Zepher

The heroes do not take time to prepare, or even respond to the Doc. They stand quietly as a skittering noise slowly gets closer and closer. They all cry out as the world turns to black for a second once more, and when the darkness clears, the good Doctor has been replaced by four strange monsters. The Hourlings. The Enemies Id Level 5 Hourling Health: 400/400 SP: 1 Special: Ego – Encourages the hero for the next round. Jinxs them for the round following that. Drops: Nostrum, Mead, Deadly Poison x2 Uma Level 3 Hourling Health: 324/324 SP: 2 Special: Envy – Uma attacks a hero with a force equal to the hero’s power, minus half the hero’s current health. This blow disregards SP/row. Drops: Nothing Gotti Level 30 Hourling Health: 302/302 Special: Unto – Hexes his attacker for the following turn. Drops: Telescope Sig Level 3 Hourling Health: 700/700 SP: 0 Special: Dance – Sig performs a cool dance for the heroes! Drops: Dance Shoes The Party Guts Holla, Level 19 Raider *Party Leader* Power: 33(27) Health: 32/32 Gold: 595 Inventory: Lifestealer (WP:14, Ice, attacks restore 3 health), Beholder's Eye, Bedroll, Shovel, Mythril Shard, 6x Mead, 5x Nostrum, 6x Smelling Salts,, Grand Potion, Elixir, 9x Grand Potion Grand Tonic, 5x Remedy, 1x Phoenix Essence, 2x Phoenix Essence. Hybros, Level 19 Assassin Power: 32 (33 for Clock Cog, 28 for Bladerang, 27 for all other throwing weapons, except 24 for Shuriken of Mercutio) Health: 31/31 Gold: 919 Inventory: Zoot's Reaper (WP:13, Earth), Clock Cog (WP: 14, retrievable), Shuriken of Mercutio (WP:5, retrievable), 2 Throwing Knives (WP:8, retrievable), Banana Bladerang (WP:9, damage all, retrievable), Ancient Throwing Dagger (WP: 8, retrievable), Helmet (Max HP +1), Cat Statuette (Max HP +1), Golden Armor (Artifact, Bodywear, User is permanently hastened and cursed), Grand Potion, 1 Smelling Salts, 6 Grand Potions 10 Potions, 5 Remedies, 2 Phoenix Essences, 2 Smoke Bombs, 3 Holy Bombs, 5 Nostrums, Mead, Smelling Salts, Deadly Venom, Bone, Bedroll, Skeleton Decoy, Shovel, Emerald Bartholomew Docken, Level 22 1/3 Warden *Scary* Power: 33 Health: 33/41 Defense: 15 Gold: 451 (50 Gold loaned to Arthur Justus Regulus VII [Flipz]) Inventory: Briar Bow (WP: 11; Wood Elemental), Mockthril Longbow (WP: 5), Mythril Shield (SP: 15), Frozen Saber (WP: 9, causes stunned effect to opponents), Dread Hat (enemies lower than half of wearer's Level won't attack directly), Quiver of Poisoning (permanent poisoned effect to all attacks, backwear), White Marksman's Hat (⅙ chance of Assassination vs. Flying monsters), Lover's Locket (immune to the Enamored effect), Bedroll, Mead, Venom, Smoke Bomb, Soma, Grand Tonic,Potions (5) Note: Hourlings have no elemental weaknesses or resistances. Little icon versions of these guys will be up tomorrow. Work schedule is still being crazy.

Guts hands Guffington his weapons, and the heroes are whisked away into the fog. Darkness explodes around them, and they find themselves face down on hard stone slabs. They stand up and are greeted by a familar face. Have they exited Guffington's mind? "Hello. You are the ones who won glory in the arena, correct? Good. I have use for you. I was breeding a new species here called the 'Hourlings'. They would change shapes every hour, right on the chime of the grand clock. However... the grand clock has been broken, and the Hourlings went berserk. They didn't know when to change. They've all escaped their cells, and come to haunt me every night, demanding that I return the clock. I must have them defeated. Will you help me?" OoC: Picture won't edit correctly and I feel like the words I'm writing make no sense. Ridiculously tired. Will update again in the morning, sorry folks.

