Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. – 35%
Block – You may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 20%
Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost - 20 Endurance and 20 Aura. – 47%
Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 42%
Parry – Chance for your blades to block next melee attack targeted at you. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 43%
Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost – 20 Aura. – 32%
Hilt Bash – Stun your opponent with a successful hilt strike from your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 41%
Blood Price – Your arrow inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 30 Aura. – 37%
Blind – Your next arrow has a chance to inflict blindness on a successful hit. Cost – 30 Aura. – 37%
Achilles Strike – Cripple your target with a slash of your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 41%
Penetrator – Advanced Ability – Your arrow pierces through armor easily. With increased proficiency, it may penetrate through even greater barriers. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Aura. – 20%
Disable – Advanced Ability – A successful strike of your blade to an extremity renders the affected limb completely useless until healed. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Endurance. – 41%
Shockwave – Advanced Ability – Your arrow explodes on contact, dealing minimal damage but generating a stunning shockwave in a radius around its detonation. Size and scope of this effect increase with proficiency. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 120 Aura. – 42%
Combine Abilities – Advanced Ability – You may channel more than one Ability into a single attack. Success depends on your proficiency with each individual Ability. Modifier – Intelligence. Cost – 150 Aura. – 20%
Defender – Advanced Ability – Use your bladed weapon(s) to successfully block all incoming attacks for a short period of time. Duration of this effect is dependent on proficiency with this Skill and the weapon(s) used. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 180 Endurance. – 1%
Cleave – Advanced Ability – Your next attack with a bladed weapon ignores your opponent’s armor. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 150 Endurance. – 1%
Siphon – Advanced Ability – On a successful hit, your arrow bleeds health from its target, transferring a portion of the damage back to you in the form of restored Health. Damage and restoration rates are dependent on proficiency. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 100 Aura. – 1%
Enlarge – Advanced Ability – Your arrow grows to massive size in flight, taking on the power of a ballista bolt. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 120 Endurance. – 1%
Sintári Abilities
Natural Affinity – The Sintári’s unique connection with the natural world may manifest itself in random ways at times. While these effects are generally beneficial, they are also typically outside the direct control of the Sintári. Modifier – Charisma.
Control – Effect varies, applies to all Sintári Abilities. – 86%
Shadow Armor – Use your shadows to form a barrier that not only absorbs incoming damage, but also lashes out at any foes within its reach. The power of this armor’s offense and defense depend on how much of your darkness you channel into it. Modifier – Shadow Magic Affinity. Cost N/A. – 36%.
Protector Abilities
See Truth – Twice per day, the spoken words of your target become visible to you, allowing you to see the truth held within them. Strength and duration of this effect increase with proficiency. Cost – 60 Aura. Modifier – Wisdom. – 49%
Spells
Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost – 20 Aura. – 54%
Create Trap – Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type, and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost – 40 Aura. – 53%
Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost – 30 Aura. – 28%
Spike – Launch Ice Spike(s), delivering bonus cold damage on a successful hit. Cost – 40 Aura. – 22%
Bolt – Release a Bolt of pure Lightning at your target(s). Cost – 40 Aura. – 29%
Find Weakness – Highlights vulnerable points on the target. Modifier – Intelligence. Cost – 80 Aura. – 22%
Summon Elemental – Summons an Elemental creature. If you succeed in binding it to your will, the creature will serve you faithfully until the spell’s expiration. Modifier – Charisma. Cost 100 Aura. – 42%
Shield – May be cast on self only. Manifests a forward-facing barrier against incoming projectile attacks. Duration and resistance of the barrier are based on proficiency and modifier value. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 80 Aura. – 24%
Entangle – Create an area of entangling vines that will hold any foes caught within its radius. Area of effect, the distance you may cast the Spell, and the power of your vines will all vary based on your Abilities and proficiency. Modifiers – Strength and Dexterity. Cost – 150 Aura. – 28%
Compel – Force a sentient creature to answer a single question. If you successfully dominate their will, the target will reply with a truthful answer to one question you ask. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 80 Aura. – 21%
Slumber – Area-of-effect sleep Spell. All enemy creatures caught within the boundaries of this magic who fail a Constitution check will fall into a deep state of unconsciousness. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 350 Aura. – 1%
Fireball – Launch an orb of raw fire energy at your foes, which will explode on contact. The force and magnitude of this blast will vary depending on your proficiency and modifiers. Modifiers – Intelligence and Wisdom. Cost – 300 Aura. – 20%
