Heroica RPG - Quest #159: An Unexpected Return - Sewers

[KotZ]

Kiray gives a quick bow to the woman. "Kiray Nastayo, ex-Hero. As the others have stated, there's a multitude of reasons why we're here and the questions were asking. Also, you're one of the very few people to treat us with respect since this whole debacle began. Why?"

[Waterbrick Down]

9 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

"Hello."

"Yes, yes we do. Starting with 'why did you use the name Frustrated Flying Filly?' It's honestly one of the oddest noms-de-plume I've ever heard and I'm interested in it's origin."

"Are you not familiar with the story of the Valkyrie? It is a legend of the northern lands and part of the shared mythos of flying women warriors. I needed a way to remind the people to not forget about you, the paper allows an op-ed from an alternate point of view once a week, with the witch hunt currently going on in the city, I couldn't risk the exposure from my real name."

Just now, KotZ said:

Kiray gives a quick bow to the woman. "Kiray Nastayo, ex-Hero. As the others have stated, there's a multitude of reasons why we're here and the questions were asking. Also, you're one of the very few people to treat us with respect since this whole debacle began. Why?"

"Do you not deserve it? Have you not saved this city time and time again? Do not doubt yourself Kiray, the whole of Eubric has not forgotten the Heroica you helped build, they have merely been blinded by the promises of these Founders and who can blame them? I can't say the other Veterans and I did a good job of ensuring Heroica's neutrality in the politics of late."

17 hours ago, Asphalt said:

Vindsval squeezes himself into the room and attempts to squat down comfortably.

Well met Maiden of the North, I am Vindsval.  Once son of the Ice Tribes, now one of this city.   I will be direct, as nothing else in this day has been.  We have come seeking knowledge of those who would call themselves the Founders.  

8 hours ago, Palathadric said:

"I suppose what we're really after is just if you have any idea of what is going on and what or who is behind this return of the Founders? We felt compelled to follow the path your article led us on, that is why we are here more than anything.

"In case you were wondering, the Copper Fox and the Feathered Serpent are both with the Wolfkin, I heard the Dragon Lord is dead, we have a party searching for the Oracle as well. Have you heard any news from Hestia Bonaparte?"

"It is good to hear that Jacq and Kukulkan are safe. Hestia, to my knowledge is still with her husband and what remains of the Bonaparte fleet in the Crystalline Sea. Semiramis went missing a few weeks back, I was following a lead to the Ziegfried's when the news of the Founders' take over spread. As for Cain..." The norn, regularly stoic, wipes a tear from her eye. "He is dead because of me... the Founders... they have the Nornalis. I've been investigating the whole issue discretely ever since."  Åsa pauses for a moment, "They arrived months ago and slowly began orchestrating things in their favor behind the scenes, you've seen the Herald headlines lately, that was all the Founders. The outing of the Guild's research and the Ziegfried's family drama, them. The raising of Ms. Shadeaux, them. The bankruptcy and asset seizure of the Hinckwell's, them. The mutiny on Fort Bonaparte, them. The rumors of the Ji Pei invasion, them. With the houses in chaos and Heroica so closely linked to them, Eubric was prime for saviors and the Founders fit the bill. I don't know if they're the actually them. Most of them are supposed to be dead, at least that's what the records at Heroica said. But as you're all aware, in this line of work, death doesn't always have the same finality to it as others within this city. As for the Founders' goal? Their "council" seems to be tightening it's regulatory grip on the city every day, but to what end I don't know. The people of Eubric don't seem to care either... it's discouraging to say the least. But, you're here now, there's still some hope."

[Kintobor]

Karie grits her teeth. It's as she feared. The Founders had been manipulating things behind the scenes. The Founder's web of deception was beginning to unravel, but it was doing so slowly. She'd have to pick up the pace.

"I don't know how much this helps, but Ulric's shared his intention to back Heroica and not the Founders. As much as I personally don't trust the Wolfgang or Ulric, he's been cordial so far. He handed this to us. " Karie hands Asa the stone from Byblos. 

"We were given this by Ulric and the Wolfgang. Apparently it's from Byblos. I've got a theory on it, but perhaps your insight might be helpful on this. From what we've gathered, the Fae One is missing from all group photos of the Founders, and I don't believe this to be a coincidence. The stone describes a "blinding light now overrun". The Faerie has been described to me as a blinding light, and I take the "A dark seed planted below the sun" to mean something is brewing underneath the ground. From those two points, I believe that the Faerie has been overrun, and the reason the Fae One isn't present is because the Fae One is actively opposing the Founders.  We're still trying to piece the rest of it together.

