Heroica RPG - Quest #53: Chaos in Eubric

[The Legonater]

'Royal Retainer of the Banished,' eh? Well, I'm sure I've had more pompous titles. Do I get a cloak?

Dyric largely takes the Master's words in his stride - it was nothing new. Already he had learned that these regrets would be feelings that clung to him for most if not all his life, and he had accepted that fact and continued on. Still, he could not help but over a pained look as the mighty Cronk collapsed to the ground. He knew that feeling. It wasn't pleasant.

[Flipz]

Cronk wishes friends brought Hope along.

"I, too."

Arthur moves along with the rest of the party, opening a new page in his Journal.

Speak to me...

When all you got to keep is strong,

Move along, move along like I know you do.

And even when your hope is gone,

Move along, move along just to make it through,

Move along.

When everything is wrong, we move along

When everything is wrong, we move along

Along...along...along...

When all you got to keep is strong,

Move along, move along like I know you do.

And even when your hope is gone,

Move along, move along just to make it through.

When all you got to keep is strong,

Move along, move along like I know you do.

And even when your hope is gone,

Move along, move along just to make it through.

When all you got to keep is strong,

Move along, move along like I know you do.

And even when your hope is gone,

Move along, move along just to make it through...

Move along.

Right back what is wrong...

We move along.

Right back what is wrong...

We move along.

Right back what is wrong...

We move along.

Right back what is wrong...

We move along.

[UsernameMDM]

(Are we there yet?!?! )

[Professor Flitwick]

Ooc: Maybe we need to transcribe more songs? Hey, Flipz, how bout some Shania Twain this time?

[The Legonater]

I down a Nostrum.

[Flipz]

I down a Nostrum.

Did you hand Arthur the Loaded Die? Also, did you equip the Scarf of Misfortune he handed you?

[The Legonater]

I equip the scarf and hand Arthur the die

[Flipz]

Arthur Equips the Loaded Die, the Robe of the Archmage, and the Cloak of Deception.

[Zepher]

OoC: Congrats, you are now officially able to be perma-KO'd! If you end up KO'd at the end of a battle, you will not be able to fight again, though you will still be able to talk. SOME of your fellow players have been brave enough to tell me that they will accept a perma-character death if left KO'd at the end of the battle, but I won't tell you who! If you want to add your name to that pot, PM me. As for the NPCs - some will die if KO'd at the end of the battle. Some will die is left KO'd at the end of too many battles (2 or 3) and VERY few will not die no matter what. I won't tell you which is which, though.

[iNTERLUDE – FROG PALADIN ORDER]

<…so while I thank you for your hospitality, I think it’s time that I leave. Pigley is getting restless. And while you’ve done a mighty fine job reforming Barkington, I still think he is angry at me for apprehending him. I’m tired of his angry looks.>

<Where do you intend to go, Child Russel?>

<Back to Eubric, probably. See if I can’t find any work. I don’t doubt Gurnam or Everyman will have something for us. Heroica can’t handle every job.>

<Now is not the time to leave for Eubric. The city is in turmoil. It is a dangerous place for the small folk.>

<It’s in trouble? Well how-dee-doo. I guess I ought to get there lickity-split.>

<We cannot reach it in time. We must pray instead, Child. We must pray to our Gods and hope that a more monstrous one does not arrive. Besides, we already have the best of the best there.>

<Sir Earl Poletad is in Eubric?>

<Yes. Among some of the greatest heroes that the world of the large can gather up. They are our defense, Child.>

<Maybe we ought to pray then, at least. Right, Master Pylon?>

<We should always pray.>

[iNTERLUDE – CONCLUDED]

The heroes go to leave, and the Master turns to them once more.

“Good luck, heroes,” he says. “And fare well, brother. And farewell.” He cackles and Felton smiles weakly. The Gray Wizard nods a final time at his brother and the heroes begin to climb back up the giant rickety staircase.

