The Van Richten Monster Hunting Academy

[Teravala]

"The idea was my wife's" I say with a sight "Are you from Lamordia by chance?" I ask with a smile.

"Ahh, so the old adage proves true again. Behind the feat of every great man, is a brilliant woman." I say playfully back, striding forward to sit upon one of the nearby divans. "Dementlieu actually, though as I hear it Lamordia is supposedly stunning in a frigid, sterile, and brutal sort of way. No, back home in Chateaufaux magic is regarded as little more than legerdemain, hence why I primarily plied my trade in the more...believing cities of the core. Anna Lewis, by the way." I say, as I reach into my bag and withdraw from it a bottle of deep red wine and a crystalline glass. "Fancy a drink, either of you?"

[Mistmaster]

"Only one, I am driving" I say smiling. "And, Dementlieu, mon chere, has an arcane tradition quite old , the Port-a-Lucine university Arcane Sciences faculty is older then the Republic, back to the days before the Revolution"

[Teravala]

I reach into my bag and produce another drinking glass, and a decanter, uncorking the bottle in a smooth, practiced motion and transfer it to the decanter before placing it on a small table nearby.

"Best to give it a moment to breathe before we imbibe. You're quite right about the University, but in practice, the most common application of such arts seems to be street performance and entertainment. I had a friend once, a brilliant young woman named Amelia, who left her studies at the esteemed University in Port-a-Lucine to pursue a career as a stage magician, to her family's mixed delight and dismay. She made quite a name for herself, having been appointed the leader of La Societe de Legerdemain last spring, at only 30. It is not that the people do not believe in magic, rather they misunderstand it's value, to the point of carelessly disrespecting the craft altogether."

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

"Ah, Dominic. The man who can control almost anything, except what really matters." I say humming. "You say George is dead, then? Someone will have to mind Georgie, in this case"

"Dominic is not without his weaknesses." I chime in, pulling back the partition curtain between the front and back end of the wagon, and slipping gracefully inside to join the others. "He underestimates those he considers poor players in the games he lives to play, and in doing so invites destruction down upon him and his house someday."

"What?" I stare in bewilderment. "Who's that? I was talking about the duchess. We found out she's a lich - and that's not even the weirdest part."

[Mistmaster]

"You mean Saidra d'Honaire the current President of the Council of Brilliance? Duchess is a bit exaggerate as a title. And she is not really a Lich, it is a nother kind of undead. " I say drinking the wine. "Oh, the Societè of the Legerdemain. A noble institution"

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

"You say George is dead, then? Someone will have to mind Georgie, in this case"

[Offplay note: Mistmaster, I don't want to be the 'headcanon police', but can you please at least read my first posts in this thread? Like
1) My explanation regarding canon and format
2) Sarker's first letter, which was never sent in-world but establishes some worldbuilding your character is supposed to know
?]

[Mistmaster]

(About format, sorry, that slipped to me andyou played along with me and so I kept it, about the canon, I did not say that what happened is false or contraddicted the letter canon. I validated Sadira as the ruler of Dementlieu, simply my characterdonot think she is a Lich, but might be wrong, About George death I did not contraddicted it.)

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

"You mean Saidra d'Honaire the current President of the Council of Brilliance? Duchess is a bit exaggerate as a title. And she is not really a Lich, it is a nother kind of undead. " I say drinking the wine. "Oh, the Societè of the Legerdemain. A noble institution"

