It's official now, Ashelia has assumed the throne and become the queen of Dalmasca. She made an impassioned speech about maintaining the freedom of Dalmasca and repairing the damage caused by the Empire.
Among these repairs, pardons have been issued for political prisoners and criminals. Those whose crimes were against the empire, not Dalmasca. Seized personal property is being returned, and reparations are being paid.
It's impossible to say if she'll be a good queen long-term, but the people are extremely happy about her first acts.
[Dalmasca focuses inwards.]
[The people are happy… for now.]
The cartographer's guild has resorted to hiring airship pilots to survey the regions around Rabanstre and draw maps from the air. Some maps of the surrounding region are currently in progress, in their roughest form at least.
While these maps will be perfectly serviceable for the layman, the cartographers bemoan the lack of precision, and others insist that only hand-drawn, land-drawn maps will be sufficient.
Who knew map-making was such serious business?
[Rough maps of the region around Rabanstre will soon be available to purchase.]
As Dalmasca stabilizes internally, its gaze turns outwards to the strange, twisted world they find themselves in.
Scouts and messengers have been sent out on exploration/diplomatic missions to find other towns, other cities, other nations. Dalmasca lives on trade after all.
Nothing is fully confirmed to the common folk, but according to rumor the guest suites of the palace are being cleaned right now…
[Envoys from ??? will arrive at Rabanstre this turn.]
There appears to be a giant beaver dam in the Dalmasca Estersands, right on top of the river Nebra.
The beavers appear to be relatively peaceful creatures? They aren't intelligent enough for speech, but they appear capable of reasoning and construction. They drive monsters out and are peaceful towards travelers.
That's a good thing right?
[Reduces danger level in the Rabanstre region.]
Without any real connections to other nations, there's little concrete news to be had outside the walls of Rabanstre. But the supposed envoys are a source of much rumor and speculation. Who are they? Where did they come from? What wonderful and terrible opportunities might they reveal?
According to rumor the approaching envoys are…
- A young beast king attended by a stocky dwarf and a lithe-bodied woman
- A 'soft' leader, one who guides and advises but isn't truly in control
- A runaway princess much like Ashelia once was
- A powerful and charismatic sorcerer and religious leader
- A tyrannical Emperor with a mighty army.
Of course, not all of these can be true...
[But some rumors hide a kernel of truth.]
Current Funds: 6 -1 (Inn costs) = 5
Note: Aerith doesn't have control of a faction. At the moment all of her actions are done personally, and as such she has no personal actions. After gaining control of a faction, or at least a few close allies, she will regain the use of personal actions.
Note: Aerith is living out of an Inn at the moment, costing 1 Fund per turn. Finding a new place to stay may reduce the Fund drain, and give you more space to work with.
[ ]
Go Monster Hunting with Freya: Hunting with Freya was much better than hunting alone. According to her, she's hunting in order to get traveling funds, probably so she can look for her "eternal sandstorm." You could help each other out again. [DC: None. Triggers Automatic Battle with random monster type.]
[ ]
Explore the desert around Dalmasca: You're not too keen on the idea of traveling alone, but poking the desert around Dalmasca seems safe enough. If you get into trouble you can run for the gates. [DC: 50]
[ ]
Help Amalia Explore the Garamsythe Waterway: Underneath Rabanastre proper is a sprawling set of tunnels which the locals call the Garamsythe Waterways. Amalia seems interested in plumbing it's depths for some reason, which she doesn't seem to want to share with you. [DC: 50]
[ ]
Go on an Adventure: You have some friends, and you're sure you could entice some of them to go with you. Maybe you could look for other signs of civilization? Or try to help Freya find her sandstorm? Try to impress a Clan by taking out a Mark? The preparations would cost money, but depending on your goals, the results could be well worth it. [DC: None. Triggers "Adventure" phase at the end of the turn]
[ ]
Convince Your Friends of Your Quest: It's hard to say if you can right now. With AVALANCHE it was so easy, you all had your own reasons to team up and come together. Can you convince them to help you fight... whatever Chaos is? Maybe you should save this until you have proof... [DC: ???]
[ ]
Visit the Cartographer's Guild: The Cartographer's Guild is something you're interested in. Shinra had a map of the world which was geographically correct if a little lacking in detail sometimes. The idea of an army of moogles trying to do it by themselves is… really cute honestly. Maybe you can help somehow? [DC: ???]
