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Heroica RPG - Library

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After his trip to the Marketplace, Arasmyth returns to the Library to lose himself in a book while awaiting new Quests to be opened. As he reads, he notices something quite startling.

"Byblos, I've noticed that despite the historical importance of the Orcish Invasion, there appears to be little information on the orc race as a whole. From what I've gathered from the bits and pieces of information in these books, the Orc King 250 years ago was Tarokai, who was the one who ordered the invasion, and that once the army of heroes led by the original Veterans defeated him at Fortaan, the orc race was condemned to slavery and servitude by the other races in the world until just recently. I also have learned that their homeland is somewhere in the wastelands to the West. But that's all there is. Do you know where the Orc homeland is, what their motivation for the Invasion was,what they were like before the Invasion, or what their government is like currently? In addition, do you know anything of the numerous subspecies of ORc, such as trolls, goblins, and ogres?"

Edited by Kadabra

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"Do you know where the Orc homeland is, what their motivation for the Invasion was,what they were like before the Invasion, or what their government is like currently? In addition, do you know anything of the numerous subspecies of ORc, such as trolls, goblins, and ogres?"

"Ah, the subject of Orcs rises again. As I have said, the orcs and their kin hail from far west, in the barren and deserted lands that are known to orcs as Baltarok, the Land of Tarok the Destroyer. It is not an unified kingdom as one might think, but a wasteland governed by various savage tribes of orcs, ogres and goblins. Water and nutrition is scarce there, which I imagine was the main motivation to attempt to invade the High Kingdoms. The orc calling himself Tarokai, "the son of the god Tarok", managed to rally most of the tribes and rise to become the Orc King. At least to my knowledge there has not been another orcish king before or after Tarokai. Many of the "greenskins", as they are mockingly called, live under slavery or poverty in the lands around the Crystalline Sea, but I hear the ones still residing in Baltorak have begun to build towns and forts into the desert. This goes to proof that civilization can bloom even in the harshest of environments."

"As far as the other races living with the orcs in Baltorak go, it seems their relationship is similar to that of humans, elves, halflings and dwarves. There is often animosity between the hulking ogres and the diminutive goblins, for example, but when faced with a common enemy they can band together to fight it. Some say trolls are related to the orcs as well, but in truth they are more solitary creatures, lurking in dark caves and forests. However, evidently there were several trolls in the orcish army during the invasion."

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"Thank you very much, Byblos. This information will probably turn out to be useful at some point on my journeys."

OOC: Is Tarokai a goblin? In the board games he is referred to as the "goblin king", but this obviously is a slightly different world than the board game world.

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En Sabah Nur wandered the halls to escape the commotion caused by the arrival of a skeleton claiming to be a hero. His gaze focused on the Heroes Gallery before stopping by the Library.

"Hail, librarian. I am En Sabah Nur. Is there any record or list of the heroes from Heroica that is ordered by profession?" Nur removed a handful of dirt from his pocket. "As you can see, I specialize in Earth magic." As the mage spoke, the dirt slowly floated to eye level and began to spell out the question, "Care for a banana?" "I am interested in a list where I can immediately identify my fellow mages so that I might contact them if I ever have questions concerning their magical specializations." En Sabah Nur grinned as the floating dirt formed into the shape of a banana before dissipating...

Meanwhile, near the bar...

Scheherazade: "Where'd all this dirt come from?!"

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After the undead appeared in the Hall, Arasmyth left for his usual means of passing time - the library. He was surprised to find En Sabah Nur already there.

"Ah, my fellow mage. How are you? I'd come to study necromancy and the undead to make sure the information I gave you earlier today was accurate, but it seems you've discovered my source of information yourself.

So, Byblos, can you give me any information on those two topics? I believe it would be best to be well-read on the subject of undead with one running around the Hall."

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William Harkenshire silently creeps behind Byblos and whispers into the Metasimian's ear, "You asked me to tell you more about my trade and I have done so, yet you haven't done anything about. This is a "bump" to remind you."

And with that, he left the Library.

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"I am interested in a list where I can immediately identify my fellow mages so that I might contact them if I ever have questions concerning their magical specializations."[/i]

Byblos was not amused by the banana trick. The mage was making fun of the librarian's secret guilty pleasure, after all.

"You can read and write, can't you? You are perfectly free to compile such a list yourself, as you can see all the mages listed among the other heroes at the Gallery. With all due respect, my job is to tend to this library, not to act as your personal secretary."

The Metasimian turned his back to the dark mage, taking a sudden interest at rearranging the books in the nearest shelf.

