NEEDS UPDATING

1. Get Construct expertise from a Construct Master in a Chirop jail
1a. Investigate Heartstone, north of Luttiim (P’orihc, Ki’stha, Raze)
1b. Help investigate Heartstone and/or burn it down (John and Lucida)
2. Investigate the upside-down tower between Teleiat and Magusalto (Vandolf, Kleigg)
2a. Escort coffin to tower
3. What did I say about talking to strangers. (Kleigg)

You busted into the infirmary or medical ward or whatever, so you can move about the building's halls without being seen from outside the hole.

Girl 5: "They probably don't want to be powerless in here. Though, we can't really get out if they're waiting around out there. Are you sure you can take them on? All ten of them?"

Girl 1: "... Seahorse swords? Their swords are some strong artificial matter but nothing else special about them. The armor is formed by a thing they're wearing under the armor, like an amulet or something.

I don't think they all have the armor, though. When Emiel was still working here he only built three of those in the first place. He might've built other armors, I don't know.

The long building close to the south dorm, that's where they're keeping the Mother and fusers - the girls they're going to fuse into the Mother. That's where the products normally stay, too. If you could threaten or bluff to destroy the Mother, they'll probably be on the defensive."

Girl 1: "The Mother is what creates the products. Alku, she was one of us, and was apparently a good 'base'. They used a machine to force her spirit to create a child spirit and then extracted that, incubating it in another machine. Alku's child-spirit was the first part of Mother. She's materialized now, I think.

The fusers are girls like some of us - girls with abilities that the directors see as valuable. Fusers are forced to produce new spirits which are extracted and fused into Mother, giving her that ability. There was a Mother before Alku's child-spirit. The directors experimented fusing male spirits into her, but it damaged her ability to produce offspring spirits. Alku's is the second Mother.

Mother isn't complete right now, there are still fusers that haven't been used yet. The process to force a girl to produce a new spirit is slow, mostly because they only develop that ability past a certain age.

Maybe you could convince Mother to rebel. She's probably the single-strongest person here right now, not counting whatever tricks you have up your sleeve."

Girl 1: "I dunno. Probably keeping her somewhere separate from us. She's valuable to the project. If something happens to the current Mother, they can use her to make a new one, though it'll take a while to pile on new spirits. I'd bet she's in the same building as Mother."

Girl 1: "Some of us can move mana, some of us don't even know how to use our magic. None of us need our magic suppressed for our own safety, though.

I don't know if the building has antimagic systems like the dorms, I imagine it'd have at at least a partial or emergency system."

Girl 1: "Uuuh. I'd say 'no' but I think 'I don't know' would be the safer answer."

Artifact (0/1):

Inventory:
-Mana Stone (Mana: 0/15.3)
-Mage Stone (Mana: 0/10)
-Mage Stone (Mana: 0/10)
-Mage Stone (Mana: 0/31)
-Mage Stone (Mana: 0/50)
-Release Stone (Output: 15)
-Release Stone (Output: 3.3)
-Release Stone (Output: 3.3)
-Release Stone (Output: 3.3)
-Focus Stone
--Course Correction (Repeat the Land/Miss on a melee attack (consuming AP), but the target has 0 Evasion)
--Propulsion Blast (Power a melee attack with a kinetic blast on impact [no AP/Mana is lost from Propulsion Blast if the melee attack misses]) (+Damage = Arcane + Mana)

-Power Flow Bracelet (Output: 0.1) (Mana: 0/1)
--Memory Stone: Use Power Flow on the wearer as long as there is mana

-Healing Lantern (Mana: 0/100)

-Gold Coin (Qty.7)
-Silver Coin (Qty. 3)
-Copper Coin (Qty. 28)

-Envelope (Roll 222)
--Handwritten Notes
--Project Heartstone Notes

-Kinetic Bolt Staff (Construct) (Security: Level 2 - Code 47) (Mana: 0/1, Output: 2)
-Cotton Shirt
-Potato Sack Pants

-Crossbow Bolt (+2 Edge , +2 Impact) (Qty. 10)
-Crossbow Bolt (AM Head) (+4 Impact) (Qty. 9)
-Marble (Artificial Matter) (+0 Impact) (Qty. 1)

-Taschenblitz II (Mana: 65) (UNARMED)

-Halberd (Artificial Matter) (Security: Level 2 - Code 47) (20/20 Durability) (+15/15 Edge | +10/10 Trauma)

Equipped:
Lucida (Longsword) (+50 Edge | +8 Impact | +40 Arcane) (Mana: 300/3000) (Mana Regen: 100)
(Magic)
-Lucida Armor (Absorbs all damage) (17 Armor Resilience, 1500 Durability) (+50 Strength, +30 Evasion, +10 Speed) (Immune to Telepathy)
-Illuminate (Create light, blinding a target if strong enough) (Inflicts Blind = Arcane + Mana)
-Radiance (Create a powerful light, blinding everyone around you) (Inflicts Blind = Arcane + Mana)
-Megaflare (Unleash a white torrent of flame that incinerates) (Inflicts Burn + On Fire = Arcane + Mana, Blind = [Arcane + Mana] * 0.5)
-Haste (Single Turn Condition) (Cast at beginning of turn) (Speed up a target, increasing its Speed) (+Speed = Arcane + Mana)
-Accelerated Repair (Speed up the body’s natural healing process on a target, clearing conditions) (Turns given = Arcane + Mana)
-Fast Forward (Speed up a target, granting it additional AP) (Cannot use AP gained from FF to cast FF) (0.1 AP = Mana)
-Divine Mirror (Passive) (+100% Light magic effectiveness, Immune to Blind from light)

