Posts from Dark Ages

If someone hiccups, does that automatically mean they're ugly?

If someone hiccups, they're quiet and shy, a bit reserved. The second one, on the other hand, looks open and friendly, while the third one looks powerful and self-assured.

I want to see your Greek.

I haven't looked for a picture yet, if that's what you mean.

It's as if you can't be a friendly hikikomori, and people don't always have the same expression on their face. In any case, external similarity is more important, in my opinion.

A raw wind blew with a cold breath against the backs of a small group of people in tattered clothes, their hands and feet bound by chains. Directly behind them, at the edge of a high mountain ledge where the prisoners stood, a dark abyss plunged into the darkness. On their faces seemed to be frozen an eternal mask of doom, and, stunned by horror and cold, they didn't even think to turn around to look into the eyes of death waiting for them at the bottom of the chasm.
Around the snow-covered elevation, serving as a kind of scaffold for the accused, many guards gathered, led by a chosen representative of the council governing the polis, and a little further away, uncertainly pacing back and forth, ordinary townspeople timidly peeked out. Finally, slowly walking towards the center of this imaginary arena and confidently looking around, the chairman ordered that the indictment be presented to him.
Krayos, dressed in simple armor and armed with a long spear, carefully looked at the faces of the convicted, trying to find at least some emotion in them. He was clearly uncomfortable with the entire trial process.
-And yet it is wrong," he whispered almost inaudibly to the guard standing next to him. "The sins of these people are undoubtedly terrible, but they do not deserve death."
-Maybe you're right, but the world is harsh," the guard shrugged. "These outcasts desecrated the altar of Fartlos and Phidi, and spied on behalf of our enemies from the neighboring polis. The people sentenced them to execution."
-I understand, but..." Krayos wanted to reply, but couldn't think of anything to say and fell silent, leaving his sentence unfinished.
-...sentenced to death by being thrown into the abyss of despair," finished reading the verdict the representative, neatly folded the court document, and made a slight gesture with his hand to those who would carry out justice.
At that moment, one of the defendants - a young girl with snow-white hair - unexpectedly broke free from the chains on her legs and rushed away. However, the dense ring of guards surrounding the prisoners left no chance for this pitiful attempt to escape. Changing several trajectories and finally exhausted, the girl stumbled on a mountain step and stretched out on the ground in front of Krayos. Those arriving quickly tried to lift her up and take her back to the other defendants. With her last strength, she lunged forward and tightly grabbed the legs of the stunned Krayos. For a moment their eyes met, and the mountaineer read unhidden notes of desperation on her beautiful pale face.
Finally, the commotion ended, the girl was dragged to the accused, but the spearman still could not take his eyes off her. It wasn't love, not at all, rather incredible compassion – an amazing human trait, the meaning of which he had not fully understood until now.
-Ah, you're new! - as if out of thin air, the chairman appeared next to Krayos and slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Son of my best warrior in the guard! Is this your first execution? Ha-ha, I knew it. You feel sorry for them, don't you?" - he looked at him pleadingly, piercing him with a chilling gaze from black coal pupils. "But look at it from the point of view of our faith. Wouldn't it be right to return death its due for these murderers and blasphemers? Here she is," he pointed to the white-haired girl, "the day before yesterday, with surprising cruelty, gutted two guards of the altar of Fartlos and Phidi. Appearance can sometimes be deceiving, you know! Well, by the way, I have an idea." The chairman suddenly smirked and gestured for the lost Krayos to follow him.
Soon they were already level with the group of prisoners lined up along the edge of the gorge. Calling one of those carrying out justice over, the leader of the event indicated to the young spearman the place opposite the girl.
"You just need to learn how to enjoy life, as well as death," said the chairman encouragingly. "Now, according to my count, let us carry out the sentence!" he announced loudly. "One!"
Krayos timidly raised his eyes in front of him. The girl stared directly at him. Her gaunt, frozen face was etched with deep wrinkles, as if from pain, rather spiritual than physical, mixed with a plea for salvation.
-Two!
Krayos fearfully lowered his gaze. He remembered childhood stories told in his settlement. A great warrior and brave hero saves a beautiful princess from the clutches of bloodthirsty monsters, right? But reality differed significantly from these wonderful fairy tales. He always imagined himself as a hero, like many other boys, but somehow never put himself in the monster's shoes. Monsters... It seemed that these creatures lived in the Forge of Life - a dangerous place that even well-armed detachments tried to avoid. For some reason, like a forgotten outcast, he suddenly wanted to throw everything away and go there, leaving behind all the difficulties and troubles of human relationships. And why can't everyone just live in peace?
-Three!
Suddenly shuddering and shedding the mask of numbness, Krayos made a movement, neither hand nor foot forward, afraid to raise his head even for a second. Time seemed to slow down its endless run, and this brief moment turned into an unbearable torment lasting forever.
An unexpected touch forced the young spearman to look sharply ahead. His uncertain attempt was certainly doomed to fail. The girl, slightly extending her bound hands in front of her, gently grasped his trembling wrist.
"You are not an executioner," she said with a slight smile on her beautiful face for a moment, after which, gracefully pushing off from the rocky platform, she herself stepped into the abyss.

