Endgame

"...You said these wishes are binding, are they not? So whatever body and face you decide to give me, I'll be stuck with on the 10 months or so I have left?"

Face of who or what, though?

The Bookmark does the closest thing resembling a bow. "I must thank you for helping me invent an artform, Claire. To think! People transformed into characters from literature! Splendid. Of course, if you end up liking your new persona enough, you can always not take the antidote... But I leave that choice to you."

"Very well, druid." The bookmark pulls a book out of the neighboring shelf, once again boring a rune onto the front cover. he hands it to Erdathcath, who cautiously opens its myriad pages. her eyes glaze over and lock onto the words inked onto the papyrus, her thumb quickly leafing through each and every page as she intakes all of the information about her new persona. When the book shuts, it was now Claire who stood before them, not the Erdathcath they knew. "I present to you, the new Erdathcath - she goes by Claire now, though. Now, your answers. The Regret is a Progg - a member of a gargantuan scorpion like species. You see, three thousand years ago, a group of evokers found themselves on a particularly cruel wintery isle. They had no horses, no cattle, no food, no shelter... A few mere years, they would perish. Howver, a magical artifact would prove to be their savior - The Lifepsark, as you probably have guessed. They created the Proggs from the Lifespark, The regret being among the first. After they had bred enough, the Proggs were enslaved. The Regret grew up as slave, forced to watch the race he had helped birth be forced into endless labor. One day, he had found himself trapped in a collapsed mine. He had but one option: To use a piece of magic he had robbed from his slave masters, a scroll known as Animutilav. In desperation, weak and starving, he used Animutilav to tear his soul to shreds. His being was torn apart at the most sacred level. He mutilated his body, mind, and soul. His very being shredded, his soul drifted into every plane of existence, dooming him to immortality and bestowing him great power. As long as you don't touch the Lifespark, it won't obliterate you - usually. Even without touching it, however, using magic on it still will likely destroy you. Only with some of the mos tpotent magicks can the Lifespark be tamed and manipulated. The Antidote lurks in the library, behind the huge password locked door." "Hmmm... My data on this is unclear, as well. It seems he was initially tortured into compliance, and then deactivated when The regret was unable to fully break him. However, if he is back, I can only assume that The Regret has him in check. He isn't one to keep those who he can't manipulate utterly." With all their questions answered, the Minoid turns their attention to the immersed party members. Grimwald stood tall, with a determined look in his eyes; Erdathcath had a fierce look in her eyes and a sly smile. "QUERY: Erdathcath, Grimwald, are you well?" The Party: Arthur Justus Regulus VII, a Hero Who Is Actually Worth Something (played by Flipz), Level 32 Skirmisher, 22-year-old male Human *Immune to Fragile and all Poisons* *Only Receives One Negative Effect At A Time* [ Currently in: Six Thousand Feet Under] *Party Leader!