Hero School (IC)

[giles92]

The three of you trudge up the front stairs leading to a large arena. Walking is difficult as the wide corridor is packed with students, mostly humans and elves, all talking excitingly. Mementos from famous alumni dot the walls, trophies from their victories over the forces of evil. A few of which you know for a fact they had nothing to do with.
The corridor widens out, finally coming to the arenas entrance. Four large openings lead into the main seating areas and the crowd becomes even more hectic as people start dividing into groups. A mustached dark skinned man occasionally shouts at students, but mostly just has a bored look on his face.
Orientation is supposed to be an incredibly important event, but the mere thought of listening to a woman talk about heroics for two hours curdles your blood. Now might be a good time to sneak off and gain more information about the layout of the school while everyone else has their attention diverted. Of course, getting caught would also be fairly disastrous. Not to mention escaping the on duty teacher's attention.


If you want to leave the arena and explore the school, make a stealth check to sneak off.

[Jötunn]

Imri moves with the flow, her white hood up and over her fiery hair to avoid undue notice. Waiting through orientation certainly seems uninteresting, at least to her, so when she thinks nobody is looking she sidesteps into a side corridor and begins to mentally prepare a cover sorry should she need it.

[Erik Vale]

As much as Mea doesn't want to listen to another orientation, it was expected of her... That and she couldn't sneak around to save her life.
Of course, being Orientation, Mea moves about in her more concealing robe, looking like a tall robed halfling. It'd give her plenty of opportunities to shock other students with bristly black furred and rune etched skin.

[darklink_shadow]

Rekkor walks among the sheep; a tiger ready to pounce, but the drone of a woman who knows nothing is utterly disagreeable to him, and he would much rather disappear for a while, and scout ambush locations around the school. At some point, death was coming for a student here and it would come from Rekkor. Nightclaw was stabled for now, but Brightfang followed him as a shadow would.

A perfect time to escape, when no one was looking arose, and the pair simple walked out of the horde, and moved behind a nearby tree. Watching the sheep and their shepards carefully, Rekkor and Brightfang stole away from the assembly, aiming to reunite with their third before disappearing onto school grounds.

[giles92]

Rekkor walks among the sheep; a tiger ready to pounce, but the drone of a woman who knows nothing is utterly disagreeable to him, and he would much rather disappear for a while, and scout ambush locations around the school. At some point, death was coming for a student here and it would come from Rekkor. Nightclaw was stabled for now, but Brightfang followed him as a shadow would.

A perfect time to escape, when no one was looking arose, and the pair simple walked out of the horde, and moved behind a nearby tree. Watching the sheep and their shepards carefully, Rekkor and Brightfang stole away from the assembly, aiming to reunite with their third before disappearing onto school grounds.

Disappearing into the school grounds, you find a nearby map detailing several possibly important locations that you wouldn't normally have access to.
The Cages- Where they keep monsters for student testing purposes. It will take half an hour to reach this area while sneaking.
The Armory- Filled with masterwork versions of every weapon. You found your requested gear in your dorm room that morning, but it might be a good idea to compile a list of what the school has on hand. Reaching it will take half an hour to reach this place.
The Offices- A moderately dangerous place to get caught, the offices might actually contain information about your target. It will only take 10 minutes to get there, but you noticed several magical defenses while filling out your itinerary.
The Lab- Normally under heavy supervision, this is a fully stocked alchemy lab. No doubt filled with things that will prove useful in your mission. As it's off campus for safety, it will take almost an hour to reach it.


Imri moves with the flow, her white hood up and over her fiery hair to avoid undue notice. Waiting through orientation certainly seems uninteresting, at least to her, so when she thinks nobody is looking she sidesteps into a side corridor and begins to mentally prepare a cover sorry should she need it.

Your choices are the same as Rekkor's and you could join him if you want.


As much as Mea doesn't want to listen to another orientation, it was expected of her... That and she couldn't sneak around to save her life.
Of course, being Orientation, Mea moves about in her more concealing robe, looking like a tall robed halfling. It'd give her plenty of opportunities to shock other students with bristly black furred and rune etched skin.