“No doubt you’ll be wanting an explanation, or at least some of one,” the Gray Wizard tells them curtly. “I believe Felton is correct. I think you need to know everything you can. So I’ll explain what I can. We Old Gods are not Gods in the same way that Zoot or Ennoc are. We thought, for a long time, that we were, but we are not. We do not hang high above Olegia and answer prayers. We walk among men and women. We are of the mortal realm. We have been called Gods and so call ourselves Gods from time to time, but we are not. We are not perfect as they are. We have personality and we make choices.”

“We have existed since the beginning of time, and stepped forth at the same time Olegia was born. We have seen much. We have been to Dastan, the far North, the Shadowlands, Eubric, Ennon, the Orcish lands, and many places. We have flown on Dragons, conquered Krakens, seen Kings rise and fall. We’ve met the Council of the Watchful Eye. I thought we should swear, like them, to not be involved with the way of the world, but that grew too challenging for all three of us and we gave it up. We are beasts feeding on and of desire, and we have strong desires of our own. Even so, we attempt to remain inconspicuous. We are not Gods, but we are powerful, and there are many who would try to do us wrong.”

“The desire I hold power over, that I feed off of, that I embody, is Passion, as my brother has told you. It is for that purpose that I cannot see Wren win. I had once viewed her as my greatest possible disciple, along with many of the others in my party. But as a person- as a being with opinions- I cannot see her win. I will not allow it, on my own principle. Furthermore, I do not think she would succeed. I think if we do not intervene, she will bring Zoot here, and he will destroy everything. All of us Old Gods are lovers of life, and so we protect it. Chaos is good, but only when it is it a perversion of order. Chaos is the Order of the world; this is true, as Wren has said, as Arthur has said. But it can have no master.”

“I speak of detaching yourself from the people you lead, Haldor, and this is the thing I’ve learned. I am not a common mortal. I cannot stand idly by, I have learned, but I must also not mingle too heavily. Sometimes, things must end the way they are meant to end. I don’t believe in fate, but I do believe in forces that shape the world, and I believe that I must sometimes step aside for them. Desire is the only way the world grows and progresses, and I have been chosen as both a master of it, and a conduit. My brother knows that. He has reminded me of it. I am master of Passion, but that does not mean I’m the only one who feels it.”

The heroes emerge. They realize that the entire night has passed away while they have been underground. Time flows differently; it appears, in the temple of the Old Gods.

Before them stands Wren. She smiles.

“Found him, did you heroes? How does it feel to be outside Heroica? A little scary, isn’t it? Knowing you’re not longer protected? You’ll get used to it. Living in fear of death is the only way you can live life. HAHAHAHAHA! Breath in the air, my chickadees.”

“Anyway, I’ve come to have a little chat with you, honey buns. First off, it is lovely to finally physically see so many of you in one place. You’re really a very beautiful group. Cronk, your eyes are glistening today. So lovely. And Nyx, you have new shoes.”

“Now, I hattttte being stern with people that I love so much, but I did tell you to stop bothering me. And look what you’ve done! You’ve killed some of XX’s bomb friends, you’ve slaughtered all of my Chaos Beasts- I’ve been saving Chaos so long, but that first batch was all the chaos I took from the Arena. That’s a lot of Chaos! Now I’ve had to use the Chaos from Haddon to make more!”

“Anywho, long story short, I will be needing to punish you for doing what I expressly told you not to do. Now, you’ll recall that Mallelio and Triad are guarding two gates of chaos. Right? And Sycamore did hide them. I honestly didn’t know they were around. But then I had Sphinx and XX capture Zee, and she had all of these memories that Sycamore had, and she just right on told me about those gates! So, you’ve got to go do that. The one under Triad will make my pet healthier, and the one under Mallelio will make him stronger. Oh, at the same time, I’ve got some people going to open a gate at the edge of Guffington Manor. Right outside the outside wall. That one will make my little beastie lucky when he shows up. So, pick a few to try to close. But be warned, if you split up too much, you’ll be dead. You can’t save all your loved ones. Isn’t that right? Skrall, Arthur, Dyric, Cronk, Alexis… who else has lost a loved one? So so many of you.”

