading. So, there are a few things I need to mention. It¡¯s possible that tags for this story will change a bit. We¡¯re not gonna remove any of them but it¡¯s possible that tags such as ¡°psychological¡± or ¡°drama¡± will be necessary in the future. Next¡­ the ¡°early childhood¡± of our hero is ending soon and all the RPG parts will kick in then, so just a bit of your patience is still needed. It shouldn¡¯t take more than 1-2 chapters¡­ at least I think so. I¡¯m so happy we managed to end this chapter on time. It was a painful week for me¡­ and Mirrond is¡­ not entirely qualified to write on his own :P Mirrond: ¡­ **************************************************** Chapter 2: My cousin is an asshole but I can be one too Spending time on watching someone else¡¯s life can be boring¡­ even if technically it¡¯s my own. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m enjoying this but relatively speaking it¡¯s still better than darkness. About a week ago my host had his third birthday and since the feast two years ago he never let me in charge. It seems that I¡¯m not yet strong enough to force my will on him. But thankfully he understand the language now and because of that, so am I. He actually learnt it amazingly fast despite not being interested in talking with anyone. As much as I understand from that blurry soap opera of our childhood, most of our time we spend in our room with a nanny. I haven¡¯t seen my father even once this all time, as he¡¯s probably too busy licking grandpa¡¯s ass. From my guesses, and heard snatches of gossips between my nanny and other slaves, I deduced that after seeing me acting - again - mentally impaired after that feast, he lost all interest in me. As for my mother - she never had any interest in me in the first place. And so I am free to do¡­ nothing. Watching my host¡¯s life is basically the most boring thing I¡¯ve ever done, but besides that being the only thing to do here, it might come useful later since it lets me gather informations. For example I finally learnt my new name - Varth Veles of the proud Veles family. It¡¯s boring for me, but for my host¡­ well, his life isn¡¯t easy. Even slaves laugh at his condition straight to his face. It¡¯s pretty pathetic as they vent their frustration to the only member of the family who can¡¯t do a thing about it. Only his nanny and one or two others actually treat my host like a human being. I remember the faces of the offenders for¡­ future reference... let¡¯s call it that way. However today something¡¯s different. Usually my host is free to play in his room all day long but today his nanny is taking him somewhere. I finally have a chance to see some of the mansion¡­ Yes, my host spent the last two years in his room¡­ alone¡­ and he didn¡¯t mind. He was actually somewhat happy about it as much as I can tell. For me it was the main reason of my boredom. Anyway, right now we¡¯re going through a fourth or fifth hallway and it seems like we¡¯re finally at our destination. It¡¯s a rather small room with a big, heavy looking wooden desk in the middle, a single chair behind the desk, and big thomes and rolls of parchment filling every space on the shelves along the walls. It seems to be a cabinet or an office of the greying baldy patriarch. He¡¯s nearly the same as I remember from the feast - only with a few new wrinkles, and greyer hair. To my surprise already in the room are also my father, uncle and cousin. It¡¯s a chance to slip myself in control of my host¡¯s body! In presence of other people he seems to become too nervous to fight back. Looks like they were waiting only for me. Nanny leaves the room after leaving me to sit near my father. He doesn¡¯t look like he even noticed that, eh. After only family members were left in the room, the baldy begins talking. Thankfully I understand him. ¡°You two know why I called you.¡° Judging from the fact, that he is looking towards my father and uncle I guess he is talking to them. ¡°I am slowly getting tired of your little games and schemes. I tolerated them for so long because you kept them within the family, but recently I heard gossips that you started looking for backers in other Families and a Temple.¡± They both look like they want to wildly deny his accusations but one look from him¡­ and they hold their tongues. ¡°If you really thought, that they would help one of you in becoming a head of this family out of the goodness of their hearts then you are more retarded than¡­¡± This time it is him to hold his tongue but not before stealing a glance towards me. I love you too, grandpa. ¡°Such actions are irresponsible and may become a threat to the future of the family. You should be ashamed of yourselves.¡± His sons, even though they are old enough to have their own kids, now act like a pair children getting scolded. Well I have no idea what¡¯s this all about but¡­ serves them right, ha! I expect the scolding to continue but we hear knocking and a second later the doors open. The woman that comes inside has a typical family looks - hair so dark navy blue that nearly black, blue eyes etc. She looks slightly younger than my father 25-30 years, at best. She ignores patriarch¡¯s sons and hands him some papers. ¡°Here is a trade agreement with Firellians you ordered me to negotiate. I¡¯ve managed to convince them to lower the tariffs for our goods but only by a slow margin. Now we only need your signature, uncle. ¡° He gives her a weak smile and looks through the papers while nodding. ¡°I will sign it after I finish the current¡­ business. Thank you, Iverie. ¡° He says while she leaves the room. Eyes of my father and uncle are filled with antipathy for her. I doubt she could miss that so she must be ignoring them deliberately. ¡°You two should learn from her.¡° The patriarch returns to scolding. They look angered and pretty¡­ hateful, but not really towards him. Well, looks like they aren¡¯t the only candidates for being his successor. And I guess they just lost few points. At the same time I, for some reason, don¡¯t like her. Not because she can take my father¡¯s position - which wouldn¡¯t be good for me - but because she looks¡­ deceitful? Arrogant? I don¡¯t know where that feeling¡¯s coming from, but something in me screams to avoid turning my back on her. Well, if she is doing it deliberately - I mean trying to compete with grandpa¡¯s sons - then it definitely means she is ambitious. Another obstacle. Damn. ¡°Back to the topic. ¡° Grandpa continues. ¡°This ¡­ ¡®feud¡¯ of yours is about to end. Instead of never ending attempts to undermine each other''s position - which are sources of problems to our ENTIRE FAMILY - I am going to force you to cooperate. And you should better pray I won¡¯t divide our assets after my death between you. And Iverie. She at least focus on work, so maybe our family won¡¯t end because of you two.¡± Ok, now they don¡¯t look angry. Now they look terrified. Or rather they feel both feelings at once but are too afraid of his reaction to get ¡®visibly¡¯ angry. Now that¡¯s authority! ¡°Also¡­ it would be irritating if your sons were¡­ influenced by your petty squabbles.¡± I wonder how much self control it takes to act like my host is a normal kid and potential successor. Well, he is going to be a potential successor - after his fifth birthday - but they don¡¯t know about it yet. I guess it¡¯s just a facade - they ignore ¡®my¡¯ mental problems so people outside won¡¯t think about them as a weakness. No gossips about ¡®the son of their leader having retarded son, which most likely means that there¡¯s something wrong about that family¡¯. Incest while everyone in the family looks nearly the same may not be easy to notice, but may end with genetical problems after all. ¡°That¡¯s why from now on Iar¡¯e and Varth are going to spend most of their free time together.¡± Grandpa finishes with a wry smile that somehow remind me of that black bastard. His sons look shocked, my cousin look shocked, and I¡¯m amazed. And shocked. The first feeling comes from the fact that with just one decision he managed to punish my uncle for troublemaking but also make my father remember that without him my mental problems would be most likely revealed, which would start very unpleasant gossips about him. The second feeling¡­ well, let¡¯s say that I am pretty sure it¡¯s one of the ideas that looked much better on paper than in real life. ¡°This way they will learn something about the fact, that they are a part of single family. Which is a lesson you two unfortunately forgot about.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Both of them look like they want to say something, but he doesn¡¯t let them. ¡°And get the hell out of my office. I have work to do¡­ and so do you.¡± He turns back to his desk and start to read carefully the documents he received from Iverie. So, father, uncle and cousin retreat from grandpa¡¯s office. I can hear father calling for my nanny to take me back to my room. And while she takes me there my host regain control. I¡¯m back in the¡­ ¡®not so dark anymore darkness¡¯ since the vision is already in full color and starting to look like low quality YouTube video. It also slowed down to a real time speed. It¡¯ll be tedious to wait here like that so maybe if I concentrate I could speed it up? Last time concentrating on better quality gave me sound, so it might just work. And it just so happens that it does, slightly. I can get it to twice the speed and apparently no more. Rest of the day my host spends in his room undisturbed but when the next day starts nanny once again takes him somewhere. This time to a different part of the mansion but seemingly equally distant from his room. There¡¯s a lot more slaves on the way there and when we finally arrive it looks like we interrupted a conversation between my uncle and cousin. ¡°(...) and that¡¯s why you must be careful but while no slaves can hear it you can¡­¡± Oh great, now that sounds¡­ threateningly. I doubt their conversation could be about something other than me and my grandpa¡¯s Master Plan - especially considering the look I receive from my uncle after after he saw me. I had bad feelings about this because of what the older child could do to my young and, well, retarded host. And now I have even worse thoughts about the future because I can see an irresponsible adult who actually tries to incite problems between me and my cousin. Just. Fucking. Marvelous. * * * Contrary to my expectations, throughout the first two weeks my cousin acted normally. He ignored me all the time. Every day was the same - my host doing whatever he want to do (at most cases - nothing, as that¡¯s apparently his hobby), while my cousin supervised by a slave was continuously trying to improve his reading skills. He didn¡¯t have lessons here, he was only practicing with some ¡®lightly¡¯ written books. Of course he read it out loud. After the fourth day of his nearly never ending monologues with terrible pronunciation I began to hope that either he or his father actually tries to kill me. If not for the fact that my host is happy - as no one bothers him - and has a strong grip on our body I could actually kill myself just to end that torture. Well, maybe I exaggerate but recently I¡¯m quite easily annoyed. Especially when it¡¯s about my cousin or uncle. Actually, I think that even my Host rather dislikes the latter one but I have no idea why. The problems started shortly after that. During the first two weeks we were constantly monitored by slaves, but after that time they become less and less¡­ strict. They were still close enough to hear us if we started shouting or something, but there was no longer someone in our room all the time. That gave my cousin an opportunity to do¡­ things. At first those ¡®things¡¯ were rather small. Angry looks when my host made louder noise or, let¡¯s say ¡®uncool¡¯ words about him and his ¡®problems¡¯. But it escalated quickly, and after just a few days he threw a toy at my host after he accidentally dropped something on the floor. Next day, when the situation repeated itself, he used heavier ¡®ammunition¡¯ - a wooden piece of something that looks like jigsaw puzzle. Host¡¯s reaction was the same as always. He hides in a far corner of his mind, and locks himself there. As the bullying progress, he gets even more passive. Soon I was - nearly - in control of the body. I think I¡¯m still quite far from getting full control, but I can decide when to kick him out of the darkness in which he hides and force him into the spotlight. For the rest of the time body is more or less mine. Actually for most of the time I decided to hide behind him. I doubt if I could believably mimic his mental problems. And then, when my cousin threw another toy, I suddenly got a lovely idea. I let my Host¡¯s mind slip back into the darkness he¡¯s so familiar with and take control of the body, then I stare at my cousin with face twisted in a way I think is scary. I must look like a creepy possessed child from a C-class horror movie. I try to keep staring at him without blinking or at least doing it as rarely as possible. He notices me after a short while but doesn¡¯t pay me much attention. No matter, I¡¯ll just keep it up like this for a while. About twenty minutes later I finally get a response. He throws another toy at me, luckily it¡¯s nothing heavy. It takes plenty of self control to avoid breaking my stare, especially since he manages to hit me right in the face. But the effort pays up, for a second there I saw a glimpse of satisfaction on his face, but now he seems confused. After looking at me like that for a short while he goes back to playing with his toys. However he can¡¯t help looking at me from time to time. On his face I can see some fear slowly building up. Staring at him like that is painfully boring, but it¡¯s much better than watching my host from darkness. And now, when my boredom pays up, it actually gets interesting. Unfortunately our ¡®bonding time¡¯ today is ending so I¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow to continue. Waiting for the next day to resume my ¡®fun¡¯ was hard and now I eagerly wait for my cousin to do something. I need a pretext to start staring at him again but he, as if remembering what happened yesterday, doesn''t really want to give me one. That is, at the beginning. But after an hour or two of my host¡¯s standard behavior Iar¡¯e coms to him and pulls a toy wooden horse right out of his hands. My host¡¯s standard reaction would be a moment of apathy and then screaming like a madman. Fortunately I can use that apathy to slip in control of the body since I already know that in the darkness he¡¯ll calm down and won¡¯t fight back. So, without my intervention loud reaction of my host would attract attention of a slave who would come and take him to his room. It happened a few times already because my host sometimes screams without any reason when outside of his room. Soon, smug on my cousin''s face is replaced with a bit panicked expression. ¡°Wha¡­ what are you doing, you creep.¡± He throws the horse back at me but he didn¡¯t use much force and I¡¯m able to grab it mid air before it hits me. And slowly, still staring Iar¡¯e, I put the horse down on the floor. ¡°Stop it! Stop staring at me!¡± Now he is visibly afraid of me. He moves to the door while still looking my way. Then he leaves in hurry. The very second he disappears, I kick my host back to control. He resumes his play with the toy like nothing happened. ¡°I¡¯m telling you! There¡¯s something wrong with him!¡± I hear my cousin shouting in the corridor. Not before long he¡¯s back in ¡®our¡¯ room with two nannies, and an unknown family member. To my cousin¡¯s surprise what they find isn¡¯t a creepy possessed child, but one which acts completely normal. He¡¯s trying to persuade people he brought in, but to no avail. The looks on their faces can be translated to ¡°yeah, you have us this time, but you know, this wasn¡¯t a good joke¡±. Who knows, this ¡®bonding time¡¯ might actually be fun. 03: I think I might be the demon child here Resus: And so here it is - next chapter¡­ Slightly longer¡­ and slightly faster¡­. but hey, it¡¯s my finals week (sort of) so obviously as I have less time to write I¡¯m gonna do it more¡­ ******************************************************************************* Chapter 3: I think I might be the demon child here Damn, damn, damn! It¡¯s bad, I am so screwed! For the first time in my not-so-short history of being in this world I¡¯m forced into the spotlight. I had to do it, the alternative was even worse, but still! I am in deep shit right now! My father, my uncle, my grandfather, my cousin, the slaves in the room, my grandfather''s bodyguards... all of them are looking at me with shock written on their faces. And then, my father speaks. ¡°Did you just say something?¡± Ah, damn it. Everything was going so well¡­ Last year was more or less good. Most of it was anyway. I spent it on¡­ ¡®bonding¡¯ with my cousin practically everyday. The scenario for each day was similar, my host was playing alone and so was Iar¡¯e. Although at first my cousin would always be careful and cautious, his¡­ mean character would eventually win and he would do ¡®something¡¯ to my host. Throwing or stealing toys was common at the beginning and would always result in me taking control of the body and acting creepy. At first I simply stared at Iar¡¯e, trying not to blink, but that wasn¡¯t enough in the long run. After first two weeks he begun to ignore my staring. I had to come up with new methods. And so, one day, when my host was hit with another toy and I got in control I stood up and started to walk towards Iar¡¯e very, very slowly all the while staring at him. With that I regained his attention. He tried to retreat but soon the wall behind his back stopped him. Sliding against it he managed to get into the corner of the room. The situation was utterly hilarious. I - about three years old at the moment - was just standing in front of a three years older, and a head taller, kid¡­ who was pinned against the corner of the room and terrified. Pure comedy. We were stuck like this for a while. I didn¡¯t know how to end it and Iar¡¯e just wasn¡¯t doing anything. I honestly didn¡¯t know he was already so scared of me. He didn¡¯t show any signs of it earlier. At least nothing to suggest this extent of fear. Finally I just blinked a few times, turned around, got back to my host¡¯s playing spot and gave up control. He resumed playing¡­ But Iar¡¯e stayed in his corner for a few minutes. Analysing the situation maybe? I knew I was scaring him for life by acting that way. And I knew it was a bad thing. But he¡­ wasn¡¯t a good boy. I mean, what kind of kid finds pleasure in bullying his own mentally impaired cousin? The answer is - a bad one. And what happens when a bad and spoiled child grows older? We get a bad and spoiled adult, who has both money and power. I had no doubts that it was all my uncle¡¯s fault. All parents who allow their kids to do something like that should just drop dead. But I couldn¡¯t do anything to him¡­ yet. The limit of my capabilities at the moment was scaring my cousin for life. It isn¡¯t a nice thing to do, but if that was going to save lives of innocent in the future, simply because my cousin was going to be deterred by a memory of fear he experienced in his childhood¡­. well I guess I could survive a guilty conscience. I hate to admit it, but bullying him actually WAS somewhat enjoyable. Damn, it makes me sound like I was a villain here. Was I simply a bully who desperately searched for a justification to make himself believe he¡¯s the good guy? I spent a week or two contemplating that thought and was about to end bullying him, but then I saw Iar¡¯e venting his frustration on a random slave. Bad move cousin but I must sincerely thank you for helping me conquer my moral qualms. Considering how harsh he treated that slave - yes I¡¯m still talking about a seven-year-old brat - I even decided to kick it up a notch. Of course I didn¡¯t mean to overdo it - it could be disastrously counterproductive. If I pressed too hard he might snap in a very inconvenient and dangerous way. Fear and desperation may push him to do something stupid¡­ And the last thing I want is being stabbed in the middle of the night with a kitchen knife. So, I tried to keep him in a state of unease and only from time to time I was doing something more to keep the memory of fear somewhat fresh. It prevented him from doing anything against me¡­ at least directly. But even his attempts to persuade his father, some other family members and even slaves checking on us sometimes, that I, or rather my host, is acting in a weird and creepy way backfired. Everyone just ignored him and his occasional begging not to spend time with me. Well¡­ not quite ignored. Some rumors began to circulate but surprisingly enough they weren¡¯t about me. It seemed like everyone - even slaves - thought that there¡¯s something wrong with Iar¡¯e. The moment I found out about it was simply priceless. But there was one time I even overheard him arguing with his father who told him in a mockingly soft way to shut the fuck up and stop his stupid jokes¡­ and that was even better. Next few months have been - once again - rather monothematic. I continued my ¡®fear therapy¡¯, and Iar¡¯e was scared. All the time. It was quite surprising that even after all this time he still wasn¡¯t able to ignore my behavior. I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was so mentally strong - to withstand all that happened - or just too stupid to break. Only noticeable change was that he learned to avoid mentioning anything about our ¡®play time¡¯ to slaves or family. Gossips and rumors about him could still be heard because he simply couldn¡¯t hide his fear and generally tried to avoid any contact with me. Especially being alone with me was a no-no, so he was doing everything he could to keep someone in our room with us. Whether it was a nanny or slave responsible for cleaning, it didn¡¯t matter to him, just ¡®someone¡¯ to keep me from doing anything. After these months I finally decided that it¡¯s time to¡­ spice things a little. For starters I copied my cousin¡¯s past behavior - I was throwing toys at him when he wasn¡¯t looking. Every time I forced myself in control for a moment, just enough to grab a nearby toy and throw it. All that Iar¡¯e could see after¡­ impact¡­ was my host peacefully playing as if nothing happened. It took a few weeks but after that time my lovely cousin seemed to have been on the precipice of a nervous breakdown. Looking at me every five seconds or so was a hard to miss sign of his¡­ justified paranoia. Sometime in the next few months Iar¡¯e also began to learn how to write. His main classes were held elsewhere - as it was before with reading - but here, with me, he was instructed to practice his speed all the while keeping nice handwriting. It almost immediately gave me an idea but at a time it would be too cruel and to difficult to pull of. Now, on the other hand, I was well past ¡®too cruel¡¯. So, whenever he went out of the room - potty breaks or looking for someone to pass his ¡®homework¡¯ to his dad - I would sketch something on his practice parchment. I even had an idea for a theme of this sketches. I¡¯d usually draw a boy sitting behind a desk - just like Iar¡¯e was a lot lately - and another boy playing with a toy - my host of course. But, there was also another character - dark, more or less human shape silhouette standing beside the playing boy but looking towards the one behind the desk. I must say this was one of my most ingenious ideas. When he found the first drawing Iar¡¯e was happy because he finally got a proof. So he went to the nanny. Her reaction was telling him to show it to his father later, in the evening, when we were separated. For the rest of the day my cousin was visibly overjoyed - on his face was a look which could only be described as ¡®Ha, now you are finished!¡¯. The happiness disappeared overnight, after he was thoroughly scolded for ¡®drawing something stupid and wasting ink and parchment and then trying to lie to everybody that his retarded cousin was an author¡¯ - this was actually a quotation, as my uncle was quite loud and several slaves overheard the scolding. And why was that so ingenious? Because then I continued to draw creepy sketches like that, and he kept getting scolded for it. Plus - the content of them was in itself scary enough to get him visibly afraid of the dark. Either I turned him schizophrenic, or that black bastard joined our ¡®bonding time¡¯ because few times I saw my cousin acting as if he actually saw something terrifying in the dark, especially behind the windows in the evening. I wasn¡¯t the only one person to notice that, so the new gossips started to surface - about my cousin mental instability. Many of them blamed my uncle for it, saying that he intentionally fed Iar¡¯e with some made up scary stories about me to sabotage my grandfather¡¯s orders as a part of some greater scheme that backfired terribly. And then it seemed like all hell broke loose. It all started - surprise, surprise - with a gossip. Well¡­ not quite exactly a gossip¡­ The important part is that I heard it from my nanny. One of these days when my time with what¡¯s left of Iar¡¯e was supervised by my nanny and some other slave, Iar¡¯e¡¯s teacher or caretaker maybe¡­ Anyway, they were talking about my mother¡¯s recent condition in regard of my safety. Or, to be more precise, and I quote ¡®what¡¯s gonna happen with this poor child now that milady is pregnant¡¯... Oh, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. Not. Fucking. Good. All of my great plans for the next three-to-four years just¡­ went to hell. I am, after all only an irritating and more or less useless retard, who for some reason is the only child of this family''s main branch. And now there¡¯s gonna be another potential successor. How long will it take for someone to have this brilliant idea of erasing me from existence? It¡¯s easier to say ¡®well, he died - fainted and drowned in a soup before someone noticed anything - what a terrible accident¡¯ than to spend next forty or so years paying for my food, clothes and someone to take care of me. I always knew there would be a moment in which I¡¯d need to stop hiding behind my host. The moment in which I would have to say something along the line ¡®Hey, I¡¯m actually not a retarded! Yay!¡¯. But despite knowing that it¡¯s inevitable I really didn¡¯t expect it to happen before my fifth birthday. It was still a whole year until that day and it seemed like I really didn¡¯t have any other choice than to finally step into the spotlight. Of course I wasn¡¯t going to do that in any stupid way. Informing my nanny and telling her to go fetch my father/grandfather would be pretty risky, as she could ran into, for example, my uncle who may decide to do something¡­ inconvenient for me. Like arranging a terrible accident for both me and my messenger. I would of course survive this - or rather get resurrected after - but it would create a hell of a lot of awkward questions. Not to mention that I could get back to life under two or three meters of dirt. So I was going to arrange some emergency family meeting. And my cousin was going to help me. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I had to end this whole thing with damaging my cousin in one clean move, coup de grace. I waited for me and Iar¡¯e to be left alone in the room. Fortunately it didn¡¯t take long. This time there was no place for subtlety. I forced myself in control - it was surprisingly easy - and threw the toy my host was playing with directly at Iar¡¯e. I managed to hit him in he head, which was really lucky because I didn¡¯t even try to aim, but I had no time to appreciate it. Using my cousin''s confusion in few big steps I reached his desk. When Iar¡¯e understood the situation¡­ i guess he tried to stand up and run away simultaneously and it ended as fall down alongside his chair. But I was already drawing my last masterpiece. Sketch similar to those a drew before, only this time there was another character. A stick figure of myself standing over the playing kid controlling my host like a puppet. Also, that black human-like silhouette was standing over the other kid. I had to threw the parchment at Iar¡¯e because he was already trying to crawl away backwards¡­ I guess he saw the drawing coz he started to crawl faster. Not fast enough. I caught up to him right as his back hit the wall. He was too terrified to do anything so I leaned over him and right to his ear whispered ¡°You are next.¡± He practically catapulted towards the door screaming something I couldn¡¯t understand and pushing me away in the process. I¡¯m gonna miss our time together. Anyway, it seemed like Iar¡¯e made a big commotion in the mansion. Slaves and family members were running everywhere not bothering to close any doors. And I was just sitting in a playroom, waiting for all of this to end one way or another. It took a good hour before they finally found my cousin. Everyone was talking about it and that¡¯s how I knew he was hiding in one of the broom closets¡­ in a cupboard¡­ with a bunch of lit candles¡­ while blabbering something incomprehensibly to himself. This finally catched the attention of my grandfather, who just couldn¡¯t ignore gossips anymore. No more than two hours passed since finding Iar¡¯e and he barged in our playroom together with two nasty looking men who I think were his bodyguards. Slaves quickly organized additional chairs and then he sat in one of them. He looked at me few times but other than that - he was simply sitting there, visibly waiting for something. Maybe twenty minutes later my father joined us. He looked like he came in running, so most likely he was outside the mansion when the news reached him. Not long after him, my uncle and - still terrified - cousin also came. Iar¡¯e instantly took his chair and sat in the farthest corner of the room, exactly as far from me as he could. Damn, I may have overdid it a little, but hey, at least everyone¡¯s here! As expected, it¡¯s my grandfather who speaks first. ¡°Good, now that everyone is here¡­ how about someone telling me what the fuck happened here today? Lenniel, maybe you will tell me why your son hid in a cupboard with some candles, risking starting a fire? Not to mention burning himself in the process?¡± Oh, so my uncle name¡¯s Lenniel, good to know. For some reason I never heard it before. ¡°Not to mention his constant blabbering about his cousin being possessed or something? Well?¡± ¡°Somebody decided to play some tricks at him. Looks like a particular someone didn¡¯t like your decision and tried to undermine it by trying to scare my son. Most likely with magic. Did you, my dear brother, hire an illusion-capable magician lately?¡± Lenniel uses the situation to attack my father who decided to retaliate. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t, what isn¡¯t surprising, as there was no magic involved. Simply some idiot tried to fed his son with scary stories to sabotage our father¡¯s plan. But he forgot that kids at that age have a vivid imagination, so his ingenious plan backfired terribly. Isn¡¯t it, Lenniel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that!¡± My cousin joins the quarrel. ¡°He is a demon, a demon!¡± All adults in the room seemed irritated by his intrusion. His father would most likely say something harsh, if not for the fact that there are other people with us and it¡¯s hard to blame Iar¡¯e for ¡®joking¡¯ now. Suddenly my uncle stands and walks up to me. For a moment I was too surprised to react as he grabbed me by my clothes and lifted me to stand up. When I looked into his face I could see that he was really, really angry. His grip was so strong that it actually hurt. ¡°So? Are you just a demon or just a retard?¡± I mustered all my courage. It wasn¡¯t easy to openly speak to him. ¡°Well, I guess I can¡¯t really expect any answer from you, can I now?¡± And then¡­ it happened. ¡°What¡¯s a demon?¡± I knew I should have said something different but that was the first thing that came to my mind. My uncle was shocked to the point that his grip weakened and I was free. As I didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near him - especially because my host, even weakened, still emanates his strong antipathy toward my uncle - I used this occasion to break free and move back a few steps. And then I noticed that everyone was shocked just as much as him. Damn, damn, damn, I hate being in the spotlight! I am generally a shy person, especially with strangers, and unfortunately here everyone¡¯s a stranger. The silence continued for few seconds. The first one to regain his ability to speak was my father. He actually stands and comes up to me, while pushing my uncle away from me. ¡°Did you just say something?¡± At least I don¡¯t need to imitate shyness or awkwardness. I really feel bad with being in the center of everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Y...yes, father.¡± I blurt after a moment. I can feel my cheeks getting red. Not literally, but I¡¯m nearly sure it¡¯s happening. I have problems looking at my ¡®family¡¯ so I¡¯m just staring at my boots. Damnit, I¡¯m supposed to be some sort of a demon lord, I shouldn¡¯t behave like that! I¡¯ll need to improve in that matter in the future¡­ if I¡¯ll have any future. My family is still shocked. Only the slaves - the ones that brought chairs, and nannies - are whispering in the back of the room. ¡°So¡­ is it true what Iar¡¯e said about you? About you trying to scare him?¡± My father is surprised too, but he at least speak. I guess the question he wants to ask me right now would be ¡®You¡¯re not retarded?!¡¯ but as he¡¯s not sure if I will understand it, he tries to do it indirectly. ¡°Well¡­ y-yes, it is.¡± On my cousin¡¯s face I can see a mixture of ¡®what the hell is happening?!¡¯ and ¡®See? See? I WAS RIGHT!¡¯. I can¡¯t blame him, I would feel the same if I was him. ¡°But I only did it because he was mean to me.¡± ¡°Mean? In what way?¡± My father keeps inquiring me. ¡°He was saying mean things about me. And he was throwing things at me. And I heard his father telling him to do that. And i didn¡¯t know what to do. Then I thought that if I act scary maybe he would stop it.¡± It¡¯s actually quite hilarious to watch as all heads in the room suddenly turn to face my uncle. Their looks could be translated to ¡®Holy fuck, you seriously did that?¡¯. Lenniel blabbered out something I couldn¡¯t understand. His face started getting red with a combination of anger and embarrassment. Well, it¡¯s not like he could do anything - right now I had everyone¡¯s attention and they have no reason to doubt my words. Now I just have to pray that nobody would ask me how I knew how to ¡®act scary¡¯. ¡°So,for a year you could behave like a, umm, normal child?¡± My father finally asks me the main question, though I guess it wasn¡¯t easy for him as he wasn¡¯t sure how to say it. ¡°Yes, but not all the time. At the beginning I felt¡­ strange, like I couldn¡¯t control my body, for most of the time. But it started getting better lately.¡± I gave him a weak smile, full of shyness. Then I am back to staring at my boots. And then¡­ an ingenious and crazy idea enters my mind. ¡°It gets worse only when¡­ when... ¡° I pretend that my voice fails me. My father - who suddenly starts acting oh so fatherly - gives me a hug. ¡°...when what?¡± He tries to encourage me. ¡°W-when uncle stays with me¡­ and¡­ touches me¡­¡° And then my voice fails for the second time. But I no longer need to say anything, as the deed was done. The room suddenly goes silent. I can see my uncle¡¯s face suddenly losing all colors. He knows I am lying, but who will believe him? All other faces - even the ones belonging to slaves - are filled with disgust. What I see on my grandfather¡¯s face can¡¯t even be described. But the scariest thing I see is my father¡¯s face. He looks calm - but it¡¯s only a facade. He stands and turns to face my uncle. Lenniel, after seeing him, squeals something and instantly starts running towards the door. Too slow - my father catches him when he¡¯s still trying to open them and practically ramms them open with my uncle¡¯s head who falls to the ground. My father proceeds by kicking him violently. He lands at least five kicks before grandfather¡¯s bodyguards drag him away. Though in their faces I can see that they¡¯d rather join him. Thus ended our second ¡®family meeting¡¯. My uncle was dragged outside, leaving a trail of blood from his smashed nose. My cousin - with a face full of tears - accompanying him. Then my father and grandfather make a short but rather heated talk about me and my uncle. I didn¡¯t understand some words, mostly used in conjecture with my uncle¡¯s names (I guess they were profanities), but it looks like, while they can¡¯t really do anything to him because of lack of evidence and all his backers - both inside and outside the Veles, he just lost his high standing in the family. At the same time my position raises from ¡®useless and retarded trash¡¯ to the potential heir, who will be treated as a normal child. Of course ¡®bonding time¡¯ with my cousin is no more. ***************************************************************************************** Resus: So. Third chapter just ended. How are we doing - meeting your expectations? Do you like it? Your opinion won¡¯t change anything later in the story¡­ but nevertheless we would like to know your opinion so far. :P We¡¯d appreciate if you comment your thoughts and rate our story so more people could find it¡­ and read it. Mirrond: Two or three chapters until the RPG kicks in¡­ and one one more till not-so-pretty things starting to happen D: Brace yourself, assholes are coming. Resus: Last time we said ¡®1-2¡¯ chapters till RPG¡­ and now 2-3¡­ Yeah¡­ the amount of content stays the same¡­ but it seems like we need more and more words to write down that content :P Mirrond: At least it¡¯s good content¡­ I think. 04: How the lack of sex-ed caused a family cold war Resus: We are REALLY trying to go as fast as we can¡­ WHY AM I EVEN PANICKING?! There is absolutely no pressure to introduce game mechanics, right? That¡­ creation¡­ below is vengeful¡­ it will eat your very soul and won¡¯t let you do anything but writing¡­ I think I¡¯m starting to lose it¡­ whatever ¡°it¡± might be. **************************************************** Chapter 4: How the lack of sex-ed caused a family cold war Of all the people who could open the door to this room right now¡­ why Iverie? Her face is a mixture of shock and irritation - I guess she must have seen the guards carrying uncle Lenniel on her way here. She interrupts my father¡¯s and grandfather¡¯s discussion by asking them what happened. ¡°Well, let¡¯s say we had a little¡­ breakthrough when you weren¡¯t with us.¡± My father informs her in really cold voice. I guess after everything that happened today he¡¯s not really in a mood to hide his antipathy. ¡°Too bad you missed it.¡± I¡¯m quite surprised to see my grandfather staying silent. Looks like being a father of a molested child gives you rights to voice your opinions without limits. ¡°Oh? And what is that important thing I supposedly missed, Naharius? Lenniel tripping over his son¡¯s toys?¡± I finally learn my father¡¯s name. How nice. It¡¯s pretty stupid to not know your father¡¯s name while knowing your uncle¡¯s¡­ but I guess this isn¡¯t normal family. ¡°More like Lenniel turning out to be a sexual deviant who molested my son¡­ who surprisingly turned out not to be retarded at all, Iverie. But I¡¯m sure that doesn¡¯t surprise you at all now, does it?¡± My father¡¯s looking daggers at her while she, really shocked this time, turns her head towards me. I avoid her gaze. It¡¯s not because of unexplainable antipathy from my host - he only hates Lenniel. This time it¡¯s my own fear. I can¡¯t even properly described it but something in her screams at me that she¡¯s bad news. She looks at the men with disbelief¡­ and then walks towards me. Damn, damn, damn! I kinda expected her to grow fangs and talons and rip me apart, but no - she only examines me closely. And, dammit, she suddenly shows a smile (really, really fake one) on her face. ¡°I¡¯m Iverie Veles. What¡¯s your name?¡± I guess she expects me to run and hide behind a couch or something. And honestly speaking, I would gladly do that¡­ but I can¡¯t. I should say my name - I know. But my mouth acts on it¡¯s own and says something completely different. ¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡±¡­ damn, looks like my tongue has suicidal tendencies. She stares at me for a moment with a really mean and nasty looking smile across her face. My father unfortunately couldn¡¯t notice that, but I did. This more or less confirms my weird, irrational hunches about Iverie¡¯s sanity¡­ something¡¯s really wrong her but she manages to hide it quite well. It only bothers me more now that she decided to show this side of her to me. Or, she could just be a rare case of nasty, immoral and ambitious bitch. ¡°Well, that confirms it. He¡¯s not only healthy, but also seems really intelligent for his age.¡± My father just couldn¡¯t stop himself from commenting my answer and Iverie didn¡¯t take it very well. She spun around to face him but instead of attacking him like I expected she simply asks him a question¡­ ¡°So, what are you gonna do now with this¡­ situation?¡± Impressive. I can¡¯t hear any venom in her voice. ¡°Well, first things first, I guess giving my son some protection in form of a bodyguard would be right thing to do.¡± He informs her with antipathy filling both his voice and expression. ¡°After all, if those current events have shown us something is that you can¡¯t even trust your own family.¡± Sarcasm. And plenty of it. I can only guess that his target was my grandfather, as it is him who responds. ¡°True¡­ I really didn¡¯t expect Lenniel to do something like that.¡± He looks genuinely shocked and disgusted by what happened. Well, I could imagine what my old-world father would feel if it was I who¡¯d do something like what they think Lenniel did. ¡°Seems like it can¡¯t be helped, I accept bodyguards. Anything else?¡± ¡°Change of his nannies to ¡®my¡¯ nannies.¡± I guess that by stressing world ¡®my¡¯ he doesn¡¯t mean nannies that took care of him, when he was young¡­ more like making sure that I¡¯m surrounded by his slaves, which because of collars must be loyal to him. Just when I started to like him, he make me remember what business he is involved in. Great. ¡°Also, as soon as he¡¯ll reach appropriate age, by which I mean one or two years from now, he¡¯s going to get tutored¡­ by tutors of my choice.¡± Hmmm, now I¡¯m getting lost. I¡¯m not sure why shouldn¡¯t he be the one to choose¡­ ah! Maybe grandfather tried to ease tensions by making sure that every child is taught by tutors chosen not only by his parents but also by members of other family branches? That would actually look plausible considering my grandfather¡¯s failed ¡®bonding time¡¯ plan¡­ ¡°Oh? And why is that?¡± Iverie decides to step in. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who didn¡¯t want to bother with educating that ¡®deadweight¡¯ - your own words if I recall correctly - all by yourself and dumped that responsibility on me.¡± This quarrel is¡­ such a rollercoaster of feelings. From ¡®well, my father isn¡¯t that bad¡¯ to ¡®OHFUCKSOCLOSEHOWCOULDYOU¡¯... What a terrifying fate have I just been spared from. That was such a fucking ¡®near¡¯ miss it might even leave a scar on my psyche¡­ ¡°It was long before I found out he CAN actually be educated. Besides I always thought impossible tasks were your specialty, Iverie?¡± Her face is full of confusion. Well, not only hers, grandfather¡¯s also confused. ¡°It seems that by now you have failed only in learning how to grow old without becoming such a bitch.¡± Ouch. Even slaves seem shocked. I can only guess that my father and Iverie never reached such level of bitterness in their bickering, at least with public. For a few seconds I seriously thought that he got her, but no. She only hisses, and then leaves the room loudly tapping her heels on the floor. ¡°Now you¡¯ve pissed her.¡± States my grandfather. ¡°I will go make sure she won¡¯t set the mansion on fire.¡± And with that he leaves the room right behind Iverie. ¡°Well¡­ if it wasn¡¯t eventful evening but I think it¡¯s already bedtime for you.¡± And with that cheesy line ends the first day in which my new dad acts like a father. I¡¯ll withdraw from commenting his behaviour until he¡¯ll prove to me this isn¡¯t his first and last day. But yeah, I definitely want to go to sleep now, it was a very¡­ busy day. * * * Six months have passed and in that time I learned two things. I found out that I¡¯m almost completely in charge of this body as it gets nearly impossible to push my Host outside of our mind even for a few minutes. The second thing¡­ well, this family - finally and definitively - proven to me that they are just a bunch of assholes only pulling out for themselves. No, really¡­ even though it seemed like everything would be different after my little performance. I must admit - it started quite good. I even got an actual bodyguard. Gavlan actually turned out to be the best thing that happened to me in this new life, as of yet. He is, of course, a slave equipped with this fancy magic collar. I doubt if at that point my father could trust anyone besides people who were literally unable to betray him. Gavlan has been chosen because of his proficiency as a warrior. At the beginning he wasn¡¯t really talkative but after few weeks spent with me he realised that I¡¯m not as bad es he expected (especially compared to other family members) so he started showing some initiative. Oh, and he is a beastman. Wolfman to be precise. This world never ceases to amaze me. However, he isn¡¯t much¡­ wolflike. It looks like in this world ¡®beastmen¡¯ can mean both - a human with some animal features, and intelligent animal-like humanoid. They are actually part of the same race, only different variants. They can be found pretty much everywhere, but most of them inhabit island (or rather small continent) called Leana, which is somewhere to the northwest. It¡¯s frequent target of slaver raids, because it¡¯s pretty disorganised, filled with warring tribes and small but civilised and highly decentralised countries. Gavlan was unfortunate enough to be captured in one of such raids organised by - surprise - my family. I swear, they do anything they can to make me don¡¯t like them. The most important, positive result of my reveal as an ordinary child - aside from this bodyguard mess - was that I finally could freely explore our family mansion. And while having someone follow me everywhere I go was¡­ slightly irritating, he could answer all the questions I had about this new - for me - world. Of course I couldn¡¯t ask any suspiciously precise questions - I was only a four-year-old kid! But even by simple imitation of childish curiosity I received some valuable informations. It looked like I was born in the coastal city of Res. It is - more or less - a merchant republic and a major trade center. It¡¯s a part of ¡®Free Cities¡¯, but I¡¯m not sure yet if it¡¯s a treaty, alliance, or something else. By now I think it¡¯s some kind of a defense treaty against outside threats, with plenty of inside wars - both trade and ¡®typical¡¯ - between it¡¯s members. Climate here looks pretty¡­ mediterranean. There¡¯s no actual winter here, just a rainy season of sorts. I¡¯m growing to hate this weather as I always enjoyed low temperatures more than high ones. Funny thing - the religion here is at the same time widespread and nearly nonexistent. While as far as I know everyone believe in some deity that is supposed to look after this city, I never had any occasion to see priests or religious ceremonies. According to Gavlan, the deity ¡®resides¡¯ in the grand temple somewhere in the city - but it can¡¯t be seen from our mansion. Pretty Sumerian-like, because it seems like every city has it¡¯s own unique deity. For now I take all this ¡®residing¡¯ business as a metaphor. But who am I to judge this - since it¡¯s a fantasy world and all, I¡¯m not going to take my own opinion for granted. But all of that is off topic from ¡®a bunch of assholes¡¯ theme. It all started with relatively peaceful two weeks filled with my uncle¡¯s excuses and accusations against my father. In Lanniel¡¯s version of the story it was all my father¡¯s plan from the very beginning - he obviously made me say all those lies. But, as that didn¡¯t happen - there was no proof. And no one payed any attention to Lanniel¡¯s ¡®whining¡¯... at least for now. But in the end, what practically divided the whole family apart was the very same ¡®news¡¯ which lead me to my desperate reveal - my mother¡¯s pregnancy. Well¡­ not pregnancy itself but rather new light casted upon it when father decided to dig in this topic a little bit and found that conception must have happened exactly when he was away on a business trip for a whole month. A lot to take in, i know, and that wasn¡¯t even the big problem yet. Simple adultery would just end up as a conflict between my parents. but my mother - her name is Alva by the way - turned out to be an idiot. Not only she cheated on father when he was away¡­ she did it with a slave. Moreover - she consciously let that slave impregnate her. Why she did that I¡¯ll probably never know. However the deed was done and the whole family went mad. Quarrels and debates were so frequent and loud that even I heard most of them. And their contents were rather simple - whether or not throw my mother together with her bastard out of the family and disown them¡­ Fortunately my dear relatives didn¡¯t go as far as to suggest throwing me out alongside her, but doubts about Naharius actually being my father begin to appear. And on doubts it ended¡­ Everyone have been too preoccupied with my mother¡¯s futile struggles to ease this whole situation. Futile because, well¡­ it was all her fault after all. Nothing she could do would help her in any way. Besides even if she was actually disowned it still would be better fate than what happened to that unlucky slave. Why unlucky? He didn¡¯t have any say in the matter, he¡¯s a slave so he had to do whatever my mother told him to. And because of her he has been sold to a mine or quarry¡­ I didn¡¯t really knew any details about it. I guess his presence reminded every family member of what my mother have done¡­ Petty and stupid - another reason why I dislike Veles. This state of family argument continued for two whole months because no one actually wanted to make any decisions. And then... Then my father have definitely proven that he¡¯s also an idiot. He knocked up a slave girl. And that was a big gamechanger. As now everyone is more or less aware of the fact that I am not retarded, people didn¡¯t gossip freely with me around anymore, but I still found out some informations. It looks like my father was so pissed with his wife¡¯s betrayal he decided to vent his frustration in the most stupid way possible. Seriously, somebody should teach him how to masturbate, that would solve his problems. