Bi Xi appeared to Nox again during the spirit walk, looking worse for wear. It appeared as if recent events had affected the spirit, too. Craters pock-marked the intact sections of his shell. Howev...
2023-12-23 17:27:26 +0000 UTC View PostThe return journey to the city was long but uneventful. Nox diverted the party when passing myconid colonies they had bombed during their trip to the rift. Several had local wildlife feeding on the...
2023-12-23 07:30:45 +0000 UTC View Post“Don’t you want to consume what’s left?” Nox asked Lillin after catching his breath.
“I wouldn’t even if there was anything left for me to have,” she replied. “That thing… i...
2023-12-22 16:55:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe party used mana and stamina recovery brews to recover. Nox gave everyone a diluted version of his empowering cocktail. He worried they’d struggle to deal with the concentrated version’s tox...
2023-12-22 10:30:40 +0000 UTC View PostThe rift's interior was as bleak as the exterior. It had no natural light besides the little coming from the stars overhead, and the temperature felt well below freezing. The party saw no signs of ...
2023-12-21 18:00:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe airship departed from the university’s docks at first light. After preparing the party and all the necessary brews, Nox spent the night on campus with Aria. They caught each other up on every...
2023-12-21 09:50:04 +0000 UTC View Post“The Titans are dead they said. You can’t declare war on the gods without taking down the Titans, too. They’re not unstoppable forces of nature. They’re not our allies in the fight agai...
2023-12-20 20:39:37 +0000 UTC View PostThe following business day passed mostly without incident. The morning started slow, letting Nox have brunch with his friends and tell them about the past evening. Much to their delight, Michelle a...
2023-12-20 15:55:36 +0000 UTC View PostNox felt like a show familiar. Mages raised and tailored familiars in the Imperium and several allied cities for show or gladiatorial matches. The rade Empire didn’t engage in such activities but...
2023-12-19 09:46:03 +0000 UTC View PostA carriage arrived at Ratra’s Knightly Brews precisely at the sixth bell. Its driver knocked on the door and informed Nox that he’d happily wait however long was necessary. Despite the ‘we st...
2023-12-17 21:13:42 +0000 UTC View Post“Ruipur and its neighboring city-states are largely matriarchal in stark contrast to most of Daksinthan. The societal hierarchies are unusually close to the wildfowl settlements in the Arctic...
2023-12-17 12:36:40 +0000 UTC View PostAn unexpected interruption woke Nox on the first Seventhday of the third month of the semester. It was Jess, the once-homeless teenager. He had employed her on his friends’ insistence. Jess had t...
2023-12-17 08:07:36 +0000 UTC View PostLife in the City of Ygg adopted a comfortable routine over the following month. Nox and his friends attended classes from First to Fourthday. Then delved on the Fifth. His mastery of Finesse Shapin...
2023-12-16 12:18:13 +0000 UTC View PostNox Ratra
Journeyman
Crystalize Essence | Essence Animation
69/104 | 6/22
Essence Shaping | Arrow
20/41 | 2/8
The party explored for an hour, spending a cumula...
2023-12-15 22:23:47 +0000 UTC View PostSound traveled without interruption through the dungeon’s cavernous fourth floor. The fight drew the second patrol’s attention, and then the party was fighting on both fronts.
If not for ...
2023-12-15 19:09:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe party met Professor Wolfhammer at the sixth-morning bell in front of the Department of Dungeon Studies’ main entrance. He led them through the giant main hall and between the grand staircases...
2023-12-15 09:53:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe sales numbers continued to grow. Nox expected overall business to take a hit following the previous Seventhday’s events. Instead, non-cosmetic sales exploded. He couldn’t tell whether it wa...
2023-12-14 18:20:40 +0000 UTC View Post“Daksinsthan, or the Southern Continent, as the locals call it, is a lot harsher land than what the Imperium or all west of it know. The distance from Ygg, sparse leylines, and hostile inters...
2023-12-13 21:46:46 +0000 UTC View PostThe urchin gang leaders brought twenty young children instead of the requested ten. The youngest had seen two summers at most, while the oldest proudly held up eight or nine fingers when Nox asked ...
2023-12-13 10:03:34 +0000 UTC View PostNox spoke to the guards regarding his suspicions. The Guptas were trying to sabotage and infiltrate his business. They called his fears insufficient for launching an investigation.
“Law-abi...
2023-12-12 18:09:51 +0000 UTC View PostAfter a night of indulging in adventurous and intense amorous activities and far too much Spirit Caller’s Tea, Nox once again found himself in a dreamscape of vivid colors and alluring scents. 2023-12-12 09:47:35 +0000 UTC View Post
“Thank you for shaving,” Aria said, picking Nox up in a carriage. “I spotted you around campus earlier this week, and you were starting to look rough.” She ran her fingers through his hair,...
2023-12-09 16:42:11 +0000 UTC View PostAdvanced Dungeon Combat’s delving sessions wouldn’t start until the week after. As a result, the party got Fifthday off. The rest of the week’s classes provided mostly introductory knowledge,...
2023-12-09 07:04:33 +0000 UTC View Post“Advanced Dungeon Combat works differently from the Beginner and Intermediate courses,” Professor Wolfhammer explained. “We’re going to spend every First and Third-day focusing on individua...
2023-12-08 08:48:29 +0000 UTC View PostNox and his party reported for Advanced Dungeon Combat a quarter of an hour before it was due to begin. They started their warm-up straight away, stretching and then jogging around the long, ring-s...
2023-12-07 11:32:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Are mages truly complete without a familiar? They’re more than servants and battle companions. A well-raised and bonded familiar reduces the mental load and strains of spell-casting. A fam...
2023-11-30 13:10:13 +0000 UTC View Post
By the time Ratra’s Knightly Brews opened its doors, two more first-floor bedrooms had occupants, and Nox had his adept alchemy license. The city granted him a plaque to display in the window. It...
2023-11-29 09:52:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Nox had heard that Professor Das delayed his return from the southern continent as much as possible, often arriving just before his first class of the semester. Nox wasn’t expecting to see the ma...
2023-11-29 06:37:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Good mage. That is such a subjective term. Anyone can gain power with enough hard work, dedication, and deep pockets. All it takes is growing one’s star through steady mana absorption—oc...
2023-11-27 10:30:11 +0000 UTC View PostThe next couple of days blurred by. He interviewed potential new hires, procured materials, started brewing his Noxian Brews’ best-selling products, and worked on upgrading his star. He had a sol...
2023-11-27 10:29:24 +0000 UTC View Post