* Power: 42 (31 + WP:11) Health: 54/54 (Basic Health: 5 + Level Bonus: 30 + Class Boost: 15 + Permanent Boost: 4*) Ether: 36/36 (Basic Ether: 5 + Level Bonus: 30) Defense: 20 (Arm Shield: 14 + Duke's Coat-of-Arms: 5 + Unicorn Helmet: 1) Gold: 233 (Owed 128 gold by Boomingham) Equipment: Gladiator Trident (WP: 11, Spear, causes bleeding effect), Arm Shield (SP:14), Duke's Coat-of-Arms (Protects against Fragile and all Poisons, SP; 5, suitable for knights, dragoons, skirmishers and regulators; bodywear), Unicorn Helmet (SP:1; the wearer can only receive one negative effect at a time, with a new effect replacing the old one; usable by barbarians, knights, dragoons, infiltrators, regulators, skirmishers, and winged warriors; headwear), Zap-Tap Badge (Artefact, Accessory. Has a 1/2 chance to deal Electric damage to an opponent who has dealt damage to a hero, equal to the hero's level.), Cloak of Deception (Backwear, Free hits against the wearer have a 1/6 chance to be redirected to a random opponent Inventory: Weapons: Zoot's Rebel (WP:20 broomstick, suitable to Arthur only), Sir Roderick's Sword (WP:12, Longsword), Sword of the Vampir (WP:17, user is Jinxed), Duplovian Swift Halberd (WP:3, stuns on successful hits, Hollow [Ambrosia] halberd),Spider Leg (WP:8, doubled against flying enemies; spear), Dauntlet Index (Spear, WP: 8, WP dobuled against humanoids) (Unsuitable weapons: Ammit (Greatsword, WP 6, gains 5 Ether for each kill), Artifacts: Duplovian Helmet of the Guard (SP:2, Immune to Magic and Healing), Shackles of War (Accessory, Prevents anyone from fleeing battles), Jester's Hat (Headwear, Wearer may choose to gain one immunity from targeted enemy), Stingy Gloves (Handwear, wearable by everybody. Prevents enemies from ever stealing gold from you.), Minoid Card Key, Cloak of Deception (Backwear, Free hits against the wearer have a 1/6 chance to be redirected to a random opponent (Unsuitable Artifacts: Sticky Gloves (Handwear, Increases the amount of gold stolen by 50% (rounded up), suitable for rogues and beast warriors) (sent to Isaac Shawe) ) Gems: Opal (Ice), Amethyst (Darkness), Topaz (Lightning), Diamond (Light), Garnet (Earth), Tools: Bedroll, Telescope, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Pickaxe, Magic Compass Scrolls: All Lent! Consumables: *Healing: Potion, Grand Potion x1, Tonic, Grand Tonic , Ether Core, Remedy x6, Elixir x4, Sushi x3 *Status: Nostrum x2, Hurricane, Smelling Salts, Mead x2, Ambrosia x2, Dragon Scale, Jinxy Juice x2, Blind Fury, Love Potion *Venoms: Exterlate, Noxious Venom (When used on a weapon, the weapon deals the Poisoned-by-10 effect for the duration of the battle and the Confused effect for the next three rounds, for the duration of one battle.), *Permanent Improvement: Bright Polish x2, Grating Stone, Ella's Pie (Permanently boosts max. ether by 5 but permanently decreases max. health by 5 when consumed.), *Bombs: Smoke Bomb x5, 3 Bones, Chaotic Bomb (Causes 100 random elemental damage to all opponents), Pumpkin Bomb (Causes stunned-, poisoned-, asleep-, blinded-, sealed- and confused-effects to all opponents when used.), *Currency: Scrap Metal x2, Silver Ore x2 Claire, 23 Year Old Northern Human *Immersed!