"This is Green Flame's account of her experiences during the War in Heaven, during the First Age: apparently, she and Keron's other elves were summoned to aid him in battle against Telthalus."
Oh now that has got to be a one-of-a-kind recounting. I doubt many of Keron's elves ever gained the ability to think for themselves, or write down their experience. Green Flame here is perhaps the very last person alive who fought Telthalus. I don't wanna make Changadnac write it out but... I really wanna know. I will vote for it, and let the dice fall where they may.
Instead, because of the unusual powers you had even before you came to this school, she wonders if it was one of Aea's time elves. Apparently, during the First Age, there were twenty-seven time elves altogether, but their numbers have dwindled since then. Now, there are only eighteen. Green Flame suspects that Zinistrari has found the body of one of the missing time elves and is using it in her experiments.
I feel like this tells us two things - one, people have changed the past before, and the elf corpses are the proof, and two, that this might be why the Mystic Path got away with more time shenanigans than average. You can imagine the ways in which a time elf corpse would be useful for research against those selfsame elves.
Also, I recall thinking, "Dorian can do time magic? Heck yeah!" And thinking that that was a smidge odd. Once I am done Hedgie and then the Tinpot Princess reread, it will be back to School of Sorcery.
[x] Call Raef and Green Flame back into the office.
-[x] Ask Green Flame if she can talk about the War in Heaven, and if she can, ask her for some more stories about the age of the elder gods.
[x] Agree to Venta's suggestion.
-[x] Get Raef to teleport you to goblin town.
--[x] Meet the local priest of Zora Alishanda.
---[x] Talk to him about putting a portal next to the shrine.
---[x] Ask about the recent disappearances.
---[x] Ask what he knows about demon-worshipping cultists in Tyrepheum.
[X] Call Raef and Green Flame back into the office.
-[X] Ask Green Flame some questions about what you just read.
[X] Agree to Venta's suggestion.
-[X] Get Raef to teleport you to goblin town.
--[X] Meet the local priest of Zora Alishanda.
---[X] Talk to him about putting a portal next to the shrine.
---[X] Ask about the recent disappearances.
---[X] Ask what he knows about demon-worshipping cultists in Tyrepheum.
One small bit of criticism: Though the story itself remains consistently great, as a quest... lately it's seemed like most of the things to vote for haven't been real choices and have just been there out of tradition or obligation or something. Aside from write-ins and occasional puzzles, it's kinda felt more like just being along for the ride. Which, don't get me wrong this is still cool, but... it's kinda an awkward middle ground between interactive and non-interactive story. Maybe something to work on with future updates, or just future plotlines after this one is done with, I dunno. It might be just me feeling like this.
I'll admit that I've been trying to rush on ahead because I feel like this current storyline has been going on for too long. (Seriously, it's 'Part Thirteen' already!) However, only a fewupdates back, I left the list of vote options blank until people had had the chance to discuss it and make suggestions as to what Elys should do next. Would you prefer it if I did things that way from now on?
Also, I think that it's somewhat ironic that you've said that considering that a major plot point that was revealed in this latest update only happened because, way back when School of Sorcery had only just started, people voted to give Dorian the 'Use magic to increase your speed and reaction time, for a little while' cantrip, instead of any of the sixteen other options. I didn't plan that Dorian would somehow be related to the time elves: I gave people a choice, they decided how they were going to vote, and I just rolled with it. In this quest, voters aren't just "along for the ride": they have shaped the story in this quest and its predecessors from the very beginning. Even if it doesn't always seem like that.
It may be possible to ask Green Flame some questions that don't hurt her, if they're only tangential to the secrets she was asked to keep hidden. For instance, Flashkannon's suggestion of "Ask Green Flame if she can talk about the War in Heaven, and if she can, ask her for some more stories about the age of the elder gods" might work because it is unlikely that Green Flame was told to keep secret everything she remembers from the First Age.
However, there is a reason why I asked people to "Write in: what questions would you like to ask?" if they were going to choose that option: unless people vote for what specific questions they want to ask Green Flame, I'll probably just ignore the fact that "Ask Green Flame some questions about what you just read" was an option.
did not expect them to let elys read and thwn keep the book. so, outside of saving a shitload of lives or something, our priority now should be reading the book and getting back to them on it. for the sake of being a good friend. well after weve finished this visit i mean
At the end of the current storyline, you'll have the opportunity to choose from quite a long list of options to decide what Elys does next. Look forward to that, I guess.
Green Flame didn't fight Telthalus directly. Not in a one-to-one duel, anyway. She was summoned to be part of Keron's army and fight against the army led by Mawroth, who was trying to buy time for Telthalus to escape...
In this setting, 'witch' has a specific meaning: it's someone who gains magical power by making deals with spirits rather than via study and training and all those other wizardly things. Alikada Zinistrari considers herself to be a wizard: she worked very hard to gain the knowledge and power she has.
I feel like this tells us two things - one, peoe have changed The past before, and the elf corpses are the proof, and two, that this might be why the Mystic Path got away with more time shenanigans than average. You can imagine the ways in which a time elf corpse would be useful for research against those selfsame elves.
[X] Call Raef and Green Flame back into the office.
-[X] Ask Green Flame some questions about what you just read.
[X] Agree to Venta's suggestion.
-[X] Get Raef to teleport you to goblin town.
--[X] Meet the local priest of Zora Alishanda.
---[X] Talk to him about putting a portal next to the shrine.
---[X] Ask about the recent disappearances.
---[X] Ask what he knows about demon-worshipping cultists in Tyrepheum.
I'll admit that I've been trying to rush on ahead because I feel like this current storyline has been going on for too long. (Seriously, it's 'Part Thirteen' already!) However, only a fewupdates back, I left the list of vote options blank until people had had the chance to discuss it and make suggestions as to what Elys should do next. Would you prefer it if I did things that way from now on?