Weird double shift scooping ice cream. Means I won't be able to update until 12 PM here, sorry everyone.

Guffington looks at them, misty eyed. "I think you've got other places to go. And it's been very hard to tell time since that clock tower broke. Now, would you like to give me weapons, or not?"

OoC: No Nostrum, when the battle ended the battle ended . The fog starts to close in on the heroes, and they feel they are about to be whisked away, but it parts slightly and they see Guffington again, standing in front of scenery that seems to almost be changing as they watch. "Hello! How are you? Oh, you're the people who gave me that gold. Boy oh boy, won't you be happy? Turns out I've got a mind for this business thing, though I don't really know how or why. I just invest in what looks fun. Anyway, I've made quite a bit. You each gave me 100 gold, right? I think I'll give you 120 gold back! That seems fair enough." "Tell you what. I've just bought a smithy somewhere in the High Kingdoms, and I'm on my way to visit him. He says that he slew a Dragon once... only reason I invested in him, actually. I want to see the Dragon Hide... though I may just go to Dastan to see a Dragon for myself, sooner or later. Do you want to give me any weapons to take to him? It will be a long trip... don't know when I'd be able to get them back to you, but it would be well worth it, or so he tells me!" What will the heroes do? The Party Guts Holla, Level 19 Raider *Party Leader* Power: 33(27) Health: 32/32 Gold: 595 Inventory: Lifestealer (WP:14, Ice, attacks restore 3 health), Throwing Knife (WP: 8 Light, Retrievable), Glass Dagger (WP: 5, Grand Potion Stored) Beholder's Eye, Bedroll, Shovel, Mythril Shard, 6x Mead, 5x Nostrum, 6x Smelling Salts,, Elixir, 9x Grand Potion Grand Tonic, 5x Remedy, 1x Phoenix Essence, 2x Phoenix Essence. Hybros, Level 19 Assassin Power: 32 (33 for Clock Cog, 28 for Bladerang, 27 for all other throwing weapons, except 24 for Shuriken of Mercutio) Health: 31/31 Gold: 919 Inventory: Zoot's Reaper (WP:13, Earth), Clock Cog (WP: 14, retrievable), Shuriken of Mercutio (WP:5, retrievable), 2 Throwing Knives (WP:8, retrievable), Banana Bladerang (WP:9, damage all, retrievable), Ancient Throwing Dagger (WP: 8, retrievable), Helmet (Max HP +1), Cat Statuette (Max HP +1), Golden Armor (Artifact, Bodywear, User is permanently hastened and cursed), Grand Potion, 1 Smelling Salts, 6 Grand Potions 10 Potions, 5 Remedies, 2 Phoenix Essences, 2 Smoke Bombs, 3 Holy Bombs, 5 Nostrums, Mead, Smelling Salts, Deadly Venom, Bone, Bedroll, Skeleton Decoy, Shovel, Emerald Bartholomew Docken, Level 22 1/3 Warden *Scary* Power: 33 Health: 33/41 Defense: 15 Gold: 451 (50 Gold loaned to Arthur Justus Regulus VII [Flipz]) Inventory: Briar Bow (WP: 11; Wood Elemental), Mockthril Longbow (WP: 5), Mythril Shield (SP: 15), Frozen Saber (WP: 9, causes stunned effect to opponents), Dread Hat (enemies lower than half of wearer's Level won't attack directly), Quiver of Poisoning (permanent poisoned effect to all attacks, backwear), White Marksman's Hat (⅙ chance of Assassination vs. Flying monsters), Lover's Locket (immune to the Enamored effect), Bedroll, Mead, Venom, Smoke Bomb, Soma, Grand Tonic,Potions (5)

For those of you who have anxiously been waiting: the final picture of Quest 41 has been edited into the final post.

