…Hrrm…
Maaaaybe shooting was the better plan after all? For as cool as the scene of Deidere's friends rallying behind her to invigorate her was, a part of me slightly wonders if she would have been better off just taking action…
It sounds like Deidere seeks to finally perish…Buut I guess staring into the abyss is the kind of thing that perks her up.
But it's easy for me to disagree when I don't think I'll see much lore then a century…
…Hrrm…
Maaaaybe shooting was the better plan after all? For as cool as the scene of Deidere's friends rallying behind her to invigorate her was, a part of me slightly wonders if she would have been better off just taking action…
It sounds like Deidere seeks to finally perish…Buut I guess staring into the abyss is the kind of thing that perks her up.
But it's easy for me to disagree when I don't think I'll see much lore then a century…
Shooting wouldn't have helped her. She would still be worn and doubtful, but now she has been renewed. I don't think she seeks death, she simply knows that the purpose of her people, why they exist, is nearly fulfilled. Instead of wasting until death she now walks towards tomorrow with the weight of all who she has met. Her mental state has improved and what I have seen those who want to die don't really have the best mental states.
Vote is open now! Good to see some potential write-in answers already. While it may not have the most impact now, I encourage you all to come up with/choose the answer that seems most insightful/helpful to you and for Fatoumata. Again, I'll probably be taking week-long break, so feel free to take your time on this.
The one thing I've learned in my time trying -and mostly failing- to write quests and fics is that you shouldn't compare yourself to others. Its just a recipe to lose motivation and get depressed.
There is of course no wrong in looking at others and deriving inspirations or learning from their mistakes and successes but trying to compare your writing to others rarely ends well.
You've got a good idea and you're executing it well, continue writing and you'll improve in time.
Thank you for sharing your perspective(and encouragement!) on this. Doing what you suggested is definitely what's best for my motivation and mental health, but it's sometimes difficult for me to not wander into that territory sometimes as I read other stories. Hopefully it's something that'll get easier!
Yeah, this is something I've sort of struggled with a lot in my life. A combination of anxiety, procrastination, and probably other things making any endeavor of mine likely to fail or simply never start, but this quest has been good at improving some of that for me.
…Hrrm…
Maaaaybe shooting was the better plan after all? For as cool as the scene of Deidere's friends rallying behind her to invigorate her was, a part of me slightly wonders if she would have been better off just taking action…
It sounds like Deidere seeks to finally perish…Buut I guess staring into the abyss is the kind of thing that perks her up.
But it's easy for me to disagree when I don't think I'll see much lore then a century…
Mmm, I don't think either choice was necessarily better or worse. I will admit to some bias at times when it comes to some choices, but this was one where I was pretty stoked to write out the update either way. If everyone had voted to attack first, it would've resulted in a much more back and forth fight and encounter. There'd probably be a few more of those flashbacks throughout the update, and at minimum the fight would've lasted at least 3ish opposed combat rolls.
I think it would've been difficult to write, but then I spent like 2-3 days struggling to get the first part of this update right so it would probably be equal in that regard. The fight/encounter would've been a lot more scrappy and gritty, which I think could've been appealing, but there wouldn't have been some of the more introspective and reflective moments that mostly helped Deirdre out here. She would've persisted until the bitter end, exchanging barbs with the Caorthannach all the while. Probably harder, but if you guys had failed that conviction roll by a significant amount... well, let's be glad Ophelia was here.
Also, I'll just say that what Nasrin tells Deirdre has a lot of different ways you can interpret it to all those wondering about it .
[X]"For all that I met and will meet, all the goodness and warmth that they have graced me and will grace me and are gracing me with. No it doesn't get easier to say goodbye, but I have been reminded that as painful it is too loose what they have parted and imprinted with me shall always remain. Those bonds, those echoes, those embers, they keep me going to the day I can say hello to them once more."
[X] "I don't know what you should do, but whatever you decide don't do it alone. You, all of you, have grown far beyond what I have ever imagined. However it is done, whatever you wish to do, as long as you hold true to the values and virtues you hold dear and the bonds you have made, it will get better and improve in ways I cannot predict."
Okay then, a bit less discussion then I thought there would be, but once again here are my suggestions and votes. Deirdre recently had quite the reminder so I think that would influence her answer a bit, and she can't tell what to do because that answer is ultimately up to the individual. Bonds are important and they last for a very long time.
[x] Write-in: "I know no other way...but sometimes even I want to give up. In those times, I find it useful to...change my surroundings. It could be finding new places, or old places. It could be trying something new, or going back to my memories. Its important to address your feelings, but not let yourself drown in them for long. So change something. And on the topic of those feelings...No, I wouldn't say that the pain leaves me, so much as it dulls and sink to the back of my mind. Change helps with that too, but not too much...or nothing will ever mean anything."
[x] "I don't know what you should do, but whatever you decide don't do it alone. You, all of you, have grown far beyond what I have ever imagined. However it is done, whatever you wish to do, as long as you hold true to the values and virtues you hold dear and the bonds you have made, it will get better and improve in ways I cannot predict."
