Heroica RPG - Heroica Hall

[Sandy]

~A new quest has been posted on the Quest Board (#49 by Etzel)! The sign-ups for Quest#48 have been pushed back to the 15th of October!~

[Masked Builder]

Caroline raises an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And, uh..." Caroline looks the Evoker up and down. "What sort of 'Quest' would that be?"

One that you'd approve of far too much for my liking, Vaygas thinks to himself from his hiding place across the Hall.

"You've never heard of a quest?" Alexis says incredulity. "We were to find what had happened to a lost group of heroes." Alexis was not liking this woman, she decides must be careful with what she says.

[Jedi master Brick]

While not a paldin or a cleric Elgar whished to serve ennoc again. Elgar signs up for quest 49

[CorneliusMurdock]

A quest for the Order? Cronk sign up for Quest 49.

That remind Cronk... Cronk has something Cronk need to do.

[Dharkan]

"Oh, another quest, I should sign up for that one aswell unless I get accepted for the other one."

Isabella signs herself for Quest #49: The Light That Reveals Everything.

[CorneliusMurdock]

Cronk walks out of the hall and comes to the Temple Of Ennoc. The High Priestess seems to be waiting at the entrance.

"I had thought you would come, Sir Cronk. Follow me."

In the heart of the temple, an altar has been prepared. A dozen priests and priestesses stand around it.

"Place it upon the altar, Sir Cronk."

Cronk puts the Splinter of Ennoc upon the altar. Those gathered begin chanting as the High Priestess steps towards the altar and raises her arms toward the statue of Ennoc. Just as the chanting reaches it's crescendo, blinding light bursts forth from the broken shard and swirls towards the heavens. Then there is silence. The other priests and priestesses file out of the room and Cronk is left alone with the High Priestess.

"Ennoc has waited a long time to be whole once more, Sir Cronk. You have done very well."

That is kind for High Priestess to say. But Cronk does not feel like Cronk do very well.

"Take heart, my friend. The path is not easy but we must do our best to follow it. I know you have. And so does Ennoc."

She walks back up to the altar. What was the Splinter is now a smooth shining piece of crystal with a small hole in it. It no longer thrums with the power of a part of a god but it still seems to have some power to it. The High Priestess picks it up and gingerly hands it to Cronk.

"Take this, Ennoc's Gratitude (Artifact, Accessory, User Perma-Blessed, Requires Light Weapon), for doing a great service for the Righteous Light. I wish you well, Sir Cronk. May Ennoc guide you on the true path."

Cronk begins to walk back to the hall but stops at a roadside stall selling jewelery. He buys a silver chain and threads Ennoc's Gratitude upon it. Cronk then fastens it around his neck and keeps walking.

[Flipz]

OOC: Thanks to everyone involved in this, for both your input and your patience!

Meanwhile, the doors to the Hall open once more--and this time, it is the face they wanted to see.

"Alexis, was that--? Oh..."

Caroline's face lights up. "Artie!" She pushes past Alexis and sweeps Arthur up in an overly affectionate embrace. "I've missed you! What happened to your voice? You sound so...old."

"Whoa, who is this woman Arthur?" Alexis feels a little jealous that this woman claims to know so Arthur well enough to give him a nickname.

Arthur pushes free from Caroline's arms.

"Hello, Caroline. I've been thinking about you a lot lately."

"You have??"

"Yes, my party and I found some Flowers of Sybl in Ennon. They saw everything."

The woman's eyes betray her terror. "Everything...?"

"My memories were laid bare. And you know, that's a good thing, it gave me a chance to think about what happened." Arthur smiles thinly. "It is good to see a face from home, despite...everything. Where's Vaygas?"

Screw it, it's not like it can get worse. The heavily bearded man steps out of the shadows before Caroline can speak. "I'm right here, Arthur." He walks toward the group, the stains upon his shirt becoming clear in the light. "Have been for a while." He looks around for a moment. "Where's Roni?"

"Roni?"

"My little girl."

"Whoa, hang on. You have a daughter?" Alexis says, hardly daring to believe her ears.

"Your...?" Arthur relaxes visibly. "Well, it's good to know you've moved on."

"Why? Have you...?"

"Caroline? Finding your daughter...?"

"Oh. Right! Roni? Sweetheart?"

----------

A young child crawls under a table with Punii while her mother is busy talking to the Heroes.

"............hewwo," she mumbles shyly.

"Wow, human hatchlings are *wheeze* big! What's *cough* your name?"

"Ro-ni", the child burbles, grinning at her accomplishment.

"I'm Punii - nice to *wheeze* meet you! Got any other larvae with you, little *cough* guy? This table may get cramped... "

Roni shakes her head vigorously. "Y...you?" she asks, struggling with the word.

