Alright! Sweg. I'll handle the rolls and the deets in a bit.
[Warhammer Fantasy: Colony Quest] Your Prize is Responsibility.
- Thread starter Pillowsperky
- Start date
- Mature Fantasy
A Side Venture (Thyriol in da tavern)
A Side Venture
"What short sighted short lived ingrates who dare deny me my journey to the masters of the moon."thyriol bemoaned to himself in his room from he rented in the colony from his own pocket.
The room itself was filled with all his research into the language of the fabled lizardmen and there customs as to ease his way into being taught by the Great masters of tlaxtlan and rest would be how to better himself in his prowess as a wizard.
"But calm yourself thyriol they are not as long-lived as you are and you are still young and have time to wait think of this as side venture to ingriate yourself with the people of this colony and to broaden your horizons and gain future allies in your endeavors."Thyriol told himself as to reassure that this setback won't be a bad thing but opportunity in disguise." While I would like to continue my studies but it seems that it would be more fruitful to be useful help the colonists to make sure they succeed in settling down here and I know that they can use a wizard such as myself and I'll do it free of charge from Gold but a deal that I can stay here in the colony rent free and be given the resources to continue my studies."
So Thyriol ventures out of his room and towards to governor give his help to them.
Omake: Being a Shallyan is Suffering
- Location
- Australia
Being a Shallyan is Suffering
Lustria called the servants of the goddess of mercy as a flame to moths; a whole thousand of colonists who'd have to contend with disease, injury, and strife, all things Klare Wasquelle's flock were sworn to uphold. Among them was Neeltje Seelenshcrei, a novitiate still yet to become a full nun. As she stepped onto the shore of the New World, she smiled with a heart full of vim and vigour, eager to begin her exciting new life and earn her ordination in this exotic new land.
One week later
Sister Neeltje Seelenschrei was the lowest form of celebrity, one who'd had to earn her little fame through blood, sweat, and more blood and sweat.
As one of the younger members of the Shallyans who'd come aboard, she was given some of the most physically arduous tasks among her congregation. At the beginning, that meant heavy manual labour throughout the hot, humid days, carrying stacks of heavy medical tomes and construction materials, digging ditches and latrines, and more. She worked harder and longer than most others, working herself to exhaustion every day in the rush to set things up in case some predicament caught them off-guard.
It was only barely enough. When the first maladies struck the colonies, the one bright spot was that the Shallyans' early efforts prevented worse diseases from ravaging the bodies of Preisdorf's people during this moment of vulnerability. Yet it was still hard going as fungal infection, heatstroke, inexplicable disorientation, and a host of other minor maladies afflicted a growing number of sick, and the Shallyans worked themselves as hard as Neeltje had the past week attending to them. They were overloaded, and if a more serious illness did enter the colony at this time, there'd be catastrophe.
To help deal with the situation, Neeltje was given a mission as important as it was grim and perilous: to gather crucial medicinal herbs out in the wilderness. Accompanying her were Engla Walch, a huntress from Drakwald, and Gilet de la Riviere, a farmer from Mousillon. Together, they helped Neeltje in her holy work in the forests and marshes beyond the colony, eyeing dangers and helping each other traverse the terrain.
They worked from dawn till dusk, and miraculously they'd loaded up their packs without falling prey to Lustria's sundry hazards. Neeltje was tired after a long week of work followed by the gruelling trek in the wilderness, but pride and relief filled her heart to think that she'd done it, and that soon she'd get to rest. Alas, on the way back to the colony, the group's good fortune ran out. It was sheer luck that let them see the ripperdactyl before it could strike from above, eager to kill them for food or sport. It was a thing of wickedly sharp teeth, claws, and tail spikes, and, though it was denied the element of surprise, it bled the trio dearly before the three could bring it down with arrows and bludgeoning staff blows. Neeltje treated their wounds as quickly as she could, even before her own, but while she'd succeeded in stabilising them, they'd lost too much blood from the fight and passed out.
Neeltje didn't give up, and with a herculean effort, she dragged her companions and their packs full of healing herbs all the way back to Preisdorf. By then, night had fallen, too late for a search party, and those close to the trio could only pray they'd return, and they considered it a miracle when they did. As soon as the militia arrived to carry Engla, Gilet, and the three's medicinal packs back to Neeltje's brothers and sisters, Neeltje collapsed, exhaustion and injury finally taking their toll. She finally got the rest she deserved. Her sleep lasted first a day, and then two, then three. As she knocked on Morr's door, she was ordained as a full nun, so that if she did pass through Morr's portal, it would be with the rank she earned.
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Doing some Advisor Rolls.
Improve Construction: 62%: Success on a 51!
Study Plague: 72%: Success on a 53!
Improve Construction: 62%: Success on a 51!
Study Plague: 72%: Success on a 53!
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The hardest part of quests is balancing their rewards.
Like, how much would the Karaz Ankor pay for a rune-locked chest of Gromril?
