Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

Name: Lethius
Date of Birth: Saun 23 Arc 525
Race: Human
Relationship to PC: Father
Status: Deceased
Skills: Becoming 30, Unarmed combat 20, Stealth 10, Intelligence 20, Cryptography 20
Appearance: Lethius is a rather ordinary looking human man. His body is slightly toned thanks to the source of the totem having been a sailor. He is muscular, but not overly so, and stands at about six feet tall. His face is neither ugly nor handsome, forgettable in it's averageness. He has sea-green eyes and medium length brown hair. Due to overstepping while Becoming, every form Lethius takes is bland and forgettable in appearance. No form will have any outstanding features, all looking like the blandest specimen of their race/species.

Due to being a Becomer, Lethius does not appear to age, yet his totems do degrade. He swapped bodies and totems every so often until his amnesia grew worse, and he began to forget about his domain magic as a result.

It all began with a Naer. A Naer who cheated on her Goddess by worship of a different God. It was just by coincidence, but during a mission away from Augery, the Naer met Vri. She was on the brink of death when he arrived with Pier and Pre, passing judgement. Somehow she survived, despite her doubts at the time. Her memories of the event were blurry at best, only recalling fragments of conversation between the twin Immortals, as well as Vri’s serene face as he stood waiting. It haunted her dreams, day and night both. After a while, she found he was always on her mind somewhere, and she was unable to push him out. Eventually she started to worship him in secret. It was just a tiny bit at first, a little side deity. Unfortunately for her, it did not stay that way. Her worship grew from a little attention at first to more and more, and by the time she returned to Augery it threatened to overtake her worship of the Shadow Mother. Audrae noticed of course, secrets being her domain. Still, she gave the Naer a chance to redeem. To quit her worship of the Death God. To renounce him. She knew the Naer was struggling with her loyalty, struggling to give attention to both. It went on for an arc before Audrae’s patience ran out. Furious with the lack of respect for her, and the love she had for Vri, her enemy, Audrae stripped the Naer of her Audnev mark, her race –making her human—and banished her from Augery. Audrae transported her to Martyr’s Landing, to be hunted and killed by former sisters as an intruder.

Yet, despite all that, the former Naer survived. She managed to escape Martyr’s Landing, all the way to Desind. Perhaps it was because of Vri was looking out for her, perhaps it was because of her training as a Naer. Maybe it was because Audrae felt that death was too lenient. Perhaps she wanted her to live, and suffer the consequences of her actions.

And suffer she did.

It was only when the shock of Audrae’s wrath had been unleashed upon her that she realized just what she had done. It was only then that she realized that there was no way back. That she had lost all. Her mind was in turmoil, her pride shattered. She could no longer be proud of who she was; she was no longer a Naer, she was a human! Lightly put, she fell into a depression, her mind turning into a breeding ground of dark thoughts. She could not end herself however, her body would not allow it. Or rather, her shadow wouldn’t. While it moved when she did, it stopped when she deliberately was trying to commit suicide, causing her to stop in turn. Trying to resist it or outsmart it was impossible. It was Audrae’s revenge. The former Naer came to accept it eventually, after countless attempts. She couldn’t be sure if it was to have her live on and suffer her due punishment, or prevent her to meet Vri again. Maybe it was both. Even though she had realized the futility of her attempts after the first few tries, it did not stop her from trying. She did not want to live like this. She did not want to suffer. She prayed to Vri to end her life, to kill her on the spot. To let her succeed. There was no response. There never was any response. She came to resent him. Her love turned to hate. She did what Audrae had wanted all along when she had still been living in Augery; she renounced the Immortal of Death.

However, that did not stop her attempts at suicide. Even though it was futile, she did not stop trying. Maybe someday… if she could just move the knife a millimeter closer today… maybe she could move a millimeter more the day after… Of course it did not work out. There never was any improvement, no sign that her efforts bore fruit. What did happen was that she had time to think. Locked in place by her shadow, be it with knife in hand, on the precipice of a cliff, on a stool with a noose about to be pulled over her head, there was time to think. It had taken time to get there of course. Seasons. A couple arcs. At first there were only tantrums and overpowering sadness. After a while she got used to it. She learned to deal with her continuous failure. And, eventually, she tried without much hope at all, doing so simply because she had so many times before. It was a habit, a ritual. When it became that, the former Naer looked into herself, into her heart.

Who was she? She could not answer the question. Once she had known, but now? Now there was only uncertainty. She felt like a Naer, though the weakness she had displayed the past arcs made her deny the honor of calling herself one of Audrae’s daughters. Her pride forbade it.

What did she want? Simple. To die. To end her suffering. To be a Naer once more. She did not want to live like a pathetic human. But, her mind argued, did she wish to die like a human then? No. Not at all. To die like a human was even worse than living like one. There was only one way to die, and she had been denied access to it. A Naer died with her pride intact, with her head held high, and with Audrae on her mind. She would die satisfied, knowing she had served the Mother well. Now she could only die with Audrae on her mind, but that was it. She knew then, that she could not die. She could not let herself die. She needed to survive. It was the trial she stopped her attempts of killing herself. It was the trial that she started working on her own self.

The former Naer had had a revelation that trial. She had realized the error of her ways, back from when she had started worshipping Vri, and the arcs past her exile. She had behaved unbecoming of a Naer. She was unworthy of being a Naer. So, she needed to work and prover herself worthy of being one. She needed to improve. She needed to win back Audrae’s favor.

The first step was her punishment. No more running from it, no more whining about it. That was beneath the Naer. She would accept it, try to come to terms with it. The exile she could deal with, but not the loss of her race. Even though it hurt, she knew that it was a fitting punishment. She had behaved like something less than a Naer, and Audrae had made her into less than a Naer as a result. It was a good punishment, for it served as a reminder of her deeds, while also serving as a catalyst for her desire to change for the better. It pained her to be anything but a Naer, sure, but it wouldn’t be much of a punishment if it did not hurt. Audrae had been kind to her though, she found, for she had given her yet another chance. She had shown her the way, had prevented her from doing anything stupid, and had given her hope for a better future. Audrae still loved her, or so she firmly believed. It was a just punishment for a disobedient child, the loving hand of a mother delivering a painful slap, but only because of the love she had for her child. The former Naer wept when she realized it, and once more vowed to change. To become worthy of Audrae’s boundless love again. She vowed it not to herself this time, but to her Goddess, her loving Mother. She would change. No matter how long it took.

Arcs passed and the former Naer did indeed change. She had managed to get initiated in Becoming, initially being drawn to the magic by the appeal of changing into something else than her pathetic human form. Her disappointment was immense when she learned that she could not just transform, but needed totems to activate the magic. Blueprints of existing creatures and people. While she had convinced herself that she had not planned on transforming into a Naer anyway, as it would go against the Mother’s wishes, there was no denying that she had hoped for the option to be included. This way however, the former Naer reasoned, she would not be tempted. It was another small blessing of Audrae, keeping her on the right path. While the need for totems was disappointing, she did beg the mage who had revealed his magic to her to initiate her. She had seen the limitless possibilities the magic provided. Her mind was thinking of countless ways in which she could be of service to Audrae with it. She could be anyone, anything. That was all she needed to know to come up with an idea.

More arcs passed, and the Naer had dedicated her life to espionage. Not for coin, but for Audrae. She gathered secrets, transforming into critters and tiny birds and even people to accomplish this. One trial she was a cleaning lady working for a Lord, the other an orphan begging in the street, and the next trial she was a mouse, sniffing out information in inaccessible locations. No place was off limits for her, no stone was left unturned. Yet, not a trace remained. She was a ghost. Her existence was nothing more than an endless quest for more and more information. She only found pleasure in her hunt for secrets, her worship of Audrae, and in delivering said intelligence to the Mother’s agents. She was never seen by them, never heard, but they knew someone was helping out from the shadows. Information would come to them through various means, but always in the same form –jotted down on parchment. Sometimes it would simply be slid underneath their door. Sometimes a runner would arrive, letter in hand. Sometimes they would bump into someone and find it in their pockets. The notes were never signed, and always needed to be deciphered, the key arriving sometime later.

Despite this, Audrae never gave any sign of having noticed the woman’s efforts. Thus believing that it still was not enough, the former Naer worked even harder. She traveled from city to city, switching every few seasons. She tried on more faces, became more people, and became less and less aware of her own self. She forgot her name, she forgot what she looked like, and at times failed to recall her gender prior to her exile. Only when she thought about the all-female race of Naer she remembered that she had been one of them once. It seemed like such a long time ago. It felt like a distant dream. One she could only vaguely recall after having awoken. From time to time she wished she had not discarded her self-totem in an act of pride and self-loathing both. She never forgot her purpose though, even when she extended her lifespan beyond its limits with her magic-- unwilling to come face to face with Vri-- and determined to earn Audrae’s forgiveness before her death.

Perhaps it was the tenacity of the former Naer that attracted the Mother’s attention. Maybe it was the service she had done her during all those arcs. Mayhap it was an act of kindness, or maybe it was an act of cruelty. Perhaps it was all of those combined, along with the notion that she could push that pawn even further. Give it a reason to become even more devout, to tighten her grip on it. In addition, some say that the Immortal was hoping to create a Mortalborn to bolster her power. A loyal soldier to support her and her Naerikk, a daughter as devoted to her as the Mortalborn’s father was. A powerful pawn to deal with her Immortal foes and do her bidding.

It was a couple seasons after have met Audrae more intimately than ever before, that the Shadow Mother found her way into his room again. Her purpose? To bestow a third gift upon her loyal servant, an infant. She said he had to raise the boy, teach it of the workings of the world, and of the Great Mother Audrae. There was no person better suited for the task than he, as he was without a doubt the most zealous of her worshippers. Lethius never questioned a word of what She said, grateful for the generosity of the Great Mother, grateful for the huge amount of trust She placed in him. As such his sight never could discern the truth. He never realized that that was the last time Audrae appeared before him. He failed to recognize that none of the gifts given benefitted him in significant ways. Perhaps it was his memory becoming worse and worse, letting loose the memories not of past arcs, but of recently passed seasons and, eventually, trials. His mind was only focused on one thing, one thing he remembered without fail; Audrae’s instructions. He did forget his past. He did forget his name again. He even forgot the lies he crafted for himself, forgetting who he was supposed to be. At times he got lost in the city, unable to recall anything, everything looking so new and unfamiliar. Sometimes he got lost in his own home. He forgot his Domain Magic, having thrown away his totems one trial, having forgotten their importance. Some he just did not manage to find after having hidden them in a moment of clarity. Yet, he never forgot about Audrae, about her kindness, about her visits. Nor did he forget about the boy, the Great Mother’s son, and his duty to raise him.

One evening a physically unremarkable human man sat jotting down notes in a notebook. Though he had discovered the hideout of Audrae’s agents quite a while ago, they had yet to receive any information from him. He had collected it all in this notebook, and as the blank pages dwindled, so too did the trials before they would be able to collect this tome of secrets. The flames of the candle next to his notes flickered and danced as if a breeze had slipped through the window. Yet, there was no wind; his window was closed shut. He looked around for anything suspicious, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He frowned, then shrugged and continued writing, not needing the cypher to encrypt his writings; after all, he’d been writing his whole notebook by using it. He continued for a while longer, filling pages with the only noise being the scratching of his pen on paper, and the occasional tapping of the pen on the inkpot to remove excess ink.