Walking through the crowd, you take a seat near the back where there's fewer people. The headmistress takes the stage and you're moderately surprised at her appearance, expecting someone who at least looks like a teacher.
Instead, Headmistress Javelin is 6 ft tall, built like a brick house, and there's not a single grey hair in her curly blonde locks. Her speech was also far more entertaining than you expected, filled with incredible exploits of monsters slain, nobility rescued, and necromancers punched.
By the end, every student is cheering and clapping. You wonder what kind of trouble Rekkor and Imri have gotten themselves into.

[darklink_shadow]

Rekkor moves with Brightfang to the stables, swift as the wind, and more much quiet. Once there, he makes a bird call, alerting Nightclaw to escape and come join them. Once he has collected the last member of his pride, he ponders where to go for a moment, then decides on visiting the monster cages. What sort of creatures lurked there? Were any intelligent enough to make friends with? Having a powerful creature "escape" and kill his target would throw all suspicion off of him.

Breaking into an alchemy lab would nice, but Rekkor doubted he knew enough about potions and such to find a powerful enough vial with which to kill his target. Possibly the offices would be nice to break into next.

[roll0] + 24 Stealth (37)

[Jötunn]

Imri ponders momentarily before making a decision - she doesn't know enough about the office defences to feel safe enough to break through them, and the cages and armory don't hold much interest for her.

That leaves the alchemy lab, where she might have a chance of finding something interesting.

Stealth if necessary: [roll0]

I hope Knowledge: Arcana or Nature will suffice, I don't have any craft: alchemy.

[Erik Vale]

"Hmm. Not what I was expecting."
"No. Not at all. Hey, I'm Kristof, what's your name halfling."
"Not a halfling."
Mea simply gets up and leaves, ignoring the student's attempt to make friends, she hated being called a halfling, she was human... But it wasn't worth the trouble. It was around then that she noticed Reckor and Imri had dodged off. Their loss...
'I wonder what they'l be caught doing this time.'
Mentally, Mea recited her timetable, figuring out what was supposed to go on next as she found a nice section of wall to lean on.

[giles92]

Imri ponders momentarily before making a decision - she doesn't know enough about the office defences to feel safe enough to break through them, and the cages and armory don't hold much interest for her.

That leaves the alchemy lab, where she might have a chance of finding something interesting.

Stealth if necessary: [roll0]

I hope Knowledge: Arcana or Nature will suffice, I don't have any craft: alchemy.

Sneaking your way through the school with more than one close call, a flash of black and red catches your eye. By the time you start to track whoever it was, they've already disappeared down another corridor.
Do you continue on towards the alchemy lab or follow whomever is there?

[giles92]

Rekkor moves with Brightfang to the stables, swift as the wind, and more much quiet. Once there, he makes a bird call, alerting Nightclaw to escape and come join them. Once he has collected the last member of his pride, he ponders where to go for a moment, then decides on visiting the monster cages. What sort of creatures lurked there? Were any intelligent enough to make friends with? Having a powerful creature "escape" and kill his target would throw all suspicion off of him.

Breaking into an alchemy lab would nice, but Rekkor doubted he knew enough about potions and such to find a powerful enough vial with which to kill his target. Possibly the offices would be nice to break into next.

[roll0] + 24 Stealth (37)

Swiftly making your way to the cages, the first thing that catches your attention is the smell, like unwashed lion meets draconic sulfur. However, there's no noise and the only sound is a quiet thwump behind you. Turning around, Brightclaw is on the floor and not moving! A cursory inspection reveals he's still breathing, but even Brightfang is starting to totter.

What do you do next?

[Jötunn]

Seeing the flash of black and red disappear around the corner, Imri suddenly has a new priority - damage control. Immediately she sprints after the form, her cloak flying up like brilliant white wings behind her.

She also begins to prepare on of her more common disguises - a tear slides down each cheek, and she mentally rehearses her histrionics for when she catches up with whoever it is.

Oh, the good old weeping Ifrit monk-assassin schtick. Classic gag, that one. And hopefully a good way of working out whether that person ahead is a threat or not.

[darklink_shadow]

Rekkor looks at his companions and does not hesitate to act. Flee! He commands his standing ally, and quickly moves to drag his fallen one out of whatever aura of evil has done this to his beasts.

