Flipz

"<Arx! Use your Breath on Infernal Rubble C, and keep to the Back! Should it go down, switch to Infernal Rubble A.>" "Thormanil, if you could attack Burning Rubble D (twice) with Shishkebab and then Burning Rubble E (twice), it would be much appreciated. Gabriel, if you could spend your two turns increasing your lethality from the Back, you should be able to take down one of the sturdier segments next Round. Masson, can you take on Infernal Rubble B?" OOC: Could you please direct me to Gabriel's rolls? I looked for them quickly in 138 but couldn't find them.

Miirym's sharp sight catches the Battle Mage using a long spear rather than the dagger Arthur had lent him. "<Siercon,>" she suggests, "<might you use Sven's Dagger instead? Its damage is less, but in a Circle of Might and Magic, your physical strike would render us all much safer.>" Arthur switches his second action target to Smoldering Column B from the Front Row.

While we're on the subject of weapons that are ideal for a Ruby-Opal-(Aquamarine OR Garnet) setup...

"Glad to have you on-side, Mr...." Arthur trails off for a moment as he notices Gabriel's face. "...Gabriel, the others seem to call you? You look remarkably like Masson..." Arthur shakes himself out of his distraction. "We need speed, if you can manage it, Karie. I'll try to handle the Columns, I just need a moment to adjust my protections..." Arthur switches out his Coat Hanger (and the attached Mail of the Renegade Commander) for his Macabre Collar, while also taking the opportunity to switch out his Tin Greaves for his Tin Gloves. If given a second action, he attacks Smoldering Column A from the Front Row. Miirym uses her Breath on Infernal Rubble A from the Back Row, repeating if she has a second action.

...it's happening.

"Masson, your arm...! Vindsval, can you--" But the half-giant has already begun smashing through the barricade. Arthur watches helplessly as the building continues to come down around them. Miirym, perhaps more collected thanks to her Draconic heritage and experience in a smoky, misty environment, calls Arthur to his senses. "<We need a calmer plan of attack. Arthur, perhaps with your Magnifying Glass you can identify the weak points in the barricade? Your helmet should allow you to get quite close without harm.>" Arthur nods and prepares to carry out Miirym's plan, but before doing so he stops. "Wait. Fly me over to him first, so we can work on this from both sides." Miirym nods her assent. "<Very well. Arthur and I will remain on the other side with the other man, where Arthur will analyze the barrier's weaknesses. If someone on this side has a Magnifying Glass, you should do the same from here.>" With that, Miirym carries Arthur aloft, the maneuver not unlike the Jump Hits they had so often performed in battle.

"Octavyn--where do you need us? Is anyone still inside?"

Arthur doesn't even wait for the girl to finish speaking before running for the HQ at a dead run. After a moment's surprised hesitation, Miirym sweeps off behind him in pursuit. Arthur quickly chugs a Mead as he runs. He offers one to Miirym, but she shakes her head, wanting to keep it clear in the heat of this first battle.

No, Mr. StickFig, he expected him to dine.

"Many thanks, Siercon." Arthur slots the Phoenix Essence into the Hollow Blade of his Duplovian Swift Halberd, in place of the Remedy. "Immortal doesn't mean you can't die. It just means you won't without help." "<...if this Immortalis refuses to see reason, then we shall provide that help,>" Miirym vows darkly, concealing nearly her entire body in a miasma of dark mist, her azure eyes glowing sharply from within. It doesn't take Diplomacy to spot the look of concern Arthur gives her. "Miirym..." he murmurs softly to himself.

