Comrade Commander

The small rat proves to fast for Darksten's bolt and it is quickly upon him. He has to shake his arm to knock the critter free and then load a new bolt to fire as the rat scampers away Darksten repeats, (attack rat b from back)

"Really?" Darksten thinks to himself as he quickly loads a bolt and fires it. "I'm in" he says to Grimwald Darksten attacks Plagued Rat B from back OOC: There are no differential markings for the rat, so just to clarify I want the second one down...

As Darksten stands questioning the undead before him, a z-mail letter pops into the air before him. It flutters down toward the ground and lands close to the decaying corpse of the person standing and talking to them. "damn" the ranger thinks to himself when he sees the letter is clearly addressed to him, and that he would have to move closer to the wretched smell to get it. Darksten quickly shuffles forward, and grasps the letter, all while feeling the confused gaze of the zombie on him. After quickly reading through everything, Darksten joins the lottery and sends the letter back.

"Aye, like the wise man said, we weren't sent to kill anyone. But you do need to explain to us who you are, and why you are here...in addition to anything you know about the Doc." The ranger says as he controls his breathing in an effort to avoid breathing in any deadly disease...

OOC: Darksten checking in! Darksten walks with the party towards the Doctors house. As they approach, he notices the shape of a man out front. It is only when they get closer that he realizes the man is an undead. The pungent smell of death filled Darksten's nose and he fought back the urge to hurl. This was Darksten's first true encounter with an zombie and so far he was not impressed. Instinclty he moved to the otherside of the road, trying hard not to make it too blatant however.

Darksten sees the names get posted to the board, and is happy to see he was selected. "There better not be any spiders this time" he thinks to himself as he gets up and walks out of the hall.

haha, I did like Kianu. I don't know why but when I saw her picture I thought she was supposed to be a lot older (in her mid 20s) so I was going to play a little to the love aspect. Then I went back and read she was 15-16 and wa like "shoot" haha! I learned to check ages a lot closer I did like the inn scene a lot. Though I have to admit I also learned my lesson about reading other threads during a quest. I saw someone post about the hurricane in the general discussion thread and that made me hesitant to drink it. But I figured what the heck. Tried to play the drunk, which I think was by far one of the harder things to do. Puns do not come naturally. Kianu's hut felt like there was a lot more out there which could have been explored if we had been more agressive in our searching (and had the additional player). But no loss now. Also, I should mention the music was a good choice. I didn't listen to all of them but I often played just a bit to get the feeling and you did a good job. Somethings this quest seemed to be influenced by the small things... new dice, new positions, and new songs. Just seemed fate was finicky this time around.

After the long trek back from the forest, Darksten walked into the hall a little after the other ranger who had been in his party. Looking around, he was happy to see his usual booth was unoccupied. As he transitioned there, he passed the quest board and noted the listed quests. He had no interest in going underground, so skipped over #107, he scribbled his name on all the other quests though (#105, #106, #109), hoping something other than bug hunting would be involved. Quest #106 really peaked his interest, so he hoped the quest was still open for sign ups since it was still listed on the board. After he had made his mark, he strolled over to "his" booth and began to sort through his items.

