Heroica RPG - Quest #77: Your Elves are Better than Ours

[Zepher]

"I don't know how much sweet-talking will do, Ambassador."

Boomingham huffs and puffs to keep pace with Nerwen, glancing back from time to time to make sure that Ellaria is keeping up. "So, Lady Nerwen, we never had the chance to conclude our debate earlier. The point is rather mote now, but how is it that your elves deserve a second chance, but the Pongcanis none?" Boomingham glances around. "And where do you suppose the humans we saw dealing with them scampered off to?"

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen watches the dwarf hurry after them out the do.

I had already suggested that we go after Arthur, I am glad you are catching up.

As for dealing with the Mopag, I agree with you. My question is, why did you decide at the end of the battle, when we had almost won to stop us from finishing the dread pirate? What suddenly changed?

As for meaning to be here. That does not matter. Intent or not you are currently a hero of Heroica, not simply an individual but a member of a team and a representative of that organisation. I do not want to stifle differences of opinion, but I do want those differences expressed so they can be discussed. Running off by yourself or acting without thought of your fellow party is cowardice, it demonstrates that you lack enough commitment to argue for your point of view.

I am certain that I have shown that I do care about your thoughts and can be trusted to engage with them. I would like you to demonstrate your own trustworthiness in following the party's decisions.

Nerwen sighs softly, and turns to Lawrence.

The elves deserve chances because I like them and will argue their case. I have never suggested the reason was anything higher than that, in fact I argued that any higher reason was self delusion.

I had thought it possible I would like the Pongcanis if I got to know them. That was not the case. So I ceased arguing for them. As for the humans, I do not know. But if they had been significant, we would have seen some indication of them, or Indicca would have said something. I do not believe the world is so random that our path is not clear before us.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Chromeknight

[Zepher]

"I think what I thought of them when we first arrived." Boomingham shrugs. "You said we can't measure an action only by its consequences. I'll admit, you were right, but you didn't know it. So what made you change your mind about the Pongcanis? I don't mean to challenge you, m'lady, just curious. Us old men, our minds are likely to wander and ask a question or two."

[Chromeknight]

I do not know if you have heard of the 'noble savage'. The idea that one untouched by civilisation is in some natural, primal state. Communing with the land and living a better life for being untrammelled by concerns of culture.

It is a myth, society and culture are what make sapient beings what they are.

Equally, although no one society or culture is perfect, is the best, and there is some truth and wisdom in all societies, it does not follow automatically that every culture needs to be protected, valued and preserved.

The Pongcanis demonstrated that they wished to destroy, break down and plunder others rather than create, build up and enrich all. I had hoped that they had their own forms of creativity and enrichment, but I never saw any evidence of that, so I could not align myself with such beasts.

[Zepher]

"Ah well, fair enough. Like I said, turns out in the end you were right. My interest was just piqued by the fellows with them, but they seem to have disappeared, so perhaps that answer will never come." Boomingham smiles lazily. "And what of the Mopag?" then, leaning closer, "and what of the boy? What do you think of Arthur? I'll make no secret of it, I've got a bone or two to pick with him, but perhaps that stable mind of your's could put me at ease."

[Chromeknight]

iI visited the Mopag encampment with Ambassador Throlar. The grand warlords was much as you might expect of one with such a title. Arrogant and paranoid. We could not see much of their camp, shrouded in fog as it was. It was disturbing that we were able to see so little and get no sense of how big a force he leads.

As for Arthur. He has proved he has a nimble mind, keen tactically a nod able to engage well with others not of the party who ally themselves with us. But he seems young, so young. And inclined to trip over his own mental feet, causing issues in his rush to prevent them. As I said to Throlar, disloyalty to the party is a grave error, and I think Arthur may be nearly as guilty of that as the dwarf.

[Zepher]

"He's a dangerous fellow, but he can get you out of a bind quickly as he can get you into it. It bothers me more when he does it than when the dwarf does it, because the boy seems smarter than that. Nyx gave him a scathing review as well, and that doesn't bode well. I can't forget her words, ever. He seems to have hurt her in some serious manner."

Boomingham sighs. "Nerwen, I have a story for you that you will perhaps shed some light on. There's a fellow in Eubric, still lives there, now under the protection of the law. He has..." Boomingham pauses and looks at Barty. The angel remains silent, but there is anger in his minute eyes, "reformed his ways... or so they say. But before he had his miraculous transformation, he had a device that would change the minds of those he used it on. He and Arthur and the little girl Karie claimed that it left them intact, save for their allegiance. Changed them from Wolfgang to Syndicate. Now, I've got some thoughts on the Wolfgang as well, that's certain, but what do you think of it? Does he deserve another chance after robbing people of their choices? Aren't choices the only things we have?"

[Chromeknight]

Nyx is young as well, but she seems a lot older and wiser. I too value her words.

