Heroica RPG - Quest #31: Lions and Lambs

[Flipz]

"No Knyghton, he's obviously going through something very traumatic. I can't randomly attack an innocent."

Amazing roleplaying, Flipz. You almost made my eyes start swelling up.

"All righ'. But keep in tha back of yer mind, innocence is a tricky business, really depends on yer perspective. Even if he is innocent now, which I doubt, he may not stay tha' way. Heck, he's probably got his own warped view of innocence, an' I know tha' Isabella an' I aren't part of it. Ya might ask him about it sometime, if he doesn't snap first."

OOC: Thanks.

Also, Doc, since this IS a filler battle, would that thing we discussed earlier be possible, or should it still wait?

[Brickdoctor]

QM Note:

If you want to attack your allies, go ahead.

Battle should be up in a few hours.

[Capt.JohnPaul]

QM Note:

If you want to attack your allies, go ahead.

Battle should be up in a few hours.

Don't forget Flipz, I have a crossbow too. If only Count Knyghton and Isabella's damage from Arthur could somehow be proxied to me... hmm....

[Flipz]

Don't forget Flipz, I have a crossbow too. If only Count Knyghton and Isabella's damage from Arthur could somehow be proxied to me... hmm....

OOC: Hey, if you can do that, I can summon a giant demon of chaos to fight you all, and I get to damage you with a Miss as well.

[Capt.JohnPaul]

OOC: Hey, if you can do that, I can summon a giant demon of chaos to fight you all, and I get to damage you with a Miss as well.

Ooohh... do that! This will be a heroic battle between Knight in shining Armor and... the Demon! This is the moment I've been waiting for, I just better get XP and proper fame.

[Flipz]

Ooohh... do that! This will be a heroic battle between Knight in shining Armor and... the Demon! This is the moment I've been waiting for, I just better get XP and proper fame.

OOC: As crazily unbalanced as that would be, the concept of temporarily switching classes mid-battle...hmm... *opens QM ideas file* *scribble scribble*

[Capt.JohnPaul]

OOC: As crazily unbalanced as that would be, the concept of temporarily switching classes mid-battle...hmm... *opens QM ideas file* *scribble scribble*

A way to make it balanced... I got it, you must be controlling the demon, and it requires ether to control, and if you're hurt, the demon is hurt, if your KO'd, the demon is KO'd. Now that would be fun to do sometime.

[Flipz]

A way to make it balanced... I got it, you must be controlling the demon, and it requires ether to control, and if you're hurt, the demon is hurt, if your KO'd, the demon is KO'd. Now that would be fun to do sometime.

I'm thinking more along the lines of using it to mess with the players' heads. We ought to take this into Rules & Discussion or the QM's Lounge if we want to discuss it further. Also, do you have an IC reply to Knyghton, or...?

[Capt.JohnPaul]

I'm thinking more along the lines of using it to mess with the players' heads. We ought to take this into Rules & Discussion or the QM's Lounge if we want to discuss it further.

Mess with our heads? Are yo suggesting that the demon is not physical, but a mental enemy? Awesome. How about we discuss via PM?

Also, do you have an IC reply to Knyghton, or...?

Oh, right.

"All righ'. But keep in tha back of yer mind, innocence is a tricky business, really depends on yer perspective. Even if he is innocent now, which I doubt, he may not stay tha' way. Heck, he's probably got his own warped view of innocence, an' I know tha' Isabella an' I aren't part of it. Ya might ask him about it sometime, if he doesn't snap first."

"There is no perspective on innocence, there is right, and there is wrong, and those two are decided by the Almighty. He probably thinks we are conspiring to kill him back at the fort there. ( ) Just take it easy on him, maybe I could talk to him, and you and Isabella too, in private. All of us at once might scare him. But I'm not sure if I like the idea of leaving you alone with him."

[Flipz]

"There is no perspective on innocence, there is right, and there is wrong, and those two are decided by the Almighty. He probably thinks we are conspiring to kill him back at the fort there. ( ) Just take it easy on him, maybe I could talk to him, and you and Isabella too, in private. All of us at once might scare him. But I'm not sure if I like the idea of leaving you alone with him."

"An' what does yer god say abou' Arthur, then? I cannae think of a god who'd approve o' tha change he's makin'. I'm not sayin' we should be conspirin' ta kill him, but...actually, now I think o' it, maybe we should. Not in cold blood or anythin', but...sooner or later, he's gonna snap. It's bound ta happen, we're not even halfway ta thrashin' tha Rebels and he's already on tha brink. I say we make sure we're ready fer when it happens. Agreed?"

