You wake up slowly, piece by piece as feeling comes back into your body in waves. A pained groan escapes you as you try to move. It feels like needles pricking your skin as you press your hands into the sand and try to sit up.
Your vision swims, a sense of vertigo nearly bringing you back down before you manage to steady yourself. Cool ocean water rushes against you and then recedes back in a rhythm. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you should get out of the water, and you stagger to your feet.
Before you even reach the dry part of the beach, you hear a massive rumble that shakes the earth and brings you to the ground again. In a distance a mountain top explodes, a volcano erupting?
As you rise again you see a sandstorm raging in the desert further inland, but right next to it is a cloud of ice, a blizzard over a land with frosted evergreen trees. That shouldn't be possible…
You turn back to look at the ocean, and it's just as twisted as the mainland. Right next to a still patch of water is a towering waterspout. It's even different shades, as if the ocean was a patchwork quilt.
Something deep in your gut tells you that something is wrong, everything is wrong. Hundreds of questions seem to rattle around in your brain. But you can't think about that now. You have to start at the beginning. Before anything else, you have to get yourself in order.
Who Are You?
[ ] Cecil Harvey (FF4)
You are a Dark Knight, formerly employed by the Kingdom of Baron and leader of the Red Wings airship division. After the disastrous mission to Mysidia, you found yourself questioning the king. After the mission to Mist you made your choice to leave and oppose your former homeland.
Your hands run red with blood, and your heart is leaden with guilt. But maybe… maybe you can still do something good. Perhaps you can still bring light into the world.
Destined Foe: Golbez
[ ] Tidus (FF10):
You are a star Blitzball player from Zanarkand, or at least you were until a horrific monster crashed into the city and killed almost everyone. Every time you thought you had your bearings, Sin would return to capsize you all over again. Zanarkand, Spira, wherever you've ended up now…
You just want to go home.
Destined Foe: Sin
[ ] Celes Chere (FF6):
You are a former general of the Gestahlian Empire, raised and trained from childhood to be one of their very few spellcasters. Over time you grew disillusioned with them and were going to be executed before a thief named Locke saved your life.
Your time with the Returners was bright in spite of the constant danger. But in the end it became too much. Kefka destabilized the world, and it fell into ruin.
You almost gave up.
Destined Foe: Kefka
[ ] Lann (WoFF):
You are a Mirage Keeper of Grimoire, or at least you were. You lost your memories for a time, lost a lot of things, to be honest. But eventually, you remembered, and none of it was good. You were a stupid fool who let your beasts run wild, and accidentally let in a horrific entity to rampage across the world you were supposed to protect.
When you finally came face to face with them, you had to take responsibility for once. So you called on your Architect powers to construct a crystal cage, intending to battle them for as long as it took. Forever if you had to.
If you're here… then did they escape? You have to know. You can't let them harm anyone ever again.
Destined Foe: Brandelus
[ ] Aerith Gainsborough (FF7):
You are an Ancient, watched over and almost experimented on by Shinra in an attempt to discover what they thought was a place of infinite energy. Cloud helped you escape, and you ended up joining his merry little band to oppose Shinra, and Sephiroth.
The last thing you remember is dying, impaled on Sephiroth's sword. You should be dead, but you're not.
Destined Foe: JENOVA
[ ] Mystery Character (Kingdom Hearts):
Is this the realm of darkness? It seems too… bright. Too normal. You would almost believe this was the realm of light, but that's not possible.
Final Fantasy is a series near and dear to my heart. The earliest one I actually played was FF10 on the PS2. I loved it and made sure to buy FF12, 13, and 15 as they came out. Eventually, though, I realized that to get the full experience, I would have to go back and play the classics. Everyone always says that FF7 and 6 are some of the greatest games of all time, and in my very unbiased opinion they are.
One of the fun things about FF is that it has repeating motifs, but each game is it's own unique style. In terms of gameplay, setting, story, and so on. There are always summons, crystals, a fight to save the world, Biggs and Wedge (from Star Wars), and so on. But outside of that every game is its own adventure
We have an outsider breaking the chains of dogma suffocating their world, we have a master of war washing away their sins to protect the world as a paladin, we have ecoterrorists going on to save the world they love so much from a much greater threat, and we have the plot of Star Wars. But with like, airships and stuff.
That flexibility is part of what I love about Final Fantasy and it also presented a bit of a problem. Picking just one world, one game to pull from would be agonizing.
So I didn't do that. Instead, I made my own. The Shattered World.
Setting Details: The Shattered World
This quest takes place after the many worlds of Final Fantasy are put on a collision course. There's no shortage of events that could have caused this, Time Compression, the World Crystals being shattered, Chaos, or even the acts of a Mad God. As for which one caused this particular event?
We'll get to that later.
The Shattered World is an amalgamation of many worlds. Kingdoms, towns, monsters, and entire landmasses placed together without reason. A vast desert could be placed next to a sprawling grassland, a frozen wasteland next to a jungle. But the world is not entirely without reason.
Edit: Everyone managed to guess what the Nations were long before they appeared. I'll go ahead and put their names in.
A kingdom that once sat square between two empires and was embroiled in a war they didn't ask for. Following the war's end, they were placed under the bootheel of one such empire, and the royal family was removed from power. Ironically, being transferred to another world made Dalmasca freer now than they were for years back in their world. With their long lost princess returning to the throne, this kingdom seeks to maintain the freedom it once thirsted for.
Faction Holdings
City of Rabanastre [Capital]
Faction Traits
Lowtown (Capital Only): The capital city of Rabanster has an incredible history and a sprawling undercity and waterway beneath the uppermost layer in which most people live. This chaotic web of tunnels is confusing to navigate and hides dozens of secret passages used by spies, criminals, and even the royal family. [Dalmasca natives receive a +10 bonus to Intrigue checks within Rabanstre. Outsiders receive a -10 malus to Intrigue checks within Rabanstre. This malus can be reduced or eliminated through familiarity, or acquiring and studying maps] Proud Traders: The Dalmascan people pride themselves on their resourcefulness and trading acumen. Even seemingly useless bits and bobs may be precious in the right light. They once sat at the crossroads of continents and nations as the beating heart of trade across the world. Though that location has changed, their skill has not wavered. [Trade routes involving Dalmasca will provide +1 Funds to both participants.] Hunter Clans: Hunter Clans exist to take care of troublesome beasts and handle problems too small or esoteric for the military to get involved. Although they're technically contract workers and mercenaries, Hunter Clans are highly respected by the general populace. Hunting marks is a lucrative, but dangerous, profession. [Faction receives a +10 Martial bonus when hunting monsters.] Airship Fleet: The empire did not allow Dalmasca to use military-grade airships while it occupied them, but it did allow them to use commercial-grade ones. These airships are useless in aerial battles, but are perfectly capable of crossing vast distances without any heed for obstacles. [Dalmasca begins play with a fleet of airships. These ships cannot be used for Martial Actions, but can allow safe travel between Dalmascan-controlled cities for a small fee, and enables trade routes to cross dangerous terrain or the ocean without any penalty.] Remnants of Occupation: Dalmasca suffered through years of being controlled and hollowed out by an occupying force, after being soundly defeated militarily by that same force. Although the nation is recovering, renewing its army and repairing the damage done will take time. [Damasca begins play without an army, and must spend several turns and actions rebuilding said army]
You haven't met this nation yet...
