Heroica RPG - Quest #138: Fade To Black

[Kintobor]

Karie takes off her mask and wipes the sweat of her face.

"Well, Merlay, glad to see you're okay."

[Endgame]

"Glad to be okay. Loving the ponytail, by the way." says Merlay, running her hand through her own ponytail. Her nonchalant smile becomes a concerned frown.

"Any news on my brother, Marlow?"

Edited August 5, 2015 by Endgame

[JimBee]

"Come on, it's true. He is. And I wouldn't be holding out for a Moone Elf suitor if I was you, there are so few of us, and almost zero are unmarried..."

"If this safehaven is safe, they won't be a concern."

Jinnipher rolled her eyes again, but held back a grin. "That's all you can think about now? We're on a mission, mother, nothing more." Typical. Clearly Jinnipher hadn't missed much in her absence.

"Glad to be okay. Loving the ponytail, by the way." says Merlay, running her hand through her own ponytail. Her nonchalant smile becomes a concerned frown.

"Any news on my brother, Marlow?"

Jinnipher nudged Lind pointedly before turning to her parents.

"You should be safe here, for now. Is there anything else you can tell us about the dragon, any way to defeat him?" She projected her question to anyone listening.

[Lind Whisperer]

"Glad to be okay. Loving the ponytail, by the way." says Merlay, running her hand through her own ponytail. Her nonchalant smile becomes a concerned frown.

"Any news on my brother, Marlow?"

Father Steve bowed his head sadly. "I regret to have to be the one to inform you, m'lady, but...Marlow bravely gave his life in service to his country."

"You should be safe here, for now. Is there anything else you can tell us about the dragon, any way to defeat him?" She projected her question to anyone listening.

"I've got fire bombs..."

[Endgame]

"It helps keep my mind off what's going on right now, sorry, thinking about your future... And you know how mothers are."

At the mention of defeating Vorpalis, the guardsmen shifting through food lurches up.

"So, yeah, introductions. I'm Eddy. Former guardsmen, before I decided I didn't want to serve Vorpalis. Honestly, as long as you can find a way to nullify his fog, it's just a battle of attrition from there. Since this is a city of his followers, he holds back when fighting in Mermont, to prevent collateral damage. Still, though, he has half of the city at his beck and call when fighting here, so it may be best that you battle him when he's alone, outside of Mermont. He won't pull any punches then, though, and he's absolutely brutal when he's fighting at full strength. Ever seen a man get his skull cracked like an egg before? I have, courtesy of Vorpalis..."

Father Steve bowed his head sadly. "I regret to have to be the one to inform you, m'lady, but...Marlow bravely gave his life in service to his country."

"Bravely? Service? Pfft. I loved the kid - and as soon as this whole ordeal is over and it has time to set in, I'll probably sob like a little baby over him - but he ran away to hide.

Listen, just... Thanks for dressing up the news nice, at least. Let me guess. Vorpalis got him. Right?"

Edited August 5, 2015 by Endgame

[Lind Whisperer]

"So, yeah, introductions. I'm Eddy. Former guardsmen, before I decided I didn't want to serve Vorpalis. Honestly, as long as you can find a way to nullify his fog, it's just a battle of attrition from there. Since this is a city of his followers, he holds back when fighting in Mermont, to prevent collateral damage. Still, though, he has half of the city at his beck and call when fighting here, so it may be best that you battle him when he's alone, outside of Mermont. He won't pull any punches then, though, and he's absolutely brutal when he's fighting at full strength. Ever seen a man get his skull cracked like an egg before? I have, courtesy of Vorpalis..."

"Well..." Father Steve reached into his Bag of Holding and pulled out Puffy. "We've got the fog nullifier.

I love legally acquired loot as much as the next person, but a whole city...that's a lot of enemies. I'm up for whatever, though."

"Bravely? Service? Pfft. I loved the kid - and as soon as this whole ordeal is over and it has time to set in, I'll probably sob like a little baby over him - but he ran away to hide.

Listen, just... Thanks for dressing up the news nice, at least. Let me guess. Vorpalis got him. Right?"

Father Steve ducked his head. "...I'm afraid so."

[JimBee]

"So, until Vorpalis gets back, what can we do to control things here in Mermont? I wouldn't mind taking out an eye or two from Aeolus and his cronies."

[Lind Whisperer]

"So, until Vorpalis gets back, what can we do to control things here in Mermont? I wouldn't mind taking out an eye or two from Aeolus and his cronies."

"Keep in mind, we have to keep a low profile. Unless you saw some nice gear lying around there. In which case, we need to keep a low profile while commandeering that gear..." Edited August 5, 2015 by Lind Whisperer

[Endgame]

"So, until Vorpalis gets back, what can we do to control things here in Mermont? I wouldn't mind taking out an eye or two from Aeolus and his cronies."

"Execution is only in two hours - sundown. It might be safer for you to just take a rest here."

[Endgame]

"In the meantime, if we decide to stay, I know what I'm doing."