Alexis' eyes narrow. "You're just asking for it now. This has been a long time in coming." Alexis bundles her Scrolls, her staves, the Lens, Gems, even the Monkey Bar, and presses them into Arthur's chest. The Sorcerer staggers slightly from the weight. "I don't need these anymore."

"Alexis...?"

"Ah, the wench gets fiery."

"Time to die." She draws back her bow, and lets fly a shot that surely would have ended Wren...had she not vanished the moment before. "Next time, then, witch..."

Alexis has changed class to Assassin!

Wren's voice twinkles in their ears.

"Well done, Alexis, but just a little too slow. Now, I must be off for a prisoner exchange. I'm heading to the Court of Demons. Zee was kind enough to swear myself and Sphinx in, so we're all in the same club now. Anyway, I'll be sure to tell them you'll be dropping by!"

"There is no time to waste. Vipera, tell Bennetton to gather a force and move on the Court of Demons. If they move before we reach them, all is lost. We must split our forces. Cronk, you must pull yourself together and make a choice. Who are we saving? Who are we condemning? Or are we trying to save everyone? Vipera, see if you can get in contact with Mallelio or Triad and try to warn them."

OoC: Your party is the heroes, Felton, the Gray Wizard (check the end of Quest 38 for stats), and Vipera (who has a 1/2 chance of giving the lucky or blessed effect, and has a 1/6 chance of reviving someone at 1 health). Your potential destinations are the South Tower (Triad) the Observatory (Mallelio) and Guffington Manor (Lucky Effect on Wren's Chaos Summon thingy at the end).

[CMP]

Oh come on, couldn't you have waited after the Quest to do that?! All he has to do is slap on 'Immune to Instant Kill' on a few more opponents and you're just a Ranger... I didn't even know you were able to change classes mid-quest.

Atramor nearly rolls his eyes as Alexis tries to fire an arrow at Wren. If it was that easy, she'd've been dead a long time ago. He practically ignores the witch herself - well, mostly her ramblings about the heroes getting on her bad side - and then turns to Cronk shortly after their options are laid out before them.

"We can't leave anyone behind, mate, but I know we can't all split up like that again. I think we should all choose two locations, I'd suggest at least one be to the Manor, and then someone gets a Smoke Bomb and goes and grabs either Triad or Mallelio. We can't nail down all the spires, but we can at least prevent another needless death; especially considerin' how good of a possibility that is now."

Edited January 19, 2013 by CallMePie

[Flipz]

"Hell if I'm going to have to fight another Lucky abomination. I'm going to Guffington Manor. Atramor's got it right, I vote we whisk Triad away, we can't afford for Mallelio's spire to go down, especially with us facing death like we are now."

"Hoke, hold onto my Healing Staff for now, no sense in me using two at the moment. Take my Ether Core as well, I'm more likely to use my staff than my spells at the moment, though I expect some sort of payment for the Core eventually."

[Zepher]

OoC: Smoke bombs will not work to save them. You must win the battle. Fair warning.

[Waterbrick Down]

Like a flash Wren was there and gone again, Alexis had tried in vain to take her out, but Skrall knew too well what a fruitless endeavor that would be.

"Wren will not let us just duck in and out of there friends. She knows we are now vulnerable and will seek to block any half hearted rescue plan we can put together. No, I'm afraid now is the time we must sacrifice. There will indeed be much misery after this is all over, but let us attempt as much as we can that others may be spared it. Cronk, I'm with Atramor, we need to send at least one party to the Manor."

[The Legonater]

Ah, welcome to Assassin-ship, Alexis. It's pretty fun.

