Flipz

For me, it's mostly the latter. I have a few story ideas, but for the most part I'm done with player character story arcs. As I've said, I want to play a female non-human Rogue (still leaning towards Noel's girlfriend), and I want to try some different classes and play styles--Witch is one I'd like to play, and perhaps Raider as well. I'm a little tempted to test drive the updated Sorcerer as well, even if I'm kinda tired of playing Mage classes at the moment.

Fun fact: if the heroes had chosen the Bonaparte route in 104, the battle would have dropped Calico's Sunglasses (those damned sunglasses... ), and Dragonlord would have commented on them being hers. Instead they took the sky route, so no lore for them. Also, Kinto: I had completely forgotten the Storage Room was a thing, because it wasn't on the map.

The party says goodbye to the future Empress of Dastan, leaving her to her healing duties. They follow Mallelio and Siercon's footprints, which eventually bring them around to the front gates of the city. There they spot two familiar figures--Siercon and Mallelio--conversing with the Emperor. For the first time they get a sense of just how much destruction had been wrought. "--much as I can to make sure the people here recover before I'm forced to go back--assuming U'Daras doesn't tie me up and ship me back 'for my own good', of course. Very protective, that one." Emperor Phyllius notices the party approach. "Well! I guess this is the rest of your party? Welcome to Domus...or what's left of it. We'll be a long time rebuilding, that's for sure." How will the party respond?

QM Note: As it currently stands, your Shadow Cloak already absorbs all Darkness-elemental damage (so, for example, if Warlen became Confused and cast a Darkness spell at you, you would take no damage because the cloak would absorb it); putting a second Amethyst in it would not be possible. If you pulled out the Amethyst, you would still also have an SP:1 cloak, it just wouldn't protect you from Darkness-elemental attacks anymore. "Emperor Phyllius will know where the Dragoons have gone only the Emperor knows." QM Note: I'll move you on in a few minutes.

AoE wakes Asleep enemies. It's been run that way pretty much forever.

QM Note: Sorry about the lack of specific quotes, the editor randomly decided to start eating the previous quote as I hit the button for the next quote, so for now I can only include the one quote. Some of the party searches what little of the city is accessible from their position, but they see nothing but fire and rubble. When they attempt to leave, U'Daras puts herself in their path, her glare still demanding an expectation. After he says his piece, Siercon and Mallelio step away from the group, passing out of sight around the edge of the still-burning city. U'Daras makes a move to stop them, then realizes she would have to leave the rest of the Heroes be. She huffs indignantly. "You Heroes overestimate your importance as usual you think too much of yourselves. I do not imagine an assassination attempt would be more than the palace guards could have handled, I do not imagine. Moreover, you have unwittingly robbed the U'kin among our troops of the opportunity to protect the Emperor, unwittingly. You will not always be here to protect us, so our troops must be prepared to defend us since you Heroes will not always be here." U'Daras' tone and expression soften. She turns away as if to return inside the tent, but stops, and comes back out to the Heroes. "I know you mean well, Heroes, I know, but as advisor and named successor to Emperor Phyllius I must think of the long-term future of Dastan, for I am both named successor to Emperor Phyllius and his advisor. I advise you to do the same as me is my advice to you; you were not present to aid Emperor Phyllius, so he very nearly died because you were not here to aid the Emperor. You cannot afford to make that mistake in the future, such a mistake cannot be afforded." "Blame not them alone!" U'Daras appears startled by the Denerii's outburst, and the Rito looks to the ground in shame. "I, too, am at fault. I longed to adventure with them once more. Knowing this, my mate Flavius invited them to roost at our people's nest for the night. Even then, we might have flown swiftly to your aid, but in my joy to see Heroes, I forgot the urgency of our hunt, and allowed them rest for the eve. But we will not fail again, for we are Rito! We have lived in the high mountains of this land for ages before humans came grubbing along! We revere the Dragons these humans have turned toward evil, and we will free them from their riders' lies!" Denerii searches her companions' faces, seeking a passion in their eyes that would match that which burned in her own. Denerii has joined the party! U'Daras opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. She sighs. "I hope the aid of the Rito will be worth it, I hope." The U'kin does not seem confident in Denerii, but there is trust in her gaze as she surveys the Heroes. "We truly need your aid now, Heroes, now you are needed. Before you begin your pursuit you should ask the Emperor for information on what he encountered, you should seek out Emperor Phyllius before you depart. He is at the front gates to the city is where he is at." Will the party say anything else to U'Daras? QM Note: Rather than listing the whole party, I'll just give you Denerii's stats here and add them to the next party listing.