[ ]
Indulge In Gossip: One of the best ways to keep an ear out for news is just to talk and listen. It won't always be totally true, but even the smallest rumors had to start somewhere… [DC: 40/80]
[ ]
Free Appraisal: You helped out the owners of the weapon shop, technique trainer, and even the magic trainers in town. They've already paid you, but maybe you could call in a favor and get them to appraise your staff and crystal for free? [DC: 60]
[ ]
Grow and Sell Flowers: You need a place to grow them, and then you'll be set. Alfyn told you that buying grow beds wouldn't be too bad, but you can't exactly set them up on the roof of the inn. You need a place of your own. [Locked: Need a place of your own.]
[ ]
Odd Jobs: Same as before, doing odd jobs to make some money and meet people.[DC: 30/60]
[ ]
Go Shopping: Dalmasca seems a lot more open to the idea of adventurers and monster hunters than Midgar ever was. You've seen signs for shops selling medicine, traveling gear, weapons, and even a shop claiming it sold 'magick.' [DC: 0/50/100]
[ ]
Sell The Crystal: If the crystal is something you don't know how to use, selling it is an option. It's clearly magical and would sell well. But then you would never solve it's mystery. [DC: 30/70]
[ ]
Look For A Place to Stay (Above Ground): You have enough money now, you're sure of it. You could find a place to stay, above ground. It would be tight and you would only be able to grow plants on the roof, but it would work for you. [DC: 40/80. Cost depends on result]
[ ]
Look For A Place to Stay (Below Ground): It would be just like being under the plate again! Well, not really. But the gloom of the Lower City is something you're very familiar with. You'd have plenty of space to play with, but growing plants underground would be a bit harder, and your neighbors might be a bit more criminal. [DC: 30/70. Cost depends on result]
[ ]
Investigate the Hunter Clans: You know a decent bit about Clans now. Essentially teams of mercenary monster hunters. Supposedly the way that you join a clan is by hunting down a Mark, a wanted monster, and slaying it. Maybe you can learn some more? [DC: 30/60]
[ ]
Spy On The Envoys: What's there to say? You're a bit curious about the approaching envoys. They're set to arrive this month, and you know enough about Lowtown and the city streets to find good vantage points. It's unlikely you'll get more than a name and a title, maybe a few details about their domain, but it might be important. [DC: 30/60]
[ ]
Hire Shadow To Spy: Alternatively, you could get Shadow to do it. He's a sneaky ninja, you're sure he'd be fine with it. As always, he's got a price tag on his services. DC: Auto Pass. Costs 2 Funds]
[ ]
Air Pirates?: The way people talk about Air Pirates suggests that they were rebels against authority and the empire, but not necessarily criminals. Some smuggled, some raided, but most were simply free spirits branded as pirates by the empire. You wonder if there are any still in Rabanstre, and if you might convince or hire them to help you sometime. [DC: 80]
[ ]
Look For 'Free Real Estate': It's not the most honest way to go about things but… you need a place to stay, and Rabanstre has more houses than it needs, especially in the Lower City if the locals are to be believed. If you can find an empty room somewhere, you won't have to pay for a room at the inn… [DC: 70]
[ ]
Study The Crystal: This crystal is clearly magical, but not in the same way as materia. It feels pleasantly cool to the touch, and there's energy inside of it. But how to draw it out? [DC: 90] (Note: Uses Magic)
[ ]
Study The Staff: Your new staff feels like it has a healing materia in it, but different somehow. You don't know how to draw that power out, but maybe if you tinker with it long enough you can figure it out? [DC: 60] (Note: Uses Magic)
[ ]
Consult a Magick Shop: Some shops in Dalmasca advertise themselves as 'selling' magic. Maybe one of them knows what's up with the staff and crystal? Probably won't be free though. [DC: Auto Pass. Costs 1 Funds]
[ ]
Ask Alfyn About Plants: Alfyn knows so much about plants that you didn't. Most of your expertise is in flowers, external appearances, and how to grow them. Alfyn knows what's good in a potion, what can be converted into medicine, what's poisonous. It could be helpful to you, and helpful to him. [DC: 40/80]
[ ]
Ask Wakka About Church of Yevon: You want to understand what has Wakka twisted in knots, but you're missing a lot of context. Like, A LOT of context. It seems like to understand Wakka's deal, you'll have to understand the place he comes from first. (DC: 60)
Alright, I've got a couple of things to say before I cap this one off. First of all, I'd like to assure you that "Adventures" will try to be kept short and sweet, so they don't become week or month-long affairs. Secondly, I think I said this earlier but just to confirm, Kingster's 5 QP has been refunded, since it wouldn't have changed anything on Turn 1. That's your one freebie, from here on out QP spending is final.
I have prepared character sheets for Aerith's friends and acquaintances, but they're not members of her party yet. To get them to properly join, think about what they want, who they are, and what their motivations are. Some might require the completion of a quest to join for good, others might be as simple as payment, or maintaining a morality they find acceptable. Now then...