You haven't met this nation yet
A massive company that operates from a city called Midgar. Despite the title of "company" Shinra is closer to a city-state oligarchy where the directors of Shinra stand in for government officials. They have little interest in protecting and supporting their people, instead turning all their attention to acquiring more resources, more money, more efficient means of control, and more powerful weapons.
Greed, thy name is Shinra
Faction Holdings
Midgar [Capital]
Faction Traits
SOLDIER Program: Shinra's pride and joy, the SOLDIER program takes normal fighters and imbues them with superhuman strength, toughness, and skill. The process is costly, and Shinra doesn't have that many SOLDIERs, but each one is an elite fighter for sure. [Shinra SOLDIERs will lead lesser footsoldier squads in battle. A 3rd class has a Martial & Magic bonus of +5. A 2nd class has a Martial & Magic bonus of +10. A 1st class is a hero character with their own stat block.] Turks: Despite their unimposing title of "Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department", the Turks are one part intelligence agents, one part assassins, and one part black ops agents. They complete the mission, no matter what. [-10 Malus to Intrigue Actions within Shinra's territory. Failure may invite conflict with the Turks] Mako Power: The secret to Shinra's success. In exchange for poisoning the land and creating an ever-expanding ring of death and decay, Mako Reactors create enough energy to power entire cities and still make Materia on the side. That's worth the cost, right? [Shinra holdings may construct Mako Reactors, which produce direct profit for Shinra, in exchange for causing the land beneath it to wither and die. Midgar begins play with several actors operational] Materia Creation: Another part of Shinra's success is the ability to create material. By condensing Mako into small crystaline spheres, they can produce Materia. Materia can be slotted into weapons and armor to enable the casting of spells, and enhancement of equipment [Shinra SOLDIERs and Turks may cast magic, even if they are not native magic users. Shinra-controlled cities may also sell materia.] Breeding Resentment: To put it bluntly, Shinra only displays the barest hint of care for the people under their wing. While the people on the upper plate of Midgar live pampered lives, those living below the plate and in remote corners of Shinra's empire aren't so lucky. [Automatic -10 opinion to lower Midgar dwellers and those living outside Midgar, but within Shinra territory. Increased chance of rebellion.] Budget Cuts: Urban Development is the most chronically underfunded part of Shinra's organization, with the potential exception of the Space Program. As a result, response to disasters is slow, rebuilding is slower, and some lesser places under Shinra's control may even wither. [Shinra territory has a -20 malus to resist natural disasters or build/repair non-commercial buildings and expansions.]
You haven't met this nation yet...
Note: A location being within a nation's territory does not necessarily mean it "belongs" to them. The map will start blank, and fill in with more detail as the players go out and find things
This Quest's mechanics are modified from other CK2 style quests I've seen before, including my earlier quest, Valkyria Chronicles 5: Imperial Heart, To Be the Very Best: Rocket Quest, and Bound to Earth: A CK2 Earthbound Quest
Turn Mechanics
Each turn represents an entire month of activity from yourself, allies, and enemies. After 12 turns a year will pass.
Some actions will be open at all times while others must be unlocked, are only temporarily available, or may be temporarily locked due to outside influence or circumstance. These circumstances will arise through random events as well as actions from entities in the world.
A Faction Action is the combined effort of an entire group. Some examples might be a unified monster hunt, the production and sale of weapons, refurbishing a building into an HQ, or researching the powers of a crystal.
Faction Actions are rolled on a D100+ any modifiers against a set DC. The DC will be based on the difficulty of the cation, and will usually be stated plainly beforehand. The calculations for a Faction action are as follows.
1d100+Relevant stat of the PC + Relevant stat of Assigned Hero + Traits of Assigned Hero and PC + Loyalty Bonus + Omake Bonus.
The direct mechanical benefits and cost are listed in the action description, but there may be narrative effects as well depending on the PC and or the assigned Hero. It may be worth considering things like the knowledge base of a hero and their talents in addition to their stats when assigning them to certain actions.
Character's stats can improve by training, leveling up, or over time.
Each turn you will be able to take five Faction Actions, one for each of the five main categories. Martial, Diplomacy, Stewardship, Intrigue, and Learning.
This quest also has the 6th category, Magic. Magic can appear in place of the other stats in certain events and actions, say replacing Martial in a battle against a magically inclined foe, or replacing Learning when the object of research is magical in nature. At the start there will be no dedicated Faction action for Magic, but maybe that will change if your faction develops a strong enough magical presence.
Now, here's a short section dedicated to each stat, what they mean, and a rough estimate of how good someone is based on their stats
Magic
Magic represents someone's power and skill in magic, as well as their ability to use equipment like Manadrives, Materia, and Magicite. Someone with great raw power can have a lower Magic stat than someone who has great skill. It represents not only how powerful someone is, but how skilled they are and the variety of their magic. Someone with a 0 in Magic is incapable of casting magic by any means.
0: Completely incapable of casting magic
1-5: Has latent magical potential but has never cast magic before.
6-9: Awakened magical power, first cast of magic.
10-14: Capable of basic magic, Soldier 3rd Class
15-19: Some magical training or experience.
20-25: Trained mage, Soldier 2nd Class
25-35: Seasoned Black Mage/White Mage
36-40: World-class Mage
41-50: Soldier 1st Class
51-60: Fully accomplished Sage
61-70: Awakened Sorceress
70+ God of Magic
Martial
Martial represents a combination of physical power, combat skill, and tactical acumen. Martial actions are based on fighting enemies, either in single combat or massed combat, hunting monsters, completing in duels, and so on.
0: physically paralyzed
1-5: a weakling, sickly, infirm or particularly incompetent
6-9: an average human being
10-14: Some combat training, karate classes, has been in a few scraps
15-19: Trained soldier
20-25: Expert veteran of combat, 3rd Grade Soldier
25-35: respected military leader
36-40: Competent superhuman, 2nd Grade Soldier
41-50: World class fighter, capable of throwing down with most supers and mutants
51-60: Incomparable fighter, legendary, once in an era general, 1st Grade Soldier
61-70: High-level superhuman powers paired with natural skill and years of experience
70+: Unstoppable juggernaut of destruction
Diplomacy
The ability to communicate, negotiate, and make your viewpoint known. Diplomacy actions usually involve communicating with people, negotiating deals, and most importantly, making people like you.
