Training Thread - Paelic

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic slammed his mug angrily on the table. It was a useless gesture in this scenario. Another body flew over the table rocking it slightly. Paelic frowned. All he wanted was a quiet drink and picking the seediest bar in the outpost (That's saying something) might have been a bad idea. Another patron bumped into his chair knocking his arm causing some ale to splash onto the table. Paelic's frown turned to a scowl. Okay maybe he also liked to fight. Slamming the drink once more on the ground he spun around grabbing the stunned man by the throat. The man was of medium build, rather unassuming until Paelic's ale mug smashed into his face covering it in liquor and shards of glass. The man stumbled backwards and fell to the ground with a thump. Paelic spun around to face the man's previous attacker just in time to see the club hit his face. The dizziness was instanteous and he fell to his knees blood pouring from his nose. Before even thinking it Paelic's palm erupted in flame.

"What the blazes!" the man took a step backward. Paelic smiled wiping the blood from his face and thrust his palm into the man's chest. The other man's clothing erupted in flame instantaneously. A voice above the rest could be heard. "Enforcerers! Enforcers are coming!" The fight immediately began to disperse. Nobody wanted to still when they showed up. Paelic pulled his dark cloak around and faded into the shadows. He wasn't going to get caught today.

Stat Increases- w/ Bonus for word count.
+1 T, +1 Ag, +1 Wp.

[FlyingPinkPony]

A smile crossed Paelic's face as the orc's furs and oil based warpaint erupted in flames below. The orc screamed and fell to the ground clutching his face. Paelic laughed as he ducked back below the wall as a barrage of crude bone arrows whizzed by his head. The guard on his left fell clutching his throat as an arrow found a weakspot in his chainmail. This might have been a bad night to agree to cover his friend's shift for just a handful of pocket change and a bottle of liquor. Paelic poked his head over the wall and lobbed another fireball before ducking once more as another volley flew overheard and was rewarded by the screams below. The guard to his right was crouched behind the wall nocking his bow. Paelic slid over to the man and held his hand out.

"Need a light?" His palm flickered with flame as he lit the guards arrow.

The guard gave a solemn grin. "Thanks Paelic." He popped back over the wall and let the arrow fly. Paelic took a deep breath and summoned the flame once again. It was clearly beginning to take its toll on him as the flame flickered and seemed to be weaker than before. Grabbing his handle of liquor Paelic took a huge swig and shrugged tossing the bottle over the side of the wall. The crash inaudible in the mayhem below. Jumping up he tossed the flame below as several of the orcs below caught flame. The fires began to spread along the ranks as the remaining orcs fled under the barrage of arrows and blistering heat.

As the howling of the orcs softened as they fled the guard captain walked up to Paelic.

Bonus Stats- +2 Wp, +1 Ag (word count).

"Good work out there tonight. Would have lost a few more good men if you hadn't been there. You should come by more often."

Paelic smiled. "Get me a new bottle of dwarf ale and we'll see."

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic staggered along the port with his bottle of dwarf ale in hand. The bottle was only half empty but that was proof of its potency. The stuff was worth quite a lot on this small island. Most of the locals on the pier knew by now not to interfere with suspicious strangers and stayed away from his zigzagging path. Collapsing onto the ground at the side of the dock he finally lost it. Horrified onlookers as he proceeded to hurl into the bay for several minutes. Wiping his lips on his sleeve of his cloak he stood up and immediately fell over. After a few more attempts and the help of a young dock worker he succeeded.

"Thanks for helpin me lad. Here have a coin for your trouble." Paelic fumbled with his wallet causing several copper coins to fall to the ground as the young lad went to pick them off the floor.

"Thank you very much sir." There was an awkward pause as they both stood their in silence. Finally the young lad spoke. "Well looks like the fish are out today." He said pointing to the water where fish started jumping out of the water.

"Not this crap again..." Paelic slurred and his voice rose into a shout. "Jumping little water birds! I've had enough of your crap! Stay in the water where you belong!"

"Sir, are you alright?" The boy looked up puzzled.

"Fine." Paelic's eyes glowed with a fire as the lad's backed away in horror. Paelic began chugging his ale.

"Sir are you sure you should be doing that?" The boy continued backing away.

Paelic grinned. "Yes." His hands erupted in fire and his body became wreathed in flames. "Try flying now suckers!" He cackled hurling fireballs into the lake. People began to scream and run as huge bursts of water erupted from the bay and charred fish bits flew into the air. "Die water breathers! No longer shall you haunt my dreams!"

"Enforcers! The enforcers are coming!" Paelic looked up to see people scatter as three heavily armored ogres came barrelling down the docks towards him large clubs in hand. He shrieked as he stopped paying attention and his cloak caught on fire.

"Run my little gilled friends!" he pointed at the bay and immediately proceeded to trip and fall on his face. Suddenly a big meaty fist hauled him up by his cloak. He ducked and slipped out of burning cloth as a second fist barreled towards his face. Turning around he dived underneath the ogres legs and sprinted into an alley. The ogres barrelled after him but after the first bend Paelic was nowhere to be seen. The enforcers ran by. Paelic peeked up over the side of a trash barrel.

"Phew. They're gone."

A small skaven poked its head up underneath him from within the garbage. "Who are gone."

Paelic shrieked and hurled.

Stats +2 Ag, +1Wp.

[FlyingPinkPony]

It had been years since Paelic had actually done the proper preparations for casting spells. In his defense very few achomplished wizards did them regularly, but these basic techniques were proven to improve the odds of successfully not miscasting a spell. Folding his arms behind his back he took a deep breath. In, and out. In, and out. Throwing his arms in front of him he began making symbol of the first key. He could feel the flames begin to well up in his stomach as a familiar tingle began to flow through his veins. As his hands traced the second key in the air the air around him began to shimmer and he could feel the heat begin to emminate from his body. Spinning, his legs slid along the ground forming the third key. Flickers of flame began to appear where he walked scorching the ground. His hands still held in the second key position his legs slid along the ground in wide circles as the flames licked the earth beneath his feet. In a flash his hands switched to the fourth key and flames erupted around him surrounding him in a thin sheet of fire. His body began to tremble as more and more energy flowed into him. There was no way he was going to the fifth sign today. Bringing his hands together he drew his left hand up and as he pulled upwards a flame was drawn between them. Pulling his hand away he held an elongated pillar of flame which slowly flickered until formed the shape of a blade.

Releasing his breath Paelic started twirled the blade to get the feel. It felt both completely weightless as the blade spun. Bringing the blade up in an arc he made several wide arcs watching the flames linger in the air before delivering a quick thrust forward. With a gust of breath flames erupted from the end of the blade. Letting out a smile Paelic drew the blade back and disbursed in with a flick of his finger.

+1 Wp/S/Ws.

