Sandy

"The Port of Farzibar is located on the coast south-west of where Azzurat used to lie, on the whitesand shores of the Pearl Sea. The journey by ship would take weeks, but luckily I have a much faster solution." The Oracle motioned the party to follow her to the backroom. On of the walls was hanging an elaborate tapestry, and a strange light seeped from behind it. "When you reach Farzibar, please find a man called Nizam. He is one of my people, and one of the few who knows his way around the cursed desert. You should find him at the village bar called the Drunken Monkey." "Drunken Monkey?! That's where I know the village from! The bar is owned by my and Thothwick's great-aunt Hathor. She moved there when we were just children, but she used to send us letters. It's been ages since I've last written to her, though. I hope she isn't offended... But how exactly can we reach Farzibar from this room?" "The village is just one step away, through here." The Oracle grabs the tapestry and pulls it down. Bright light fills the room, momentarily blinding everyone. "This is the ethereal portal that lead me from Farzibar to Eubric. I had this shrine built around it, since I wanted to keep it hidden. I have never stepped through it again - it would pain me too much to return to all those memories - but I've kept it open to stay in contact with those who chose to remain in Farzibar, Nizam included. Sometimes I send Liandra trough it to take care of my businesses, but it is now your turn to use it. It will lead you to an empty house in the village, just a short distance away from the bar. You can use it to return anytime you wish." "If that's all, we should go through immediately. I cannot wait to meet my great-aunt again, she always sent me such nice gifts. The bananas on the Pearl Coast are most exquisite." "As you wish. Please take care, and may Fabula Sibylla guide you in your quest." With the Oracle's blessing, the party walks through the shining gateway. Immediately they are struck with the heat and humidity of the southern atmosphere. Their clothes tangle into their skin and sweat begins to trickle down their foreheads. They step out of the little house with the portal and into the scorching sunlight. The village of Farzibar is minuscule, but the houses are colorful and the many palmtrees provide shelter from the sun. Straight ahead of them the party sees a guidepost. Which way will they go?

Byblos mutters to himself. "Farzibar? Now where do I know that name from...?" "Yes, you would be heading to the city proper of Azzurat. The rest of it used to be grassy plains and riverlands as far as the eye could see. Now there is only sand. And death." "Oh Nyx, always so nonchalantly leaping into mortal danger. Fate has been favourable to you so far, but I am unsure how long it can last... What comes to my husband, I truly hope Nebukadnezzar has found peace in the afterlife, but I cannot be sure. He was under demonic influence the last I saw him, there is no telling what happened to him after that. You will have to go on the spot to see what is really going on there. I wish I could say that your quest will be a success, but the Goddess has not graced me with prophecies for many weeks. Your future is as hazy to me as it is to you." "The book that enthralled my husband got buried with him, as far as I know. And yes, it was another copy of the Pandemonicon. Byblos here has shown great capability in researching the book that was discovered underneath Eubric, which is why he was chosen to this quest. Actually, chosen would be a wrong word. It is more like he was destined to join." The librarian sighs deeply. "You put a whole lot of baggage on the shoulders of a simple Metasimian, milady..." "A lot, yes. Too much? It remains to be seen. Byblos has a great part to play in the coming events, so please ensure his safety, everyone. If there is no other inquiries, I will show you your means of travel."

"Still stuck behind everyone else, it seems", Ellaria sighed. She then moved her troops further north-east.

The hell...? For sure he has, and the quest has just barely begun! I thought you were referring to the Librarian in the Discworld novels, who just says "Ook" and nothing else, but it looks like you were just being obnoxious.

