Titles: Guild Novice, Portal Defender
Class: Virtuoso
Level: 7
HP: 52/52
MP: 34/34
Strength: 11
Finesse: 11
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 13
Free Points: 0
EXP: 690/4000
Gold: 265
Resistances: AVG 6.8%
Song Slots: 5
Damage: Shortsword = 1D6
Speed: 13
Base Attack: 11
Base Defence: 15
Slashing Weapons: 15% chance to deal +3 damage
Special Attack(s):
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Harmony of Blades
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Make an additional attack with his off-hand weapon once per combat.
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Cooldown: 6 turns
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Mana Cost: 10
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Quick Jab
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A fast strike with a chance to deal extra 6 damage.
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20% chance to reduce the target's movement speed by 50% for 1 turn.
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Mana: 5
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Cooldown: 2 minute
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Riposte
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When you successfully block an attack, you can counterattack immediately for half damage.
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Rhythmic Strike
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Can attack with both weapons in a rhythmic pattern, granting a +2 to hit on the second strike if the first one lands.
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Special Defence(s):
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Nimble Footwork
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5% chance to gain an extra action after successfully dodging.
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Dissonant Defence
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When dual wielding gains a +1 to AC
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Sidestep
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Increase dodge chance by 10% for two turns.
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Cooldown: 1 minute
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Mana: 4
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Elemental Resistances
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Fire/Heat: 8%
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Ice/Cold: 8%
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Lightning/Electricity: 5%
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Water: 8%
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Earth/Acid: 6%
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Air/Sonic: 5.5%
Physical Resistances
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Slashing: 6%
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Piercing: 6%
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Bludgeoning: 6%
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Crushing: 6%
Magical Resistances
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Arcane (includes illusions and enchantments): 7.75%
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Divine (includes holy and unholy): 7.25%
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Mental (psychic, mind control, and fear effects): 7.75%
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Toxin (poison and disease): 6%
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Debilitation (paralysis, sleep, and stun): 8%
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Curse: 7.25%
Inventory
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Guild Badge (Equipped)
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Shortsword (Equipped)
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Resonant Mana Pendant (Equipped)
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Basic Clothing (Equipped)
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Leather Armour (Equipped)
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Wanderer's Bottomless Satchel
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Basic Clothing x 2 spare
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Small Healing Potions x 2
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Guest Quarter Access Badge
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Official Watch Clearance Papers
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official certification as a garrison translator
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Heaven’s Cross Garrison Access
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Water Skin x2 (Full)
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Rations (10 days)
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sleeping roll
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flint and steel
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small cooking pot
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length of sturdy rope: 10 metres
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Whisker’s Delicate Touch
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Kira’s Journal
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Calming potion
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Wayfinder’s Compass
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Guild Novice (Complete the quest to join the Adventurer’s Guild)
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Allows the wearer to accept quests and use Guild facilities.
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+1 to Charisma when interacting with Guild members
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10% discount on Guild supplies and services.
Portal Defender (Gained from successfully defending Night's Hollow from the portal invasion)
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+2 to all defensive rolls when within 10 metres of any magical portal or gateway
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+5% mana regeneration when maintaining defensive songs
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Sense active teleportation portals within 100km
Knowledge Seeker
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Type: Side Quest
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Difficulty: Moderate
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Time Limit: None
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Quest Giver: Self-initiated
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Description: Discover and study various texts on bardic arts, from common knowledge to rare historical accounts, uncovering forgotten knowledge of the bardic traditions.
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Objectives:
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Primary Objective: Study 5 different Bard-specific books
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2 Common books (Basic Bardic Theory, Songs of Power)
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2 Uncommon books (Advanced Performance Arts, Resonant Magic)
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1 Rare book (Ancient Bardic Traditions)
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Secondary Objectives:
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Learn one instrument-based ability
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Optional Objectives:
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Find references to legendary bardic items
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Rewards:
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Experience: 350 XP
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The Coming Storm
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Status: Critical Main Quest
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Difficulty: Extreme
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Time Limit: Unknown - Must be discovered
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Quest Giver: System
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Description:The defeat of the Sundering forces at Night's Hollow has revealed a greater threat. The enemy has gained the ability to recreate the portal anywhere across Lyserion. Your unique abilities and connection to the System have marked you as the realm's only hope of preparing for and surviving their return.
