Zepher

OoC: Hey, WBD, are we waiting on something? Sorry.

Why do you think Felton is so paranoid and fed up with it? He has to go on all my quests.

OoC: Way to come back en force VP! "You do not understand, heroes. You must leave Dastan. You are not of this land. You don't feel the ground in your bones and the Dragons in your heart. Our people have fought to preserve this land for years, against all types of threats. You being here weakens us. If we lean on outsiders, our enemies will see our weakness and tear us apart. And I saved your lives, do not forget that heroes. I do not watch my men charge into battle. I lead the charge. I am no coward, Mr. Harkenshire, and you'd do best to remember that. I will ask you once-" Constance is cut off by a cry in the darkness. "Stand down, Constance. Your day of reckoning has come. You are a traitor to Dastan, and you will be cast out." The party of Quest 29 steps forward. With them is Felton. "Your actions have become clear. You have tried to stop our involvement at every turn. You have allowed the assassins into the city. You have prevented investigation of Mallelio's disappearance and you have sent us on an errand that resulted in an ambush. I have not told your surpriors. You have clouded their eyes. But the Wren Hunters and the heroes of Heroica have the ability to see through the cloud. We run up against evil time and time again. My present form is shaped by the evil that Wren has presented to me. Once I was a poor boy in a poor town. My goal was to protect and serve my town. Wren inadvertently gave me a higher purpose and I've adapted to recognize and fight evil everywhere. You are evil, and though Dastan is not my quarrel, your evil deeds must be stopped, regardless of whose quarrel they are." Constance swings her sword in front of her. "Time to show your true colors, heroes." OoC: The way this works: Bold which team you'd like to join. Team Felton, or Team Constance. Alternatively, you could bold "I will sit out" or something to that effect. If all heroes sit out, there is a 50% chance Constance will be killed, and a 50% chance she will not be. Don't talk an outrageous amount of time. Once bolded, your choice may not be retracted. Once every hero has picked a team OR to sit out, we've got a fight on our hands.

"Friend Cronk, I will take to heart your compliments of my hat. Even in times of great peril, it is indeed important to look nifty." Felton winks at the Orc. "It truly is good to see a trustworthy friend. I am sorry that you cannot share the same comfort. I understand, I am forever to not be trusted after Wren stole my personality and appearance. I do not say that bitterly, I say it in appreciation for Heroica's collective wisdom. I do not, however, believe that Wren would use the same trick twice." "Small... critter. I apologize, I do not mean to mock you, I only do not recognize your species. It appears that Dastan is in a duel that is more than three way. The Cultists have their own agenda, and Wren told us that she has her own agenda. U'Vires, an assassin,m has said he does not plan to side with Wren and Sphinx, if things came down to that, though he is in league with the Lion Knights and Roland. Even Lyons, a Rogue Lion Knight we have encountered, does not appear to want to take orders from the Assassins. Factor in where the Dragons stand on all of this... well, it's enough to confuse anyone. I know only that I am supposed to battle evil. When Wren took me out of my town in the High Kingdoms, she changed my purpose. I learned that my ittelect can be put to use doing other things, and that the highest calling is wading through the grays of the world and rooting out the darkness in whatever form it may take, be it Rogue Lion Knight, Wren, or Constance." "Follow me, heroes. It appears that the only thing to do is to bring you to where you should be." The heroes follow Felton through the streets of Drakencourt until they arrive outside of a building. There are five or six darkened figures standing outside the building. As the heroes approach, they recognize a number of familiar faces... "Stand down, Constance. Your day of reckoning has come. You are a traitor to Dastan, and you will be cast out." The party steps forward.

"I understand. You can trust no one. That is true for everyone. Trust only what your eyes see and your ears hear. I have said that we will go to the other team before you act on anything, and they will be more than willing to calibrate my story. They are with Constance now. I want to prepare you as best as possible before taking you to them. They can confirm what I say, but you might not have much time to discuss things before she defends herself. If nothing else, Constance is a force to be reckoned with."

Naw. Everyone in Heroica has base stats that are identical. I'm okay with all heroes being hurt by darkness magic, it makes sense, fits with the mechanics of the game, makes my arena fights easier, and is what we've been doing up until this point.

