Sandy

Quest#14 has ended on a high note, and I want to thank everyone who participated on my two quests again for your patience and loyalty. I never thought that the quests would last almost five months, but you all stuck with me to the end. I really adore you for that, and hope you had fun nevertheless. Oh, and here are cropped versions of the avatars of Olinn and Drake.

The female mages stare at each other for a while. Then Mabel turns away. "Oh, my dear little Bluto, always getting yourself in trouble. He was so young, too, only seven... Thank you for your honesty, although I cannot fathom what made you take a mere child to battles. At least he is alive, for now. I will contact the Almagesta of Salmanda immediately and negotiate a way to rescue Bluto." Then the woman runs off, leaving the party alone. The five heroes walk out of the mansion into the breaking dawn. A new day was ahead of you, with new adventures waiting just a couple of blocks away at the Heroica Hall. Suddenly Hoptet spoke, in the common tongue much to everyone's surprise. "Thank you, friends. Thothwick teach me your language on ship. I am... happiness... here in Eubric. I miss home, but Thothwick my... new family. I join Heroica, maybe go adventure with friends again." The Metasimian druid then smiles at Thothwick and squeezes his hand. Then the two wave goodbye to the others and walk away, their new-found love shining as brightly as the rising sun above them. ~The End~

These figs are just getting better and better. Of course I will get one of each, but my personal standouts in this series are the Ocean King, the Valkyrie, the Aztec Warrior and the Punk Rocker. Can't wait to get my hands on these!

The heroes hand over all the ingredients they gathered from Salmanda to Beth. The General Sourceress starts to brew the concoction immediately. When she is finished, the crystal chalice is filled to the brim with steaming liquid. She carefully pours it down the catatonic Zelda's throat. "I did the best I could. Now we can only pray for Ethereth's guidance that this potion will return our matriarch's soul..." The other members of the Ziegfried family that reside in the manor start to wake up and arrive to Zelda's bedside. They hold hands and chant mysterious verses. The party can sense their closeness. They dread the moment they have to spill the news of what happened to Bluto... A few hours later, the Grand Wizardine's body stirs and she opens her eyes slowly. Having been unconscious for so long, she has a hard time speaking, but manages to sit up and smile to her offspring as they gather around her. "You are back, grandmother!", High Conjurator Altair shouts. "This is a day of rejoice!" "We thought we would never hear your scoldings and feel your burning gaze on our necks again!" jokes Vice Warlocker Goldraum. "Granny... I'm so... happy..." Minor Occultess Chesterine sobs. The three children rush to hug their great-grandmother as well. But one is missing from the bunch... The heroes then move next to the bedside, and Cinna takes Zelda's hand and tells her the greetings from Salome. Zelda's eyes well up with tears as she learns how her childhood friend participated in saving her life. "It worked, thank the forces of Ethereth! You have done a miraculous job traveling as far as Salmanda and back, and you have all our gratitude. But now you must excuse us as we recount the Grand Wizardine the events of how she ended up in this condition. She does not know about her son Zed, yet, either... Schuester will give you your well-earned reward now. And please know that you are all friends of the Ziegfrieds now." With that, the party leaves Zelda's bedroom and follows the strange butler, who gives them 1000 gold to share. The party feel their confidence boosted upon succeeding in their mission, and they all gain a full level of experience. THE QUEST IS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED! Party: Bartholomew Docken (played by Brickdoctor) Level 20½ Ranger *scary* Power: 29 Health: 31/31 Gold: 250 Inventory: Briar Bow (WP:9, wood-elemental, ranged), Mockthril Longbow (WP:5, ranged), Dread Hat (enemies lower than half of wearer's level won't attack directly), Scarab Shield (SP:5, unsuitable), Mead, Venom, 2 Deadly Venoms, Smoke Bomb, Bedroll, Mythril Cinna the Dark (played by darkdragon) *Party Leader* Level 18 Mage Power: 28 Defence: 2 Health: 22/22 Ether: 22/22 Gold: 268 Inventory: Mauryl (WP:10, ranged), Aurora Helmet (SP:2, null fire), Amethyst (Darkness), Scroll of Sleep, 6 Grand Potions, Tonic, 6 Remedies, Elixir, Phoenix Essence, 2 Smelling Salts, Soma, 2 Deadly Venoms, Bedroll, Shovel Thormanil Nihai (played by swils) Level 18½ Barbarian Power: 31 Defence: 3 Health: 25/25 Gold: 252 Inventory: Wyvern's Tailblade (WP:12), Thundering Shadeaux Axes (WP:6, lightning-elemental), Tongue on a Stick (WP:1, Miss>Aim), Dull Greataxe (WP:3), Sabre (WP:8, not suitable), Bright Armor (SP:3, null darkness), 2 Potions, Phoenix Essence, Mead, Venom, 2 Deadly Venoms, Floral Bomb, Shovel, Pickaxe Thothwick (played by Professor Flitwick) Level 14½ Rogue Power: 22 (19 for ranged attacks) Health: 25/25 Gold: 538 Inventory: Sabre (WP:8), Chain Whip (WP:6), Shuriken (WP:5, ranged, retrievable), 2 Venoms, 2 Deadly Venoms, Floral Bomb, Bedroll, Telescope Hoptet (NPC, controlled by Professor Flitwick) Level 20½ Druid Power: 21 Health: 27/27 Ether: 21/21 Gold: 0 Inventory: Stick (WP:1) Even though they successfully saved Zelda, the heroes still need to find a way to tell about what happened to Bluto. The perfect opportunity to this comes when they spot Secondary Spiritist Mabel escorting the children to their room. There's an aura of worry and sadness on the usually so bubbly and flirtatious woman's face. "Oh, you're still here... I've been meaning to ask, have you heard anything about my son, Bluto? He disappeared right around the time you set on your journey to Salmanda. I have searched everywhere and used all magic spells I could think of in trying to find him, but either he is not in Eubric anymore or then he is..." The wizard bursts into bitter tears. What will the party respond?