Arthur reads his letter with some concern, frowning deeply as he scans its contents. He casts his gaze upon Miirym, but decides not to share it with her right away--too many prying eyes, at present. He starts to quietly slip the message into his satchel. "<I simply find it...disappointing...that there was no more to this creature than murderous--wait, did you say father??>" Miirym glances back and forth between Jinnipher and Arthur, seeking confirmation. The Dragoon slowly nods to her, indicating the blue envelope before putting it away. "<I...see...>" The adolescent does her best to conceal it, but the Diplomacy taught to Karie, Thormanil, Jinnipher, Arthur, and Dragonlord reveals to them how rattled she really is. "If we're going to discuss this more, we should do it at the Albatross. I know the bartender there, and if we're going to get into more heavy talk I'd much rather do it over one of his drinks than out here." As the party prepares to move on, Arthur subtly begins to shadow the Black Knight. A third instance of harassment would be met with significant consequences, at least if the Dragoon would have anything to say about it. As he watches, Arthur silently wonders if the Munchkin has any idea of how incredibly not okay his behavior was, or if he, like Arthur had once been only a few years prior, was living in denial of his own utter ignorance.

Arthur hesitantly accepts the envelope and opens it privately, making sure to flip it over and read the back as well.

"Much like Princess Ella...again, unsurprising for one connected to the Spirit Pools, though the others I've known who possess such a connection would likely be...displeased at this Immortalis' abuse." "<I would not be so sure. It is a Dragon's nature to exert our will upon the world. This Immortalis simply seems to have taken it overly far.>" "Still." Arthur remains pointedly silent at the mention of the Falconer. At one time, he might have taken a jab at the unreliability of the Bonapartes, but whether it was maturity or gratitude for the Falconer's relatively gentle treatment a few days prior, the ex-Mage chooses to take a different tack. "If you're opening a portal, your best bet is to speak to my mother, Valentine Ziegfried. As Head Transportatrix, she is our family's primary expert on portals and teleportation, and nearly all of the Circles acknowledge her prowess as one of, if not the, leading voices in the field." "Anyway, I've never been to the Progg colony," Arthur continues, "but I do know a few Proggs. I briefly met a small, yellow Progg some time back--Punii, I think his name was?--and then when I was a member of the Watch Karie and I both encountered five energetic youngsters who mentioned the Progg colony. Gods...it seems so long ago now..." Arthur soon drifts into a wistful reverie. Miirym does not move from her place alongside Arx, but after a few moments of careful consideration slowly nods to the Black Knight. She would approach him when she was ready, on her own terms.

The Hope and Regret blessings were absolutely perfect for a battle of that caliber, and I do hope they show up again. They did a lot to make the fight fair and winnable, which in turn helped the battle be really big and have really high stakes without being too overly difficult. It would NOT have been fun to have to deal with Raijin and that vampire that used Smokescreen the whole time, so being able to OHKO with careful Blessing use went a long way towards keeping things enjoyable.

I personally played it as Miirym speaking spiritually was extremely draining as a hatchling, but as a youngling her spiritual potential has increased significantly (especially after Vipera's training). As an adult, it will naturally increase even further (and this is demonstrated mechanically in the success rate of the ability increasing by 1/6 for every growth stage).

No, but they do have to be trained before they can cast Luck/Blessed/Inspired on teammates.