-Roast Bird Drumstick (+1.5 Impact)

-Running Pants (+1 Evasion)
-Combat Boots (+1 Evasion)
-Bandages (Old)
-Bandages (Old)

-Black Mage’s Hooded Robe (5 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+4/4 Physical Defense) (Armor does not take damage from Trauma)
-Padded Shirt (5 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+4/4 Physical Defense) (Armor does not take damage from Trauma)
-Plate Armor (Artificial Matter) (Security: Level 2 - Code 47) (10 Armor Resilience , 40/40 Durability) (+20/20 Physical Defense)

-Gauntlet (Artificial Matter) (Security: Level 2 - Code 47) (Right Hand) (+5 Impact) (7 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+15/15 Physical Defense)
-Gauntlet (Artificial Matter) (Security: Level 2 - Code 47) (Left Hand) (+5 Impact) (7 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+15/15 Physical Defense)
-Greave (Artificial Matter) (Security: Level 2 - Code 47) (10 Armor Resilience , 40/40 Durability) (+20/20 Physical Defense)
-Greave (Artificial Matter) (Security: Level 2 - Code 47) (10 Armor Resilience , 40/40 Durability) (+20/20 Physical Defense)

Skills:
(Magic)
-(Spirit)
--(Mana)
---Deposit (Discharge a select amount of mana into a source that is in contact) (does not consume AP)
---Withdrawal (Take a select amount of mana from a source that is in contact) (does not consume AP)
---Form Artificial Matter (Create magic’d solids) (Durability: Steel) (Efficiency: 1 Mana = 2 Durability)
---Form Memory Stone (Create a memory stone) (Efficiency: Low)
---Form Mana Stone (Create a mana stone) (Efficiency: 1 Capacity = 6 Mana)
---Form Conduit (Create mana conduits)
---Form Release (Create a release crystal) (Efficiency: 1 Capacity = 8 Mana)
---Form Focus (Create a focus crystal) (Efficiency: 1 Ability = 8 Mana , Ability Strength (per ability): 100% = 8 Mana [cannot exceed 100%])
---Form Sparker (Create a Mana Sparker) (Efficiency: 1 Impulse = 0.01)
---Security Sequence (Level: 2) (Load a memory crystal with a magic sequence that protects the construct from deconstruction)
-(Kinetic)
--(Impulse) (Offensive skills lower target’s Will by 50% for Stagger check)
---Micro Meteor (Launch an object with kinetic force) (+ to Projectile = Arcane + Mana)
---Meteor Shower (Fire multiple projectiles with damage evenly distributed) (Inflicts Total + to Projectile = Arcane + Mana)
---Kinetic Bolt (Launch an orb of kinetic energy that explodes upon impact) (Inflicts Trauma = Arcane + Mana)
---Levitation (pick up and levitate small objects)
---Course Correction (Repeat the Land/Miss on a melee attack (consuming AP), but the target has 0 Evasion)
---Blast Wave (Lets out a powerful but short-ranged concussive wave) (Inflicts Trauma = [Arcane + Mana] * 1.5)
---Propulsion Blast (Power a melee attack with a kinetic blast on impact [no AP/Mana is lost from Propulsion Blast if the melee attack misses]) (+Damage = Arcane + Mana)
---Counter Force (Single Turn Condition) (Applies counteracting forces to a target, lowering strength and evasion) (-Strength, -Evasion = Arcane + Mana)
---Impulse Evasion (Evasion) (Can use Standard AP or Evasion AP) (Launch yourself with kinetics to evade an attack) (Can be used when Stumbled, can be used to recover from a Stumble) (Evasion = Arcane + MP)
--(Fortification) (If cast with Mana, Mana is only drained when abilities are disturbed/buffed attacks land)
---Stabilize (Direct Magic) (Single Turn Condition) (Lock an object’s movement relative to a target) (+Trauma Resistance = Arcane + MP)
---Lockdown (Single Turn Condition) (Lock your bones in place and petrify your skin, resisting damage) (+Physical Damage Resistance = Arcane + Mana , affected parts are unable to move [affects evasion])
---Power Flow (Single Turn Condition) (Cast at beginning of turn) (Fortify your bones and strengthen their movements with kinetics) (+Strength = Arcane + Mana)
---Agility Flow (Single Turn Condition) (Cast at beginning of turn) (Fortify your bones and accelerate their movements with kinetics) (+Evasion = Arcane + Mana)
-(Thermic)
--(Fire)
---Heat (Direct Magic) (Warm up a target, burning it with enough energy) (Inflicts Burn = Arcane + Mana)
---Fireball (Launch an orb that unleashes an explosion of heat on impact) (Inflicts Burn = Arcane + Mana)
--(Ice)
---Freeze (Cool down a target, freezing it with enough energy) (Consumes 2x AP) (Inflicts Freeze = Arcane + Mana)
-(Pure)
--(Light)
---Illuminate (Create light, blinding a target if strong enough) (Inflicts Blind = Arcane + Mana)