"Ah, my fellow mage. How are you? I'd come to study necromancy and the undead to make sure the information I gave you earlier today was accurate, but it seems you've discovered my source of information yourself.

So, Byblos, can you give me any information on those two topics? I believe it would be best to be well-read on the subject of undead with one running around the Hall."

Byblos shook his head.

"First demonology, now necromancy... I want to reinstate that I am not comfortable sharing information about these dark sides of life, but again, you must know what you could be faced with. There is in fact not just one single way to become an undead, but multiple different ways. It can happen due to a magical curse, a bite of certain undead monsters, or because the higher powers so deem. A myth tell how Helvetia, the goddess of winter, fell in love with a mortal man. But her love froze the poor man to death. Heartbroken, Helvetia used her divine powers to prolong his life, but the man could no longer feel anything for the goddess. His emotions were as dead as his body. This made Helvetia hate all living things, but her love for the undead remained, and she became the goddess related to the undead and necromancy."

"As you know, the undead cannot be harmed by normal weapons - only those imbued with elemental magic. It was also discovered that things that heal mortal beings reversely hurt the undead. I do wonder, would a Phoenix Essence instantly slay an undead enemy, then?"

William Harkenshire silently creeps behind Byblos and whispers into the Metasimian's ear, "You asked me to tell you more about my trade and I have done so, yet you haven't done anything about. This is a "bump" to remind you."

The librarian scoffed after the insolent ranger. Was he really expecting that Byblos would add his insignificant faction among the houses in power in Eubric?

The heroes were beginning to grow a bit too rude to Byblos's taste, but on the other hand he had never been a very social person. He shared his life with the books - at least they didn't talk back at him.

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~Five new deities have been added to the first post. Three more to be revealed soon!~

heroica-deity-oleg.jpgheroica-deity-amadeamelodion.jpg

heroica-deity-fabula.jpgheroica-deity-etheret.jpg

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~Final three deities related to Eubric have been added to the list. All players are free to make up more.~

heroica-deity-tarok.jpgheroica-deity-helvetia.jpg

heroica-deity-zoot.jpg

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Atramor walked quietly into the library. Even McCafferey kept her bawking down. He looked around, searching for a book about a topic that had recently come to his mind thanks to one of Scherezade's rumors. Then he remembered he couldn't read, so he walked up to the monkey-thing at the desk.

"Hail!...er...Mr. Librarian. I have a question. Might be a bit out-of-place, but could you tell me anything about vampires?"

Edited by CallMePieOrDie

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"Hail!...er...Mr. Librarian. I have a question. Might be a bit out-of-place, but could you tell me anything about vampires?"

The librarian raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"Vampires?! Well, there certainly are many stories related to those children of the night... You must know the usual dribble about sucking blood, transforming into bats, being vulnerable to sunlight and shunning garlic. I don't know how much of those is true, but vampires certainly live among us. We might not notice them even if we walk by them, but the bodies with bitemarks that are sometimes found from the gutters are proof enough. This is a dangerous world we live in, Mr. Gibbin, full of perils, and that is why organizations such as Heroica are direly needed."

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"Ah."

Slightly dissappointed in this lack of information, Atramor leaves the library.

"Well, at least he didn't tell us they breathe fire or something," he mutters to McCafferey as an afterthought, to which she bawks in agreeance.

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Althior strode into the library after his most recent quest, of which he had some more questions.

"Alas! Byblos, I have a question that you might be able to answer."

Althior realized that the librarian looked at him strangely, obviously not remembering him.

"Remember me? You laughed in my face about maps of hous-"

"Ah!"

"Yes, I was wondering if you had any information on the Portiars? I'd be surprised if you did, seeing as they've been extinct in Eubric for a long time."

Edited by K-nut

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A Coach pulls up outside the library and a figure gets out. She had an air of confidence and the bearing of a graceful fighter. She entered the Library holding some ancient parchment in her hand.

mmerougedoux.jpg

NPC

"Byblos dear? I found this old paper in the hand of my (latest) recently vanquished foe. 'He' had been causing a great deal of trouble for some friends of mine and once the fun was over this was clutched in his withered digits." She handed over the crackling parchment.

"It could be anything from a shopping list to a letter to Zoot himself. I was wondering if you would have any idea or want it for your collection? Anyway, I have to go freshen up and then go catch up with the latest gossiop, au revoir dear."

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"Yes, I was wondering if you had any information on the Portiars? I'd be surprised if you did, seeing as they've been extinct in Eubric for a long time."

Byblos scratched his chin.

