Portal to D&D IC - LairdMaon

[Rizban]

Byron Park

Byron Park likes playing big characters. Bigger is better at all times, as far as he's concerned. There's a very real chance that comes from being under 5' in real life. Add to this his preference for playing female avatars and you have Pterra, his Lawful Evil Goliath Soulborn and member of the Sad Flutes. Oh yeah, he jumped on the chance to hook Pterra up with the mod-founded assassin's guild. Sure, most Sad Flutes went the sneaky, stealthy route, Byron figured out that the only requirement was that the target was transformed into a corpse.
Lockdown. Covid. Ugh.
Although… His work kept him home when his parents flew to the UK a week beforehand. Turns out Third Shift Manager of the local Bass Pro didn't qualify as an 'essential worker'. At least there's unemployment insurance.
Repeat after me: Perfect. Gaming. Setup.
Byron dove into Pterra with an eagerness that might've been embarrassing if anyone had come home. He looked over his quest log and equipment and came to realize he was way closer to his current goal than he'd had any idea.
One last high value target and he could afford the custom jovar he'd been drooling over. He called it: Polymorph to Dead. With that in mind, he shut off the time/date display and got to work.
Talk about immersion! Byron- no, Pterra parted heads from torsos like she was trying to appease Khorne. Hunger pangs and other physical discomforts didn't nag Byron nearly enough to distract him and, unbeknownst to him, his body quickly suffered.
The final combat was a grand thing. Pterra's heavy blade helicoptered around her like a monster and the target fell. Byron was far too lost in her victory to notice the trauma his own physical body was suffering.
He picked up the target's head and pulled away the helmet covering it's features. Pterra looked into the face of the dead Byron and he collapsed to the ground.

Hm.
Load screen.
Character creation?
No log out button...
The loading screen reaches 99% then freezes. It fills with an intermittent static and spasticly distorts before going completely black.

You are completely insensate in darkness, unable to feel anything but your own thoughts until a popup fills your vision.



Greetings, Player!
You have been offered the chance to remake yourself anew!
Do you accept this offer?
| Yes | No |

The popup closes, a second taking its place.



Warning!
This action will delete your current character, forcing you to restart at level 1.
Do you wish to continue?
| Yes | No |

The popup closes, as a third popup appears.



Final Warning!
Note that this action cannot be reversed.
Are you ready to leave your life behind and enter a new realm?
| Yes | No |

The popup closes, and the blackness slowly fades into an even darker nothingness as the last vestiges of Byron's life slip away from his failing body.

Game Over

[Rizban]

Here's a link to our Discord server (https://discord.gg/J9n7Ca) if you're interested in joining the OOC discussion. I'm also much more prompt to respond to messages there than I am on forum PMs.

[LairdMaon]

The loading screen reaches 99% then freezes. It fills with an intermittent static and spasticly distorts before going completely black.

You are completely insensate in darkness, unable to feel anything but your own thoughts until a popup fills your vision.



The popup closes, a second taking its place.



The popup closes, as a third popup appears.



The popup closes, and the blackness slowly fades into an even darker nothingness as the last vestiges of Byron's life slip away from his failing body.

Game Over

"New content means new gaming experience... Yes, yes, YES!"

[Rizban]

Pain courses through your entire body, pain which should be blocked or at least reduced by the game's pain filters. You have them set to minimum, after all.

The taste of rainbows fills your ears as the sensation of being turned inside out and sucked through your toes overwhelms your senses, causing you to black out.

You awaken an unknown period of time later and find yourself numb, completely unable to feel your body. Your ears hear nothing, and only a black emptiness meets you as you try to open your eyes.

Just as panic begins to set in, a popup appears. You feel relief at knowing that you're still in the game. You attempt to open a menu to determine your status, but nothing happens. The popup vibrates at you, as if somehow agitated that you're ignoring it.



Welcome to your New Life+
Click below to begin character creation.
| Below |

You find yourself unable to do anything but interact with the popup mentally, just as you would with any popup in the game.

After clicking the button, a series of numbers, symbols, and random words fly across your vision faster than you can read. You feel an almost intrusive sensation in your mind, as if someone or something is peering deep within and rearranging what it finds there.

A visual representation of dice scatter across your screen. The final result of each becoming large enough to fill your vision for less than a second.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[roll3]
[roll4]

[Rizban]

Congratulations!
You have received one [1] Moderate Boon.
You have received one [1] Minor Boon.