0: deeply, personally repulsive
1-5: Annoying, obnoxious, grating
6-9: An average human being
10-15: Moderate charisma and basic social skills
16-20: trained negotiator or corporate dealmaker
21-25: Highly skilled professional diplomat
26-35: Magnetic personality, liked by all they meet
36-45: Cream of the crop, natural born politician, brilliant dealmaker
46-55: Literally superhuman persuasive power, preternatural understanding of human psychology
55-70: Could trade a castle for a piece of string
70+: Social Deity
Stewardship
Stewardship represents a character's ability to manage resources, make business deals, and generally be prosperous. Stewardship actions involve purchasing high-quality equipment, managing workers, making deals, and other forms of making money
0: Does not understand the concept of trade
1-5: Bad with money, scatterbrained, unable to lead others
6-10: Standard human
11-15: basic organizational skills and time management
16-20: Professional Project Manager
21-25: High ranking corporate worker skilled at their job
26-35: Experienced CEO or governor, capable of managing massive interlocking projects at the same time
36-45: Financial Wizard, can predict the stock market with some accuracy, can sketch out plans for an entire business venture in a week
46-55: Supernatural management skills, capable of leading entire countries without apparent effort
56-70: Multiple simultaneous thoughtstreams, could amass a fortune bigger than Wily's if they put their mind to it.
71+: owns you already, you just don't know it yet
Intrigue
The subtle arts, thievery, deception, spywork, information gathering. Intrigue actions can include information gathering, sneaking into restricted areas, active attempts at deception, and any action under the broad umbrella of "we don't want to be caught." It also serves as a defense for enemy Intrigue actions.
0: Incapable of lying
1-6: Credible, easy to fool, has trouble remembering to keep secrets
7-10: average human mind
11-15: petty criminal, amateur sleuth
16-20: junior spy; professional thief
21-25: secret agent
26-35: criminal mastermind
36-45: Master of disguise, intricate webweaver, conceals true intentions unconsciously
46-55: World's Greatest Detective, Infamous phantom thief, can hide in plain sight
56-70: superpower assisted stealth, could convince a person their entire life was a lie in an afternoon
71+: They've already won, you just haven't noticed yet.
Learning
Learning represents a character's education and or store of useful knowledge. Actions related to research, engineering, and so on are usually Learning actions.
0: non-sapient
1-6: simpleminded, dim, uneducated
7-10: High School Diploma, average intelligence
11-13: Slightly smarter than average; some college
14-20: college graduate in sciences, trivia champion
21-30: Doctorate in technical field, Cash Wheel National Champion
30-35: Factotum
36-40: Leading expert in their field, photographic memory
41-50: World's greatest expert on their subject
51-60: Smartest human alive, perfect recall of every fact they have ever learned
61-70: Inhuman intellect
71+: Appears omniscient
Critical Rolls
A Critical Success is when an action going as well as it possibly could have, and may grand extra benefits or have unexpected boons.
A Critical Failure is when an action goes as poorly as it possibly could have, and may lead to unexpected consequences and setbacks.
Your chance of a critical success is 1/10th of your success chance, rounded to the nearest percept. Your chance of a critical filure is 1/10th of your chance to fail, rounded to the nearest percent.
So for example, a 50% chance of success would give a 5% chance for a critical success or failure. A critical success on a 96+ and a critical failure on a 5- An 80% success chance would give you an 8% chance at a critical success, and a 2% at a critical failure.
Personal Actions
Personal actions are small scale actions undertaken by individual Hero units. Talking to people, listening to rumors, training, improving relationships, or even mundane actions like taking a stroll or visiting the market. Although these actions are smaller in scale, they may be important for developing skills, loyalty, and other bonuses.
Every turn a Hero Unit gets one Personal action, and can be assigned to a Faction Action, adding their relevant stat value to the roll.
The player character will get a total of four Personal actions to spend as they wish. You can also spend all but one of them to give an action "special attention" meaning the roll for that action will be rolled twice and then the better roll will be taken.
For personal actions a 1d100 will be rolled with no modifiers. There is no defined DC or rate of success, but a very high or very low roll can still affect the results of those actions.
Note: At the start of this quest, the PC will not have a faction. Until the PC has gained control of or started a faction, they will not have the free time to engage in personal actions.
Hero Units
Hero Units are the individuals who stand out in your faction as a cut above the rest. You might employ clerks, soldiers, and engineers, but these Heroes are the ones you know and trust for the difficult jobs.
At the start of the game, you will not have any Hero Units other than the MC. But no doubt there are some like minded individuals somewhere out in the world. Some might be attracted by ideology, or recruited by doing them a favor. Some might just need some money and be willing to work for it.
Of course, these Heroes have their own things going on, their own feelings, priorities, and worries. Taking time to be kind to them may open up additional traits and benefits, while treating them poorly or being neglectful might be enough to get them to abandon you.
Opinion
Opinion is a measure of how much your Heroes like you. Or how little. This usually starts at 0 and can go between -100 and 100.
0 to -25 is nothing serious, but indicates that perhaps you rub them the wrong way have have given them a minor slight in the past. Below -25 however, these negative feelings grow to active dislike and antagonism. Around -75 or so and they hate you to the point of actively attempting to block you, or even kill you if it gets bad enough.
On the positive scale, 0 to 25 is a positive, if somewhat distant relationship. Above 25 is when you're acquainteces, above 50 is a good friend, and above 75 is when you have tight bonds of trust.
Even an extremely high opinion won't make a Hero totally loyal. No matter how much you like someone, if they ask you to betray your beliefs or put yourself in undue risk, most people are going to say no.
There are many modifiers which can affect a Hero's opinion on you. Someone you help out of a tight situation will obviously start on the right foot, while someone who's faction you have opposed in the past might have lingering resentment against you. Some of these factors may ease over time, others might require active effort to change.
Keep your Heroes' preferences in mind. Cultivating a healthy relationship with your Heroes is just good business, letting them get disgruntled and angry is a bad idea.
There is a gameplay benefit to keeping your heroes happy. When making a roll, their opinion will be reflected in a bonus modifier. A rating of -25 to 0 or 0 to 25 gives you an additional 10% of their relevant stat for that roll either subtracted or added, respectively. 25-49 will give you 15%, 50-74 20%, and 75-100 25%. Numbers will be rounded down to the nearest whole.
Traits
There are two kinds of traits, Innate and Class.
Innate Traits represent traits which are semi-permanent facets of that character. They may be mental, physical, magical, or something else entirely. Some examples may include the blessings of a summon, a bloodline trait, or lingering guilt
Class Traits represent traits and abilities that are the result of a Class's influence or training. For example, someone who has no innate magical talent, but learned to cast as part of the Black Mage class.
Funds and Income
Normally in Final Fantasy, you'd make all your money by killing monsters and carving gil out of their stomachs. But that isn't really an option here. For the sake of simplicity, Funds will be kept low and nebulous. I'd rather not be calculating the cost of million gil purchases.
Once you have a faction, you won't be in any danger of going bankrupt even if your funds are at 0. Even without a faction, you'll never have to worry about going homeless or hungry, this isn't that kind of game.
