Flipz

Not really; I just have to wait for Docken to beat the dragon get killed in the Fields and then I can hand him a Scroll, and my debt to him is completely paid off. (Granted, I DID give 50 gold to Boomers to give to him as payment, but that didn't exactly happen as intended. )

Oh, right, I knew I had something important to say here! If anyone wants to begin planning anything for the Cathedral of Commerce (which has also been referred to as the Cathedral of Mercutio), I do have a tentative floorplan to aid me in set design; if any QMs need a look at it, I'd be happy to oblige.

You could always try for a loan... In all seriousness, though, that's how I got my start.

Arthur stands so quickly his chair falls behind him with a loud clatter. "How dare you? Good men, men better than any of us here, have died fighting Wren, stopping Chaos from overrunning all. I buried one of the most noble beings ever to walk this earth because I was too delusional and short-sighted to see what Chaos would do to the world." Arthur yanks off his glove and pulls the bandage from his hand, revealing a jagged, pulsating scar running from his palm up the side of his wrist, terminating two-thirds of the way to his elbow. "Zoot is not something to be trifled with. This! This is the price for presuming one can outmatch his power! And I got off light compared to Hans, to Gnash, to Passion..." Arthur bends down and retrieves his glove, wrapping his scar once more before pulling the glove over it again. A deadly calmness befalls his tone as he began to speak: "A team of sixteen Heroes set out to stop Wren. We saved the world from utter destruction. I was one of them. I do not ask your respect. I do not deserve it. But I demand respect for our honored dead. They have earned that much."

"I have neither, and if I did I would be consulting with other Heroes on ways to contain it. I'd rather destroy Zoot himself, but I'll settle for making sure some idiot can't summon him here. Also, you're disrespecting the tremendous sacrifices made to save all of you from that terrible fate. You'd best think through your words more carefully."

Arthur did his best to ignore the Witch. It wouldn't do to re-ignite old enmity, not now. "My guess? Whatever magic lets the Veterans protect us from death also protects our Hall. It's more than likely that our unconscious bodies would somehow Counterstrike those who attempt to administer a coup de gras."

"Not to mention," Arthur said, unable to completely ignore Atramor's remark,"that Wren sealed all of the other entrances herself to keep us from getting down there." "You needn't worry. There's only one feasible way to get back to that temple now, and you're standing on it." Arthur taps the floor with the tip of his sword. "Back on Grogmas day, we busted through this to get to the Temple--the Hall sits directly on top of it, you know. It's tough to break through, but doable. In that sense, we really are Eubric's last defense."

@Scorpiox, re: Haldor: Check out Guy Sebasian - Battle Scars.

"Of course, they're yours." Arthur pulls out an Amethyst, a Topaz, a Diamond, a Ruby, an Aquamarine, and a Sapphire and passes them to Alexis. "I'd recommend the Diamond and Amethyst together in that whip, dearest, it'll balance out quite nicely." Arthur was doing his best to pretend the Nord didn't exist--at least, without being specifically rude. He figured it was the best way to repay his debt to the man--or more to the point, the only one the Nord would accept. Pushing aside his momentary annoyance, he stood and left the two to their conversation, leaving Alexis a glance full of warmth and a smile before he left. The smile slid from his face once his back was turned. Who did he still have to turn to? The two Heroes he longed to speak to most, Dyric and Skrall, were unavailable: Dyric was chatting with Atramor--another Hero he was serving through silence--and an old peg-legged sailor he didn't recognize, and Skrall he had not seen since the day they had all parted at the Wren Hunters' graves. With little else to do, Arthur sits down alone and opens his journal. Arthur steels himself, and begins penning a reply to De'kra.

That's more of a "Previously On..." than an actual "Clip Show", though.

Arthur feels Alexis' eyes on him as he enters the Hall from the Library. He could still hardly bring himself to look directly at her, but for a moment, anyway, he met her eyes as he sat down at her table, a faint remnant of his earlier smile still upon his face. "Hey, Lexie, what's up?"

The failed "musical battle" experiment. Also, wheeee yay for continuity! I literally spent two hours digging through Quest 17 for that last bit. Been a while since anyone's seen Arthur in his old costume, hasn't it!

"..." "...I don't know. I don't think I've been happy--truly happy--in a long time." Memories filled his mind and his heart. Building, preparing the defenses of Bric'bay with Count Knyghton...Commanding, leading the Lion Knights in Dastan alongside Skrall...Fighting, trying to break down the palace doors in Drakencourt with Alexandre...and rescuing Ella with Cronk and Atramor...Training, with Copper Fox and De'kra...Learning, as he did from Tensi and Triad, and later Jules...Leading, as he had Thalion and De'kra with the Ji Pei...Teaching, as he had done with both that very same day...and the present: the brotherhood he shared with Dyric...and Alexis...the love he knew for her, and that she gave back to him...so many memories...their faces shone before him, as clearly as if they stood in the room with him. Other memories came to mind... "I guess what makes me happy is...people. Connections. Does that make sense? I don't know how I can achieve that...but I guess I'll never know if I never try." Arthur straightens. "Thank you, Byblos. You've given me a lot to think about. Before my next Quest, I promise: you, me, banana rum and enough stories to fill a thousand books. That's a guarantee." At the door to the Library, Arthur turns and smiles--weakly, but there was something behind it. Something that hadn't been there for a long time. Hope.

