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"mmwhat?" Marcus looked up with a big clawful, and an even bigger mouthful, of his breakfast. "I was just eating."

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<GM's note: I said carry on.> :_)

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"I'll join you!" said Gnome, appearing from out of the shadows. He was quite tall for a Gnome, standing at about 4 feet tall. His body was almost completely spherical, with his head and body merged together and his arms and legs coming out the sides. He was wearing a dark blue cloak, which covered his mouth and nose as well as everything above his feet.

"My name is Hal Ancestral. Who might you be?" he said, eying the party.

<Yeah, I'm using the same character as I used in the KoL RP. But he's mostly a different character, more old and wise and stuff.>

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Maxwell nearly jumped out of his seat: "What the heck?"
Maxwell was doubly surprised: The odd-looking blue man had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and he was... well... blue. Blue is a very strange skin could, to say the least.

<GM's Note: We've already established what the the Gnomes of this world are. Some of them trade peacefully with humans via their Gnomish Airships, some of them are unpredictably violent (the violent ones may be pawns of the Drow) and none of them are blue. Generally, they look like this:

So... Hal is either a strange sub-species of Gnome, or he's been magically altered somehow. Or he's not a gnome at all, but he thinks he is. Take your pick.>

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"Um..." said Michael looking very confused at Hal, "That was a bit random..."

"Anyways, I'm Michael Jau the Mage" said Michael changing into a polite manner.

<OOC: Yeah, Jau is Michael's Surname, Couldn't think of anything better>

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<Um...Read a little closer. He has a blue cloak.

He is not blue.

A blue cloak.



That's an overly cartoony picture of him. You can see that he is not blue.>

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<OK, so he's not blue. My mistake. But still... explain the head-merged-with-body bit. Are you just saying that he has a really short neck, or are you saying he has no neck at all?>

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<I guess he's been modified into a mockery of his former self. Whether that be through magic or something else entirely is beyond me. But probably magic.>

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<So, just to clarify, he ISN'T a Smurf.> "You seem like you're not from around here. Do you have any special powers?" said [s]Stinkoman[/s]Tem,"I go by Tem Deepwater. Challenging fighter if ever there was one. The iguana over there's my bumbling sidekick, Marcus." Tem was clearly enjoying this.

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I lost the state spelling bee in FIFTH PLACE!!

Farnham said: "Um, I'm Farnham and this is my brother Maxwell. We're the leaders of this group. So, uh, you're a gnome? You'll pardon me for saying this but you don't look like any of the Gnomes I've seen."

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"Iguana?!" Marcus huffed. "I'm a Lizzardman, you overgrown octopus!"

Marcus heard the name "Gnome" and froze. Immediately he thought of the tea incident. He carefully turned his head to see Hal.

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"It's squid." said Tem, making a mental note to give Marcus his best nightmares soon.

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I lost the state spelling bee in FIFTH PLACE!!

"I'm just messing with you, Tem. You're a good guy."

Marcus swallowed a mouthful of food and carefully approached the round Gnome. "Hello, my name is Marcus."

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Prosper was confuzed, the strange Gnome certainly didn't look like a gnome, but there was a bit of a similarity. Unsure of what to say, Prosper pondered what could happen now. His plan to secretly sneek out with Marcus to retrive Tem's tentacle was obviosly out of the picture since Tem was planing to do so and Marcus had forgotton after Prosper had zoned out for a while.

<Welcome to JD. And about that zone out, I'm sorry but I was grounded for a few days.>

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<Yes, and I'll be on vacation tomorrow, so until I post again, Tem is an NPC for all, usable to everyone, including non-DM players.>

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I lost the state spelling bee in FIFTH PLACE!!

"Nice to meet you all." Hal said.

"As for any special powers, I only know a few basic spells, but I'm specially trained with a Halberd, if that's of any use to you. As for the way I look...Let's just say I'm not from around here..."

<I don't know if any of what I'm doing is right. So, tell me if I screw up, and I'll fix it.>

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<OOC>This would probably be a good time for Sarge to give you a few spells to choose from.</OOC>

Taryn had been quietly sizing up the gnome and now stepped forward. She looked down at the little roundyman. "So, you're a...ahem...a gnome. That's..interesting. Your kind are usually a bit shorter. And more humanoid. But I've seen stranger things."

Of course, Taryn towered over Hal by almost his entire height again (I did mention Taryn was quite tall before, did I not?), so the anomaly of Hal's height was hardly of import as far as Taryn was concerned.

Acedia, on the other hand, merely sat in her chair and stared at the little being. She'd never seen such a strange-looking creature before.