* Level 21.66 Druid Power: 36 Health: 35/35 Ether: 18/24 Gold: 702 Equipped: Tritech Handcannon (WP:15, Fire-elemental), Satchel of Awesomeness (Permanent Lucky-effect; bodywear), Overkill Gloves, Mage's muffler (protects from sealing) Inventory: Longbow (WP:7), Helmet (+1 max. health), 6 Potions, 3 Grand Potions, 6 Mead, 2 Smelling Salts, 15 Venoms, 3 Deadly Venoms, 2 Floral Bombs, 2 Ice Bombs, 2 Lightning Bombs, 1 Fire Bomb, 3 Smoke Bombs, 2 Water Bombs, 2 Holy Bomb, 2 Dirt Bombs, 2 Air Bombs, Bone, Skeleton Decoy, Bedroll, Shovel, Pickaxe, Telescope, Saber teeth, Scroll of Weakening, Snake Eye Charm (protects from petrified), , Jinxy Juice, Grand Tonic x2, Love Potion, Blind Fury, Grating Stone, Jinxy Juice, Mythril Shard, Unlucky Horseshoe (WP:13, retrievable, causes Jinxed-effect; throwing weapon), Staff of Ennon - (WP: 5, Light-Elemental, Restores 2 ether on a roll of 2, 3, or 4), Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Blindness, Scroll of Confusion, Healing Staff (WP: 5), Silver Ore, Amulet of Optimism (Adds the confused-effect to all attacks; suitable to Erdathcath only; accessory), Elixir, Emergency Essence Cliff, 42 Year Old Ogre *Immersed!* Level: 14.5 Power: 23 (14 + 8 + permanent boost of 1) SP: 0 Health: 22/22 Ether: 1/18 Gold: 271 Equipment: Knotted Broom (WP: 6), Noble Mask (Wearer gains gold equal to the number of enemies after each victorious battle; headwear), Lens of Speed Reading (Accessory, Allows a scroll to be read in addition to a normal action. Suitable for scroll users.), Inventory: Shovel, Pickaxe, Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Sleep, Mead, Remedy x3, Potion x2, Bone x2, Grand Potion, Bunch of Cherries (10/10 cherries that each restore 1 ether when eaten), Chaotic Bomb (Causes 100 random elemental damage to all opponents), Bedroll, Ice Bomb, Root beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against Undead enemies for 20 damage (Does not affect non-Undead enemies)), Ambrosia, Scroll of Blindness, Scroll of Confusion, Scroll of Armor Sundering (Reduces target’s SP by 5 and has a 50/50 chance of success), Scroll of Poisoning (Grants target’s weapon the Poisoned 10 effect for one battle at the cost of 5 ether), Scroll of Luck (Grants target the Lucky-effect for one battle. Costs 10 ether.), Scroll of Weakening, Healing Staff (WP: 5), Smoke Bomb, Plague Venom, Staff of the Cultist Battlemage (WP: 7, 50% chance of Fleeing upon being KO'd; suitable for Mages and Clerics), Tricorne (suitable for anyone, SP: 3, headwear), Grand Tonic x2, Pugilist's Gloves (+2 power/immune to Weakened), Scarf of Misfortune (Accessory, Wearer deals the Jinxed effect on every third round), Splinter Broom (WP: 8, defies SP), Opal, Amethyst, Diamond, Nostrum "QUERY?" Minoid, Level 20 Drilling Automaton HP: 32/32 Power: 33 SP: 2 Equipment: Minoid Drill Arm (WP: 13), Iron Shell (SP: 2), Scanning Eye (Allows the Minoid to analyze most foes before battle. If in battle, it can spend a turn to analyze the fight) Inventory: Remedy x2, Grand Potion, Hollow Blade Dagger (WP:6, dagger, hollow-blade [Phoenix Essence]), Quick bow (WP: 6, Suitable to rangers, provides hastened effect for one round each battle) Southeast Mirror Double Mirror: Faces Northwest/Southeast. Southwest Mirror "Now then... Claire, Cliff, Arthur, robot thing, it's been a pleasure. Shall you be off, now?"