Ah, rushing to end the plotline sooner, perhaps that's it. It's more that, some posts recently have ended in a way that it felt to me like I could have just voted "==>" and that would have been sufficient, but maybe it's just me. Leaving suggested actions blank until people suggest things is an interesting idea, I'd be fine with or without that though.
Also, I think that it's somewhat ironic that you've said that considering that a major plot point that was revealed in this latest update only happened because, way back when School of Sorcery had only just started, people voted to give Dorian the 'Use magic to increase your speed and reaction time, for a little while' cantrip, instead of any of the sixteen other options. I didn't plan that Dorian would somehow be related to the time elves: I gave people a choice, they decided how they were going to vote, and I just rolled with it. In this quest, voters aren't just "along for the ride": they have shaped the story in this quest and its predecessors from the very beginning. Even if it doesn't always seem like that.
Oh, I very much know that, a big part of why I brought it up was because, in the past it seemed like a lot more of the choices were real choices. In A Hedge Maze Is You, even after introductory character creation stuff was done with, we got stuff like:
Choose one of the 'Intruders' to approach:
[] Goblin tribe
[] Cursed beast
[] Wingless dragon
[] Spirit of madness and ruin
[] Luckless human girl
Then choose one of these options to decide how you will go about 'exerting your authority':
[] Attack the intruder(s)
[] Attempt to communicate with the intruder
[] Attempt to intimidate the intruder
[] Observe the intruder from a distance
[] Write in
Which was a whole bunch of very different and mutually exclusive courses of action, rather than "do the thing or don't do the thing", and the resulting decision shaped Hedgy's benevolent personality.
Tinpot Princess and Her Many Travels on the other hand had a very different approach, doing things like:
Please vote for which of these ideas you want me to turn into the next chapter(s). Choose a maximum of three:
(extremely long list of possible plotlines, as well as worldbuilding storytimes)
Also, how did her recent traumatic experience affect Elys's development? Choose one:
(slightly less long list of possible personalities combined with stat growths for Elys)
Followed almost immediately by mutually exclusive and very different decisions about how her parents solve their problems, which included everything from taxation to loans to piracy to tyrannical oppression to public debates. It was more strategy-level decisions than the generally moment-to-moment stuff in AHMIY, though it had just as big an effect on everyone's personalities and the general plotlines in the end.
School of Sorcery had a rather unorthodox story/post structure, which I am having trouble describing? It gave a gradually expanding list of possible actions, which were generally repeatable but what would happen as a result of picking each thing would have different effects on the overall story each time, on top of the stat growth stuff that was kinda a thing at the time, and this was all occasionally combined with some stuff about how to solve moment to moment problems?
Really, all your stories have the readers make decisions in slightly different ways. And that generally does include Chosen by the Dragon God, it's just that lately it has felt like a lot of the suggested options were kinda same-y. Which, I get it, sometimes there just aren't really opportunities for big impactful decisions, but I guess I expected you to, I dunno, use your status as author to make there be more big opportunities for big decisions or something.
(...oh, yeah, and this has nothing to do with the above, but on the subject of the Mystic Path's status as wizards/witches... I've been kinda wondering if they technically counted as both at this point, thanks to the stuff they've done with the Demon Lords, or other spirits? Enchanters/Alchemists as well, judging by some of the stuff they've made.)
Oh yeah, that guy. I don't think we heard about him more than anecdotally in hedgiequest, but he does exist! I hope he won't be offended if I say I like Green Flame more.
Green Flame didn't fight Telthalus directly. Not in a one-to-one duel, anyway. She was summoned to be part of Keron's army and fight against the army led by Mawroth, who was trying to buy time for Telthalus to escape...
That's a darn sight closer than just about anyone else who still exists, can write, and is willing to talk. I am sure any archaeologist would hang on her every word on the subject.
It is only one step, but one must take the first step in the journey of a thousand steps before they take all the rest. It also speaks to an innate predilection for the art, which would ease such a journey.
In this setting, 'witch' has a specific meaning: it's someone who gains magical power by making deals with spirits rather than via study and training and all those other wizardly things. Alikada Zinistrari considers herself to be a wizard: she worked very hard to gain the knowledge and power she has.
Anyways yeah if you want GF to answer specific questions, vote for 'em! I know what it is I desire, juicy primary source details about the elder gods and the founding history of the world (my hopes are not grandiose, but hearing her say things we already know out loud plus a few new nuggets of info would be cool).
Followed almost immediately by mutually exclusive and very different decisions about how her parents solve their problems, which included everything from taxation to loans to piracy to tyrannical oppression to public debates. It was more strategy-level decisions than the generally moment-to-moment stuff in AHMIY, though it had just as big an effect on everyone's personalities and the general plotlines in the end.
School of Sorcery had a rather unorthodox story/post structure, which I am having trouble describing? It gave a gradually expanding list of possible actions, which were generally repeatable but what would happen as a result of picking each thing would have different effects on the overall story each time, on top of the stat growth stuff that was kinda a thing at the time, and this was all occasionally combined with some stuff about how to solve moment to moment problems?
Really, all your stories have the readers make decisions in slightly different ways. And that generally does include Chosen by the Dragon God, it's just that lately it has felt like a lot of the suggested options were kinda same-y. Which, I get it, sometimes there just aren't really opportunities for big impactful decisions, but I guess I expected you to, I dunno, use your status as author to make there be more big opportunities for big decisions or something.
If I offered big, impactful decisions right now, the current storyline would go on forever. That was part of the problem with my previous quests: because I kept offering "big opportunities for big decisions", they basically ground to a halt and got so bogged down with minutiae that the timeline never moved on.
