Classic Fantasy The Assassins
#1
Marabell Osmont  - 16 
Stats:  STR (1), AGI (5), MND (0)| Att 5 Dagger, Def 5, End 9
            Heroism 6 
Skills : Baking (basic) , Poison-craft (basic)

           Clarabell Osmont - 16 
Stats : STR (4), AGI (2), MND (0)|Att 4Sword/2Dagger, Def 2, End 9 
            Heroism 1 (I imaginarily spent 2 re rolling skills and appearances that weren't similar enough or that I didn't like...)
Skills : Forgery (basic), Weapon-craft [Focus : Sword] (basic)

Gear : 
          Marabell - Dagger, baking ingredients with poison ingredients mixed in to hide them, dresses and fine clothing, simple jewelry (specifically a sliver necklace with a light blue gem about a little further than collarbone length), cookbooks and books of history and the noble houses.
        Clarabell - Dagger, sword in the hidden compartment of her flute case, flute (2), calligraphy pens and normal ink pens with paper and wax seals and ribbon, blouses and some dresses and fine clothing, a few silver bracelets (one specifically with a light blue gem and another with a red gem).

Backstory :
                   Clarabell and Marabell - or Clara and Mara as they and their father call them - were born as twins and grew up in a middle-class family with their father, Farale. Farale had a profession as a candle-maker and he made a sustainable amount of money from it ,however his wife Mireille died in childbirth. She had been a part of a prominently noble family and married below her station so when she left home to life with Farale, she was outcast and disowned by her family - the de Bans. Recently, Farale received a letter from the de Bans inviting the small family to visit - and perhaps stay - in the capital to make up for past mistakes and to see Mireille's children. The girls would be married into other noble families and Farale would be made the court's craftsman - as he specialized in many things other than candles. Farale eagerly agreed, wanting a nicer life for Mara and Clara and, outwardly, so did the girls.

 However, as much as the life of a noble seemed appealing, the girls yearned for excitement and, after a awful and dubious experience Mara had with a visiting noble when he tried to force himself on her and Clara saved her by murdering him and hiding the body (very intense for not much of a description, sorry), the two had been experimenting with darker forces. Mara had always loved baking and some of her fondest childhood memories where of her and her father baking cookies but after the 'time', as they called it (legitimately just 'cause then I can say their lives were split into Before Time and After Time. It sounds cool.) , she came upon some mushrooms whilst foraging and began experimenting in poison. Clara, on the other hand, had always been a fighter and the two began practicing fighting in the woods together. She became quite adept with a sword. Mara more so with a dagger. Besides this, Clara - not being quite the bookworm Mara was - began to accompany her sister to the local library ,and whilst Mara was reading up on a book or two she started to practice rewriting letters and the few messier handwritten books she could find. Although she wasn't all that dexterous, she really caught on to it and became a relatively good forger.  

If they wanted to apply their skills in the big city, they decided, they had to have some sort of a code or warning system. So they began to utilize the jewelry they already owned. If they were under suspicion or afraid of being watched, they let the other know by either - in Mara's case - tucking their necklace so it was out of sight, or - in Clara's case - rearranging their bracelets so the ruby one was further forward on her arm than the sapphire. 

So it was settled. They were going to be assassins...of a kind. Sure, they may be married off to a noble lord or two and they were actually somewhat looking forward to that - more so Mara than Clara - however they wanted to be more than that. They wanted revenge for their mother and hated how it took 16 years to be brought back into the fold. They wanted to steal artifacts, forge incriminating documents and cause chaos. 
For their mother, they assured themselves. However, in truth, they couldn't hold a grudge for that long and ,although they were still resentful, they wanted to do this for a whole other reason. 
Well...it was fun.

                Appearance:
Marabell has an angular face with pointed light blue eyes, a straight nose and full lips. She stands at approximately 5'2 and has mid-back length blonde hair with a side-parting which she likes to style into intricate hairdos. She wears a little bit of makeup in some eyeliner and very, very subtle apple-green eye-shadow to make her eyes stand out. She wears mostly fitted dresses in either floral, light blue or white. 

