Endgame

"Uhh... So, imagine a turtle, without it's shell, mixed with a really angry bull, with claws that look like broadswords, and the entire thing is mud brown and the size of an elephant. That's A void eater. Pray you don't unleash one, Connor. ...And the gender swap thing sounds really unpleasant too, to be honest."

"We got a sniper on board, but yeah, we'd be in a tough spot if he decides to do a fly-by. From what Faust told me... he doesn't breathe fire. He somehow leaves things blown to smithereens or as piles of ash, but he doesnt spew fire. It's bizzar-" Sandman cuts off the captain. "More movement in the water - four sea creatures, by the looks of things." Sandman turns to Jinnipher. "I specifically requested that Faust not select you, you know - although you were strong at one point, I have a suspicion that your skills have atrophied. You will have a chance to prove your mettle shortly if the targets I've spotted decide to make a move. Faust has instructed me to take hits for you people. You'd do well to remember that."

"Connor! Good to see you again - I'm guessing your magic has gotten better since we last met, or else you would've just warped you and Costelloout of that dingy cell back in the Order imperial prison. Any negative effects of portal transfer we should be aware of?" I nod. "Good to see we have connections, in case things go south in Fellcreste. Are you certain he's the type of fellow to remember favors he owes?" "Althior and I have shared more than a few drinks, if that's what you're asking by "paths walked together", but I'm afraid I only know the rest of you in passing. I'm undead. Though I may hide it here, I'll just have to slip off the hood in Fellcreste and that'll earn us some trust. Althior is unded too, but he hasn't fallen to bits like I have quite yet."