(Physical)
-Evade (Evasion) (Dodge an incoming attack) (Dodge successful if Evasion >= Attack Aim) (Uses Standard AP or Evasion AP)
-Intermission (Spend 1 standard AP to recover 1 Stamina and Mana, and expedite debuff recovery by 1 turn)

(Hybrid)
-Falling Star (Modifier, Melee) (Used with another attack, does not consume AP) (Leap up into the air with kinetic force and attack while falling, strengthening the damage of a single attack) (+Strength = Evasion + Arcane + Mana, Evasion is 0 for the next incoming attack)

(Other)
-Counter Strike (Counter) (Instantly attack following an enemy’s attack if your Speed Roll is higher)

Passives:
Strength: 6
Arcane: 13
Aim: 8
Evasion: 5 +2
Will: 7
Speed: 5

-Berserker (Passive) (Grants a separate pool of AP for melee attacks)
-Fortified Resolve (Grants a separate pool of AP for Fortification magic)
-Acrobat (Grants a separate pool of AP for evasion)
-Accelerator (Passive) (+10% Damage and Aim to all “Meteor” skills)
-Quick Rest (Passive) (If no action in the turn, all standard AP is recovered at the end of the turn) (Cannot be used if stumbled or in negative standard AP)
-Constitution (+15% Maximum Base HP)

Ommel: "Tabi you're MARRIED!?"

Tabi: "W-wha no that's not what he meant we're"

Ommel: "Engaged!? And you didn't even tell me!? Don't tell me you've done it already! Oh my god how far along are you?"

Tabi: "NOthat'snotwhatImeantwe'renottogetherlikethatImeanhe'sniceandAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

She runs blushed-face into the trees opposite to Stahlnacht, vanishing from view.

Ommel: "She knows I was kidding, right."

Iikua: "You've only seen her like three times and you're already back to that again."

Ommel: "I started the first time I saw her since she 'died', thankyouverymuch."

Tuva: "So, what's your relationship with her, Kleigg?"

Iikua: "I'll go get her."

The eldest daughter leaves.

Ommel smiles sweetly at you, her hands clasped in front of her chest.

Ommel: "Awww, you really do like her. Well, I honestly think the two of you would be a wonderful match."

Kiire: "Aren't you a human?"

Kuva: "Well Kleigg, you've helped her and all of us out a great deal, even bringing her back to see us. I don't know how Tabi feels about the whole thing, but I'd be happy to have you as a part of our family. Even if it's a bit, unconventional."

Diitali: "But Ku, he's a human."

Kuva: "Hey, don't you know men?"

He gives you a wink and a thumbs up.

Kuva: "Anything that moves."

Iikua soon returns with Tabi, the latter looking down at the ground as she walks. On the end of the forest where Stahlnacht went, there's a large barren valley where there used to be trees. the metal witch still visible and extracting earth and plants from the land.

It looks like Ommel is going to say something, but she simply smiles at Tabi.

Iikua: "Is the witch still eating land? Does it have any seeds?"

Kuva: "If it doesn't, maybe it'll get 'em later.

So, what's the big plan? We're far away from the leviathan and the construct or whatever. Guess we're setting up a long-term home in the witch core?"

Artifact (1/1):
-Caelum Earth Token (+5 Will)

Inventory:
-Silver Coin (Qty. 1)

-Note from “E”
-Small Pouch
--”Negative Fabric”
-Quill (Qty. 3)
-Inkpot
-Paper (Qty. 10)
-Mana Stone (20/20)
-Padded Shirt (5 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+4/4 Physical Defense) (Armor does not take damage from Trauma)
-Shortsword (+5 Edge | +2 Impact)
-Potato Sack Pants
-Paper Bomb (Detonates after 10 seconds after pulling string) (Power: 100) (Qty. 1)
-Spool of Thread
-Runic Assassin Gauntlet (Mana: 0/??)
--(Magic)
---Kinetic Blade (Single Turn Condition) (Strike with a blade of cutting kinetic force) (+Edge = Mana)
---Compression Barrier (Form a barrier of extremely compressed air around self, reducing damage and becoming invisible) (Durability = Mana/2, +Evasion = Mana, disregards Critical Shot) (Consumes 1 Mana at the end of EVERY turn)
---Conflagration (The user bursts into flames, destroying evidence) (Burn = 100, On Fire = 20)

-Running Pants (+1 Evasion)
-Burlap Cloak (2 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+1/1 Physical Defense) (Armor does not take damage from Trauma)

-Tan Coat
-Red Cloth Square

-Hair Shirt (-2 Physical Actions)

-Steel Mace (+10 Impact)
-Round Shield (Artificial Matter) (Left Hand) (+5 Impact) (+8 Strength and Aim when evading) (7 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+15/15 Physical Defense)

-Steel Helmet (10 Armor Resilience , 40/40 Durability) (+20/20 Physical Defense)
-Steel Cuirass (10 Armor Resilience , 14.8/40 Durability) (+7.4/20 Physical Defense)

-Witched Eitulta Lamp (Skill: Stahlnacht’s Key [Requires 10 ???]) (???: 10/10)

Equipped:
-Grey Dress Pants
-Combat Boots (+1 Evasion)
-White Dress Shirt

-Hexestahl (+30 Edge, +2 Impact)

