Heroica RPG - Heroica Hall

[Cutcobra]

Heckz listens to Pretzel as he talks about how to kill demons.

"Well, I could consider that... OR, I could just throw spells at them until their face blows up. The latter is far more simpler."

[Myrddyn]

What I despise is the way those Phoenix Essences fail to work when you need them the most...anyway.

"You got that right." Erik mutters, finishing his drink and throwing a last bit of armour into his pack. He looks at the bottle in his hand, considers going to get another, but instead waits in case Pretzel says more.

[Kintobor]

"So...how did your family come to inherit such a name as 'Alderflask'?" I wonder aloud.

I sit back in my chair and study Karie for a few good moments as if weighing up her intelligence and how she what she would do with the knowledge given.

Then, slowly, I lean forward.

"Demons are highly varied, just like humans are. There is no one way to fight a demon. It takes years of study to learn about the various arts demons employ in their...attacks? For instance, their are the spiritual attacks, the mental attacks, the physical attacks, and...the ethereal attacks. Those are the four main factions, although I've heard some even trim it down to just physical and spiritual. It's hard to just explain how to fight a demon, because it really depends on the kind of attack. For instance, when one counters a physical attack, it is a rather glorious task for the results are visible. However, the spiritual attacks are not visible and do not rely on the sudden manifestations of power than the physical attacks rely on. Therefore, they are more subtle and unless one has a very good eye for them, they can be almost impossible to notice. Mental attacks are similar to the spiritual ones, but usually slightly more noticeable and often the results are a little longer lasting even if they are properly dealt with. For instance, since coming to Heroica, I have fought demons in almost every single one of my quests. In my first quest I had to prevent a demon from plaguing a village. By the way, when quests are written about destroying demons and the like, it's almost always referring to physical manifestations of the demons and sometimes ethereal.

Anyway, in that quest I used the raw power of divine healing to destroy the enemy and send it into the pits of hell.

In my second quest we were also fighting a physical manifestation of a demon, but this time it was manifested in the form of a beast, a terrifying beast no less..."

I see Punii enter the room.

"What do you know, I picked up that trinket on that quest. Can't say I did it on purpose though."

"Well said, Heckz! Well said. As I was saying, I have to take the blame for originally bringing that little shrimp to the hall, but in my defense, I was not the one who hid him in my cart and I had absolutely no idea that he was present, so what could I do? Really?"

I turn back to Karie.

"Anyway, as I was saying, in my next quest I had to cure someone who was undergoing a mental attack. That was different altogether. When the attack is not manifested physically, then dealing with it can be very tricky. Sometimes, you need to lay the person's life on the line because there are times when, in trying to kill the demon someone else gets hurt or dies, but from my experience, it is never wise to let the demons alone in those cases, because more often than not, the person sucked into their trap will suffer more in life under a demon than in death. Sometimes you have to take the risk. What I despise is the way those Phoenix Essences fail to work when you need them the most...anyway. Fighting demons is a tricky business and a huge subject in itself. ...Are there any specifics you would like to know though?"

Karie doesn't respond to the monk's comment on her make up, but does to the comment on her last name.

"Beats me, he was from Dastan. I was told it originated from an old story involving... well, a flask."

Karie feels uncomfortable as the monk began speaking about demons. Their strategies... she'd seen them all... experienced some of them.

"I have experience fighting demons myself. I just recently saved the faculty and students from the Academy of Enlightenment, as Heckz here can vouch for. We vanquished everything in that place. However, that's not what I was wanting to ask about.

What do you know about demons possessing people? I've seen it before, and it worries me."

Karie decides not to mention the fact she was not only possessed, but had two demonic tattoos on her, one which turned into a whip. Noticing the Progg kids enter, she smiles and waves to them.

[Cutcobra]

Heckz feels insulted.

"I can vouch for the fact that you, and Erik, helped. But in truth, I was the one who did most of the work."

He says proudly as he takes a sip on his glass of wine, or mead, or whatever it was. He didn't care as long as it didn't make him obese.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Cutcobra

[CMP]

Atramor returned to the saloon after a few hours wandering Eubric, as if it'd get him back to speed on what had occurred in his absence.

The Pheles Kris seemed almost aglow as he walked back inside, so he sheathed the weapon, sliding his shield onto his back, and took up his seat once again, sipping from the bottle of rum that was waiting for him. His eyes slid around for any familiar faces present, but he found surprisingly few.

[Zepher]

"I'm sure we all can, but it's good to be back... By Helvetia, felt like i talked to you three months ago, Boomingham, but it must've been almost a year at this point... Time flies, and in more ways than one. Pull up a seat, and we can attempt catching up."

I grimace at the various worms skittering along the hall.

"Well, aren't those little critters... unique, shall we say..."

