Heroica RPG - Quest #105: Eternal Reaper

[The_Customizer]

Erdathcath watches the flurry of conversation, and the snow picking up, intermixing and making things confusing, she calms her mind, "Let's go to the village. Even if just to take a short break, then we continue on to the Citadel."

[joeshmoe554]

"In that case we should get moving before this blizzard gets any worse."

[Bricksandparts]

OoC: Sorry, I was gone for an extra day it turned out... Anyways, back tot he quest!

Johon soon finds the party, having fallen behind as images of his past invaded his thoughts. He arrives, noticing a large group of soldiers speaking with the party. As he advances, he holds his hand on his sword, not sure if the mercenaries planned for a fight.

"I don't want anyone getting hurt, I'd recommend you moving along or leaving. Your foe is harder than you realize..." Johon says, warning the group.

[Zepher]

Boomingham looks at the Raider ambling up after all was said and done. "It's alright, chappo, they've already been given a talking to. Let them live or die as they see fit."

[Endgame]

Johon soon finds the party, having fallen behind as images of his past invaded his thoughts. He arrives, noticing a large group of soldiers speaking with the party. As he advances, he holds his hand on his sword, not sure if the mercenaries planned for a fight.

"I don't want anyone getting hurt, I'd recommend you moving along or leaving. Your foe is harder than you realize..." Johon says, warning the group.

"Coulda sworn I said the same thing to your group!"

QM Note: I'll give Emjajoas a few more hours to respond before i move this along.

[Endgame]

"May the best group claim the treasure - and the demon's life -eh?"

With that, the two groups part ways, the heroes marching North as Knox's men head for the front door of the Citadel. After tromping through what seems like hours of unbearable cold,

The place was dismal, buildings buried under mounds of snow. Only two buildings have remotely survived the harsh cold, both merely remains of structures. The wood composing the two buildings visible was gnarled and ancient, the edifices themselves practically gone. What seems to be the remains of a cottage remains to one side, while the corpse of a kitchen stands pitifully to the right. A broken, stone well had poured water... But since then, it had frozen over, a tiny pile of ice standing in the village center. Two statues stand, the harsh wintery wind erasing their facial features and rendering them simple stone silhouettes. One had even been beheaded. A slew of spears poke out of the heavy snow...

This place had been lost to the vagaries of time, by the looks of things... The party could inspect the village, head North, or head East.

[Bricksandparts]

Johon's mouth hangs open as the party approaches. A few tears form in his eyes, and he makes his way forward, inspecting the remains of his home. He falls to his knees, speechless.

[Kintobor]

Karie inspects the spears with her magnifying glass, noticing Johon ramble over to one of the cottages.

"You okay, mate? Something you wanna talk about?"

[Endgame]

In this clearing, Karie found nine spears, each with an inscription:

Eidolon - Andrea

Eidolon - Manfred

Aquos - Danyl

Aquos - Gregory

Cardic - Miller

Vanguard - Emma

Bellum - Cara

Prometheus - Hadrian

Prometheus - Mar

What did it mean? The names on the left seemed to appear multiple times for some, while the names on the right only ever appeared once - is this some sort of memorial to a massacre, stating who killed who?

"Johon, are you... Well?"

"I've never seen him *wheeze* like this..."

[Bricksandparts]

"This..." Johon starts, "This... was my home." He says as vague images of his childhood come back. He looks towards the cottage, walking over and looking around. Just outside, covered in the thick snow, is a shiny, spherical object. After a long silence, he continues. "This was my true home. My parents sacrificed themselves to save me from the uprising." Johon says, tears in his eyes, seemingly invisible.

[Endgame]

"Some... Background. The Proggs were made to be a *wheeze* slave race, and eight hundred years ago, they *cough* revolted. The event was called the Uprising, and the Proggs succeeded in overthrowing and killing their masters.

But like I said... Johon, that event was eight hundred years ago. You have to be *wheeze* mistaken..."

