Heroica RPG - Quest#14: The Family Recipe

[Professor Flitwick]

After quietly sneaking back to the group...

"Thothwick, do you think you could pickpocket that guard for his key? If not, we are going to have to attack him."

"I've pickpocketed many a beings pocket before. I'm certain I can life the key off of the guard."

[Sandy]

It is Thothwick's turn to approach the guard. Silently the rogue creeps close to the ogre and reaches his hand towards the key that dangles on the guard's belt.

Suddenly the guard snorts, and Thothwick flinches. As the Metasimian looks up, he sees drool oozing from the ogre's mouth. He realizes that the guard has been asleep this whole time! Somehow he's developed a skill to sleep with eyes open and at a standing position. Admiring the lenght that the guard has gone through to be able to snooze on the job, Thothwick snatches the menagerie key, sneaks to the gate and opens it.

First things first, the group heads to the monkey cage, where Hoptet is waiting for them. Using the guard's key, they release the Metasimian.

"<A thousand thanks, my saviours!>", the grateful Hoptet whispers, and Thothwick translates his words to the rest of the party. "<I am at your service until I figure out how to return to my homeland. Please, just lead the way.>"

Hoptet the Druid joins the party, but since Thothwick is the only one who can understand him, he will have to convey the druid's actions to the others.

Now the party must decide what to do with the unicorn that's staring at them somberly from its pen.

Party:

Bartholomew Docken

(played by Brickdoctor)

Level 14½ Ranger

*scary*

Power:

19

Health:

18/20

Gold:

289

Inventory:

Mockthril Longbow (WP:5), Dread Hat (lower level enemies won't attack directly), Scarab Shield (SP:5), Potion, Phoenix Essence, Mead, Smoke Bomb, Bedroll, Crystal Chalice

Cinna the Dark

(played by darkdragon) *Party Leader*

Level 12 Mage

Power:

17

Health:

12/16

Ether:

14/16

Gold:

120

Inventory:

Nimbus Broomstick (WP:5, ranged), Pongcanis Mage Staff (WP:5), Shadeaux Staff (WP:4), Quarterstaff (WP:3), Amethyst (Darkness), Scroll of Sleep, 6 Grand Potions, Tonic, Remedy, Phoenix Essence, 2 Smelling Salts, Bedroll, Shovel, Gold Ore, Golden Scorpion Venom

Thormanil Nihai

(played by swils)

Level 12½ Barbarian

Power:

19

Health:

15/19

Gold:

46

Inventory:

Thundering Shadeaux Axes (WP:6,

lightning-elemental

), Tongue on a Stick (WP:1, Miss>Aim), Dull Greataxe (WP:3), Sabre (WP:8, unequippable), 2 Potions, Pickaxe, Gold Bar

Thothwick

(played by Professor Flitwick)

Level 7 Rogue

Power:

15 (12 for ranged attacks)

Health:

11/13

Gold:

126

Inventory:

Sabre (WP:8), Whip Chain (WP:6), Shuriken (WP:5, ranged, retrievable), Potion, Remedy, 2 Venoms, 2 Fire Bombs, Bedroll

Bluto Ziegfried

(NPC, controlled by darkdragon)

Level 8 Dream Sailor

Power:

14 (11 for ranged attacks)

Health:

6/8

Ether:

8/8

Gold:

0

Inventory:

Anchor (WP:6), Harpoon (WP:3, ranged), Aquamarine (Water)

Hoptet

(NPC, controlled by Professor Flitwick)

Level 15 Druid

Power:

16

Health:

22/22

Ether:

16/16

Gold:

0

Inventory:

Stick (WP:1)

[Darkdragon]

["Good job Thothwick. Please welcome Hoptet to the team for me."]

Looking at the unicorn and then at Bartholomew, Cinna continues to whisper.

["Do you think you could convince the unicorn to come with us peacefully? We must get him out now I think, tomorrow morning they will see Hoptet is gone and probably beef up security."]

Edited December 27, 2011 by darkdragon

[Professor Flitwick]

"I shall, Ms. Cinna."