Boomingham cocks his head. "I think I've met them before. And I think they said they were the runts of the litter, or something like that." But that memory leads down the same dark path...

"You've lived a long time, Sorrow, if you want to call it that. Right?" Boomingham watches Em walking away. "You have to live with a lot of regret, I'd imagine. Not to dredge up bad memories, but, Hel, you must have a few. We all do. So, what do you do with them? Pretend it never happened, or let it simmer. What if you can fix it?"

[Sandy]

~A new quest has been posted on the Quest Board (#109 by emjajoas)!~

[LordoftheNoobs]

Grimwald signs up for Quest #108 and Quest #109.

[Endgame]

"You've lived a long time, Sorrow, if you want to call it that. Right?" Boomingham watches Em walking away. "You have to live with a lot of regret, I'd imagine. Not to dredge up bad memories, but, Hel, you must have a few. We all do. So, what do you do with them? Pretend it never happened, or let it simmer. What if you can fix it?"

"More than a lot, Boomingham, but you're quite right. Way i see it, the first two options - forgetting, letting it smolder - are both run. Memories can be like a road, catching up to you. You can stand still and let them overtake you. You can run, but eventually you'll stumble, and you'll get you even then. I spent four centuries, running endlessly, remaking my lifestyle over and over to get away from bad memories, and I think I was a worse man because of it.

My advice? face it head on. memories are fickle things, Boomingham. They can devour you, they can be your salvation... Sometimes both. But above all else, they're usually false. i've had bad memories turn out to be good, and even the best of my memories turn out to be rancid after all.

Now, is there anything bothering you, Boomingham, or are you just... pondering?"

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Em is flanked by a horde of happy Progg children.

"Hi, Em!"

"Hello!"

"Great to see you!"

"Most joyous salutations to you!"

"The colony has been rebuidling! Lots of construction. Plus, there's a "baby boom", whatever that is... But we're doing well."

"Didn't expect to *wheeze* run into you, Em... Although it IS Heroica *cough* Hall, I guess. Good to see you!"

Punii's enthusiasm fizzles for a bit, his tone becoming somber a she glances at the questboard.

"...So, you're signed up for *cough, wheeze* The Regret's "quest", aren't you? I saw your name..."

---------------------------------------------

The orange Progg larva goes up to Karie, slinking away from his siblings and Punii for a bit. Karie recalls the little Progg as the one who told her he believed she was a good hero. He happily chirps:

"Hello, Miss Karie! How are you?"

[Zepher]

"More than a lot, Boomingham, but you're quite right. Way i see it, the first two options - forgetting, letting it smolder - are both run. Memories can be like a road, catching up to you. You can stand still and let them overtake you. You can run, but eventually you'll stumble, and you'll get you even then. I spent four centuries, running endlessly, remaking my lifestyle over and over to get away from bad memories, and I think I was a worse man because of it.

My advice? face it head on. memories are fickle things, Boomingham. They can devour you, they can be your salvation... Sometimes both. But above all else, they're usually false. i've had bad memories turn out to be good, and even the best of my memories turn out to be rancid after all.

Now, is there anything bothering you, Boomingham, or are you just... pondering?"

"Just letting my mind wander. Which isn't always the smartest thing to do... it often zigs and zags, and then I can't always get it to come back to me." He shrugs. "Em was someone I trusted. We were tasked with tracking down one of the most despicable people I've ever faced. Probably the most despicable simple mortal, at least. Two others in the party allowed him to live... but they warned me they would, and I thought I could over power them with my allies when the time came, and do the right thing. Em betrayed me at the last moment. I want to know if I can trust him again."

[Endgame]

"...Define betrayal. I don't know the situation nor the man. It sounds like there wasn't a betrayal, but rather, a schism, if that makes any sense - the party's ideologies split."

Edited July 20, 2014 by Endgame

[Zepher]

Boomingham frowns. "Sorrow, do you recall when we were facing Baba in that Theatre? Suppose Arthur decided he really though she was rather okay, and let her walk free. How would you phrase that?"

[Endgame]

"Betrayal. But that was one of nine. The way you explained it, it sounded like an even split in the party... If you think about it that way, Boomingham, they probably see you as a traitor too.

I'm not pointing fingers, friend - I wasn't there, and besides, I have no right to judge. I'd have to know what happened before I could really say anything else."

Edited July 20, 2014 by Endgame

[JimBee]

Thalion turns around and greets Hybros with a smile, "Ah, master Hybros, indeed it has!" His face takes a more serious look after Hybros' unfinished sentence, "Yes, yes, of course.", and he points to and empty table in the corner of the Hall. "What is it about?"