[X]"For all that I met and will meet, all the goodness and warmth that they have graced me and will grace me and are gracing me with. No it doesn't get easier to say goodbye, but I have been reminded that as painful it is too loose what they have parted and imprinted with me shall always remain. Those bonds, those echoes, those embers, they keep me going to the day I can say hello to them once more."
[X] "I don't know what you should do, but whatever you decide don't do it alone. You, all of you, have grown far beyond what I have ever imagined. However it is done, whatever you wish to do, as long as you hold true to the values and virtues you hold dear and the bonds you have made, it will get better and improve in ways I cannot predict."
I like the emphasis on the bonds formed with other people in these answers. It's about the impact others have had on her, but it indirectly raises the point that it isn't only that; bonds are a two-way street. Our lonely elf has had an incredible amount of impact on individual people and the world in general over the years. And it's nice we aren't trying to give career advice to someone who needs their head straightened out a little first.
[X]"For all that I met and will meet, all the goodness and warmth that they have graced me and will grace me and are gracing me with. No it doesn't get easier to say goodbye, but I have been reminded that as painful it is too loose what they have parted and imprinted with me shall always remain. Those bonds, those echoes, those embers, they keep me going to the day I can say hello to them once more."
typo on your write-in. Will keep it in for not to not split the vote
[X] "I don't know what you should do, but whatever you decide don't do it alone. You, all of you, have grown far beyond what I have ever imagined. However it is done, whatever you wish to do, as long as you hold true to the values and virtues you hold dear and the bonds you have made, it will get better and improve in ways I cannot predict."
[X] "I don't know what you should do, but whatever you decide don't do it alone. You, all of you, have grown far beyond what I have ever imagined. However it is done, whatever you wish to do, as long as you hold true to the values and virtues you hold dear and the bonds you have made, it will get better and improve in ways I cannot predict."
[X] "I don't know what you should do, but whatever you decide don't do it alone. You, all of you, have grown far beyond what I have ever imagined. However it is done, whatever you wish to do, as long as you hold true to the values and virtues you hold dear and the bonds you have made, it will get better and improve in ways I cannot predict."
[X] "For all that I met and will meet, all the goodness and warmth that they have graced me and will grace me and are gracing me with. No it doesn't get easier to say goodbye, but I have been reminded that as painful it is too loose what they have parted and imprinted with me shall always remain. Those bonds, those echoes, those embers, they keep me going to the day I can say hello to them once more."
Not entirely sure where to put this, but I'll leave it here in informational for now. This will be me sort of rambling about a lot of my thought processes writing out this volume and some general themes about the quest as a whole. If you would prefer not to have your perception of the story/quest colored by this kind of thing, feel free to not read this. Edit(And spoilers for anyone reading this before the end of Volume 1) But without further ado...
Rambling Ahead:
So, since I know it won't affect votes anymore, I'll admit that I was not the most enthusiastic about Sumeri. I actually slapped on the demon cult plot to it like a day or two before I posted the prologue finale I think. Of course, I would've done my best to write something out no matter what the voters chose, and I hoped I proved that here, but Sumeri was sort of one of those nations I wanted a little more time to think on.
Sumeri conceptually was something I had very early on though. It was a nation of the past, its roots so long and entangled that it is almost impossible to separate it from its people and identity. The glory days of it being the center of the Meso Empire are long gone, and now they teeter between being considered a major and minor nation. It was always going to be a story focused on the past even as its people live in the present world, something particularly meaningful for Deirdre to have to confront.
I think as I started writing about Sumeri, I grew appreciative of this. While I'd hesitate calling this the "tutorial volume" since it could've been chosen in any order, it essentially served that purpose I think. Its enemies and allies are familiar, and Sumeri is pretty disconnected from a lot of the new weirdness in other nations. It allowed Deirdre, the readers, and me to sort of settle in this setting and find our footing. It's not completely stuck in the past of course, and I hope I showed enough of its modernity in terms of technology and government, but Sumeri doesn't have the crazy stuff other nations have on a large scale.
Originally, Sumeri was actually going to be a lot worse. There would've been active, constant infighting between regions, internal struggles, economic problems, and an early possibility was the entire region consisting of a bunch of small countries bickering amongst each other while stronger influences pushed their way in. I felt that was a bit too extreme while also being really difficult to write about, so I shifted it to a "struggling, but people are still thriving there" situation. Then that sort of changed what the problem was going to be. What can Deirdre do on her lonesome that would let her be impactful? Then it sort of clicked. I had the whole demon thing in mind before, but didn't fully connect it to Sumeri for some reason until that moment.
I think that original vision stemmed from what I wanted to do at first with this quest, namely it being a little bit more slice of life compared to what I actually wrote. I think I could perhaps still do that in some way, but I personally don't know if I could've pulled off something like that on a larger scale, especially with the quest format encouraging progress and advancement. Deirdre would've probably been messing around in some random, minor Sumeri nation, helping regular people out in small ways but ultimately being insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Something interesting to think about, but maybe less so to actually write and read it.