Gabriel goes through the canned food Eddy was sorting, finds an empty one, and goes to the wall of wine barrels. He finds the barrel marked moonshine, another marked flaming gumball, and makes himself the same drink he had ordered at the hall.

"Bottom's up..."

Gabriel gulps it down, seemingly with more difficulty then before...

[Lind Whisperer]

"Execution is only in two hours - sundown. It might be safer for you to just take a rest here."

"Seconded."

"In the meantime, if we decide to stay, I know what I'm doing."

Gabriel goes through the canned food Eddy was sorting, finds an empty one, and goes to the wall of wine barrels. He finds the barrel marked moonshine, another marked flaming gumball, and makes himself the same drink he had ordered at the hall.

"Bottom's up..."

Gabriel gulps it down, seemingly with more difficulty then before...

Father Steve looks around for any empty bottles. "You doing alright, there, friend? You don't look so well..."

[Kintobor]

"Who's that in the bed?" Karie asks in a hushed voice.

[Endgame]

"Must've been aged too much or not enough. I don't remember it being so... harsh."

Gabriel forces down another.

"...This is either a very good or a very bad sign. Something's not right."

"Who's that in the bed?" Karie asks in a hushed voice.

"He's an old Moone Elf. His name is Alante. He's been sleeping for a while."

Edited August 5, 2015 by Endgame

[JimBee]

"Keep in mind, we have to keep a low profile. Unless you saw some nice gear lying around there. In which case, we need to keep a low profile while commandeering that gear..."

"Execution is only in two hours - sundown. It might be safer for you to just take a rest here."

"In the meantime, if we decide to stay, I know what I'm doing." Gabriel goes through the canned food Eddy was sorting, finds an empty one, and goes to the wall of wine barrels. He finds the barrel marked moonshine, another marked flaming gumball, and makes himself the same drink he had ordered at the hall. "Bottom's up..." Gabriel gulps it down, seemingly with more difficulty then before...

"So we're just going to stand around and wait for Vorpalis to come back? Isn't there something we can do to stop the guards from executing more people, especially while they don't have the dragon backing them?" Jinnipher crossed her arms and returned to her usual demeanor. "Skrall and I could return to the headquarters and take out Aeolus. If the guards aren't receiving orders they'll probably be confused for at least a little while. We can then take out as many as we can while sparing the remaining loyalists and maybe form a resistance force to fight against the guards. We can take control of Mermont away from Vorpalis, scatter his followers, and meet him in out in the open."

She looked to the party. "It's better than waiting around for more death."

[Endgame]

Karie shuffles across the room and leaves a glass of wine on one of the beds, keeping one for herself...

"Already poured yourself two, huh?"

Gabriel tries to drink more of his Moonball, but fails...

"...Have I been acting different lately?"

"So we're just going to stand around and wait for Vorpalis to come back? Isn't there something we can do to stop the guards from executing more people, especially while they don't have the dragon backing them?" Jinnipher crossed her arms and returned to her usual demeanor. "Skrall and I could return to the headquarters and take out Aeolus. If the guards aren't receiving orders they'll probably be confused for at least a little while. We can then take out as many as we can while sparing the remaining loyalists and maybe form a resistance force to fight against the guards. We can take control of Mermont away from Vorpalis, scatter his followers, and meet him in out in the open."

She looked to the party. "It's better than waiting around for more death."

"I understand where you're coming from, sweetheart, but between now and Faust's execution, there are no others. You wouldn't be preventing that much bloodshed, just stirring the pot and causing more.

Trust me. I wish I could be out there too. But I'm not sure if it's worth it."

"That, and Aeolus will be tipped off something is wrong when his two bounty hunters return empty handed from an easy bounty..."

[Lind Whisperer]

"So we're just going to stand around and wait for Vorpalis to come back? Isn't there something we can do to stop the guards from executing more people, especially while they don't have the dragon backing them?" Jinnipher crossed her arms and returned to her usual demeanor. "Skrall and I could return to the headquarters and take out Aeolus. If the guards aren't receiving orders they'll probably be confused for at least a little while. We can then take out as many as we can while sparing the remaining loyalists and maybe form a resistance force to fight against the guards. We can take control of Mermont away from Vorpalis, scatter his followers, and meet him in out in the open."

She looked to the party. "It's better than waiting around for more death."

Father Steve frowned. "...That sounds pretty risky and complicated. And I say that being the person whose plans are nothing but risky and complicated."

[JimBee]

Jinnipher rolled her eyes. "Fine! Then we'll just sit here and wait for the dragon to come back in full force." She plopped down on a cot.

"Get a hold of yourself, Gabriel. Now's not the time to freaking out and turning into a normal person."

[Lind Whisperer]

Jinnipher rolled her eyes. "Fine! Then we'll just sit here and wait for the dragon to come back in full force." She plopped down on a cot.

Father Steve stretched out on an adjacent cot. "So...anyone play Decamon? I've got half a deck on me..."