"Yes, I do." I accept the lamp from Heckz and brush off its constant layer of dust, waiting for Djinnifer to pop out. "Hello there, Djinnifer. What would you want if you were to allow us to become more adept (gain EXP)?"

"...This is serious, you know. I can tell you heard something, but... I wish you'd tell me, but you don't have to." "Arctus Shadeaux... We could use his tactical genius right about now."

"Karie, I didn't hear anything... What did it say?"

"You phrased that as "only" three questions, but I'd need to provide you with about five answers. However, I will answer the last one for you right now, and that last one is a "I don't know". I do not have step by step instructions on how to deslave The Regret's two thousand year old captives. Why would he write that down? But sense you're asking plenty of questions, my dearest druid, I must make a request before I can answer any of them: I answered three questions for one immersion, now, you ask another five between you two. I am feeling in a good mood today, so i will cut you a better deal. Immerse yourself, Druid, and I will tell you what I know - about The Regret and Monolith. Fair enough?

"Very well." The Bookmark pulls a book out from a neighboring shelf, and presses its palm against the cover. The cover smolders brighty with a complex insignia, the shadowy hand passing the book to grimwald. Wincing as he cautiously opens up the book, his eyes are suddenly locked onto the pages. Grimwald's thumb slithers to the side of the pages, his mind speedreading the entire novel as he flicked through the pages. Eventually, he puts the book down, his vacant eyes filling with life again... A different life. He was immersed - Grimwald no longer stood before them, but someone named Cliff. "I introduce you to the new Grimwald - or, more accurately, Cliff. Cliff's personality will soon assert itself more than it already has. Now, the answers you seek..." "You're currently in Nevermore. It is the former - and I say former in the sense it has been abandoned for two whole milleniums - residence of one Prometheus Regret. I suggest not using his first name; he'll likely vaporize you on the spot. But, yes, this is the abandoned home of the being you know as "The Regret". In my pages are scehmatics for what I can only assume what his current residence is... A massive citadel, consuming the entirety of a gargantuan mountain. I imagine that The Regret has managed to construct such a place by now." "The males - Pont, Trian, and Dodekka - They're too far gone. Their minds have been dissected and warped, shattered and put back together in how The Regret saw fit. They are his slaves until the day they finally expire... Which, as long as even a puny amount of Dauntlets remain, will be an enternity. Lynne, however, is a different matter. The slightest bit of humanity still seems to glimmer in her... She hasn't lost herself entirely. The Regret was likely too absorbed in powering up the others to crush the humanity of Lynne. She isn't completely broken, but she is still far gone. It'll take an effort to save her... Finesse, delicacy, convincing, Phoenix essences... if you are truly willing to save her, it will take effort." "Ah, such a very deep question. Very deep. When I was discovered, I was perhaps one of two dozen of The Regret's sentient creations. Then, about a year later, it was one of fifty. A few months after that, one of a hundred. Now, ages have passed, the pages have turned... And now, I am one of thousands. Thousands of Oculoids operate as The regret's personal security system - they are tucked in every corner of Olegaia, watching. Manipulating. Their whispers give birth to the insecurity that now plagues our society. Their stare cpatures all knwoledge, and reports it to our master. Armies of Oculoids, each and every one just a pale reflection of their creator's soul... Now, to know how oculoids are created, you must first learn of something else. Something called the Lifespark. A raging ethereal inferno, said to bea gift from Mother Danab to humanity. As Mother Danab's children left her one by one, she needed something to keep the last of her kin around. That something was the power of the Lifespark. It is said to be the collective power of the gods, forged into flame by the god Oleg. Now, The Regret holds dominion over this spark, and he is using it to his heart's content. No being can handle the Lifespark's power. Nobody. Anyone who makes physical contact is obliterated instantly, the power consuming them: heart, mind, soul, and body, shattered and swept into the ethereal flames. But inanimate objects... Say, for example, you were to chuck a pebble into the Lifespark. With a bit of know how and centuries of ethereal mastery, one could conjure up a mighty golem from that pebble and a single ember of the Lifespark. So, to answer your question at last: Ink goes into the Lifespark, and some magic later, and oculoid comes out. With enough knowledge, this could potentially be industrialized - Oculoids could be produced by the hundreds, daily. Now then, I believe I have given you satisfactory answers, yes?"

"Do rmeember that it is in personality only. Your friend will remain a bit short in stature, but he'll have the personality traits of the monumental ogre described."

"Hmm. Skirmisher, druid, do either of you object to this? Would any of you like to take his place?"

"Makes sense to me. Say, though, you're training to be a minstrel, right? Or at least you want to be?"

I stand around and let Hynessamine's song decimate the demon. "I can't tell if this is poetic or anticlimatic..."

"Ah, excellent. I take it you yourself are not interested, then? Trust me, it is entirely painless."

Soon he may resemble an ogre named Cliff, however. Honestly, Sorrow reminds me of... nobody. I have no idea who he resembles.

"Wait just a tick. The antidote isn't even in the basement, so hold your horses. Besides, I'd like to see the effects of the immersion blossom - so I'm going to say that if you don't take this deal, you're never getting another. Don't worry, the immersion won't be at all unpleasant. You'll accept the new personality as if it was your own."

"I am a lover of literature, my dearest druid. And I love to see old stories told in new forms. Immersing yourselves will allow me to see that. Full disclosure: I am not much more than a magic bookmark. I live for books - I obey a master, but he has since abandoned me. And this was before we went off the deep end of the deep end of the deep end, and put full mind control on every singler one of his cronies. So yes, I exist for stories. To find them, to locate them, to read them. That is why I want to see one of you immersed. An antidote does exit, but not in this dank old basement." "It shouldn't, no."