Arthur seems a little off-balance as the Dragonlord sweeps him away to join the group of Heroes, but the wheels begin to turn in his head. Well, that explains a few things... he thinks to himself. And soon the time for thinking is over as he finds himself nearly tackled by the Black Knight. Miirym bares her teeth, but chooses to remain otherwise civil. The Dragon interposes herself between the two as soon as Whisperer lets go, black mist spewing from every pore. "<You will show my partner respect, stranger.>" Arthur struggles to reconcile Lind's apparent joviality with the reputation he'd developed, including with the party's other members. "...Consent, Mr. Whisperer. Learn to ask it." he finally manages to get out. "And maybe work on reading people, while you're at it. Perhaps you might have sensed my...discomfort...sooner." The Dragoon makes a promise with himself to give the Munchkin a fair chance, but it's clear it will be an uphill battle. "<Moone? So you have faced Vorpalis directly, then? Yes...his scent lingers upon your blade. I am Miirym. We must speak, when opportunity presents. As a member of another elder race, perhaps you will better understand my inquiries into the shadow Dragon's nature.>" "...oddly enough, I think I know the Dwarf you're talking about." "<Indeed? I do not recall any Dwarven acquaintances of yours.>" "No, he was before your time..." "...as is Siercon, I suppose. I guess it has been some time since our first encounter. I do hope that robe served you well, in the end--" Not willing to wait for Arthur to continue to wade through old memories, Miirym decides to introduce herself. "<To those who do not know me, I am Miirym. To those who do, I offer you greetings. I am unsure why I and my caretaker were selected for this task, but I shall harbor my guesses. With care and wisdom, we may prove worthy guardians of this city, and I hope that every one of us comes to demonstrate such wisdom, preferably sooner than later.>" Miirym surveys the party, satisfied her intentions had been communicated. To her irritation, the Black Knight had turned his attention to the Minstrel she recognized from a brief visit to her and Arthur's home just before the assignment for Guffington. She swoops down to loom over them. "<I would hope,>" Miirym seethes, "<that this Dragon's strength would be of more concern than the size of his hoard. Honestly, the greed of you mortals...>" Arthur coughs. "That's, er...not what he's talking about, sweetheart." Miirym shoots her caretaker an incredulous gaze. "<Then what is he implying?>" The ex-Mage groans. "Gee, thanks you two." He draws a Remedy from his pouch and seriously considers consuming it in a vain attempt to stave off the headache he felt impending. "When you're older, Miirym," he sighs. Later. Much later. Once I've had a chance to research the answers to all the questions you'll have. The Dragon shrugs, trotting over to investigate the other in the party of her kind. ...okay, so maybe later isn't such a great plan... Arthur massages his aching forehead. "Good to see you too, by the way, Karie," he adds belatedly. "Hope you and Masson are having an easier time with Rachelle than I am with her..." he mutters for the Minstrel's ears only. Miirym approaches Arx, but keeps an eye towards Thormanil for any signs of disapproval. She had met the Dragoon briefly, in passing, back when she was a hatchling. She had sought after his companion then, intrigued at what she had felt in the Spirit Pools, but the youngling had proven elusive. Now, it seemed, the two would be journeying together, and she was intrigued by his presence. Though the oldest Dragon in the Hall by her caretaker's reckoning, Arx appeared somehow younger, less mature than her previous questmate Torc, though by appearances not by much. She hoped her relationship with this member of her species would prove less volatile. Arthur chuckles in appreciation. "You've certainly an eye for detail, Siercon. The thought-reading and sensing of life essences are fairly standard for Dragons of primarily Dastanian descent. Miirym and I were recently in Dastan, and my old friend Vipera was gracious enough to begin Miirym's training in the Dragons' spiritual ways--it is why you are all able to comprehend Miirym's speech, she projects her thoughts through the Spirit Pools into our minds. As for your second point..." Arthur fishes in his pack. "In retrospect I ought to have waited to make this switch, but why don't you hold onto this for now?" he says, offering to lend Siercon Sven's Dagger. "You should probably borrow my gems as well, while you're at it. I imagine a good Circle of Might and Magic with that Ethereal Opal through that blade ought to pack quite the one-two punch." With little time to prepare, Arthur had failed to resupply on Phoenix Essences, so he reluctantly slots a Remedy into the Hollow Blade of his Duplovian Swift Halberd.

I personally had been expecting a second round of sign-ups (not unlike what happened all the way back in Quest 17 when Spag dropped out and Brickdoctor opened replacement sign-ups), but considering I promised Endgame months ago that I'd go on his finale if given the opportunity, I think it all works out.

In the manner of Zeph, for the sake of mentioning things for fairness: I got my two Scrolls of Elemental Aura back when I was claiming my stuff from our allies, they just didn't get listed in the final stats. I also took back my Stingy Gloves from Purpearl, but gave her the Enchanted Bracelet outright. I also deleted the Love Potion that I used in Dastan but never managed to disappear from the inventory for whatever reason. Also, I broke down one of my Silver Ore for the Gold I gave Sorrow to hold for Heckz.

Arthur quickly hands Sorrow a Scroll of Elemental Aura to pass on to Thalion, as well as a Grating Stone to pass on to Guts and a Weatherfax Broom and 50 Gold to pass on to Heckz.

