Witchers of Nifelheim - Part 3

"Violence wasn"t my intention but very well." She smiles giving Ursula a pat on the head, "So what can you tell us about the mainland?" She takes a seat back onto her bed.

Rain takes a long deep breath, "But... Let's think of it realistically." She looks her daughter over and smiles, "They know who we are... They know what we are... We aren't exactly subtle. Ursula you have done nothing but good for your home, you even have a name for yourself... The angel of Beauclair. They hate what your doing, But they trust that you know what your doing." She stands back up, placing her hand on Ursula's chin pushing her head up a bit, "so chin up... Your confident in what your doing. When they give you that glare, you show confidence in your cause and you don't let their trust go to waste. Because at the end of the day, they trust your judgement, and that your doing the right thing."

Disgruntled purple wrote:Twilight looks at Rogue, with an eyebrow raised.

"I don't know what information you missed, but she's helping several members of the enemy side infiltrate into their society, with unknown agendas. During a time of war, no less. That's treason, at least as far as they know. And from the view of the witchers on this ship, I can't blame that train of thought."

She gets up, laying a hand of Ursula's shoulder. "Nonetheless, you're doing the right thing. It's an unthankful job, and the scorn and barb will hurt. But that's the path some must walk to become a real boon to their nation."She gives a smile. "You'll see, once we've established a proper alliance, it has all been worth it. All thanks to you."

"I don't know what information you heard" Rogue replies to Twilight, "But I'd hardly call us enemy infiltrators. We've complied with every demand given of us, we've gone the extra mile to learn more about this culture and, let's be honest, if we were trying to infiltrate society, I personally don't think we could've been any more obviously who we are if we'd actually tried."

Kaylee Brown wrote:"Thank you" Ursula quietly said and smiled through the tears. Her expression quickly caught worry though:
"W-wait, mom, please, you don't have to do this. They're already on edge, if you storm onto the bridge and start shouting at him, they might really think we're trying to take over the ship."


She looks up at you with big, round eyes:
"You don't understand the situation there, the captain and his crew are expecting us to lash out at any moment. They're hands were practically glued to their weapons. Any provocation from our end will result in a bloodbath.
Please, lets just.. leave them be.. I can handle it" she wiped her eyes, sighing and pleadingly looking up at you again:

"Hearing your words is enough to keep me going. I don't want to be the reason for another fight.. please" she's looking at you with sad eyes.

"Why do they think we're going to lash out, onboard a crowded ship full of the king's personal guards?" Rogue asks Ursula, "If we were going to attack, it'd make more sense to've done it when it was just us and the caravan?"

Twilight gave a look of confusion to Rogue. "I really hope you're making a joke here. Isn't the answer to that literally your job? Honestly..." A shaking of the head follows.

She then looks at the stone. "Hmmm, can I take a look at the new spells? See what is there to offer?"

Disgruntled purple wrote:Twilight gave a look of confusion to Rogue. "I really hope you're making a joke here. Isn't the answer to that literally your job? Honestly..." A shaking of the head follows.

She then looks at the stone. "Hmmm, can I take a look at the new spells? See what is there to offer?"

"What d'you think my job is, a superspy?" Rogue asks Twilight, "I mean, I totally could do that, but there just isn't the money in the public sector right now."

Rain steps up to the spellstone, "I hate politics, and look where I ended up." She glances to Twilight and Rogue, "So Twilight! I'm sure your exited to get into the real meat of this world. All new spells for you to play with and a whole new worlds history to pick through, Unknown languages and copious amounts of adventure await!"

Rogue Fire wrote:
"What d'you think my job is, a superspy?" Rogue asks Twilight, "I mean, I totally could do that, but there just isn't the money in the public sector right now."

"I don't know what you are, or what to think of you. And you know why that is." She said. The tone was clear jokes weren't smart here.