Damn, Emperor Phil is a badass. ...apparently so much of a badass that he managed to break the editor and/or my computer.

Arthur does something vaguely in-character because his player is too tired to roleplay but wants to confirm he's still paying attention in spite of not noticing anything happening after the dog stops barking.

Sorry, 104, I'm just too wiped to push out another update. I'd rather get some rest and come back tomorrow with something good than force out something substandard tonight.

Welcome to Zepher Quests: a few pieces of incredibly awesome loot, and then nothing for the rest of the Quest. (Just kidding, Zeph, you know we love you! ) Look at who your Quest Master is. Then look at the number of posts under his name. Then realize that more than 95% of those posts are from this one forum. You're moving quite quickly (even though I keep feeling like I ought to be updating more frequently). It's one of the perks of having a QM who's completely addicted to the game.

QM Note: I edited your stats in the previous listing; your shield is now SP:3, bringing your total defense up to 4.

Pie, I think the upper-left ice block is in the wrong spot. Eh, I'll split this update in half, I think. Now we get to start seeing the consequences for some of these choices.

QM Note: No. You could imbue your Amethyst into an Artifact at the Eubric Marketplace for 50 gold to grant an immunity to Darkness, but then you would not be able to cast spells through it. That service is not offered here, however. On a similar note (that I meant to mention earlier, sorry ), Artifacts that provide immunity to an element may have the respective elemental gem taken out of them at the Marketplace for 50 gold. Something to keep in mind. QM Note: By the power of retcon...Shazam! Fixed. "I don't get it. Why would someone make her write us a letter? And for that matter, why was a letter for all of us addressed to Siercon, anyway? Wouldn't it have made more sense to send a message to our Party Leader instead?" "I'll admit, the message is rather wordy for something from Ella, but I'm almost certain it's her handwriting--I ought to know, I taught it to her. If it's a forgery, it is a very good one." Mallelio glances back toward the trail that had brought them to the Rito settlement. "I worry for the princess. Part of me wonders if we should not be back in Drakencourt to defend her, but she has Tarn--he would not allow her to be endangered while he still lives. We cannot forget our mission here, however--we must move quickly if we hope to mount a defense of Domus." Just then, Denerii arrives, the scent of smoke growing stronger as she enters the hut. "Heroes! We must fly! To arms!" Startled, the party hastily gathers their belongings and rushes to follow Denerii through the crags and passes of the mountains. After about half an hour of walking, they pass through a darkened cave, and upon their emergence they discover, to their horror, the source of the smoke. Domus...destroyed. It is another hour and a half before they can reach the plains, and more time stretches on before they reach the ruined city. Hundreds of sobbing refugees mass around a group of tents hastily-erected a short distance away from the city. One tent, marked with black-and-green livery, seems to be being used as an impromptu medical facility, and several dozen sheet-covered forms lie unmoving behind it, a somber reminder of the toll the Dastanian people have paid this day. Mallelio leads the group to a somewhat-smaller tent bearing the same green-and-black stripes as the medical tent, but before they can go inside, an axe-wielding U'kin female bursts out to confront them. "Where were you?!" She demands. How will the party respond?

No, just judging by how mountainous the northern part of Dastan is--an educated guess, if you will. It hasn't been definitively established as so, to my knowledge.