"Really? I... I don't know if this solves the mystery or adds to it. I... I'll just tell the story as it was.
One of the truths I had to face since I left home is the subjectivity of strangeness. I can talk all I want about undead and abberrations, but to you strixikoid mammals here, I am the most unknowable thing you've seen your entire lives. Ever since I landed on your continent, suspicion followed me wherever I went, and I was lonely except for the few companions who weren't startled by my looks.
So when George and I reached Dementlieu - The Mordentish nobleman returning from the east after decades, bringing with him the 'dragon man from beyond the mists', we were the talk of the town - I was overjoyed to be greeted by party invitations rather than an angry mob. My companion seemed like he'd rather have another round with the chocolate golems - don't ask - than go to a masquerade, but I convinced him it could be fun.
The party went quite well: They had those fancy tiny sausages, and I danced with that cute drow guy - what was his name, Vivian? - I think he had something for me... Nevermind. But then some lady... I didn't see what she do exactly, but the duchess didn't like it. She threw a tantarum there, and everyone just froze, as if they know something terrible is about to happen, and know there's nothing to do about it - or rather, there is something to do about it, but they wouldn't do it, cause it's too dangerous and there's gotta be someone more suitable to handle this sort of thing. And I looked around and knew it's me, I'm the one suitable to handle this. The duchess seemed like she was about to cast a spell, so I broke her concentration the quickest way I could think of - a psionic trick that inflicts the target with uncontrollable laughter. Then George took command, directing all non-combatants to evacuate - he somehow seemed to calm down when the battle started. I think as he drew his sword he said something like 'well, at least now I can stop pretending to enjoy small talk about the state of lettuce in Gundarak!'
It wasn't an easy fight, but far from the hardest we've had. George was injured, but our foe had it much worse. When I checked his wounds, some sort of gray powder fell off them. They looked like the result of a disintegrate spell. He was lucky to not turn immediately into a pile of dust - if only that luck held for a little longer! Thus, we assumed whatever creature we just fought was a highly skilled spellcaster - but if so, why had she not used any other spells?
Things got weirder when the guards came. We tried to explain as diplomatically as possible that we just got their city rid of a terrible monster, but they insisted we'd plead our case in front of the Council. So we talked to that guy called Gvina - no, Guignol - who was so wrinkly I thought for a sec he was some sort of a mummy, and didn't really listen to us. George said it was unfortunately pretty normal for monsters to infiltrate the high society, and for the authorities to get protective when someone tries to unmask them - but I was too tired to give a flame. I was just about to tell Mr. Gvina that his name sounds like 'cheese' in dwarvish, when Saidra walked in, alive and well. We were all confused AF, Saidra wanted us decapitated, another council member argued that we can't be executed for a murder that didn't happen, Mr. Gvina looked as if this is a far too late hour for him to activate his brain this much - which I could relate to - and eventually he and George reached the following conclusions:
1) None of us knew what exactly happened tonight, and we weren't sure we wanted to.
2) George and I couldn't just get away with attacking a council member.
3) Excecuting or imprisoning George Weathermay without clear justification would be provoking the Mordentish government.
4) Mordent and Dementlieu had been allies for decades, and no sane person in these parts of the world would benefit from a war between them - especially not Dementlieu, which has barely started recovering from the revolution attempt five years ago.
The bottom line was that the two of us should get out of the domain ASAP and not return 'anywhen during the next dozen years' or face the 'consequences of our actions'.
So George said she must have been a lich - but the more I read about liches, the less it makes sense to me: Lichdom is intentional. It requires a carefully planned ritual, which one must already be a decent spellcaster to to perform. 'It takes power to get power', if to quote Van Richten.
It does make more sense for her disintegrating power to be an innate spell-like ability than for her to learn a single sixth level spell and no other. But if she isn't a lich, how else would you explain her rejuvenation? And yes, I'm pretty sure we killed her.
Anyway, I'm concerned by the influence she holds in the realm. From the tales I've managed to gather from immegrants, she'd been using her disintegration powers quite freely on mortals over the past five years, and her undeath is an open secret, yet no one ever thought to make her face the consequences of her actions. Maybe the locals have lost hope after the 75' rebellion's faliure?"

[Offplay note: I checked VRGtR now and Saidra is said to have the stats of a wraith. I think I confused her with Pointy Hat's 'intoner' bardic lich, because they have very similar portraits.]

[Mistmaster]

"Yes, Lichdom is mostly an intentional process" I say with a smile the irony not lost to me.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

"Yes, Lichdom is mostly an intentional process" I say with a smile the irony not lost to me.

Why is he smiling?
"So what are we going to do in Tepest?"

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

BTW, I have a second character.

