Endgame

Or maybe Altair is a wizard!

Reasoning behind it being in the hall: It is an important roleplay event, so I figured it;'d be better preserved in the hall then one of the quests (both of which would eventually fall off the 1st/2nd/3rd page eventually) Also, I vowed never to post in 48 again.

Riht's manor storeroom? Girl who fried Eidolon? Featured in epilogue?

My shoulders sag as I realize I pocket more gold - instead of, you know, shooting the enemy. "Erm... uh. Reflex, maybe? Are we going to keep this up? Either way, Nagure, show this fool what happens to those who try to attack a hero on duty."

The wall of text you see before you is, in fact, a group effort. Flipz did a great job on this one too, and I'm glad I got to feature a few of his NPCs and actually impact them, as well as develop my own.

On the Lion Chi Temple - at the very top their is a Galaxy Squad egg in trans blue. That piece is in 3 colors now.

Aaaaaaaaand there is the behemoth, plopping down right in Heroica Hall. But hey, sidecharacters got to shine! Yay!

~Interlude~ 5 weeks have passed since Luosh was saved. In the middle of all of the mayhem, Roni, small child and magical prodigy, managed to find herself thrust into the genocide. After the heroes prevailed in saving Luosh from the Proggs’ grasp, Roni had been staying with Luoshian mage “Uncle Dini” for some time now. After excitement had finally died out, two men and one Progg decide to escort the young girl back to her parents… and find themselves on the streets of Eubric. Roni burbles happily as she investigates one of the market stalls. "Uncle Dini, lookit dat! I wanna have pwetty gloves! Ew! Why are dey sticky? Yuck! Who would want those?! Icky, icky, eww!" Roni drops the gloves on the ground, and rushes over to the next item on display, another pair of gloves. She grabs them off the stand and runs back to Hal. "Misser Hal, whas 'cown-tur-stwike' mean?" Dini levitates the gloves before they can hit the ground with his wand, placing it gently back on the counter. "Roni, dear, I know you don't like sticky gloves, but nobody likes sticky-dropped-on-ground gloves. Please be more kind to this man's wares!" Hal responds to the child, his words being chosen carefully - the child had already experienced a genocide, and he didn't want any more violence in this young girl's life. "...It means that if a bad person is mean to you, these gloves allow you to be mean right back. Dini, for Ennoc's sake, don't buy her something that promotes violence." Roni nods and rushes back to the stalls, examining the wares with "Uncle Dini" - who also nods in agreement with Hal's covert statement. The 3 men - well, 2 men and one Progg runt - that were accompanying the young spellslinger decided it'd be best to get Roni a souvenir of sorts, maybe to get her mind off of all the things that had happened in Luosh. They couldn't be sure whether or not Roni understood all the bloodshed that occurred in that town, but it was better safe then sorry. With Roni out of earshot, Hal turns to Punii. "You do remember what her mother looked like, yes? That is our biggest priority, despite the fact we're currently shopping." "That I *cough* do. You know, this isn't this first time I've had to bring *wheeze* Roni back to her mother... Though the first time, I just had to walk her across the main room of Heroica Hall. This time, she got her self into a *wheeze* warzone." "You mean this isn't the first time?" Hal bows his head down, closes his eyes in thought, his hand on his forehead. He shakes his head, as if dissapointed. "I'm not too happy about this. At all. If we don't bring Rni back, we're kidnappers. If we do, it is quite possible she'll get neglected and somehow wander into a even worse place. If only all those houses would stop bickering, maybe they could put some child protection laws in place. ...Wait, Heroica Hall, you said?" "Yes, that is *wheeze* where I last saw her - though I doubt she hangs out there 24/7... right?" As Punii says this, Dini and Roni come back from a stall selling plush toys. Roni has her arms wrapped around a peculiar teddy bear: it seemed to have an alien, manta ray-esque cowl on its head. Despite this, the stuffed bear still managed to be cute, especially to young Roni - who was elated to have a new toy. "Snugglthulu! Yay! Thankyoo, Uncle Dini!" Dini notices Hal's concerned looks at the impromptu bear. "Any time, Roni! And worry not Hal, it is just a teddy bear - it won't come alive or anything silly like that! I, the great Howard Dini, verified this myself." Hal is visibly relieved. "Okay, good. Excellent." Hal goes over to Roni, burbling happily over her new friend. Hal gets down on one knee to get eye level with the young child. "Roni, do you have any idea where your mommy could be?" "Umm...I don know. Misser Hal, whys dat girl elf dat with da icky gloves a boy? Mommy likes to chase a boy like dat, he was called Arthur or someting. Das why we in Ewbric. She said Daddy dun like him, so dat's why we hafta stay wif Misser Jen's son. Misser Jen's son had to move out of the house cause of the people in the goofy red outfits, tho, but Mommy wassn't home, so I walked around for a while, and den I saw your pwetty carriage, and I went for a ride, and I met Uncle Dini and Misser Hal and saw Punii again!" Roni gets distracted as a group of figures stroll past in the direction of the Hall. "Misser Hal, dat Mesa...Mento...Mitasin...monkey-person had no cwothes on! Well, dere were pants, but dey was ugly gween color, they don count. We hafta go take him to Misser Reets! Come on!" Roni begins pulling on Hal's arm to drag him over to Hoptet, but the man had enough sense not to budge. ----------------- Roni's