I've designed Chosen by the Dragon God so that the big voting decisions take place at the beginning of each new month/storyline, where you have a chance to select from a long list of diverse options to decide what Elys does next. And individual storylines aren't really meant to go on this long, which is probably why you've noticed my impatience.
I'm not going to offer any more vote options right now. In future, I'll hold back and let people discuss what they want Elys next to do before adding any vote options. The next chapter will probably be the end of the current storyline (I'll have Raef transport Elys and Jana back to Mishrak's palace after they've talked to the goblin priest, I guess).
Anyway, here's the vote tally:
Adhoc vote count started by Chandagnac on Oct 25, 2021 at 6:12 AM, finished with 10 posts and 6 votes.
[X] Agree to Venta's suggestion.
-[X] Get Raef to teleport you to goblin town.
--[X] Meet the local priest of Zora Alishanda.
---[X] Talk to him about putting a portal next to the shrine.
---[X] Ask about the recent disappearances.
---[X] Ask what he knows about demon-worshipping cultists in Tyrepheum.
[X] Call Raef and Green Flame back into the office.
-[x] Ask Green Flame if she can talk about the War in Heaven, and if she can, ask her for some more stories about the age of the elder gods.
Please bear in mind, if you want to ask Green Flame some questions, you need to 'Write in' what questions you want to ask her. So far, Flashkannon is the only one who has done that.
He's famous enough to have had a few mentions here and there, though he's only actually appeared I think one time, when we were seeing what Samaya was up to in Tinpot Princess. Specifically, while her group was rescuing Raef.
That's a darn sight closer than just about anyone else who still exists, can write, and is willing to talk. I am sure any archaeologist would hang on her every word on the subject.
...Mawroth himself is still around and pretty active. Are you implying he never learned how to write?
...
...actually, considering his personality, I wouldn't be too surprised if he never bothered to learn. Despite the fact that as an ancient greater god he could probably do it in less than a day.
And come to think of it, even he would be far better than most of the other beings who've been around since the first age; The Forgotten God is too neutral and distant to say most of what he knows (and presumably this is even more true of The All-Devourer), Shaori pretty clearly sees the world as an ordinary bird would despite being a god with similar origins to Mawroth, Mishrak spent the various First Age wars and really most of history hiding under the ocean so he wouldn't know, the other surviving dragons would know slightly more than Mishrak but they're hiding at least as well and also most of them are assholes, the Ice Giants/Land Gods wouldn't be willing to say much either, Zora Alishanda got sent into her coma at some point during that war... and though there are others, they're probably not much better. So... huh, I guess Green Flame and Red Ruin really could be great for archaeologists.
Say what you will about the MSPA/Homestuck, either in general or about its slow descent into madness-even-by-its-already-deranged-standards, but its effect on the medium of internet quests can not be denied. Other comics and quests have used that ==> arrow since then, too. Also, you wouldn't have even noticed anything odd about that arrow if your image didn't apply to you too.
If I offered big, impactful decisions right now, the current storyline would go on forever. That was part of the problem with my previous quests: because I kept offering "big opportunities for big decisions", they basically ground to a halt and got so bogged down with minutiae that the timeline never moved on.
I've designed Chosen by the Dragon God so that the big voting decisions take place at the beginning of each new month/storyline, where you have a chance to select from a long list of diverse options to decide what Elys does next. And individual storylines aren't really meant to go on this long, which is probably why you've noticed my impatience.
Anyway, nothing comes to mind to ask Green Flame right now. Or rather, nothing that we really can ask, considering her mental blocks, and how Elys doesn't really know her that well, and the current situation in general. Asking her about her time with Galadan The Mystic from her point of view might be interesting and useful, but would be pretty awkward with Galadan/Raef standing right there, so I'd postpone that until some later visit. But for stuff already suggested, sure, I'd be willing to second the suggestion of
-[x] Ask Green Flame if she can talk about the War in Heaven, and if she can, ask her for some more stories about the age of the elder gods.
Say what you will about the MSPA/Homestuck, either in general or about its slow descent into madness-even-by-its-already-deranged-standards, but its effect on the medium of internet quests can not be denied. Other comics and quests have used that ==> arrow since then, too. Also, you wouldn't have even noticed anything odd about that arrow if your image didn't apply to you too.
Oh, yes, indeed I have read homestuck. The Homestuck Police meme is merely a jest, a reference call-and-response. You see a horoscope and the scorpio references spiders, the cancer is in all caps, and the pisces says fish puns? The homestuck police show up to say yes, we understand your reference. I have yet to see a homestuck police followed by a metaphorical arrest.
Yeah accessibility is a big factor there. Most of those figures are quite busy elsewhere, or less than fully friendly and open to humans. Zora Alishandra would know a lot too, but she doesn't exactly open her doors for interviews.
(...oh, yeah, and this has nothing to do with the above, but on the subject of the Mystic Path's status as wizards/witches... I've been kinda wondering if they technically counted as both at this point, thanks to the stuff they've done with the Demon Lords, or other spirits? Enchanters/Alchemists as well, judging by some of the stuff they've made.)
Considering the deals that they've made with the demon lords in exchange for power, you could say that the Mystic Path are witches as well as wizards, but they consider themselves to be wizards and would probably be quite offended if you called them witches. Enchanters are just wizards who specialize in enchanting objects. (Volric Sym, a member of the Mystic Path, styles himself as 'the Master Enchanter'. Each member of the Mystic Path has their own speciality: Alikada Zinistrari is the Mistress of Life Magic, Jerrandiun is the Master of Fire Magic, Luth-a-Nyvech is the Master of Water Magic, and so on.)
None of the Mystic Path have ever bothered to study alchemy; they consider it to be a silly and pseudoscientific form of magic.
"I think we should let Green Flame back into her office," you say, opening the door.
