Revision as of 03:09, 12 December 2007

Back to Out in the Desert

You climb a dusty and weed-cluttered walking trail until you reach the crest of a desolate and wind-swept butte. A short, deeply bronzed man of apparently Native American descent is sitting beside a small campfire. He nods as you approach but otherwise sits motionless. You approach the fire and take a seat across from him.

On your first visit

After you sit quietly for a few moments, the man says, "Call me Don Carlos. You are nearing readiness for the wisdom of the desert. Once you are ready, I can teach you more about this world if you wish. First, you must understand that this world is not always what it seems. The creatures in the place you call the 'Fiendish Pit' are more illusion than real. You think you fight their phsyical forms, but you truly fight within your mind. Spend time with them and bring me back what you believe to be 45 of their claws and 15 of their skulls, and I will demonstrate the illusion. After you have learned that lesson, if you are experienced enough, I will teach you more."

Upon gaining the claws and skulls

You produce the claws and skulls, and the old man says, "You have brought me enough claws and skulls from the 'Fiendish Pit.' Are you ready for your training?"

(Hand over the Claws and Skulls)

You hand over 45 infernal claws and 15 fiendish skulls. Don Carlos takes them all and lays them out on a blanket. He sits cross-legged in front of the blanket, and gestures for you to do the same. Then he begins to hum gutturally while slowly circling one hand, palm down, over the infernal remains. As you watch the skulls and claws begin to shimmer a little. Then, for one brief moment, you see something else that doesn't look like skulls or claws at all. They look more like, well, worms of some kind. Dead worms. Then the worms crumble to dust and a light breeze blows them away.

"Did you see?" Don Carlos asks.

You nod. "I ... I think so."

"Good. That is the beginning of the truth. Think on that, and when you are stronger I will show you more."

When you've given the items and have the XP to level up

You climb a dusty and weed-cluttered walking trail until you reach the crest of a desolate and wind-swept butte. A short, deeply bronzed man of apparently Native American descent is sitting beside a small campfire. He nods as you approach but otherwise sits motionless. You approach the fire and take a seat across from him.

You are currently level XX.

You have enough experience to go up to level YY. Training will cost ZZZZ chips. (Get Some Training)

If you have not yet reached enough experience to gain a level:

"You are currently level X.
You still need Y XP to go to the next level"

When you gain a level

You and the mystic stay up all night, sitting around a campfire and talking about the nature of reality. Late in the night you finally drift off to sleep. When you wake, the mystic is gone, but your watch says that almost no time has passed since you sat down. Weird. You do feel smarter, though.

or

Don Carlos has you sit and slowly scan the desert surroundings through slitted eyes, as an exercise in "recharging your spirit," as he called it. When you have completed your task, you feel more spirited than ever before. It felt like the process took hours, but your watch says only minutes have passed.

or

Don Carlos hands you a pipe full of some mysterious herbs, which the two of you share. Then you go for a walk in the darkness, exploring the strange shadowy world. When you return to camp, your watch says that almost no time has passed but you feel as if an age has passed.

You gain a level!

You gain x hit points. You gain x power points.

Your strength increases by x points.
Your intellect increases by x points.
Your reflexes increase by x points.

You get an adrenaline rush!

Level 50 and above

You are currently level X.

Don Carlos smiles and shakes his head. He says, "You have learned as much as you can from this place. I cannot teach you any more."