However, you will need funds for big purchases, projects, or just cutting a sweet deal with another faction. Keeping some funds on hand is always a good idea.
Items and Equipment
Items are limited use tools such as healing items and attack items which can be expended to grant bonuses.
Equipment is long-term items which provide a passive benefit. As much as I'm sure everyone would love me to keep track of every sword, knife, set of armor, and shield we pick up, I'll only be keeping track of Equipment that has unique effects or some real value. An iron dagger is just another knife, but a Dancing Dagger might be worth something.
Fanart and Omakes
I will be hugely flattered if anything I write inspires someone enough to make fanart or write a side story. It's one of the things that makes me feel like I'm heard and appreciated.
As a reward for Fanart and Omakes, the person who wrote it will get Quest Points. I know that in most Quests these are called EXP, but EXP is already a term that exists in Final Fantasy and I might use it for something else later, so I'm sticking with QP.
The minimum reward for an Omake is 1 QP, but longer and more well-thought-out work will earn more points. QP can be exchanged to boost a roll by 1 point per QP spent to a max of +10. I might implement other ways of using QP later, but for now, that's all I've got.
Once we get going and the setting has been more established, I may set up a Bounty Board of Omakes with specific rewards, but if any of you get the urge to write one just cause, I'd really appreciate it.
Adventuring Rules
I have noticed that focusing on Combat is something that can really drag a quest down. Fights done turn by turn can last weeks at a time, and any failed roll can extend the combat by another vote. That's not to say there won't be any Boss Fights later down the line, but for simpler adventures, I'll be using these rules instead. As these rules are a little untested, they may be subject to change.
Starting an Adventure
An Adventure can be started as a Personal Action by the MC or a Hero, with up to 5 total Heroes joining in on the adventure. (Note: If 5 proves to be too many, I may lower this cap later) Every Hero who goes on an adventure will be unable to perform any other Personal Actions for that turn, but will still provide bonuses to Faction Actions they are assigned towards.
This phase is also when the Destination is decided. The Destination is where the adventure will be headed. It's uh... not that complicated.
Just like with Faction Actions, I'll take care to list out the potential rewards for different Destinations, as well as list out some potential risks. Once you've selected the Destination it's time for the Preparation phase.
Preparation
During the Prep phase we need to decide what Supplies to take, and the Strategy for the party.
Supplies is when we decide how much equipment and supplies to take. Obviously, the team can only take so much equipment, and some of it may or may not be useful depending on the trials faced. Items you already own may be pulled from the faction stocks, while others may have to be purchased.
Strategy should be pretty obvious. This is when you'll decide how sparing or aggressive to be with HP, MP, and Items. Should the party Go All Out to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible? Fight Sparingly to preserve MP and Items? Have certain party members focus on specific roles? It's up to you.
Once done with Preparation, we move on to the actual Adventure.
Adventuring
The Questers won't have that much influence over the adventure once it's actually started. The party will move forward and get closer to their destination, denoted by their Progress. As they advance I will roll dice on an Event table for various events to happen. Fights with monsters, traps, discovering treasure, and so on. Some events will deal damage, some events will delay your progress, and if you're lucky you may have good events too.
As the party explores, their HP will drain bit by bit, with the drain increasing from battles and traps. Once their HP gets low enough (as decided by your strategy) they will either use a tent or similar item to rest or retreat.
The vast majority of these events will play out automatically, based on the skills, traits, and abilities of the Heroes you sent on this adventure. Thieves will pick locks, Warriors will leverage their physical strength, Mages will leverage their magical strength, and so on.
That's not to say that the Questers won't get a chance to influence adventures. Some more complicated Events may require your input, and if the Heroes become wounded or find a particularly dangerous opportunity a vote may be called for if the risk is worth it.
Combat
As I said before, Combat is something that can severely weigh down a Quest if it takes too long. As such, normal Combat will be automated and somewhat abstracted. The player's party will fight according to the battle strategy you set up beforehand.
Each combatant will be making opposed Martial checks to attack physically and opposed Magic checks to attack magically. They may also use spells and abilities as described by their Innate and Class Traits.
If the party wins, they will gain EXP and potentially loot based on the enemy they fought. If the party loses, they retreat with injuries. Depending on how severe they were, the adventure may end early. But there's no way that a random rabble can kill a Hero.
There is, of course, one exception to this rule of Combat being automated.
Boss Fights
You know them, you love them, Boss Fights. When the party is fighting a particularly powerful or tricky enemy or group of enemies, one that can't be simply overpowered and has to be engaged strategically, it's time for a boss fight.
Boss Fights are done with turn-based combat. Each Hero in the party who's fighting fit gets to participate, and this time the questers get to choose what everyone does turn by turn. If that proves too slow, I may have it so that each "turn" is 2 rounds of combat, or perhaps do "flash votes" where each vote is called within a day.
I'm going to be sparing with these, they'll only crop up every so often and only against foes that deserve the screen time.
EXP and Leveling Up
Final Fantasy is an RPG series, and of course, leveling up plays a big part in it. But leveling up is much harder to do in a Quest, so I've come up with a bit of a compromise.
The only way to gain EXP is by spending Personal Actions training, certain Martial and Magical actions that involve fighting, and going on Adventures. When a character's EXP fills up, they Level up.
Leveling up does not directly increase a character's stats aside from HP and MP. Instead, upon leveling up a character may gain class traits to represent increased experience. On certain levels, a character may choose to Internalize one of their class traits, turning it into an innate trait they can use regardless of their current class.
Think of it like mastering a skill in the class-based FF games. At first, you may only possess an ability because of your class, but later once you've mastered it, you can use it even when outside of that class.
Natural Spellcaster: You should be able to cast magic naturally, it's part of why Shinra was so fascinated with you. Materia helps you shape it, but the magic comes from you. Unfortunately, while you have a lot of power and natural talent, you've never had formal training of any kind. Right now, you need Materia to pull off complex magic. [Aerith may learn magic permanently through training and repeated use of Materia or other magic items.] Flower of the Slums: The slums of Midgar weren't the kindest place, but you dealt with all of it with as much sun and kindness as you could muster, and a little kick sometimes when people got rowdy. You know how to deal with people who aren't cruel-natured, just down on their luck. [+10 to Diplomacy and Intrigue when dealing with "slum" type areas] Whispers of the Planet: It's hard to explain. You don't 'hear' them exactly, the same way you hear other people talk. But you can tell that the planet is trying to talk to you. Sounds and images float by. But it's hard to really connect with it. [Occasionally messages from the planet will come to you, though that doesn't guarantee the messages will make sense.] Doomed: You're supposed to be dead. Actually… didn't you die? You can remember the blade piercing your back… Best not to think about it. [Aerith has a -20 malus to resist instant death effects] Fated Foe: JENOVA: ??? Ice Attunement [From Ice Magicite]: Your bond with the Ice Magicite has given you a degree of resistance to extreme temperatures, as well as Ice and Water magic. Although, you've also noticed an increased vulnerability to fire... [Resistant to Ice and Water elemental attacks. Weak to Fire elemental attacks.]