"Much better. Now, first answer is a freebie: Don't bother with those weapons. They weigh about 300 pounds each, and are thoroughly unsuitable to you. If you feel like smashing the glass case for fun, be my guess - nobody uses those drab old things anymore, especially not me. Now then, your other questions. You nsee, I've been reading through this collection of books over and over. In human years, quite a bit, but for 2,000? I've torn through these peices of literature dozens upon dozens of times. Always have I longed for them to take on new form, and I think you three have provided me with the perfect answer. You see, I've read scripts, I've read the novels, and I've even read some of my favorite books in prose. But never have I been able to see it in real life. Books aren't the most mobile oft hings, and there aren't many theaters in this locale. So, a few measly spells later, and you will find yourselves immersed in a new character! It'll be a gradual process... The personality of the characters will assert over a biref period of time, perhaps a few hours. And I can assure you that the antidote to my spell lurks in Neverrmore. Not in the basement, but on the first floor. Only one of you needs to become immersed. So, I offer each of you my favorite characters. When you decide who gets immersed, I'll happily tell you the answers you seek. So, for the Skirmisher, I offer: Prince Garreth The pragmatic prince. Garreth is soon to be taking ovr, and conditioning by the supervisors of his late father have made him cold and callous. He is a bit manipulative, and is fully willing to expend life if need be to do what he thinks is right. Lately however, war in the neighboring kingdoms have warped his sense of right and wrong, making him a dangerous character indeed. His soft spot is a bit hard to draw out, and usually only is revealed in the midst of combat. And for the Druid: Claire The daughter of a noble from a clan up North. Her clan was particularly brutish, social class and weddings decided by combat prowess alone. it is an interesting caste system: all money was good for was better wapons and better ale. All other things were considered frviolous, and, in Claire's own words, "stupid." Recently widowed after her husband got barbequed by a particularly nasty dragon, she is on the hunt for a new husband - and better enemies to strike down. For the gnome: Cliff An massive ogre who spent most of his years as a vagrant. He entertained himself with the arts, his constant presence around art, music, and poetry making him something of a gentle giant. He hardly ead them, though. He was known to run from city to city, just keep up with his favorite travelling band of performers. He isn't the brightest bulb, however, having recieved next to no formal education: He is usually blunt and direct, not understanding the finer points of conversational courtesy. Only through spectating others has he managed to pick up on some things. Unfortunately, the robot doesn't get in on the bargain. Organics only, sorry. So, do we have a deal?"

QM Note: Bookmark will hand you your answers this afternoon - I only have about 5 more minutes of PC time this morning.

I slash at the Flute from the front raw, using my Shark Jaw scythe in an ttempt to hack the instrument.

"You're going to have to be more specific than that. You can ask of me almost anything, but they have to be more exact than that. I could tell you the truth about the circumstances famous composer Foxpack Zomart was conceived, for example, but that doesn't help you any. So i must request that you be more specific. Free me? Sure, a little boring sometimes, but I like my home here. It's cozy. A bookmark's place is in the book. So, I repeat: What information would you like?"

Arthur bedgrudgingly takes the book in his hands, dusting it off with his ink-splattered hand. He heaves it into his grasp and opens it up on the table, 6,000 pages spilling out. Before Arthur gets a chance to read a single sentence, the pages begin to irpple and bubble. The book slams shut, only to open again... This time, with a new being emerging from it. It was a rather formidable looking Dauntlet. It didn't look mechanical or made of ink - it looked like a being that was painted onto a canvas. "Well, hrrmmm. 2,000 years spent as a mere bookmark and the first person who comes along isn't even The Regret. How utterly, utterly dissapointing... But how I have longed to browse these pages, and these books, for years! Here's the thing here, fleshie: If you're not Master Regret, I'm afraid I'm the one who does the perusing here. Since I'm guessing you desperately want something that'll let you get out of this basement, just ask and I will track down the appropriate page. So, tell me, what is it you seek from these pages?"

The book does not appear to hold any immediate knowledge for reading it - nothing overtly malicious lurked inside, surprisingly.

Arthur finds the third mirror, quickly stashing it away. Southwest Mirror The Minoid stares down the weathered old tome, analyzing its black pages. "STATEMENT: If we are attempting to find a password, it is entirely possible it is documented in that book."