Quest 101 Review Summary: Overall I thought it was a good quest, though it could have been improved upon. Limited character interactions hindered the quest. Plot: I liked the plot, and felt it played well to Darksten's story. Made him question his choice in joining Heroica if all he is going to do is be an exterminator. That being said, I kind of wish there were some more opportunities to flush things out a bit more. But that will come below. Time/Length: I think the quest was designed to be the right length with 3 battles and a few other opportunities to RP/develop. Unfortunately I think the lack of player involvement at the start ruined a lot of things. I felt that there were times when we were simply on a timer. After X amount of hours we simply moved on despite what was going on. I know that there times I tried to roleplay and/or ask questions and it appeared that they were simply skipped over when the party was moved along. I understand that we cannot do everything, it just simply felt like it happened multiple times. What also made me feel this way is that I would ask a question/roleplay and not get an answer for hours despite Kintober responding in other quests/threads. Again, I understand fully that it takes a lot from a QM, and with the lack of participation from some players this quest fell to the back burner, but it just got frustrating sometimes. Battles: Overall i think the battles were fair. Just seemed the roll of the dice was against us. The only issue I had was the final battle. You corrected the issue where Kianu couldn't attack anything, but you let her only damage a beast which could one hit kill her. we won, I am not going to complain too loudly, just wanted to through it out there. I am always interested to here what other people would have done so I can learn improve Players: Deus (Lego Spy): You started out quiet but then got more active which was very much appreciated. I don't have too much to say on him other than I think him and Darksten will get along alright! The one suggestion I might have is that you roleplay a little more in your posts. This way you can flush things out, and it gives others more to work on. Hoang Anh (Hoananboe): Another quest where we just lugged him along. Hopefully he remains inactive now so it doesn't ruin any more quests, but let this be a warning to others who want to include him. Pictures: I just want to throw out there that I really liked your sets! Especially where you added clues to the picture (Kianu's dad, no horses, etc). We might not have gotten them the first time, but it gave us a new perspective and it was very much appreciated. Again, overall it was a good quest and I enjoyed playing along with it. Thanks for hosting us!

As the party finishes it's duty in the forest, Darksten moves to the dead carcass of Lolth and gives one last check to ensure it is dead. Then uses his knife to cut off one of the spiders fangs. It seemed to Darksten that this would become a tradition in his exterminating career. Darksten walks quietly with the party after having introduced himself to Roruck. He can't help but nod along as Kianu's father reminds her of her inputs to the fight. She had certainly showed her metal. As she handed out her mushrooms, Darksten spoke to her. "Thank you very much for your help. You definitely saved us a few times back there. Certainly pulled off a miracle! Hopefully we can cross paths again" Turning to the bugs he says: "This is your opportunity to lead. Step up and show the spiders the right path, because I would hate to see more heroes come and have to battle again." With that, Darksten gathers his stuff and prepares to leave with deus "Well Deus, I am ready when you are. I think we earned some down time. You fought very well this quest"

OOC: Oh, haha, I was waiting to roleplay with the heroic rescue and what not before before distributing the loot. No worries! I will work it in later. Suggested loot distribution: Darksten: 1x Smelling Salt, Spider String Bow, 1x Pheonix Essence, Venom, Floral Bomb Deus: 1x Smelling Salt, Ranger Quiver, Mythral Shard, 1x Pheonix Essence, Remedy Hope that works for you Deus. I am going against my normal agreement that NPCs should share the loot, but in this case I would role play the medicine items not helping Kianu too much due to her beliefs and woodland knowledge. But if she feels otherwise I could throw her the Pheonic Essense or Remedy in my possession.

OOC: not really, so if you want it I won't put up a fight

ooc: haha, oh how that battle swung from one end to another. For a bit there I was starting to doubt, then we knock everyone out in one turn. haha! Nice work everyone! I also am curious why we got two levels, does that count as our level up mushroom reward? Also, Lego Spy, any preference on the loot? I am thinking it would be good if you take the quiver since I have already had the opportunity for a grating stone on my crossbow. I would like the bow though if you don't mind. "Nice!" Darksten shouts as Deus's final arrow takes out the spider beast. He rushes forward, crossbow raised as he checks the spiders for any last sign of breath. He passes the loot for the time being, but when he see all are dead he swiftly moves to the human shaped web and begins to cut the captive free.

"Don't get cocky kid" Darksten mutters to himself as he loads another bolt Suggested order of battle: Hoang Anh: Lolth from front Darksten: Itiser Bitsier Spider from back Deus: Kianu: Caustic Spider B from back

ooc: not the full ten hours? Lol, your loss! Also, I think you mean Caustic Crawler A.... We took care of the spinner a few turns ago and we don't want to bring him back! Haha!

ooc: haha, this song seems to be just what we need! Thanks! Darksten feels the inspiring effects of Kianu's divine being. After his frustration with the young girl, he feels a bit of guilt for snapping at her. She had more than proven her capabilities on this adventure "Thanks for that Kianu" he says, unleashing multiple arrows to avoid making any contact Suggested battle order: Hoang Anh: Lolth from front Darksten: Itsier Bitsier Spider from back Deus Kianu: Caustic Spider B from back

ooc: Me too. We could use a little luck... If you think of any better plans, please feel free to speak up! I am open to suggestions...