Clarabell is a little shorter than her sister at 5'1  and doesn't have as much as an approachable vibe as Mara, although she still appears neutral if not friendly. She has a rather prominent burn mark on her left hand that resembles a birthmark which she tells people was from cooking with Mara as a child however was actually acid scarring from a...learning curve incident from when they were 15. She is also pale-skinned  and has a bit of a wider face than Mara with the same straight nose and full lips however she has light brown rounded doe eyes instead. She has relatively long arms (?), a wider waist and fuller breasts. She generally wears blouses more than dresses and most of her clothing is loose and comfortable though she will dress up if required. 

----
Hello people of the world. Two points. I can't be sure that I'll update all that often even though I mean to because my enthusiasm varies like hour by hour and I never finish anything. But I'll give it a shot. Also, second, I gained a lot of inspiration for Teviko604, mainly in the game mechanics which are partially made up and varied in a way that suites me - also great story, really enjoying it, Teviko604. That's mostly it. I'm kind of regretting the names. I like Marabell but Clarabell is kind of annoying me now. Oh well. I've always wanted to have kind of dark PC'S and I think this will be really fun, if I don't die immediately. So, yes! That really is the end now, I always write so much more than I mean to. Bye!
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#2
Scene 1 - On the Road (again)

Is it more than a day to Zrolis? No, but... It is a long days travel through some harsh landscapes.

Is the road known for bandits, criminals or wandering beasts? Yes, but... There have been less and less reports recently.

What is the landscape like? (using both RPG solo and playeveryrole for a next location) 

Helpfully/Lonely
The next location you come to is: This cliff face is intimidating enough, but there appear to be dwellings carved into it as well. Who would live in the side of a cliff?

What time is it? 10am. (a 1d12 from 6am)

--------
The small family had set off at first light, excited and eager to reach the capital and settle into their new life, and had been riding for 4 hours now. Farale preferred to travel by horse and cart ,even though the head of the de Ban house, Dwenn de Ban, offered to send a higher-class form of transport, because it meant they could leave earlier and, for the most part, the girls were OK with it. Marabell was occupying herself with reading a book on the capital - named Zrolis - and Clarabelle was perched at the back of the cart watching the plains disappear behind them as they entered into a rocky valley with sheer cliffs framing either side. 

Clara sighs and turns around, her view now blocked by the cliffs. 

(Perception checks to see the dwellings DC : 7)
Marabell : 2d6 + 0 MND = 3 - Fail
Clarabelle : 2d6 + 0 MND = 9 - Success 
Farale : 2d6 + 4 MND = 11 - Success 
 
          Farale Osmont 
Stats: STR (2), AGI (0), MND (4)| Att 0 Sword, Def 0, End 5)

Clara squints her eyes and she realizes that there appear to be strong marking or some sort of lines on the cliff face and calls out to Farale, "Father? Do you see those markings?" 

Farale hums and replies, "Yes, I just noticed them myself. How about we go check them out? You can stay here if you want, Mara." 

Mara glances up and nods slightly, disinterested.

Farale and Clara hop off the cart and approach one of the nearest curiosities on ground level. Now, being able to properly inspect them, it's as if the whole cliff face is some kind of beehive, with hundreds of these tiny houses embedded in the rock. Peering into the hole in the rock which must sometime have been a doorway...
      
(Perception checks. DC 6
Clara : 2d6 + 0 = 4 - Fail
Farale : 2d6 + 4 = 10 - Success )
   
...Clara can only see darkness inside, the sun now covered by the clouds and the temperature dropping. 
   
(Inquire/Weapons. rpgsolo
1 exit. No stairs. playeveryrole)  
   
Farale on the other hand, steps inside and calls out, "Nothing much in here. I suppose many travelers have stopped to investigate here and anything interesting is long gone. There is another passageway though and I admit I'm quite curious to see this through. Clara, you wouldn't mind grabbing a dagger and a lantern from the cart would you? I'm sure I brought one."

"Sure." Clarabelle replies, not mentioning the fact that she always has her dagger on her and heads to the cart.

Rummaging around in their belongings, she searches for a lantern.

(Investigation check. DC 5
Clarabelle : 2d6 + 0 MND = 12 - Critical success! 

