The Legonater

I sleep and then jump in a third time.

I fire at Wind Sprite B​ (A,C) from the back.

While we're talking about arcs and stuff, out of curiosity - are there any opinions on where Dyric's been going?

I attempt to forge the Sapphire again. I attempt to forge the Sapphire again.

I sleep in my bedroll, and then drink a Mead and a Soma. I also buy an Agni bomb from Zeus.

Alright, noted. I guess I'll just have to go with this... I fire at Wind Sprite B (C, C) from the back row.

That's why it's felt so easy. To clarify, they'll free hit me with my full level, right? I may have to shift strategy.

One down, two to go. I repeat

That may be in the cards.

I repeat my attack once more.

I repeat my attack.

I fire at Sprite B (A, C) from the back

Melquidas, Forge Master. You must be the Forge Master I've heard so much about. Can I forge this Sapphire?

Hey Guts! I call across the market, making my way to the Marauder. You have a Sapphire, right? Mind if I buy it? Or I could buy you one back in Eubric.

Sounds like a deal, Hybros. I hand him the Bladearang. I run (teleport?) off and find Matthias. Hey, Matthias. Just wanted to check in - you've... well your life is suddenly looking a lot different now. I just wanted to make sure your feeling alright about all this.

Are we doing these already? Flipz wound up saying a lot of what I was going to, but I'll feel free to reiterate - I really enjoyed this quest, but it had plenty of flaws. Like Flipz said, pacing was super weird. That's a hard thing to criticize because you made it consistently clear how busy you were through the quest, but I still think it applies in some other ways. I can't speak for the East side, but on the West some areas felt a little drawn out while some areas seemed to rush by before we could settle in. Duplovia especially, for one of the major locations, didn't have a lot to it. Maybe that's my fault, but it still seemed noticeable. Haddon also came and went pretty quickly, though I realize in hindsight we missed a pretty clear sidequest, so that may contribute. Baltarok, on the other hand, seemed to stretch a lot with little progression, but these are things I'll come back to. Again, reiterating, but a few of the major NPCs fell flat, Daneeka in particular. I really liked Daneeka in his past quests, but in this one he seemed to completely ignore us, and then hold us in contempt whenever we tried to initiate conversation. Even once we got to Etheria, I felt a little marginalized by the Guffington NPCs. It's fair that these people don't know Dyric as much as they do Guts or Hybros, but I still would have liked for Dyric to get to know them a little. Speaking on behalf of the West group, I loved our party dynamic. I had a lot of fun playing Dyric through familiar territory - I have no idea how intentional this was, but so much of this quest felt like a real trip through Dyric's character. It was great seeing him take point a little, and I loved that it allowed him to get to the whole 'I'm going to be a hero' realization. It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time, maybe since Baltarok, but it never felt earned until meeting David. Then, to contrast Dyric's idealism and guile heroism, there's Guts. I've always enjoyed the two's dynamic, and it was really on display during this quest. While running into Zane got a little annoying pacing-wise, it was a beautiful show of character. Seeing Guts and Zane clash as two strong, unflinching characters was pretty interesting. Guts is a determined, strong character, and I always enjoy teaming up with him. Meanwhile, Matthias was an excellent counter-balance. I've loved Matthias' character since Baltarok, and was excited for him and Dyric to quest together proper. He manages to be a great 'novice' character in contrast to Guts and Dyric, but never feels stupid. He's got some experience, and while he's in relatively new territory he can still handle himself. I enjoyed seeing him get fed-up with all the politics and history. Matthias is a fantastic character, and I'm excited to see it grow. There was a lot to enjoy in the West side of things. The battles were consistently challenging, but rarely felt too difficult. While I think East had more technically diverse situations (the meditations in Xu, Dastan uprisings, etc.) I did like the more personal tone of the West quest. The shadow of Baltarok loomed over everything, and I think it was cool to see that the war is still as fresh in the country's memory as it was in ours. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I definitely felt a lot of similarity to 102 in terms of theme. Where Debts was about Heroica's effect on Eubric, 139 stood to show the fallout of our actions across the world. I do wish we could have spent more time with the orcs, in Duplovia, etc, etc, but I can forgive you for not wanting to make this quest even longer. It was definitely a good idea to split the party, while I'd have liked to visit Xu and Dastan, it's clear in hindsight that would've just been ridiculously long. As for the East party/quest, Flipz obviously has a closer eye than I do. It seemed like a pretty cool quest, all-in-all, and the party seemed pretty interesting. Again, though, Purpeal was barely there. She was the only character I hadn't really seen before, and I was disappointed when the quest ended and I still didn't get a real feel for her character. Everything kind of fell flat a bit in Etheria, and I can't quite put my finger on why. I really liked the concept, and the characters were interesting enough. Maybe it was just exhaustion? I do feel the West party didn't get a proper introduction like the East party did, and I felt a bit lost for a while. The council meeting was really cool, and I the final final had a lot of creativity to it. I did feel a bit useless as Dyric, but planning around the interacting enemy specials was - as someone who really doesn't play Heroica for the battles - a lot of fun. I'd like to see more fights like this. I'm not sure what more there is to say, except well-done. I went back during the council meeting and read the entirety of the Zepher collection post-Wren. There's a lot there, and much that I only followed loosely if I followed at all. With everything laid out, this really felt like the last step before the end. Everything was coming together. If you fellow players haven't, I'd suggest you at least take a look at the dream sequences from 107. A lot of that is coming into play, and I'm super excited. That said, I'm still not sold on the Witches as villains - unless I'm missing something and there's a ULTIMATE FINAL VILLAIN awaiting with the Darkness. Wren was a very active character with a lot of personality, and while you weren't always sure what her game was you still loved to hate her. The Witches just seem... there. A lot. Maybe that's part of the Fates analogy, but they just seem to be a presence. The heroes have run into them a lot, and there never seems to be any malevolence from them. Maybe that'll change in this final quest, especially if they're no longer influencing things and are starting to make a final move, I just thought it was a thought I should share. All that said, thank you so much for this quest Zeph! A lot of things shifted around in my life these past nine months and I worry at times I wasn't active as I could have been, and I also worry I was at times a bit cynical, but I did truly enjoy this quest. It was a fantastic exploration of the characters and the world. I really am excited to see the culmination of all these events!

I'm confused. Why do the Witches want this power unleashed? What do they have to gain? Thanks again for the quest, Zeph!

OoC: I think we're just waiting for StickFig. He had all the visions on our side.

I stand back, waiting for the others to speak this time.

I suppose this is it. Guffington, I suppose this will be the last we see of you, at least as you are. I hope you've found some satisfaction in your final journey. Hans, Triad, Benneton, Gnash. It has been good to see you all a final time. I want you to know... I want you to know your sacrifices were not in vain. We beat Wren, and we will beat whatever threat battens against us today. You did well. Know that. I look Hans in the eye. When we first met I was a coward. I was a child. All I saw was my own pain. I just want you to know that I'm not that man anymore. I'm going to be a Hero, a real one. ...goodbye, everyone.

I stand back behind Arthur, paying Passion the same cold distance he paid me. I give a Pheonix Essance to Zelphie.

I fire the crossbow at Slim (Feong, Lethauros) from the back.

Only Dyric could hit that bad.

Curse. My. Luck. Am I hitting this guy full on, or am I hitting the dragon and such too?

Oh, you. Okay, we need to be careful. If we take Slim on too much Zee's going to be hard to handle. We should get her out of the way while we still can. Triad, that was good work, let's do that again. I fire the double-barreled handcannon at Zee twice.