In comparison to what I (tentatively) have in mind for other volumes, the actual action/external enemy difficulty of Sumeri is probably one of the lowest. Both its current and past iteration has its problems, yes, but it's the sort of problem that Deirdre is a bit more familiar with and can actually be solved by punching it hard enough. The real conflict of the volume Deirdre deals with is mostly internal as she navigates the jarring familiar and unfamiliar aspects mixing together in this setting. What, really, is she hoping to do here? The cycle she goes through in her life along with the seeming pointlessness of it all is thrown in her face in Sumeri, culminating in confronting her traumas directly in the finale.
Caorthannach and the cult, while devious and threatening, are very honestly a minor issue in today's world. Random demonic breaches are no longer an existential threat to Orbis, and if it were, things would have devolved so much that they'd have bigger problems probably. There's a reason why it was mostly a local issue and seemed so self-contained, and the only real reason this will all cause a stir is because the president was subverted. While Deirdre does help and contribute more than she thinks, it still sort of feels… unsatisfying, in a way, to retread this issue that in her mind was resolved over a millennia ago, calling into question again why she is even here.
Demons are not incapable of endangering society anymore, but there are a lot of guardrails and protections built up in the thousand years since the Incursion, so much so that they didn't immediately start destroying everything during the chaos of the World War. So, most of the focus is on how Deirdre reacts to things rather than how she'll deal/handle it. The adventurer party was something I think I only came up with after Sumeri was chosen, and I'm so glad I did. Them and the investigation team formed an amazing contrast and duality of very familiar but still just different enough concepts for our poor elf to go through. Amina's group didn't exactly pan out the way I thought they would, but overall I think they enhanced the volume a lot.
Both groups though put her in a sort of pseudo-mentor/advisory role and also left her to mostly just observe and follow up on what they do and discover. It is again another jarring and uncomfortable feeling Deirdre has to wrestle with, and makes her feel not only out of place, but also sort of unneeded in a very pointed way that simply being unaccustomed to the new times wouldn't like with other nations/situations. Deirdre was far from useless, but it's not as if she really managed to mentor the adventurer group that much, did she? Would she have been able to help as much without Ophelia? She had to almost forcefully insert herself in the investigation and Amina's party, and while it ultimately proved beneficial, it still clearly left Deirdre unsettled.
Putting that aside for now, to anyone who has played the game before, I think the influences from Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous are clear. I drew a lot from it, and Nasrin is based off one of the characters I made in the game. Of course I also drew from stories that had "big demon invasion" like Frieren(which some have noted its similarities to the entire quest), but the particular history and characters involved for this particular volume and region were very Pathfinder-inspired. I was tempted to put some of its BGM for the final chapter, but didn't want to make too many spoiler tags and mess with the formatting too much. "Mythic Power" would've slapped so hard though after Nasrin embraced Deirdre.
Even if demons are no longer the threat they were, the legacy and scars of such a traumatic event are still present. It was very interesting to picture what a modern organization handling cultists would be like and how they adapt to the times. With religion and gods having clear, demonstrable power and capabilities, it's probably inevitable that they have real influence in places receptive to them after millennia of various faiths and built-up cultural traditions. A millennia can't erase such an impactful event in the world's history, and the Crusades/Incursion greatly led to further international cooperation/developments.
Perhaps the weakest moments of the volume is the stuff not as involved with everything I just discussed though, and I'll admit I could've handled the Advocates and Good Cauldron better. I'm very wary of trying to influence voter opinion, but I'll just say I have a certain vision in mind for the Advocates and devils both that while doesn't exactly make them benevolent heroes, has them genuinely help more than harm Orbis/the Currents. Deirdre is incredibly biased against them, and for understandable reasons, but I think I might've screwed up somewhere in introducing the Advocates haha.
The Good Cauldron felt very tacked on to me, and is probably the greatest victim of my lack of planning. I had a very rough outline for Sumeri that I drew up once it won the vote and basically came up with a lot of things on the fly. There were probably only really somewhat solid plans for like half the choices when everyone first chose what to investigate first for example, which is probably why I feel like that arc is the weakest aside from the Ophelia portions. Amina managed to carry the warehouse part, but Chapter 11-12 felt even more iffy and probably turned some away.
I'm not entirely sure how I could go back and improve it. The arc was the source of my pacing question earlier, and while it's definitely a little weird I asked if the pacing was too slow in a quest about adventure and exploration, I think I could've maybe restructured that arc a bit differently. Not have binary choices that sort of didn't matter/were lopsided while making it a bit more interesting than crossing off three objectives off a list.
What's done is done now though. I'm at least satisfied with how the volume concluded. The last thing I think I want to discuss are some general themes and ideas I wanted to emphasize in particular for the quest as a whole. This reflection is already starting to feel like I'm rambling a bit too much, so I'll just cover them briefly since I'm sure I'll revisit these topics again.