Please choose your race.

A representation of the major races appears standing nude in front of you. Or rather, you see yourself in front of you, slightly altered to appear as each of the major races. A hazy line of individuals stretching off into the distance, which you intuit to be subraces that would be available for selection after making your choices.

Your available choices are

Human
__
Dwarf
__
Giant
__
Orc
__
Lizardfolk


There is a pair of buttons hovering in front of each which reads

Select Race Information

Almost obscured near what you would expect to be the floor, if such a thing existed, are two nearly invisible buttons which read

Apply Moderate Boon to Race
Apply Minor Boon to Race

There is no further information about these two buttons.

Before you click anything, you feel a foreboding sensation that any and all choices you make at this time will be permanent.

[LairdMaon]

"Well, human, dwarf, and lizardfolk are right out. That leaves orc or giant..."

Human
__
Dwarf
__
Giant
__
Orc
__
Lizardfolk


"Giant it is." With something that could be a mental shrug, Byron makes his selection.


He looks more closely at the two selections at the bottom...

Apply Moderate Boon to Race
Apply Minor Boon to Race

[Rizban]

As soon as you touch the button for giant, all of the race representations disappear, and you are presented with four variants of giant instead.

The two Boon buttons at the bottom vanish the instant you select your race, leaving you no opportunity to select them.


Half-Human
__
Eneko
__
Irda
__
Stonechild


Each has the same two button options as the races did before.

Select Subrace Information

Down below, the minor boon button is slightly more visible than before.

Apply Moderate Boon to Subrace
Apply Minor Boon to Subrace

[LairdMaon]

Half-Human
__
Eneko
__
Irda
__
Stonechild


Byron twitches over the Information options for Eneko and Irda, curious about their details.

Select Subrace Information


Apply Moderate Boon to Subrace
Apply Minor Boon to Subrace

[Rizban]

A popup with a brief description of each subrace appears when you click "Information" on that subrace.

Eneko
Descended from a mix of giant races and some of the larger humanoid races, eneko tend to have a more monstrous appearance than most, leading them to live as outsiders. They are pejoratively called "ogres" by the ignorant.

Irda
Bestowed with grace and beauty, the rarely encountered Irda are often likened to statues of marble and alabaster. They are tall but slender and fine-boned and often think of themselves as the only mature race among child-like mortals.

[LairdMaon]

"So close, Irda, so close. That fine-boned bit just kinda kills it." Without a second hesitation, he chooses the minor boon button.

[Rizban]

The options available to you flash with a faint light. You option choices have changed, though not in any significant way that you can tell...


Half-Human+
__
Eneko+
__
Irda+
__
Stonechild+


Neither of the boon buttons previously available are visible.

[LairdMaon]

Half-Human+
__
Eneko+
__
Irda+
__
Stonechild+


"Stonechild plus! Bangarang, baby!" He selects Stonechild+ with authoritay.

[Rizban]

The other figures disappear from your sight, and you find yourself able to customize the appearance of the Stonechild+ to you liking, including changing the sex.

When you're finished, your point of view shifts instantly, and you find yourself in the character you just shaped. You once again have feeling, the numbness gone. However, you still feel weightless in the black nothingness around you.

An extremely sparse character sheet appears in your vision.

You find yourself able to fill in a few minor blanks, including your character's name. You also have 2 points to spend on your ability scores, increasing any chosen score by 1. However, you can't assign more than 1 point to the same ability score.

[LairdMaon]

"Huh. One into strength, the other into constitution. And female. This is going to be good."
He further chooses bronze hair, yellow eyes, and 19 years in appearance. Average height and weight for her 'age' and race.

[Rizban]

Please mark that on the sheet I linked.

[Rizban]

You tweak the appearance of your character and enter a name. When you finalize your choices, the editor dissolves away.

As you finalize your point distribution, you receive a notification that you will receive 2 points to spend on any ability score at each future level.

Your vision blurs again as you are given a choice of classes, basic gear sets appearing before you, representing each class option.

Barbarian
__
Duskblade
__
Psion


Totemist
__
Warblade
__
Wu Jen


The same buttons appear floating in front of each class option.

Select Class Information


Apply Moderate Boon to Class

[LairdMaon]

On a hunch, Byron selects the moderate boon. "I wonder..." And he probes the info button for each available class.

