Interlude: City of the Elves Part 2
- Location
- UK
You blush and squirm at the complement, more than a little self conscious at both the clear gratitude and the womans strange, ethereal beauty.
"W-well, its not like I was there alone," you say.
"True, but had you not been there, it would have been a lot more difficult to get Sphing and the others out without someone getting hurt or killed," said the woman, "Sir Carnex is good, but even an S ranked Hero would have struggled with that alone. Then again, an S ranked Hero would probably have just blown up the camp and been done with it."
"Yes, you've made your dislike of my colleagues quite clear in the past, Lady Nymphalidae," said Carnex, "Although I can't say I can honestly disagree with you in your assessment."
The Elf fixed Carnex with a glare.
"How many times must I ask you to call me Nymphe?" she asked, "Is your mind going in your old age?"
"Not at all my dear," said Carnex, looking and sounding amused, "I simply felt the need to make my slight annoyance clear."
Nymphalidae harrumphed and pouted in a way that was rather at odds to her regal countenance just a moment ago.
The other Elf rolled her eyes and muttered something, before clearing her throat pointedly. The blonde glanced at her and perked up slightly.
"Ah, of course, getting off topic," she said, before turning back to you, "I do apologise for that, I have a bad habit of loosing track of things. I'm sure you're wondering why I had my sister ask you here, yes?"
You nod, slightly confused as to what was going on.
"Well then, let me start by introducing myself," said the woman, "I am Nymphalidae, the Queen of the Elves, the Lost Forest and so on, and I wish to thank you for saving the life of my favourite Niece!"
"Y-your Mag..." started Sphing, going bright red, but before she could finish, Nymphalidae whipped her wing around and covered the younger elfs mouth.
"AH, none of that now!" said the Elven Queen, "I don't care what those stuffy old codgers say, you are family and I won't have my family be so formal with me. Especially not when I helped bathe them when they were young."
Sphing's face was practically nuclear by this point and Suzu was visibly trying not to laugh and failing if the slight shaking of her shoulders was anything to go by.
"Anyway, as I was saying, you have done my nation and, more importantly, my family, a great service and I would see you rewarded for it," said Nymphalidae, turning her attention back to you, "Mori?"
The other adult Elf picked up a lequred wooden box that was resting on the table and stood.
"I'm sure the old codgers on the Council would insist on some kind of ceremony for this, but I'm sure that you have better things to do than stand around for hours listening to old windbags go on about how important they are, so lets keep this simple," said the Elven Queen as she opened the box and removed a round medallion carved with the same crest as had been on the door leading into the Archives, "This is the Royal Seal. It marks you as a recognised friend to the Royal Family and grants you free access to our lands. So long as you carry it, the confusing Magics of the Forest will leave you untouched and any Elf you meet will grant you respect and be willing to assist you."
Understandably more than a little flawed by the unexpected gesture of trust, you numbly accept the box.
"I...t-thank you," you say, "B-but..."
"No, you do deserve it," said Nymphe, "I value family far more than anything else and you helped save one of them from a horrible fate. No treasure or Royal decree in the world could repay that in my eyes."
You are about to protest again, but Mori catches your eye and shakes her head. You wordlessly close your mouth and carefully stow the Crest away.
"Going along with the useless paperweight is something a bit more useful," said Nymphe, ignoring her sisters aggravated groan as she moved over to a large cupboard and opened it, revealing a set of armour that consisted of a breast plate, greaves, bracers and a simple helmet made of the same white metal as all Elven arms and armour were made of and a curved sword made of the same material that looked like a cross between a sabre and a Katana.
"Unfortunately, due to traditions that the Council won't let me get rid of, I can only give you one of these," said Nymphe, "Either one of these will serve you well in your future endeavours and both were forged by our finest smiths."
She muttered something about old codgers under her breath that earned her a soft wack upside the head from her sister. You ignored the byplay as you stared at the two options before you.
Take the sword. A good weapon will save your life more often than not.
Take the armour. A good defence is much more important.
"W-well, its not like I was there alone," you say.
"True, but had you not been there, it would have been a lot more difficult to get Sphing and the others out without someone getting hurt or killed," said the woman, "Sir Carnex is good, but even an S ranked Hero would have struggled with that alone. Then again, an S ranked Hero would probably have just blown up the camp and been done with it."
"Yes, you've made your dislike of my colleagues quite clear in the past, Lady Nymphalidae," said Carnex, "Although I can't say I can honestly disagree with you in your assessment."
The Elf fixed Carnex with a glare.
"How many times must I ask you to call me Nymphe?" she asked, "Is your mind going in your old age?"
"Not at all my dear," said Carnex, looking and sounding amused, "I simply felt the need to make my slight annoyance clear."
