The other working title for this story was "Six Saucy Sorceresses" but I realized that having six party members was way too much mage equipment and experience to divide amongst the group.

My idea for this is to see what the absolute minimum of time it would take to complete the game and most major quests. My vision is that we're going to pretend that the members of the group scatter after CI and complete quests "simultaneously"... That can't work in a literal sense because of "You must gather your party" so my idea is that I'll keep track of who is going where, and drag the entire party along to hang out near the entrance to an area. Meaning, "Mara is checking out the Promenade and takes two hours to do the circus, Sandra gets drunk and throws fireballs at Mencar and then rests for eight hours, and Lilith starts investigating the graveyard." They'll convene from time to time and figure out how long it took them all to complete a bunch of quests. Each character has a different theme of spells (modeled slightly after specialist mages), interests, and personalities. Work with me near the beginning; it'll make sense in a bit.

As for the characters, their names, stats, and biographies are here. All characters have selected the following spells: Magic Missile, Armor, Burning Hands, Mirror Image, and Invisibility. They will all learn Stoneskin ASAP.

Mara
Human
Al CG, Str 8, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 15
Protection from Evil
Identify
Resist Fear
Melf's Minute Meteors
Fireball

Mara is the leader of the group, though she's not entirely sure why. Maybe it's because of the godsblood, but who can say? She is perhaps the only party member that has a keen sense of justice and a genuine desire to help others, regardless of the context of the aid- if there are people that need her, she'll be there. Her spells are the most interdisciplinary of the group.

Esmerelda
Elf
AL CN Str 9, Dex 18, Con 9, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 18
Charm Person
Spook
Strength
Dire Charm
Hold Person

Esmerelda wears silken garments of deep crimsons, sapphires, and blacks. She is seductive in her manner, and uses spells that supplement her natural abilities to decieve and control. Cares little for causes, but desires personal power and high esteem.

Lilith
Elf
AL LN Str 10, Dex 19, Con 9, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 12
Larloch's Minor Drain
Protection from Evil
Horror
Hold Undead
Skull Trap

Lilith's parents were killed in the Great Grave Rendering of '21 in a small village now annexed by the Zhentarim. Is extremely dedicated to foiling the plans of evil groups, mages that abuse their power, and of the undead. Has a quiet demeanor and an intense stare. Does not always respect the law of the land, but has a strong set of core beliefs that she will not waver from.

Sandra
Half-elf
AL CG Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 14
Chromatic Orb
Shocking Grasp
Knock
Melf's Minute Meteors
Fireball

Sandra is reasonable and intelligent, unless her ire is raised. Things that get her ire raised include pompous behavior, things that attack her for no reason, hostility, drunken barfights, deception, cliched things in Faerun (evil talking skulls that attack you, ancient undead creaturs that are hostile for no reason, and the like), and Amnish people in general.

Raven
Human
AL N Str 18, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 9, Cha 12
Charm Person
Sleep
Web
Monster Summoning 1
Hold Person

Raven was an initiate of a druidic order until she discovered her latent magical talents, at which point she abandoned the formal order to further the ideals of the druids through more direct action. She adorns her simple dress with jewelry crafted from the bones of powerful creaturs that she has slain herself. A woman of few words and many actions.

And that's our cast. We'll start tomorrow once they've all gotten out of Chateau Irenicus.

gosh - so as i understand it you're going to travel as a group (as the engine demands and sometimes out of choice) but solo (mainly) different quests and then work out on paper the time taken to do them . . ?

[img]smile.gif[/img]

<makes a cup of tea and settles down to read>

Exactly. All the hassle of a solo, without the instantly maxed-out experience. Plus, we get to play Beat The Clock while we're at it.

and your aim is to finish it in 80 days or is the title just a figure of speech?

Well, it's a figure of speech, though I certainly hope it takes well under 80 days.

This sounds like an very interresting story! Cant wait to read more!

As far as I can see, Esmerelda is probably going to have the most trouble with it using mostly Enchantment-type spells as her higher level ones. Maybe not so much once you get Malison, but it'll be annoying enough.

(Seeing as her damage output will rely on stuff she charms as well as the minor spells and whatever ranged she uses)

i would recommend being fighter heavy with mage and cleric for support so that you can indeed finish it in 80 days (w/o resting)

I definately need to figure out how to give Esmerelda some sort of offensive spell, and soon, you're right.