Class Traits (Self-Taught Cetra)
You have an intrinsic connection to the planet and magic which is supposed to give you an edge in all kinds of things. Sadly, without anyone to teach you these Cetra tricks, you had to try and discover them on your own. You did your best Equipment Proficiency: As a dedicated spellcaster class, Cetra only equip rods and staves. Their armor is limited to the lightest variety. Ruin: A basic non-elemental magic attack conjured from a staff or rod. It ignores elemental resistance and weaknesses. [Allows the user to use their Magic stat in place of their Martial stat when attacking. Ability is disabled when silenced, out of MP, or magic is otherwise sealed. Costs 0 MP] Soul Drain: A technique in which the Cetra drains magic from an enemy target to fuel their own spells. Though similar to the Osmose spell, this technique requires no MP. [Allows the user to make a Magic roll to drain MP from an enemy. A minimum of 1 MP will be restored, even if the technique fails/the enemy has no MP.] Manawalk: There's magic in the earth, in the air, the water, all around you. It's not hard to restore your own magic when there's so much to be had. [Restores 1 MP per event when traveling or adventuring. This effect may not work in areas of decay or corruption.]
Cure: A White Magic spell that heals HP [Costs 2 MP]
Bio: A Black Magic spell that deals poison damage and has a chance to inflict poison [Costs 1 MP] Blizzard: A Black Magic spell that inflicts ice damage. [Costs 1 MP]
Equipment
Master's Staff[Weapon/Staff]: A staff made of blue wood with a curved head and a faint magical aura. It was made to enhance the power of White Magic, specifically healing spells, and can be used to cast Cura in a pinch [+3 Magic to the Wielder. Increases the power of healing spells by 1. Allows the user to cast Cura for free once per Adventure] Starter Bangle [Armor/Bangle]: A bangle from your old adventure. It's worn down and has lost most of its defensive properties, but the material slot still works. [Provides no bonuses or penalties. Currently holds Poison Materia] Ice Magicite [Accessory/Magicite]: A large crystal with a tall, hexagonal shape. It contains powerful ice magic but at the moment you can only tap into a fraction of it. [Teaches Ice Magic. Grants the bonded hero the "Ice Attunement" Trait. May have additional effects]
Heroes
Alfyn Greengrass
An apothecary from the small town of Clearbrooke. When given a chance to travel the world to hone his craft and heal the sick, Alfyn took off like a shot. He's friendly and kind to the core, but strong-bodied and surprisingly hot-blooded.
An apothecary from the small town of Clearbrooke. When given a chance to travel the world to hone his craft and heal the sick, Alfyn took off like a shot. He's friendly and kind to the core, but strong-bodied and surprisingly hot-blooded.
Gender: Male
Class: Apothecary
Age: 21
Opinion: 35 (+15% to all stats) Stats Magic: 10 (11) Martial: 19 (21) Diplomacy: 24 (27) Stewardship: 8 (9) Intrigue: 11 (12) Learning: 18 (20)
Level: 2
EXP: 0/7
HP: 12/12
MP: 5/5
Innate Traits
Dedicated Apothecary: Alfyn's true calling always has been and always will be as an Apothecary. [Alfyn will always be an Apothecary. Even if an event or item would normally allow him to change his class, Apothecary will remain his primary class. The most he can do is borrow abilities from other classes.] Master of Herb Lore: Alfyn knows all about plants, specifically where they grow, how to harvest them, and what they can be used for. Even if he doesn't, he carries a big tome which holds the collective info of the Apothecary's guild back home. [+20 to Learning checks to identify any herb based medicine, locate ingredients, or understand the properties of a plant relating to medicine.] Inquire: Sometimes when it comes to acquiring information, a pleasant smile and an open conversation can be better than any investigation. [Alfyn can substitute Diplomacy for intrigue for any intrigue actions that involve obtaining information from neutral or friendly parties though conversation.] Humanitarian: Fighting monsters is fine, but people feel wrong to fight. An apothecary is supposed to help people after all. [Unable to willingly initiate Martial actions against people. If forced to fight people, lower Martial by 15% This effect is canceled if Alfyn is under a mental status effect, like confusion, berserk, or fury.]
Class Traits (Apothecary)
Equipment Proficiency: Although not intended to fight, sometimes an apothecary must do battle. Apothecaries can only equip axes as weapons, as well as light to medium armor Concoct: Mixing together medicines is an apothecary's bread and butter. While traveling, a good apothecary will gather whatever materials they need to make good medicine, and in a pinch can combine it to produce amazing effects [Chance to produce random healing items at camp. In combat, can combine 2 healing items to produce a potent combination. For example, combining a potion and eye drops to heal and cure blindness at the same time. They can also use a harming agent to reverse the effect, creating an attack item.] First Aid: Although mundane in comparison to a healing spell, an apothecary can dull pain, prevent further damage, and allow for swift recovery. [Passive: Increase healing while in camp by 20% for free. Active: Restore 5 HP for 1 MP] Icicle: Although it can be used as an attack spell in a pinch, that's not its real purpose. The reason apothecaries learn ice magic is so they can produce pure water to use in medicine, as well as cool water to sooth burns. [Passive: Prevent increased HP drain by acting in a desert or during a drought. Allows Concocting even without a source of water. Active: Spend 1 MP to unleash a simple ice elemental attack.] Rehabilitate: Curing a single instance of a disease or injury is good, but preventing disease and injury is even better. [Passive: cure status effects at the end of battles during Adventures. Active: Costs 2 MP. Cure one status effect on one ally. That ally gains increased resistance to status effects for the rest of the battle. Does not work against certain magical status effects]
Equipment
Old Hatchet [Weapon/Axe]: An old hatchet with no special properties, more of a tool than a weapon [No effect] Buckler [Armor/Shield]: A small, rounded shield that is usually held in a warrior's offhand. Despite its small size it's very versatile. [Increase Evasion by 5%]
Accessory Slot: Empty.
Guests
Shadow
A quiet and stoic ninja who works freelance jobs for money. Little is known about Shadow, but his skills speak for themselves.
Gender: Male
Class: Ninja
Age: ??? (At least 30) Stats Magic: 4 Martial: 24 [26] Diplomacy: 7 Stewardship: 17 Intrigue: 29 Learning: 9
Level: 2
EXP: 0/7
HP: 10/10
MP: 0/0
Innate Traits
High Evasion: He's fast, and almost supernaturally quick on his feet. [Shadow has an additional 10% chance to completely evade a physical attack, independent of all other modifiers] Sharp Edge: When your weapon of choice is daggers, you have to make every slash count… [Shadow's critical hit rate is increased by 5%] Interceptor: Shadow's dog and constant companion, Interceptor. Despite his fierce appearance, Interceptor is highly trained and loyal. [Interceptor increases his protectee's evasion by 10%, and whenever they evade an attack Interceptor will counterattack.] Soldier of Fortune: At the end of the day, Shadow is working for money. Hiring him will require payment upfront, and if the payment runs out or the job is up, he will leave. [Shadow may be hired as a guest with the cost varying depending on his job. If not hired for a length of time, he may leave the area in search of work, or be hired by a rival faction. It's not personal, just business.]