- Name: Rosalinda (Rose) Jendalis
- Pronouns: She/Her
- Species: human (half vistani)
- Class(es) and subclass(es): Rouge 8
- Home Domain(s): She was born in Invidia but doesn't really remember it, and grew up travelling. She had been living in Mordent for the past 15 years.
- Physical description: A chubby, average height woman in her 40s with dark hair and tan skin.
- Ideal: We live in a harsh world, but every time we treat eachother kindly we make it a little softer.
bond: I grew up feeling unworthy of love. I'll make sure my kids never feel that way.
flaw: I'm a dumbass and we all know it. I'm not smart, no matter what you'd say. If I did something smart it was by accident.
- Duck (a goofy and harmless trait): Good sense of humour, makes the best pies in Mordentshire, a bit clumsy.
Nail (a badass and/or scary trait): Rose is amazing with improvised weapons. She can kill you with a spoon.
- Worst fear (As in, the worst thing you think can happen to you): That something will happen to Micheal. He's the most amazing person she knows, but he's also so frail, and she'll never fully understand the forces he's meddling with.
- Worst fear (As in, a fear that occupies your thoughts or hampers you in daily life): Expectations. Demands. People trusting her to succeed. She can do a lot, as long as she believes it has no importance whatsoever - once it gets serious, her anxiety starts spiralling.
- Short backstory:
Rose was born to a Vistani woman and an Invidian man - who were both killed by Malocchio Aderre when she was a little girl. She was rescued and adopted by her aunt, who took care of her but never accepted her mixed heritage and lack of supernatural powers.
Rose started adventuring because she wanted to prove her aunt that just because she's magicless doesn't mean she's useless, but wasn't very good at it. She was reckless and prideful and worst of all did it for the wrong reasons. After her aunt's death she tried to contact her via siance, which produced nothing but screams. This made her realise she'd been foolish to strive for the approval of such a horrible woman - a realisation for which she was grateful to the medium arranging the siance. Gratefulness blossomed into friendship, which in turn evolved into love. That's how she married Micheal Jendalis.
Admitting her failure as an adventurer, she settled down and (I know it's a cliche but it's a fun one) started a tavern.
- How did you get into the training program, and who's your mentor?
While a terrible adventurer herself, Rose had been a wonderful mentor for other heroes. So when Genny and Laurie were looking for trainers, she was the natural choice - in their opinion, not hers. She's trying her best, and all students like her, but she keeps feeling like she doesn't have much to teach.
- Current sketch: Rose's time is split between running The Clumsy Nymph, raising 3 kids and helping to train monster hunters, so she's pretty busy. She's concerned that the new Blackburn's Crossing-Mordentshire train line, that will significantly shorten travel durations in Mordent, will reduce the tavern's customers, and looking for a new business model that will fit better these bold new times.
- Notable possesions: A strange artifact that looks like a tiny cloud floating around her hand, until she 'summons' it with a grabbing gesture, then it can manifest as a dagger or as a variety of tools; A necklace given to her by Michael as an engagement gift, which used to belong to Pernella; A tarrokka deck drawn in Chibiloft style.
- Other notes: Rosalinda is wiser (it takes some brains to run a business like she does, even with Michael's help) - and was a better adventurer (proof: she survived 10 years of quests in Ravenloft) - than she gives herself credit for. She intentionally belittles herself because she's sick of the pressure to please or impress people. If you can't handle her stupidity, you don't deserve her genius.

[Mistmaster]

"Well, there is a group of old ladies who might have some aswers for us." I say. ( Even if technically you should know, since it is your mission and I am only the travel mean )

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

"Well, there is a group of old ladies who might have some aswers for us." I say. ( Even if technically you should know, since it is your mission and I am only the travel mean )

"Lady Gennifer's instructions weren't very clear." -fyre scales are turning from orange to red, then crimson, then scarlet.-