As for you, Hark, a party of six fighters might be able to finish the game without really resting at all. That might be an interesting experience, doing the game fatigued.

---

Upon reaching the surface and emerging into Waukeen's Promenade, the group assessed itself. They had all grown more powerful while in the dungeon, each learning Stoneskin and various spells as well.. Mara had mastered Knock, Dispel Magic, and Ice Storm; Esmerelda picked up Horror, Vampiric Touch, and Greater Malison; Lilith learned Melf's Acid Arrow, Dispel Magic, and Minor Globe of Invulnerability; Sandra gained the use of Web, Lightning Bolt, and Fire Shield: Red; and finally Raven can now cast Blur, Fireball, and Spider Spawn.

Timer started.
0 hours.

The party headed over to the Adventurer's Mart to sell most of their equipment; the only equipment purchased was an Amulet of Protection +1. The party then crawled over to the Den of the Seven Vales and parked themselves at the bar, with the exception of Raven, who expressed interest in the odd happenings at the circus tent. After a few drinks, Sandra headed upstairs to say hello to the fellow intrepid travelers who were also staying for a rest at this fine establishment.

Raven

Upon gaining entrance to the circus tent, Raven noticed a change in the air around her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and all her magical senses tingled. After speaking to several inhabitants, she ascertained that she was, in fact, inside an illusionary structure. This greatly aided her progress: Lesser beings might have stopped to fight a room full of monsters, but she, Raven, knew better... To fight illusions would only exhaust her resources, better spent engaging the master of deception himself. He fell rather easily to her spells... A Fireball and a barrage of magic missiles will take down everyone in the end, especially combined with her weakly enchanted staff. She dusted her hands off and headed back to the inn.

Sandra

Sandra was remarkably calm, given the circumstances. Her fingers twitched involuntarily as she withstood the insults of this brutish, rather smelly of warriors. Mencar advised that she run off with her tail between her legs. Her eyes narrowed. "All right..." she said, and began to walk around the room. At the door, she whirled around, hands rapidly evoking magical energy fueled partly by the blood in her veins and the force of her will, and partly from her rage towards the offending party. Strings and strings of sticky spiderweb sprung from her fingers as she continued her dance of chanting and gesture. The webs enveloped the party before her with little problem. The company before her stood completely immobilized, yet she was no fool; she knew they could escape and ruin her plans if she was not cautious. She tossed another mass of magical webbing into the room, and then changed the tempo of her gesture and dance... This time, a ball of fire escaped her hands. The now panicked party in front of her struggled to escape their bonds, but to little avail. She now commenced pelting the louts with magical flaming stones she had conjured a day before: The dwarf was her target. She paused every now and then to cast two more fireballs, and the next thing she knew she was once again at the bar, casually downing another drink and innocently denying having anything to do with the ruckus heard moments before. Raven also wandered in, and explained in a few terse sentences what she had done. The party then decided that their day had been long enough, and all made their way into the now vacant bedroom on the second floor and took a long-deserved rest.
11 hours.
The logical course of action was for the group to head over to the slums, and head over they did. After being diverted by an annoying person who cooed at them, the group split again. What sort of trouble will they get into next? More later.

Loving it so far girl, keep it up!

Personally I've already taken a keen interest in Raven's power, Sandra's personality and Lilith's background.

Concentrate on those three, :D [img]tongue.gif[/img]

good start ;)

Most interresting character for me is Esmerelda! Cant wait to see her soloing the twisted rune!

A very good idea for a game! I love how, even after all these years, people are still finding fun, amazing new ways to play the game.

Keep up the good work! I'll be checking in ;)

Illumina... hurry up already! Taking too long to update.

:taps foot:

Must... keep... waiting...

GAH!

Sorry about the delays... I've been dealing with more than I expected the first week of the semester. This'll be a short update, more in progress.

11 hours.