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Primary Objectives:
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Discover when the next portal will open
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Research ancient texts
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Consult with astral magic experts
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Find signs and portents of the coming invasion
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Locate the future portal site
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Map magical convergence points
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Identify potential emergence locations
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Track unusual magical disturbances
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Build a fortress to defend the location
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Gather resources and materials
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Recruit skilled craftsmen and engineers
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Establish supply lines and infrastructure
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Unite 10 distinct races in defence of the realm
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Form diplomatic connections
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Prove worth as a leader
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Create alliances between historically opposed peoples
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Progress: 0/4
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Warning: Failure to complete objectives before portal opening will cause the end of Lyserion.
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Special Conditions:
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Only those chosen by the System may complete this quest
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Current eligible participants: 1
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Quest progress visible only to chosen participant
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Critical information must be discovered through active investigation
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Time limit exists but must be uncovered through research
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Rewards: Unknown
Find/Create Trap (Uncommon 4)
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Detection Range: 12 metres
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Success Rate: 75% for simple traps, 50% for moderately complex traps, 20% for complex mechanical traps
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Harmonic Analysis: Brendan can spend 1 minute analyzing a detected trap, gaining insight into its function and potential disarming methods.
Lock-picking (Uncommon 4)
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Success Rate: 75% on simple locks, 50% on moderate locks, 20% on complex locks
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Detection: 20% chance of being detected
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Tumblers' Tune: Brendan can "hear" the correct position of lock tumblers, granting a 25% chance to instantly open a simple lock.
Dual Wield (Uncommon 4)
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Off-hand Precision: -1 penalty to hit with off-hand attacks
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Rhythmic Strike: The dance of your blades flows naturally, granting +2 to hit on second strike when first connects
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Dissonant Defence: Your flowing movements grant +1 AC while dual-wielding
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Harmony of Blades: Your weapons sing together in perfect unity, granting an additional off-hand attack
Tracking (Uncommon 4)
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Range Detection: Can spot fresh tracks within 40 metres, older tracks within 20 metres
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Movement Reading: Determines if creatures are walking, running, or resting based on track patterns
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Emotional Insight: Detects basic creature moods through track analysis (anger, fear, calm)
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Special Sense: Tracks remain visible for 12 hours, granting enhanced tracking of older trails
Identify (Rare 8)
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Items
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Basic Recognition: Shows name, weight, and material
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Quality Analysis: Reveals quality and detailed condition
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Effect Understanding: Shows all item effects and properties
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Usage Tracking: Shows number of charges if limited
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Value Assessment: Calculates precise market value
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Characters
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Basic Recognition: Shows name, class, and level
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Vital Statistics: Shows HP, MP, and all attribute values
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Combat Statistics: Shows attack, defence, speed, and damage values
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Progress Tracking: Shows experience, gold, and free points
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Combat Abilities: Reveals special attacks and defensive abilities
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Resistance Overview: Shows average resistance value
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Monsters
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Basic Recognition: Shows name, classification, and species
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Quality Assessment: Shows monster rarity/quality level
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Vital Statistics: Shows HP, MP, stamina, and all attribute values
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Combat Information: Shows level, class, and EXP value
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Physical Properties: Shows weight and material composition
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Basic Description: Shows a brief description with characteristics
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Cartography (Uncommon 4)
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Mapping Range: Creates area maps extending to 50 metres
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Basic Navigation: Shows paths and roads connecting major locations
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Point Recording: Marks discovered inns, shops, and significant locations you've visited
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Terrain Insight: Displays basic elevation and terrain types (forest, desert, hills) without intricate detail
Chaos Throwing (Common 2)
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Accuracy: -1 to hit with thrown weapons (though accuracy was never really the goal)
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What Goes Around: Your throws defy physics, logic, and sometimes gravity itself - even you can't predict where they'll land
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Ricochet Roulette: Objects you throw bounce off surfaces in ways that make mathematicians cry
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Chaos Factor: +2 to unpredictability rolls, because sometimes even chaos needs a boost
Shortsword (Uncommon 4)
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Martial Prowess: +8 to attack rolls, my blade singing through the air with practiced precision
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Defensive Arts: +4 to defence when parrying or blocking, my shortsword moving like a shield of steel
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
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Quick Jab: A lightning-fast strike with a chance for +3 damage and 20% chance to slow enemy movement
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Riposte: When I successfully block an attack, my blade answers with its own song, striking back for half damage
Dodge (Uncommon 4)
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Evasive Dance: +8% chance to slip away from physical attacks, each movement flowing like water around stone
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Battle Rhythm: +4 to initiative rolls, my feet finding their tempo before the fight even begins
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Sidestep: For two sweet turns, I ride the wind with a +10% dodge chance, making enemy strikes whisper past like missed notes
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Nimble Footwork: When I weave through danger just right (5% chance), the melody carries me into an extra action, turning defence into opportunity
Mountain Embrace
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Musical Instrument: Voice only
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Target Type: Group
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Effect: Creates magical handholds and secure footing for group climbing
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Must maintain concentration while singing
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Maximum climbing angle: 65 degree
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Surface requirement: Must be rough natural stone
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Casting time: 1 turn
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Range: 5 metres (vertical)
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Cost: 1 mana per turn
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Duration: As long as the song is being performed
Mana's Dissolution
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Musical Instrument: String
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Target Type: Single target
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Effect: Drains and disperses mana from actively maintained magical effects, creatures, or objects that require constant mana upkeep.
