Welcome to the combat tutorial!

You have encountered your first enemy and the first opportunity to engage in combat. The enemy in this case hasn't yet noticed your presence, allowing for several actions that are not available in normal combat. The first of these is the 'Observe' skill, which can be used when not in direct conflict to glean information about other characters, enemies and objects based on your Intelligence, observe skill and other knowledge that you have picked up. Try this now in the same way you utilised the 'search' skill.

Whilst Harry would normally have preferred to simply rush in and try and save the girl, he was keeping such heroism under wraps for the moment as he was determined to learn everything he could about this game and it's mechanisms in order to be able to utilise it better later. With a thought Harry suddenly found himself focussed on the armour and a few paragraphs of information appeared next to it for him to read.

Unseelie Automaton- level 1

Hp-?

Mp- 0

Basic information-

In their constant wars with their lighter cousins the Seelie, the Unseelie have developed several methods of imprinting their magic into objects they find, granting a limited form of sentience as well as a tool of war. Such easily creatable and expendable warriors are usually found at the forefront of Unseelie warbands, ranging widely in power, shape and materials of construction.

Additional information-

(Observed from Automaton corpse) Physical damage can disrupt the imprinted magic if it great enough.

To find out more information, battle more enemies of the same time, research them in books of knowledge or utilise other skills to glean more pieces of information.

Other skills? Given that there were only two other skills that Harry currently knew he possessed and that Search was very unlikely to be useful here, he activated 'Magic Sense', causing the Automaton to shift to an ethereal image. There was a small amount of dark greyish magic spread throughout the automatons structure, all flowing from a central point on the Automatons back that glowed far more brightly than the rest of the magic. With a light bing another piece of information appeared at the bottom of the information.

(Observed from Automaton using Magic Sense) the imprinting point of an automaton is focussed in a particular point on an automaton's body, making that point the magical foci and a possible weakness.

The point being a weakness made sense to Harry as disrupting the magic there would probably collapse the rest of the magic in the automaton. There was another pop up a moment later as he felt a slight drain on his magic.

Magical Observation combination skill unlocked. -5 mp/min. Warning, combining different skills together at the same time can be draining to the character, either in terms of magic or health and in extreme cases both. So only utilise such combinations when necessary to avoid unnecessary loss of hp and mp. In addition, the cost of using such skills in combat is greatly increased due to the additional stress.

Now that you have observed the monster, combat can begin after closing the observation tab. To complete the tutorial, defeat the Automaton.

New quest- Defeat the Automaton

Bonus objective- save the girl from being killed.

Armed with his dagger and knowing the automaton's weak point, Harry felt confident as he closed the observation tab, sprinting forwards even as the world jumped into life once more. Luckily the automaton was quite slow moving as it raised its weapon, the double handed sword just getting over its head to begin its downward swing when Harry struck, both hands driving the dagger as hard as he could into the lightly glowing section on its back that had remained glowing even after he had closed the observation tab.

Target unaware- automatic hit

Weak point hit- automatic critical hit.

Backstabbing- 1.1 x damage

-37 hp popped up next to the automaton even as the dagger pierced the suit and the thing froze in place. Unsure whether or not he had actually killed the thing or just stunned it, the game had been unhelpful on that point in regards to giving him exp or any other obvious sign, Harry quickly shouted to the girl who was still frozen in fear.

"Move, quickly!" Eyes still fixed on the frozen Automaton Harry heard the girl start to move, and he decided to be safe rather than sorry and stab the thing again just to be sure. The dagger pinged off the armour this time but the automaton buckled under the momentum, whatever magic that had been holding the thing together failing entirely, the armour collapsing in a pile and Harry having to dodge as the two handed sword bounced off the things helmet in his direction.

Unseelie Automaton lvl 1 defeated- 13xp

Additional information about Automaton's unlocked in the observation tab.

Bonus mission- save the girl complete: life debt (Hermione) available

Achievements unlocked-

We are the Knights who get stabbed in the SPLEEN! (Defeat a heavily armoured opponent with just backstabbing moves.):

+50 xp, +2 armour penetration when backstabbing.

I was a ninja until I took an arrow to the knee. (Defeat an enemy in one attack using their weak point.)

+50 xp, +2 damage when targeting weak points.