I don't think I was opposing what you said. I merely said that some of the Heroica information on the signatures are there because I requested so, but the required information should easily fit into a tighter space if need be.

OoC: I was waiting for FredFredBurger to reply to this post, but I'm going to assume he will sell his portion of the wares if he still wishes to play. Maurice, Erdathcath and Ad-Hoh decided to return their portions of the stolen Hinckwell wares to the merchant family. The three visited the family's office at the harbour, where they met Lorcan Hinckwell himself. "So you found this Jolly Roger fellow and got rid of him? Splendid job! But this is not everything he stole from us... A true shame. You have done a good service for us, in any case, and the Hinckwells always reward generosity. We will keep your names in mind when we next seek aid from Heroica." With their reputation grown among both the Bonapartes and the Hinckwells, the three heroes felt confident to embark on new adventures.

Except that the players are inclined to keep their crucial statistics (as listed in the game rules) in their signatures, so that the quest hosts don't always have to click through the player profiles to see the stats. Some players have hidden the text behind footnotes, which is a clever way to keep the signature clean. The essential information can be crammed into one or two lines of text, anyway.

Ah, so it does. I guess I initially meant the bedroll to only restore health (or Pandora did, since the item was her idea), but I for one have allowed them to restore ether as well. I'd say for simplicity's sake it should restore both. I'll edit the Marketplace description.