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic had no ideas why he had those memories now. Perhaps it was because his training had been so long ago that his mind had to constantly remind his body that it knew what it was doing. More likely it was because his head was throbbing like Khorne himself was trying to break out from inside his skull. Sitting up and slowly opening his eyes Paelic looked around. The was small with a very low ceiling and a small pile of coals were glowing faintly in the corner. Standing up and keeping his head low to avoid hitting the ceiling Paelic started get a grasp of his surroundings. With a snap fire appeared in his hand and the room began to glow with the flame.

"Squeek! No fire! No fire! Mee fur will burn!"

Paelic turned around to see the small cowering skaven he had spotted moments before vomiting and passing out. A sudden unfamiliar odor filled his nostrils as he looked at the skaven in confusion.

"Calm yourself. I am in complete control of the fire. What is your name Skaven, and where am I?"

"I am ShortEye sir. The ogres were gonna tramplez you like dey trample us. So I hid you in dese old buildings we likes to hide in."

"Well thank you for your help. How do I get out of here."

ShortEye pointed to a small carefully concealed door in the corner. "But maybe cause I helped you, you can helps us?"

Paelic raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps. What do you need?"

ShortEye opened the door as Paelic hunched through. "Nothing in particular. But we are small and need friends."

Paelic smiled. "I see. Well I imagine you'll have no trouble finding me then little friend."

Wp+3

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic walked along the road. Nothing was happening in this town. Which for Tameria was actually a blessing but for him it was a curse. Hungover as he was he needed something to keep his mind off the throbbing pain in his skull. The wall could be interesting. If nothing else there would be someone to talk to since he knew all the city guards quite well and had fought with most of them.

Approaching the wall he came across two of the guards, Derrick and Stoyle, blades drawn facing one another in a dirt circle surrounded by several of their peers. Paelic knew both of the men from the tavern and had seen Derrick fight before and knew he was a very capable fighter, but knew little of the second man. Derrick did a quick lunge forward as Stoyle took a step back and parried hard knocking the blade aside. Paelic smirked, this fight was already over. Derrick brought the blade in a tight downward semicircle ducking the blade underneath Stoyle's heavy blade. Derrick's blade tip was up in a second touching Stoyle's throat. With an audible sigh Stoyle dropped his blade and raised his hands into the air admitting defeat. The other men on the ring applauded and Paelic walked up giving a slow clap. Derrick turned towards him and smiled.

"Ah Paelic, my good friend. Are the flames burning strong?"

"Aye that they are." Paelic said as they shook hands. "Teaching the rookies a thing or two?"

"That I am. Stoyle here made a bet that he could best me in the ring today."

"What odds?"

"Two to one" Derrick said with a smile.

"I'll take em. Stoyle was it? Get back in the ring." Stoyle gave a look of surprise as Paelic spoke to him but quickly grabbed his blade and walked back into the center of the ring.

"Here's the deal. I'll help you beat Derrick for half your winnings. You're still making double what you put into it and its a hell of lot more than if you just give up."

"Uh sure." Stoyle had a look of surprise on his face as he spoke.

"What exactly are you doing Paelic?" Derrick asked.

"You said he just had to beat you today in the ring to win the money. Now seems like the perfect oppurtunity." Paelic smiled. Leaning down he whispered in Stoyle's ear. "Now you have a heavier blade which has its advantages but speed is on his side. He'll most likely get the first thrust like he did before. When you counter you have two approaches and they must be one of two extremes. With a heavy blade you cannot overextend yourself on a parry. You parried too hard last time giving him a wide opening to attack." Stoyle nodded listening intently. "But this is exactly what Derrick would believe that I'm telling you so I will tell you to instead do the opposite. Ever wonder how an orc can beat some of the best human swordsman with a clumsy blade? Its not merely strength, its force. Most swordsmen are not used to this style of fighting and it throws them out of their comfort zone making them an easy kill. Your blade will help give you that advantage so capitalize on it. When he comes into attack smash his blade into the ground, overextend yourself to the point that causes him to overextend as well."

Stoyle turned looking at Paelic intrigued. "Then what? We're both wide open? And he has the faster blade."

Paelic laughed. "Good point. So clearly before either of you have time to recover your weapons you'd have to improvise. But you'll be expecting it, he won't. That'll give you the advantage."

Stoyle nodded and moved to the center of the ring. Derrick gave a smirk "No offense to Paelic but I don't think a few a words will get you out of this bet Stoyle."


Paelic smiled as he counted his newfound earnings. Looking back at the ring he gave a wave as he headed off to the tavern. The men didn't notice as Derrick was clutching his broken nose and Stoyles was bandaging his bloody hand.

+3 Ws. Way over word count.

[FlyingPinkPony]

It didn't take long before Paelic started out being sought out for swordplay advice often. Never one to pass up an opportunity Paelic began charging a very reasonable mug of ale for each lesson. It seemed to do wonders for the troops morale and helped sew shut the tavern sized hole in his wallet.

Paelic himself actually noticed his ability improving. While going over many of the basics with the troops he noticed his movements getting more refined and his blocks increasingly subtle and faster.

During sparring the soldiers themselves forced Paelic to come up with new tricks as his usual repertoire of blade tricks was enough to win the occasional duel but when fighting opponents multiple times tricks become increasingly ineffective.

The "Musty Mug" tavern actually opened the floor once a week up for a dueling competition. Not surprisingly it brought in a lot of customers. Luckily in part due to the large ogre guard who was posted there on each dueling event there hadn't been any deaths as of yet. A few injuries here and there, but nothing fatal. Despite insistence from the men Paelic himself had yet to join the ring. He had a reputation to uphold and the men who went to the event were getting continually better. He knew he would have to show up soon or not at all if he wanted to keep up appearances and still gain students. He spent far too much on alcohol for this opportunity to slip through his fingers. Pulling his cloak around him to ward off the cold, he walked down the dock looking off into the ocean.

"Well suppose I should finally get around to doing that." With a groan he turned around and walked into town.

The door of the Musty Mug opened and the loud ruckus of drunken debauchery could be heard. Many of the soldiers cheered when he arrived. Stoyle walked up, his hand still covered in bandages.

"Well if it isn't Paelic! How you doing?"

Paelic took off his hood and grinned. "I need a beer and a sword. Let me in the ring" Tossing off his black cloak Paelic caught a dueling sword tossed to him as the room burst into approving cheers and applause. Taking a deep breath he stepped into the ring eager to see who the current reigning champ was. Paelic muttered curses to himself at the applause. It was becoming increasingly difficult to stay subtle in this town.

Stat increases
+3 Ws.

