Cost Subtotaclass="underline" 1,875
TOTAL FLAME DAME SKILL XP COST: 1,875
Summary
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Available XP: 2,677
Cost of Intended Changes: 2,600
Precision Training Discount (2%): 52
Total Adjusted Cost: 2,548
Total Projected Remaining: 129
Confirm?: Yes / No
∇
After I explained everything to Ambry and Lily, including the new skills I had unlocked for them, I started training everyone else. Slowly, I amassed additional XP of my own from training each person in turn. It was certainly a better way to spend an afternoon than chopping wood. The best part was that Lily and Ambry had brought in some very helpful people.
We had a miner class now, who I sent with Cindra to the mine so we could start extracting gold, iron, and energems. A culinarian class, whose skill allowed her to increase the output from all recipes by 10%, which would only get better as we continued to train. A logger, who could prepare wood from trees much more efficiently than I could. A cartographer, who could only make crude maps when she got here, but who now could craft magical maps that updated areas she had surveyed automatically. A deviser capable of making complex machinery.
There was no healer though. I thought back to Lana, and hoped she was alright. I wished Ambry and Lily had found her when they rounded people up. The thought of her suffering at Duul’s hands after she had just purified her blood was heartbreaking.
“What do we do with them all?” Vix asked after the last person walked away to start on their day’s project.
“How quickly can you build homes on the hill?” I asked. “We’ll need a wall to surround not just the path between the slopes, but the entire base of the hill that Nola’s temple is under. We’ll need homes, and a forge for our new metalworker, and a meeting hall for events, and—”
“Homes?” she asked. “Residential buildings are so boring, that’s what I was trying to get away from.”
“As boring as sharing our limited number of beds with our growing number of settlers?” I asked.
“Fine,” she said, “but I’m not building all of that alone. I’ll need some helpers.”
“Of course,” I said. “Take whoever you need. I didn’t realize other people could help you build.”
“Anyone can build something,” she said. “My class allows me to build with extraordinary speed and precision. It takes me 12 hours to build a tower. It would take someone else weeks. However, I can oversee some of the projects and lend a hand to speed them up.”
“Vix,” I said, “you’ve just been promoted to head architect. But when you have a crazy idea of what to build next, check in with me first, would you?”
The wheels were already turning in her eyes. “A whole team at my disposal. First the wall. But not just any wall…” She continued to mutter to herself as she walked away.
“Lily, Ambry,” I said. The women stood to the side, waiting for direction from me.
“After fighting cretins lately, I have these.” I dug the energems out of my pocket. They were small, but four of them were completely black now. “Something like this powered the electric tower in Valleyvale. Do you know how that worked?”
“Yes,” Ambry said. I had to look to Lily for more exposition.
“Our mother made that tower,” Lily said. “Before she disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” I asked.
“She was a lightning mage,” Lily explained. “Our father begged her to be more careful, but that branch of magic comes with recklessness.”
“Yours too,” Ambry said.
Lily rolled her eyes. “I’m not as calculating as my sister, so shoot me. Anyway, some people thought our father did something to get rid of her, afraid that her unpredictability would hurt his bid for Mayor. Others thought she just fried herself into a pile of ash one day when no one was looking.
“It took her ages to fill that large energem. I saw what happened when the cretins died. The way they filled up your energems was phenomenal. They must be pure energy, even though they’re evil.
“Normally, filling an energem is painstaking work. Our mother poured all of her action points into that stone for years before it was full. Then she set it up to protect the city from intruders.
“Anyone can set one up, but once the gem is assigned it’s permanent. That’s why most people wait until their skills are strong before they imbue an energem.”
“We don’t have time,” I said, “but we do have an energem mine, and an endless supply of cretins on the way. I’ll give some thought to who has the right spells for our needs. Thanks for your help.”
“No problem,” Ambry said.
“So where do you want us then?” Lily asked.
“When the cretins come,” I said, “I want you on the towers. Your father had you wait inside until the cretins destroyed the front door, and I think that was a waste. You should contain the enemy as soon as they’re in range of our defensive towers. For now though, see if you can give Vix a hand. She’s planning out the city, and I think the Mayor’s daughters are in the best position to advise.”
“Will do,” Ambry said. She didn’t smile once the whole time she was here. I wasn’t sure if she was unhappy, or if the lack of a scowl on her face should make me relieved. I walked away from the girls and into the temple.
Nola, I thought, how close are you to evolving?
I thought it would take months, she said, but my progress is coming along. I should be ready in a few weeks.
Do we have a few weeks?, I asked.
I wish I knew, she said. I’ve blocked my psychic connection to the gods, so I don’t know where Duul is or what he’s up to. I can’t take the risk.
Then we’ll do the best we can, I said.
I walked into the forest after that for some quiet time. I heard trees falling in the distance from our new logger, but I wandered to a spot where I could be alone. It was time to upgrade my own skills, and I was happy to find a new weapon skill that had opened up. I unlocked it, hoping my HP wouldn’t fall low enough to warrant using it.
Δ
Skillmeister View of:
Arden Hochbright
Base Attribute / XP to Next / Intended Change / Total XP Cost
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5 Constitution / 125 XP to Next / 5 –> 7 / Total XP Cost: 275
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5 Vivacity / 125 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0
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8 Strength + 6 Bonus / 200 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0
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6 Hardiness + 4 Bonus / 150 XP to Next / 6 –> 8 / Total XP Cost: 325
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5 Focus / 125 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0
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5 Resolve + 3 Bonus / 125 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0
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TOTAL BASE ATTRIBUTE XP COST: 600
Stats Affected by Change
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[Constitution] Health Points (HP): 500/500 –> 700/700
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[Vivacity] Action Points (AP): 100/100
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[Strength] Phys. Damage Inflict Range: 140-171
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[Hardiness] Phys. Damage Block Range: 54-76 –> 65-91
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[Focus] Mag. Damage Inflict Range: 50-61
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[Resolve] Mag. Damage Block Range: 43-61
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Skills For Weapon Class: Polearm
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Piercing Blow 1.
Damage multiplier of 2.0.
[20 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 5].
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Improve to Piercing Blow 2 for damage multiplier of 2.2. [20 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 7] [250 XP to improve].
…
Intended Change: 1 –> 2