Yeah, the behavior you're describing has always happened for me, and it's why I don't do anything involving stats on mobile. Guess it's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" sort of situation--rich text adds unnecessary formatting and can crash Firefox/eat your post when they get past a couple thousand characters, while plain text doesn't automatically do new line line breaks and you have to learn the formatting codes (which are not that hard, but it does take more effort than clicking the buttons in rich text). Nowadays, though, I tend to type things up in Notepad++ or MyInfo first and then copy/paste into the plain text editor, at least when stats or a lot of formatting are involved. ...I go to quote the "Of Power and Mortals" ability, and this is the first thing I see: >_< Oh, cool! I'd expected it to be part of the Frozen Room side-Quest, but I'm more than happy to be wrong! Just for clarity, how does it work--is it a passive buff that exists as long as I have the book, or is it granting me a permanent +1 Power every time I successfully complete a Quest?

I'm furiously working on the set list and sets as we speak. I should be ready to launch in 4-6 weeks, barring more delays.

"Been through a lot since then, even retired for a bit. Somehow, I thought it would last longer than it has, but ah well." Arthur glances over to see Boomingham chatting with Miderun. "So he is here! You know, I wonder if I should ask him to finally pay me that Gold he's owed me for the past few years..." "Ah, thank you much, Pretzel." Arthur hands Pretzel a Scroll of Elemental Aura. "<Now, that I can comprehend. He seemed both a formidible and an honorable opponent. I am unsurprised at his stubbornness, it seems to be the way of the elder of my kin. Still, we are re-emerging into the world, and for that Vipera would be pleased. And if it grants you any satisfaction, in his next...Path, as you put it?...he remains as great as he seems to have been in life.>" "<Hm.>" This time the Dragon appears satisfied, but unhappy. "Mind control?" Arthur frowns. "I don't like that. I don't like that one bit. My most hated foes have all been those who twist others to their will. The Oculoids, the Harvester, Baba, Regret...even Wren did it, with what she did to Passion...it is a huge weight off my shoulders now that we've brought him back." Miirym shrinks away slightly, emitting more smoky mists as she unconsciously assumes a more defensive posture. "<What says that of my own spiritual skills, I wonder?>" Arthur gives Miirym what he thinks is a comforting smile. "Miirym. You do not twist people's will. You grant them the fortune to achieve their own will, on their own terms. There is no harm in that." "<...Perhaps.>" 'All things, from the rocks to mortals to heat to the invisible air- all these things exert will unto the world. You simply must learn how to bend these things to your will, and luck will follow....Mortals and other living things are the easiest to start on, because they are aware of their own force. But do not underestimate anything.' Miirym replays her Draconic mentor's words within her memory, and wonders, not for the first time, how well her partner truly understood the Dragons' way.

...is it bad that I just now noticed that the first and last Guffington Quests were exactly 100 Quests apart? R.I.P. Gerald Guffington Quest #39: The Great Guffington - Quest #139: Around The World I can't help it! I'm a rampant FlutterShipper. Zane is the crazy soul-eating Orc jester from 53 and now 139 West. With Wren long gone, Zane's probably the best Chaotic character we have (no offense to Amarcolm, it's just that between being an Orc and being so reserved he doesn't fit the Discord archetype--wait). *does calculations* Holy crap, because time-travel is possible via Etheria's shenanigans (as evidenced by Arthur briefly bumping into early-timeline Chauncey and Aventine)...Zane is either a younger or an older Amarcolm, isn't he?!? I don't think it's any secret that I desperately want this to happen, for reasons.