Sandra was annoyed. Raven and Lilith were whispering to each other again, and Esmerelda was eyeing this twit up and down, admiring his boyish figure. And Mara, with the patience of Ilmater, was tolerating his nonsense. "So you're saying," she burst out, "That you want us to give you twenty thousand gold pieces, and in return you promise that you'll help us find that mage? Yeah, and I have some land in Maztica I'd like to sell you."
Lilith stepped forward delicately, and before Gaelan knew it she was in his face.
"You do understand what you are asking of us, yes? Raising this kind of fortune is no mean feat."
"Aye, I do, but I'm sure it'll be no problem for ones such as yerselves."
"Indeed... You're an intelligent man, Mr. Bayle. I am certain that you are well aware that a group that could effortlessly produce twenty thousand gold pieces could just as effortlessly trap your soul in a tiny jar for all eternity if you should double-cross us, yes?" Her icy eyes bored deep into him.
"Y-yes, ma'am. I assure you, my intentions are true." Lilith gave Mara a nod, who cleared her throat and said, "Mr. Bayle, we agree to your terms."
"Just hope they get to you before me if you do betray us," Sandra cut in.
"Coo! Well, now that that's all taken care of, you don't mind if you see yourselves out, do you?" The group exited, one, two, three, four, and met for a brief strategy session. They agreed that the best course of action would be to scatter and assess the climate of Athkatla, and each find a way to bring money into the group the best way they knew how. Mara nodded, then paused. "Wait, but where's Esmerelda...?"
"I need no powers of divination to predict that she is 'negotiating' a discount for us," muttered Lilith.

Mara

Mara, ever meticulous, decided that the best way for her to go about her task would be to familiarize herself with the city. It was indeed a lovely day, marred only by the attempted bandit ambush as she went along her merry way. Upon entering the Bridge district, she was met with the wary Aegisfield. He was an amiable enough fellow, and she was glad that Lilith was not around to point out that he was named after the shield of a great dead goddess. Upon hearing of an unsolved murder case, she correctly decided that it would be child's play for a woman of her intellect to piece together whatever puzzle the guard had left unsolved. After discussing the matter with several locals, she came to the conclusion that the tanner held the answers she sought. Briefly considering notifying Aegisfield, Mara decided that she was more equipped to deal with a serial killer than a city guard. She was, in fact, correct.. The traps and monsters within were enough to completely drain the spellcasting energy she had for the day. She notified Aegisfield of her brilliant detective work, and then wandered into the Five Flagons Inn for a much-needed rest.
Mara: +11 hours

Raven

The excess of the Copper Coronet called to Raven. There was a foul energy about the place, one she was determined to investigate. Approaching the owner of the place, she thought she had isolated the cause, but was quickly proven wrong when she was whisked into the back rooms, apparently for "VIP treatment." Gingerly stepping over the charred corpse of the former slave master, Raven reflected upon the fact that it would be the last mistake the establishment would ever make. She almost wished that the owner saw the motley crew she had assembled to help her take out the beast master: Two phase spiders and a monstrous wolf-like creature, animals freeing animals. The encounter was intense; the minotaur in particular came as a surprise to her. She had used up many of her spells in the fight, but it was worth it to see the slaves go free. She agreed to investigate the matter further, but first, she decided, she would need a little nap.
Raven: +10 hours

Lilith

"What in ALL THE HELLS is the matter with you?! I am BUSY! Or perhaps you'd like to lend a hand?" Lilith was safe for the moment, at least, protected by a shimmering blue globe that was shielding her from the mad cleric's Hold Person spells. The Cowled Wizard seemed not to even hear her.
"Again, you must not practice your magic in this city without the proper authorization."
"What about this guy, here? He's offing people in the middle of the street, and you don't care? Incertis... Does this count as authorized? I'm saving my life with your supervision." Lilith was now giving the wizard her full attention, and only her hands were aimed at the cleric, almost casually flinging magic missiles and an acid arrow at him.
"Citizen, this constitutes your one warning. Cross us again at your own risk."
"Yeah, nice warning you gave that Imoen kid. Very well, wizard, I am certain we shall meet again, one way or another." And then the annoyances were gone, both the white-cowled one and the one draped in purple. Fortunately, she was very close to her destination: The base of the Shadow Thieves. They pretty much welcomed her into their base with open arms; apparently all parties in the matter were following the philosophy of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Upon being briefed by Renal the Bloodscalp (who was named after a popular line of conditioning treatment in Silverymoon), Lilith set out towards the guildhall of Mae'Var. What will she find there? We'll find out in the next installment! Ooh, I'm so excited.

Yay! Ever so interesting...