Is there even a lantern to find? No 
Great...
Find thing x2 (rpg solo) = Backpack, high quality disguise kit)

Clara feels that she did a thorough search of the cart but didn't find a lantern, however among their belongings she came across some loose items that would be more than perfect for disguises.
   
Clara nudges Mara gently in the side.
   
She turns to Clara, "What?"
      
Clarabelle grins, "How useful would these be in terms of disguises?" She says, keeping her voice low. 

(The NPC gives: a derisive or always putting people down response.
 I know she's not a NPC but it's more interesting this way. Plus, I'm kind of playing from Clara's perspective this scene/chapter thing.)

Marabell cocks her head, "Meh." But Clara spots the glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes and smiles with the knowledge that she knows her twin better than anyone. "Suure, Mara, you know it's useful." She carefully packs all the supplies together and calls back to her father, "I don't think you did pack a lantern, father. There's none in here as far as I can tell." 

"Really? I thought for sure...Oh well, come and join me. We'll probably be camping at this rate but I'll be damned if I miss a chance for adventure, however small!" 

Clara laughs readily and walks off to join him.
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#3
Scene 2 - In the Dwellings 

Clarabelle enters the first immediate ground-level dwelling and spies her father peering into the dark passageway he told her of.

"Have you been in yet?" She asks,

"No," Farale says, turning to face her, "I've been waiting for you, so come on!" Farale stands at approximately 4'10 making him shorter than both his daughters and the only similarity he shares with them is his nose. He has thin lips, a narrow face and wide grey eyes which almost look like Clara's, if you squint. He has short, thinning black hair and a generally spindly body and a tanned skin tone which is almost impossible to see as he almost skips into the dark hallway ahead.

In the moment, he reminds Clarabelle of some sort of pixie or brownie.

She grins and follows after him.

(Short passageway? Yes. rpgsolo 
 It leads to another room? Yes. rpgsolo
  2 exits. 1 upward set of stairs. playeveryrole
 Anything of interest? No)

Entering the next room, it appears no different than the one before despite it being a little darker. In this room, there are two paths - a set of malformed stairs and another similar passage. Before her father gets a chance to choose, Clara begins taking the steps two at a time forcing him to follow her.

(The NPC gives: a disgusted response)

"Ugh, but I didn't even get to look around yet! Wait for me!" 

(blah, blah, same roles. This will just be in a story layout now. Anything interesting I might write here.)

At the top of the stairs, Clara scans the room quickly. One exit heading further into the mountain. Waiting a second for Farale, she sprints ahead,"Race ya!" 

(The NPC gives: a nervous response)

"Clara, we don't know what this is! It might be dangerous! You know I'm a slow runner!" 

Clarabelle feels a smile split her face. This was fun. 

This passage was still short but a little more windy than the rest and she came to face with two sets of stairs : Up and down. 

"Up, dad!" She called out, to make sure he knew where she went. She didn't call him 'dad' often. Only in moments of impulse. 

Tearing up the stairs, she came to a dead end. 

Damn.

"Back down!" She called, bumping into him halfway down.

"Clara!" 

Another passageway. Again windy. (as in curvy, not the weather)

One set of stairs and - oh. (random cavern location)

Clara slowed down Farale almost running into her.

There was a bedroll on the floor. She squinted. Um...

"Looks like someone has been sleeping here..." Clarabelle says, slightly out of breath.

(The NPC gives: a bitter response) 

"Yeah?" Farale pants, in a scathing tone. 

Clarabelle ignores him and approaches the sleeping roll, flicking her mousy brown hair out of her eyes from her fringe and re-adjusting her ponytail.

(Make an investigation check. DC 9 
Clarabelle : 2d6 + 0 = 5 - Fail)

"Father, would you mind taking a look at this? Any reason why this might be here?"

(The NPC gives: a derisive or always putting people down response)

"Can't figure it out?" He says, raising an eyebrow. Obviously miffed from having to chase down his daughter but he bends down to take a look.

(Investigation check. DC 9
Farale : 2d6 + 4 = 11 - success

Divide/Extravagance rpgsolo)

Farale takes the bedroll from Clara and searches around inside of it. Every few minutes he makes a noise as he uncovers another little hidden compartment and more gold and jewels fall out. 