In the dead of the night, the heroes return to the shipyard, where "the Flouncy Phoenix" is already waiting for them. Captain Squidraken is talking to a vaguely familiar furry person on the pier. "Ah, there you are! *gurgle* This is Scaro, the extra passenger I mentioned. He is an adventurer from the tribe of Hyenamen. *slurp* He does not talk our language much at all, but I always say that a heavy purse talks more than a thousand words, har har! *gulp* *splurt*" "<I believe we have met in passing some days ago. So you found the rare items you were searching for? I wish had your luck. Well, that is why I decided to go to Eubric in order to join Heroica. The captain here told that you are part of that organization. Perhaps we will embark on mutual quests together one day.>" Then Captain Squidraken noticed Hoptet. "*slurp* But who is this? I'll have you know that I do not accept freeriders aboard my ship! *gurgle* *spit*" The heroes explain the situation how they saved Hoptet from the menagerie and how the Metasimian helped them greatly in their task. Under the pressure the captain has no choice but to grudgingly accept Hoptet into the ship, muttering something about rations under his tentacles. Finally the voyage back to Eubric could begin. With a heavy heart the heroes left the young Bluto Ziegfried behind to Salmanda of the Golden Domes. The party reached their destination in two weeks, and immediately rushed to the Ziegfried Mansion. It was past midnight, but Beth Ziegfried was still up, taking care of the family matriarch. She let out a loud sigh of relief upon seeing the heroes, and immediately led them to Zelda's bedroom. "I was really worried if you'd make it back in time. The Grand Wizardine is still hanging on, but only by a thread. Please tell me you brought everything we need for the concoction? It is our only hope, even though there is no guarantee it will even work. I fear we might be running out of time very soon..." Beth awaits the party's reply.

~A new quest has been posted on the Quest Board (#26 by Xarrzan)!~

The name Portia came to my mind because it fits so well with "Potion Shack". Just say all three words aloud and you'll see what I mean. And Anwyl is of course a distortion of the word "anvil". I guess I just love to make references and play with words like that. Byblos is a distortion of the ancient greek word "biblos", which means a scroll or a book.

I'm actually planning to add an artifact store into the Marketplace - a permanent one, at that. There would be plenty of accessories that boost battle performance.

The exchange is made, and Bartholomew gains the mythril for an extra low price. Mythril – A very rare metal. A talented blacksmith can use it to mythrilize a weapon or a shield, increasing its power by 10. But has this little detour cost them too much of the precious time they have left? Will Zelda still be alive when they get back to Eubric? And what will be the reaction of the Ziegfrieds when they hear about Bluto's fate? All these questions race in the heroes' minds as they have to decide if they are ready to leave Salmanda behind. Party: Bartholomew Docken (played by Brickdoctor) Level 19½ Ranger *scary* Power: 28 Health: 30/30 Gold: 0 Inventory: Briar Bow (WP:9, wood-elemental, ranged), Dread Hat (enemies lower than half of wearer's level won't attack directly), Scarab Shield (SP:5, unsuitable), Mead, Venom, 2 Deadly Venoms, Smoke Bomb, Bedroll, Crystal Chalice, Mythril Cinna the Dark (played by darkdragon) *Party Leader* Level 17 Mage Power: 27 Defence: 2 Health: 18/21 Ether: 20/21 Gold: 18 Inventory: Mauryl (WP:10, ranged), Aurora Helmet (SP:2, null fire), Amethyst (Darkness), Scroll of Sleep, 6 Grand Potions, Tonic, 6 Remedies, Elixir, Phoenix Essence, 2 Smelling Salts, Soma, 2 Deadly Venoms, Bedroll, Shovel, Golden Scorpion Venom, Undead Unicorn's Horn, Demonic Dust Thormanil Nihai (played by swils) Level 17½ Barbarian Power: 30 Defence: 3 Health: 20/24 Gold: 2 Inventory: Wyvern's Tailblade (WP:12), Thundering Shadeaux Axes (WP:6, lightning-elemental), Tongue on a Stick (WP:1, Miss>Aim), Dull Greataxe (WP:3), Sabre (WP:8, not suitable), Bright Armor (SP:3, null darkness), 2 Potions, Phoenix Essence, Mead, Venom, 2 Deadly Venoms, Floral Bomb, Shovel, Pickaxe Thothwick (played by Professor Flitwick) Level 13½ Rogue Power: 21 (18 for ranged attacks) Health: 17/24 Gold: 288 Inventory: Sabre (WP:8), Chain Whip (WP:6), Shuriken (WP:5, ranged, retrievable), 2 Venoms, 2 Deadly Venoms, Floral Bomb, Bedroll, Telescope Hoptet (NPC, controlled by Professor Flitwick) Level 19½ Druid Power: 24 Health: 19/26 Ether: 7/20 Gold: 0 Inventory: Mockthril Longbow (WP:5, ranged), Stick (WP:1), Nocturne Amorella

Guess who's back? The new consumable items are also for sale, so go and splurge to your hearts' content.