[Rizban]

Your vision seemingly blurs again as the gear sets in front of you change slightly.

Barbarian Brawler
__
Duskblade+
__
Meditative Psion


Totemist+
__
Warblade+
__
Wu Jen Mystic


The same buttons appear floating in front of each class option.

Select Class Information

Barbarian Brawler
A warrior often hailing from a primitive society, barbarians use raw bloodlust to fuel their strength but can quickly exhaust themselves.
As a barbarian brawler, you are more adept at fighting unarmed and with improvised weapons than most.

Duskblade+
The duskblade specializes in merging the arcane arts with physical prowess, charging his weapon as he charges into battle.
As an advanced duskblade, you find some of your class features are more powerful than normal.

Meditative Psion
Harnessing the power of his mind, a psion uses the power of thought to reshape reality to his whims.
As a meditative psion, you are more easily able to find inner balance and unlock the power of your chakras.

Totemist+
By shaping and binding primal soul essence, a totemist can recreate the abilities of pwoerful magical beasts.
As an advanced totemist, you gain essentia slightly faster than most though not as fast as an incarnate.

Warblade+
The warblade was born for conflict. Swift, strong, enduring, and utterly confident in his martial skills, he seeks to test himself against worthy foes.
As an advanced warblade, you learn additional maneuvers slightly faster than normal.

Wu Jen Mystic
With power over the elements and spiritual forces of nature, a wu jen is an unusual arcane spellcaster who gains powers by ritually purifying their minds and bodies.
As a wu jen mystic, you are able to call on the power of elemental spirits directly, granting you access to limited divine magic.

[LairdMaon]

Byron looks past the Psion and Wu Jen classes, spell-casting classes are not his forte. Totemist and Barbarian are decent enough... Duskblade+ though... Sure, there's casting, but a focus on getting it and casting touching his foes with Polymorph Living to Dead...

He braces himself and selects Duskblade+

[Rizban]

You select Duskblade+, and the starting gear appears equipped on your body.

Your character sheet appears again, and begins to fill itself out.

You have the option to select two [2] feats. Your choices are anything you qualify for from the Player's Handbook I or II or from Complete Warrior.

[LairdMaon]

Byron hesitates for only a moment as he chooses his feats. No jovar this time, spikes instead! The benefits are too much not to take... "Exotic Weapon Proficiency Spiked Chain and Power Attack. Done."

[Rizban]

Error

You do not meet the prerequisites for Power Attack.

[LairdMaon]

"Right. My bad. That'll be best opportunity. Let's go with... Weapon Focus for that Spiked Chain."

[Rizban]

Your selected feats populate to your sheet.

When that completes, a selection of skills appears, and you are informed that you have 8 Skill Points to assign. Clicking through a few of the skills, you discover that the Duskblade has the same class skills as you would expect and cross class skill ranks still cost two points. So, nothing has changed with this process as far as you can tell.

[LairdMaon]

Byron allocates his skill points with some hesitation. With some luck his avatar should be able to make the most of his choices.

[Rizban]

You invest 4 ranks in Knowledge (arcana) and 4 ranks in Knowledge (local).

As you finalize your skill point distribution, you are able to choose your Duskblade spells known.

You get two [2] 0-level spells known and two [2] 1st-level spells known, as normal for a Duskblade.

[LairdMaon]

"Hm... Ray of Frost, Acid Splash... Let's take Shocking Grasp, and... Color Spray to finish the list."

[Rizban]

You hear the clatter of dice in the background...

[roll0]

As your sheet begins to fade away from your vision, you notice two additional abilities appearing on your sheet.


Your vision goes completely black.

You feel something cold and hard on your back, the air around you damp and cold.

You are surrounded by silence, broken only by the sound of your own breathing.

You realize that you are lying on the ground, your eyes closed.

[LairdMaon]

I'm in! Byron thinks right away. Probably a good time to adjust my state of mind...

Agate opens her eyes and looks around as she gets to her feet.

[Rizban]

You seem to have been laying on the ground in a small room built of what was once carefully fitted stone. Age and weathering have given it a rough appearance. The room is about 10 ft by 15 ft and has a stout wooden door on one of the narrow walls.[roll0]

[LairdMaon]

Inventory, gotta check inventory! Agate pats herself down, feeling for any equipment she might have. And then tried the old command to open her character sheet.