Rain Runner wrote:
Rain steps up to the spellstone, "I hate politics, and look where I ended up." She glances to Twilight and Rogue, "So Twilight! I'm sure your exited to get into the real meat of this world. All new spells for you to play with and a whole new worlds history to pick through, Unknown languages and copious amounts of adventure await!"

She looks at Rain, a little less enthousiastic then her. "I'm a little more concerned about my children now. And while the culture could be interesting, I rather read about it then be thrown into it blindly. I guess I don't share the love for adventure with you."

Disgruntled purple wrote:

Rogue Fire wrote:
"What d'you think my job is, a superspy?" Rogue asks Twilight, "I mean, I totally could do that, but there just isn't the money in the public sector right now."

"I don't know what you are, or what to think of you. And you know why that is." She said. The tone was clear jokes weren't smart here.

"Hey, I only ACT like I don't take things seriously. When it really comes down to it I'm as committed as you are, I just prefer not to drone on about it all the time like it's its own religion or something" Rogue retorts to Twilight,

"The universe's dark enough as it is without us shuttering the blinds further, and I find that a cheery disposition helps one cope with otherwise overwhelming odds."

"Okay guys, lets.. calm down" Kaylee slightly raised her hands in a calming manner:
"We're all a little on edge with all that's been happening and.. so many of our children are still missing.. lets.. not fight okay?.. we've been through so much together, at this point, we're more than a team.. we're practically family." Kaylee released a shy, kind hearted smile.

Rain wrote:Rain takes a long deep breath, "But... Let's think of it realistically." She looks her daughter over and smiles, "They know who we are... They know what we are... We aren't exactly subtle. Ursula you have done nothing but good for your home, you even have a name for yourself... The angel of Beauclair. They hate what your doing, But they trust that you know what your doing." She stands back up, placing her hand on Ursula's chin pushing her head up a bit, "so chin up... Your confident in what your doing. When they give you that glare, you show confidence in your cause and you don't let their trust go to waste. Because at the end of the day, they trust your judgement, and that your doing the right thing."

Ursula slightly gasped, looking at Rain, as if realizing something, then her eyes became filled with determination and she nodded:

"You're right. I believe I'm doing the right thing, and I won't apologize for it anymore" she smiled with confidence, for the first time in a while:
"Thank you for telling me this. I really needed to hear it." She happily hugged Rain and stood like this for a while.



"I wanted to show you the local maps, so we can orient ourselves better" Ursula finally said and un-clipped two scrolls from her belt. As she began laying them over a short cabinet, using it as a makeshift table, her gaze became serious:


"Every time Machine folk showed up on Nifelheim, it was to murder everything in sight. Their only objective seemed to be our  extermination.

They always came from the same spot and always attacked on sight. But now.. something different happened"




She looked at Rogue, somewhat guiltily:
"...when I first met you, I fired a special signal flare, proclaiming the beginning of another Machine World Invasion.
Its not something one can easily cancel." She unfolded the scrolls that turned out to be maps.



"I fired the flare weeks ago. Word of it must have reached the capital city by now and the kings must have taken steps to counter the invasion.
They must know something is up.. that this 'Invasion' is different. Look"



She pointed at the red X at the top of the map, with two circles over it.
The writing above said - Machina Portal.













"Every invasion began here, at this spot. That's why we called it, the Machina Portal.

But this time, the invasion didn't start there. Rather, you came through the damaged pillar at Ashra.
Your appearance on Nifelheim went rather quietly, compared to the previous invasions. No noisy flying machines, no metal spiders, no soldiers in full metal suits, marching across the land and setting villages on fire.


Your appearance followed with zero casualties on both sides, that is unheard of. What's more, not only did you not try to exterminate us, you have been seen traveling with a civilian caravan and seemingly trying to integrate into our society.

Or pretending to do so. That is what the White Lotus are thinking. In their mind, Machine folk are the enemy, their purpose is to exterminate all Nifel folk.