“It truly has been a while, has it not?”

The voice came out of nowhere, startling the man, and causing his pen to slip on the page. He came to his feet like a whirlwind, reaching for the dagger on his hip. Someone had managed to enter his room undetected somehow, and they were now standing behind him, he thought. However, there was no-one. He looked around confused, a frown creasing his brow. Hallucinations were not strange to him, but this was not one of the usual voices he heard. Actually, voices were rare. Usually he saw things that were not there, webs of secrets and conspiracies that turned out to be utter nonsense. Sometimes people that were not there. Sometimes he talked to mice and rats. Sometimes to his own shadow. It never replied though.

The man’s eyes darted across his room. With unsheathed dagger he carefully moved around to check all possible hiding places, leaving no stone unturned. Nothing. The only thing in the room alongside him was his shadow. His frown deepened as he stared at it, as if to ask if it had noticed anything strange. His shoulders drooped as the tension bled out of him. He shook his head, sat back down behind his desk, and decided the voice had been a result of his fractured mind. Though as he began writing, the shade moved, positioning itself on the wall where the man could see it clearly. The frown returned.

“Confused?”

There it was again, but now the voice was different. It felt familiar, though only vaguely so. The man squinted at the memories of which there only existed a faint trail in his mind. The shadow made a dismissive gesture with its hands.

“No need to be.” It cocked its head quizzically, as if considering the man’s state of mind for the first time since it had appeared. “Do you not recognize me?” it asked, more amused than insulted or disappointed. On the contrary, a laugh echoed through the room. “Too busy hunting down the secrets of others to remember your own, were you? Has the Domain addled your mind, made it forget who you were?” A chuckle. “For some, a curse. For you, a kindness, I suppose.”

The man was wary of this entity, uncertain of what it wanted, uncertain of where he knew it from. His memories were hazy at best, covered in a thick mist, and full of holes. His brow was furrowed, his eyes half-closed. He was trying hard to remember, so hard that it hurt. One thing was certain though, he knew this entity. He’d known it before… before he had started his hunt for information. What had come before though? He only knew he had been a Naer once. Long ago.

“Yes. You are almost there. Only a little bit further now.”

He tried, he honestly did. But it was no use. His mind was blank, instead of hazy images of times gone by, there was a black hole. A vast emptiness that had grown inside his head. A void that had consumed his memories, his past. Even his heritage, something he was so sure about, was not a certainty. It was not as if he could recall what he had looked like, or what he’d been like. If he’d had friends. Nothing at all. The only thing he had was an idea inside his head. A steadfast belief that he had been one of the Naerikk once.

However… he knew of one entity that controlled shadows… It was impossible though, a foolish notion. She would never-- It was probably his mind messing with him, just a result of his hope getting the better of him. There was no way—

The shadow morphed. It twisted and shifted, its appearance growing more and more feminine. Taller too, like an amazon. The man’s mouth fell agape, his eyes wide with disbelief. Not once had his shadow done anything like that before.

“It has been a while,” he stammered in agreement, still in awe. His eyes filled with water, his sight murky.

“About fifty years, give or take,” the shade spoke.

Its form shifted, slowly bulging outwards as it became three dimensional. In a few trills, the shadow detached itself from the wall, standing in front of the man who was too flabbergasted to speak. His jaw opened and closed his mouth, but he produced no sounds. As the shadow began to form recognizable features, the man fell to his knees, head bowed in deference. He had not expected her to grace him with her presence, much less to appear before him in the flesh. Thus he bowed, forehead on the floorboards, as the shadow formed the head of a Naer, tears of joy streaming across his cheeks. Fifty years. He had waited so long for this moment. He had dreamed of it, fantasized about it. He had hoped that maybe one trial—but no, he had believed his hopes to be in vain, but he still had hoped nonetheless. And now here she stood, Audrae, in all her power and glory. How could he not let sobs of utter joy escape? How could he not shed tears when it seemed that he would be accepted back into the fold? How could he not cry when Audrae was willing to forgive him?

“Do not cry, my dear,” the Immortal spoke, her voice regal and warm, “raise your head.”

He did lift his head off the ground, looking up at the Great Mother before him. His face was unsightly; flushed red cheeks stained with tears, red-rimmed eyes of crying, colorless snot running down from his nostrils into his mouth. His face was twisted as he tried to stop his sobbing, and while he managed to stop the tears from flowing, his body still quivered.

“Much better,” Audrae nodded, “Now rise. I have not come to see you grovel before me. I came to deliver a gift, as you have done me a great service. Despite the mistakes of your past, your loyalty to Augery and myself has never been stronger. I will not let that pass by unrewarded.”

Absolutely dumbfounded, the man could not find any words to speak for a few moments. In fact, he appeared to have lost all knowledge of how to speak in the first place. When he could however, he gave a half-hearted protest, way too overjoyed to decline the offer adamantly.

Audrae lifted a hand, palm facing her follower. She shook her head, dismissing his refusal.
“Enough. I have made up my mind. I will bestow upon you two gifts. You will accept them.”

It was not a question. It was not a request. He would accept. Of course, he could try to refuse and protest, but he knew that it would be an insult to the Great Mother, and insulting her was the last thing he wanted to do. Not again. Not now, after all these years.

“Two gifts?” he asked then, gingerly.

“Two gifts,” the Immortal confirmed. She raised a finger. “The first is not as much a gift as it is me returning something you lost along the way.” A pause. “It is your name; Lethia.”

The man’s eyes grew wide, filing and overflowing with water once again. His name. Her name, actually. It had been so long since he’d been called that. It had been so long since he’d used it himself. He’d forgotten the sound of it, the flow as it rolled over his lips, the taste of it on his tongue. His name. The one thing he still owned now. Not his body, not his race, not his memories. His name. The thing that had been the most painful to lose after his exile.

He cried openly, unable to stifle the sobs. Incoherent blubbering of gratitude streamed over his lips just as freely as his tears. Audrae smiled in satisfaction, though her smile was not a friendly one. Lethia never noticed.

As soon as the man calmed down somewhat, Audrae continued, raising a second finger to join the first.

“Now then, onto your second gift,” she said, her tone of voice making it obvious this was the true reason she was here that trial. While before only her head had been revealed to the man, now the rest of her body formed out of the shadow, the uniform blackness fading away as the contours of her body became more and more distinct.

Lethia’s mouth fell agape yet again. Audrae was completely naked.

It was one of the many dark days in Cylus that Audrae appeared before Lethius for the second time. The time is hard to be specific about, as in Cylus every day is just as dark as night. Not that it matters. Be it day or night, it was dark either way. What Lethius was doing at the time is a mystery, as the man wasn’t sure himself. He only remembers that a sharp knock on the door of his room drew his attention. In the doorframe stood Audrae, wearing a cloak wrought from shadow that kept her features hidden under a hood. In her arms she held a baby boy, only a couple seasons old at most. She had come to bestow upon Lethius a third and final gift, as well as a great honor. To raise this child, Djas, born of the unity of mortal and Immortal, to the best of his abilities. Naturally, the man was overcome by surprise, feeling over the moon when shown such level of trust by the Great Mother. He swore to raise the boy in a way that would make Audrae proud. The Goddess gave an impatient nod and basically dumped the child in his arms. She did not linger, turning around with only a final “Do not disappoint” before melting away in the shadows upon stepping away.

Though the boy had been named by his mother already, Lethius found the mouths of anyone who was not a devout of Audrae unworthy of speaking his name. He gave the boy a second name, a mortal name to balance out his Immortal one. Just as his Immortal side was balanced out by his mortal side. He named the boy Oberan.

During Bran’s early years, Lethius did keep his promise to Audrae, too afraid of disappointing her once again to even think of not honoring it. In Lethius’s case, this meant that every free moment of his time was spent looking after the child. That said, he knew that in order to sustain both himself and the child, he would need a lot of money. So, the first few years of the child’s life, Lethius left him in the care of a nanny. The child’s mind was not ripe for the teachings he wanted to instill in him, and in that time Lethius could –thanks to his Becoming—easily sneak in and out of mansions and buildings where a lot of wealth was stored. The coming years it was smooth sailing from there, though by no means did they live large. It was a rather spartan diet, clothes that got patched over and over, and no toys.

Lethius taught Oberan a great many things. He taught him how to read, how to write and how to count. He taught him basic math, he taught him how to cook simple meals. He taught him how to read the time, he taught him the cardinal directions. He tried to teach about medicinal plants, but the boy’s attention span did not seem to last long enough. He taught the boy how to defend himself, how to hunt, and how to kill. He taught the boy about stalking and tracking and trapping. He taught the boy about traits he figured Audrae would appreciate, things he thought might have been taught to himself once, long ago. He could not remember them, of course, so he taught the boy about loyalty, pride, determination, perseverance, discipline, mercy, cleverness, and patience instead. And most importantly, he taught him about Mother Audrae and her greatness, her superiority over all other Immortals.

Despite his memories of the past having been erased, Lethius was a great teacher, taking his duty to Audrae very seriously. However, because of his spotty memory, he could not answer any personal questions the boy posed, remaining a mystery to both Oberan and himself.

Arcs passed, and Lethius grew far more forgetful. Often he forgot his own name, sometimes he forgot what he’d done just trills before, sometimes he woke up with years of his life erased. Still, he always recognized the boy he was taking care of. Sadly, with the worsening of his condition also came frailty and weakness of body. His time was running out, and having forgotten about his magic, he had also forgotten to renew his totems. His current one would not hold out much longer. Within a few seasons, Lethius withered away, dying slowly.

With his father dead, Bran was effectively orphaned. He managed to keep himself alive by stealing, discovering that despite his lack of training in that field, he seemed to have an aptitude for it.. It was good enough to keep himself from starving, but he did not always manage to shoplift successfully, and was often beaten by the merchants, and hunted down by the guards. The latter had no real bad intentions, he realized after a while; they wanted to place him in an orphanage and keep him off the streets. Oberan refused to go there though, missing his father immensely, even if their bond had never been all that great. When he was not out on the streets, he sat holed up in the abandoned house, usually crying in the room his father had occupied. His only company were the spirits drawn to his divinity, though the boy could not see them. Their presence was felt however, and from time to time the spirits moved objects or knocked on walls.

It was that paranormal activity that got the neighbors to demand the house be demolished. Not only was it in terrible state, with cobwebs all over, but when one of them had gone inside when hearing Oberan sobbing in his father’s room, the spirits decided to protect the mortalborn child. Needless to say, the people were scared out of their wits, and one day the house was indeed reduced to rubble. With no place else to go, the streets became the boy’s home for real.