[Rizban]

You find that all of the neat gear during Character Creation was just cosmetic to the process. You don't have any of it on you!

You find yourself wearing only a thin, flimsy robe that reminds you of a high quality hospital gown, as in it's only little better than thick paper. Your starter robe looks like this, including the color.
https://mornproductions.com//gitp/portal/starterrobe.jpg


You investigate your user interface and discover that it has been drastically changed from your previous game experience; however, it remains just familiar enough to be intuitive and easily navigated.

You have only three menu options: Character Sheet, Inventory, and Quest Log.

Your Quest Log is currently empty. You also find that you're able to add your own entries, and you briefly worry that you're going to have to keep your own quest notes.

Character and Inventory are the same page on your spreadsheet for simplicity, even though they are separate menus in the game.

Quest Log has been added as its own tab.

The Experience tab on your actual sheet does not appear in the game.

Your menu also has several tabs which are completely grayed out, the text on them obscured and unreadable.

[LairdMaon]

Well ain't that some sh... She looks around the room, hoping to find anything that might be an improvement on her gear situation. She makes sure her search will end at the door.

[Rizban]

Save for a thin layer of dust on everything, your room is completely empty, at least until you step on one particular stone in the floor (https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/40501328121123.5636ff1b493ff.jpg), causing it to drop about three inches. A clear liquid quickly fills the depression, washing away the dusty odor of the room and replacing it with a fresh, wholesome scent.

The liquid shines with a faint light, lighting up the otherwise completely darkened room.

You suddenly realize that you've been using darkvision this whole time, and it appears on your character sheet.

[LairdMaon]

Alright, darkvision is a serious buff. Very, very nice! She reaches down to investigate the liquid, dipping a finger into it and rubbing against her thumb. She sniffs it and, if it seems safe enough, touches it to her tongue to taste it.

[Rizban]

It's cold and almost odorless. It feels and smells like plain water but feels a bit fizzy when you touch it to your tongue. It has a very faint earthy taste.

[LairdMaon]

She turns to the closed door and seeks out the handle to open it. Carefully Agate pulls, and if that doesn't work, pushes the door open and looks around before actually stepping through it.

[Rizban]

The door opens to a long, narrow hallway of the same type of stone. It goes about 10 feet then turns sharply to the right. The hall has no visible light sources.

[LairdMaon]

Agate creeps down the hallway as best she can and makes the turn at the end. Again she looks around for anything that might give any answers to the mystery she has found herself in.

[Rizban]

Just as you are about to step out into the hallway, you spot what appears to be a tiny obelisk constructed of yellowish marble (https://aldhaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/obleisk.jpg) approximately 6 inches tall. A faintly glowing emerald is set in one face of it.

[LairdMaon]

Wha? A quest start, maybe? Agate reaches for the obelisk and taps the emerald with a finger.

[Rizban]

Hearthstone Discovered

Do you wish to bind your soul to this hearthstone
to be revived here upon death?
| Yes | No |

[LairdMaon]

There is no way I'm passing this up! She hits the yes button with style.

[Rizban]

You feel a pressure in your chest as your soul is bound to the obelisk. The glow of the emerald grows until it illuminates the area of the cave like a radiant, green torch, which you assume represents your bond.

[LairdMaon]

Agate uses the new light as a mental waypoint and proceeds to look for a way out. She continues to scan for anything that could work as armor or a weapon.

[Rizban]

The hallway is completely bare of anything but walls, ceiling, and floor. Just around the corner, the hall abruptly ends in another door, exactly like the first.

[LairdMaon]

Forgetting her to a greater degree than she'd normally be comfortable admitting to, Agate jogs down the hallway and through the door at the end.

[Rizban]

You fling the door open and find yourself standing amidst the ruins of what was once a small stone building.

You look around a bit and realize that your are standing next to a small hill in the middle of rolling farmlands. To your right, you spot a small village about a 10 minute walk away.

https://aldhaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MedievalVillage.jpg

You can see a massive forest surrounding the village on two sides, forming a natural barrier that stretches for miles.

[LairdMaon]

"HELLO!" Agate calls out to the the village several times as she walks into it. She looks for anyone around and, hopefully, some place she can get properly clothed.

[Rizban]

As you approach the village, a farmer you didn't notice working in a nearby field spits out a bit of something tar-like and grumbles at you.