Foul creature, I was not here to harm you, only to see how to be friends with you. You've no reason to attack me or my pride, we've done nothing to you. I understand your hatred of the people who live here, but we are not like them. I will leave now, but should I return, I would ask you allow us to speak. Rekkor will now do nothing but try to escape the cages, unwilling to risk his pride for what might be useless intel.

[giles92]

Rekkor looks at his companions and does not hesitate to act. Flee! He commands his standing ally, and quickly moves to drag his fallen one out of whatever aura of evil has done this to his beasts.

Foul creature, I was not here to harm you, only to see how to be friends with you. You've no reason to attack me or my pride, we've done nothing to you. I understand your hatred of the people who live here, but we are not like them. I will leave now, but should I return, I would ask you allow us to speak. Rekkor will now do nothing but try to escape the cages, unwilling to risk his pride for what might be useless intel.

Nightclaw regains consciousness as you retreat the area. Brightfang looks alert, but confused at what had just transpired.


DC 30 Handle Animal or DC 20 Spellcraft check to determine what happened.

[giles92]

Seeing the flash of black and red disappear around the corner, Imri suddenly has a new priority - damage control. Immediately she sprints after the form, her cloak flying up like brilliant white wings behind her.

She also begins to prepare on of her more common disguises - a tear slides down each cheek, and she mentally rehearses her histrionics for when she catches up with whoever it is.

Oh, the good old weeping Ifrit monk-assassin schtick. Classic gag, that one. And hopefully a good way of working out whether that person ahead is a threat or not.

You're fast, but so is whomever your chasing.


It's a chase! Two competing initiatives plus challenges. Your first challenge is a recently mopped floor. You could slow down and maintain your advantage on the person, which is at +1, and make it at an Acrobatics DC of 15 or not slow down, gaining an advantage of +2, and make it at an Acrobatics DC of 25! Make sure you state whether or not you slow down before the roll.

[darklink_shadow]

Nightclaw regains consciousness as you retreat the area. Brightfang looks alert, but confused at what had just transpired.


DC 30 Handle Animal or DC 20 Spellcraft check to determine what happened.


[roll0] Handle Animal
[roll1] Spell Craft

[darklink_shadow]

[roll0] Handle Animal, instead.

Note: If I am using this on my own critters, they are intelligent (Int 3) and they understand common, though they cannot speak it.

[Jötunn]

You're fast, but so is whomever your chasing.


It's a chase! Two competing initiatives plus challenges. Your first challenge is a recently mopped floor. You could slow down and maintain your advantage on the person, which is at +1, and make it at an Acrobatics DC of 15 or not slow down, gaining an advantage of +2, and make it at an Acrobatics DC of 25! Make sure you state whether or not you slow down before the roll.


Imri slows down on the slippery floor, taken by surprise. How did the other person make it through so quickly? Who are they, and why are they fleeing?

You know, the only skill-boosting invocation I did not take was leaps and bounds. Bad idea, perhaps?

Anyway, [roll0] vs DC15

EDIT: Maaaaaan.

[giles92]

Rekkor still has an hour before orientation is over. What does he do?


You could go to one of the other places described or try to find your teammate. These are just suggestions.


Imri neatly slides on the floor and gets a better look at who she's chasing. Tall and dressed in red and black tatters, it's either a boy or a girl with broad shoulders and no curves.
It's a long and narrow hallway, but the figure ahead reaches a classroom with several chairs stacked in front, pulling the bottom one so they all fall down!


Make an initiative check and attempt one of the following.
Jump from chair to chair to get past them, Acrobatics DC 20.
Power through the entire pile! Make a bull rush attack on the pile, with a CMD of 24.
Take your time and climb over the chairs. DC 10 climb check, but you take a -1 on the lead.

[darklink_shadow]

Rekkor moves on to go investigate the offices, hoping to find some data on his mark.

[roll0] + 24 Stealth

[giles92]

Rekkor moves on to go investigate the offices, hoping to find some data on his mark.

[roll0] + 24 Stealth

Making your way to the offices, you catch sight of Imri running down an opposite hallway. Do you continue or try to reach her?