"After all the top of the Citadel went boom and that huge, black creature slithered out, all of his ground forces got much stronger - the Ameobosses especially. One of them wreaked havoc on the poor ship... I've been fixing it since. it barely handled the voyage back to Eubric, but she's fine now." "Course I remember ya - I remember everyone who boards this ship. My job, yeah? Now, speaking of my job, here comes my favorite part... the gambling bit!" Karie VS Bruce: Short Game Bruce's Cards: 8, 13 Karie's Card: 13 Karie's card is equal to/between Bruce's... Karie loses. "Tough." "Big black dragon, apparently - him and his mysterious fog. No, we lost a lot of our artillery on an expedition to the North. The Excelsus isn't in tip-top condition for a fight, especilly versus an Elder Dragon." -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ The party redistirbutes their loot - by the time the game finished and the aritfacts were distributed, an hour had already passed. "The Excelsus doesn't pack a punch anymore, but with that sail the Sand Queen gave us, she can clip through the sea no problem. Won't be long til' we reach Moone. Helps that the wind today is perfect, too." Sandman, who had been minding his own business, speaks for the first time. "Something's bubbling in the water. May be a geyser, they're common in this stretch of sea. May be a sea creature who is getting ready to board." Sandman switches his guitar for his handcannon, pointing it at the water. "I'll tell you if I spot anything else." "Better not be anything big." grumbles the captain. The Party: 81 year old Male Ogre Hunter Level 42.4 *Natural Respite* *Favors Vermin and Beast enemies* *Immune to Fragile, Blinded, Confused, Weakened* *Special Guard* Power Bonus: +2 WP for bows and crossbows, +2 power Defense: 8 Health: 56/56 Gold: 3242 GP: 3 Equipment: Hunter's Crossbow (WP:12, double WP against beasts, fire, ice, wind, and darkness-elemental), Hunter's Quiver (Bows and Crossbows +2WP, allows Hunters to favor two types of enemies, back wear), Tricorne (SP: 3, head wear), Heavy Armor (SP: 5, wearer is immune to fragile, blind, and confused effects, body wear),Lucky Doubloon (Grants "Special Guard"; accessory), Pugilist's Gloves (+2 Power, Immunity to Weakened) Inventory: Oversized Greatsword (WP:16, double damage on targets that are clearly smaller than the hero, greatsword), Composite Bow (WP:12, ignores SP,light,lightning,water, wood, and earth-elemental; bow), Medal of Glory (Wearer gains 3x experience from battles, accessory), 2x Potion, Phoenix Essence, 3x Phoenix Incense, Fenghuang Incense (After being consumed, automatically revives all party members with full health once when knocked out; cannot revive targets that are already knocked out.), 10 Meads, 5 Nostrums, 3 Remedy, 5 Smelling Salts, 7 Venoms, 2 Deadly Venoms, 9 Smoke Bomb, 2 Dirt Bombs, Fire Bomb, 5 Water Bombs, Lightning Bomb, Rudra Bomb (Deals 100 lightning-elemental damage to all opponents when used.), Spyglass (Reveals if there are spies and eavesdroppers in the vicinity when used; tool), 6 Bone, Blind Fury, Wolfgang Insignia, Black Goo, Grating Stone, 1 Grand Potion, Level-Up Mushroom, 2 Neutralizers, Paper Doll (User is immune to Hexed, accessory) Warlen Melimane, Eulalia's Knight (The Chosen Minifigure) *Immune to Darkness, Fire, Ether Reduction* Physical attacks pierce SP! 23 year old male half-elf Mystic Knight Level 16.33 Power: 27 (16+8+3). Health: 37/30(5+16+1+3+5+7*) SP: 10 (3+3+4) Ether: 35/35 (5+15+4+3+5+1) Gold: 46 Equipment: Sean Cole's Sword-Cannon (Can be used as a longsword or handcannon, WP: 8 - defies SP in sword mode, deals Bleeding 1 in cannon mode), Eagle Shield (SP: 4, prevents ether reduction), Fenarian Robes of the Vampire (SP:3, Max. Ether +4, Immune to Darkness, backwear), Inventory: Weapons: Plasma Shield (SP: 3, absorbs electricty, belongs to Lind), Healing Staff (WP: 5, staff, heals instead of damaging), Artifacts: Lethauros Ring (Health and Ether +5. Suitable for anyone, accessory), Magician's Glove* (+10 spell power) Counterstrike Gloves, Locustoid Grevaes (+4 ether, immune to Earth Class, can be used by any ether user), 7 10-gallon Hats (Grants wearer tourist effect, causing no one to take them seriously), Spellbook: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Garnet, Opal, Topaz, Diamond, Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Antimagic Must Be RPed: Lightning Ball (25 electric damage to all enemies, bomb), Small Frost Ball (10 ice damage, bomb) Consumables: Potion x2, Grand Potion x3, Health Core, Tonic x2, Remedy x3, Mead x2, Smelling Salts x3, Nostrum x2, Banana, Smoke Bomb, Milk x2 (+15 HP and Ether) 5x Hurricane (Grants Hilariously and Luckily Drunk - if wearer makes pun every round, the strength of their attack is doubled.) Viper Scale (worth 40 gold to a certain someone), Phoenix Essence, Phoenix Incense Other Junk: Bedroll, Shovel, Telescope, Magnifying Glass, Pickaxe, Magic Compass, Bones x6, 2 shiny gold rocks (worth 1 gold at most stores, 5 at magic stores). Karie Alderflask-Cour, A True Hero (Kintobor) 24? Year Old Human Female Witch Level 30.75 *Permanently Nimble* *Immune to Sealed* Power Bonus: 0 Health: 47/47 Defense: 2 Ether: 35/35 Gold: 2003 GP: 36 Equipment: Blazing Palm (WP: 14, Fire Elemental