[FlyingPinkPony]

The man who entered the ring first was clearly an amateur. A young guardsman who by his staggered walk into the ring was plastered. This would be a good warmup fight. The young man lurched forward bringing his blade in a huge overhead arch. He felt confident, if his opponent was already telegraphing his moves this fight would be in the bag. Stepping in to avoid the powerful strike he struck the man's hand with his guard. A sudden surge of pain entered Paelic's chest as the other man's fist struck him in the gut. A trap? This early in the match from a drunken opponent? These guards were getting better. The crowd gasped as he doubled over. Bringing his left hand to his side to soothe the pain he found his opponents hadn't withdrawn his hand. Desperate to stop the pain Paelic punched the intruding fist causing his opponent to lose balance and tumbled forward. The man gave a backwards swipe of his sword as Paelic stumbled backwards narrowly avoiding the blade. His opponent did a low swipe slamming the dull blade into Paelic's ankle. Not trying to lose face Paelic tried to ignore the pain and continue fighting. Parrying a series of thrusts Paelic reached the edge of the ring as his opponent did one final long telegraphed thrust. Cringing Paelic knew he needed space to properly dodge of parry. Raising his blade for the block there was a sudden surge of pain as his ankle gave out causing him to topple to the floor. The man looked in surprise as his foe dodged his blow causing him to trip over Paelic's body kicking him hard in the ribs. The man toppled to the ground beside him. Paelic groaned, this had truly been a horrible idea. Rolling over he cringed as his ribs and ankle expressed anger at his fast movements. Stabbing the sword tip into the ground to use as a cane Paelic pulled himself off the ground to the sound of cheering. Looking down his opponent was face up in horror as Paelic's blade was piercing the fabric of his pants just below the groin. Derrick ran up to him and held his hand up in the air.

"Victory goes to Paelic! The man of incredible swordplay and skill. Who wants to challenge him next!" Paelic's eyes went wide at Derrick's last sentance. Derrick whispered to Paelic "Hey man, I'm glad you came but you gotta stop toying with these guys. One of them is likely to get hurt."

Paelic cringed. "Ya... I gotta stop doing that, wouldn't want one of them to get hurt."

+1 Ws, T, W

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic gazed into the crowd. Nobody seemed to be moving forward. Paelic let out a sigh of relief. He might just out of here with his ribs and pride intact. As if on cue there was a shout in the back of the crowd as a body flew across room. Followed by another and another as a path was forced through the pack of men revealing a very large and angry ogre. Paelic recognized him immediately as the ogre enforcer who had tried to maul him at the dock. Sheer panic struck Paelic as he looked around but the crowd was thick and dripping with anticipation. There was no getting out of this one. The ogre leaned in so close Paelic could count the pieces of meat stuck in its teeth. "I've been looking for you boy. I iz gonna stomp all over ya."

Derrick ran forward. "Good enforcer. Don't you know who this is? This is the Singing Blade of the East, The Tempest of Steel. The Human Wildfire!" Raising his voice for dramatic effect, Derrick turned to the crowd for support. "This is no ordinary man ogre. Prepare to take a beating. This is Paelic!" The crowd's cheers and the shouts filled the air.

The ogre took a step forward pushing Derrick out of the way. "Oh I know dis 'ere little runt. No more talk. We fight."

Perhaps there was a still a way out of this. Paelic walked towards the ogre filled with false confidence adjusting his gloves smiling to himself. "My good ogre. I recognize your desire to fight someone as skilled as myself but we have very specific rules for these fights. First off you need a blade of regulation length..." There was a resounding crack as the ogre's meaty fist connected with Paelic's face. Flying across the room the crowd parted as Paelic crashed into the bar table. Paelic heard at least one thing break as excruciating pain shot through his body. The intense pain running through his body made it impossible to tell what what even injured anymore. Fantastic.

The ogre laughed. "Little man talk too much! Gonna stomp you now." Paelic groaned and forced himself to his knees. The ogre confident stood over him pointing talking to the crowd. "Look at puny man." Paelic's hands searched the bar floor and wrapped around a familiar grip. Gripping the bar stool by the seat Paelic roared and smashed it into the ogre's shin the wooden legs breaking on the creatures hard bone. With a shout of pain the ogre fell a few steps back. Paelic scrambled forwards towards the wall. A loud roar overpowered the crowd's voices as the ogre charged Paelic. Spinning around Paelic hurled the seat of the stool like a disk. It flew true staight into the ogres mouth with a crack as a piece of the ogres left tusk broke off. It did little to stop the brutes advance as the metal shoulder plate of the ogre smashed into Paelic's chest. Grabbing the fallen man off the ground the ogre pulled him into a bear hug and began crushing him. Paelic screamed, every nerve was on fire, bones were cracking, the pain was nearly unbearable. Slamming his head forward he smashed the ogre in the forehead, stunned he dropped Paelic. Paelic fell to the ground. He couldn't see, everything was dark, couldn't hear over the throbbing of his own heartbeart. His hands were numb as he felt around the barroom floor. The ogre's hand wrapped around his collar as he felt himself being lifted. The ogres roar broke the silence instilled by his beating heart as he felt himself pulled upwards. His head made contact with the ceiling as the wood gave way to his skull. He could feel the slick blood dripping down his face. He felt the hand let go as he dangled from the cieling by his head. Even if his eyes were working properly he couldn't see anything from up here. Is this really the end? The ogres laugh was audible through the wood and it filled Paelic with rage. He was not going to be killed by this idiot. Bringing his right leg into the roundhouse he felt a solid connection with what he assumed was the ogre's head. Not letting up he brought his left around and felt it also connect. Forcing his right to lash forward again he hit nothing but air. His left leg barely moved when he told it to. The right leg barely twitched when he tried again. It was becoming difficult to breath as the wood was choking him and the pain was subsiding into the drowsiness. Against his will Paelic felt his eyes close and his struggles ceased as he went limp dangling by his head from the ceiling of the Musty Mug.


Stat increase. +2T +1 Ws.

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic opened his eyes. His head felt like it had gotten beaten in with a club. If only that were the truth he probably would have recovered faster. Looking around he found himself in a very familiar setting. The apothecary was sitting on the other side of the small hut mixing something together in a clay pot. Looking up she saw that he was awake. "Welcome back."

Paelic cracked a smile. "We need to stop meeting like this." She was kind of cute. Trying to lean up there was a crack as something gave and he fell back into his bed with a groan.

She gave a comforting smile and grabbed a bottle from and brought it to Paelic's lips. "Don't try to move you have a several bones, about a dozen severe lacerations, and are suffering from massive internal trauma."

Paelic coughed as he attempted to drink the liquid she offered him. "That all?"

"You're an odd one. No that's not all, but it's the short list. I could give you the long list but I believe it is more beneficial to have you rest. Now finish that drink it'll speed up your recovery."

Paelic tried to bring his right hand up but it wouldn't respond. Sighing he winced in pain as he got his left hand to move and hold the liquid at his lips. "So what are you doing tomorrow night?"

She turned back towards him "Taking care of you unless you keep making advances on me. Then I'll call in my replacement Angry Beard. He is a very angry dwarf surgeon who likes to perform unnecessary surgeries on patients that annoy him."

"Sounds like fun. Perhaps another time though..."

"WHERE IZ TUSK BREAKER!" A loud angry ogre threw open the sheet covering the entrance to the hut. Paelic recognized him immediately by the broken tusk that it was the same ogre he had met at the bar.

"Why me..." Paelic groaned.