Skills:
(Magic)
-(???)
--(Mana)
---Deposit (Discharge a select amount of mana into a source that is in contact)
---Withdrawal (Take a select amount of mana from a source that is in contact)
--(???)
---Extrasensory (Detects magic in the area) (Does not consume AP)
-(???)
--(Negation)
---Nullify (Reduce the effectiveness of a magic instance, cancelling it with enough effort)
---Zero Field (Create a persistent nullification effect on a target or area) (Inflicts Null Body = Arcane + MP)
---Capture (Grab an instance of a spell or piece of Artificial Matter, storing it along with its mana)
---Release (Cast a spell that was stored with Capture [removes spell from storage])
---Delete (Delete a captured spell) (Does not consume AP)
---Reversal (Reverses the Light/Dark polarity of a magic instance) (Fire<->Ice , Impulse<->Fortification , Light<->Dark , Electric caster/user is switched) (Reverse Strength = Arcane + Mana)

(Physical)
-Intermission (Spend 1 standard AP to recover 1 Stamina and Mana, and expedite debuff recovery by 1 turn)
-Evade (Evasion) (Dodge an incoming attack) (Dodge successful if Evasion >= Attack Aim) (Uses Standard AP or Evasion AP)

(Hybrid)

(Other)
-Escape! (Roll a 5 or higher to successfully run away from a battle)

Passives:
Strength: 5
Arcane: 6
Aim: 8
Evasion: 4
Will: 12 +5
Speed: 1

-Nullifier (+20% Negation Magic Effectiveness)
-Null Body (-5 Non-Negation Magic, +5 Magic Resistance)

Black Mage: "Dangerous how? We gotta get 'em out somehow. Besides, once we take out the antimagic systems they'll be able to use whatever abilities they have to protect themselves."

The three of you locate a stairwell a few steps away from your location, leading up and upper and lower level. Taking the stairs down one level, they end with a locked metal door.

Black Mage: "Guess it'd be too convenient to leave everything unlocked."

The blue mage crouches down to view the keyhole, pulling some thin metal rods out and fiddling with the lock.

Blue Mage: "Well, at least it seems standard."

A few minutes pass before the barrel of the lock turns, the blue mage successfully opening the mechanism.

Blue Mage: "There we go."

The door is opened, revealing dimly lit arcane machinery.

Black Mage: "Alright, let's find an off switch instead of randomly smashing stuff. Unless if you want to do that, I'm cool with smashing."

Artifact (1/1):
-Caelum Wind Token (+5 Evasion)

Inventory:
-Basic Magic Theory (Book)
-Crude Mana Stone (Mana: 1/1)
-Crossbow Bolt (+2 Edge , +2 Impact) (Qty. 18)
-Cotton Shirt
-Potato Sack Pants
-Paper with Address (Arcane Suppliers - Production Manager’s Office, Magusalto)

-Crossbow (+20 to projectile) (Range: 6) (EMPTY)

-Steel Longsword (+10 Edge | +4 Impact)

-Red Stone?

Equipped:
-Bracelet
--Focus Stone (Skills: Power Flow)

-Piercing Colichemarde (Construct) (Security: Level 3) (+10 Edge | +3 Aim | +3 Defense Ignore) (Mana: 60/60, Output: 30)
--Kinetic Lance (Single Turn Condition) (Does not consume AP) (Reinforce the point of the weapon, improving its damage and effectiveness against armor) (+Damage = Mana, Defense Ignore = Mana)

-Running Pants (+1 Evasion)
-Combat Boots (+1 Evasion)

-Padded Shirt (5 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+4/4 Physical Defense) (Armor does not take damage from Trauma)
-Grey Mage’s Hooded Robe (5 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+4/4 Physical Defense) (Armor does not take damage from Trauma)

Skills:
(Magic)
-(Spirit)
--(Mana)
---Deposit (Discharge a select amount of mana into a source that is in contact)
-(Electric)
--(Telepathy) (Skills ignore Evasion and do not consume Mana)
---Message (Sends a telepathic message to a target/multiple targets) (does not consume AP)
---Receive (Picks up on thoughts if people are thinking hard enough) (does not consume AP)
---Trace (Find the source of a tendril from an active spell that uses one)
---Proxy (Create a fake mind at a specified location that you can direct to use telepathy)
---Mental Security (Strengthen your defense against Telepathy) (Inflicts Mind Guard = Arcane)
---Locate (Does not consume AP) (Telepathically scan the area and locate people)
---Analyze (Degrading Condition) (Probe the target's thoughts to discover its behavior and stats) (+Evasion +Aim against target = Arcane - target_Will)
---Mind Control (Force the target to perform an action) (Arcane must be higher than target's Will)
---Calling the Shots (Does not consume AP) (Successfully predict what skill [and order of skills, if performing multiple calls] an enemy will perform, and increase your Evasion by 100% of its base value to that attack. AP will not be consumed while dodging that attack)
-(Thermic)
--(Fire)
---Heat (Direct Magic) (Warm up a target, burning it with enough energy) (Inflicts Burn = Arcane + Mana)
--(Ice)
---Freeze (Cool down a target, freezing it with enough energy) (Consumes 2x AP) (Inflicts Freeze = Arcane + Mana)
-(Pure)
--(Light)
---Illuminate (Create light, blinding a target if strong enough) (Inflicts Blind = Arcane + Mana)