The next day, Krayos left his native village forever. For many years he wandered along the borders of the Forge of Life, losing the remnants of his inner humanity in every sense of the word. His voluntary exile allowed him to better immerse himself in the origins of the faith of Fartlos and Phidi, as well as acquire several rare items. And only God knows what circumstances forced the former mountaineer to return to civilized life.


Race:
Mountain Magi

Characteristics:
Health - 100 [+combat training]
Willpower - 50 [+combat training]
Life - 150 [+combat training, hoplite, Fartlos and Phidi]
Speed - 150 [+combat training, hoplite, Fartlos and Phidi]
Concentration - 50 [+combat training]

Skills:








Spells:
Good spells.
Blinding Light: heals in an area, reduces OD
Sacrifice: deals damage to an allied target, heals himself
Evil spells.
Seed of Emptiness: deals damage ignoring armor and shields, gives OP
Flash Speed: teleports, then deals damage around itself

Inventory:
-Servant's Spear
-Improved Armor [map]
-Ring of Balance [map]
-Bag with provisions, potions (if possible), savings.


I am not sure if I calculated everything correctly according to the mechanics; I didn't have time to read it all properly, so if something is wrong, I will fix it on the weekend.

If he's a hikikomori, then he's quiet and shy. A bit withdrawn. The second one, on the other hand, looks open and friendly, while the third one looks powerful and self-assured.

Yeah, the second one is a normal hikikomori, what's wrong with that? Everyone looks different. Appearance is often deceiving. Especially when it comes to dryads.

1

3

I am certain that such Dryads wouldn't have reduced my Defense and wouldn't have enslaved me.

Ah, Heroes player, you could have chosen a healing skill. =(

A Heroes player stole one of my names! He probably read it in the chat...
Or why didn't he call himself "Pyromaniac"?

It seems the player isn't aware that they're in the chat.

Appearances can be deceiving.

Indeed. So much so that it becomes frightening.

He looks like an ordinary young man, and his neighbors don't even suspect who he really is.

In short, none of the images work, it's clear. I'll have to dust off my old skills and draw them myself.

Ah, Heroist, you could have taken healing. =(

Which one exactly? I think I did take it.

Heroist stole one of my names! He probably read the chat...
Why didn't he call himself "Pyromaniac"?

I just Googled it.
Didn't call myself that because I didn't have enough points for fire magic.

Heroist doesn't realize he's in the chat, I guess.

I do.

Which one exactly? I think I took it.

Ah, indeed, I was mistaken. Well, then I didn't take the petrification spell!

Not the best experience with this spell.

Characteristics:
Health: 150
Will: 50
Life: 40 (-60)
Speed: 100
Concentration: 100

Skills:
[s]
+3 spells
+50% to spell effect strength
In the absence of another alignment, "philosopher" and "teacher" skill
[s w]
+ to will, life, speed, and concentration of allies
[s]
Kinetics, Air Strike, Storm, Jump, Flow, Pressure, Wind Wings.

+ to selected characteristic [s]

A follower controlled by the GM joins the philosopher on his travels.
— What do you think of Emperor Fa Bei Dong, Fa Zheng? — asked the elderly Shen Changlu while simultaneously moving a piece on the game board located between the two men, like a battlefield between two generals. This old man was a good friend to Fa Zheng and was renowned as a virtuoso of the fishing craft and the master thinker of this village.
Instead of answering, Fa Zheng paused in thought and after a few moments made his move. Time stopped. In his mind, Shen Changlu carefully weighed various options for this move and those that would follow, but in the end, he did nothing.
— I surrender. — he announced with a sigh. — I have grown quite old. — This move should not have been the last, but Shen Changlu understood that despite the options available to him, there was nothing to rely on in this match except for an opponent's mistake. — How much time has passed since I taught you this game?
— A little less than a year. I stopped in this village last spring.
— Ah, yes... Right. — Old Shen Changlu stared into space, grieving over how quickly the time of his life was running out, but then answered in a manner contradictory to his thoughts. — Hardly any time has passed, yet now I rarely manage to defeat you.
The fisherman and the philosopher fell silent for a while, their eyes resting on children playing in the pond. Fa Zheng traveled through the towns and villages of Erufu, helping residents organize and simplify their work, engaging in enlightenment and teaching, welcoming students of any age. This small village was no exception. The young philosopher, being a humble man, treated those around him with respect and kindness, and more often than not, simple people responded in kind.
— Emperor Fa Bei Dong, — Fa Zheng broke the silence, answering the previously asked question, — is undoubtedly the center of this country, but he cannot be its heart.
— How so? — asked a little girl who had been listening intently to the conversation between the two men, having remained, as she thought, unnoticed until then.
— The great ruler made this land strong and united the people. Harsh laws backed by the steel fist of the lord are sometimes necessary to give birth to something new, but over time they will only stifle the country and its inhabitants. Due to the abundance of prohibitions, the people will grow poorer, and along with them, the state.
— Now I understand. — Shen Changlu thoughtfully tugged at his beard. — The heart of the country is its people. They extract resources, build cities, protect borders from external threats, maintain order; they gave Fa Bei Dong power and they serve as its foundation to this day.
Fa Zheng nodded.