But I am committed to giving him another chance, just as I am to Throlar. That is not because of them, but from who I am. This is the third party I have lead and I take the task seriously. My aim is to complete the quest certainly, but not at the cost of any of our group.

Nerwen listens to Boomingham's tale of a mind changing device.

We are the product of our choices. And in the end, we must own what we decide. But I do not think our choices are free. Not in the radical, utterly self determined sense. Take earlier. I offered you the axe or the gold. You could not at that choose a dragon. It was not an option being offered. Moreover, your choice was constrained by all sorts of other choices you have already made. You have chosen to borrow money from some, you value mementos of vanquished enemies. You weighed which of those was more important and chose. But if I had simply given you say, the gold and kept the axe, would that have been robbing you of a choice? Perhaps. But I do not think it therefore makes me bad. Though doing it with a technomantic device rather than words and persuasion is odd and you may be right to fear unintended damage.

I have not heard of this syndicate, but I have little sympathy for what I have seen of the Wolfgang.

[Zepher]

"He does not rob them of future choices, but instead past ones. That is what makes it so dangerous. If I sided with the elves and the Shawe, and then the Mopags used this device on me, I would side with them. This man claims that leaves me intact, but it doesn't, does it? And if I sided with the Pongcanis and then you used this device on me to return me to your side, would that absolve me of my sins, or leave me as the same person? It is a lie, in my opinion. You may influence people, but forcing them to be someone else by erasing their actions." Boomingham shakes his head. His stomach growls. "It makes me feel sick, just thinking about it. It is the same as the witch Baba, but he walks free. And the boy is one of the two who let him go."

[Chromeknight]

Put like that, you are right. If a person chooses and has their choice changed, they themselves are changed. The question is, has Arthur owned his new, changed choice and assimilated it into himself, or does it remain an alien thought within him, driving him mad as he tries to reconcile his choice with his perceived self?

Had I known he was afflicted so I would have been gentler on him, sought out time to speak to him about it.

I had heard that Baba had been to Eubric under a pseudonym, and that she fled capture. I had not heard that she had been let go. If that is the case, there is even less reason to trust him.

Nerwen paused as they walked, her brow furrowed.

What do you know of the quest that he went on with Nyx? I have not spoken with her for a while.

[Zepher]

"I'm sorry, I believe I'm confusing you with two tales rolled into one. The man who changed people's minds did not target Arthur, nor did we encounter him at the same time we encountered Baba. That man was named Masson, and although he committed atrocities, Arthur and Karie let him go. They did that of their own will, though Masson had robbed others of their choices."

"I did meet the witch Baba, right before the boy and I tracked down Masson. Nyx and I were able to defend the people of Eubric, but only barely. Arthur did fight valiantly that day. That's the danger with him - one day he fights a witch for polluting the minds of the Houses, the next he let's another man go for polluting a different set of minds."

"I miss Nyx whenever she's not with me. Easy to get bogged down without her smile around. At least Ellaria is a familiar face." He glances back at her. "She's got a fire in her as well, maybe not so much as Nyx, but it's there. I forget, sometimes, that we've seen quite a bit together. Strivvi. We ventured around Eubric once too." Boomingham laughs. "Sometimes I feel so old compared to them, and then I remember how long you elves live."

[Chromeknight]

If such a machine existed, who is to say it was not used on this Masson, and that he is as much a victim as those he used it on? Perhaps Arthur was right to suspend judgement.

Nerwen pauses

[Here I must side with your angelic companion. Who can expect consistency from men? Young or old, you are so bound in the brevity of your life that you flicker from thought to thought. I do not mean to seem arrogant, but there is within my upbringing a focus on the larger picture of the world that I have only ever seen one human grasp.

Nerwen looks across at Ellaria

There is a loss there, and an aching sadness. She is not fire, she is ice, there is a part of her frozen and locked away.

That sounds harsh, but there is a brittleness to her strength.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Chromeknight

[Sandy]

Ellaria hastily follows the others, feeling somewhat left out of the loop after having ventured off on her own earlier. She sees Nerwen and Lawrence locked in a discussion ahead of her, but cannot make out what they are talking about. Instead, she turns to Ahvialyn.

"Glad to see you are still with us, Ahvialyn. So, what do you make out of our progress here? Do you think we are anywhere near succeeding our mission? I wonder if it will suffice that we deal with the Mopags..."

[Brickdoctor]

"Glad to see you are still with us, Ahvialyn. So, what do you make out of our progress here? Do you think we are anywhere near succeeding our mission? I wonder if it will suffice that we deal with the Mopags..."

"You appear to have convinced the elves and the citizens to work together; I believe that dealing with the Mopag should resolve most of the major conflict in this village."

OOC: I've retconned the amount of Ether I've spent imprisoning Throlar to a more reasonable amount, so it's reasonable if the party wants to free him or something. But I do not want to be in a party with him any longer. I'm not playing with him any more--Arthur's fed up, and so am I.