There's three topics in particular I want to bring up here. That being challenging what I call "human exceptionalism", standard protagonists, and "One City/Country Syndrome". The first seems a bit straightforward at a glance, but it's a very complicated topic that extends beyond just humans having more attention/focus in stories with multiple races/species. I'll just say it's closer to what I brought up briefly about human wisdom/philosophy after chapter 8 for now since I can go on a huge huge rant about this and I'm not sure you guys want that after all I've already written here haha.
For the other two, I can say some more specific things. I think I've grown to dislike the typical protagonist in stories that sort of emphasize a predictable path of growth and forming relationships with other characters. I have always been way more interested in side-characters surrounding them, particularly "powerful" characters (not necessarily physical) or ones with some development already built into them. I find it a lot more intriguing to explore their mindset and see how they react to various things, and it makes any change they do undergo feel particularly meaningful. Deirdre is that thousand-year old elf member in your typical fantasy adventure party, and she has been part of probably dozens, maybe even hundreds of those. They're almost never the protagonist, and their issues are sort of always only hinted at rather than fully explored. So, I wanted to flip the script and really explore what it means to live so long.
What I call "One City/Country Syndrome" is more complicated, but basically refers to stories that seem to revolve around only a single city or country when it makes no sense why things only seem to be happening in that one place. Now, there are stories where it does make sense, and if there is a good reason given to why that is the case, I don't mind. But for this quest, I really wanted to depict a setting where the world is interconnected and that things are happening everywhere. Not only that, but that each place has its own customs and cultures that you can't just ignore or wave off.
Have I succeeded in fighting back against these three things? I'm not sure yet. While I've brought up a bunch of races and species so far, I've not really gotten in-depth about their history, cultures, and differences. I've certainly described Deirdre's issues, and I'm assuming she's interesting enough if you guys are reading this haha, but I don't know if I've quite characterized her fully yet in her internal dialogue and how she acts towards others in a different enough manner. This entire volume also took place in a single city, and while I think that was sort of the point and made sense, it doesn't support the whole trying to make an interconnected world idea I had. There was a very particular goal Deirdre already had in mind too, which I think narrowed the vision of the city/nation as a whole.
Overall though, I'm very happy I managed to complete a volume. This sort of, "what if, oh I feel like I've forgotten something, this doesn't quite make sense" worries I've had have always plagued my writing, and I think it's better I have those worries but having actually written something than if I just stewed in my anxiety. Something I didn't plan for but now seems like a cool idea is that I want all the volumes to sort of end in a way where if the quest suddenly stopped updating, it would at least be a semi-satisfying conclusion. That idea helped crystallize the ending and tie everything up neatly, especially with what I have planned for the epilogue.
Speaking of that, the vote is still going on for 2-3 days for anyone who hasn't voted yet. Don't quite know if I will update immediately after my break ends, but I already have some idea of the epilogue so it shouldn't take long. That's enough rambling from me, though if anyone wants me to expand on something I said here or offer their own views, feel free to ask and discuss.
Oddly enough?
Sumer kind of defies that one city problem in a way because look at the ragtag team of heroes we had at the end there:
Advocate, Church, Local Mages, Adventurers.
And that's one city.
When the President was ranting about groups engaging in petty squabbling I could 100% see it.
While Deirdre doesn't quite see it she was vital in being the bridge that tied together the desperate parts and identified issues that everyone else overlooked and notified the right individuals. She helped nurture good people and bring them together, and while it may be more in the background it did allow the issue to be nipped in the bud. Without her contributions the investigation would have gone nowhere, the adventuring group would have merely bumbled around and fallen prey, the demon would have won and suddenly the issue is no longer local. As advanced a civilization gets they would never really be immune to natural disasters, to think otherwise is a tad arrogant and evil knows how to worm its way in. It would have snowballed into something that could not be contained.
Can't reveal much, but sort of yes! Even with the matters in Sumeri that she couldn't solve by fighting it, it was at least familiar enough that she could manage it anyways. Other places, probably going to take some more work. And, in addition, I can say that there are definitely opponents that simply punch harder than she does.
Oddly enough?
Sumer kind of defies that one city problem in a way because look at the ragtag team of heroes we had at the end there:
Advocate, Church, Local Mages, Adventurers.
And that's one city.
When the President was ranting about groups engaging in petty squabbling I could 100% see it.
I'm glad I managed to show a colorful cast at least by the end. I think one of my main worries was also sort of "where is everyone else" since you'd think a major city would have like at least dozens of strong, capable people that can help out among the millions living there. I sort of justified it by emphasizing the urgency of the situation, and also that it is actually probably realistic that there are only people whose job it is to deal with threats like these and volunteers.
Yes, there are probably a sizable number of people that are around like Adequate-Decent(some Good) level in Martial or Physicality, but why the hell would they want to risk their lives? There are definitely at least some mages that aren't Iyanu's crew present, but they probably got the hell out of a place with suddenly increasing demonic energies. Athletes and renowned scientists aren't being recruited suddenly to raid a dangerous location in real life, and they probably aren't prepared or trained for the very real possibility of losing their life despite whatever capabilities they have.