Sitting up with a grunt as pain shot through his body Paelic grabbed his sword lying next to his bed with his left hand. He wasn't left handed but it was better than taking on an ogre with nothing. Sitting on the side of the bed he leveled his blade in the best fencing stance he could muster with one working arm and sitting down.

The ogre turned to him and gave a huge smile. "Dere you are!"

The cloth was pulled back again as two more ogres forced themselves inside the tiny hut. One carried a large club and the other had a nasty set of metal spikes covering his knuckles. "Dis the lad. He break yer tusk?"

The ogre with the broken tusk nodded. "Yup. Let's git him boyz!" Paelic knocked the ogre's fist aside as it lunged for him and slashed the ogre across the face as his blade flashed back to its starting position. "Bit of a fight left in dis one! He is a tusk breaker afta all." The second ogre started moving towards him. Tossing his sword in the air Paelic grabbed his drink in newly freed left hand and threw it at the ogres face, the clay shattering on impact covering its face in hot medicine. Catching the blade on its fall he brought to face the first ogre who had recovered and was already lunging for him again. Not being able to move did not work in Paelic's favor as the ogre smashed the blade aside and pinned him to the bed. "Bring in da boyz!"

Two more ogres crammed their way in carrying a large barrel. A single tear fell from Paelic's cheek. "Why me?"

Roaring the ogres dumped the barrel onto Paelic covering him in gallons of ale, chanting "Tusk Breaker! Tusk Breaker!" as they began to beat him with large meaty fists.

"Life's a bi..." He couldn't finish his sentence before blacking out as the barrage of fists pummeled him ruthlessly.

+2Ws, +1 Bs.

[FlyingPinkPony]

Waking up Paelic immediately caught the scent of blood, stale ale, and medicinal tea. His head felt funny and he found himself staring up at his knees. He was crammed awkwardly beside the bed his head up against the corner is an unnatural angle, his legs sprawled onto the cot he was getting to know far too well. Moving was a painful experience but he tilted his head slightly to better get a bearing on his surroundings. The healer was nowhere to be found but the hot medical tea could be seen steaming on the table. Paelic mouth began to water as he strained to get up. A sudden feeling of dread hit him hard and he slowly turned to his right. Standing on the other side of the bed was the large hairy back of an ogre. Fighting the urge to sob uncontrollably Paelic slowly began to move his legs to try and get away. The large monster turned around and Paelic slammed his eyes shut instinctively pretending to be asleep.

He held them shut for what seemed like hours not daring to open them again. Out of nowhere Paelic's nose began to tickle. Cursing Paelic cringed at the inevitable.

"ACHOO!" Paelic sneezed. The force of his sneeze knocked his legs off the bed and he fell with a thud. Looking up the ogre had spun back around and was staring at him. Seeing him awake he leaned in with a big toothy grin his broken tusk looking particularly menacing.

"IZ TUSKBREAKER!"

Pulling Paelic to his feet as though he would a child. Brushing him off with big ham sized hands the ogre then swept him up into a massive hug. Struggling to breath Paelic felt his ribs begin to crack and the wind leave his body. This time is definitely the end. The ogre dropped Paelic back onto his feet and passed him an oversized mug thrice the size of a normal flagon at the Musty Mug. Paelic took an apprehensive sniff and recoiled in disgust. It was some kind of horrible brew well past its prime and chucks of what looked like bits of bone and lumpy potatos could be seen floating on the surface.

Handing the glass back. Paelic shook his head. "Umm.. no thank you. I'm quite alright. I am quite hydrated.

"Drink up. Must tuskbreaker. Or me break your tusk!" The ogre's eyes narrowed in anger and his hand reached out caressing Paelic's thin human neck.

"Oh... Silly me! I just realized how incredibly thirsty I am." Giving an unconvincing smile Paelic raised the brew to his lips and cringed. "How... incredibly, incredibly thirsty and not disgusted I am." He poured the beverage back and began to chug.

Stats
+1 Wp
+2 W

[FlyingPinkPony]

His stomach wretched as he drank. Every second of drinking was among the most excruciating moments of his life, and this was coming from a man who had spent time in the witch hunters "confession" rooms. Gulping for air he pulled the glass from his lips. The scent and taste of pure alcohol dominated the drink which was good as he peeked once more at the contents. Paelic stifled the urge to puke as he saw a small toad belly up in the drink.

"No done 'ith drink! Drink all!"

Terror was an excellent motivator as Paelic chugged the brew toad and all. Paelic was quite a heavy weight when it came to drinking but this was going too far. Last time he drank half this much he ended up on the wrong side of the law with the city's ogre brute squad. Pausing to breath two more times Paelic finally finished the drink the rush of gravel and fine powder at the bottom pouring from the sides of his gulping mouth. Throwing the glass to the floor Paelic promptly vomited onto the floor of the apothecary.

"Oi. 'Ucko! E' otz a bukker fer eh raison dun teh 'o." A large surly looking dwarf was standing off to the side next to the medicine bench.

Paelic stammered wiping his mouth clean with the sleeve of his shirt pointing angrily at the cup. "What was the hell is this? What is going on?"

The ogre beamed. "Tuskbreaker break tusk. Earn Smashgrog!"

"Uh huh." Paelic turned to the dwarf. "Translation?"

The dwarf grunted. "E' ye nade ta be 'sin da great 'ig ole squish's en de ides o dat nan beard aisin 'oggin off ta."

Paelic blinked and turned towards the ogre. "What?"

"Silly man no speak silly man tongue good." The ogre laughed loudly holding his oversized belly. "Knee-tall say you need to listen. You break me tusk so now you drink Smashgrog grog. Now we ogre friends."

Paelic stood dumbfounded. This was ogre friendship? Being beaten to the brink of the death, then pummeled by angry mob in a hospital, and being forced to chug nearly a gallon the most foul drink ever conceived by humanoids!

"We're friends now?"

The ogre laughed again slapping Paelic on the back causing him to stumble and smash face first into the wall. "Silly man no hear good. We friends! You tuskbreaker. You friends with many ogres now. We like you 'cause you funny and tuff fer a humie. Put up good fight."

Falling back onto the bed Paelic clutched his face. Looking down he saw his hand covered in his own blood. "I think you just broke my nose."

The dwarf snorted and the ogre looked up and drew a large mace from its belt a small tears welling up in its eyes. "You no want to be Grab Smashes friend?"

Paelic's eyes widened. "No. No. I want to be your friend! I really really do. So ummm... where to friend?" Paelic said tearing off a piece of his bed sheet and shoving it in his nose to staunch the bleeding.

"Ye' ai bee go ta everen de weeiss bits o teh' wates oh chaos 'e lad." The dwarf mumbled pulling a bucket and rag from the cupboard over the medicine table.

"Let me guess. You're AngryBeard?"

"Ayin! N' ye bee clennin ale deh messers ye juss 'ee akin. No-berin ih comtin meh 'ospice en in 'gre brak'r o-tooths 'ithin 'ithit 'e nawt uh boot ai aye wee lasses 'ith de bi' ole bosoms. Ye be raggin dat de man juicin awf de 'earf grund n pairin' me wallers ikin a 'ew one babah un dwarf lad."