QM Note:

Flipz has decided to remain in the quest. Update coming up later today.

[Zepher]

Boomingham chortles. "You just love disagreeing, don't you, madam. There is ice in Ellaria too. I know of her lose. We'll rectify it."

[Duvors]

Throlar suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, took out his Mace and Chain, pulled a small white handkerchief from his pocket, and quickly tied the it to the mace.

[Sandy]

"You appear to have convinced the elves and the citizens to work together; I believe that dealing with the Mopag should resolve most of the major conflict in this village."

"That's good to hear. I think the others already have a plan on dealing with the Mopags. I personally saw the Pongcanae as the most direct threat, but Indiacca's removal is likely to just make the Mopag tighten their hold on this town, rather than let it go."

[Brickdoctor]

"That's good to hear. I think the others already have a plan on dealing with the Mopags. I personally saw the Pongcanae as the most direct threat, but Indiacca's removal is likely to just make the Mopag tighten their hold on this town, rather than let it go."

"Agreed."

As it turns out, you don't have to go far to find the Mopag, because they're right there waiting for you at a couple buildings away, at the edge of the eastern district of the village.

Dressed in golden armor, polished to a shine and bearing exactly zero pits, scratches, or other evidence of actually being used in battle, Warlord Kaherdin walks atop the rubble towards you, looking very much like a victorious general save for the fact that he hadn't actually done anything.

"Hello again, heroes. As you can see, just as I predicted, the Mopag have emerged victorious. The Pongcanae are defeated and we have encircled the position where the elven and human leaders are out in the open, away from their keeps and their hideouts. Give me the elven lady and the knight, and I shall let you go. I'll even pay 100 Gold to every hero who helps me in that simple task."

[Zepher]

OoC: Which Elven Lady and Knight? Who do we have with us, exactly, and when did we leave the others behind?

[Brickdoctor]

OoC: Which Elven Lady and Knight? Who do we have with us, exactly, and when did we leave the others behind?

QM Note:

Sorry; I thought it would be clear enough after I mentioned "leaders". I meant Lady Calaryl and Sir Isaac. Your party is still the same as it was during the battle with Indiacca.

[Zepher]

OoC: Well... where are all of the troops who came here with us.

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen lent over to Ahvialyn and said in a quiet voice.

What is your assessment of the warlord?

You know doc, given every pre-battle we've used Ahvialyn and her cloak, you'd think you'd just post the stats straight up....

Also, seconded Zepher's comment, especially Sir BįgPårâgön

Edited November 6, 2013 by Chromeknight

[Flipz]

Arthur grunts at the sight of Throlar as the group catches up to him, but, in light of the current situation, declines to comment. "Master Shawe, Lady Calaryl, if we pretended to hand you over, do you think the two of you could get close enough to take the Mopag warlord hostage?" he whispers to the two leaders.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Flipz

[Brickdoctor]

OoC: Well... where are all of the troops who came here with us.

Also, seconded Zepher's comment, especially Sir BįgPårâgön

QM Note:

Failing at establishing a perimeter.

Nerwen lent over to Ahvialyn and said in a quiet voice.

What is your assessment of the warlord?

"I'm...not completely sure. He's too inexperienced to be predictable."

Warlord Kaherdin the Awesome

Humanoid

*Lucky*

Level:

24

Health:

500/500

Defense:

10

Special I:

Stretch Out with Feelings

— Warlord Kaherdin becomes Lucky. If Warlord Kaherdin is already Lucky, the target becomes Jinxed. If Warlord Kaherdin is already Lucky and the target is already Jinxed, this triggers Special IV.

Special II:

Call It Luck

— Warlord Kaherdin deals 24 Damage ignoring SP and Row and Stuns the target.

Special III:

No Such Thing as Luck

— Warlord Kaherdin flails around and nearly cuts his own head off and is no longer Lucky. If Warlord Kaherdin is already not Lucky, he Stuns himself and deals 50 Damage ignoring SP to himself.

Special IV:

Will of the Force

— Warlord Kaherdin deals 100 Damage to either himself or the target, decided randomly.

Note: Specials are decided randomly.

Drops: ?

Arthur grunts at the sight of Throlar as the group catches up to him, but, in light of the current situation, declines to comment. "Master Shawe, Lady Calaryl, if we pretended to hand you over, do you think the two of you could get close enough to take the Mopag warlord hostage?" he whispers to the two leaders.

"I'm not sure how many men they have here. I give it a two-in-three chance..."

"Most likely."

"...a one-in-three chance if I have to look out for Lady Calaryl."

[Zepher]

"I'm not much for chances," Boomingham says to Shawe. "If there's a one third chance of something failing, I'm not usually going to go for it. Though if it's the only option, may as well take a chance. I think we'd have better luck fighting him, personally. Nerwen?" Boomingham sips down a mead, just in case. "I'm sorry, Warlord, I just prefer neogtiotions with a little bit of a looser tongue. I'm sure you understand."