I agree with Atramor, if we try to cover all our bases again, we'll be dead before we even raise our weapons. Now, I don't know either of these folks very well, so sorry if I sound callous when I say we have to sacrifice either Mallelio or Triad. Frankly, though, sacrifice is a large part of life, as I've learned. It comes to all of us in different shapes or sizes. It's what we do with that sacrifice that matters. The sacrifice of these men today - as well as any of us who fall in battle - will be a noble one. They, we, will die defending Eubric, defending Heroica. They will die defending all that is good in this country. Know that death today will be far from in vain, but rather a strike of honour on all our houses. Today will be a valiant fight, like the stories of old, of good and evil and shining knights giving everything they all. Tonight there will be blood, of that I am certain. but there will be joy and peace and prosperity of the light our forefathers never knew. So be prepared, then, to give everything you are. For Heroica. For Eubric. For the men and women and children who lay hunkered down behind the once-safe walls. Today we fight.

[CMP]

OOC: Even if we're perfectly okay to let the spire fall, we can't save the person?

[Flipz]

"Triad would want to die as Bal did, fighting to the last. It's a shame we can't help her, but we just can't."

"If we really wanted to risk it, we could send Cronk and one other party member. But it's just not worth it, not after we gave up the protection of Heroica."

OOC: Even if we're perfectly okay to let the spire fall, we can't save the person?

I imagine that Triad's as stubborn as Phil. All of Zepher's characters have a deathwish like that. And yes, that includes Boomingham.

[UsernameMDM]

"Hoke, hold onto my Healing Staff for now, no sense in me using two at the moment. Take my Ether Core as well, I'm more likely to use my staff than my spells at the moment, though I expect some sort of payment for the Core eventually."

"Many thanks."

Hoke was starting to get bored with this pompous witch. It was time to just end her.

"Where to?"

[CMP]

Atramor's eyes narrowed slightly, and he turned to face Arthur.

"Give me one of those Paralyzing Venoms and I'll do it. I ain't leavin' anyone behind if I've got the chance to help it. Alexis, can I have that Ether Core? And that Scroll of Luck might help too, if ya' can spare it."

McCafferey's head snapped sideways to stare straight at Atramor.

'What?' her voice rang out in his mind incredulously. She got about as much attention as he'd jut paid to Wren.

[Flipz]

"I've got the Scroll of Luck, want me to try casting it on you now, before I lend it to you? You know, since I'm currently Lucky and all." Arthur indicates Dyric's die in his pocket. He then hands Atramor a Paralyzing Venom. "Put that on the Explosive Staff, and wear the Ancient Crown, the two together should buy you plenty of time."

[CMP]

Atramor nodded, taking the vial and thinking for a moment how to apply it to the Explosive Staff. In the end, he just splattered the Paralyzing Venom all over it and hoped it would work.

"That'd help, mate."

[Zepher]

OoC: I will also note this about the Paralyzing venom. It, like other things that would prevent free hits, only last for three rounds. However, with an explosive staff, you should still be a-okay. Just warning you! Sorry if that seems unfair, but it's an OUTRAGEOUSLY OP item without that.

[CMP]

Like all other venoms, isn't it supposed to last the entirety of one battle, like it did in Dastan?

[Flipz]

OoC: I will also note this about the Paralyzing venom. It, like other things that would prevent free hits, only last for three rounds. However, with an explosive staff, you should still be a-okay. Just warning you! Sorry if that seems unfair, but it's an OUTRAGEOUSLY OP item without that.

Like all other venoms, isn't it supposed to last the entirety of one battle, like it did in Dastan?

I think the venom itself stays on the weapon for the whole battle, but the effect of the venom only lasts 3 Rounds.

While I see the value in the venom working for the whole fight, I also see how monstrously difficult it would be to balance for. Although, scenarios with entirely too many Free Hits ARE becoming disturbingly common in Heroica...

"All right, then, ready yourself..." Arthur attempts, for the first time, to use the Scroll of Luck on Atramor, before handing the Scroll of Luck to Atramor.

[Zepher]

If it lasted the whole battle, it would be like a scroll of sleep that didn't cost ether, hit everyone at once, and lasted forever. That's not an item that makes sense.

[Flipz]

I thought Paralyzing Venom only prevented Free Hits? Never mind, I see what you're saying. To be fair, "hits everyone at once" is a result of smart combination of equipment (which players shouldn't be punished for), but the "lasts forever" bit still makes a good argument.