The party follow Nikolai back to Drakencourt, seeing no other options. The trail of Russel had gone cold, and the Emperor was no where to be found. Though many odd glances were thrown at Nikolai, he never did anything out of the ordinary. The heroes walked into the sprawling city of Drakencourt, surrounded by high spiraling mountains, lying on the giant lake of Glaz. Nikolai left the party at the giant gate at the edge of the city, with instructions to the palace. The party thanked him for his time. "I will stop and talk to Constance or Emperor Septrine for further instructions, and then I must return to the front lines. Thank you for your service, heroes. Dastan will not forget it." The party walked through the city. It looked cobbled together. The tall buildings with towers that reached for the sky cast long shadows in the night. The party was stopped near the palace by a procession of quiet U'Kin, marching with candles in hands, all in black. After the mourners passed, Cronk was shocked to see a familiar face. The last time Cronk had seen the face had been inside an Arena in the High Kingdoms. Now, months later, in Dastan, he had run into Felton once more. "Cronk, it is a pleasure to see you once more! And another party from Heroica! I have just left Atramor, Tarn, Thothwick, Nyx and William. I will not bore you with details of our time in Dastan so far. I have a pressing matter, and you must be terribly confused as to what is happening, so I will be frank with you. I have just come from a meeting with Emperor Septrine and Victor... or Phil, as you may remember him. He is, it turns out, a trusted adviser of the Emperors here in Dastan. You will no doubt have time to catch up later." "This is my news. After searching Emperor Roland's private quarters, and his wing of the palace, it has been determined by Emperor Septrine and Victor that Roland is a traitor to the Dastan Empire. He has been siphoning money from the Royal Bank and passing it along to many enemies of the state, including the Lion Knight forces. You have been serving a traitor." "I cannot say that I am surprised. This is not a slight to you heroes, but it seems all to often that people have hired the brave heroes of Heroica under false pretense. Cronk, you know this to be true from the Arena, and if any of you have heard what occurred in Haddon, you will know that my likeness has been used to this very purpose. You must not blame yourselves. You must move forward to right these wrongs. I am offering you a chance to do that." "I did not tell Victor and the Emperor my suspicions as she is too close to their hearts, and their vision will be clouded, but I am certain I have found a traitor in Constance, the head of the Dragon Knights. We must kill her. I understand that you would not do this without fully understanding the situation, so I will present you with my evidence and you can decide for yourself. I am sure that you will agree with me. First, she has a hatred for the U'Kin, and a number of days ago, the leader of the U'Kin in Drakencourt was killed. That same night, she sent the heroes of Heroica on a fool's errand which ended in an ambush. It was this errand and ambush that prevented us from protecting U'Stus. Likewise, when Mallelio, a prominent teacher and adviser was kidnapped, she tried to prevent Atramor, Hans and myself from investigating his house. This investigation led us to Wren, who was in the city. The Assassins, it appears, have access to every nook and cranny of this city. They must have an inside man in a high position. Constance fits the bill." "Please, ask me any questions you need, but follow me with haste. Constance must be stopped. The other heroes would calibrate everything that I've said, and no doubt will. They are stalling Constance currently. Please, speak and think quickly, and then come with me."

OoC: Don't worry, she took it back from you. A cleric comes in and, after helping the party to their feet, lets them out of the hospital. They walk by a room as they exit, and Mallelio gives them a weak wave and smile from inside, but the clerics will not let the party talk to him as he needs rest at the moment. The sun has set on yet another Dastan day. Once outside, Felton bows to the party and excuses himself. A cleric tells them that Constance has requested them upon their release, and so the heroes make their way to the Dragon Knight Garrison. They are greeted outside. Constance stands, sword in hand. "We needn't bother going in. All my remaining troops are in the palace at the moment. I have a few bones to pick with you, heroes." "It has come to my attention that you have cost us the life of U'Stus. If you had been more forceful with him, and remained at his house, he would still be alive. I held no love for the U'Kin, or the U'Kin in general, but the the riots his death has caused has lost me a number of men. Thankfully not Dragon Knights, enlisted boys, but regardless. I begged the Emperors to allow me to keep Dragon Knights around his house, but they assured me you would do your job. You did not." "Dastan is in peril. The Emperors have thrown in their lots with strangers. You are not the only team of hired hands here. Lion Knights, the Chimera, and Assassins roam the land. One of our Emperors has gone missing. I would not be surprised if he turned up dead, or, worse, with the enemy. We can not have people in Dastan who do not have the good of Dastan at heart. It has occurred to me that if the Emperors are refusing to act, I must. I am asking you, politely, heroes, to leave Dastan. Take your friends the 'Wren Hunters', and leave. Return to Eubric. That is where you belong. The people of Dastan have always taken care of themselves."

Thanks for the feedback, Sandy. I do see a number of things that you pointed out, but I am purposely keeping the two sides not mirroring each other. When Chaotic, the player is a heavy hitter, when not Chaotic, it is mostly a support role. This will be cool, because it will give the party both of these things. The frustration, of course, will come with the Defender being in the wrong "mode" sometimes. That being said, I agree with a number of points, particularly with me rolling too much into one roll. I'll refine it a little more and bring it back! Thanks!

I gotta agree that after the flushed out the Demon-feeding uncle, the Ziegfrieds seem the most righteous and reasonable. Boomingham hates wizards, but if I personally lived in Eubric, I think I'd probably throw in my lot with them.

"I will do that. I will report in when I next get the chance." Ella leaves the room. OoC: Feel free to role-play now. We're just waiting a day or two for the other Dastan Quests to catch up, but you guys might as well talk about Dastan and your thoughts on it/each other/heroing in general.

This was my immediate thought as well.

What's the critique, Sandy? Sorry, I'm afraid of things getting lost in this thread.

Here's my issue with the class. It seems pretty well thought out and balanced... only, with the ability to both hasten and encourage, and the inability to use weapons and artifacts, plus a row is necessary... are battles going to change for that player? They get to pick to either attack, or take a potion... that's just about it. Besides, loot would be (mostly) useless to them, and without weapons to upgrade, gold would be nearly just as useless. It's not a bad class balance or creativity wise, but to dump all your weapons and artifacts at that point and lose control over your battle strategy... I don't know how much fun one would have.