Earthquake – Cause a disturbance in the ground beneath the target area. Opponents within the area of effect must pass a Dexterity check or lose their balance. May cause structurally unsound construction to collapse. Intensity of these effects increase with proficiency. Modifiers – Strength and Constitution. Cost – 350 Aura. – 1%
Summon Creature – Summons a creature to aid you or fight by your side. The type of creature summoned depends on the environment. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 100 Aura. – 1%
Shadow Magic – Affinity 37%
Life Drain – Rip the life force from your target and add it to your own. This will either restore your own Health or add a temporary boost to it if it is already full. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 150 Aura. – 11%
Merge – Join yourself with the shadows and journey along them as far as you choose. You may only travel within an unbroken chain of shadows and only for as long as your Aura lasts. Modifier – Dexterity. Cost – 50 Aura/minute. – 28%
Skills
Bow – 69%
Critical Hit – 55%
Blades – 51%
Long Sword – 60%
Short Sword – 60%
Dagger – 60%
Critical Hit – 44%
Two-Handed – 60%
Pole Arms – 14%
Spear – 23%
Armor – 45%
Medium Armor – 50%
Perception – 59%
Environmental – 60%
Identify Enemy – 58%
Identify Person – 54%
Combat Dodge – 26%
Subterfuge – 41%
Stealth – 41%
Find Trap – 20%
Disarm Trap – 20%
Set Trap – 20%
Manipulation – 62%
Persuade – 71%
Barter – 47%
Survival – 24%
Tracking – 27%
Identify Creature (Beasts) – 19%
Skinning – 16%
Field Dress – 15%
Alchemy – 19%
Herbalism – 31%
&
nbsp; Potion Craft – 27%
Lore – 12%
Identify Magical Item – 21%
Although I’d realized it earlier, the stark reality of finally reaching level 80 really only hit me once I saw the number come up in my vision, and the first thing I noticed was that my stat distribution was… ridiculous. Had I been assigning my points evenly, all my Attributes should have been in the mid-fifties, but my Strength was at least twenty points higher than that—and forget about my insanely high Charisma. Only my Constitution was where it should be, and even though my other Attributes lagged behind a bit, they weren’t exactly low.
I shook my head a little, clearing away my astonishment before moving on to look over the rest of the new information. Having just seen it all as I went through the level-up process, nothing was too surprising, and I was considering how I would begin training my new talents when the description for the new Shadow magic Spell, Merge brought my review to a screeching halt.
There had been no explanation accompanying the Spell when my Sintári bonus granted me the magic, but as I read the summary, I became enthralled by its possibilities. It was one thing to be able to hide in the darkness, but to actually travel within the shadows? That was a talent with possibilities I definitely needed to explore. After I’d conjured up a few nasty ways I might use the Spell, I quickly looked over my proficiencies.
I’d made some minor gains on my own, but thanks to the 23 points from Saibra’s Oath, I was able to reach 60%—master level—not only in both Long and Short Sword but Two-Handed as well, with a few points left over that I’d dumped into Medium Armor. While she’d provided me with a very useful boost, Saibra’s position with the skirmishers should not have given her the opportunity to confront so many of our enemies. Clearly, Saibra hadn’t stayed where she was supposed to, very likely taking a great deal of risk to make as many kills as she had. She knew that I received a boon for each of her kills, and I was moved by her devotion, but I was very angry with her as well. The boon was useful, no doubt, but I certainly didn’t want Saibra dying in some misguided attempt to get me a few extra proficiency points. She and I were going to be having a little chat about that very shortly, but before talking to Saibra, there was one other conversation that I needed to have.
‘Are you safe, Bane?’ I called out to him.
Once the fighting was over, Bane was supposed to withdraw to a hidden cave he’d found while scouting the area. With any luck, he’d be resting there, recovering from the exertions of battle just as I was.
I am fine, Sintári, he replied after a short delay, but something in his tone seemed… off.
‘You sound strange. What’s wrong?’
Nothing. I am fine. I was just eating when you called to me, he replied far too quickly.
‘Oh,’ I let my sense of relief slip into my thoughts. ‘I thought you weren’t fond of orc flesh?’
Bane had complained to me after he’d tasted his first orc. There was something he found unappealing about them, although I admit, I had tried to ignore his explanation. It was just a little more detail than I wanted to know.
They’re not orcs, he answered almost sheepishly
‘Who… what are you eating?’
My favorite! Some elves I found among the bandits.
‘Elves are your favorite?’
Don’t tell Líann.
Yeah, no problem there.
After reassuring me again that he was alright, I left Bane to his meal and slipped out from beneath the covers. Líann had fallen fast asleep while I reviewed my messages, and I let her rest while I cast Merge for the first time.
It was late in the evening by then, and the room we were in was mostly dark, yet I felt myself pulled deeply into the shadows around me. I suddenly had the odd sensation of walking a tightrope made of the darkness that surrounded me, while being reduced to a razor-thin silhouette myself. I took a tentative first step towards the door and felt my insubstantial body melding along with the contours of the shadows. Then, when I reached for the door handle, my hand slid through the small crack in the jamb instead, folding through the tiny creases as it followed along the lines of shadow. The feeling was truly disconcerting, but the tiny icon in the side of my vision showed my Aura slowly ticking down, so I didn’t have time to dwell on the oddness of it. Instead, I slipped through the slight gap in the door and crept along down the hallway towards my destination.