"Where once was joy and never glum" has me puzzled. There's several places that could fit that bill, especially in the city. I'm also worried about the capital t in "They". There's a reason for that. It's not meant to be just random somebody, but someone or something is coming. What are your thoughts on this, Asa?"

[Duvors]

"Well it's not like we didn't suspect this already, but it's nice to have some conformation nonetheless. Do you have any proof of these statements though? It would be preferable to have some just in case someone needs convincing."

[Waterbrick Down]

23 hours ago, Kintobor said:

Karie grits her teeth. It's as she feared. The Founders had been manipulating things behind the scenes. The Founder's web of deception was beginning to unravel, but it was doing so slowly. She'd have to pick up the pace.

"I don't know how much this helps, but Ulric's shared his intention to back Heroica and not the Founders. As much as I personally don't trust the Wolfgang or Ulric, he's been cordial so far. He handed this to us. " Karie hands Asa the stone from Byblos. 

"We were given this by Ulric and the Wolfgang. Apparently it's from Byblos. I've got a theory on it, but perhaps your insight might be helpful on this. From what we've gathered, the Fae One is missing from all group photos of the Founders, and I don't believe this to be a coincidence. The stone describes a "blinding light now overrun". The Faerie has been described to me as a blinding light, and I take the "A dark seed planted below the sun" to mean something is brewing underneath the ground. From those two points, I believe that the Faerie has been overrun, and the reason the Fae One isn't present is because the Fae One is actively opposing the Founders.  We're still trying to piece the rest of it together.

"Where once was joy and never glum" has me puzzled. There's several places that could fit that bill, especially in the city. I'm also worried about the capital t in "They". There's a reason for that. It's not meant to be just random somebody, but someone or something is coming. What are your thoughts on this, Asa?"

"It's a sending stone, handy for getting messages across different planes of reality. Byblos, really? I suppose I should be too surprised, he was always resourceful. Your news concerning the Faerie is troubling, Euflear spoke of some sort of war the Fae were engaged in, but only shared the details with Cain. If s/he is operating apart from the Founders that may lend credence to your theory of their impersonation. It still doesn't explain who they really may be or what their intentions are. I think the phrase about joy and glum is still describing the Faerie, Byblos must have seen something of what happened. If we want answers we may need to see first hand what's going on."

3 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

"Well it's not like we didn't suspect this already, but it's nice to have some conformation nonetheless. Do you have any proof of these statements though? It would be preferable to have some just in case someone needs convincing."

"Let's just say I applied some pressure to members of the Eubric Herald staff, the stories are truthful though or at least from what I can tell. As much as I hate to admit it, the houses brought this upon themselves. The Founders showing up to take advantage of their corruption is too much of a coincidence though."

[Palathadric]

"If they have the Nornalis...does that mean that they are indestructible?"

[Asphalt]

8 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"It's a sending stone, handy for getting messages across different planes of reality. Byblos, really? I suppose I should be too surprised, he was always resourceful. Your news concerning the Faerie is troubling, Euflear spoke of some sort of war the Fae were engaged in, but only shared the details with Cain. If s/he is operating apart from the Founders that may lend credence to your theory of their impersonation. It still doesn't explain who they really may be or what their intentions are. I think the phrase about joy and glum is still describing the Faerie, Byblos must have seen something of what happened. If we want answers we may need to see first hand what's going on."

"Let's just say I applied some pressure to members of the Eubric Herald staff, the stories are truthful though or at least from what I can tell. As much as I hate to admit it, the houses brought this upon themselves. The Founders showing up to take advantage of their corruption is too much of a coincidence though."

A war in Farie would have dire consequences for the world of man.   There are those among the Fae who are neigh unto gods.  It would seem that Byblos is calling to us for aid, if I hear your interpretation true.  Do you know how to reach their realm?

[Waterbrick Down]

16 hours ago, Palathadric said:

"If they have the Nornalis...does that mean that they are indestructible?"

"Just because they have it, doesn't mean they understand how to use it. It is a powerful artifact from my people, if the Founders do figure out how to use it though..."

9 hours ago, Asphalt said:

A war in Farie would have dire consequences for the world of man.   There are those among the Fae who are neigh unto gods.  It would seem that Byblos is calling to us for aid, if I hear your interpretation true.  Do you know how to reach their realm?