Reposting here for easier reference and further commentary: Pie's idea seems like how it actually happens, to be honest. That said, I do have my own process: 1. Come up with an idea. Sometimes it's a character, sometimes a plot, sometimes a moment or story beat, but whatever it is, it needs to be specific. 2. Come up with more ideas. While some QMs are more than capable of spinning a single idea into an entire Quest, I personally learned on 118 that one or two core concepts were not enough material on their own for me to weave together a satisfying narrative, especially when said concept(s) are somewhat vague. 3. Research. Of the time I've spent on my next two Quests, a good third of it or more has been spent researching what has and hasn't been established about the characters and locations I'm planning to use. This research will usually generate at least a few ideas that can supplement the ones you're already using, which is important for the next step. This is an ongoing process, one that can end up altering things later down the line as game elements are introduced and altered. 4. Assemble. Basically, I plonk down all my ideas, sit down, and figure out where and how they'll connect. "Okay, I want Character X in Location Y. How do I accomplish that...maybe I can put Motivation Z there? Yeah, that makes sense, since Quest AB said that Character C was last seen in Location D, and I already have plans to emphasize the connection between Group E there and Organization F in Location Y. Perfect, let's write that down." ...okay, usually I use WAY more unreadable shorthand than that. But yeah, usually it consists of me connecting two or three ideas in little chunks, and then tying those chunks together in turn until everything fits. 5. Initial Approval. This is usually when I PM Sandy and ask if my idea will work or if I'm stepping on his toes/creating an idea that just completely won't work. Better to do this now than later after doing all the work on the outline. 6. Outline. I have a specific format that I use that helps me a LOT in keeping my thought process intact even weeks and months later: I find that this format helps me remember not only what I'm planning, but why I made that specific choice. Once I finish, I'll usually go through it with a player's eye and try to find moments where I'd feel controlled or cheated, or otherwise unhappy with the Quest. 7. Setbuilding. Or in my case, begging people to help me with sets (). This is an ongoing process that can change other, previously-established things; if I'm figbarfing an NPC and a better design with a different character than intended pops up, I may alter other elements to use this new design and attitude instead. 8. Alteration. Once I have some idea of what I want, I'll start making the rounds of asking other QMs for permission and/or advice on using their characters, especially if I've heard their own Quests will be operating in the same area. Having learned from the insanity of the late-stage rewrites of 104, I now tend to do this before launching the Quest. This is also another good opportunity for a "would I as a player like this?" pass. 9. Population. I've usually figured out where my battles will be in the Quest as early as the initial outline, as well as a general idea of what enemies will show up and the general sort of loot I want them to drop; now is when I start assigning specifics. I don't do specific stats, though, that's saved for post-launch. 10. Pitch & Post. This is self-explanatory; I send Sandy my final pitch, then wait for a post and the sign-ups. 11. Customization. Once I see who's signing up, I do another pass to try and sprinkle in elements that will resonate strongly with the characters I'm planning to pick; I'll also start assigning specific stats for some of the earlier battles. 12. Launch. This is probably the least fun parts; gathering everyone's stat blocks and then fixing/reformatting them into usability. Ick. Once that's done, I'll write up the opening, post, and start running the Quest. 13. First Battle. The first battle in any of my Quests is a very important one; it's my opportunity to watch the players and see how this party works together both mechanically and socially. It's very easy to see in most first battles who's going to hit hardest, who's going to go down, who's going to be overshadowed, what the holes are in party composition, what the holes are in individual PC loadouts, how hard the party normally hits, how they prioritize enemies, etc. etc. etc. I alter a LOT of details based on how the first battle goes, as 141 showed pretty clearly. 14. Adjustment. As stated, once the first battle's done, I'll go through and make a bunch more alterations to account for the specific situation in the party, and from there continue to tweak as necessary. 15. Run. And hopefully survive, but usually not. Anyway, that's just how I do it, not everyone's going to have success doing it my way, obviously. Something I forgot to mention about loot generation: one thing I like to do is put myself in the shoes of various other Heroes and think "now, if I were this class, what would I want to have available to me?", and then tweak for balance and drop that. Because of my overall "you want it, you beat it first" philosophy of drops, this often helps me whip up throwaway mooks and minions that would otherwise take a lot more work to think up. I'll also go through my own inventory and try to find things that either other people have asked to buy off of me, or that I myself have found useful, and then drop them; I think Zepher mentioned as far back as the first Guffington Quest that he'd started to do that a little bit with his own character's loot, and it's something that's stuck with me ever since then. And again, with a "want it, beat it" philosophy, this can lead to even more interesting encounters.