While Deirdre doesn't quite see it she was vital in being the bridge that tied together the desperate parts and identified issues that everyone else overlooked and notified the right individuals. She helped nurture good people and bring them together, and while it may be more in the background it did allow the issue to be nipped in the bud. Without her contributions the investigation would have gone nowhere, the adventuring group would have merely bumbled around and fallen prey, the demon would have won and suddenly the issue is no longer local. As advanced a civilization gets they would never really be immune to natural disasters, to think otherwise is a tad arrogant and evil knows how to worm its way in. It would have snowballed into something that could not be contained.
You're definitely right that Deirdre did a lot more than she thinks she did. While I'd hesitate to say the investigation would have gone no where without her, they'd definitely be more on the back foot. In a hypothetical scenario where Sumeri was not chosen in a while and I chose to have consequences for that(still unsure on this), the main investigation squad and the Advocates probably would've been forced to team up while Amina's group eventually would serve the role Deirdre did except probably having been hurt in some way beforehand(though it's possible they might've not existed or been somewhere else with how I came up with them). The situation would be more chaotic, but the investigation team would've definitely found important information before you arrived. Main issue would probably be quelling some of the unrest the cult has stirred while trying to raid important spots at the same time.
If the Caorthannach managed to be summoned before you got there, yeah, a lot of people in the city might be dead. Obviously I don't have a lot for these hypothetical scenarios since they won't happen anymore, but I imagine the issue at that point would be something like this. A quarantine would be established around the city when you get there to trap her inside while the military try and rescue as many people as possible. There would be a growing call to simply bombard her and the city with all the weapons they have regardless of the people stuck there, and Deirdre would have to go on rescue or search and destroy missions and make progress to stall those calls. But yes, any way that this goes, the Caorthannach most probably doesn't leave the city.
Demons and natural disasters will always be a threat, definitely. But whereas a natural disaster might've once heralded the end times back then for a civilization, now it is one of many deeply tragic and destructive events that people will eventually recover and rebuild from, especially with outside aid. Demons were the archnemesis and destroyers of the advanced civilization that most probably led to them coming here, but are they the same for those currently inhabiting Orbis? If not, then what will come for them?
Demons and natural disasters will always be a threat, definitely. But whereas a natural disaster might've once heralded the end times back then for a civilization, now it is one of many deeply tragic and destructive events that people will eventually recover and rebuild from, especially with outside aid. Demons were the archnemesis and destroyers of the advanced civilization that most probably led to them coming here, but are they the same for those currently inhabiting Orbis? If not, then what will come for them?
I say they still are. Disease, storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, invisible toxic clouds, these are all civilization enders when there isn't a driving malicious force behind them. Our solution is to detect them early and get out of the way. If the had succeeded then suddenly the planet would have a demon lord on their hands, the city would immediately be destroyed and her influence spreading at an alarming rate. By the time the rest of the world knew about it Sumeri would have fallen. Quarantine may not be possible at that point. Even then the demon lord is cunning and knows how to manipulate. Some of her forces would get out and start interacting with the other issues which is where the dominoes will start falling. The guy with the elven hair and the eldritch incursion are ones you don't want any part of it encountering.
The world may survive but it would be scarred. That's how I see it. Because the issue was located and nipped it was minor, but had the demon succeeded it would have begun an era of chaos.
I say they still are. Disease, storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, invisible toxic clouds, these are all civilization enders when there isn't a driving malicious force behind them. Our solution is to detect them early and get out of the way. If the had succeeded then suddenly the planet would have a demon lord on their hands, the city would immediately be destroyed and her influence spreading at an alarming rate. By the time the rest of the world knew about it Sumeri would have fallen. Quarantine may not be possible at that point. Even then the demon lord is cunning and knows how to manipulate. Some of her forces would get out and start interacting with the other issues which is where the dominoes will start falling. The guy with the elven hair and the eldritch incursion are ones you don't want any part of it encountering.
The world may survive but it would be scarred. That's how I see it. Because the issue was located and nipped it was minor, but had the demon succeeded it would have begun an era of chaos.
Well, without revealing too much, what I'll say is that the average disaster is no longer a complete catastrophe in Orbis anymore. Remember, there has been a lot of technological, magical, and organizational developments over the years since the times where people were more fearful of primal/natural forces. Even really bad stuff has its countermeasures, especially elsewhere in more powerful nations/cities. The world is just… a lot bigger nowadays too in a lot of different ways.
The Caorthannach is also "just" a candidate, and at this time period, is not a particularly strong one. Could she have become stronger over time if she was allowed to? Possibly, though her plan really is desperation on her part. Would the rest of Sumeri and probably the world allow her to do so? Probably not. Remember, Nokoyo is only one city of a single region/state in Sumeri, and arguably isn't even the most influential region/city. There's around 7 regions I have in mind all with their own urban centers, militaries, and various other forces just in Sumeri alone. The summoning would've been detected quickly even without Fatoumata calling it in beforehand, and while the quarantine would definitely be tested, it would be there one way or another. The immediate area around the palace would be destroyed, but the rest of the city would still be intact somewhat, and it would be in the Caorthannach's best interest short term to keep them alive as hostages honestly.