[Capt.JohnPaul]

"An' what does yer god say abou' Arthur, then? I cannae think of a god who'd approve o' tha change he's makin'. I'm not sayin' we should be conspirin' ta kill him, but...actually, now I think o' it, maybe we should. Not in cold blood or anythin', but...sooner or later, he's gonna snap. It's bound ta happen, we're not even halfway ta thrashin' tha Rebels and he's already on tha brink. I say we make sure we're ready fer when it happens. Agreed?"

"I... I don't have a way to connect to Him. I wish to become a Paladin though. Arthur doesn't mean this hatred, I know it, there's still some of him left deep in there, I know it. May he be forgiven, for he knows not what he does.... I think we should be ready for anything, but we can't make it obvious. Let me ask you, along with Isabella, and everyone one else near Arthur: Do you feel safe? You're talking murder, if I'm not mistaken(even though 'we' would/if we would) defended ourselves. I need to know how much you're willing to go before I can answer any more."

[Flipz]

"I... I don't have a way to connect to Him. I wish to become a Paladin though. Arthur doesn't mean this hatred, I know it, there's still some of him left deep in there, I know it. May he be forgiven, for he knows not what he does.... I think we should be ready for anything, but we can't make it obvious. Let me ask you, along with Isabella, and everyone one else near Arthur: Do you feel safe? You're talking murder, if I'm not mistaken(even though 'we' would/if we would) defended ourselves. I need to know how much you're willing to go before I can answer any more."

"I...I'm not sure. Tha shade seemed to've been a good influence, so I can see what ya mean, but...what're tha chances of us findin' them again in this wasteland? An' even if they did, why on Olegaia would they let us take tha Rogue with us? It's...I...look. I'm a simple man. I don' know a lot about philosophy an' morals an' magic an' whatever. I don' really know if Arthur's truly evil or not. He...blast it, I thought I knew 'im. But I didn't. Or at least, tha's what it seems like. I dinnae whether ta make heads or tails of 'im, whether he can even be saved, or redeemed, or turned, or whatever word ya wanna use fer it. I mean, I guess if he can be saved, then it'd be wrong ta just murder him. But I just don' know about tha' kind o' stuff. What I DO know is that Arthur is danerous. I mean, look wha' he's done to tha party. We're not a team anymore, we're a time bomb. HE'S a time bomb. Whatever we do, we cannae let him endanger us, or tha mission." Knyghton pauses to collect himself. "If ya want ta use non-lethal force, than fine, I understand, and I'll do me best to take up tha Pacifist ways of my friend Luke when I'm dealin' with him. But if push comes ta shove...if he refuses to come quietly, if it looks like he's going to take one of our lives, or the lives of our men, then I'll do what has ta be done. No matter how much I wish I didn't have ta."

[Capt.JohnPaul]

"I...I'm not sure. Tha shade seemed to've been a good influence, so I can see what ya mean, but...what're tha chances of us findin' them again in this wasteland? An' even if they did, why on Olegaia would they let us take tha Rogue with us? It's...I...look. I'm a simple man. I don' know a lot about philosophy an' morals an' magic an' whatever. I don' really know if Arthur's truly evil or not. He...blast it, I thought I knew 'im. But I didn't. Or at least, tha's what it seems like. I dinnae whether ta make heads or tails of 'im, whether he can even be saved, or redeemed, or turned, or whatever word ya wanna use fer it. I mean, I guess if he can be saved, then it'd be wrong ta just murder him. But I just don' know about tha' kind o' stuff. What I DO know is that Arthur is danerous. I mean, look wha' he's done to tha party. We're not a team anymore, we're a time bomb. HE'S a time bomb. Whatever we do, we cannae let him endanger us, or tha mission." Knyghton pauses to collect himself. "If ya want ta use non-lethal force, than fine, I understand, and I'll do me best to take up tha Pacifist ways of my friend Luke when I'm dealin' with him. But if push comes ta shove...if he refuses to come quietly, if it looks like he's going to take one of our lives, or the lives of our men, then I'll do what has ta be done. No matter how much I wish I didn't have ta."

Alexandre stops and rests, and lowers his head into his palms. "I don't know what to do anymore. I'll have to talk to him in his barracks tonight."