"I'm not sure what you're said but I'll just be going. Thank you for your help and have a pleasant day." Paelic gave a curtious bow. As he looked up he found the end of a well crafted dwarf pistol pointing between his eyes.

"Eh! Nobearin 'e fumb-tickin way rom Angrah Berd! "Et te 'orkin!"

Paelic cursed silently at whatever gods were guiding him through life. How could this get any worse? As if on cue Paelic's stomach rumbled and he fell back to knees vomiting uncontrollably.

Angrybeard gave a dwarfy snort and tossed another rag on top of Paelic's hunched body. "Ere ye bay 'eedin dat."

Stats-
T 1
S 1
Wp 1
W 1 - For word count. These are going around like candy it seems.

[FlyingPinkPony]

The next week was excruciating as Angrybeard "nursed" Paelic back to health with a remedy of chores and threats of free surgery. After working off his medical costs Paelic managed to stumble out of the healers tent holding a crutch to assist him in walking.

"I need a drink." It had been almost a week now without any form of alcohol and about two weeks since he had anything to drink that someone would willingly pay money for (which in Tameria is quite a feat). He walked slowly towards the Musty Mug against his better judgment.

His walk took him through the central district and the lower city. Paelic normally hated this part of the city, but going around would cost valuable drinking time. It didn't take long for his presence to get noticed. In the east gate he was well known but this was one of only several times in this district. A large burly man just slightly smaller than the ogre Paelic had become so familiar with recently, stood at the end of the road holding a large hammer. As Paelic limped through the street people shut their windows and he could hear the bolting of doors. Turning around he spotted other figures following him.

Choosing to ignore them he continued forward until he was several feet in front of the large man.

"Stop."

Paelic looked up. "Is there a problem?"

The man only pointed straight ahead. Paelic slowly turned around glancing at the small crowd that had formed around him. There were eight individuals total. All wielding crude weapons, mostly knives, clubs, and chains. The one in front was brandishing a pistol.

"Oi, Gimp! Give us everythin you got."

Paelic sighed. "And who are you?"

The man gave a cocky smile. "We are part of Rashief Clan. And Mugsy there is going to smash your face in unless you give us all your gold." The large man behind Paelic gave a confirming grunt. Paelic cringed. He had heard of these ruffians and hoped to never run into them.

"It is yours to take." He gave a casual grin and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "But I assure you, several of you will die in the process. I will give you some time to choose which of your men you wish to die."

The men exchanged a few uneasy glances and chuckles. "He's bluffin boys. Its eight on one. Get him."

"This is Irolek lads. You are too trusting. Everyone and everything here has their secrets. Nothing is as it seems."

The man in front made the first move drawing his knife and moving towards Paelic. Standing perfectly still he waited until the man was only a few feet away. Without warning Paelic hopped forward smashing the man in the face with his crutch catching the knife as it fell from his adversary's hand. With a lunge he tossed the knife out catching another man in the throat. Gurgling the man fell to the ground clutching at his throat. The shock wore off as the attackers moved in to attack as one. "Get him boys!"

Paelic spun in a full circle using his good leg as a pivot point and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath in and out. He was completely surrounded as his hands snapped forward forming the first key of Aqshy. The fire burned in his belly. He could feel its strength flooding his body. There was a click as the pistol was cocked. Paelic's eyes snapped open and he smiled. His crutch erupted in flames as he hurled it towards his foe. The pistol shot rang off catching Paelic in the shoulder. The other man screamed as the crutch was lodged into his chest and his clothing caught flame.

Spinning in a full circle clutching his bleeding shoulder with his right hand he drew the image of the second key with his left hand. Immediately flames began to form his palm and a sword of pure flames burst into creation.

"Is the entire Rashief Clan afraid of a gimp?"

Stats-
Ws-1
Bs-1
Wp-1

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic gripped the flaming blade tightly with his right hand. Wincing Paelic tightened his grip on his bleeding shoulder causing blood to flood from the wound. Letting it pool in his palm for a moment Paelic flung his hand out towards the pack of tightly grouped men sprinkling them with droplets of blood.

The ruffians surged forward blades drawn as Paelic stood tall and pointed at them with his blood soaked hand and softly spoke an incantation. The men stopped in their tracks unsure as to what just happened. The pause lasted but a moment as they realized nothing had happened and they lunged for him. Paelic smirked and snapped his fingers. "Boom."

Each drop of blood burst into small flames igniting the men's clothing and charring their flesh. He knew it wouldn't do much damage but it didn't matter. The distraction was enough. As sudden as their surprise turned to screams of pain he was upon them. The blade of flame sliced clean through the first man's leg. The man didn't even know what was happening as the cauterized stump fell to the ground forcing him to dropping his knife as he tried desperately to put out the flames by beating them with his hands. Paelic's weapon shot through the second man's throat and sliced through the chain wielded by the third before the man was gutted. He spun around to deliver a sweeping slash through a field of flailing limbs when he was suddenly launched forward over the burning men into a wall. Pain filled his body as he hit. Coughing up blood Paelic tried to stand only to fall back to the ground accompanied by a pain in his hip. "Shit. It's broken." Looking up Paelic cringed as he saw Mugsy, the large hammer wielding man holding his massive hammer.

The man seemed unphased by the burning thugs all around him, though from courage or stupidity Paelic couldn't tell. Mugsy raised the hammer above his head to finish him off. Paelic feebly raised his blade to block the attack. There was a resounding sound as the hammer clashed on magic. Paelics arm shook violently and he dropped his blade onto the dirty ground below. The flames began to flicker and fade. Paelic grabbed desperately at the blade but his hand refused the close around the hilt. Mugsy laughed at Paelic's pathetic attempt to ward him off and raised his hammer again for the final stroke. The hammer slammed down onto Paelic's back. There was an earsplitting scream as Paelic felt his ribcage break under the blow. The ground was slick with Paelics blood. He could barely see from the mud and blood covering his face. He could feel fluid filling his lungs, probably blood as it was becoming difficult to breath. Each breath was painful and shallow. Looking up Paelic could barely make out the night sky and the moon. Mugsy stepped blocking his view of the moon as Paelic frowned. He didn't want his last sight to be that big oaf killing him. If he hadn't been crippled he could have taken these guys. This was a horrible way to go. The other thugs had put out the flames by now and were surrounding Paelic's downed body.

"Not so tough now are ya? Didn't know we had any warlocks on this island. Freakin' warlocks are more trouble than they're worth." One of the men stepped forward and lashed his spiked metal chain against Paelic's back. He thought he screamed in pain, but he wasn't sure at this point. Everything was slowing down, melding together. The man lashed Paelic over and over again, each time he moved less in response.

"Finish the chaos lover Mugsy. The witch hunters will pay us handsomely for this one's scalp."