The cobblestone pavement starts to rumble as a familiar black wagon rolls into the marketplace. It is vernal equinox, and with spring comes Elphaba and her mobile magic shoppe. Needless to say, most of the other merchants are not pleased to see her green face again. Portia hastily orders new items from the alchemists to lure in customers, but Gnomeo just settles for muttering. Anwyl, however, smiles under his bushy black beard. The long lonely winter is over, and he will have another month to spend with his beloved witch. ~Elphaba's Magic Wagon is now open to customers up until the 20th of April! Portia's Potion Shack now stocks Deadly Venoms, Soma and Floral Bombs, and the price of Mead, Smelling Salts and Nostrum have been increased.~

The heroes make their way to the shipyard, where they meet Captain Squidraken and his first mate Jaws playing a game of cards. They tell them that their mission is complete and they would be ready to set sail after nightfall. "*slurp* Duly noted! *squish* Oh, another passenger will board the ship with you. He paid a hefty price to get transportation to Eubric, so I'll send Jaws to inform him that we will depart tonight. *splat*" After that, the party retired to a nearby inn to wait for the night to fall. ~SIXTH NIGHT IN SALMANDA~ Their first stop was at the dark alley to return the extra Last Wish Potion to Nemeshtar the Necromancer. "So you managed to strike a deal with the crafty old witch, then? I'm surprised to see you in one piece despite having lost your young friend. I would've thought you would attempt something foolish such as defying Baba... Not even the Last Wish Potion would've helped to bring you back from that encounter, I guarantee you that. But you know what? I sometimes visit the bog to collect ingredients, so if I run into the witch's hut, I can check how the lad is faring and report to his family." The pleased heroes give the necromancer the address of the Ziegfried Mansion and continue to the empty souk. As promised, the skeleton-suit man emerges from the darkness with a glimmering piece of mythril in his hand. "Ready to seal the deal?", he asks Bartholomew. "I need 200 gold from you, and this coveted ore is yours."

Akbar accepts the price that Cinna offers and hands her an Elixir and a Phoenix Essence for 80 gold. "Yes, yes... Here you go." Party: Bartholomew Docken (played by Brickdoctor) Level 19½ Ranger *scary* Power: 28 Health: 30/30 Gold: 129 Inventory: Briar Bow (WP:9, wood-elemental, ranged), Dread Hat (enemies lower than half of wearer's level won't attack directly), Scarab Shield (SP:5, unsuitable), Mead, Venom, 2 Deadly Venoms, Smoke Bomb, Bedroll, Crystal Chalice Cinna the Dark (played by darkdragon) *Party Leader* Level 17 Mage Power: 27 Defence: 2 Health: 18/21 Ether: 20/21 Gold: 89 Inventory: Mauryl (WP:10, ranged), Aurora Helmet (SP:2, null fire), Amethyst (Darkness), Scroll of Sleep, 6 Grand Potions, Tonic, 6 Remedies, Elixir, Phoenix Essence, 2 Smelling Salts, Soma, 2 Deadly Venoms, Bedroll, Shovel, Golden Scorpion Venom, Undead Unicorn's Horn, Demonic Dust, Last Wish Powder Thormanil Nihai (played by swils) Level 17½ Barbarian Power: 30 Defence: 3 Health: 20/24 Gold: 2 Inventory: Wyvern's Tailblade (WP:12), Thundering Shadeaux Axes (WP:6, lightning-elemental), Tongue on a Stick (WP:1, Miss>Aim), Dull Greataxe (WP:3), Sabre (WP:8, not suitable), Bright Armor (SP:3, null darkness), 2 Potions, Phoenix Essence, Mead, Venom, 2 Deadly Venoms, Floral Bomb, Shovel, Pickaxe Thothwick (played by Professor Flitwick) Level 13½ Rogue Power: 21 (18 for ranged attacks) Health: 17/24 Gold: 288 Inventory: Sabre (WP:8), Chain Whip (WP:6), Shuriken (WP:5, ranged, retrievable), 2 Venoms, 2 Deadly Venoms, Floral Bomb, Bedroll, Telescope Hoptet (NPC, controlled by Professor Flitwick) Level 19½ Druid Power: 24 Health: 19/26 Ether: 7/20 Gold: 0 Inventory: Mockthril Longbow (WP:5, ranged), Stick (WP:1), Nocturne Amorella