In a whisper to no one around him,"Arthur, I hope you can hear me. Where are you?" Alexandre drops to his knees, and looks up into the sky.

[Dharkan]

"I do not wish to interupt your conversation but I just want to make something certain, I won't hold back if he attacks us. It doesn't really mean anything to me that If he's not allright, all I care is safety of myself and the group."

"And as you said earlier Alexandre, I don't know much about magic but It would be good to see if someone do something about this situation when we are back in the hall after this quest."

[Capt.JohnPaul]

"I do not wish to interupt your conversation but I just want to make something certain, I won't hold back if he attacks us. It doesn't really mean anything to me that If he's not allright, all I care is safety of myself and the group."

"And as you said earlier Alexandre, I don't know much about magic but It would be good to see if someone do something about this situation when we are back in the hall after this quest."

"You can interrupt . It's your conversation too, you're most in danger, and if he attacks, I won't hold back either. I'll be reluctant to do it, but I will. I'll do all I can to protect the party."

[Flipz]

"Lass, I don't think he's going ta live tha' long. Not if he attacks us before then. 'Sides, you have every right ta interrupt, you're tha one he thinks is evil. I dinnae why, surely one kill-steal isn't enough ta warrant a death mark in any sane universe."

[Capt.JohnPaul]

surely one kill-steal isn't enough ta warrant a death mark in any sane universe.[/color]"

"You're right, you're right," Alexandre ponders, "Maybe we should contact an asylum or psychiatric center? Luke should look at him tonight. I'll be in there too, we could get him to say something. You two could stay hidden or something, to hear for yourself."

[Flipz]

"Do ya think we ought ta bow out of tha battle, then? I mean, Arthur's up on tha ramparts, there, he's got a clear shot at us even without tha crossbow. We can let tha troops handle it, perhaps, unless we get Skrall or Luke ta send him on a solo wild goose chase or somethin'." He pauses, contemplating. "Sir Alexandre, what're yer feelin's on means an' ends? I had a thought--why not send Arthur after that traitor tha others mentioned, Russel? Send 'im to tha Cultists, he'd slaughter tha lot of them. I mean, he's off his rocker an' wants ta attack us, but I think he's still loyal to tha thought o' tha mission. I don't think he'd betray us."

[Capt.JohnPaul]

"Do ya think we ought ta bow out of tha battle, then? I mean, Arthur's up on tha ramparts, there, he's got a clear shot at us even without tha crossbow. We can let tha troops handle it, perhaps, unless we get Skrall or Luke ta send him on a solo wild goose chase or somethin'." He pauses, contemplating. "Sir Alexandre, what're yer feelin's on means an' ends? I had a thought--why not send Arthur after that traitor tha others mentioned, Russel? Send 'im to tha Cultists, he'd slaughter tha lot of them. I mean, he's off his rocker an' wants ta attack us, but I think he's still loyal to tha thought o' tha mission. I don't think he'd betray us."

"What do you mean, 'means an' end?' On another thought, we shouldn't send Arthur to track Russel, who knows what might happen to him, or what he will do?"

[Waterbrick Down]

We're not a team anymore, we're a time bomb.

OoC: Someone watched the Avengers.

Skrall turned at Arthur's sudden speech, "Glad to here it, let's finish off this rebel attack and make off after that traitor. Hopefully he's headin' back to the Cultist base camp."

[Flipz]

"What do you mean, 'means an' end?' On another thought, we shouldn't send Arthur to track Russel, who knows what might happen to him, or what he will do?"

"Well, tha's what I'm sayin'. Would it be right to sic Arthur on them? I know he'd tear 'em apart, but would that make us monsters for unleashing him on them, even though they themselves are traitors and maniacs?"

Meanwhile Arthur thought long and hard about who he would target. The Knight is the strongest, but he's still almost a friend. What if he can be saved? The Rogue is the source of this evil, but that damned cloak means I can't even touch her. And the Count... Arthur sighs. "Luke...which is better: to strike someone down, only to learn that they were not, in fact, tainted by evil? Or to let them go free, and risk spreading that evil to others?"

[Capt.JohnPaul]

"Well, tha's what I'm sayin'. Would it be right to sic Arthur on them? I know he'd tear 'em apart, but would that make us monsters for unleashing him on them, even though they themselves are traitors and maniacs?"

"No, unleashing him would be for the better, but we can't risk him getting hurt, we haven't really seen much of his combat abilities in this strange state."