History of the Game Pt. II – The Story (Quests 1-10) The city of Eubric and the Hall of Heroica both have a rich history, much of which can be found in the Library of Heroica Hall. This article will instead deal in the history of the “Main Storyline” and the “Sub Storylines” that have taken place since the beginning of the game last August. Bear in mind, this history is meant to encompass the entire game, and not all the players, necessarily. Some events may refer to some player characters – in the cases that they influenced important story-points. Do not take it as a slight if your character wasn’t included. Many characters have done great things that simply did not make it into this article. Also note that the quests are done in number order, which is for the most part, but not entirely, chronological. The quests are treated as if they go exactly in number order. An Overview of Quests 1-10 Quests 1-10 were our first look at the world of Heroica. We were introduced to three of the six houses of Eubric, all of whom would play a major part later in the epic story. The possibly antagonist and possibly rightful Wolfgang made their first appearance as well. Powerful and important NPC villains such as Crozen and Wren made their debuts, and important factions such as the Brobric Elves and Lion Knights stepped onto the center stage. The species Pongcanis was likewise introduced. The heroes visited many places in Eubric City, most notably the Academy of Enlightenment, and travelled all over Uland, and even to lands beyond, such as the High Kingdoms and Cathargo. Quest 1 – Harvest Time Harvest Time was the first public quest posted. Farmer Ol’ MacConald hired a group of six heroes to protect his farm from a number of pests. The heroes succeeded and were then returned to the hall. If anything of major import happened here, it is yet to be discovered, though Farmer MacDonald appears to be in charge of the Unlimited Battle Quest, so it’s possible we’ll be seeing more of him and his fields. Quest 2 – Looking Through the Wares This quest introduced the first two of the six houses in charge of Eubric that the heroes met. The Hinckwells, the house to hire the heroes, are a merchant house. They believed their wares to have been stolen by the Shadeaux, another merchant house and their competitors. The heroes were met by Lorcan Hinckwell, son of Heinrich Hinckwell. The heroes entered and fought their way through a Shadeaux warehouse until they encountered Umbra, the first of Count Shadeaux’s many children. The heroes fought and defeated Umbra, and returned to Lorcan, who informed the heroes that the goods had in fact been stolen by a pirate named Jolly Roger. Jolly Roger would not rear his head for a while longer. Quest 3 – The Missing Matriarch The heroes met the third of the six families here. The Zeigfrieds are a family of magic users, who were missing their leader, Zelda. The heroes met their entire clan before a force swept through the house, and changed the many family members into magical pieces of furniture. After freeing the family from the curse, the heroes realized that Zed, a powerful member of the family, was in cahoots with a demon named Abraxas, who apparently had control over the house, and required offerings that included Zed’s wife and Chesterine’s wits. Zed was consumed by flames for his betrayal of the demon, and Zelda recovered, in a coma. Quest 4 – Taming the Lions Taking the events of this quest and writing them down in a small paragraph is a challenge, to say the least. The quest intro’d a number of important heroes and factions. But, I’ll do my best. The heroes of Heroica were hired by Isaac Shawe, a member of the Shadeaux, who tells them that caravans have been raided by unknown raiders, new to the Free Islands. The heroes were then presented with a dagger marked with an emblem we now all recognize at the Lion Knights. Issac and the heroes set out to investigate. The heroes met a knight in Bric’Lin who identified the dagger for them and told them that the dagger belonged to the Lion Knights, who had some connection to the Hinckwells. Outside another settlement, Mopag, the heroes are attacked by a group of warrior beasts called Pongcanis. Though little was known about them at the time, they play an important role in later events in many different quests and stories. In R’Klif, the heroes met the Brobric elves, namely their leader, Keveak. Keveak said that the Brobric are already dealing with the Lion Knights. He asked the heroes to sign an alliance with them so that they may deal with the Lion Knights together, and warned if they did not sign, they would not be allowed to combat the Lion Knights. The heroes signed. The party travels, now with a Brobric elf named Seaian, to meet Lord Normorn, the head of Brobric intelligence. He tells the heroes that the Lion Knights are an invading force of foreigners, preparing to take over Uland before invading the further off lands of the High Kingdoms, Ennon, etc. The heroes decide to infiltrate a Lion Knights base. Before this, they stop in Eubric, and hear voices discussing events in Triad Park. They continue on to Bric’Lin, and half-way there stumble upon a Lion Knights camp. They infiltrate the camp, but find no large force. Isaac remarks that the land is prime land for farming, and wonders aloud what the Lion Knights could want with it. They also find notes about the Hinckwells being on the side of the Lion Knights, and the Brobric Elves’ open hostility. Most notable is a note that says that the Lion Knights must avoid war at all costs. Isaac spurs the heroes