Akbar takes the weapons and begrudgingly hands Cinna 85 gold (25+25+20+15) in return. "Now, you buy something, beautiful lady?" Party: Bartholomew Docken (played by Brickdoctor) Level 19½ Ranger *scary* Power: 28 Health: 30/30 Gold: 129 Inventory: Briar Bow (WP:9, wood-elemental, ranged), Dread Hat (enemies lower than half of wearer's level won't attack directly), Scarab Shield (SP:5, unsuitable), Mead, Venom, 2 Deadly Venoms, Smoke Bomb, Bedroll, Crystal Chalice Cinna the Dark (played by darkdragon) *Party Leader* Level 17 Mage Power: 27 Defence: 2 Health: 18/21 Ether: 20/21 Gold: 169 Inventory: Mauryl (WP:10, ranged), Aurora Helmet (SP:2, null fire), Amethyst (Darkness), Scroll of Sleep, 6 Grand Potions, Tonic, 6 Remedies, 2 Smelling Salts, Soma, 2 Deadly Venoms, Bedroll, Shovel, Golden Scorpion Venom, Undead Unicorn's Horn, Demonic Dust, Last Wish Powder Thormanil Nihai (played by swils) Level 17½ Barbarian Power: 30 Defence: 3 Health: 20/24 Gold: 2 Inventory: Wyvern's Tailblade (WP:12), Thundering Shadeaux Axes (WP:6, lightning-elemental), Tongue on a Stick (WP:1, Miss>Aim), Dull Greataxe (WP:3), Sabre (WP:8, not suitable), Bright Armor (SP:3, null darkness), 2 Potions, Phoenix Essence, Mead, Venom, 2 Deadly Venoms, Floral Bomb, Shovel, Pickaxe Thothwick (played by Professor Flitwick) Level 13½ Rogue Power: 21 (18 for ranged attacks) Health: 17/24 Gold: 288 Inventory: Sabre (WP:8), Chain Whip (WP:6), Shuriken (WP:5, ranged, retrievable), 2 Venoms, 2 Deadly Venoms, Floral Bomb, Bedroll, Telescope Hoptet (NPC, controlled by Professor Flitwick) Level 19½ Druid Power: 24 Health: 19/26 Ether: 7/20 Gold: 0 Inventory: Mockthril Longbow (WP:5, ranged), Stick (WP:1), Nocturne Amorella

Am I missing something, because I don't see Macoco's joining message anywhere... Myrddyn, I seem to have missed your joining as well. Welcome to the game! I just hope having two barbarians with a very similar name does not confuse anyone.

I have already PM'ed a couple of players to warn about their disruptive behaviour, but I want to notify all players about the same thing. It is totally alright to have fun, joke around and enjoy this game, but please avoid making a mess while doing it. Certain type of posts belong in certain topics, and the index will help you on that if you are in doubt. If you want to have idle chit-chat and experience wacky hijinks in between quests, do so in the Heroica Hall topic. Do not post that sort of stuff into the more informative topics such as the Library or the Treasury. Do not attempt to affect the game by setting places on fire or creating superpowered weapons for yourself, but respect the rules and the other players. This way we can all continue to enjoy the game, no matter if we've been here since the beginning or have just joined in. Thanks!