Class Traits (Ninja)
Equipment Proficiency: A Ninja travels light, and can only equip daggers, ninja swords, and light armor. Dual Wield: When using light weapons such as daggers and ninja swords, it's easy enough to use two at once. [A Ninja may wield 2 weapons, and take the benefits of both.] Throw: Weapons such as shuriken, firecrackers, and ninja scrolls are all part of a ninja's training. Using them allows a ninja to fight at long range, or unleash unexpected types of attacks. [Thrown weapons ignore range penalties, can target flying enemies, and deal increased damage, at the cost of expending the thrown item. In addition to shuriken and unused weapons, they can also use ninja scrolls or small explosives.] Slice Open: When scoring a critical hit, the ninja will seek to cause as much damage as possible. [Against living opponents, inflict the Sap status after a crit. Does not work against constructs or robots.] Shadow Edge: Lunge deep, cut deeper. [Increases Critical hit rate by 5%. Stacks with other crit rate bonuses]
Equipment
Mythril Knife [Weapon/Dagger]: A high-quality knife made of a light blue metal called Mythril. [+2 Martial to the Wielder. May be used one handed]
Offhand Slot: Empty
Armor Slot: Empty
Accessory Slot: Empty
Freya Crescent
A dragoon from Bermecia with ratlike features, but a serious and honorable personality. She seeks the 'eternal sandstorm' for reasons she refuses to divulge.
Gender: Female
Class: Dragoon
Age: 21 Stats Magic: 13 Martial: 27 Diplomacy: 13 Stewardship: 9 Intrigue: 7 Learning: 11
Level: 2
EXP: 1/7
HP: 12/12
MP: 5/5
Innate Traits
Dragon Killer: There's a bit of a stereotype that Dragoons are trained to kill dragons, which isn't always true. Some dragoons are trained for much more mundane tasks. Not Freya though, she is a dragon slayer through and through. [Increase Martial & Magic by 15% when targeting a dragon-type enemy. All attacks against a dragon deal extra damage.] Clear Headed: As part of her training Freya learned to maintain her mental focus, even in times of crisis. [Freya is immune to berserk and confusion] Preemptive Strike: Strike first and strike hard, don't let the enemy get the drop on you. [Adds 5% chance to trigger an ambush when monster hunting or adventuring. Has a chance to go first in battle, regardless of initiative.] Trance: In times of crisis, when emotions run high… [???]
Class Traits (Dragoon)
Equipment Proficiency: Dragoons can equip all manner of polearms and heavy armor. Long Reach: Due to their weapons of choice, maneuverability, and high precision, Dragoons can target enemies in the backline without much hassle [Nullifies penalty for attacking enemies who are in the backline, or in a defensive formation.] Jump: The signature technique of Dragoons everywhere. The Dragoon leaps into the air before crashing back down with a vicious spear thrust. It also allows them to leap across chasms, small rivers, and other obstructions. [Nullifies penalties for attacking enemies who are flying, in defensive formations, or otherwise out of reach. In battle, becomes temporarily impossible to target by all but the longest-range attacks. After a delay, return to the ground and attack dealing 1.5 times damage damage] Lancer: A special technique designed for killing mages and magical creatures. Damages an enemy's magic as well as their health. [Passive Effect: Increase Martial rolls by 10 when attacking groups composed of mages or magical entities. Active Effect: Costs 1 MP. In addition to normal attack damage, roll 1d4. Drain that much MP from the target. Some magical creatures may instantly die when their MP reaches zero] Reis's Wind: A healing breeze which slowly but steadily restores the vigor of all inside it. [Costs 5 MP. Grants all allies the Regen status effect.]
Equipment
Old Lance [Weapon]: A well-worn lance that has served Freya in many battles. It's strong and sturdy, but wear and tear has rendered it duller than she'd like. [No effect] Traveling Clothes: Tough clothes made specifically to handle the rigors of travel. They provide some minor protection from the elements and monsters, though less than proper armor. [No Effect]
Basch Fon Ronsenburg
Gender: Male
Class: Knight/Foebreaker
Age: 36 Stats Magic:7 Martial: 25 [30] Diplomacy: 14 Stewardship: 19 Intrigue: 10 Learning: 12
Level: 4
EXP: 0/11
HP: 15/15 (Reduced from 18 to 15 by Scars Trait)
MP: 0/0
Innate Traits
Battle Lore 2: A mark of Basch's mastery in the art of combat. [Increase Martial by 5] Adrenaline: [Boost Martial by 5 when HP is critical.] Blind-Fight: After spending so long in prison, away from the light, Basch learned how to fight and navigate even in the darkness. [Prevents accuracy loss from the Blind or Darkness conditions] Scars: Numerous scars line Basch's body, the signs of a life lived through many conflicts. Though he wears it well, there's no denying that he's taken a lot of hits in his time, and some wounds still linger to this day. [Permanently reduces max HP by 20%]
Class Traits (Knight)
Equipment Proficiency: Knights are equipped to endure long and arduous conflicts, with their strong and sturdy bodies. Knights can equip swords, greatswords, shields, and heavy armor Cover: The purpose of a knight is to protect others, both by striking down those that would harm them, and to face danger so others don't have to. Cover is the art of the knight turning themselves into a shield to protect allies. [When an ally is in critical condition, Basch will automatically redirect physical strikes to hit him instead. When random events and traps target allies, Basch has a chance of redirecting the damage to himself. This effect doesn't activate when Basch is in critical condition.] HP+ 2: Training and proper fitness increase the toughness of Knights [Increase max HP by 2] Shield Block: Proper training in the use of shields increases their effectiveness as weapons. [Further, increase the evasion bonus of a shield by 5%]
Class Traits (Foebreaker)
Equipment Proficiency: Foebreakers, as their names imply, are intended to quickly destroy their foes. They can use Axes, hammers, hand bombs, and heavy armor to deal as much damage as possible Debilitating Strike: The Foebreaker's signature strategy is to damage and diminish their target's ability to fight. By breaking down defenses and reducing their ability to fight back, a Foebreaker can seize victory. [After landing a physical attack, a Foebreaker can use one of their techniques for free to lower an enemy's stats. They can only use one at a time]
Wither: A blow intended to reduce the opponent's physical strength and hamstring incoming attacks [Reduce the opponent's physical accuracy by 10%] Addle: A blow intended to reduce the enemy's mental focus and hamstring incoming magical attacks [Reduce the opponent's magical accuracy by 10%]
Aquatic Training: The sport of Blitzball takes place in the water, and a good Blitzball player has to be capable of holding their breath for minutes at a time, and swimming even while encumbered with a Blitzball. Wakka is an excellent player. [Ignore penalties from traveling or fighting in water. This character cannot drown.] Overdrive- Reels: Wakka actually has a decent talent for magic, but his control is… abysmal. Rather than consistent and repeatable results, when backed into a corner Wakka gambles on getting the results he wants. [When below half HP, Wakka may choose to use his Overdrive, Reels] [Elemental Reel: Wakka attacks all enemies with an element chosen at random.] Damn The Al Bhed!: You've never met the Al Bhed, but Wakka seems to have a worrying distaste for them, partly due to their reliance on 'machina' and partly for some sort of past encounter with them. [Wakka has -50 Opinion towards the Al Bhed and those associated with them.] That's Forbidden!: Wakka hates all advanced technology, what he calls 'machina,' with a few exceptions for technology based on spheres or crystals. [Reduces opinion of people and factions reliant on technology. Wakka refuses to use tech such as airships, firearms, or machinery.]
