Exhaustion had finally caught up to Cire sometime in the night. One minute he was talking with Kalani about naga abilities and comparing them to his vampiric equivalents then the next he was waking up laying on a bed of moss with a leathery blanket draped over him. By the time Kalani had returned to find him, he had explored the two adjoining rooms and found the bathroom to freshen up.

Cire’s trusting, and sometimes oblivious, nature revealed itself when Kalani swam him back to the lake cavern and they sat down for breakfast at the long stone table. He was seated next to Kalani at the head of it, the rest of the forty person table held either fangless ones or naga with violet coloration. It wasn’t just sushi for breakfast that had him feeling uneasy. They all seemed to be looking at him differently, but he hadn’t immediately placed it.

Up until this morning they had been oddly deferential, but he had dismissed it due to Kalani’s rather dramatic introduction and his title. Today the air had an electric charge to it. The naga queen coiled around Cire, in the same manner when she had taken him as her mate. Instead of her fangs resting at his throat however she had exposed her throat to him. That’s when he knew what had changed, they all knew he was a vampire.

I have made a terrible mistake, maybe? I don’t know. It feels so freeing now that they all know. I don’t have to worry about slipping up with them, but it’s bound to get out right? Maybe I should stop trying to hide it altogether, it’s getting hard to keep straight who knows what.

Kalani was bold. In the short time Cire had known her she had taken quick, decisive action on several occasions. He hadn’t thought to tell her not to inform others about his darker nature. The panicked series of thoughts that tumbled through his mind finished with a simple realization. Right now, none of his future concerns mattered. He took a page out of his new wife’s book.

Tilting his head to expose a view of his open mouth, Cire let his canines grow as if he was using his Bite ability. He then mimicked Kalani’s action from the day before. The tips of his fangs pressed lightly to her skin.

A yearning to sink his teeth into her pulsing neck was present, but fleeting. Growling he chased it away. When he leaned back and took in their audience he could finally place the true difference in how they looked at him. Yesterday he had been seen as an authority, today he was viewed as a beast of prey with that authority.

The rest of the day had been relatively uneventful in comparison. He was approached by small groups of women and introduced to them until he had met most of the tribe. Two thirds of the lake’s inhabitants turned out to be female, so by the time he was done visiting with them he was struggling to keep up and had long stopped remembering names.

Lastly, he met all of the males as a group. They weren’t skittish, but the men didn’t exude the same intimidating presence as the women. Overall, they were less physically robust than the females. Standing half a foot to a foot shorter and with smaller musculature.

Cire learned that the men largely filled the menial labor niche for the tribe. Practicing a complex form of aquaculture, aided by their affinity for water, they maximized the lakes output of sustenance. Judging by the plant stains on their hands and sparse clothing they performed many of the gathering based tasks as well. It was an odd experience for both parties, neither Cire nor the naga knowing how to interact with each other.

In the afternoon Aanya returned Cire’s armor, sparkling clean and smelling of lotus flowers. He spent another quiet moment with Kalani in the grotto. She strung a simple necklace with a carved bone medallion around his neck. He parted for the surface with a promise to return within the week.

While hiking back to his cabin he took the opportunity to go through the backlog of notifications that had built up during his adventure in the ruins. He dismissed countless small reputation gains with the various naga. When he got to the larger, more important relationships, he spent a bit more time reviewing them.

You have gained +2,832 Relationship Points with Kalani Eventide. Your relationship with Kalani Eventide has improved from Suspicious to Friendly.

You have gained +523 Relationship Points with Selene Eventide. Your relationship with Selene Eventide has improved, still Fondness.

You have gained +721 Relationship Points with Durg Eventide. Your relationship with Durg Eventide has improved, still Fondness.

You have gained +719 Relationship Points with Nicolas. Your relationship with Nicolas has improved, still Friendly.

You have gained +944 Relationship Points with Andreas. Your relationship with Andreas has improved, still Friendly.

You have gained +1006 Relationship Points with Maerria. Your relationship with Maerria has improved, still Friendly.

You have gained +634 Relationship Points with Stout. Your relationship with Stout has improved from Dislike to Suspicious.

Next he looked over the naga quest update. Kalani had told him that she now had a quest to increase her settlement to the next level by adding eighty six people to reach a population of two hundred and fifty. Cire was curious to see if he had a similar version of the quest, a territorial equivalent, or no new quest at all.

Net the Naga Quest Complete: Your territory has gained 164 subjects. You have earned a new effect for your trait – Scion of the Chimera’s Mane. Various goods from the Camp of Mistfall Lake are available for trade. You have earned 3,000 experience points. You have gained a bonus for completing successful negotiations beyond the quest requirements.