Fortunately for Oberan, his lost home was soon replaced with another, and he was even given a new family. It was a member of a travelling group of performers that first spotted Bran fleeing from a persistent guard, employing half-baked parkour to avoid obstacles. Perhaps she spotted a raw talent in the boy, perhaps she was just drawn to the divine energy that empowered her. Either way, she began to stalk the child on a whim, taking note of his exploits. Then, having taken a decision, she assisted him in escaping a couple trials later, dragging him along to their camp outside the city.

At first, as was understandable, the other performers did not want to take him in. They had fallen on hard times themselves, they said, and had enough trouble sustaining their own group as is. Lynessa –the woman who’d found Bran—did her best to persuade them though, saying he had potential, and that he could be of use. The others countered with things like “You always say that” or “The last one you brought was deaf and mute, what about this one?” She did not give up though, speaking with the leader of their group for nearly two breaks in private. Ultimately, he was accepted in their ranks, but Lynessa would have to look after him. The others had no obligation to do anything for the boy. The woman did not mind, and though Bran’s opinion on the matter had not been asked, nor considered (he’d just been dragged along, then told he was now part of their group), the boy was glad that someone that seemed to care for him had come along.

And so began the best arcs of his youth.

The group really wasn’t a place for a twelve arc old boy. For starters, there was no-one of his age around (the closest thing to a peer was Dulano, who was twenty-one) and no-one really had time to sit around and relax. The trials were busy, either spent travelling, cleaning, performing maintenance, rehearsing their acts, and scouting out good spots in the city. They worked hard, and at the end of the trial, they were tired and went to bed early. Some trials they would leave in the middle of the night, without explanation. Naturally, Bran was to pull his weight, tasked with cleaning of equipment, fetching things, delivering messages to other members, etc. It was hard work for the boy, but he did not really mind. He went to bed every night fairly happy, and only rarely did he look back at what had come before, sobbing softly into his pillow.

It took a couple seasons, but in that time, Bran managed to slowly become an actual part of the crew. The others started to open up to him more and more, and in his free moments they were willing to let him hang around to watch as they fulfilled their own tasks. They talked, they laughed. However, a boy needed to be among peers, and from time to time Bran snuck away to go play with the children in the city. Sometimes they would tell him to go somewhere else, but other times he could tag along and be part of their mischief.

One trial, when dinner was served, the Crew’s leader, Gallan, had decided to truly accept Bran as part of his family, as he called the group. He would be one of them for real. It seemed he had waited to be sure that the boy wanted to stick around, if he could keep up with their lifestyle. And now, he would like to welcome Oberan into his group as an actual member, instead of a tag-along. Naturally, Bran was all too glad to accept the offer, to be given actual tasks, and to help out with the performances. He had come to adore the ragtag group of buskers and their abilities.

They made him swear an oath to never betray his family, and then he truly was one of them. Bran’s stay as an actual member of the troupe began.

As it turned out, the Busker Crew was not just a group of buskers. They moonshined as thieves when their acts drew less of a crowd, or if the crowds weren’t exactly generous. Or if their wallets did not house a whole lot of coin. Every act was in essence also a distraction, so a couple other members could pick the pockets of the audience. It worked fairly well most of the time, but very few of the members were keen on going about such risky business. Especially because they had their own acts to perform, and they would rather not risk being recognized as a would-be pickpocket. An urchin though, would not draw a whole lot of attention. That was to be Oberan’s role in the troupe. He was taught the tricks of the trade, and proved to be a fast learner. He picked up the skill rather quickly. It came almost natural to him, it seemed. Soon enough, the boy was sent on his first few pickpocket sprees, which he came back from mostly successful in varying degrees. The young boy found his role rather entertaining; he got to watch bits and pieces of the performances –though after so many times they got a little old—and he loved the thrill he got out of sneaking around and stealing. He felt alive and in his element, his other tasks became bland, boring and mundane. Eventually, he found he started to long for more and more, and began to beg Gallan to allow him to come along on the occasional burglary jobs. It took several arcs before the man deemed Bran old enough to come, and even then he was still hesitant.

However, he did give in, and boy, did Bran deliver. Not directly, as he had no experience with picking locks, but his domain of larceny boosted the skills of the troupe to a certain degree, making it easier to pick locks, find valuables, and remain undetected. The group with Oberan in it always returned with more coin and valuables, as they were able to visit more houses within a smaller time frame. It became rather obvious at one point, but the troupe members –unaware of Mortalborns and Bran’s heritage—did not find it something worth bringing up. Some called Bran their “good luck charm”, and just appreciated the effect his presence had on their financial status. It did bring them closer to their goal after all. To start an actual circus, with a big top and a stage, where people would pay an entrance fee, and be entertained for an evening in return. They were entertainers first and foremost, their thievery was just a means to an end. They wanted to be treated for what they were, not ignored by passersby as if they were just beggars in rags. They dreamed of wagons with cupboards hold their possessions, and a bed to sleep in.

Of course, life in the troupe had its ups and downs. They did not always get along as well as they should. There were arguments, there were differences of opinion. Often times the troupe would have to leave a city in the middle of the night because they had been spotted by guards during a heist, and Gallan would rather not risk being recognized. However, Bran did enjoy his time there. He picked up bits and pieces of the different acts of the members of the troupe, who were more than willing to teach him a thing or two about their specialty. Dulano taught him the basics of juggling, Lynessa showed him some contortionist tricks. Esmara taught him some acrobatic stunts, while Divolt offered to help him practice using a sling. Gallan believed Oberan’s long nimble fingers would aid him greatly in playing an instrument, but the boy wasn’t as interested in music as he was in the other acts.

As arcs passed, and Oberan grew into a man, the future looked bright for the troupe, however, not all great things can last forever. This was true in the case of the troupe also. Though they had been able to escape the law for so long, there came a time when the guards were waiting for the troupe outside a mansion in Andaris they had broken into. There were too many of them to fight off, and they had the building completely surrounded. All present members were arrested and dragged off to jail. Having grown a little too comfortable and arrogant, the troupe had been staying in the city for far longer than they usually did, completing heists every couple trials. Of course the people would take notice, but the troupe had believed they would not have to worry too much about it if they did not make any mistakes. It was too bad that there was a traitor in their midst.

Hank the Becomer, part-time teddybear, had contacted to guards and spun a story about how he and his son had been captured by a band of criminals who forced them to work. He influenced their minds with Empathy, making them believe what he was saying. Thus he managed to get the guards to let him and Oberan walk away free, the latter firmly held under the thumb by magical means. It occurred to Bran –though much later—that Hank might have been responsible for their prolonged stay in that city as well. His motivation? Bran’s divine spark. Hank had succumbed to the desire to flay the mortalborn, dreaming of a power that might make him equal to the Immortals. He felt he was so much more than just a street performer, and had been absolutely livid when the troupe had asked him to use his magic to become a bear they could use in their acts. He desired retribution for the humiliation he had suffered for arcs, conveniently forgetting that he had enjoyed those arcs and those acts, that he had proposed it. Getting initiated into Empathy had been a mistake, and the domain had twisted his emotions and feelings the more powerful it grew. The Hank then was not even a shadow of his former self, his past personality all but erased. The magic had consumed it. Perhaps that past Hank was still in there, fighting and trashing, maybe crying and despairing as he became aware of what was going on. Not that Bran would ever know, he could only see that Hank had gone absolutely mad.

The fatal mistake made was not that the Becomer dragged the lad off to a location out of the city, where no-one would bother them, but that he did not sever the strands of fear forming in Bran’s mind when he let the boy know about his plan to transcend his mortal flesh. Perhaps the mad mage reveled in the feeling of being feared. However, as more and more fear built inside the mortalborn, the magic keeping him obedient wavered. The will to live was far too great to be restrained, and as Bran realized he was on the verge of dying, of his soul being ripped from his body, his subconscious activated a mortalborn ability. A brilliant flash erupted in the immediate area, blinding both Bran and Hank, and stunning the latter. Oberan made use of the confusion to flee. He blindly stumbled through the wilderness, somehow managing to get away. Naturally, he wasn’t in the best shape, but at least he was alive.

As soon as his vision returned, he searched for the camp, finding Divolt and Gabriella still there, worried out of their minds. They suspected something had gone horribly wrong, since the troupe usually returned way faster. Oberan informed them both of Hank’s betrayal and of the capture of the others, and decided he would try to bust the others out of jail. Both Divolt and Gabriella refused to help out, not because they did not want to abandon the others, but because they believed none of them would make it back out of the dungeons. Naturally, Oberan was immensely frustrated and angry, though once he calmed down, he could see they were right.

Thus, Oberan decided to hone his skills in preparation for a time where he might be up for the task, as well as trying to find out if he would develop more mortalborn abilities. Divolt and Gabriella planned on selling most of the horses and buy a house in the city, partly to keep the possessions of the troupe safe, and partly because the two desired to turn over a new leaf and live an honest life. They even offered to take Bran in, but he politely refused, not wanting to cause them any trouble. After all, he would be on the other side of the law.

The arcs that followed, Bran did travel to a couple other cities, but he did not drift outside of Rynmere. He indulged in both pickpocketing and burglary, honing his skills as he had said he would. As suspected, two other abilities manifested themselves during those arcs, one of them providing the young man with a means to open anything he desired. As a means to lay low, Bran began to perform on street corners and on market squares, putting the skills he’d picked up from the troupe members to good use. That said, he wasn’t particularly good enough at either to be worth the attention of the passersby, and he began to develop his own unique act. It was an escape act, where he would let a member of the audience cuff him, wrap him in chains, buckles and belts, and sometimes lock him in a straightjacket. Then he was dumped in a tank of water, which would be locked shut. If he’d been anything but a mortalborn, he would never been able to pull it off. The only problem was that it used a lot of keys, so Oberan wasn’t too keen on performing his act more than a couple times a season, as he was forced to steal keys, and did not particularly enjoy letting his ability consume them. Nevertheless, it was a huge spectacle, and was usually fairly successful.

When he figured he was ready to break his family out of jail, Oberan called upon Divolt and Gabriella, but they still refused to be directly involved. They were willing to shelter the escapees for a brief period of time, to provide them with some rations and travel gear (as well as the members’ abandoned possessions), but no more. They had grown comfortable in their new life the past five arcs, and did not want to ruin it. Of course they would help out their family if they needed their aid, but that was only if the troupe could indeed escape the dungeons. Oberan argued with them about it, though it accomplished nothing. The others would understand, they said, they wouldn’t have wanted them to destroy their new and happy life for them. They would feel guilty about it. Bran disagreed, but eventually dropped the issue. Though he felt disappointed in the two lovers, he was glad that they were willing to at least help out a little, and would not completely abandon their family.

The jailbreak itself went about as well as you might imagine. Getting in was a challenge in of itself, but Oberan managed. Busting the others out was a bit of a problem. Not in the least because Gallan and the others refused to come with. A large group like theirs would have a hard time sneaking out undetected, they said, not to mention they would have a bounty placed on their head if they did escape. During their arcs in prison the troupe members had had a lot of time to think, and they had decided to sit out their time. It wasn’t like they had been given a life sentence, and their time was coming to an end anyway. Though Bran was more than a little frustrated at their stubbornness, he did tell the troupe the location of the other two members’ residence. Then he took their advice and snuck back out of the prison on his own.