Nymphalidae harrumphed and pouted in a way that was rather at odds to her regal countenance just a moment ago.
The other Elf rolled her eyes and muttered something, before clearing her throat pointedly. The blonde glanced at her and perked up slightly.
"Ah, of course, getting off topic," she said, before turning back to you, "I do apologise for that, I have a bad habit of loosing track of things. I'm sure you're wondering why I had my sister ask you here, yes?"
You nod, slightly confused as to what was going on.
"Well then, let me start by introducing myself," said the woman, "I am Nymphalidae, the Queen of the Elves, the Lost Forest and so on, and I wish to thank you for saving the life of my favourite Niece!"
"Y-your Mag..." started Sphing, going bright red, but before she could finish, Nymphalidae whipped her wing around and covered the younger elfs mouth.
"AH, none of that now!" said the Elven Queen, "I don't care what those stuffy old codgers say, you are family and I won't have my family be so formal with me. Especially not when I helped bathe them when they were young."
Sphing's face was practically nuclear by this point and Suzu was visibly trying not to laugh and failing if the slight shaking of her shoulders was anything to go by.
"Anyway, as I was saying, you have done my nation and, more importantly, my family, a great service and I would see you rewarded for it," said Nymphalidae, turning her attention back to you, "Mori?"
The other adult Elf picked up a lequred wooden box that was resting on the table and stood.
"I'm sure the old codgers on the Council would insist on some kind of ceremony for this, but I'm sure that you have better things to do than stand around for hours listening to old windbags go on about how important they are, so lets keep this simple," said the Elven Queen as she opened the box and removed a round medallion carved with the same crest as had been on the door leading into the Archives, "This is the Royal Seal. It marks you as a recognised friend to the Royal Family and grants you free access to our lands. So long as you carry it, the confusing Magics of the Forest will leave you untouched and any Elf you meet will grant you respect and be willing to assist you."
Understandably more than a little flawed by the unexpected gesture of trust, you numbly accept the box.
"I...t-thank you," you say, "B-but..."
"No, you do deserve it," said Nymphe, "I value family far more than anything else and you helped save one of them from a horrible fate. No treasure or Royal decree in the world could repay that in my eyes."
You are about to protest again, but Mori catches your eye and shakes her head. You wordlessly close your mouth and carefully stow the Crest away.
"Going along with the useless paperweight is something a bit more useful," said Nymphe, ignoring her sisters aggravated groan as she moved over to a large cupboard and opened it, revealing a set of armour that consisted of a breast plate, greaves, bracers and a simple helmet made of the same white metal as all Elven arms and armour were made of and a curved sword made of the same material that looked like a cross between a sabre and a Katana.
"Unfortunately, due to traditions that the Council won't let me get rid of, I can only give you one of these," said Nymphe, "Either one of these will serve you well in your future endeavours and both were forged by our finest smiths."
She muttered something about old codgers under her breath that earned her a soft wack upside the head from her sister. You ignored the byplay as you stared at the two options before you.
Take the sword. A good weapon will save your life more often than not.
Take the armour. A good defence is much more important.
Ginny McAllister
On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog
- Location
- Pacific NorthWet
-- more than a little flawed by the unexpected gesture
That was probably meant to be "awed"
[X] Take the armour. A good defence is much more important.
Just personal preference. I always prefer defense over offense. The other choice is just as valid, but I tend to go this way.
That was probably meant to be "awed"
[X] Take the armour. A good defence is much more important.
Just personal preference. I always prefer defense over offense. The other choice is just as valid, but I tend to go this way.
- Location
- Attached to a wall
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Take the armour. A good defence is much more important.
-[X] Apply Anima Crystal to it.
I like that plan what better item to apply the Anima crystal on than a gift from the elves
-[X] Apply Anima Crystal to it.
I like that plan what better item to apply the Anima crystal on than a gift from the elves
I reckon this is probably the best armor we could get in the near term, anything better would come at the cost of losing upgrade progress on the Anima crystal. And between the fancy elf armor and a sword...I'd take the armor of not dying.
- Location
- Attached to a wall
- Pronouns
- She/Her
We are getting a better deal than I thought, because I thought it would be completely impossible.
Thozmp
Gets my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine.
Isn't the anima crystal less effective on armor then it is on a weapon? Hold on, found what I was looking for:
Not sure if it is actually worth it using the crystal on the armor as said.
Edit: What I mean is that if we bind the crystal to our current (relatively) shit tier sword, along with the elven armor, we'd actually be set as far as equipment goes for a long time to come, as opposed to having supreme armor, but paying out the ass to keep up offense wise.
Not sure if it is actually worth it using the crystal on the armor as said.
Edit: What I mean is that if we bind the crystal to our current (relatively) shit tier sword, along with the elven armor, we'd actually be set as far as equipment goes for a long time to come, as opposed to having supreme armor, but paying out the ass to keep up offense wise.