Life went on as usual and soon Fa Zheng intended to set out on his journey again, however, he was unable to do so — his modest plans were disrupted by the intervention of government representatives in the form of armed soldiers. In this peculiar way, the governor of this region "kindly" invited the philosopher to a personal meeting. Fa Zheng had few options in such a situation, for this invitation was essentially an order and refusing it would not be wise. Weighing other options, he preferred to go with the flow and followed the soldiers' instructions.After a week of walking, Fa Zheng arrived at the regional center where Governor Chao Ping resided. From what the traveler had heard about this important official, he was not distinguished by wisdom, but he had held this post for a very long time.
— Fa Zheng has arrived by invitation of Lord Chao Ping. — The philosopher bowed; the governor stood up and approached, inspecting the guest. As the guest himself could notice, Chao Ping could boast a stature outstanding for an Erufu and the aura of an experienced warrior.
— So this is what you look like, idler Fa Zheng. You work nowhere, serve not in the army, do not labor for the benefit of the country, and according to some rumors, speak ill of the emperor. Know that one can lose their head for such things.
— Allow me, Lor...
— Be silent until you are asked! — Although there was no anger in his voice, Chao Ping sharply interrupted the guest. — I have also heard that your head is not stupid, and a wise man under my hand will not be redundant. If you are truly clever, it would be a pity to give you to the crows when you could be put to use for the country. What do you say? I will provide status and won't be stingy with money.
Although Fa Zheng, as a free man, did not particularly want to be tied to one place, he wanted to die for such a reason even less, so he found no other option but to agree. He understood, however, that easily reached agreement would not earn trust.
— May I request something more, Lord? I do not strive for high position, and I do not need much money — enough for food and a roof over my head is sufficient, and even that is good. For you know, he who is content with himself is the wealthy one.
— You've decided to bargain with me?! — Despite such a question, Chao Ping liked the philosopher's answer for some reason. — Very well. If I find your abilities satisfactory, I will give one of my daughters to you in marriage and grant you more free time. But mark my words, if you disappoint me — you won't see your head on your shoulders.Fa Zheng lived up to Chao Ping's hopes and soon entered the governor's family, marrying his daughter Chao Ling. She turned out to be a good girl and Fa Zheng liked her very much; however, he worried that an arranged marriage might be burdensome for her, but as it happened — in vain. Chao Ling found Fa Zheng to be a very interesting person and was deeply moved by his views on life, admiring his intellect and respecting his past way of living. They lived happily in their own house, which was given to them by Chao Ping on their wedding day. Despite the family idyll, Fa Zheng still devoted most of his life to work. Not only because of his obligations to the governor, but also because of his own character — he was a workaholic and strove in every way to improve the lives of other people. Since Chao Ping recognized his abilities, Fa Zheng controlled the development of infrastructure in the towns and villages of this region, engaged in teaching activities, and drowned in an ocean of bureaucratic work. In time of war, he served as Chao Ping's strategist and tactician, acting as his chief advisor.

One day, one of Chao Ping's subordinates turned to Fa Zheng for advice.
— How did you achieve such success in your affairs, Fa Zheng? — he asked with a dark fire in his eyes.
— Zhao Ren, the key is diligence and patience. — Fa Zheng turned his back to the interlocutor and cast his eyes upon the cityscape, which had begun to slowly but steadily develop and prosper since he became Chao Ping's advisor. — He who rushes to achieve a result quickly will achieve nothing, and the opposite is also true.
Zhao Ren did not answer. Instead, he angrily plunged a short blade into Fa Zheng's back. The philosopher was surprised by Zhao Ren's treachery and malice, but did not lose his composure — while strength remained in his body, he cast a spell on his assailant, as a result of which the latter hit his head against the wall and lost consciousness.
After this incident, Chao Ping executed Zhao Ren, and Fa Zheng was left with an incurable wound.
The following years passed without major incidents; Fa Zheng wrote a book "Double Perfection," consisting of two parts. In the first, he described the relationship between man and society, calling humanity, justice, wisdom, integrity, and sincerity the foundation of any healthy society. The second part was dedicated to the art of perfecting human abilities, consisting of meditations, physical and spiritual exercises. The methods described in this part are sometimes called air magic. Thanks to this book, Fa Zheng gained new students outside the region to which he was bound by restrictions related to his line of work.
Fortunately or not, when Fa Zheng and Chao Ling returned from a romantic journey, Chao Ping sent his advisor to another part of the country of Erufu according to the instructions of Emperor Fa Bei Dong.
Fa Zheng did not want to leave his wife alone, especially now, when the fruit of their love was ripening within her, but unfortunately he had no choice. Handing over work to his deputy and saying goodbye to everyone, he set out on his journey.
Inventory: money, general's sword given by Chao Ping, supplies useful for the upcoming task, documents (if any exist/are needed).