After six minutes or so, he lays it back down and the two look at one another, "Woah." 

+1 Heroism to Clarabelle - not sure about the specific rules here, but I don't entirely care and it seems accurate. I don't really want to reset them but I instead might make there original Heroism levels their max which means Clarabelle - Max 3, Marabell - Max 6.
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#4
Scene 3 - Caught in a Rainstorm

The pair of them look down at the remarkable treasure at their feet and slowly begin to sort through it all. 

(80 gold | dungeon master 5e treasure tables 
1 transparent deep blue gemstone named Blue Spinel
2 opaque dark grey gems with flecks of red named Bloodstone
1 potion of healing - 1d2 End, personal made-up rules
1 potion of greater healing - 1d4 + 1 End) 

"Woah." Clarabelle says again, "What...? What is all of this doing here?"

"I have no idea..." Farale replies, his mouth open slightly.

"Well...Do we...Do we take it? What if whoever lives here comes back?"

"I think...I think...We should take the potions, they can be really useful I've just never had much need for them but we should leave the money. It's too dangerous to take." Farale stands up slowly, eyes wide. 

"Ok..." Clara follows his movements. "Are we going to explore more or and see if we can find this person or...?"

"No. No, I think it's best we leave." Farale turns towards the way they left and starts off that way. 

(Can they collectively find their way out of the caverns? DC 10 
Clarabelle : 2d6 + 0 MND = 9 - Fail, so close!
Farale : 2d6 + 4 = 11 - Success )
---
The pair eventually find their way out, mostly thanks to Farale than anyone else. By the time they exit the dwellings, a good hour has passed and their shocked expressions have begun to wear off,. Instead they sport wide grins.  They actually found treasure! 

(Is Marabell still on the cart? No, but..) 

At first, they both stop still at the sight of an empty cart but their fears are quelled moments later when Marabell calls from her spot in the shade, "You both were gone a while. Find anything interesting?" 

Farale and Clarabelle sigh in relief. The sun had really started to come out now and it was turning 11am. They probably needed to start off again if they wanted to make it to Zrolis. 

"Yeah!" Clara calls to her as they approach, and the three converse for a short while on their discoveries and reveal the potions they'd taken before they set off again. 

------
Decided the landscape through 2 story dice rolls. 

Do they encounter anything else on their journey? No.

-----
Three hours later the rocky canyon-like valley begins to level out and the grass and trees start to encroach their way onto the surrounding rocks. The landscape begins to mix dusty dune-coloured rock stacks and hard ground with clusters of sturdy, almost shaggy-looking trees and after another hour of travel, herds of sheep enclosed behind small picket fences pop up as the rocks fall away. 

Clarabelle lets the calm breeze flow past her and she begins to feel truly content - the recent discovery providing a sense of victory and accomplishment - and out of the corner of her eye she sees Farale grinning as he drove the cart past a couple of boisterous rams. 

Marabell, on the other hand, is feeling pretty dejected. The calm atmosphere and simplicity of the land around her went over her head as her mood took the lead. 

(Rolled one of my own lists called 'Humanize' for all characters, Marabell got 'Different than Usual', Clarabelle got 'Is happy' and Farale got 'Grin'.
    
Prison
Passion/Liberty    rpgsolo)

As much as she loved the plan she and Clarabelle had, she was afraid that they were underestimating the de Bans and that they might see through them the moment they arrived. What if she didn't play her part right? Clarabelle had always been the more headstrong sister and they really didn't know what they were getting into. 

Besides that, they had to get m a r r i e d. Married! What if the man she was bound to for life was awful, although she supposed Clarabelle would probably just help her to kill him like that other time - ugh. She shivered. What if she was separated from her though? What if she was truly trapped? If they went into this world, could they ever escape? There was so much they didn't know, they were barely sixteen after all and this was just all a bit much. 

She was aware that she'd been quite quiet and dismissive this journey, burying herself in books that might help them, because in all honesty, she was scared. What the hell were they going to do? 

-----

Do they encounter anything? No, but... The weather gets a little rough - rainy perhaps. 