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Anyway, the arguments more or less ceased after that. My mother accepted her much lowered standing within the family - but she and her child remained a part of it. She also forced my father to - more or less - legitimize his bastard child, mainly to humiliate him. It¡¯s not like he could do much at this point - he just lost everything he gained because of my actions against uncle Lenniel. Not only he turned out to be a hypocrite, but also a stupid hypocrite, who couldn¡¯t even restrain himself. Not to mention that having a child with a slave in this family was viewed as something nearly as bad as being a child molester, though I couldn¡¯t really understand why. So now it was once again Iverie to be number one potential successor. Seriously, father? Grrrrr. The only good thing - aside the fact that I was going to have two siblings - was my newly found freedom. Cold war in the house reached a level, in which everyone was too preoccupied to even notice me. So I could, well¡­ together with Gavlan, explore the mansion relatively freely. And I must admit - it¡¯s pretty impressive. Traversing the hallways even without looking into the rooms caused me to lose orientation more than a few times. Only occasional windows and Gavlan¡¯s help allowed me not to get completely lost. I think that maze of hallways was caused by frequent changes and extensions all the while the main focus was external looks rather than comfort of the residents. And so this beautiful mansion made out of cut stone blocks looks breathtaking from the outside and - except for the close vicinity of the main hall - is a goddamn tragedy when it comes to finding a way from point A to B... Also worth noting is fact that except for the main hall with the ONLY STAIRCASE IN A WHOLE BUILDING, big dining room and relatively small garden and the fact that there is sewage system and running water inside but of course I can¡¯t really make any comparisons so I can¡¯t be sure if it¡¯s something unusual. Of course there¡¯s a lot, and I mean A LOT of rooms and closets¡­ but they¡¯re mostly empty or generally unused. It¡¯s mostly due to the current, not ideal, position of the family and also the fact that most of the family doesn¡¯t actually lives here - only the main branch and those very close to it. But the extra space is needed in case of a big family gathering when everyone comes and requires a place to sleep. My peaceful days - in a way this ¡®cold war¡¯ was much more pleasant for me than the time before the revelation of my mother¡¯s infidelity - lasted for about four months. Right now I¡¯m ¡®impatiently¡¯ waiting for my bastard of a younger sibling to be born. Of course, they didn¡¯t let me witness the childbirth itself but I¡¯m sitting together with Gavlan right outside the room where the whole event takes place. Of course, my father¡¯s not here. Actually, nobody¡¯s here besides me and slaves. Most likely even my mother wouldn¡¯t be here if she could. It doesn¡¯t bode well for the future of the child. Thankfully it¡¯s already over, even though I didn¡¯t have to wait long because there was a big delay before I found out it¡¯s happening since no one bothered to inform me. Just now slave accoucheuses carried my younger sibling out. It seems like, despite her initial pride about this whole pregnancy, our mother really changed her mind about this kid when father found out about her betrayal¡­ I still can¡¯t come up with a good reason for her to ever think that getting pregnant with a slave would be a splendid idea¡­ She really is kind of an idiot. Somehow I can¡¯t utter any words. I didn¡¯t expect this to have any effect on me¡­ but it seems like it just got to me that I¡¯m going to have an actual - living, breathing sibling. I never had one, not even in my previous life. Gavlan, on the other hand, doesn¡¯t seem affected as much as me and rescue the situation. ¡°So, what¡¯s this new Veles gonna be? Young master or mistress?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a girl.¡± I have a sister now. * * * Cold war within the family continued even after the birth of my sister. Actually, I¡¯d say that it got even worse and the only real victim of it is no one else than my poor baby sister. It¡¯s nearly four months after her birth now, and our father still didn¡¯t even acknowledge her existence. Although, the first one to get rid of any responsibility was in fact mother¡­ she practically abandoned her newborn daughter leaving all the related duties to slave nannies. I finally got to know some more about local religion. It seems that a newborn baby doesn¡¯t receive a name till about three weeks after birth. There¡¯s a naming ceremony similar to baptism held in the city¡¯s only temple. Unfortunately due to my ¡®dear¡¯ father¡¯s developing paranoia - his brother molesting his son, wife getting pregnant with a slave and then getting his own bastard really shattered his perception of safety¡­ - I couldn¡¯t, and still cant leave the mansion¡­ It was actually pretty sad seeing that mother was the only Veles to attend my sister¡¯s ¡®naming¡¯. And even she was there only because it was somehow required. Moreover, right after the ceremony ended she left her daughter with slaves who were accompanying her to the temple. Truth be told I¡¯m not entirely sure I would go even if I had permission to do so. After my previous life I¡¯ve been contacted by a mysterious, black, seemingly shapeless creature with multiple personalities¡­ and reincarnated here in this world to unleash havoc and destruction¡­ I don¡¯t suppose such qualifications would work in my favor in the vicinity of a local deity. I still don¡¯t know if that part abut said deity ¡®residing¡¯ in the temple is actually any real and I don¡¯t feel like risking it yet. After this whole ceremony mess I didn¡¯t even want to try asking my mother about my sister¡¯s name. I eventually learnt it through Gavlan who asked among slaves present in the temple during the naming¡­ Lena. I kinda liked that name. Following months were¡­ depressing. Most of this time I spent with Lena. And I was the only family member to actually do that. I know that she¡¯s still an infant but come on! There is definitely something wrong with this situation. I didn¡¯t have to help in any chores, slaves were more than sufficient in that matter and even if I tried to help I would only make a mess and cause problems. Fortunately my interest in my sister didn¡¯t seem to cause any suspicions. I guess it was simply seen, once again, as genuine childish curiosity. Acting like an actual young kid is sometimes really hard. I mean¡­ I see all this, let¡¯s be honest here - pathology going on and I can¡¯t do shit about it. But I have a confession to make. I did this whole ¡®spending time with my sister¡¯ thing mostly to earn some positive opinion among slaves. It¡¯s pretty cold hearted, I know. I¡¯d still do it, even out of my own free will¡­ but certainly not to this extent. So, yeah¡­ Last four months went by rather uneventful. And now, it seems like this whole irrational state of family cold war is gonna last for at least this long once more because now I also have a brother. At least father had enough decency to be here when slave girl he slept with gave birth. I honestly didn¡¯t expect him to do so but despite his recent potential psychological problems - or maybe because of them - he even holds my newborn brother for a while here. Moreover he even show some emotions. Quite surprising but well, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s the worst person in this family¡­ he pales in comparison to Lenniel or Iverie, in my humble opinion. Speak of the devil¡­ she actually shows her ugly head. Not at the beginning, but after my father leaves my brother to nannies, as it¡¯s already getting quite late but only now they finally let me see my newly born brother¡­ and then, she comes. I can hear from behind the door. Iverie doesn¡¯t come in she only asks one of the slaves whether the child is a boy or a girl, and if it was born healthy. After receiving answers, I can hear her evacuating in a hurry. Ok, now that¡¯s suspicious and because of that I decide to follow her for a bit. Persuading Gavlan to accompany me could be tricky, so I simply lie to him that I want to go back taking a more ¡®scenic¡¯ way. He doesn¡¯t seem surprised probably remembering the expeditions when, not so long ago, I tried to wrap my head around the topography of this place. Then again, it¡¯s not like there are battalions of assassins lurking within the mansion, so he has no reason to refuse. Then I simply follow Iverie desperately trying not to be too obvious about it so that Gavlan won¡¯t think of it as suspicious. She doesn¡¯t even try to be stealthy - why would she anyway - and the entire building is slowly getting ready for the night, so I can hear her footsteps from quite afar. Fooling Gavlan wouldn¡¯t be possible for too long, so it¡¯s quite fortunate that her chambers are close to the place where the slave girl was giving birth. When we reach her quarters, I fool Gavlan again, this time by blabbering something about me getting curious what is my aunty doing. Sometimes it¡¯s actually quite nice to be a kid of this age, since nobody takes me seriously¡­ Gavlan seemingly decides that I¡¯m only playing and lets me eavesdrop a little on her door. I know that she has two kids - a girl and a boy. Her daughter is two years older than me, I saw a few times and I must admit that she looks like much younger version of Iverie. On the other hand, her son is two years younger than me. I can hear them in the background, so they are definitely not sleeping, but sounds they¡¯re making are muffled so they must be in a different room. Unfortunately they¡¯re loud enough to make clearly hearing what Iverie is speaking very hard. She¡¯s not alone - I can differentiate two male voices but they¡¯re totally indecipherable. One, most likely, belong to her husband - who as far as I know is controlled by her in such extent that he most likely asks her for permission even to use the toilet. ¡°Well, now that we know it¡¯s a boy¡­¡± Iverie¡¯s voice can be heard, at least partially. She must be closer to the door than them. But sometimes for some reason she lowers her voice. ¡°... within three weeks. And of course neither one of you... ...you really call yourself men?¡± Male voice speaks something I don¡¯t understand. ¡°... you expected from him? That was literally the most retarded thing you¡¯ve ever¡­¡± The same voice again. This time what he says sounds like a longer monologue. ¡°... well it wouldn¡¯t be a problem if you didn¡¯t mess up with the dose¡­ ¡­ stop jabbering about yourself being framed by him, he is a fucking kid for Gods¡¯ sake.¡± Oh shit. Is the second man¡­ uncle Lenniel? Now that¡¯s what you call a surprising development. Gavlan with his great hearing must¡¯ve heard it too - even though he wasn¡¯t really eavesdropping - as he suddenly grabs my arm and steer me away from the door. On his face there is a clouded look. This time he doesn¡¯t care about my protests and leads me towards my room. I have few things to think about. What was it about ¡®messing up with the dose¡¯? Not to mention¡­ what Iverie meant by ¡®within three weeks¡¯ and then saying something I translate to ¡®them not wanting to help her with something¡¯? And it¡¯s somehow connected to my new sibling being born as a boy¡­ I suddenly have terrible premonitions. *************************************** Resus: First things first, Truth¡­ if you¡¯re reading this I want to tell you that we both really appreciate your comments since you always seem to grasp exactly what we were trying to accomplish in our writing¡­ But because of that I must ask you to write your thoughts in ¡®spoilers¡¯ as a vast majority will probably end up as ones. All the while I personally love what you¡¯re doing¡­ to some extent for the depressing value it has on Mirrond (it¡¯s really hilarious to see him struggling in anger and disbelief on how you know all that xD). Mirrond: *here should be a smart and funny comment but a person who should write this is fighting urge to throw his display out the window* Resus: Yeah¡­ now that this is over time for some (even more) serious talk¡­ Mirrond: Next week¡¯s submission might be slightly¡­ late (later than tuesday). Just a little bit, as it¡¯s suppose to be at least as long as this one but we have less time to write it as my weekend is pretty¡­ busy. At least Christmas is coming, so there will be plenty of time later on ;_; Resus: Unfortunately we still have to ask you to comment your thoughts on this chapter so that more people can find this story and read it :P Mirrond: #TotallyNotBeggingForAttention EDIT: Resus: Fixes few minor problems with continuity and logic¡­ If there¡¯s anything stupid left - please inform us so we can fix it :P 05: Pillow of death and a game called life (two weeks ago) Mirrond: At least the beginning of this chapter is written with me being in a state of, how should I put it, depression? And this time - what a surprise - not caused by Truth revealing¡­ mmm¡­ truths. Painful dialogue: Me - ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve been thinking a bit about girls in ¡®my¡¯ harem¡­¡± Resus - ¡°Damn¡­ and I said something about realism in our story.¡± Me - ¡°What is not realistic in my harem?¡± Resus - ¡°You in the middle.¡± Aaargh, et tu, Resus. You can¡¯t even trust your coauthor ;_; Nevermind, here is another chapter. Hope you like love it. *************************************** Resus: That. Took. Way. Too. Long. Mirrond: Christmas +me playing Skyrim + Resus creating all this RPG tables and things¡­ that¡­ not¡­ entirely¡­ fit in this chapter¡­ even though we thought they would = DELAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY. Resus: Hopefully it won¡¯t happen again¡­ at least for some time. But technically¡­ we were ahead of schedule and this is the ¡°right time¡± for this chapter to appear¡­ But what do I know¡­ Mirrond: You know nothing, Joh¡­ Resus. ************************************ Chapter 5: Pillow of death and a game called life After a few minutes of walking I¡¯m alone in my room. I can hear Gavlan talking with another slave behind doors. He¡¯s trying to speak quietly, but after sticking my ear against the door I can hear him quite well. Gavlan sends the person he speaks with to my father, to inform him - just in case he didn¡¯t know - that Lenniel and Iverie are scheming together. But he doesn¡¯t mention them talking about my brother. I doubt if he, with his collar still on, could intentionally withheld such information, so he simply must¡¯ve not hear it. Or didn¡¯t connect the dots as I. I may be a little racist here, but if he¡¯s a beastman and a former warrior I doubt he knows anything about scheming. He has quite a simple mind when it comes to things like that. He¡¯s not an idiot - he found out that it was Lenniel speaking with Iverie - but I doubt that he can think about it in such a devious way as I, to understand what I did. There¡¯s only one explanation. My father actually cares about his new son even though he¡¯s a bastard. How can they be sure that he won¡¯t¡­ legitimize him fully in the future? By now he only had one son, and until few months ago they were sure that the only child of Naharius was retarded. So all their plans were created without any future obstacles in that matter. And now, suddenly, there are two. And, as my parents hate each other¡¯s guts, the chance of yet another child suddenly popping up is at best slim. Although, father never sold the slave he slept with - God knows why - I doubt he will impregnate her ever again. I have a bodyguard and, in a way, I¡¯m in the spotlight. But my new brother¡­ he could be a much easier target to eliminate. If they disguise this as a natural death¡­ this happens to infants of his age. Not often but enough to hide a murder. And because of that I now face a problem. WHAT THE FUCK SHOULD I DO?! I could - of course - try to warn Gavlan or my father but¡­ it would be futile and suicidal because there is no way they would believe me. Nearly five-year-old kid going around telling people he overheard a terrible scheme of his uncle and aunt, who are planning to murder his sibling?! Not only nobody would believe me. I would also attract unnecessary and unwanted attention to myself. That would literally be my death wish¡­ Iverie would prioritise my death above all else just to make sure I wouldn¡¯t persuade anybody. The finishing blow to the idea of warning anyone is the simple fact - Gavlan also overheard their conversation¡­ but without that crucial part about them planning to murder my brother. Even if I miraculously managed to find a way to somehow persuade my father that I¡¯m not just talking nonsense, he would simply call for my bodyguard and question him about the whole situation. And - quite unfortunately - he would hear that Gavlan don¡¯t know about anything like that¡­Besides, Gavlan have already sent a messenger to him so the questioning wouldn¡¯t even be necessary as persuading my father is simply impossible with the current situation. So¡­ what can I do? Is it hopeless? And just like that¡­ I suddenly have an idea. There just might be a way¡­ The rooms Lena was accommodated in are right next to my own. If, by any chance, my newly born brother would be assigned a room in a similar fashion¡­ I move towards a window and open it. Outside there¡¯s a cornice. It¡¯s a bit narrow but with my current, five-year-old, body I should be able to sneak on it to my brother''s room. It would only require clear weather and open windows in his room but it¡¯s the middle of the dry season so it won¡¯t be a problem. And my master plan? Use my father¡¯s paranoia to make him believe that my brother is in danger. It should be enough to just leave some signs of unknown presence at night. Pretty much Cousin Torture 2.0, but this time without scaring anybody for life¡­ Except maybe worsening father¡¯s paranoia. Which might not be that bad, considering the fact that my ¡®aunty¡¯ IS out there to destroy everything he cares about. I go to sleep for now¡­ * * * The next morning I hear from Gavlan that my brother is going to live in the room close to my own - right next to Lena¡¯s. It¡¯s actually pretty clever of my father. After all my bodyguard spends all night in the corridor right in front of my quarters. Which means that he¡¯s - indirectly - protecting my siblings just as well as me. Even though if I were him I would hire - or buy - additional guards for that purpose. Perhaps my grandfather said ¡®No¡¯. That would actually explain quite a bit. I¡¯m sure - well, almost - that Iverie won¡¯t do anything as long as there¡¯s plenty of people around my brother. Whatever her plan might be she¡¯ll try to do it discreetly, as the last thing she would like to happen is strengthening my father position. And that¡¯s precisely what would happen if someone murdered his second son. Naharius would most likely force grandfather to run a serious investigation, and if they would find any traces leading to Iverie¡­ That¡¯s why I patiently wait for things to get calmer. * * * Four days later the commotion around my brother¡¯s birth is finally fading and only two nannies are assigned to take care of him throughout the day. At night he¡¯s more or less alone but I¡¯m sure that if he¡¯d wake up and start crying there would be someone to nurture him back to sleep. And that¡¯s because the nannies spend nights in the room opposite to my own, as they are pretty much shared between my two siblings. All of that means that Iverie could only attempt to sneak into my brother¡¯s room some time at night¡­ if not for Gavlan taking a nap with his back on the door to my room. It seems like, as a beastman, he doesn¡¯t need much sleep and he¡¯s a very light sleeper - probably because of his wolf ears. So, as long as I¡¯ll spend every night in my room, Iverie can¡¯t do a thing to hurt my brother. Of course if she¡¯ll ever decide to go all out and send an assassin, or poison his food¡­ then I can do absolutely nothing about it. All my reasoning is based on me hoping that all this: ¡®And of course neither one of you... ...you really call yourself men?¡¯ I heard while eavesdropping means more or less that she has no other choice than to do it personally¡­ For now I discard those negative thoughts, there¡¯s no time for them. Currently I need to somehow ¡®persuade¡¯ my father to put more funds into security personnel - without saying even a word to him. Not an easy thing to do. During the day I made sure to look into my brother¡¯s room a few times, just to make sure that window in there is open. And it was. No one likes when it¡¯s too hot and humid so naturally most windows in the mansion are open all the time, but you can¡¯t be too careful. Staying awake in the middle of the night was always so easy - I mean, in my previous life - but now it seems like it¡¯s the hardest task so far. Maybe it¡¯s this new body, the atmosphere here, or just the humongous change of my lifestyle, but I have to fight against every minute not to fall asleep. Finally, I think I¡¯ve waited long enough. Big clock on the temple tower in the city shows one hour after midnight. Nights here are surprisingly not as dark as I would think. That¡¯s probably thanks to three moons¡­ well two that can reflect light since the third one is completely black. Moreover I think that the lack of any street lights makes it so the moonslight seems much brighter in comparison. And if that¡¯s not enough the clock¡¯s face is illuminated from the inside and semitransparent. Anyway, I get up from my bed and approach the window. It¡¯s open, I made sure of it so it won¡¯t make any noise. Carefully, sitting on the windowsill, I lower myself on the cornice right outside. Thankfully there¡¯s no strong wind - only slight breeze. Otherwise it would be challenging to keep my balance. On all fours I slowly crawl my way to the left side of the building - my brother¡¯s room is the third window to the left counting from mine. It would be way harder if I was afraid of heights or something. I¡¯m not saying that crawling on this suddenly-not-so-wide-ledge was pleasant experience¡­ but I guess it could¡¯ve been way worse. Shortly, I reach the right window and let myself in. The inside of the room was rather barren, but what is actually needed in a room of a yet nameless infant¡­ Right in the middle, on the big fluffy carpet, is - of course - a crib. In one corner is a table with a single, unlit, candle on it. On one wall are two cupboards, presumably for diapers and such, and on the other door to the bathroom. It seems like every other room has one¡­ So, what can I do to convince everyone that there¡¯s something bad happening in this room at night¡­ For now let¡¯s just make a mess. If that¡¯s not gonna be enough then next time I¡¯ll think of something else. Diapers everywhere, candle lying in pieces, table upside down¡­ It¡¯s actually quite challenging to run havoc in someone''s room without waking him up. Especially if that someone is an infant. If not for that I would move the crib and then spread the carpet against the wall or something like that. One more glance at the room and this mess I created, and I evacuate. * * * The next day I woke up to noises and commotion somewhere in the corridor. For a second there I was actually afraid that Iverie might¡¯ve visited my brother right after me - it was REALLY noisy - but thankfully that wasn¡¯t the case. It was, in fact, my father expressing his paranoia driven anger and unloading it on anyone at hand. Apparently his first reaction was assumption that slave nannies have done something¡­ but that idea died quick natural death as the collars prevent them from lying and even in his current state he couldn¡¯t argue with their version. The rest of that day went rather uneventful. I stayed in my room and only went out to eat dinner so I missed most of my father¡¯s investigation, but it looks like he couldn¡¯t find anyone to put a blame on. Grandfather didn¡¯t believe in father¡¯s ¡®there was someone in my son¡¯s room!¡¯ talk, so he refused father¡¯s demand to hire additional bodyguards. Stupid old man. However, in the evening, I managed to hear my father ordering Gavlan to keep an eye - or ear in his case - for any abnormalities in my brother¡¯s room. That night I once again sneak in there while making sure to be extra silent and stealthy. Payoff wasn¡¯t in any way spectacular but father seemed to be more agitated and I think that even grandfather began to develop some doubts. And that¡¯s exactly why, the third night, I decided to add a tiny little bit more¡­ impact. During the day I managed to get my hands on a small knife from the kitchen. Nothing impressive - blade was even shorter than it¡¯s hande - but I guarantee it was razor-sharp. And so, when I got to my baby brother¡¯s room, except for the ¡®regular mess¡¯ I also made few easily noticeable cuts on the crib¡­ Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. But I didn¡¯t think it would be enough. I guess it was kinda reckless¡­ but at a time I thought about it as a last step in my master plan. First, I made sure that I had a clear evacuation path and then¡­ with my heart in my mouth¡­ I pressed the edge of the knife¡¯s blade onto my baby brother¡¯s cheek. I don¡¯t remember too clearly what happened next - it¡¯s more like a blur of too much movement. I think I ran to the window and in one stupidly dangerous jump I made it to the ledge outside. Not even taking time to crawl I ran to my room throwing the knife away accompanied by my brother¡¯s crying and screaming. If, right after that, anyone bothered to check if everything was ok with me, they would find me in my bed covered in sweat and on the edge of hyperventilation. Fortunately no one seemed to care, probably because they were much too busy. No more than ten minutes after I left the room, the entire building is full of¡­ activity. My visit in my brother¡¯s room certainly have been noticed and soon I can hear my father very loudly speaking with nannies. It¡¯s pretty much the repetition of what happened after my first nightly visit there - he ask them questions, they answer, my father is getting even angrier at everyone. In the meantime Gavlan enters my room, checking if there¡¯s everything okay with me and then informs me of what happened. Not like I need it, but I can¡¯t exactly say that, so I just act like I am shocked. He tells me to stay in my room and leaves right after my consent. When the door close behind him I can hear my father interrogating him, but my bodyguard has nothing interesting to say, beside the fact that he was the first to find my brother and that he saw no one in his room. Then¡­ my grandfather arrives, asking what happened. Unlucky for him. at this point my father has too much problems to deal with, so instead of even trying to stay calm, and give a polite answer, he simply snaps. ¡°What happened? WHAT HAPPENED?! Exactly the thing I warned you about! Someone broke into my son¡¯s room and hurt him! Not only that - we also have NO FUCKING IDEA how the assailant got in, or who was he¡­ And why¡¯s that?! Because particular someone forbid me from hiring one or two additional guardsman out of fear that I would tell them to go and rape or kill his lovely little niece!¡° ¡°What?! This wasn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I! DON¡¯T! FUCKING! CARE! I¡¯m going to hire as many bodyguards as I see fit. Disinherit me for that if you want. I wonder how other members of our family will react to the fact that you forbid them from protecting themselves. For the rest of the night Gavlan is going to protect them both. And, as I suddenly feel like spending the whole night in my younger son¡¯s bedroom, me and my bodyguard are going to help him. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No buts. This whole situation is your fault. I know you have this delusional idea that you can make me, Lenniel and Iverie to be one, big, loving family¡­ Face the truth already!¡± I can hear my grandfather saying something, but it¡¯s utterly incomprehensible. Then there¡¯s a short moment of silence, after which my grandfather leaves. Then my father continue. ¡°Gavlan, you heard the orders. Be so kind and do not take a nap till morning. Tomorrow night you are going to get some¡­ underlings.¡° ¡°With all due respect, can¡¯t we just move them into one room?¡± Gavlan speaks up. ¡°No. Children, before gaining name, must be in separate rooms.¡± A moment of silence. ¡° It¡¯s a tradition based on temple¡¯s teachings so I can¡¯t really act against it. Iverie would find out, she always does, and then that woman would make me look like a goddamn heretic. It¡¯s just a one night, tomorrow I am going to go look for some slaves with bodyguard experience.¡± It¡¯s not hard to imagine what sort of face Gavlan¡¯s making to that answer. He comes into my room, but before he have a chance to say anything I simply inform him that I heard the whole conversation. He nods, and leaves to his new post in the corridor. I must admit that in long term my hastily put together plan may¡­ and almost certainly will¡­ backfire. Everything I¡¯ve done to indirectly protect my brother is actually quite¡­ stupid. At least from my grandfather¡¯s point of view. I mean - what use is in sneaking into his room three nights in a row and¡­ do nothing? Except for leaving a small gash on his face? Worst case scenario, Iverie may use my actions and my father¡¯s responses to persuade grandfather that it was all done by Naharius in the first place, just to gain an excuse to hire armed men¡­ Well, at least she won¡¯t do anything tonight¡­ And it seems like starting tomorrow my little brother will gain actual protection. * * * Did I really believe that something as trivial as two heavily armed guards would be enough to stop Iverie from doing something nefarious? Am I an idiot? Technically I was right that she wouldn¡¯t try anything yesterday¡­ but now is a completely different story. It was all so pointlessly useless. Everything I¡¯ve done in those recent days was useless. I feel so powerless as I sit in my brother¡¯s bathroom and through a small crack between the door and a wall I can see Iverie strangling my brother to death with a pillow. Even if I¡¯d scream it wouldn¡¯t change anything. The guards assigned to protect my dying sibling are just two sets of doors away from me¡­ but they could as well be on a moon right now. All my desperate attempts to save his life - for nothing, as Iverie simply came in¡­ Through the wall! If not for a stroke of luck I would be there, with my brother. But when she entered I was in the bathroom. I only heard a silent crackle and when I jumped towards door I could see her entering the room, through what looked like a disassembled part of a stone brick wall, together with¡­ something. Her companion is more or less a humanoid black stain, similar to that black bastard who put me here¡­ and yet so different. Whatever it is, it gives a similar oppressing feeling, but while my ¡®abductor¡¯ made me feel like being in a cage with a hungry tiger, Iverie¡¯s friend is more like a rabid dog. A big and angry one, but the difference in power between them is obvious¡­ and massive. Also¡­ I can¡¯t really describe this feeling¡­ my abductor seemed much more¡­ attuned with darkness? More¡­ natural within it? I don¡¯t know why, but I felt like it¡¯s important for some reason. ¡°Now look at that, magic sure can be very handy.¡± She said, looking around the room. ¡°As expected from one of the sorcerers from the Council of Eight. The guards, they won¡¯t hear anything, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Magician¡¯s voice was¡­ artificial, or at least somehow distorted. I finally understood the eerie feeling from earlier. This is just an illusion, made to cover his identity. With his body covered in darkness and changed voice, I can¡¯t even tell if it¡¯s a man or woman. I could see his ¡®eyes¡¯, but just as his ¡®face¡¯ they were fake, like¡­ dots painted on darkness, to make people feel less uneasy when speaking to him. ¡°No sound will leave the boy¡¯s chambers. And even if his bodyguards, by some miracle, would come in, I doubt there is enough armed men in the whole mansion to stop me. But I presume you wouldn¡¯t be too happy to have everyone know that he was murdered.¡± Standing next to my brother¡¯s crib, she nodded, and then took one of the pillows lying in it. I already knew what she was up to, even before she started strangling him with that pillow. My sibling doesn¡¯t make a sound and after a few minutes the deed is done. She puts the pillow back as if nothing happened. ¡°We are finished here, shall we get going?¡± Iverie asks the magician in her usual cold manner. He nods and when she turned her back, he¡­ looks my way. For a second our eyes meet and I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the end - I¡¯m dead. But, surprisingly, he does nothing against me - he only touches his lips with his index finger in a ¡®silence¡¯ gesture, and then he follows Iverie. Shortly after that, hole in the wall closes itself. It takes me good ten seconds to force myself to open the doors and move towards my brother¡¯s crib. My legs feel strange. My head too. I¡¯m barely conscious. One look at my sibling tells me that it¡¯s too late to do anything. Iverie was¡­ thorough in her deed. I close his eyes and mutter a weak apology for failing him in such a horrible way. Then I escape through the window. Three times I nearly fall to imminent death, but I barely notice that. Right after I manage to reach my bedroom I lose my last bits of control. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!!! Iverie, you FUCKING BITCH! I will kill you, I swear I will. I can¡¯t wait to see your FUCKING smile fading, with a dagger in your heart. No, that would be merciful. I¡¯ll make sure you WILL FUCKING SUFFER!!! You, and your fucking magician. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take me but I swear that I WILL PISS ON YOUR GRAVES. I don¡¯t even notice that I¡¯m throwing things - mainly toys - before Gavlan suddenly enters. He doesn¡¯t find any assassins, only a boy throwing a tantrum. One look from me is enough to make him leave. No more playing around. No more ¡®well, this guys are such an idiots¡¯. I¡¯m going to spend God-knows-how-many years on doing everything that is necessary to see that ambitious and amoral bitch dying in pain. And I will enjoy every last bit of it. I¡¯m going to¡­ *ding!*
||=======================|| ||=====Congratulations!=====|| ||=======================||
You managed to crawl your way through the first five years of your life¡­ Finally! It took you forever¡­ no, wait. Not really¡­ five years is five years¡­ hmph¡­ D: Well, nevermind then. You are here after five years of being a creepy kid in a creepy family, I really hope you liked it :D By the way, what you have done with your uncle was just AWESOME! The pure evil of what you¡¯ve done really made me proud! :) You still didn¡¯t kill anything nice for me though. :/ I guess it¡¯ll change sooner or later. I¡¯m nearly sorry for your aunt¡­ just kidding, I¡¯ll keep my fingers crossed for you killin¡¯ her in a really amusing (and painful!) manner:D! By the way - you just cannibalized (well, sort of) your host, so the RPG mechanics are now fully online! And after this message you¡¯ll gain access to one-time tutorial also known as Tutorial Which Lacks All Really Important Informations Because I Didn¡¯t Care To Write Them All Down - TWLARIIBIDCTWTAD for short, but I couldn¡¯t remember it like AT ALL, so I had to change it. So now it¡¯s simply a tutorial. I also had quite funny name for the entire RPG system but the voices in my head didn¡¯t let me use it, so I also had to change it ;_; Well, have fun :D Shadow, This World #1 Murderous Jester
(automated massage¡­ I mean message) Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Well¡­ Fuck. ****************************************** Resus: FINALLY WE REACHED THAT POINT! Mirrond: Yeah ;_; finally. This was awful, just awful. Resus: I know¡­ Mirrond: But I am not talking about your f¡­. okay, that was a bad joke. Nevermind, it¡¯s finished. Nothing else matters :v EDIT: Fixed few minor mistakes. If you see any more, let us know so we can fix them as well. 06: Real Life Game Systems informational overload Mirrond: Astrologers proclaim the week of tables. The population of table-lovers doubles! Resus: And table makers proclaim severe loss of sanity¡­. Mirrond: You can¡¯t lose what you never had¡­ btw. what you will see below is the exact reason why we were so ¡®late¡¯ last time, and why this time it was so easy for us to write it ;_; we actually had most of it ready. EDIT: You can - if you are too... overloaded - skip the Codex part. It is added to keep track of lore etc. - it only contains information that WERE in the story (only now with its first activiation there are some additional informations. Nothing important though, and they are either mentioned below the Codex part or will be mentioned somewhere later on). From chapter 7 onwards it will be regularly updated and kept in spoiler below the chapter so if you won''t be sure what something is you can refresh your memory without running into some pesky spoilers (like it sometimes happen when there is only one "chapter" with glossary etc.) ************************************* Chapter 06: Real Life Game System¡¯s informational overload Shadow - which, I guess, is the name of my abductor - has a pretty bad timing. Even thought that floating message box doesn¡¯t seem like a physical object I can touch it and move it around. Fortunately it¡¯s impossible to throw it, otherwise I would most likely smash it against the wall. At least it calmed me down a bit. It stays there, floating in front of me, as I try various ways to dismiss it. Voice commands doesn¡¯t work, and while I can touch it there is no ¡®exit¡¯ button or something like that. But, after maybe thirty seconds, it suddenly disappears on it¡¯s own. And a moment later... *ping!*
||========================================|| ||======Varth Veles of the proud Veles family=====|| ||========================================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Spell casted upon you instantly healing almost every damage. After spending all points you become as vulnerable as normal human.Mana Points represent the overall amount of power you have left, which can be used to power your spells. As well as your overall limit of that power you can store.
Attributes below represent your physical limitations - 5 is average for a human. At level 10-15-20 etc¡­ you¡¯ll receive actual, biological reworks of your organism.
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Represents the power of your health spell. The more you have it the more damage you can regenerate.Represents your natural resistance against magic and elements and actively decreases damage taken from them.
Strength:1Endurance:1
Represents the strength of your muscles and tendons. Actively helps you lift heavy objects and operate weapons.Represents your stamina and toughness. Passively improves your sustainability and actively decreases physical damage taken.
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Represents your motor coordination and increases precision in using your hands and fingers.Represents the flexibility of your whole body. Actively helps you avoid sharp objects coming your way.
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Represents your ability to think quickly. Actively enhances your nervous system thus improving your reflexes.Represents your ability to learn, memorize things, and associate facts. Actively enhances your abstractive thinking.
Attributes below represent your social skills. They are represented in a range from 0 to 100.
Charisma:0Attractiveness: xD1
Represents your ability to persuade others to do your bidding. Actively enhances your ability to control your facial expressions and makes them look much more genuine.Represents your appeal in the eyes of people who feel attracted to your gender. Higher levels of this attribute can enhance your charisma.
Intimidation:0Fear:2
Represents your ability to intimidate others to obey your orders. Actively helps you appear more dangerous regardless of situation.Represents the fear people experience near you. High levels of this attribute can enhance your intimidation.
Faith:1Fame:1
Represents the strength of your alliance with the gods. The stronger your belief the more they like you up there.Represents how easy it is for people to recognise you from your name, face or accomplishments. High levels of this attribute can enhance your charisma and intimidation.
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Huh. I can see several interesting things here. Especially Health Points. That bastard found quite a way to introduce HP into perfectly normal¡­ except for magic, world. Now I can¡¯t help but wonder about¡­ details. Will it work on injuries which don¡¯t carry the risk of death? What about twisted ankle? Or bruises? Is it instant? Is it painful? Will it regenerate me after decapitation? I can¡¯t really test any of that¡­ I don¡¯t know how could I bruise myself without making a noise that would make Gavlan barge into the room. Not to mention I don¡¯t have even the slightest inclinations towards harming myself. Well¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to get decapitated in near future, right? Sooner or later I¡¯m going to get injured on it¡¯s own this way or another - I¡¯m a child after all - so testing may wait. 0/0 Mana Points was to be expected. After all Shadow warned me about it earlier. That part about ¡®reworks¡¯ is much more interesting. I can figure that, at least when strength is considered, they¡¯re there to make me - in a distant future - superhumanly strong without making me look like an extreme body-builder. But the rest? Increasing my intelligence or wisdom to ten points would actually mean¡­ rebuilding my brain? Or maybe nervous system, right? That¡¯s pretty extreme. And sure as hell painful. My current stats... Maybe I never really played any MMO, but I always loved singleplayer RPG-es. And because of that I don¡¯t have any problems with understanding the simple fact that I¡¯m screwed. At least partially. Goddamnit! This is a fucking magicless magician build! Social skills are much less depressing, maybe with a small exception for ¡®Attractiveness xD¡¯ - Shadow, you asshole¡­ Two points in ¡®Fear¡¯ most likely came from me scaring my cousin. Now, one of my main questions is - what the fuck is going on with Faith stat. I wonder what can it give me. With 100 points they will be inviting me for a dinner every sunday? I don¡¯t even know anything about any local gods! Beside the fact that one is supposed to be in the Res¡¯s temple. Although¡­ Shadow might be a god. But if that¡¯s the case I may actually consider conversion to atheism¡­ or rather antitheism, as you can¡¯t really be an atheist if you know that gods exist, but you still refuse to worship them because they¡¯re assholes. And¡­ there is nothing that¡¯s even a slightly similar to ¡®Levels¡¯, there¡¯s only stats. Hmph. I wonder how am I to increase my stats if there¡¯s no levels. Will I have to¡­ train? Oh damn, please! Anything but this! Although¡­ I have no idea how could I train Resistance or Vitality¡­ getting violently beaten can¡¯t really empower regeneration spell, right? *ping!*
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:0Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:0Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
I guess the system somehow figured out that I finished reading the the tutorial and so the descriptive windows disappear. And now I can finally explore the Menus section. The first button I push is the one labeled as Skills.
||==============|| ||=====Skills=====|| ||==============||
Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess moderate skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, but you are yet to learn how to write or read. Intermediate
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Well¡­ Magical Talentless skill looks more or less like another one of Shadow¡¯s bad jokes¡­ I think I¡¯m getting used to this by now... The language skill is actually a bit depressing. Word ¡®western¡¯ suggest that there¡¯s at least one more ¡®Republican¡¯ language¡­ plus, it¡¯s just a variant, which suggests a possibility that there¡¯s a shitload of languages in this world, just like on Earth. Too bad, I kinda hoped for it to turn out like some of the RPG-worlds where you can easily communicate using only one or two languages everywhere¡­ damn you, realism!
||======================|| ||=====Spells LOCKED=====|| ||======================||
This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Out of curiosity I tried to click the Spells button, but something like this appeared. So, let¡¯s try checking out Quests next. If every secondary menu is going to be as deserted as the first one it¡¯s gonna be a breeze.
Quests
Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description Your received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Okay¡­ so much about being a breeze. At least descriptions of those quests are somewhat enlightening. Especially one of this ¡®Unchangeable Main Quest¡¯ - ¡®Old Empire¡¯ sounds like a stereotypical long-lost-but-very-fucking-powerful civilization. I never heard about it, but it¡¯s nothing strange as people don¡¯t really talk about world history in this mansion. I¡¯ll just need to ask a few questions to my tutor¡­ as soon as I get one. So¡­ considering this and a part about blessings from ¡®Lost Deities¡¯ I can safely assume that Shadow himself is a ¡®Lost Deity¡¯, and is somehow connected to this Old Empire, and have a bunch of friends that are yet to show up. Also the ¡®Old Gods¡¯ must refer to the goddess-protector of Res, and her friends from other cities, right? I mean, that¡¯s the only deity I heard about so far. But after a moment of thinking - that¡¯s only a possibility. I can only hope she is an Old God, as that would¡­ narrow things a little. It¡¯s actually quite complicated. I could assume that Shadow is one of Old Empire¡¯s deities, but he doesn¡¯t really look like one. And if Old Empire really is a mighty, old civilization¡­ then why the hell would they worship somebody like that?! With his ¡®oh, I can¡¯t say this, and I can¡¯t say that¡¯ attitude he could just as well simply falsify the quest description to make me think that way. He looks like a deceiving and scheming, insane little bastard. Plus¡­ if he really is a god originating from a long-lost-but-very-fucking-powerful civilization, then why would the Res goddess described as an ¡®Old God¡¯? Shadow would be the older one here¡­ Aaaargh, it¡¯s just so fucking complicated. Shadow should have chosen Iverie as his tool, that bitch has similar mind when it comes to scheming and such. The last quest here is actually a bit funny¡­ if I weren¡¯t so angry at everything I might¡¯ve even laugh. Shadow really has a bad timing¡­ well, time to move to Codex.
||===============|| ||=====Codex=====|| ||===============||
People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡°aunt¡±, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. Very ambitious, she is scheming to become the next head of Veles family. She killed your brother and is in cahoots with one of the eight Res mages. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. He lost a big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Eastern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Wolfman - Beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). It¡¯s head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡°association¡± of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.Current number of users¡­ 1
Okay¡­ that¡¯s¡­ something. Codex definitely looks like a handy tool. All knowledge I acquired about this world in an easily accessible and well sorted table¡­ and a bit more. While overwhelming majority of information in this Codex is what I already know - this is especially true in Dramatis Personae part - there are also things I knew but forgot or only heard about it once or twice. A good example could be the part about Temple of Res. Now that I think about it, I heard Gavlan talking with some other slave about the Temple - they mentioned it being led by a Grand Priestess and something about her passing judgment for crimes. And now I have it written here¡­ with a little bit of additional info that I am not sure if I actually knew. It looks like Shadow is trying to smuggle some bits of knowledge using Codex, without telling me openly. Like names of continents. And races¡­ wait, Elves?! OH PLEASE EVERYTHING BUT THEM¡­ I just hope they aren¡¯t the stereotypical ¡®oh, I-am-so-awesome-so-incredibly-beautiful-and-immortal-and-my-magic-is-so-strong-you-lowly-human¡¯ type. That would be¡­ painful. Interesting thing is the part about Council of Eight. Res is a big city, at least when it goes to more medieval type of world. And while I¡¯m not sure about numbers, I would be surprised if there was less than one hundred thousands people living here. And that¡¯s why ¡®all eight sorcerers¡¯ looks weird - that¡¯s a pretty low number. At least it¡¯ll be much easier to find the bastard working with Iverie, though it¡¯ll have to wait until I¡¯ll be able to¡­ at least scratch him. I finish with the Codex, and open Active Effects.