"The hells you shoutin' at, fool girl? Goin' all about disturbin' the peace, what."

[LairdMaon]

"Hello, to you too, old man! She walks right up to him, careful to avoid stepping in whatever he had just spit. "I am new around here obviously undressed. Do you know any place I could find less risque attire?"

[Rizban]

"Man?! Do I look like a man to you?!" she huffs angrily as she yanks the straw hat from her head to better glare at you. "And I ain't old!"

You look her up and down quickly and realize that, yes, she does indeed look very much like a man, although she definitely is not.

[Rizban]

Nudge. Are you still interested in this? I know it's sat for awhile, but I thought I'd ask...

[LairdMaon]

"Oh! My mistake! Sorry, all you humans kinda look the same. I didn't mean any offence." She shakes her head. "I guess I thought that assuming you were a man was a compliment I'm your culture. Don't the men hold all the power in human places?"

[Rizban]

"Hmpf! Well, I declare, you are just one of the rudest individuals I have ever done met! I simply cannot believe that your mother raised you that way!"

[LairdMaon]

"It's not a case of rude, I just don't know your culture as well as you do. I mean, I'd love to learn about it if you'll oblige."

[Rizban]

She harrumphs again. "Fine. One lesson only: Learn to keep your mouth shut until you know better and don't go spoutin' off all those prejudices, or somebody with less patience than me is going to shut your mouth for you."

She spits a wad of black, tar-like mucus to the ground and goes back to work while pointedly ignoring you.

[LairdMaon]

"Um..." Agate flails her arms at the woman, hoping to get her attention just one more time. "Does that mean you don't have a spare shirt or pants?"

[Rizban]

She does not respond other than to take a step further away and continue working.

[LairdMaon]

"Have a nice day then!" Agate waves a hand and heads further into the village.

[Rizban]

A you get closer to the town itself, you receive a notification.

Achievement: Discovered Civilization

You have discovered the Settlement of Littlegate. Gain 10 experience.

As you approach, you notice that the nearest "building" is just a roof on poles with what appears to be a blacksmith working at an anvil within.

Most of the nearby buildings appear to be small homes, though there also appears to be a larger warehouse looking building and the ruins of a stone church just outside of town atop a small hill.

[LairdMaon]

Agate approaches the blacksmith at a slightly slower pace then she'd walked into the village. "Hello?" she calls just loud enough to be heard over steel being worked on the anvil.

[Rizban]

"Greetings," he nods to you and continues working. He does seem to be paying some attention to you, as though wondering if you intend to do business, but he doesn't seem the type to stop working just because someone said hello.[roll0]

[LairdMaon]

She approaches closer, until she can feel the welcome heat from the forge. "I have a silly question... Do you know where I could find some pants?"

[Rizban]

"Perhaps. If you don't mind my asking... Why aren't you wearing pants?"

[LairdMaon]

"I really have no idea. I woke up not far from here dressed as I am. I have nothing but what passes for a tunic, I'm sure you can understand my own confusion. But I'm willing to put in some labor if I can get some proper clothing."

[Rizban]

He nods sagely in obvious undrstanding.

"Ah, yes. I've been there a few times myself. The hangover the next morning is never worth it. Oh, but the night before..." he gives you a conspiratorial grin.

[LairdMaon]

Agate leans against a post and fingers the tunic. "You might we'll be right. We must've been mixing ales because my mind is a blank slate."
She turns to the blacksmith and asks with a wry smile, "So what do you say, smithy? Got any work for an honest girl in need of clothing?"

[Rizban]

"I've never known an honest girl who woke up hungover and unable to find her pants." he shrugs.

"Truthfully, I'd offer you work, but it would just be charity. I recently hired on some help, and that's already more than I really needed. You might ask around town though. Harvest is coming up, and more hands are always needed for that."

[LairdMaon]

"I don't know that I can argue your logic. Any chance you can give me some pointers on the folks around here? Get in their good graces a bit quicker, y'know."

[Rizban]

"Be respectful. Don't mention the raucous nights of drunken debauchery. … Wear pants."

[LairdMaon]

"So, wear pants to get pants? I get the feeling this will be a challenge."

[Rizban]

"Everything worthwhile is," he chuckles.

"But seriously, if you ask around at the tavern, you might find some pants."