If unsure, stab until entirely certain. If still not sure... Use fire! (Attack an already dead enemy.)

+50 xp, +1 logic

The bonus reward pre-empted Harry's realisation of who he had in fact just rescued, brown bushy hair enveloping a face that whilst much more childlike was one that he had missed greatly in the time since his 'death'. The younger Hermione was looking at the automaton in shock even as Harry activated his menu, going to the skill screen and adding 3 points to the one handed weapons skill, magic sense and searching. Whilst he knew he would need some other skills later, for the moment having these three skills boosted a bit further would be the best use of his points in Harry's opinion. Harry noticed there was a new tab on his journal titled active Skills and tapping on it he found a new list of information.

The active skills page lists the skills that the character has developed throughout the game and their level. Higher levelled skills gain bonuses to improve the skills effects or reduce the skills costs and are levelled through persistent and varied use. For example the cooking skill will improve rapidly if the character cooks regularly, but exp gains will drop off rapidly if the same meal is repeated again and again. In addition, active skills are different from normal skills in the sense that can only be activated for a short time/have a cost associated with them, whereas skills are general passive stats that help with associated areas.

Observe: lvl 1 (3%) - Allows the player to closely observe other characters, enemies and objects in order to glean more information about them. Can be combined with other skills to form Skill Combinations for various effects.

Search: level 1 (7%) - allows the player to identify areas that may contain interesting items in the surrounding areas. Can be combined with other skills to form Skill Combinations for various effects.

Magic Sense: level 1 (7%) - Allows the player to identify objects and items imbued with magic or enchantments as well as magical traps and illusions. Can be combined with other skills to form skill combinations for various effects.

Magical Observation: level 1 (1%)- Combining Magic Sense and Observe skills together allow the character to glean information of the mystical variety from those the player focuses on. 5 mp/min cost.

Magical Search: level 1 (1%)- combining magic sense and search skills together allow for the player to find magical hidden areas and items that would not appear during a normal search. 5 mp/min cost.

Focused Search: level 1 (0%) - combining Observe with Search will reveal hidden areas that would not appear during normal searches. Also can reveal hidden items in search areas that would otherwise not be revealed. 5mp/min cost.

Focused Magical Search: level 1 (0%)- Combining Observe with Search and Magic Sense allows the player to undergo a thorough search of the nearby area, revealing magical and mundane secrets that would not be found during a normal search. However, the cost of such a powerful skill is not without its costs. 5mp/sec cost.

Basic attack (one handed short blade): Level 1 (0%) - The basic attack is used whenever a special skill is not utilised when attacking an enemy. As it is levelled special skills will be unlocked depending on the weapons favoured by the character.

Closing the menu and resolving to think more on all of this later, Harry offered his hand to Hermione, the girl still on the floor having shuffled away from where the automaton was going to strike.

"Are you okay? I am glad that I got here in time, whatever that thing was definitely means there is something wrong here." Hermione grasped his hand and pulled herself up, though she was still visibly shaking from the near death shock she had just received.

"H-Hermione Granger, and I am okay, thanks to you. I was just here for the census that these magic people hold, the man who was meant to be testing me left when the explosion happened and then the shouting started..." As Hermione shuddered Harry squeezed her hand reassuringly and pointed to the door.

"Don't worry Hermione, I will make sure nothing happens to you and get us out of here. We should probably head back to the main room, which is probably where the adults are, do you remember how to get there?" Hermione nodded a little unsurely and after another couple moments steadying herself she moved towards the door, making no effort to remove Harry's hand as she did so.

Relationship improved (Hermione): +50

Relationship level improved (Hermione): New Friend (60/200)

You have developed a relationship with one of the characters in the game. Depending on how you act with people around you and your actions their opinion of you and therefore their relationship level with you will change. Having a positive relationship score with someone does not mean that they like you, nor does a negative relationship score with someone mean they are an enemy, just that they agree or disagree with your ideals and methods.

For example, if you started performing dark rituals and denounced the Inquisition, your relationship with Lord Voldemort would improve to positive (unless you have undertaken major actions against him that will affect this) as he respects you throwing off the shackles of the Inquisition. He will still be bent on killing you of course, but he will be more reluctant about it at least. In the same way, one of your closest allies will gain a negative relationship status with you if you consistently go against/ignore their views and ideas, but if you make an effort to maintain your trust in them they will become a rival rather than an enemy.