"You say you're trained with a halberd? Know how to use any other weapons?" Acedia said at last. She seemed genuinely interested. Acedia did in fact know how to use a rapier without killing herself in the process, but wasn't good enough to hold her own in a duel. Not that she'd ever be challenged, but still.

{ By the by, Sarge, that is an awesome gnome pic. XD Like, "Betcha I can catch this dagger without lodging it in my hand."

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<GM's Note: Ah, so he's a spellcaster, eh? OK, i'll give you the same information I gave Micheal way back on page 3.. except this one's been spellchecked! To wit:
There's basically five kinds of Magic in this world:
(1)Divine magic, which does healing, summoning/banishing of spirits (Good spirits, bad spirits, nature spirits, etc), summoning/banishing of the undead (skeletons, zombies, vampires, etc.), blessings/cursings, and so on. Preists, clerics, druids, shamans and cultists do the Divine kind of magic. Users of Divine Magic get their spells by winning favour with their specific deity, usually though prayer, rituals, donations, sacrifice, or alms. The more powerful the spell, the more favour one must win. Thus, spells such as those that raise the dead can require a considerable expenditure of resources, and usually involve more than one spellcaster.
(2)Arcane magic includes the following ares of study: Manipulation (moving objects around, creating whirlwinds, levitating, etc) spells; Transformation (Changing an object's size or shape or colour, turning a prince into a frog, making your staff become a sword, etc.) spells; Illusion (making illusionary effects that seem real to everyone but the spellcaster) spells, Elemental (a special category that manipulates and combines the four "Classical" elements or Earth, Air, Fire and Water; potentialty very powerfull, but notoriously hard to control)spells, and Animation (A rather expensive kind of magic to pursue; gives inanimate objects a life an intelligence of their own; Used to create Golums and Automatons, which can be extremely powerfully) spells.
Each user of Arcane Magic is usually specialised in one specific area of study but some have been known to be proficient in more than one. Arcane spellcasters do not need to expend resources when casting a spell, but the do need to buy a copy of a spell they want to cast and then learn that spell. Unlike other spellcasters, Arcane spellcasters must pay both for the spell and for the training required to learn the spell. (Player Characters get this training through experience in the feild). Once a Arcane spellcaster knows a specific spell, he or she can cast it virtually at will: This contrasts with Divine spellcasters, who must spend time preparing for the spell each time they cast it.
For an arcane spellcaster the more powerful the spell the more difficult it is to cast. This difficulty can produce fatigue in the caster, just as physical excerise does. As the spellcaster becomes more experienced, he can learn to handle greater amounts of spellcaster fatigue. However, the more clever Arcane spellcasters have found ways around this particular limitation. Some have paid for the development of spells that reduce or even eliminate spellcasting fatigue, while others have acquired magic items that archive the same effect.
(3)Alchemy: This discipline allows the user to permanently change any one element into any other. This is a very rare kind of magic, and is outlawed in Skara Brae because it holds the potential to totally unbalance the economy. A special group of the King's own mages hunts down and executes anyone who dabbles in Alchemy.
(4)Thamutology: This is a purely scholarly and clerical discipline, but it is one that the other four disciplines all depend upon. Thamutologists catalogue, copy, create and sell copies of the spells the other kinds of magic users use. Thamutologists can be found selling their spells in markets and places of learning throughout the world. There's one in the market square in Glenarbor, right next to the weaponsmith. There's another in Targos, next to the Herbalist.
(5)Talismonging: The practitioners of this lucrative discipline (known as Talismongers) create, study, collect and trade in objects of power. This includes rings, potions, magic weapons & armour, wands, staffs, pendants, and other objects. Talismonging is not as common as Arcane or Divine magic, but it's not as rare as Alchemy. Thus far, the party has not encountered a Talismonger.

In addition to these five types of magic, there is also the discipline of Herbology. Many people think that Herbologists practise magic, but there's actually no magic involved: It's all just a very convoluted combination of folklore, science, pseudoscience and trial-and-error. Herbologists often make potions, poultices, garlands and other concoctions that can have seemingly miraculous effects. There's no Herbology products for sale in Glenarbor, but it's fairly common in other parts of Skara Brae, especialy the rural areas. As the party has learned, there's a major Herbalist shop in Targos.

Player characters may only choose to be Divine or Arcane spellcasters, but they might encounter NPCs that practice one of the other three types.

So, OJD must now pick what kind of magic Hall knows how to do: Arcane or Divine spellcasting. Also, since he's a Gnome, Hal gets a bonus to any lockpicking skills he may have. (Gnomes are naturally proficient with machines of all kinds, and since a lock is just a simple machine, Gnomes tend to excel at lockpicking). Also, Hall may or may not have knowledge of the Gnomish Airships and their trade routes, but that's up to OJD to decide. So, pick your magic type and I'll give you a list of spells to pick from.>

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<Arcane, please. Elemental, if possible.