(Physical)
-Flight (Capable of sustained flight. It takes 1 AP to take off [but not land]. Stops Stamina regen during flight, drains 1 stamina at the end of every roll. User specifies Altitude: If user is stumbled while in flight, takes Trauma equal to Altitude) (Altitude climb per turn = Strength) (+Evasion = Altitude)
-Evade (Evasion) (Dodge an incoming attack) (Dodge successful if Evasion >= Attack Aim) (Uses Standard AP or Evasion AP)

(Hybrid)

(Other)

Passives:
Strength: 1
Arcane: 12
Aim: 6
Evasion: 7 +7
Will: 4
Speed: 2

-Edge Alignment (+10% Damage and Aim to attacks with edged weapons)
-Aerial Evasion (Passive) (Can use Flight right after an enemy attack is successfully evaded on the ground)
-Mind Guard (+1 Telepathy Resistance)
-Acrobat (Passive) (Grants a separate pool of AP for evasion)
-Multiprocessing (Passive) (Grants a separate pool of AP for Telepathic magic)

Artifact (1/1):
-Caelum Lightning Token (+5 Speed)

Inventory:
-Copper Coin (Qty. 5)
-Cotton Shirt (Qty. 5)
-Potato Sack Pants
-Thick Cotton Pants (Qty. 4)

Equipped:
-Running Pants (+1 Evasion)
-Combat Boots (+1 Evasion)

-Rifle Ramrod (+2 Trauma)

-Padded Shirt (5 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+4/4 Physical Defense) (Armor does not take damage from Trauma)
-Blue Mage’s Hooded Robe (5 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+4/4 Physical Defense) (Armor does not take damage from Trauma)

Skills:
(Magic)
-(Electric)
--(Lightning) (Aim of skills is increased 50%)
---Shocking Touch (Electrify a target within arm’s reach) (Inflicts Electrocution = [Arcane + Mana] * 1.5)
---Lightning Bolt (Strike a ranged target with a lightning bolt) (Inflicts Electrocution = Arcane + Mana)
---Forked Lightning (Hit multiple targets with damage evenly distributed) (Inflicts Total Electrocution = Arcane + Mana)
---Ball Lightning (Create an electric artifact that releases all of its energy upon contact) (Electrocution = Arcane + Mana)
---Discharge (Does not consume AP) (Release any number of electric artifacts)

(Physical)
-Flight (Capable of sustained flight. It takes 1 AP to take off [but not land]. Stops Stamina regen during flight, drains 1 stamina at the end of every roll. User specifies Altitude. If user is stumbled while in flight, takes Trauma equal to Altitude) (Altitude climb per turn = Strength) (+Evasion = Altitude)
-Evade (Evasion) (Dodge an incoming attack) (Dodge successful if Evasion >= Attack Aim) (Uses Standard AP or Evasion AP)

(Hybrid)

(Other)

Passives:
Strength: 1
Arcane: 10
Aim: 7
Evasion: 8
Will: 2
Speed: 4+5

-Capacitance (Maintain a number of active electric artifacts)

Parasitism doesn't seem implausible here, but there's no saying for sure right now.

You and Tuhota head back to the armory, where you drop off your damaged gear and put on your robe.

Guard: "Hey, did you hear? There's going to be a public announcement soon, in front of the courthouse."

You grab a brigandine from the armory and then ask a guard where the courthouse is before heading off.

It's close to the center of the city, but a bit more to the west with a large open grassy lawn in front of it, plenty of space for the crowd that's already there, waiting.

Joining the crowd at its edge, you wait with everyone else until a small group of people walk up the steps of the courthouse, one of them moving up to the podium there. Lord Elizabeth.

She looks over to someone to the side who flashes a thumbs up, and then turns to face the audience, speaking with a magic-amplified voice.

Elizabeth: "Hey everyone, thanks for coming out. Things have been a bit rough lately, and I'm not happy to say that it's about to get a lot worse.

A leviathan has appeared to the west, between Magusalto, Venari, and Teleiat. Along with a witch queen, a large dragon, and a giant humanoid construct, and they're all fighting.

There is some good news - Vranhal, Esthen, and the Second have agreed on a ceasefire and a temporary alliance to handle the situation. Most sniper teams have already been positioned on the west side of the wall. Both Vranhal and the Second are organizing scouting teams to get a better idea on what's going on.

To ensure an adequate production of food and supplies, Vranhal is being placed under full military control, effective at noon.

We've been through some tough times, but we've been successful so far. Let's keep up that track record."

She walks away from the podium while someone else steps up to ask everyone to calmly disperse, walking not running.

Tuhota: "Leviathan sounds bad."