Achieving and maintaining high levels of relations (either positive or negative) with key characters/groups will give you bonuses or effects that will affect public perception, abilities or even your major statistics, so make sure to take advantage of opportunities to influence people one way or another.

Harry hadn't let them leave immediately, determined to take the utmost advantage of the tutorial to improve his skills or gain items that could prove useful to him. A quick magical search had revealed several areas that he could search in the room as well as two magical items, which he made a beeline for as they would be the most useful. One was a pendant hanging from a chain and Harry resisted the urge to put it on as something about the way it appeared on his magic sense made him a little wary. The other however appeared to be identified even as he touched it, the statistics for it appearing even as it went to his inventory.

"A thick and heavily carved piece of wood that could easily double as a stake if required, rather than radiate magical energy it draws it in from the surroundings, creating almost a void to those with the sight for such things. When wielded, it gives off a feeling of power to those that carry it into battle while becoming useless to those who retreat or do not engage in direct warfare. For just as Mage wands choose the wizards that wield them, battle wands are for only those who are ready for conflict."

Battle Wand (Level 1): A creation by the Inquisition in the aftermath of the Weakening, the Battle Wands act like the normal wand a wizard would use, only that they are heavily enchanted with runes and spells, drawing magic from their surroundings rather than from their wielder. This allows even non-magic users to be able to combat the enemies from the pocket dimension that are difficult to damage by physical means. The battle wand can also be 'boosted' by a magic user to massively increase its damage potential, but they are limited to one specific spell with a recharge time, therefore are limited in their flexibility compared to normal wands.

Level 1 Magical Wand: 5-7 magical damage per shot, ignores non-magical armour and can cause knockback on small/medium opponents. (Channelling magic into the wand before use boosts damage, consuming 3% of the characters magic per shot and adding damage based on mp used, Wand material and level as well as characters Magical skills.)

The wand was definitely going to be useful, given that it meant he would be reliant on his dagger anymore and could target possible enemies at range. The other search locations merely gave Harry several more Sickles and Knuts along with various materials that he didn't think would be useful but he might be able to sell. Hermione had kept a worried eye on the door as he finally knelt down next to the automaton and picked up one of the shattered pieces of its armour that had made up its imprinting point, as it still glowed slightly under his Magical Sight.

"The metal is cold to touch but there is a strange almost electrical feeling to it, as if there is something inside it that wishes to escape from it and into those foolish enough to touch it."

Unseelie Enchanted Steel (3) found: Throughout the game you will find various materials and items that can be utilised in various ways, depending on character skills and which characters the character approaches about them.

There was another shake through the floor as Harry stood from the automaton made quick progress through the labyrinth like corridors of the Inquisition Headquarters, Hermione's confidence slowly returning as she lead him past more signs of fighting and corpses of both sides, though she was still clearly horrified and in shock with what was happening. The sounds of fighting ahead caused them both to freeze, Harry moving them rather forcefully to the side of the corridor and into an enchanted window space as he heard the sounds of approaching footsteps over the sounds of combat.

It was a tight fit and Harry had to hold Hermione very close as he closed the curtains that had been put either side of the small alcove, but they at least were not obviously hidden behind the curtains in case whoever was approaching was hostile. He felt their arrival in the vicinity as a coldness fell upon the air and the temperature dropped rapidly. Peering through the tiny gap the rapid closing of the curtains had left, Harry could see the pair of creatures as the stopped shortly after the curtain, looking down at the corpses of two automatons. Encased in black armour that almost seemed to be made of glass as opposed to metal, the two creatures moving with almost an ethereal grace despite the giant swords that they wielded in each hand, unfamiliar memories flooding into Harry's mind as he recognised them to be Fey like the one he had rescued in 'his youth'.

But unlike his memories that showed him a proud but noble creature that reminded him of the tales about High elves and a magic that captivated Harry's young magical senses with its twisting and complex beauty, these creatures magic were as cold as the air that now surrounded him and far different than the one he had saved. As one of the Fey turned to speak to the other, Harry was shocked at the pale face that he saw, it was almost like Luna's with the high cheekbones and pale white but not unhealthy looking skin. It spoke in grating tones that Harry did not understand, but the other Fey replied in English as Harry cast an observe on the pair of them.

