This posed a considerable problem; both locations were on the other side of the world from his cabin, family, and his revenge. He would need to cover thousands of miles and days of travel to see if any of them had survived. Eli stopped to think for a moment. He knew he couldn’t choose either location, and his hopes of returning to his former self had vanished. It was entirely possible that his family was suffering in the woods alone, and the bastards that attacked him would have more than enough time to get away.
He would also find himself lost, alone, and have the entire continent of Ommuria between him and his goals. Knowing that he would not have enough money to charter a boat, Eli selected no. The body before him dissolved back into the ever-shifting form of a universe enclosed in solid light. Knowing that he had to find his family as quickly as possible, he reached out to his one source of information.
Guide, are you there? He thought, hoping the strange artificial being was still around.
“Yes, I’m here,” a voice replied, in a helpful tone. “What can I help you with?”
Can you narrow down this list? I need to see races that start in or near Dawnport? Eli said.
Without another word, the list shrank to just two selections. “Well. of course.”
Beastkin:
Wolffen, Half-Wolffen
It had to be Wolffen! Eli shouted into his mind, his anger rising again, as he recalled stories of the vicious Beastkin.
From what he heard, from his city guard friends in Dawnport, the beasts had been plaguing the city since its inception 30 years ago. While not at war with humans or Dawnport, they attacked whenever encountered. They felt that they had the right to claim the entire island of Scorn, as they were the first sentient creatures to inhabit it in a thousand years. The wolf-like humanoids' only redeeming quality was the fact that they were defending the island from the Blight.
According to the Dawnport City Council, they had attempted peaceful negotiations many times only to be met with challenges of combat to prove superiority. Eventually, the two proud races agreed to a non-aggression pact, and the southern portion of Scorn was effectively split in half. The western portion belonged to the Wolffen, the eastern to the Altean Confederacy. If not for a shared enemy in the Blight, and the supposedly haunted Temple of Aeryntorr, the Wolffen would have taken over the Wildwood and Dawnport itself.
Eli looked at the list with dread, as he scanned the only two races that would put him anywhere near his former home. He knew he had to pick one of the two options, and it would not be full wolffen. They had tried to steal animals from his snares and attacked him frequently, often leading to their injury or death. He would not allow himself to associate with what he considered violent beasts. Starting as part of that race would put him at a severe disadvantage if he wanted to contact Dawnport or Human society. He selected Half-Wolffen.
Half-Wolffen:
*Race listed as Half-Wolffen in your character sheet.
Sub-Race Options:
Dwarf, Gladekin, Goblin, Human, Mist Elf, or Orc
Starting location: Daggerfang Keep, Island of Scorn/Dawnport, Island of Scorn.
With a heavy heart, Eli focused on the human sub-race. As he did, text scrolled next to a slowly forming body.
The mixture of human and wolffen is relatively new in the lands of Entarra. When the Wolffen race meets another, it is usually in confrontation, especially when around major cities or natural resources. In somewhat rare cases, the Wolffen race has coexisted, albeit in a tumultuous fashion, with non-beastkin. Examples of such cohabitation are found in the slums of Dawnport, where a small exiled pack has taken shelter outside of the city’s walls. In these rare instances, children have been born to mixtures of several races. Except for the Mist Elves, most races do not accept racial mixing with beastkin. Couplings of this nature are often looked down upon by other Wolffen. Those of this heritage live outside of mainstream society, often finding themselves operating as traveling merchants, explorers, or mercenaries.
The humanoid frame shifted, growing to a size slightly taller than his already changed body. Strong yet lean flesh formed over predatory muscles, wrapped in familiar dark skin with olive and golden undertones. Once slightly rounded, yet rugged-looking, facial features grew feral and angular. Rigid looking ears came to a small point as his cheekbones and jaw-line carved themselves over his former likeness. Once full lips had thinned slightly to reveal sharp, dagger-like canines. Eli’s medium-length brown hair remained the same color but grew thick and coarse, reminding him of a dog’s fur. The most noticeable difference was his eyes. They seemed to glow with a wild intensity that reflected an eerie glimmer. Formerly emerald irises darkened to a deep seaweed like green and grew in size. A slight film formed over his eyes that acted as a third lid, protecting them and increasing his range of vision. His new body was that of a handsome, dangerous-looking tan-skinned human with slightly canine features. At first glance, he would pass as a human, or a feral-looking elf, one that had seen too much pain and grew wild in the woods.