No new quest, but the rewards had been substantial so he wasn’t put out. If he recalled correctly, the quest rewards should have included a settlement bonus and hadn’t had experience. He hadn’t expected to gain a level until he finished clearing out the fungus infestation, but the quest put him over the line. Cire wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the teeth, but he was curious if Mistfall Lake had received a bonus of some kind once the pact had been made. He needed to ask Kalani the next time he saw her.

Finally he addressed leveling, reviewed his vampiric abilities, and gave his status sheet a good once over. His skill set was truly starting to reveal itself and he was back to banking points. Waiting on his ability point expenditure until he needed to use them felt right, so he left the points untouched. If things were desperate he could rank up Regeneration, if not he would probably push bite to the fifth level. Shapechanger and Blood Rage were not nearly as appealing prospects for advancement until he had an idea of how they would evolve. If the rage became anymore uncontrollable it would hardly be a useful tool and it was hard to use as is.

Cire finally had more options than hack and slash to overcome obstacles, it made him eager to have his skills tested again. He bet Maisy and Stout could help out and check for a lot of skills that Eugene and Stacy hadn’t. It was about time he asked, now that he knew who he was really dealing with.

Level 13 Acquired!

Earned per level

Points

Health & Mana Points

You earn 5 – 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (3)

You earn 5 – 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3)

11

13

Skill Points

You currently earn one skill point per level.

3

Ability Points

You currently earn one ability point per level.

4

Racial Bonus

You earn an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice.

3

Ability

Current Lvl

Points until next Lvl

Shapechanger: Can change into a small black bat once per rest for a duration of 2 hours. Bats are considered a tiny creature. You will have reduced stats in many areas, but increased stats in others.

1

1

Bite: You can savagely pierce your enemies' flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health and experience. HP drain is currently 250 per minute and experience drain is 7% if the target is killed by the action. This ability renders you helpless. This ability is synergistic with Regeneration and will boost it by 1 ability level.

4

4

Regeneration: You can heal from small wounds with ease and heal faster than most sapients. At your current level you regain 3 HP per minute.

3

3

Blood Rage: Significantly increases your physical stats while decreasing your mental ones. +50% to Strength and Constitution, +25% to Dexterity. -50% to Intelligence, Spirit, and Charisma for the duration of the rage. If your mental resistance is overcome by the ability, you will attack targets at random. At your current level, the duration of this ability is 5 minutes. Duration is refreshed if Bite is performed while enraged.

1

1

Biographical Information:

Name: Ciresil Eventide

Level: 13

Experience: 91,880

Lineage: Sun Elf – Vampire

Profession: Unavailable – Requirements not met

Disposition: Reliably Flexible (+1 to Chaotic, +1 to Good, +1 to Orderly)

Languages: Divine Elvish, Ancient Elvish, Elvish, Common

Stats:

Health: 157/157

Mana: 145/145

Armor: 6

Dodge: 9%

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 19

Constitution: 13

Intelligence: 13

Spirit: 9

Charisma: 19

Luck: 9

Resistances:

50% Enchantment

20% Weather

5% Mental

5% Physical

-50% Holy Magic

Aspects:

Indefatigable

Trustworthy

Favored Enemy:

Gnolls

Skills:

Wilderness Survival 3, Natural

Martial Combat 23, Natural

Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 23, Natural

Swordsmanship 17, Natural

Sub-skill: Large Blades 17, Natural

Scavenging 7, Natural

Adventurer 6, Natural

Meditation 3, Significant

Armor 10, Average

Sub-skill: Light Armor 10, Average

Lore 4, General

Sub-skill: Arcana 1, Significant

Sub-skill: Mountains and Hills 1, Average

Communication 4, General

Sub-skill: Persuasion 2, Natural

Sub-skill: Oratory 1, Significant

Sub-skill: Diplomacy 1, Significant

Climbing 1, Average

Sub-skill: Rappelling 1, Average

Abilities:

Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration (3), Blood Rage

Traits:

Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, heat vision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.

Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.

Elven Heritage: 50% Enchantment resistance. Low-light vision & acute senses, Perception +1.

Honorbound: While within the Hamlet of Sunset you receive a 5% bonus to all actions.

Scion of the Chimera’s Mane: As ruler of the territories’ noble house you receive a 10% bonus to all actions within the area. You may summon a territorial keep once per month. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.