"I... did."

Punii remembers the fight between his family and the heroes, and squirms uncomfortaly. He banishes the ugly memory and changes the subject.

"Where are your *wheezewheeze* parents?"

Roni points to Caroline, who by this point is looking around worriedly for her.

"Well, let's get you *wheeze* back to her."

--------

Just as Caroline starts to get worried, the tiny Progg larva escorts Roni back to the others.

"She's very well-behaved for *wheeze* two and a half, if humans are *cough wheeze* anything like Proggs."

Roni's eyes light up when she sees Vaygas. "Daddy!" she gurgles happily, running unsteadily into the man's arms.

Arthur smiles for a fraction of a second, but suddenly his eyes grow cold and steely as he does the math. "Alexis, take Roni outside for a moment, would you?"

Alexandre, who had to this point been listening in silence, steps forward and places his hand on Arthur's shoulder, but the Sorcerer shakes it off. "Arthur? Are you sure that's a good--?"

"Now, please. This is important."

"If this woman is your," she pauses, "well, what ever she is, don't you need to be with her? I'll take her outside for you two to get a moment of peace." Alexis turns and smiles at the girl. "Come on now, your parents need some time together."

----

"Eeeeeeeeeek! Halp!"

The moment the door closed behind Roni and Alexis, the relative quiet of the Hall was shattered by the cound of a slap, followed by the clatter of wood and steel, and the other Heroes whirled to see Caroline on the floor, while Vaygas and Arthur crossed weapons, sending drinks and tables flying. The Heroes who learned of Arthur's past in Ennon would recognize the bearded man's staff, its hooked tip crackling with chaotic energy; those same Heroes would also note with dismay that Arthur now attacked with the dark blade once held by the madman Roderick. Caroline, for her part, quickly clambered to her feet, a dark orb appearing in her hand and quickly solidifying into a wicked-looking dagger. Arthur stands, panting, when he sees two foes arrayed against him.

"So, you both finally reveal who you are. Who we are."

"He found out shortly after...you know. Around the time we realized I was pregnant."

"I'm doing this for her. Once she sees how dangerous it is, how you've destroyed yourself--"

"ENOUGH!" Punii hid further beneath Schezerade's bar, and even Caroline cowered at his anger. "This blade was once used by a misguided Hero to betray and destroy his friends. Perhaps it's time I cleansed that blade by bathing it with the blood of another traitor?"

As Arthur stepped menacingly towards Vaygas, Alexandre unsheaths his own blade and crosses it with his friend's.

"No, Arthur. This is not the time. Not here, not now, not ever. The blade is not what should be cleansed. Remember who you are. Be a Hero."

Arthur's breathing grows slower and calmer, and eventually the tip of his blade drops down and clanks loudly on the stone floor. He nods gratefully to Alexandre, then, with one last hate-filled glance at his former friends, he storms out of the Hall.

The threat abated, Vaygas collapses and conceales the Staff once more, and is unprepared when Caroline rams a fist into his gut. He doubles over in pain.

"I'm not giving this up, Vaygas. Arthur at least had the sense to realize that, even if it did mean I had to have him banished. You never had the kind of guts to do what he did."

Stowing her own weapons, Caroline exits the Hall to reclaim her daughter, leaving Vaygas to his thoughts. Eventually, he shuffles slowly back to the shadows from whence he came.

-------

Hours later, a blue-cloaked figure with a pointy hat sneaks back into the Hall. Arthur looks somewhat recovered, but his eyes are filled with a deep sadness that cannot be remedied by one of Schezerade's concoctions. He sits down at a table, deep in thought. What more must I suffer? he wonders. "Is it even worth the pain?" he murmurs aloud.

Edited October 2, 2012 by Flipz

[Peppermint_M]

"Bloody drama..." Tesni muttered, woken rfom her sleep in the corner. "Should chop the lot of them..." Grumbling the berserker left her seat and went deeper into the hall, one of the gallaries had a nice spot to doze in...

[Masked Builder]

Alexis returns to the bar after Caroline reclaimed her daughter. She took a seat at a table and ordered some wine. Her head was hurting from trying to contemplate what exactly she wanted from life.

[Flipz]

A pink envelope suddenly poofs into existence next to Arthur. He looks over it, curious in spite of himself, and gingerly opens it.

Dearest Arthur,

Well, it seems our reunion did not go quite as I had planned. I would really appreciate a chance to discuss things, to clear up the misunderstandings that stand between us. If you would be so inclined, I'd like us to have a chat at--

Realizing the sender of the letter, Arthur shredded the letter before palming his Topaz and blasting the scraps to ashes. He sits back down at his table, wondering how long it would be before Caroline came back to bother him again.