True. The Wiki supports transparent PNGs, though, so I'll probably go with that. AFAIK, those lands are mountainous and unclaimed, but of course they might be within Rito or Dragon territory that the Empire isn't claiming. It's also possible that they claim it but don't actually enforce their claim (and actually that sounds like an interesting Quest concept now that I think of it ).

FINALLY got around to photographing my entry. Originally, I was going to limit myself to "only parts used in Ninjago sets", but then I realized that was not going to work for a variety of reasons. I still managed to keep it mostly to within parts from Ninjago, that has to count for something, right? For those interested, a link to the version with less-blocky wings.

Hidden in the distant mists at the far reaches of the world of Ninjago, majestic creatures soar through the air...very slowly. These spirits of fire are more commonly known as... Dragon-Turtle by Poochythegenius, on Flickr Hooray for my first true contest entry! :D I built this the day the contest was announced, and then procrastinated about photographing the darn thing until now--I see I'm no longer the first Ninjago-inspired entry, but I don't think anyone else has built the requisite dragon, so... I actually have a much better wing design that I'll probably upload to my Flickr shortly, but sadly that version doesn't fit in an 8x8. I marvel at how much stuff so many of you have managed to fit inside such a tiny space--kudos, everyone! I am in awe of your skills.

Yeah, these two were edited since the tan of the U'kin head was somewhat difficult to see against the white backdrop. Here's an all-white version: Hmm, I wonder if a transparent PNG would be better?

While I'm busy editing photos, which of these avatars is easier to see/more pleasing to the eye?

Not on the last jump. Nyx got knocked out by Watters, and Avery killed him before Nyx regained consciousness. Hybros was waiting outside the door, presumably not watching (since Avery is not dead). Red Assassins can tell people they are about to kill someone; they only have to kill people who actually witness them fighting in combat. EDIT: 7,000 posts?! I need to get a life.