||=====================|| ||=====Active Effects=====|| ||=====================||
Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Only one active effect... But it actually confirms two things. Shadow really is a deity, and his sphere of influence is actually quite fitting. I hope he doesn¡¯t expect me to worship him, as he looks like the exact type of deity I would prefer to avoid. The second revelation is that now I know the reason behind those ¡®weird feelings¡¯ I had few times. Like ¡®she is a problem¡¯ near Iverie. I wonder what does the ¡®I HATE YOU¡¯ around my uncle is supposed to tell me. Well, nevermind - I¡¯ll get to know it eventually. Possessions and Companions are both locked and the only one left is the options menu. But before opening it I face a small problem. All those opened windows are still floating in front of me as I don¡¯t know how to close them. This clusterfuck of blue windows is getting annoying. I spend few moments trying to figure out how to make them disappear¡­ Voice commands still don¡¯t seem to work but after some trials and errors I find out that if I touch their titles - they go away. Click, click, click¡­ and then¡­ by accident I close the main status window. At first I don¡¯t find this as a problem and close the rest as well... But I have no idea how to open this interface again. ******************************************* Resus: It may not look like it, but this chapter was a main reason for our ¡°delay¡± with the fifth one. The other thing I want to say is¡­ From this chapter onwards there¡¯s alway gonna be full set of menues from Real Life Game System :P In actual chapters MC¡¯s interface will be rather minimal and I know that there are some people who like to be¡­ up to date. Ok. I admit - it¡¯s mainly because I quite simply figured out how to put a table into a spoiler xD BUT STILL! Mirrond: It¡¯s all because you are a table-loving maniac ;_; Resus: You¡¯re the one who wrote their content xD Mirrond: It¡¯s because you told me to do it! Resus: Did you just say that I have the power to command you?! ARE YOU HIGH!? Mirrond: ;_; Spoiler: Status
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:0Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:0Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Skills
||==============|| ||=====Skills=====|| ||==============||
Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess moderate skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, but you are yet to learn how to write or read. Intermediate
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Spells LOCKED
||======================|| ||=====Spells LOCKED=====|| ||======================||
This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Quests
Quests
Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description Your received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Codex
||===============|| ||=====Codex=====|| ||===============||
People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡°aunt¡±, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. Very ambitious, she is scheming to become the next head of Veles family. She killed your brother and is in cahoots with one of the eight Res mages. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. He lost a big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Eastern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Wolfman - Beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). It¡¯s head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡°association¡± of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Active Effects
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Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Possesions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Companions LOCKED
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Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
That¡¯s right - no options for you :P 07: Shadows job description should be harbinger of idiocy Mirrond: So¡­ I have somehow written it in one evening¡­ and Resus corrected most of it one evening¡­ which is¡­ strange a bit. But, here it is - another chapter. Resus: Yeah¡­ we wrote 90% of it in the last 48 hours¡­ and that¡¯s exactly like saying ¡°we didn¡¯t write anything the last week¡±... Mirrond: We had reasons¡­! I think. After writing this like a madman I have problems with my memory D: Who are you? Who am I? Resus: Oh, right¡­ You were sick¡­ And I¡¯m not qualified to write it on my own when it¡¯s so full of dialogues and exposition :P Mirrond: I thought about making a joke about me being a sick person all the time and only catching an illness lately, but I decided - fuck it. ******************************** Chapter 7: Shadow¡¯s job description should be ¡®harbinger of idiocy¡¯ Trying to keep my voice low, so that Gavlan won¡¯t hear me, I whisper several typical keywords you would expect to open the interface in this situation. Nothing. Few gestures I¡¯m able to come up with also don¡¯t seem to have any effect. I guess the knowledge from all this novels, manga and anime isn¡¯t as usable in real life as one would assume. I read and watched literally hundreds of them¡­ and by far that didn¡¯t give me anything, beside irritation over clicheness. Back to the topic, let¡¯s think about this some more. What sort of interface opening trigger could be set by a mad deity that seemingly finds joy in making fun of me? I¡¯m afraid the answer is - I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA! This could be literally anything, from a mad dance to self harm using something sharp¡­ or a spoon. It¡¯s impossible for me to find out and trying anything without knowing what is it exactly would be ridiculous, tedious and - ultimately - pointless. Thinking about this as an actual game there should be an option allowing customisation of such trigger somewhere in the Options menu¡­ but I can¡¯t access it now! Hey, Shadow¡­ are you listening? How about a little help? Because, you know, in this situation, your appearance WOULD ACTUALLY BE USEFUL FOR ONCE! And look, you¡¯d be able to make fun of me and this little problem of my! For a second I kinda expected him to answer to my thoughts, but¡­ nope, no such luck for me. Great, just great. Fun-fucking-tastic to be precise. Now it¡¯s certain - I¡¯m the shittiest reincarnated ¡®hero¡¯ ever. I don¡¯t know how many real reincarnated heroes the apparent multiverse had¡­ but I¡¯m positive that I¡¯m the very first one to not be able to open his own interface... Okay, for now let¡¯s settle with ¡¯It¡¯s all Shadow¡¯s fault in the first place!¡¯ because I really need to go to sleep. Tomorrow - when the shit¡¯ll hit the fan - and everyone will learn of my brother¡¯s death - I¡¯ll better not look like sleep-deprived zombie. Besides¡­ maybe tomorrow I¡¯ll be able to figure something out regarding this whole mess? It¡¯s damn hard to fall asleep when you know that your dead brother¡¯s body lies on the other side of the wall. * * * Waking up to a screaming woman is kind of what I expected. And, weirdly enough, it¡¯s slowly becoming a routine for me. Next thing I know is Gavlan shaking my arm and asking if I¡¯m ok. He¡¯s my bodyguard after all and if they found my brother dead I¡¯m his priority again. I ensure him that everything is ok and he leaves the room, I guess he heard my father approaching because I can hear them talking for a short while. The conversation is quickly over and it seems like father rushed to my brothers room. The scream following right after the bang of opening doors hitting the wall is filled with anguish and despair. * * * Ok, I honestly didn¡¯t think that my brother¡¯s death would affect him so much. I may sound biased but he wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought before the whole ¡®my uncle is touching me¡¯ incident. It actually seems like he was sensitive enough to actually nearly break after losing his bastard son who so far gave him nothing but trouble. The scream two days ago was pretty much only the beginning. After wallowing in¡­ whatever it is that people are supposed to wallow in¡­ for some time, he switched into apathy and that¡¯s pretty much his condition even now. But it¡¯s not like he was completely broken. His eyes aren¡¯t lifeless and given enough time he will shake it all off. However for the time being he is no use so grandfather was the one to organize the funeral. And I must admit that for someone not originally from this world the funeral rites in Res are quite¡­ peculiar. As far as I know this world doesn¡¯t really have any concept of afterlife, so the funeral is more like a sacrifice to the goddess of water that is worshipped here. Bodies are cremated and the ashes are thrown into the sea or a river. At least that¡¯s how it is for the poor. Rich families, like Veles, have a little different approach. They have tombs. Every wealthy family has one. It¡¯s nothing more than a place filled with pedestals on top of which there are stone bowls filled with water mixed with ashes. The only ¡®decoration¡¯ is a name, dates of birth and death written on the pedestal, plus names of your parents. Our family tomb was, quite surprisingly, right below the mansion. One of many closed rooms in the building turned out to be a spiral staircase. But the biggest surprise was my brother¡¯s funeral itself. Sometime during the preparations I overheard a conversation between two slaves about my brother¡¯s situation in the family. And based on what I heard, having a child with a slave isn¡¯t as rare as recent events would suggest. It¡¯s heavily frowned upon and considered as something really bad - especially because of a strange believe that slaves are somehow ¡®worse¡¯ than free people, but it happens from time to time. And because of that, there are actually rules and regulations for this kind of a situations. I¡¯m not sure though if they are official like ¡®laws¡¯ or just what people silently agreed to do. Anyway, owner of a slave can in fact legitimize the child and said child can be treated as a heir, but if he or she has any fully legitimate half-siblings they have priority over him or her. However it¡¯s a rather rare occurrence for anyone to legitimize a bastard. On the other hand, if the owner refuses to acknowledge the child his family can still ¡®adopt¡¯ it. It¡¯s as if it was an orphan now under care of the family. It¡¯s actually a rather common practice as such children can be properly educated and later become helpful in managing family business. They are generally really loyal, as their parent - or after his or her death, the family head - can legitimize them anytime they see fit. That ¡®adopted orphan¡¯ could also get betrothed to a member of a different wealthy family. Although I have no idea why the ¡®slaves are worse than free people¡¯ belief doesn¡¯t apply here¡­ Anyway, both ways conclude with them living peaceful lives full of riches, so being loyal is definitely tempting. Actually, as far as I know, Lena is an example of such adoption. The last option, however, is for the master to denounce the child, who then ends as his slave with only one parent. Which is a pretty heartless thing to do, but it happens from time to time. Back to the topic, when we entered the tomb during the ceremony, there was my father¡¯s name written as a parent on the pedestal prepared for my brother¡¯s ashes. I could hear shocked whispers among some of the less prominent family members. Only that daughter-of-a-bitch - Iverie - didn¡¯t look shocked at all. This pretty much explained why she killed him - Naharius must¡¯ve legitimized my brother in secret, but she somehow found out about it. The ritual itself was short. The body was cremated earlier, so all my father did was pouring ashes into the bowl. Then we all leaved the tomb, leaving only Naharius behind. According to Gavlan ¡®he wanted to be alone for a bit¡¯. The feast began shortly after. I don¡¯t really enjoy it. Being in the same room as Iverie is making me want to break something. I barely even notice what I¡¯m eating and that my father entered the room. He looks like a shadow of his former self. Especially because of the bags under his eyes. After one or two hours I begin having a little headache so I excuse myself and go back to my room with Gavlan following me. I¡¯m also really sleepy - even despite it still being a few hours till dusk. I fall asleep really quickly. Then¡­ there are dreams. Quite vivid. People and places from both of my lives mixed together into something totally incomprehensible. The theme slowly starts becoming darker and darker. And finally¡­ it turns into a nightmare. I am in a building. A palace or castle, built from really massive blocks of dark stone I don¡¯t recognize. The room I¡¯m in is enormously spacious, all I can see is a forest of pillars that seems to continue without end - no walls in my sight - and a throne in front of me. There is Shadow sitting on it. This time he looks much more evil-godlike. The only part of his body that¡¯s still a black whirlwind is his face. The rest is covered by what looks like a really sinister set of black armor with thorns as a motive. It¡¯s decorated with a crude image of sickle-like red moon painted on his chestplate. His body is strangely slim, I kinda expected the Evil God Of Madness to look more¡­ macho? Especially in his magnificent Black Armor of Badassitude. ¡°Damn, what a creepy nightmare.¡± I mumble to myself but before I can do anything else I receive a powerful kick in the stomach. I fly backwards, piercing through several pillars. And¡­ IT HURTS, IT SO FUCKING HU¡­ wait, it hurts? Which means¡­ ¡°Yes.¡± I hear Shadow¡¯s voice while trying to stand up, I can see his face very, very close to my own. He looks pissed. ¡°This is, more or less, reality.¡± ¡°Fuck, you know you could¡¯ve just pinch me!¡± ¡°Sure I could, but kicking you was so much more enjoyable.¡± I¡¯m trying to come out with a riposte but before anything leaves my mouth he smiles - wryly and without any sign of joy in his eyes. ¡°Besides¡­ I just had to somehow punish you for being SO MUCH OF AN IDIOT and dying already!¡± What? ¡°Dying. You know - the moment when your body becomes unable to continue living, and your soul¡­ well, that part depends on whom you ask. ¡° He starts laughing out of nowhere. ¡°Who like who, but you should be pretty knowledgeable in the subject, it¡¯s your second time after all.¡± ¡°How? Was it Iverie?¡± He helps me up. Despite receiving his kick and piercing through several stone pillars I¡¯m not even wounded, but i guess it¡¯s not all that surprising since I¡¯m already dead and all¡­ ¡°Looks like my blessing¡¯s working. A bit too late, perhaps?¡° Another burst of laughter. ¡°Victim¡¯s cause of death - cerebral hemorrhage. Looks like someone really raised his blood pressure. Yeaaaaah.¡± And then he puts on pair of sunglasses out of nowhere. ¡°Horatio Caine from CSI: Miami¡¯s opening scene. Sweet¡­ you got any more of them references to my world? NO! Cerebral Hemorrhage?! What the¡­¡± But he doesn¡¯t let me finish. ¡°It¡¯s a fantasy world. From your perspective anyway. The are like billions of various poisons and toxins out there. And I must point out that this particular one is actually really awesome.¡± He looks so genuinely enthusiastic about it¡­ ¡±When added to food or beverage its effects start as a little headache and sleepiness. But when the victim *wink* fall asleep¡­ it fries the brain. Side effects - realistic dreams and nightmares. Cerebral hemorrhage is this train¡¯s last stop. Though even if someone wakes the victim before it¡¯s all over there¡¯s always at least slight brain damage devolving a healthy person into a retard or a vegetable. Thankfully this state would last only until the victim falls asleep again, as then¡­ bam! Cerebral hemorrhage.¡± Second of silence, and yet another burst of laughter. ¡°Damn, I really like those words. ¡®Cerebral hemorrhage¡¯ sounds soooooo awesome and intelligent.¡± I decide to ignore his nonsense. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that this way it would look like a natural death.¡± I think out laud. ¡°And even if someone would decide to do an autopsy, all that could be found are signs of¡­¡± ¡°... cerebral hemorrhage!¡± Can¡¯t you just shut up for a moment?! ¡°Well, of course if twenty people die because of it one night in a single house, everyone would know that it was this poison. But if it happens once at a time to a single person¡­¡± ¡°... especially someone who was thought to have mental problems when he was younger.¡± This time I¡¯m the one to interrupt. ¡°Iverie would easily persuade anyone that it was all because of a hidden disease, that damaged my brain when I was younger. First retardation and then... ¡° I notice what I¡¯ve done a second too late. ¡°... CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE!!!¡± Oh God, if only I had something sharp¡­ I really want to stab Shadow. To death. WITH A FUCKING SPOON. ¡°Think like that too much, and in the future I¡¯ll grant you a magic spoon as a divine artifact.¡± Obligatory burst of laughter¡­ ¡°Watching you stabbing people with it would be GLORIOUS! You would be so pissed at me, that you¡¯d end up getting¡­¡° Oh please no. ¡°CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE!!!¡±. AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!! The worst part is that this guy could really do this. And being known as ¡®The Dark Lord of The Magic Spoon¡¯ by this world¡¯s future generations is¡¯t the peak of my dreams. ¡°Shadow¡­ is that poison something well known?¡± ¡°No, not really.¡± He answers promptly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s known just enough so I can tell you a bit about it without breaking any rules.¡± Rules? ¡°It¡¯s one of the Old Empire¡¯s glorious inventions. Diluted in water 1:1000 it ends up us a harmless drug that can be used to stimulate vivid dreams. It can also be used as a lubricant for heavy machinery involving magic. And rubbed into skin in small quantities restores magic power. Quite useful but hard to create so it¡¯s pretty rare. Well, it was hard to create by the Old Empire, because with today¡¯s technology it can¡¯t be replicated.¡± For some reason I¡¯m sure that if I ask anything about the Old Empire I¡¯ll hear something along the lines of ¡®sorry, can¡¯t say anything about it''. Enhanced intuition strikes back. Shadow smiles wryly when I think that. ¡°Oh, and by the way...¡± Before I have a chance to say anything he¡¯s speaking again. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s linked to a strange underground ¡®cult¡¯ that¡¯s currently under the Temple¡¯s investigation. They already used this poison in a few assassinations, so they definitely have access to it. And no, this isn¡¯t breaking the rules as long as you already heard about it but simply forgot because you were sleepy back then. And I didn¡¯t add this to the Codex because of very important reasons.¡± This might be a useful tip¡­ This cult, whatever it is, must be connected to both Iverie and that magician who helped her. And because of that¡­ wait¡­ Codex?! ¡°Thank God I just remembered about this¡­ You see, I can¡¯t open my interface because I accidentally closed it before reaching Options and there was nothing in the tutorial about¡­¡± ¡°You did what?!¡± He starts laughing really, really hard and speaks through that laughter. ¡°And just so you know, it¡¯s totally not like I already knew about it from watching you all the time but simply decided not to help you because observing your desperate struggle was oh so very funny.¡± ¡°Oh fuck you.¡± ¡°In your dreams.¡± More laughter¡­ This time even I smile a bit. Bad sexual innuendos are always good. ¡°Well, changing activation trigger is pretty much the first option there. But you know, aside from blessings and codex entries I can¡¯t change anything in the system anymore so everything is just set to default. Lucky for you I can inform you what the default is.¡± I have a terrible premonitions about this¡­ ¡°And just what the hell is the default trigger?!¡± ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯ll be easier if I just show you!¡± I start hearing music coming from everywhere and I¡¯m forced to watch an evil god of madness performing a dance from the ¡®Gangnam Style¡¯ video¡­ No. NO. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Oh God why?! At least no one will ever know about this except the two of us, right?! I manage to complete the short dance sequence on a SIXTH FUCKING ATTEMPT! And by now Shadow completely lost it¡­ He¡¯s rolling around laughing uncontrollably and bouncing off the pillars, like some kind of maniacal billiard ball¡­ Seeing the interface window opening before me gives me the feeling of relief that can¡¯t even be described. I click - carefully, as accidentally closing it again would be worse than death - on the Options button. I ignore most of them - there will be a time later for proper exploring - and focus on the first one. ¡®Interface Activation Trigger - Gangnam Style dance¡¯. To the right from it there¡¯s an arrow. I touch it and the trigger changes from ¡®Gangnam Style dance¡¯ into ¡®Cut out a maiden¡¯s heart with an obsidian knife.¡¯ WHAT?! ¡°Hey, it wasn¡¯t me!¡± Shadow is suddenly standing in front of me. ¡°Most of them were added by my¡­ ahem¡­ friends and colleagues. But don¡¯t worry, there can¡¯t be too many of them.¡± I switch to the next and read it out loud. ¡°Participate in an orgy with thirteen black prostitutes and a tamed armadillo.¡± Wait¡­ what?! I glance at Shadow, but he is currently too busy admiring the ceiling. Oh for fuck¡¯s sake¡­ N...next? ¡°Perform a Black Mass with at least forty participants on a cemetery at midnight.¡± JUST HOW CAN IT EVEN BE A FUCKING INTERFACE ACTIVATION TRIGGER?! Next. ¡°Sell a dangerous drug to an underage.¡±¡­ That one is actually more evil than idiotic. Next. ¡°Wearing human skin as clothes stand on your head and recite ¡®Ph¡¯nglui mglw¡¯nafh Cthulhu R¡¯lyeh wgah¡¯nagl fhtagn¡¯ backwards thirteen times." ¡­ I actually have problems deciding if the ¡®gods¡¯ I¡¯m serving are a band of idiots¡­ or creepy bastards¡­ maybe both? The title of creepy-idiot-bastards quite suit them, at least if they¡¯re all similar to Shadow. Next. ¡°Jump from the rooftop of a building that is at least twenty stories high while singing The Ode to Joy.¡± How about no? Next. ¡°Kill a person by hitting him repetitively with a spoon.¡± Is Shadow adding this shit when I am not looking?! Next. ¡°Scream as loud as you can in a public place.¡± Well.. that¡¯s a bit impractical. Next. ¡°Run a marathon on one leg.¡± Em¡­ no. Next. ¡°Tear your arm out and wave at someone with it.¡± ¡­ Next. ¡°Eat a tiger.¡± No? Next. ¡°Let yourself be eaten by a tiger.¡± What? ¡­ Next. ¡°Tame a tiger and make it dance the Gangnam Style dance¡± ¡­ Does one of them have some kind of an obsession over tigers?! Next. ¡°Gather big number of tigers, kill them, reanimate them as zombies, and then let them create a havoc on the streets of a big city creating one and only Night Of Living Tigers!¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. apparently yes, very much so. Next. ¡°Make sweet sweet love to a ti¡­¡± NEXT. ¡°Say tiger.¡± Next¡­ Wait, no! It was actually quite normal¡­ ¡°Have sex with a tree.¡± ¡­ unlike this one. Well, I can¡¯t move back. Next... ¡°Let a tree have sex with you.¡± Just¡­ how¡­ nevermind, I don¡¯t even want to know in case there actually ARE such trees around. Shadow suddenly starts laughing¡­ even louder than he was all this time. Next. God, please, let it be something normal. PLEASE. ¡°Oppa Gangnam Style dance¡±. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I despair for a moment. My dark thoughts accompanied by never ending laughter of a mad deity that once again is rolling on the floor bouncing off of pillars. Shit, I¡¯ll have to settle with the ¡®Say Tiger¡¯ one, right? I click the right button repeatedly and eventually arrive to ¡®Make sweet sweet etc.¡¯. Then I click once again. ¡®Have sex with a tree.¡¯ ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!? I click right button again. ¡®Let tree have sex with you.¡¯ and again¡­ ¡°Gesture (presets).¡± Shadow stopped rolling and instead is standing few meters away from me, whistling something and once again admiring the ceiling. Totally. Not. Suspicious. Well, I¡¯m not going to say anything¡­ for once he has done something useful. My level of hatred towards him was just lowered from infinity to infinity minus one. Great job! Below the ¡®Interface Activation Trigger - ¡¯ another option shows up, labeled ¡®Gesture Presets¡¯. I immediately search through it. Majority is idiotic and impractical (like using your hand to mimic movements that are commonly associated with masturbation) but¡­ finally¡­ ¡°Reach with your right hand as if the status window was already there. WHY COULDN¡¯T YOU MAKE THIS A DEFAULT?!¡± ¡°Because it wouldn¡¯t work if you didn¡¯t know to do it¡­¡± Shadow, with a serious face, made a serious remark. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SHADOW?! ¡°So¡­ it would be exactly the same as the actual default?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah! But booooooriiiiiiing!¡± Nevermind, he¡¯s back. I hate him. Well.. at least now we can finally get back to business! ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re going to resurrect me now, right?¡± He nods to that. ¡°Could you maybe¡­ emm¡­ modify me and my surroundings a bit?¡± ¡°Depends on what do you mean by ¡®a bit¡¯.¡± ¡°I mean, could you leave detectable traces of poison in my body? Add signs of me vomiting in the bathroom sometime in the evening. ¡° I can see his eyes opening widely. ¡°Ohhh, so that¡¯s your ¡®Master Plan¡¯ this time. Certainly interesting. Has potential to be amusing. And it can be done without breaking the rules! Sure, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Suddenly I feel myself falling into darkness. But before it devours me completely I manage to ask one final question. ¡°Wait! What are the rules?!¡± His only answer is laughter¡­ **************************************************** Mirrond: Just so you know - there will be no orgy with tamed armadillo in the story later on ;_; If this makes you sad, go see a doctor. Resus: Or¡­ buy a perverted armadillo? Mirrond: Something like this can be bou¡­ wait, don¡¯t answer that. I don¡¯t want to know. Spoiler: Status
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:0Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:0Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Skills
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Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess moderate skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, but you are yet to learn how to write or read. Intermediate
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Spells LOCKED
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Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Quests
Quests
Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description Your received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Codex
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People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡°aunt¡±, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. Very ambitious, she is scheming to become the next head of Veles family. She killed your brother and is in cahoots with one of the eight Res mages. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. He lost a big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Eastern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Wolfman - Beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). Its head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡°association¡± of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Active Effects
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Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Possesions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Companions LOCKED
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Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
No options¡­ yet. 08: Out of the frying pan right into the fire Mirrond: So¡­ we have finally finished creating Veles family tree. 55 people to name and describe¡­ NOW I REALLY WANT TO KILL THEM IN THE MOST BRUTAL WAY POSSIBLE. Resus: I have ambivalent feelings¡­ I kinda like them now since I was the one to come up with 70% of their backstories¡­ although searching for their names was hell¡­ So yeah, let¡¯s just kill them and forget all about it. Mirrond: No more than 50% I¡¯d say. --------------------------------------------------- Resus: Few days passed since the above and I think we can both say that¡­ it¡¯s going way better than expected. After we finally managed to give all those characters names and ages¡­ they are starting to gain life of their own. Their stories just unravel themselves to us and the fable for the future happens by itself¡­ I can honestly say that we finally have reliable and long term plans for most of the main characters. Mirrond: And I have serious mental trauma after thinking of few¡­ events. I nearly cried after one of them ;_; Resus: Yes! We are horrible human beings! But the story is going to be glorious! Mirrond: ¡°We¡±? xD Are you even a human to begin with? I refuse to acknowledge humanity of a person that during holidays gets fully nocturnal (¡°well, sorry, but I¡¯m going to bed, I am too sleepy to think¡± at one o¡¯clock p.m. EVERY SINGLE F***KING DAY) and is a My Little Pony-loving fanatic. You goddamn pink vampire ;_; ******************************************** Chapter 8: Out of the frying pan right into the fire Shapes and colors transmuting and transcending in one another swirling and dancing all around me and straight through me at the same time above and below me reversing time after time changing the volume from screaming to whispers back to screaming again over and over and under and around through the ground to the sky back and forth whiteness of everything interchanging with the dark and black and gray and sweet and sour hour by hour day by day from big to small but not smoothly anymore and more step by step jumping from one to another and the other by other¡­ I suddenly open my eyes. Holy f¡­ what just happened? I think I just had the most crazy¡­ something¡­ of my both lives. I raise my upper body and visually check my surroundings. Nothing strange in sight. I clearly remember¡­ talking with Shadow, at least if that pointless banter can be described as ¡®talk¡¯. Fortunately now I know how to open my interface¡­ oh and that there are some rules I¡¯m not supposed to know. Of course there¡¯s also the most important information - that Iverie killed with some Super-Awesome-Poison-Of-Doom. I really can¡¯t wait to have my revenge. I asked Shadow to leave effects of poison in my body. Now I just have to make someone discover them as soon as possible. But how can I do that? I guess I¡¯ll have to use some acting to persuade Gavlan that I felt weird yesterday evening after the feast¡­ It¡¯s about time to leave my bed. I try to do it¡­ but my attempt is interrupted by a sudden headache. And it¡¯s not just a regular one - IT REALLY FUCKING HURTS! Instantly I¡®m bent in half and violently vomiting, and because of that sudden movement I fall from the bed. I can feel my consciousness drifting away and the last thing I see is Gavlan entering the room, and a sudden panic written on his face after that is only darkness¡­ * * * I feel pain, much duller this time and not as strong. It¡¯s actually a step forward from not feeling anything¡­ I guess. I can even think straight, and moving any part of my body is impossible. I¡¯m in a state similar to sleep paralysis I once experienced. I hear people talking, but I have problems understanding them. Though my hearing is perfectly fine, it¡¯s just¡­ too damn hard to concentrate on their voices. It takes me some time to adjust. ¡°So?¡± I think it¡¯s my grandfather speaking. ¡°He is very lucky by the look of it.¡± Unknown voice. Female and adultlike, that¡¯s all I can say. ¡°Really, really lucky. He will survive.¡± ¡°Really? Are you sure he will be fine?!¡± Oh, that¡¯s definitely father. His voice is¡­ emotional. I can¡¯t blame him, he lost one son, and then - nearly - the second one within just a few days. It¡¯s hard to say if he¡¯s more relieved or still shocked. ¡°Yes. And it definitely was poison. Pretty special one at that. It¡¯s called Dream Resin. After ingestion it kills when the victim sleeps and mimics a natural cause death. The only source of it are Corrupted Lands, and it requires considerable wealth to acquire any quantity of it.¡± There is a second of silence while everyone¡¯s digesting these informations and then woman - a doctor or alchemist I guess - continues. ¡°However, judging from the current state of his bathroom he must have expelled most of it in the evening and the amount that already got into his blood wasn¡¯t enough to kill him. He is young and healthy, so there shouldn¡¯t be any long-term effects, but getting back to his healthy state may take a year or so. He is going to feel as if he is partially paralyzed, and suffer from headaches and weak hallucinations. Temporary amnesia is also a possibility. There is also¡­ another matter to deal with.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Grandfather I think. ¡°All Res alchemists and herbalists like me are obliged to report all cases in which the usage of this poison was discovered directly to the Temple. There is said to be an underground organisation in the city that is suspected of using Dream Resin for assassinations. You should expect a visit of a few Templars later today.¡± ¡°Ah, I think I heard of this organisation recently. But why should they try to kill Varth?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, and frankly speaking I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s not my problem. You should speak about this with the Templars. Now, about the rehabilitation¡­¡± I can¡¯t keep my focus anymore. And¡­ once again I fall into darkness. After all those times I¡¯m getting used to it... * * * I wake up. It¡¯s a middle of the night. I feel my body, but can¡¯t really move any part of it except my head. Yet when I try to look around I get a funny feeling in my neck, so I decide to avoid overdoing it. But even without moving it, I can see that I¡¯m in my brother¡¯s room. Well, I guess it¡¯s logical in a way. This must be next night, so my room might still need some ventilating after me vomiting. And this room is very close to mine¡­ and empty. I don¡¯t feel like I am able to call someone, so I decide to spend some time on thinking. There¡¯s only one explanation of what happened to me. Shadow overdid it. Heavily overdid it. Or simply his understanding of ¡®detectable traces¡¯ is different than mine¡­ I mean, they are REALLY detectable. By anyone with his eyes intact. So theoretically I shouldn¡¯t even be angry¡­ but I am. Shadow, you FUCKING idiot¡­ Well, I guess when you¡¯re doing business with an Evil God you really need to specify what you want. So in a way I¡¯m just as responsible for this mess. I just really hope that my Health Points will speed up my recovery. Well, it¡¯s not like I believe I¡¯ll get my actual health back before my fifth birthday¡­ only three days left until then, though it¡¯s not really that bad. All my birthdays until now were barely even noticed by people around me, only nanny gave me additional sweets, really nice of her by the way. There¡¯s nothing else for me to do, I guess. I would open the interface window and take a look into the options, but in my current state it¡¯s possible that I wouldn¡¯t be able to close it, as it requires reaching with your finger all the way up to the title¡­ I¡¯m still unsure whether or not others can see it, and getting discovered by nannies or Gavlan with a strange thing floating above me would be¡­ inconvenient. Besides I¡¯m not even sure if I¡¯d manage to open it in the first place! I decide to go back to sleep. * * * Once again I wake up. It¡¯s bright outside, so it¡¯s some time during the day. I still can¡¯t move any of my limbs¡­ and the weird thing is that I¡¯m actually wearing different set of clothes than last time. Gavlan stands by the door, he sees that I¡¯m awake and comes closer to my bed. ¡­ damn, if I were fifteen years older this whole situation would seem like an intro to a bad gay porno. And now I hate myself for having this idea¡­ ¡°You¡¯re awake. And you woke up rather early. The herbalist your family brought to help you, said that you¡¯ll be asleep for at least a week.¡± It must be the effect of my Health Points. It would be great to have more of them¡­ and regenerate them faster. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±¡­ is what I try to say. What leaves my mouth is unfortunately utterly incomprehensible gibberish. Damn. My vocal chords aren¡¯t working as they should. I repeat what I tried to say but this time I speak really slowly and carefully pronounce every letter. It¡¯s slightly tiring but at least he can understand me. ¡°Now that you¡¯re awake I must inform everyone about this. You have no more than few minutes to prepare yourself.¡° He smiles wryly. Really? Did Shadow possess him when I wasn¡¯t looking? I¡¯ve never saw him smiling before. If he was born as a catman, without any doubt I¡¯d start calling him The Grumpy Cat. And now - this. Ok¡­ my enhanced intuition screams to me that there¡¯s something bad going on. What is it this time?! I could certainly use a little rest¡­ FOR A CHANGE! Gavlan leaves the room and soon after I can hear him talking with someone. He said that I don¡¯t have much time to prepare myself, but for what? He was smiling so it couldn¡¯t be about those, so called, Templars. I mean, people don¡¯t smile when they are supposed to be interrogated¡­ I also doubt that Iverie would come here, fall onto her knees and beg for forgiveness while expressing her eagerness to abandon all worldly matters and become a priestess in the Temple. Damn, I¡¯m in no shape to do such thinking. I¡¯m really hungry! At least I¡¯m clean¡­ but it means that someone must have washed me after my vomiting. Now that I mention it, I¡¯m in different clothes, hmph. Nannies must have done that. Wait¡­ didn¡¯t I already thought about this? My head really is in a bad shape¡­ I don¡¯t even know just for how long I slept. Wait¡­ is it possible that today is¡­ My inner monologue is interrupted, when Gavlan enters the room again and with him is one of my nannies, carrying what looks like a trail with a small meal, and that¡¯s good news all in itself. Gavlan is standing near the door, while nanny feeds me one spoonful at a time as I¡¯m in no condition to eat by myself, it¡¯s actually pretty humiliating but my throat is slightly numb and swallowing is a challenge. At least it gives me time to think about questions I want to ask him. I¡¯m nearly sure that today must be my birthday. And while I think that me waking up from almost-a-coma should be great news, everyone is acting weird. I¡¯m sure Gavlan reported everything to that herbalist and/or my father, but now his behavior strongly suggest preparing me for something¡­ and I really have bad feelings about this whole situation. When the meal ends, nanny leaves the room. I turn to Gavlan wanting to ask him some questions, but before I muster enough strength he tells me to wait for a bit¡­ and leaves too. Oh for fuck¡¯s sake, what sort of slave are you! ¡­ be more useful, please. Few minutes I can hear Gavlan welcoming someone. I think I heard that new voice somewhere¡­ ah, it must be the herbalist from earlier. The woman that enters the room soon after that is a human. No more than thirty-five years old, short brown hair. No collar. On her face there is a look that can be translated into ¡°Oh, why are you even bothering me with this¡±. Behind her - Gavlan enters, most likely making sure she won¡¯t stab me or something. Constructive paranoia, I guess, if you consider what happened to me. She begins examination with a pretty iritated attitude, but it disappears rather quickly. She must have expected a false alarm or something - after all I woke up much faster that I should - but now she understand that it¡¯s not the matter. The examination (mostly checking my responses) quickly reaches it end. ¡°Well, he must have ingested much smaller ammount of poison that I previously anticipated.¡± She says to Gavlan. ¡°It¡¯s safe to move him, but don¡¯t overdo it. He is still very weak.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to not¡­ break him.¡± * * * Only few minutes ago I was still enveloped in blissful ignorance regarding my current situation. But now¡­ Now I finally understand what made Gavlan so annoyingly happy. Something truly terrifying. Something straight out of a horror story¡­ or slice of life comedy¡­ And the worst part is that I can¡¯t do shit to stop it. I¡¯m currently sitting on a wheelchair, or to be more precise, because of my current condition, I¡¯m tied to it. And while I understand that it was necessary or else I wouldn¡¯t be able to sit straight, I still think of it as demeaning as fuck¡­ Gavlan pushed me into a room¡­ full of people. All of them have typical Veles traits, but I¡¯ve never seen them in the mansion before. They¡¯re looking at me. Why did no one told me we were going to have guests?! It¡¯s not like I could do anything about Iverie poisoning me, but at the very least I would be mentally prepared for what¡¯s going to happen! There are four people in the room, excluding me and Gavlan. Initially my sight catches an older woman sitting in a big, stuffer armchair. She¡¯s seemingly similar age as grandpa. Long, curly, hair in a deep shade of dark blue are partially gray. Unfortunately she may not be aware of her actual age¡­ because that cleavage is way too deep for an older woman like her. She emanates an aura of an eccentric old lady who knows how to distil all the fun from life and not be bothered by what¡¯s left. I guess it¡¯s Shadow¡¯s blessing speaking¡­ On the right side of the armchair is a similar looking sofa. Two more people are sitting on it. A girl my age dressed in a white lace dress, waving her legs in the air. Next to her is a middle aged man with no distinguishing traits, her father if I were to guess. Lastly, further in the room, next to the window opposite to the door, on a simple chair, sits another girl. She¡¯s holding a book but she¡¯s looking at me. She looks slightly older than me and wears a similar dress as the first girl. Only hers is black and without lace. I think she¡¯s surprised¡­ or annoyed. This staring contest with everyone¡¯s attention focused on me lasts for about a second before the door to the adjusted room goes open and woman with black hair enters and speaks. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s here already. I thought it would take longer and just put Damit to sleep for his midday slumber.¡± Wait¡­ what did she say? ¡®Damit¡¯? Is this a name? She used it like a name¡­ HOW CAN YOU NAME A KID LIKE THAT?! That¡¯s brutal. And funny, hahaha! Oh dammit¡­ Damit. Oh, now that I think about it, they don¡¯t speak English. So for them it¡¯s not ridiculous. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s better for him that way, dearie. He¡¯s only two and our nephew here is in no condition to entertain him.¡± Said the Crazy Old Lady. Hey, I am still in the room, you know? I can hear you! ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± She turns back to me. ¡°Little Varth.¡± LITTLE?! ¡°You look so much more grown up than when I last saw you. It¡¯s been four years since then. We all heard what happened to you. Can you talk?¡± Oh¡­ fuck them all! Wrrr. I try to speak, but once again it¡¯s not easy. It takes me two attempts to say ¡°Yes, I can.¡± clearly enough for them to understand. ¡°Mother, maybe we should postpone this whole meeting?¡± So¡­ Crazy Old Lady is this man¡¯s mother. And, if I was correct earlier, grandmother of the girls and¡­ Damit¡­ That name¡­ I don¡¯t care if they don¡¯t know English. IT¡¯S STILL RIDICULOUS! ¡°Nonsense Paforth. It¡¯s his fifth birthday and you have only one fifth birthday your whole life! It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll torture him. Besides we really should at least meet him. After all, he¡¯s going to spend plenty of time with some of the people in this room.¡± She laughs a little, while I wonder what the hell is she talking about. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even have to talk much. It¡¯s mostly for him to get to know us.¡± Paforth looks like he wants to add something, but he¡¯s too late. ¡°Now that we are talking about fifth birthdays, do you remember your own? You were so adorable back then, that day you found my undergarments¡­¡± ¡°Mother.¡± He doesn¡¯t look all that shocked so I guess he must be used to this. I feel sorry for him. ¡°Oh puss. Of course, how rude of me. Introductions go first.¡± I just noticed it but¡­ on the small table right beside her armchair is a half empty bottle with a transparent liquid - I¡¯m damn well sure it¡¯s not water - and a glass¡­ ¡°I¡¯m your aunt, Varthia Veles. Your grandfather, Naharius, is my dear older brother. This embarrassed little boy is my second son, Paforth. Yes dearie, I can see you chuckle. Adorable isn¡¯t she?¡± She actually feels a bit familiar - I think that one of my ¡®Earth¡¯ aunts was a bit similar. A bit - she didn¡¯t drink alcohol, at least not in that quantities¡­ ¡°Mother.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. She¡¯s my daughter-in-law, Ferke Veles. Paforth¡¯s adorable wife. And what are you blushing for dearie, it¡¯s true. Don¡¯t give me that look son, he¡¯s not one of those with sticks up their butts. Not yet at the very least.¡± ¡°Mother, please. Not in front of children.¡± ¡°Children, yes. My grandchildren actually. Damit¡¯s asleep but his sister is here. Come on Meritri, stand up and introduce yourself to your cousin.¡± At that the girl in white lace dress slides of the sofa. Despite her previous curiosity she looks slightly nervous. She take both sides of her dress between her fingers, lifts it slightly and, with newfound determination on her face, performs a¡­ curtsy. She¡¯s blushing now, why the hell is she blushing?! ¡°M-my name is¡­ M-meritri Veles¡± ...am I THAT scary? I¡¯m tied to the wheelchair, how can that be scary?! ¡°Calm down Meritri, he¡¯s not going to eat you. That was great curtsey for a first time. You can sit back now, and calm down.¡± I can hear amusement in my aunt¡¯s voice. ¡°I believe it¡¯s your turn now?¡± She says to the girl reading a book next to the window. The girl sighs and puts the book down on the table next to her. My sixth sense tells me that it won¡¯t end well. The girl stand up and similarly to Meritri performs a curtsey¡­ ¡°My name is Ni¡¯ren Veles. It¡¯s a great opportunity to finally meet my problematic cousin. And now, if I¡¯m allowed, I¡¯ll go back to reading.¡± Veles truly are a bunch of lovely people. Ok, maybe she isn¡¯t exactly¡­ nice, but at least she¡¯s not giving me the same kind of bad feelings as Iverie. ¡°Ni¡¯ren! I know that your parents aren¡¯t here, but you should behave yourself.¡± ¡°Yes grandma, I¡¯m sorry. Can I go back to my book now?¡± Not waiting for an answer she sits back and with another sigh opens her book and resume reading. Ha, she has a problem with her manners and is a bookworm. I think it¡¯s a bit familiar. We will find a common ground¡­ probably¡­ sometime in the future¡­ in different universe¡­ or something. Well it¡¯s not like I intend to beg her to be nice to me! ¡°You¡¯ll have plenty of time to read and learn starting tomorrow.¡± Varthia seemingly decided to ignore Ni¡¯ren¡­ or maybe forgot about her, as she¡¯s already drunk. ¡°Oh, right. Varth, you probably don¡¯t know but your cousins are here to stay in our family mansion for a few years to get tutored together and - my brother¡¯s words - ¡®get to know each other¡¯.¡± I think I heard this somewhere already¡­ d¨¦j¨¤ vu, eh. However, this time it can actually be beneficial for a change! I mean, spending several years in books - while being completely alone - would bore to death even someone like me.¡± I personally think it¡¯s a great idea, but I might be biased since it also means that I¡¯m going to spend some time in the city instead of that boring countryside. Even if our family here is struggling against that deadly plague of a... ¡° Suddenly I can hear doors opening behind me. On aunt¡¯s face I can see an disgust, on Paforth¡¯s - open hostility. All the while I feel Shadow¡¯s blessing kicking in and screaming that there¡¯s someone really bad behind me. I know only one person who gives me that feeling... ¡°Speak of the devil¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s great to see you too aunt Varthia.¡± Urgh. Having Iverie stand behind me isn¡¯t nice, especially when you can¡¯t even move. On the other side, it might actually be a good thing¡­ because even though I¡¯m only just five years old I would probably try to stab her with something sharp. Grrrr. ¡°Uncle Naharius wishes to see you. He made it sound urgent. So wrap up your fun little conversation and go to him, hurry.¡± And with that, she leaves the room. Phew¡­ ¡°Stupid bitch thinking she¡¯s so important.¡± ¡°Mother¡­¡± ¡°What? You know I¡¯m right.¡± My aunt seems to be quite direct person. I¡¯d think higher of her if she didn¡¯t just drink a solid sip of particular transparent liquid straight from the bottle. Well, at least it looks like she and her branch of the family are possible allies against Iverie¡­ it¡¯s something, right? ¡°Gods damn stuck up b¡­ puss! She wouldn''t recognize fun even if it went straight up her arse¡­¡± Well, I can¡¯t argue with that¡­ Now I¡¯m only curious what the hell does that ¡®puss¡¯ mean? ¡°Gavlan was your name? Take little Varth back to his room, we will continue some other time.¡± I just need to survive long enough to get back to health and start learning useful things¡­ Oh joy¡­ **************************** Resus: This is a very important message¡­ Unless you¡¯re reading this when there are 50+ chapters already, in which case - this is not a very important message. Anyway, the first arc of our story - the early childhood, first five years of MC¡¯s new life - just ended. If that¡¯s not a good time to ask for comments, rates and reviews then I don¡¯t know what is¡­ Yes! I am begging for attention! And yes - I do realise that our story is one of most successful ones at this stage of development¡­ But still. My soul is screaming for more! So, if it¡¯s not too much of an inconvenience, please - leave a comment and rate and/or review our story. Mirrond: Eh, and just by the way - there will be a short break in publishing new chapters, because I have a few exams¡­ and, let¡¯s say, I have more important things to do than writing this (yes, Resus, there ARE things more important than writing Re:v). But when they will end, I will be able to spend twice as much time on this, so new chapters should come out faster than now. Resus: One last thing. It is possible that chapter 09 will be published some time during that ¡°break¡±. It will probably be shorter than our usual ~4000 words. But it will just be a prolog of sorts for the next (much longer) story arc. And a little something for you to think about: Current number of users¡­ :P ******************************** Spoiler: Status
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:0Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:0Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Skills
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Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess moderate skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, but you are yet to learn how to write or read. Intermediate
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Spells LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Quests
Quests
Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report itYour received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Codex
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People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Damit Veles - Son of Paforth and Ferke, younger than you. Has the best name ever. xD Spoiler: Ferke Veles - Paforth¡¯s wife, mother of Meritri and Damit. Her mother-in-law think she¡¯s adorable. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡°aunt¡±, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. Very ambitious, she is scheming to become the next head of Veles family. She killed your brother and is in cahoots with one of the eight Res mages. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Meritri Veles - Daugther of Paforth and Ferke. Around your age, and rather shy, or simply scared of you. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. He lost a big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages. Spoiler: Ni¡¯ren Veles - Older than you, and a bookworm. Granddaugther of Varthia, but you don¡¯t know her parents. Rather cold to you. Spoiler: Paforth Veles - Son of Varthia, father unknown. Seems like a decent man. Hates Iverie, but not as strong as his mother. He also seems to be at least a bit better in hiding his thoughts than her. Spoiler: Varthia Veles - Younger sister of Naharius Senior. She has at least two children (one of them is Paforth, the second is Ni¡¯ren¡¯s parent). She likes to drink alcohol, speak before thinking¡­ and hates Iverie, whom she sees as a plague that threatens entire family.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Eastern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Wolfman - Beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). It¡¯s head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡°association¡± of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
General Lore:Alchemy:
Spoiler: Dream Resin - Rare poison created by the Old Empire. First symptoms of poisoning includes headaches and sleepiness. Then, after the victim falls asleep, vivid dreams and nightmares. The end is death by CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE :D. Diluted 1:1000 in water creates a drug that induces vivid dreams. Can also be used as a lubricant for heavy machinery (especially good for ones that use magic) or as a way to restore magic power (by rubbing it into the skin). There is an underground ¡®cult¡¯ in Res that has access to this poison and uses it for assasinations. Also Iverie has access to it, most likely through that group.
Weapons:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Equipment:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Resources:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Desieases:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Folklore and Culture:
Spoiler: Res Funeral Rites - In Res, the dead people are cremated. Then, their ashes are offered as a sacrifice to the goddess of water and sea that is this city patron and protector. This is achieved either by throwing them into Silverwater River or Republican Sea or by storing in them in stone bowls filled with water. The former is done by poor, the latter by the wealthy.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Active Effects
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Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Possesions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Spoiler: Companions LOCKED
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Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 1
Still no Options :P 09: More or less at the same time somewhere else Mirrond: So¡­ I¡¯ve finished my exams, and passed all of them easily, SO I CAN FINALLY GET BACK TO WRITING. This was written in two days :D It¡¯s actually more like a prologue of a second act, and the next chapters will be longer¡­ and we won¡¯t be writing them as fast as this¡­ but still, more chapters will come! :D Resus: Yeah¡­ I said all of that already¡­ under the last chapter¡­ The only important thing is that WE¡¯RE BACK! NEW CHAPTERS AS FAST AS WE CAN WRITE THEM! Mirrond: All Hail The Great Me :D ************************************ Chapter 09: More or less at the same time somewhere else My name is Natalia. I am a¡­ 19 years old soon-to-be-student. And I think I¡¯m high¡­ Ok, what I mean is - I don¡¯t do drugs, I never have, so I don¡¯t really know what it feels like. But I assume that when you¡¯re standing on top of a pile of corpses, including your own, and a woman made out of bright light is standing right beside you¡­ yeah, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s anywhere near being ¡®not high¡¯. Details! I went on a trip to Africa. And there was¡­ a car, no, a bus¡­ From one city to another¡­ And we were going through a¡­ desert? I think I remember it as just a road in the middle of nowhere¡­ And then there were those people¡­ with guns¡­ a lot of guns¡­ They¡­ took the whole bus somewhere, with us still inside¡­ They tied us up¡­ outside? There was a camera¡­ i think¡­ They were talking for a while¡­ and then¡­ They killed us all? What? I am not mad. Nor disappointed. I¡¯m not even surprised. Why am I so neutral about it. I just died and it¡¯s like it doesn¡¯t even matter to me. That ¡®light woman¡¯ is smiling? ¡°What are you?¡± I ask her. I don¡¯t really expect any answer, but it¡¯s not like I have anything better to try instead. ¡°A God. Although not the one you might have heard about.¡± A God. I just died and met a God. Yeah, sure. That¡¯s plausible enough. I mean, I¡¯m certain that I really died. So¡­ whatever happens now must be plausible¡­ Besides, in this weird state of mine, I can¡¯t even be surprised by it. ¡°So, which God are you? And, more importantly, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°A foreign one, currently searching through a part of this world¡¯s deceased population for someone to work for me.¡° ¡°Work for you? As in some kind of afterlife labor camp? I can¡¯t say I like that idea.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s more like getting reincarnated in a completely different world, a ¡®fantasy¡¯ one with magic, with your memories intact, and then leading righteous crusade against majority of the world.¡± ¡°And why exactly does that sound like one of those ¡®wishful thinking stories¡¯ for losers of the internet?¡± Is this really happening to me¡­? No, I already made up my mind about this being the reality. ¡°Why me specifically?¡± ¡°Who knows, I have never read any of those stories. About your second question, this knowledge really isn¡¯t necessary to you for anything, so I feel no urge to tell you. The important part is, whether you agree or not. And just before you answer, I regret to inform you, that the fact that I visit you doesn¡¯t mean you were judged as a nice person by any local deity. So if you say no there is a chance you will end up in local version of afterlife designed for sinners. For eternity.¡± She seems¡­ bored. Or sad. More like bored to me. And she speaks so monotonously¡­ As if she was reading a boring speech from telegrams. ¡°Ok. Let me get this straight. You want to¡­ reincarnate me in a different world. The one you called a fantasy one. To lead a righteous crusade? And you say that why you chose a teenage girl for that job is not necessary for me to know? Have anyone ever told you that you¡¯re insane?!¡± I shouldn''t have said that. I should not have said that. ¡°Yes. There is a person that keeps saying this to me. But as it¡¯s a real madman, I prefer to ignore such statements. You have other questions.¡± I can¡¯t be surprised. But this is entirely new level of ¡®what the fuck¡¯... ¡°Yes, well¡­ Following your speed of this conversation, can I get more details regarding that whole reincarnation business? You won¡¯t tell me why me specifically, so¡­ what exactly do you need me for? And what do you mean by ¡®magic¡¯?¡± I know it¡¯s surreal, but I simply can¡¯t make myself think of it as ¡®not real¡¯. Especially since I¡¯m still on top of my own dead body¡­ and I¡¯m slightly clipping through it. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you what I need you for? I need someone to become my champion, my chosen one, someone to start and lead a holy war. Against pretty much everyone there. Current state of this world is one full of corruption, moral filth and evil, and I need it cleansed. Both its current overlords and my¡­ rivals, have to be eliminated. And by magic I meant magic, another unnecessary question.¡° I can¡¯t really see her eyeballs in all this brightness but from the face she made I swear that she just rolled her eyes... ¡°Fireballs and all this stuff. Different races. Demons. Evil deities of madness I would love to see dead. Evil deities¡­ ¡° she repeats, while stressing every word ¡°... that already have their own reincarnated ¡®hero¡¯, what I find as a most problematic matter. So not only you will have to make a righteous crusade, but also find a way of eliminating those obstacles.¡± For some reason irritating her is amusing. I a very bizarre way, but amusing nevertheless. ¡°And anything more specific about the reincarnation itself? Are you just going to create me a new body? Or take that one¡­ beneath us? You seem awfully reluctant in giving me any detailed information. Sorry, to disappoint you but I need details to work with¡­ I can¡¯t just like that take an offer I don¡¯t know much about. And you¡¯re doing a poor job trying to persuade me.¡± I know it¡¯s risky to talk like that. But I really need something more¡­ I can¡¯t just like that¡­ Can I? ¡°You, people from Earth, really are similar. Can¡¯t you just say ¡®Of course I will gladly do that, Mistress Shimmer!¡¯. No, you always have questions.¡° she really seems disturbed by that ¡°I am going to put your soul in a body of a randomly chosen, newborn girl. You may experience some residual feelings, at least until you get five years old, but it¡¯s a minor side effect of reincarnation you don¡¯t need to bother yourself with. Somewhere around the time when you will reach your fifth birthday, RPG mechanics - that will help you get stronger really fast - will start working. I am also going to resurrect you if you die for a few times, maybe more depending on your progress. Is that everything you wanted to know? Can we get on with it?¡± ¡°Your name is¡­ Shimmer? Really? That¡¯s¡­ Nevermind. You know what? Ok, I agree. Just do what you want, it¡¯s not like any of those loser stories ever ended in anything else than an immortal hero saving a world. Suddenly¡­ Shimmer¡­ twitches, and looks somewhere far away in wonder. ¡°They can¡¯t¡­ urgh. Why does it have to get so complicated. Next thing I know Destiny and her bunch of morons is going to get one to¡­¡± She looks back to me. And from her expression I can tell that she didn¡¯t mean to say any of that out loud. ¡°Nevermind, see you later. Much, much later.¡± She reaches with her hand and pushes me. And everything turns into pure white light. * * * * * It took them a whole year to make a decision. Theoretically it really wasn¡¯t a problem - even after the decision was made they still had to wait four more years for an occasion. But still, to spend a year arguing about some bullshit like that¡­ They eventually decided to do it. WHICH IRRITATES ME EVEN MORE, BECAUSE I WAS AGAINST IT! And these bastards even made me do it, simply because I was ¡®arguing too much¡¯. Wrrrr, one joke too many about that self-righteous Dareh bastards, and now I am getting pounded. They made me do it¡­ and they are going to regret it! Detecting a summoning was much easier this time, since we made sure to receive a warning if it ever happened again. We still have no idea who knows magic so strong like this, but after years of research of the first spell they used we managed to duplicate it. We still couldn¡¯t reach another world on our own¡­ unless there was already a hole, made by someone else. So when we detected that they are summoning someone again, we found their hole and I went through. I rummaged through this world¡¯s common consciousness. For some, unknown to me, reason most of the population was outside my reach, but out of the few I could get to, I soon found a suitable person. A young man, full of¡­ well, plenty of feelings. Most of them stupid. His name is Bartosz, or something. Frustrated with life, angry because of some events in this world¡¯s politics¡­ perfect, perfect! I watched him as he was constructing a bomb in his basement. I barely understood what a bomb was, this world is really, really different than mine. It¡¯s utter lack of magic is something I can barely stand. I feel as weak like as a baby. Then I watched him carrying it in a bag into nearest government office. He wanted to ¡®accidently¡¯ leave it there. Or at the very least he tried to do it, but then¡­ KABOOM! He died. I didn¡¯t even had to do anything. How nice of him! As far as I know this wasn¡¯t a part of his plan, so he must have done something wrong with the bomb¡­ although I must say, that the explosion still was formidable. He managed to blew up half of the building together with himself. Fragments of bodies scattered around. Screams, fire, and smoke everywhere. Wounded people trying to crawl outside¡­ And then the ceiling came down. So now, I catch the soul leaving what¡¯s left of his body. I can¡¯t stop laughing. They told me to go fetch a status quo defender, so I¡¯ll give them a terrorist! Hahahaha! ¡°Huh?¡± He is seemingly shocked. He barely understands what happened. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Beautiful bomb!¡± I compliment him. ¡°Really, it was absolutely awesome! But you kinda blew yourself up in the process, you know? This wasn¡¯t really a part of a plan, was it?¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡­ wait, I¡¯m dead?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, rest in pieces, friend.¡± I start laughing, what a nice joke I just made! ¡°You couldn¡¯t have really survived after getting reduced into so many little fragments. Only your soul is intact. But I came with a once-in-a-lifetime offer! You can either continue with this world¡¯s usual afterlife process¡­ although I have no idea if there is such a thing¡­ or I can take you!¡± Ok, he looks shocked. Really. Well, I can¡¯t blame him, can I now? ¡°I know you have a plenty of things to¡­ digest¡­ but hey, you can have a lot of time - years and years - to carefully think about¡­ well¡­ things, after you take my offer! I can reincarnate you in a whole new, different world, with your memories completely intact. And then you can go on doing¡­ um¡­ things! We will give you a little bit of a quest. You will become a champion of gods¡­ Old Gods to be precise, and defend our world from some¡­ unwanted entities, that are messing with it, and already summoned two humans from this¡­ your world.¡° ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°We will also give you magic, and all the necessary teach¡­ wait, did you just say something?¡± ¡°Yes, ok. I agree.¡± ¡­ ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be¡­ like¡­ shocked?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I am. But getting reincarnated in a different world seems¡­ legit? It¡¯s interesting. So I agree.¡± Great, now I am left speechless. It takes me a few seconds to adjust to his strange behaviour. ¡°So, um, let¡¯s proceed to next part. There are plenty of gods, from plenty of countries that are going to be on your side¡­ But, since it would be hard to have all of them working together with each other, as there isn¡¯t a single one of them who likes obeying orders¡­ We are summoning you, who will serve as a... well, someone neutral. So, each and every one of them will try to help you¡­ and use you at the same time. You will be born in a wealthy household, most likely one connected to my Temple, so I can keep my eye on you. Then you will receive all the necessary help in getting stronger and things like that. It also looks like you will get in-life mechanics similar to what exists in things you call RPG games. Our enemies use a system like that and it looks like you are going to be linked to it during summoning to our world. You have anything to add?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nice.¡± ¡­ well, and least he isn¡¯t making problems, right? Just¡­ how can he be so hard to work with when he actually don''t even try to resist?! ¡°Well¡­ the RPG mechanics should fully launch around the time you will get five years old. One of the summoned ones is five years ahead of you, and we still can¡¯t locate him or her¡­ the other one is being summoned as we speak. We will try to do anything we can to find them, but as we have to try to avoid initiating world-wide panic, our hands are rather tied. Anything else to add?¡± ¡°Nah, just send me. I am tired of waiting.¡± Well¡­ ok? ¡°Ok¡­ So, see you later.¡± With that I Inflict a gesture associated with this spell. I push him a little¡­ WHO CAME UP WITH THAT?! No¡­ I¡¯m done. Mission accomplished, I am going back. I have that one believer girl of mine¡­ I wonder what she is doing now¡­ * * * * * It was a long¡­ and painful¡­ and tiring day, but I am finally alone in my room. Freed from the wheelchair and lying in my bed. I still can¡¯t really move my body. I can barely speak, I can move my eyes, and move my hand¡­ a bit. It¡¯s tiring, but I can do it if I give my hand some rest after using it, so¡­ damn, now that I think about it, it sounds¡­ NEVERMIND. I have some of time for myself, so I decide to look through the options menu. I wonder what else can I find there. I mean, choosing the way I can open interface is a pretty important thing. Maybe there are hidden some other equally important things? So I open the interface.
||==================|| ||=====Update!!!=====|| ||==================||
Due to recent events RLGS has been updated to enable storing more informations in the Codex because you are an idiot who would forget about everything you hear when you¡¯re mostly unconscious¡­
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Current number of users¡­ 3 SHAAAAADOOOOW!!!! No more than a second later darkness envelops me, and I¡¯m once again in front of Shadow¡¯s throne. He¡¯s still in his thorny armor, but this time he looks genuinely embarrassed. ¡°Can you explain it to me!?¡± I begin with shouting. Thankfully my body here is completely healthy, so I have no problems with moving or speaking. ¡°Well¡­ things happened.¡± He starts. I interrupt. ¡°YOU DON¡¯T SAY! Why the hell are three people linked to the RLGS right now?¡± ¡°Two additional summonings happened today, as you might have noticed.¡± He sighed. ¡°One was a part of our plan, but another one¡­ was rather unexpected. The first was my adorable, lovely, twin sister¡¯s work. Another reason why I regret I didn¡¯t succeed when I tried to strangle her with umbilical cord when we were being born.¡± He noticed the look I was giving him, so he shrugged. ¡°Parents saved her, unfortunately.¡± Ok, so¡­ I suddenly stopped thinking that my current childhood sucks. Or I should say, it sucks¡­ but it definitely could have been worse. Much worse. ¡°So, she summoned a hero. A girl. Someone you knew. That¡¯s all I can say. That person is now supposed to lead some bullshit, righteous crusade against this world¡¯s evil¡­ which means both, us, as in you, me and my colleagues, and our enemies. You are still five years ahead of her, but sooner or later it will be kill or be killed between you two.¡± ¡°Sweet¡­¡± I reply. ¡°And the second one?¡± ¡°Looks like Old Gods catched the wind of your summoning. They analyzed the magic behind it, and managed to find their own little Chosen One.¡± He sighed. ¡°Someone from the same area as you, so you might have known the person in question.¡± Really?... I wonder who it might be. ¡°Well, these are bad news for you. It means that they understand that there are summoned people around. And they know, more or less, when it happened. It took me few weeks to successfully put you in the retarded boy¡¯s body, so they don¡¯t know the exact date, but still, every strange acting person that was born around that date will be suspected. So, you know, try to lay low and avoid doing any weird things.¡° ¡°Weird things? Ain¡¯t you the one who does all the weird things?¡± Laughter, again. ¡°So, in other words, I¡¯m going to be pursued by ¡®Old Gods¡¯... which I presume to be Res goddess and her colleagues¡­ ¡° He gives me the ¡®I can¡¯t tell you, sorry¡¯ type of look. Urgh. CAN¡¯T YOU BE MORE HELPFUL FOR ONCE?! ¡°Right now, you should focus on getting better, and learning.¡± He says with a serious expression. It reminds me of the Lawyer, I wonder why I haven¡¯t seen him and Nazi lately. ¡°They decided that you are too boring, so they left me the job of managing you. ¡°Argh, I forgot he can hear my thoughts. One mystery solved. ¡°As I said, learn as much as you can, try to find a way to become a head of your family, and look for a future harem candidates!¡± Seeing a look I gave him, he starts laughing again. ¡°So, should I send you back now?¡± ¡°Two more questions. You mentioned some rules. As in¡­ game rules? So does it mean there is some sort of game going on above my head?¡± I really hope he will answer me. That would¡­ clarify things a bit. ¡°Probably. Though you know, some games are barely any different from a war, especially when the players are dead serious and ready to do anything to win.¡± So¡­ is it the ¡®we can¡¯t fight directly, so let¡¯s play in mortal world with people we have chosen as a pawns¡¯ type of game? Interesting, however it¡¯s still only a hypothesis. Taking it for granted would require me trusting Shadow¡­ and that won¡¯t happen anytime soon. ¡°And the second question?¡± ¡°So¡­ how many players are out there? And¡­ can all of them summon someone from earth or gain a local ¡®chosen ones¡¯?¡± He smile faintly. Before darkness envelopes me again I can hear his answer. ¡°I have no idea.¡± The most scary part is that I believe him. ****************************** Resus: So¡­ we tried to come up with some interaction with you, readers¡­ But we can¡¯t think of anything good. Any ideas what to ask you about¡­ NO! I¡¯m just about to be brilliant! Think of a question we could ask you¡­ write that question in a comment¡­ and answer that question in the same comment. :D Mirrond: Eh¡­ or just make some ¡°descriptive¡± reviews, so we get more time on a main page, so more people hear about it, so we can gain more attention¡­ or just clone Truth a few hundred times. Spoiler: Status
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:0Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:0Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Skills
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Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess moderate skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, but you are yet to learn how to write or read. Intermediate
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Spells LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Quests
Quests
Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description Your received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Codex
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People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Damit Veles - Son of Paforth and Ferke, younger than you. Has the best name ever. xD Spoiler: Ferke Veles - Paforth¡¯s wife, mother of Meritri and Damit. Her mother-in-law think she¡¯s adorable. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡°aunt¡±, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. Very ambitious, she is scheming to become the next head of Veles family. She killed your brother and is in cahoots with one of the eight Res mages. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Meritri Veles - Daugther of Paforth and Ferke. Around your age, and rather shy, or simply scared of you. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. He lost a big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages. Spoiler: Ni¡¯ren Veles - Older than you, and a bookworm. Granddaugther of Varthia, but you don¡¯t know her parents. Rather cold to you. Spoiler: Paforth Veles - Son of Varthia, father unknown. Seems like a decent man. Hates Iverie, but not as strong as his mother. He also seems to be at least a bit better in hiding his thoughts than her. Spoiler: Varthia Veles - Younger sister of Naharius Senior. She has at least two children (one of them is Paforth, the second is Ni¡¯ren¡¯s parent). She likes to drink alcohol, speak before thinking¡­ and hates Iverie, whom she sees as a plague that threatens entire family.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Eastern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Wolfman - Beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). It¡¯s head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡°association¡± of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
General Lore:Alchemy:
Spoiler: Dream Resin - Rare poison created by the Old Empire. First symptoms of poisoning includes headaches and sleepiness. Then, after the victim falls asleep, vivid dreams and nightmares. The end is death by CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE :D. Diluted 1:1000 in water creates a drug that induces vivid dreams. Can also be used as a lubricant for heavy machinery (especially good for ones that use magic) or as a way to restore magic power (by rubbing it into the skin). There is an underground ¡®cult¡¯ in Res that has access to this poison and uses it for assasinations. Also Iverie has access to it, most likely through that group.