I love it :D

It's a good read Lumina. Keep it up, yes?

Thankyou for coming tonight. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Hee I love it, great writing, keep it up [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Hey, I just wanted you all to know that I haven't forgotten about this. Unfortunately, I've caught the plague and have been delirious for the last few days. When I recover, the story shall continue, I promise.

*BUMP*

There's no way I'm letting this one go off the first page, and no way I'm letting Illumina forget about it....

[img]graemlins/Bump.gif[/img]

Not letting Illumina forget about it? You horrible horrilbe person! :D

Illumina has not forgotten about it, believe you me. Believe it or not, it's difficult when everyone doesn't have Fireball! What a concept!

My official excuse is that Lilith is in deep cover working for Mae'Var, and she's having severe problems infiltrating a room filled with mephits and then golems. It seems that whenever she's about to die, she creates a ripple in the time-space continuum and ends up right outside the door.. Naturally this fascinates her and she ends up back in the Temple of Oghma, researching, before she remembers she's on a quest. It's the flightiest I've ever seen her, quite frankly. I would expect that from Esmerelda, but not from Lilith. Oh well.

Shall we rename her 'flighty Lilith', then?

Hang on, did I mention LOL yet? If not, then LOL. Oh, why not. Here's another for good measure. LOL.

Skull trap those mephits to oblivion, love.

That was the original plan, but I have been having the HUGEST problems with Skull Trap lately! It floats and refuses to deploy... I suspect this might have something to do with patching issues, but as my bandwith is shot to hell lately I haven't had the patience to attempt to download it (watch it's like 50 kilobytes).

Update?

Lilith was the first to hear the call, and the first to arrive. She ducked into the Sea's Bounty Tavern, wind whipping around her cloak, yet remaining unmolested by the pouring rain. Practical magic had its benefits. Mara arrived next, appropriate, Lilith noted with a sniff, as she had been the one who had sent the call. Glancing around the tavern, she noticed that Esmerelda was descending the staircase, deep in conversation with one of the many courtesans that frequented the Docks in general, and the tavern in particular. Raven and Sandra arrived together, also in conversation. They took a corner table and ordered drinks... Evermead for Lilith and Mara, bitter black ale for Raven, and wine for the others. After some idle chatter, the discussion died down to allow Mara to speak.

"You all heard the call, then?" Nods all around. They were aware that Lilith had been teaching her a bit about the workings of psionics, specifically telepathy. Handy, considering the nature of the work they were all doing.
"Well, I was wondering what you all have been up to lately... I wanted an update before I embark on my journey."
"To the hells with journeys, girl. There's enough to occupy the lot of us here and now," Raven said.
"That's true," Mara began, "Which is why I will be taking it alone. After all, it's sort of my fault the mage captured us all, and I figured I should be the one to continue tracking him. There should be more than enough in this area to keep you busy. Which brings me to my next order of business... I need fifteen thousand gold pieces." She shot Esmerelda a look. "Care to tell us how we got such a discount?"
Esmerelda gave a smile that would make a sailor blush. "It's not a discount in the traditional sense. Let's just say that our dear Gaylan has run up quite a tab with me, and he sees this as a good way to settle."
Lilith shook her head. "There's more than that. There must be. The stink of the undead permeates the city, even lingering over things some of you carry now."
"I noticed that, too," Raven said. "It was odd. I eliminated a slaver cell in the Copper Coronet. I can't say that I found anything to tie them to a powerful cabal of liches and necromancers, but I just get this funny feeling that there's a connection."
Mara looked shocked. "I noticed something similar! I brought a serial killer to justice. In doing so, I got an uncanny feeling that the serial killer had the backing of a powerful cabal of liches and necromancers, but I have no idea how it might be connected with the slavers. I did notice that there was a man there called a 'Rune Assasin.'"
Lilith looked at Mara sharply. "Rune assassin? Are you certain?"
"Yes, why? What does that mean?"
"Rune Assassin. Powerful cabal of liches and necromancers. Surely someone other than me can do the math?"
"I can't," interrupted Sandra, "And stop calling me Shirley."
Lilith blinked, confused, as Esmerelda chuckled, and continued. "The Twisted Rune is a powerful cabal of liches and necromancers. I assumed they had a presence in this city, but had hoped we could finish our business here without crossing them." She muttered a curse under her breath, which few understood but sounded venomous. Raven was at her feet in an instant, shaking with rage.
"You will NOT use that language in my presence! Not again!"
"You are offended by swear words?" Esmerelda tilted her head inquisitively, like a cat."
"No, the language itself offends me!" Raven pointed a quivering fingertip at Lilith. "The bitch used the dark language, the language of the drow!" She spit on the ground, as though speaking the name of the race left a bad taste in her mouth."
Lilith held up her hands in a blocking gesture. For a moment, the three other women surveyed the scene. They were well-educated enough to know that, given the exact placement of their hands, all Raven had to do was speak a syllable to fire a barrage of Magic Missiles or something far worse at the other woman, while Lilith could point her hands and make a single motion to cast either Minor Globe of Invulnerablity on herself, or Hold Person on Raven. The three idly wondered what spells the women had learned.
Lilith stared Raven down. "I will not apologize. It is a language. Furthermore, I will not have you malign a people, you uneducated prig."
"The drow are evil. All of them."
"No, they are not. I thought you would know more about theology."
"Don't tell me you believe that nonsense! Eilistraee is a myth!"
"You know nothing about me!"
"I know this much! You are a spy, a traitor to the elves!"