on, and they go to a meeting between the Brobric, the Hinckwells, and the Lion Knights. Isaac tells them to kill the man responsible for raiding the caravans. The leaders present are: Commodore Martin Largus (Hinckwells), Lord Keveak and Lord Lord Ricroar (Brobric Elves), and Sir Leonard Kniveton (Lion Knights). The heroes attack and kill the Brobric Elves. After being paid by the Shadeaux, the heroes are informed by Commodore Largus that the Shadeaux hired the heroes to start a war between the Lion Knights and Elves. The talk the heroes interrupted was one of peace – the Lion Knights were simply a farming folk who wanted to start anew in a new land. Now, the Elves believed that the Lion Knights assassinated their leaders, with the help of the Hinckwells. The Shadeaux would sell weapons to both sides. The heroes left, disgraced. Quest 5 – Cave Sounds The heroes were asked to investigate the caves of Earn Hinckwell, as strange and ghostly sounds have been coming from them. Eran explained that the land once belonged to an old family of mages who used the cave as a burial ground. The heroes fought their way through a slew of enemies, most of them undead. It became apparent that the cave once belonged to the Porthiar Family. The heroes were eventually confronted by the once great leader of the family, Crozen. They soundly defeated the menace, and collected their reward. Quest 6 – WANTED: Donny Dozenhands This quest was the first appearance of one of the seven major factions off the game, the Wolfgang. The Wolfgang was the fourth of the seven to be revealed, and the last of the seven mentioned in the first ten quests. The heroes were hired by the city guard to deal with a notorious thief and member of the Wolfgang. The heroes met their employer, Lilbelly, the Captain of the City Watch. The heroes were tasked with tracking down Donny Dozenhands, which they did deftly enough, following him into the sewers. The heroes were faced with various members of the Wolfgang, and eventually cornered Donny, who convinced them to spare him. Haldor, Skrall and En Sabah Nur did so, and received a good standing with the Wolfgang for their efforts. The Town Watch was less than thankful, and dismissed the heroes quickly. Though it was not expressly said during the quest, this failure cost Captain Lilbelly his job. The Houses replaced him with Captain Patricia, demoting him. Quest 7 – The Arena This quest marks the appearance of Wren, and a number of important NPCs who appear in associated quests later. This quest takes place in the High Kingdoms, though this is not known until near the end of the quest. It is the first quest to take place outside Uland. The quest began with the heroes in a holding cell. They armed themselves, and fought in a series of matches in an arena, run by Draco and Wren. It is revealed that Wren once had ties to Heroica, and is a “fallen hero”. Eventually, with a few of their members imprisoned, the heroes fought the guards and escaped, along with fellow prisoners Felton, Hans, and a barbarian they named “Phil”. Felton and Hans were from near-by towns, and Phil was from unknown lands. The heroes fought their way through a series of rooms, and freed their fellow quest-mates. They eventually, through solving an anagram, took note of Wren’s association with the God of Chaos, Zoot. The heroes eventually faced off against Draco, who was slain by Wren near the end of the battle. She explained she was collecting Chaos. To what ends, it was uncertain. Cronk led Felton and Hans out a different way, and all three NPCs and the heroes were freed. Quest 8 – The Sacred Sands A group of heroes set out to the sandy region of Cathrago to retrieve a King’s treasure for him. Fighting through masses of undead and Scarab Beatles, the heroes eventually arrived in the tomb of the Undead General San Di. The heroes defeated him and returned the treasures to the King. Quest 9 – Trespassers The heroes were once again hired by the Hinckwells. They were tasked with protecting the animals on the Hinckwell grounds. The heroes eventually tracked down two poachers, who were attempting to make off with the Hinckwells’ centaurs. The poachers are defeated, and the heroes returned to the Hall with heavier pockets. Quest 10 - Extra-Circular Activities The heroes were sent to the Academy of Enlightenment to investigate a number of vandalism that had been carried out. The heroes fight their way through a series of bizarre events and challenges, and pick up the Orc Jensen along the way, the night watchman at the academy. It becomes clear pretty quickly that these “vandals” are of a more spectral nature. The heroes also meet two young sons of the Hinckwells and the Shadeauxs, who are against all odds, friends. They two inform the heroes that the hauntings started right after Isabeau Carpenter went missing a week ago. The heroes also come closer to failing a quest due to a loss of a battle than anyone else in Heroica history when they are forced to fight themselves. The heroes finally find the haunted spirit of dead Isabeau and set her free. When the heroes try to tell the Provost, he covers it up. The Provost, boys, and Jensen all bid the party farewell, but they are all sure to be seen again. Guess which quest I like the pictures for the most... (it's 4 and 10...) Up Next... History of the Game Pt. II – The Story (Quests 11-18) I'd also REALLY like to see, if anyone has the time, an article on the factions of Heroica, and the species. They'd be very cool, I just don't have the time. History, gods, etc. would also be cool, if that holds more interest.