And if brute force didn't work at the Machina Portal, perhaps now, the Machine world is trying something new, something more subtle. Perhaps a covert infiltration team"



Ursula grimly looked up at you:
"They don't know you, so they don't know what to expect from you, why you do the things that you do. They don't understand you at all and thus fail to interpret your actions.

The only thing they're sure of, is that you're here to cause harm"




She grimly looked at the map, taking hold of her elbows:
"... we must travel with the caravan until it reaches Rakshata, the nearest castle city. We must speak to its king... settle this misunderstanding as quickly as possible, before something irreversible happens"




She crouched down and rummaged through the cabinet until she found a red chalk, then leaned over the maps and waved you to come closer.












"Look, we'll cross the strait here, at its shortest point. The journey will take roughly one week, less if the winds are favorable."
She began marking the spot with her chalk.












"After that we'll make landfall and continue east, straight to Rakshata." She continued drawing more on the map.















Johan came closer and squinted at the numerous markings: "The... Blast Lands.. that's-.."


"Yes" Ursula nodded: "The parasite horde. Areas under their complete control. Nothing grows there, nothing lives there, except them.
The land is filled with ash and fire, where ever the horde goes. That is the future of all Nifelheim"


Ursula took a step away from the maps and looked at them from a distance, as a whole:

"...these aren't accurate. The horde advanced a bit further than shown here.
I'll try to catch one of the White Lotus scouts, get more accurate intel from them later"




She chewed on her tongue for a bit, then looked at you:
"That's about it for the maps. Let me know if you have any questions.
If not, we can look over the spells calibration stone and see what kind of new things they have in store" Ursula said, straightened up and nodded.

Kaylee Brown wrote:    

"Your appearance followed with zero casualties on both sides, that is unheard of. What's more, not only did you not try to exterminate us, you have been seen traveling with a civilian caravan and seemingly trying to integrate into our society.

Or pretending to do so. That is what the White Lotus are thinking. In their mind, Machine folk are the enemy, their purpose is to exterminate all Nifel folk.


And if brute force didn't work at the Machina Portal, perhaps now, the Machine world is trying something new, something more subtle. Perhaps a covert infiltration team"



Ursula grimly looked up at you:
"They don't know you, so they don't know what to expect from you, why you do the things that you do. They don't understand you at all and thus fail to interpret your actions.

The only thing they're sure of, is that you're here to cause harm"

"I mean, technically there were casualties on your side - Alder and his Witcher buddies" Rogue mentions.

Kaylee Brown wrote:    

"After that we'll make landfall and continue east, straight to Rakshata." She continued drawing more on the map.















Johan came closer and squinted at the numerous markings: "The... Blast Lands.. that's-.."


"Yes" Ursula nodded: "The parasite horde. Areas under their complete control. Nothing grows there, nothing lives there, except them.
The land is filled with ash and fire, where ever the horde goes. That is the future of all Nifelheim"


Ursula took a step away from the maps and looked at them from a distance, as a whole:

"...these aren't accurate. The horde advanced a bit further than shown here.
I'll try to catch one of the White Lotus scouts, get more accurate intel from them later"




She chewed on her tongue for a bit, then looked at you:
"That's about it for the maps. Let me know if you have any questions.
If not, we can look over the spells calibration stone and see what kind of new things they have in store" Ursula said, straightened up and nodded.

"Ooh, are those precursor ruins I see in our flightpath?" Rogue asks Ursula, "Might be worth stopping off to have a gander at them while we're in the area."

"Actually, we didn't kill Alder and his buddy's." Rain looks to Rogue, "They we're dead when we arrived on scene." Rain brings her attention back to the map, "So far this I what I got for a plan." She looks around at the party, "Obviously we go right to the king's but that's going to be one hell of a travel so why don't we do some errands for the witcher's as well. Accept a few bounties, make some dough, build some trust and get our names going around in a positive light."