shrill voice carried to an alley not far away...a man in the midst of his transactions looks up suddenly from his purchases. "Was that...? No, it couldn't be..." ----------------- Hal blushes beneath his helmet, thankful he had chosen to keep it on during this. "Hush, hush, Roni - be nice to the elf and the metasimian. Those shelled guys you saw weren't very nice - "You got that right, I was tied to a pillar for 24 hours straight." "- and you saw what happened to them. Now, who is Mr. Jens? And the men in the silly red outfits?" "Misser Jen's-son was a Orc, wore lots of pur-pull. I think he dinnit pay money on house 'cuz he was 'bwoke', or someting. The funny people in red said he had to come to watch the bare-X, or something." The girl appears to be speaking about members of the Town Watch. "Roni, do you know where *wheeze* your daddy likes to hang out?" Roni appears uncomfortable. "I know he was in Ew-bric, but I don't think Mommy wants Daddy to get to see me. Mommy says Daddy's too focused, so he don't come to see us a lot, but I not sure it's his fault. One time I heard her tell him he 'a-ban-dund' us, and that he's 'ob-sest' with 're-venje'. I don't think Mommy knew I was listening, she yelled a lot of bad words at him. Daddy yelled back he didn't 'a-ban-dund' us, she pushed him away, and he called her un-fate-full, and ignorant, and cruel for keeping him away from me. I don't know most of those words, but I know ignorant means dumb, and now I know what cruel is. Those cool fighty people called those nasty shell creatures cruel a lot." Roni looks imploringly at Dini and Hal. "Is my Mommy a bad person?" Hal listened the child's words, concerned. He was beginning to fear in the few short days he had knew her, he had paid more attention to the child then her mother ever did... This was an incredibly delicate matter to the Luoshian Town Guard captain. One ordeal after another.... "I... I don't know, Roni. Does your mommy seem like a nice person to you? Did she pay any attention to you?" "Don't worry, Roni, everything is going to be okay. We'll find one of your parents, that is for sure. Would you like to see your mommy or daddy today?" "Mommy...she gets distracted a lot. She used to get really distracted by those goopy black orbs, when she could get them...she called them play things, but she forbids me from playing with them...ever since she learned to make them, she's been even more...what word did Daddy use? 'Ditzy.'" "I...I think I wanna see my Daddy. He always makes sure to listen to me, even if he is kinda too serious. I...like Daddy, even though Mommy doesn't." -------------------------- "That voice...it has to be..." Vaygas quickly finishes his purchases and dons his hat, his badge of office, before rounding the corner. "You there! Halt, in the name of the Guard!" Hal remained clam - not much could surprise him after the invasion, not to mention his 25 years of training. The same applied to Punii, though he did seemed surprised for a little bit. Dini, despite being the bit of the airhead he was, remained relatively calm. After all, they knew they were serving the law, not breaking it - and hopefully this man was who he claimed he was. Hal brandishes his own badge. "Hal Bohrd, captain and head of the Luosh town guard. Do you know this child?" Roni rushes over to her father, letting go of "Uncle Dini"'s hand. The child rushes over and embraces her father in a hug, ecstatic over seeing him. "Daddy, daddy! Don' wowwy! Misser Hal and Punii are friends, an' Uncle Dini got me a gift!" Roni happily raises her Snugglthulu to show her father. Punii, Hal, and Dini all heave a collective sigh - the parent found them, and not vice-versa. The three approach Vaygas, Hal offering his arm for a handshake. "You're the father, I presume? Thank Ennoc we're able to get your daughter back to you safely... after what she got herself in to." Howard laughs a hearty laugh, touched by the scene. "Hahaha! Howard Dini, at your service! Your daughter is quite the bright child, you know - mastered the techniques I showed her in an insant." "Hello *wheeze* mister!" "Captain Vaygas Spar'kell, head of the Zut'tau'ri Guard." Vaygas shakes Hal's hand, then places a hand protectively on his daughter's head as she clings to his leg. "So. Exactly what sort of trouble did the girl's mother let her get into this time?" He does a double-take at Dini's words. "Wait--techniques? Please tell me Caroline hasn't started training my daughter in the Zootist arts..." Hal motions for Vaygas to cover his daughter's ears, then speaks gravely. "A bit more then petty trouble, I'm afraid, sir. There was a war in Luosh - a town on the northernmost part of Uland, an interspecies war, between Humans and Proggs. Young Punii here is one of them, a child - the biggest one we met was over 6 stories tall and 3,000 years old. More like a complete genocide then a war, really - estimated human death count is at least 64, while the Progg death count is in the 400s. It... Wasn’t pretty. At all." It took Hal a little bit of courage to say what he was about to. "Sir. With all due respect. Keep Roni away from her mother. I suspect she is being neglected, and heavily - Roni herself told me she pays little mind to her. Not even a terrible mother allows their child to wander off into a complete war zone. And if she tries to get Roni back, feel free to tell if she loved her daughter, she would've made sure she didn't wander into a genocide; she seems far too occupied in whatever Zoot-worshipping she is up to care for the girl properly." "Zootist arts? Heavens no, I'd never teach anyone that! Your daughter is quite the adept ether-user at her age - she even zapped one of the Progg