Weapons:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Equipment:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Resources:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Desieases:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Folklore and Culture:
Spoiler: Res Funeral Rites - In Res, the dead people are cremated. Then, their ashes are offered as a sacrifice to the goddess of water and sea that is this city patron and protector. This is achieved either by throwing them into Silverwater River or Republican Sea or by storing in them in stone bowls filled with water. The former is done by poor, the latter by the wealthy.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Active Effects
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Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
ParalyzedBecause of a severe damage to your nervous system, you are currently paralyzed. Not completely, but moving and speaking is still extremely hard. You also can''t stand without help. This effect will disappear after approximately half of a year.Movement -99.9%
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Possesions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Companions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Still no Options :P 10: My new prison life and cellmate Mirrond: So¡­ another chapter. Having plenty of free time really speed this up. That¡¯s more or less everything I have to say now. Resus, you have something to add? Resus: I just wish this whole thing would be easier to write... Mirrond: If it was easy, everyone would do it. So¡­ stop whining, it¡¯s O.K. Resus: Write a story, they said. It would be easy, they said xD Mirrond: Who said that? xD And why did you believe such an obvious trap? Resus: ¡­ Shut up... ************************************* Chapter 10: My new prison life and cellmate The darkness disappears and I lie in my bed again. Shadow¡¯s last words were¡­ spooky, on many levels. So, not only I have two rivals now - even more can show up later. And even without additional reincarnated falling from the skies like snow in Siberian winter, there are more factions around here than I previously thought. Shadow and his still unknown ¡®colleagues¡¯ - at least if he really have friends who aren¡¯t imaginary - his sister, and the Old Gods. And I¡¯m still not even sure if by that name he might have meant the goddess-protector of Res¡­ I really need to hurry up with my rehabilitation. I¡¯m five years ahead, sure, but I can¡¯t afford to waste any time. If Res is a one of the Old Gods then their Chosen One is going to have Temple¡¯s full support in search for me. And if I won¡¯t be capable of a proper self defense by the time he will grow up and begin his search¡­ well, let¡¯s hope that it won¡¯t happen. For a moment I want to go asleep, but¡­ no - I finally have a bit of time to look through Options menu. WITHOUT ANY DEADLY INTERRUPTIONS!
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UI:Interface Activation Trigger:Gesture (presets)>
Gesture Presets:27. Reach with your right hand as if the status window was already there.\/
Map Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open map.¡±
Chat Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open chat.¡±
System Messages:When the status windows is opened.>
HUD:Heads Up Display:on / OFFO
HP bar:INACTIVE (on / off )
MP bar:INACTIVE (on / off )
Clock:INACTIVE (on / off )
Update pop-ups:INACTIVE (on / off )
Hostile Status Display:INACTIVE (on / off )
Other:Automatic Translation:ON / offO
Months names:ON / offO
Week days names:ON / offO
Idioms:ON / offO
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
The screen looks more or less like I remember it from last time. Though I wasn¡¯t paying much attention to it back then. I can see that Shadow dropped his game and managed to set the triggers for map and¡­ chat¡­ as simple and doable voice commands. That¡¯s surprisingly domestic of him. Maybe after what just happened, or even right after that¡­ previous interface disaster, he thought that it¡¯s pointless to torture me like that when I¡¯m practically paralyzed? Or he¡¯s simply making me feel safe, so he can surprise me when I least expect it¡­ I open the map screen after my third try¡­ It seems like I have to say the command fairly quick or it won¡¯t register. A low detailed map is floating before my face¡­ It¡¯s basically just an outline of what looks like a continent. There¡¯s no legend nor any additional information. It seems fairly useless for now. Maybe later, when I¡¯ll actually gain some knowledge about geography of this world this map will get more detailed. Anyway, nothing interesting there for now. So, I decide to try this ¡®chat¡¯ and¡­ really, Shadow? Keyboard? I can see a small keyboard floating in front of me, together with a chat window. There is contact list next to the window, but there is only one contact written there. ¡®Shadow666 <3¡¯... fortunately he is offline. It also looks that my nickname is Dark Lord¡­ and for some reason it can¡¯t be changed. So lame¡­ urgh. SO FUCKING LAME. Then I move on to HUD. I switch it on and¡­ well, it¡¯s a weird thing. The empty HP bar in the lower left corner of my view feels like¡­ that moment, sometimes, when you notice your own nose and it shows in your field of view for a while until your brain filters it out again. I guess I will have to get used to it. After a moment of consideration I decide to switch HP and nonexistent MP bars off. It¡¯s pretty unnerving¡­ and, well, empty. But clock seems useful, so I left it, and update messages, on. The clock is in the upper right corner of my vision. It¡¯s small, and well, it shows time with numbers, instead of a clock face. Useful thing, I don¡¯t need to look at a Temple¡¯s clock tower anymore. Hostile Status Display¡­ well, lack of hostiles to check it on. For some reason I doubt that Iverie would count as one, at least as long as she won¡¯t attack me with something sharp. And at the end¡­ Automatic Translation. Auto translating idioms and month names? Ok, count me in. That¡¯s something really useful. I turn the interface off. Well¡­ I feel sleepy, so let¡¯s call it a day. And from tomorrow on, let¡¯s just focus on getting back into the right shape. * * * It took half a year¡­ and now I¡¯m more or less back to normal. At some point I noticed that there was ¡®paralyzed¡¯ status effect with a vague timer. It was actually quite correct in its predictions. But¡­ when it disappeared, it was instantly replaced with another one, that will take another half a year to remove. At least I can walk now. With crutches and painfully slowly but I¡¯m not confined to my bed, and occasionally the wheelchair, anymore. And that in itself is a huge success for me. It gets slightly worse when I¡¯m tired, when I sometimes feel like my limbs refuse to listen. And my words get less and less understandable. But that¡¯s just a minor inconvenience, right? I can at least go to the toilet without anyone¡¯s help. That¡¯s more than enough to make me happy. I also learned how to read and write! My father hired a tutor to teach me during my rehabilitation. And I actually learnt it quite fast. Although, my old knowledge was a big help in the whole process¡­ so while I weren¡¯t exactly branded as a genius, I was definitely very, very praised. The only problem was the fact that local alphabet is so totally messed up¡­ It reminds me a bit of Earth latin alphabet. A bit. My first thought was that, at some point in history, someone showed it to the locals without explaining which letter is which. And the results of that¡­ for example local letter ¡®A¡¯ looks a lot like the ¡®X¡¯ I knew from Earth. Many letters are also missing, or at least it feels like it, because they added combinations of two letters to serve as a different one. And FOR FUCK SAKE, who was crazy enough to make stressed letters be written UPSIDE DOWN?! It¡¯s ridiculous¡­ I can¡¯t possibly describe how painful it is to write even the most simple question. Now I really want to conquer this world¡­ simply to enforce new, and much simpler, alphabet. Future generations would love me for this. Urgh. I was learning more or less alone¡­ because my newly met family members - by whom I mainly mean Meritri and Ni¡¯ren - were busy. The former with avoiding me for some reason, the latter with¡­ well¡­ learning. It turned out that Res - or rather Temple and all the venerable Houses like Veles - decided to change local educational system¡­ just around now. Previously it was left to private tutors hired by rich families. After learning basics, kids were allowed to enter the library in the Temple, which was¡­ more or less¡­ the only real library in the whole city. However, few years ago, the Temple decided that it requires more place to store books, the number of which gradually grew over time. So, they expanded the Grand Temple¡¯s complex by adding additional buildings to house expanded library. They also decided to add ¡®classrooms¡¯, and entire new wing of the building to house and accommodate students. They turned it into something in between of a classical university and a boarding school. It was opened this year for the first group of students, which was composed of 5-8 years old kids from all Houses. And that was actually the reason why Varthia moved into the mansion in the first place - because this allowed her granddaughters to attend this new ¡®school¡¯. At first I thought that this was retarded¡­ I mean, boarding school? With every student living in the same city¡­? But then Shadow¡¯s blessing made me understand what it was all about. By making all wealthy kids spend five days every week under the care of the Temple, and its tutors, the Temple gained considerably big influence on them. And within twenty or thirty years most of the students is bound to start becoming influential personas in the city¡­ It was actually quite surprising to see all the Houses let it happen so willingly¡­ It looked that I severely underestimated the current influence the Temple had in the city. In the beginning I thought that Res was an oligarchy, where the wealthy families used religion as a way to legitimize their rule over the city. But now I begin to think of it being more like theocracy, with Houses being loyal servants of the Temple. Sure, they are rich and have power over everyday matters of the city, but only because Grand Priestess doesn''t bother to deal with them. She lets them thrive for as long as the Temple is well supplied, and the city stays relatively peaceful. It was quite a fun time, mainly because neither Shadow, nor anyone else bothered me too much. However, it just ended. And quite abruptly at that. It¡¯s saturday, and I¡¯ve just been called into my father¡¯s office. So, I took my crutches and slowly but surely begin my walk towards father¡¯s office with Gavlan following slowly behind me. It¡¯s actually rather surprising of father to call for me like that as - since my brother¡¯s death - he diligently avoided any contact with me. Shadow¡¯s blessing¡¯s telling me that he may be afraid of getting too close to me, because then if anything were to happen to me, he would be hurt again. I think of it as irrational, but I guess that¡¯s how psychological trauma works, right? The much more upsetting thing with father right now is his increasing levels of paranoia. Making sure that both his and mine meals are thoroughly tested before eating is ok - he also included Lena in that treatment, after my numerous outbursts of crying that I don¡¯t want her to ¡®go away like my brother¡¯ - but being surrounded by bodyguards 24/7 is¡­ a bit too much. He even avoids leaving the mansion because he¡¯s afraid of assassins! Sure, he leaves when he absolutely has to, but only by carriage. And a well secured one at that. I¡¯m probably the only person who has no problem getting through his security. Although this may change when I get older¡­ Nevertheless, they let me in and I¡¯m in father¡¯s office. The window is covered with thick, dark curtains, and the only light source in the room is some sort of a magic device that hangs from the ceiling. It¡¯s decorated, surely, an fits quite nicely to the design theme of the room, but I really feel like I¡¯m in a World War II bunker with a lone bulb hanging from the ceiling¡­ ¡°So, how are you feeling?¡± He starts after a cold greeting. ¡°It¡¯s much better, father. It¡¯s still hard to walk or speak when I¡¯m really tired, but other than that¡­ I¡¯m good.¡± I reply and he nods. For a while he¡¯s deeply in thoughts and doesn¡¯t even look my way. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, because after the weekend you are going to join Ni¡¯ren in the Temple¡¯s school.¡± Oh, so here goes the happy - even if a bit lonely - childhood. I¡¯m not going to argue about that, though. I wasted enough time being sick. ¡°I decided that it is a good time for you to start attending school, as you are going to have company. Meritri is nearly five years old, so it¡¯s a high time for her as well to begin her education.¡± Now that I think about it¡­ Ni¡¯ren? Meritri? It¡¯s the first time I hear my father mentioning kids that aren¡¯t his own by their names. Iar¡¯e is always just ¡®Lenniel¡¯s child¡¯ or ¡®nephew¡¯. Even Lena is ¡®Alva¡¯s daughter¡¯. Did he get closer with Varthia and her branch of our family when I wasn¡¯t paying attention? Ding ding ding! My blessing is giving me signals. Are they cooperating against Iverie? I hope so¡­ ¡°That¡¯s great, father.¡± He finally looks at me when I answer him. This time with a bit worried face. ¡°There is also¡­ another matter.¡± Ok, now I¡¯m worried too. I sense more problems coming. ¡±It is possible that some of the kids there¡­ might act towards you in a similar way to Lenniel¡¯s kid back then. We are the only Great House composed of humans, and humans¡­ well, we aren¡¯t exactly the most respected race here in Res. If something like this happens, try to ignore it and focus on learning as much as you can, can you do that?¡± Oh great. I try to conjure a genuinely curious look on my face. ¡°Why would humans be treated this way?¡± ¡°That is because we have no magic. And this makes many nonhumans feel¡­ superior. Lack of magic doesn¡¯t make us any dumber, but some of them think of us as a race inferior to them in every aspect. It is rare to see human family that is wealthy or influential, but¡­ as you can see, we are an exception.¡± He gives me a weak smile. ¡°Go and prepare yourself. Good luck.¡± I return to my room accompanied by Gavlan. Dark thoughts rumbling in my head. Shadow¡­ WHY?! I like being human, sure - it¡¯s something I am quite used to. But if they really are universally disliked or even despised... HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RUIN THIS WORLD?! It gets really, seriously hard, when people around you think of you as a dumb, magicless weakling¡­ urgh, it must be an elven revenge for the Witcher¡¯s world. Definitely. When Shadow will give me magic with this secret method of his, maybe I¡¯ll try to pose as a hidden half-breed? Urgh, no, then it would mean that I¡¯m not fully legitimate Veles, and it would generate issues with my standing in the family. Aaaargh! Alright, there¡¯s no need to be depressed about it! I¡¯ll face it on Monday. But before then¡­ well, time to indulge myself in pleasures such as doing absolutely nothing while I still have some time left for that. * * * The carriage ride to school is unsurprisingly awkward. Even more so as, while I expected to be here alone with Meritri and her shy slash scared attitude towards me, Kiera and Ni¡¯ren are here with us. It feels really crowded in here even though the cabin is pretty big - it could easily contain six grownups. Kiera and Ni¡¯ren are busy talking but they¡¯re mostly whispering to each other so I can¡¯t hear anything. It surprises me at first when I think about the scene six months ago with me meeting Varthia¡¯s branch of the family and their opinions of Iverie, but then Ni¡¯ren¡¯s parents weren¡¯t there so I can¡¯t just assume that they would feel the same. Anyway, that leaves me only Meritri to try and talk to, the problem is that she¡­ isn¡¯t the most talkative person around. Oh damn it¡­ I should start the talking, shouldn¡¯t I? Getting through the town is seriously taking forever. Sure, the distance is short, but the atmosphere in the carriage is¡­ urgh. Now, what should I say? I DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT TO SAY! She seems shy and since we meet she¡¯s been purposefully avoiding me. It¡¯s not the case of breaking the ice. It¡¯s a full blown glacier between us right now¡­ Or at least it feels like it. Oh great, she notices that I¡¯m looking at her and, well, reacts more or less as expected. She looks like she¡¯s trying to discover a way to become invisible or something¡­ seriously, how shy is she!? I hope she grows out of this. Okay, I officially abandon all plans to end this silence. Let¡¯s just pretend I¡¯m alone in here. Step one, look through the window. Step two¡­ Ok, so it¡¯s a one-step plan but it seems to be working. Some time passes like that without anyone bothering me and vice versa. But, there had to be a ¡®but¡¯, it seems like the older girls don¡¯t feel entertained enough with just talking and begin teasing my younger cousin. ¡°Meritri¡¯s silent again. Can you even speak? I never heard you speaking.¡± Kiera, of course it¡¯s her being mean and all. She really start to look like a younger Iverie, but why so childish? Wait, childish? It just occurred to me¡­ It¡¯s going to be fucking kindergarten¡­ What did I say earlier? 5-8 years old? I¡¯m going to be stuck¡­ with little children¡­ five days a week¡­ and I¡¯m supposed to act like one of them or else someone might start to see me as ¡®the weird child¡¯... and that could lead my enemies to discover that I¡¯m the reincarnated one. It¡¯s very unlikely to happen but not impossible. Up till now it was fairly easy for me to pose as a child because effectively there was no one who would care about my behavior¡­ Wait, what are the girls talking about? ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s silent like a slave girl.¡± Now that¡¯s pretty heartless¡­ I mean, majority of slaves in the mansion are strictly ordered to speak to family members only if there is some serious matter to talk about¡­ like reporting that they finished their work and want another one, or to inform that there is a group of assassins hiding in the closet. Besides, that slaves are treated pretty much like furniture, so there is barely a place for being friendly and talkative. Not to mention - Ni¡¯ren, if you are siding with Kiera against your own cousin¡­ I¡¯m seriously disappointed in you. I really expected better from her. On the other hand¡­ they spent a lot of time in school together, with all other students most likely ignoring them or something¡­ so, theoretically, it¡¯s no surprise they got closer. It¡¯s still a bit sad, though. Meritri tries to retort but¡­ whatever she said, it looks like her voice decided to surrender midway, so it¡¯s incomprehensible. Ok, I give up. I¡¯ll try to shut them up, but I have to make it sound somehow childish, I guess. I just need to remember all those insults from my early school years and use one¡­ Easy, it was only like¡­ 15 years ago!? ¡°Why won¡¯t you to just go back to whispering? It was so nice without your squeaking.¡± What become of me. I can¡¯t even think of an actual, basic insult¡­ THAT WAS PATHETIC! But, surprisingly it worked. In a way. I¡¯m their new target now. ¡°Shut up retard.¡± Well, Kiera definitely tries everything she can to antagonize me even further. Great. ¡°Yeah, who asked you,¡± Oh, Ni¡¯ren, Ni¡¯ren¡­ you know that you act like moderately intelligent sidekick to the antagonist in school-life chapter of some second grade fantasy novel? Seriously, you should be intelligent enough to say something beside ¡®Yeah, who asked you¡¯¡­ it¡¯s¡­ just infinitely stupid, seriously.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your fault for taking stupid like that.¡± I feel my IQ dropping with every word I speak¡­ The worst part? I¡¯ll need to keep acting like that for a long time¡­ Argh, why does it always happen to me?! ¡°You can¡¯t talk to me like that, you¡¯re just a retard!¡± It makes me wonder if she even knows what ¡®retard¡¯ means, or is she just repeating her mother... ¡°C¡¯mon Kiera, don¡¯t listen to him, he¡¯s stupid.¡± IT¡¯S FUCKING WORKING!? I don¡¯t know if I should be happy or sad about it. ¡°You¡¯re both stupid! And ugly!¡± I¡¯m literally crying on the inside right now. Shadow, if you¡¯re listening to this - please, tell me you can fast forward this shit show called my life. I WANT TO BE AN ADULT NOW, PLEASE. ¡°I¡¯m not ugly!¡± Is she crying? I¡­ made Ni¡¯ren cry¡­ And Kiera¡¯s just staring at me¡­ As if I¡¯m the bad guy here... ¡°SHUT UP NI¡¯REN! AND YOU, RETARD! SHUT UP!¡± YOU ONLY MAKE ME WANT TO SPEAK EVEN LOUDER AND ANGRIER. And¡­ wait, what is it now?
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Most unfortunately there is no way to fast forward your entire life. Which is oh so sad :C No, seriously, I¡¯m being dead serious when I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m crying over your pitiful existence, so let¡¯s join me and cry our eyes out together! :C Or, whatever. Well, I¡¯ve decided to answer your¡­ prayer? Let¡¯s call it that for now¡­ for two reasons. Firstly, because I wanted to say ¡®NO¡¯ and make fun of you (hey, at least I am honest!). And secondly, because I decided that you already know enough, so you don¡¯t need a deity of madness going on around you. From now on I¡¯m seriously going to limit my contact with you to absolute minimum. I know I said that once or twice already¡­ BUT I REALLY MEAN IT THIS TIME! Unless of course, there is something important going on - like an on-going apocalypse only you could stop, which is, well¡­ very unlikely - I am going to stay silent and just watch over you. At least until you¡¯ll start doing something interesting and/or something worth my commentary. And by interesting I mean people dying in horrible ways. So yeah, good luck with that. By the way (which is actually the only reason you see this message), you just got +1 to Intimidation for¡­ ¡®Making a Little Girl Cry¡¯. So, well¡­ good job? It¡¯s some sort of a beginning for a Dark Lord career¡­ I think. o_O No, seriously, I¡¯m not really sure if that¡¯s just pathetic or EVIL AS FUCK?! So, like I said, have a nice childhood, full of racism and stuff. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO PS. Nazi says ¡®Good job!
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Oh, thank you SO FUCKING MUCH, Shadow. I sincerely hope that you are serious this time and you really are going to leave me alone. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT! ¡°No, you shut up!¡± No, seriously, I¡¯m really acting retarded now¡­ eh, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m in position to think about something better. And even with just this, the carriage looks like it¡¯s going to change into Fight Club¡¯s youth group in a moment¡­ Although, I would really prefer to avoid all this. I mean, using violence against kids? And girls, on top of that¡­ I¡¯m not even sure if I would win! Now THAT¡¯S pathetic... The carriage suddenly stops. The doors open, and there¡¯s Gavlan¡¯s face with ¡®WTF ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU LITTLE RICH BASTARDS I HATE SO MUCH¡¯ look painted all over it. I, of course, stay silent - you don¡¯t talk about Fight Club! - and the rest doesn¡¯t know him at all - maybe beside the fact that he¡¯s my bodyguard - so they also say nothing as we leave the carriage one by one. Now, wow, that¡¯s some serious architecture over here. I can only see a small part of the entire complex, and in itself it¡¯s quite spectacular. Even though I don¡¯t have time to enjoy the view. Gavlan is urging me - without words, but I can see it in his face - to get inside. And local servants - slaves of the Temple - unload our baggage from the carriage. Gavlan looks restless because he isn¡¯t going to accompany me inside - the school has it¡¯s own security - so he¡¯s going to be temporarily freed from following me everywhere. As we enter, there¡¯s a hall with few armed people with bored expressions on their faces - local guards, from the Temple - and a man in a robe that looks like some fantasy-like cleric¡¯s robe in light and dark shades of¡­ mainly blue. He has wolf-like ears, so he is a beastman like Gavlan. Ni¡¯ren and Kiera pass by him without even noticing him, so he must be just a low rank Temple-member. And he¡¯s looking my way, so I guess he¡¯s the welcoming committee for me and Meritri. How lovely. ¡°In the name of Grand Priestess I, hereby welcome you in our Library.¡± He begins, with a rather¡­ neutral expression. Well, we¡¯re just two human kids, right? No need to get all excited about us. ¡±I hope you will enjoy your stay, and learn as much as you can.¡± Am I overreacting because of what my father told me? Because just now I nearly heard the unspoken ¡®but of course it won¡¯t be much since you are just humans¡¯ Argh, damn it. ¡°I am here to lead you to your room.¡± Wait, room? Singular? Not plural? He can¡¯t possibly¡­ ¡°We only have double and triple bedrooms, and as our policy is assigning students from the same race to them, you are going to share a room.¡± Oh for fuck¡¯s¡­ *************************************** Resus: Does this counts as actual story and not just a buildup? I honestly can¡¯t tell¡­ Mirrond: Well, I can¡¯t help you. The first thing that comes to my mind after seeing the word ¡°buildup¡± is bodybuilder at the gym, so I am ABSOLUTELY NOT QUALIFIED to speak about this. Let¡¯s just be happy that we finished it. Resus: Yeah, one more thing. It¡¯s your turn to beg for comments and reviews :P Mirrond: Eh, I find it rude and offensive (if they want to do it, they¡¯ll do it) so let¡¯s just stick with something like that: We sincerely thank you for every review (even the ones without text that doesn¡¯t really show on a main page), for every comment, and for every one of you that decided to follow us and/or fav our story. God bless you, kind people :D I hope there will be more people like you in the future. Resus: You don¡¯t sound sincere enough for me¡­ GIVE ME A PROOF THAT YOU BELIEVE! Mirrond: Is that another one of your hidden MLP quotations? NEVERMIND, I don¡¯t even want to know. Let¡¯s just call it a day. Spoiler: Status
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:0Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:1Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Skills
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Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess average skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, you can also read and write in it. You are using it fluently, but you still lack some vocabulary to truly master it. Expert
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Spells LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Quests
Quests
Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Your received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Codex
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People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Damit Veles - Son of Paforth and Ferke, younger than you. Has the best name ever. xD Spoiler: Ferke Veles - Paforth¡¯s wife, mother of Meritri and Damit. Her mother-in-law think she¡¯s adorable. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡°aunt¡±, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. Very ambitious, she is scheming to become the next head of Veles family. She killed your brother and is in cahoots with one of the eight Res mages. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Meritri Veles - Daugther of Paforth and Ferke. Around your age, and rather shy, or simply scared of you. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. He lost a big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages. Spoiler: Ni¡¯ren Veles - Older than you, and a bookworm. Granddaugther of Varthia, but you don¡¯t know her parents. Rather cold to you. Spoiler: Paforth Veles - Son of Varthia, father unknown. Seems like a decent man. Hates Iverie, but not as strong as his mother. He also seems to be at least a bit better in hiding his thoughts than her. Spoiler: Varthia Veles - Younger sister of Naharius Senior. She has at least two children (one of them is Paforth, the second is Ni¡¯ren¡¯s parent). She likes to drink alcohol, speak before thinking¡­ and hates Iverie, whom she sees as a plague that threatens entire family.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Eastern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Wolfman - Beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). It¡¯s head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡°association¡± of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
General Lore:Alchemy:
Spoiler: Dream Resin - Rare poison created by the Old Empire. First symptoms of poisoning includes headaches and sleepiness. Then, after the victim falls asleep, vivid dreams and nightmares. The end is death by CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE :D. Diluted 1:1000 in water creates a drug that induces vivid dreams. Can also be used as a lubricant for heavy machinery (especially good for ones that use magic) or as a way to restore magic power (by rubbing it into the skin). There is an underground ¡®cult¡¯ in Res that has access to this poison and uses it for assasinations. Also Iverie has access to it, most likely through that group.
Weapons:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Equipment:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Resources:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Diseases:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Folklore and Culture:
Spoiler: Res Funeral Rites - In Res, the dead people are cremated. Then, their ashes are offered as a sacrifice to the goddess of water and sea that is this city patron and protector. This is achieved either by throwing them into Silverwater River or Republican Sea or by storing in them in stone bowls filled with water. The former is done by poor, the latter by the wealthy.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Active Effects
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Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
Side effects may include¡­Your nervous system is completely healed, but there are side effects of regenerating half of it in just six months. You need to master using your limbs (and vocal chords) again, so when you are tired, you may start having problems using them. This effect should disappear within another six months. It takes so long simply because it can¡¯t be sped up it with HP.When tired, your ability to move and speak drops.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Possesions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Companions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Options
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UI:Interface Activation Trigger:Gesture (presets)>
Gesture Presets:27. Reach with your right hand as if the status window was already there.\/
Map Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open map.¡±
Chat Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open chat.¡±
System Messages:When the status windows is opened.>
HUD:Heads Up Display:ON / offO
HP bar:on / OFFO
MP bar:on / OFFO
Clock:ON / offO
Update pop-ups:ON / offO
Hostile Status Display:ON / offO
Other:Automatic Translation:ON / offO
Months names:ON / offO
Week days names:ON / offO
Idioms:ON / offO
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
11: Political and social study of a certain kindergarten Resus: We reached a conclusion on what a buildup is¡­ and that¡¯s a last scrap of it. What comes next is a real battle arc xD Mirrond: Battle arc¡­ right ;_; Let¡¯s call it that way. ***************************** Chapter 11: Political and social study of a certain kindergarten Oh for fuck¡¯s¡­ Does this mean that not only I won¡¯t be able to act normally in my room¡­ I¡¯ll also have to spend most of my new childhood with a girl that looks like she is going to faint whenever she sees me. Besides¡­ WITH A GIRL?! I mean, she is my cousin, so it¡¯s not like she¡¯s just a random stranger. And since we¡¯re still only five¡­ But that won¡¯t last forever and in the future, quite distant future to be exact, living in a single room with a teenage girl¡­ It¡¯s going to be problematic in so many ways¡­ Even after giving it some thought, mixed rooms? Isn¡¯t it rather risky, in a long term? For now it¡¯s more or less ok, but¡­ what happens when ALL of us becomes teenagers? Are the teachers or priests or whoever they are¡­ Are they going to guard us 24/7 to avoid any unwanted accidents? Like, for example, ¡®accidental¡¯ pregnancies? And since there¡¯s apparently enough different races to distribute students between their rooms based on race¡­ Humans are disliked, I get that, but what about other races? Do they have reasons to safely assume that there will be no mixed couples? Did they even think about such problems in the first place? Up until now the local education was based on private tutors, so it¡¯s safe to assume that kids from wealthy houses had nearly no contact which each other. With an exception of the members of their own families. If this educational reform in Res is actually this world¡¯s first attempt in creating a¡­ more advanced schooling system - even though it still sucks - then they might¡¯ve not even thought about the risks that come from putting a band of teenagers together... Or, maybe they just don¡¯t care in the slightest about us fucking left and right? This might be a bit pessimistic, but ten years from now this school is going to be hell in more than one way¡­ Okay, STOP. I¡¯m going too far with my thoughts. We¡¯re all still only five to eight years old¡­ Maybe it won¡¯t be that bad¡­ ¡±Please now, follow me.¡± The priest speaks, seemingly unfazed by our reaction. Well, truth be told, there barely was any reaction - I was too busy overthinking the whole thing while Meritri, well¡­ She looks as if she really want to disappear, you know, looking at her boots, hiding her head in her shoulders and, well, shaking slightly¡­ but she looks more or less like that ever since we left the mansion so there is no real difference. Although, her fear levels probably risen quite considerably this last few minutes. We leave the hall following the priest and after a short walk and a few staircases - a nightmare for me at the moment - we reach the long corridor with plenty of doors on both sides. He leads us to the first door on the left, opens it with a key and lets us inside. ¡°Your belongings are already here.¡± I wonder for how long he trained his face to stay expressionless for this long. ¡°Unpack yourselves. The lessons begin in two hours, so don¡¯t take too long.¡± Wait¡­ so we are supposed to unpack ourselves? Well, it¡¯s not really a problem for me¡­ even though I must say that servants doing everything for me this past few years was quite enjoyable. It¡¯s still a bit surprising. The priest seems to notice something in my face¡­ or maybe he already experienced something like this with every student so far. ¡°Our servants will provide you with food and clean your clothes, but it¡¯s entirely up to you to keep your rooms clean. When it will be time to go to your classes just ask other students to lead you there.¡± And with that he leaves the room, closing the door behind¡­ And I thought that the carriage ride was awkward. Anyway, the room in itself is¡­ rather empty in comparison to the rooms in the mansion, but it was obvious from the beginning that this will be the case. It¡¯s rectangular, with a door and a window on the opposite short walls and, respectively, a wardrobe, desk with a single chair and a bed along each longer wall. I quickly proceed to unpacking my baggage. The maids and nannies did a good job packing all my clothes in a way that¡¯s easy to take out and hang in the wardrobe. Everything else, like a supply of ink and parchment or spare underwear, I leave in the coffer which I slide under my bed. The whole thing took me about half an hour because of those damn crutches. Thinking that I¡¯m done and have some time to rethink this whole situation few more times I take a quick look at Meritri¡­ and she¡¯s not even halfway through. Is that why we were given two whole hours before the classes start? The Temple¡¯s been running this school for half a year now, maybe they just adapted to kids from wealthy families not even knowing how to unpack¡­ or don¡¯t expect much from five-year-olds? Nevermind now. Let¡¯s just help her and get this over with. I can¡¯t be late my first day in here and I can¡¯t just leave her here if she doesn¡¯t make it in time. Meritri seems completely absorbed in the task, despite not making much progress. She doesn¡¯t see me coming up to her and seems surprised when I, without a word, begin unfolding her clothes and hanging them in her wardrobe. She even jumped a little and I think it was my mistake for not making any obvious noise in the process, but I can¡¯t do anything about it now. The unpacking continues and I notice that whoever filled her coffer in the first place did considerably worse job than with mine. Maybe it¡¯s just a matter of slightly different contents but it¡®s actually harder to¡­ maneuver? With mine I¡¯ve just been taking things from the top, again and again. Here, however, that¡¯s just not possible. Everything is tangled into one ball of dresses, learning supplies, underwear and lace. Mostly lace. All the while I¡¯m trying to tame this mess my shy little cousin is just standing there, acting all shy and useless¡­ and blushing? Well, fuck. Technically I just made my way to her baggage and for the last ten minutes or so I¡¯ve been sorting her personal belongings. Yeah, sorry. No time for feeling embarrassed now. Our classes are going to start soon and as I stated earlier - I¡¯m not about to be late on my first day here. ¡°Hang it in your wardrobe.¡± I tell that to Meritri after freeing first piece of garment. She hesitates for a moment but takes the¡­ dress, I think¡­ from me and does what I told her. It¡¯s really fortunate that she didn¡¯t back out on me now. Her messy baggage and my walking problems might¡¯ve resulted in me wasting more time trying to help her than she would take on her own. After much more untangling and unraveling than I would ever expect to experience my entire life¡­ We¡¯re done and still should have just enough time to get to our class. Even if we have to ask someone, where exactly that class might be, first. That HUD clock is as handy as I expected it to be. ¡°Time to go, Meritri.¡± I try to give her a nice and¡­ encouraging¡­ smile, and I receive a slight nod in return. Meritri, please, do me a favor and fight with your shyness. I beg you. I mean, am I really THAT scary?! Although, now that I think about it, I never actually cared enough to ask anyone if she reacts the same way to others¡­ Kiera¡¯s and Ni¡¯ren¡¯s behaviour in the carriage suggests that Meritri really is that withdrawn on her own, but I can¡¯t just not take it personally. Nevermind now, this is not a good time for worrying. And so, we leave our room. Or, to be more precise, I leave and she - with slight reluctance - follows after me. I can¡¯t close the door because that priest took the key, but I guess it¡¯s like that for everyone so I don¡¯t mind too much. The corridor is almost empty. With just one kid beside us still here. My first thought when I see him is ¡®oh for fuck sake¡¯¡­ The boy I see standing there looks like a poster model for Hitlerjugend recruitment¡­ absolutely perfect and stereotypical young Aryan. Slightly higher than me, probably two or three years older, with blond hair, blue eyes (he is looking right at me) filled with pride¡­ Oh, and he has wings. Crimson-colored, featherless, flesh and bones, wings. And spiral-shaped horns pointing backwards from above his ears. Short horns¡­ but still! Realistically, what am I supposed to do right now? Talk to this demon looking blondie? On my amplified intuition I blame the word ¡®Succubus¡¯ screaming in my head. Or rather ¡®Incubus¡¯, as that¡¯s a boy¡­ although I¡¯m not sure if that word is used around here, as Shadow¡¯s blessing still name him ¡®Succubus¡¯. That¡¯s a really weird feeling... to know something without knowing why you know that.
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People: Races: Succubi
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Everything in this boy screams trouble, but because there¡¯s no one else around here to ask about the route to the classroom¡­ I have no other options than to ask him. Even though I am nearly sure this is a bad idea... ¡°I¡¯m sorry, could you tell us where the classroom is?¡± I try to conjure a genuinely polite look on my face. ¡°It¡¯s our first day.¡± I add, as an attempt of explanation. ¡°Sure. Come with me. I¡¯ll show you the class all right.¡± I smell a rat¡­ plenty of them¡­ but I don¡¯t really have a choice now, do I? It¡¯s either going with him or trying to find it on my own and this place is not a small one. Besides, I have a feeling that if I were to refuse his offer he would do something unpleasant. Maybe it¡¯s because of the fact, that he gives off such a¡­ SS-feeling? Without horns and wings he would look like Hitler¡¯s wet dream. ¡°Thank you.¡± Well, being polite won¡¯t make it any worse, right? We follow the demonspawn through the hallways and staircases¡­ I honestly didn¡¯t expect so many of them, and I could swear the we did at least two full circles sometime along the way. But in the end we stood before a door to what the blondie called our classroom. ¡°Go on, I¡¯m right behind you.¡± Ok, there¡¯s no more doubts about it - it¡¯s a trap. I would try to weasel my way out of this, but my intuition is telling to me to just go with it? I guess it¡¯s a choice between two bad outcomes. I hope playing along will lead me to a less harmful one¡­ At least he¡¯s just a kid, so it won¡¯t be anything lethal¡­ probably¡­ so, let¡¯s go. We enter the classroom. I go first and Meritri gets in right behind me. It really looks like a classroom. With chairs and desks, but all of them empty. I turn around only to see closing door and hear a click of a lock¡­ I¡¯m impressed, how did he get a key to this room? Not important now. ¡°Here¡¯s your classroom blueheads! Enjoy your stay!¡± Honestly? I¡¯m not even mad. Sure, one beautiful day sometime in the future, I¡¯ll have my revenge, but since I knew that something like that was going to happen¡­ I only sigh loudly and sit down on a nearest desk. Banging at the door would only make this more enjoyable for him, and I¡¯m not going to give him any satisfaction. I can hear him leaving. The door aren¡¯t soundproof, so we¡¯ll hear if anyone is walking by our temporary prison. All we need to do is wai¡­ oh damn. While I was busy thinking, Meritri was¡­ not doing very well. Shock is painted on her face, along with slowly growing fear. Damn, time to act, or she¡¯s going to start crying¡­ which would make staying in this classroom much more painful. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just his bad joke¡­¡± I really am bad at this¡­ Also, I should probably stop pointing that out every time. ¡°Now we need to wait until someone walks by this room. Then we make a little bit of noise, and we¡¯ll be free to go.¡± Why am I even trying? She doesn¡¯t seem relieved at all. If you¡¯d ask me she looks even worse after I said all that. ¡°Ok.¡± Or¡­ maybe she is relieved? It¡¯s harder to read her emotion than Shadow¡¯s¡­ and that¡¯s quite an achievement. And so we waited. Considerably longer than I would like, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers¡­ About half an hour later - classes already started five minutes after our lockdown - I heard footsteps on the other side of the door. ¡°Hey!¡± I shout, while pulling the door handle. ¡°We are locked in here, let us out.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®locked¡¯? How did you get in there?¡± Judging by voice - young woman or girl, it¡¯s hard to tell. Definitely not that horned bastard tho. ¡°Someone locked us here.¡± I decide to try avoiding openly saying who did it, and that he knew that we were inside when he locked the door. I don¡¯t think that blaming him would change anything¡­ at least considering how high standing humans have here. Let¡¯s try to avoid an open war¡­ at least for now. ¡°Oh! Ok, just wait there¡­ I¡¯ll get the key and let you out!¡± Now let¡¯s just hope she - whoever she is - has nothing against humans. I turn towards Meritri. ¡°See? I told you that someone would come.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She actually looked at me and gave me¡­ a very weak smile. Yup, she¡¯s still on a verge of crying. Well, it¡¯s still some sort of progress, right? Ten minutes later, our savior returns. ¡°I have the key! Honestly, this janitor guy lost them somewhere. I had to run all around to find the spare one and whoever you are in there, you owe me a big favor now.¡± And then, finally, the door opens. And on the other side, there¡¯s a priestess. Young one, in her late teens I¡¯d say. She¡¯s swarthy, has long, straight, black hair and¡­ I know how it sounds but¡­ air seems to be slightly damper around her.
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People: Races: Hydromancer
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Oh. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just kids.¡± Yeah, let¡¯s call it that way. ¡°And¡­ humans? Are you these two Veles kids that were supposed to join our school today?¡± I only nod in answer. Thankfully I don¡¯t notice any shifts in her mood after realising that we¡¯re humans. So maybe we will finally reach the classroom without any interruptions¡­ ¡°Come with me, you are already late.¡± She¡¯s smart enough to understand that we didn¡¯t lock ourselves in there. Her lack of reaction is however quite logical¡­ I mean, it¡¯s not like anyone would actually care about ¡®childish jokes¡¯ such as this one. Besides, she can¡¯t really do anything about it¡­ and if she¡¯d try, it would only make it worse for us. But at least she guides us to the right classroom! I think I¡¯ll like her. She seems to be a decent person. ¡°I¡¯ll explain to your today¡¯s teacher what happened. Don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± She gives us a smile and thumbs up before opening the door to the classroom and letting us in. What a terrifying sight that is. The room is painted in bright colors with a few bookshelves along the walls. Small, square-shaped tables are scattered everywhere with¡­ a collage of mostly humanoid monsters sitting on the small chairs next to those tables. I¡¯d really like to be open minded and just proceed like everything¡¯s normal¡­ But I just can¡¯t. Let me get this straight. I just waltzed into the room full of what supposed to be kids roughly my age¡­ and all I can see are¡­ YES - MONSTERS! There¡¯s a Minotaur sitting with two human-like girls with literally fiery-colored hair and sparks all around them. There are two boys who looked like they are made of stone or marble statues. Three girls have long leaves instead of hair. And I didn¡¯t even mention the Beastman! I guess that the slaves in my family mansion were chosen because they looked mostly human. Well, that¡¯s not the case here. At one table there are three¡­ fox headed kids. With actual, scaled up fox heads! And, of course, the reason why I¡¯m late is also here. Smirking at me. I wonder if he suspects that at some point in time I¡¯m going to kill him for that? Probably not. But it seems like I¡¯m not the only one who''s surprised by this sight. Meritri seemingly got rid of the fear of me because she¡¯s currently hiding behind my back while clinging to my shirt.
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People: Races: Dryads People: Races: Nymphs People: Races: Pyromancers People: Races: Foxmen People: Races: Bearmen People: Races: Catmen People: Races: Crystallings People: Races: Minotaurs People: Races: Titans People: Races: Winged
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
* * * It¡¯s evening and the most tiring day of my life is finally nearing it¡¯s end. I lie in my bed, trying to sleep¡­ but as always, I¡¯m too busy thinking to actually fall asleep. Majority of the day was deadly boring. Although, surprisingly, when it comes to reading and writing I¡¯m slightly ahead of everyone. I guess that having a private tutor and plenty of free time has its advantages. It only, however, made this whole day even more boring since I¡¯ve spend it learning something I already knew, which was already mentioned reading and writing with some rudimentary mathematics. And, yeah, the questions are really otherworld¡¯y here. For example - if Mr. Hargharow has ten turynas and eats three of them, how many turynas Mr. Hargharow has in the end? If that¡¯s not torture than I don¡¯t know what is¡­ And no. I have no idea what¡¯s ¡®turyna¡¯, except for the fact that you can eat it. And that Mr. Hargharow likes them. From what I¡¯ve seen throughout the day, Kiera and Ni¡¯ren tend to stick to themselves. Most of the others ignore them, with an exception of those three girls with leaves instead of hair. And even in their case it isn¡¯t really friendliness. More like a lack of disdain. Meritri at the same time sticks to me. I kinda expected her to join Ni¡¯ren, but for some strange reason she chose me. Although she still prefers to stay silent, and blushes all the time¡­ I don¡¯t understand her at all, but it¡¯s not like she¡¯s a bother so¡­ ok. Oh, one more downside of being ahead of your class? You tend get too much into answering questions¡­ and apparently step out of line. The blond-demon seemingly didn¡¯t enjoy playing the second fiddle to me and after the ¡®classes¡¯ - composed mostly of free play time - ended, he and his equally horned sidekick - the minotaur - cornered me and tried to intimidate me? It went more or less like this¡­ ¡°What are you doing, bluehead? Didn¡¯t you understand your place? Next time I can find you a lonelier room to spend some time.¡± There goes my previous ¡®he¡¯s still just a kid¡¯ argument¡­ Bastard really acts as if he thinks he¡¯s a gangster or something. The bull headed kid was only looking at me angrily and nodding to his boss¡¯s words. Still, a minotaur that don¡¯t like you in particular is actually quite scary. And that¡¯s how, back in the present, I come to a certain conclusion. If I let things progress normally I - and other Veles kids¡­ and it would be a shame, maybe with exception of Kiera - will be bullied for at least ten years or so. And there is only one way out of this. I need to persuade - or rather forcefully insert brains into the heads - of several of my classmates - and then change this whole class into a war zone¡­ which might also allow me to acquire some potential - and highly valuable at that - allies for the future.