Mugsy gave an approving grunt and raised his hammer. Everything was suddenly silent except for the soft falling of rain. The blade of flame still burned faintly before him, he tried to reach it but none of his limbs responded. Paelic closed his eyes. It was finally over. A sudden roar broke the silence.

"TUSK BREAKER!" Paelic's eyes snapped open. It couldn't be. The man with the chain in front of him screamed as a large ogre barreled into him smashing him into the wall. Two more ogres followed seconds later. One with a club uppercutted a stunned man with a dagger launching him into the air while breaking the back of another. The second ogre had no weapons but was clad in full heavy armor. He grabbed one of the attacking men by the neck with his meaty fist and listed him off the ground as though he were a child. With a crunch his tusks broke through the man's skull and the ogre spit the man's head out onto the ground as the few remaining turned and ran. The ogre with the broken tusk Paelic immediately recognized came into view as it walked over his fallen form. It roared. "Break the runners. Big one is mine. He break my tuskbreaker. Me break him!" The other ogres laughed and chased after the fleeing men down the alley. The ogre hefted his big wooden club in both hands and brought it down in a vertical smash towards Mugsy's head. The man was dumb but not an inexperienced fighter. He deflected the blow easily with his iron hammer and kicked the ogre in the stomach. The ogre laughed as the man's foot hit solid muscle. Mugsy brought his hammer in fast with both hands. The ogre blocked with his club but the iron head of the hammer shattered the thick wood. Stumbling back the ogre laughed.

"Dis is a fight! Have no fun in fight since Tuskbreaker!" Mugsy stepped backwards grabbing the heavy hammer by the end. Swinging it wide. The man was incredibly strong to be able to wield such a large weapon by the bottom of the handle. The ogre stepped forward but the hammer swept in catching him on the side of the head. Stumbling back the ogre rubbed his head and strode forward trying to hit Mugsy with his fists but each time the man stepped back and hit him with the heavy hammer from a distance.

"Need more reach!" Looking back he saw Paelic lying on the ground next to his fallen blade bleeding badly. "Tuskbreaker! Stop being useless. Grab sword!" Paelic groaned as he struggled to reach otu and grab the blade. "NOW TUSKBREAKER! FORE I BREAK YOU!" A sudden strength of courage, or fear, forced his hand forward grabbing the hilt of the blade. The flames immediately roared to life as his hand gripped the hilt. "Good!" The ogre reached down grabbing Paelic by the ankle and swung him over his shoulder like a whip towards Mugsy. The stunned man raised his hammer to block the blow but the extended range of Paelic's limp body and fire blade sliced through the metal hilt destroying his hammer. Whipping Paelic around again the ogre brought his wizard-blade across the other side of the man's chest cleaving him in two. Tossing Paelic over his shoulder the ogre heartily slapped him hard on the back. "We make good team. Well fought little tuskbreaker."

Paelic groaned."Please kill me..."

"Funny little Tuskbreaker! No death for you. I take you to bar and get you best ogre ale and meat on island. Feel better then."
For the first time since he was a child Paelic began to weep.


Stats-
+1 Ws
+1 S
+1 T

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic woke up to sound of alarm bells. Looking around he realized he was once again in the infirmity. This was becoming all too familiar a scene. He had no comprehension of long he had been out all he remembered was a vague recollection of an arena and a chaos warrior of Khorne. Looking down he saw his chest, arms, and legs covered in blood stained bandages. He felt surprisingly better than he thought he should considering how bad his injuries looked. He then noticed the little black beard stitched into his side. Paelic couldn't help but crack a smile. "I'll make him pay for that later."

"They are over the wall!" Paelic immediately recognized the voice as Sergent Kurth's one of the night watch commanders. The cloth covering to the door was flung open a small rat man poked his head inside wielding a long curved knife. Looking around quickly he spotted Paelic lying in the bed unarmed. Grinning the ratman slowly walked forward chittering in some unfamiliar language. Paelic struggled to his feet getting off the bed. Lying down was not the place to be. The rat lunged forward with startling speed as Paelic sidestepped. The dagger narrowly missed him and the rat slashed his open leg with its claws as it passed. Falling backwards Paelic pulled the white sheet from his bed throwing it onto the skaven. The large sheet completely covered the ratman as it flailed around trying to orientate itself.

Paelic lunged forward as he heard the telltale clatter of metal on stone as the ratman dropped his blade. Pulling the pillow from the bed he shoved it onto the skaven's face just as it freed itself from the sheet. Smothering the creature with all his strength the beast flailed and kicked to little avail. Then it started gnawing in desperation cutting a hole through the pillow. Paelic reached his hand forward holding the skaven's jaw shut and felt the fire flow within him as adrenaline raced through his system. Using magic in this state was risky but he didn't care at the moment.

"Faerune eh lithuth-ek" The ratman peered into his eyes as Paelics pupils became replaced with flames. It took but a second as fire shot from palm incinerating the skaven's head and torso. Getting up he heard roars that could only be ogre enforcers and the screams of dying ratmen. Dragging himself to his feet Paelic limped out of the infirmy to take a look around grabbing his rapier from the bedside table.

+1 Wp
+2 W

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic limped outside to see what had happened and was greeted to the sight of a skaven being smashed into a pulp by an ogres club. Using his sword as a cane Paelic walked over to the ogre.

"What is going on Enforcer?"

The ogre laughed. "Tiny rats jump over wall! They flee and we squish them." Paelic gave a nod. This was the third or fourth time recently a small band of skaven had tried to climb over the wall. To what purpose nobody could fathom. The mind of a skaven was as alien as that of that of a tree. Nobody understood what they were thinking, Paelic doubted they knew half the time. Two ratmen ran in front of them down the road. As they turned and saw Paelic and the enforcer they squeaked and ran.

The enforcer growled. "I take big one. You kill little one!" The ogre took off chasing one of the skaven around the corner. The other one went the other direction running straight by Paelic. Running as best he could Paelic hobbled after the skaven intent on catching the filthy little beast. Mustering the forces of magic in his hand he closed his eyes and felt the familiar heat of a fireball. Taking aim he tossed the projectile at the fleeing skaven. The skaven turned attracted by the light and sqealed dodging out of the way. Cursing Paelic cringed and gave chase.

Pain coursed through his legs as he struggled to keep up. The rat was fast and Paelic's injuries were doing him no service. This would be possible if only he didn't have the worst luck. He ran through a twisting series of turns before running smack dab into the skaven. The skaven was not alone though. Three of the angry critters were there clad in black robes with cruel looking blades dripping with a black liquid, poison of some variety. Paelic took a step back raising his blade. This was bad.

The ratmen stepped forward slowly. Suddently a clank was heard as a small brass orb hit the ground in front of him.

"Hoomun! Cover mouth!" Paelic threw his sleeve in front of his mouth as green gas shot from the orb.