Unseelie Winterborn Warrior caste (Level?)

Hp-?

Mp-?

Very distant relatives of the Seelie courts from olden times, the Unseelie are similar to their cousins in their penchant for pranks and tricks. Unlike the Seelie though whose tricks are benign in nature and aimed usually for their own amusement, the Unseelie are more vindictive in their efforts, delighting in discomfort and injury that their acts cause. The Unseelie are much stronger than humans physically and their magic users are very powerful, usually in the arts of illusions and curses.

"You know that I could not use a stronger imprinting process on these creations brother, the Queen forbid us from causing too much of an incident with our arrival here, we do not want the Inquisition to think there is more to this then there seems to be. And besides, they are made from Steel, I don't see you getting any closer to them. Now, enough arguing, we have to disappear now if we are to complete our instructions to prepare for he... Do you hear that?" Hermione had managed to get a look out at the Unseelie and drawn a sharp breath at the sight, causing the Unseelie to jerk his head up the corridor towards them...

Attribute tests:

Over the course of the game there will be many trials and challenges that the player must face in order to triumph. The game masters have tried to make things easier for the character and will therefore not show all of the tests that will be run that would be detrimental to the player, such as to hit mechanics as well as things like general athletics and terrain tests. To the player combat and movement should hopefully for the most part seem like real life, only with hp indicators and damage to keep the player appraised of the general situation.

For Important tests there are several different methods of calculating success/failure, some tests such as this one being a straight test against one of the characters main stats, if the player has over the required level the test is passed.

Luck Test: 4 required = SUCCESS! (6)

If the primary test fails the situation then usually allows for one or more other checks to either reverse or mitigate the failure of the first test, usually by testing against related secondary checks such as stealth or athletics. These tests then have positives and negatives given dependent on the situation as well as other factors such as the addition of luck bonuses and a random +/- modifier that is randomly generated for each test.

More will be explained about these tests when you encounter one in game.

"It was nothing. Now come, time grows short." Harry managed to wait until the pair of warriors moved away from them before releasing the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. But the thing that the second warrior had said, it sounded like there was more going on here than just a traditionalist attack on an Inquisitorial stronghold or even an attempt against Harry, or maybe the creatures in the pocket dimension actually had plans of their own and this was yet another thing for Harry to investigate.

Secret Quest unlocked: The Unseelie plan (part 1)

Either by luck or logical investigation, the character has discovered that above the plots of the Inquisition or the traditionalists, the fickle and devious Unseelie have plans of their own. Whether these plans are dangerous to the hero is questionable, but given the intelligence and strategic planning of the Fey as a race such actions will be wide reaching to say the least...

Quest objectives-

-Discover more about Unseelie attacks to try and learn more about their movements.

-Learn more about the Unseelie as a race.

Bonus objectives-

- Learn more of this Unseelie Queen.

- Complete the Unseelie basic bestiary page.

Achievement Unlocked: Keep it Secret... (Unlock a Secret Quest without cheats)

+100 xp

Achievement Unlocked- The Walls Have Ears (Overhear information about a secret quest without those involved knowing you are present.)

+50 xp

+1 stealth

+1 awareness

"What were those things? And what did they mean their arrival? Does that mean they are the ones behind the attack?" Hermione still had his arm in a death grip as she whispered her questions, her curiosity and desire for knowledge unaffected by something as insignificant as a brush with certain death if the Unseelie had actually decided to investigate the noise she had made. Shrugging as he didn't want to reveal any of the game information at this point until he had legitimate opportunity to find out such information from elsewhere, Harry pointed down the corridor the warriors had come from.

"I think we can figure that out when we are safe with the adults Hermione, for now let's just concentrate on that. Now can you hear that?" It sounded like someone crying down the corridor the Winterborn had walked from and when Hermione nodded Harry did another quick visual check to make sure he hadn't missed anything in the corridor before deciding on the next plan of action.