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Spoiler: Side Quest: Conquering Kindergarten You just started going to school, and you already know one thing. Your classmates suck. You have at least ten years to conquer this place. You need to forcefully drag all potential recruits to your side, and change the lives of your enemies into living hell. Let the hellish school life begin! Success conditions: Survive Graduate Gain at least four potential allies (but the more, the merrier) Rewards: ???
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Yeah¡­ right. This pretty much sums up everything. ***************************** Resus: The Kindergarten War! The bloodiest! The wildest! The¡­ meanest? Mirrond: Eh, I really can¡¯t wait until MC gets older¡­ but as you have an allergy for skipping longer periods of time (well, I have it too) we have to write it ;_; The most bloody and terrifying kindergarten ever. Maaan, now I am happy I never went to one. Spoiler: Status
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:0Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:1Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Skills
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Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess average skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, you can also read and write in it. You are using it fluently, but you still lack some vocabulary to truly master it. Expert
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Spells LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Quests
Quests
Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description Your received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Conquering Kindergarten
Spoiler: Description You just started going to school, and you already know one thing. Your classmates suck. You have at least ten years to conquer this place. You need to forcefully drag all potential recruits to your side, and change the lives of your enemies into living hell. Let the hellish school life begin! Success conditions: Survive Graduate Gain at least four potential allies (but the more, the merrier) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Codex
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People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. That¡¯s pretty much everything you know about him. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Damit Veles - Son of Paforth and Ferke, younger than you. Has the best name ever. xD Spoiler: Ferke Veles - Paforth¡¯s wife, mother of Meritri and Damit. Her mother-in-law think she¡¯s adorable. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡®aunt¡¯, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. . She is also a member of a mysterious underground organisation that plagues Res, or one of its pawns. Either way, she has access to rare poisons, and feels no moral qualms about using them. Also there is at least one magician that she can ask for help. You were already killed by her once¡­ just as your brother, though he didn¡¯t have any helpful deities to resurrect him. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young, so she isn¡¯t really useful to you. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Meritri Veles - Daugther of Paforth and Ferke. Around your age, and rather shy, or simply scared of you. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. Especially the death of your brother was a painful blow to his sanity, as even though he was only a bastard, Naharius really loved him. Now you are his only kid left, and he is stuck in a very unhappy marriage¡­ it¡¯s hard to say how he will this change him in a long term. He lost big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. You rarely see him or hear about him¡­ thankfully. As every time you hear his name, some bothersome shit happens. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages. An unfortunate victim, whom you couldn¡¯t help. However, you still feel guilty (you idiot). Spoiler: Ni¡¯ren Veles - Older than you, and a bookworm. Granddaugther of Varthia, but you don¡¯t know her parents. Rather cold to you. Spoiler: Paforth Veles - Son of Varthia, father unknown. Seems like a decent man. Hates Iverie, but not as strong as his mother. He also seems to be at least a bit better in hiding his thoughts than her. Spoiler: Varthia Veles - Younger sister of Naharius Senior. She has at least two children (one of them is Paforth, the second is Ni¡¯ren¡¯s parent). She likes to drink alcohol, speak before thinking¡­ and hates Iverie, whom she sees as a plague that threatens entire family. It is a diagnose you definitely agree with.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Cool Priestess - The cool priestess you met your first day at school. A Hydromancer. She¡¯s swarthy and has long, straight, black hair. Rather decent person. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family. Spoiler: SS Poster Demon - A boy from your class. He hates you, you hates him (such a healthy relationship!). He is a Succubi, and looks like Hitler¡¯s wet dream - 100% Aryan, with exception of wings and horns.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Bearmen - A beastmen variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with bear-like features, or a humanoid bear capable of speaking. Rather rare variant, that excels in strength and toughness. Spoiler: Catmen - A beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with cat-like features, or a humanoid cat capable of speaking. One of the most common variants (together with wolfmen they make up for at least 70% of beastmen). They excel at agility, but are rather lacking at strength. Spoiler: Crystallings - An Arcane Race that¡¯s a popular sight pretty much everywhere. Anatomically speaking they are humans infected with a parasitic crystal at birth, which replace their hair, fragments of eyes, nails, bones etc. It also gives them (or at least - some of them) magic talent. Spoiler: Dryads - An all-woman Arcane Race. They have leaves instead of hair, long lifetime and extremely low fertility. Their eyes are green (entirely eyes, as they have no visible ¡®moving parts¡¯). They have pale skin, and their blood is green (that¡¯s why their faces are getting greenish when blushing). They have a natural talent towards nature magic. Spoiler: Northwestern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Foxmen - A beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with fox-like features, or a humanoid fox capable of speaking. Inferior in strength to nearly every other beastman variant. They make up for it in cunning and agility. They have relatively high ratio of magic users, at least when compared to other beastmen variants. Spoiler: Hydromancers - Arcane Race that is especially common in the South. Visually they are nearly identical to humans, the only difference is a passive aura of increased humidity and the fact that they possess a natural magical talent towards water magic. Spoiler: Minotaurs - An Arcane Race that is pretty common in the South and on various islands in the West. High strength, but at best moderate when it comes to intelligence. Among races classified as Arcane Races, they have one of the lowest magic users ratio. Spoiler: Nymphs - An Arcane Race that can be found mainly in the South and on various islands in the West. Their¡­ slightly wider than normal mouth and extremely pale skin makes them look a little¡­ discomforting. They also have seaweeds instead of hair. Similar to Dryads, as they are an all-woman race, have prolonged lifespan, and extremely low fertility. But they have a tendency to have a natural talent for water magic. Spoiler: Pyromancers - Arcane Race that is especially common in the South. Visually they are nearly identical to humans. The only difference is their hair (in various ¡®fire¡¯ colors), and the increased air temperature around them. Also they smell like smoke. They possess a natural magical talent towards fire magic. Spoiler: Succubi - An Arcane Race that is pretty common in most places in the world, although they are an especially frequent sight at the south part of the known world. Humanoid figure, but plenty of demon-like features (horns, wings and tail are most popular). ¡®Succubus¡¯ is a word used to describe both their specie, and all of its female representatives. Males are called ¡®Incubus¡¯, but many people refer to them as ¡®Succubus¡¯ (their specie name) which creates many misunderstandings. While common, they have a pretty low ratio of magic users, at least for an Arcane Race. Spoiler: Titans - A rather rare Arcane Race that can be found practically only in the South. And adult titan is 2,5 to 3 meters tall. They excel both at strength and mental capabilities, although they are known for not being overly imaginative and creative. Long lifespan, but very low fertility. Their dry and grey skin makes them look like they are made of stone. Most of them are rather pacifistic, but they tend to get into a truly berserker¡¯s rage when cornered. Spoiler: Winged - An Arcane Race that can be found pretty much everywhere. They look like humans but have white-feathered wings (not strong enough to fly, but enough to glide), slightly increased lifespan, resistance to common diseases, and magic talent, especially to light magic. PS. I hate them. ~Shadow Spoiler: Wolfmen - Beastmen variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). It¡¯s head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡°association¡± of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
Spoiler: Res - The goddess-protector from Free City of Res. Commonly associated with water and sea. Spoiler: Shadow - The Most Awesome God, and your divine patron. Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness. His symbol is red sickle like moon, his favourite colors - black, crimson, violet and stygian blue <3
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
General Lore:Alchemy:
Spoiler: Dream Resin - Rare poison created by the Old Empire. First symptoms of poisoning includes headaches and sleepiness. Then, after the victim falls asleep, vivid dreams and nightmares. The end is death by CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE :D. Diluted 1:1000 in water creates a drug that induces vivid dreams. Can also be used as a lubricant for heavy machinery (especially good for ones that use magic) or as a way to restore magic power (by rubbing it into the skin). There is an underground ¡®cult¡¯ in Res that has access to this poison and uses it for assasinations. Also Iverie has access to it, most likely through that group.
Weapons:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Equipment:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Resources:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Diseases:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Folklore and Culture:
Spoiler: Res Funeral Rites - In Res, the dead people are cremated. Then, their ashes are offered as a sacrifice to the goddess of water and sea that is this city patron and protector. This is achieved either by throwing them into Silverwater River or Republican Sea or by storing in them in stone bowls filled with water. The former is done by poor, the latter by the wealthy.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Active Effects
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Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
Side effects may include¡­Your nervous system is completely healed, but there are side effects of regenerating half of it in just six months. You need to master using your limbs (and vocal chords) again, so when you are tired, you may start having problems using them. This effect should disappear within another six months. It takes so long simply because it can¡¯t be sped up it with HP.When tired, your ability to move and speak drops.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Possesions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Companions LOCKED
||===========================|| ||=====Companions LOCKED=====|| ||===========================||
This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Options
||=================|| ||=====Options=====|| ||=================||
UI:Interface Activation Trigger:Gesture (presets)>
Gesture Presets:27. Reach with your right hand as if the status window was already there.\/
Map Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open map.¡±
Chat Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open chat.¡±
System Messages:When the status windows is opened.>
HUD:Heads Up Display:ON / offO
HP bar:on / OFFO
MP bar:on / OFFO
Clock:ON / offO
Update pop-ups:ON / offO
Hostile Status Display:ON / offO
Other:Automatic Translation:ON / offO
Months names:ON / offO
Week days names:ON / offO
Idioms:ON / offO
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
12: One book to rule them all Mirrond: So, we¡¯ve done it. How beautiful. All this torture¡­ and pain¡­ and¡­ things¡­ damn, I am too tired to think. Resus: It¡¯s literally 1AM¡­ and yes - we¡¯re done writing the chapter¡­ But I still have some tables to write xD Mirrond: *sounds of loud snoring* Resus: If you happen to find a mistake¡­ PLEASE TELL US! We¡¯re too tired to actually proofread this thing¡­ Again. ******************************** Chapter 12: One book to rule them all First things first - I need guidelines. I can¡¯t just wait for something to happen that would help me turn this whole situation in my favour. And yeah, it¡¯ll be hard¡­ going to school was always a pain for me - mainly because of my classmates - so I¡¯d rather stick to myself and only react to the actions of others¡­ but this time I need to act on my own. So, what did I learn today about my classmates? They suck. Shadow summed it up perfectly. They¡¯re a bunch of rich, mean, spoiled brats¡­ and their surprisingly racist for kids this age. The ¡®bluehead¡¯ name this horned aryan gave me stuck pretty hard. To the point that I actually got called that a couple times today by other kids. Although, I¡¯m not the first one to be honored by a name like that - my cousins, Kiera and Ni¡¯ren also seem to ¡®suffer¡¯ that kind of treatment. And that¡¯s pretty much everything I know after this first day. So, I, most definitely, must gather more intel. Without knowing who, why and with whom¡­ I can¡¯t do shit here. I¡¯ll just be stuck as a ¡®bluehead¡¯ for ten years if I correctly recall the length of my sentence. Starting tomorrow, that¡¯s my main objective - to learn as much as I can about my classmates.
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Spoiler: Side Quest: CK: Reconnaissance Know thy self, know thy enemy. The first part you have more or less behind you, now you need to move on to the second one. If you really want to turn this classroom into a warzone, you need to at least know something about your classmates. And that¡¯s only the very beginning. Success conditions: Codex entry for every classmate. Progress: Codex entries for 3/28 classmates: Kiera Veles Meritri Veles Ni¡¯ren Veles Rewards: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, but I wanted to let you feel the sensation of fulfillment at least for once before your fifteenth birthdays¡­ oh, and this can be the beginning of a questline.
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
And it looks like Shadow agrees with my point of view, although I didn¡¯t expect him to quote Sun Tzu¡­ He takes all this ¡®conquering¡¯ far too seriously. I mean, it¡¯s not like people will be actually dying here, right? Right? * * * A week has passed¡­ and I must say that attending this local version of school is tough. I decided to adapt a noninvasive approach and remain in metaphorical shadows, at least until I¡¯ll get to know the people I¡¯m here with¡­ My two cousins are obviously totally useless as informators for me.They were here for half a year before me and yet when I ask them about anything they either don¡¯t know, or pretend to be too busy to answer me. And I thought that there was something wrong with me, when - back on Earth - even after a full semester of studying I still couldn¡¯t remember the names of half of my classmates¡­I think it¡¯s also because kids this age don¡¯t really care about gathering such knowledge, but it won¡¯t stop me from judging two girls as useless¡­ and mean. Still, even on my own I¡¯ve learned quite a few things, like names - it¡¯s surprisingly hard to learn someone¡¯s name when he doesn¡¯t even want to bother to honor you with a conversation. Or even to introduce themselves to you¡­ I had to limit my attempts at name gathering to waiting for those rare occasions when the teacher decided to call someone by name. And truly it was a tedious task. Especially because of Shadow¡¯s apparent decision to make my life harder and when it comes to my classmates - actual, informative Codex Entries show up only after I know their name and surname (unlike the ones describing only my own interactions that person)¡­ for fuck¡¯s sake, why?! There was, in fact, only one easy case of getting to know someone¡¯s full name - The Nymph. I actually managed to speak with her for quite a while¡­ although I must say that she creeps me out. Whatever god created the Nymphs here, must¡¯ve had a strange sense of esthetics¡­ She looked like a drowned person, kept underwater for few days, with seaweed as a replacement for hair¡­ permanently wet seaweed¡­ And her smile is much, much too wide. To the point that when she speaks or eats it look like her entire head is opening. It¡¯s¡­ well, if someone like that were to show up before me back on Earth, I¡¯d probably run away, screaming about a monster wanting to do unspeakable things to me. Most likely involving a lot of bone breaking¡­ and chewing. One thing is sure - if I¡¯ll ever become crazy enough to seriously start building a harem, she¡¯ll definitely won¡¯t be a part of it. Although, surprisingly enough, she herself is a bookworm quite like Ni¡¯ren. I confess, keeping myself from really running away from her was tough. Miraculously I succeeded in that task but failed the next one - I couldn¡¯t say a word. It was actually her who started our short conversation. A that time I was sitting at my table - together with Meritri, who was busy with her writing practice - reading a random book I picked up earlier from a shelf. The Nymph approached me and introduced herself as Kaelcy Elidan. At that point I was still too dumbfounded to utter a word¡­ and so she continued¡­ ¡°What happened, cat got your tongue? I know you¡¯re Veles, but you should say your full name.¡± That was oh so very funny¡­ Almost as if she¡¯d actually think that it¡¯s so easy to talk to a person who looks like her. It was a bit creepy to see a person without cheeks, talking. All those teeth¡­ But finally, after too many milliseconds for it not to become awkward I thought that it¡¯s time to get my act together¡­ And that I really need to stop being such a failure of a reincarnated ¡®hero¡¯. ¡°N-no, you just surprised me a little.¡± I tried to conjure a smile, but I¡¯m not sure if I succeeded. ¡°I am Varth Veles.¡± She was the first classmate outside of the ones from my family and the bullies to actually talk to me¡­ Thankfully this time my blessing stayed silent, so I didn¡¯t think there were any traps ahead. ¡°I just saw that you¡¯re reading Chronicles of the Celestial Orders: The High Sorcerer. Did you read the first two books?¡± But before I could even think of an answer, she continued¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve read them here and wanted to start the third one today, but you took it first¡­¡± At that moment I decided to stop her speech. ¡°Sure, I actually didn¡¯t even notice that it¡¯s not the first volume.¡± I didn¡¯t even read the name when I picked it from the shelf¡­ And in retrospect it¡¯s pretty strange¡­ what is it, a local version of Harry Potter? Really lame name¡­ seriously. Well, I gave her the book and asked if it¡¯s actually a good one. Now I kinda wish that I didn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s about those two legendary chivalric orders, they were protecting the world from evil and demons, and black magic, and all the kingdoms from war. And they only accepted the best warriors, and knights, and mages¡­ And in the first book they only just get together, and get their castle, and there¡¯s that evil they don¡¯t know about yet, but you know because it¡¯s taking about destroying the world in the beginning, but the orders don¡¯t know. And there are two orders to keep the balance, Order of the Sun and Order of the Moon, and the moon one is so much better, but they always get the boring stuff to do¡­ Anyway, there¡¯s that evil they don¡¯t know about, and they have those signs that something bad is happening, and they have to find out about that evil and organise an expedition to vanquish that evil. And there are traps and trials on the way there¡­ But I¡¯m not gonna say how it ends because it¡¯s just too good so, you¡¯d have to read for yourself. But the second book is even better than the first because the orders know from the start that there¡¯s that Dark One, and he wants to enslave everyone and the whole book is about the orders travelling all around the world searching for powerful warriors and mages so that when this Dark One comes they can beat him. But later it turns out that he sent his armies first and the orders have to fight their way through those armies. And there¡¯s that one mage from the Order of the Moon, and he¡¯s so awesome, he can control the lightnings and fry his enemies, and again I can¡¯t tell you what happens because it¡¯s so much better when you read it¡­¡± She stopped, because she finally noticed that I was gaping at her as if she was an alien or something¡­ Her entire enthusiasm instantly disappeared. I guess that with her looks, even around here, she was nearly as loved as humans. Especially because she also seems to like books which makes her something of a weirdo, at least at her current age. So, me showing interest in her favourite book was pretty much like blowing up a dam¡­ but after seeing me lost like that she must¡¯ve been thinking something along the line of ¡®oh, I scared him¡¯. I thought that, if left alone, she might eventually grow into a terrible introvert bookworm. And¡­ that she may not be the first grade of a potential ally, but hey, she¡¯s pretty much like myself back on Earth so tossing her away would be pretty hypocritical. Besides, I have to start with someone, right? ¡°So¡­ can we talk about it again after I read the books?¡± Oh, a small light of optimism flashed on her face. ¡°And can you tell me where is the first volume?¡± And, at that moment, my choice have been instantly rewarded.
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You just received a +1 to charisma for¡­ ¡®Making the Ugliest Girl in Class Your Friend¡¯. But hey, maybe she has a beautiful personality? (haha, who am I kidding)
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
For some reason I was nearly sure that this was my last easy victory in this war¡­ she practically surrendered unconditionally without putting up any resistance. So, I took the book¡­ and I spend the rest of that day - or, to be precise, the rest of that day¡¯s free time - reading. And it turned out to be quite decent. Not exactly Harry Potter or anything like that, more like a compilation of short stories with a shared theme, all with a moral at the ending. All fantasy-themed¡­ although here it should actually be called ¡®realism¡¯... If I were to describe it in one sentence, it would be something like: ¡°a bastard child of Disney and Dungeons & Dragons¡±. Yeah, that would be pretty fitting. Although I also smell a little bit of Lovecraft-like themes but¡­ Well, whatever. And during all that reading I could also feel someone¡¯s gaze on me. She really must be lonely¡­ I just sincerely hope that in the future she won¡¯t turn yandere or something¡­ that would be unbelievably disturbing. I need to find her more friends. As soon as possible. The book was quite long for a collection of stories for kids and I was still reading it when we were allowed to return to our rooms. Once again in my life I could feel, so well known to me, ¡®One More Chapter¡¯ syndrome - taking over me completely¡­ I should probably mention that, unlike in my family mansion where candles were the only light source at night (with few exception, like the lighting in my father¡¯s ¡®bunker¡¯) here we had actual artificial light. However magic and not technology based. Still, it allowed me to read comfortably after the sunset. But, as I was reading, the fact, that I wasn¡¯t going to sleep and instead was busy doing something made Meritri curious. ¡°Is that the book from that scary girl?¡± ¡°Yeah. But she only looks scary, so she¡¯s much better than that blondie.¡± Oh, so it looks like Kaelcy wasn¡¯t the only person to watch me today¡­ ¡°Can you read?¡± I never actually asked her about this before¡­ Probably because this was the first actual conversation we ever had. She blushed a little before answering. ¡°Not very well. The letters are easy but not when there¡¯s so many of them.¡± I know that pain¡­ ¡°You want me to read it to you?¡± She visibly got interested and lightened up after I said that. I still don¡¯t know if she wanted to listen to the stories Kaelcy described earlier¡­ or just enjoyed attention from me. Even though the second option is so highly improbable.
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You just received a +1 to charisma for: ¡­ and that¡¯s actually a good question. I guess it¡¯s for having a standard (even if short) conversation with someone your age, who doesn¡¯t want to kill you (and whom you don¡¯t want to kill). It¡¯s actually quite impressive how long you managed to survive without doing so in the first place.
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
So, I started reading the Chronicles of the Celestial Orders: Duty of The Knights (that¡¯s the title of the first volume) again, this time aloud. And so it continued throughout the following evenings. Later that week, I also had a talk about the book with Kaelcy, as she just couldn¡¯t wait until I read more¡­ so she engaged me in a lengthy discussion about the first one the moment I reached it¡¯s end. She looked so unspeakably hyped about it¡­ I would call it cute if she didn¡¯t look like she wanted to feast on my flesh with that smile of hers. I must also admit that Meritri turned out to be surprisingly courageous little girl¡­ or just one that decided to blindly follow her cousin¡¯s - my - words. Near the end of the week I happen to run into her, when she was in the middle of a very¡­ fast - yes, that¡¯s a good word - conversation with no one else than Kaelcy. And let¡¯s guess what was the topic? The Book. I already started to use capital letters for it in my thoughts¡­ it¡¯s no simple book, it¡¯s THE BOOK. The one that forged plenty of friendships in our little kindergarten¡­ and is a potential foundation for my future, probable ¡®Conquer the World¡¯ plans. It¡¯s in the very same time epic and lame. And they even forced me to join their conversation. Woe is me. But this past week wasn¡¯t all that pleasant. The trio of bullies¡­ yes - there¡¯s three of them. It just so happened that the third one didn¡¯t make it to school on monday. I don¡¯t know why and I don¡¯t even want to know¡­ His existence all in itself is enough of a pain. So, the blonde succub¡¯s name is Sabir. That was actually quite easy to find out since no matter who¡¯s the teacher of the day, blondie¡¯s name is spoken frequently as a part of short scolding. As far as I see it, he doesn¡¯t have problems with learning - quite the opposite. When asked, he answers most questions rather easily. However, being silent for a long time is a major pain for him and his whispers keep interrupting the teacher. Coincidentally, that¡¯s also the reason why I know the name of the third class bully - Rilas. Oh, and he¡¯s a pyromancer. They¡¯re constantly talking with each other¡­ What worries me about it though, is that I managed to eavesdrop the word ¡®bluehead¡¯ many more times than I¡¯d like. It¡¯s almost like listening to a pair of villains slowly designing and polishing their plans regarding their victim. Oh, and the minotaur - his name¡¯s Saamor - is more like their mindless follower. Well, maybe not exactly mindless, but he definitely doesn¡¯t give off the vibe of a future philosopher. He prefers to listen to the other two instead of speaking. Although, he also isn¡¯t really active when it comes to attacking me, as he just follows the group. And so, throughout the week the trio gradually done their best to make my life just slightly worse. And that¡¯s quite an achievement, considering what this world, and Shadow in particular, has already done to my life. First two days were somewhat peaceful, only once they succeeded in taking away my chair while I was trying to sit¡­ Only the first time, to be exact, as later I took precautions like grabbing the chair¡¯s seat before actually sitting. The third day, during the dinner part of the ¡®class¡¯, was what I¡¯d call my lowest point. It just so happen that as a result of a hand surprisingly pushing my head from behind¡­ My face landed in a bowl full of meat stew. The laughter resounding in my ears even after I came back from the nearest bathroom was the reason why I consider this to be my lowest point. However it doesn¡¯t mean that later it¡¯s going to get any better. After that, things like kicking away my crutches began happening on a daily basis. I tried not to let it affect my efforts in gathering information¡­ And I failed. The bullying apparently ostracised me from a semiregular group that was the class. Granted - I¡¯m still friends with Kaelcy and Meritri seems to not be aware of the whole situation, but¡­ In everyone else¡¯s minds I¡¯m reduced to ¡®just a victim for the bullies¡¯. It¡¯s almost like everyone is happy that it didn¡¯t happen to them. Getting Kaelcy to join my side was in fact so easy mainly because she was ostracised too. In her case the ¡®I won¡¯t play with them because the bullies may target me as well¡¯ didn¡¯t work, because she already was their target. Looking at it that way, we are currently an alliance of class losers¡­ wonderful. I kinda hope for the bully trio to attack another classmates, as then I would have another potential recruit¡­ It¡¯s just so pathetic¡­ THIS ISN¡¯T HOW I IMAGINED MYSELF IN A FANTASY WORLD! There are just two more things I need to mention. One is the final observation about this class - it¡¯s structured as a lot of small circles of friends that somehow obey a bigger hierarchy. I know it¡¯s strange to talk about such complexity regarding kids in kindergarten¡­ But it¡¯s not really that complex if you think about it. Everyone knows everyone, but they play and spend time only with their close friends or family. Nevertheless there¡¯s still that bigger hierarchy on top of which seems to be the trio of my self proclaimed tormentors. The second thing I need to point out is that I think the teachers got to a similar conclusion about this class¡¯s social structure¡­ and decided to poke at hornets nest. Thier idea of helping us work together and experience new friendships is a ¡®teamwork project¡¯. I still don¡¯t know the details as it was only mentioned at the end of friday¡¯s classes¡­ But I¡¯m terrified of what might be the result. * * * The version of Gavlan who picks me up after the end of the school week is completely unlike the previous one. Looks like a five days long leave can make wonders to a man. He still doesn¡¯t look friendly, at least not entirely¡­ but it seems like he at least tries to be friendlier towards me. Even though his hatred for my family always gets in the way. However, he still looks much better. I don¡¯t have any occasion to speak with him while still in the carriage ride back to the mansion, as my three cousins are here with me. Especially Meritri is surprisingly clingy¡­ but she benefited from this week no less than Gavlan. This time she at least tries to retort when Kiera and Ni¡¯ren starts their usual picking on her, that now looks for me more like their way to recover from all the bullying¡­ She isn¡¯t all that successful, but at least she tries. After we arrive and get back to our respective rooms there¡¯s unpacking and things like that¡­ of course I didn¡¯t take everything back with me, but there still considerable amount of stuff to be removed from my coffer. Only after that task is done I finally get a chance to speak with Gavlan in private. ¡°Gavlan, I have a few questions.¡± He sighs loudly to that. Well, I can finally ask a few more important questions without making it sound suspicious, so you have to bear with it. ¡°How many Great Houses are there in the city?¡± ¡°Eighteen.¡± He simply answers. He must have seen the next question in my eyes before I even asked it, because he immediately continues. ¡°Three of them deal in food production, transport and trade. Those three Houses are Ijo, Elidan and Az-sar. Dryads, nymphs and pyromancers.¡° That¡¯s quite logical, if they were to leave entire food industry to just one family and it suddenly went bankrupt because of some stupid reasons¡­ that would be pretty bad. ¡°Then there¡¯s ship construction¡­¡± Gavlan continues after a short break. ¡±¡­that¡¯s divided between coralies from Traceal and Altal Houses.¡°
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People: Races: Coralies
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
I don¡¯t think I saw any of them in school, so I guess currently there¡¯s just no children of eligible age from those two families. ¡°Transport ships belong to hydromancers from House Bethdam, warships to wolfmen and minotaurs from Houses Zarau and Saorg.¡±
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People: Dramatis Personae: Saamor Saorg
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
¡°They both protect the city from outside threats, and local merchants from pirates.¡± And of course they serve as pirates whenever they have an occasion¡­ it would be strange if it were to be any different. I mean, our merchants have rivals from other Free Cities, don¡¯t they? ¡°And¡­ succubi?¡± I ask to make him move unto the most important part. ¡°House Sivalis.¡±
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People: Dramatis Personae: Sabir Sivalis
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
¡°They deal with jewelery... gems¡­ um, colorful stones and¡­ um, apparel addons?¡± He definitely struggles with it¡­ I kinda feel sorry for him. On the other hand, does he really think that at my current age i don¡¯t know what jewelry is? Making him my guardian wasn¡¯t my father¡¯s best decision in life¡­ his skills in dealing with kids are ABSOLUTELY NONEXISTENT. I try to look natural so I give him a blank stare, he sighs and continues. ¡°Foxmen from House Nasha deal with fabrics¡­ umm, clothing. Bearmen from Sothrag rule over Res¡¯s metal industry. Wood import and processing is done by dryads from House Enlil.¡° DID HE JUST SAY THAT DRYADS ARE CUTTING TREES?! This world is seriously ridiculous. And¡­ Enlil? I think there was a sumerian god with that name¡­¡± Alcohol¡­ dammit, special adult drinks that I am not supposed to talk with you about, belong to Catmen from House Fanshir. Stone Working and buildings construction is done by crystallings from Taratze family. Then¡­ damn, which one I left out?...¡° I really didn¡¯t know that part of him before. He remains deep in thoughts for a few seconds, until I help him. ¡°Titans?¡± I remember them from race entries in the Codex and from my class, and he still didn¡¯t mention them. ¡°Ah, yes. They deal with¡­ urgh, I have no idea how to describe it.¡± What? Brothels? THEM?! They certainly didn¡¯t look like brothel owners to me. ¡°Oh, I know! They lend money.¡° Ah¡­ that¡¯s what he meant¡­ not like there¡¯s any major difference between the two. Maybe beside the fact that bankers have better earnings. ¡°And the last one¡­ the last one¡­¡° Argh, he¡¯s stuck again. Is there any race I know that he still didn¡¯t mention? Yes, now I remember! ¡°And¡­ the winged?¡± On his face - a serious relief. ¡°Yes. House Ashur. They deal in pottery.¡± Pottery? They look more like pillow makers. And FFS, this time I remember similarly named assyrian god¡­ This world¡¯s creator has some serious copyright issues. ¡°Is there anything else you want to ask about?¡± ¡°Actually¡­ yes.¡± His face is just so full of sadness¡­ and ¡®oh my gods, why are you wasting my time¡¯ unspoken comment. ¡°I heard a name, but I don¡¯t know what it means. What is a Council of Eight?¡± I still remember what happened to my brother¡­ and I¡¯m sure, that to revenge him I have to firstly gain some clues as to who helped Iverie. ¡°It¡¯s an organisation composed of all eight mages that reside in Res.¡± Can you stop quoting - well, nearly quoting - my Codex? That¡¯s pretty fucking counterproductive. ¡°They serve under direct orders of Res, who speaks through the Grand Priestess.¡° Thank you for your cooperation. By ¡®Res¡¯ he must mean the goddess¡­ I think. ¡°They are also really powerful, and reaaally scary.¡° Did he just try to scare me from continuing this subject? Whatever he tried to achieve, he failed miserably. So he decided to continue. ¡°When one of them¡­ leaves the service, another one is chosen from local magic users and receives great power from the Goddess. They also change their names when they join. Their current leader is called Firewind, and there are similar organisations in most cities all around the world, serving other gods. That¡¯s all I know.¡° Now, why am I so sure that ¡®leaving the service¡¯ means dying? Must be my blessing speaking. Ok, additional informations are always welcome. For some reason I¡¯m sure that sooner or later I¡¯ll run into this Firewind fella¡­ and it¡¯s not even the blessing, just me knowing how shitty my life is. However this currently leads me nowhere. It¡¯s practically a useless knowledge. I¡¯m still just a kid¡­ and even if I suddenly were to become the family head, I¡¯d still be far below them. I¡¯d be like a fucking ant trying to investigate what¡¯s happening among elephants¡­ There¡¯s only one, albeit very risky way, to get through with it - I need to find someone within this Council I can trust enough to tell him or her that they have a traitor among them¡­ Firstly I need to raise my position to the point where I won¡¯t be treated as a madman. Then - I¡¯ll need to clear my suspicions on at least a single one of them, so I can risk revealing my informations to him or her. And this practically requires interrogating Iverie¡­ However that won¡¯t happen anytime soon. For now I decide to push the matter of the Council for a bit more.
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Spoiler: Side Quest: Weeding The Garden There is a mysterious organisation inside Res. It¡¯s powerful, and ruthless. You don¡¯t know what is their target¡­ but you know that your aunt Iverie is helping them. The Temple is trying to fight this threat¡­ but without a success. And now you know why. There is a traitor within a Council of Eight. The highest levels of Res government. He is a deadly threat for both - you and the city. If you want to have revenge for your brother, you need to find him and eliminate him. The first step is finding out what Iverie knows about him. And that surely won¡¯t be easy. Success conditions: Iverie has been interrogated Loyal elements in the Council are informed about the traitor¡¯s existence Traitor is exposed and eliminated Progress: Iverie still hasn¡¯t been interrogated The Council is unaware of traitor¡¯s existence Traitor roam free Rewards: ???
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
¡°I want to hear more, can you tell me the names of the rest of these magicians? And their races?¡° I try to give him puppy eyes. He looks resigned. ¡°First there¡¯s Firewind. He¡¯s a fire dragon.¡° Wait, what? Dragon? Seriously? That¡¯s just... ¡°Then¡­ Stormfang, catwoman. Killchain, dark elf. Silverblade, winged. Bloodflower, dryad. Waterslicer, hydromancer. Sculptor, wolfman. Aaaand¡­ which one did I¡­ oh, I remember. Ironfist, and he¡¯s a stone golem.¡° Wait¡­ A STONE GOLEM?! And a mage? WHAT THE F¡­ Em, actually? I¡¯m not that shocked, I got used to it¡­ a bit¡­ ¡°Does that satisfy your curiosity?¡° He looks so damn relieved when I nod¡­ I seriously pity him.
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People: Races: Dragons People: Races: Dark Elves People: Races: Stone Golems Organisations: Res: Council of Eight
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Yeah, and I pity myself if this shit will ever pop up when I¡¯ll be hiding in some spooky place. Sure, only I can see it, but the windows appearing from nowhere are just always surprising. One I¡¯ll day die of a heart attack because of it¡­ Well, nevermind. I politely thank him - which isn¡¯t a typical way to treat a slave, but I try to be a good person - and, as it¡¯s already evening, I go to my room to prepare for my only relief from the way this world treats me. I just love sleeping as no one bothers me then¡­ And for some reason I always fall asleep believing that the next day will be better. I¡¯m much too optimistic. ******************************** Mirrond: So¡­ you¡¯ve read it¡­ and you probably pity the existence of MC just like me. And yes, The Book IS important. Not only to Kaelcy and Meritri. Resus: Why would you tell them that?! I seriously don¡¯t understand¡­ Why? Mirrond: In fact¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ Few hours ago I thought that it¡¯s important to tell them ¡­ now I just don¡¯t remember why¡­ maybe I will remember that after the most important thing in my life? I WANT TO GO TO SLEEP, I can hear my bed calling me. Resus: Yeah¡­ Sorry for trying to write this thing today so that I can have a free weekend¡­ and play Factorio xD Mirrond: Now you can¡¯t tell that I am not¡­ damn, I forgot what I was supposed to say¡­ CAN WE END THIS FINALLY?! I¡¯m, let¡¯s say, active like¡­ fourteen hours straight? I can¡¯t write a single word without messing it up and correcting it a few times¡­ Spoiler: Status
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:2Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:1Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Skills
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Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess average skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, you can also read and write in it. You are using it fluently, but you still lack some vocabulary to truly master it. Expert
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Spells LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Quests
Quests
Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description Your received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Conquering Kindergarten
Spoiler: Description You just started going to school, and you already know one thing. Your classmates suck. You have at least ten years to conquer this place. You need to forcefully drag all potential recruits to your side, and change the lives of your enemies into living hell. Let the hellish school life begin! Success conditions: Survive Graduate Gain at least four potential allies (but the more, the merrier) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:CK: Reconnaissance
Spoiler: Description Know thy self, know thy enemy. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The first part you have more or less behind you, now you need to move on to the second one. If you really want to turn this classroom into a warzone, you need to at least know something about your classmates. And that¡¯s only the very beginning. Success conditions: Codex entry for every classmate. Progress: Codex entries for 5/28 classmates: Kiera Veles Meritri Veles Ni¡¯ren Veles Saamor Saorg Sabir Sivalis Rewards: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, but I wanted to let you feel the sensation of fulfillment at least for once before your fifteenth birthdays¡­ oh, and this can be the beginning of a questline.
Side Quest:Weeding The Garden
Spoiler: Description There is a mysterious organisation inside Res. It¡¯s powerful, and ruthless. You don¡¯t know what is their target¡­ but you know that your aunt Iverie is helping them. The Temple is trying to fight this threat¡­ but without a success. And now you know why. There is a traitor within a Council of Eight. The highest levels of Res government. He is a deadly threat for both - you and the city. If you want to have revenge for your brother, you need to find him and eliminate him. The first step is finding out what Iverie knows about him. And that surely won¡¯t be easy. Success conditions: Iverie has been interrogated Loyal elements in the Council are informed about the traitor¡¯s existence Traitor is exposed and eliminated Progress: Iverie still hasn¡¯t been interrogated The Council is unaware of traitor¡¯s existence Traitor roam free Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Codex
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People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. That¡¯s pretty much everything you know about him. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Damit Veles - Son of Paforth and Ferke, younger than you. Has the best name ever. xD Spoiler: Ferke Veles - Paforth¡¯s wife, mother of Meritri and Damit. Her mother-in-law think she¡¯s adorable. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡®aunt¡¯, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. . She is also a member of a mysterious underground organisation that plagues Res, or one of its pawns. Either way, she has access to rare poisons, and feels no moral qualms about using them. Also there is at least one magician that she can ask for help. You were already killed by her once¡­ just as your brother, though he didn¡¯t have any helpful deities to resurrect him. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young, so she isn¡¯t really useful to you. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Meritri Veles - Daugther of Paforth and Ferke. Around your age, and rather shy, or simply scared of you. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. Especially the death of your brother was a painful blow to his sanity, as even though he was only a bastard, Naharius really loved him. Now you are his only kid left, and he is stuck in a very unhappy marriage¡­ it¡¯s hard to say how he will this change him in a long term. He lost big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. You rarely see him or hear about him¡­ thankfully. As every time you hear his name, some bothersome shit happens. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages. An unfortunate victim, whom you couldn¡¯t help. However, you still feel guilty (you idiot). Spoiler: Ni¡¯ren Veles - Older than you, and a bookworm. Granddaugther of Varthia, but you don¡¯t know her parents. Rather cold to you. Spoiler: Paforth Veles - Son of Varthia, father unknown. Seems like a decent man. Hates Iverie, but not as strong as his mother. He also seems to be at least a bit better in hiding his thoughts than her. Spoiler: Varthia Veles - Younger sister of Naharius Senior. She has at least two children (one of them is Paforth, the second is Ni¡¯ren¡¯s parent). She likes to drink alcohol, speak before thinking¡­ and hates Iverie, whom she sees as a plague that threatens entire family. It is a diagnose you definitely agree with.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Cool Priestess - The cool priestess you met your first day at school. A Hydromancer. She¡¯s swarthy and has long, straight, black hair. Rather decent person. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family. Spoiler: Saamor Saorg - A minotaur from House Saorg, and your classmate. Currently a sidekick for Sabir Sivalis. Big, strong and not really talkative. His family deals in Resian navy. Spoiler: Sabir Sivalis - A boy from your class. He hates you, you hates him (such a healthy relationship!). He is a Succubi, and looks like Hitler¡¯s wet dream - 100% Aryan, with exception of wings and horns. He comes from House Sivalis, that deals in jewelry.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Bearmen - A beastmen variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with bear-like features, or a humanoid bear capable of speaking. Rather rare variant, that excels in strength and toughness. Spoiler: Catmen - A beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with cat-like features, or a humanoid cat capable of speaking. One of the most common variants (together with wolfmen they make up for at least 70% of beastmen). They excel at agility, but are rather lacking at strength. Spoiler: Coralies - An Arcane Race popular on the costs. Anatomically they are very similar to humans but they are partially made out of similar material as coral reefs and need sea air to survive as it provides them part of their obligatory nutriments. Spoiler: Crystallings - An Arcane Race that¡¯s a popular sight pretty much everywhere. Anatomically speaking they are humans infected with a parasitic crystal at birth, which replace their hair, fragments of eyes, nails, bones etc. It also gives them (or at least - some of them) magic talent. Spoiler: Dark Elves - Elf variant that¡¯s rather rare but can be encountered pretty much everywhere. Black skin, red or violet eyes. Moderate magic-user ratio, most of them have talent towards black magic. Severely disliked in many parts in the world, just as most elves. Spoiler: Dragons - Rare Arcane Race. To be precise they should be called ¡®High Dragons¡¯. They are the only variant of dragon that¡¯s fully sentient, and capable of speech. Highly increased lifespan, and - when adult - capable of limited shapeshifting between several forms (normally - dragon, human, and several in between). They have a multitude of sub variants (mainly elemental - like ¡®fire dragons¡¯), but they are considered a single race, as they are all birthed simply as dragons, and their subtype is chosen by them before becoming adults. Filthy little copycats. ~Shadow Spoiler: Dryads - An all-woman Arcane Race. They have leaves instead of hair, long lifetime and extremely low fertility. Their eyes are green (entirely eyes, as they have no visible ¡®moving parts¡¯). They have pale skin, and their blood is green (that¡¯s why their faces are getting greenish when blushing). They have a natural talent towards nature magic. Spoiler: Northwestern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Foxmen - A beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with fox-like features, or a humanoid fox capable of speaking. Inferior in strength to nearly every other beastman variant. They make up for it in cunning and agility. They have relatively high ratio of magic users, at least when compared to other beastmen variants. Spoiler: Hydromancers - Arcane Race that is especially common in the South. Visually they are nearly identical to humans, the only difference is a passive aura of increased humidity and the fact that they possess a natural magical talent towards water magic. Spoiler: Minotaurs - An Arcane Race that is pretty common in the South and on various islands in the West. High strength, but at best moderate when it comes to intelligence. Among races classified as Arcane Races, they have one of the lowest magic users ratio. Spoiler: Nymphs - An Arcane Race that can be found mainly in the South and on various islands in the West. Their¡­ slightly wider than normal mouth and extremely pale skin makes them look a little¡­ discomforting. They also have seaweeds instead of hair. Similar to Dryads, as they are an all-woman race, have prolonged lifespan, and extremely low fertility. But they have a tendency to have a natural talent for water magic. Spoiler: Pyromancers - Arcane Race that is especially common in the South. Visually they are nearly identical to humans. The only difference is their hair (in various ¡®fire¡¯ colors), and the increased air temperature around them. Also they smell like smoke. They possess a natural magical talent towards fire magic. Spoiler: Stone Golems - An Arcane Race that can be encountered everywhere, but in rather low numbers. They are big, they are strong, and their flesh is more mineral than organic. But they are a living, breathing organism. If you see a person that looks like a very rough, moving human statue, it¡¯s one of them. Funny things happen when magic meets biology, hmm? Spoiler: Succubi - An Arcane Race that is pretty common in most places in the world, although they are an especially frequent sight at the south part of the known world. Humanoid figure, but plenty of demon-like features (horns, wings and tail are most popular). ¡®Succubus¡¯ is a word used to describe both their specie, and all of its female representatives. Males are called ¡®Incubus¡¯, but many people refer to them as ¡®Succubus¡¯ (their specie name) which creates many misunderstandings. While common, they have a pretty low ratio of magic users, at least for an Arcane Race. Spoiler: Titans - A rather rare Arcane Race that can be found practically only in the South. And adult titan is 2,5 to 3 meters tall. They excel both at strength and mental capabilities, although they are known for not being overly imaginative and creative. Long lifespan, but very low fertility. Their dry and grey skin makes them look like they are made of stone. Most of them are rather pacifistic, but they tend to get into a truly berserker¡¯s rage when cornered. Spoiler: Winged - An Arcane Race that can be found pretty much everywhere. They look like humans but have white-feathered wings (not strong enough to fly, but enough to glide), slightly increased lifespan, resistance to common diseases, and magic talent, especially to light magic. PS. I hate them. ~Shadow Spoiler: Wolfmen - Beastmen variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). It¡¯s head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡®association¡¯ of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city. They serve the Goddess, and receive her orders through Grand Priestess. They are chosen from magic users in Res after the death of previous members. Their leader is fire dragon called Firewind. The other members are: catwoman Stormfang, dark elf Killchain, winged Silverblade, dryad Bloodflower, hydromancer Waterslicer, wolfman Sculptor, and stone golem Ironfist. One of them is a traitor leading an unknown underground organisation that remains a serious threat to Res¡¯s stability.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
Spoiler: Res - The goddess-protector from Free City of Res. Commonly associated with water and sea. Spoiler: Shadow - The Most Awesome God, and your divine patron. Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness. His symbol is red sickle like moon, his favourite colors - black, crimson, violet and stygian blue <3
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
General Lore:Alchemy:
Spoiler: Dream Resin - Rare poison created by the Old Empire. First symptoms of poisoning includes headaches and sleepiness. Then, after the victim falls asleep, vivid dreams and nightmares. The end is death by CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE :D. Diluted 1:1000 in water creates a drug that induces vivid dreams. Can also be used as a lubricant for heavy machinery (especially good for ones that use magic) or as a way to restore magic power (by rubbing it into the skin). There is an underground ¡®cult¡¯ in Res that has access to this poison and uses it for assasinations. Also Iverie has access to it, most likely through that group.