Sure enough, the two ancient elves are waiting in the corridor outside. From the way they are looking at each other, you suspect that they have been talking to each other in low voices, but their conversation has already finished by the time you look out at them.
"You can come back in now," you tell them. "Everything's been sorted out just fine!"
"It has?" says Green Flame, with some trepidation.
"It has," you confirm, in a voice filled with false cheer. "There's no need for you to worry about a thing!"
She looks unconvinced, but doesn't question you any further. Then, she notices the book that you're holding under your arm, pressed against your side. For a moment, she freezes.
"What's wrong?" asks Raef, giving her a curious glance.
"It's nothing," says Green Flame, turning away from you. "I'm fine."
This time, it is Raef's turn to look unconvinced but still refuse to ask questions. "Well, if you're sure," she says, somewhat dubiously.
"Actually, I want to ask you something, Green Flame," you say. "You were around during the First Age, weren't you? Can you tell us any stories about that time? What were the elder gods like?"
She hesitates. "I… I don't have any stories to tell. Not unless you're interested in hearing about how I, along with the other members of Green Squadron, fought off wave after wave of demons who were trying to force their way into Creation. The same story again and again."
"Why was your team called 'Green Squadron'?" asks Philander. "That sounds like it should be the designation for a cavalry unit."
His teacher shrugs her shoulders. "I was taught the Sambian language by one of my former owners, a scholar who imagined that he could use my 'eyewitness account' to write a history of the First Age that would make him rich and well-respected. 'Green Squadron' was one of his translations. If you don't like it, I would suggest that you take it up with him. At least, I would, if he hadn't been dead for nearly six decades."
"What language did you speak before?" you ask.
"Once, thousands of years ago, it is possible that I spoke the language of the human tribe that I was born into, before I was abducted by the elder god who remade me into what I am now. Or perhaps I didn't: I would only have been a very young child back then. Either way, I remember nothing of them now. Instead, my 'native language' is the one used by the elder gods when they sang the world into being. Some call it 'Godspeech'. Would you like to hear it?"
"Oh, very much." You nod your head fervently.
She opens her mouth and begins to speak in a strange language that nevertheless sounds strangely familiar: hissing, liquid, musical notes that you almost recognise. It is almost as if she is singing – or casting a spell.
"These days, 'Godspeech' is considered to be a dead language," says Raef. "But many wizards still use it – or a corrupted version of it – in their spellcasting and rune-writing. I suppose they find it convenient."
"You know an awful lot," says Venta, giving her an admiring glance. "And you can't be much older than us, surely!"
"Appearances can be deceiving," Raef murmurs.
"What, you're actually a very short, well-preserved forty-five year old?" Phil teases.
Raef gives him a nod. "Something like that."
"What was Keron like?" you ask, trying to steer the subject back into safer waters. "Did you ever meet any of the other elder gods?"
"No," says Green Flame, although you're not sure if she's telling the truth: what Philander read on the first page of her book suggests that she was called into battle across Telthalus, at least. Although maybe she didn't actually 'meet' him so much as catch a glimpse of him in the distance when he was trying to run away. "And Keron was… He was exactly what he wanted to be: the war god, the most violent of all the gods, the origin of suffering in Creation."
"A monster," says Dorian with a scowl.
Green Flame inclines her head slightly.
"What did Keron look like?" you ask.
"His skin was dark grey and had a metallic sheen. He had a dozen heads and two dozen jewelled eyes. He had a hundred arms, each of which held a many-bladed sword," she replies. The ghost of a smile haunts her lips, for a moment.
"Are you joking with me?" you ask, incredulously.
"What if I am?" she asks.
"I'd say… good job!" you reply, giving her a thumbs-up.
She smiles again, more broadly this time. "That was one of his favourite forms. But he could make himself look like almost anything he wanted to: usually something violent and hateful."
"Why was it called 'the War in Heaven'?" asks Jana. "I thought that heavens were places that the gods reserved for their faithful worshippers after they died."
"Heaven is an ideal," says Green Flame. "It is what all the elder gods wanted to build, in their own way, even if they disagreed as to what it should involve and who it should be for. All of Creation was their heaven, in the beginning. But then they fought each over and so…"
"That's why it's called 'the War in Heaven'," you say, absorbing this latest piece of information. "All right. Well, thank you for your time."
***
After that, you ask Venta to guide you to the shrine of Zora Alishanda in Tyrepheum's goblin town. You ask Raef to open a portal to somewhere near there: some shady place where it is unlikely that your arrival will be observed.
From there, it takes you a few minutes to reach the shrine. As promised, Venta introduces you to the priest: a withered old goblin man wearing ill-fitting robes made out of sackcloth. You explain the situation to him, saying that you want to set up a permanent portal between Tyrepheum and Mishrak's undersea palace, which could be used as a handy escape route if the goblins ever have need of it, but that you want to keep it hidden from the majority of people in this city.
"I suppose it could be something that my goddess might approve of," he says, looking thoughtful. "Tell me: who is Mishrak?"
"You haven't heard of Mishrak?" you ask, raising eyebrows at him. "He's my uncle. Adopted uncle, I mean. He's the dragon of the deep sea: a god of wealth, secrets, and sea monsters. That sounds a little scary, right? But he's a big old softy, really! When my island home was being invaded by the Aspitis, he had one of his friends open a portal to his undersea palace so that everyone could evacuate instead of being slaughtered or enslaved. I thought we might do the same for you and your people. What do you think of that?"
"Well, that's… that's very kind," he says. "And you vouch for this young lady, do you, Venta?"
"I do," says Venta, nodding her head. "She saved me from some bullies who were planning to drain my blood so they could use it in a dark magic ritual."
"More bullies?" asks the elderly priest, taken aback.