whip, successful hits lower the target's level by 1), Catsuit (Wearer becomes nimble and has a 1/3 chance to completely avoid rolls of COUNTER, DAMAGE, and FREE HITS, suitable for women only, body wear), Ethereal Cloak (SP: +2, Max Ether: +4, back wear), Mage's Muffler (Provides immunity to sealed, accessory, suitable for anyone) Inventory: *Weapons: Oculoid Palm (WP: 11, successful hits lower the target's level by 1, whip) Spring Staff(WP: 12, healing someone else through this staff also heals the user by the same amount, water elemental staff), Grumpy's Staff (WP: 10, staff), Sexy(WP: 11, disregards SP, longsword), Heirloom Dagger (WP: 3, dagger), Rusty Dagger (WP: 2, deals the poisoned by 10, breaks after 3 uses) Skull Shield (SP:6; immunity to dark-elemental damage; suitable to Black Knights only; shield.) -Minstrel Weapons: Angelic Trumpet (WP: 5, user is blessed, instrument), Vagrant's Guitar (WP: 5, user is lucky, instrument), Fine-tuned Guitar (WP:15, user is lucky; instrument) *Artefacts: Glittering Dress (The users job traits are replaced by those of a Harlot: Promiscuity, Flee, and Money Maker, suitable for women only), Skull Mask (SP: 1, wearer can pose as undead, headwear), Trickster's Mask of the Elf (changes user's appearance into that of an elf of the same gender, accessory), Snake Eyes Charm (Provides immunity to petrified, accessory, suitable for anyone) Paper Doll (Provides immunity to the Hexed effect, accessory), *Minstrel Artefacts: Encore Plectrum (If the same song is sung for more than one round of combat in a row, the song's ether cost for the consecutive rounds is halved; suitable for minstrels, accessory) *Gems: Ruby (Fire), Sapphire (Wind) *Scrolls: Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Blindness, Scroll of Weakening, Scroll of Newtity *Battle Songs: True Loves Serenade (restores 50 health to the rest of the party, costs 10 ether, Battle Song), Murder on the Dancefloor (Has 1/6 chance of instantly knocking out each opponent (unless immune to sudden death) when sung; costs 30 ether per round; Battle Song)*Consumables: Grand Potion x10, Tonic, Grand Tonic x10, Remedy x9, Phoenix Essence x5, Phoenix Incense x2, Nostrum x3, Smelling Salts Pumpkin Bomb (causes poisoned by 1, asleep, blinded, sealed, and confused to all opponents when used), Fire Bomb, Neutralizer x3, Herbal Infusions x3 (Removes Negative Effects and causes Blessed and Transcended effects), Oculoid Miasma, Elixir x2, Tiger Balm, Ether Core, Health Core, Potion, 2x Mead, 16 Venoms, 2 Deadly Venoms, Jinxy Juice, Love Potion, 2x Bone *Tools: Magic Compass, Bedroll, Magnifying Glass, Shovel, Pickaxe, Telescope, Decamodifier *Sheep: Baaffy (Pet Sheep; whenever unleashed deals the fast asleep effect to one random opponent once per battle, unlimited use) Quest/Roleplay Items: Masson's Journal Entry #11, Map of Brendenton, Spider Coin (worth 1 gp), Forest Journal, Blue Syndicate Outfit, Kayla's Mask, Ulric's Letter Flynn Flisperer, Lind Whisperer, The Grey Foxer *Encouraged at half health* *Free hits have a 1/6 chance to be redirected to a random opponent* 21-year-old elf male Human of the Munchkin tribe Class: Assassin Level: 17.5 Defense: 3 Health: 29/29 (7+17+5) Gold: 2 Glory Points: 14 Equipment: Ethereal Deck (Playing Cards) (WP:7, throwing weapon), Invader's Armour (SP: 3, wearer is encouraged when their current health is at half or below the wearer's maximum level), Cloak of Deception (Free hits against the wearer have a 1/6 chance to be redirected to a random opponent; Backwear, suitable for anyone), Medal of Valor (This pendant is awarded by the Bonapartes to those who show their heroism in the battle against piracy. The wearer gains double experience in battle. Accessory) Inventory: Plasma Shield (SP: 3, user absorbs electric attacks), Trickster's Mask of the Human (suitable for anyone, changes users appearance into a human of the same gender, accessory), Mugger's Mask (Protects from loss of gold from gold stealing enemies, headwear.), Darker Ethereal Deck (Playing Cards) (WP:7, throwing weapon) • Bedroll, Shovel •Mead, x3 Potions, Remedy, Bone • Newspaper with Picture of Lupine (Quest/role-playing item), Alfendi's Cape, Alfendi Lupine's Blank Calling Cards Decamon Deck: Tweetybird (Flying 1), Mud Frog (Rock 2) Loaned Out Gear: Akrone Fez (Artifact; SP: 1, Max. Health: +1, Headwear, suitable for anyone) ~ Loaned out to Jinnipher Buchaire Loaned Gear: Phoenix Incense x1 ~ Loaned by Skrall Jinnipher Buchaire (JimBee) 76-year-old female Moon Elven Knight Level 1 Power Bonus: 3 Health: 13/13 Defense: 6 Gold: 0 Equipment: Crescent Sword (WP:3; longsword), Plasma Shield (SP: 3, absorbs electricty, belongs to Lind), Anniversary Medal (SP+3, Power+3, Ether+3, Health+3, immune to Fire, accessory, belongs to Lind). Inventory: 2x Potion, Bedroll, Phoenix Incense, Full-Moon Shield (SP: 2) Sandman, Level 30 Sniper *Immune to Sleep/Deep Sleep* HP: 45/45 SP: 4 Gold: 300 Lethality: 1/6 Equipment: Somnamblast (WP: 13, 1/6 chance of inflicting Sleep on succesful hits, handcannon), Sandblasted Helmet (SP: 2, immune to sleep/deep sleep), Sandblasted Robes (SP: 2) Inventory: Grand Potion x3, Sleep Bomb, Old Guitar (WP: 0), Phoenix Incense QM Note: Hopefully I got the loot distribution right? And yes, the first battle approaches...