"Get a hold of yourself, Gabriel. Now's not the time to freaking out and turning into a normal person."

"Shh! Don't spoil it!"

[Endgame]

Since I forgot to respond to this point earlier Lind finds a few empty cans that could be used as cups.

"You're right about that."

Gabriel nervously raps his fingers on the makeshift cup.

"Doctors always said that it might take only one miracle drug to get things wired right up here," Gabriel says, tapping his temple with his knuckles. "Who would've thought that hallucinogenic, explosive fog could do it.

But that only confirms it. I have been acting different, haven't I?"

Gabriel looks at Jinnipher, his face as deadpan as ever but his voice with a very slight inflection - for Gabriel, though, that was unheard of.

"Never really felt concern for anyone 'til the party split."

[JimBee]

Since I forgot to respond to this point earlier Lind finds a few empty cans that could be used as cups.

"You're right about that."

Gabriel nervously raps his fingers on the makeshift cup.

"Doctors always said that it might take only one miracle drug to get things wired right up here," Gabriel says, tapping his temple with his knuckles. "Who would've thought that hallucinogenic, explosive fog could do it.

But that only confirms it. I have been acting different, haven't I?"

Gabriel looks at Jinnipher, his face as deadpan as ever but his voice with a very slight inflection - for Gabriel, though, that was unheard of.

"Never really felt concern for anyone 'til the party split."

Jinnipher gave Gabriel a weird look. "Who were you concerned about? You know Ican take care of myself. And why are you so weird to begin with?"

[Lind Whisperer]

Since I forgot to respond to this point earlier Lind finds a few empty cans that could be used as cups.

Lind attempts to draw a flaming gumball from the same barrel Gabriel did.

"You're right about that."

Gabriel nervously raps his fingers on the makeshift cup.

"Doctors always said that it might take only one miracle drug to get things wired right up here," Gabriel says, tapping his temple with his knuckles. "Who would've thought that hallucinogenic, explosive fog could do it.

"I wonder if there's anyway to can the fog...The Alchemists' Guild might pay a nice copper or two for something that can do that sort of thing..."

But that only confirms it. I have been acting different, haven't I?"

Gabriel looks at Jinnipher, his face as deadpan as ever but his voice with a very slight inflection - for Gabriel, though, that was unheard of.

"Never really felt concern for anyone 'til the party split."

Father Steve clapped his hands.

[Endgame]

"You. To be honest, since your current Heroica record showed so few quests - namely, zero - I tried convincing Faust to not hire you, because of lack of experience. So no. I've only been with this group for a few days. i don't know if anyone here can handle themselves. All I know is the rest had track records that backed them up and you didn't. No offense o you or your skills in combat; I'm just looking at numbers here."

Jinnipher gets the feeling there was another reason not even Gabriel was fully aware of.

"Why I'm so weird? My father was mentally ill and knocked up a lab assistant. Might've been drugs or alcohol involved, I don't know. Imagine me, but with violent mood swings and the occasional speech impediment. That was how my biological father was. I could've ended up like him. Glad I didn't. He couldn't handle the son he had accidentally procreated, and had me sent to adoptive parents, tried to forget me instantly. Bastard. Brilliant man, at the very least - very prolific inventor in Charis at the time. So good they chased him out, because the technology he made was indistinguishable from witchcraft."

Gabriel hesitates.

"His name was Royce Cour."

Lind attempts to draw a flaming gumball from the same barrel Gabriel did.

"I wonder if there's anyway to can the fog...The Alchemists' Guild might pay a nice copper or two for something that can do that sort of thing..."

Father Steve clapped his hands.

Lind formulates the same drink Gabriel did, but would he dare to drink it?

"You know for a fact they'd just weaponize it.

...And why do you look so pleased?"

Edited August 5, 2015 by Endgame

[Waterbrick Down]

"Glad we're all making moral victories here, but even if we wait for Vorpalis and his execution, and you're foolin' yerself if ya don't think he'll be bringin' Faust with him, we don't have any way of forcin' a fight outside the city."

[Endgame]

"Last group of adventurers actually killed a decent amount of guards. Vorpalis wanted to cut loose and finish them off himself, so he invited them to duel at the Moone Palace. They really couldn't decline - they knew he had to be killed, or he wouldn't leave - and they went there to confront him.

All that came back was bones.

If you can make Vorpalis desperate enough to make quick work of you, you may be able to get him out of Mermont. The battle hardly ends there, though... No one has ever seen vorpalis fight fully unrestrained and lived.

At least he's kind enough not to blast his own subjects and cities to smithereens, eh?"

[Lind Whisperer]

Lind formulates the same drink Gabriel did, but would he dare to drink it?

Lind looked into it dubiously. "...Does anyone have a scroll of Tongue Sealing?"

"You know for a fact they'd just weaponize it.

...And why do you look so pleased?"

"No reason. It's...just that since the whole fog exposure thing happened, it's been kind of pleasant having you as part of the group.

You're a pretty good egg."