You're paraphrasing Zepher from that group PM, aren't you?

Obelix was asking me for advice on Advanced Classes for him, and when I replied, he suggested I post my advice to him here:

There's the fine line--if your players cooperate. In my experience with RPGs outside of Heroica, players rarely follow your story exactly the way you want them to, even (and especially) when you set the plotline on rails. In a way, players have an advantage over QMs: their stories (generally speaking) are more flexible and easier to tell cohesively because they're designed to be told in small chunks; moreover, they're a LOT easier to re-write on the fly than the intricate, fleshed-out plotlines QMs tend to use. Fortunately, Heroica players tend to be less malicious than players of other RPGs, but unintentional ignorance can be just as destructive as malice to a pre-crafted storyline. Now, a word on theme: in my opinion, a good author doesn't try to create a theme in their story; their stories have a theme, and the author should be aware of and play to that theme, but it shouldn't be forced. Some of my worst moments as Arthur have been when I've tried to give him a theme, rather than when I've embodied his character and let his themes develop themselves; the same goes for plotlines. Zepher is a master of letting the themes develop underneath the characters, which is what makes the most compelling parts of his Quests so compelling. He put it best in R&D: That, ladies and gentlemen, is how characters and Quests should be devised. If you want to explain your characters' themes and motivations in R&D or here, that's just as valid a choice as Zepher's approach, but take note of how Zepher says he's OK with different people viewing Wren differently. That sort of interpretation is only possible because he wrote a person, not a sock puppet. Again, though, just my opinion.

I think he was just realizing that none of the Knight variants can make Gold. (Or at least, that how I understand it...)

Why? Witch doesn't gain Gold on a SHIELD...

Going Black Knight, are we? I'm such an idiot. We could have given Hoke's shield to Hans while Hoke was using the Twin Broadswords!

Maybe in a few Quests, once I'm closer to Level 30. And have Shadeaux reputation. *hint hint*

Definitely. Arthur doesn't really know what to make of Thothwick, but he doesn't really know what to make of himself, either. It'll be an interesting relationship, to be sure--I still want to go on a Quest with you and Nerwen at some point. While it's statistically likely I'll also die with arcs ongoing, my "writers" are super lazy and seem to be putting me through the exact same cycle of arcs over and over again, so everyone will know how they'd end anyhow. Very good point, though, it's definitely something to think about if the situation ever comes up again.

"Advice. You have studied more than any other being I have known, so perhaps you know the answers I seek--or at least you can help me find where to look. Byblos, I was betrayed by Chaos, despite having served it well. It...destroyed...much that I held dear, for that is the ultimate end of Chaos: destruction. But I cannot serve Order, either--I have seen firsthand its ultimate end, too: enslavement, both literal and metaphorical. And the suppression of free will I cannot abide. But where, then, does that leave me? My beacons in the Gray are extinguished, and I must light new ones. But what?" "I guess what I am asking is this: where is the middle ground? What is opposite to both Order and Chaos, keeping the strengths of both and the excesses of neither?"

From the marketplace: Those all look like liquids to me.

My personal favorites from you, CJP, are the Joust and Predator to Prey, mostly (I think) because they are short and to the point--you have a goal, you go toward that goal, you accomplish your goal, without too much extra in between. It's sort of the QM manifestation of Docken's roleplaying--there isn't a LOT of extra detail, there's just enough there to let the players and readers fill in the rest using their imagination. It's a rare talent, and you use it well. I disagree about Sarge, though, he's developed well. I like that he's still a troublemaker who causes trouble for trouble's sake, but he isn't deliberately trying to cause problems for the other players, either. As the player of another character who frequently clashes with "traditional" Hero-ing, I have to say you do it better than most of us, myself included. Here, like in 42, you shine; keep it up. My only bit of critique is that you may want to dig deeper into the dual-strike mechanics. Dual-strike weapons are VERY flexible, and your character is ideally suited for using them with the permanent Hastened-effect; you may want to try formulating more strategies involving them. Arnulf, you're a sneaky one: he doesn't "stick out" like some characters, but when you look back you realize what a HUGE contribution he makes to the tone of interactions, and to the Quest in general. It's mind-boggling how deep he is even though he's only been around for a couple of months. You're definitely one to watch for good roleplaying. Brickington, I loved watching you struggle with moral choices in 56, and I like what I've seen of you in the Hall as well. I would have liked to see a bit more of that here, but I'm sure you have plenty more of Brickington to show us in the future.

Assassin grants extra Health. Oh, no, no, I'm quite happy with the deal I got. That dagger is an important part of my Emergency Preparedness PackTM. I've got a couple of strategies involving it that range from smarter consumable use all the way to emergency life-saving maneuvers. It'd be nice if I could have a Hollow Blade in the Staff of the Cultist Battlemage as well (which, obviously, would contain either a Grand Potion or Smelling Salts in case of emergency), but I'm more than happy with the dagger.