He returned to Gabriella and Divolt rather bummed out by the selfishness (in his opinion) of the others. Thinking about what they had said, Bran decided to be selfish himself. A couple trials later he left Rynmere, giving in to his desire to see more of the world, to discover more about himself, and perhaps find his mother.

The arcs that followed, he did exactly that. He traveled from city to city when he felt like it (usually when he felt it was too dangerous to stick around). Usually, he took up residence in a city for a couple arcs, only to then disappear and pop up in another city. He stuck to his thieving ways, finding it hard to give them up, no matter the risk they brought with them –or perhaps because of it. He saw different continents and cultures, he tried different lifestyles and jobs. He made enemies, friends, and even made an attempt to settle down with a loving wife. However, the latter was not a life for him, and did not feel satisfied with a quiet life. One trial he just left his fiancée, his house, and his children behind, pinning a note on the kitchen table to inform them he would probably not return.

The arcs after that were pretty much similar to those before he’d tried settling down. He lived his life doing whatever he wanted to, when he wanted to. He performed on street corners, he broke into houses, he engaged in tavern brawls, and he travelled from one city to the next. He retained his youthful looks (one of the reasons why he’d left his family behind –he already was pushing fifty at that point), and had long since learned that every use of his abilities shortened his otherwise ridiculously long lifespan. Thus, he only used them rarely, but that all changed the longer he lived. If there was any merit to being practically immortal, Bran could not see it. Other races lived only briefly, but it did give their life meaning. Bran, on the other hand, was tiring of the world and its people. Everything was basically the same, no matter where he went. Because he did not age, he could not stay in one place for more than maybe ten arcs. He found himself without purpose, living only because he felt he should. Life itself became a boring affair, no matter what he did. It was probably this mindset that got himself captured by the Iron Hand, and thrown into the dungeons he’d broken into long ago. Bran blamed bad luck at first, cursing the fact that the owner of the mansion had woken up, had spotted him, and had called the guard. He blamed bad luck for spraining his ankle during his escape. Lastly, he blamed bad luck for the mansion owner having been able to pull some strings to keep Oberan imprisoned for as long as possible. Not that the last part was too much of a problem; with the God Key he could get out easily.

Yet, after some time spent in the dungeon, waiting for his ankle to heal, the mortalborn started to consider his capture a blessing in disguise. True, he had been robbed of his freedom. True, he would be bored out of his mind. However, had he not felt tired and apathetic about both? His incarceration gave meaning to his freedom, gave him a comparison. How could he have known the meaning of freedom without knowing what the opposite meant? What was enjoyment if one had never been bored? And, how could life be worth living, if his time was infinite? He pondered those thoughts deeply for a long, long time, and then he made up his mind. It was not a decision taken lightly, nor one that was easy to make. It hurt to consider it, it went against his nature. However, he believed that in the long run, he would benefit greatly from it. He needed a fresh start, to reset his view of the world, so that he might find himself enjoying life once again. That the fires of his soul would be rekindled. Thus it was that Oberan decided to sit out his time in prison patiently, to cleanse himself of his apathy.

Naturally, he suffered. He entertained the thought of placing himself in a hibernation-like state many times, but somehow managed to resist temptation. His attempts would be rendered moot if he gave in, his stay would be meaningless. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists, counting the trials, seasons, and arcs go by. He let his hair and beard grow to give the guards an illusion of him ageing, even though he suspected they wouldn’t notice either way. His skills as both a thief and martial artist deteriorated from negligence, but there was nothing he could do. He was wiping his slate clean. This was for the best. Eventually, after what had felt like an eternity, ten arcs had passed. He saw the suns again after so long. He was free once more. The way his heart leapt up in joy confirmed his cleanse had worked wonders. He saw a world of possibility. He was free at last.

RB: None, because of Mortalborn abilities?
FT: Pickpocket
SP skills: 10Acro, 10Unarmed, 10Ranged, 10Pickpocket, 10stealth
Awarded points upon CS review [NH]: Lockpick +5, Stealth +5, pickpocket+5

Easy: 25/30/35 ||1/2/3 knowledge
Medium: 35/40/45 || 2/3/4 knowledge
Hard: 40/50/55 || 3/4/5 knowledge
Linguistics bonus: N/A