Artifact (1/1):
-Caelum Fire Token (+1 Basic AP)

Inventory:
-Vranhal Guest House Key
-Folding Peasant’s Knife (+3 Edge)

-Mana Stone (Mana: 22/22)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 22/22)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 21/21)

-Coin Purse
--Copper Coin (Qty. 11)
--Silver Coin (Qty. 3)

-Coin Purse
--Gold Coin (Qty. 10)

-Memory Stone Fragment

-Leather Carrying Bag
--Wooden Protection Totem (Mana: 157/205)
---Mana Stones (8/8)
----Regenerating Mana Stone (?/24) (Regenerates 1 Mana per turn)
----Mana Stone (Mana: ?/30)
----Mana Stone (Mana: ?/30)
----Mana Stone (Mana: ?/30)
----Mana Stone (Mana: ?/24)
----Mana Stone (Mana: ?/23)
----Mana Stone (Mana: ?/22)
----Mana Stone (Mana: ?/22)

-Steel Plated Brown Cloak (14 Armor Resilience , 40/40 Durability) (+16 Physical Defense)
-Leather Brigandine (5 Armor Resilience , 30/30 Durability) (+10/10 Physical Defense) (Armor does not take damage from Trauma)

Equipped:
-Shaman Medallion (Kyeltziv)
-Running Pants (+1 Evasion)
-Combat Boots (+1 Evasion)

Skills:
(Magic)
-(Spirit)
--(Entity)
---Meditation (Relaxes and strengthens your soul, resisting outside spirits) (Inflicts Inner Peace = Arcane + Mana)
---Spirit Channel (Let a spirit use your body to perform an action) (Consumes AP for spirit actions)
---Spirit Lance (Attack another spirit, weakening it) (Cannot miss) (-Arcane, -Aim, -Will = Will + Mana)
---Bind Spirit (Affix a spirit to a physical object with a Haunt)
---Possession Break (Forcefully detach a spirit’s bind) (Cannot miss) (Possession is broken if your Will is greater than Spirit’s will x2)
-(Kinetic)
--(Fortification) (Mana is only drained when abilities are disturbed)
---Power Flow (Single Turn Condition) (Cast at beginning of turn) (Fortify your bones and strengthen their movements with kinetics) (+Strength = Arcane + Mana)
---Agility Flow (Single Turn Condition) (Cast at beginning of turn) (Fortify your bones and accelerate their movements with kinetics) (+Evasion = Arcane + Mana)

(Physical)
-Chilling Howl (Degrading Condition) (Strike fear into enemies, lowering their Aim and Arcane) (-Aim , -Arcane = Will)
-Evade (Evasion) (Dodge an incoming attack) (Dodge successful if Evasion >= Attack Aim) (Uses Standard AP or Evasion AP)

(Hybrid)

(Other)

Passives:
Strength: 8
Arcane: 8
Aim: 7
Evasion: 5 +2
Will: 10
Speed: 6

-Sixth Sense (Passive) (+5 Magic Evasion)
-Berserker (Grants a separate pool of AP for melee attacks)
-Acrobat (Passive) (Grants a separate pool of AP for evasion)
-Inner Peace (+5 Spirit magic effectiveness, +5 Spirit Magic Resistance)
-Constitution (+10% Maximum Base HP)

The girl responds instead - a young blonde who looks like she's lacking in sleep.

Blonde: "Who are you?"

Blonde: "Those are the heartstone products, they're what we're trying to stop. John and Lucida are inside the northern dorm, all the dorms have antimagic systems. Andrew's near the west dorm being in trouble, P'orihc and some other guys are inside this building. I'm Noel, nice to meet you. Can you fight?"

Noel: "Cool."

She peers the corner of the building.

Noel: "Chrys! I mean, Aucupe! Tell Andrew to give this lupus a view of the area!"

The blonde points towards the white feathered beast on the short watchtower.

Noel: "That's Chrys, she likes being called Aucupe. She's with us."

Suddenly, an image pops into your mind - an overhead view of the facility grounds.

You can see the combat map!

Noel: "You don't know what this whole thing is about?"

Nope.

Noel: "In a nutshell, this facility is experimenting on girls to make weapons. Those armored ones are the weapons.

I hope you can fight well, because I can't and Ki'stha here just went brain-dead."

Artifact (0/1):

Inventory:
-Copper Coin (Qty. 33)
-Silver Coin (Qty. 5)
-Gold Coin (Qty. 7)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 16/20)
-Mage Stone (Mana: 9/10)
-Orb (Artificial Matter) (Runic Spell: Mana Storage 26) (Mana: 0)

-Handheld Eitulta Lamp (Skill: Illuminate) (Release: 1) (Mana: 0/20)

-Short Spear (+4 Edge) (Qty. 2)
-Shortsword (+5 Edge | +2 Impact)
-Shortsword (+5 Edge | +2 Impact)
-Shortsword (+5 Edge | +2 Impact)
-Steel Longsword (+10 Edge | +4 Impact)
-Steel Longsword (+10 Edge | +4 Impact)

-Crossbow Bolt (+2 Edge , +2 Impact) (Qty. 19)

-Paper (Spirit Map Runic Spell)
-Paper (Spirit Map Runic Spell 2)
-Paper (Light Grenade Runic Spell)
-Paper (Taschenblitz) >Make a similar rune spell, one that is armed once its mana reserves increase by 0.5, like before. When it is armed, it locks onto the nearest spirit with a complexity over 30 and treats this spirit as its master. If the master spirit is within 8 meters, the spell will always do nothing. If the master spirit is farther away than that however, it will release all of its mana as light if a spirit with complexity over 30 comes within 2 meters of it.
-Paper (Taschenblitz II) >Locks onto the nearest spirit with a complexity over 30 and treats this spirit as its master. If the master spirit is within 8 meters, the spell will always do nothing. If the master spirit is farther away than that however, it will release all of its mana as light evenly distributed 0.5 meters away from the compass if a spirit with complexity over 30 comes within 2 meters of it.
-Paper (Fire Mine) >Locks onto the nearest spirit with a complexity over 30 and treats this spirit as its master. If the master spirit is within 8 meters, the spell will always do nothing. If the master spirit is farther away than that however, it will release all of its mana as heat from the compass if a spirit with complexity over 30 comes within 2 meters of it.
-Paper (Mana Storage) >Rune spell that searches for the closest spirit with complexity over 30. If that spirit is very, very close, ie approximately held against their chest, then it transfers its mana into that creature.
-Paper (Mana Storage 2) >Rune spell that searches for the closest spirit with complexity over 30 if the rune is set to T. If that spirit is very, very close, ie approximately held against their chest, then it transfers 2 mana into that creature and sets to F. Must be taken out of the specified range to set back to T.
-Paper (Obscuring Light) upon activation locks onto the nearest spirit and treats it as its master. It then looks for the most complex spirit that isn't its master within 20 meters and creates a 6 meter cube around that spirit with points of light, meant to obscure that spirit's vision

