Want to support CHYOA?
Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)

Chapter 30 by fyreant fyreant

What's next?

ENCOUNTER shopkeeper, roll 2d6+BRAVERY; 7-9: Cast a spell on them like CHARM or COMMAND. (This is another roll).

⚄⚀ + 2 = 8. On a 7-9, CAST A SPELL on them to prevail in the encounter (a separate roll).

Not liking this man's tone or intentions at all, you feel your hackles rise and casually draw your wand, keeping it between two fingers in a fancy grip. He's a bit taken aback by that, and his eyes flick down to the narrow wooden implement.

Wands were always a volatile issue when it came to witches and wizards - rarely would a magician willingly surrender his or her wand, feeling naked without it. Indeed, many were so attached to the font of their magic that they wouldn't even bathe or sleep without keeping their wand within reach! Not only that, but wands were fantastically versatile tools used for practically everything... but whatever else, they were, undeniably, a weapon. As if that weren't enough, in contrast to a crude physical weapon, a trained witch seldom had to worry about causing worse harm with a wand than she intended to. Properly performed, magic was as injurious or as gentle an implement of force as it needed to be.

The upshot of all this is that as nervous as the shopkeep was about such a gesture (his name was Mr. Roger Stainton, you saw from a flowery Boarbristle diploma hanging on the wall of his sad little shop), he couldn't just outright demand you drop it... though his hands went into his pockets meaningfully. "Hmph. Couple of bloody high-handed little princesses I have here, so I see. Well, it's time you 'ad a lesson then. You'll not be let to run amuck and do what you will out here in the real world. I'd gladly close up shop early and miss a few sales to make sure your House-master hears just the first things 'is precious little posies do when they're set loose in Turnbuckle is go about thievin' and threatening honest folk like they're damn ministers already." Mr. Stainton leaned forward aggressively.

You see that he's determined to be obstinate about this. Well, if he's already determined to see you as dishonest little witches, why not give him what he wants? If you can actually bend his will to yours and make him let you go, not only will it be impossible to prove, but he'd likely be too humiliated to admit what actually transpired. When it came to magic charms and commands, there was something of a tendency to 'blame the victim' among magical society. While it wasn't polite, well... it was just another form of power play really, not so very different from giving someone a handshake that was a bit too hard or looming over a smaller person.

"You have insulted Kinzie's honor enough. I COMMAND you escort her back to our chaperone Mr. Codseye and apologize for delaying her and promise that you'll give the next group of Leontes students to pass through here a discount to help make up for your ill-manners." You gesture meaningfully at him with your wand, forcibly focusing his eyes on the tip of the sharp little stick and inscribing your will onto his mind.


Franziska spends 5 XP to gain use of the Forbidden Spell Command. (In-story, she already knows it from earlier study). She has 0 XP.

CAST A SPELL: Roll 2d6+CUNNING

Comments

      More fun
      Want to support CHYOA?
      Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)