Athletics (121)
Athletics (Obie, Sophia, and the Whiskey Barbarian) x2
Athletics (Rebirth and return) x3
Acrobatics (A Random Impact)x3
Acrobatics:(Apprehensions)x1
Acrobatics: The Aerial Somersault
Acrobatics: Hanging upside down
Acrobatics: Flick-flack
Acrobatics: Climbing a "ladder" of sharp blades to escape
Acrobatics: Contorting your body to avoid being stabbed
Acrobatics: sliding underneath a door
Acrobatics: Not pissing on yourself when falling over while peeing
Acrobatics: keeping your balance while drunk
Acrobatics: Swinging from a rope
Acrobatics: two-story downward leap
Acrobatics: Jumping from a swinging rope
Acrobatics: Kill downward momentum of a fall with your knees
Acrobatics: using people as stepping stones
Acrobatics: Walking on a tightrope
Acrobatics: Catching a hat with your foot
Acrobatics: dodging a barrage of snowballs
Acrobatics: landing on a cluttered table
Acrobatics: Falling off an incline
Acrobatics: evading attacks from two different directions
Acrobatics: The Leaping Kick, to Disarm
Acrobatics: You can't dodge if they grab you
Acrobatics: Using a Guard's Head as a Vault
Acrobatics: Front Flip
Acrobatics: Holding an odd pose
Acrobatics: Maintaining balance without moving
Acrobatics: Living Statue
Acrobatics: Dodging Thrown Pebbles
Acrobatics: Minimalist movements
Acrobatics: Backflip
Acrobatics: walking when drunk
Acrobatics: Dodging an ether missile
Acrobatics: Jumping from a window
Acrobatics: Roll to break your fall
Acrobatics: Walking after a night of drinking
Acrobatics: Handstand
Acrobatics: Walking on your hands
Acrobatics: Crab walk
Acrobatics: pushing yourself back to your feet
Acrobatics: trying to maintain balance during handstand
Acrobatics: fitting in a cupboard
Acrobatics: dodging an attack to the face
Acrobatics: speed vault
Acrobatics: diving while running
Acrobatics: evading a sneak attack
Acrobatics: moving quickly through a crowd
Acrobatics: Jumping from a moving carriage
Acrobatics: rolling to disperse excessive momentum
Acrobatics: Low crouch for balance
Acrobatics: clambering onto a roof
Acrobatics: carefully moving over treacherous roof tiles
Acrobatics: recovering when stumbling
Acrobatics: Deliberate Clumsiness Takes Genuine Talent
Acrobatics: Juggling Eggs All Over Yourself Takes Accuracy
Acrobatics: Just a Little "Thrill" Gives a Nice Boost
Acrobatics: Talents get Stale with Disuse
Acrobatics: moving through a dense field of cacti
Acrobatics: Tank roll
Acrobatics: cartwheel
Acrobatics: balancing on an unstable surface
Acrobatics: balancing on a tiny surface
Acrobatics: One-handed handstand
Climbing:(the cubic pursuit) x2
Climbing:leaping up walls
Climbing: Free climbing a building
Climbing: wind increases difficulty
Climbing: climbing down from upside down position
Climbing: perching atop a tower
Climbing: using decorative spires to navigate
Climbing: Giant spiders' webs make things easy
Climbing: The surety of feet more than hands
Climbing: The use of mountain-climbing gear
Climbing:clambering through a window
Climbing: Hanging from a windowsill
Climbing: clambering out of a pool
Climbing: Going down is often harder than going up
Climbing: Very slow going on a smooth cliff face
Climbing: dealing with the sudden loss of hand- and footholds
Climbing: frantically searching for purchase
Climbing: test hand- and footholds before placing your weight on them
Climbing: Clambering down a tower as an escape route
Climbing: Ivy on a wall makes it impossible to find purchase
Climbing: Hauling yourself up a wall
Climbing: Can ivy support a man’s weight?
Climbing: Tangles in the ivy provide footholds
Climbing: Enterng a building through the first floor window
Climbing: clambering up a drain pipe
Climbing: using wall ornaments to scale a building
Climbing: Windowsills make for good footholds
Climbing: cold fingers make for poor grip
Climbing: searching for handholds and footholds by touch
Climbing: the three out of four rule
Climbing: recognizing hand- and footholds
Climbing: climbing slippery stone
Climbing: keeping your hands and feet close to your body
Climbing: How to scale a building
Climbing: Clinging to the side of a carriage
Climbing: Hanging from your arms
Running:(the cubic pursuit) x3
Running: running fast tires you out quickly
Running: running over rooftops
Running: runnding down stairs might make you slip
Running: staying ahead of a mob
Running: Running blindly
Running up a set of stairs
Running: catching up to someone
Running: running over wet cobblestones
Running: running with a man on your back
Running: running for an extended period of time
Running: Running for your life
Appraisal (38)
Appraisal:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2) x2
Appraisal: (Tell me, Moore 3)x1
Appraisal:(A leaf in the current)x2
Appraisal: (All the world's a stage) x4
Appraisal: weighing an object in your hands
Appraisal: recognising materials
Appraisal: recognising fine craftsmanship
Appraisal: Recognizing beauty when you see it
Appraisal: And recognizing it hides a danger beneath
Appraisal: Enjoying a damn good whiskey
Appraisal: A good Venoran Red Wine
Appraisal: Knowing Qi'oran Craftworks are the Best
Appraisal: appreciating the design of a gauntlet
Appraisal: using your hand to figure out a mechanism
Appraisal: considering the power of emean entities
Appraisal: marveling at the sight of an ancient artefact
Appraisal: gauging the mindset of your companions
Appraisal: studying a sealed door
Appraisal: considering the worth of documents
Appraisal: seizing up a steel vault
Appraisal: Noth's Thugs are Actually Fairly Talented
Appraisal: gauging the difficulty of a target
Appraisal: Figuring out whether or not you can outrun someone
Appraisal: pegging someone as a mercenary
Appraisal: Recognising decent rum
Appraisal: Sizing up your companions
Appraisal: Considering the use of someone's abilities
Appraisal: Magical objects can look mundane at first glance
Appraisal: The look of a fragile object
Appraisal: Sense of smoothness
Appraisal: A magic object that can't be used is almost worthless
Appraisal: examining an object to make sure it's not fake
Appraisal: items with a unique feature are harder to replicate within a tiny timeframe
Acting (22)
Acting: (the play's the thing) x6
Acting: Following a Partner's Lead
Acting: Playing dead
Acting:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2)x1
Acting: (Tell me, Moore 3)x1
Acting:(A leaf in the current)x1
Acting: Displaying confidence
Acting: Keeping a straight face
Acting: Taking the role of a ‘security specialist’
Acting: Improvising your lines
Acting: A convincing heart attack ‘act
Acting: Playing the Part of an Injured Guard
Acting: Dressing the Part
Acting: Playing 'Ringmaster' for Yourself
Acting: playing judge of a competition
Acting: potted plant
Acting: making a show out of trying to find the right angle
Business Mngmnt (3)
Business Management: The Importance of Connections
Business Management: Business Model
Business Management: Attracting Clientele
Chemistry(2)
Chemistry - 1
chemistry - 2
Deception (47)
Deception (Obie, Sophia, and the Whiskey Barbarian) x2
Deception (Rebirth and return) x2
Deception:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2) x2
Deception: (Tell me, Moore 3)x2
Deception:(the cubic pursuit) x1
Deception:(Apprehensions)x2
Deception: Sometimes as simple as not correcting people when they make assumptions
Deception: Pretending to be a Web Guard
Deception: pretending to go along with it
Deception: making excuses
Deception: preparing to attack while playing along
Deception: spinning a believable story
Deception: omitting the truth
Deception: Giving false directions
Deception: Covering for someone
Deception: being vague
Deception: consider what you can or can't know
Deception: Feigning ignorance
Deception: Alias
Deception: Pretending to be someone else
Deception: try to goad someone into making a promise
Deception: Boasting
Deception: Pretending to use actual magic
Deception: fake laugh
Deception: pretending to listen to a conversation
Deception: convincing drunk people you won the drinking game
Deception: Using a fake name to get into a building
Deception: Chique clothes make you look more refined
Deception: crossing your fingers behind your back to make a promise non-binding
Deception: pretending to be calm and collected
Deception: the fine print (spoken form)
Deception: promising things you have no control over
Deception: claiming your abilities are mere 'parlor tricks'
Deception: acting surprised
Deception: pretending not to know anything
Deception: Pretending you know what's going on
Deception: lying through your teeth
Deception: fake tears
Deception: pretending to be sorry
Deception: being the instigator in a crowd
Deception: stalling for time
Deception: if you are affected by your own abilities, you might not be suspected
Detection (71)
Detection: catching a lie
Detection (Obie, Sophia, and the Whiskey Barbarian) x2
Detection (Rebirth and return) x2
Detection: Quickly taking in your environment
Detection: Spotting Landmarks
Detection: Noticing absence of sound
Detection: Spotting weariness of age and lifestyle in a person/s face
Detection: noting someone looks vaguely familiar
Detection: looking out for signs someone isn't quite themself
Detection: overwatch
Detection:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2) x2
Detection: (Tell me, Moore 3)x2
Detection (A Random Impact)x3
Detection:(A leaf in the current)x2
Detection: (All the world's a stage) x3
Detection:(Apprehensions)x2
Detection: how a bind man experiences the world
Detection: feeling for buttons
Detection: Hearing voices
Detection: listening for breathing
Detection: Spotting familiar figures from afar
Detection: keeping an ear out for noise behind you
Detection: recognizing the mark of a mage
Detection: try to detect signs of a riot
Detection: Sensing Others' Long-Standing Animosity
Detection: Light coming from inside the mountain means a presence
Detection: the look of an odd artefact
Detection: Knowing when someone's behind you
Detection: Spotting unnaturally moving shadows
Detection: Picking a volunteer out of a crowd
Detection: the feeling of your own abilities
Detection: trying to sense a ghost
Detection: Subtle signs someone’s laughing
Detection: Reading someone who covers their face is hard
Detection: The telltale signs of a ghost
Detection: Determining the source of a bad smell
Detection: Knowing something’s not right about your body
Detection: Smelling a really bad smell
Detection: Recognizing when someone is too curious
Detection: recognizing paranoia
Detection: The Look of Trouble Some Folks Wear
Detection: eavesdropping
Detection: recognizing when one forest is not the same as another
Detection: spotting the difference between portals
Detection: noticing when something in your periphery changes
Detection: seeing exotic flora
Detection: seeking signs of a pulverized pebble
Detection: The False Image was Betrayed by Graeslin's Voice
Detection: the sound of something rolling away
Detection: noticing a flash of light inside a crystal ball
Detection: seeing rage on someone's face
Detection: reading intentions from someone's face
Detection: When Odd Behavior Creates an Unintended Distraction
Detection: Noticing when something's off
Detection: Studying a face
Detection: the look of a Naerikk
Detection: the sound of a portal opening
Detection: the look of a portal
Detection: delay on the reappearance of an item from a portal might mean the item was swapped
Detection: spotting a person of interest in a crowd
Detection: searching a good spot to activate your abilities
Discipline (26)
Discipline:(the play's the thing) x4
Discipline (Rebirth and return) x2
Discipline:(A leaf in the current)x1
Discipline:(the cubic pursuit) x2
Discipline: Failing to keep your ego in check
Discipline: Letting another's words hurt your pride
Discipline: Being unable to resist the urge to have the last word
Discipline: Allowing your pride and ego to distract you from serious matters
Discipline: Resisting feminine wiles (or at least attempting to)
Discipline: Eyes up here
Discipline: Have a Method of Identification Beyond Appearance
Discipline: Keeping cool after offering someone a dagger to kill you with
Discipline: Obey orders, don't rush off and fall for the lure
Discipline: Don't let compliments soften you up
Discipline: Hearing someone out, despite not wanting to
Discipline: Keeping a Cool Head When Plans go Awry
Discipline: Keeping cool when you know you only have trills to think
Discipline: Should have resisted the urge to tail the naerikk
Discipline: prove superiority by not lashing out
Discipline: Waiting patiently for multiple breaks
Discipline: remembering who you're talking to
Disguise (2)
Disguise: (Tell me, Moore 3)x1
Disguise: Putting on a Web Guard uniform
Endurance (38)
Endurance (Rebirth and return) x3
Endurance (A Random Impact)x4
Endurance:(the cubic pursuit) x2
Endurance:(Apprehensions)x1
Endurance: Sewer Stink
Endurance: Using a perfumed handkerchief to combat unbearable stenches
Endurance: manacles are uncomfortable and chafe
Endurance: Don't move or make a sound when being kicked
Endurance: Pushing the Envelope of Recovery from "The Gift"
Endurance: having another's pain reflected to you
Endurance: the burning of attunement overstepping
Endurance: indirectly torturing yourself
Endurance: The heat of Saun under normal circumstances
Endurance: the heat of Saun while traveling in mountains
Endurance: the heat of Saun while covered head to toe in leather armor
Endurance: Holding your breath for an extended amount of time
Endurance: Keeping your balance in a tumbling room
Endurance: Recovery from "The Gift" Affects All Senses Equally
Endurance: getting your head slammed into a bar counter
Endurance: getting slammed into a wall
Endurance: keep on drinking even when you feel sick already
Endurance: mind over body – hold back the vomit!
Endurance: Suffering the effects of "The Gift of Shadow"
Endurance: Taking a beating
Endurance: Keep running while tired
Endurance: keep moving while hurt
Endurance: Getting back up after a beating
Endurance: Biting through pain
Endurance: The Futility of Trying to Out-Drink Tio
Endurance: Enduring a hangover
Endurance: Walking with a scorched leg
Endurance: Thrill Control can keep you going
Engineering (2)
Engineering: A tumbling room with blades in the walls
Engineering: A trap trigger made to look like a doorknob
etiquette (8)
Etiquette:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2)
Etiquette: Give Credit to the Organizer of an Event
Etiquette: Dressing up for a job interview
Etiquette: Honesty
Etiquette (Military): The newly established rank of "Broomsman"
Etiquette: don't step on freshly mopped floors
Etiquette: waiting your turn
Etiquette: Following another's rules
field craft (3)
Field Craft: Cave-ins sometimes open new passages
Field Craft: Far fewer bugs in the mountains than in the jungle
Field Craft: Giant spiders' webs secure loose rock
Intelligence (35)
Intelligence: (Tell me, Moore 3)x2
Intelligence:(Apprehensions)x2
Intelligence: Composing a cryptic message
Intelligence: Knowing the habits of others to anticipate their arrival
Intelligence: Recalling security measures
Intelligence: just asking questions
Intelligence: considering where Ulric's loyalties lie
Intelligence: Reading between the lines
Intelligence: eavesdropping on guard conversations
Intelligence: Sharing information
Intelligence: Coded messages
Intelligence: Relies on Utilizing Resources, and Building Relationships
Intelligence: Some Black Guard Wear 'Sovereign Ward' Armor
Intelligence: getting information through attunement link
Intelligence: Webspinners communicate via spiders
Intelligence: Ignorance might prompt the sharing of information
Intelligence: Sintra's scheme
Intelligence: "Severed Shade" as a recon soldier
Intelligence: Sintra's spiders are truly allies
Intelligence: Sintra's spiders can sense the Audrae's power
Intelligence: 'Sovereign Ward' Armor Negates Kinetic Force
Intelligence: Underground Kids Aren't Paid to Fight
Intelligence: Underground Kids Give Good Advice
Intelligence: Attempts at steering a conversation
Intelligence: Offer little information, but gain a lot… that’s the idea, anyway
Intelligence: recruiting people to your cause
Intelligence: leaving a message
Intelligence: establish a contact
Intelligence: everything can be a safehouse
Intelligence: using a glass to listen through walls
Intelligence: speculating about Sintra's plan
Intelligence: gauge how the populace feels about Sintra
Intelligence: knowing which rumors are definitely false
Interrogation (3)
Interrogation: Asking for specifics
Interrogation: Demanding answers
Interrogation: Repeat the question until answered
Intimidation (12)
Intimidation (Rebirth and return) x1
Intimidation:(A leaf in the current)x2
Intimidation: (All the world's a stage) x3
Intimidation: the "or else" threat
Intimidation: Relentless Threats
Intimidation: flexing your powers
Intimidation: The eye-roll
Intimidation: Push buttons and play the game, or die horribly
Intimidation: Showing No Fear of Graeslin's Threats
Investigation (31)
Investigation (Obie, Sophia, and the Whiskey Barbarian) x2
Investigation: (Tell me, Moore 3)x2
Investigation: (Startup Skills Change) x10
Investigation: someone's possessions tell something about their owner
Investigation: taking in a crime scene
Investigation: provoke someone to get them to reveal their alliance
Investigation: studying an artefact
Investigation: Searching aimlessly isn't efficient
Investigation: Not everything has to be difficult
Investigation: If you don't know something, ask someone who does
Investigation: searching corpses
Investigation: burning evidence
Investigation: drawing conclusions from spoken clues
investigation: searching the wall for oddities
Investigation: deep breathing sounds may mean a target is asleep
Investigation: searching for hollow spaces underneath the floorboards
Investigation: running your fingers over a surface to feel for hidden clues
Investigation: rifling through papers
Investigation: dates are important
Investigation: put everything back where you found it
Larceny (60)
The basics of Picking Pockets
Larceny (Startup Skills Change) x8
Larceny: unbuckling a sword from someone's belt
Larceny: stealing a guard's keyring
Pickpocketing: Distraction to Draw the Victim's Attention[NH]
Pickpocket: placing stolen goods in the Vault immediately
Pickpocket:Stealing other people's drinks
Pickpocket: Slipping items in someone's pocket
Pickpocket: Enhancing sleight of hand with Mortalborn Abilities
Pickpocket: Works well with Touch 'n Transfer
Pickpocket: Slipping a card under a desk mat
Pickpocket: Using Sleight of hand for magic tricks
Pickpocket: Picking every pocket catches attention
Pickpocket: Steal the contents, not the whole purse
Pickpocket: Easier when you’re somewhere they’re not expecting it
Pickpocket: slower when you steal what’s inside the purse
Pickpocket: Replacing lost coins with stolen ones
Pickpocket: choosing your hunting ground
Pickpocket: Requires a lot of coordination
Pickpocket: using the crowd as cover
Pickpocket: crowded shopping district have easy marks
Pickpocket: beware anti-thief measures
Pickpocket: requires nimble fingers
Pickpocket: The Classic "bump-into-someone-and-steal-their-wallet" trick
Pickpocket: Stealing a dagger out of someone’s hand
Pickpocket: easier when people are distracted by something
Pickpocket: don’t do it when watched
Pickpocket: Stealing a wallet is ealily noticed
Pickpocket: Stealing a few coins at a time
Pickpocket: Taking little to lessen the chance of discovery
Pickpocket: Figuring out what's in someone's pocket
Lock Picking:(A leaf in the current)x1
Lockpicking: (Suspicious Underground Activities 1) x2
How to pick a lock
Lock-picking: The First Step in a Burglary[NH]
Lockpicking: Feeling around in the Cylinder
Lockpicking: technique: raking
Lockpicking: raking can open simple locks quickly
Lockpicking: working quickly
Lockpicking: keeping an eye out when picking
Lockpicking: Doesn’t work on windows
Lockpicking: combination locks have virtually infinite combinations
Lockpicking: Counting pins
Lockpicking: Applying torque to the cylinder with a tension wrench
Lockpicking: Subtlety and precision are key
Lockpicking: Picking a lock under pressure
Lockpicking: Requires steady hands
Lockpicking: Requires Patience
Lockpicking: A Precise Art
Lockpicking: Picking a pin tumbler lock
Lockpicking: satisfying to do manually
Lockpicking: listening to the sounds of the lock
Leadership (3)
Leadership: Revealing the Shadow Glove to the party
Leadership (A Random Impact)x2
Leatherworking (11)
How to craft a Sling
Leatherworking (Startup Skills Change)x10
Linguistics (8)
Linguistics: You Can Tell a Naer by the Gravokian Accent
Linguistics: Exposure To Orimatsun
Linguistics: names starting with a 'K' sound
Linguistics: Imparted With Knowledge of Orimatsun
Linguistics: Verbally Exposed to Orimatsun
Linguistics: Sarcasm is more in gesture than words
Linguistics: Snark is more in tone than gesture
Linguistics: Veiled insults are the language of diplomacy
Logistics (12)
Logistics: Geared up for a jungle campaign
Logistics: Injuries from falls slow the army's speed
Logistics: Lisirra's 'Bug-Bomb' volunteers
Logistics: There is a huge source of mind-control chemicals under Rhakros
Logistics: Webbed-up enemies are ghost snacks for later
Logistics: Keeping track of the number of party members
Logistics: 'Sovereign Ward' Armor Has a Limited Charge
Logistics: If You Don't Want it, Selling it is All Profit
Logistics: considering the preparations for a job
Logistics: Shadow Form Saves a Naerikk from Physical Damage
Logistics: The Black Guards All Have Individual Numbers
Logistics: It Can Never Hurt to Steal a Guard's Keys
Logistics: Or his Boots, They Might be Warded
Medicine (8)
Medicine: First Aid
Medicine: Disinfecting with alcohol
Medicine: Sewing up a wound
Medicine: Sterilizing the needle with fire
Medicine: take care not to tear the stitches
Medicine: Large cuts need stitches
Medicine: Applying pressure to a wound
Medicine: Stab wounds need stitches
Meditation (6)
Meditation: "The Gift" Has Meditative Upsides if You Don't Panic
Meditation: Instinctive Abilities Can Work Despite "The Gift"
Meditation: Memories Can Overwhelm if You Don't Focus
Meditation: The Mind Still Works Despite "The Gift"
Meditation: clearing your mind
Meditation: using the Echo of the Guardian as a focus point
Navigation (8)
Navigation:(A leaf in the current)x1
Navigation: Keeping Your Sense of Direction While Underground
Navigation: Noting Landmarks While Being Guided
Navigation: Finding your way in the dark
Navigation: Using someone else's sense of direction
Navigation: Getting lost
Navigation: Orient yourself using a prominent landmark
Navigation: Heading for a landmark
Philosophy (2)
Philosophy: Did Etzos deserve to fall?
Philosophy: Bad and bad
Physics (2)
Physics:(Apprehensions)x2
Poison (2)
Poison: chemical fumes can be poisonous
Poison: the bug-bomb poison
Politics (12)
Politics: (Tell me, Moore 3)x2
Politics:(Apprehensions)x2
Politics: Plotting Sintra's downfall
Politics: Only the Viewpoint of Authority Matters
Politics: Even allied Immortals mess with each others' followers
Politics: Any Naer is an Opportunity for Reputation
Politics: Breaking Contract with 'Finders Seekers' Could Backlash
Politics: There are "Property Lines"in the Underground
Politics (Military): In the hills, you are assumed "lost" not "deserting"
Politics: This is war against an Immortal, not between Immortals
Psychology (16)
Psychology:(the cubic pursuit) x2
Psychology:(Apprehensions)x1
Psychology: Considering what would be most beneficial to Sintra's plans
Psychology: Announce Your Anger Right From the Beginning
Psychology: Confidence in Your Abilities
Psychology: Your anger with Audrae can be used against you
Psychology: Don't Let Anyone Tell You What You Can't Do
Psychology: Excitement, not Talent, is What a Crowd Truly Loves
Psychology: Outfits Can Provoke Memories
Psychology: The Last Act is What is Most Remembered
Psychology: One Lone Judge's Verdict is Hardest to Anticipate
Psychology: Zealotry
Psychology: Some would rather die than inadvertently betray their patron
Psychology: (A Random Impact)x2
Research (2)
Research:(A leaf in the current)x2
Resistance (3)
Resistance: Drinking Yourself Sick
Resistance:(Apprehensions)x1
Resistance (Rebirth and return) x1
Socialization (32)
Socialization: schooling someone
Socialization: Elaborate introduction
Socialization: Invite someone for a drink
Sociology: In a Mock Competition, Genuine Applause is Bad
Sociology: Exchanging Snarky Quips with Clever Kids
Sociology: Acid-tongued belligerence
Sociology: Mocking
Socialization: Being unable to come up with a verbal riposte
Sociology: Throwing someone's words back in their face
Negotiation:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2)
Negotiation: Setting terms for an exchange of information
Negotiation: Haggling-- demand a higher payment than you want
Negotiation: Talking up your skill
Negotiation: Cancelling a job
Negotiation: Demonstrating your skill
Negotiation: A Favor for a favor
Negotiation: The lure of reward
Negotiation: working out a deal
Negotiation: time and place
Negotiation: offering information in return for information
Negotiation: considering an offer
Negotiation: (All the world's a stage) x3
Rhetoric:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2)
Rhetoric: (Tell me, Moore 3)x1
Persuasion: Manipulating Your Pride to Coerce Cooperation
Persuasion: try to convince someone to switch sides
Persuasion:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2)x1
Persuasion: (Tell me, Moore 3)x1
Persuasion:(A leaf in the current)x2
Stealth (89)
Stealth capstone: light physical contact doesn't break the effect
Stealth capstone: people try to explain away events caused by you
Stealth capstone: people respond subconsciously to you
Stealth capstone: makes moving about unseen very easy
Stealth Capstone: doesn't work on those that can't see
Stealth Capstone: you can still be detected
Stealth capstone: perfect for assassinations
Stealth capstone: making a dramatic entrance
Stealth capstone: "disappearing" behind an object
Stealth Capstone: Appearing out of thin air
Stealth Capstone: Mysteriously vanishing for dramatic effect
Stealth: Hiding bodies
Stealth: Scram before you get spotted
Stealth: Eliminating all spies before revealing sensitive information
Stealth:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2)x1
Stealth:(A leaf in the current)x2
Stealth:(the cubic pursuit) x2
Stealth:(Apprehensions)x2
Stealth: sneaking up from behind
Stealth: Using the Shadows for Thieving[NH]
Stealth: don’t give away your location by being noisy
Stealth: Not disturbing a sleeping person
Stealth: Leaving a house quietly
Stealth: Tip-toeing
Stealth: keeping a low profile
Stealth: Avoid loose stones underfoot
Stealth: That much harder in echoing caverns
Stealth: Sticking to the shadows
Stealth: Move around quietly as to not wake the bats
Stealth: Landing quietly
Stealth: Do suspicious acts when no one is watching
Stealth: Hiding a sling by wearing it as a wristband
Stealth: Use the sound of rain to cover your approach
Stealth: Using the low visibility of heavy rainfall to disappear
Stealth: professionals use codenames
Stealth: eavesdropping while hidden in a crowd
Stealth: sneakily cheating during a drinking game
Stealth: something breaking will alert people
Stealth: get out of the light
Stealth: Use commotion as a distraction
Stealth: Dark clothing to hide in dark places
Stealth: Harder with more people
Stealth sneaking up on guards
Stealth: using eye-catching objects/people to draw attention away
Stealth: black clothes stand out against the night sky
Stealth: Loud noises can alarm patrols
Stealth: Crouching run to move fast and remain out of sight
Stealth: just because you're being looked at doesn’t mean you’ve been noticed
Stealth: Using the sound of streaming water to conceal the noise you make
Stealth: Wading through a river washes your scent away
Stealth: not moving makes you harder to spot in the dark
Stealth: dark on dark is hard to see
Stealth: people rarely look up
Stealth: guards are easier to avoid when they are tired
Stealth: Breaking line of sight
Stealth: Crouching for balance
Stealth: Sneaking over squeaky floorboards
Stealth: Squeaky hinges can ruin your cover
Stealth: Colorful uniforms draw attention
Stealth: Moving from shadow to shadow
Stealth: suspicious behavior stands out
Stealth: closing doors quietly
Stealth: locating possible hiding spots
Stealth: Hiding in a cupboard
Stealth: remaining quiet when hiding
Stealth: close the doors when hiding in a cupboard
Stealth: disappearing in a crowd
Stealth: dress like the people around you to be inconspicuous
Stealth: stuck-up nobles purposefully ignore people who look like peasants
Stealth: blend in by acting like everyone else
Stealth: people don’t notice you when you’re around someone
Stealth: Moving sneakily through a crowd
Stealth: Easier when you aren’t the center of attention
Stealth: Moving with the crowd
Stealth: don't give away your location when hiding
Stealth: don't hide in the same spot again after having been found
Stealth: catch unconscious people to keep the silence intact
Stealth: hiding up high
Stealth: A child in a crowd doesn't attract much Attention
Stealth: become invisible by fitting in with the crowd
Stealth: Meeting in secret
Stealth: Laying low as to not be discovered by people looking for you
Stealth: Meeting high above the streets as to not be heard
Stealth: Meeting high above the streets to remain out of sight
Stealth: Code names to protect one's identity
Stealth: Keep some distance from whom you're tailing
Storytelling (3)
Storytelling: recounting events
Storytelling: try to skip unimportant details
Storytelling: keep things concise
Strength (17)
Strength: holding a pose
Strength: propping up a door
Strength: Snapping a neck from behind
Strength: Wielding a sledge hammer
Strength: Dragging a struggling man
Strength: Shoulder tackle
Strength: Beginning a climb from upside-down with only your arms
Strength: tired arms don’t provide much power
Strength: Natural Physical Prowess[NH]
Strength: supporting a grown man
Strength: Throwing a mug through a portal from across the room
Strength: grip strength
Strength: lifting a child
Strength: Combat training
Strength: carrying an injured man
Strength: piggyback
Strength: hysterical strength provided by Thrill Control
Swimming (4)
Swimming: (the cubic pursuit) x4
Torture (3)
Torture: breaking fingers
Torture: more than simply inflicting pain
Torture: some people are trained to endure it
Trap Making(3)
Trap Making: Using explosives to collapse the cliff on an enemy
Trapmaking: How to place a tripwire
Trapmaking: Creating a simple tripwire alarm