C̷O̴N̴S̶U̸M̵E̵ wrote:"Actually, we didn't kill Alder and his buddy's." Rain looks to Rogue, "They we're dead when we arrived on scene." Rain brings her attention back to the map, "So far this I what I got for a plan." She looks around at the party, "Obviously we go right to the king's but that's going to be one hell of a travel so why don't we do some errands for the witcher's as well. Accept a few bounties, make some dough, build some trust and get our names going around in a positive light."

"But it's a good bet they died because of their involvement with us" Rogue replies to Rain.

Twilight briefly shakes her head, the reason unclear but to herself. Then she returns to the conversation.

"Let's see the calibration stone for now. After that, we know what we have to work with for our long march to Rakshata. It's especially important to get the right spells for the right roles in our party. And if we try to work together, we must discuss how we will do that, no acting recklessly on our own. Communication and open intentions are key for our succes, especially between ourselves."

She stands straight. "If anyone wants to discuss possible combinations and and tactics, feel free to do so. If you want to discuss something with only one present, that's fine to. But don't keep to yourself."

She looks at the map. "Precursors..." Her eyes narrow. "What is their story? And who's side are they on? I suppose the knowledge hidden there could be worth it, but I don't trust them."

Disgruntled purple wrote:Twilight briefly shakes her head, the reason unclear but to herself. Then she returns to the conversation.

"Let's see the calibration stone for now. After that, we know what we have to work with for our long march to Rakshata. It's especially important to get the right spells for the right roles in our party. And if we try to work together, we must discuss how we will do that, no acting recklessly on our own. Communication and open intentions are key for our succes, especially between ourselves."

She stands straight. "If anyone wants to discuss possible combinations and and tactics, feel free to do so. If you want to discuss something with only one present, that's fine to. But don't keep to yourself."

She looks at the map. "Precursors..." Her eyes narrow. "What is their story? And who's side are they on? I suppose the knowledge hidden there could be worth it, but I don't trust them."

"Well since they're extinct, I don't think they're really on anyone's side at the moment" Rogue suggests to Twilight.

Rogue Fire wrote:"Well since they're extinct, I don't think they're really on anyone's side at the moment" Rogue suggests to Twilight.

"That doesn't mean the side they picked isn't clear with the right information." she answers. "See, I'm perhaps a bit paranoid, but I don't think it's entirely dead yet. Our parasites get a bit too agiatated about the name of their leader. Said leader who, if I'm not wrong, has been bothering our world with the same nightmare for an extended period of time, perhaps in the hope someone would come here. What I want to know is..." Her eyes narrow more. "What is Lucretia planning with us? Was she seeking allies, or convinient tools for her plans?"

Disgruntled purple wrote:

Rogue Fire wrote:"Well since they're extinct, I don't think they're really on anyone's side at the moment" Rogue suggests to Twilight.

"That doesn't mean the side they picked isn't clear with the right information." she answers. "See, I'm perhaps a bit paranoid, but I don't think it's entirely dead yet. Our parasites get a bit too agiatated about the name of their leader. Said leader who, if I'm not wrong, has been bothering our world with the same nightmare for an extended period of time, perhaps in the hope someone would come here. What I want to know is..." Her eyes narrow more. "What is Lucretia planning with us? Was she seeking allies, or convinient tools for her plans?"

" 'Perhaps', as in there's doubt?" Rogue jokes to Twilight, "But you're right, we shouldn't take everything at face value, but we also shouldn't completely write everything off as a plot as well."

Rogue wrote:"Ooh, are those precursor ruins I see in our flightpath?" Rogue asks Ursula, "Might be worth stopping off to have a gander at them while we're in the area."

"Oh you're right.." Ursula fell into thought: "I've gotten so used to these maps, my eyes just glossed over it."

"Then we must inspect it!" Tim excitedly beamed.

Ursula narrowed her eyes with a lack of enthusiasm: "..Because of this Lucretia person? I don't like her, she invades peoples minds without permission... such rudeness" she crossed her arms.