Class Traits (Blitzball Ace)
Weapon Proficiency: A Blitzball Ace's weapon of choice is a Blitzball, which might seem like an unusual pick, except Blitzballs can be infused with magic. They also prefer light armor to avoid being weighed down. Aim: Wakka is one of the best blitzball shooters in the world, or so he claims. His accuracy with his blitzball is uncanny, to say the least [When attacking with a long-range weapon, ignore any accuracy penalties from long-range, the weather, or traits that increase enemy evasion.] Silence Attack: The user's weapon is infused with the ability to silence and suppress magic users. [Costs 2 MP. Has a 50% chance of inflicting the target with Silence] Dark Attack: The user's weapon is infused with the ability to shroud a target in magical darkness. [Costs 2 MP. Has a 50% chance of inflicting the target with Blind]
Equipment
Blitzball [Weapon]: A blue sphere that can be held in a single hand, though it's heft makes it harder to throw than one expects. Though it's a very unorthodox weapon, Wakka handles it well.[No effect] Traveling Clothes: Tough clothes made specifically to handle the rigors of travel. They provide some minor protection from the elements and monsters, though less than proper armor. [No Effect]
Master's Staff [Staff]:A staff made of blue wood with a curved head and a faint magical aura. The aura reminds you of healing materia, but the staff itself doesn't seem to have any materia slots. Just holding it seems to empower the user's magic. [+3 magic to the wielder. May have additional benefits.] (Equipped by Aerith) Mysterious Crystal: A large crystal with a tall hexagonal shape. It doesn't look natural, and you can clearly feel powerful magic inside, but you can't properly identify it, and it's much too big to equip like materia. It feels pleasantly cool to the touch. [???] Poison Materia: A rounded crystalline sphere that contains the power of poison. By placing it into a Materia slot, the user can gain the power to cast the spell Bio. [Gives the user access to the spell Bio] (Equipped by Aerith) Buckler: A small rounded shield often used in the offhand by fighters. Despite its small size, it provides a great deal of versatility. [Boosts the user's evade chance by 5%] (Equipped by Alfyn) Mythril Knife: A high-quality knife made of a light blue metal called Mythril. [+2 Martial to the wielder. May be used in a single hand] (Equipped by Shadow)
Healing Items
Potion [x1]: A bog standard potion, a bottle of green liquid that restores vitality, dulls pain and stimulates recovery. [Restores 5 HP during adventures and boss fights] Antidote [x2]: A medicine which is used to neutralize poisons. [Removes the poison status during adventures and boss fights] Smelling Salt [x2]: A medicine which is used to snap people back to their senses [Removes the confusion status during adventures and boss fights] Phoenix Down [x1]: A red feather, supposedly harvested from a Phoenix itself. A phoenix down can revive a recently defeated ally, but cannot return the dead back to life. It can also be used to kill some undead [Revives a downed ally during adventures and boss fights.]
Attack Items
Shuriken [x7]: Small metal throwing weapons used by Ninja. [Allows anyone with the Throw skill to attack targets from range. Attacks made with Shuriken have a +10 to hit, and deal +1 damage, but expend the Shuriken.]
Class: Dragoon
Current Location: Rabanstre
Current Status: Friends
Goal: Find the Eternal Sandstorm
A Dragoon from Burmecia you met in Rabanstre. She seems to be looking for a 'landmark' she called the Eternal Sandstorm. Despite her stoic greeting, you hit it off pretty well.
Alfyn Greengrass
Class: Apothecary
Current Location: Rabanastre
Current Status: Friends
Goal: Help People
A country hick from Clearbrooke with a talent and passion for healing people. He seems like a pure, though not necessarily innocent, soul who's only goal in life is to help people.
Shadow
Class: Assassin
Current Location: Rabanstre
Current Status: Acquainted
Goal: Make Money?
Stoic, serious, and keeping everything close to the chest. You don't know much about him, other than his mercenary ways. Still, could be worth hiring him.
Amalia
Class: ???
Current Location: Rabanstre
Current Status: Acquainted
Goal: ???
You don't know much about Amalia, having only met her the one time and she didn't tell you much. You get the impression she's a Rabanstre native who's happy the empire is gone.
Waka
Class: Blitzball player
Current Location: Rabanastre
Current Status: Acquainted
Goal: Go Home?
Poor Waka seems so terribly out of place in Rabanstre, and would probably feel a lot better back home. But where is home when the world has been tossed around like this?
Just like it says, voting is now open! I'm curious to see which of our potential heroes would win. I took care to pick a few of the less popular ones, I feel like Cloud would be a real one-sided win if I put him up here.
Also, let's play a little game. If anyone wants to take a guess as to which of the Great Nations is which nation from the games, I'll hand out 100 EXP for each correct guess.
You can discuss and theory craft as long as you want, but once you make an official guess in bold, that's the only guess you'll get.
Edit: Whoops! Forgot to say how long voting is open for. I'll be busy for a few days, so this one is going to be open until 12:00 PM CDT the 19th of September
I don't think anyone will complain if I end this vote an hour early. The people have spoken! Our Main Character will be Aerith Gainsborough!
I didn't expect this, but in hindsight I probably should have expected the FF7 character to sweep the polls. I'm surprised Tidus was the closest competition, followed by the KH Character and Celes. Cecil is super far behind, but poor Lann didn't have a shot at all. Which, I probably should have expected. He's from a side game, which I figure isn't particularly popular. Oh well! Like I said before, these people will still be out in the world for you to meet, just not as the Main character.
Scheduled vote count started by griffinlw on Sep 16, 2024 at 8:49 PM, finished with 24 posts and 21 votes.
To your immense relief, the memories come back easily enough as the fog starts to clear from your head. Your name is Aerith Gainsborough, you're 22 years old, you lived in the Sector 5 Slums until a few months ago.
