JimBee

With Lind and the pale elf being unresponsive and the conflict dissipated, Jinnipher sighed disappointingly and turned away. The gesture was not beyond her gaze. She scowled and strode up to the bar where the nord was joined by the small child she had met some time ago. "You, nord. I am not some doll or common whore to please your eyes. I'll show you a thing or two about what happens to people who piss me off. Just ask the dragons who tried to sink what's left of Mercution into the ocean," she bragged, resting her fingertips on the hilt of Beheader.

Jinnipher shot Siercon a nasty look. "I have no intention of fighting this girl, or fighting with this rotten avocado. Mind your damn business, smokey."

"Whatever. When you want to make some gold you know where to find me." Instead of taking the offered seat she turned her back and continued her conversation with the wrinked-looking man. Jinnipher raised an eyebrow. "Respect? Sure, okay." "Like you said. But yeah you tell him pal." She sounded bored, but then looked between Lind and the tall elf he stood in front of, and smirked. She also made note of the multiple heroes telling the wrinkled man off. "He's just trying to look tough in front of his girlfriend. He probably wouldn't have even thought to bother you otherwise." She casually tossed her hair and winked to the armored elf.

Jinnipher grinned. "That's a boy, Terry. Here, have another." She took a swig from her flask before passing it to the mage. "A little bit of both. Probably many princesses, I just saved the whole city. I'm guessing you've just been here. You're too young to be wasting away at the tavern." Jinnipher gave a small sneer. "I don't know what the Hel a Walk-o-rion is but I've seen plenty just as ugly as you." "I see. So what brings you from the Marshlands to city like this?"

"Tch, maybe the paladin got to him first. I don't see what's so trustworthy about a giant green ogre to begin with. It's not like his preaching ever got us anywhere." Jinnipher gave Siercon an annoyed look, making it clear his presence in the conversation was an interruption. She sighed. "Hello, Siercon. As you can see I was talking to this new hero here." "And where might that be, your homeland?" She looked the Selkreeth up and down. "Clearly not here." "Looks like everyone and their shadow has special venom. So are you just going to show that off or are you looking to sell it?" Jinnipher rolled her eyes at Lind's incompetency. He didn't seem to realize she was standing right next to Siercon and the newcomer. "It's more than you or the giant offered. Can't you annoy someone else for a change?" "Trust me, there are plenty of humans, orcs, and whatever the Hel you are around here." Interrupted again, the moon elf let out another sigh. "Hello Terry. Have you had one too many? I told you this is no place for a kid."

"Tch, forget it. You wouldn't know a good deal if it slapped you in the face. The ogre just had a field day ripping you off, pal." With that, Jinnipher stormed off. "Huh?" She whipped around angrily, but appraised the vial and its owner. "You look like you need it more than me, sister. You look like you're new here. A word of advice, stay away from barbarians with brains smaller than their gold pouches."

Jinnipher seemed to space out at what the man was trying to say, but moved on without asking him to repeat. "Look, the green giant takes an interest in pretty much anything that isn't any of his business. Like I said," the moon elf put on a diplomatic, even flirty tone and gazed at he northerner with her deep almond-colored eyes. She tossed her black and blue hair back for added effect. "You're smart man. Why don't you take this 150 gold--" she placed a hand on his shoulder and reached with her opposite hand to place a heavy pouch in his. She made sure to brush up lightly against his leg. "--and you can give sweet little me that vial of venom. And maybe later we can share a drink or two." She winked.

Hybros grimaced. "I knew I should not have told you... You are so easily agitated, Monk. I am no demon as you can tell by the hordes attacking myself no different than you. I believe my kills far outnumber yours on this quest? So I would direct your suspicions elsewhere. And for your information, my people are doing just fine in Zylstra. Hm!" "It is not quite the demons that we have been slaying that I am worried about." "There is much more below our city than sewers, Atramor, both friendly and not. Zylstra is a city of gnomes, dwarves and halflings. Eubric may seem bad to you, but these people have to deal with far worse than a few squabbling houses and a witch or two, heheh."

Jinnipher returns a small wave and returns to her haggling for the moment. "Yes, clearly you reserved this venom for me because you saw my notice right here." She jabbed her note on the quest board while resting her other hand on her hip. "You're a smart man, aren't you? Now, what was the price for this small vial?"