[ADHO15]

Ad-Hoh returns to the hall after his latest quest, accompanied by his fellow adventurers, and the body of the late Arasmyth. They settle him in a secluded side-chamber so that the other heroes have a chance to pay their respects before he moves on to the next life. As per their agreement before Arasmyth's unfortunate end, Ad-Hoh takes the fallen mage's Sapphire and Aquamarine to make use of himself, before leaving a tribute of 200 Gold to honour his comrade.

On his way out of the hall, Ad-Hoh also spots Arthur Justus Regulus VII, who agrees to pay him 350 gold in exchange for the Scroll Of Poisoning and Lens Of Speed-Reading. They happily complete the transaction before Arthur enters the chamber to say goodbye to Arasmyth...

[Flipz]

Arthur was stunned by the news of Arasmyth's end. The Elven mage had been one of the first to take notice of him when he had first come to the Hall, and had been a worthy companion and ally on his first Quest to Bric'bay. It seemed so long ago now, so unthinkable that he was now gone.

Arthur knelt by Arasmyth's cold body. "Arasmyth," he whispered, his voice soft and unburdened, as it had once been, "I remember all you did for me when I first arrived. I have not forgotten that you were the one who allowed me to purchase this." Arthur pulled out his Healing Staff, and laid it gently against Arasmyth's body. For a moment, Arthur hoped, irrationally, against all odds, that the staff had somehow worked, that the elf had returned to the land of the living, but as the seconds passed Arthur knew it was just wishful thinking. He laid down 50 gold, a measley sum, but a symbolic gesture. "10 for the Gold I came here with, that you so wisely advised me on how to spend, and 2 for the Gold you gave me to complete my deal. May it bring peace to you in whatever afterlife you have reached." As Arthur finished speaking, he saw a pair of items roll out of the aeromancer's pack. Investigating, Arthur saw they were a Trickster's Mask of the Gender Swap (Accessory, Changes user's appearance into the opposite gender) and a Scroll of Armor Sundering (Reduces target’s SP by 5 and has a 50/50 chance of success). Arthur felt a wind blow past him in the enclosed space, and somehow knew that his friend's spirit was still there, that he wanted him to have them. Arthur accepted the items and stood to leave, but felt the breeze grow stronger, pushing him insistently back into the chamber. The Sorcerer's eyes fell upon the aeromancer's robe, the one he had earned at Bric'bay. Nodding understandingly--Arasmyth had given Arthur his own first robe, just before his Quest to Dastan--Arthur gingerly unhooked the mage's Robe of the Elven Warlock, leaving another 3 Gold in its place. "It's all I can afford," he explains, "I've still my debts to pay." The breeze blew once more, before fading completely. More at peace with both himself and his fallen comrade, Arthur exited the chamber and returned to the main Hall.

Edited October 2, 2012 by Flipz

[Scorpiox]

Haldor leant back on his chair, taking a long draught of alcohol. Jess was still not here, and that upset him. He'd been hoping that she would be here waiting for him to get back, and to great his return with open arms, but she evidently had more important things to do. Haldor sighed, she wasn't there when he needed her, when he wanted her more than ever, she was off on somewhere. The Nord couldn't help but express a sigh.

After reclining for a long while, Haldor pulled himself to his feet to place a note on the Questboard, it read:

Wanted: One opal gem of ice, willing to pay to pay sums of gold or a trade. See Haldor for more details.

"I hope that someone takes notice of that, I could do with something to cheer me right now. Oh how I wish Jess were here." Haldor looked up solemnly, as though some deeper force could show him where she may be. The Nord tried to dispell much darker thoughts of what she could be doing above seeing his return, but still, his doubts were there...

[Bricksandparts]

Johon signs up for the two quests posted, Quest #48: Death's Homecoming and Quest #49: The Light That Reveals Everything, before heading to the marketplace.

[Flipz]

Arthur sees Johon enter the Hall, and, remembering his debts, rushes up to him. "Hey, Alf," he says, "Long time, no see. I believe I owe you this." Arthur counts out 124 gold as per previous agreement. "That's for the Healing Staff, as well as the price you listed for that fancy Scroll of Luck in the Marketplace." Arthur sighs as he spots two more pink envelopes waiting for him at his table; he fries them both without opening them.

[Sisco]

Jess entered the hall, exhausted from her journey to visit her mother. She needed a good rest, but spotting Haldor, Jess decided that she needed him more.

"Haldor!"

Jess sprinted at the nord, tackling him to the floor in a show of both elven strength and affection.

"I've missed you so much, dearest..."

[Endgame]

If I have missed anyone, please let me know.