It doesn't take long before you're completely lost in the memories. Meeting Cloud, storming Wall Market to save Tifa, saving Barret's daughter from the falling plate, being saved in turn by AVALANCHE from Shinra's clutches, and meeting another lone survivor captured by Shinra in Nanaki.
Then it was time to travel, leaving behind Midgar for the first time in your life. You went to so many interesting places like Cosmo Canyon, Costa Del Sol, and the Gold Saucer. You went to the beach, watched a play, and had so many fun moments with the gang-
And died.
The thought brings a crashing halt to your reminiscence, your heart suddenly pumping hard in your chest as a deathly chill grips you. You remember dying. It was sudden and sharp, pain that instantly shattered your strength. There was no time to prepare or think, it was over in an instant.
But… was that real?
You tentatively look down your shirt, to your stomach. There's a large, pale patch of scar tissue right where you remember the blade piercing you. Is it just your imagination or does it feel… cold to the touch?
"But I'm alive now." You whisper to yourself, as if trying to make it so.
Finally, you shakily push yourself to your feet. You still have a near-endless supply of questions, stuff like "Where am I?" and "What happened?" and "Why does the planet feel broken?" but those can wait for now.
You're alive, and that means that you're cold, wet, and kind of thirsty. Time to stop thinking about existential terror and start thinking about where you're going to get a drink.
The beach you washed up on has what looks like a debris field. As if ships have crashed here before and spilled their cargo on the beach. It looks like it's been here for ages so… no one would mind if you took some stuff yeah?
What do you find? (Pick 2)
[ ] A Piece of High-Quality Equipment
[ ] A Pouch of Gill [+3 Funds]
[ ] 2 Potions and an Ether
[ ] A Useful Accessory
[ ] An Unknown Artifact For lack of any better ideas, you start heading inland. You're pretty thirsty, and saltwater is super not good to drink. But to your dismay, the beach's sand quickly gives way to gritty and dry desert sand.
In the back of your mind is the continuous feeling that something is wrong. The planet feels wrong, the planet looks wrong. And try as you might, the planet can't seem to communicate what is wrong
Not that you were ever that good at communicating with it…
What draws you out of your thoughts is something you spot on the horizon. A city in the desert. For a second you wonder if you've somehow found Corel.
Within moments you realize it's definitely not Corel. At the end of the day, Corel was a pretty small, somewhat desolate place. At least at the time you visited it. This place is huge! Almost as large as Midgar!
There's a massive stone wall around the city, arranged in a ring shape. As you approach the gate you can see sturdy stone buildings on the inside, some short and squat and some reaching for the sky. You'd expect a desert city to be dry and devoid of life, but there are palm trees flanking the streets, and hordes of people on the inside.
The gates are flanked by men in armor, with weapons on their belts and backs. They give you little more than a cursory glance before one of them waves you in. "Welcome to Rabanastre!"
Rabanastre? "Thank you. This is actually my first time in the city. Is there a festival going on or something?" You look past the guards into the cit. People are laughing, singing, dancing, and eating with the kind of joy that seems infectious.
"You could say that." The guard grins. "We're celebrating our independence!"
"From Shinra?" You ask, reflexively.
"Who? No, I mean our independence from those bastards, the Archadian Empire!" The guard looked at you funny, like you just asked a profoundly stupid question. "Miss, if you're feeling a bit tired from the desert heat, maybe you should turn in for the night."
"I… should." You quickly grab onto the excuse like a lifeline. No need to make the guy think you're crazy "You're right. Are there any inns nearby?"
The guard gave you directions and offered to show you the way, which you politely but firmly refused.
Walking through Rabanastre, you felt like a mourner at a wedding. All around you were people partying and cheering. You smiled and nodded every time someone looked your way, but no amount of good vibes were enough to silence the rising panic deep in your chest.
On the inside, you were freaking out.
It didn't help when you noticed that lots of people in the crowd weren't human. Sure, you had a pretty wide definition of what a person was. You were only half human after all, and Nanaki wasn't humanoid even if he was a wonderful person.
That didn't prepare you to see squat humanoids with scales and long droopy snouts, or tall statuesque figures with masks and wings, or towering women with rabbit ears dressed like they worked the Honey Bee Inn and were built like colosseum champions.
You found the inn the guard suggested, paid for the room (thank the Planet they accepted Gil, though they did comment on the strange design) ate dinner, drank some water, and tried not to scream.
'Where am I? How can I fix this? Can I even fix this? Where are the others? What do I do?"
"Sleep Child." The planet commanded.
It wasn't like you had much of a choice. You were floating a green flowing stream, sounded by countless wisps of light on every side.
The first time you had this kind of vision you were struck by wonder, running your hands through the whisps and listening for every tiny drop of sound. Entranced by the planet's message.
This time you put your hands on your hips and glared as if the embodiment of the planet could be cowed by a 20-something-year-old girl. "Alright, planet, Gaia, whatever you want to be called. You've got some explaining to do!"
The planet obliges, not with words, but with a vision. A bird's eye view of the planet, not quite space, but higher than the average airship could fly. And it is your planet this time, you're sure of it.
Then a chunk of the ocean is torn away, leaving a ragged hole that is quickly plugged by an island that appears from nowhere.
You watch in horror as the planet is taken apart and put together again like someone mixed up the pieces from a dozen puzzles and started haphazardly slamming them together. Landmarks and landmasses vanish and appear, vying for space and uncaring of what used to be there.
When the dust settles, the world is nearly unrecognizable. The planet turns its attention to you as if expecting you to know what that means. As if you should have the answers here.
"Why does it have to be me?" You demand, feeling somewhat childish but unable to hold yourself back. "I could just try to live my life here! Make the best of what I have, settle down with a guy, and enjoy myself."
It's an empty threat. Both of you know that.
"... I don't even know what to say. Can this even be fixed? Did Sephiroth do this?"
The Planet gave its version of shaking its head, the stream briefly turning cold before it showed you another vision.
What Did You See?
[ ] Chaos (FF 1)
A demonic and immortal beast, seeking to continue a cycle of eternal violence
[ ] Caius Ballad (FF 13-2)
An immortal huntsman doomed to watch the love of his life die and be reincarnated for all of eternity. He sought to break the cycle the only way he knew, shattering the flow of time.
[ ] Ultimecia (FF 8)
A sorceress with incredible magical power and a cruel disdain for humanity. She desired to compress all of time and space, making herself the only one with dominion over it.
[ ] Exdeath (FF5)
An evil warlock spawned from countless malevolent spirits and souls combining into one. He plots to return the world to the Void.
[ ] Kefka Palazzo (FF6)
Once a man, now a God of Magic and Chaos who wants nothing more than to inflict his sadistic urges on anyone and everyone.
[ ] Ardyn Izunia (FF 15)
Twisted and corrupted by the same affliction he tried to heal, this former king simply wants the world to die out of spite.
[ ] Something Else (???)
Write in!