leaders, a flying, 4 ton beast of electricity. She seems to want to stop evil, not nurture it." Vaygas remains silent for several long moments. Roni lets go of the captain's leg and runs over to a nearby stall with Snugglthulu--Hal in particular is relieved to note the man's eyes watching the girl closely, even as he speaks to the group. "Well." He sighs. "I can't claim to be innocent of dabbling in the darker arts myself, but I've seen what they do to a person--to Caroline, to Arthur, even to myself. I've done my best to keep my little girl clear of all that, and of this cesspool of a city. But despite all my caution, suddenly the girl's mother decides to drag her across a continent and an ocean to this place, and now you're telling me she let my daughter--our only child--wander into a warzone?" Vaygas shuts his eyes, just for a moment, and shakes his head. "However magically talented that girl may be, she's still a child, and her mother ought to know that." Vaygas remains silent a few moments longer, as Roni runs back to present the others with a small creature she had picked up from the gutter--a frog, by the looks of it. "I think...I think it's time we go home. I've got a homeland to protect, and a daughter to raise. If Caroline wants to waste her life away chasing men, she can do it without endangering our child, and as for Regulus..." Vaygas stares wistfully in the direction of Heroica Hall. "He's made his choices. The suffering he'll go through for them...I suppose that's enough punishment for murdering my father, don't you agree, Captain Bohrd?" He nods to the the Luosh citizens, resolve in his eyes. Roni has sat down next to them, oblivious, apparently carrying on a conversation with the amphibian she had 'rescued'. "This city devours people. It took my best friend, and the woman I once loved. I will not let it destroy my daughter...or me." Vaygas picks up his bag, and Roni looks up and, after releasing her new friend, reaches up to her father. With a heave, Vaygas picks her up and sets her on his shoulders. "Thank you, all of you, for returning Roni safely to me. If Luosh ever needs the aid of the Zut'tau'ri Guard, we will be there. We may be half a world away, but for our people, that is nothing. Keep in touch." Carrying the girl with him, Vaygas departs for the docks...and home. ------------------- One Week Later... Caroline returns to the house. The lamps were no longer lit, and the whole place felt dank and moldy. "Roni? Roni, I'm back. Has Jensen been taking good care of you while I was gone? I'm sorry I didn't tell either of you, I ran into a Sage who told me--" Caroline stops as she sees two pieces of parchment on the lone table in the room. Discarding the first, a letter from the Town Watch to someone she didn't recognize--N. D. Grammar--about the eviction of some squatters, she picks up the second. It is written in Vaygas' strong script, and sealed with the Guard's crest. "Oh?" she says with a snort. Caroline leans against the filthy wall, sliding down slowly in shock until her crumpled frame is resting on the dust-covered floor. She reads the letter over and over again, unable to comprehend what has happened. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over... ----------------------- Luosh. Dini Manor. 6 weeks later Back in Luosh, repairs are well underway. Dini Manor, in particular, is already looking to be even better than it was before the invasion. In the midst of the restoration efforts, Howard Dini and Hal Bohrd stand in front of the manor, surveying the work. Howard, Hal and Natasha all stand in front of the manor, admiring the progress they had made on the repairs. Dini rolls up the schematics he had - using his wands, of course - and tucks it away into his back pocket. Hal was glad to see the town he was charged to protect rebuilding itself, slowly but surely. Dini manor was nearly repaired, and although the Town Hall was pocked with various holes - courtesy of their final foe - it was in working condition, and they already had the frame rebuilt. There had been a much needed lull of criminal activity in Luosh, and Hal enjoyed it. "Hmm. I just need to wait for one of Gregory's suppliers to get those curtains to me, and the Dini Manor is repaired. To think, those things "renovated" for their sinister little party. I'm glad you were here to see the repairs through, Natasha." "So am I! Shame I gotta go back home so soon." "Leaving already?" "Already?! With all due respect, Mr. Bohrd, I was supposed to get back to Salmanda a week ago! My mentors are gonna throw a cow! It was great staying with you, though, Uncle Dini." "I find that hard to believe after all of this, Natasha, but it was wonderful seeing you." The uncle and niece hug and Hal nods goodbye as Natasha sets off to the Eubric docks. Just then, the pair were approached by two familiar figures, one of whom carried a long, thin package. "Hello, Dini, Bohrd. This just showed up at the Town Hall, addressed to you, Howard. When he saw it, Punii insisted we bring it over right away." "Look at the *wheeze* seal...!" Just as the young Progg had said, the seal borne on the parcel was instantly recognizable to both Hal and Dini: it was the same symbol that had been worn by Captain Spar'kell. Exchanging a glance with Hal, Dini quickly tears open the wrapping, revealing a slender golden staff with a hooked tip. There was a note. "There's no name...it just says 'use it well.' What does that mean, I wonder? Howard, who sent this?" The three men--well, two men and a Progg--exchange glances, but do not say anything. All three think back to a precocious little girl who had survived a war--and who now, thanks to them, faced a far better fate. ~Fin~