At that moment, thre three other women were grateful that Mara had selected a dive for this meeting. As Raven twitched her hand and began chanting, a Minor Globe of Invulnerability had sprung up around Lilith impossibly quickly. The Magic Missiles came a breath later, dissipating harmlessly on the pale blue barrier. Raven, realizing she had no spells powerful enough to get through, lept at Lilith, and the two tumbled to the ground. Raven, being the strongest of the five, emerged to the top and began choking the smaller woman. Lilith, with the creative use of a spell, Knocked Raven off of her with a wall of force.
"Enough, from the both of you!" Mara was livid.
"Mara, this woman cannot be trusted. I don't know where you found her or why you think you can believe what she says. Hell, she's been acting strangely since she entered the tavern!"
"I'm working a deep cover assignment, you idiot. It's bad enough that I had to meet with all of you tonight!"
"That doesn't explain why you felt the need to defend the dark elves," Esmerelda pointed out, "Or, for that matter, why you know about cabals of liches."
"I recieved a better education that you all... These matters are close to my heart."
"Not good enough," spat Raven."
"You want my life story? You have the nerve to ask me such things? Have I once asked you why you left the druid grove, Raven? Or are you going to pretend that you never counted yourself among those folk?"
"This isn't about me, it's about you."
"Fine!" She tilted her head proudly. "The blood in my veins is of a powerful and noble family. The Matron of our line founded The Academy, you idiot."
A brief but respectful silence followed the mention of the great Dancing Mage.
"I always assumed you were descended from a lich," Sandra said. "You have that knack for subduing them and a unique bedside manner."
"No. My parents were killed by those monstrosities. After they saw to it I was educated and my abilities were nurtured. Now, is this inquisition over?" Lilith stood to leave. "I have to get back to my assignment or they'll get suspicious."
"You can leave when you hand over your share of the gold," Mara said."
Lilith tossed her a small bag. "That's everything I have on me. I'll be getting more soon enough. Now listen, all of you." She lowered her voice to a hush. "The Twisted Rune is undoubtably aware of our movements. None of you will cross them. If anybody deals with them, it will be me." With that, she left, wrapping the Robe of Vecna tightly around her. When the time was right and her power was great, she would dispatch the cell herself. In her studies, learning of the powerful Wish spells, the texts had cautioned on specificity when wording a Wish. 'If you wish for a Staff of the Magi, you may find yourself transported to the staff's current owner,' the text warned. Cross-referencing indicated that one such Staff was last seen in the presence of a southern branch of the Twisted Rune. As she stepped back into Mae'Var's Guildhall, she made a silent vow that the item would be hers soon enough.

"The rest of you, where will you be during my absence?" Mara was focused again on the subject which assembled the group originally."
Raven was the first with a definitive plan. "I will head east, to the town of Trademeet. The town is plagued with a variety of issues, and I feel I can help restore order to the town."
Mara nodded. "The rest of you?"
"East as well. Lilith and I were thinking about taking the trip together," said Sandra. "There's plenty for us to do in the hills."
"Esmerelda?"
"So much intrigue in such a small town... I will stay here for the time being, unless a whim strikes me."
"Very good. Very well then, ladies, go work your magic." Mara glanced about, grateful that they had all bolted out the door before hearing her bad pun.