"No, this was the same incident I told you about before," Venta admits. "It was several months ago."
"And you haven't been attacked again since then?"
"I haven't. I think those bullies have decided to go after easier prey instead."
"Well…" The elderly priest stares at her for a moment, then turns to you. "Under the circumstances, I don't think we can afford to refuse the help that you have so kindly offered. Thank you."
"Yes, I've heard that demon-worshipping cultists have been causing trouble for you recently," you say. "Can you tell me about that?"
"There have always been demon worshippers in this city. Perhaps there always will be, so long as there are desperate, downtrodden people willing to do desperate things," he replies. "Until recently, most of them were worshippers of Achamat. Not the most pleasant deity, but neither he nor his worshippers seem to have any particular hatred for goblins."
"But Melphior and his worshippers are different?" you surmise.
"The Name-Stealing Usurper seeks to become the new ruler of the Dreaming World. Many goblins see it as their duty to keep the Dreaming World safe for all sleeping souls. And so, the Usurper sends his minions to murder us," says the elderly priest, loathing in his voice.
"Why do you call him 'the Name-Stealing Usurper'?" you ask.
"Legend says that Melphior was one of the names of the old Death God, which he cast off in his attempts to escape Nymandor's clutches, before he became the Forgotten God," he explains. "The demonic Usurper stole the name and took it for his own."
"Huh. I didn't know that," you admit. "All right, so… for how long will you and your people be able to hold out here?"
"For as long as we can, we will fend off the minions – and the machinations – of the Name-Stealing Usurper," says the elderly priest. "I hope that we can do so for long enough that Jaqari Pruyte will be able to finish off his space gonne project, but…" He shakes his head sadly. "Still, we will do what we can."
"We'll open a portal here so that your people can get away if you need to," you say, glancing at Raef and giving her a subtle nod. "With your permission, of course."
"You have it," says the priest. "I hope we will never need to use it."
"But you don't mind if I use it to come the other way, right?" you ask.
"No, of course not." He shakes his head dismissively. "Do what you must."
***
When you return to Mishrak's undersea palace, you find out that Samaya has arranged for a company of elves – nearly fifty of them altogether – to join in the war against Aspitolm. Almost all of them are orcs, she says, old soldiers of the Betrurian Empire who are getting worried that the spells holding them together are beginning to unravel and that they're not as immortal as they used to be; before they die, they want to have the chance to fight for a worthy cause, like they never did before. They will be led by a very famous elf, possibly the most famous elf in all the world: Red Ruin, who once defeated an avatar of the demon lord Kolhinon in single combat.
"But shouldn't someone more qualified be their leader?" you ask. "Red Ruin is renowned as a peerless warrior, but I've never heard of him leading an army before."
"They don't need a leader: he's just a figurehead," says Samaya. "But when people around the world hear that an army of elves led by Red Ruin has joined in this war, they will be very impressed. They may even be more inclined to join in as well."
You sigh, somewhat disappointed. "I see. It's all for propaganda purposes?"
Samaya gives a small shrug. "Basically, yes."
***
"So, you're going to be my teacher from now on?" you ask Raef, who has reverted to looking like a nondescript adult male.
"Yes. I realise that you are already busy at school, so we will have to arrange times for when I can teach you," he says.
"I have plenty of free time," you tell him. "Most days, I have at least a couple of periods when I'm supposed to be 'studying on my own'."
He pauses, considering. You wait, giving him time to think.
"All right," he says, after a moment. "Get me a copy of your timetable and we'll work something out."
***
"Isolia and Venta are such pretty girls, don't you think?" asks Jana, in a conspiratorial tone, when you have finally returned to your own room at the Engelram Academy for the Magical Arts.
You glance warily at her. "If you want to ask one of them out, that's up to you."
"Are you sure you don't want them for yourself?" she asks, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'm sure I've seen both of them giving you admiring glances."
"Maybe they admire me because I saved them from those bullies," you suggest. "It doesn't mean that they like girls in the same way that you do, Jana."
"Oh, would you prefer one of the boys?" she asks, changing tack. "I'm sure Phil likes you. He could hardly take his eyes off you."
"Didn't you hear what Isolia said about him not wanting to live up to his name?" you ask. "I think he might be under a curse or something."
"A curse that makes him gawp when he sees a beauty like you?" She rolls her eyes at that. "Really? In that case, I'm sure most teenage boys are suffering from exactly the same curse as he is."
"There's something strange going on with him," you mumble. "I don't know exactly what."
"Well, what about Dorian, then? I know you like pretty boys," she says, giving you a sly wink.
How will you reply? (Choose one)
[] "Don't you think we've got more important things to worry about?"
[] "I don't have time to date anyone. I've got a war to fight!"
[] "I think I'm a bit too young for this. Ask me again in a few years' time."
[] "Look, Jana, if you want me to help you find a girlfriend, I will."
-[] "Maybe I could ask Venta or Isolia if they'd like to go on a date with you?"
--[] "I wouldn't recommend asking them both out at the same time. That seems like it would cause too many problems."
[] "All right, if one of them asked me out, maybe I wouldn't say no."
-[] Write in: who would you like to ask you out?
--[] Dorian
--[] Isolia
--[] Philander
--[] Venta
[] "Nah, I've already got my eye on someone else."
-[] Write in: who?*
*I reserve the right to nix any suggestions that I think are creepy and/or inappropriate.
That's the end of the month.
Because they have been joined by Red Ruin and his army of elves, the Coalition (of forces leagued against the Aspiti Empire) gains 3 Warscore. Now, they have a total of 19 Warscore.
As usual, the Aspiti Warscore increases by 1. They now have a total of 11 Warscore.
I'm going to wait until people have had a chance to take a look at the above vote before starting a whole new complicated vote on what Elys will do next month. But don't worry, it'll be coming soon.