"I have instructed Captain Armstrong to ferry you to Moone. His boat is The Excelsus. Do try to not tear each other to shreds... And please, I beg of you. Kill Vorpalis, and save Moone." Faust switches to elvish. <And although I know you are a voice of reason, Jinnipher, don't excessively frustrate your "peers."> Sandman preps his handcannon. "Onwards." Sniper These handcannon wielding experts specialize in killing their targets in a single shot. Job Traits: -Intimidation -Steady Hand: Snipers have a 1/6 chance of instantly killing their target with every shot. They can spend a turn increasing their lethality by 1/6, and the probability drops back to 1/6 after each successful shot. Lethality caps out at 6/6. -Contractual Obligation: Sandman has been instructed to not allow any of the heroes of Heroica to die. He will absorb any damage directed at someone directly below him in the battle order. Rolls: 6. Shield: Deadshot: Sandman increases his lethality by 2/6 and then shoots the targetted enemy for damage equal to WP x3 + Level. 5. Critical Shot: Sandman shoots the target for damage equal to WP x2 + Level 4. Hit: Sandman shoots the target for damage equal to WP + Level. 3. Take Aim: Sandman's lethality increases by 1/6 2. Damage 1. Special Damage ------------------------------------ The party heads to the docks, finding the Excelsus. "Getting pretty sick of hauling you Heroicans across the sea, but nothing personal... I'm Armstrong. I recognize some of you from the Citadel incident, so hopefully you know what to expect from this old girl. Come on, heroes, climb aboard." The heroes climb up the ladder that the captain's first mate throws down, finding themselves on the deck. "Hah! More of you hero types. You folks are an interesting sort - despite what those sea monsters did to the sail last time, we've repaired her up all nice. Just to haul heroes across the sea and attract more trouble!" The man guffaws. "Nah, jus' joking. Name's Bruce. Can I interest you in a game of high tide, low tide?" ~High Tide, Low Tide~ -There is a deck of cards, each card being randomly numbered, 1 through 25. (Technically, the QM is using a random number generator) -The Deckhand picks two cards, and then the participating hero picks 1. -A coin is then flipped to decide whether it is High Tide or Low Tide (50/50 chance). -If the coin lands on High Tide, and the hero's card is larger than the the deck hand's cards, the hero wins. If not, they lose. -If the coin lands on Low Tide, and the hero's card is less than the deck hand's cards, the hero wins. If not, they lose. -If the hero's card is between or equal to the deck hand's card, they lose. "Not too tough, right? One round has me drawing two cards, you drawing one, and then flipping the coin. Depending on how many rounds you think you can win consecutively, the bigger of a turnout you'll get for beatin' me..." Short Game Entry Fee: 10 gold Length: 1 round Reward: 20 gold Long Game Entry Fee: 20 gold Length: 2 rounds Reward: 45 gold Sailor's Gauntlet Entry Fee: 40 gold Length: 3 rounds Reward: 50 gold + a Level-Up Mushroom Meanwhile, Sandman was standing near the edge of the deck, staring out to sea, strumming on the guitar... He seemed to be quite good.