Actually, that’s not that bad, he thought as racial abilities populated in the box beside his new form. I kind of look like a bad-ass. Crazy, but bad-ass.
Half-Wolffen: Human Variant +2 Strength or Dexterity
+1 Constitution +5 skill points
+5 to perception skill. Abilities:
Keen senses: Improved low light vision. Eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell radius double.
Improved Learning Speed: Skill progression increased by 5%
Distrusted: -25% to all Reputation growth with all races, other than Half-Wolffen. +25% To all Reputation loss with all races, other than Half-Wolffen.
Loyalty: Reputation gains with other players, factions, clans, and organizations grow at a rate of +25%. Reputation gains increase the longer the player stays in good standing with players, factions, clans, and organizations.
Reputation with Dawnport and Daggerfang Keep starts at -100 (Hesitant)
A box with a gray background and crimson text appeared, and a strong deep voice began narrating the story of the Wolffen; “One hundred years ago the Wolffen were chased out of their homeland by the Blight-.” Eli closed out of the box that filled his vision with Wolffen history with a thought, ending the narration with it.
The Wolffen would never be his people, and he didn’t need to know their story. “After finding Kata and his family and killing those bastard adventurers, I’ll fix myself,” he whispered, his voice working for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.
With hesitation, he mentally selected the race.
Select race, Half-Wolffen (Sub-Race, Human): Yes/No
He then chose, yes. The humanoid form disappeared from his vision as his new body began replacing his void form permanently. He was now fully aware of his surroundings, as a new warmth flowed over him. The return of sensation nearly caused him to weep as rapidly forming muscles took shape, attaching themselves to the dense bone. To feel anything, after so much time in the void, filled him with satisfaction, like a man stranded in a vast desert, finding an oasis. He could feel again.
The smell of ozone filled newly formed nostrils like never before. Eli could smell everything from the smallest pine needle to a distant cook fire as the crisp cold air filled his welcoming lungs. The sounds of shouting, laughter, birds chirping, and waves crashing in the distance surprised him. He could hear everything. The return and amplification of his senses nearly overloaded his mind.
Hovering perfectly still, floating in an endless sky, Eli found himself above the Darkspire Islands; an archipelago tucked away in the Sea of Hope. Below him was the Island of Scorn. Suddenly a block of text appeared, interrupting his moment of complete awe. With it came a long, confusing list, strange buttons, and empty bars. Physical and mental characteristics sat neatly organized, each with golden plus and minus symbols next to them. As he clicked on them, they increased or decreased their attached values.
Please select your starting attributes.
80/80
Attribute Points available.
+* 2 to Str, or Dex.
**+ 1 to con (automatic)
*Strength (STR): 0 - +
*Dexterity (DEX): 0 - +
*Constitution (CON): 1 - +
Intelligence (INT): 0 - +
Spirit (SPI): 0 - +
Charisma (CHA): 0 - +
Luck (LCK): 0 - +
Well, shit, what is all of this? Eli thought.
“This is your starting attributes page,” the guide’s voice spoke out in his mind. “This determines your physical and mental prowess for your new form. Good call on the race. Few people play that one because of its hostile-”
“Yeah, I gathered that,” Eli said aloud, cutting the Guide off mid-sentence, “But, what do these things do and how do they affect me?” his new voice boomed, shocking him.
It was deeper and sounded more feral than before. He once prized his smooth honey-like baritone, yet as he spoke, he found himself somewhat intimidated by his own deep bass. Hints of sandpaper and growling undertones reminded him of his body’s recent changes.