I don't know if there even needs to be a quest about them. Just having them pop up here and there, much like the Frog Paladins or Mossycloak, would be a fun way to build them collaboratively without having a quest centered on them.

Re-reading Q4... there was so much good stuff in there. For example: Someone MUST revisit Normorn's Folly in some quest. What a great story. I personally will be using a Blue Assassin in some future quest in some way. We have a whole order of Assassins waiting for us out there, why isn't anyone putting them to good use?!

Hopefully by Saturday? If Quest 4 didn't exist, it would be up around... now. That thing is a monster to summarize, and I'm not sure how well I'm doing it. I think it stands as one of the very best quests of Heroica history, and I am trying to do it justice... And yes, the next part is coming out in four parts.

Wedge09, Atramor cannot tell you anything, he is in Dastan. If you asked the question in character, and he answered in character, that would make sense, but otherwise you got to be careful and check who is in the hall.

Maybe Jebs just used the same face.

Oh, no doubt this is just the tip of the iceberg. I didn't even glance on artifacts and their changes and uses. And fixed, thanks for the catch!

History of the Game Pt. I – Mechanics This article is 95% fact checked . This is one of the parts that most interested me. If you look at a battle near the beginning of the game versus one now… well, you can tell why QMs (even the original QM) make mistakes now more than they used to. The system that we play with is still relatively simple, but there is no doubt that it has grown. This part of this article will take a quick and hopefully (but no promises) look at the evolution of the game, mechanically. Even now there are constantly changes to the rules. Did you know that now, scrolls don’t count as a player targeting an enemy? Where to start? None of us “normals” got to see the test quest, but we are assured that there were significant changes between that and the first quest of the true game. The evolution of the game being in the players’ hands is highlighted, even at this early stage. Way back when in the discussion topic, Sandy told us that we had Pandora to thank for the inclusion of bedrolls. Can anyone imagine a quest without them? Clerics would no doubt be in higher demand. The first three quests of the game did little to change the mechanics. Sandy had tested them out already, and few changes, if any were required. The fourth quest of the game was the first one hosted by someone other than Sandy, and so all the players held their breath. What would Brickdoctor deliver? Quest 4 was a pivotal one in the game for a number of reasons. It stretched the number of guesties to eight, the highest that any quest has had to date, and proved that this could work too. He introduced a more free-form game style – night and days were included (something that has been sorely underused since this point), allowed the heroes to visit different villages in any order that they chose, and started a mechanic that is now common: the NPC in the party. It seems common-place now, but believe it or not, until that Brobric Elf joined the party, no NPC had ever travelled with the party before. Quest 6 held a small surprise that was game changing, though not strictly mechanical. The heroes of Quest 6 were the first to fail a quest, and still gain a reward of some kind. Skrall, Haldor and Nur chose to allow Donny Dozenhands go, and “failed” the quest, although they did not lose a single battle. Failing quests suddenly became an option, and player’s choices were proven to effect the major story-line. The next major change in the mechanics came in Quest 7, run by Zepher. This quest was the first to take away the inventories