At the worst the incident could've been, it would indeed have been very noteworthy. It would cause A LOT of unrest in the Sumeri government, there'd be tons of chaos and protests, and very likely the United Peoples would step in at that point. The political repercussions of a president being compromised like that is devastating also. But… it is far from the worst Orbis, or even just Sumeri, has ever experienced in recent history even if it played itself out without any pushback. If it devolved to the point where other nations/UP got fully involved, trust me when I say it would most definitely get resolved at that point.
I haven't exactly described or gotten into the wider world very much, so it definitely seems like the Caorthannach is much worse than it is. Deirdre coming to Nokoyo at this time definitely saved a lot of lives and time. I am not calling the Caorthannach, demons, or disasters insignificant, but I am saying that the scale of threats in Orbis has changed at this point, along with how powerful the various civilizations are. Hopefully you don't take this as just me saying you're wrong or calling you out, but hmm... gimme some time to get into the rest of the world aha. I gotta save the world-endangering/ending scenarios for later!
[X] "For all that I met and will meet, all the goodness and warmth that they have graced me and will grace me and are gracing me with. No it doesn't get easier to say goodbye, but I have been reminded that as painful it is too loose what they have parted and imprinted with me shall always remain. Those bonds, those echoes, those embers, they keep me going to the day I can say hello to them once more."
[X] "I don't know what you should do, but whatever you decide don't do it alone. You, all of you, have grown far beyond what I have ever imagined. However it is done, whatever you wish to do, as long as you hold true to the values and virtues you hold dear and the bonds you have made, it will get better and improve in ways I cannot predict."
Nokoyo, Wazobia, Sumeri - 08/28/1493
It has been a week after the chaos of the Caorthannach being summoned, and you have just received permission to see visitors. The federal investigation teams quickly swooped in not long after the battle and took you all in for questioning. Standard procedure, and not too dissimilar to what was done in the Crusades, but it didn't mean you were happy about it. You were interrogated by stern-faced men and women while subjected to all manner of tests to discern the validity of your statements and check for corruption, all with uncomfortable restraints and seals placed around you.
Eventually, it didn't take long for you to get agitated from being confined to such a small area. If you weren't in such a jumbled state of mind, you might've resisted more beforehand, but you were stuck in a small room until officials and observers from the United Peoples came by. Apparently, one of them cited that detaining an elf without a proper outlet for their directive is a violation of one of the sophontarian rights for individual species as laid out by the UP, something you were completely unaware of. You weren't allowed to go free after that, but you were able to roam, read from the small library present in the facility, and watch some things on the screen in a lounge area.
You hardly relaxed though even with better accommodations. The final battle in the underground palace consumed your thoughts, and stewing mostly alone for a week in a single building has not helped you manage it. Fate and destiny are concepts you've long learned to have a healthy distrust for in your long life, but meeting the Caorthannach of all demons the moment you decide to engage in the world's affairs again doesn't seem like a coincidence. And those visions… you've not encountered such things in a long while.
Something is occurring in the realms, and you're not sure if it is a sign of something bigger or some malicious entity deciding to play a joke on you. Either way, you're at a loss on how to respond to it all. You've never been the one to lead the way in figuring out these issues despite your experience or given guidance by some mysterious external entity. The only thing that you feel like you can do is continue as you always have and support the heroes and trailblazers who will rise to the occasion, hoping that it'll resolve whatever incident the world is facing next.
"The journey will end."
You shudder.
The constant questions asked over and over in slightly different ways finally began to peter out, and now you are being led to see a visitor. While you aren't surprised at the thought that someone is coming to see you, you are unsure of who it might be specifically. Fatoumata must be going through the same thing, or worse, as you, and you can't say you've bonded with the others very much. It could be Amina and her friends, though you're unsure of what their status is currently.
As the door is opened for you to enter the visiting room however, you find that it's no one you've met while here in Sumeri. An alerion sits at the other side of a glass barrier, a dark blue suit jacket worn over a white dress shirt. She looks up from her tablet when she hears you enter, sharp eyes immediately taking you in. Dark hair feathers are brushed immaculately above her head while her wings seamlessly fit together with the rest of her attire. Your "manager" has come to see you.
"Clara," you greet, taking a seat as you do so. "I didn't expect to see you here."
She sighs, "Deirdre, have you received any of the seventy-eight texts and twelve calls I've sent you these past two weeks?"
You blink.
"No…?"
"You must've blocked me by accident again then," she groans. "I only just found out where you've been a few days ago."
You keep your face perfectly even. "I recall sending you a missive through the device…"
"I know that expression… ah, I'll leave it. This isn't the best time for this. Just, are you fine? You look good for someone stuck in prison for a week, but…"
Leaning back on the uncomfortable chair, you think on how to answer. You know what she's implying about your state. It was often overstated, but elven biology does tend to be a bit more constant than others and require less maintenance for one's appearance. They still had bodily processes of course, but it was one factor in the stereotypical elven grace and beauty. None of this prevented an elf from having their own internal struggles however, and Clara is aware of at least some of your struggles.