Torches lit the passage sporadically, casting plenty of shadows for me to travel by. Although I experienced the sensation of contorting within the shadows, my perspective never seemed to change. Regardless of whether I walked along a wide band of darkness or the tiny seam of shadows in a crack between the stonework, I always perceived everything around me from my usual vantage point. With the clock running down on my Aura, I tried to hurry, but regardless of my effort, I was only able to advance at the pace of a steady walk. Obviously, my Aura wouldn’t be the only factor limiting how far or how long I could remain in the shadows; the slow speed of travel would also restrict my movements while I was under the effects of Merge.
I went by several of my guards as I slowly walked the hallways, but none of them were able to perceive my passing. Not even Saibra seemed to notice me as I slipped inside her chambers, a sure sign that I’d gone unnoticed.
“I’m not happy with you right now,” she startled at my words when I canceled the Spell.
In a flash, Saibra recovered from her shock and spun around to face me with a dagger in her hand. Fortunately, a look of recognition flashed in her eyes before she could impale me, but she seemed puzzled as she glanced back at the still-locked door behind me.
“Oh, I’ve found a way to come to you whenever I want,” I told her, keeping the secret of the Spell to myself.
Before the words were out of my mouth, I heard the sound of metal ringing against stone when Saibra’s dagger fell from her hand and clattered on the floor as she rushed to embrace me. I’d come to rebuke her for the risks she’d so obviously taken, completely forgetting the other half of the boon that she’d invoked—the part that strengthened the ties between us.
When Saibra wrapped her arms around me, my anger with her simply melted away. While I was still concerned over the unnecessary risks she’d taken, when I felt her warmth and the love that came with it, I simply couldn’t hold onto my ire. Instead of chastising her, I found myself slowly rocking Saibra back and forth in my arms, grateful to be alone with her after the brutal fighting.
“You shouldn’t have put yourself in so much danger,” I whispered as I held her close.
“You’re going to lecture me on taking risks?” The corners of Saibra’s mouth turned up in an amused grin.
“Yes, I am,” I replied, although I couldn’t keep from smiling at the irony as I said the words.
We sat together for a while, and Saibra told me how she’d slipped away during the battle to seek out a few easy targets for herself. I knew that Saibra’s skill with her blades was such that she could safely handle an encounter against multiple opponents, but in the chaos of the battlefield that day, even she could have easily found herself overmatched by numbers alone. But Saibra confessed that she’d felt driven to strengthen the bond between us—not consciously, but rather by some force within herself. The thought of Saibra feeling compelled to act so rashly unsettled me greatly until she finished her explanation.
“I don’t think that will happen again, Dreya,” Saibra spoke when she saw the obvious look of concern in my eyes. “You know my past—the life I led before. It’s been difficult for me to accept the things I want to feel, but this last… I don’t know what to call it—it’s taken away my reluctance. Up until now, I’ve had to push myself to be the person you’re trying to help me become, but that’s all over now. I don’t have to pretend anymore… I’m finally a real person again.”
I stared at her blankly for a moment as the full meaning of her words washed over me. I knew Saibra had been struggling with things, but I didn’t realize just how m
uch strain she’d been under. Apparently, the boon Saibra had received from invoking her Oath had provided her with the final emotional bridge she’d needed to cross the deep chasm of doubt that remained inside her. Had that been all she’d revealed to me, it still might have been overwhelming enough, but there was also a subtle context to her words that I hadn’t missed.
“Insleí?” I probed hesitantly.
“Can we keep that just between the two of us?” She glanced away momentarily when I spoke her true name.
Saibra had always been something of a fiction, a persona she’d created to symbolize her rebirth. It had likely been a necessary step in that process; I doubted that Insleí could have developed at all if she’d held on to even a fraction of her past. But she’d grown far beyond the tortured soul she’d once been, not only had her fractured core been mended, but within the shelter that Saibra had offered her, Insleí’s many other wounds had also been provided with the opportunity to heal as well. And with that healing complete, Insleí finally felt safe enough to make her return.
“For a while, perhaps, but not forever,” I replied, taking both of her hands—both of Insleí’s hands—in mine as I spoke. “But when you’re ready, I think you should reclaim your name.”
“That may take a while,” her warm blue eyes finally turned back to me when she spoke again.
“I’ve never rushed you, Insleí,” I pulled her into another hug. “And I never will.”
Surprising as it was, calling Insleí by her true name felt right. It was the name she’d been given at birth, one that had been stolen from her by the cruel actions of her father. Once she’d been healed of those lingering wounds, returning the gift of that name back to her only seemed fair. After tucking Insleí in, I kissed her forehead, letting her know that nothing had changed between us, but before I could vanish back into the shadows, she reached out and took hold of my arm.
“Don’t misinterpret what I’ve told you,” the slightest trace of steely gray flickered within the blue of Insleí’s eyes. “I was far beyond redemption when you found me. Only the fact that I was your Tári made this possible.”
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