Lots.
Yet how much is that relative to balancing and relative to the income of a colony. Mhmm
Like, how much would the Karaz Ankor pay for a rune-locked chest of Gromril?
Lots.
Yet how much is that relative to balancing and relative to the income of a colony. Mhmm
- Location
- Australia
The plan was changed to do Imilar's quest instead of the chest quest, so I think you can delay balancing it for a turn.
As for the chest, if it's just got a gromril rune lock, I think it'd be a tidy sum but not too expensive. 5 Mo maybe, or less.The main reward there is a foot in the door diplomatically.
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It's not just a potential for diplomacy, in the spirit of this Quest and Adventure I do feel obligated to include an option to be greedy by forcing the lock and getting at what's inside. Which will probably be really neat stuff, given that dwarves do not put gromril rune-reinforced locks on just any chest.
That said, good point about the delay.
Time to balance the Asrai quest, though that is just the 1st in a chain.
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A note on Quests and Adventurer's Roles.
When I envision quests for this Quest (haha) I mentally categorize them as being mostly Story over pure mechanics. Expeditions will be more involved, with choices and multiple potential routes, with wildly varying rewards and storyline progression based upon the planning and execution.
Meanwhile Quests will be largely binary or simply two-staged, with a more 'opportunistic' feel. Fluff and smaller rewards that potentially lead into a mildly longer storyline.
With this in mind I have to try and balance rewards to account for two things party size and risk.
I'd ideally love for the smallest viable party size to be 2, but with the option to run 1 in desperate times, and yet at the same time I can't make running 5 adventurers for each quest so optimal that there is no other real choice.
I also want to have a bit of fun in encouraging varied adventuring parties in a true RPG spirit.
You guys will be getting a lot of potential quest leads, and the feel i'd love is for this colony to be a hub of adventurous idiots held up on taxed treasures and jungle exotics.
Thus, Roles.
Each Quest will have a primary 'role' associated with it (Diplomacy, Martial, Intrigue, Learning), and begin with a 30% success chance if a single adventurer with a matching role is put to the task.(That adventurer will be thus the 'party leader')
Each subsequent party member with a unique role adds 10%.
A second primary role haver adds 15%, though just once.
Every other instance of already-added roles only adds 5%
Thus with a full party of optimal roles (Two with the Primary, One of each other role) will have a base 75% success chance.
For example, and as a preview:
The Relic Bones of a Fallen Behemoth:
Your scouting adventurers located this potential prize almost three days travel south, deep into the soft soil of the amaxon's broad flood-forest, in a place that hunters had come back from after reporting hoots and voices in the dark woods.
There the adventurers found -in the midst of a shallow mangrove lagoon- a fallen behemoth, The titanic carapace and scales of an Ancient Bastiladon -a true titan, in life it would have been able to swing that club-tail over the roof of a bunk-house-, all still glossy and firm against the ravages of time.
Yet sadly not against the ravages of greenskins, for the adventurers also reported a small savage orc tribe having taken up residence nearby the beast, slowly carving out bones and pains-takingly hewing the ancient cadaver's carapace with axes as they try to remake the beast into an armory. Surely those bones and the seemingly rot-immune carapace could be better served in Your possession, for at least you would give the giant beast's remains some profitable dignity.
Primary Role: Martial
Potential Rewards:
A Mostly intact Ancient Bastiladon skeleton,
2-3 Titanic bastiladon Carapace-Plates,
One Titanic club-tail.
Each Usable as a gift for Grand Cathay, the Empire, The Amber College, Various Lizardmen factions.
Each Saleable to The Empire,Grand Cathay, The Amber College, Various Lizardmen Factions.
Risk:
20% chance of injury.
5% risk of death on failure.
Meanwhile Quests will be largely binary or simply two-staged, with a more 'opportunistic' feel. Fluff and smaller rewards that potentially lead into a mildly longer storyline.
With this in mind I have to try and balance rewards to account for two things party size and risk.
I'd ideally love for the smallest viable party size to be 2, but with the option to run 1 in desperate times, and yet at the same time I can't make running 5 adventurers for each quest so optimal that there is no other real choice.
I also want to have a bit of fun in encouraging varied adventuring parties in a true RPG spirit.
You guys will be getting a lot of potential quest leads, and the feel i'd love is for this colony to be a hub of adventurous idiots held up on taxed treasures and jungle exotics.
Thus, Roles.
Each Quest will have a primary 'role' associated with it (Diplomacy, Martial, Intrigue, Learning), and begin with a 30% success chance if a single adventurer with a matching role is put to the task.(That adventurer will be thus the 'party leader')
Each subsequent party member with a unique role adds 10%.
A second primary role haver adds 15%, though just once.
Every other instance of already-added roles only adds 5%
Thus with a full party of optimal roles (Two with the Primary, One of each other role) will have a base 75% success chance.