"I'm… managing," you say. "There have been some difficulties in this trip, but I have succeeded and come out unharmed."
You don't think she believes you, but in typical alerion fashion, she latches onto the topic you've dangled in front of her. They've always been curious sorts with many different thoughts running through their head, after all, and Clara is no exception.
"Speaking of that… demons? In the fifteenth century? Tell me more."
Chuckling, you give her a basic rundown of what occurred. You have no doubts that this conversation is being recorded somehow, but the incident is too public to cover it all up. The only thing you can't share is the Caorthannach's name and various sensitive details to the still ongoing investigation. Clara listens intently, for a moment looking just like the young, awed college student she was when the two of you first met in New Aerie. The dull and empty expression she used to always wear would disappear, and the lost and struggling student would eventually have her light returned to her.
Of course, the alerion will deny all this if you bring it up, but it isn't something to be spoken aloud about anyways. Slowly, you yourself begin to lose the tension and stress you've been building up the past week. Something about speaking to a familiar face unrelated to all that has occurred is a balm to your swirling thoughts. It reminds you that there are other matters and affairs around Orbis, with what happened here being but a single event in an ever-changing world. This perspective is daunting and unsettling to some, but to you, it is as if the world itself has shouldered some of the weight of your burden.
Clara whistles when you finish, "Straight out of the story—no, it would be history books, wouldn't it? Seems like the articles I read of your involvement had more truth to them than I believed."
"Strange," you say. "My actions weren't the most public. While I am growing increasingly aware of the reach of social media, I feel as if there were more noteworthy figures in terms of visibility."
The alerion shrugs, "I think someone leaked it. People began asking questions and looking deeper, and then those involved confirmed your presence. Unsure if it was for your benefit or detriment, but people have been speculating a lot about what you might've been doing since. Pro tip? You… probably shouldn't open your Chirp account until you're ready to give a statement about it all. I can help you with that, but this is something you should post about yourself."
You nod to give your assent, but Clara is already looking down and typing something in her tablet, muttering to herself all the while. Smiling at how easily distracted she can get, you lean back and start considering what you'll be doing once you're able to leave. After being stuck here for so long, you are definitely not against leaving the nation altogether at this point, but you feel as if you should try tying up some loose ends and gaining some more closure for yourself by reaching out to the people you've met while here.
Alternatively, you can use some downtime to (re)visit some locations and sights in Sumeri. Whether it be to get away from it all or to go down memory lane reflecting on your life, making use of being in Sumeri to have an actual enjoyable time might not be the worst idea. Of course, there are the three favors you must pay back to Ophelia as well, and it's best you get on that quickly with how long you've made her wait and how your last meeting with her went down.
Choose up to Eight Five Actions to take before leaving Sumeri:
[] Talk with Fatoumata
She was in a terrible state when you last saw her. Checking to see how she is doing might be prudent, especially with the interrogation she must've gone through as a daughter of the president.
[] Talk with Amin
You truthfully don't know much about him despite how much time you've spent around the man. Perhaps you should change that. Having a closer connection to a paladin may be valuable even today.
[] Talk with Jasiri
In the chaos after the palace raid, she must've been the main person handling everything outside the interrogation rooms. Perhaps she'll have some insights to share with you. If nothing else, she'll probably know what's going on with Fatoumata and Amin and would be able to pass on a message.
[] Talk with Amina's group
You've been guiding and interacting with them for a while, getting them involved in dangerous situations all while lying about your true identity. It's time to come clean to them. One person in particular has your attention though, and that is… (If you pick this option, choose one of the group to speak with in particular) [] Amina
You've left her with a large responsibility last time you saw her, and want to see how she's holding up after that. It would be good to ensure she's not struggling with something. [] Dan
As the voice of reason for the group, you wonder what his thoughts are on what has just happened. People who have slotted into that role in groups are often the most affected by drastic happenings. [] Kiran
You have not interacted very much with the sphatika, but you last saw him almost shell-shocked while staring at his hands. Perhaps a few words from you can help with whatever dark thoughts are troubling him? [] Rowan
In a strange way, you know less about her and her motives than Aya and Kiran. What are her reasons for coming along with this group? Out of everyone, she was also the closest to realizing who you really are. [] Aya
The mysterious, quiet bake-danuki has piqued your interest. Perhaps you feel a hidden kinship with her. Try to learn more about her, and perhaps see if you can obtain any new insights on her group.
[] Talk with Noor Maamoun
She is not your friend and probably never will be, but she fought with you nonetheless. She spoke of potential consequences for her initiative in aiding the investigation, and you're curious enough to follow up on that.
[] Talk with the Good Cauldron
You left Iyanu to handle the Basket of Existence alone, and you're curious how that ended up for him. You also wonder if Lolade, the seer, has any insights from her divination of you, though you doubt it.
[] Talk with Clara
The mission to Sumeri was an impromptu one and something that you couldn't exactly broadcast to people. Catching up with your manager after going dark for so long seems smart, and she can help get your story out there in social media if you care for that.