Akbar smiles forcedly. "Well, it depends on what you have for sale, beautiful lady."

By Cinna's decision the party returns to the Souk. Akbar’s Exquisite Requisites Potion – Restores 10 health to the target. Costs 12 gold. Grand Potion – Restores 25 health to the target. Costs 20 gold. Elixir – Restores 50 health and 10 ether to the target and removes all negative effects from the target during a battle. Costs 80 gold. Remedy – Removes all negative effects from the target during a battle. Costs 20 gold. Phoenix Essence – Revives a fallen ally with full health during a battle. Costs 100 gold. Smoke Bomb – Allows the party to escape the battle. Costs 15 gold. Shovel – Allows the hero to dig the ground in search of a treasure. Costs 20 gold. Magnifying Glass - Allows the hero to see trap triggers. Costs 60 gold. Crystal Chalice – A fragile cup made of crystal. Costs 140 gold. Gold Chalice – A precious cup made of gold. Costs 200 gold. Fatim’s Wondrous Sundries Grand Potion – Restores 25 health to the target. Costs 18 gold. Grand Tonic – Restores 15 ether to the target. Costs 50 gold. Phoenix Essence – Revives a fallen ally with full health during a battle. Costs 90 gold. Venom – Use on a weapon to make it cause a poisoned-effect on any enemy it hits for the duration of one battle. A poisoned enemy loses 1 health each turn. Costs 10 gold. Heady Perfume – Makes non-humanoid monsters avoid attacking the party unless provoked. Effect lasts for one day or night before wearing out. Costs 50 gold. Magic Compass - Allows the hero to know the right direction. Costs 100 gold. Gold Chalice – A precious cup made of gold. Costs 150 gold. Black Pearl – An sought-after dark pearl. Costs 125 gold. Mythril – A very rare metal. Costs 1000 gold. Sayid’s Bizarre Bazaar Potion – Restores 10 health to the target. Costs 10 gold. Tonic – Restores 5 ether to the target. Costs 30 gold. Grand Tonic – Restores 15 ether to the target. Costs 60 gold. Remedy – Removes all negative effects from the target during a battle. Costs 20 gold. Venom – Use on a weapon to make it cause a poisoned-effect on any enemy it hits for the duration of one battle. A poisoned enemy loses 1 health each turn. Costs 11 gold. Smoke Bomb – Allows the party to escape the battle. Costs 10 gold. Heady Perfume – Makes non-humanoid monsters avoid attacking the party unless provoked. Effect lasts for one day or night before wearing out. Costs 60 gold. Hexed Idol – Causes the hexed-effect to one humanoid enemy, making it act against an ally instead of the heroes for one round. Breaks after one use. Costs 50 gold. Shovel – Allows the hero to dig the ground in search of a treasure. Costs 20 gold. Black Pearl – An sought-after dark pearl. Costs 150 gold. Crystal Chalice – A fragile cup made of crystal. Costs 120 gold.

Bartholomew has no way of tracking the witch. The party decides to return to Salmanda using a direct route. ~SIXTH DAY IN SALMANDA~ The heroes return to the city. Will they wait for the nightfall or visit someplace during the day?

I don't know if I've understood completely what Flipz means, but the element of a weapon does not affect spells. The imbued element only comes to play when attacking with the weapon. The elemental stacking rule is for situations where a weapon has been imbued with several gems. In summary, elemental attacks and spells are two different things. Hope this clears the issue up.

xxlrocka and Bricksandparts, please reduce the amount of OOC posts in the Heroica Hall topic. If you have questions, ask them here. Like I said earlier, I'm going to host a Mafia School game first, then I will host a new quest, but currently I'm pondering between three options, and the one involving the boys is one of them.