["Thank you for joining us, Hopet. I'm sorry we've been quite a while rescuing you."]

["Thank you, Thothwick. Think nothing of it, I'm just happy to be free of my cage. So, why are you here?"]

["We are heroes, from the guild of Heroica (save for the boy, a stow-away on our ship here), her looking for ingredients to help save a elderly, powerful woman's life. Right now, we have to get an undead unicorn horn. From that poor creature over their."]

["Well, that explains your presence here. Seems a shame that poor creature has to die, but if it's to save the life of a sentient...

Morals aside, thank you for releasing me."]

["You're welcome, I know I'd do it again in a heart beat. I've been looking forward to this since we met; I knew it would be nice to have you in the group."]

[Brickdoctor]

I use my badass lockpicking skills animal communication talents to ask the unicorn to come with us.

[Sandy]

I use my badass lockpicking skills animal communication talents to ask the unicorn to come with us.

The unicorn droops its head sadly.

"<Why would I come with you? Admit it, you are not going to release me in any case. You just want to drag me to some other cage for show. Or is it my horn you want? I'm warning you, I'll only go down kicking and whinnying!>"

The unicorn musters up some defiant pride and turns its back on the party. For a short moment the heroes can see the harnessed creature as the majestic being that it once was.

[Professor Flitwick]

"Surely as a Druid, Hopet can use his animal talk, combined with his own experience in captivity, to try and convince the unicorn!"

["Come, fellow captive, would you rather pass up the opportunity of freedom, in favour of wasting our you remaining years here, in that cage? I was once held captive in these cages too, and took a chance and escaped with these noble heroes, and now I'm standing here free. You could be doing the same."]

[Sandy]

The unicorn huffed in fury.

"<I've learned better than to trust any humanoid! I'll believe your good will if you just open the gate of this pen and let me dash off free, but I doubt you will. You will just grab my leash and drag me off to be the centrepiece of another collection. I know you humanoids too well. Why don't you just slay me here and now? You'd at least get my horn out of the effort, you pitiful lowlifes.>"

[Darkdragon]

["I see no other choice than to leave this uncooperative beast here in his pen. Anyone have any other ideas?"]

[Brickdoctor]

I whisper to Cinna

Or we could just kill it.

XP and loot take precedence over being a good Ranger who's nice to animals.

[Darkdragon]

I whisper to Cinna

Or we could just kill it.

XP and loot take precedence over being a good Ranger who's nice to animals.

["Then how would we get what we need? He isn't undead."]

[Brickdoctor]

["Then how would we get what we need? He isn't undead."]

Okay, good point.

[Darkdragon]

["I think we should get going soon. We have too much to do to hang around here much. We really need to get going to Almagesta's garden tonight."]

[Sandy]

Leaving the unicorn be, the party left the menagerie with their new ally Hoptet, and headed for the wall behind the Almagesta's palace. The wall was high, but with some rope and agility the party managed to scale over it. They dropped onto some bushes, and once everyone was accounted for, they left the rope hanging as an escape route.

From the bushes they saw a tall majestic woman in a long white veil tending to the flowers, guarded by five armoured knights carrying spears. The heroes watched as the veiled woman approached a large blooming flower.

"Ah, my sweet Amorella, how much joy you bring to my lonely nights", the woman spoke softly to the flower while caressing its petals. Then the woman started humming a foreign tune, and the flower started to emit a pink radiance.

The party realized that in order to get to the flower, they would have to approach the woman and her guards. But what would they say?

[swils]

["I know it's the middle of the night, and we just hopped her wall... but maybe she'll be reasonable if we just appeal to her. Bein' the runt back home, I picked up a few tricks for situations like these. If something, or someone, has access to something sharp'n'pointy, be it antlers or spears, it's generally not a good idea to, y'know, spook em from up close. Or from close enough that they can reach ya with those pokey-things. Gettin' skewered is no fun at all. So I'd say sheath our weapons and get their attention, before we approach."]

[Darkdragon]

["I agree. Let's get away from our rope though, maybe we can sneak to the other wall so that the guards don't spot our escape route and cut it down."]