"Hm, perhaps. They have had quite a few problems down there, they're lucky they have us to save them, heheh." Hybros hesitate about telling Pretzel, but supposed it couldn't do much harm. If it came down to it, the imp was confident in his abilities to fight, or at least outmaneuver the Artisan. "Ehem... Yes, in fact, my people have, erm, found their way back to this world and are currently living in Zylstra. The Baron was kind enough to let my people stay there until they - we - find a more permanent home." He looked down to avoid the Monk's eyes, Zoot's Reaper buzzing mischievously. He didn't want to admit all of the details pertaining to his people and how that related to their current task. "If we are successful here I am thinking about honing my skills a little more. I have tried my hand at magic, to a certain extent, but my friend Sigil has far more skill. Perhaps you would be willing to show me a thing or two about spellcasting sometime?"

I would have to disagree with you on a lot of those points, Flipz. Overall I really enjoyed 147, and after the Vorpalis quest I think this was the strongest of Endgame quests that I've followed. I thought the existing story arcs with the Syndicate, Proggs, and a few other characters fit in nicely, even if I wasn't familiar with them all. While the Severa bit was a little random, the former two were good moral dilemmas that simultaneously involved PCs while expanding on the villains, their plot, and the themes of the quest. Making the heroes choose between glory (saving the homes of the Proggs/saving the Syndicate) and heroism (not risking Proggs' lives/focusing on saving the city rather than one building) displayed the motives of Immortalis and Charon and spoke to themes of "fate vs. choice" and the idea of "who gets to decide what's best for anyone?". I guess I kind of agree with what you said, Flipz, about the angels being somewhat flat, but I saw more as the dutiful followers doing their jobs, and doing what they believed in. Charon was the coolest character by far, and the scariest. Immortalis was threatening for sure. I suppose I was also expecting some sort of big reveal, and the flashbacks were okay, but didn't really change anything about the situation. Which is okay by me, because a story doesn't need to have big plot twists to be good. At the end of the day it was a very straightforward "slay the dragon and save the day" kind of story, with common-yet-complex themes and good roleplaying throughout. I can't really complain about that at all. The loot, I will admit, felt a little lacking, but the quest reward and armor set were really good. I think we're getting used to ridiculously good loot in higher-leveled quests (see 148), but some more common items and gold drops would've been nice. Also, three longswords? You definitely could've diverged a little from the most common weapon type in the game. Strange that Vind got to keep all of them. It was also the best quest for Jinnipher's roleplaying, IMO. I thought she had at least some good interaction with every PC, and I enjoyed the party we had. I wish Siercon and Swils were a little more active throughout, but Thormanil is one of a few heroes who Jinnipher seems to like because of his straightforwardness and dedication to the mission. Siercon is an odd and untrustworthy character to her, but from a player's perspective I can appreciate what you've done with him and his motives. I really hope he gets to Winged Warrior some day. Vindsval was an interesting foil for Jinnipher due to the contrast in their faiths and ways of practicing them. Vind sees his faith as a very real and concrete thing, and even his deity is embodied in a physical (ghostly?) form. He'll follow the "Path" to its end without much question, which lends itself to a very interesting lawful good-type character, even if it jeopordizes the mission in Jinnipher's eyes. Her faith, on the other hand, honors the elven gods but only to a point where she believes they control the afterlife and not much else. I thought this contrast played well with the whole destiny/fate vs. freedom of choice theme prevalent throughout the quest. Karie played a really good leader role which was good for the party and good for her own character. She's come a long way from the street urchin-type character she came in as, and I think this is the best RPing I've seen from you with her, Kinto. The interactions with Masson felt a little stale, as if she was ignoring him the whole time - I didn't really get that but maybe it was intentional. Lind has also developed a lot even since his last quest. More mature, less preachy about his religion/background, and overall a more tolerable person for Jinnipher, at least. I think the progression was natural and you should keep it up with him. I particularly liked how the conflict with Arthur was wrapped up. I thought Miirym had the best RP since her creation yet. The whole family heritage thing was a teensy bit forced, but I admit the reveal was good and it made sense. I liked her and Jinnipher's interactions. They're both prideful and immature in a sense. Arthur seemed to take a back seat to it all, which was interesting because traditionally the dragons are seen to reinforce the RP arc of the main character, not the other way around. I think some of the difficulty you've had with him in the past two quests is partly due to not reaching out to other characters - it seems that you have a set story arc in mind that can maybe tie neatly into the quest itself, but doesn't really concern the other PCs. The highlights with him have been the conflict with Hoke in 139 and the conflict with Lind on this quest. Maybe try reaching out with him a bit more instead of relying on the QM or other players to initiate a dialogue about himself? To conclude, thanks for QMing these past few years, Endgame. You've really left your mark on this game. It sounds like you're leaving for good which is sad, but I hope you check in every now and then!