Bruce Wayne is Batman.

Enjoying the new Batman game, CMP, jduging by 140?

I made a marketplace trip - see my stats page for details. "Just... how are we getting to fellcreste, McCreary? I understand my objective, but I'm guessing we're not going via boat."

"It was a pact between the ruler of Mercution, Vorpalis, and his brother Lethauros. Lethauros was meant to defend the established land and hunt down dangerous targets, while Vorpalis's function was conquest. His job was to take over the surrounding land for the kingdom of Mercution - he was, at the very least, helpful then. When the demons broke out, Lethauros was on a mission.... But Vorpalis was there. he should've stayed and fought them back, perhaps delayed or prevented the full sinking of Mercution. But he fled, and doomed us. When he came to the newly established Moone, I drove him out for wronging all of those he was meant to serve. He failed in his duty, plain and simple. In terms of loyalty, I do not know. Perhaps things have even changed since the map was established - I can tell you that much of Mermont is now under the dragon's control. I am unsure who else is aligning themself with the wyrm."

"Fair enough. It happens." I shrug.

Then more whacky-smashy!

"I'll make a guess and say you pissed each other off on a quest."

I kinda like the idea of Sorrow just whacking stuff, just visualizing it. But if any actual undead are fought, I'll need elemental spells... but I have a ruby, which is good enough.

"A sniper. But you can only spend so much time polishing the barrel of a handcannon."

"You hero types attract sea monsters. I just eat, sleep, and play guitar."

I accept the staff as well, examing its quality craftsmanship - and ethereal aura -intently. "Reminds me of what my father used... Where'd you get this? I don't suppose you went grave-digging in Waldurk?" I chuckle.

"Apparently there's merfolk residing there now. I haven't the need, desire, or resources to excavate a continent - there are few beings that can ever do that, dragons ironically being among them. No reason to tear their homes away, anyway."

The heroes hear footsteps and a scythe gently tapping the ground... sure enough, they turn around, and there I was. "Gentlemen. I hope you're all doing well?" I see the ribbon being offered to me. "Thank you, Althior." I say, taking the ribbon and equipping it. "Father McCreary, pleased to meet you - could you share some of what you know with us?"

Sorrows upgrades his scythe 5 times (16+17+18+19+20=80x10=800 gold), purchases the Robe of the Elven Necromancer (160 gold) and an Ethereal Cloak (200), as well as 5 Grand Tonics (150 gold), 10 Grand potions (100 gold), and 3 Nostrums (105 gold,) leaving Sorrow with 802 gold.

I hope I charged at least 500 gold, because that bow is pretty amazing.

I know there wasn't any foul play involved, but how in the name of Christ did Sorrow's Mockthril Longbow end up with Dyric?! Sorry Kinto, I'm gearing out. EDIT: And that means Sorrow has no gems, and can't cast spells! Shit!