Cinna starts carefully, slowly, sneaking down the wall until she gets to the corner and then waits at the next wall for the rest of her team.

[swils]

Thormanil follows suit, for once thankful for his smaller stature as he creeps between the wall and the plants.

[Brickdoctor]

I follow the rest of the party.

[Professor Flitwick]

["Stick close and quiet, Hopet, we don't want to see you put back into captivity now, do we?"]

"[Ha! I appreciate a sense of humour! Lead on, my friend. Wait, I have an idea. Why don't we hide in these walls until morning, when that lady and her entourage may have left, allowing us to take the flower without a fight?"]

["Good thinking Hopet! I'll tell the others..."]

Thothwick retranslates Hopet's suggestion, eager to hear what his quest mates have to say...

Edited December 29, 2011 by Professor Flitwick

[Sandy]

As the party moved places, they couldn't help but to cause the bushes to shuffle and sticks to crack. This caught the attention of the woman's guards.

"Your Majesty, there is something moving on the bushes over there", one of the guards told the woman as the other four started to approach the party's hiding place.

"Well, go see what it is about, then!" the woman said with a gentle smile. "It is probably just a stray cat, anyway. Try not to spook the poor creature too badly, alright?"

The guards pointed their spears as they approached the bushes where the party was hiding. What would the party do?

[Darkdragon]

Cinna steps out with her hands up in a non-confrontational gesture, before the guards arrive in poking range.

"Hi ma'am. Sorry to barge into your garden like this but we really need your help."

[Sandy]

The guards round up the party.

"Intruding Her Majesty the Almagesta's private garden is a crime punishable by death! Bend knee!", one of the guard barks.

The Almagesta raises her hand to silence the guards.

"Calm down. Did you not hear that these foreigners have come to seek help?" The queen of Salmanda then turns to the party. "State your case, but be reminded that if I find your words untruthful or your cause unworthy, my guards will serve a swift end to your insolence. Speak now."

[swils]

"Ma'am, we're here on behalf of the Ziegfrieds, from Eubric. See, Zelda ain't doin' too hot, and her last hope is an old Salmandan recipe. And honestly, we came here with half a mind to just take the petals from yer flower, because so far, no one who we've asked for help has been keen to just give things away, and we're on a bit of a time crunch. But, seein' as ya caught us sneakin' around, and your guards have those nice pointy spears, well, we'd really appreciate it if you could spare us a few petals from the flower."

[Sandy]

The Almagesta looks flustered.

"Zelda Ziegfried? My Zelda, in a poor condition? Pray tell me, what is wrong with her? I have not heard of her in a long while, but she was my closest friend back when we were just little girls playing in this same garden. If Zelda's life depends on it, of course I will give up the petals of any or all of the flowers here for her."

"Actually, ma'am, it's just the petals of the Nocturne Amorella that we are looking for. See, my great granny's got her soul drained out of her by this nasty demon called Abraxas - or that's at least what the grown-ups all think - and we need the flower for this mysterical recipe that can restore her soul. So can you help us, pretty please?"

"Your great granny... So you are Zelda's offspring, then?"

"Yes ma'am, Bluto is my name!"

The queen nods and walks to the great pink flower. She hums a few last notes to it, and then cuts the flower. The large veil hides the queen's tears. She then hands the flower to Bluto.

"Here, you bring it safely to your great granny, alright?" the Almagesta says to the boy. "And when she wakes up, tell her that Salome sent her love."

Nocturne Amorella - The flower of a magical flower that only blooms during the night.

The Almagesta then tells one of her guards to escort the party outside the palace. The moon still shines on the sky and the night continues.

The party has now gathered two out of the five ingredients and a crystal chalice. Where will the party go next?

[Professor Flitwick]

"Huzzah friends, we are halfway down! Now then, we can either go back to Shipwreck Shore, to the find the Black Pearl, in order to trade with the Necromancer for the Last Wish Powder, to get the undead unicron's horn. Or, we could journey to the Kalakita Bog, in order to get the water from Danab's fountain. If we're doing the later, I feel it may require stop off at the market, to buy some perfume to keep the Wyvern from attacking us."