Hybros raised an eyebrow at Pretzel's high pitched voice, but continued on. "Remember Soryx the wereviper from the time we battled the army of moon elf shades? Now that was a demon hunter we could trust, heheh. I wonder where he is now? We could sure have used his help on this one."

Jinnipher finally decided to get up and stake her claim to the prized item. "Step aside, boys. The item is clearly reserved for me." She looked around for the barbarian who put it up for sale. "Who opens up a store and then leaves?"

"Sorry Namyrra, I did not realize this. If you would like to use it for the time being I am more than happy to loan it to you. If you have any Ether Cores to spare I would be willing to pay for one or two for Byblos as compensation." Without any bombs to buy Hybros pocketed his Health Cores. He also slotted a Nostrum into his Hollow Dagger and knocked back a Mead and Mulled Wine. The two flavors did not complement each other. "I am ready to continue fighting these demons, although... I can not lose the feeling that we are walking into a trap." He glanced at Catnip.

Jinnipher rolled her eyes, wondering if anyone bothered to look at her notice.

Jinnipher strode through the doors of Heroica Hall several weeks after the storm had passed. She immediately posted a sign to the quest board: Looking for Everlasting Venoms or any other item of the sort. Talk to the moon elf for details. She proceeded to the bar and ordered a mead, taking note of the other occupants.

Hybros waved farewell to Briamarte. "Ehem, let us just hope that this internal demon of yours does not become a problem, Catnip." Zoot's Reaper buzzed continuously. "I have a lot of gold now, so I would like to make some last-minute preparations, heheh... But first, we should make sure Byblos is ready to read his scrolls." The imp also counted out 150 gold for the diamond Sham offered, and 300 gold for the six Health Cores. He also wanted to inquire about Blind Bombs, Seal Bombs, and Pumpkin Bombs.

Hybros signs his name to the lottery. Jinnipher does the same.

"Tch, you've got a lot to learn, kid. We did right by those proggs whether they like or not. At the end of the day it's only you who controls your own actions, not some god or even an old lizard." "I'm plenty old and wise enough to know not to trust anyone without good reason. You made some foolish decisions back there, giant. Don't think I haven't made note and will put my fate in your hands again so lightly." Jinnipher crossed her arms. "Anyway, you're good with a sword and shield, and your size was useful. Just make sure they're on the right side of the battlefield next time we meet." Jinnipher rolled her eyes. "I'm not one for long goodbyes. We did our job, somehow. So long." The moon elf hauled her pack over her shoulder and turned to go, raising a hand in farewell.

Agreed.

Hybros takes his loot gratefully and hefts the Rumble Mace. The weapon was huge, but somehow it fit into the imp's bag of holding. He hoped some sorcery would shrink it down to size in the meantime. "What has she done that we can trust this will not be a problem?"

"Who knows? Did you not say she caused you trouble by running and doing her own mission in Azzurat? Besides, she has been doing fine on her own so far, if she wants to kill Solomon she can do it with or without us."

Hybros rubbed his forehead. "Can we all not work together? I believe a bigger threat lies ahead than either of you to each other." He looked between the two. "But given the choice, I would take Aunt Briamarte. Between Atramor and I we have plenty of strength to fight demons. Besides, it seems as though you have your own agenda in this matter, Catnip." He looked to Atramor and Namyrra for their input.

Jinnipher balled her hands into fists. "You're lucky I slew a dragon today, powderpuff. Just give me the Helm and let's be done with it."

Jinnipher took one last look into the endless sea through the portal before it closed. She stared contemplatively into the blank space it left behind for another few moments, then turned her back. She rested a hand on Beheader as she walked. "Tch, we just saved the city from destruction. Saving it from itself is a task for someone else, probably everyone. In the meantime, I'm going to do what I do best." She indicated her sword. The moon elf snorted and turned her nose up. "Songs. I'll be damned if some half-wit minstrel tries to sing about me." Her expression turned serious. "Great victory or not, we didn't do this for the glory." And now her face softened, a hint of a grin playing at the edge of her mouth. "Although, the next bastard who tries to destroy Eubric should know who they're dealing with."