Weapons:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Equipment:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Resources:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Diseases:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Folklore and Culture:
Spoiler: Res Funeral Rites - In Res, the dead people are cremated. Then, their ashes are offered as a sacrifice to the goddess of water and sea that is this city patron and protector. This is achieved either by throwing them into Silverwater River or Republican Sea or by storing in them in stone bowls filled with water. The former is done by poor, the latter by the wealthy.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Active Effects
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Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
Side effects may include¡­Your nervous system is completely healed, but there are side effects of regenerating half of it in just six months. You need to master using your limbs (and vocal chords) again, so when you are tired, you may start having problems using them. This effect should disappear within another six months. It takes so long simply because it can¡¯t be sped up it with HP.When tired, your ability to move and speak drops.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Possesions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Companions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Options
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UI:Interface Activation Trigger:Gesture (presets)>
Gesture Presets:27. Reach with your right hand as if the status window was already there.\/
Map Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open map.¡±
Chat Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open chat.¡±
System Messages:When the status windows is opened.>
HUD:Heads Up Display:ON / offO
HP bar:on / OFFO
MP bar:on / OFFO
Clock:ON / offO
Update pop-ups:ON / offO
Hostile Status Display:ON / offO
Other:Automatic Translation:ON / offO
Months names:ON / offO
Week days names:ON / offO
Idioms:ON / offO
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
13: Silence (in the library) before the storm Mirrond: It took us some time, but we¡¯ve finished it, and let¡¯s all be happy about that. I mean, it¡¯s quite a success considering that Resus recently decided that he wants free weekends. Resus: Just because I occasionally don¡¯t have classes during weekends doesn¡¯t mean that you can use me to write this¡­ Mirrond: YES IT DOES, SHUT UP. Resus: As you can see, our dear readers¡­ all throughout the chapter I have to add exclamation marks after his shouts¡­ Because he always ends them with a simple period xD Mirrond: *Here should be a smart riposte, but screw it.* ******************************** Chapter 13: Silence (in the library) before the storm The next day I wake up early in the morning, which means that I have some time to think¡­ About many things. Up until today I spent too much time on complaining and negative thoughts. The reasons for that were mainly my hatred for Shadow, my own pessimism, and all the cultural and religious differences that kept showing up. I can only try to fight the second one - and hopefully I¡¯ll eventually succeed - and I am absolutely content with the first one. But then there¡¯s the last reason. I still feel like an Earth resident and that¡¯s stupid, as I¡¯ll never return there. I keep commenting events and things like I¡¯m an outsider. The only ¡®progress¡¯ that can be seen is the fact that, for some time now, I think of myself as Varth Veles¡­ and that I treat Meritri and Lena like my relatives. I even use the word ¡®father¡¯ when talking about Naharius¡­ albeit a bit reluctantly. I need to get rid of this ¡®Earthling Identity¡¯ of mine. Ok, local tradition may look ridiculous, but this isn¡¯t some sort of xianxia story. I am not overpowered, I can¡¯t be above the local culture. I need different approach than ¡®that¡¯s just so stupid¡¯¡­ I need to assimilate. Yeah. So, from now on, less pessimism, less complaining, less raging over unimportant details¡­ and I need to finally get used to living here. If I¡¯m going to spend my entire life here, I¡¯ll better like this place. Thinking about my previous attitude took me so long that Gavlan had to come in and get me out of bed. That¡¯s actually quite sad. I woke up earlier than usual, and I wanted to spend some time just lying in my bed, hugging a pillow or something¡­ beds here are just extraordinarily fluffy, and the bedding hugs you like a soft cloud of bliss¡­ I reluctantly get up, and proceed to the bathroom. There I brush my teeth just like a good little boy should do every day. But in case I would turn out to not be a good little boy I¡¯m watched over. I¡¯m given a little bit of privacy only when the time comes to dress myself. Then comes time for breakfast, that I eat alone¡­ aaand it¡¯s more or less free time for me. I can¡¯t describe how boring this free time really is. No computers, nearly no books (all of those that I managed to find on my own were just some account records¡­) and lack of other kids means nothing interesting to do. Meritri doesn¡¯t count, as all her relation with me is based on The Book, and we had to leave it in school. I¡¯ve never thought it would come to this, but I¡¯m actually grateful that I was given homework. Mainly reading practice with some absolutely basic writing. Sure, it¡¯s absurdly easy, but it¡¯s still a way to spend time. In the end it only lasted for about¡­ five hours, according to the HUD¡¯s clock. And even that only because I was doing it the same way I was learning for most exams on Earth. Five minutes of concentration, ten minutes of lazing around¡­ This Saturday is especially lazy as grandfather, father, uncle and Iverie (so, basically every important person in the family) are out doing business. Normally there¡¯s at least a dinner we eat more or less together. After I finish doing my homework I¡¯m practically desperate to find anything interesting to pass more time with. And there is Gavlan¡­ Since yesterday he¡¯s in a very good mood for some reason, so¡­ maybe I¡¯ll question him some more? But¡­ Is there anything left that I can ask him about, without making it sound suspicious? I asked him about the Council and the Houses, so that¡¯s out of the question. I definitely can¡¯t even mention the Old Gods or Lost Deities, as that would be suicidal. What else? Well, surely I could ask him about the place he comes from - what was it called again? Leana? But that¡¯s not really interesting now, is it? So let¡¯s call it a plan B. So, what else? Slavery? Hmm, that may ruin his mood, as, judging from what I know, it¡¯s a pretty sensitive topic for him. But I think I should know something about slavery as it¡¯s a pretty important business here, right? If my life is to go on in a clich¨¦ way, as a reincarnated person I¡®ll probably end up as an owner of a small ¡®orphanage¡¯ full of liberated slave girls, haha! ¡­ Let¡¯s forget what I just said, for some reason I ended up talking like Shadow. Madness must be infectious. Gavlan noticed that I am gazing at him, and now he gazes at me. I guess that he expects me to ask him something, but he says nothing because of hope that in the end I¡¯ll just get back to lazing around without bothering him. Sorry, not this time. Because I just thought of something interesting! ¡°Gavlan, I have a question.¡± He sighs. Poor bodyguard, he can see his worst nightmare unfolding right before him and there¡¯s absolutely nothing he can do to stop it. ¡°Why is your collar grey? The slaves in the Temple wore collars that were either half violet half green, or entirely violet.¡± Look on his face is decisive sign that it¡¯s a painful matter for him. ¡°Color of the collar indicates a type and status of a slave. Gray color of my collar means that I can carry a weapon and, as long as my master orders me to, I can use it. Bodyguards, bouncers and sailors in Resian Navy, they all belong to this category.¡± Interesting. Now I wonder who is held responsible if a slave kills someone. Owner? If he issued an order, then probably yes, but how will they prove that he did it? Can a slave just attack someone if he wasn¡¯t specifically forbidden? Is there even a written law regulating things like that? ¡°The violet collar is a sign that slave belongs to the Temple, this means that they are heavily protected by law. Even members of the Great Houses can¡¯t harm them, and they are treated with respect by a free people.¡± I guess this really is a theocracy¡­ Becoming a violet collar slave seems like a dream for every unfortunately enslaved. Even Gavlan has visible envy in his eyes when he speaks about them. He¡¯s silent for a short moment, then he continues. ¡°Black collars are worn by soldiers and officers from Res¡¯s military. The collars¡­ ensure their¡­ loyalty, to the Goddess. But beside that, their actions are practically not restricted. They protect the city from outside threats, and are responsible for enforcing laws in it. In other words they make sure that nothing bad stalks good kids at night.¡± Gavlan, Gavlan¡­ seriously, don¡¯t try acting like a nanny, this doesn¡¯t suit you at all. The ¡®WTF¡¯ look on my face isn¡¯t there because I can¡¯t understand, but because I¡¯m admiring a splendid idea. I mean, using any kind of slave army normally would be stupid, but with these magic collars? You can just order them to not retreat without a specific order, and tell them to fight with all they got, and you have an army that doesn¡¯t bother itself with things like morale¡­ It¡¯s really, really ingenious¡­ and really, really not humanitarian. ¡°Green are servants.¡° Gavlan continues after a while. ¡±Blue are workers, orange are craftsmen. Red collar is a sign that the slave can use magic. They either work for the Council, or are a part of an army¡­ rarely you can see a red collar slave in hands of Houses, not to mention free citizens. Then there are yellow and pink collars¡­ ummm¡­¡° He¡­ really look as if he just said something stupid. ¡°I can¡¯t talk about those until you are older.¡± Now he tries to avoid losing face¡­ yeah, he is just so easy to read¡­ it¡¯s not even about what he says, it¡¯s all written on his face! Well I can pretty much guess why he can¡¯t talk about the last two categories. Sex slaves. That¡¯s something I expected from the start. I¡¯m only a bit surprised, that with their belief that slaves are somehow inferior the people of Res actually publicly announce that they are using them for¡­ stress relief. I mean¡­ as long as there is a sex slave there is also an owner, right? Only¡­ why divided? I never saw a yellow collar¡­ but I think I saw a pink one, I just can¡¯t remember where¡­ oh! I remember now! That one slave girl who gave birth to my unfortunate brother had a half green half pink collar. It¡¯s nothing strange that I didn¡¯t remember her at the beginning, as she - for obvious reasons - doesn¡¯t participate in our family dinners, and only serves my father. That means I barely had any contact with her, as he keeps her really close. She¡¯s also surprisingly normal looking and very silent young woman (no more than twenty years old I think). And even after all of this mess she remains my father¡¯s replacement for his unfaithful wife. One would expect him to use some stunning beauty for stress relief, but instead he sticks with that average looking girl. Maybe he actually loves her? That would be¡­ I have no idea what would it be, I just can¡¯t picture him being in love with a slave. He may also have some strange tastes, although¡­ No, I don¡¯t even want to think about it. So, getting back to the actual topic¡­ maybe pink means something like a ¡®personal escort¡¯? Urgh, such a pretty little euphemism for being a talking sextoy¡­ that¡¯s another matter I would prefer to not think about, it¡¯s disgusting. But¡­ if I am right about this, would that make yellow collars prostitutes or something? Damn it. My blessing is silent for some reason, so all this speculating leads me nowhere. I¡¯ll have to wait until I¡¯m older and people start talking with me about such things¡­ or I might¡¯ve to find books about history of slavery. Because one thing is sure - a six-year-old kid asking it¡¯s caretaker about social and historical genesis of slavery and legal status of various types of slaves would be suspicious as hell. Well, maybe I am overreacting, but if some ¡®gods¡¯ really are after me, I definitely prefer to be extra cautious. I read enough about ancient execution and torture methods on Earth to know that I don¡¯t want to be exposed as some sort of otherworldly demonspawn. And for some reason I doubt that Amnesty International has a bureau in Res. There are still holes in my knowledge about slavery that I¡¯ll have to fill sooner or later. Why to class slaves, when you can just order them to do whatever you want? Is there a law about that, or is all of that just a matter tradition or something? So many question, so few answers. This talk and my subsequent thinking give me like half an hour of occupation. Then, once again, I¡¯m getting bored to death. Damn, I better find myself a hobby or this is going to be a loooong childhood. Time to do something. ¡°Gavlaaan.¡± I can see him suddenly getting tense. ¡°Is there something to read in the mansion?¡± I can be really dense sometimes¡­ six months of learning how to read and I never thought about the origin of all the books my tutor used to teach me. I don¡¯t think he got them from the Temple, so there should be real, readable books hidden in one of many still unexplored rooms, right? All Hail The Great Me for gaining this wondrous revelation. Surprisingly the books around here aren¡¯t as rare as in medieval times, as the locals already discovered the printing press. Or, I should rather say ¡®rediscovered¡¯, as according to my knowledge they copied some Old Empire¡¯s artifact. I think - I mean it¡¯s more like just a theory of mine, created from scraps of knowledge that I connected with baseless speculations only barely supported with my blessing. But, of course, practically every printing press is under control of the ¡®Gods¡¯ which I assume must mean than they are Temple-controlled. So I doubt that I can find a good thriller or horror, but hey, even stories made for five to six year old kids are better than nothing. ¡°Yes, there are books in the library.¡± THERE IS A LIBRARY HERE?! AND I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT?! ¡°Do you want me to take you there?¡± I don¡¯t even have to answer. One look at me and Gavlan rolls his eyes, and leads me out of my room. As it turns out, the library is behind one of the doors I never saw opened. And I rather quickly discover why. It¡¯s small, and¡­ well¡­ I doubt that many people even visit it. All books I can see look brand new¡­ so I doubt that this library was created for anything beside allowing Veles to boast that ¡®but of course we have a library, knowledge is important¡¯ blah blah blah nonsense¡­ And I think that there are fewer books than in my ¡®Earth bedroom¡¯¡­ which still means plenty of reading, as I actually owned more than eight hundred books. Yay! I just hope they are all written in local language¡­ it¡¯s not like people are using them besides learning how to read, right? How many books do you need like that? Gavlan seemingly wants to get me something to read as fast as he can. He might think that it¡¯s the only way to prevent me from asking him more question. He quickly takes one book from the top shelf and hands it to me. It¡¯s small and has black cover, and I don¡¯t think he knows what book it is, because I doubt if he can read. He probably just picked one that didn¡¯t look ¡®to heavy for a child¡¯ or something¡­ There is a place for reading. A table and few chairs¡­ so it looks like I¡¯m going to spend the rest of the day here. Well, it seems like I¡¯ll have to leave my bedroom from time to time¡­ unfortunately. The contents of the book are actually quite engaging, despite terrible writing¡­ It seems to be some kind of novel with quite a few characters and their daily struggles. I can¡¯t see the conflict yet or a point of this story¡­ And after roughly half of it behind me I¡¯m starting to think that pointless dialogues and inconsistent descriptions were in fact intentional. But I still can¡¯t grasp the big idea behind all of this. Only after I reached more or less three fourths of the book I finally noticed. On my defence I¡¯d say that it really wasn¡¯t that easy¡­ It¡¯s a fucking porn¡­ Or, what might be regarded as porn here. Behind all those roaming dialogues and twisted descriptions, between piles of euphemisms and generalisations, in hints so subtle that took me so long to ¡®click¡¯... This whole goddamn book is about people fucking. And I literally didn¡¯t notice. Did they do it to make Temple print it without a censorship problems? ¡­ Smart. What actually, finally let me understand the real context was¡­ ¡®baker¡¯s cucumber¡¯¡­ This whole time it was his ¡®loaf¡¯ and then, when fifth woman in a row visited his house¡­ she referred to ¡®it¡¯ as a cucumber. I went back a few pages and this revelation changed what seemed to be a poorly written novel into a horribly idiotic idea of a small town where everyone screws everyone else¡­ And the writing is still terrible. Although it¡¯s still hilarious. I mean¡­ WTF! It¡¯s so bad and so idiotic that it¡¯s actually funny. I¡¯m laughing - hard, and I just can¡¯t stop¡­ And there¡¯s something even funnier - Gavlan¡¯s face, full of relief that I can only translate to ¡®He¡¯s laughing, so it must be a funny kid¡¯s book, so it looks like I chose right.¡¯ I mean, IF ONLY HE KNEW WHAT HE DID! I manage to finish this¡­ ¡®book¡¯ in two hours. Good mood really makes reading faster. Funny thing - there is no author mentioned by name, and I¡¯m not sure if this is because of some local custom, like early medieval european - ¡®God writes book by using author¡¯s hands, so authors are to remain anonymous.¡¯ - or if author just wanted to remain anonymous because of¡­ well¡­ the contents. But there is a dedication in the end. I notice it right before Gavlan tells me that it¡¯s time to return to my room. The dedication says: ¡®To Varthia. For the one night I shall never forget.¡¯ I. Don¡¯t. Want. To. Think. About. This. I just don¡¯t. Let¡¯s pretend I never saw this. That will be for the best. * * * Sunday. Just one more day of this boredom. I find it strange. I mean, I always loved it when I had free time, and attending school was always something completely opposite. So it¡¯s quite peculiar of me to actually wanting to return there¡­ And it¡¯s even stranger considering what a bunch of arrogant, racist and plain idiotic classmates awaits me there. STOP - I think to myself. I¡¯m lying in my bed early in the morning, thinking. And, of course, it quickly got much too pessimistic for my liking¡­ Just one day after I decided to stop doing this to myself. Urgh, God, sorry for being such an incorrigible idiot! I lie there for maybe twenty minutes¡­ hugging my unbelievably soft and simply awesome pillow, all the while forcefully thinking about optimistic parts of my new life¡­ but I quickly run out of them. Damn. In the end I leave the bed. It¡¯s already morning - or at least there is some light coming in through the windows - and it¡¯s not like there is a time limit for breakfast. Servants should be already working, as most of Veles family wakes up much earlier than myself. So, now I should inform Gavlan that I¡¯m awake and that I am to proceed with all morning rituals, right? Eh, they really should just let me wear this crossover between fancy nightgown and pajama for the entire day and, instead of me going anywhere, simply bring books and food to my room¡­ urgh. I¡¯m almost at the door, when I can hear someone speaking. ¡°...he¡¯s asleep right? So, we can talk for a moment. Besides tomorrow you¡¯ll be mostly free, again, right?¡± That voice definitely belongs to a woman, but I don¡¯t recognize it. I would give her¡­ well, she is definitely somewhere between twenty and thirty years old. Blessing is silent, urgh, sometimes I just wish there was a button to activate it... ¡°Yeah. Tomorrow he goes back to the Temple¡­ I¡¯ll find you.¡± Could it mean¡­ well, that explains why he suddenly become much less angry at everything during the first week I spent in the school. He found himself a woman! I kinda want to suddenly open door just to see who is it. Or rather which slave it is, as I doubt it could be anybody else. I decide to give him some time. I brush my teeth, and dress myself. Once again I feel sorry for Gavlan¡­ that¡¯s totally not the work he should be doing. Absolutely no talent for bodyguarding. He should notice movement in my room, and check it just in case somebody entered through the window and is now strangling me or stabbing¡­ He is probably a competent warrior, but that¡¯s just not his line of work. I just hope I won¡¯t get assassinated (again) because of it¡­ because one thing is sure, I am not going to complain loudly. I actually like him - he is a decent person, and his reactions are quite funny - and if he was branded as incompetent, then considering the strange ways of this family, he could end up being send to mine or something¡­ Sometimes I think I should just get more evil for my own sake, urgh. So, I finally finish getting ready for the day and open the door to the corridor. Gavlan is standing by them, leaning against the wall. When he sees me he says that I¡¯ll have to wait a moment for breakfast. Is this just a polite way of saying ¡®It¡¯s not ready yet, because you never get up so early you lazy fuck¡¯, or I am overthinking it? Soon a slave brings my food, and I proceed with eating. I must admit that local food is tasty. Although, that¡¯s probably mostly because Veles are rich, so the ingredients are top quality, cooks are rather talented and the species are used in appropriate quantities... BUT IT¡¯S JUST TOO MUCH MEDITERRANEAN FOR ME! Well, at least most of it is, as there are plenty of¡­ strange things mixed in. I would kill for a good pork chop¡­ or a chicken breast¡­ like the ones my father from Earth used to make every Sunday¡­ aargh, I swear, if I¡¯ll ever actually go on a world conquest, I just HAVE to find a place where they have a good cuisine and conquer it at once. Yeah, I¡¯ll definitely do that. When only I finish eating, I send Gavlan my most beautiful smile. I can see him cursing at me in his head. ¡°Can you take me to library again?¡± He only nods, and leave the room. * * * Well, it¡¯s actually pretty surprising to see someone beside me - and visibly bored Gavlan - in the library. Although the person we run into thankfully isn¡¯t Iverie. Which is a little bit surprising, as I tend to think about her as some sort of herpes-woman, that just keeps popping up when you don¡¯t want to see it¡­ and when you least expect it. The person in the library is our family chief bookworm Ni¡¯ren. In a way it¡¯s not even all that surprising. I mean, all the books she read must¡¯ve came from somewhere, right? ¡°What are YOU doing here, little cripple?¡± Yeah, I love you too, my oh so lovely cousin¡­ No seriously, can¡¯t they just fuck off of my walking problems? IT¡¯S A TOUCHY SUBJECT OK?! What, are there no other insults they can think about? That¡¯s actually pretty insulting for both Ni¡¯ren and Kiera¡­ although Sabir¡¯s only contribution is calling me also a bluehead¡­ ¡°And what can I do in the library? I¡¯m looking for a book to read.¡± I¡¯m in no mood to escalate this¡­ But now that I think about it, my answer here might¡¯ve been a little bit too mature because Ni¡¯ren actually seems surprised and doesn¡¯t bother me any further. Well, at least it worked, all hail the great me. This time I decide to choose the book myself. I don¡¯t want to rely on Gavlan any more. His yesterday failure wasn¡¯t really his fault, but it¡¯ll be better if I won¡¯t let him repeat it. I am studying the bookshelf thoroughly, and¡­ surprise! I find a reaaally big book, with ¡®Theories on Old Empire¡¯ printed on it¡¯s cover. Well, okay, maybe it looks¡­ tough¡­ and the letters are surprisingly small¡­ but at least I might gather some important knowledge! Or not¡­ I spent about four hours trying to decipher it, and my efforts turned out absolutely pointless. Oh, sure! There must be all kinds of knowledge hidden there¡­ BUT I CAN¡¯T READ IT! Too many words I don¡¯t know yet¡­ most likely some rarely used and complicated - as I can¡¯t even figure out how to pronounce most of them - that a six year old kid just isn¡¯t supposed to know. And for some reason I¡¯m nearly sure that this is just a translation¡­ of a translation¡­ and a really poor one at that. Must be my blessing speaking. Thankfully Ni¡¯ren left some time ago, so she¡¯s not there to witness my failure in battle against this book. That would be humiliating. I put the book back on the shelf where it belongs. I¡¯ll have to try again when I¡¯m older. Unfortunately, now there is no time to start reading another one, as I still have to do my writing practice. Yesterday I decided to left it for today so that I¡¯d have something to do¡­ but it was before I found out about this library! Procrastination will kill me one day. I, along with Gavlan, return to my room as fast as I can and begin my writing homework. Mainly unspeakably boring - writing the same words over and over¡­ but sometime when near the half of it is done I suddenly have an idea. What if i were to become ambidextrous? I¡¯m young, right? Still many years before I¡¯ll begin any serious fight-oriented training, right? And as far as I know, being ambidextrous has it¡¯s advantages in both combat and normal life. So, I have several years to train my left hand! And what¡¯s a better way to train that than writing? I need to gain all advantages I possibly can! Even if teachers will probably think that I¡¯m retarded and can¡¯t even write properly¡­ well, who cares about their opinion? Besides, I can just alternate between my hands when doing homework. Or write everything again with my left hand on a separate piece of paper. Yes, that¡¯s a great (albeit a bit terrifying, as it requires me to do more things than I have to) plan! In actuality, I barely manage to finish the exercise normally and once more after that - with my left hand - before it¡¯s time for me to go to sleep. Trying to write properly with my off-hand is damn hard! And it takes plenty of time. Well, at least now I¡¯ll have something to spend my excessive free time on. I mean, library, writing practice¡­ maybe my second childhood won¡¯t be as boring as I thought? Let¡¯s just think about it as a God¡¯s reward for no longer bothering him with my useless complaining about everything¡­ although I doubt he can hear me from here¡­ eh, and here I go again. I guess trying to stop being an Earthling will be a much harder than I initially anticipated¡­ ******************************** Resus: I know that this chapter was slower (I really don¡¯t want to use the word ¡°boring¡± xD), but in the next one the ¡°Teamwork Project¡± kicks in¡­ and that¡¯s gonna be practically lore free¡­ and right after that comes a timeskip¡­ So we just needed this ¡°just a little bit more lore and resolutions¡± chapter right before that :P Mirrond: At least we finished it, that¡¯s something¡­ Resus: You say that after every chapter. Mirrond: Because for me it¡¯s always surprising. Spoiler: Status
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:2Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:1Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Skills
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Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess average skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, you can also read and write in it. You are using it fluently, but you still lack some vocabulary to truly master it. Expert
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Spells LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Quests
Quests
Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description Your received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Conquering Kindergarten
Spoiler: Description You just started going to school, and you already know one thing. Your classmates suck. You have at least ten years to conquer this place. You need to forcefully drag all potential recruits to your side, and change the lives of your enemies into living hell. Let the hellish school life begin! Success conditions: Survive Graduate Gain at least four potential allies (but the more, the merrier) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:CK: Reconnaissance
Spoiler: Description Know thy self, know thy enemy. The first part you have more or less behind you, now you need to move on to the second one. If you really want to turn this classroom into a warzone, you need to at least know something about your classmates. And that¡¯s only the very beginning. Success conditions: Codex entry for every classmate. Progress: Codex entries for 5/28 classmates: Kiera Veles Meritri Veles Ni¡¯ren Veles Saamor Saorg Sabir Sivalis Rewards: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, but I wanted to let you feel the sensation of fulfillment at least for once before your fifteenth birthdays¡­ oh, and this can be the beginning of a questline.
Side Quest:Weeding The Garden
Spoiler: Description There is a mysterious organisation inside Res. It¡¯s powerful, and ruthless. You don¡¯t know what is their target¡­ but you know that your aunt Iverie is helping them. The Temple is trying to fight this threat¡­ but without a success. And now you know why. There is a traitor within a Council of Eight. The highest levels of Res government. He is a deadly threat for both - you and the city. If you want to have revenge for your brother, you need to find him and eliminate him. The first step is finding out what Iverie knows about him. And that surely won¡¯t be easy. Success conditions: Iverie has been interrogated Loyal elements in the Council are informed about the traitor¡¯s existence Traitor is exposed and eliminated Progress: Iverie still hasn¡¯t been interrogated The Council is unaware of traitor¡¯s existence Traitor roam free Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Codex
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People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. That¡¯s pretty much everything you know about him. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Damit Veles - Son of Paforth and Ferke, younger than you. Has the best name ever. xD Spoiler: Ferke Veles - Paforth¡¯s wife, mother of Meritri and Damit. Her mother-in-law think she¡¯s adorable. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡®aunt¡¯, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. . She is also a member of a mysterious underground organisation that plagues Res, or one of its pawns. Either way, she has access to rare poisons, and feels no moral qualms about using them. Also there is at least one magician that she can ask for help. You were already killed by her once¡­ just as your brother, though he didn¡¯t have any helpful deities to resurrect him. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young, so she isn¡¯t really useful to you. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Meritri Veles - Daugther of Paforth and Ferke. Around your age, and rather shy, or simply scared of you. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. Especially the death of your brother was a painful blow to his sanity, as even though he was only a bastard, Naharius really loved him. Now you are his only kid left, and he is stuck in a very unhappy marriage¡­ it¡¯s hard to say how he will this change him in a long term. He lost big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. You rarely see him or hear about him¡­ thankfully. As every time you hear his name, some bothersome shit happens. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages. An unfortunate victim, whom you couldn¡¯t help. However, you still feel guilty (you idiot). Spoiler: Ni¡¯ren Veles - Older than you, and a bookworm. Granddaugther of Varthia, but you don¡¯t know her parents. Rather cold to you. Spoiler: Paforth Veles - Son of Varthia, father unknown. Seems like a decent man. Hates Iverie, but not as strong as his mother. He also seems to be at least a bit better in hiding his thoughts than her. Spoiler: Varthia Veles - Younger sister of Naharius Senior. She has at least two children (one of them is Paforth, the second is Ni¡¯ren¡¯s parent). She likes to drink alcohol, speak before thinking¡­ and hates Iverie, whom she sees as a plague that threatens entire family. It is a diagnose you definitely agree with.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Cool Priestess - The cool priestess you met your first day at school. A Hydromancer. She¡¯s swarthy and has long, straight, black hair. Rather decent person. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family. You discovered that he has a lover, most likely among servant slaves. This, together with a free time he has when you are in the Temple, made him less grumpy than before. Although he is still rather terrible as a bodyguard. Spoiler: Saamor Saorg - A minotaur from House Saorg, and your classmate. Currently a sidekick for Sabir Sivalis. Big, strong and not really talkative. His family deals in Resian navy. Spoiler: Sabir Sivalis - A boy from your class. He hates you, you hates him (such a healthy relationship!). He is a Succubi, and looks like Hitler¡¯s wet dream - 100% Aryan, with exception of wings and horns. He comes from House Sivalis, that deals in jewelry.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Bearmen - A beastmen variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with bear-like features, or a humanoid bear capable of speaking. Rather rare variant, that excels in strength and toughness. Spoiler: Catmen - A beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with cat-like features, or a humanoid cat capable of speaking. One of the most common variants (together with wolfmen they make up for at least 70% of beastmen). They excel at agility, but are rather lacking at strength. Spoiler: Coralies - An Arcane Race popular on the costs. Anatomically they are very similar to humans but they are partially made out of similar material as coral reefs and need sea air to survive as it provides them part of their obligatory nutriments. Spoiler: Crystallings - An Arcane Race that¡¯s a popular sight pretty much everywhere. Anatomically speaking they are humans infected with a parasitic crystal at birth, which replace their hair, fragments of eyes, nails, bones etc. It also gives them (or at least - some of them) magic talent. Spoiler: Dark Elves - Elf variant that¡¯s rather rare but can be encountered pretty much everywhere. Black skin, red or violet eyes. Moderate magic-user ratio, most of them have talent towards black magic. Severely disliked in many parts in the world, just as most elves. Spoiler: Dragons - Rare Arcane Race. To be precise they should be called ¡®High Dragons¡¯. They are the only variant of dragon that¡¯s fully sentient, and capable of speech. Highly increased lifespan, and - when adult - capable of limited shapeshifting between several forms (normally - dragon, human, and several in between). They have a multitude of sub variants (mainly elemental - like ¡®fire dragons¡¯), but they are considered a single race, as they are all birthed simply as dragons, and their subtype is chosen by them before becoming adults. Filthy little copycats. ~Shadow Spoiler: Dryads - An all-woman Arcane Race. They have leaves instead of hair, long lifetime and extremely low fertility. Their eyes are green (entirely eyes, as they have no visible ¡®moving parts¡¯). They have pale skin, and their blood is green (that¡¯s why their faces are getting greenish when blushing). They have a natural talent towards nature magic. Spoiler: Northwestern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Foxmen - A beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with fox-like features, or a humanoid fox capable of speaking. Inferior in strength to nearly every other beastman variant. They make up for it in cunning and agility. They have relatively high ratio of magic users, at least when compared to other beastmen variants. Spoiler: Hydromancers - Arcane Race that is especially common in the South. Visually they are nearly identical to humans, the only difference is a passive aura of increased humidity and the fact that they possess a natural magical talent towards water magic. Spoiler: Minotaurs - An Arcane Race that is pretty common in the South and on various islands in the West. High strength, but at best moderate when it comes to intelligence. Among races classified as Arcane Races, they have one of the lowest magic users ratio. Spoiler: Nymphs - An Arcane Race that can be found mainly in the South and on various islands in the West. Their¡­ slightly wider than normal mouth and extremely pale skin makes them look a little¡­ discomforting. They also have seaweeds instead of hair. Similar to Dryads, as they are an all-woman race, have prolonged lifespan, and extremely low fertility. But they have a tendency to have a natural talent for water magic. Spoiler: Pyromancers - Arcane Race that is especially common in the South. Visually they are nearly identical to humans. The only difference is their hair (in various ¡®fire¡¯ colors), and the increased air temperature around them. Also they smell like smoke. They possess a natural magical talent towards fire magic. Spoiler: Stone Golems - An Arcane Race that can be encountered everywhere, but in rather low numbers. They are big, they are strong, and their flesh is more mineral than organic. But they are a living, breathing organism. If you see a person that looks like a very rough, moving human statue, it¡¯s one of them. Funny things happen when magic meets biology, hmm? Spoiler: Succubi - An Arcane Race that is pretty common in most places in the world, although they are an especially frequent sight at the south part of the known world. Humanoid figure, but plenty of demon-like features (horns, wings and tail are most popular). ¡®Succubus¡¯ is a word used to describe both their specie, and all of its female representatives. Males are called ¡®Incubus¡¯, but many people refer to them as ¡®Succubus¡¯ (their specie name) which creates many misunderstandings. While common, they have a pretty low ratio of magic users, at least for an Arcane Race. Spoiler: Titans - A rather rare Arcane Race that can be found practically only in the South. And adult titan is 2,5 to 3 meters tall. They excel both at strength and mental capabilities, although they are known for not being overly imaginative and creative. Long lifespan, but very low fertility. Their dry and grey skin makes them look like they are made of stone. Most of them are rather pacifistic, but they tend to get into a truly berserker¡¯s rage when cornered. Spoiler: Winged - An Arcane Race that can be found pretty much everywhere. They look like humans but have white-feathered wings (not strong enough to fly, but enough to glide), slightly increased lifespan, resistance to common diseases, and magic talent, especially to light magic. PS. I hate them. ~Shadow Spoiler: Wolfmen - Beastmen variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). It¡¯s head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡®association¡¯ of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city. They serve the Goddess, and receive her orders through Grand Priestess. They are chosen from magic users in Res after the death of previous members. Their leader is fire dragon called Firewind. The other members are: catwoman Stormfang, dark elf Killchain, winged Silverblade, dryad Bloodflower, hydromancer Waterslicer, wolfman Sculptor, and stone golem Ironfist. One of them is a traitor leading an unknown underground organisation that remains a serious threat to Res¡¯s stability.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
Spoiler: Res - The goddess-protector from Free City of Res. Commonly associated with water and sea. Spoiler: Shadow - The Most Awesome God, and your divine patron. Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness. His symbol is red sickle like moon, his favourite colors - black, crimson, violet and stygian blue <3
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
General Lore:Alchemy:
Spoiler: Dream Resin - Rare poison created by the Old Empire. First symptoms of poisoning includes headaches and sleepiness. Then, after the victim falls asleep, vivid dreams and nightmares. The end is death by CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE :D. Diluted 1:1000 in water creates a drug that induces vivid dreams. Can also be used as a lubricant for heavy machinery (especially good for ones that use magic) or as a way to restore magic power (by rubbing it into the skin). There is an underground ¡®cult¡¯ in Res that has access to this poison and uses it for assasinations. Also Iverie has access to it, most likely through that group.
Weapons:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Equipment:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Resources:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Diseases:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Folklore and Culture:
Spoiler: Res Funeral Rites - In Res, the dead people are cremated. Then, their ashes are offered as a sacrifice to the goddess of water and sea that is this city patron and protector. This is achieved either by throwing them into Silverwater River or Republican Sea or by storing in them in stone bowls filled with water. The former is done by poor, the latter by the wealthy.
Spoiler: Slavery in Free Cities - In Res, slavery is allowed and widespread. Slaves wear collars that restrict their actions. Color of the collars indicates the type of a slave. Violet means that slave belongs to the Temple (and is protected by law). Black is a soldier, gray a civilian slave that can carry and use weapons. Green is a servant. Red is a magic user. Blue are workers. Orange are craftsman. You aren¡¯t sure about the yellow and pink collars, although you believe that the first one can indicate a prostitute, while the second a personal ¡®escort¡¯.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Active Effects
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Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
Side effects may include¡­Your nervous system is completely healed, but there are side effects of regenerating half of it in just six months. You need to master using your limbs (and vocal chords) again, so when you are tired, you may start having problems using them. This effect should disappear within another six months. It takes so long simply because it can¡¯t be sped up it with HP.When tired, your ability to move and speak drops.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Possesions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Companions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Options
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UI:Interface Activation Trigger:Gesture (presets)>
Gesture Presets:27. Reach with your right hand as if the status window was already there.\/
Map Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open map.¡±
Chat Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open chat.¡±
System Messages:When the status windows is opened.>
HUD:Heads Up Display:ON / offO
HP bar:on / OFFO
MP bar:on / OFFO
Clock:ON / offO
Update pop-ups:ON / offO
Hostile Status Display:ON / offO
Other:Automatic Translation:ON / offO
Months names:ON / offO
Week days names:ON / offO
Idioms:ON / offO
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
14: Why I never wanted to become an actor in the first place Mirrond: Another week, another chapter. Yay m¡­ us. Resus: I¡¯d really like to incorporate actual fighting in the chapters¡­ And when I think that so very soon I¡¯ll be able to do that. Every chapter is a step closer to that. :D Mirrond: Hmmm¡­? Well, nevermind, i¡¯m waiting for it too. ***************************** Chapter 14: Why I never wanted to become an actor in the first place ¡®Teamwork Project¡¯. From the moment I woke up today, throughout the carriage ride and unpacking in my room¡­ The ¡®Teamwork Project¡¯ sentence has been following me. I can¡¯t think about anything else anymore. Why, just WHY do I have a feeling that this will be yet another ¡°We will make you all friends¡­ forcefully¡± type of plan (like bonding with my cousin) that will surely horribly backfire!? I mean¡­ Technically I know that it may still all end well for me. Somehow? But I¡¯m painfully certain that it won¡¯t. For some strange, unknown, reason (not from my blessing at that) I¡¯m convinced that this plan to reorganize natural state of our little community here will be a disaster because adults don¡¯t understand children¡­ not in the slightest. Even I don¡¯t understand children and in a way I¡¯m one right now. I guess it all depends on who will be assigned as my teammates¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure that I can work pretty easily with Meritri and Kaelcy. Although I¡¯m also sure that they would force me to somehow involve The Book into our Project, whatever it might be. On the other hand, if the teachers make me team up with, for example, Sabir¡­ Well, even thinking about this hurts. But my time to wonder run out as all our teacher just came to our class to announce the teams they chose. We - the children - are sitting at our tables. Meritri and Kaelcy at my table are, just like me, watching the teacher intently. The Book lies on a table, abandoned for a moment. Seven young looking priests (I don¡¯t know their exact ranks, but some sort of novices perhaps?) stand in a row behind the teachers. I can see the hydromancer priestess among them, the one that let me and Meritri out of the room Sabir locked us in. One of the teachers walks forward and the announcement of the groups begins. ¡°Listen up children, this is an important project. This school¡¯s main goal is for you to all get to know each other and rise above your differences. Unfortunately we noticed that after half a year of sharing the experience of learning you still didn¡¯t understand this purpose. And so, we decided, that pairing you up with those who, for some strange reason, you don¡¯t want to interact will help you get out of your shells and rise to better understanding of each other.¡± He use so many difficult words like ¡®interact¡¯ that I doubt kids understand him¡­ all those blank stares. Even other teachers don¡¯t look nearly as optimistic as him¡­ and neither do I. ¡°There¡¯s twenty nine of you, so there will be six groups four students each, and one group with five students.¡± ¡­ Students? ¡°Cleric Demie will read your names from the list. When you hear your name, come here and wait. After the whole group is gathered you will go with a Temple Novice assigned to you as a caretaker for this week as there will be no other activities than this project. Cleric Demie, you can begin.¡± Another teacher walks few steps forward. She¡¯s holding a piece of parchment and proceed to read names from it. ¡°Group one, Meritri Veles.¡± Well fuck. I look at Meritri¡­ she¡¯s shaking. She nervously look at me and Kaelcy a few times, but then¡­ She stands up and walks to the teacher in front of the class. Seeing that the Cleric continues. ¡°Kiera Veles.¡± Without any problems Kiera immediately obeys. ¡°Lishu Mayaru.¡± One of three similar looking Foxmen kids stands up. He doesn¡¯t look to happy about this¡­ At least I think that¡¯s the case since his head is entirely one of a fox. Wait¡­ did Gavlan mention House Mayaru when he was describing the Great Houses? ... I don¡¯t think so. He must¡¯ve forgot about them, and I didn¡¯t notice that we were one House short. Just¡­ I just hope that it¡¯s written in the Codex entry¡­ to bad I can¡¯t look into it now. ¡°Bardla Bethdam.¡± Wet haired girl - hydromancer - stands up. ¡°Zaetl Bethdam.¡± Huh? Another Bethdam? And they don¡¯t like each other? No, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised since it¡¯s the same for my family. Anyway, the wet haired boy goes to the others and they all leave with one of the Novices - not the hydromancer girl.
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People: Dramatis Personae: Lishu Mayaru People: Dramatis Personae: Bardla Bethdam People: Dramatis Personae: Zaetl Bethdam
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
That quest about learning names of my classmates is going to be easier than I thought¡­ Or maybe it¡¯s my fault that I needed something like this to even complete it? The Cleric continues. ¡°Group two, Shiya Mayaru.¡± Another one of three black furred foxmen stands up. ¡°Naria Enlil.¡± A dryad. Her leaf-hair are in different shades of yellow, orange, red and brown¡­ The colors of autumn? Variant of their race, or just something like different hair colors among humans? Hard to say. ¡°Rilas Az-sar.¡± He doesn¡¯t look too happy to be separated from his group. ¡°Ysuth Ashur.¡± One of the winged kids. A boy, older than me. After he stands up he looks for a moment at his sister and only after that goes to the front and with the other three leaves the class alongside another Novice. One bully less to worry about, the nice priestess is still free, and so is Kaelcy. Maybe it won¡¯t be that bad?
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People: Dramatis Personae: Shiya Mayaru People: Dramatis Personae: Naria Enlil People: Dramatis Personae: Ysuth Ashur
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
¡°Group three, Tzene Bethdam.¡± Third and last hydromancer, girl. ¡°Lorsa Nasha.¡± Gray furred foxmen boy¡­ Unlike the Mayaru ones he looks mostly human except for his ears, tail¡­ and claws. ¡°Saamor Saorg.¡± As he¡¯s looking at his teammates he actually resembles an angry bull. He doesn¡¯t like one of them? Or both? ¡°Jarax Taratze.¡± A crystalling¡­ He doesn¡¯t look bothered by all of this and immediately goes to the front. With that another group is full and leaves the class. Second bully is out of the picture, and the nice priestess is still free! Please, God, make Sabir go away too! I want to be in a group with Kaelcy, not with him¡­.
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People: Dramatis Personae: Tzene Bethdam People: Dramatis Personae: Lorsa Nasha People: Dramatis Personae: Jarax Taratze
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
¡°Group four, Kaelcy Elidan.¡± She looks surprised. For a moment she looks at me with a weak smile on her face¡­ and leaves me behind. Okay, now I just have to pray that I¡¯ll also be in group four¡­ ¡°Sylie Ijo.¡± Another dryad. Green leaf-hair. One chance down¡­ two to go. ¡°Nyisa Ashur.¡± Winged girl. Sister of the boy from earlier¡­ They look so similar that my blessing is screaming about their close kinship. One last chance, come on! ¡°Skormah Thudran.¡± A towering (well¡­ kind of) figure with a skin that looks like made of marble rise up, and join the group. That¡¯s another person I don¡¯t want to fight with. Damn, bye bye Kaelcy. At least a priestess is still free! Now I just have to pray to avoid being in a group with Sabir.
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People: Dramatis Personae: Sylie Ijo People: Dramatis Personae: Nyisa Ashur People: Dramatis Personae: Skormah Thudran
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
¡°Group five, Mizariel Fanshir.¡± If I remember correctly she¡¯s a catmen¡­ She looks enturely human though. No, wait - her hair. They¡¯re long and ginger¡­ and striped. She has a pattern of black stripes all the way down her hair¡­ like an actual cat, kinda like a tiger. ¡°Selyi Ijo.¡± Last dryad. She looks very similar to the previous one. ¡°Yucan Thudran.¡± Another titan¡­ They seem cold and distanced. Even though they¡¯re still kids. Maybe it¡¯s just an effect of their looks. ¡°Shilau Az-Sar.¡± Pyromancer girl. Younger one. She seems unsure what to do, but as she¡¯s sitting at the table with Sabir¡­ he push her. She almost fall of the chair but somehow manages to stand up straight. She still looks lost but leaves the class with her group and their assigned Novice without any further ¡®accidents¡¯. Only two groups left. Sabir¡¯s still here. Priestess too. ? chance to end up with the SS-Boy, ? chance of having a decent Novice to guide us. ? chance to win¡­ ? chance to lose¡­ And ? chance to end up with half win half lose¡­ I don¡¯t like these odds.
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People: Dramatis Personae: Mizariel Fanshir People: Dramatis Personae: Selyi Ijo People: Dramatis Personae: Yucan Thudran People: Dramatis Personae: Shilau Az-Sar
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
¡°Group six, Kinran Taratze.¡± Crystalling girl. Just as the other one, she immediately stand up and goes to the front with a neutral expression. ¡°Ni¡¯ren Veles.¡± Her face presents mixed feelings¡­ I can guess that she¡¯s relieved that most bullies are gone - even if Sabir¡¯s still here - but why does she look troubled? ¡°Tsuchen Mayaru.¡± Last of the foxheaded kids¡­ My blessing whispers to me that it¡¯s a girl¡­ I honestly can¡¯t tell by myself. ¡°Yasar Nasha.¡± The other human looking, gray furred, foxmen boy¡­ Wait¡­ does that mean¡­ only four people left, with me¡­ and Sabir¡­ included. No, no, no, no!!!
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People: Dramatis Personae: Kinran Taratze People: Dramatis Personae: Tsuchen Mayaru People: Dramatis Personae: Yasar Nasha
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Thankfully, the Novice that joins the sixth group isn¡¯t the Nice Priestess. That¡¯s the only light in this dark and scary tunnel called my school I can see right now¡­ She will not let him kill me or anything, right?! It¡¯s not even about that I actually fear death. It¡¯s just that spontaneously reanimating from the dead would blow my cover in an instant. And I¡¯m so not ready to take an Old God heads on¡­ Wait, thinking about it logically, mentally I am an adult! I can be scared of some brat like that! I won¡¯t let him kill me¡­ even in this weak body. ACT MORE MANLY FOR FUCK¡¯S SAKE, VARTH! ¡°And finally. Group seven, Varth Veles.¡± Well, that¡¯s a complete surprise! Who might¡¯ve guessed! I mean, with only four of us left, it was so painfully obvious that I¡¯m in this group¡­ I only make a loud sigh and with no hope of salvation i go to the front of the class. ¡°Sabir Sivalis.¡± But¡­ can someone, anyone, just tell me¡­ HOW did the teachers here came to a conclusion that it might be a good idea to make me and this blonde demon be in the same group? Even now, after his name came up he¡¯s looking at me with a smug¡­ like he actually knew we would end up like that. ¡°Ronta Sothrag.¡± Back to actually paying attention to what¡¯s happening around me - Ronta is a bearmen boy¡­ With paws. He actually looks mostly human. He can¡¯t be younger than me but he looks that way. Except for his arms of a bear. He would even look intimidating if only he wasn¡¯t holding them behind his back. He actually looks a bit¡­ shy. And is a little chubby. ¡°And lastly, Tamia Az-Sar.¡± I need to stay positive. I need to stay positive. I need to stay positive¡­
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People: Dramatis Personae: Ronta Sothrag People: Dramatis Personae: Tamia Az-Sar
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
So¡­ I am screwed. Thankfully not entirely - at least that¡¯s how I can sum it up. I¡¯ll have to participate in goddamn group exercises with one of my personal archenemies¡­ (yes, I¡¯m aware how lame it sounds) Good news is that neither Meritri nor Kaelcy ended up with any of the ¡®bad guys¡¯ in their teams. And I believe that even in this situation I can manage, especially with the hydromancer Novice watching over us. She will save me, right? AARGH, damn it, it¡¯s just so pathetic to be afraid of some blond brat. Why do I keep repeating that? Why do I even feel threatened by him? Is it maybe possible that the age of my body is influencing my thoughts? Or maybe I¡¯m simply a coward? ¡­ or it¡¯s not-so-perfect-childhood trauma speaking? Three options, all of them bad. I need to think about something else¡­ Meanwhile we left the classroom, like all the others before us and¡­ Wait, don¡¯t I already have enough Codex entries to finish that one quest? It should give me a message about its completion, right?