[] Visit the stronghold that the Third Crusade made its headquarters in
It is no longer the bustling place it once was where all in the world gathered to fight back against the demons, but it has remained an important location and is protected by the UP as a historical and cultural site. After what you've just gone through, you're unsure if it would be beneficial or detrimental to visit it after all these years, but it is an option.
[] Visit the Sun Elf Memorial
It is a relatively recent discovery made by archaeologists that found a hidden village close to an oasis in the deserts of inner Sumeri. Contrary to popular belief, elves were not a monolithic entity even if they shared the goal of protecting civilization, so you don't necessarily feel obligated to come by. The Sun Elves were still kin though, despite you seldom encountering them, and perhaps visiting in-person will be beneficial in some way.
[] Visit the Necropolis
Also known as Saccara in Sumeri, it is the former stronghold of the most notorious lich in history. They once threatened to conquer all of Sumeri until a mysterious and little-known necromancer ventured into their domain and brought an end to them. Today, it is a popular tourist destination site where prominent necromancers study and offer various services and entertainment.
[] Visit the Triune Site
It is an important ceremonial location in Sumeri with political, cultural, and historical importance. Thousands of years ago, a human king and miu pharaoh once forced the strongest gnoll chieftain to surrender and swear an oath to bring the gnoll tribes to heel there, forming the foundation of the future Meso Empire. You vaguely know that whoever is chosen to be head of state for the central government of Sumeri visits it to be inaugurated. It is an important piece of history, and one you know the elves played a part in as well.
[] Visit the Shifting Sands
It is the colloquial name and title of one of the few remaining towns and cities dependent on magic to exist today. Contrary to other tourist destinations in Sumeri, this is a relatively modern place built by rich Sumerians looking to show off, but it is still impressive nonetheless. The magical traditions of Sumeri are looked down upon nowadays, but they once were the most influential magic practitioners in all of Orbis before the rise of Tarshish.
Choosing a mixture of locations and people may have some special synergies, or at the very least have people come along with you to those spots. All options will have some unique benefit if you choose them. You may make a plan vote to better organize things if you wish, but votes will be counted by line.
AN:
Whew, we are back! Despite the break, I didn't really get much else done, but at the very least I have confirmed that I really want to get back to writing this out. I was a little stuck in how to write out the epilogue, but decided to go with something shorter at first and give a bunch of different options on what to do. This obviously isn't nearly everything in the nation, but most of it is something particularly relevant to Deirdre or something she has some interest in visiting or revisting. Epilogue will probably only be like 2-3 parts, and then we'll move on to the next nation.
It's Deidere's manager Clara!
The person who is going to complain very loudly we should have taken the 'I'm good with modern tech' keepsake during character creation!'
I can see it now..
Clara: Deidere, did you get my message?
Deidere:No, I didn't get to check my mailbox.
Clara:Uh oh…
Clara: Deidere, did you get my message?
Deidere:Clara! Sorry, I had to let Ophelia borrow my cellular phone to pay back a favor, but I didn't think you sent a message?
Clara: Lemme see that-she blocked me and renamed me to Dusterbutt in here!?!
Deidere:So that's why it was five minutes with the phone or climb five trees in a single afternoon…
Clara: Deidere, why haven't I been able to call you recently?
Deirdre:I am so sick and tired of telemarketers! But uh, I don't quite know how to undo this 'Hermitage Mode' early…
Clara: you don't. How long is left on it?
Deirdre:Uuh, *checks* two more weeks?
Clara: Deirdre!
Deidere:Clara!
*hugs*
Clara:So have you hear about these bunny-vision picture craze you've set off somehow?
Deidere: Bunny-vision?
Clara:Soo this wasn't you learning how the integrated camera works on your phone?
Deidere:My phone was involved? That's…Oh! Lemme go grab it..*walks into the next room, comes back with the fattest rabbit Clara has ever seen* Ta-da!
Clara:…That is a rabbit.
Deidere:Yes. I may need a new phone.
Clara:…Did the rabbit eat your phone!?
Deidere: No, the Rabbit I think IS my phone now.
Clara:What.
Clara: Deirdre, you broke the three week rule again, What happened this time.
Deidere: Dropped it into a river. Why would that kill a phone again?
Clara:Not important, do you have a bag and some rice?
Deidere:…HUNH!?
I'm going to call this set here but tune in next time for Clara finally meeting Ophelia! Deidere's heat problems! And possibly a bonus episode involving the adventurers!
[X] Talk with Fatoumata [X] Talk with Amina's group
-[X] Amina
[X] Talk with Clara [X] Visit the stronghold that the Third Crusade made its headquarters in
[X] Visit the Sun Elf Memorial
I think the nostalgia would be more likely to be helpful in resettling our mind after recent events, so I'm going for the elf and Crusade options. And Clara is actually a really interesting character to me. What must it be like to watch Deirdre from the outside over the course of a decade or two? Is it difficult to try and serve as an interface between her and modern concerns?
.