Stats-
+2 Ag
+1 Wp

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic's eyes watered and his lungs forced him to cough as the gas filled the air. The fabric of his sleeve prevented the majority of gas from entering his lungs. The skaven around him were not so lucky. The green has filled their lungs as each fit of coughing allowed more of the dangerous vapor into their lungs. Seizing the moment Paelic drew his blade and dove into the fray. The skaven were barely aware of his movements until it was too late. His rapier lashed out slicing across the neck if first skaven. His boot broke the knee of the second. Tossing a throwing knife he caught the third ratman in the eye and saw it collapse with a gargle. The fabric Plunging his blade into the fallen skaven he turned around and took off running. As he turned he felt thin claws grab his neck. Struggling forward he was pulled to the ground as a mask was pulled over his head. He took a deep breath as his sleeve was ripped from his mouth. As he could hold his breath no longer he gasped for air. Cool clean air flooded into his lungs much to Paelic's surprise.

Sitting up he turned around to find a small skaven in a gas mask. Tugging on his arm the skaven led him away from the melee where the last of the other skaven died from the noxious fumes. After they were safetly away the small skaven pulled the mask from his head. Paelic followed suit.

"Who are you? Who were those who attacked me?"

The small skaven chuckled. "Silly man-thing. You help me escape from big old ogres before. I return favor."

Paelic's eye narrowed as he inspected the skaven. He looked slightly familiar but all skaven looked alike to him. The only noticeable difference was this skaven was particularly small and runty. Regardless the rat had saved his life. "What do you want from me?"

The rat smiled. "Nothing silly man-thing. You save me before. We friends now. Friends help-help each other yes-yes?"

Paelic nodded. "Indeed they do." He extended his hand to the small rat man. Paelic didn't fully trust the skaven but he could not deny its usefullness. "To friendship."

The skaven nodded furiously. "Yes-yes. You fire-man. I Tinysqueak. I call for you help next time yes?" Looking up the small skaven sniffed the air. It's eyes widened. "Ogres come. Me flee. Call you later." With that the small skaven ducked off around the corner.

+3 WS

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic drew his hands into his body. It was finally time. This time he was preparing to defeat the great beast who had nearly taken his life into the jungle. He would not survive in his current state. Each of the seven keys that the bright wizards used were powerful tools, but their purpose was many fold. On the surface they were a metaphor for levels of depth, layers upon layers of foundational knowledge that all led to a single burning purpose. In a physical sense keys were awarded to acolytes who achieved various levels of success and passed certain tests handed down from the head wizards. These keys served as literal symbols of rank and status but also were often magically enchanted by the acolyte or wizard receiving the key or by the council that awarded them. Lastly they were a tool for harnessing the flow of magic. When magic is viewed as a current it is incredibly difficult to contain and control. Most wizards who grew in power simply tried to balance drawing in enough power while trying desperately to not take in more power than they could handle. The bright wizards developed a trick, a cheat to the usual system they referred to as the seven keys.

If magic is a river, the keys were the damns and levies that altered the flow. From Paelic's understanding the chaos mages and dark elves in absorb as much magic as possible and use its raw force to achieve their dark ends, while the high elves actually were able to twist and bend the different winds together delicately to create a more pure usable wind. Humans however lacked the innate ability for each of these approaches. The bright wizards used the keys to block out the unusable and undesired winds and channel pure fire magic into their spells and abilities. This was the primary reason that bright wizards were always in higher demand than the other colleges. Their destruction was always reliable. Paelic sat cross legged in front of the fire thinking back to his training. He had only received one official iron key from college but that meant little due to his extended absence. Paelic himself had unlocked four keys consistently during his travels but he knew that not even unlocking four channels of fire magic would be enough to fell the foe before him. He had to adopt a new strategy. One that if back in the Empire could get him expelled from the order. Paelic knew would he would intentionally have to do something every wizard tries desperately to avoid, losing control. If the keys were doorways that allowed magic to flow into his body they were limited strictly because of their innate size. He had no time or training to learn how to unlock more keys, that could require years of training and even then it was not possible for all wizards. His only choice was to break the first key. He would open the floodgates of hell into his own body.

+2 WP, +1S

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic screamed as he the fire raged through his veins. Opening the first key was easy but he had opened it for far too long. For this to work he had to weaken the internal gate, and the only way to do that was overuse. The process of breaking the key was proving more difficult than he had initially imagined. Eventually something had to give. Drawing his hands across his chest he formed the second seal. With a violent twist he forced open the second key. Flames shot from his eyes and mouth as raw red magic flowed into his body. His palms erupted in flames filling the dark cave with light. He could barely keep himself standing as he traced the circle with his feet this time the flame leaping and clinging to his path. As the seal was formed his knees buckled as power flooded through his feet from the very earth itself. With a thud his legs gave out forcing him to his knees. The flames in his hands raged and he could feel his core temperature skyrocketing to dangerous levels. Forcing to stay conscious Paelic slammed his hands onto the ground opening the fourth key.

Flames erupted from all sides of his body, circling and surrounding his body. Paelic cringed as he forced himself to a knee inside the inferno, flames encircling and pouring from his body. His arm forced its way to his neck slowly as if trying to move in a hurricane. In a sudden last surge of strength he ripped the iron key from his neck. It was glowing red. The stench of burnt flesh hit him hard as he gripped the key tightly in his hand. Reason and logic were replaced only with fire and pain. He was functioning purely on instinct. Grabbing the key with both hands he plunged it directly below his heart. The flames flickered and died in an instant as Paelic screamed in pain his blood dripping from the open wound. Paelic let out a sigh of relief from the power of the flames. As suddenly as the pain left his form it returned three fold. A concentrated surge of fire erupted from his wound shooting into the wall. Paelic was pushed backwards by the force of the surge. The pain was so overwhelming all his senses went dark. All he could feel was the pain although he was sure he was screaming. How long he was in this state he couldn’t tell but soon it all went dark.

Paelic awoke to find his wound cauterized and a ten foot tunnel that had been burned into the rock. Slowly getting to his feet he walked over to inspect the hole in disbelief. He had never seen fire burn hot enough to melt through rock. The stone was perfectly melted about one meter in diameter. Reaching inside he saw his iron key imbedded into the rock at the end of the tunnel. Pulling the key free he staggered backwards exhausted. He knew would have to make it back to the town before nightfall or he could die out here. Staggering forward he took a single step before collapsing.

WP+3

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic sat frustrated at the edge of the small river in the eastern district. He tossed the gold coin in making a half assed wish to any god that chose to answer. He was miserable. This was latest in almost a dozen near death experiences he had suffered through on this island with little to no reward. He had slain no foes worth slaying, and his closest friends were an ogre who beat him half to death, a skaven who appears and vanishes at the drop of a hat, and a dwarf surgeon who was angrier than the flames Paelic summoned. He decided against going back to the Musty Mug and the central district was out of the question after the last blood bath he got himself involved in.