"We would need to find someone with access to a planar gate. As far as I'm aware, there are only two factions within the city with enough understanding to generate such an item, the Ziegfrieds and the Tritech Company."

[Duvors]

Just now, Waterbrick Down said:

"Just because they have it, doesn't mean they understand how to use it. It is a powerful artifact from my people, if the Founders do figure out how to use it though..."

"We'll have to take it from them. Or destroy it. Taking it would be preferable though."

[Waterbrick Down]

3 minutes ago, Lord Duvors said:

"We'll have to take it from them. Or destroy it. Taking it would be preferable though."

"Ya got to wonder though, is it really such a good thing? Can't say I relish eventually seein' my kids up an' dyin' of old age while I keep on bein' fresh and healthy."

[Duvors]

3 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Ya got to wonder though, is it really such a good thing? Can't say I relish eventually seein' my kids up an' dyin' of old age while I keep on bein' fresh and healthy."

"It's priceless cultural artifact and extremely important to the Norns, I would rather have it intact for them. Whether Heroica continues to use it or not is irrelevant until we settle the matter of whether or not Heroica will exist after this fiasco is over."

[Kintobor]

5 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Ya got to wonder though, is it really such a good thing? Can't say I relish eventually seein' my kids up an' dyin' of old age while I keep on bein' fresh and healthy."

"We can send it back to Värtland for all I care. It's too dangerous sitting in Eubric, and my intention is to remove it." Karie crosses her arms. She sighs deeply. As much as she wanted to talk the talk, she had to talk the talk, and right now she needed Asa's support. "But that's a bridge we can burn once this is all over. Right now we need to get it out of the Founder's hands. Asa, where would you go to garner public support that's not the Herald?"

Edited March 25, 2018 by Kintobor

[Palathadric]

14 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"We would need to find someone with access to a planar gate. As far as I'm aware, there are only two factions within the city with enough understanding to generate such an item, the Ziegfrieds and the Tritech Company."

"I'm not sure where the others stand on this, but as for me, I'm not too thrilled about working with the houses anymore. I could be wrong, but I do think the majority of us think the same way. It's funny because with all of the talk about us compromising with the houses, and certainly there has been a sense of that, most heroes I know have had it up to here with the houses. I guess we never acted though."

[Waterbrick Down]

22 hours ago, Kintobor said:

"We can send it back to Värtland for all I care. It's too dangerous sitting in Eubric, and my intention is to remove it." Karie crosses her arms. She sighs deeply. As much as she wanted to talk the talk, she had to talk the talk, and right now she needed Asa's support. "But that's a bridge we can burn once this is all over. Right now we need to get it out of the Founder's hands. Asa, where would you go to garner public support that's not the Herald?"

"Aside from shouting on street corners, there isn't any. Why do you think I took to submitting articles to the Herald? If you want to win back the trust of the city, it'll have to be in action not words."

13 hours ago, Palathadric said:

"I'm not sure where the others stand on this, but as for me, I'm not too thrilled about working with the houses anymore. I could be wrong, but I do think the majority of us think the same way. It's funny because with all of the talk about us compromising with the houses, and certainly there has been a sense of that, most heroes I know have had it up to here with the houses. I guess we never acted though."

"There the only ones with access to the other planes whether through wizardry or technology. Unless of course you know of any other individuals within the city with that sort of power."

[KotZ]

On 3/25/2018 at 5:31 AM, Palathadric said:

"I'm not sure where the others stand on this, but as for me, I'm not too thrilled about working with the houses anymore. I could be wrong, but I do think the majority of us think the same way. It's funny because with all of the talk about us compromising with the houses, and certainly there has been a sense of that, most heroes I know have had it up to here with the houses. I guess we never acted though."

"We don't need to be friends with the houses, just use them for the time being, right? Sure, working with them on this won't be fun, but it might be one of the only choices we have."

[Asphalt]

On 3/24/2018 at 6:01 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

"Just because they have it, doesn't mean they understand how to use it. It is a powerful artifact from my people, if the Founders do figure out how to use it though..."

"We would need to find someone with access to a planar gate. As far as I'm aware, there are only two factions within the city with enough understanding to generate such an item, the Ziegfrieds and the Tritech Company."

AS much as we would like to avoid contact with the warring powers of the city perhaps I could get us a foot in the door He flexes his artificial arm So to speak, with the Tritech Company.