“Well, the short version is this.” the Guide said with a sigh, before listing off each attribute. “Strength often referred to as STR, adds to your damage from all weapons except crossbows and wands that fire magic projectiles. It also affects carrying capacity and feats of strength such as pushing, pulling, climbing, and jumping,” it said before continuing. “Dexterity, or DEX, affects your critical strike chance. It also affects damage with ranged weapons, thrown weapons, daggers, and martial arts abilities, to a lesser extent than strength. How nimble, agile, and fast you are is also determined by dexterity. Constitution, or CON, affects your physical health in the form of hit points and stamina. Also, with a high CON, you can become more resistant to temperature, poisons, diseases, and certain ailments.”
Hit Points, Stamina Points? Eli asked, mentally. What are those? How many points does each point in CON get me?
“Hitpoints, HP, and Stamina, SP, are your life energy. They govern how much damage you can take and how long you can perform strenuous activities. The calculations are easy. Players get ten HP per CON and ten per level. You also get ten Stamina at level one plus ten per CON. You do not gain SP per level. Now, on to intelligence, or INT. In simple terms, it’s how smart you are. INT governs how fast you learn skills, how much mana, you have-”
“Wait, I have mana now?” Eli interrupted. “I’m a fucking wizard!”
Many people had heard of wizards, sorcerers, summoners, and others that could manipulate mana. Some had seen adventurers cast magic. But that talent was beyond most citizens, except those born with it, or who spent thousands of gold to attend a college.
“No. You’re not a wizard, Eli.” The guide said, its voice stern yet amused. “Yes, you have mana. Everyone has mana. In fact, nearly every living thing on Entarra has mana. If you didn’t, you would die. But you need to learn how to access it, to manipulate it. This can take a lot of training, or be done via scrolls, books, a teacher, quests, or many other ways.” The guide paused before adding, “Oh, and if you run out of it at any point, you will be sorry. Falling to zero mana causes headaches, fatigue, exhaustion, seizures, and in severe cases, death. If you want to learn how to cast spells or be a wizard, you can learn from a class trainer once you have enough gold.” After a long pause, it continued, “But, like I was saying.” the image of a formless figure crossing their arms in annoyance popped into Eli’s brain. “Intelligence governs how much mana you have. The short form for mana is MP. INT also determines how fast you learn skills and how much knowledge you retain. Zero INT means a near-zero rate of skill growth. Oh, and before you ask, the formula for intelligence to skill growth isn’t available to the public. Spirit, or SPI, is how much faith you have and how unwavering you are mentally. That faith can be in anything from faith in yourself to a deity. It governs how fast your mana recharges and is a requirement for many divine spells and abilities. It also affects how resistant you are to certain magic, mind control, and mind-altering effects. Charisma, CHA, affects how well people like you at first greeting, the potency of some spells, and nearly every aspect of social interaction. An example would be the barter skill. While trying to purchase goods, both your barter and charisma skill will be at play. The barter skill is how good you are at bartering, while charisma affects the positive and negative modifiers to the skill. If the merchant has a higher charisma than you, there will be a negative modifier. It also affects reputation gains. The higher your charisma, the faster your reputation and renown will grow.” Another pause, “Did you get all that?”
Eli gave a quick nod, then asked, “What about luck?”
Hearing a barely audible slapping sound in his mind, Eli’s eyes narrowed in confusion. It sounded like someone was just palmed in the face.
The strange voice grew dark and sorrowful. “Luck is luck. It determines how often things work out in your favor or against you. This all depends on your luck score, your decisions, and several other statistics. Like CHA, it is influenced by your other attribute scores and skills in positive or negative ways. It governs things like rocks narrowly missing your head, how often you get pooped on by birds, if you stub your toe on tables, and if you find the one key to a treasure chest on some random mob.” After a short pause, it continued, “Think of it this way. There is a rock on a cliff next to the road you are traveling on. The rock will fall. If it hits you, it will hurt. If you have a low luck score, you may trip somewhere, which leads to you getting hit by said falling rock. After getting hit, you are ambushed by enemies and missing a handful of HP. Or with high luck and high enough tracking, you still trip. But this time, you see a set of tracks that match your enemies. This allows you to avoid the rock altogether and get the jump on them. Luck is responsible for what many call divine providence.” A barely noticeable laugh rang out in Eli’s mind, followed by a harsh rebuke, “Making me waste my time explaining luck. Who does this guy think he is? Did he even read the manual?”