Current Sign-ups for Quest #48: Death's Homecoming

Alf (Played by BricksAndParts)

Czech (Played by RPGer)

Isabella (Played by Dharkan)

Edited October 2, 2012 by Endgame

[Dharkan]

If I have missed anyone, please let me know.

Current Sign-ups for Quest #48: Death's Homecoming

Alf (Played by BricksAndParts)

Czech (Played by RPGer)

Oi, you forgot me. ^^

[Flipz]

Arthur was getting tired of all the MegaBlokin' V-mail Caroline was sending him. He was about to vaporize the latest pink envelope to *poof* into existence in front of him, when...

"Wait!!"

"Simbad?"

"Lord Knyghton has been quite anxious that you haven't recieved his V-mail invitation to visit Bric'bay."

"Oh." Arthur blushes. "I've had a bit of trouble with unwanted messages lately..."

"I understand. But you'd better come quickly! Lord Knyghton has invited all the Heroes of Heroica to visit him at Castle Bric'bay. Just make sure to give the guards the password 'eurobricks'. Strange password if you ask me..."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Arthur exits the Hall with Simbad. A mysterious figure emerges as he leaves...

"It is not right that the Heroes in other lands may not join this celebration. I will begin construction of a dimensional waypoint to Bric'bay at once--though I fear Master Vaygas will be most displeased, it is the right thing to do."

[Endgame]

"Gah, time warp! I guess I'll *wheeze* reconfirm any sign-ups that were lost...

Current Sign-ups for Quest 48: Death's Homecoming

Alf (Played by BracksAndParts)

Sylph (Played by Dannylonglegs)

Czech (Played by RPGer)

Isabella (Played by Dharkan)

[Etzel]

Current Sign-ups for Quest 49: The Light That Reveals Everything

Elgar Gligin (Jedi master Brick)

Cronk (CorneliusMurdock)

Isabella del Toboso (Dharkan)

Johon (Bricksandparts)

Because of the recent incident I will keep the sign up up for another 24 hours from now on, please re-sign if I missed someone who signed up after last Wednesday.

And because I remember people asked: This quest is not a very long one, probably 1 month in time, so you should be back in time for Zeph's great final quest

[Scorpiox]

Jess entered the hall, exhausted from her journey to visit her mother. She needed a good rest, but spotting Haldor, Jess decided that she needed him more.

"Haldor!"

Jess sprinted at the nord, tackling him to the floor in a show of both elven strength and affection.

"I've missed you so much, dearest..."

Haldor tried to prise himself off of the floor, but then decided to lie there with her a little longer.

"Ah, so that's where you had gotten to. I missed you too, my love. There were times back in that valley that I was unsure of myself, but thinking of you I knew that I had to remain strong. Much happened while we were there, many bad things, and we saw Wren. There was an amulet with terrible powers, that could bind the esscence of a god in the body of a mortal, and she, she took it for herself. Oh Jess, we could barely save ouselves, and now I know that we must meet her again, one last time. For the sakes of all, from Dastan to this rough-hewn spit of land, we must meet her one final time, and we must be ready to put an end to this madness."

Haldor had to stop himself from continuing, now was not the time to speak of such things. He was back, back where he belonged, for now at least. Helping himself up, the Nord pulled Jess into a tight embrace and held her there in his arms. It was good to be back. But as much as he would like, he couldn't stay there forever, and had to detach himself from her grasp. The Norseman led his girl over to the quest board to see what adventures there would be posted.

"Jess, see this one." Haldor pointed to an entry "Something about the Paladin Order, seems good to me. If we're going to be ready, for when the time comes, to face her, we had better start preparing. What better way to get ready, than to go on a quest such as this one? See if I can't find a use for this thing." Haldor showed Jess a quick glimpse of his black orb, an impossible object that continued to baffle the Nord, but stowed it away again quickly. "Well, what do you think? I sign up for Quest #49: The Light that reveals everything. I hope you do too, Jess, who knows what we might find out there?" Haldor waved over for some mead for the two of them, before sitting comfortably down.

[Jedi master Brick]

Elgar wakes after feeling like his head has been wacked by a lemon wrapped around a brick. "Uhh, what have I drunk." Clearly not in a state to start a quest soon Elgar crosses out his name for quest 49

OOC: this is beacuse I am away without wifi for several times over the coming few weeks.

[xxlrocka]

The doors to the hall swung open.

It was Drake.

He carefully stepped into the hall, sweating like he had ran around Eubric for 15 years, nonstop. He collapsed onto a chair.

"Anybody mind getting a guy a drink?"

[Masked Builder]

Alexis smirks at the knight. "You do know drinks are free right?" She rolls her eyes as she gets up and heads downstairs. "Let's see," she thinks. Then signs up for Quest #49: The Light that reveals everything.