Last edited:
- Location
- UK
Thats right. By using the Anima crystal, you basically make a piece of equipment that grows with you, fixes itself if damaged and, potentially, develops new powers as it does. Think the Heroes Weapons from Fable Three. Technically, it works exactly the same with armour or a weapon, but a decent suit of armour is generally easier to come by and cheaper to get than a weapon and is less likely to need replacing. You genarally want to avoid getting hit, regardless of how good your armour is, after all.
Thozmp
Gets my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine.
Right. So I'm all for getting the elven armor, but opposed to using the crystal on it.
- Location
- Attached to a wall
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This raises a good point. My original thought was that we are better built for being a magic-user meaning that swords might become a worse deal over time, but spell-swords are also magic focussed.
meanwhile using the anima crystal on a gift from nobility has some symbolic value...
I'm switching my vote
[X] Take the sword. A good weapon will save your life more often than not.
-[X] Apply Anima Crystal to it.
- Location
- UK
Bare in mind that this isnt a world where Mages cant use swords, its just that Magic and weapons both take a long time to master, so most people dont exactly have the time to do both. For people like Phantasms and Sorcerers, its easier, so we dont have to worry. Of course, you can get Foci to make Magic easier to use or increase the power, but they dont have to be big staffs and can be something as simple as a ring or even built directly into a sword or armour.
Thozmp
Gets my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine.
See, I was thinking, "Take armor, use crystal on current sword, and thus save the money we'd need to upgrade both for a long while." Basically, we have two items vital to an adventurer that we'd be able to keep around for a long time, so we can use what money we get for other things. Long term investment sort of thing.
- Location
- Attached to a wall
- Pronouns
- She/Her
So, Most of us want the armor, Some of us want to fuse the Anima crystal with the gift.
One wants to attach it to our original sword
One wants to attach it to the armor
And I just want it to have some in-story significance
I have a feeling that we will be arguing on this topic for a while.
[X] Take the armour. A good defence is much more important.
One wants to attach it to our original sword
One wants to attach it to the armor
And I just want it to have some in-story significance
I have a feeling that we will be arguing on this topic for a while.
[X] Take the armour. A good defence is much more important.
- Location
- UK
Right, sorry I've been gone for so long, but shit happened and this fell by the wayside. With any luck, you guys havent lost to much interest and we can continue to have some fun. With regards to the Anima crystal, I've decided that I'm going to wait until we get a majority vote for it. If we get some gear you want to add it to, put forwards the suggestion and we can discuss. Remember though, once applied, its incredibly hard and expensive to remove, so please choose wisely. Next post should be coming pretty soon.
Interlude: City of the Elves Part 3
- Location
- UK
"I think I'll take the armour," you say, "My swords fine for now, but this armour is..."
"Cheap tat?" says Nymphie, "Good, I'd hate to lose a new Elf Friend so soon after making it."
She smiles at you, then spins around and flutters over to the door.
"Well, this has been fun, but I'm afraid that I can't keep those old codgers waiting any longer," she says, "Do visit again Alex, I'd love to hear about your future adventures."
She blows a kiss, then vanishes out the door. Mori sighs deeply and shakes her head.
"Honestly, what am I to do with her?" she mutters.
"Just do as you usually do," says Carnex, "Put up with her antics and try to keep her from causing a war."
Mori glowers and grumbles something under her breath as the Dwarf looks over at you.
"I suggest you get going lad," he says, "I'm sure you have a new job by now and its best if you get going before nightfall."
"Before you do, I should extend my personal thanks for your help in saving my Daughter," says Mori, "I'm afraid I don't have anything quite as grand to offer as my sister, but if you ever need knowledge or assistance, you may call on me and I will help to the best of my ability. The Elven Archives have a lot of knowledge on all sorts of subjects, so I'm certain I could be of assistance in almost any query. I'd give you the Archive Seal, but the Royal Seal makes that largely pointless."
You squirm slightly at the sincere thanks, not entirely used to the gratitude coming from people so high up in any kind of hierarchy. Mori ignored your apparent discomfort as she nodded to Carnex and swept out of the room after her sister.
"Nearly done lad," murmurers the Dwarf as Sphing stood and visibly steeled herself.
"U-um, here," she says in a soft voice, holding out a simple ring made of the Elven white metal, "I-its not much, but it should be able to keep you safe from poison. T-thank you for saving my life."
You hesitantly take the ring, only for Sphing to blush bright crimson as your fingers brush hers and yank her hand back as if burnt. Before you can say anything, she followed her Mother out of the room, still blushing brightly enough that she was nearly glowing. Carnex snickered behind his hand as Suzu sighed.