"Nothing to loose by inspecting the ruins though right" Kaylee asked and looked at Ursula.
Ursula shrugged.

Rain wrote:"Obviously we go right to the king's but that's going to be one hell of a travel so why don't we do some errands for the witcher's as well. Accept a few bounties, make some dough, build some trust and get our names going around in a positive light."

"Mmm.. sounds like a plan" Johan and Ursula nodded.

Twilight wrote:"Precursors..." Her eyes narrow. "What is their story? And who's side are they on? I suppose the knowledge hidden there could be worth it, but I don't trust them."

Rogue wrote:"Well since they're extinct, I don't think they're really on anyone's side at the moment" Rogue suggests to Twilight.

"That's true, according to our archeological findings, the precursors went extinct a few hundred years, before humanities first arrival on Nifelheim" Tim nodded, scratching his short beard:

"The diary we found in the last ruins, suggested the Precursors were lured to Nifelheim, from another world. Much like us, they discovered the parasites and tried fighting them. But in the end, it seems the battle was lost, and the Precursors went extinct."

Twilight wrote:What I want to know is..." Her eyes narrow more. "What is Lucretia planning with us? Was she seeking allies, or convinient tools for her plans?"

"Perhaps both" Johan sighed: "According to her diary, she believed the parasites sought to escape Nifelheim and the only way to stop them, was to build a 'Dark Machine', whatever that is. Perhaps our arrival here is connected to it somehow"








"Anyways" Ursula's frown only grew deeper as Lucretia was mentioned: "Lets take a look at the spell list"

She walked over to the calibration stone and gently touched it. Something that looked like holographic projections began playing above its surface, showing calculus formulas and some kind of schematics.
After a while, you realized you understood some of them. Learning the Nifelheim language helped, as did the Theory of Magic.




"Wow, this stone is loaded with Status Effects. Check it out" Ursula said and stepped off to the side.


Upon examining the spell list, you discover the following:




---------------
Offensive Magic
---------------


Fire ball - A chance to set the opponent on fire, depending on environmental conditions


Lightning strike - A chance to paralyze the opponent, depending on environmental conditions


Ice spike - A chance to slow the opponent, depending on environmental conditions


Strength sap - If this spell is used to bring the opponents Health down to zero, the opponent will become paralyzed and loose consciousness.








--------------------------------
Status Effects & Defensive Magic
--------------------------------


Shield - Blocks physical, mental and magical damage.

Heal - Restores Health and heals most injuries.

Spectral Armor - Creates a layer of armor above your clothing, adding temporary bonus Health points.






Silence - Status Effect, the target becomes unable to use magic, for a set period of time.


Confuse - Status Effect, the target may confuse friend with foe during combat, due to visual or auditory hallucinations.


Poison - Status Effect, the targets looses -5 HP each round of combat, for a set period of time.



Blind - Status Effect, the target becomes completely blind, for a set period of time.


Thunderclap - Status Effect, the target becomes completely deaf, for a set period of time.


Dispel - Remove all Status Effects from the target, both positive and negative. Removes Spectral Armor and Shield as well.






------------
Utility Spells
------------


Scan - Reveal the Status Effects that are currently affecting the target, also reveals Health, Mana, Sanity, Martial art skill level and Magical Category.
Higher level Scan can also reveal the enemy's equipped spell list.



Dance of the Swallow - The suicide spell, a last resort to kill the Witchers own parasite, if the parasite is about to break out of control. Can be cast in an Area of Effect to damage nearby enemies.


Light - Creates a ball of light in the palm of the users hand. Illuminates the darkness.


Heightened Senses - Sharpens all users senses, enabling one to detect all living creatures around him, in a 150 meter radius.
Allows one to detect a parasite, who is wearing a corpse as a disguise.
Higher level spells increase the detection radius.



Water Dance - Allows one to stand and run on water.