[Duvors]

"I have had some experience with the Tritech Company too if that's any help."

[Kintobor]

Karie strokes her hand through her hair, thinking their options through.

"I've got nothing when it comes to dealing with the Tritech Company. I've had a much better record dealing with the Zeigfried's than those Ji-Pei scientists. However, when it comes down to it, I'd prefer not dealing with either group. The more promises we wind up making, the more back-pedalling we'll wind up doing once this over. We cannot have Eubric revert back to the same place we were all in before this debacle... but, if I had to choose between the two, at least the Tritech Company can feasible disassociate itself from the Ji-Pei. The Ziegfried's... I never got a good read on them."

[KotZ]

13 hours ago, Asphalt said:

AS much as we would like to avoid contact with the warring powers of the city perhaps I could get us a foot in the door He flexes his artificial arm So to speak, with the Tritech Company.

11 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

"I have had some experience with the Tritech Company too if that's any help."

7 hours ago, Kintobor said:

Karie strokes her hand through her hair, thinking their options through.

"I've got nothing when it comes to dealing with the Tritech Company. I've had a much better record dealing with the Zeigfried's than those Ji-Pei scientists. However, when it comes down to it, I'd prefer not dealing with either group. The more promises we wind up making, the more back-pedalling we'll wind up doing once this over. We cannot have Eubric revert back to the same place we were all in before this debacle... but, if I had to choose between the two, at least the Tritech Company can feasible disassociate itself from the Ji-Pei. The Ziegfried's... I never got a good read on them."

"Me three," Kiray adds. "Like I said, they might be useful. They might also, hopefully, be willing to split, as Karie said. We're coming down to what the lesser of two evils is, and Tritech is absolutely the lesser at this time."

[Palathadric]

On 3/26/2018 at 3:52 PM, KotZ said:

"We don't need to be friends with the houses, just use them for the time being, right? Sure, working with them on this won't be fun, but it might be one of the only choices we have."

"That's probably what heroes have been saying all of this time. It's convenient until people start criticizing us for it. But no better alternative comes to mind at present, so I will come along."

[Asphalt]

It would seem that our next destination of the Company Tritech.

[Waterbrick Down]

QM Note: As Karie's leading this band, I'll wait another 24hrs for confirmation, otherwise we'll proceed.

[Kintobor]

"If everyone is ready, we'll head to the Tritech company." Karie turns to Asa. "Thank you for your assistance, Asa, you've been a wealth of information."

[Palathadric]

I loiter behind the others for a brief moment.

[Lind Whisperer]

OoC: Not trying to jar quest flow, hence opening wording. (I checked with WBD first+tried to hint in Gen Dis, hopefully this doesn't come off as derailing/barging in. :frown:)

 

Any of the party members descending down the stairs could hear a familiar voice coming from the bar.

"Since when do I need a license to hunt Phlegmen?!"

A certain Black Knight dumped a disturbingly drippy bag onto the counter. 

 "Spent two weeks down in the sewer, just doing normal business - only to come up and have some uppity Town Watchman type start asking me "Oh, sir, do you have the proper permits for that?" Permits? Since when does a fellow need permits to hunt Phlegmen?!"

The bartender started to back away, but the Knight was hardly finished.

"Dodekube's gift to the honest knight, Phlegmen are - cut 'em apart, they're still alive, no blood, no guts - nothing to be ashamed of."

He flipped the bag open.

The barman blanched.

"And now, I'll need a permit to hunt them. What's next? Regulating kobolds?"

He waved a finger in the still-very-white barman's face.

"I tell you, if this trend keeps up, you'll have to fill out a foot-tall stack of paperwork just to clear out a tavern's rat problem.

This over-regulation is going to be the death of us..." He shook his head.

"And then - then, he starts asking me if I'm a Hero. Oh, I don't know, tall, handsome guy with a sword, in mismatched armor apparently looted from half a dozen different countries, and with a freaking Crescent Union badge on my chest - no, no, clearly no Heroes here.

Yes, I tell him, I'm pretty obviously a Hero, and your powers of observation speak volumes as to the skill of the Watch.

Fortunately, that seemed to distract him, 'cause he ran off squealing about something or other. Ridiculous, all of it..."

 

He took a long, deep breath.

"So...what would it take to set me up with a water..."

Edited March 30, 2018 by Lind Whisperer