EDIT: I've updated the first page (the Dramatis Personae and so on). Please let me know if there's anything that I've missed.
Yeah I think Elys feels too young and honestly not vibing with the concept regardless.
OK this amuses me XD
[X] "Look, Jana, if you want me to help you find a girlfriend, I will."
-[X] "Maybe I could ask Venta or Isolia if they'd like to go on a date with you?"
--[X] "I wouldn't recommend asking them both out at the same time. That seems like it would cause too many problems."
Also does Jana have a crush on Elys, or is she just being complimentary?
[X] "Look, Jana, if you want me to help you find a girlfriend, I will."
-[X] "Maybe I could ask Venta or Isolia if they'd like to go on a date with you?"
--[X] "I wouldn't recommend asking them both out at the same time. That seems like it would cause too many problems."
Going for the funny option. As for who Elys is interested in... I dunno. I'd like her to be interested in some type of romance eventually, but right now she's too young for it. We'll cross that bridge when she's a teenager maybe.
[X] "Look, Jana, if you want me to help you find a girlfriend, I will."
-[X] "Maybe I could ask Venta or Isolia if they'd like to go on a date with you?"
--[X] "I wouldn't recommend asking them both out at the same time. That seems like it would cause too many problems."
Yeah, from what we've seen from Elys, the concept hasn't really hit her yet. She is however, very dedicated towards being a good wingwoman. Knights are strong because they fight together, after all.
Taking into account that the cast around Elys's age all seem to be starting to get interested in romance and stuff, and how that noticably differs from Elys, she reads as kinda asexual to me. Let's go with
[X] "I don't have time to date anyone. I've got a war to fight!"
...with the understanding that even once she doesn't have a war to fight anymore, she'll probably have some other excuse.
For Jana though, yeah, supporting the suggestion of
[X] "Look, Jana, if you want me to help you find a girlfriend, I will."
-[X] "Maybe I could ask Venta or Isolia if they'd like to go on a date with you?"
--[X] "I wouldn't recommend asking them both out at the same time. That seems like it would cause too many problems."
"His skin was dark grey and had a metallic sheen. He had a dozen heads and two dozen jewelled eyes. He had a hundred arms, each of which held a many-bladed sword,"
Huh, a ashura/hecatoncheire/typhon/jotunn thing. Seems appropriate, for a guy like that. And yes, I caught how his "dark shadow" Agravash (as he appeared in AHMIY) looks kinda like a (much) lesser form of that.
Studying portal magic technically counts! Though I'd love to see her teacher's reaction to that she is learning that of all things, on top of everything else she can do.
Definitely just being complimentary. Earlier this idea was even brought up, and Jana reacted with disgust and anger, on account of Elys is her adoptive sister.
His teacher shrugs her shoulders. "I was taught the Sambian language by one of my former owners, a scholar who imagined that he could use my 'eyewitness account' to write a history of the First Age that would make him rich and well-respected. 'Green Squadron' was one of his translations. If you don't like it, I would suggest that you take it up with him. At least, I would, if he hadn't been dead for nearly six decades."
I wonder if his book ever got published? He'd better have credited Green Flame. I would add an or else to that but his soul has already been and gone from the Wheel if he's been dead 60 years.
Instead, my 'native language' is the one used by the elder gods when they sang the world into being. Some call it 'Godspeech'. Would you like to hear it?"
"Oh, very much." You nod your head fervently.
She opens her mouth and begins to speak in a strange language that nevertheless sounds strangely familiar: hissing, liquid, musical notes that you almost recognise. It is almost as if she is singing – or casting a spell.
"His skin was dark grey and had a metallic sheen. He had a dozen heads and two dozen jewelled eyes. He had a hundred arms, each of which held a many-bladed sword," she replies. The ghost of a smile haunts her lips, for a moment.
"Are you joking with me?" you ask, incredulously.
"What if I am?" she asks.
"I'd say… good job!" you reply, giving her a thumbs-up.
She smiles again, more broadly this time. "That was one of his favourite forms. But he could make himself look like almost anything he wanted to: usually something violent and hateful."
"They don't need a leader: he's just a figureheard," says Samaya. "But when people around the world hear that an army of elves led by Red Ruin has joined in this war, they will be very impressed. They may even be more inclined to join in as well."
"Isolia and Venta are such pretty girls, don't you think?" asks Jana, in a conspiratorial tone, when you have finally returned to your own room at the Engelram Academy for the Magical Arts.
You glance warily at her. "If you want to ask one of them out, that's up to you."
[x] "I think I'm a bit too young for this. Ask me again in a few years' time."
[x] "Look, Jana, if you want me to help you find a girlfriend, I will."
-[x] "Maybe I could ask Venta or Isolia if they'd like to go on a date with you?"
--[x] "I wouldn't recommend asking them both out at the same time. That seems like it would cause too many problems."
[x] "All right, if one of them asked me out, maybe I wouldn't say no."
--[x] Dorian
A ship is begun when someone dares to ask the question... "what if?"
[x] "I think I'm a bit too young for this. Ask me again in a few years' time."
[x] "Look, Jana, if you want me to help you find a girlfriend, I will."
-[x] "Maybe I could ask Venta or Isolia if they'd like to go on a date with you?"
--[x] "I wouldn't recommend asking them both out at the same time. That seems like it would cause too many problems."
I could see Elys as aromantic (seeing as she is not old enough for anything else on that topic), but she does simply have a lot on her mind as well.
Growing up as part demigod has pretty heavily skewed what would otherwise be her normal development. Not only might she have a much longer than human lifespan to figure things out on the romantic front, but she's already had one kingdom face enslavement and she's got a lot to balance in terms personal growth in capability and helping protect the world as she is now.
[x] "I think I'm a bit too young for this. Ask me again in a few years' time."