These babes are HOT!
Fun reading!!!!!!!
I see a TV show: "Gorion's Angels" [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 11-26-2006, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: Lord Michael ]

So I take it Lilith is going to be your powerhouse? Especially seeing as she is weilding Vecna and you're setting her up for the SOTM. I want to hear more about Lilith's heritage and about this 'Academy'... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Good story telling love. Can't wait for some more psychotic Sandra action.

I actually didn't plan on Lilith being the powerhouse. She just sort of took over. It happened when she spoke of the traditional undead vulnerability to fire... She went ahead and learned MMM and Sunfire. "Sun is in the name," she said to me. "It is an important spell to clear out musty crypts." As for the Robe of Vecna, I still don't remember how she ended up with that. Oh well, what can you do?

Also, I resolved Esmerelda's lack of having offensive spells... I let her learn Cone of Cold. She said that when she gave someone the cold shoulder, she wanted to mean it.

"...And don't call me shirley."

Ah man, that had me cracking up. Great job!

You are a talented writer, Illumina. Ever been published?

In my mind, Esmerelda looks like Jenna Jameson. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Well, I regularly edit and occasionally write for my school newspaper, and not only do I have some book ideas floating around, I'm actually working on a book with my mother... Our ultimate goal is to be invited on both Letterman and The Daily Show.

As for Gorion's Angels... That gives me an idea for another party. I'm thinking a party of three. One will be a thief/mage played by Imoen, one will be a cleric played by Cameron Diaz, and one will be a berserker played by Kelly the drag queen. Go to YouTube and type in "Kelly likes shoes" if you don't know who I'm talking about (beware of Adult Language).

You're free to picture Esmerelda any way you like, but I kind of thought she'd have red hair. I also thought Sandra would have red hair. It's hard to put the characters into the context of actresses... Bebe Neuwrith was obviously an inspiration for Lilith, and I sometimes imagine Lena Olin playing Raven in terms of presence and physique. Uma Thurman might have played Mara, but I'm extremely dissatisfied with the way she's conducted herself for the past five years (except for The Producers, which is fine except for the fact that she CAN'T SING). Other than that, I'm drawing from myself or people in my own life.

The portraits I'm using for the characters the BG portraits of the following characters:

Mara- Generic Female With Sword
Esmerelda- Imoen
Lilith- Skie
Sandra- Alora
Raven- Faldorn

ooh spooky - i have a mental note for something similar - multiplayer party of three kick-ass chicks i the charlie's angels mould - i was thinking cavalier, swashie->mage & kensai->druid though

i'm liking the story by the way - i get the idea that they're not all going to make the boat trip yes?

Jammin'! Hey, I want "artistic" acknowledgement for "Gorion's Angels"..... [img]smile.gif[/img]

Illumina, keep it up (all of your goals & projects). You definitely bring your characters to life. That, in & of itself is difficult at best, yet you seem to have the ability innate. Writing is a skill as well as a talent, so keep doing it & I'll see you on TV.

And by the way, Jenna Jameson looks hot even in red hair (hope my wife doesn't see this!). Funny how characters take shape & evolve as you go. That's alot of the fun of writing. Attitude & expression says it all. The avatars are appreciated as well. Thanks.

When is the next update? [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

Cheers

[ 12-01-2006, 05:00 AM: Message edited by: Lord Michael ]

Lilith stared intently at the item on the table before her. She had gotten herself the most expensive room at the most expensive inn in the city, the Mithrest Inn. The room was lit only by a solitary candle and the golden aura of the item before her. She picked up the item and put it directly in her pack, then took it out and put it directly on the ground. She picked up the room and tossed it onto the bed, the way one might toss an item to a party member. She stood, walked to the bed, picked up the item, and held it in her hand. Suddenly, with a curse, she dropped it, bright-red blood now staining the immaculate silk duvet. In a fluid movement now far too familiar to her, she grabbed the Potion of Healing from the bedside stand, uncorked it with her teeth, and dribbled a bit onto her bleeding palm. With a fizz, the wound healed itself, and the pain subsided. She replaced the potion on the bed and stared at the item on the floor. She picked up the item with the distinct intent to put it back on the table and held it gingerly as she rushed to the table. She quickly and carefully laid it on the table. She again sat and pondered this new conundrum.