Also, Hal don't know anything about the Gnomish Trade routes. He's basically a newcomer to this land.>

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<OK, Here's Hal's spellbook:
Needle Spray (Elemental Manipulation/Transformation): This spell instantly shoots forth a large number of needle-like projectiles that travel at very high speed. The needles will fire at whatever target the caster points at. The caster can choose to dual-cast this spell (at the cost of doubled spellcasting fatigue) by using both hands to point at a single target, thus doubling the number of needles fired. (He may not dual-cast at two different targets at the same time, however.) The spell's duration lasts just long enough for the needles to reach their target. The needles produced by this spell are composed of iron, which means their tragectories can be affected by any strong magnets or magnetic spell effect in the vicinity. However, once the spell's duration has expired, the needles will disappear (even if they didn't reach their target for whatever reason). This spell generates a mild-to-moderate amount of fatigue in the caster, or a serious amount if dual-cast.

Guardian of Stones (Elemental transformation/Manipulation): This spell causes any stones in a 30-foot wide area-of-effect (that are larger than grains of sand) to come together en-mass and form a humanoid construct. The size of the construct depends on the amount and size of the stones that were available in the area of effect. Thus, casting this spell in a place where there are no stones will have no effect (but will still generate spellcaster fatigue). This construct is amazingly tough: Even if it is sundered apart by an explosion, whatever stones remain that weren't pulverized into sand will re-form and come back for more. Despite it's mass, the construct is surprisingly agile and can move about as fast as a man could if a man was that size. The construct has no real intelligence and cannot be affected by spells that target the mind (like Sleep, Daze, Charm, etc.). However, because of it's weight, it may encounter difficulties when moving through certain kinds of terrain. The construct cannot speak and does not have any facial expression. It will not obey commands: It is "programed" to do only one task, and that's to protect it's spellcaster from physical attack. It will move to intercept incoming projectiles, magical or otherwise. It will also attempt to engage in melee combat with any hostile forces that are intent on attacking the spellcaster. (It knows what's hostile and what's not). It will pick up and use as a weapon whatever is handy, including rocks, trees, houses, sidewalks, etc. It will also tend to try and crush any hostile object that gets too close by stepping on it. The spellcaster must continue to concentrate on the Guardian of Stones spell or the construct will fall apart. The spell generates a mild amount of fatigue for each minute that it is in play, cumulative for each minute that passes. After five minutes, the spellcaster will have accumulated a Moderate amount of fatigue. After ten minutes, a Serious amount, and after fifteen, a Critical amount. After that, the spellcaster will be exhausted an must drop the spell or fall down unconscious. This spell is not exclusive, and the caster can cast other non-exclusive spells while maintaining this spell as well, but he will incur a fatigue penalty by doing so.

Flaming Finger(Elemental/Manipulation):This spell essentially turns any one of your own fingers into an instant fire source. Hall has not been properly trained in it's use, and is as likely to light himself on fire with it as not. (Micheal knows this same spell, and has been properly trained in it's use. He could teach Hall if he wanted). This spell will generate a small amount of fatigue in Hall each time he casts it. As one becomes more proficient with this spell, the fatigue will reduce.

Bigby's Protective Manipulation(Unique): This spell is an essential part of any spellcaster's Grimore. It is the ONLY spell that any spellcaster, of whatever type, has access to. It's also the only spell to defy attempts to determine how it works (never mind why it works). This spell, when cast, makes the caster immune untill the next sunrise or sunset (which ever comes first)to the effects of any spell cast by that same caster, with the limitations noted below.
To wit: This spell can be rendered temporarily inoperable by an Anti-Magic Shell, a Globe Of Immunity, a Planar Disjunction, or a Planar Dislocation. The spell has no effect if cast outside the Prime Material Plane; Furthermore any caster who is attempting to leave the Prime Material Plane through his own spellcasting will not be able to do so until Bigby's Protective Manipulation expires. Also, this spell will immediately expire if the caster becomes asleep, unconscious, dead, mind-controlled, or hypnotised.
The spell is named for an ancient mythical wizzard called Bigby the Wise. Several other unique spells are named for him as well, but this is by far the strangest one. This spell continues to baffle magical researchers across the world: It shouldn't do what it does, and nobody can figure out why or how it works. In fact, the Royal Thamutology Society has a substantial standing reward for anyone who can offer conclusive proof of how and why this spell works. Many a Thamutologist has tried to claim that prize, but all have failed.