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Drain rate: 5 mana/turn from target
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Casting time: 2 turns
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Range: 5 metres
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Cost: 3 mana/turn, 30 mana/minute
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Duration: As long as the song is being performed
Feast of Life
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Musical Instrument: String
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Target Type: Single location within range
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Effect: Creates nourishing food and purifies water for three people
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Casting time: 3 turn
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Range: 5 metres from the performer
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Cost: 10 mana
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Duration: Food and water created last for 24 hours before dissipating
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Requirements:
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Performer must have a pure intention to nourish and sustain life
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Must be performed near a water source (river, lake, or even a small stream)
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Cooldown: Can be performed once per day
Wellspring of Arcana
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Musical Instrument: String
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Target Type: Group
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Effect: Mana regeneration rate: 2x normal
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Mana regeneration rate: 2x normal
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Casting time: 1 turn
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Range: 10 metres
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Cost: 1 mana/turn, 10 mana/minute
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Duration: As long as the song is performed
Dreadful Dirge
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Musical Instrument: Percussion
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Target Type: Area of Effect (AOE)
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Effect: Causes creatures to run in fear
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Affects: 1D4 + 2 enemies
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Casting time: 1 turn
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Range: 10 metres radius
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Cost: 10 mana per use
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Duration: Fear effect lasts for 30 seconds after the song ends
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Cooldown: 10 minutes
Whisper of the Unseen
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Musical Instrument: Wind
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Target Type: Group
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Effect: Renders the target invisible to the naked eye of living creatures. The invisibility effect is broken if the target attacks or casts a spell.
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Casting time: 2 turn
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Range: 5 metres
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Cost: 2 mana/turn, 20 mana/minute
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Duration: As long as the song is being performed
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Requirements: Must be performed in a whisper or very soft voice
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Limitation: Can not recast if seen by enemies
Serpent's Lullaby
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Musical Instrument: wind chime
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Target Type: Single Target
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Effect: Removes one poison counter from a single ally.
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Casting time: 2 turn
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Range: 5 metres
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Cost: 5 mana per cast
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Duration: Poison removal is immediate when poison counter reaches 0
Dash of the Daring
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Musical Instrument: Percussion
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Target Type: Group
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Effect: Allows the runners to run at quick speeds as long as it is being sung.
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Speed +10, Finesse +50% (Base)
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Casting time: 1 turn
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Range: 10 metres
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Cost: 1 mana/turn, 10 mana/minute
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Duration: As long as the song is being performed
Rise of the Iron Will
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Musical Instrument: Brass
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Target Type: Group
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Effect: Boosts the strength and attack of allies, granting temporary enhanced
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Attack +10, Strength +50%(Base)
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Casting time: 1 turn
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Range: 10 metres
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Cost: 1 mana/turn, 10 mana/minute
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Duration: As long as the song is being performed
Babel’s Harmony
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Name:Musical Instrument: String
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Target Type: Self
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Effect: Permanently learns languages and temporarily deciphers unknown writings
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Permanent effect: Can learn up to 10 new languages
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Temporary effect: Can decipher basic unknown writings for 1 hour
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Casting time: 2 turn
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Range: 20 metres (for deciphering unknown writings)
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Cost: 10 mana per cast
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Requirements:
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Must be performed in an area where at least one unknown language is present (written or spoken)
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Singer must have encountered at least one unfamiliar language or script recently
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Cooldown:
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No cooldown for learning languages
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24 hours if used for deciphering
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Languages (10 max)
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Common
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Merhcant’s Cant
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Old Imperial
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Coastal Tongue
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Mountain Speech
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Forest Whispers
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Desert Flow
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River Talk
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Eastern Script
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Goblin
The Verses Already Sung
Virtuoso Book 1
On a night when flames painted the sky crimson, Brendan's world ended. The family farm, once a sanctuary of peaceful harvests and evening songs, became a battlefield of desperate choices and final goodbyes. His father's last words still echoed in his memories, drowned only by his sister's piercing scream as the attackers found their hiding place. With nothing but his father's guitar and a hastily packed bag, Brendan fled into the darkness, the crackling inferno of his childhood home lighting his path into an uncertain future.