"Sorry about that," she said, "Sphing is...well, lets just say that shes sheltered and leave it at that."
She smiles.
"I can't offer anything quite as impressive as those three, but you have my gratitude as well. If you ever need some backup, don't hesitate to ask."
She holds out a hand and you accept it, feeling much more comfortable with the Guard Captain than the Royals. Suzu smiles again as you clasp hands, then nods to Carnex and follows after her charge, leaving you and the Dwarf alone.
"What just happened?" you ask.
Carnex chuckles.
"That was you receiving payment for services rendered," he says, "I'm not sure what it was like where you were from originally, but here, most people will offer something in return when you help them, whether it be monetary or a favour. Its considered rude not to accept them and people don't forget, so don't forget to help people who need it on your travels. You might just get something useful out of it."
"I...see," you say.
Carnex grins and slaps you on teh shoulder.
"You'll get used to it," he says, "Now come on, I'll take you out."
You follow Carnex back through the palace and out into the city again where the Dwarf leaves you and vanishes into the crowd. You take a deep breath and look around. Its not yet noon, so you still have a bit of time before leaving became inadvisable if you didn't want to camp in the forest, so you could take a look around the market for anything interesting. Alternatively, you could head out immediately and get your job started sooner.
Head to the market.
Head out immediately.
"Cheap tat?" says Nymphie, "Good, I'd hate to lose a new Elf Friend so soon after making it."
She smiles at you, then spins around and flutters over to the door.
"Well, this has been fun, but I'm afraid that I can't keep those old codgers waiting any longer," she says, "Do visit again Alex, I'd love to hear about your future adventures."
She blows a kiss, then vanishes out the door. Mori sighs deeply and shakes her head.
"Honestly, what am I to do with her?" she mutters.
"Just do as you usually do," says Carnex, "Put up with her antics and try to keep her from causing a war."
Mori glowers and grumbles something under her breath as the Dwarf looks over at you.
"I suggest you get going lad," he says, "I'm sure you have a new job by now and its best if you get going before nightfall."
"Before you do, I should extend my personal thanks for your help in saving my Daughter," says Mori, "I'm afraid I don't have anything quite as grand to offer as my sister, but if you ever need knowledge or assistance, you may call on me and I will help to the best of my ability. The Elven Archives have a lot of knowledge on all sorts of subjects, so I'm certain I could be of assistance in almost any query. I'd give you the Archive Seal, but the Royal Seal makes that largely pointless."
You squirm slightly at the sincere thanks, not entirely used to the gratitude coming from people so high up in any kind of hierarchy. Mori ignored your apparent discomfort as she nodded to Carnex and swept out of the room after her sister.
"Nearly done lad," murmurers the Dwarf as Sphing stood and visibly steeled herself.
"U-um, here," she says in a soft voice, holding out a simple ring made of the Elven white metal, "I-its not much, but it should be able to keep you safe from poison. T-thank you for saving my life."
You hesitantly take the ring, only for Sphing to blush bright crimson as your fingers brush hers and yank her hand back as if burnt. Before you can say anything, she followed her Mother out of the room, still blushing brightly enough that she was nearly glowing. Carnex snickered behind his hand as Suzu sighed.
"Sorry about that," she said, "Sphing is...well, lets just say that shes sheltered and leave it at that."
She smiles.
"I can't offer anything quite as impressive as those three, but you have my gratitude as well. If you ever need some backup, don't hesitate to ask."
She holds out a hand and you accept it, feeling much more comfortable with the Guard Captain than the Royals. Suzu smiles again as you clasp hands, then nods to Carnex and follows after her charge, leaving you and the Dwarf alone.
"What just happened?" you ask.
Carnex chuckles.
"That was you receiving payment for services rendered," he says, "I'm not sure what it was like where you were from originally, but here, most people will offer something in return when you help them, whether it be monetary or a favour. Its considered rude not to accept them and people don't forget, so don't forget to help people who need it on your travels. You might just get something useful out of it."
"I...see," you say.
Carnex grins and slaps you on teh shoulder.
"You'll get used to it," he says, "Now come on, I'll take you out."
You follow Carnex back through the palace and out into the city again where the Dwarf leaves you and vanishes into the crowd. You take a deep breath and look around. Its not yet noon, so you still have a bit of time before leaving became inadvisable if you didn't want to camp in the forest, so you could take a look around the market for anything interesting. Alternatively, you could head out immediately and get your job started sooner.
Head to the market.
Head out immediately.
Ginny McAllister
On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog
- Location
- Pacific NorthWet
Yeah
[X] Head out immediately.
[X] Head out immediately.
- Location
- Attached to a wall
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Head out immediately.
We should remember to give our services too when we are helped. We don't want to offend anyone after all.
We should remember to give our services too when we are helped. We don't want to offend anyone after all.