Some simple exercise would keep his mind at ease. Standing up he took the short walk to the barracks. Behind one of the small militia lodging he found his old target. A simple plank of wood that had been nailed into the wall. Cut marks and nicks covered it in a roughly circular pattern. It was clear he was not the only one who had used it. Paelic drew one of his throwing knives from his belt and did a quick toss to the target. It hit the side of the small target and bounced off into the grass with a clang. Paelic sighed, he was out of practice. Drawing another knife from his belt he hurled it. This time the knife flew true and embedded itself into the target. It was off center but it stuck. Paelic drew and threw his last knife before retrieving his blades. Paelic turned around and stepped back a little farther than he had the previous time. Giving himself a running start he strafed and leaped into the air tossing the blade. The knife flew several feet wide from the target. Paelic cursed. Target practice was great, but very rarly did foes stand still long enough for you take careful aim before throwing. He would need to practice these techniques on the run. He spent the next couple of hours experimenting with various throws and jumps. Steadily improving his technique all the while.

+2BS, 1 AG

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic gripped his sword tightly as the blow resounded off of his blade. He stepped back carefully dodging as the next blow was made. The guardsman’s blade narrowly missed his off arm. Paelic stepped in close swinging his fist hard into the man’s face and was rewarded with a satisfying crunch. The man stumbled and fell blood dripping from his lip. Paelic brought the blade down stopped mere inches from the man’s throat.

“The duel is mine Samuel.” Paelic pulled the defeated young man off the ground giving him a firm handshake.

“Indeed it is. You’re always a tough opponent Paelic. You should really come back to the bar. The lads miss you.”

“I’ve suspected as much, but as you recall I had an unfortunate incident with some ogres” He paused looking up at the sky, “Followed by another incident with some skaven, and most recently an unruly band of pirates. Really I’ve just had a bit too much excitement as of late.“

“I’ll be honest Paelic, we could really use a man of your caliber on the guard force. A bright wizard alone would be a huge asset let alone one who is skilled with a blade.”

Paelic sheathed his blade. “I appreciate the offer as always, but I’m really the type of man well suited for guard duty.”

Samuel sighed, “Figured as much. Anyways thought I'd check up to see how you were doing." He gestured to the knife marks in the target. "I can tell at a minimum you've been keeping up on your target practice."

Paelic grinned. "Very astute as always. Anyways care for another bout?"

Samuel smiled. "Sure, why not. If I win however you are coming back to the duels at the Musty Mug."

Paelic drew his blade. "Indeed. And if I win you'll stop pestering me about joining the blasted militia."

Samuel drew his sword in response and the sound of metal on metal rang as the blades clashed. "Deal!"


Training
+2WS, +1 S.

[FlyingPinkPony]

Paelic sat at the desk in the room at the inn pouring over the only text he had left from the bright college. It was nothing but an initiates volume but it was all he had. In addition studying the basics was critical for the success of any wizard. Unfortunately most experienced wizards neglected these studies which has led to death of many of their kind. Power seems to breed arrogance. Paelic was determined to not let this happen to him. Each page in the book was hand written by a wizard long dead, many of the rumors around the initiates book is that they were actually written by elven scribes sent from the mystical White Tower of Hoeth, born of the treaty between men and elves. Whoever the writer the book was full of details, most seeming unnecessary or irrelevant history and stories. Things Paelic and many of his fellow students glossed over during their initial reading but Paelic had some free time and this being the only book in his possession was intrigued. He was reading the story of Archmage Skaleth, a legend of the first mage who had discovered fire magic. The book was full of these small legends, one dotted every five or so pages in the margins, or footnotes. While he was a student, Paelic had been determined that something in these stories was important and that he would be tested on it, but before long he had found them unhelpful and full of contradictions and misinformation. After discussions with his fellow students and mentor it seemed the general consensus was these were merely entertaining stories and should be treated as fiction.

Paelic poured over this particular passage many times. It detailed the creation of fire magic. The legend said that Skaleth had forged a blade of pure iron, free from all impurities and had left the island of Hoeth and safety of his fellow wizards and traveled to the desert. His journey was long and resources were scarce. The wizard had run out of water and was dying of thirst. As soon as he felt he could go no further he found a cave. Entering the cave he found nothing and collapsed nearly giving into his fatigue and thirst. The walls around him exploded in fire singing his cloak and scalding his flesh. Drawing the blade of the purest iron Skaleth swung at the flames pushing them back. Instead of vanishing the flames seemed to increase but they seemed to feed Skaleth, made him feel refreshed. Skaleth stood up in the inferno feeling more alive than he had ever before. Wherever he swung his blade, the fire would follow, and so began the first fire mage Skaleth.

Paelic frowned. It was an interesting story but clearly wrong on several accounts. Almost every detail in this story was a clear falsity from when the lore was discovered, to how it was used, and the state of the elves at the time period. There had to be something else there. No scribe or initiate would take the time to transpose all these stories without a greater purpose. Whatever it was Paelic was determined to find it.

+2 WP, +1 BS.

[FlyingPinkPony]

By the time the sixth beer had passed Paelic’s lips the answer had hit him. The stories in the book weren’t actually stories at all, they were guides, metaphors. Paelic couldn’t believe it didn’t hit him sooner. Scholars, particularly ancient scholars loved placing their own grains of wisdom and experience into their writing but were forbidden from putting it into main body of the literature. He was surprised others hadn’t discovered it. It made sense though as the book was viewed as remedial so the experienced wizards ignored it, while the novices were too inexperienced to understand. Those few that got it were probably as shocked as Paelic was they wouldn’t tell anyone else. Running through pages Paelic made a mark with charcoal on the top corner of any pages with stories and legends written in the margins. Lacking the resources and advanced libraries of the colleges these stories were all he had and were critical to his improvement as a wizard. He scanned quickly several of the stories jotting notes on a scrap piece of parchment. The first story was a tale of the great dragon Cho’gaz and how he swallowed the heart of the fire god to harness it’s power. The second was about the soul. It was a lengthy story about the value of the soul and how it is the greatest source of power of man against the power of chaos. The third story Paelic came to was about the archmage Skaleth he had recently read.

Pouring over his notes Paelic keyed in on the mention of iron. It was common in the college to refer to the soul as iron. The purest soul would be one untainted by the mind or body. If he was right this would mean he would need his body in peak physical condition, something few wizards strove to attain. Luckily for him, Paelic had thrown himself into a world of the such constant danger that his body was constantly improving and being placed under pressure.

In addition he would have to turn off his mind. This was the difficult step. Turning off his mind required two things, the first is to rely almost completely on his subconscious. He looked up at his mug of ale and grinned. That part would be easy. The second would be to open the seven gates of rhun bound to his soul to restrict and control the flow of magic around him. This normally would prove difficult but doubly so and exponentially more dangerous under the influence of alcohol. Paelic sighed, he was certain the elven mage who scribed his book did not require the crutch of alchohol to calm down their mind. Such was the weakness of men, not that Paelic particularly minded downing the last of his drink. He would have to continue to perfect his body, while opening all his gates, and turning off his conscious mind. None of these were easy tasks. Each one alone was difficult for even the masters of the colleges. Paelic however had one distinct advantage. Motivation. Paelic needed to master these techniques if he wanted to live. More-so though than simply survival, he wanted it.

WP +2, BS +1

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