Ranged Combat (12)
Sling: How to launch a pebble
Sling: Need more practice to hit a button on a far wall
Ranged (Sling): Ammo can be found on the ground
Ranged (Sling): Good for dealing with mortals, not with undead
Ranged (Sling): Keeping calm is necessary for good aim
Ranged (Sling): Moving and firing as a novice is a good way to miss the target
Ranged (Sling): Loading a sling
Ranged (Sling): Aiming
Ranged (Sling): Large targets are easier to hit
Ranged (Sling): Simple but effective
Ranged Combat - Sling (Rebirth and return) x2
Tactics (21)
Tactics:(Tell me, Moore - Part 2) x2
Tactics: (Tell me, Moore 3)x2
Tactics (A Random Impact)x3
Tactics:(A leaf in the current)x1
Tactics:(Apprehensions)x2
Tactics: Helping The Enemy of My Enemy
Tactics: Bird-form Becomers as scouts
Tactics: "The Many" as a decoy, instead of "The Few"
Tactics: Taking Advantage of Animosity Between Others
Tactics: Fall Back to a Bottleneck When Outnumbered
Tactics: Tripping/Grappling Work Best Against 'Sovereign Ward'
Tactics: Deactivating the Rupture Ward Array in The Tower
Tactics: Hecklers are Often on One Performer's Side
Tactics: Strike Sovereign Ward Wearers When They Strike
Tactics: striking first for an advantage
Tactics (Rebirth and return) x1
Unarmed Combat (43)
Unarmed Combat - Augdo (Obie, Sophia, and the Whiskey Barbarian) x2
Unarmed Combat - Agudo: (A Random Impact)x3
Unarmed Combat (Agudo):(Apprehensions)x2
Unarmed (Agudo): Attack while evading
Unarmed (Agudo): Standing chokehold
Unarmed (Agudo): Cradle choke
Unarmed (Agudo): evading a stab to the abdomen
Unarmed (Agudo): stopping a dagger
Unarmed (Agudo): disarming an opponent
Unarmed (Agudo): restraining an opponent
Unarmed (Agudo): Trading places
Unarmed (Agudo): Tripping an enemy
Unarmed (Agudo): Throat strike
Unarmed (Agudo): Even when unarmed, you’re not really unarmed
Unarmed (Agudo): Low kick to trip the enemy
Unarmed (Agudo): the importance of distance
Unarmed Combat (Agudo): Little damage at once, lot of damage over time
Unarmed Combat (Agudo): Striking elbows to numb them
Unarmed Combat (Agudo): Intercepting kicks with a knee to the thigh
Unarmed (Agudo): Know the range of your opponent
Unarmed (Agudo): Circling your opponent
Unarmed (Agudo): Use an opening to strike
Unarmed (Agudo): Know the limits of your capabilities
Unarmed (Agudo): The art of throwing a proper punch
Unarmed (Agudo): Novices are unpredictable
Unarmed (Agudo): How to kick properly
Unarmed (Agudo): headbutt
Unarmed (Agudo): Punch to the jaw
Unarmed (Agudo): stomp to the shin
Unarmed (Agudo): kidney punch
Unarmed (Agudo): getting close to your opponent
Unarmed (Agudo): putting your body weight behind a punch
Unarmed (Agudo): wide swings are easily dodged
Unarmed (Agudo): Temple strike
Unarmed Combat - Agudo (Rebirth and return) x3
Unarmed (Brawling): Aim for a spot you can reach
Unarmed (Brawling): Rage-filled punch