Boomingham considers asking for a hit to be put on Natnail, but he thinks better of it. The purpose is the victory. He nods graciously at Gurnam. "Thank you, my dear sharkling. We'll certainly keep you in mind. Please return the favor. If anyone comes in and mentions that man that owes Nur some money, you let us know." Boomingham swings to address the rest of the group. "So, let's say Nur and I go take care of Natnail, and then we make our way to the final investor... and then we crack this case right open. Yes? I'll ask again, does anyone feel like we've got any leads? Anything you'd all like to act on? We need ideas, chaps and chappettes."

"He's progressing quite nicely. Still bed-ridden, but most likely not for much longer. I can bring any questions you may have for him to him if you'd like." Ella nodded at Atramor.

OoC: Good description. Constance and Phil share a meaningful look. "If he's still in the city, I'll arrest him. I don't see any reason for Nyx to lie. Looks like we found ourselves a traitor." Constance bustles out of the room. "I'll send someone along to explain later. I need to go now. If you're description is correct" Phil also makes his way out of the room as the heroes slip into peaceful rest once more. ------------------ When the heroes awake once more, they feel stronger, though still not quite enough to get out of bed. In their room is an entirely different pair. "Hello, hello, heroes! Figured I should swing by and see how you're doing. Hell of a thing, this U'Stus death and all. Sets the U'Kin way back. They've been rioting, you see, and I had no choice but to quiet them down... not much, mind you, but it had to be done some." The Emeporer rubs his forehead. "Things aren't going well, heroes. Not that I blame you, not one bit, you've done the best you can do, but things keep getting worse for us. There was a confusion over weapons in Fort Drakon. There are reports of traitors everywhere. You found one, by the way, Nyx. The man you knew as 'The Inventor' is Lord Blackenord. He was an adviser to my uncle, who was Emperor before me. Still highly esteemed member of the populace... well, he was anyway. Constance took him in. She's got him held at her Garrison. We found his workshop - Chimera Guard bits were littering the floor. He could have kept producing those monsters if you hadn't told us to go collect him." The Emperor sighs. "Anyway, thought I owed you folks a visit. I've got to get going." The Emperor walks out of the room. "Thank you for protecting U'Stus, Atramor, Tarn." Ella exhales and glances at Tarn. "I hear you were still standing when Victor and Constance arrived, so thank you." A small smile twists on her lips. It looks bittersweet. "I understand your frustration with being confined to a bed. Our top clerics are improving your condition right now. Constance has asked you to visit her as soon as you're no longer bed ridden. I'll do my best to help you along... do you have any questions? I can try to help you feel less trapped by giving your minds some liberty."

I'm sorry if that didn't sound properly apologetic. I do apologize. I just don't see a way to fix it at this point. I did try to run it by the other QMs, and we didn't notice anything wrong, but it is on me to make sure. I don't know how that slipped past me, but best to move forward and view it just as a hiccup instead of dwell on my mistake.

I apologize, that looks right to me. I guess that I did make a mistake. I apologize to my questies... the way things went, it looks like it wouldn't have mattered, but I do apologize. I always run this risk when designing my own puzzles.

Flipz! Can other people also contribute little "side shows" with the lessons that they think are important? Approved by you, if you'd like of course.

Boomingham grimaces upon hearing that Gurnam does not know Roderigo, and then gives a shrewd grin when Nur gets his answer. He nods at the mage. "Keep barking up that tree. I expect you to help me this time 'round though, of course." Boomingham turns to the other party members. "I'm a little afraid that we're getting nowhere. None of the investors strike me as a threat. The mage and scientists had too much of a hand in it and not enough motive. The Minotaur doesn't seem to care enough to blow it up, and he has even less motive as it lost him his money. The Roderigo fellow is our only lead, but his motives still confuse me. Can we piece together this puzzle at all? Have we missed something? We only got one more stop before all our leads have dried up."

No, I'm sorry, the heroes directly above and below get those effects. For example: Hero Hero Hero Hero Chaos Defender Hero If Rally was rolled, the heroes in bold would be lucky and encouraged the next round. But I actually understand the confusion now.

Rally is to make the heroes think. It is important that the battle order is considered. It's essentially the Barbarian's Shield, only with a lesser time and for less people, and with a bit of damage. If we think it's too strong, I could make it a strength of a normal hit with the effect. Also, the effects all come from different NPCs met in the Wren Quests. We've got Hans, Felton, Poletad, Vipera, and Phil all in there. I'm pretty happy with that.

"Hans and Poletad are still out of town looking for Wren. Even though we know she is in the city, there is no way to contact them to bring them home. I will have them visit you as soon as they return. Ella is with her father, and a number of Dragon Knights. There are four remaining in the city other than Constance. They have all taken up residence in the Palace at the moment. I am certain she'll visit you as well. She comes on a regular basis to see Mallelio, though he only has small bouts of consciousness. They are increasing in length, thank the heavens."