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

Character Form
- Name: Jinxie
- Pronouns: fae/faer, xe/xem
- Species: witchspawn caliban
- Class(es) and subclass(es): Wizard 2
- Home Domain(s): Hazlan
- Physical description: Tall, blue skinned with purple freckles, short spiky indigo hair, hooved legs.
- Ideal: Be yourself - actively, assertively and unapologetically.
bond: Us weirdos gotta stick together.
flaw: Not to be a misanthrope, but I can't stand people.
- Duck (a goofy and harmless trait): Fae are very enthusiastic about strange creatures - whether magical or just rare animals like capybaras and axolotls. Fae'll talk about it at any given opportunity.
Also, faer favourite swear word is 'Myttery's [insert a word that starts with M]!'.
and Nail (a badass and/or scary trait): If Jinxie doesn't like something, fae changes it. Often using magic, and into the funniest thing xe could think of at the moment. So if you annoy xem, prepare to spend the next hour as a mantis shrimp.
- Worst fear (As in, the worst thing you think can happen to you): To actually be the monster everyone thinks fae is. Or to be a pawn for the real monster.
- Worst fear (As in, a fear that occupies your thoughts or hampers you in daily life): Iron. It's everywhere, people use it without thinking - and why wouldn't they? Why would they care for one freak who needs to sniff any metal they touch to make sure it won't burn them?
- Short backstory:
Over-exposure to magic had widely increased the caliban birth rate in Hazlan over the past 4 decades, but it still doesn't mean Jinxie's parents were glad to have a blue baby. Throughout faer childhood they pretty much tried their best to ignore xem, locking faer in the basement and giving faer books as a replacement for human interaction - Until they found out fae's a genius and has a natural talent for spellcasting, and got the idea that a mage in the family could make them rich. From that point on, they were hellbent on giving faer the best education in the realm.
Jinxie studied hard and overcame financial difficulties, discrimination and accessibility issues - all to get accepted into the Red Academy; But the more fae advanced in faer studies, the more fae was exposed to deadly competition, amoral experiments and sometimes plain sadism of jerks who think just because they can't do magic they can treat those who can't like animals. Like even animals shouldn't be treated.
Eventually fae grew disillusioned and did something vert stupid: Fae went to Hazlik and told him exactly what fae thinks about him. It involved curses in Vassi, Balok, Patterna, Old Kartakan and Draconic. It wasn't like fae could fight him - fae's only level 2, mind you - so she had to flee Hazlan.
- How did you get into the training program, and who's your mentor? Once you get into the heroism business, it's hard to back down. After a few weeks as a runaway, when a nice old wizard called saves you from wolfweres and offers you to share his campfire, and you talk to the nice old wizard, whose name is Archibald, and it turns out he's part of an organisation of heroes, and you don't really have anyehere else to go to, you join the hero organisation. It's not a real choice, it's just the next part of the journey fate had sent you on.
- Current sketch: Jinxie feels much more at home in the VRS than in the Red Academy, but keeps exemplifying the same talent for getting into trouble. For example, this week, an unreliable mistway led xir to Tepest, where fae was quickly found by the inquisition and now has a day to hatch an escape plan before fae gets burned at the stake.
Also, over faer last mission in Darkon, fae had received an invitation to join the Fraternity of Shadows. Fae's conflicted about it: on the one hand, fae doesn't trust the Fraternity. They seem to be cut from the same cloth as the Red Wizards. But on the other hand, if fae wants to bring down Hazlik, fae's going to need every bit of power and knowledge fae can get - and fae has a feeling the FoS can give faer of both a lot more and a lot faster than faer current mentor. Fae met with members of the FoS twice so far, but had not joined their ranks yet - nor had fae told a living soul about them.
- Notable possesions: A journal in which fae records magical anomalies and unique creatures fae encounters during faer adventures; A wooden wheelchair fae had been trying to infuse with a flying spell but had yet to make it work out.
- Other notes:
1) Jinxie's innate magic is powerful, but it also constantly drains on faer energy, rendering faer body extremely weak. Fae often needs to lean of faer wizard's staff or even use a wheelchair. Yes, it makes adventuring pretty hard. Several good people with common sense have pointed it out, to which Jinxie usually nods impatiently while continuing to draw in faer journal the cryptid xe found earlier that morning.
2) What sort of parents call their kid Jinxie? Well, as we said, Jinxie's parents have mostly ignored faer during the first years of faer life. Fae was thr monster living in their basement, not a family member. The rare times they bothered to speak of kem, they refer to faer as 'the jinxed child' - which xe shortened to Jinxie to make it sound more like a name.

[Mistmaster]

"Allright, now, we have a choise: three weeks on the road or three days in the Mists" I say while we leave Vallaki behind.