"The Porthiars...? I do remember there being a very wealthy family of that name mentioned in the annals of Eubric, but surely their influence waned a long time ago, even before the time of Heroica. I do not know anything else about them, I apologize."

"Byblos dear? I found this old paper in the hand of my (latest) recently vanquished foe. 'He' had been causing a great deal of trouble for some friends of mine and once the fun was over this was clutched in his withered digits." She handed over the crackling parchment.

"It could be anything from a shopping list to a letter to Zoot himself. I was wondering if you would have any idea or want it for your collection? Anyway, I have to go freshen up and then go catch up with the latest gossiop, au revoir dear."

"Ah, Madame Rouge Doux! Always a pleasure to have you for a visit. You've been an upstanding member of our organization for such a long time, after all. Of course I will take this document under closer inspection. You know me, dear Adeline, I cannot say no to a new piece of information, hehe."

The librarian gazed longingly as the adventuring socialite dashes out of the library as fast as she arrived. Now there was a woman to his liking!

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finnegan.jpg_thumb.jpgNPC

Marching proudly from a study deep within the Library, or at least trying too, the huge sheath of papers in his arms made marching a little difficult, Finnegan went to his book. After much clicking, metal snapping and hushed cursing (and a few instances of a smarting digit being sucked) he stood back. Hands proudly folded across his chest Finnegan raised his voice.

"I have now updated and improved my monster index. Please enjoy. Feel free to let me know of any mistakes or omissions."

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De'kra rushes in, as the group was stopping briefly in Eubric before resuming their quest. The shade glanced through the records of quest five and quest six, reading up on the missions of other heroes. De'kra signed with relief that quest six had failed, now if his group lost they would not be the first failed quest in their generation. Personally he suspected it was the cleric's fault, if he remembered correctly that cleric had been infected by the Rome Ant Icism disease, and so was probably too distracted to fight well. Sadly he could find nothing on the new memory. With a shrug De'kra headed back to the group, at the least caught up on quests 1 through 6.

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De'kra is reminded by a voice in the sky that the failure of quest 6 was only a failure in the town watch's point of view. The failure was due to the fact that the heroes made a deal with Donny instead of arresting him.

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Enjoying the peace and quiet, Byblos the Librarian decided to engulf a book recounting the history of Xu, a mystical kingdom somewhere in the south-east, beyond Carthago and even Salmanda. This was because the Ji Pei family hailed there. The house of architects had brought otherwordly technology with them to Eubric, machines which had raised them into a position of power in no time at all. But the Ji Pei were still strangers on these shores, not only because of their blue skins but also for their customs and habits.

Yes, Byblos remembered seeing the members of the family a few times in passing, and their bright blue skins had indeed stood out even from the diverse crowd that the citizens formed. The aoi, they called themselves, the blue people. Byblos read from his book that in ancient times Xu had belonged to the aoi alone, but other races - mostly humans, orcs, dwarves and nagas - now formed the majority of the land's population. The aoi were still very much in control, though, for their inventions and architecture were beyond compare. But being a minority in your own land could not be easy for them. It is no wonder that they had send envoys such as the house of Ji Pei across the world to spread their influences.

But what was the intention of the aoi, Byblos wondered, as he closed the book. Their history tells of bloody wars where immense machines wreaked havoc upon the opposing armies. If the Ji Pei were planning on building anything like that here in Eubric, the Heroica would have to be on their guard...

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mmerougedoux.jpg_thumb.jpg

Adeline wandered into the library. And sat in a comfy chair. "Dear Byblos,I am working on my journal of faces. Do you think I could bring a copy here to the library once it is finished?" she fluttered her eyelashes and smiled sweetly.

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Adeline wandered into the library. And sat in a comfy chair. "Dear Byblos,I am working on my journal of faces. Do you think I could bring a copy here to the library once it is finished?" she fluttered her eyelashes and smiled sweetly.

Byblos gets nervous of Adeline's sudden appearance, and almost drops the heavy book he was reading.

"Why, certainly! Who better to write up a good 'Who's who' guide than the world's leading socialite/adventurer!"

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"Oh thank you my dear! You should really pop by for supper one evening..." She smiled again. "Well dear, must dash, ever so sorry to disturb you"

And with that she was gone, a faint scent of her perfume lingering in the air.

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During his routine browse through the shelves, Byblos spotted a heavy book about the stars, the planets and the solar system. It was considered heretic material in some religious circles, but Eubric wasn't called a Freeport for nothing. A wry smile spread on the Librarian's face as he leafed through the tome: it still spoke of Exofors as the outer-most planet in the system, when contemporary astronomers considered it a nearby star. In Byblos's eyes, this made the book outdated, so he made a mental note to get a new book about the subject.