-Taschenblitz II (Mana: 0) (NO BUTTON)

Equipped:
-Cotton Shirt
-Potato Sack Pants

-Crossbow (+20 to projectile) (Range: 6) (LOADED)

-Steel Helmet (10 Armor Resilience , 40/40 Durability) (+20/20 Physical Defense)
-Steel Cuirass (10 Armor Resilience , 40/40 Durability) (+20/20 Physical Defense)

-Gauntlet (Artificial Matter) (Right Hand) (+13.5/18 Impact) (6.75/9 Weight) (10 Armor Resilience , 30/40 Durability) (+15/20 Physical Defense)
-Gauntlet (Artificial Matter) (Left Hand) (+13.5/18 Impact) (6.75/9 Weight) (10 Armor Resilience , 30/40 Durability) (+15/20 Physical Defense)

Skills:
(Magic)
-(Spirit)
--(Mana)
---Deposit (Discharge a select amount of mana into a source that is in contact) (does not consume AP)
---Withdrawal (Take a select amount of mana from a source that is in contact) (does not consume AP)

(Physical)
-Flurry (Melee three times, each attack dealing one third of your normal damage [consumes 1 AP])
-Metabolize (Exert your will over your body, forcing it to produce energy faster than normal) (+Stamina = Will)

-Evade (Evasion) (Dodge an incoming attack) (Dodge successful if Evasion >= Attack Aim) (Uses Standard AP or Evasion AP)
-Weak Block (Evasion) (Intercept an attack to defend yourself) (Block connects if your Aim >= Attack Aim) (-Damage = 0.5*Strength) (Uses Standard AP or Melee AP)
-Delay and Evade (Evasion) (Intercept the attack to delay it, and immediately follow up with an evade) (+Evasion = Aim) (Uses [a single] Standard AP or Evasion AP)

(Hybrid)

(Other)
-Offhand Strike (Counter) (When dual wielding and you evade or block using one weapon, instantly follow up with an attack from your other weapon with no additional AP cost)

-Runic Magic (Draw runes for rune-based magic)
--Basic Runes (Structuring of runic spells, numbers, math, distance)
--Thermal (Raw thermal energy)
--Light (Light energy [Not light magic])
--Spirit Detection (Nth Spirit, Nearest Spirit, Complexity)
-->Spirit Map Runic Spell< (1-20 Nth spirits)

(Heroic) (Each ability uses 10 Heroic AP)
-Skin of My Teeth (When you fail to evade an attack, redo the evade while disregarding any negative conditions and increasing your Evasion by your Will) (Automatically triggers if the attack would be lethal)

Passives:
Strength: 9
Arcane: 1
Aim: 15
Evasion: 4
Will: 6
Speed: 1

-Sixth Sense (Passive) (+3 Magic Evasion)
-Edge Alignment (+20% Damage and Aim to attacks with edged weapons)
-Momentum (Passive) (Keep yourself moving, increasing damage with each attack) (Buff ends when you fail to attack in a turn or are blocked or stumbled) (+Damage = 1d6 per attack , Max total +Damage = 2 * Strength)
-Critical Shot (Increases damage by extra Aim if initial damage to target is greater than 0)
-Berserker (Grants a separate pool of AP for melee attacks)
-Adrenaline Rush (Passive) (Stamina usage is twice as effective)

-Fleet Footed (Travel in the Overworld is doubled, +4 Combat Movement)

Artifact (1/1):
-Caelum Ice Token (+5 Aim)

Inventory:
-Coin Purse
--Silver Coin (Qty. 9)
--Gold Coin (Qty. 9)

-Kinetic Autocaster Revolver (Skill: Kinetic Bolt) (Range: 1) (Release: 30)
--Mana Stones (6/6)
---Mana Stone (27/30)
---Mana Stone (0/30)
---Mana Stone (0/30)
---Mana Stone (0/30)
---Mana Stone (0/30)
---Mana Stone (0/30)

-Vranhal Guest House Key

-Apple (Qty. 3)

Equipped:

-Navy Blue Jacket
-Running Pants (+1 Evasion)
-Combat Boots (+1 Evasion)

-Padded Shirt (5 Armor Resilience , 0/30 Durability) (+0/4 Physical Defense)

Skills:
-Stabilize (Spend the extra energy to hold still, increasing Aim for the next attack) (+Aim = Stamina)

