Episode 187 - A Dark Past

Presenting Harper's dark past. The rest of the cast couldn't make it this session, but at the base of Longcryer's Tower, it was the perfect time flashback to Harper's time as Longcryer's apprentice. Guest Carly Shields from Brute Force comes to help out.

## **Story**

An eleven and a half year old Titus Harper was on the verge of failing out of his studies at the White Spire. He arrived home for break, and didn't react well well when his assigned tutor, babysitter, and playmate named Camille Fordane started questioning him about how things were going with his studies. A strange power welled up inside of him lightning burst forth from his hands and was accidentally discharged in Camille's direction. She was scarred, but forgave him, and it is this moment that changed Titus Harper's perspective into seeing servants as real people, and open up his mind a bit more to the world. A year and two months later, he's failed out of the White Spire, and would not be accepted elsewhere, and Lord Anthony Harper gave in to the requests of a man named Longcryer. Word reached him about the incident with Camille, and he had been trying to convince Titus' father that he would unlock Titus' true potential through unconventional means.

Four months into Longcryer's care, and Titus realizes the truth. There is no teaching like in the White Spire. It's all scenario after scenario to place him under various kinds of stress to attempt to awaken the power within him. He's been forced to sit in a chamber as thousands of gallons of water pour onto him for hours at a time. He's been locked in a room with no food or water for days, being told he would only be released if he could light a glass candle. He's gone through other tests, but another apprentice has gone through worse. Feslan Wolfblood, lowborn but also has shown the same flash of potential that Titus did, had been brought back to the dorms on a stretcher. He was apprenticed longer than Titus and is a vision into what's in store for him, so Titus writes to his parents asking to be brought back home. They think he's just homesick, and so send a bit of home to him instead. Camille Foredane is sent to him to keep him company.

On a day when Feslan walks into the dorms, with all the fire from his personality extinguished, Titus tells him that he'll take his place in the training session instead. When the dwarf Askur, the main overseer of their training, walks in, Titus steps up to take the potion meant for Fes. His first time. Titus is taken to the antechamber next to the training room and his confidence fades as the potion takes hold of him. It's supposed to unlock his abilities, but it's just messing with his head and causing him to stumble. A target is set up and Longcryer himself walks in. All Titus has to do is destroy the target with lighting and he'll be done for the day. It was a common request, and like the many time before, he fails. And with that begins his next training session. He's locked in the room, a room that used to be just a square stone room, but now appears to be an alchemist's lab. It's all an illusion and set dressing to the real task. Open the door. A door that electrifies you when you touch it. Titus tries different approaches to the door, but comes to the conclusion that the only way out is the brute force his way through it. He grabs on and pulls, refusing to let go. He blacks out just as he gets it open enough to escape.

Titus wakes up in his room, with Camille apologizing that she didn't believe him about the torture. His arms are wrapped in bandages. Titus tries getting out of bed, but he throws up. Fes thanks Titus for what he did, and tells him that he would have died if Titus hadn't taken him place. Camille is proud of him as well, and she tells him a story of when he first gained her loyalty. Before being assigned as his companion, she was assigned to Adira. When Camille was seven, Adira has destroyed a priceless piece of art and blamed it on Camille. The Fordanes had served the Harpers for hundreds of years, and now she was about to be shipped off elsewhere. But then a young four or five year old Titus Harper stepped up and told the truth about what happened. She saw in him someone who could be more than the family he was born in and swore to herself to protect him, and promises that she'll get him out of Longcryer's Tower.

A few weeks go by to allow him to heal, and there are scars running up his arms from the last session. And then it's time for another attempt. He drinks a potion, fails to destroy the target, and then gets locked into the training room. This time the illusion is one of a burning house. He's frustrated at the so called training and pleads and demands to be told what he's supposed to do. Askur tells him to summon some rain to put the first out. Harper tries, and fails, and the last thing he remembers is chains falling through the roof of the illusory house and burning him. And then he blacks out.

## **Trivia**

* Harper saw two horses fucking one time.
* Harper watching his dad sternly looking at him was one of the best days of his life.

## **In This Episode...**

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Tim Lanning - Young Master Titus Harper
* Carly Shields - Camille Fordane

### **Non-Player Characters**

* Askur Thunderbeard
* Feslan Wolfblood
* Longcryer

### **Quotes**

**"I'll show all you fools that I'll be the greatest pupil that Longcryer has ever seen."** ~ *Young Master Titus Harper, apprentice*

**"You're not telling me what to do. At the White Spire, I read all these books, and they had me do all these things. You just keep doing weird stuff to me. What do I do!"** ~ *Titus Harper, experiment*

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ Tim - No Roll. Defaults to Tim.

* **Young Master Titus Harper** rolls to see how well he drinks the potion
	+ 18 - He drinks all of it.
		- It tasted as bad as you look.

* **Young Master Titus Harper** vs Target
	+ Lightning attempt - Nat1
		- Can't find it. The target it fine. Nothing happens.

* **Young Master Titus Harper** tries to open the door in the training room
	+ Nat1 - Blasted back from a huge electrical charge. His hand is smoking.

* Young Master Titus Harper - **Perception Check** to see what's in the alchemist room
	+ 10 - He doesn't see anything.

* Young Master Titus Harper - **Perception Check** when he sniffs the beakers
	+ 18 - They dissolve when he gets close to them, and everything gets fuzzy, and he has a feeling they're not real.

* **Young Master Titus Harper** vs Electrical Door
	+ Tries to summon wind
		- 2 - Searches for the feeling but can't find it.

* **Young Master Titus Harper** tries to not throw up when attempting to stand
	+ 7 - Throws up a little.

* **Young Master Titus Harper** rolls to see how well he drinks the potion
	+ 13 - He drinks it really good.

* **Young Master Titus Harper** vs Target
	+ Lightning attempt - 19
		- Can almost feel it. Almost do it. But it eludes him.

* **Young Master Titus Harper** vs Fire Room
	+ Rain attempt - 18
		- You feel so close. Drips of water are coming out of your fingers.
			* From the roof, a bundle of chains falls on him.
				+ Ow, these chains! They burn!