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Spoiler: Side Quest: CK: Reconnaissance Know thy self, know thy enemy. The first part you have more or less behind you, now you need to move on to the second one. If you really want to turn this classroom into a warzone, you need to at least know something about your classmates. And that¡¯s only the very beginning. Success conditions: Codex entry for every classmate. Progress: Codex entries for 28/28 classmates: Bardla Bethdam Jarax Taratze Kaelcy Elidan Kiera Veles Kinran Taratze Lishu Mayaru Lorsa Nasha Meritri Veles Mizariel Fanshir Naria Enlil Ni¡¯ren Veles Nyisa Ashur Rilas Az-sar Ronta Sothrag Saamor Saorg Sabir Sivalis Seliy Ijo Shilau Az-sar Shiya Mayaru Skormah Thudran Sylie Ijo Tamia Az-sar Tsuchen Mayaru Tzene Bethdam Yasar Nasha Yucan Thudran Ysuth Ashur Zaetl Bethdam Rewards: ERRORERRORERRORABSOLUTELY NOTHING, but I wanted to let you feel the sensation of fulfillment at least for once before your fifteenth birthdays¡­ oh, and this can be the beginning of a questline.ERRORERRORERROR
ERRORERRORERROR
Spoiler: Explenation: CK: Reconnaissance Reward swap Listen, I know I said something about a questline. I kinda hate lying to my Chosen. You know - lying is bad, making fun of is good - that¡¯s the rule. So, I¡¯m really damn sorry but... no questline for you. Just yet. I know that our¡­ uhm¡­ relationship begin pretty badly for you, and that it can be hard to believe but I AM REALLY FUCKING SORRY, OK?! I joke only with people I like, and I like my Chosen Ones, both you and your predecessors. So I feel really bad about this. I actually wanted to give you some quick follow up quest with additional rewards, but my recent¡­ let¡¯s call it - jokes¡­ with ¡®+1 to charisma¡¯ ended up with other¡­ players (or to be precise THAT FUCKING BITCH who, for some reason, is my sister) getting angry about me helping you too much. So I can¡¯t really flood you with additional stat points anymore (you¡¯ll have to actually work your ass off for them), because they went all the way to setting up limits. And since you¡¯re still too young (seriously do something about it) to acquire and use a kickass sword/axe/hammer/chainsaw/toothpick¡­ or some extremely rare, awesome crafting material¡­ not to mention an oldimperial Reality Destroying Device (I just made it up¡­ probably). So, I have no decent rewards for you. And I really hate shitty rewards¡­ so I can¡¯t give you any quests. For now. You will receive one last ¡®+1 to charisma¡¯ I can give you, and, let¡¯s say¡­ the possibility of receiving more school related quests in the future. You¡¯ll get them as soon as I¡¯ll be able to give you a decent rewards for them. Let¡¯s consider this possibility my apologies, ok? PS. *Here should be a joke about you still not having a harem, but as I can see what¡¯s going to happen with this ¡®group project¡¯ I decided to spare you¡­ kind of.*
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Wait¡­ what? Shadow¡¯s message leave me all confused to the point that I even stop walking behind others for a moment in the middle of a corridor. I mean¡­ WHAT THE FUCK?! If that¡¯s how he treats people he like¡­ I don¡¯t even want to know what it¡¯s like to be his enemy. Although the story about trying to strangle his own twin sister with an umbilical cord during their birth (which I really hope was only a figure of speech) can possibly be the answer to that. And what¡¯s with all the errors? If RLGS suddenly goes bluescreen, I¡¯m going to get angry. On the other hand¡­ in the original quest he didn¡¯t tell me that there was any reward beside THE POSSIBILITY of gaining more future quests. And now he¡¯s apologizing for not giving me rewards by giving me more things than he actually promised? ¡­ Either that¡¯s some sort of fourth personality (and a very¡­ damaged one) or he¡¯s just totally losing his grip on reality¡­ if he ever even had it. Now that I think about all those quest shenanigans¡­ I have an idea. And a crazy one at that.. The ¡®quest is finished¡¯ message came right after I thought about how it should appear already, so¡­ HMMM, I THINK I JUST FINISHED THE MAIN QUEST¡­. damn, no reaction. Well it was worth trying, but I guess I¡¯ll just have to do it the hard way. After a short walk through the corridors - fortunately long enough for me to read Shadow¡¯s ¡®explanation¡¯ - the five of us arrive at one of the unused classrooms. The Temple built this wing much bigger than currently necessary probably for the better future¡­ Hydromancer Novice opens the door for us and tells us to sit down. It seems like all classrooms here - even the unused ones - are equipped with chairs, tables and a desk for the teacher. Without any interference for Sabir I manage to sit more or less in the middle of the room. The bearmen boy sits in the row before me, slightly to my left. The pyromancer girl¡­ Stop¡­ what were their names again? I can¡¯t just refer to them like that. Ron¡­ta¡­ And¡­ I wasn¡¯t paying attention to her name, but it was something easy like¡­ Terri? Torri? Tamia! So, Tamia also sits in a row before me few sits to my right. And Sabir¡­ directly next to me, also to my right. Terrific. Our ¡®supervisor¡¯ actually took a liberty of sitting on the teacher¡¯s desk. ¡°Hello everyone. My name is Elien Alekvi and I¡¯ll be responsible for you throughout this week. We¡¯ll be working together on this project¡­ I still didn¡¯t tell you what it is that we¡¯re supposed to do. Ok, let¡¯s start from that. We, and by that I mean mostly you four, are here to write, prepare and perform a short play.¡± So¡­ it¡¯s even worse than I thought. I. ABSOLUTELY. HATE. PERFORMING. Because I hate being in a spotlight, on Earth I always had problems even with standing in front of a class¡­ and now I will have to participate in a play with SABIR?! I feel like I¡¯m falling into despair once again, for a short while. Fortunately in the end I manage to get a hold of myself. Well¡­ kinda. ¡°A really short one, actually. We need to decide on a script today. I¡¯m here to help you with all the details you might struggle with, but it¡¯s up to you to come up with an idea on what to do. Any questions?¡± Sabir instantly puts his hand in the air. ¡°Yes Sabir?¡± ¡°Can we just perform a part of an actual play instead of writing our own?¡± Could it be that he already has something in mind? ¡°Well¡­ You can, but since you¡¯ll don¡¯t have to put any effort into a script you¡¯ll have to work harder on everything else. It also depends what play do you have in mind?¡± Actual play? And how can he know some theatre plays? He is a goddamn brat! And why do I have a feeling that he has chosen something particularly nasty? ¡°The Last Days of Miasto. I¡¯ve seen it once, about a year ago and I think it¡¯s interesting. And I heard that it¡¯s based on actual historical events.¡± What? Miasto? This word means ¡°city¡± in my Earth¡¯s native tongue. Weird coincidence, I guess. ¡°I think that¡¯s ok. Does anyone have any objections?¡± No one says anything. Sabir - because it¡¯s his idea. Tamia - because she is indifferent. Ronta - because I think that he is afraid of Sabir¡­ And me - because in this situation it wouldn¡¯t change anything. If I start an open warfare now, I¡¯ll be swiftly outnumbered. Our team¡¯s only girl will probably side with my archenemy, and the bearboy will stay neutral or - worst case scenario - join them just to avoid being targeted. Sweet. No, seriously, how many kids Sabir managed to terrorise in just half of year?! ¡°Oh. You are surprisingly unanimous. Or maybe you just don¡¯t want to work too hard.¡± She said the last thing in a lower voice but I¡¯m sure everyone heard it. ¡°So¡­ now, Varth, Ronta. Could you go to the library and get us four copies of the play?¡± * * * During my short trip to library I tried to speak with Ronta. However he is ignoring me. It¡¯s not arrogance-born ignoring, rather the one that comes from shyness and fear of being hurt¡­ I think he is a potential recruit, although I am not sure how to drag him to my side. When we come back to the classroom, Sabir and Tamia are arguing with Elien about something. And it looked like the pair is winning. Few moments later I found out exactly what they were fighting about. What happened was, when Ronta and I left the room, Sabir told our supervisor which scene he would like for us to perform. It was a dialogue between a military leader of Miasto¡¯s defence and an aristocratic woman. Elien was opposed to that as it would exclude two of us from the act¡­ but Sabir said he thought about it and Ronta and I could play furniture. FUCKING. FURNITURE. He even talked Tamia into thinking that¡¯s great idea. And now, when we¡¯re back from the library, Ronta obviously takes Sabir¡¯s side. Even Elien isn¡¯t all that helpful, as she tries to be neutral and not favour anyone. It¡¯s actually commendable for a ¡®teacher¡¯, but it¡¯s still bad for me. Well, it could¡¯ve been worse I guess, if our group had another racist for a supervisor I could end up playing a horse or something¡­ The rest of today¡¯s school is actually rather boring. Sabir and Tamia are busy with planning what to say and how, while Elien is helping them. That leaves me and Ronta out of the picture, because we literally have nothing to do. I pass the time reading this play and I must say that it¡¯s quite decent, even though I never really liked poetry, and there are dozens of words I can¡¯t understand¡­ Miasto looks like a heavily fortified border city and an important trading hub of some ¡®Empire¡¯ (that I¡¯m pretty sure isn¡¯t the same empire as ¡®Old Empire¡¯), that is currently besieged by ¡®Medamites¡¯. The siege is nearing it¡¯s end, as the city is practically bound to fall before long.
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Geopolitics: History: [???] Siege of Miasto
Real Life Game System¡¯s HUD by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
The dialogue in question is between an imperial commander who, being faithful to the orders he received, is trying to defend the city till the very end, while the aristocratic woman is trying to convince him to surrender. She¡¯s trying to persuade him that if Miasto were to open its gates then Medamites may possibly show mercy to the citizens. Near the end of the dialogue she¡¯s practically begging him to do that, so not only Sabir made two victims of his bullying play furniture, but also made his classmate practically beg him on her knees to spare her. For some reason I think he would be much better Dark Lord than me¡­ Also - some words or rather RLGS translations of them are totally messed up¡­ While reading the book I notice that various words (mainly - titles, ranks and office names) are replaced with names from Earth, which ends in a pretty¡­ funny mishmash. It makes this ¡®Empire¡¯ look like a crossover of several ancient empires and nations on Earth. For example lower ranked officers use roman ranks like ¡®centurion¡¯, but at the same time the commander - the one Sabir is going to play - is titled ¡®strategos¡¯ which was a title of army commanders in Ancient Greece. I also noticed names coming from Byzantine Empire¡­ oh, Mesopotamia and Ancient Persia are represented too, but by the Medamites. It¡¯s so messed up that it makes my head hurts¡­ I think it¡¯s simply that RLGS can¡¯t translate such words normally so instead of leaving a word untranslated and making me memorize what each and every one of them means, it takes a title with similar meaning from Earth¡­ Although the fact that people names are also similar to the ones from the corresponding countries from Earth slightly undermines this theory¡­ and is actually a bit creepy. Strategos Gaius Julius¡­ seriously?¡­ he¡¯s even described to wear a roman toga... BUT HE WAS A FUCKING SUCCUBUS. And his enemy? Ahur-nasir-apli (which sounds like a name of one of Assyrian rulers), medamitian king of kings. And he was a fire dragon¡­ Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD?! Yeah¡­ I totally concentrate on things that are completely irrelevant to my current situation just to avoid thinking about myself playing furniture in front of the entire class. It¡¯s just¡­ I was studying history before dying, so I guess I am pretty knowledgeable about the subject, and it makes all of this even more hilarious. I¡¯m not shocked or depressed like before, this time it¡¯s more like I can¡¯t stop laughing¡­ It also makes me curious about how such similarities could happen. Former summonings? For some reason blessing keeps whispering to me that it¡¯s not the case here¡­ not to mention that importing entire culture would require summoning not one hero but a small army of them¡­ And I can¡¯t shake off the feeling that there is some deeper meaning in it. Another things to discover in the far future¡­ until now I¡¯m just flooded with more and more questions that I can¡¯t answer. And it¡¯s frustrating. The rest of the day is just more and more boredom. And even later I spend half of the evening reading second volume of The Book aloud for Meritri. In the end she starts being visibly sleepy, so I decide to call it a day. Soon we both fall asleep. *************************** Mirrond: So¡­ I kinda like history etc., but don¡¯t worry - to avoid killing you majority of irrelevant informations that MC gains and doesn¡¯t talk about them will be added in the Codex, where you can read them if you want. They can be mentioned somewhere later on in the story, but in a way that won¡¯t have you giving us blank stares. Resus: I¡¯ll just stay silent. For reasons. Mirrond: Well¡­ ok? xD Oh, now that I remember this - [???] in the name of codex entry for the siege of Miasto is a date of this event. MC doesn¡¯t know it, so neither do us. Spoiler: Status
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:Free City of ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:3Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:1Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Menus:
SkillsSpells (LOCKED)QuestsCodex
Active EffectsPossessions (LOCKED)Companions (LOCKED)Options
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Skills
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Combat System:Active:
NONE
Passive:
NONE
Magic:Proficiencies:
NONE
Affinities:
Spoiler: Magically Talentless: When it goes to magic your talent is literally nonexistent. You are absolutely, totally magicless. And it doesn¡¯t even give you any antimagic bonuses. Too bad for you ;_; Better hurry towards gaining magic¡­ oh no, I forgot - you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t do shit about it till your 16th birthday ;_; It¡¯s a real tragedy. Master
Miscellaneous:Lingual:
Spoiler: Western Republican (Southern Coast variant): You possess average skills in using the Southern Coast variant of Western Republican language. This allows you to communicate freely with people who are capable of using it, you can also read and write in it. You are using it fluently, but you still lack some vocabulary to truly master it. Expert
Social:
NONE
Utilities:
NONE
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Spells LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Quests
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Unchangeable Main Quest: Ragnar?k Delayed
Spoiler: Description You are now playing a game you don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t know the rules, you don¡¯t know who plays with you¡­But you must win. And to achieve that you need to learn the rules¡­ And find a way to break them. Or write them anew. For now follow Shadow''s orders. He wants you to be a hammer that will shatter this world¡¯s political and economical order. While doing that, look for clues about fate of the Old Empire, and the truth about Lost Deities. Avoid the Old Gods¡¯ attention at all cost. Success conditions: World Stability <10% Old Empire Capital discovered Fate of Old Empire discovered Truth about Lost Deities discovered Progress: World Stability 100% Rewards: ???
Secondary Main Ouest:End of Veles Family?
Spoiler: Description You were born as a part of ancient bloodline of Veles. This family has long since fallen from grace. The corruption within grows and its members are too busy fighting each other to cleanse it. The power of family slowly fades. Will you become family¡¯s head, and reform it to become more powerful than ever? Or maybe you find it¡¯s sins not redeemable¡­ and you will decide to destroy it? Only time will tell. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Varth Veles is the Head of the family Slave trade controlled by Veles is destroyed Varth Veles is a sole survivor of the family Veles successfully framed for plotting a revolt against the city of Res Progress: Naharius Veles Senior is the Head of the family Veles slave trade on its peak 45 family members alive Veles reputation remains untarnished Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) Gaining control of Veles family ???
Secondary Main Ouest:Followers, Servants and Allies (FSA)
Spoiler: Description There is no way for you to finish your mission alone. You will need help from other people. It¡¯s not easy to find people you can trust. Most of your supporters will never knew the truth about you. Search for people that can be of use and recruit them to your cause. Success conditions: Recruit a follower whom you trust enough to tell the entire truth¡­ and link him to Real Life Game System Recruit at least seven companions without knowledge of who you really are Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Dish Best Served Cold
Spoiler: Description When Iverie murdered your brother you were too young and too weak stop her. You could only be a powerless witness. But¡­ things change. Success conditions: (one of the following is true) Kill Iverie Be a part of a scheme that leads to her death Rewards: (depends on which conditions were met) ???
Side Quest:Dark Lord
Spoiler: Description Your received a blessing from a Lost Deity. There are still many of them out there who can be... persuaded to assist you by clearing various requirements. You will need every possible blessing to finish your mission¡­ but unfortunately you don¡¯t know what those requirements are. Continue to do evil deeds to unlock more blessings. Success conditions: All blessings received (other conditions will be unlocked after gaining access to magic) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Lena
Spoiler: Description Your half-sister Lena is younger than you¡­ and alone. As a single person from her family who treats her as a human being you can influence the way she will grow and thus gain a truly helpful and trustworthy companion. Success conditions: Lena Veles possess knowledge about Lost Deities existence Lena Veles is a follower of Varth Veles Rewards: ???
Side Quest:FSA: Gavlan
Spoiler: Description Your bodyguard ¨C Gavlan - is a capable warrior. While his ardent faith in Old Gods makes him incapable of accepting the knowledge about who you really are his hatred towards slavery and current state of the world can be of use as a way to recruit him. Success conditions: Gavlan is freed from slavery Gavlan decides to remain in Res and serve you Optional conditions: Find a way to weaken his faith, to make him capable of accepting the full truth Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Coup de grace
Spoiler: Description While your¡­ intrigue managed to severely cripple your uncle¡¯s influence within your family, if given enough time he will recuperate by persuading others that he was framed by your father. You should find a way to eliminate him¡­ decisively. Success conditions: Lenniel is dead or banished Iar¡¯e is dead or banished Rewards: ???
Side QuestAcademic Knowledge
Spoiler: Description You are new to this world. To ruin it, you must firstly understand it. Gaining common knowledge is a necessity but it¡¯s not going to be enough. You will also need insight into politics, trade, sociology, geography, history¡­ and many other subjects. Not to mention learning languages as there are plenty of them out there. Success conditions: A tutor Access to a library Fluency in at least four languages Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Conquering Kindergarten
Spoiler: Description You just started going to school, and you already know one thing. Your classmates suck. You have at least ten years to conquer this place. You need to forcefully drag all potential recruits to your side, and change the lives of your enemies into living hell. Let the hellish school life begin! Success conditions: Survive Graduate Gain at least four potential allies (but the more, the merrier) Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Weeding The Garden
Spoiler: Description There is a mysterious organisation inside Res. It¡¯s powerful, and ruthless. You don¡¯t know what is their target¡­ but you know that your aunt Iverie is helping them. The Temple is trying to fight this threat¡­ but without a success. And now you know why. There is a traitor within a Council of Eight. The highest levels of Res government. He is a deadly threat for both - you and the city. If you want to have revenge for your brother, you need to find him and eliminate him. The first step is finding out what Iverie knows about him. And that surely won¡¯t be easy. Success conditions: Iverie has been interrogated Loyal elements in the Council are informed about the traitor¡¯s existence Traitor is exposed and eliminated Progress: Iverie still hasn¡¯t been interrogated The Council is unaware of traitor¡¯s existence Traitor roam free Rewards: ???
Side Quest:Every Dark Lord¡¯s Necessity
Spoiler: Description What kind of Dark Lord can exist¡­ without his faithful harem! Begin gathering some nice girls :D Or boys. Or trees. Or horses. Or whatever! I¡¯m too busy not giving shit about stupid details to be intolerant. Success conditions: Harem! Harem! Harem! Progress: Well, no progress so far¡­ which is understandable as you have only five years¡­ but you still suck D: Not literally as that would be some kind of a progress in that quest D: Rewards: Oh, I guess they will reward you in MANY different ways, hihihihi :D
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Codex [/td][/tr]
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People:Dramatis Personae:
Veles Family: Spoiler: ??? Veles - Iverie¡¯s son. That¡¯s pretty much everything you know about him. Spoiler: Alva Veles - Your mother and¡­ well¡­ not the smartest person around. She holds absolutely no contact with you. Recently she also lost all contact with your father, after she betrayed him with a slave and gave birth to Lena (whom Alva openly ignores). It is still unknown to you why she remains Naharius¡¯s wife. Spoiler: Damit Veles - Son of Paforth and Ferke, younger than you. Has the best name ever. xD Spoiler: Ferke Veles - Paforth¡¯s wife, mother of Meritri and Damit. Her mother-in-law think she¡¯s adorable. Spoiler: Iar¡¯e Veles - Your cousin, son of Lenniel Veles, and a person you have mentally scarred for life. Even after your coming out he still fights with lingering fear of darkness. He is also doing everything he can to avoid any contact with you. Spoiler: Iverie Veles - Your ¡®aunt¡¯, daughter of your grandfather¡¯s sister. Avoid her at all cost - really talented in schemes, and ruthless. . She is also a member of a mysterious underground organisation that plagues Res, or one of its pawns. Either way, she has access to rare poisons, and feels no moral qualms about using them. Also there is at least one magician that she can ask for help. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. You were already killed by her once¡­ just as your brother, though he didn¡¯t have any helpful deities to resurrect him. Currently she is the most probable successor of your grandfather. Spoiler: Kiera Veles - Iverie¡¯s daughter. Looks like younger Iverie. It seems like she is growing into a younger version of Iverie. Might be a pain in the future. Spoiler: Lena Veles - Your younger half-sister, born from your mother and a slave whose name you don¡¯t know. Openly ignored by everybody in the family except you. Still very young, so she isn¡¯t really useful to you. Spoiler: Lenniel Veles - Your uncle, father of Iar¡¯e and one of three important figures in family who compete to become the next head of Veles family. Pretty straightforward in his schemes, mainly because of the fact that his mind is pretty much like a hammer - large, powerful¡­ and blunt. Might be cooperating with Iverie but she may as well only manipulate him. It¡¯s unknown if he knows anything about her business with one of Res mages. Currently has a very low level of influence within Veles because of your ¡®molest¡¯ lie. Spoiler: Meritri Veles - Daugther of Paforth and Ferke. Around your age, and rather shy, or simply scared of you. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Junior - Your father. Firstborn son of your grandfather, and one of three potential successors. Through your early childhood he more or less ignored you because of your mental disability but his fatherly feelings reignited after you turned out to be normal. However, continuous calamities that befell him (your mother¡¯s betrayal, you being ¡®molested¡¯ and death of your brother) are making him sink deeper and deeper into paranoia. Especially the death of your brother was a painful blow to his sanity, as even though he was only a bastard, Naharius really loved him. Now you are his only kid left, and he is stuck in a very unhappy marriage¡­ it¡¯s hard to say how he will this change him in a long term. He lost big part of his influence after he knocked up a slave girl. Currently he is more or less second in line to the ¡®throne¡¯. Spoiler: Naharius Veles Senior - Your grandfather. His continuous attempts to ease tension within Veles family suggests that he is either delusional, or have some lingering trauma with family infighting. Most likely the latter as he is much too good in administering Veles slave empire to be mentally impaired. You rarely see him or hear about him¡­ thankfully. As every time you hear his name, some bothersome shit happens. Spoiler: Nameless Veles - Your dead brother, killed by Iverie and one of the eight Res mages. An unfortunate victim, whom you couldn¡¯t help. However, you still feel guilty (you idiot). Spoiler: Ni¡¯ren Veles - Older than you, and a bookworm. Granddaugther of Varthia, but you don¡¯t know her parents. Rather cold to you. Spoiler: Paforth Veles - Son of Varthia, father unknown. Seems like a decent man. Hates Iverie, but not as strong as his mother. He also seems to be at least a bit better in hiding his thoughts than her. Spoiler: Varthia Veles - Younger sister of Naharius Senior. She has at least two children (one of them is Paforth, the second is Ni¡¯ren¡¯s parent). She likes to drink alcohol, speak before thinking¡­ and hates Iverie, whom she sees as a plague that threatens entire family. It is a diagnose you definitely agree with.
Others: Spoiler: ??? - One of the eight Res mages. Helped Iverie in killing your brother. His agenda is currently unknown, just as his identity. Spoiler: Elien Alekvi - The cool priestess you met your first day at school. A Hydromancer. She¡¯s swarthy and has long, straight, black hair. Rather decent person. Spoiler: Gavlan - Your bodyguard. Wolfman warrior from Leana, taken as a slave by one of Veles fleet slave raids. Shows deep hatred towards slavery and Veles family. Recently he started to show no signs of hatred towards you just because you are a member of Veles family. You discovered that he has a lover, most likely among servant slaves. This, together with a free time he has when you are in the Temple, made him less grumpy than before. Although he is still rather terrible as a bodyguard.
Classmates: Spoiler: Bardla Bethdam - A female hydromancer from House Bethdam, that deals in sea transport. Spoiler: Jarax Taratze - A male crystalling from your class. Comes from House Taratze that deals in stoneworking and construction. Spoiler: Kaelcy Elidan - A nymph from your class. Bookworm, with a serious obsession on The Book. Your friend, and the ugliest girl among your classmates. Joined your gang because she was bullied, and you showed that you were interested in her favourite book. She comes from House Elidan, that deals in food industry. Spoiler: Kinran Taratze - A female crystalling from your class. Comes from House Taratze that deals in stoneworking and construction. Spoiler: Lishu Mayaru - A male foxman from House Mayaru. Has a fox head, and plenty of fur. His family deals in water supply and public bathhouses. Spoiler: Lorsa Nasha - A foxmen. His family deals in fabric and clothing. He looks like a human with fox ears, tail, and claws. Spoiler: Mizariel Fanshir - Female catmen from House Fanshir that deals in alcohol. Her only animal feature is her long, ginger and striped hair that make her look a little bit tigerlike. Spoiler: Naria Enlil - A dryad from House Enlil, that deals in wood industry. And your classmate. Her leaves have more ¡®autumn like¡¯ colors. Spoiler: Nyisa Ashur - A female winged, whose family deals in ceramics. Ysuth Ashur¡¯s sister. Spoiler: Rilas Az-sar - A male pyromancer from your classroom. A friend of Sabir Sivalis, and an active bully. Comes from House Az-sar, that deals in food industry. Spoiler: Ronta Sothrag - Male bearman from House Sothrag, that deals in metal industry. Timid and chubby boy whose only bear part are his paws. Probably yet another bullying victim of Sabir. Spoiler: Saamor Saorg - A minotaur from House Saorg, and your classmate. Currently a sidekick for Sabir Sivalis. Big, strong and not really talkative. His family deals in Resian navy. Spoiler: Sabir Sivalis - A boy from your class. He hates you, you hates him (such a healthy relationship!). He is a Succubi, and looks like Hitler¡¯s wet dream - 100% Aryan, with exception of wings and horns. He comes from House Sivalis, that deals in jewelry. Spoiler: Seliy Ijo - A girl from your classroom. A dryad from House Ijo, that deals in food industry. Either a cousin or sister of Sylie. Spoiler: Shilau Az-sar - Female pyromancer from your classroom. Remains quite close to Rilas, which indirectly makes her a part of Sabir¡¯s gang. Comes from House Az-sar, that deals in food industry. Spoiler: Shiya Mayaru - A male foxman from House Mayaru. Has a fox head, and plenty of fur. His family deals in water supply and public bathhouses. Spoiler: Skormah Thudran - A titan from House Thudran that deals in banking. Seems rather cold and distanced, even though he is just a kid. Spoiler: Sylie Ijo - A girl from your classroom. A dryad from House Ijo, that deals in food industry. Either a cousin or sister of Seliy. Spoiler: Tamia Az-sar - Female pyromancer from your classroom. As far as you know she remains a follower of both Sabir and Rilas. Comes from House Az-sar that deals in food industry. Spoiler: Tsuchen Mayaru - A female foxman from House Mayaru. Has a fox head, and plenty of fur. Her family deals in water supply and public bathhouses. Spoiler: Tzene Bethdam - Female hydromancer. Comes from House Bethdam, that deals in sea transport. Spoiler: Yasar Nasha - Foxmen from your classroom. His family deals in fabric and clothing. He looks like a human with fox ears, tail and claws. Spoiler: Yucan Thudran - A titan from House Thudran that deals in banking. Seems rather cold and distanced, even though he is just a kid. Spoiler: Ysuth Ashur - A male winged from House Ashur. Brother of Nyisa Ashur. Spoiler: Zaetl Bethdam - A male hydromancer from House Bethdam that deals in sea transport. For some reason he doesn¡¯t look like he has a good relation with rest of Bethdams in your class.
Companion / Ally / Friendly / Neutral / Hostile / Dangerous / Enemy
Races:
Spoiler: Bearmen - A beastmen variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with bear-like features, or a humanoid bear capable of speaking. Rather rare variant, that excels in strength and toughness. Spoiler: Catmen - A beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with cat-like features, or a humanoid cat capable of speaking. One of the most common variants (together with wolfmen they make up for at least 70% of beastmen). They excel at agility, but are rather lacking at strength. Spoiler: Coralies - An Arcane Race popular on the costs. Anatomically they are very similar to humans but they are partially made out of similar material as coral reefs and need sea air to survive as it provides them part of their obligatory nutriments. Spoiler: Crystallings - An Arcane Race that¡¯s a popular sight pretty much everywhere. Anatomically speaking they are humans infected with a parasitic crystal at birth, which replace their hair, fragments of eyes, nails, bones etc. It also gives them (or at least - some of them) magic talent. Spoiler: Dark Elves - Elf variant that¡¯s rather rare but can be encountered pretty much everywhere. Black skin, red or violet eyes. Moderate magic-user ratio, most of them have talent towards black magic. Severely disliked in many parts in the world, just as most elves. Spoiler: Dragons - Rare Arcane Race. To be precise they should be called ¡®High Dragons¡¯. They are the only variant of dragon that¡¯s fully sentient, and capable of speech. Highly increased lifespan, and - when adult - capable of limited shapeshifting between several forms (normally - dragon, human, and several in between). They have a multitude of sub variants (mainly elemental - like ¡®fire dragons¡¯), but they are considered a single race, as they are all birthed simply as dragons, and their subtype is chosen by them before becoming adults. Filthy little copycats. ~Shadow Spoiler: Dryads - An all-woman Arcane Race. They have leaves instead of hair, long lifetime and extremely low fertility. Their eyes are green (entirely eyes, as they have no visible ¡®moving parts¡¯). They have pale skin, and their blood is green (that¡¯s why their faces are getting greenish when blushing). They have a natural talent towards nature magic. Spoiler: Northwestern Republican - Human race variant, that can be most commonly found in the area of Free Cities, and eastern/central Protectorates. Caucasian, with a tendency of having white (or even pale) skin even in the mediterranean climate of Republican Coast. Hair either normal or in various shades of blue (very pale blue is most common). Eyes either normal or in various shades of blue. Spoiler: Foxmen - A beastman variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates, and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡®normal¡¯ emigration. Either humans with fox-like features, or a humanoid fox capable of speaking. Inferior in strength to nearly every other beastman variant. They make up for it in cunning and agility. They have relatively high ratio of magic users, at least when compared to other beastmen variants. Spoiler: Hydromancers - Arcane Race that is especially common in the South. Visually they are nearly identical to humans, the only difference is a passive aura of increased humidity and the fact that they possess a natural magical talent towards water magic. Spoiler: Minotaurs - An Arcane Race that is pretty common in the South and on various islands in the West. High strength, but at best moderate when it comes to intelligence. Among races classified as Arcane Races, they have one of the lowest magic users ratio. Spoiler: Nymphs - An Arcane Race that can be found mainly in the South and on various islands in the West. Their¡­ slightly wider than normal mouth and extremely pale skin makes them look a little¡­ discomforting. They also have seaweeds instead of hair. Similar to Dryads, as they are an all-woman race, have prolonged lifespan, and extremely low fertility. But they have a tendency to have a natural talent for water magic. Spoiler: Pyromancers - Arcane Race that is especially common in the South. Visually they are nearly identical to humans. The only difference is their hair (in various ¡®fire¡¯ colors), and the increased air temperature around them. Also they smell like smoke. They possess a natural magical talent towards fire magic. Spoiler: Stone Golems - An Arcane Race that can be encountered everywhere, but in rather low numbers. They are big, they are strong, and their flesh is more mineral than organic. But they are a living, breathing organism. If you see a person that looks like a very rough, moving human statue, it¡¯s one of them. Funny things happen when magic meets biology, hmm? Spoiler: Succubi - An Arcane Race that is pretty common in most places in the world, although they are an especially frequent sight at the south part of the known world. Humanoid figure, but plenty of demon-like features (horns, wings and tail are most popular). ¡®Succubus¡¯ is a word used to describe both their specie, and all of its female representatives. Males are called ¡®Incubus¡¯, but many people refer to them as ¡®Succubus¡¯ (their specie name) which creates many misunderstandings. While common, they have a pretty low ratio of magic users, at least for an Arcane Race. Spoiler: Titans - A rather rare Arcane Race that can be found practically only in the South. And adult titan is 2,5 to 3 meters tall. They excel both at strength and mental capabilities, although they are known for not being overly imaginative and creative. Long lifespan, but very low fertility. Their dry and grey skin makes them look like they are made of stone. Most of them are rather pacifistic, but they tend to get into a truly berserker¡¯s rage when cornered. Spoiler: Winged - An Arcane Race that can be found pretty much everywhere. They look like humans but have white-feathered wings (not strong enough to fly, but enough to glide), slightly increased lifespan, resistance to common diseases, and magic talent, especially to light magic. PS. I hate them. ~Shadow Spoiler: Wolfmen - Beastmen variant, most commonly found in Leana continent, but is also quite widespread in Free Cities, Protectorates and some other areas due to frequent slave raids and ¡°normal¡± emigration. Either humans with wolf-like features, or a humanoid wolf capable of speaking. Strong, and tough, makes good soldiers and warriors, but have a relatively slow ratio of magic users in their population.
Humans / Beastmen / Elves / Arcane Races / Others
Organisations:
Res: Spoiler: Temple of Res - The one and only religious organisation in Res, that worships the goddess of sea and water who doesn¡¯t really have a name - for her worshippers Res is more or less an extension of herself, so to some point she IS a city. The Temple as an organisation is an important player in political schemes going on in the city. It possess its own military force (one hundred warriors - they protect the city¡¯s one and only grand temple), can pass judgment on various crimes that were taken out of city¡¯s jurisdiction (for example - heresy/blasphemy/participation in some underground sects). It¡¯s head is a Grand Priestess, but she rarely leaves the temple. Spoiler: House of Veles - One of the weakest Houses in the city of Res, the only one composed of humans. It mainly deals in slave trading, and possess a formidable fleet of warships. However those ships deal mainly in slave raids, and are at best moderate when it comes to ship-to-ship combat. Spoiler: Council of Eight - Council of Eight is more or less unofficial (but widely accepted) name for an ¡®association¡¯ of Res mages. It¡¯s composed of all eight sorcerers residing in the city. They serve the Goddess, and receive her orders through Grand Priestess. They are chosen from magic users in Res after the death of previous members. Their leader is fire dragon called Firewind. The other members are: catwoman Stormfang, dark elf Killchain, winged Silverblade, dryad Bloodflower, hydromancer Waterslicer, wolfman Sculptor, and stone golem Ironfist. One of them is a traitor leading an unknown underground organisation that remains a serious threat to Res¡¯s stability.
Religious / Political / Magical / Underground
Geopolitics:Countries:
Spoiler: Free Cities - Union of independent merchant republics spanned along The Southern Coast. Most likely merely a defense treaty against foreign enemies, always full of internal strife and without anything that could be described as central government. Together, with their military, maritime and industrial power, they could became a leading superpower. Spoiler: Resian Republic - Also known as Free City of Res or Republic of Res. Merchant republic on the Southern Coast, independent but remains a part of Free Cities. Oligarchy, ruled by a handful of wealthy families. Other groups with wide influence within Resian Republic are Council of Eight - organisation composed of eight Res magicians ¨C and the Temple.
Great Powers / Secondary Powers / Independent Nations / Vassals and Satellite States / Uncivilised and Tribal
Regions and Places:
Spoiler: Southern Coast - Coastal area near the south border of civilisation. Mediterreanean climate, only two seasons. Important hub of trade, full of coastal cities bursting with activity. Spoiler: Republican Sea - Sea between Southern Coast and continent of Leana. Dominated by Free Cities navies. Calm and more or less safe for travel. Spoiler: Silverwater River - River that flows through the city of Res. Spoiler: Leana - Small continent to the east from Republican Sea. Inhabited by beastmen, and full of barely civilised countries and tribes. Frequent target for slaver raids, because of its residents permanent inability to defend themselves or retaliate.
Southern Firell / Northern Firell / Leana / Meronia / Northern Khar / Southern Khar / Western Khar
Cities, Fortresses and Villages:
Spoiler: Res - A coastal city located on Southern Coast. Build alongside Silverwater river estuary. Notable areas: massive harbor, and a grand temple dedicated to local goddess-protector, that also possess a clocktower visible from nearly every part of a city.
Village / Town / City / Fortress / Other
History:
Spoiler: ??? Siege of Miasto - An armed conflict between Empire and Medamites, that begun from a trade dispute. Or, to be precise, an imbalance in trade which ended with medamitian merchants practically seizing the Miasto¡¯s economy. Soon after, a series of riots ravaged Miasto. City mob, angry at Medamites, burned multiple stores of foreign merchants. This was used by Medamites as a reason for war. Ahur-nasir-apli, medamitian king of kings, quickly amassed his army and launched an invasion. Soon Miasto was under siege. It¡¯s garrison was under command of a well known imperial commander Gaius Julius. The siege lasted for seventy five days. It ended after the city received news that imperial relief forces lost a battle against Medamites. Local nobility that believed that there is no hope for breaking the siege murdered Gaius Julius and opened gates for the besiegers, hoping that in return they will show mercy. They didn¡¯t. Miasto was pillaged and mostly burned. What¡¯s more the news about Ahur-nasir-apli destroying a relief forces turned out to be false rumor. After three days of pillaging medamitian forces were surprised by sudden arrival of strategos Marius Sewerus and three legions under his command. Ahur-nasir-apli was slain, and only a small part of his army managed to survive the slaughter. The nobility that survived the short Medamites occupation was found responsible for death of Gaius Julius, and ended up being executed by orders of Marius Sewerus. This siege was a beginning of a period of armed engagements between Empire and Medamites that lasted for nearly a century. Gaius Julius was immortalized in a theatre play ¡°Last Days of Miasto¡± as a fearless and loyal defender of his homeland, betrayed by cowardly nobility.
Magic and Religion:Magic:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Spells:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Artifacts:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Deities and Religion:
Spoiler: Res - The goddess-protector from Free City of Res. Commonly associated with water and sea. Spoiler: Shadow - The Most Awesome God, and your divine patron. Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness. His symbol is red sickle like moon, his favourite colors - black, crimson, violet and stygian blue <3
Bestiary:Corrupted Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Inhabited Lands:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
General Lore:Alchemy:
Spoiler: Dream Resin - Rare poison created by the Old Empire. First symptoms of poisoning includes headaches and sleepiness. Then, after the victim falls asleep, vivid dreams and nightmares. The end is death by CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE :D. Diluted 1:1000 in water creates a drug that induces vivid dreams. Can also be used as a lubricant for heavy machinery (especially good for ones that use magic) or as a way to restore magic power (by rubbing it into the skin). There is an underground ¡®cult¡¯ in Res that has access to this poison and uses it for assasinations. Also Iverie has access to it, most likely through that group.
Weapons:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Equipment:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Resources:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Diseases:
YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT
Folklore and Culture:
Spoiler: Res Funeral Rites - In Res, the dead people are cremated. Then, their ashes are offered as a sacrifice to the goddess of water and sea that is this city patron and protector. This is achieved either by throwing them into Silverwater River or Republican Sea or by storing in them in stone bowls filled with water. The former is done by poor, the latter by the wealthy.
Spoiler: Slavery in Free Cities - In Res, slavery is allowed and widespread. Slaves wear collars that restrict their actions. Color of the collars indicates the type of a slave. Violet means that slave belongs to the Temple (and is protected by law). Black is a soldier, gray a civilian slave that can carry and use weapons. Green is a servant. Red is a magic user. Blue are workers. Orange are craftsman. You aren¡¯t sure about the yellow and pink collars, although you believe that the first one can indicate a prostitute, while the second a personal ¡®escort¡¯.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Active Effects
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Other side of the coin Blessing of Shadow [Lesser]You have received a lesser blessing of Shadow, Lost Deity of anarchy, revolution, chaos, darkness and madness.Learning skills +10% Your flashes of intuition will be accurate much more often.