[x] "Look, Jana, if you want me to help you find a girlfriend, I will."
-[x] "Maybe I could ask Venta or Isolia if they'd like to go on a date with you?"
--[x] "I wouldn't recommend asking them both out at the same time. That seems like it would cause too many problems."
Despite my vote, I kind of want Jana to try for both Venta and Isolia, in the assumption that Jana's audacity will result in personal growth of the romantic comedy sort.
Taking into account that the cast around Elys's age all seem to be starting to get interested in romance and stuff, and how that noticably differs from Elys, she reads as kinda asexual to me.
Having Elys be asexual and/or aromantic could be an interesting path to take. And it does fit with the way she's been portrayed so far. Still, on the other hand, she has only just had her twelfth birthday and there are a lot of other things she needs to think about.
So, even if Jana and some of the other characters who are around the same age as her are starting to have crushes and think about romance, that doesn't mean Elys has to.
I guess I'll hold off on making a firm decision for the next several years.
Huh, a ashura/hecatoncheire/typhon/jotunn thing. Seems appropriate, for a guy like that. And yes, I caught how his "dark shadow" Agravash (as he appeared in AHMIY) looks kinda like a (much) lesser form of that.
I'd actually forgotten that I'd described Agravash as looking like that: it just goes to show that, for a long time, I've had an idea in my head of what Keron looked like, and I've been consistent with that.
Definitely just being complimentary. Earlier this idea was even brought up, and Jana reacted with disgust and anger, on account of Elys is her adoptive sister.
They're not blood relatives, so it technically wouldn't be incest, but they've been close friends since they were very young children and they think of each other as sisters; therefore, it would be weird and awkward if they started having romantic feelings for each other.
I wonder if his book ever got published? He'd better have credited Green Flame. I would add an or else to that but his soul has already been and gone from the Wheel if he's been dead 60 years.
No one would have taken him seriously if he didn't list his sources, so I'm sure Green Flame was mentioned. However, he probably described her as if she were an object he'd dug up at an archaeological site rather than as a person.
"What makes you think that?" you ask, frowning at her.
"Oh, you know, when it was your eighth birthday and we went to Marhanah, you saw that very effeminately-dressed Avanni man and declared that 'I want to look like that!'" says Jana, chuckling at the memory.
"That was a long time ago. And anyway, I don't see the connection: why does that make you think I like pretty boys?"
"Never mind," she says. "You're difficult to read, sometimes, Elys."
You stare at her for a moment. Then, tentatively, you say, "I think I'm a bit too young to be thinking about romance. Anyway, I have too many other things to think about right now. Ask me again in a few years' time."
"All right," she says, giving you a nod.
"But if you want me to help you find a girlfriend, I will," you try to reassure her. "What about… Amber, that Cunning Woman you met in Truinon? You were very taken with her, as I recall."
"She's too old for me," Jana says mournfully. "I'm thirteen, she's seventeen, and she's got no shortage of admirers. By the time I'm old enough to date her, she'll probably be married off already."
"Well… maybe I could ask Venta or Isolia if they'd like to go on a date with you?" you offer.
"I suppose it's got to be worth a try," she replies. "Thanks."
"I wouldn't recommend asking them both out at the same time. That seems like it would cause too many problems."
"Yeah, sure," she says, rolling her eyes at you. "I'm not an idiot, Elys."
"I never said you were," you assure her. "It's just… you want excitement and romance, so you behave foolishly sometimes. But that's perfectly normal!"
"Right," she mutters, slumping in her seat. "Perfectly normal."
Finally, it's time to vote on what Elys should do next month! Please choose one of the options below:
[] Visit Mishrak again. (+Warscore?)
-[] Talk to Catharne about her shapeshifting powers.
--[] Suggest that she could join you as a pupil at the Engelram Academy at the beginning of the next academic year.
-[] Talk to Mishrak about his brother, Lavokthagua. (+Warscore)
--[] Find out about the various magical enhancements that Mishrak has given his brother to make him fully amphibious.
-[] Ask Mishrak to rejuvenate Yslena in much the same way that he did to Gareth.
[] Go to Mishrak's undersea palace and spend time meeting various representatives of the different groups that make up the Coalition. (+Warscore)
-[] Ask Sildar and Jorantul how they're getting on.
-[] Meet some of the Wranni.
--[] Be pleasantly surprised to see an old friend.
-[] Talk to some of the Deep Ones.
-[] Meet Red Ruin and a few of the orcs.
[] Join Sildar and Jorantul in one of their attempts to defend the Rivayni coastline from Aspiti slave raiders. (+Warscore)
-[] Fly around protecting innocent civilians while the Chosen of Mawroth do all the fighting.
[] Join Gareth and Yslena in trying to sort out what's going on with the Rivayni royal family, demon cultists, and the upcoming trial.
-[] Rescue them from a difficult situation.
[] Go to Norrange and meet her grandfather, Count Lymond Sayce. (+Warscore?)
-[] Visit her uncle, Elward, and his wife, Raene.
--[] Visit her cousin, Jesric.
[] Attempt to help Jana find a girlfriend.
-[] Go to Tyrepheum.
--[] Ask Isolia if she'd be willing to go on a date with Jana.
OR
--[] Ask Venta if she'd be willing to go on a date with Jana.
OR
-[] Go to Truinon.
--[] Try to find Amber, the Cunning Woman that Jana like-likes.
---[] Ask her if she'd be willing to go on a date with Jana.
[] Finish reading Green Flame's journal.
-[] Return to Tyrepheum and tell Cadre 1F about it.
[] Finish reading Kelamon Dumar's How to Enter the Underworld.
[] Go to Tyrepheum and talk to Green Flame.
-[] Ask Raef how you can free her from the magical bonds that keep her as a slave.
