CMP

Atramor lifted the bottle to his lips reflexively before realizing he was in fact no longer holding it. He frowned and scratched his chin instead. "Not like I've been just sitting here...wanderin' 'round the docks counts as bein' outta this Hall, aye? I mean...I think I did that....might've been a bit of a dream....would explain why the ships were flyin'." "Hell, mate. I was crawlin' through a dwarven mine for months, I'm still tryin' to soak up enough sun to make up for it." He glanced around as if to prove there was actually a window nearby. He looked down at the marauding imp again, and leaned back against the bar, tilting his hat towards the nearby questboard. "Fine, fine. Really I was just waitin' for this. Sham's job. Goetia...that your name on there too?" He rubbed one eye, squinting to make out Hybros' sign-up. When he confirmed it was in fact on there, he lowered his voice a bit as though they were being eavesdropped on. "Ya' know what you're in for with this quest, mate? Demons. Hordes of 'em. Swear it on my life. Some bastard in a hell of a hat - aye, even greater than mine - went down there, with a damn demon book, and opened this 'portal' they're talkin' about. Bet he's callin' up an archdemon right now. Just you watch, mate. Seen it in Azzurat. Heard it from the Oracle. There's no gettin' away from 'em."

The ragged heap of blackness that was slumped in the barstool just behind Hybros shifted as the imp sat back and bumped it with his wings, a hoarse grumble following as it, too, straightened up in its seat. Atramor looked like he hadn't moved in four months. The disheveled, newly-wakened rogue mopped up whatever was stuck to his face with his hat, before slamming it back on the counter. He rolled one shoulder uncomfortably while reaching for the nearest bottle. "Hybros, mate, good to see ya' again, but mind those new flappers, I was havin' a good bit of a snooze there."

And also keep in mind it's not as nearly as intimidating as it seems. The fact that I've successfully fooled people into thinking I have any sort of ability building sets is proof. I use the same two hundred bricks for most sets and have to immediately dismantle them so I can build something else. For the most part there's literally nothing beyond what you're seeing in pictures, and a lot of them amount to one to two walls with some decorations and minifigs. It's really not as nearly as difficult as some prospective QMs seem to think. Having something nice to look at is cool, but you certainly don't have to have every brick ever made to build decent sets. I blame Sandy for this misconception.

Yep, that's the main thing here. There's only four or five QMs doing quests consistently at a time...which seems like plenty, but there's quite a few heroes now.

I just want to point out these interactions were some of the most spectacularly awkward in all of Heroica, and I thought it was fantastic.

Miderun snorts in bemusement as Boomingham struggles with the grog. "And this is not even real orcish drink. We don't even really consider this alcohol. Not like all the fruity wines here. Not that I dislike those. Executed? We do not take prisoners so executions are extremely rare. Only one that I can recall recently. And he deserved it, of course." "No. It would take...a lot to bring me back. I want to, more than anything, but there is much more that needs fixing out here, and I...simply shouldn't return for a while. I do hope you and whoever else goes are successful. You'd better be," she added, giving the old man a rather bizarre look that came across as half-hopeful, half-death glare. "My allies and I returned from a very lengthy quest in Spesiala, and Fenario too. Lands full of gourm, sarl myrcand...two breeds of elf that refused to get along. I cannot believe that Baltarok and the High Kingdoms have made peace and those power drunk zangruiuko would not. This armor is from one of their leaders. That fight took far longer that it should've..."

Sign-Ups for Timothy Evergreen, Level 1 Cleric (Rider Raider) The Demon Germ, Level 12 Rogue (samuraiturtle) Goliath, Level 1 Barbarian (Goliath) Throlar Wineghlim, Level 16 Warden (Lord Duvors) Lord Lawrence Boomingham, Level 36.25 Vindicator (Zepher) Skrall, Level 43.4 Hunter (Waterbrick Down)

We've got a group of three going, could always use more. I'd like to go at least until level 20 (six battles) myself. Need those damn artifact slots.