Side effects may include¡­Your nervous system is completely healed, but there are side effects of regenerating half of it in just six months. You need to master using your limbs (and vocal chords) again, so when you are tired, you may start having problems using them. This effect should disappear within another six months. It takes so long simply because it can¡¯t be sped up it with HP.When tired, your ability to move and speak drops.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Possesions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Companions LOCKED
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This function is currently LOCKED.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Spoiler: Options
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UI:Interface Activation Trigger:Gesture (presets)>
Gesture Presets:27. Reach with your right hand as if the status window was already there.\/
Map Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open map.¡±
Chat Activation Trigger:Voice command>
Voice command:¡°Open chat.¡±
System Messages:When the status windows is opened.>
HUD:Heads Up Display:ON / offO
HP bar:on / OFFO
MP bar:on / OFFO
Clock:ON / offO
Update pop-ups:ON / offO
Hostile Status Display:ON / offO
Other:Automatic Translation:ON / offO
Months names:ON / offO
Week days names:ON / offO
Idioms:ON / offO
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 3
Not a Chapter: Promise of better future Not a Chapter: Promise of better future Resus: The most peculiar thing happened few hours ago. We were allowed to have a Donation Button. :D Mirrond: Well¡­ what should I say here¡­ hmmm¡­ let¡¯s stick with ¡°Yay!¡±. Resus: First few things to clarify about that. The pace at which we publish chapters won¡¯t change no matter what. We simply publish as fast as we write them. But as you can see it takes time. Our free time to be precise which we don¡¯t have much. Studying, part time jobs and, you know, trying to pursue our dreams xD Mirrond: And we have quite a dreams to pursue :D Resus: Like, for example, making games? Mirrond: We are planning to move into creating computer games, we are actually working on one now (let¡¯s say that it shares the universe with Re:v). The main problem with that is the¡­ um¡­ let¡¯s call it ¡®Resus computer¡¯, although personally I think that proper word here would be ¡°blasphemous parody of a computer¡±. He is actually working part time to get new machine, and it costs us plenty of work time, so all the money gained here allows him to spend more time working on both Re:v and our future games. Resus: Ok. Straight to the point. If you feel like you¡¯d like to support us and our writing, we¡¯ll be very thankful. But, in any way don¡¯t think that you¡¯re obliged to pay us or there won¡¯t be any more chapters. We¡¯ll still publish one about once a week. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ************************************ Resus: Now that this part is over. Here¡¯s our promise. We will write Re:volutionist till the very end of it¡¯s story. Spoiler alert xD It¡¯s gonna be about 30 years of MC time. Mirrond: Considering the number of ideas for adventures and events it will be both 30 years of MC time and 30 years of our time :V Although this 30 years is more like an estimate, as I do not intend on ending this before I run out of ideas. Resus: Even still we WILL complete it. And if you help us with your feedback it can only get better and better :D That¡¯s the thing we mainly as you all for. Opinions and criticism of our fiction. Also¡­ Reviews. Writing your pinion in the comment doesn¡¯t lower its significance for us, but consider writing an actual advanced review of our story. Simply because they show up on the main page which allows more people to see our story. And more potential critics of our work. Mirrond: Begging for attention¡­ Resus, do me a favour, from now on, we beg for attention every fifth chapter or something like this, ok? Resus: Oh come on! When was the last time? Be realistic, no one actually remembers to do that¡­ Mirrond: I remember. More or less. So please xD 15: I just dont know what went wrong... Mirrond: Killashard, you really chose the best possible time for modifying your review :D Resus: Yeah¡­ We¡¯re not blind and we know that last few chapters were flooded with boredom¡­ It was supposed to represent Varths¡¯ emotional problems¡­ but here we have a temporary solution for his unstable mind :P Mirrond: ¡­ CHAOS. Because CHAOS IS STROOOONG! Resus: And likes to show up early for the party :P Mirrond: So, you know, Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne, etc. *************************** Chapter 15: I just don¡¯t know what went wrong¡­ Nothing seems to live here. Barren, empty landscape extends in all directions. The earth is grey, burnt but still moist as if the fire and a storm fought for dominance not so long ago. A skilled eye could even trace blood soaked in the dirt and dust. All around raging elements clash with one another. ¡°The Border, huh? It suits you, sister.¡± A mighty figure clad in black, thorned armor stands in the middle of this endless field. Even though, as far as the eye can see, nothing stays the same for long, shaken by vagaries of the elements, the area around it is calm and stable. ¡°Stop it. I am not in the right mood to listen to your ramblings.¡± Another mighty figure appears out of nowhere. White robes and stern face. ¡°You¡¯re never in the right mood.¡± Shadow grins. ¡°I guess that eternal period of yours could actually explain why you never found yourself a man.¡± He doesn¡¯t even consider this as a joke, for him it is a way to hurt her. With Shimmer¡¯s absurdly inflated ego doing it is actually quite easy - all he needs to do is question her position as a center of the universe and¡­ she gets angry. ¡°So, why did you want to meet me?¡± Shimmer ignores him and changes the subject. Shadow gives out a loud sigh. Making his sister throw a tantrum might take a while. ¡°We have technical problems with the system. It was meant to work with two Chosen Ones, not three. I¡¯m trying to fix it, but it would be best to avoid overusing RLGS for some time.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve just send something with a message, without making me go all the way to the Border.¡± She has a bored expression written on her face. It¡¯s fake, Shadow knows her well enough to know that she is really angry. ¡°Well, yeah I could.¡± He conjures a look of genuine ¡®Holy shit, I didn¡¯t thought about this¡¯ on his face. ¡±But hey, now we¡¯re both here and I can openly say right to your face that you¡¯re an idiot because you let the Old Gods copy your summoning magic. So yeah¡­ YOU¡¯RE AN IDIOT!¡± For just a second a look of pure fury could be seen on her face, but she quickly erase it. ¡°I am not an idiot. And I am not responsible for the fact that you did not add any safety margin. I hate myself for letting others convince me that letting you do it was a good idea. I should have done it myself.¡± ¡°I did add a safety margin.¡° He informs her calmly, interrupting her hunt for scapegoats. Another typical trait of her character - she is never wrong, it¡¯s always someone else¡¯s fault. Truth to be told at most cases it really wasn¡¯t her fault¡­ Shimmer¡¯s plans were always well thought, even Shadow had to admit that, although only in his mind. ¡°It was created with three primary users in mind, just in case. It¡¯s the Old Gods fault for tampering with things they don¡¯t understand. They tried to create their own version of a spell linking their hero to the RLGS - probably because they couldn¡¯t figure out how to use the default one - and this sick abomination they made jumps all over the system spiting random data and sucking parts of my code¡­ I¡¯m spending most of my free time trying to repair the errors, but I have no physical access to the server, and the last person who knew how it work died together with Old Empire when The Dark was disconnected. Do you have any idea how hard it is to create such complicated magic systems without even basic knowledge about how they work?! With nothing more than few fucking tutorials?!¡± He is practically screaming at this point, but that¡¯s only acting, he¡¯s not mad¡­ he¡¯s doing it because she absolutely DETESTS being shouted at. He decides to avoid mentioning the fact, that he actually expected the Old Gods to do what they did from the very beginning, maybe without the part about creating a really shitty connection spell¡­ He even went as far as leaving few security holes to make copying the summoning much easier - now he¡¯s certain that it was a good decision, without it the Old Idiots would most likely decimate the population of that other world before succeeding with their own summoning. Shadow never even bothered with some stupid nonsense like safety - the third slot was added with either Old Gods or Destiny and her faction in mind. Shimmer¡¯s reaction after hearing that would be fabulous, but it could end up in an early war and her faction was stronger than his. Old Gods gaining insight into summoning magic was never a part of the plan, so what he did was practically a treason, as he purposefully made their common enemy stronger. Well, who cares? It¡¯s not like anyone can find out¡­ and it certainly spiced things up a little. Now let¡¯s just hope that Destiny won¡¯t try anything stupid¡­ ¡°Do. Not. Raise. Your. Voice. At. Me.¡± Shimmer¡¯s voice interrupts his thoughts and Shadow sighs irritated. Making her angry was just so easy¡­ and enjoyable. Although decapitating her and putting her head above the fireplace in his bedroom would still be better. For now her last Chosen hangs there, and while he¡¯s a nice decoration, it¡¯s just¡­ not the same. ¡°And what if I raise it even FUCKING HIGHER? You¡¯ll complain about me to father?¡± Aaaand¡­ she snaps. She feels insecure about being father¡¯s successor, because she believes to be superior to him. That belief isn¡¯t shared by many Lost Deities, which is a permanent source of frustration for Shimmer. And now Shadow¡¯s provocation ends with her throwing light magic based javelins, each with enough power to vaporize a small mountain. However, none of them hits the target, as Shadow skillfully dodge laughing loudly to taunt her even more. It might as well be their millionth fight at this point, and she is an absolute antithesis of a creative person, so predicting her movements is absurdly easy for him. Only after she notices that it¡¯s just a waste of her power, she stops casting spells and the bombardment ends. And instead of trying another attack she speaks. ¡°You said that we should avoid overusing the system, but isn¡¯t your Chosen the only one actively using RLGS right now? The other two are still in the passive mode as I recall.¡± * * * * * The preparations for the play continues and with them my torment. I know I¡¯m much too dramatic with this. But come on. A furniture¡­! It¡¯s official that I¡¯ll be a table. Today we spent all day making our costumes and decorations. There¡¯s no cardboard here so for decorations we use mostly wood. At least we only have to prepare one scene so there¡¯s minimum props needed for the overall scenography. And, of course, my costume. Sabir and Tamia are going to have actual clothes (yes, even a small, functional chestpiece of an armour for the general) but me and Ronta have to make our costumes from wood. And no, we didn¡¯t get any tools for the job. This is the role of our assigned Novice. She seems to be proficient with some type of water magic and cuts the wood as we need it with it. When I think about it it¡¯s actually quite silly that the magic is used for such a task. Anyway, nothing much really happened today¡­ except for one thing that was actually quite disturbing. Near the evening, when we attempted to play the whole thing for the first time. At the end of the scene - right before the curtain would fall - the general kicks the table which breaks from that kick. It¡¯s supposed to be an accident or something¡­ And when we get to that scene and Sabir pretended to kick me my blessing screamed with warnings. I was in no position to react in any way, but then¡­ nothing happened. And now I have even worse feelings about this whole thing. I was thinking about it throughout the entire evening¡­ and only then I finally understood what was that about. And what Sabir is planning. He¡¯s going to wait until the play¡­ and then, before the entire class, he¡¯ll kick me. He¡¯s older than me, and most likely much stronger, so this is gonna hurt¡­ and it¡¯s going to be just¡­ so¡­ humiliating. I can totally imagine Shadow never letting me forget that moment through carefully placed remarks about kicking tables¡­ no, Now that I know Sabir intents I have to think about some countermeasures. * * * * * ¡°Oh, yeah. What an enlightening remark. What¡¯s going to be your next discovery? ¡®Oh, the sky in the Real World is blue! What a surprise.¡¯?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just shut up? No, of course you can¡¯t. Well, now that I think about it¡­¡° Aaand¡­ she makes a ¡®now I¡¯m gonna get you!¡¯ face. Shadow¡¯s bullshit alert starts ringing loudly. ¡±¡­ don¡¯t you think that your Chosen is just a powerless idiot? It took him so long to assimilate his host¡¯s mind, while my Chosen did the same in just six months. Quite an achievement, don¡¯t you think?¡± Shadow sighs mentally. This wasn¡¯t surprising at all. His knowledge about the system he created - and the magic behind it - was much bigger than Shimmer, or any other Lost Deity, could imagine. He was good enough to put a few carefully placed holes that allowed him to spy on both Shimmer¡¯s Hero and the guy summoned by the Old Gods. Sure, he couldn¡¯t use the knowledge acquired that way without arousing suspicion and nasty questions. But he likes to know things. Actually he expected her to mention this earlier, just to feed her ego by showing him that her summoned hero is superior¡­ it¡¯s quite surprising she waited for so long. * * * * * No more whiteness. That¡¯s a long awaited change for the better. The feeling - or rather a lack of one - of not having a body was awful. And that continuous scream, like desperate cries of an infant. I don¡¯t know what was that about but I¡¯m glad it¡¯s over now. However, it seems like now I¡¯m an infant. And my parents are angels. They look like angels anyway. They have white, feathered wings¡­ And that¡¯s it. Enough to look like an angel if you ask me. Although my¡­ father?... with his long dark hair and really impressive moustache doesn¡¯t look like a stereotypical angel. Curious part of it is that I don¡¯t have wings. Or at least I don¡¯t feel them. My movements are drastically restrained and I can¡¯t look at myself in a mirror so I can¡¯t be sure whether I have a pair or not. But, I¡¯m pretty sure that I¡¯d feel them - or at least feel different then in my previous body - so my guess is that I¡¯m wingless. What¡¯s more, from their clothes and this room¡¯s interior design I deduce that the technological advancement of this world is somewhere between Earth¡¯s medieval and renaissance. And that my family is rather wealthy which surely will come useful in the future. Still, most peculiar observation I made while still in the whiteness. Namely, the language here bears uncanny resemblance to my native polish¡­ Granted, there are differences here and there. And I can¡¯t quite understand it, but I¡¯m not in total darkness about it. And obviously it¡¯ll be easier to adjust to a variant of a known language than learn a new one from scratch. So, the plan for now is to learn the language, gain as much knowledge as possible¡­ and train, I guess? I know that training anything won¡¯t become available option for a long time, but it¡¯s a part of the plan nevertheless. I just thought of another minor inconvenience¡­ breastfeeding¡­ * * * * * ¡°Quite an achievement, I admit. Your HERO must be quite skilled or just lucky. She practically rewrote the whole process of the soul exchange, probably by using her Host¡¯s body inborn mana. Which is something my Chosen didn¡¯t possess. I wonder if the Old Gods¡¯ Chosen has done the same.¡± He didn¡¯t. Or, to be precise, he discovered it by accident. But he didn¡¯t accelerate the process, because he didn¡¯t see a point to it. ¡®After all it¡¯s not like he had anything interesting to do while being a half year old child.¡¯ HA! A small glimmer of rage on her face after he stressed the word ¡°HERO¡± serves as a satisfying achievement. Well, someone had to remind her that it was her Chosen who did it, not her. ¡°By the way, you madman, now that we talk about the Old Gods¡¯ Chosen¡­ do we even know where exactly was he summoned?¡± Wow, Shimmer openly admitting that there is something she doesn¡¯t know? IMPOSSIBLE! ¡°I think¡­ that it was somewhere in between the places we picked. I think they call this country Firellia or something. Or was it Dareh? Nevermind. That¡¯s more or less everything I know.¡± Well, except for his home address, the name and profession of his parents and every other detail there is to know. Shadow has mixed feelings about this ¡®Hero of the gods¡¯ business going on. The Old Gods really seem prepared to spoil him in every way, which normally should be enough to make Shadow hate both them and him. Seriously, overcoming challenges is what makes life interesting, what fun is in making him overpowered from the very beginning!? However, this time it seems different as for some reason he feels that making their Chosen into a King of The Universe will be more difficult task than they expect. The power of hilariousness is strong in this one¡­ or so are Shadow¡¯s guts saying. * * * * * So¡­ I am an elf. This definitely does not fit the afterlife I imagined when I was still alive. It thought more like Heaven or Hell. Not¡­ this. After the brief talk with that guy who came to pick me up, there was a chaos of colors and noises and then bam - I¡¯m a child. Kinda, I control the body rather rarely, but the ¡®god¡¯ assured me this will change eventually. I found a way to gain control forcefully for a short time, but¡­ it¡¯s not like I have anything better to do, so I am not using it. Just observing. So, again, I am an elf, and this means my parents are also elves. Probably. I don¡¯t really know anything about elves, and there is this strange problem¡­ um¡­ I am surrounded by plenty of people, and all of them are really into serving me. That¡¯s strange, but actually rather nice. The problem is - everyone acts that way, and it¡¯s hard to discern who is who when you don¡¯t know the language¡­ My parents are PROBABLY this two elves wearing slightly richer looking outfits. Isn¡¯t it kinda strange - not being able to tell who your parents are. Maybe all kids have this problem when they are this age, hm. That would explain why they scream so much. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. So¡­ that¡¯s my day. I lie in bed, I¡¯m a center of everyone¡¯s attention, I get breastfed (that¡¯s the closest contact with opposite sex in my life, which is kinda sad), and I go to sleep. Or, rather, the other mind does that. I am hiding behind him. This way no one wants anything from me, ha! I can¡¯t wait to get older. * * * * * ¡°I think we are done here since it seems like there is no more matters for us to discuss. Finally, it¡¯s over¡­¡± The last sentence she said in a much lower voice, so it was probably only meant for herself. Shadow smiles internally at that, it seems like his little revenge plan might have a chance to work. ¡°Stop right there!¡± Shadow¡¯s shout suddenly stops her from moving from the very place she should be for the plan to work. ¡°I want to say something very important.¡° She seems confused which will make her reaction slower. ¡°You¡¯re much too proud for your own good, you know. Sometimes, before acting, you should wait and take a look at the ground below you.¡± And¡­ then he turns his back on her and starts running. Shimmer looks down¡­ and at that exact moment the explosive spell Shadow managed to place there without alerting her suddenly initiates. Blowing up straight into her face with power of a small nuke. She¡¯s alive, of course, but her hair''s a mess, and most of her armor is now black from all the soot. She¡¯s screaming something incoherent and tries to cast spells at him, but he¡¯s already too far for any spell to reach him. All in all - Shadow thinks - it was a great day. I wonder what my Chosen is doing. * * * * * I think I¡¯m getting a hang of it. It¡¯s friday evening and I¡¯m back in the mansion for the weekend. And I must admit that the play went better than expected. Ok. So, throughout the week we were preparing for the play - costumes, decorations, scenography¡­ and all that stuff. And every time we tried playing the scene Sabir chose I was getting warnings from my blessing about that possible, future kick right in the stomach. Not a pleasant possibility, especially if you¡¯re remained of it few times a day - the scene itself was rather short, but Sabir and Tamia still needed a lot of practice to get it right. Still, I¡¯ve been able to come up with a plan¡­ a little preventive revenge, and even managed to prepare it right before the premiere earlier today. It required from me to sneak one extra plank for my costume (yes - the table one). Anyway, the time came and the plays began. The teachers even built an actual stage for the occasion with curtain and backstage. Even some parents - or just relatives - came to see the show, which was kinda surprising¡­ or maybe Veles are the only family with so many heartless bastards? One by one the groups were performing and it was actually pretty entertaining to watch other kids acting up the scenarios they came up with. When the sixth group showed on the stage it was clear to me that we were the only ones using an actual script. And that for this reason we would definitely stand out. During the sixth group performance the four of us went backstage to change into our costumes. I put on my ¡®planked suit¡¯ that made me look more or less like a table, but with that one extra plank. Fortunately no one saw me doing that. We had to wait for a short while and only then I realised how nervous I really was. It was just a play, but for some reason it felt like the most important moment of my life. The moment which will define me later in life. Were I to become a victim for bullying again or find enough courage in myself to proceed with the plan till the very end and come out as a winner? Now it doesn¡¯t seem that important anymore¡­ but back then it was like a ¡®life or death¡¯ dilemma. Eventually came time for us to proceed on stage. Whole class - even group six still in their costumes - was sitting in the audience. I¡¯m not gonna replay the whole show here¡­ It involved a lot of talking and arguing between Sabir and Tamia¡¯s characters, some walking around, and then even more talking and arguing¡­ And then, the last part of the scene. The General won the dispute with aristocratic lady who then leaves the room (walks out of the stage) and General¡¯s monologue starts. A short one, mostly about his will to protect Miasto and similar motives¡­ but while talking he gets more and more angry and finally - kicks the table. It was a good kick. A powerful blow that would hit me right into the stomach and made me suffer in pain right while the curtain would fall¡­ But the plank I put under my suit took most of the force upon itself. The final result was even better than I ever expected. At the last moment I managed to bend a little to the side and Sabir hit the very edge of said plank with his tibia. The curtain went down and Sabir fell¡­ crying. So¡­ I just made an eight-year-old kid crying. How did I feel about it? ¡­ I had mixed feelings. It felt good, because it was Sabir, and bad, because I felt good. Yeah, something like that. And now, few hours and a carriage ride later, lying in my bed trying to sleep¡­ I still have mixed feelings about it. Well, he had it coming I guess. I decide to look through the interface. I¡¯m doing this on impulse, I just have nothing interesting to do so I want to look through it and see if there are any hidden hints I didn¡¯t see earlier. Shadow seems to add additional informations in the Codex - who knows why. Maybe it¡¯s a way for him to avoid breaking those mysterious rules? Like ¡®You can¡¯t tell him anything about this and that¡¯ so he writes about it in the Codex, because that way he technically doesn¡¯t tell me anything?¡­ I guess, that¡¯s kinda possible? Well, time to open the interface. * * * * * ¡°Hello fiery lady, am I dead. I thought for a second it might be a dream, but it doesn¡¯t feel like a dream. Even the fact that I can ask if it¡¯s a dream or not is leading me to thinking that it can¡¯t be a dream. And my dreams tend to fall apart the moment I realise what they are, hence - am I dead?¡± ¡°Yes, you are. Hm? You look surprisingly happy about that. Shouldn¡¯t you, mortals, be more afraid of death?¡± ¡°And what does it matter now that it¡¯s in the past? It¡¯s not like I can reanimate myself. And even if I could -zombies aren¡¯t exactly welcome in the world. Anyway, what¡¯s your name? Or at least how should I call you? My name is Jakub by the way.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Conflagration.¡± ¡°Great. Good for you I mean. A little bit complicated, but sure¡­ if you¡¯re fine with it.¡± ¡°O...kay. So, let us get back to the topic. Yes, you are dead. And, well, you were more or less an atheist which means that no one really cares about you now and there¡¯s an eternity of nonexistence ahead of you. So, we - as in I and a few of my friends - decided to¡­ well¡­ borrow you. You are up to some work for us¡­ or do you prefer to cease from existence?¡± ¡°Now, that¡¯s actually a hard choice. You see¡­ If I ¡®cease from existence¡¯ there wouldn¡¯t be anything left to feel bad about it or even notice. On the other hand I could take your offer and become a slave or something. What am I now exactly? A soul? We¡¯re still in my room and¡­ Is that me? Was there a fire? Everything looks burnt up. So that¡¯s how i died? Burned to death in my sleep? No¡­ I died from suffocation, right? Even before there¡¯s enough fire to burn a person - carbon monoxide is doing it¡¯s job¡­ How did this fire start? No, not important. The important part is your offer and my options - what exactly am I right now?¡± ¡°Soul, with your consciousness, memories and, well, character engraved into it. That¡¯s what happens when you die. Body is dead, while mind and personality are brought into afterlife using soul as a vessel. And yes, you suffocated, the computer you left working when going to sleep caught fire and you died. Now, back to the topic, again, shall we? You digress too much. What we want from you is becoming¡­ well, someone akin to stereotypical Reincarnated Hero from the stories you sometimes read. You know, sharp objects, magic, monstergirls - if you are into them - et cetera, et cetera.¡° ¡°And just when it was going¡­ oh well. Reincarnated Hero you say? An overpowered character in a world not ready nor prepared for my mighty presence? Or maybe, by ¡®akin¡¯ you mean more like an Overlord of darkness bringing pain and suffering to the realm? Be more precise for goddess¡¯ sake.¡± ¡°What goddess would you¡­ ah, this one, urgh. No, I¡¯m afraid that both Overlord of Darkness and Reincarnated Hero seats are already taken, as you are not the first one to be summoned¡­ it¡¯s actually quite interestingly complicated situation over there, and we intend to plunge the entire world into even deeper chaos. You will be given, let¡¯s say it, an ability to get really strong, but you won¡¯t be overpowered by default, it will all depend on how hard will you work. What¡¯s more, you will need to at least try keeping low profile, as if people find out that you are a reincarnated person, you will end up being burned at a stake¡­ crucified¡­ or subjected to all different kinds of torture devices that Ancient Earth managed to invent. ¡°You would make a terrible marketer. Basicly what you just told me comes down to¡­ Work hard and try not to stand out so after all hell break loose you¡¯ll still be able to make it even worse¡­ Terrible. Marketer. BUT! You might have just found someone bored enough to do it. Still, I need more details. Be realistic - you just told me a bunch of nothing and expect me to accept it because it might just turn out fun? Let¡¯s start simple. How many reincarnates are there now? And regarding that complicated situation you mention¡­ How many different sides does it involve?¡± ¡°Three reincarnates. Three other factions, desperate to kill each other. And then, me and my friends. The weakest of all sides, but we have a luxury of being able to ally ourselves with one of them. Listen, I would gladly tell you everything about this, but there are rules in this game. We are actually breaking them by summoning you, but that the others can overlook. However, if we go too far, we are going to get metaphorically grounded. I¡¯m giving you a chance to continue your existence, and if you are against it I¡¯m perfectly ok with looking for someone else.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you lost me at the ¡®rules¡¯... and got my attention right back with ¡®breaking¡¯. Sold. You just got yourself a willing soul to be your pawn. Can I just add one rule of my own to this arrangement here? Just a little reassurance for sake of my sanity?¡± ¡°It depends. What do you want?¡± ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s more about what I don¡¯t want¡­ You see, if at any point in this little adventure you want me to partake in I will be required to use a magical artefact of awesomeness or anything with a similar theme to it¡­ Let¡¯s just say that you don¡¯t want me to have any contact with such objects. Ok?¡± ¡°Artefactophobia? That¡¯s something new. Well, whatever you want. So, right now you are going to get your new body¡­ hidden someplace safe. You are going to spend next few years there. The body we¡¯ve prepared is rather young, so you will need to get slightly older before saying hello to the world. You will also have to learn language, and, well, magic. My daugther will help you there, so, uhm, good luck.¡± * * * * *
||======================|| ||=====System ERROR=====|| ||======================||
The Interface you¡¯re trying to open is currently unavailable due to stupidity and recklessness of all the local gods and deities (except for Shadow). Please, try again later¡­ But not too soon.
Real Life Game System by Shadow666 <3¡­ Current number of users¡­ 4
What the¡­ Not only there are four users of the system, but also it¡¯s broken?! From emotional uncertainty to clear annoyment¡­ And I¡¯m not even sure what irritates me more - fourth reincarnated person, which means only more troubles ahead of me or maybe a broken interface. Great. I mean¡­ he will fix it, right? Right? *************************** Mirrond: So, say hello to Destiny¡¯s faction everyone. That¡¯s as far as I know last Reincarnated Hero around here. And, well, you kinda know him as he is based on my great co-author. Chapter 16 is going to be a timeskip, and then¡­ things will happen :V Resus: Yeah¡­ I have no idea what to write here¡­ Mirrond: That¡¯s exactly what I think about me being an MC¡­ and I feel that way ever since the first chapter! ¡­ Now you know my pain. And, as you were complaining and joking about this, I¡¯m going to call this a DIVINE RETRIBUTION. DEUS VULT. Resus: I think you misunderstand the situation here. This character won¡¯t be ¡°ME¡± because it would be fucking boring¡­ It¡¯s more like¡­ everything that¡¯s wrong with me without anything to stop it from¡­ exploding. Mirrond: ¡­ blah, blah, blah, nonsense. Get ready for being burned at the nearest stake for mentioning ¡°goddess¡± (it¡¯s a heresy, THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD). Seriously guys, you don¡¯t want to know. You. Just. Don¡¯t. Resus: She¡¯s everywhere. Mirrond: Besides¡­ ¡®anything to stop it¡¯ -> If you were in such situation in reality, then you would lose all the possible restraints and you would act exactly like that¡­ so, once again, this is YOU. Oh, and the lack of tables is intentional. I am saying this just in case. You know, the interface broke etc. 16: Long and significant years of reconstruction... PART 1 Mirrond: Well¡­ not the timeskip you expected, but the timeskip you deserve¡­ which means AWEEEEESOME. And a bit chaotic. BUT AWEEEEESOME. Resus: you mean¡­ the first part of the timeskip? We got¡­ a little bit overboard¡­ still, a lot of time passes during this chapter¡­ It¡¯s just that we¡¯ll need few more chapters to get to the point when Varth is 13-15 (not sure yet) without skipping character progression for¡­ everyone xD Mirrond: We actually considered making it a few part chapter published at once (with no more than an hour long break between next publications)... but well, in the end we decided to publish it more or less normally. So no Part 2 today, sorry ;_; ************************* Chapter 16: Long and significant years of reconstruction¡­ PART 1 ¡°Where am I? It¡¯s so dark I¡¯d think it¡¯s a dungeon or something. HELLO! ANYONE HOME?!¡± It¡¯s so dark I can¡¯t see a thing but it feels cold¡­ And it seems like I¡¯m alone. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here. But you don¡¯t have to yell, I can hear you well enough¡± Or not¡­ A high pitched female voice resounds in my head. I can clearly hear her but I still feel like there¡¯s no one around me. ¡°Ok. Great. Someone¡¯s here. Could you turn the lights on? Or torches? I don¡¯t know exactly what you use here for illumination¡­¡± Let¡¯s try to set some priorities. Light is probably most important at the moment. ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m not there with you. And even if I was I don¡¯t have a physical body right now. Try searching the walls for a switch. It should be somewhere.¡± Not here with me? It implies that there¡¯s some kind of technology like speakers in this world. Or some sort of magic like¡­ magic. Which is actually more likely since I got that supernatural vibe from the fire covered lady from earlier. She mentioned a daughter. Is that who talks to me? Anyway, I take few steps in the darkness¡­ and fall. Painfully. I¡¯ve been standing on a platform and didn¡¯t see the step down to the floor. Eventually I find a wall made of massive stone blocks and after further searching - three walls later - my hand touches a metal button. Let there be light! ¡°Finally. Wait. This place really looks like a dungeon. Or a basement. A really big basement.¡± Seriously, everything seems bigger than it should. Even the lightswitch was quite high on the wall. I look down on my body. I¡¯m not only naked¡­ but smaller than I remember. ¡°Ok. There¡¯s no need to panic. Con¡­ fle¡­ something¡­ I think she told me that I¡¯ll get a new body. And that it¡¯ll still be quite young. Hey, disembodied girly voice - are there any clothes I could wear? Like, somewhere here?¡± ¡°Name is Ashee. There probably should be something to wear, but not in the teleport room. I have no idea where to look for it, so, you know, good luck with your search.¡± Search. Great. There are wooden door next to the lightswitch so I assume this place is bigger than just this one room. But before proceeding through said door I take a good look at the chamber I¡¯m in. It¡¯s square shaped with floor, walls and ceiling made of massive stone blocks. Right in the middle of it is the platform I appeared on¡­ and managed to fall of from¡­ Is that the teleport? Not important now, next room please. I open the door and, let¡¯s just say that the mood is completely different in here. It actually looks livable. ¡°I must admit, I love the decor. The black stoney everything with red details from bookcases to couches¡­ whomever built this place had a one track mind and a lot of unimaginative ideas. But the colors are my favorites, so yeah - I love it here.¡± No answer. ¡°You¡¯re just gonna stay silent? Ok. It¡¯s not like talking to myself is a novelty to me. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll shut up just because of some silent treatment. So anyway, I see more doors here, care to tell me what exactly this place is or should I keep guessing while searching for some pants?¡± ¡°Well, you are currently in the safest hideout we could¡¯ve find for you - the lowest level of the biggest, deadliest dungeon in the world. I don¡¯t really remember it¡¯s name, something with labirynt in it¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­ I have a really bad memory for things I don¡¯t care about, you know. So, back to the answer - it was created by a crazy sect of sorts. They were basically all paranoid. Something about ¡®the world is doomed¡¯. So, they decided to dig themselves a nice little bunker. Somehow they learned how to create artifacts working similarly to what this world knows by the name of a dungeon core so they could build as many levels as they wanted. And now here we are, in the underground dungeon - level¡­ um¡­ I think it¡¯s thirty thousand two hundred eleven. Although that number can be a little misleading, as the dungeon of that size cannot be completely vertical in a straight line. Most of this ¡®levels¡¯ are actually many floors not connected with each other, but parallel¡­ for example level one thousand has twenty two sublevels, marked with letters. Like level one thousand A, level one thousand B and so on. Also to avoid digging too deep many higher number floors are located above the lower numbered ones. The number in this case indicates only the order in which you have to pass through them. The size of this place rivals a small country, and it¡¯s powered by three hundred and twenty seven sect-created dungeon cores and twelve original ones. It took them seven generations to finish it. You are ABSOLUTELY safe here, because they made this place so dangerous and deadly that no one ever reached below level eighty. And the rooms you are in were a home for the sect leaders, that you are going to use, as he no longer needs them.¡± ¡°Wow. You suddenly became awfully talkative.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m talkative, it¡¯s absolutely awesome! This isn¡¯t just a mere dungeon, it¡¯s a work of art! Sure, they created it because they were a bunch of completely insane sectarians that believed that the world will end so they dig themselves a hole only to hide there with the deity they worshipped with an intent of never leaving the place again¡­ but IT¡¯S ABSOLUTELY FUCKING AWEEEESOME!¡± ¡°And yet you still don¡¯t know the name of this place?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s name isn¡¯t awesome at all! But yeah, I remember now. It has multiple names actually. It¡¯s either ¡®Labirynthian¡¯, ¡®Great Labirynth¡¯, ¡®Great Dungeon¡¯, ¡®Infinite Tunnels¡¯ or ¡®THIS MOTHERFUCKING DEATHTRAP¡¯. The last one, um, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s official but it¡¯s quite widely used.¡± ¡°Ok. don¡¯t get me wrong, I like where this is going. So¡­ to check if I understand what you just said - we¡¯re currently at the very bottom of the most dangerous dungeon in this world¡­ so that I can be safe¡­ from what exactly? The other factions?¡± When she speaks again, she¡¯s suddenly much less enthusiastic. ¡°From other factions, yes and - what¡¯s even more important - from the locals. Self proclaimed ¡®Old Gods¡¯ - the enemies of all three factions of¡­ um, I think we are currently calling ourselves Lost Deities, but as I said, it¡¯s not really interesting so I don¡¯t really remember it. You were sent here so that you can spend few years learning magic, combat, and, um, grow up a little. You should have access to the RPG interface with stats et cetera¡­ but I think that it just¡­ well, it just went bluescreen and you¡¯ll have to wait till the leader of the Black Pantheon manage to repair it.¡± I guess the lack of clothes can be a little bit aggravating. And while exploring room after room of a crazy cultist slash magician¡¯s black and red apartments I can¡¯t wrap my head around the point of all this. ¡°I get that you can summon people from other worlds and all, but are you and your fellow Deities¡­ really that powerful? And if so¡­ for what do you need me anyway? I¡¯m here now, I¡¯m not in position to refuse you anymore. Can¡¯t I get real details about my purpose in all this¡­ how your mother described it? Causing even more chaos?¡± ¡°Yeah, we are really, reaally, reaaally powerful. Like a nuclear bomb. But after you drop it on a city it¡¯s completely destroyed and no longer usable for anything, even if you technically just conquered it. So we need to assume¡­ how did mother phrased it¡­ oh come on, she told me that yesterday¡­ a gentle approach? Something like that. So we can¡¯t just blow everything up¡­ unfortunately¡­ and we need your help for that.¡± ¡°Ok. That¡¯s new. And useful. Still, what¡¯s the big idea? What¡¯s the ultimate goal? What do you need this gentle¡­ Wait, I change my question. What exactly do you want me to conquer?¡± ¡°Gods. Old Gods, to be precise. We want all of them with metaphorical collars on their metaphorical necks metaphorically kneeling before us with their metaphorical heads under our metaphorical shoes.¡± * * * * * I am still genuinely amazed that no one was angry with me for what happened to Sabir during the play last week. I think that¡¯s mainly because he simply wasn¡¯t supposed to kick me so hard. Teachers, despite their painfully obvious lack of competences, seem to be fully aware that kids will be kids, and sometimes while playing they can go overboard, but¡­ not that much. And it¡¯s not like they knew I put that plank there on purpose because I¡¯ve foreseen what Sabir was going to do and I wanted for him to feel pain! So, they just couldn¡¯t blame me. Even though they¡¯re still racists, which really surprised me. I honestly thought that I would be neck deep in troubles. Huh. Even more good news - The Nice Priestess, I forgot her name and codex is still broken, also didn¡¯t have any problems whatsoever after Sabir¡¯s stunt. They couldn¡¯t really push a blame on her either, because she¡¯s not a clairvoyant and couldn¡¯t have known what Sabir was planning at a time. In fact it¡¯s Sabir who got most of the teacher¡¯s ¡®attention¡¯, even though he was the one to end up crying in front of entire classroom¡­ I had my fair share of doubts if this whole mess would improve my general standings or put me in even worse position¡­ But it looks like nothing really changed. Ok, not exactly nothing. Sabir¡¯s attacks at me abruptly stopped as he keeps ignoring me. That¡¯s surely just a temporary change, no doubt about it. He¡¯s a bully after all, and he has to bully others to keep himself happy. So, sooner or later, his need of bullying me will outweigh the fear¡­ or rather the painful memory of his public humiliation, that keeps him at bay for now. Still, it¡¯s good for me and the good news just keep piling up. Ronta finally started acknowledging my existence. Even more so - four days after the play, this week¡¯s tuesday, he actually joined the girls and I at our table. By ¡®join¡¯ I mean that he¡¯s been sitting beside us silently¡­ he¡¯s a really withdrawn kid. Like, an extreme case of shyness. Every now and then he looks like he wants to speak, but at best he mumbles something we can¡¯t understand¡­ I can barely even call it a victory, or a successful ¡®conquest¡¯, but hey, it¡¯s something! Now I just need to rehabilitate him. Oh, and Kaelcy taught him all about the true meaning of The Book. No, seriously, this is getting ridiculous¡­ ok, I admit, it IS an interesting and rather enjoyable read, but she¡¯s treating it like an equivalent of a Bible¡­ One thing¡¯s certain, if I¡¯ll ever have to create a secret religious sect, I¡¯ll definitely make her my recruiter. Or brainwasher¡­ There is also a much smaller and less interesting matter. Throughout the week I noticed that two hydromancer girls are for some reason Saamor¡¯s friends now¡­ I don¡¯t really want to know what¡¯s happening on their side of the invisible front line, so I have no idea what led to this situation. Well, whatever, it¡¯ll probably change again after few days¡­ weeks¡­ or months. And finally, RLGS is back online. Sort of. The only working part is the main status screen and even then it looks like it went through a heavy maintenance¡­ It also makes me wonder who the hell is Demiurge¡­ probably another Lost Deity, right? One thing is sure - his aesthetic sense is much better than Shadow¡¯s¡­ [/table][table=black][/table][table=black][/table][table=black][/table][table=black][/table]
[table=black]
||===================|| ||=====Varth Veles=====|| ||===================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Northwestern Republican
Nationality:ResOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:0 / 0
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:2Agility:2
Intelligence:5Wisdom:6
Social attributes:
Charisma:3Attractiveness:1
Intimidation:1Fear:2
Faith:1Fame:1
Real Life Game System 2.0 by¡­ Demiurge & Shadow¡­ Current number of users¡­ 4
* * * * * ¡°Ash! Hey Ash!¡± Walking around all the rooms on this level was, throughout the week, my only occupation. Well, that and talking with Ash¡­ but she eventually got tired of it. I wonder why. ¡°Come on Ash! I really need to say it. And it¡¯s not valid when I know that you hear me and just choose not to respond¡­¡± Oh for the love of¡­ ¡°Fine. Stay quiet. I¡¯ll say it anyway. Those cult leaders were really boring. What did they do all day? Sit on couches and meditated? There¡¯s nothing entertaining is this entire complex! The books are all manuals on dark rituals and advanced enhancements¡­ And, big surprise, the elemental magic you forbid me from learning about.¡± Still nothing, huh? ¡°By the way, say my thanks to whomever¡¯s responsible for my linguistics. Seriously tho, ask me how I know that all the books are just instructions and manuals. I CHECKED! ALL OF THEM! ONE BY ONE! Do you want to know how many there are? Including the library, seven bedrooms, two bathrooms, all twenty seven corridors and fifteen other rooms¡­ and this bad joke of a kitchen¡­ Four thousand two hundred and seventeen useless fucking books.¡± Don¡¯t leave me like that. ¡°And it comes from me of all people! I fucking love books!¡± ¡°Oh just SHUT UP for a moment. The interface is finally working again! Well, kinda.¡± ¡°Success! The princess spoke! ¡­ What do you mean ¡®kinda¡¯? And what does it have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Kinda, because only one segment of it is currently operational¡­ It¡¯s still something! And it is VERY important, because now we can start your training. At least partially. When they¡¯ll repair the system completely, you¡¯ll be allowed to start learning skills, magic, et cetera. Theoretically you could start even now, but with RLGS being broken into tiny little pieces it could mess something up, so mother told me to wait. Now, if you want to open your status screen just¡­ reach with your hand as if it is already there.¡± ¡°Already where? That¡¯s a pretty vague instruction¡­ Never mind, it worked.¡± [/table][table=black][/table][table=black][/table][table=black][/table][table=black][/table]
[table=black]
||==================|| ||=====Nameless=====|| ||==================||
Race:HumanSubrace:Eastern Darehian
Nationality:NoneOccupation:Child
Attributes:
Health Points:10 / 10Mana Points:10 / 10
Physical attributes:
Vitality:1Resistance:1
Strength:1Endurance:1
Dexterity:1Agility:1
Intelligence:6Wisdom:5
Social attributes:
Charisma:0Attractiveness:0
Intimidation:0Fear:0
Faith:1Fame:0
Real Life Game System 2.0 by¡­ If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Demiurge & Shadow¡­ Current number of users¡­ 4
¡°Ok. That¡¯s gamier than I thought it would be. Understandable, nevertheless I have questions.¡± ¡°Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that. Those are really important questions. And relevant to¡­ a lot of things! So, I understand why I have no nationality, but why no name? Do I get to choose? Or, like, get one later?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a local tradition for magicians to choose his own¡­ descriptive name after he finishes learning. A name that is somehow connected to the magic he learned. So, for example, a mage who specializes in fire magic can call himself something like¡­ um¡­ Firestarter? Or Blaze¡­ Or something like that. I don¡¯t know what type of magic you¡¯ll be best at, so I can¡¯t give you a proper name¡­ yet. But you¡¯re going to get yourself one before leaving this place.¡± ¡°All the attributes are easily comprehensible¡­ except for faith. What¡¯s the deal with that one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s helpful in a few¡­ branches of magic. Mainly helps with summoning supernatural entities the Lost Deities can, let¡¯s say, lend to you. I also gives you the ability to learn spells that have, em, more divine origin. And it has a small, positive influence on things like the amount of your health and mana points.¡± ¡°See, questions over. Was it really that bad? Anyway, you said something about training, right? I¡¯m bored to death here¡­ I¡¯ll do anything, just tell me what¡­ and where.¡± ¡°Of course¡­ Go to that big empty room with one wall covered with white metal plates. It¡¯s a general training room with all the equipment we need.¡± ¡°What equipment? You just said it yourself, it¡¯s an empty room.¡± ¡±Right, you wouldn¡¯t notice¡­ They¡¯re mostly in the walls. The installations. Old mechanisms capable of very precise spatial and gravitational manipulations. Little spells to assist with complex and diverse training routine. I hope you are ready for pretty¡­ EXTREME physical exercises.¡± * * * ¡°You¡­ Really¡­ Meant¡­ Extreme¡­¡± The floor is so comfortable here. And cold. So pleasantly cold. ¡°How long was it?¡± ¡°Thirty seven minutes and twenty two seconds...¡± ¡°Holy¡­¡± ¡±Nah¡­ It¡¯s not really your fault. Your body¡¯s just weak as a baby¡¯s.¡± ¡°Weak? That¡¯s the most training I did both my lives! I never thought it¡¯s possible to do pushups and situps simultaneously while running¡­¡± ¡±And whose fault is that? It¡¯s just a beginning, I¡¯ll start teaching you properly when you¡¯ll be able to handle it. We have plenty of time¡­ and you have nowhere to run¡­¡± * * * * * [/table][table=black][/table][table=black][/table]
[table=black]
=== HUD === System Message
RLGS update 2.1 is now online. Skills and Spells menus are now fully operational. We thank you for your patience - feel free to try them out.
Real Life Game System 2.1 by¡­ Demiurge & Shadow¡­ Current number of users¡­ 4
Well, six months passed since it broke, so it¡¯s nice to see that they¡¯re still working on it¡­ and finally showing progress with it. But¡­ Spells are practically useless for me so why the hell would they even make this their priority?! It¡¯s nice to have skills back¡­ although I can¡¯t really look into them right now, because I¡¯m in the classroom in the middle of lunch break. Maybe later? ¡°No Meri! Moon Knights were just angry because they always got worst jobs to do. You can¡¯t just say that they were bad.¡± Ignore it, Varth, just ignore it. Keep eating. ¡°Yes Kel, you said that many times. But they were the ones to rebel in the first place.¡± ¡°But Suns were just mean! Remember that one time when they just didn¡¯t want to go into the ruins on the swamps and they sent Moons, and later they were always talking about their bad smell? And it was their fault!¡± And here it goes again¡­ today¡¯s discussion is obviously about The Book. And today¡¯s main topic is - who were the real bad guys. Quick recap, there were two knight orders - Sun and Moon - and the former treated latter like not-so-intelligent-and-totally-not-useful underlings. So, the Moon Knights in the second half of the story side with the evil forces and, according to the story, are ultimately vanquished. Meritri believes that it was their own fault for becoming the bad guys, while Kaelcy thinks that they wouldn¡¯t become evil if the Sun Knights weren¡¯t treating them so bad and show them at least a minimal amount of respect. So, basically, it¡¯s the Sun¡¯s fault. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember Knight Gawkin? The Moons almost killed him in the inn! In the epilogue, right after their second victory against evil? They were all talking and drinking¡­ and bam! They just attack him for no reason! THAT was mean!¡± I¡¯m not even sure if it¡¯s normal for a six year old kid to casually talk about someone dying¡­ cultural differences, huh. ¡°And whose fault was that?! He and his ¡®sunny¡¯ friends treated Moon Knights even worse than Sabir would. If I were in their place, I would do the same.¡± Oy, saying things like that when people around you can easily count your teeth is pretty¡­ ¡°Um¡­ I think¡­ The Sun Knights were¡­ um¡­ nicer.¡± Ronta recently begin talking to us, although he¡¯s still far from the level of talkativeness that Meritri is showing - it¡¯s a progress nevertheless. The notable thing about it is that for some reason he¡¯s also something like Meritri¡¯s follower¡­ ¡°Not you too Ron! Help me Varth! They are so wrong, right?¡± I let out a mental sigh. So, I¡¯m pulled into the conversation. ¡°I think Kaelcy¡¯s right. Moon Knights became evil because Sun Knights were bad for them.¡± Well, normal adult would be a Sun Knights supporters, but you can¡¯t deny that Kaelcy¡¯s thinking is logical. And she¡¯s alone against the other two, so I decide to support her. The ¡®reward¡¯ is her look, full of ¡®thank you, thank you, THANK YOU¡¯... Six months ago I would be freaked out, as it makes her look like a starving lion looking at the dying gazelle¡­ but I got used to it, because she looks like that like half the time. It¡¯s actually kinda... cute. * * * * * [/table][table=black][/table][table=black][/table]
[table=black]
=== HUD === System Message
RLGS update 2.1 is now online. Skills and Spells menus are now fully operational. We thank you for your patience - feel free to try them out.
Real Life Game System 2.1 by¡­ Demiurge & Shadow¡­ Current number of users¡­ 4
¡°What the fuck is this? ¡­ Really? Six months of nothing and now this? Hey, Ash¡­ Do you see it? Can we finally kick in with the magic stuff? I¡¯m bored to death by this constant P.E¡­¡± ¡°Of course I see it¡­ Yes, it means that we can start with your magic training¡­ although, soon you¡¯ll be doing both this and P.E. simultaneously. But hey, at least you are showing some progress! Don¡¯t worry. Be happy.¡± ¡°You know exactly what to say to bring me down in an instant. By the way¡­ Is there a way to deactivate all the mechanisms one by one this time? I really don¡¯t feel like suffering an hour long loss of spatial orientation right before starting all that magic business¡­¡° ¡°Well¡­ probably? I can¡¯t do a thing, because I¡¯m not really there¡­ it all works on independently. You want to train, it knows that you want it, it gets activated. So you just need to very carefully ¡°want¡± to shut it down in an organized fashion¡­ instead of ¡°DAMN IT, LET ME OFF, LET ME OOOOFFFF¡± you are thinking normally when there is a time for a break.¡± ¡°Ok. Wow¡­ Don¡¯t you think that this information would be really useful like¡­ HALF A YEAR AGO!?¡± One by one the mechanisms release me from their grasps and without much of an aftershock I once again stand in an empty room feeling just one ¡®up¡¯ and one ¡®down¡¯. It¡¯s¡­ a somewhat unsettling feeling to transition smoothly from multiple little segments of orientations to just one. The only comparison I can think of would be rolling down the hill¡­ after being dismembered by an insanely pedantic butcher. ¡°Well, yeah it would be oh, so really useful¡­ But you never asked, and what you just called an hour long loss of spatial orientation I usually call a break from your never ending logorrhea.¡± ¡°Did the voice in my head just said that it likes when I¡¯m silent? Shouldn¡¯t it be like¡­ THE OTHER WAY AROUND?! No. Nevermind that. Magic. Training. How do I begin. Teach me!¡± ¡±Actually¡­ I have no idea, I¡¯ve never done it before. Give me a moment, I¡¯ll ask mother.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honestly flabbergasted. Six months and not even once you mentioned her¡­ Wait. No, that¡¯s not the point here. What do you mean you never done that before? Done what? I know it¡¯s kinda late for that¡­ but again - I never felt like asking that was important¡­ What is it that you do anyway?¡± ¡°Normally I burn things¡­ that¡¯s kinda my lifestyle. And, honestly speaking, gods like me just don¡¯t get soulbonded¡­ or contracted, two names for one thing¡­ with a mortal. Normally, when you do that, it ends with said mortal¡¯s soul, or even body getting blown into pieces, but I am so weak right now that we can safely do it. Back to the topic - I contacted mother and I think I have¡­ good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?¡± ¡°There¡¯s never a good answer to that. The good news are usually all about softening the impact of bad news when the latter comes first¡­ or preparing you for that impact if it¡¯s the other way around. I think I¡¯ll do with some preparations. Good news?¡± ¡±I know how you can begin your basic mana manipulation training, and it¡¯s rather easy even if time consuming. The bad news is - you could¡¯ve safely start this training six months ago¡­ so¡­ um¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°Did you really expect me to get angry at you because of that? It¡¯s not like you lied to me. And it is my fault as well¡­ I never questioned you about the details of magic training. I just assumed you knew better, and you can be sure I¡¯ll never do that again. Wink.¡± ¡±Buuu, that was harsh¡­ well whatever, let¡¯s proceed to step one. Find a small object. It doesn¡¯t really matter what it is, as long as it isn¡¯t something organic and you are ready to, em, sacrifice it for growing in power.¡± ¡°Not a problem, there are tons and tons of decorative garbage in here. Let me get one¡­ And in the meantime, can I get more details about the procedure? As I just said - no more trust for you. Now talk.¡± ¡±Nah. If you don¡¯t want to do this, then you don¡¯t have to. Give me a call when you will be ready to move to second part.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Did my concern about our mutual involvement in enslaving this world¡¯s current gods felt bad? Did the fact that we¡¯re both gonna get thoroughly fucked if this whole project fail¡­ You know, the project of reclaiming your power during the chaos that will hopefully be unleashed by other three reincarnates¡­ Did my concern about that felt bad? WE ALREADY SORTA FUCKED UP ONE THING AND¡­ Ok, I found¡­ something. A small, wooden ball, no idea why it was on the shelf here, so we can start the training, right?¡± ¡±Let¡¯s get one thing straight - only you are gonna get thoroughly fucked, for us it will only be¡­ a serious disappointment. Not first and not last. And be so kind, and do NOT speculate about what our plan is, because you are far from understanding everything that is happening¡­ I really miss the times, when all ¡°heroes¡± we dealt with were happy to serve us simply because we are gods¡­ well, ok, so let¡¯s proceed to step two. Right now you should feel... something, right?¡± ¡°Something? SOMETHING?! What in the name of seven hells are you doing?! It¡¯s tingly¡­ and itchy¡­ everywhere¡­ STOP!¡± ¡±Right now I am repetitively emptying and refilling your mana - that¡¯s what you feel as tingling and itching. The word ¡®emptying¡¯ is actually an overstatement, I¡¯m taking only a small fraction of a single mana point. If I took more, the effects would be even more severe. So, now you need to catch that ¡®feeling¡¯, and put it into the object you¡¯ve got in your hands. That¡¯s how you can learn basic mana manipulation.¡± ¡°Put a feeling into the object¡­ do you have any idea how ridiculous it sounds?¡± * * * * * ¡°It worked this time. Finally. And surprising as well. Shadow, did you hear me? It works!.¡± Nervous looking teenager shouted that in direction of the door to the next room. ¡°Sweet. But, you know¡­ Are you ONE HUNDRED PERCENT sure that it works and that there will be no problems? I still remember the sword you gave me. You know, the one that suddenly exploded when I wanted to stab someone with it. Just like all the things I got from you. EVEN FUCKING PANTS, seriously what the hell did you do with them?!.¡± ¡°I told you that the sword had a slashing enhancer and when you applied too much pressure on its tip it overloaded the compressors inside the blade¡­ It was your fault, really¡­¡± The teenager said that while constantly switching his focus between the mighty figure clad in thorned, black set of armour and a console sticking from a machinery occupying most of the room. ¡°Totally not trying to avoid the topic of exploding pants.¡± The third voice resound in the room, this time it comes from behind the windows. Calling it a ¡®voice¡¯ is actually rather imprecise as it sound more like thuds and clashing of working machinery that forms itself into words and sentences. ¡°Yeah, I agree with your pet, Demiurge¡­ Well, whatever, I survived that, so let¡¯s get back to the topic. 2.2 is ready and stable?¡± ¡°Yes. Somehow it works. We still need to program the Codex, and I can already tell you that your glorious plan of making it into a portable Encyclopedia. Is. OBSOLETE. We¡¯ll have to throw out plenty of things, but this should be the end of all stability problems of RLGS. Honestly, it¡¯s still a mystery even to me how it worked for so long in the first place before getting blown into pieces. Not to mention the fact¡­¡° Demurge looks at Shadow accusingly for a moment only to get back into his routine of switching focal point of his vision every two seconds. ¡°¡­ that you were too busy adding security holes to properly optimize the code only made things worse.¡± Shadow is silent for a long moment, before answering. ¡°You told someone?¡± ¡°Only Sararkaar.¡± He points with his finger in the direction from which the mechanical voice was coming earlier. ¡°Honestly speaking? I don¡¯t care that much. You¡¯ve told me to make it work, so the security holes you¡¯ve added are still there, I only made it so they don¡¯t interfere with integrity of the the code anymore. I prefer to distance myself from your scheming. Even now I only mentioned it to point out why the RLGS broke down before. The fact that it was based on surviving Old Empire¡¯s military communication systems didn¡¯t help. They are like ten thousand years old, it¡¯s a miracle that at least a fraction of them is still alive.¡± ¡°So, is that why we spent three months hacking into the computer systems of imperial Southern Army headquarters, that are now located in the middle of Corrupted Lands, which basically preserved them as new? Which I originally prefered to avoid, because the corruption makes them¡­ unreliable?¡± Shadow somehow managed to say that mock in tone of a genuine question. ¡°Unreliable? That¡¯s a pretty soft euphemism. You leave a short text document there, and after a month you have it rewritten with different words and added rhymes, all the while the main point of what you¡¯ve wrote remains the same. And it¡¯s exactly the same situation with coding a proper spell system. It¡¯s more than unreliable. It¡¯s the only thing worse than Demiurge¡¯s inventions! ¡° The voice from behind the window comments again, but Demiurge ignores him and continues on his own. ¡°So, I had to make like, fifteen copies of RLGS spell system and make them run parallel to one another on fifteen separate hardwares, with a caretaker program that optimize them according to a majority rule¡­ Basically it means that if few copies get sidetracked and their data or decisions deviate from the rest, they are forcefully rewritten back to the same state as the rest¡­ So, it SHOULD work now. I mean, probably, because if there will be any serious fluctuation in Corrupted Lands it still might end with more than half copies of RLGS spell system randomly mutating and causing, I don¡¯t know, the heads of all connected people suddenly imploding?¡± ¡°More like exploding, just as most of the things you make.¡± Sararkaar comments yet again. ¡°Yeaaah? And what if I make YOU explode? I was TOTALLY insane when I thought that creating a giant steam powered killer machine in form of a dragon and making it my pet was a great idea. TOTALLY.¡± At that moment Shadow starts loudly laughing at Demiurge¡¯s outburst of anger. ¡°No, you were totally insane when you made it sentient.¡± This time Sararkaar joins the laughter. ¡°Oh, you too huh?. Wrrrr... Anyway, diverting from your fun and getting back to the topic - when I saw your security holes¡­¡° Shadow is nearly sure that latest topic of their conversation weren¡¯t security holes, but, oh well, Demiurge is Demiurge. An eccentric combination of a god of inventions and progress, and a mad scientist. ¡°¡­ I just felt that I have to make them¡­ better! And greater! So¡­ open them now!¡± ¡°I sense another explosion incoming.¡± Sararkaar comments, laughing again. Shadow only sighs and opens it. And then¡­ ¡°Holy shit, seriously? What is this, you¡¯ve added a fucking INTERFACE to a security hole? Wow, I can switch from one Reincarnate to other with a click¡­ I can browse their entire interface?! And¡­ wait, does this button allows me to record a video of their lives?! What the hell, Demiurge, you are a genious!¡± ************************* Resus: So, that was PART 1 of the big timeskip xD What are your thoughts on this¡­ redefine of Varth¡¯s importance in the chapter? He is the main character, yes¡­ But not the only character. And foreground in this story is pretty crowded :P Mirrond: It will be now the story of Varth and our currently nameless boy that for a strange reason is written exclusively by Resus :V that way there should be no more boring parts, because whenever I will be doing something less interesting he will take over¡­ and vice versa. Resus: And while it was all planned that way from the beginning¡­ Mirrond: Well, let¡¯s just say that in the beginning he was suppose to get a body that was¡­ more like¡­ fourteen years old or something¡­ Resus: But the story was visibly boring¡­ and we had to make that change of pace come quicker. Mirrond: Not boring! It was simply emotionally deeper¡­ well, who am I kidding, it was getting a bit boring. Moving on. A completely new - and, hopefully, less failed - version of this is now available here:http://royalroadl.com/fiction/chapter/135153 Everything you need to know can be found there, including explanation of, uhm... the reason we were quite late. Actually now that I think I could have put it here, which would make it less problematic to actually fit the 500 characters requirement to publish this. Let''s just not hope that I won''t be required to spam in a such intricate way anymore after achieving, uhm, this. Yeaaah.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.