of the players, a technique not used again expect for shortly in Quest 23, and to a lesser degree in Quest 39. More importantly, Quest 7 unveiled the “side-quest”. Run in a PM, so that the main questies could not see it, Cronk and a number of NPCs fought against enemies and solved their own puzzles. This technique would be used in varying ways and for different purposes in other quests, such as Quest 16, 19, 28, and 30, to name a few. Some side-quests feature requests from NPCs, some contain puzzles, and some battles. Quest 11 is arguably the quest that most changed the way that the game was played. The heroes arrived at the Eubric Freeport Apothecary, and saw items for sale that had never been seen before. Mead, Smelling Salts, and a Nostrum were the first of many status inducing consumables, and the three still most commonly used. How often, now, do we see a battle where one of the heroes (never Cronk though, who refuses to use performance enhancing drugs) is under the effects of one of these three consumables? WBD perhaps did not know that they would extend past his quest, but they did so, and have greatly increased the number of strategies and options open to the heroes. The strategy of a rogue using all three consumables was first introduced by Hybros, who nearly always won back the gold spent. It was around this time that Sandy introduced a new strategy for heroes as well, most notably used by Arthur, the “Scroll Mage”. Elphaba rolled her cart into the Eubric Marketplace for the first time, and with her came her scrolls. Though some QM’s dislike the scrolls immensely… they certainly open up a new option for the players. The scrolls work in many ways as the opposite of the consumables introduced by WBD. Instead of enhancing the players, they hinder the enemies. In battles against large numbers or strong enemies, these scrolls are invaluable, stopping enemies in their tracks by putting them to sleep, sealing them, stunning them, or even causing them to act against an ally. Quest 16 introduced the fourth of the major player effects, called blessed. After visiting a shrine of Ennoc, the players were given the blessed effect, which gave them a 50/50 chance of regaining health at the end of each round. The effect was seen again in Quest 19, given to Hoke by the Dragon Vipera, but the consumable Soma was introduced after 23, where a pair of Paladins were seen talking about transporting it into the city. By the time that Soma hit the shelves, the healing of 3 health at the end of the round was guaranteed. Quest 17 by Brickdoctor once again introduced a new mechanic. It was here that we saw the first “tower defense” battle of Heroica, with a map that the heroes could navigate. Admittedly, in Quest 16, the heroes were tasked with defending a tower, though that battle ran very much like a normal one, while in Quest 17, the heroes were given a map to navigate and free range to improve their defenses. The navigable map would be used in later quests, though the improvement of defenses has yet to be seen again. The game continues to grow. Quest 31 premiered the hex battle with troops to be commanded, a technique that has been seen once more in Quest 37. Only recently, a new permanent shop has opened in the marketplace, a testament to the rise of unique artifacts. One needs only look at Quest 35 to see that new creative battles are always coming into play, along with new scrolls and consumables. The game will no doubt keep growing over the next year, and we are certain to see notable advancements as the years go on. Up Next... History of the Game Pt. II – The Story (Quests 1-10) Comments and thoughts may go in this thread, along with any other articles, which I will gladly index! Come all ye writers, I'm sure you want to remind us of our own greatness!