Edited August 10, 2014 by Endgame

[Bricksandparts]

"Prometheus killed them my parents. He slaughtered them, and me, if it hadn't been for their sacrifice..." Images of his parents death replay in his head. At the last moment they had attempted a prohibited magic, sending a soul through time and space. His old life was still hazy, only remembering fragments that he had been reminded of. "I don't know how they did, but I know they did. Ironic someone from the start would be fighting for the end."

[Zepher]

Boomingham turns to Johon. "Listen, chap, I don't know you all that well, but... well, being displaced from time and place- it isn't a picnic, that's for sure." Boomingham looks around at the destroyed village. "There isn't much to come back to here. We can learn from the past, but there's no point dwelling on it. You're here now, that's where your brain ought to be too." Boomingham claps him on the shoulder. "Onwards and upwards, I say."

[Endgame]

"Boomingham is right, Johon." He shoots a nervous glance towards the Paladin, wondering what biting remark would come next.

"Now, are we heading North or East?"

[Kintobor]

Karie lingers over to the various crates and pot to the right of the cottage, looking about for anything of use.

"I want to look around here, personally. If you guys want to go ahead, I should be fine by myself. After all, I do have Baaffy... Baaffy?"

Karie looks over to see the sheep asleep, swaying back and forth in it's upward trance.

"Oh, come on! Damn sheep..."

Edited August 10, 2014 by Kintobor

[Emjajoas]

Em remains silent, running a cold hand through his snow-covered hair. He inspects the statues quietly, curious as to what they signified.

[Endgame]

QM Note: As a note, Baaffy has been modified. It now only works once per battle, but as a trade off it can be used to target a specific enemy instant of a random one.

Karie finds nothing but snow and wirthing insects within the storage containers. However, she uses a spare bottle to contain some of their excrement, recieving:

Deadly Venom

Em goes to inspect the statues: There are two plaques below each. The left plaque reads:

Statue of Daranza the First, First Leader, Creator of the Proggs

The right plaque reads:

Statue of Daranza The Fifty Third, Current Leader, heir to the Progg labor force

"His name carried on for *wheeze* almost fifty generations? Although I guess Daranza the Fifty Third isn't so *wheeze* current anymore..."

Edited August 11, 2014 by Endgame

[joeshmoe554]

"I want to look around here, personally. If you guys want to go ahead, I should be fine by myself. After all, I do have Baaffy... Baaffy?"

"We should stick together. We have no idea what other agents of the regret may be at work on this island and it would be far easier to pick us off one by one than face a full group." Jeaux scanned the buildings for any that may provide some shelter from the storm, should the party need a place to stop and regroup.

[Endgame]

The cottage on the left had something resembling a roof left, that could theroretically hide a few people under it.

[Kintobor]

Karie scoops the poison up, looking about as she does so. She takes a moment to peak inside the cabin.

[Endgame]

There wasn't much to see. The winter had stripped it bare besides a few roof shingles, the interior of the cottage - or lack thereof - completely exposed. Snow had flooded the cottage. All that was left was a few shredded walls, and a pitiful looking roof. The furniture, possessions, inner walls... All had long since been swept away.

[Kintobor]

Karie sighs.

"Shall we head somewhere else? North or to the east, I don't mind."

Karie scopes the two destinations out with her telescope.

[Endgame]

To the east laid more of the residential district, although eight hundred years of winter had almost laid waste to it. To the north, some sort of cathedral made of cobbled stone.

[Bricksandparts]

OoC: Just for clarification, this is a role-play item.

"We should head east first, there we should find someplace to get some rest before heading to the cathedral." Johon says, standing up again. He looks at the contraption he had found by the cottage, examining it closer. It was a Dodecahedron, a strange object at best. Based on it's mechanical appearance, he decides to ask Jeaux about it.

"Jeaux, Do you have any ideas about what this could be?" He asks, tossing the contraption to the automaton.

[Endgame]

"This p-place is so *wheeze* cold... Is everyone staying *cough* warm?"