Hybros sits and looks at Thalion. "You do remember our quest some months ago, when we had to deliver the painting device for the newspaper, yes? Well my most recent quest brought me underground to Zylstra and even deeper. The U'Kin doctor, U'Reeka, was experimenting with ancient Moon Elf technology and the painting device. The result was... not good. The device was creating shadow creatures, Shades, that took the people of Zylstra and copied their forms, along with the forms of Moon Elf corpses below the surface. We had no choice but to destroy the box and the creatures, along with the Doctor who would not give up his creations..."

Hybros coughed.

"It turns out the Crimson Crown, one of the organizations to attack us in that square all that time ago, was not all wrong about the machine being dangerous, eheh. We met them again below the surface, and had no choice but to help them seal the Shades' fate. I will not cherish that fact, and I do not agree with the Crown's mission, but... they were right. And they had some way to get down below the surface quickly." Hybros recalls the gaping hole in Eubric, and wondered how they were able to conceal such a large project. "These are confusing times. I thought you should know about the result of our previous quest..."

[Emjajoas]

Em is flanked by a horde of happy Progg children.

"Hi, Em!"

"Hello!"

"Great to see you!"

"Most joyous salutations to you!"

"The colony has been rebuidling! Lots of construction. Plus, there's a "baby boom", whatever that is... But we're doing well."

"Didn't expect to *wheeze* run into you, Em... Although it IS Heroica *cough* Hall, I guess. Good to see you!"

Punii's enthusiasm fizzles for a bit, his tone becoming somber a she glances at the questboard.

"...So, you're signed up for *cough, wheeze* The Regret's "quest", aren't you? I saw your name..."

Em nods with a grin as he hears the Colony is doing well. "I'm glad the colony is doing better. If you need aid rebuilding, you need only ask. I feel... slightly responsible. What brings you out to Heroica, anyways? Visiting? Trading?"

Em nods again at Punii's question. "Yes. I'm rather fond of you lot, and I'm not too fond of the oculoids. It's a good fit."

[Kintobor]

Heckz feels insulted.

"I can vouch for the fact that you, and Erik, helped. But in truth, I was the one who did most of the work."

He says proudly as he takes a sip on his glass of wine, or mead, or whatever it was. He didn't care as long as it didn't make him obese.

"Oh really? Then why did me, Sorrow, and Erik have to save your sorry megablocks from that music demon after you got knocked out?"

She grins, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. "Let's see him weasel his way out of this one," she thought.

The orange Progg larva goes up to Karie, slinking away from his siblings and Punii for a bit. Karie recalls the little Progg as the one who told her he believed she was a good hero. He happily chirps:

"Hello, Miss Karie! How are you?"

While waiting for response from both Heckz and the monk, Karie notices a familiar creature at her feet.

"Well, look who it is! I'm doing alright, but please, don't call me "Miss", I've had enough students calling me that for a lifetime! What have you and your brothers been doing? They are all brothers, right?"

Karie hoped she had that right, she wasn't quite sure about progg anatomy. She notices Em and smiles. She hadn't seen him in ages. She tries to make eye contact, motioning him to sit next to her.

[Zepher]

"Betrayal. But that was one of nine. The way you explained it, it sounded like an even split in the party... If you think about it that way, Boomingham, they probably see you as a traitor too.

I'm not pointing fingers, friend - I wasn't there, and besides, I have no right to judge. I'd have to know what happened before I could really say anything else."

"So if Thothwick and Nagure and Arthur had sided with the witch, should Nyx, me and you have followed suit? No, a betrayal is a betrayal." Boomingham's face flushes with passion. "But I do not think Em is lost. I am not unreasonable, we all make mistakes. It is how we move forward after them that defines us."

[Emjajoas]

Em notices Karie, nods, and strides over, taking a seat. "How are things, Karie?"

[Endgame]

"Punii got a request from one of your leaders!"

"Yeah, the Dust Duchess or whatever her name was wanted Punii to help beat up bad guys."

"And we wanted fresh air!"

"Therefore, with Fydelle and Solon's permission, we followed Punii up."

"Yeah, I got a *wheeze* letter from the Sand Queen. Em, I... I think she fears The Regret."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The yellow one watching over us is a friend, but yup, the rest of us are all brothers... I, uh, never mentioned this before, but we're kinda sorta the sons of the leader of all the Proggs... And stuff. So, yeah, me and my brothers have kinda just been exploring the colony while daddy picks up the pieces and whatever. The yellow progg there, Punii, has been hired by one of your Veterans - the Sediment Sovereign, I think her name was? - to fight a big bad demon guy named The Regret."

The proggling looks down in sadness.

"The same bad guy who tore our home apart... He's a very very very bad guy, my daddy says. He says he "likes to think he's a God", whatever that means... And he leads these horrible demon things too. They're floaty inky squid thingies with one eye..."

-----------------------------------------------

"Point taken, Boomingham - I didn't think of it that way.