Lord Lawrence Boomingham (Zepher) 48 year old male human Vindicator Level 36.25 *Immune to darkness, fire, fragile, sleep, weakened, and blinded* *Affluence* *1/2 chance of being reinforced* *Zweihänder Grip* Power Bonus: +5 (+5 front row) Defense: 8 Health: 59/59 Ether: 36/36 Gold: 318 Equipment: Scupperer (WP:17; darkness-, fire- and earth-elemental; inflicts bleeding and poisoned by 10; has 1/2 chance each to inflict blinded, sealed, weakened and fragile; greatsword), Tome of Affluence (+10 Gold if equipped for the entirety of a battle; grants immunity to fragile, asleep, weakened, blinded, darkness and fire; accessory), Vest of Faded Trials (SP:8, 1/2 chance of granting reinforced effect at the start of every battle, Immune to Fragile; Suitable for Knights, Barbarians, Dragoons, Skirmishers, Regulators, Vindicators; bodywear and headwear), Fighting Boots (Power +5 on the front row; suitable to barbarians, knights, rogues, beast warriors, chi monks, dragoons, harlots, infiltrators, marauders, skirmishers, regulators, vindicators and winged warriors; footwear.) Inventory: Weapons: Epidemic Halberd (WP:8, causes all negative effects that the user has to the target when attacking; halberd), Venom Fang Blade (WP:9, causes poisoned equal to WP; longsword), Lullaby Wand (WP:6, inflicts asleep), Silver Sword (WP: 18, Longsword), Frozen Saber (WP: 15; light-, ice- and wind-elemental; inflicts stunned; great sword), Round Metal Shield (SP:7), Artifacts: Crown of the Desert King (SP:6; absorbs fire, wind, and earth; suitable for Boomingham only, headwear.), Venomari Helmet (SP:2, absorb poison as health; helmet), Hood of Belthazar Bluehood (Power +4; Ether -6; headwear), Scarlet Hood (SP:4, grants immunity to stunned), Chains of the Pongcanis Chief (Hero Pierces SP if fighting from Front, Enemies ignore SP if hero fights from the back row, cannot be removed in battle), Amulet of Optimism (Adds the confused-effect to all attacks; accessory, suitable to Erdathcath only), 2x Prayer Beads (Makes the wearer permanently blessed; accessory.), Counterstrike Gloves (If the wearer is damaged by a Free Hit, they counter with strength equal to their level; handwear.), Crimson Suit of Armor (SP:12, allows wearer to pose as Crimson Bear Knight; takes three artifact slots: bodywear, headwear and footwear), Spell Items: Amethyst (Darkness), Scroll of Recklessness (Encouraged and Fragile; costs 5 Ether; 50/50 chance), Emerald Lamp of Summoning (0/3), “True Love Serenade” (restores 50 health to the rest of the party per round; costs 10 ether; Battle Song) Consumables: Potion, Health Core, 2x Remedy, 2x Phoenix Essence, Danab's Apple (Revives all fallen party members, restores full health and ether to the whole party and removes all negative effects from them; consumable), 13x Mead, 4x Smelling Salt, 4x Nostrum, 2x Ambrosia, Fire Brandy (Encouraged, Immune to Ice), Fireball Whiskey (Immunity to Fire One Battle OR 20 Fire Damage All Enemies), Hamantasch (Lucky, Blessed), Jinxy Juice, 2x Floral Bomb, Seal Bomb, Poison Bomb, Stun Bomb, Seth Bomb (Deals 100 darkness-elemental damage to all opponents when used.), Feather of Flight (Allows the user to flee from the battle when used.), Hair of the Dog, 2x Grating Stone, Oculoid Miasma, Oculoid Fireworks, Saber Teeth, Bone, x2 Shining Polish Tools/Treasure: Bedroll, Shovel, Pickaxe, Vindicator's Seal (Grants access to the Vindicator expert job class; cannot be given away), Mythril Shard 51 Years Old, Human Debts: 128 Gold Arthur, 1 gold Docken, 75 gold Sorrow Health: Chicken Leg (+2, Quest 28), Drumstick (+1, Quest 70) Power: Pseudo's Blessing (+4, Quest 40), Big Apple (+1, Quest 70)

Boomingham gives Jess a friendly nod and wink as he passes by her on the way to the smith's. "Good day, chappo. Look what I picked up?" Boomingham shows off his garnet with a flick of his wrist. "Want to put it in this?" Boomingham places his King of the Desert on the counter of the stall. The smith grumbles, but takes the sword and does his work while Boomingham leans against the stall's wall and picks his teeth. Soon, the smith hands back the blade which now has a sprinkling of garnet brown in the blade, along with the ruby and amethyst in the hilt. "Thank you. This shall serve me well." Boomingham slides the sword into the top of the two scabbards on his hip. (79-50=29)

Call it what you like. Some people in the real world sometimes try to speak now and then, but can't think of anything to say, so they just leave it at whatever actually needs to get done. Takes all kinds of characters to populate the world of Heroica, just like the real world.

"Could very well be, my dear. It turns out that life is a fleeting thing. Here one minute, gone the next." Boomingham rises and nods to all his tablemates - the two barbarians, the evoker, and the mage. "It has been a pleasure, but if I don't leave the Hall soon, I'm afraid I never will. It's off to the marketplace and then an inn of some sort. See you all soon, and if I don't, best of luck."