Wall Run - Allows one to run on walls.
A higher level spell allows one to stand and walk on the ceiling.




Signal Flare - Fire a distinct, bright flare, hundreds of meters into the air, to warn others of danger.

Known flare configurations:

Machina Warning - A distinct flare, indicating that a Machine World invasion has begun

Parasite Warning - A distinct flare, indicating that a Parasite horde has been sighed

Rogue Warning - A distinct flare, indicating a Rogue Witcher or Bandit group sighting

Commencing Attack - A distinct flare, indicating that a Witcher unit is commencing attack

Mission Success - A distinct flare, indicating that a Witcher unit completed its objective

Mission Failed - A distinct flare, indicating that a Witcher unit failed its objective

Commencing Evac - A distinct flare, indicating that the evacuation of civilians is in progress












Ursula looked at you and satisfyingly nodded:

"Mmm, looks like you grew strong enough to fulfill your full potential. You can now equip more spells in combat.


Please equip:

2 - Offensive spells
2 - Status Effects & Defense
3 - Utility spells.

"These are the details of how the Status Effects spells are cast" Ursula said, slightly waving her hand over the calibration stone, so it would display a set of tables and numbers:






















"To remove a high level Status Effect with a lower level Dispel, you must utilize the same amount of Mana that was used to cast the original Status effect." Ursula continued:
"Casting a lower level Dispel will only shorten the duration of a higher level Status Effect, but not fully remove it."



"Hey, wheres the 1st Level Status Effect data?" Johan called: "I don't see it on the list"


Ursula nodded: "Status effects are very powerful spells. A level 1 version of them simply doesn't exist.

You must be at least a Category 2 mage to cast Status Effect spells. Dispel included."




"Dang" Johan bit his lower lip: "Time to brush up on the old books then"

Twilight steps to the stone, selecting her spells.

"Let's see, how about these for me..."

Offensive:
- Fire ball
- Ice Spike

Defensive
- Dispel
- Heal

Utility
- Dance of the swallow
- Scan
- Signal flare

She then asked out loud. "Although, did we get these extra slots with our experience in the field or with our tome training?"

"Field experience" Ursula nodded: "After fighting together, you became synchronized with your parasite, allowing you to access your full magical potential.

I'm afraid the number of extra slots doesn't increase anymore. Even a Category 5 mage can equip the same amount of spells as you now, for better or worse"

// The magic mechanics thread has been updated to include the Status Effect tables, for future reference ^^

Please follow the link below to find all teh detaails ^^



https://ultimate.forumotion.com/t40-character-sheets-magic-mechanics#7277

Rain looks through the spells. Her new spell list is...

Offensive
_________
Fireball
Strength Sap

Defensive
_________
Shield
Spectral armor

Utility
_________
Hightened Senses
DOTS
Scan


Rain looks around, "I plan on soaking up damage for you guys so do keep healing spells ready"

Rain then pauses concern falling across her face, "Kaylee... You said you had the answer to whatever was going on back home in your hands yes? Before you tried to save Zoe." She gives a worried glance to Ursula, then back to Kaylee, "You said they were transporting something. Could it be possible that with us in here the witcher's are letting their guard down, ere go another mechanica attack from whoever is actually attacking these people."

Radiance takes a moment to update his spell list

Offensive: Fire Ball, Strength Sap

Defensive: Heal, Spectral Armour

Utility: Scan, Heightened Senses, Wall Run

Rogue goes over to the spellstone and updates his spellbook;

Offensive Spells, max two

Strength Sap (Level 1)
Lightning (Level 1)

Status Effects & Defence, max two

Healing (Level 1)
Spectral Armour (Level 1)

Utility Spells, max three

Dance of the Swallow (Level 1)
Scan (Level 1)
Signal Flare (Level 1)

"How does the limit on spells even work? How's it actually enforced by physics?" Rogue asks Ursula, "Back on Earth, we had no limit at all, we could use every spell we knew."