Why do neither of you guys have Gladius? It's the quest's big weapon, atleast hold on to the bloody thing.

I shoot the Dark Night until succesful then watch the door (do nothing), back.

Like I've said before, three 6s when I roll euqals 3 Shields.

Have you been making your offerings to the Random Number Goddess on a daily basis, B&P? That is how I get my shield rolls...

I've already profited about 5 times over, don't mind me.

Thanks for the feedback, Fugazi. I'll have the rest of my analysis up today, so look out for that. Also, if you want to use Beatrice for whatever, don't hesitate! If you want more information on the new colony, just shoot me a PM and I'll tell you a little about it if it helps your RP.

OOC: I startle back as the smell of poison curls up my every arrow, my bolts suddenly coated in a deadly toxin. For a split second I debate just dropping the bow and switching to another weapon, but then I realize it was our sorcerer's doing and not the Black Night's. "Helvetia almighty, I know I grew up in a necromancer community... but how do those scrolls even work?"

OOC: Sandy, our plan is just to allow Nagure to counterstrike the Dark Night to death. Also, how'd my bow get poisoned?" I stand back as I watch the black raider tumble off of his dead horse, the Night Mare gutted and killed. "Hmm... This battle is just about over. Nagure, kill him." I turn around and watch the door as the Black Night rams his skull into Nagure's fist.

Rihts sells both.

Man that was one heckuva an epilogue! So, yes, both the Proggs and Punii are relocating to Eubric... and Punii is getting to pursue his career! You certainly earned your happy ending, heroes.