--[] Attempt to free her, maybe? (Warning: this will be extremely difficult and potentially dangerous)
[] Go to Tyrepheum and talk to Dorian.
-[] Find out that his father is dying of an incurable genetic illness.
--[] Offer to get Mishrak to heal him.
[] Go to Tyrepheum and talk to Philander.
-[] Find out about his evil father and his horrible family situation.
--[] Do something about it, maybe…?
[] Go to Tyrepheum and talk to Isolia.
-[] Find out about her unusual situation.
--[] Who is Humferth Hygmalion, anyway? What exactly does he want with her?
[] Go to Tyrepheum and talk to Venta.
-[] Find out more about what's been going on with the space gonne project and the demon cultists.
[] Visit the Headmaster of the Tyrepheum Academy, Opernus Prentigold.
-[] Offer to buy Green Flame from him.
-[] Suggest that he repeal some of his predecessors' outdated commands, enabling her to act more freely.
-[] Try to persuade him to tell you what he knows about the Mystic Path. (Warning: this will be extremely difficult and potentially dangerous)
[] Visit Archironaeus and ask him about…
-[] The Magic Mirror.
-[] Demon cultists at the Tyrepheum Academy.
-[] Green Flame's attempts to learn about portal magic.
-[] Something else (write in).
[] Do something else (write in)*.
*If there's anything I've forgotten to add to this list, that doesn't mean that you can't do it.
I feel like Elys should gain some xp for completing this latest monstrous story arc (and recruiting Raef as a teacher of portal magic). I'll give her 2xp for that. She needs a total of 9xp to reach Rank 4.
Oh man, I had honestly forgot just how agonizing it was too have to choose between these, knowing that all the ones we don't choose will lead to the people involved suffering from their personal plotlines for at least another month, probably longer.
This time though, I'm going with
[X] Visit Mishrak again. (+Warscore?)
-[X] Talk to Catharne about her shapeshifting powers.
--[X] Suggest that she could join you as a pupil at the Engelram Academy at the beginning of the next academic year.
-[X] Talk to Mishrak about his brother, Lavokthagua. (+Warscore)
--[X] Find out about the various magical enhancements that Mishrak has given his brother to make him fully amphibious.
-[X] Ask Mishrak to rejuvenate Yslena in much the same way that he did to Gareth.
Because: The way it's structured, it combines a lot of things into technically one option. We've gone a long time without Catharne, too long really, and it will be great to re-add her to the party. I've been wondering what happened with Lavokthagua ever since he got rescued. And though rejuvenating some of our mother's old age isn't exactly a priority, it would be absolutely awful not to do it at some point when we have the option of doing it so easily, so might as well be now.
As for all the things I'm not choosing right now, here they are in rough order of priority, as well as my reasons for not picking them:
[] Join Sildar and Jorantul in one of their attempts to defend the Rivayni coastline from Aspiti slave raiders. (+Warscore)
-[] Fly around protecting innocent civilians while the Chosen of Mawroth do all the fighting.
I do really want to do this one, but I feel like it would be more effective if we've had at least a month or so to learn the basics of portal magic offscreen first. So for this one, waiting might actually be better, in some ways.
[] Go to Tyrepheum and talk to (one of several characters)
We like just got back from there. When we have so many other high priority things to take care of, let's give this another month or two. Sorry, cast of School of Sorcery (except you, Prentigold. Screw you, Prentigold.)
[] Finish reading Green Flame's journal.
[] Finish reading Kelamon Dumar's How to Enter the Underworld.
...damn, we really do need to do these, but like... extra party member/friend and +Warscore bonuses and helping our mom and sating my curiousity about a certain dragon all in one package is way too tempting to hold off on.
[] Go to Mishrak's undersea palace and spend time meeting various representatives of the different groups that make up the Coalition. (+Warscore)
-[] Ask Sildar and Jorantul how they're getting on.
-[] Meet some of the Wranni.
--[] Be pleasantly surprised to see an old friend.
-[] Talk to some of the Deep Ones.
-[] Meet Red Ruin and a few of the orcs.
Would be interesting, and perhaps even helpful, but we have a whole bunch of interesting and helpful things to do, so all else being equal lets go for the stuff that is either more personal, or just has more has more easily tangible effects.
[] Attempt to help Jana find a girlfriend.
-[] Go to Tyrepheum.
--[] Ask Isolia if she'd be willing to go on a date with Jana.
OR
--[] Ask Venta if she'd be willing to go on a date with Jana.
OR
-[] Go to Truinon.
--[] Try to find Amber, the Cunning Woman that Jana like-likes.
---[] Ask her if she'd be willing to go on a date with Jana.
Sorry Jana, but again, not quite a priority. Maybe we can combine this with a visit to Isolia and/or Venta later, the next time we go to Tyrepheum?
[] Go to Norrange and meet her grandfather, Count Lymond Sayce. (+Warscore?)
-[] Visit her uncle, Elward, and his wife, Raene.
--[] Visit her cousin, Jesric.
Meh. I'm sure it could be interesting, but these guys, meh. You dudes had like, twelve years to get to know Elys, and that was when she actually had free time and wasn't being pulled in twenty directions at once. You can wait another... several. Years.
[] Do something else (write in)
OH GODS MORE OPTIONS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
[X] Visit Mishrak again. (+Warscore?)
-[X] Talk to Catharne about her shapeshifting powers.
--[X] Suggest that she could join you as a pupil at the Engelram Academy at the beginning of the next academic year.
-[X] Talk to Mishrak about his brother, Lavokthagua. (+Warscore)
--[X] Find out about the various magical enhancements that Mishrak has given his brother to make him fully amphibious.
-[X] Ask Mishrak to rejuvenate Yslena in much the same way that he did to Gareth.