Two story dice : Apple, fire

----
It is late, late afternoon when the rain starts. At first it's a gentle yet persistent Summer rain that comes free of dark clouds but it picks up and within twenty minutes, they are surrounded in a thick storm.

Farale is driving the cart faster now, and the two girls know that they wont reach Zrolis today unless the storm dies down. They would have been riding late into the night anyway. 

Clarabelle, feeling lonely at the back of the cart, scrambles to the front besides Marabell, who is hopelessly trying to shield herself from the rain with books and...whatever else is lying around in the cart. 

"We're going to have to make a pit stop, girls!" Farale shouts back, over the storm and the cracking of thunder akin to a snapping branch. Marabell, truly sick of the rain after even a short period of time, clambers under the tarpaulin shielding their belongings from wandering eyes and - well - the weather, closely followed by Clarabelle and they enjoy a few minutes of muffled silence as the rain bears down upon their heads before the cart comes to a rocky halt and Farale calls to them again, "Come on! We're moving!"  

Marabell extricates herself from the cart and is ushered into a nearby alcove framed by apple trees. Clara follows quickly behind her and the small indent in the rock turns out to be deeper than they originally thought. Farale brings some of their supplies inside and sets himself to finding branches for firewood that may have fallen from the apple trees that aid in sheltering the small cave from view and the rain. It's a miracle that Farale noticed it but he had always been the most observant of the family. (Honestly, I don't know how good the girls will be investigating with both 0 Mind. I'll miss using Farale for these things.)

(Investigation check. DC 9
Farale : 2d6 + 4 MND = 10

Humanize, Marabell 'talking to someone else', Clara 'Is sad')

Whilst Farale braved the storm to collect firewood, Clara spoke up. 

"I really wish we could have gotten to Zrolis today. I'm excited to start our new life..."

"I trust we'll get there tomorrow." Marabell replies.

(Interesting so I'll mention it. 
Does Mara talk about her doubts?
Yes +Event: Arrive / Extravagance
More Details: Vengeful Travel)

"Besides..." She continues, "I'm...I'm a bit worried that we might get chained into something that we...don't want to be a part of." Mara says, looking downwards. 

"What do you mean?" Clara says, bending forward to look at her with a small frown on her face.

(Random appearance generator
Who does the person approach? 1 - The girls 2 - Farale
2
Is she hostile? Yes 
STR (0), AGI (3), MND (3)| Att 3 Bow/ Att 0 Sword, Def 3, End 6
Clara - End 9, Mara - End 9, Farale - End 5
Is she using her bow? No
Does she speak? No)

Mara's response is cut of by Farale's shout nearby, "What are you doing?!" 

They both run out into the storm, Clara attempting to quickly grab her sword first, and see Farale standing with his hands up and wood at his feet and a short fair-skinned woman with tussled black hair in a braid and an almost feral appearance. 

The woman doesn't respond and instead lunges for Farale, sword in hand. 

(Initiative time.
Mara - AGI (5)
Woman - AGI (3)
Clara - AGI (2)
Farale - AGI (0)  
Also, I'm again using a lot of the same set out as Teviko604 'cause I like it, heads up.

Round 1 

Mara attacks with her dagger, 9 vs 11 - misses
The woman is going to run back and shoot Mara but - cause I like these - Mara will get an opportunity attack. 
Mara with dagger, 10 vs 14 - misses, damn girl.
Woman with bow, 9 vs 15 - misses, all round high rolls
Clara will run up to her with sword, 15 vs 7 - hits, Jesus Clara. 15! 

Does the woman have armor? No  
 
5 End damage to the woman.
Farale will run for his sword and pick it up.)

Before the woman can hit her father, Mara runs up and slashes at her with her dagger. The woman jumps back but it throws her off and she focuses towards Marabell. Knowing she has better skills with a bow that her sword, the woman runs back a few paces and Marabell swings again yet misses and she dodges skillfully and fires an arrow which Mara ,matrix-style, avoids.

Clara, thoroughly impressed with Marabell, charges forward and halfway impales the woman on her sword causing her to drop to her knees in the ground. 