"I will go check on whoever is crying, they might need our help. I want you to stay here and I will either call you up or come back and get you. If I run into trouble I will lead them away so that you can get past to the main hall, okay?" Hermione looked like she wanted to argue for a moment before finally nodding and letting go of his arm, though given her stubbornness and courage he had encountered in his Hermione, Harry wondered whether she would actually do as he asked. Stepping out slowly Harry made his way down the corridor, shifting from alcove to alcove in case something decided to come towards him, the crying coming from one of the storage rooms off to one side of the corridor.

Opening the door slowly Harry was surprised to see half a dozen automaton corpse spread throughout the room, looking like they had been torn apart by a being of great strength. At the back of the room, badly hidden by some boxed files, was another girl whose cries had been the ones he had heard with Hermione. She was clutching her right arm gingerly and it was clear that it was broken even as Harry entered the room, speaking up so as not to shock her with his appearance.

"Hello, are you alright in there?" Her reaction was not what he expected, jumping a little and crying out with shock before her eyes fixed on him and she backed up on the floor slightly with a fearful expression.

"Please, don't hurt me, I am no threat I promise..." Harry frowned, why would he hurt her and more importantly, why did SHE think he might?

"I am not here to hurt you I promise, I just want to help. You look injured..." Harry tagged a whispered observe onto the end of his sentence, something about the girl just made him think that there was more to this than he understood.

Werekin Youngling (Level 2)

hp: ?

mp:?

"When we came across the remnants of the raiding party that had escaped the initial ambush, three of my bannermen lost their stomachs as they looked upon the slaughter. A young boy, who could not have been more than 10 years, was sat amongst the dismembered bodies of those that had probably attacked him, caked in blood that cast a stark relief in the snow around him but otherwise unharmed. The boy looked innocent enough and without proof of witch craft I refused to let my men try and hang him for the crime, as much for their own sake as the boy's. There was something about his eyes, glowing in the low reflection of the main fire that night, that made me realise that such efforts would have probably ended my men the same way as those raiders…"

Werekin are a mystery to the magical community, are they animals who can become humans or humans that have gained true shapeshifting abilities beyond that manageable by Metamorphs? What is known is that the Werekin are highly dangerous when they emerge from beyond the wards and are usually hostile to everything, especially those who threaten their young.

Even as Harry realised that the girl in front of him was not a normal human but in fact a pocket denizen, she jumped to her feet with a wide eyed expression even as the hair on the back of Harry's neck rose. He knew he should turn around, in fact he knew that if he didn't then the chances of making it out of this room were effectively zero, but Harry still wished he could pretend that he didn't hear the laboured growling from the door or the scratching sound of claws upon the stone and wood of the floor.

He finally turned in time to see a large black bear rear up just inside the door, many wounds visible through its thick fur but the look of parental fury in its eyes as it gazed at Harry merely reinforced the sinking feeling in his stomach as another whispered Observe sent it's way gave him the information that he needed to sum up his feelings.

"Ah, shit..."

Werekin bearcast: Level 5

hp:?

mp:?

"We were outnumbered more than 5 to 1, with many of our traitorous allies having forsaken their oaths and joined the enemy in their bid to annihilate my clan. The chief was not worried however, even as we arrayed ourselves on the battlefield at the dawns light. With the light came the view of a group of wildmen, from the clan that the chief and his ancestors let stay in our forests for many, many moons. The chief announced them our saviours, even though there were barely enough men there to form a decent shield wall and they seemed to carry no weapons. Without any warning the men turned to the enemy and charged, to what I thought was their certain doom. Then they began to change and I realised the truth behind our chief's words, after all, with the fabled Berserkers of legend on our side how could we lose?"

When the Werekin grow there are several different reported ways in which their abilities stabilise. The bearcast are well known even back to the time of the Vikings who honoured and feared them in equal measure for their ferocity and relentless fighting prowess. Whilst some of the other Werekin walk around and act as humans most of the time, the bearcast live in their bear forms and are either incapable/unwilling to take human form for any prolonged period of time. It is very difficult to calm a bearcast if it has been angered or injured as its feral instincts take to the fore, meaning that in most encounters only one side will walk away...

Next time he heard a girl crying Harry thought to himself as the bear roared even as he backed away slowly from it, he was just going to stay the hell away. Sometimes being the nice guy just really wasn't worth it...