~Epilogue~ It is a few days after the quest concludes.The heroes lounge in the hall, resting their weary bodies after the grueling quest. As they reminisce about all of the people they met in Luosh, as if on cue, a letter arrives addressed to them all. It comes in a rather large vanilla envelope, sealed by the Luoshian emblem. Carefully cutting the seal, a rather bulky envelope pours out, written in a childish scrawl. It quickly becomes apparent who the author was: Punii. Huddling around the letter, the party begins to read the letter... "How are you, *wheeze* Hal?" Hal halts his patrol route and gets down on one knee to address the young Progg. "Patrol routes, friend. Believe it or not, despite what has happened, I'm trying to return back to normal life." "Yeah, after all of those *cough* battles yesterday... it isn't going to be easy *wheeze* huh?" "Hah. And to think I was considering retiring before that mess... I may be 42, but I'm not out of my prime yet. ...Although, to be honest, these patrols are kind of a waste. Crime rates have practically dropped to zero, and I'm guessing it'll stay like that for a long time. Nobody is ready to go back to cops and robbers anytime soon." With the invasion over, Mystrinitri forest's labyrinth was no longer necessary. With the forest untangled, it is only a short scenic walk to the grand Dini Manor... With hard work and determination the young Progg manages to reach the front door's knocker, Punii quickly being ushered in for some tea. The pnatry had been raided, but Hal had donated the necessities to the mage while he rebuilt his home. Punii, Natasha, Dini, and Roni all sit around the table as they discuss over a lights snack: "Nice to be in *wheeze* this manor without being swarmed by an entire legion... how are the *wheeze* repairs going?" "Indeed - my home own becoming hostile is not something I want to relive! Those ruffians almost destroyed the place, but repairs have been going smoothly. No amount of home renovation can withstand my greatness!" "Aww, cool the ego, uncle." Natasha jokes. "Ah, drat. Force of habit..." "I've been staying home from Salmanda to help Mr. Great here repair his home. Family is more important then studies, y'know?" Roni happily bounces up and down in her seat. "Am I helping, Unca Dini?" Dini laughs his trademark hearty laugh. "Of course you are, young one!" Punii continues his trot through Luosh, arriving at the outskirts of the Town Hall. With the mightiest wing of his tail he could muster (or, in other words, not much at all) he whacks the copper bell. Unlike the times during the quest, the occupants of the burrow stir out immediately, carrying several bags and boxes. The juvenile alchemist notes they are all labelled "Chemical Hazard"... Poison. "Oh, hello there!" "What's up, little guy?" "Just *cough* seeing how everybody in Luosh is doing. What are you *wheeze* guys up to?" "Packing! Like we said, where the colony goes, we end up following... so to Eubric we go." "Can't just leave all this venom behind, right? We're going to see if we can secure a marketplace stall or something, though I do hope that any customers won't be, well, scared out of their wits..." "Proggs aren't really something you see *wheeze* daily, yeah..." Having memorized the perilous path from the Murkwood, Punii casually walks his way into the Murkwood forest... and is met with no resistance. There he meets some arachnid friends. "Hello *wheeze* there!" "Ah, hello, young one!" "It is good to see some familiar faces during our time of mourning... " "Punii!!" Morxes and Lyrol rush from the Acolyte's side and give Punii a spidery hug. "Heh, good top see you guys *wheeze* too! How is the Murkwood doing?" "We've hit a rocky point in our history, just as we have many times before." "All of the spiders have been meeting in Aranoc's chambers to debate on issues - it has worked well thus far. We'll continue until young Morxes and Lyrol come of age, but until then, this system works." "I'm gonna grow up big and strong, just like daddy!" "Yeah, me too!" Punii smiles. "I'm sure you *wheeze* will." The young Progg looks down, the up, and speaks in a quiet voice. "He was a real hero, you know..." Despite being cut down by The Wound, the Rihts bridge was already back in working order. treading carefully across the now reinforced bridge, Punii reaches the rather impromptu manor. "Oohh, Punii is back, Punii is back!" The young girl pets the Progg, Punii not minding it too much. "Hah- sis, he isn't some lousy housecat! treat the guy with some respect!" "Your brother is right, honey. Give punii his space." "Good to see someone we know during these times! What brings you here, Punii?" "Just checking up on *wheeze* everybody in Luosh. How is your family faring, mr Rihts -have cloth sales slowed down?" "No no no, we're doing fine. We've had a nest egg set up for quite some time now... Cloth sales have been going great - excellent, even! - but we're not making a single cent of it. Luosh deserves the funds more then I." Meanwhile, in the Commerz Bank... "Whatcha doin' *wheeze* Ayla?" The banker vigorously writes out document after document, paper after paper, check after check. "Business as usual, mostly - but there has been a bit of a lull in business today, so I've been setting up everything for your internship." Ayla writes her name on one last check and looks up from her desk, smiling warmly at the Progg. "You don't know how proud of you I am, little guy. not everybody has what it takes to get the position you're getting. Make sure to come home to Luosh sometime, alright?" "Of course, *wheeze* Ayla." With that, the young Progg curls up into a ball and takes a nap next to Ayla... Punii stirs wake and heads to his final destination in Luosh. ~The End~

Paint.net user here, lovely program. While we're on the subject of achievements... the only achievement I think you should get that falls into the "unavoidable" category should be "complete the game/quest/campaign/whatever." Any other unavoidable achievements are, in my mind, useless. Here is a an achievement list I'd use for 48, in terms of the PS3's trophy system: Epilogue will be up soonish, 48ers! definitely by the end of tonight, then the quest will be done for good. At that point I'll go through the rest of my notes on 48.

Again!

QM Note: I'll have an epilogue up tonight, as well as the rest of the analysis for the QM lounge.