The glowing item on the table, Daystar, would make her crusade, the extermination of undead creatures, much easier. She just couldn't figure out how to wield it. She rubbed her eyes wearily. She was an elf! Everyone knows that elves are instructed in the use of the longsword and bow, yet she couldn't for the life of her pick this thing up and use it, even in an unskilled fashion. She of course knew that it also had the power to cast Sunray... To her knowledge, only clerics could cast that. Even if she decided to worship a sun-based god like Corellon Larethain or even the human god Lathander, she mused, she doubted the god would bestow even this one stupid stinking spell on even his most devoted non-cleric follower.

Clearing her mind, she began a loud, impassioned prayer to Corellon Larethian, Father of the Elves. She implored him to allow her to wield this blade, this longsword, which was her birthright as an elf. She implored him to allow her the gift of Sunray, if only through the power of this item, to destroy the undead abominations she knew he found deplorable.

Ending the prayer, she again stared at the item. She could hold it just long enough to put it in her pack, but why couldn't a woman with an Intelligence score of 18 figure out which end to hold during battle? She reached for the sword again with intent to wield it, and her hand ended up grabbing the blade. Letting it go before it cut her yet again, she picked it up to put it in her pack. At the last minute, she held it above the pack and stood there, the sword dangling. Then it fell on her foot. More splashes with the Potion of Healing, and, in frustration, she chucked the sword angrily across the room.
Slowly, a smile spread across her face. She reached into her pack, flipped through her scroll case, and found the item in her inventory that nauseated her above any other. Reading the arcane words with a slight retch, the scroll vanished as two skeletons rose from the carpet to meet her. Even a brilliant mage like Lilith never quite understood how skeletons could rise from the carpet of a second-floor inn, but she didn't have time to ponder the matter. She ran across the room, grabbed the sword, put it in her pack, then took it out and threw it at a skeleton. Though she was sure her aim was true, it veered off and instead destroyed a very expensive vase.

"Is everything all right in there, miss?" Now the innkeep was knocking on her door.
"Yes, everything's fine. Leave now, please. I am.. entertaining."
"I hear the sounds of a struggle."
"Yes, I am entertaining... rather rough company."
"Very good, miss."

Lilith had approached the sword again, knelt, and held her hand an inch over it. The skeletons were trying to hit her but instead hit the stoneskins and mirror images she had conjured without effort. She spoke the invocation that served as the activation phrase for the item's Sunray ability. Nothing. Nothing! She couldn't believe it!
***
Across town, Esmerelda couldn't believe it, either. She was under the distinct impression that all magical items, regardless of how enchanted they were, all had the ability to magically conform themselves to the wearer. That's how magical rings worked. But try as she might, she couldn't squeeze her head into the Helm of Glory. Putting it down with a sigh, she dejectedly stared into the mirror. Was her head really that big?
***
As she dispatched the skeletons with Magic Missiles, Mara reflected again on again on how absurd her world was, where mages could use daggers but nothing longer, and even spells through magical items were useless in the hands of a sorceress.

[Edit- typo and Esmerelda vignette]

[ 12-01-2006, 07:17 PM: Message edited by: Illumina Drathiran'ar ]

[img]smile.gif[/img] Thanks!
Considering multi-classing? The frustration of not being able to wield "real" weapons sucks for mages. Do I see a Mage/Fighter in the mix? Raven seems to be only one able to pull it off!
Great story. Thanks again.

Well, they're all sorceresses, so I can't multiclass. It's part of the challenge for me... And the frustration. I've definately had to back off from a few fights- Liches and rakshasa come to mind. Raven actually picked up Tenser's Transformation so we could take out some of those nasty nasty "Immune to such and such" creatures without waiting for Horrid Wilting and other such spells. Oh well.

Oh... I forgot to mention the depth of Esmerelda's frustration with the Helm of Glory. She was extremely vexed- after all, she had read stories of Fire Giants wearing suits of unenchanted plate mail that somehow also fit on halflings, but a stupid helmet given to her to show a god's gratitude didn't fit. Oh well.

Absolutely.