“Okay, I get it,” Eli said before making his choices.
Since he had no way of becoming a wizard and had little money, Eli focused on strength, dexterity, and constitution, with a bit of charisma and luck thrown in. His two extra points from being a Wolffen went into dexterity. Surviving the Wildwood and finding his family was his main priority. He needed to move as fast as possible and be strong enough to take out his enemies.
0/80 Attribute Points available.
*+ 2 to Str, or Dex.
**+ 1 to con (automatic)
*Strength (STR): 20 - +
*Dexterity (DEX): 22 - +
*Constitution (CON): 21 - +
Intelligence (INT): 0 - +
Spirit (SPI): 0 - +
Charisma (CHA): 10 - +
Luck (LCK): 10 - +
Before confirming his changes, Eli asked the Guide one last question, “Does this look right?”
Mocking laughter followed before the guide replied, “You know the average child has at least five of each attribute, right? The average adult has ten. Did you even listen to the part where I said that an intelligence score of zero would nearly halt skill increases?” The laughing faded slowly, before yet another snide remark, “Power gamers. Should just let him be an idiot.”
Slightly confused, and a little embarrassed, Eli adjusted his attributes, making them more well rounded. He still emphasized strength, dexterity, and constitution, but increased his intelligence, wisdom, and spirit.
0/80 (+3) points to distribute.
*+ 2 to Str, or Dex.
**+ 1 to con (automatic)
*Strength (STR): 15 - +
*Dexterity (DEX): 16 - +
**Constitution (CON): 13 - +
Intelligence (INT): 9 - +
Spirit (SPI): 9 - +
Charisma (CHA): 10 - +
Luck (LCK): 11 - +
Eli accepted the attributes with approval from the guide. After confirming his selection, his body shifted slightly, his muscles growing more firm, and
bursting with energy. The feeling was unlike anything he had experienced before. It was as if he had received immediate results of years of physical training. Standing in silence and wonder, Eli took a moment to appreciate the power that he felt coursing through his veins before moving on to the next screen. The image of his body and attributes had disappeared, being replaced by a list of skills and classes. Sitting at the top of the newly formed box was glowing golden text.
Select starting skills or class:
What he found nearly caused him to panic under the enormity of his options. There were hundreds, possibly thousands, of skills and an available list of nearly fifty classes. Unfortunately, many of his selections had to do with craftings, such as blacksmithing, carpentry, or mercantilism. None of them interested Eli. His father was a baker, and following in his footsteps did not appeal to him. While he understood the necessity and profitability of learning a trade, it was not how he wanted to live his new life. What he was interested in was the several combat classes and one that seemed like it led down a more arcane path. Having the guide separate his options into what he considered his top seven, he looked them over.
Classes: (Sorted)
Arcaneologist
Archer
Brawler
Fighter
Mercenary
Rogue
Warrior
After looking through each of the classes, he found that each one severely limited his skill selection and gave him fewer points to work with. Sadly, the Arcaneologist seemed more like a scholar of arcane items, rather than a spell wielding super mage. What surprised him was the fact that each class came with at least one ability. Some would damage or injure opponents, such as the Rogue’s sneak attack or the Warrior’s shield bash. Others allowed him a boost in his fighting power, like the Archers Focus, or the Arcaneologist’s Identify. But, by choosing a class, he would receive only half of the skill points available to him if he chose not to. Making matters worse was how limiting the decision was. Every skill followed a set path. The abilities seemed useful, even life-changing in some aspects, but none outweighed the versatility to choose his own build.
Ascension Page 6