-Evade (Evasion) (Dodge an incoming attack) (Dodge successful if Evasion >= Attack Aim) (Uses Standard AP or Evasion AP)

-Flight (Capable of sustained flight. It takes 1 AP to take off [but not land]. Stops Stamina regen during flight, drains 1 stamina at the end of every roll. User specifies Altitude: If user is stumbled while in flight, takes Trauma equal to Altitude) (Altitude climb per turn = Strength) (+Evasion = Altitude)

Passives:
Strength: 4
Arcane: 8
Aim: 15 +5
Evasion: 7 +2
Will: 4
Speed: 4

-Critical Shot (Increases damage by extra Aim if initial damage to target is greater than 0)

Inventory:

Equipped:

Skills:
(Magic)
-(Pure)
--(Light)
---Accelerated Repair (Speed up the body’s natural healing process on a target, clearing conditions) (Turns given = Arcane + Mana)

Passives:
Strength: 4
Arcane: 8
Aim: 8
Evasion: 4
Will: 4
Speed: 4

Inventory:
-Mana Stone (Mana: 22/22)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 20/20)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 19/19)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 3/19)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 0/19)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 0/19)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 0/19)
-Mana Stone (Mana: 0/19)

-Vranhal Guest House Key

-Coin Purse
--Gold Coin (Qty. 1)

Equipped:
-Black Dress
-Girl’s Dress Shoes

Skills:
(Magic)
-(Thermic)
--(Fire)
---Heat (Direct Magic) (Warm up a target, burning it with enough energy) (Inflicts Burn = Arcane + Mana)
---Flare (Unleash a torrent of flame that burns and sets targets on fire) (Burn + On Fire = Arcane + Mana)
---Fireball (Launch an orb that unleashes an explosion of heat on impact) (Inflicts Burn = Arcane + Mana)
---Flash Point (Launch an orb that sets a target on fire) (Inflicts On Fire = Arcane + Mana)
---Cauterize (Use heat to seal a wound) (Inflicts Burn = [Arcane + Mana] * 0.1 , Removes Cut, Frozen = Arcane + Mana)
---Mirage (Heat the air to cause distortions, lowering Aim and increasing Evasion on the target) (-Aim = Arcane + Mana, +Evasion = Arcane + Mana)

-Evade (Evasion) (Dodge an incoming attack) (Dodge successful if Evasion >= Attack Aim) (Uses Standard AP or Evasion AP)

Passives:
Strength: 2
Arcane: 19
Aim: 18
Evasion: 8
Will: 2
Speed: 6

-Pyromania (Passive) (+50% Fire magic effectiveness) (No damage taken from Cauterize) (No Aim reduction taken from Mirage)
-Twin Dragons (Flare casts twice [on 1 AP])
-Mana Regeneration (Mana regenerates 2 per turn)

Inventory:

Equipped:

Skills:
(Magic)
-(Spirit)
--(Mana)
---Form Swift Feather (Persistent Condition) (Create an AM feather that improves movement) (+1 Evasion, +1 Speed, +0.2 Movement) (A Swift Feather is lost every time you are struck)
---Form Armor Feather (Persistent Condition) (Create an AM feather that offers protection) (10 Armor Resilience, 10/10 Durability) (+10/10 Physical Defense) (Durability and Physical Defense stacks with more Armor Feathers)
-(Kinetic)
--(Impulse)
---Kinetic Blade (Single Turn Condition) (Does not consume AP if used with a Melee Attack) (Strike with a blade of cutting kinetic force) (+Edge = Arcane + Mana)

(Physical)
-Evade (Evasion) (Dodge an incoming attack) (Dodge successful if Evasion >= Attack Aim) (Uses Standard AP or Evasion AP)

(Hybrid)
-Feather Shot (Range = 5) (Does not consume AP) (Launch feathers out like arrows, damaging enemies) (Swift Feather: Cut = Arcane) (Armor Feather: Trauma = Arcane)

(Other)

(Heroic) (Each ability uses 10 Heroic AP)
-Grand Feather Duster (Create a total 20 feathers, any type)
-Feather Dragon (Let loose the inner beast, becoming stronger and faster) (+Strength = Feathers) (Bonuses from Swift Feathers are doubled) (Feather Dragon lasts for 3 turns [this one and the two after])

Passives:
Strength: 4
Arcane: 10
Aim: 14
Evasion: 13
Will: 4
Speed: 12

-Bird Catcher (Grants a separate AP pool for Feather creation)

-Berserker (Grants a separate pool of AP for melee attacks)
-Flurry (Melee three times, each attack dealing one third of your normal damage [consumes 1 AP])
-Efficient Attacking (Passive) (Melee attacks will only consume AP if successful) (Cannot queue more attacks than max AP)

-Acrobat (Grants a separate pool of AP for evasion)
-Efficient Evasion (Passive) (Evasions will only consume AP if successful)
-Glancing Blow (Passive) (On a failed Evasion skill that uses the Evasion stat, reduce the damage of the attack by some of your Evasion) (-%Damage = Evasion/AttackAim)

-Critical Shot (Increases damage by extra Aim if initial damage to target is greater than 0)
-Optimal Position (Increase damage by the difference between your and the enemy’s Evasion if your Evasion is higher)
-Setup Time (Increase damage by the difference between your and the enemy’s Speed roll if your Speed roll is higher)

-Mana Regeneration (Mana regenerates 2 per turn)