OOC: I think I should be at 11hp. I was at 3hp, then gained 10hp, then lost 2hp. [3+10=13-2=11]. Please correct me if I did something wrong! Darksten looks at the young girl? "And what do you suggest? Surely you don't want to go up against the big spider? One wrong hit and it could take you out, and keeping your distance will have you doing almost as little damage as you are now. Healling would be appreciated, but it appears the fates are against us right now. Speak up if you have a better idea, but for the time being, I think you are best fending off the little spiders, and using your protective garments to shield you from any poison. But keep praying, maybe we can pull off a miracle..." The ranger cannot help but doubt his own words. This battle was not going very well. The twin puncture wounds of the spiders were still fresh in his skin. He raises his bow, and picks a target. letting the arrow fly... suggested battle order: Hoang Anh: Lolth from front Deus: Darksten: Itsier-Bitsier Spider from back Kianu: Caustic Spider B from back

ooc: If he doesn't log on, Deus will repeat attacking caustic spider a from back

ooc: I should be at 3hp I believe because of the -2hp that I mentioned wasn't counted before. --- Darksten looks at his wounds as he fights of the spiders. "Why do I always have to look after myself" he thinks... Once the spiders are off his back, he quickly downs a potion Through grit teeth, and with out much enthusiasm, he says to Kianu... "It's fine, just look after these spiders please" suggested battle order: Hoang Anh: Lolth from front Deus: Kianu: Caustic Spider B from back Darksten: potion on self from back Ooc: if perchance Kianu manages to pull off a miracle, Darksten will switch to the Itsier-Bitsier Spider.

ooc: I think I should be at 6hp as I don't think the 2hp I lost was accounted for. "Effing spiders..." Darksten thinks to himself as he once again fires his bolt at his target "Kianu, would you mind looking after my wounds please?" Suggested order of battle: Hoang Anh: Lolth from front Darksten: caustic spider b from back Deus: Kianu: heal Darksten from from back

ooc: I am hoping the small spider will be less of a threat (lower level) than the spectral spinner. Maybe we can get lucky and you can get another triple shot to take care of both...

ooc: I think splitting it up will help us in the long run. We have the capability of absorbing one free hit but I am not seeing a viable option for it. I think if you try to take out the spinner, it will help us and I can chip away at Crawler B. we could attack lolth, but that just leaves us open for an attack down the road. Thoughts? Darksten feels the venom dissipate in his body as he downs the remedy. He quickly looks for a new target. "Kianu, please help me keep those small spiders busy!" Suggested order of battle: Hoang Anh: Lolth from front Darksten: Caustic Crawler B from back Deus: Kianu: Caustic Crawler A from back

Ooc: ok! no worries and thanks! The elemental system is still sort of confusing to me. I appreciate the opportunity to learn and the clarification! Darksten watches the knight go into a blocking pose and sees his opportunity for a bit of a reprieve. He pops open one of his his remedies and quickly downs it "Let's see of we can even the odds!" Suggested order of battle: Hoang Anh: Murkwood mauler from front Darksten: remedy from back Deus: Kianu: Lolth from front

ooc: I seem to still be confused by this "elemental" concept. In the last spider battle, her wood staff was impacted by the "plant" type but it only halved the damage. Now the "vermin" type is complete immunity? I see the listing of plant/vermin under the mages in the rules but I am not seeing the area where it describes the impact to battles & differences. Can I get a link or pointed in the right area? Not doubting, just want to keep it for reference later so I can better plan. Also, if she isn't supposed to damage, the spider she stored a crit on last turn will have to get some health back.