Zipper
Zipper: Abrasive Mage
Zipper: very angry
Zipper: Wants to know about Immortals
Zipper: Her clone seems nice
Zipper: foul mouth
Zipper: Can shoot ether from her hands
Zipper: can turn the wall into bindings
Zipper: not worth much without her magic
Zipper: hit the nail on the head with her taunts
Llyr (Zarik)
Mr. Magpie: Looking for Oberan
Mr. Magpie: Knows Kasoria
Mr. Magpie: Knows Zipper
Mr. Magpie: Has a ghost child with him
PC: LLyr: Seems to have taken a dislike to you
Woe and Llyr: Keep their own secrets but want to know yours
Doran
Doran: Alchemist
Doran: Keeps his cool in unexpected situations
Doran: can replicate mortalborn powers
Doran: the Hero of Oscillus
Doran’s Blade: Xiur’s Bane
Doran: Stabbed Xiur
Doran: famous
Doran: lives in the Tower of Ministers
Doran: not just an ordinary human?
Gangui
Gangui: Mustachioed Lynchmaster
Gangui: Met Tanvi, Vice Queen of Augiery
Gangui: Talks big
Gangui: the most patriotic, Immortal-hating, handlebar mustache-wearing man in Etzos
Gangui: influenced by Naerikk charms?
Gangui: clearly adept at rioting
Gangui: doesn’t mind lynching people for no reason
Gangui: can’t stand grandma’s flowerpot being broken (go figure)
Adruria
Adruria: Odd Naerikk
Kyin
Kyin: Said by the Owner to be "an Asshole"
Kyin: An Odd One
Kyin: Gave a Heckler a Tall "Taste" of His Own Medicine
Kyin: Passed You Notes Telling You Where You Stood

PC: Aqihlih: Looks to be a Biqaj
PC: Finn O'Connor: Human Little Brother of Zipper
PC: Tio Silver: Has an Alias Called 'Captain Taboo'
Tio: Voice Imitator
PC: Toan: Human Thief
Toan: The Spider
Patrick: Bad at stealth
Finn: Not a bad sneak, actually
Kasoria: the raggedy man
Kasoria: Bagun Vorund’s loyal dog
Kasoria: real fast
Yndira: Naerikk
Yndira: Was used as a lure against you
PC: Woe: Seems to have an ease around spiders
PC: Ulric: A ghost presently on Sintra's side

Lethius Brackling
Lethius: Formerly a Naerrik[NH]
Odessa
Odessa: Vice Queen of Augiery
Odessa: the name sounds vaguely familiar
Anti-Bran
Oberan Clone: Will answer questions truthfully
Graeslin
Greaslin: Has Some Kind of Teleport Artifact
Graeslin: Knows of Your Mortalborn Capabilities

NPC: Glennon Marbry: Surface Financier with "connections"
NPC: Lionel "Coffin" Velvet, an Underground Gang Boss
NPC: Raellen Charone: Enforcer for The Fence
NPC: Raellen Charone: Promises a Final, Fair Fight in the Future
NPC: Sam: "Finders Seekers" Child Guide
NPC: Joderall: Attuner, Linguist and Historian
NPC: Joderall: Learned that bugs are a part of Rhakros' mind control
NPC: Joderall: Theorizes that Sintra placed the artifact
NPC: Joderall: "Detect, Select, Perfect, Affect" is the key
NPC: Senalee: Glamourist for Rhakros, now deceased
Bagun Vorund: old fox
Bagun Vorund: intense
Hinda Velora: A very capable commander
Hinda Velora: Whose side is she on?
NPC: New Marshall: Hinda Velora
NPC: Web Guard Trankley: An unknown element

Language: Orimatsun Dialect From The Guardian

In general
Immortals: Extremely resilient in the presence of another Immortal
Immortals: The relationship between Sintra, Lisirra, and Audrae
Immortal of Curses: IS there such a thing?
Audrae
Audrae: Oberan's Mother
Audrae: Immortal of Deception, Secrecy, Shadows, and Fear[NH]
Audrae: Extended an olive branch
Audrae: Family resemblance
Audrae: Maybe not as cold to you as you'd expected
Audrae: Similar personality to your own
Audrae's Task
Pier and Pre
Pier and Pre: Twin Goddesses
Pier and Pre: Follow Vri around
Vri
Vri: Lord of Death
Sintra
Webspinners: Sintra's agents
Webspinners: Likely present in every town
Sintra: Has spies everywhere
Treid
Treid: Immortal without a heart

The Guardian
The Guardian of Orimar (Entity): It Exists!
The Guardian of Orimar (Entity): Supremely Powerful
The Guardian of Orimar (Entity): Possibly Emean
The Guardian: Dead
The Guardian: Blew himself up to destroy Orimar
The Guardian: Did not want Orimar to continue existing
The Guardian: A friend?

MB powers
Shenanigan Sphere: Not an offensive or defensive ability
Shenanigan Sphere: Random
Shenanigan Sphere: Not really helpful
Shenanigan Sphere: Effects can be replicated through alchemy?
Shenanigan Sphere: AoE Identical Look, to Help Escape
Shenanigan Sphere: Becoming Form Combines with Illusion

God Key: Loosens binds
God Key: Sensing nearby Keys
God Key: Can open doors
God Key: was nullified? IMPOSSIBLE!