But the others - you think they're beyond redemption?"

[Emjajoas]

"Most should, Punii. He's powerful. But we're strong too. I'll protect you out there, as best I can. You've my word on that. How are Fydelle and Solon, anyways? Busy, I expect."

[Kintobor]

"The yellow one watching over us is a friend, but yup, the rest of us are all brothers... I, uh, never mentioned this before, but we're kinda sorta the sons of the leader of all the Proggs... And stuff. So, yeah, me and my brothers have kinda just been exploring the colony while daddy picks up the pieces and whatever. The yellow progg there, Punii, has been hired by one of your Veterans - the Sediment Sovereign, I think her name was? - to fight a big bad demon guy named The Regret."

The proggling looks down in sadness.

"The same bad guy who tore our home apart... He's a very very very bad guy, my daddy says. He says he "likes to think he's a God", whatever that means... And he leads these horrible demon things too. They're floaty inky squid thingies with one eye..."

Karie began thinking about everything the little Progg said, trying to piece her information together. It had been six months since she'd last shown her face in Eubric, yet it only felt like a day. What other things had changed?

"I see. And your friend here is going on a quest to stop this "Regret" and put an end to these "inky squid thingies"?"

Em notices Karie, nods, and strides over, taking a seat. "How are things, Karie?"

As Em sits down, Karie gives him a pat on the back.

"It's good to see you, again. I've been doing okay. Fought off a bunch of demons in the Academy. Still..."

Karie felt uncomfortable talking about the additional events surrounding the academy, but...

"Em, there's something I need to tell you. Me and Masson, we're... well, we're getting married."

[Zepher]

"Point taken, Boomingham - I didn't think of it that way.

But the others - you think they're beyond redemption?"

Boomingham plays with his mouth a little, shifting constantly between a resigned smile and a hopeful frown. "Is anyone past redemption, Sorrow? The elf Nerwen tells me that mortals hardly change in our life time. But I don't agree with that. She told me also that forgiveness stems from me, not from those I'm forgiving. It is a question of character. Not can they do good, because, as Nerwen told me, anyone can do good. Its just a question of will they do good, and will they do good when I need them to do good. And that's my question for myself - if I do not think they'll be doing good any time soon, then aren't I sort of doing some evil by letting them get away with it?"

Boomingham watches discreetly as Em and Karie start to talk.

[Emjajoas]

Em raises his eyebrows, grin still plastered across his face. "Married? Sounds like a handful," he jokes. "Congratulations. When's the wedding?"

[Wedge09]

As a new influx of heroes enters Heroica Hall, six creatures wriggle into the building, the smallest keeping the largest in line. "Largest" was something of a misnomer, though, as none of the creatures were any larger than a standard dog. However, their spiny tails were quite large, guiding their slithery movement.

The yellow one approaches the questboard, and signs it.

The tiny Proggs scatter the hall, skittering around in the hall.

"Ooh! Heroica hall!"

"There's heroes!"

"Well, duh, of course there is..."

"What lovely architecture..."

"And stuff!"

The runtish one practically collapses, gasping for breath.

"Oogh, not sure what was *wheeze* tougher... Getting here, dragging that stool to the *cough* questboard, or watching them... But, wow, Heroica hall! I forgot just how *wheeze* big this place was...!"

All would be up for a chat if approached, by the looks of it.

Alaxender watches those small and colored things entering the Hall "Who knows what they are..." he thinks observing them venturing into the Hall cackling; he is a bit surprised when the yellow one sign his name on the Quest Board "Interesting...". Alexander remains silent while observing them speaking with other heroes, waiting...

[Endgame]

"I know, Em, and thank you very much for trying. *wheeze* I've fought him before, you know. Even when losing was his end goal, he was nearly impossible to beat. He tore his body in half, and some horrible, *cough* horrible monster slithered out of it... He said it was his "true form" or *wheeze* something, and he called it "Perfect Regret...""

Solon and Fydelle? They've been *wheeze* super busy, and super productive too. We almost had to restart from square one, but we're getting there."

---------------------------------------

"He's gonna try... There's a quest listing on that questboard thingy, The Regret himself set it up. I wonder why?

Do you think Heroica will let him win, Karie?"

--------------------------------------------

The purple larva turns to address Alexander.

"Greetings and salutations, Hunter! I presume that you are a member of Heroica?"

-------------------------------------------------

"Nerwen was right. But they shouldn't have to be good when you need them to be good - they should be good whenever good is needed. Morality and right and wrong revolve around none of us, Boomingham. None of us are truly righteous, and almost nobody is entirely evil. I would always try forgiving, no matter the situation, and resort to other methods if need be.

Besides... if they were being evil, Heroica hall would've caught wind of it - it would've been plastered all over the quest board by now." I chuckle.