"Very well. This way!" Sküld pushes open the mighty double doors at the antechamber. The princess-priestess waves at the party. "Good luck, everyone!" Inside the inner sanctum was two women, which Namyrra recognized as Oracle Semiramis and her attendant priestess Liandra. The Oracle is meditating silently in front of a statue of Fabula Sibylla. The other priestess gives her a concerned look, and then turns to the heroes. "I'm so happy you could come, heroes! The Oracle has been pestered with the nightmares for weeks, and the lack of sleep has made her feeble and unfocused. She even says she cannot feel the Goddess like she used to. I only hope your visit to the ruins of Azzurat proves fruitful, and the Oracle's peace of mind will be restored. What you will find at the ruins, I cannot even guess, but the Oracle has spoken about a gigantic eye staring down at her from the sky above the desert." "Might I inquire, where do the demons mentioned in the quest pitch come into picture?" "I don't know the full details, but the Oracle has told that she was once the queen of Azzurat. Her husband, King Nebukadnezzar XIII, acquired a black tome that promised to make him the most powerful man in the world. Through the book, the king learned to summon demons to do his bidding, but as you know, you cannot really win when you make pacts with creatures beyond the Void. In time the demons overtook Azzurat, covering it under sand. Only the Oracle's devotion to our Goddess saved her and her followers from being engulfed with the rest of the kingdom. But now the Oracle fears that something has awoken in the ruins of her old homeland. Whether it is a demon or something else, I truly cannot say." Suddenly the Oracle spoke. "Thank you for your recount, Liandra, even though it does no justice to the grief and pain I had to go through when I was forced to leave my once-beloved husband and most of my people behind." The Oracle turns around, and the heroes can see weariness and deep sorrow in her eyes. "Azzurat was once a land of sparkling rivers and verdant gardens, but my husband's avarice brought in the demons of greed and desolation, and all the riches were lost under a rising sea of sand. If it weren't for the visions I've been both blessed and cursed for all my life, nobody would have made out of there alive. I lead the remains of my people to the small fishing town of Farzibar, where they spread to all cardinal directions. That is where you must now go as well, to find a way to the forsaken ruins. But be mindful that the desert is not of nature's making, but still crawling with the evil creatures that created it. You will face many perils before you reach Azzurat, but if anyone can make it, it is the five of you. Do you have anymore questions before I send you off?" "Wow, you're all so brave for doing this..."

That's because he's a reference of the Discworld Librarian, not a direct copy. Keep your filthy Syndicate out of my storyline!

The girl called Ella looks flustered. "Oh, I don't know where to begin..." "Your highness, who are these people are someone you know?" "I apologize, U'Voros. These two are Nyx and Atramor, heroes of Heroica who were involved in the dreadful events that took place in Dastan a year and a half ago. Fret not, they know my true identity, and I can trust them with my life." "Wait a minute... You are Her Imperial Highness Princess Ella Septrine of Dastan, aren't you? Librarian Byblos of Heroica, at your service." The princess is a little taken aback by the grim appearance of the Metasimian. "Oh... Thank you, good librarian." She then turns to her old acquaintances. "After the incidents in Dastan when I was kidnapped, I knew it was time that stopped being just the daugther of my father, and followed my own destiny. The Empire is doing splendid, and I was frankly put boring my mind off loitering around at the court. I went to visit the Oracle of Drakencourt, and he told me that his colleague in Eubric was looking for a new priestess in her shrine. The decision was made all the more easier knowing that Heroica was based here. It meant that I could potentially spend more time with Tarn and the rest of you. I just arrived, so I didn't have time to seek you out yet, but it looks like Fabula Sibylla had it all figured out already. Oh, I met Thothwick on my way here, too." "Thothwick is my cousin, just so you know. And he has a boyfriend, so you shouldn't bother to waste time on him if you're looking for a manly Metasimian, hehehe..." Ella's eyes widen. "Why would I be looking for something like that?" Byblos blushes. "Oh, I don't know... To sweep you off your feet?" "Alright, step back, alright? That is quite enough is what that is." "Wow, this is getting weird. Ella is training to become a priestess here, because the Oracle hasn't been feeling well lately, and Liandra and myself have our hands full managing this shrine by the two of us. The Oracle should be up and about now, if you are ready to meet her." "Please, don't let me hold you back! I'm not going anywhere, so we can catch up more later. So, Tarn is in town? That's good to know..." "I am not sure it is safe to leave you here is safe, after all. It seems there are too many lowborn suitors around, it seems." The U'kin glares at Byblos, who is still staring Ella with a stupid grimace on his face.

Thanks for the review! I was contemplating on getting the set, but the lack of unique parts and the fact that I already had most of the minifigs made me pass it. I have to point out a minor flaw in the review, though. Ewald is not the first male minifigure in a sloped dress, that honor belongs to the 2012 Nute Gunray minifig. And nowadays there's actually a third "dude in a dress" as well, the Orthanc version of Saruman.

Ooh, the Beach House and the Juice Bar are must-buys for me! I'm also interested in the News Van, but I have to see what it entails more closely before making the purchase decision. But seriously, yet another stable as the big set? The poor girls of Hearlake must practically live in these stables, since there's only one residential building (and now the beach house) as opposed to the three stables in the city.

It's totally alright. This game was designed so that people can hop on and off in-between quests. As you've probably seen, even though the game has only run for two years, there has already been some comebacks after long absences (Etzel, Jebediah, The_Customizer, just to name a few).

OoC: The Paragon's job traits were updated just recently, so I'm not sure how well BD has been able to adapt them to the mechanics of this quest. Here's the traits that have not been specified in the rule page: Command – The barbarian chieftain can order allied or neutral NPCs to do their bidding; Aura of Honour - If all other party members have less than half of their health left, the guardian knight is bestowed with an aura that doubles their own health and draws in all attacks; Gamble – Each time the rogue thief gains gold, they can take a single gamble of “double or nothing” Ellaria finds her troops being surrounded by allies from almost every directions. "Well, this is certainly not what I meant with wanting to keep flanking..." she grumbles. She tries to find an opening to her troops to reach the crossbowmen, so she orders them to move north-east.