I don't know if I've ever told you how fitting I find that in Docken. He really does remain one of my favorite characters. He fulfills the much needed character in Heroica: simple, smart, fair-minded, noble, task-oriented, quiet. It, at first, seems like a lack of role-playing, but in truth it's just playing a character other people are too afraid to play. I'm expecting MORE from you in the Theatre Thread soon. You promised us more tips, I want to hear them!

"Can't say I have run across a Maurice, but I'll take your word when you say that he's a decent enough chap." "Nyx is an old travelling companion. We fought deadies out in the desert, long time ago, and then we parted ways. Last I saw her, she was off to Guard the Guards of Eubric. Silly errand, but she'd be good at it. I think she may have moved on to Dastan, though. It's like I said to Alexis, in the Hall, you don't know when you'll next see a person, if ever."

I've said it before (I'm sure... probably) and I'll say it again, but I LOVE this point of the game. After a full year, the heroes are actually friends. Like... actually friends. They behave as actual friends would. They bother each other and support each other and have backs and forths that are realistic. We've played them for so long that we know them, and they've interacted with each other for so long that they know each other. And it's been natural. I remember the days when Alexis and Boomingham were only sort of friends who had quested together once, long ago, but, like friends in the real world, they happened to not become close then, but are getting closer now. I have friends like that, who we say "hey, isn't it crazy we knew each other so long, but only started talking now)?" Or Tesni, the old and faithful and oldest friend, who acts just that way. It's a player's (and hopeful writer's) dream. Thank you all who interact with Boomingham.

"I'll let you call me Lawrence for the time being. Boomers seems to be popular among my closer female friends. I think Nyx coined the term... wonder where that poor lass is." Boomingham looks off sadly again, but then downs and ale and continues. "Anyway, once I reclaim a Kingdom, it will be King Lawrence to you once more, just like everyone else," Boomingham winks at the young lady. "Seems that everyone but me has had a nasty run in with a witch. It's like I say - never trust a magic user. Though it appears that all the ones in the Hall can at least hold their own in battle. And that leads me back to Nyx again. Hope nothing bad has happened to her." Boomingham digs into his dirty satchel and shows off a new garnet. "I got myself a puff of pink smoke too... wait a second..." Boomingham unsheathes his King of the Desert and slams it down on the table. He glares at it. "Here I was trying to pawn this off to Tesni, when really this beauty wanted it. I'm a fool. Too much drink muddles with the head. Be careful with that, Cinna. I've been wanting a Garnet to finish off this blade. Can't be much of a Desert claimer if it doesn't have any earth power in it, can it?" Boomingham looks up distractedly. "That is a rather nice medal you've got yourself, though. Slip it on and let's see how it looks. And who's this he fellow who told you to come back? Seems like he did us all a favor, I'd like to thank him."

"No need for the sir, Cinna. Once upon a time perhaps, one day again, hopefully, but for the time being... Lord or Your Grace will suffice." Boomingham laughs heartily. "If I'm being honest, Jess and Docken dealt the final blows. They're both wonderful fighters. I think Jess is still lurking around, I just saw her Haldor a few minutes ago... or hours ago. What the Hel time is it?" Boomingham unsheathes his Frozen Saber and slams it onto the table. "This blade did most of the work. Not quite as strong as her sister, but I love them just the same." "Wouldn't want to trade that for a garnet, would you dear? i think you said you already had one, but worth a shot. I need an opal, and this garnet won't do me much good." Boomingham's eyes grow misty and sad. "The cheating partner. It's an old and sad tale, Alexis. Temptation is everywhere for a man, I won't deny it. All I can tell you is that you better not leave him until you're sure, and if he's cheating, he better reform his ways before it's too late." Boomingham leans in and says very solemnly, "the most important thing is to leave nothing unresolved. Make your moves now, don't expect the chance later. Fix it or let it die, but don't let it ever be a maybe. Men and women go on quests each and every day, not knowing if they'll come back or not. Don't let anything in your life haunt you like that."

OoC: I swear to god when you return to the hall Boomingham is collecting all of your scrolls and burning them.