Miderun stared. "That was over two hundred years ago. Are you an elf? You don't look like it." "In either case, you will not no doubt command more respect than most for having fought in our Invasion. You look like a skilled general, not like those fat, slaving kings. They will like that." She blinked as Boomingham sipped her drink, but was evidently too wrapped up in talking about Baltarok to care too much. "...normally, at least. On the day of this quest, perhaps not as much. But then I don't know what this new approach is. Zardalvohl is a day of mourning for Tarokai. Outsiders are usually excluded. Few would want to take part anyway. But I guess if Ilait wants you there this is important." "Mostly I think you will fit in better than most. Anyone forged in war is respected, Keldrtirn."

He should've just paid with two 75 gold pouches.

This is something more QMs need to keep in mind when designing items, I think, otherwise inevitably it'll lead to something getting nerfed or changed. Or else the QM will have to think up of creative solutions to get around it. Instant kill venom...

One seems like enough. Yeah, this too. The more effects one weapon deals, the less I'm gonna wanna deal with it.

The young orc looked up at the aged ex-king. "I am Miderun. You are signing up for the quest going there, I suppose." She sized up Boomingham as though evaluating his suitability to assist the orcs of her homeland. "I hail from Baltarok myself, actually. It seems there are a lot of city orcs here....which is a shame. Baltarok is a land of old glories and-" her mouth briefly twitched into a smirk, but she didn't stop. "-harsh truths. Life is demanding and difficult, but unlike in this ..." Miderun paused, struggling to describe Eubric, in short, with a somewhat limited Common vocabulary. "....mess, the weak are not allowed to wither and die. They become stronger. They are forged into warriors. Greed and deceit are not......it simply does not exist there and I don't know why the rest of the world is infested with it. And I understand why Eubric is the home of heroes, because if it did not have them, it would destroy itself." "There is dirt and empty wastes and always you can hear the constant clash of blades somewhere. Everyone knows and respects one another but there is no end to the challenges faced each day, at least where I lived. The desert will kill you, as will the mountains, and the creatures living there. Yet there is honesty in all these things. You will not wonder if your pocket is about to be picked, or if the thug you passed will stab you in the back, or if you must keep your hand on your blade when you walk through an alley. Baltarok will kill you, but it will not betray you." Miderun took a long draught from her mug of grog, and frowned slightly. "And when you leave to find other lands, you will wish all the world was like it."

I don't think it necessarily has to be/should be either, but it doesn't change the fact that I think it is like that. She reminds me a lot of Kyle Katarn, fittingly. Especially since it appears she might have been Imperial at some point?..

"Forgive me if I'm not feeling very much like a hero after Spesiala," retorted Miderun. "The stronger my sword arm is, the better to serve my needs. I am surprised more people are not signing up, a lot of you could use the training. Very stringy." She and nods at Na'im, still polishing the bulky set of armor on the table. "Besides. Fighting is more calming than dealing with sar-cand ever could be."

Rogue One only takes place directly before New Hope, I thought.

I don't like Rey being a Skywalker but after repeated viewings of the movie now that I've got it on Blu-ray...I mean, it's practically confirmed. Calling it now, Luke and Jyn.

It's not that far-fetched. Her mother has to come from somewhere, and it would make sense to try and tie her in somehow rather than having her completely glazed over.

"I like to think dead foes is a a kind of health in itself," interjected Miderun from across the table nearby, who had taken a few odds and ends from her pack, including the enormous, plated Vest of Faded Trials. "I would join you, if you are looking for more blades. Only by getting stronger can I hope to achieve my goals."

Those theories are not mutually exclusive, interestingly.

I like it. It's thankfully a lot more Star Wars-looking than those set pictures from a few months ago, but it's still got a very distinct tone.

You just solved a category six puzzle.

Including Finn. Poorly CGI'd fly-by shots of alien/droid hijinks during the Nazi rally scene. Also, all the blasters in the Jakku massacre scene have been replaced with walkie talkies. Han has been digitally slowed down so that Chewbacca always shoots first in combat sequences.

It is super involved, but solvable. WBD, you are so obsessed with sliding puzzles it makes me think you rearrange furniture as a hobby.

Undoubtedly squeezing in the Darth Vader 'nooo' somehow as Han falls off the bridge...