This incident made him put up basic information about the planets for the heroes of Heroica to see. Byblos reminded himself that not all of the heroes even knew they lived on a globe floating through the air. Byblos was sure that the organization would surely collapse from sheer ignorance if it wasn't for him...

~The picture below has been added to the first post of this topic.~

heroica-solarsystem.jpg

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With more heroes pooling into the Hall, Hybros sought a quieter realm within the Library. Before entering, Hybros examined his two newly acquired weapons, Zoot's Reaper and the Shuriken of Mercutio. He had heard these names before, and knew that his weapons were named after deities of the land. Perhaps he could find more information on them in the books.

Upon stepping inside, Hybros nodded to the metasamian librarian, and took a few books on deities off the shelves. He preferred to test his literary skills rather than converse. During his time on the surface, he had picked up many tongues, including that of men.

Sitting down at a table, Hybros began flipping through the volumes. He eventually came across an entry on Mercutio.

"Worshipped by merchants... thieves..." he muttered to himself. He wasn't a merchant, and the only time he stole was when it meant his own survival. Strange, people always took him, a Rogue, for a thief.

The Moon... Hybros always liked the moon. The way it glowed... of course nothing of such beauty could be seen down below.

"Must not be in his favor, either..." thought Hybros. He had never been even moderately wealthy until recently. He had always kept a minimal amount of gold on himself and had lived on the land.

Hybros slid the shuriken out of his boot, looking at it with interest. It was sharp enough, yes, but did it have any relation to the deity himself? Hybros wondered for a moment, then returned to the text. The Monkey Man? Hybros glanced at Byblos, and then thought of Thothwick, grinning to himself.

Hybros turned his attention to and entry on Zoot. His description was uncanny, to say the least. A god of the void, of the nothing... and yet, not a god at all. How strange, and frightening. Hybros recalled his encounters with Lady Wren, and how she hinted at the coming of Zoot. He gripped his scythe. It felt natural to him, as if it had been crafted just for his exact size and strength. Yet, he did feel an odd presence to it. He wondered if Zoot could actually see him...

Choosing to put these dark thoughts out of his mind, Hybros returned the books to their shelves and hurried out of the library, longing for the warmth and joyfulness of the Hall once more.

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drake.jpgNPC

It was rather calm in the library. Byblos the Metasimian was minding his own business, taking care of books and keeping the library clean. All of the sudden, a somewhat scruffy looking type came in. He was unshaven and wore a large brimmed hat on his head. His white shirt was only half buttoned and look rather filthy. None would guess that this was Ezekiel Drake, world renowned adventurer and discoverer, well versed in myths, sagas and histories of many nations here on Olegaia. That's what he claims to be, anyway. There are some more illustrious and dubious stories concerning Drake, as well, accusing him of grave robbery and theft of cultural artifacts. Whichever is the more true story, there is no doubt this man at least has some basic knowledge concerning foreign cultures and nations, at least a bit more knowledge than your common Eubrician.

The man's heavy brown leather boots carried him towards Byblos. The metal knobs on his soles made a ticking noise that echoed through the great hall. At his side hung a large tan cloth bag containing numerous scrolls and perhaps more sinister objects. The man stopped at Byblos' side, a huge smile clearing up his face. A joker's smile. He was definitely not your average scholar or professor. The man scraped his throat. It startled Byblos, who, depsite all the racket Drake had made, hadn't noticed him yet. Byblos tends to lose himself in his books, becoming oblivious to the world around him. There is no finer librarian than him.

"Drake? What an unpleasant surprise" the Metasimian turned away from his desk to face the Human.

"Thaha! The pleasure is all mine, dear friend." Drake said. Byblos shivered at the word 'friend'.

"What brings you here? I hope not another one of your silly adventures or quests. I hope you remember what happened last time you took me on one of your quests? I'm through with that stuff, one night in jail is more than enough for this Metasimian. My first and surely my last adventure. EVER!"

"My poor Byblos! In time you'll look back at it and laugh. No, my dear librarian. I have come here to inform you about my newest travel. I visited the Land of Chill, the Unforgiving Home of the Devious Vikings!"

"What are you getting at?" Byblos said dryly. How he wanted to be back alone, with his books.

"I visited the North. Cold but pretty. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted the first copy of my book on the land and the culture of its people? What say you, friend? It's an offer I haven't made any other library in the world yet. You have to hurry up, though, I have to attend my class at the Academy in some time. I heard there were vandals troubling the place. Tsk, luckily for them I wasn't there."

The scruffy professor waited for Byblos' repsonse.

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