QM Note: Sorry, I wasn't waiting for BD, I was just busy with other things. Sküld seems relieved that the heroes aren't willing to stir trouble after all. "Awright, let's be on our way then! See you around, Teresa!" "Goodbye, Sküld, and give my regards to the Oracle. And it was good to meet you too, heroes. Your words about the witch are certainly news to me, although I did hear about some strange events at the Foundation Day Ball. We will all just have to see how far Ulric is willing to take this idea of making Eubric a kingdom." Waving goodbye to the elf, Sküld leads the party down the narrow winding street to the marble-walled Shrine of the Oracle that looks delicate and out-of-place squashed in between the tall and worn-out buildings surrounding it. When the party enters the antechamber of the shrine, they see a young girl in red accompanied with a U'kin warrior, who are standing idle. The girl smiles as she recognizes a few of the party members. "Nyx! Atramor! It has been such a long time! Are you here upon the Oracle's behest?" Sküld looks at the party, surprised. "Oh, you know our new novice priestess? Gee, the goddess certainly works in mysterious ways."

But still, the situation in Eubric cannot be compared to that. There is no established throne in Eubric, no actual nobility (apart from the nobles from other nations that have moved to the city), just a chaotic and erratic hierarchy. Ulric - and anyone else who would want to stabilize the situation - must first become popular to break the status quo. Sure, a foreign army could march into the city and take it over, and the commoners would have to pretty much deal with it, but I've made it pretty clear that Eubric and Uland are nigh impossible to conquer from the outside due to geographical and historical reasons. And again, this is a fantasy setting. Not medieval Europe.

Again, armies don't come out of nowhere - as much as fantasy movies and videogames like to tell you otherwise. ... Unless you're a necromancer, that is.

OoC: But that wasn't my action. I wanted to move south-east with your troops to keep the flanking bonus as we investigated further. Now I killed an enemy that was surrounded by two other troops, and effectively blocked their path. Ellaria keeps moving her troops south-east.

Naïve Druid Type: Holier Than Thou Level: 23 Health: 390/390 Ether: 3/3 Special I: "I Only Want What's Best For Everyone" - Heals the entire allied party and removes all negative effects from them all at the cost of 1 ether. Special II: "Where's my Elpis?!" - Becomes enraged and attacks the target for 46 damage and stuns them. Drops: Phoenix Essence Note: Specials alternate. Naïve Druid fights from the back row. Well, there isn't going to be a ballot voting or anything like that, but Ulric kinda needs the support of the people to become a king in a city that doesn't have one, right?

Are you asking if I'm going to have Ellaria look like that once she becomes a High Cleric? All I can say is maybe, there might be even better outfits for her once I get her to that stage.

"Accomplisment? Oh no, it's just that the leader of my tribe, Åsa Niflheimr, is good friends with Oracle Semiramis. She recommended me to the shrine. I'm the last child of my tribe, after all, so all the grown-ups pamper me to no end." "The Eubric Embassy, Miss. I work under the venerable Largh-múnd, keeping relations with all the various races dwelling in this city and collecting information about them. A lot of it is charity work, since many of the races have a hard time finding their place in this melting pot of cultures. However, there has been a big change in the position of the greenskins, for example, much thanks to the work done by Kukulkan, their spokesperson, but the Wolfgang has also been heavily promoting racial equality especially here in the Hovels. Just a few months ago, the Embassy opened up a school for the children of the slums, and most of the funding came from Ulric. So you can understand why I am reluctant to deem the organization as a mere crime gang, despite their earlier actions against the Six Houses."

It's a warrior's crest from the latest line of Ninjago. It also comes in black.

OoC: I didn't order an attack on the Pongcanis, but wanted to move south-east...

No, in the Heroica Statistics-topic. It seems you accidentally replied to your post instead of editing it.

Mr Gaunt is an enchanted scarecrow, actually. But his true nature is still veiled in mystery.

You can thank the absolutely superb minifig parts that TLG has produced during this past year. And yes, the red whazzamacallit is from Chima. Please also note the increased bustsize of the female barbarian (aka Shadina Impwrath, the most buxom barbarian in Olegaia ).

Here's the pictures I've prepared for the Veteran Classes. I based them off of the characters portrayed on the basic job class rules (Ellaria included), so you can compare their "evolution".

"As good-looking as you are, I still don't do business like that, Mr. Mystic Muscles. You name your offer, and I'll either decline or approve it."