(Does she keep fighting? No, but...She still appears aggressive and unwilling to talk

Who takes the lead on interrogating her? 1 - Clara 2 - Mara 3 Farale

2 - Mara 
Her tactic? Deceive/The Public  rpgsolo - didn't actually get to a threatening point here so...didn't do much)

Marabell gets down in a crouch position as Farale comes up behind them and glares at her. "Who are you? What was your purpose for trying to kill us?" 

(Will she talk? No, and...Punish/Portals) 

Deep hazel eyes meet her gaze and the woman snarls back at her before jumping to her feet and hurtling off the way she came. 

(Mara swings with her dagger, 10 vs 12.
Clara will chase after her. 4 agi checks for both. 
Clara - Critical success!, 11, 7
Woman - 9, 11, 8, 11
Clara won 3 vs the woman's 1.
Again, probably not the proper rules but I like it.

Initiative 
Woman - AGI 3 
Clara - AGI 2 

Woman with sword, 6 vs 10
Clara with sword, 7 vs 10 )

Clarabelle jumps into action, sprinting after her. She nearly loses her among the apple trees but eventually catches up and easily parries an attack with her sword, swinging back but missing. It's been a long time since she missed.

(Run or fight? 1d2 - Fight
Woman with sword, 7 vs 8
Clarabelle with sword, 12 vs 10 - hits)

The woman's eyes narrow and she steels herself for another round, choosing instead to stay and face her foe. However, this proves to be a bad idea as she is not terribly good with a sword and promptly misses again before being run through by Clara. In seconds, the strange feral woman...is dead. 

---
First fight! Yeah...!
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#5
Scene 4 - The Tale of Shadowriver Forest
(surrounding scenery - story dice, asleep, tower
The next location you come to is: Small watch towers were scattered throughout this wilderness. This is one of them. 

Perfect 
Jovially/Historical  rpgsolo)

After the events of the previous night, the group set off in a solemn silence. They all knew why the woman had trailed them and knew that she had paid the ultimate price for her actions. 

The girls were more ponderous than sad. It was their first kill. They weren't quite sure how to feel about it. Farale - on the other hand - was quite certain and spent the last length of their journey with his eyes downcast and shame shining in his eyes. He shouldn't have taken the potion. He shouldn't have taken anything at all. He should have known. He should have protected them.

It is in this heavy atmosphere that they come across it. Somewhere along the way the trees have thickened, the road has become less even and, looking up, they know they are approaching Zrolis. This is the Shadowriver forest and they are arriving at a mostly untrodden route. 

(Random forest name. 
Make a mind check to see if they know anything about the forest. DC 10
Clarabelle : 2d6 + 0MND - 9, nearly there!
Marabell : 2d6 + 0MND - 6, nope
Farale : 2d6 +4 - 12, there we go. 
  
What does Farale learn/remember?
MAG, rpg solo, 3 axes, sheriff star, sword in stone, honeycomb pattern, shrunken?, figure with blast wounds of a kind?, spiked gates, poisoned arrowhead?)

"You girls ready for a story to take your minds off things? A lot has gone down in these woods in the past." Farale says dejectedly.

"Sure." Clarabelle replies, swinging her ponytail over her shoulder.

(Was this in the recent past? Yes, but...Deceive/Messages
People have been told it's folk lore and inaccurate.
Past hundred years or less? Yes, but...It's a bit hazy on the specifics.
1d100 - 42
These are added as I continue Farale's story. Random name generators were used. I know it's a block of text, sorry.
Does Farale know the name of the Sheriff?
Mind check. DC 12
Farale : 2d6 + 4 - 14, damn Farale.
Does he know the name of the lower town Sheriff? 
Mind check. DC 8
Farale : 2d6 + 4 - 14, no question.
Is the Sheriff male? No, but...She is quite boyish and very defensive about it.

Does Zrolis really have slums? (or are they just poorer areas?) Yes, but...Not many.
Is there a name for the slum area of Zrolis? Yes + Persecute/Allies. Yes and it's a very rebellious area that generally hates the nobles and high-ranking people. 

