Palathadric

So I guess we now know that the Dragonlord is not the veteran in league with the Wolfgang if they're trying to kill him.

Undead are weak to light.

Yeah, feel free to rename it. As long as you're not breaking the game mechanics, anything goes...sort of.

Very much agree. I can't decide which of the IV-VI is my favourite, because every time I've watched them I've watched them all through. So it's kind of like one big blur.

...And then there's Paladin.

A knight only hits something on two out of six rolls, so good luck with getting your money's worth out of those gloves.

I'll take a piece of that too.

"Pardon my manners. "So Mr. Rone gave it to you, did he? I wonder what else he could give away. I have to say that helmet of his is worth a look or two." I chuckle. "Here, take 80. My gold count is good these days, but I can't find good enough equipment to spend it on. ...Wait, I didn't actually say that, you know." "Between you and me, I think this city is just to corrupt. I don't know if it's gotten this way overnight, it was, more likely, a gradual change. A mass spell would take an insanely powerful...I doubt even the most powerful of magicians could pull it off. No, it must be something else. The paladins...I can't say where they were from, but I do believe they were from Eubric here. As far as the Crimson Crown go, from what the last ones I met said, they are attempting to destroy magic from the earth or something like that. Not the worst of ideals, it has to be said. The world may be better off without the arcane arts, I should know. However, they are still strange. They insisted that the cardinal--what was her name again?--was not trying to kill us...it was all very confusing. Anyway, their goals were in-line with ours, so, though I didn't want to, we almost had to join up with them. Bah!"

"Even myself, I have just grown tired of being a person to hide behind. I need to be able to get out there and dish out the damage. You know, fight evil, not just be a shield for others to hide behind. Have you heard about the new class available at the Marketplace? I completed a quest for our merchant friends there so I took up training under them. I want to test out my new capabilities on a quest. It should prove very interesting I would think." "As far as questing is concerned, it has certainly gotten more stressful recently. You know how we rescued that gnome village from the Wolfgang thugs? Well, we were called back there, this time to fight against these demons that were being spawned from a machine...one of those Ji Pei things. We had to fight through a horde of demons before we were finally able to destroy the machine. Then, at the end, we discovered that it was a doctor who invented the machine, a friend of Wally's--you remember him, right?--no less. Anyway, the doctor refused to let us destroy the machine and tried to fight us instead, then the Crimson Crown came, apparently they were as interested in seeing the machine destroyed as we were. It was an awkward predicament to say the least. On the one hand, I hate the Crimson Crown beyond...well...almost anything, but then they wanted to join our side in our fight to protect the gnome village. It was one of the oddest predicaments I've been in, and then there was Wally who was begging us not to kill the doctor, but how could we keep the doctor...poor excuse for a doctor really...alive when he would have destroyed the entire gnome village with his abominable creations. Even Wally, when we found him, was shackled up and out of his mind, but he still sided with the doctor over us. Bah! We had to kill the doctor, what else could we do? I'm afraid Wally holds it against us though. "This last quest was hardly better. We were hired to help a team of paladins who we then discovered were working together with necromancers. At the end of it all we had to make a choice between two pairs of necromancers. It was the worst decision. Even the paladins we came to help were split over who to fight alongside. The worst part though, was their chief's lack of manners. I saved his life when we could have easily killed him and he just insulted me. It seems even the paladins have become corrupt beyond measure. Why, there was even a man among them, their chief in fact, who was wearing a bull's head over his own. Strange stuff...and for a paladin? I really can't believe it, honestly. "As far as your Aquamarine is concerned, I'll take it. Would 80 gold suffice?"

Yeah, I know. Yakubu? Don't make me laugh. People still talk about his performance at the World Cup 2010.