The world he traversed in those first days bore little resemblance to the one he'd known. When rumours of mysterious "gateways" crackled through an emergency broadcast, it offered a glimmer of hope in the encroaching darkness. Yet even these portals, these promised escape routes, revealed humanity's capacity for cruelty. From a concealed vantage point, Brendan watched a hardened gang transform a gateway into a tool for exploitation, extracting brutal prices from desperate refugees.
His own escape came at a desperate sprint through gunfire, his father's guitar serving one final purpose as a weapon against his pursuers before he leaped through a destabilizing portal. The void beyond defied physical reality - a space of infinite possibility where an ethereal voice offered him choices that would define his new existence.
In that moment, Brendan made a decision that would shape his entire journey: rejecting traditional combat classes. He embraced his musical nature, becoming a Bard. The System, recognizing something unique in his choice, evolved his class into the unique Virtuoso, granting him the ability to create his own magic through songs. His first creation, "Dash of the Daring," flowed around him, imbuing those who heard it with enhanced speed and grace.
Lyserion greeted its new arrival with tooth and claw. Brendan's first battle against a wolf tested not only his newfound abilities, but the very core of his resolve to survive. Only the enhanced speed granted by "Dash of the Daring" kept him one step ahead of snapping jaws, buying precious seconds to turn the tide. The brief but brutal encounter left him shaken but alive, clutching his first spoils of combat - a wolf pelt and teeth that would serve as permanent reminders of his transformation from musician to survivor.
In the days that followed, he honed his skills hunting Blue Hares, each small victory building toward his first level up and the creation of "Rise of the Iron Will," a song born from necessity and growing confidence.
The town of Riverhaven emerged from the horizon like a promise of civilization, though language barriers initially threatened to isolate Brendan once again. It was here that his unique abilities truly began to shine. With the creation of "Babel's Harmony," he opened channels of communication, sacrificing "Rise of the Iron Will" in a strategic choice that demonstrated his growing mastery over his magical repertoire.
The Adventurers' Guild became his first true anchor in this strange world, where Goran's guidance and a series of delivery quests helped establish his reputation. His efficient use of "Dash of the Daring" earned him not just material rewards but crucial skills in item identification and cartography.
In Riverhaven, Brendan found more than just sanctuary - he discovered the true potential of his abilities through newfound companions. Liam the ranger, with his keen eyes and wisdom; Kira, the warrior, whose blade danced with deadly grace; and Caius, the mage, whose arcane knowledge complemented Brendan's musical magic. Together, they formed a party that would test the limits of his growing powers. Their first real challenge came at a kobold den, where Brendan's songs transformed their group from individual fighters into a synchronized force of nature. "Rise of the Iron Will" amplified their strength, while "Dash of the Daring" granted them tactical advantages that made the seasoned adventurers take notice.
The rhythm of their adventures built like a crescendo, each success adding new notes to Brendan's repertoire of abilities. His songs developed from simple enhancement magic to complex battlefield symphonies. "Wellspring of Arcana" emerged from the group's need for sustained magical power, while "Whisper of the Unseen" wrapped them in shadows when stealth proved vital. Yet amid their rising fame and growing confidence, darkness lurked at the edges of their story, waiting to strike a discordant note that would shatter their harmony forever.
That fatal mission began like many others - a simple task to clear out a Ratmen warren. The tunnel's dank air carried the musty scent of their quarry, while torch shadows danced across ancient stone walls. None of them could have predicted how quickly victory would turn to tragedy. The Ratmen's numbers proved overwhelming, emerging from hidden tunnels like a tide of fur and steel. Kira, brave and fierce to the last, made the ultimate sacrifice, holding a narrow passage alone so others might escape. Her final battle cry still haunts Brendan's dreams, mixing with the sound of clashing steel and the terrible silence that followed.