Jolt(Simple Elemental): This simple spell instantly electrifies any target (including his own person) that the caster specifies. If the target was organic, it will receive a mild electric shock. (just enough to be annoying). If the target is metal, it will transmit the electricity to whatever is touching that piece of metal. Otherwise, the spell has little or no effect. This spell is popular among Gnomish mages because many Gnomish inventors are fond of experimenting with electricity (not that they've come up with much of anything useful from their experiments yet). An enterprising Gnomish Mage who knows this spell can make a good living hiring himself out as a electrical generator.

Call Lightning(Greater Elemental): This spell will cause a bolt of electricity to arc out of sky and into the specified target. The bolt never misses it's target. If the target was organic, if will possibly be fried to a crisp (or not, depending on the target's electrical resistance and it's mass). If the target was inorganic (like, oh, say, a bounder) it will probably explode or become red-hot form the sudden increase in energy it has received. The caster must be able to see the sky in order to cast this spell. Any target must also be under the open sky. Thus, this spell is useless when indoors or underground. The power of the bolt will vary slightly, but it is usually very powerfull. This spell will generate a very serious amount of fatigue in the caster.

PLEASE NOTE: Micheal and Hall can teach each other the spells that they know, but doing so requires a period of uninterrupted study and practise. Hall cannot learn Cantrips at this point (he needs more experience). Each spell that the one wants to learn from the other wants will take two days of uninterrupted study, minimum. The more complex spells take longer.

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"Any other weapons? I usually like to stick with the ol' Halberd, but if my life depended on it, I suppose I could wield anything that's not too heavy.

Also, my magic is primarily offensive. What kind of magic to you have, Michael?

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"Any other weapons? I usually like to stick with the ol' Halberd, but if my life depended on it, I suppose I could wield anything that's not too heavy.

Also, my magic is primarily offensive. What kind of magic to you have, Michael?"

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"Well, I'm basically a jack of all trades when it comes to the arcane" answered Michael, "Unlike most mages I decide to specialize in a variety of areas."

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Eruantian had not seen a gnome before, though he had heard few things about them from various people at the tavern. It seemed very odd to him that any gnome would come so far away from the airship routes, away from any profitable business.

In fact, there were a lot of things that didn't make sense to Eruantian. How did the gnome get past the orcs surounding the town? For that matter, why come to a town that is besieged by orcs in the first place? Why did he offer to join the party before he even knew who they were or what they were doing? All and all, nothing made sense to Eruantian regarding this gnome, though given how peculiar some of the other party members seemed, he reasoned that he had better start getting used to that sort of thing.

"... So... What brings you to Targos, Mr. Hal" asked Eruantian.

"I see," Acedia said, nodding slightly. "Well, just make sure you don't accept any weapon from her," she advised the gnome, gesturing toward Taryn. "It'll more than likely come to life and try to kill you."

"I only did that once!Once! It's not my fault you can't take a joke. The blade was too dull to do anything but give a mild bruise, and anyway it was never going to hit you." Taryn 'hmph'-ed and crossed her arms, turning away from Acedia.

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Prosper eyed Tayen with an amused grin. Turning back to Hal, Prosper responded to Eruantian's question. "It does seem unlikely that a gnome would be in this area."

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"If you must know, I come from a land far beyond your borders. In order to enter your kingdom, I had to tear an astral gash in the very fabric of time and space itself. This isn't where I was intending to arrive, you see. But this will do for now.

Also, don't ask me to open any Astral portals for you. I had to put my entire being into that one spell, and the fatigue literally put me an at an inch from death. It's fortunate I arrived in this inn, no?" Hal said.

<Keep in mind that I live in Australia, and thus my hours will be odd for when I can play. So, direct questions will sometimes take a long time to answer.>

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<GM's Note: I'm gonna have to say that say that Hal is from somewhere in the mysterious Orient. Oh, and he got here by accident, not by his own spellcasting: He's not powerful enough to have cast a spell that would open an Astral Gash. Let's say he was exploring some ancient ruins when he triggered an ancient artifact that opened a portal that threw him here. And now he's stuck here. Not that he knows where "here" is. So, Hall's an Asian Gnome, which explains why he looks different than the Western Gnomes we've seen before. And now that the continuity-cop in me is satisfied, I return you to your previously scheduled role-playing, already in progress.>

Maxwell said: "Well, this is the town of Targos, a border community in the land of Skarae Brae. What do they call the place you're from, Hall?"

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"Skarae Brae?" Hal said. "I've read about that place. I live in a small Gnomish Village called Lo-Thing. I don't know where it is from here, or even if it's on the same planet. I've tried looking for my home on any maps I've found, but either it's been uncharted, or I've stumbled into an alternate dimension."

<Don't take that other dimension too seriously Also, Lo-Thing is a reference to the KoL RP, from where this character originated.>

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