QM Note: I will let Kiray decide that; KingoftheZempk, if you would like to accept Siercon's offer, I will retcon it into the next stats update. Germ slips away to the training grounds while the others go to sleep. (Check your Private Messages! ) Siercon lays down 40 gold for the feathers, but it's 10 short of the asking price. "Here," Diana says, sliding 10 more Gold to Julius to cover the mistake, "that's for being so reasonable today. Thanks for not jumping in when Actaeon started yelling at us." Diana then settles in for the night. Siercon breaks the letter's seal and reads it aloud for the rest of the party before bedding down for the night. Mallelio frowns. "May I see that?" Taking the letter, Mallelio studies it closely before returning it to Siercon. "That is her handwriting..." He yawns. "I'm likely just tired. Good night, Heroes." With that, Mallelio, too retires for the night, and the party rests. The Party: Actaeon Artus (Actaeon) *Party Leader* 21 year old male human Level 3 Ranger Power: 9 Health: 8/8 Gold: 0 (owes 5 gold to Warlen) Equipment: Sanctified Rito Bow (WP:6, doubled against Flying enemies; bow) Inventory: Bow (WP:3), Smoke Bomb, Potion, Dragon Scale, Remedy, Bedroll, Scroll of Frailty Siercon (Siercon and Coral) Male, Age and species unknown Level 9 Mage Power: 17 (9 levels + 8 WP) (20 in Front Row) Power Bonus: +3 in Front Row Defense: 3 in Back Row Health: 13/13 (5 base + 8 lvl) Ether: 13/13 (5 base + 8 lvl) Gold: 20 Equipment: Lullaby Wand (WP:8, deals sleep-effect; wand), Robe of the Dastanian Pongcanis Champion (Wearer gains Power +3 while on the front row or SP:3 while on the back row; bodywear, suitable for barbarians and mages) Inventory: *Sanctified Rito Spear (WP:4, doubled against Flying enemies; spear) *Sylvania's Cowl (Artifact, Head Wear, Animal Talk), Guardian Feathers (SP:2, SP is multiplied by the Winged Warrior's Flying multiplier; backwear, suitable for Winged Warriors only) *Diamond (Light), Scroll of Sleep, Bedroll, Topaz (Lightning) (borrowed from Mallelio), Scroll of Sealing (borrowed from Mallelio) *Potion, Remedy, Dragon Scale, Warlen Melimane and Quarion the floating skull (The Chosen Minifigure) 17 Year old Male Half-Elf Level 3 Mage Power: 6 (11 for spells) Power Bonus: +5 for spells Health: 7/7 Ether: 7/7 Gold: 20 Equipment: Gold-Coated bat staff (Wp:3), Spellbound Gloves (Power +5 to spells) Inventory: Potion, Amethyst (Darkness), Sapphire (Wind), bedroll, Robe of the Magi (SP:1), Sanctified Rito Longsword (WP:4, doubled against Flying enemies; longsword) Kiray Nastayo (KingoftheZempk), A Hero Who Is Actually Worth Something *Immune to Fire* *Secondary Party Leader* 24 year old female human Level 6 Knight Power: 9 Defense: 4 Health: 15/15 Gold: 1 Equipment: Sanctified Rito Longsword (WP:6, doubled against Flying enemies; longsword), Scutum Shield (SP:3; shield), Flameproof Armor (SP:1, immune to Fire; bodywear, suitable for anyone) Inventory: Sword of the Kin (WP:3), Potion x2, Banana (Restores full health when eaten), Chaotic Bomb (Causes 100 elemental damage to all opponents), Bedroll, Mediocre Pongcanis Brew (Encouraged + Enraged) Diana N. Justus (NPC, Uncontrollable/takes suggestions) 17 years old female human Level 3 Assassin Power: 8 Power Bonus: +0 Defense: 0 Health: 11/14 Gold: 184 Equipment: Precision Bow (WP:5, AIMs become HITs; bow), Belt of the Ace Assassin (Successful Assasination rolls on enemies immune to sudden death deal an extra Aim instead. Bodywear, Suitable for Assassins only.) Inventory: Sanctified Rito Gypsy Dart (WP:4, doubled against Flying enemies; throwing weapon), Ace Assassin's Crossbow (WP:3, crossbow), Potion x5, Mead x3, Smelling Salts x3, Nostrum x3, Remedy, Sticky Gloves (Increases the amount of gold stolen by 50% (rounded up), suitable for rogues and beast warriors) Mallelio (NPC, Uncontrollable/takes suggestions) Level 18 Sage Power: 19 Health: 33/33 Ether: 25/25 Gold: 0 Equipped: Wooden Staff (WP: 1, staff), Secondhand Cloak of Deception (Backwear, Free hits against the wearer have a 1/6 chance to be redirected to a random opponent) Inventory: Remedy, Potion x2, Bedroll (borrowed from Germ) The party awakens in the morning to notice two things: first, Germ had not returned, and second, the smell of smoke lingers heavily in the air. Julius and Denerii are nowhere to be seen.

Gods, this is taking forever. May have to update this bit of 104 piecemeal, folks.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the "doubled if the enemy is weak to the element" on the Spellbound Gloves just means that the +5 is affected by the elemental multiplier, right? It's not a +10 bonus that also gets affected by the elemental multiplier? Does that mean that Power bonuses like the Puglist's Gloves and permanent Power boosts are added after the elemental multiplier? (I know this has been answered before, but I seem to have rolled a critical failure on my Google-fu check. )

I'm looking forward to working on the Fields--especially considering how much thought I've put into breaking it over the years. I hope you guys are as excited about this reINnovation as much as we are! Well, I'm looking forward to seeing it. If it motivates you any more, you're only one hosting away from your second character, while you're five Quests away as a player. (Speaking of the Hall index, by the way, it looks like Erdathcath, Grimwald, and I didn't get credited for our Shadeaux rep from Quest 99. )

QM Note: Yes, the Conductor Helmet is an Artifact, and thus follows the normal rules of wearable Artifacts (that is, you would be able to equip it alongside your robe as soon as you reach Level 10). I'll update the stats again in the morning (the real-world morning for me, not the in-game morning ).