[Waterbrick Down]

Meanwhile Arthur thought long and hard about who he would target. The Knight is the strongest, but he's still almost a friend. What if he can be saved? The Rogue is the source of this evil, but that damned cloak means I can't even touch her. And the Count... Arthur sighs. "Luke...which is better: to strike someone down, only to learn that they were not, in fact, tainted by evil? Or to let them go free, and risk spreading that evil to others?"

"I believe it is first better to gaze within and discern if there is evil within ourselves that may distort our perspective and judgement of the situation."

[Flipz]

"No, unleashing him would be for the better, but we can't risk him getting hurt, we haven't really seen much of his combat abilities in this strange state."

"Sure we can. No offense, Sir, but yer givin' him too much credit. He gave up all right ta his own well-bein' when he put everyone else's in jepoardy. I say we stick him on a horse and send him off, and pick up tha pieces when tha smoke clears. In fact, I'm goin' ta go suggest it now."

"I believe it is first better to gaze within and discern if there is evil within ourselves that may distort our perspective and judgement of the situation."

OOC: Holy...wow, epic timing. THAT was impressive. This is why I'm so sad I don't have a troll to include Skrall in the first wave of the Theatre.

Arthur jumps as if struck, and the bolt of darkness he had conjured disperses violently, striking him in the chest. He waves Luke off. "It's fine, I'm not injured," he lies, and he hobbles to one of the crenels between the merlons of the battlement, staring at his outstretched hands.

That's when Knyghton arrives. He glances around for Arthur, but fails to notice him sitting there. "Master Skrall..." Knyghton pauses hesitantly. Despite his earlier vehement arguments against Arthur, he did not relish sending his former friend away. I have ta do what I have ta do, he thought. Screwing up his courage, and slowly, reluctantly forcing the words from his mouth, he addresses his Party Leader. "Master Skrall...Sir Alexandre, Isabella, an' I have been talkin'. Sir, We...we think Arthur's endangerin' tha mission. He's just...too...dangerous ta be kept around. He's...well, he's a menace, sir." Knyghton hears a rustling noice, and pauses, but shortly continues. "So I say, we sic 'im on tha traitor, Russel, and sweep up tha pieces once tha Mage has obliterated him. Honestly, I get tha feelin' it's us or them he's gonna destroy, an' I think it ought ta be them--" Just then ther is a loud thud, and the others atop the wall see Arthur's gems lying next to his abandoned staff.

Arthur had leapt from the fortress wall.

OOC: Doc, see my PM.

[Capt.JohnPaul]

"Sure we can. No offense, Sir, but yer givin' him too much credit. He gave up all right ta his own well-bein' when he put everyone else's in jepoardy. I say we stick him on a horse and send him off, and pick up tha pieces when tha smoke clears. In fact, I'm goin' ta go suggest it now."

OOC: Holy...wow, epic timing. THAT was impressive. This is why I'm so sad I don't have a troll to include Skrall in the first wave of the Theatre.

Arthur jumps as if struck, and the bolt of darkness he had conjured disperses violently, striking him in the chest. He waves Luke off. "It's fine, I'm not injured," he lies, and he hobbles to one of the crenels between the merlons of the battlement, staring at his outstretched hands.

That's when Knyghton arrives. He glances around for Arthur, but fails to notice him sitting there. "Master Skrall..." Knyghton pauses hesitantly. Despite his earlier vehement arguments against Arthur, he did not relish sending his former friend away. I have ta do what I have ta do, he thought. Screwing up his courage, and slowly, reluctantly forcing the words from his mouth, he addresses his Party Leader. "Master Skrall...Sir Alexandre, Isabella, an' I have been talkin'. Sir, We...we think Arthur's endangerin' tha mission. He's just...too...dangerous ta be kept around. He's...well, he's a menace, sir." Knyghton hears a rustling noice, and pauses, but shortly continues. "So I say, we sic 'im on tha traitor, Russel, and sweep up tha pieces once tha Mage has obliterated him. Honestly, I get tha feelin' it's us or them he's gonna destroy, an' I think it ought ta be them--" Just then ther is a loud thud, and the others atop the wall see Arthur's gems lying next to his abandoned staff.

"What??" Alexandre is stunned by Knyghton's words, "I did agree he was endangering the mission, but 'menace?' I refuse to stand with those words."

Arthur had leapt from the fortress wall.

"Oh... no... no, no." Alexandre steps back from the wall, and takes off his helmet to rest. He looks ill.