"The reason why Moone didn't sink was because it was higher elevation then the rest of Mercution, i wager. What I'm saying here is the rest of the land is too far raised up to access via boat. You may have to row in on a smaller boat, but the docks are the only place for access... Meaning you're going to have to be taking the trip to my castle the long way." "It's important to note that the purple locations could've simply been burned to the ground and left to rot. He seems to have little plans of controlling any small settlements." "Any other questions, or shall I show you to your vessel?"

Faust hands the party a map. "This map was made based on when I was forced to take leave, meaning some of it may be inaccurate. Purple locations are ones that Vorpalis has either taken control of or destroyed, red ones are locations that are mostly intact, and blue locations are places that were endangered - their current fate is unknown. Your ultimate goal is going to be to make your way to the Palace and slay Vorpalis." "Vorpalis's abilities are still not fully known, due to most witnesses meeting their end. The fog is heavily assocaited with him - and he is most definitely spreading it - but how he spreads it and what it does is unknown. Some say it is a hallucinogen that makes you see your worst nightmares. Others say it is actually a gas that makes you easily brainwashed by the dragon. A few people claim its poison, too. He flies around the kingdom each night and applies a fresh veil of fog. I was caught outside during one such application, and I nearly suffocated - I fell unconscious almost immediately. That may easily just be how much of it I inhaled, though... That may not even be its true purpose. I fear we will learn it eventually." "Let that be a word of advice to you, heroes. Do not be outside at midnight, lest you wish to become lost in the fog."

"You'd be correct. The ragon grows more audacious. He seems to be specifcally targetting those who support my rule; and I don't mean individual people exclusively. Any town, city, or village that stays in support of me is razed. Before long, the loyal will be dead and only traitors to the throne will remain. You cannot let that happen." "Call me Sandman." "No." Faust looks relieved, finding someone he could trust. He touches the bottom of his cane to Jinnipher's blade, a symbol of the King's blessings. <It has been far, far too long, Jinnipher, my subject.> says the king in elvish. <And thank the gods you are here to help. I am unsure how these clowns will fare, now that I see them assembled. The half-elf and the hunter seem respectable enough, but the rest... Keep them in line for me, if you could - Sandman will do the same, but his methods are slightly more... caustic.> <Moone is not doing well. At all, I'm afraid. Much of it is ash - the dragon's rampage is not indiscriminate, butit seems to be very delibrate. He is trying to tear down the order Moone has had since its creation, and that is something I will not allow to happen. You must not fail me, Jinnipher.> <I do not know, Jinnipher. That is something you must figure out when you're tere... I hope for the best, but you must be prepared to meet tragedy. Moone is not the place it once was, not now. A sickly black fog shrouds it, and a dragon prowls endlessly, leaving a trail of destruction.> Faust switches back to cmmon. "Heroes. I think you need some information, yes? I will tell you that this is not the first time Vorpalis has wronged us. Back in the war of the Sun and Moon, the war that resulted in the sinking of Mercution, Vorpalis was on our side - and he was supposed to fight back the hordes of demons after they broke out. But, being the coward he was, he fled, and left us to die. Later, he had the gall to return and ask for forgiveness - I wanted to kill him then. I should have. But I drove him out, and he was not seen again, the fiend fading into obscurity. Only recently did he return, and began his rampage- in the centuries that have passed, he seems to have grown stronger than the coward he once was. Perhaps he is bitter over me banishing him, but he deserted us. I hardly had a choice. He seems to have made a lair out of my palace, but be warned - when I had to escape Moone, my castle was overflowing with the dragon's black fog. I can only imagine it will be worse now. The fog is dangerous, heroes. There is a scientist in Moone, a man named Sputnik, who you must contact. He may be able to make you a device that can pierce the fog. Last I heard, he was living near the Cathedral of Ennoc. Another man you mut be aware of is Aeolus, the guard captain in Mermont. I would like you to check to see if he is alive or not. Finally, I believe my two advisors, Marlow and Merlay, have scattered across Moone. If you can find any trace of them, it would be appreciated. Any questions?"