Inventory:

Basic Set of Clothing (Body)

Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (Equipped)

Yeti Hide Breastplate (Chest)

Yeti Hide Trousers (Legs)

Yeti Hide Sleeves (Arms)

Yeti Hide Gloves (Hands)

Yeti Hide Boots (Feet)

Yeti Hide Balaclava (Head)

Scrimshaw Necklace of the Naga (Neck)

Simple Frontier Backpack (Back):

Red Cap Fungus Beast Pieces

Blue Roundhead Fungus Beast Pieces

Small Pouch of Coins (Pocket):

1 Star Ruby, 2 gold, 33 silver, 14 copper

Interrupting his perusal of his personal information he heard his name being called out. He dismissed the opaque screens and looked up to see Durg sitting on the steps of his cabin. He was busy taking a brush to his armor, but set the metal breastplate aside and stood when he saw Cire.

“I be glad to see ya made it back in one piece boyo.”

“Me too. Do you know where the others are? I want to go settle things up with Maisy.”

“Probably at the tavern drinkin’, which is where I should be. If I didn’t have to hang out all of the mushrooms to dry I wouldn’t be here. Got bored of it though and my armor had a powerful stink about it. Doesn’t be botherin’ me too bad, but I be thinkin’ ya tender elven folk would appreciate me given it a scrub,” Durg joked.

Cire slapped him on the shoulder and chuckled. Dropping his full pack at Durg’s feet he opened the top flap to reveal more fungal prizes. At least Durg got some loot out of this he thought.

“Ohh, I’m familiar with your over bearing stench and I do appreciate you giving it a wash. I will appreciate it more if you left the armor outside. How about you finish up while I go grab some things from the cabin and we can head into town together?”

“I’m ready to go now if you want. Those will keep til the morrow.”

“Not in my pack they won’t. Besides, I need to get those unidentified items from inside. Figured we might as well ask Maisy and Stout to take a look at them now. I’m willing to bet that both have decent knowledge of magical objects. There’s a good chance they can figure out what they are.”

Durg waved a hand at him as he began rummaging through Cire’s backpack and sorting the fungus. Once in the cabin, Cire dropped most of his remaining gear and armor in the corner. Grabbing a simple satchel and stuffing it with the two rings, the odd spinning top, and the circlet took little time. He debated on what to do with the journal and the mysterious book, ultimately he packed them as well. Both of the two books were delicate compared to the other items, so he wrapped them in a spare tunic to provide cushioning.

By the time he got outside, Durg had haphazardly laid out his prizes along the split rail fence surrounding the farm. Swaying in the slight breeze his pack had been hung up to air out as well. The dwarf and elf trotted off down the worn dirt path towards the hamlet to seek out answers, and ale, lots of ale.

Spartan and clean, Selene’s cabin was not the same welcoming abode as the residence left to Cire by Eugene and Stacy. To the far from home elf, it felt worlds apart. However, there was an appeal to the warmth cast by the hearth and held by the precise construction. She scattered the remaining coals so the fire would burn down quick. It may be spring, but this high in the mountains she had still needed to chase off the chill lingering from morning.

Sleep had been a parting and unattainable enticement during the night. All she had wanted to do was turn off the countless questions that bombarded her mind. Selene had eventually relented and given in to the half sleep available to elves and few other species. With half her brain resting she was able to lose herself in the meditative state of route actions. Her already spotless cabin had been cleaned and organized down to the splinter.

When she pulled herself out of the dreamlike trance she was halfway through stuffing her traveling pack. The desire to return home for answers driving her actions. Why had she been sent to the valley? Surely it had been to find some of what she had stumbled across. The question of the naga’s ancestry, the ancient ruins, even the territorial stone all lead to one conclusion. This valley was where her own people once lived, before they had taken to the Shadowed Forest.

Mother didn’t tell me anything about this, did she want me to find it for myself? Why would they have hidden this? Maybe they don’t even know. I could be the first one to put it all together. All they told me to do was move here to start negotiations with Maerria. They wanted me to help her build and protect Sunset because it was a nearby, had regular caravans to Gearspoke, and because she had connections with important people.

She didn’t believe the words she was telling herself. Anger sat, curdling inside her at the idea of being left out in the cold. At first, she had viewed the assignment as her first chance to leave the forest and see the wider world. After the first few years she had come to resent being stuck in such an uneventful joke of a settlement.

The visit’s home gave her glimpses of what her life could have been if she had stayed though. At first it had felt like she was missing out on the festivals, training, and community. Over time she learned that politics and intrigue were rife within the sturdy bows and tall trunks of the Tempest Treetops, she wanted no part of it. Returning to the valley’s simple life of tending to her farm and keeping the monsters at bay became a little sweeter every time. Until one day the process reversed and she had dreaded the prospect of returning home more than welcoming it.

Frustrated and upset without a viable outlet, Selene threw her pack across the room into the wall and screamed. Clothing scattered wildly across the floor and table. Slamming her door as she stomped out of the cabin she made her way to the tavern. If Cire hadn’t come back yet she would have plenty of reason to go kill something, if not she could numb her mind in other ways.