I'm not going to write the rest, Farale will say it for me.
Mind check. DC 12 for the tribe name.
Farale : 2d6 + 4 - 14, again!?
Lumberjack Business name. DC 10
Farale : 2d6 + 4 - 16, critical success! Extra info!)   

"Fifty odd years ago, these woods were the main source of timber for Zrolis and many men profited in the business. The main overseer went by the name Sheriff Rowland who was in control of the Shadowriver forest just as, for example, Sheriff Hawisia is in control of the Shadowwater Slums. After a while, the Sheriff began to cut into a deeper section of the woods and, unknowingly, angered the Blind Oracle tribe people who took vengeance on Rowland and cut him down in the middle of the night - exactly midnight, some say.

When the Falling Bear Company awoke to find their leader slaughtered, they lowered the gates to their various watchtowers and stood at the ready for an assault. Stories also report that they had uncovered something before Rowland's death and were attempting to get into touch with the High Council ,but those tales are dubious so it's not for certain. 

Anyway. Nothing happened. For weeks on end the Falling Bear Company stood at their post but they had not so much as glimpsed anything suspicious in the woods. So, as our nature goes, they turned they doubts inside. Did one of them kill the Sheriff?, they wondered. These thoughts soon took root and it wasn't long before the Company was barely holding itself together.

That's when the tribe struck. In a series of organised, almost simultaneous, attacks, the Blind Oracle tribe entirely wiped out the company. Every single man.

Actually, that is not entirely true. They left one lucky - or unlucky, depending on how you look at it - man from each watchtower alive to tell the tale and marked their woods with their friends' bodies. Gruesome. 
  
The High Council were worried about the panic such news would incite and how badly the story would paint them so spread the word that it was a deadly disease contracted from the forest and that the townspeople should enter at their own peril.

That's why this place is so deserted and no-one from our area travels to Zrolis. They'd have to cross the Shimmering Tributary if they didn't trek through the forest and if they went around the tributary they'd come to the Shaded Gorge which is nearly impossible to cross. We neared it before in the rocky valley with the dwellings - that's called the Coatisor Valley by the way - but we passed through the plains instead. Some cross the Shimmering Tributary but as we had the cart I thought it best to brave the forest.   

There's some geography and history for you ,girls. I hope you remember some of what I tell you when... Well, would you look at that ,it's a Falling Bear watchtower. This will give you more of a learning experience than I ever could. "
---
Pretty slow chapter but it took s o long to work out the kinks in the story and even now it seems shorter than it should considering the hour I spent writing it. It really became a thing after it said that it was recorded as a fairytale and seemed a lot more intense so I dug in. Also, Clara's name has been bothering me so I've changed it to Clarabelle instead of Clarabell. I know it's not much of a distance but personally it feels better and I don't want to edit everything with an added, 'e', so from now on that's what is will be. 

I was supposed to get to the tower this scene but this took way too long and it wouldn't fit in my short chapters so...next time. 

Bye! Thanks for reading! (if you did)
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#6
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Sorry I didn’t see this sooner, but I’ve spent the past few weeks reading “The Oracle” on this site, as well as an epic solo roleplay on Alea Iactanda Est (a great site if you are interested in story. Highly recommend his elf epic.).

Thanks for the shout out. I immediately recognized that you were using The Adventurers! as your game system during your character creation. Not sure if you are using the official rules, or just following my explanations and making up what you don’t know. Besides the fact that the base rules are free, I chose that rule set because it was short (only a few pages) and I didn’t have to read pages and pages to know how to play. However, the fact that the rules are brief leads to one of the challenges of Adventurers!: a lot is left up to the GM to interpret, invent or create on their own. Apart from stats, skills, and combat, most everything else is presented as concepts or examples instead of concrete information. (i.e. There is no specific Fireball spell. You need to create it using the power Damage and add the hazard Fire.) Purchasing several expansions/scenarios helps (if nothing else, they give you more creature stats) but you still have a lot you need to come up with on your own. As a result, I’ve created several tables and systems (often based on other rulesets) to handle a variety of situations.

Keep writing. I’m interested in seeing where this story goes. Hopefully, I can get back to my own fantasy game, but life, my Bachelor project, and other tasks have been taking up my time.
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