If you choose to continue to the offices, make a perception check. If you follow Imri, make an initiative check.

[darklink_shadow]

Rekkor pauses for a moment, wondering what the ally-lady was doing, and decided between following her, or heading to the office. The choice was pretty easy, however.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

I order the cats to follow our ally, and kill what chases her or catch what she is chasing.

[Jötunn]

Imri doesn't hesitate and leaps forwards onto the chairs, attempting to simply dash over the top.

Acrobatics: [roll0]

[giles92]

Imri doesn't hesitate and leaps forwards onto the chairs, attempting to simply dash over the top.

Acrobatics: [roll0]

As you leap atop the first chair, it gives way, dropping you into the entire pile. Taking precious minutes extracting yourself, you resume the chase.


The chairs cost you dearly. Make an initiative check to see if you can maintain the chase. Your DC to beat is [roll0]

[Jötunn]

"Damn and blast!"

A frustrated Imri fights her way out of the chairs, but probably not in time to catch the fleeing figure.

[roll0]

[giles92]

The figure escapes and with all the noise, it won't be long before someone comes to investigate.
Heading back to your dorm, you find a leaflet of papers that weren't there when you first moved the trunk in that morning.
The first is your class schedule, with sparring and weapon training in the morning, followed by skill training, then lunch, then standard schoolwork. In addition, there are papers advertising the first set of challenges towards raising in school rank. Held two weeks from now, there are three separate events.
Dungeon- Compete in the only on-campus dungeon, facing various construct threats and traps. Within a random pool of ten, only the one with the best time raises in rank.
Singular Challenge- Face off against a low-level outsider for your spot.
Team Challenge- With a team with of 3-6 members (difficulty raising accordingly), try to defeat a powerful chimera. All team members rise in rank.

Registration for these events is next week.

The rest of the day is yours. Spend it how you like.

[darklink_shadow]

Rekkor approached Imri, and assisted her escape from the tangle mess of chairs. Your huntcraft needs work. Rekkor's gruff laugh rumbled low for a moment, and his cats responded by purring loudly. Once Imri was successfully extracted, Rekkor moved away to stand by his pride. We should return to our rooms, lest someone come to investigate. My pride will smell anyone coming, and we can get home without being seen. Let's go.

----

Upon reaching his room, Rekkor takes the note and goes to find Imri and Mea. Whichever one he finds first, he will stay with, and follow for the time being.

[Erik Vale]

Mea was already in her room studying her timetable, checking her trunk, smiling as her fingers brushed over her various art implements... Perhaps she would end up tattooing other students, it'd give her a way to earn money from others earnings...

[giles92]

If you have nothing else you want to do for the night, classes begin tomorrow morning.

[Jötunn]

Imri will retire to her room for the night, unless there are gatherings of new students in which case she will begin to cultivate the image of a shy, awkward beauty in order to blend in but not stand out too much - or at least, more than she already does.

[giles92]

The night and next morning prove uneventful, eating breakfast in the lower student halls. Simple classes also pass without much trouble, their ease tailored for paladins and fighters.
Soon enough, it's time for the practical exam with every new student getting their combat abilities tested. There are several different practice tests, each tailored for a specific combat style. All three of you trudge out into the school's field.
Signs direct you towards the three different training ground, Magic, Melee Combat, or Ranged Combat. A senior student, standing atop a wooden box with his voice augmented by magic so that it carries across the field, explains the rules.
"Line up according to which test you wish to take. Every student may take each test, but cannot repeat them. The tests do not involve fighting other students! According to the grade received, you may or may not be allowed to take advancement challenges. Instructors will have further instructions on the nature of each test. Good luck!"

[Erik Vale]

Whilst quite capable in Melee, instructors would not be surprised at seeing Mea standing in line for the magical tests, sitting on Nel half turned to be looking at Vho'lo. They may instead be surprised to see she is wearing the bare minimum to meet the clothing standard, being tight shorts and a sleeveless shirt covered with the Tabard which was made such that it completely covers both of those, making it seem she wears a long dress, all of this serves to show off her many tattoos, including her focus which is covered with only a very light layer of gauze so as to reduce the amount it shines, barely.

Today she seemed to be going for a more intimidating look.