Thrill Control: Can be Used to Work a Crowd
Thrill: Depleting the Man Holding a Sword at You
Thrill Control: Can be used to knock people out
Thrill Control: Boosts physical abilities
Thrill Control: keeps seasickness at bay
Thrill Control: Hysterical Strength turned to 11
Thrill Control: The consequences of using too much
Thrill Control: Aftereffects
Thrill Control: Drain thrill to survive longer without air
Thrill Control: Draining your own Thrill makes you sleepy
Thrill Control: Draining your own Thrill makes you sluggish

Touch 'n Transfer: Good for smuggling
Touch 'n Transfer: Assist with Magic tricks
Touch and Transfer: Dismantling
Touch and Transfer: New Vault in Cave
Touch and Transfer: Setting everything up takes way too long

Dreamwalking: the Veil lies beyond dreams
Dreamwalking: the Veil is a hub of sorts (but not really)
Dreamwalking: Dreamscapes
Dreamwalking: Lucidity
Dreamwalking: Branding allows you to find people faster
Values
Bran’s philosophy on why to use the Shenanigan Sphere

Misc
Vhalar 31: Children born this trial might be cursed
Etzos Streetplan
Foster's Landing Location: Riverbank Inn
Etzos Bazaar layout
Etzos: alleys and streets around the bazaar
Location: The Floating Fancy, Vorund's Roaming Casino
Location: Etzos' Interrogation Chamber
Location: Vorund's office
The plagues of that ruined Etzos
Lisirra’s siege
The day magic stopped working
Current state of Etzos (Hot cycle 719)
Around Etzos
Location: The Guardian of Orimar
Location: The Valley of Orimar
Location: The Lost City of Orimar
Moonflow: A Mysterious Substance
Moonflow: Is Deadly to Consume
Moonflow: Can Be Refined Somehow
Orimar: The City of Crystal
Orimar: Destroyed
Orimar: The Downfall of a Bastion
Orimar: The Guardian and His Charge
Orimar: The Monsters were actually priestesses
Orimar: Populated by monsters
Orimar: The Seven Seers And The Betrayal
Orimatsun: Refined the "Moonflow" Into crystalline substance
Orimatsun: They Worshipped Emean "Gods"
Orimatsun: Were Fooled Into A Ritual
Rhakros
Rhakros: has an extensive Underground cavern system
Mastes' Maze
Location: Mastes' Maze
Mastes Maze: is full of trap rooms
Mastes Maze: A voice tries to create animosity between contestants.
Mastes Maze: Was connected to Etzos' Underground.
Kleptes
Kleptes: Creation Myth
Kleptes: Tio's Terrible Thief Team

Naerikk
Naerikk: 'The Gift' Takes a Toll on Them as Well
Ghosts
Possession: Can drive host's body to disregard wounds and limits
Possession: Thrill does not work well against a ghost-possessed foe

Magic: Rupturing: A Portal Can Cut Inanimate Matter
Magic: Rupturing: The Feeling of Going Through a Portal
Magic: Rupturing: What a Portal Looks Like
Glamour: Illusion magic is very effective
Attuning: Synchronized Linking Shares Pain
Attuning: Synchronized Linking Also Shares Knowledge
Attuning: Activating and Dropping the Link to Confound Interrogation
Rupturing Orb Artefact
Rupturing Orb: How to close portals
Rupturing Orb: Scrying
Rupturing Orb: Scrying portals look different
Rupturing Orb: Do Scrying portals go both ways?
Rupturing Orb: Scrying portals are not for transportation
Rupturing Orb: Commands for accessing different locations
Rupturing Orb: Commands for registering different locations
Rupturing Orb: Can remember different locations
Rupturing Orb: Requires a complex set of inputs to function
Rupturing Orb: How to open a portal to location number 4
Rupturing Orb: Needs to be held in both hands?
Rupturing Orb: the maximum lifespan of a portal is probably 8 breaks
Rupturing Orb: Needs to charge in order to work
Rupturing Orb: Opening a portal, as well as sustaining it drains the orb’s charge
Rupturing Orb: after depletion, it takes five breaks to be able to create a portal
Rupturing Orb: the lifespan of a portal can be extended by five bits in return for two and a half breaks’ worth of charge
Graeslin's Orb reacted with the underground artifact
Shadow Glove
Shadow-glove: Confers the blessing of Audnev to the wearer
Shadow-glove: Half a dozen charges
Shadow-glove: Made from Audrae's own skin
Audnev: A basic understanding of several abilities
Audnev: No better experience than use in a life-and-death situation

A leaf in the current
A run-in with Illusion magic
Alfred Siltra: Probably an alias
Alfred Siltra: Sold his land to Vluharqih
Alfred Siltra: His land is part of the power extension network
Joderall is a member of the resistance.
Joderall perceives "The Artifact"s presence in Etzos
Joderall: Very glad to have "the bug" available again..
The resistance has Web Guard uniforms at their disposal
Senalee appears to have been an agent of Sintra, not Lisirra

the cubic pursuit
Black Guard: Some of them are truly honorableThe Cube was drawn to the OrbA New way in and out of the UndergroundNPC: Krane: a Defier in the Black GuardSintra: Needs the Cube back badlySpiders can not swimThe trust inherent in giving your nameThrill works on spiders too.
Defiance:(the cubic pursuit) x2

Apprehensions
An odd blend of jurisdictions for a simple arrest
Flaxxo's Fair Fight: Short Sword for Short Sword, Armor for Armor.
Darneby's resistance can let other people know something is strange.
Flaxxo uses wards because he scorns magic.
Flaxxo, a respectable, no-nonsense type.
Has the Tower turned pro-Sintra?
NPC: Darneby: A child with a natural resistance to your MB powers
NPC: Tower Guard Commander, Kort Flaxxo
PC: Klaudia Khastel, (Lavana): a crafty Black Guard trooper.
A Tower Guard Attuner seems to see your aura despite "Hide in Plain Sight"

Rebirth and Return
Immortals can fall prey to their own domains
Parhn blames himself enough to grant mercy to enemies
Parhn out-manipulated Sintra
Risen thralls are again shown to be very effective against Immortals
Scores of elite soldiers vs one of the weaker Immortals is a stand-off
Vuda is NOT dead
Vuda is boss of Highbend
Vuda saved Parhn but still owes a debt; the rumors must be true.
When confusion is your enemy, fall back on instinct

Shenanigan Sphere
This ability, which can only be triggered once a trial, has the potential to turn any situation upside down. Whether it be in a favorable or less favorable way is impossible to predict. While not necessarily harmful, the effect can hinder any caught within its range. Like Bran himself, the ability is whimsical. It bends and alters reality for a certain amount of time, which seems to be determined by how cumbersome the effect is. Effects that stop people from functioning tend to last shorter than effects that affect the environment or introduce minor changes in the creatures in range. Though troublesome and sometimes frightening, the effects of this ability are more annoying than they are actually damaging or dangerous. The area of effect is rather large, forming a sphere with a radius of 25 meters. The effects are almost instantaneous, with only a rush of divine energy to warn those caught in range of the impending hijinks.

Due to the sheer power of this ability, the use of it is limited to one use each day, after which the user will feel minor exhaustion, akin to the fatigue felt after physical exercise. Powerful as it might be in warping reality, the results are not always helpful, and the user is not exempt from its effects at all. Lastly, the outcome of using this ability is random*. (roll a d100)

*unless agreed upon by all parties involved in the thread as premise of the thread.

Thrill Control
As the Mortalborn of Thrill, Bran can raise or lower the thrill of the creatures around him. Its range is limited to a 5 meter radius, but any who enter fall under Bran’s control. It is not as though this is done directly however. To lower the sense of thrill and excitement of others, Bran effectively leeches off of the thrill of other people/creatures, adding it to his own. The leeched “thrill” is far more potent than normal, further enhancing the effects adrenaline has on the body (enhances reflexes, strength, endurance, dynamic vision, senses, the brain’s processing power, and dulls pain) while also placing the target in a state of euphoria (varying degrees depending on the amount of thrill) and, in too high doses, gives them a feeling of invincibility. The mortalborn can pass this thrill to others within range, at the cost of lowering the thrill of himself. The euphoria felt can make this ability somewhat addictive.

By sapping the thrill of others or himself, the sapped target is placed in an “energy saving mode”. This lowers the body’s heartrate, blood flow, breathing, metabolism, etc… effectively coaxing the target into a sleep akin to hibernation for a certain duration (if enough thrill is sapped), which is determined by the amount of thrill sapped. Additionally, sapped targets that do not fall into a comatose state (occurs when not enough thrill is sapped) will find themselves feel weak (but are not per se weakened) and lethargic, and might be prone to falling asleep when they sit or lie down.

The excess thrill proves to be quite taxing for the body and mind, always leading to exhaustion in varying degrees after exposure to it. Muscles are tired, stiff and sore from the sheer tension and readiness introduced, the mind’s normal working speed feels slow –which might very well be the case—and the senses are dulled to some extent. The user needs to sap the thrill of creatures within range to boost his own and vice versa, thus being unable to buff himself or others without a source to draw from. After the effects of the "energy saving mode" wear off, the target will feel revitalized and refreshed, though might need nourishment depending on the duration of their comatose state.
(Max duration comatose state: 1 break. Max duration lethargy/”energy save mode” 2 breaks)

God Seal
Just as the use of God Key allows for Oberan to unlock any door/seal he chooses, God Seal is a power that functions almost exactly the same but with the opposite effect. Born from embodying the Guardian of Orimar for a brief amount of time, this ability allows Oberan to utilize a key to create a permanent lock on any door/container in the world, one only he is able to unlock by utilizing the God Key power at his disposal; like God Key any keys used in this process is consumed and rendered useless.
Earned here.

Possession Control
Having been possessed by the Guardian, Oberan now has far greater control over any allowed or attempted possession by a lesser spirit. Mostly this refers to the ghost skill. An allowed possession is nearly instantaneous, and is far more agile and effective. Only a ghostly Master of Possession would be able to usurp unwilling control of Oberan completely, and it would take a struggle of a few bits to accomplish.
Earned here.

Echo of the Guardian
Every now and then Oberan will have an episode; where he'll randomly hear the sound of static (much like a rupturing portal) or faint whispers. This being due to the fact he and The Guardian shared a body/mind briefly, and later opened a portal in the entity's name.
Earned here.

Normal clothes

• Grey Coat
• Brown Shirt
• Dark Grey pants
• Undergarments
• Leather boots
• Leather belt

Jester Outfit

• green hat(wide brim) with red feather
• red and green tunic with bells
• Red and green pants
• red socks
• green dancing shoes with curly tips

• Sling
  • Pebbles
  • Lead bullets

• Tinderbox
• Beltpouches x2
• Backpack
• lockpicking tools (3 picks, 3 tension wrenches)
• 4 keys
• 1 distorted key
• Teleportation Orb (Obtained here, information here.)
• 1 Glass ball that emits daylight when gripped tightly. The intensity will grow to light a 40' x 40' room to mid-trial level in 20 trills. (here.)
• Crystal Gauntlet: An ancient gauntlet that has been crafted mostly from a refined crystalline material, it's properties still rather a large mystery, the substance which it was made from is only known as "Moonflow." During Full Moon phases and all throughout Cylus, the crystal material emits a soft blue glow. (Here.)
• Shadow Glove: Bestows six versatile charges in the form of those abilities bestowed by the Shadow Queen's blessing, Audnev. These can not be Champion abilities, but they can be lesser ones, tweaked slightly from how they are strictly written. (Obtained here) (EXHAUSTED)

Toiletries

• Soap
• Comb
• Razor
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Waste bucket

Utensils

• Eating utensils (2 sets)
• waterskin
• Cups (2)

House decor stuff

• Large towels (4)
• Small towels (4)
• Broom
• Hand broom
• Dust pan
• Fireplace rod and hook stand
• Rags (10)
• Fitted bedsheet (2)
• Light blanket (2)
• S frying pan
• S cooking pot
• Candle (2)

Oberan's Sling

This leather sling was made by Oberan himself, crafted not long before he was thrown in jail. The sling itself isn't really special, just a leather patch with leather cords at the sides. However, it was crafted using the method Divolt taught Bran during his youth, and as such the sling does not only serve as a weapon, but also as a memento of his past. When not used, the sling is wound around Oberan's right wrist, looking like an odd bracelet of sorts.