The group splintered in the aftermath of Kira's loss. Caius's accusations of cowardice cut deeper than any blade, while Liam's silence spoke volumes in its silence. Brendan left Riverhaven behind, his songs carrying a new undertone of melancholy as he sought redemption with a merchant caravan led by the pragmatic Master Dalen. The caravan offered not just escape but a chance to rebuild himself, to learn from his failures and grow stronger.
Under the vast sky of trading routes, Brendan's powers found a new purpose. The caravan's diverse members - from gruff Old Tom to the diligent twins Pak and Lin - became both family and testing ground for his growing abilities. His songs turned routine journeys into swift passages and transformed the caravan's guards into extraordinary defenders. When raiders struck, Brendan's magic proved decisive, his melodies weaving protection and power into every sword swing and arrow flight.
Yet fate had larger plans than simple merchant protection. Through the caravan's travels, Brendan uncovered threads of a darker plot - the machinations of the Black Scale Brigade. Their discovery led him to Haven's Cross, where his unique combination of musical magic and growing combat prowess made him invaluable in decoding the Brigade's secret communications. Under the tutelage of Master Jay, a spymaster disguised as a simple cook, and Armsmaster Koren, Brendan's training intensified. Each day brought new challenges: elaborate obstacle courses, lock-picking trials that bordered on torture, and combat training that pushed him to his absolute limits.
The Battle of Night's Hollow marked a turning point not just in Brendan's journey, but in the fate of Lyserion itself. What began as an investigation into the Black Scale Brigade's activities erupted into a desperate struggle against forces from beyond their world. The ancient portal chamber, carved deep within the mountain and humming with ley line energy, became the focal point of a conflict that would test every skill, every song, and every lesson Brendan had learned since arriving in this realm.
General Reed's forces secured the fortress with military precision, but the true battle began when the portal sparked to life. Through its shimmering surface, they glimpsed an alien world of crystalline horrors and ancient hatred. The Windreaver Behemoth, a creature of such terrifying power that the System marked it beyond level 50, nearly ended their scouting mission before it began. Only Brendan's "Dash of the Daring" allowed them to escape its grasp, though even then, the margin between survival and death was measured in heartbeats.
As waves of otherworldly invaders poured through the portal, Brendan discovered depths to his abilities he never knew existed. The creation of "Mana's Dissolution," a song that could drain the very life-force from magical constructs, proved crucial in their defence. For five gruelling hours, he maintained the song from a hidden alcove, his voice growing hoarse as he systematically weakened the portal's integrity. The borrowed magical artifacts that sustained his performance nearly burned out from the strain, their enchanted surfaces growing hot against his skin as they channeled power into his desperate performance.
The defending forces fought with everything they had - arrows darkening the sky, spells illuminating the chamber in a cascade of deadly energy, while warriors met the twisted forms of alien soldiers in desperate close combat. Each wave brought new horrors: crystalline beings that shattered into deadly shards, four-armed archers whose arrows seemed to bend around shields, and massive siege engines that threatened to break their defensive lines. Yet the portal's peculiar properties proved both curse and blessing, its momentum-nullifying effects turning the invaders' own mass against them in a chaos of colliding forces.
Victory came at a heavy price, marked not just in lives lost but in the chilling revelation delivered by Aldrich: while Lyserion needed a century to recreate such a portal, their enemies would likely possess the knowledge and power to open a new gateway wherever sufficient magical energy gathered. The tactical triumph of Night's Hollow transformed into a strategic nightmare, one that would require not just strength of arms but unprecedented unity among Lyserion's diverse races to overcome.
In the aftermath, Brendan made choices that revealed how far he'd come from the frightened musician who first arrived in this world. When offered his pick of powerful artifacts from the battle's spoils, he chose modestly but wisely the Wanderer's Bottomless Satchel and Resonant Mana Pendant, tools that would support his journey rather than enhance his raw power. The gesture earned him respect from veterans who had seen too many young heroes seduced by the allure of powerful weapons.
The System itself seemed to recognize the weight of the moment, presenting Brendan with a World Quest of staggering importance: to find when and where the next portal's location would be. Build defenses that could withstand the otherworldly assault and unite ten distinct races in Lyserion's defence. The magnitude of this task would have overwhelmed the Brendan who first stumbled through a portal from Earth. But that Brendan no longer existed, transformed by loss, triumph, and the unshakeable understanding that his unique powers might be all that stands between Lyserion and annihilation.