I walk into the Training Room. The Copper Fox looks up from what he’s been doing. “Oh, no, you’re back again. What do you want this time? Tired of the weight of a shield in your life, eh?” “Well, not really, but life has thrown my something of a sour lemon lately. I want out!” “Out of what, exactly?” “I don’t want to be a paladin any longer?” The Copper Fox raises an eyebrow. “So what changed, may I ask?” I sigh. “Much has changed…too much it seems. The paladins are not what they used to be. They are now working in close proximity with the undead—” “And that bothers you why…?” I scowl and then spit on the floor. “Please do not leave that spittle on my floor.” “Perhaps you should have the undead remove—” “Clean it at once, Monk!” “Yes, sir!” I gulp. The order trains one to be too obedient. “So, if you don’t want to be a paladin any longer, what do you want to do? I can’t see you taking up any of the Advanced Classes. Am I right in assuming you won’t?” “You are. “You do not seem to have a whole lot of reputation with any of the houses either,” he says anxiously. “I can’t say it looks the best on your resume, although I do see that you have reputation with the Wolfgang.” He adds the last bit with a wicked grin. “Bah! Don’t remind me!” I prepare to spit again but catch myself at the last second and think better of it. “So then…back to simple cleric is it?” “I’m tired of healing parties that don’t appreciate my work. I don’t want to be some sort of soldier that neutrals can hide behind. I want to actively fight evil, to be able to take matters into my own hands and not be subject to the will of a party who thinks they know better than I do but can’t understand what the hell is going on.” The Copper Fox looks questioningly. “You are heroes, you need to work as a team…” “Yes, but when one member of a team is unappreciated, he needs to take up a new position until the others recognize the loss they are undergoing in no longer having him holding the same positon he used to.” “Well, you seem to have thought it out long and hard.” “I want a stronger weapon. These weapons I have now I either bought from other heroes. I have not received a good weapon from a quest in years. If I won’t get them from quests, then I want to make my own stronger to match the strongest weapons in Heroica.” “You do not have the ability to become a Mystic Knight.” “When I was at the marketplace on a quest…” I am suddenly reminded of when I saw the Copper Fox associating with some Wolfgang members. I hesitate. “Yes?” “…Well, they offered to train me as an Artisan?” “An artisan?” “Yes.” “Well, the role is hardly heroic, but I suppose it could fit you well enough.” “I should hope so.” The Copper Fox scratches his head. “Well, I can give you some basic training, but it may be more worth your time to visit them and see what they can tell you. You may find that the training they have in their crafts is worth more than anything I can give you here, if that is indeed what you want to do.” “It is, but I cannot be trained by mere marketplace venders.” “They are the best at their profession, at least here in Eubric. Heroica has only the best to wait on them.” I nod. “I am off then.” “May Mercutio smile on you!” I go to the marketplace and find the merchants going about their business. “Anwyl, how was that sword I sold you?" “Eh? That sword was worth less than Scrap Metal! It broke before I could do anything with it! I’ll show you how a dwarf takes to you selling him scrap like that…” “Uh…maybe next time…don’t let it bother you.” The dwarf grunts. He knew better than to mess with a heavily-armoured hero. Meanwhile, I head to Gnomeo’s. “Greetings, Gnomeo!” “Ah, how is that Magic Compass I sold you working for you?” “Haven’t had a chance to use it yet to be honest.” “Eh? So you’re not here to complain about it being broken like the others?” “What? Is it common that they don’t work?” “Er…um…no, of course not.” “Oh...” “So what are you here for, laddie?” I am sure I’m older than you.[i/] “When I completed that quest for you a few months back, you offered me the ability to train to be an artisan.” “And now you’d wish to start the training?” “That I would.” “It’s a difficult business…literally.” “I am more than up for it.” The gnome nods, but not necessarily in agreement. “Well then, your training begins here.” I train with the marketplace team for a days or even weeks, but by the end I return to the hall feeling different. I am a businessman now. Monk Pretzel and His 99 Pieces, The Super Sleuth 465-year-old male "hermit" Artisan Level: 30 Power: 38 30 + 8 Health: 55/55 9 + 15 + 29 + 2* --*Stickleback Brew

Yeah, but it still makes more sense to buy upgrades than to waste Grating Stones on them. Besides, I don't know what a Grating Stone would do to a pack of cards.

"Seems so," I replied. "Although, we are just one of the parties. I actually know everyone from the other party except for Francis. They must be around the hall somewhere." I look around, but fail to see any of them for the moment. "So what's new, Erik? Been on any quests recently. I've been on some I wish I hadn't been, but...meh! Can you imagine it, I'm still using the same weapons I had since we went down to fight the gnomes. Still haven't found any upgrades. What about you? How is the cleric role playing out?"

Wait! What?

You know that it would be much cheaper for you to just buy upgrades than to use the Grating Stones, right? ...Especially since Grating Stones have been sold to heroes for I think up to 300 gold before.

Note to Brickdoctor, CMP, and Quarryman: I'm going to be going Artisan before the quest heads out. I just don't want to surprise anyone if we are chosen to go. Anyway, I'll try to get my Training Room post up tomorrow.

"Count me in, if it's all the same to you. I feel like I need to get out of Eubric for a while."

Yeah, I was like, why can't we just kill both groups and get it over with? Reading back it seems different, but then I really had the impression that WBD wanted us to save Fervent and since nobody else seemed to care I figured I would have to do it. Now I feel like I stole Pretzel's loot from him.

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for being rather preoccupied most of the quest. I've had a lot of projects I've been working on recently and due to the electricity problems and internet problems too I wasn't available as much as I should have been. I think I was able to post just fine, but I didn't interact as much as I usually do, I think, and didn't put as much thought into my interactions perhaps. Maybe that's why Pretzel came off as a little less grating than usual because generally if I'm not really giving him my attention I just let him more or less go along with the party and not get into too many arguments, etc. I don't know what you mean him being more of a team player than usual though. I did very much enjoy the puzzles on your quest, Waterbrick Down, most of them were right up my alley, unfortunately I was sometimes just really not focused, I think, because especially the gear one I should have been able to get. Silly me! If I were to host a quest I would love to have puzzles like yours, but I wouldn't even know where to begin on creating them, so thank you for taking time and effort to put them together. They really add a certain quality to your quests. I also had no problem with the difficulty of the battles. They may have been relatively easy, but I am not one who particularly enjoys breaking my head over battle strategies unless I'm really in the mood for it, and short battles are always better. I did like the general idea of the mobs, although obviously it will need some fine-tuning. The loot also seemed pretty worthy of the difficulty level of the battles. Although I didn't really appreciate your not wanting us to kill Fervent. I kind of went out of my way and in many ways a good deal out of Pretzel's character to keep him alive (since Pretzel would probably have been more interested in beheading him for his actions instead of pleading for him to surrender) and it turned out to be useless and we even lost out on the loot. Now, looking back, considering the fight it may not have been too fair to get armour like that, but having seen it there and then not getting it at the end made me feel a bit cheated, although I guess I really shouldn't. It just seemed like such a perfect artifact for Pretzel and finally one that he could actually create a build around and carry through all classes...anyway, at the end I think it gives Pretzel a very good reason to go Artisan. I probably would've stayed Paladin for one or two more quests the way I stayed a cleric for one or two quests after reaching Level 15, but the interactions with the paladins at the end has certainly put Pretzel on the course for leaving his paladin days behind him. All-in-all, thanks for hosting a great quest. The pacing was nice and didn't move too fast for me even when I was busy (the lack of interaction on my part was my fault and didn't really have anything to do with the speed of the quest) and the break did not bother me in the slightest and was over before I knew it. Thanks for hosting us! PS: I will try to work on Pretzel's attitude being less annoying for you as players, if there's anything particularly that annoys you or that you think I should change just let me know.

I am in a bad mood and feel the need to get rid of some stuff in my baggage. I approach Anwyl grumpily. "Here, I picked up this sword down under. Forged by the Moon Elves from what I hear. It's a great sword ... er though a longsword really. Anyway, that'll be 75 gold." I sell my Archaic Starbeam Blade for 75 gold before heading over to Gnomeo's. "Bah, you say that those compasses can help you find what one is looking for, eh? I don't believe a word of that, but I'm feeling particularly directionless right now and I've got loose change on my hand, so perhaps I'll give it a try. I purchase a Magic Compass from Gnomeo for 50 gold and leave the marketplace...for now. 1181+75-50=1206 gold remaining.

CMP, it only takes 50 gold to merge a gem with an artifact.

Thanks, WBD! Nice quest overall.

Kroos to Real Madrid was a ridiculously cheap signing for a player of his quality. I am pretty excited about Atletico Madrid though. Mandzukic I think, may turn out to be quite a good replacement for Diego Costa. It's also good to see Griezmann there. Despite selling off most of their "best" players (not really) they still look quite good and most of my favourite players are still around. Dortmund also made some decent signings. It's going to be very hard to replace Lewandowski, but we shall see what they do. Somewhat surprised Napoli didn't get into the Champions' League after their good showings last season. From what I saw of the games though (I didn't watch that much) they were pretty terrible.

Lots of roundabouts here, but nobody knows how to use them so they build up more traffic than anything else.

I don't particularly care, most of it doesn't really interest me. If one of you prefer to take Gladius I'm fine with it because this is, likely enough, my last quest as a Paladin.