For example, and as a preview:
The Relic Bones of a Fallen Behemoth:
Your scouting adventurers located this potential prize almost three days travel south, deep into the soft soil of the amaxon's broad flood-forest, in a place that hunters had come back from after reporting hoots and voices in the dark woods.
There the adventurers found -in the midst of a shallow mangrove lagoon- a fallen behemoth, The titanic carapace and scales of an Ancient Bastiladon -a true titan, in life it would have been able to swing that club-tail over the roof of a bunk-house-, all still glossy and firm against the ravages of time.
Yet sadly not against the ravages of greenskins, for the adventurers also reported a small savage orc tribe having taken up residence nearby the beast, slowly carving out bones and pains-takingly hewing the ancient cadaver's carapace with axes as they try to remake the beast into an armory. Surely those bones and the seemingly rot-immune carapace could be better served in Your possession, for at least you would give the giant beast's remains some profitable dignity.
Primary Role: Martial
Potential Rewards:
A Mostly intact Ancient Bastiladon skeleton,
2-3 Titanic bastiladon Carapace-Plates,
One Titanic club-tail.
Each Usable as a gift for Grand Cathay, the Empire, The Amber College, Various Lizardmen factions.
Each Saleable to The Empire,Grand Cathay, The Amber College, Various Lizardmen Factions.
Risk:
20% chance of injury.
5% risk of death on failure.
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- Location
- Australia
Most of the time, it looks like we'll want to have two adventurers for each attribute so that we have decent party compositions for whatever quests are available to us. Going hard on a single attribute type, like five Martials, is best for dealing with multiple Martial quests, not for dogpiling onto a single Martial quest. In hindsight, that means that my plan would've been better served by making the second quest a Repel quest, since we have spare Martials that won't contribute as much to the Special quest as adventurers with other primary attributes.
I'm guessing that primary attribute isn't the be-all end-all of how quests go, though. Actual skillsets and personality will play a part too, given that the information post does say quests are more narrative than mechanical.
I'm thinking we want to add another layer to stable composition on top of two-per-attribute: at least one wizard, two fighters, and two scouts. Wizards deal with anything magical, fighters bodyguard weaklings, and scouts multiply terrain traversal for parties. We saw the latter in action during Adventurer Missing!, where Arda was helping Bullo and Klaus avoid hazards. Lustria's jungle is a hellscape, so proper scouts are important. Adventurers who fulfil more than one criteria are valuable in that sense. Arda is a wizard and scout, while Hektor and Anwen are both fighters and scouts.
Individual specialties are important too. If we're dealing with lizardman stuff, Thyriol is a natural fit due to his obsession with them. Arda's an amber wizard, so good at dealing with animals. Johann is a veteran skaven slayer, so take him on any mission involving ratmen.
I'm guessing that primary attribute isn't the be-all end-all of how quests go, though. Actual skillsets and personality will play a part too, given that the information post does say quests are more narrative than mechanical.
I'm thinking we want to add another layer to stable composition on top of two-per-attribute: at least one wizard, two fighters, and two scouts. Wizards deal with anything magical, fighters bodyguard weaklings, and scouts multiply terrain traversal for parties. We saw the latter in action during Adventurer Missing!, where Arda was helping Bullo and Klaus avoid hazards. Lustria's jungle is a hellscape, so proper scouts are important. Adventurers who fulfil more than one criteria are valuable in that sense. Arda is a wizard and scout, while Hektor and Anwen are both fighters and scouts.
Individual specialties are important too. If we're dealing with lizardman stuff, Thyriol is a natural fit due to his obsession with them. Arda's an amber wizard, so good at dealing with animals. Johann is a veteran skaven slayer, so take him on any mission involving ratmen.
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I should have been more specific from the start.
My intent with the Plans for this vote were that you'd pick quests as an intent, not as a be-all-end-all lockin. On the second vote (Expedition planning and quest picking) y'all will have All of the quest-leads you have available, available. Adventurer assignment and actually locking in your choices will happen then.
And also because you built the tavern + booths, you'll have access to a rotunda of 'temp' adventurers, randomly chosen from the list that you didn't pick and that people have added.
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Explore: Signs of the Asrai
Imilar has become dedicated to finding signs of her missing kin within these foreign woods, and spends most of her day during this week on speaking with the adventurers and coordinating with Anwen on where the Asrai might have gone, even roaming the colony's perimeter to speak with a few tree spirits as she tries to ascertain even a starting direction. She has thus far located a small lead north into the Creeping Jungle where foresters have spotted marks on bark and hints of asrai art woven into branches.With Imilar's dedication to this quest, there is little chance of death, but injury ever lurks in Lustria.
Primary Role: Learning.
Rewards
Information about hidden Asrai paths and the next quest in this chain.
Contact and Potential diplomatic opportunities with the Spirits of the Forest.
Rare Asrai Art and Artefacts.
Risk:
- 15% chance of injury due to natural hazards or traps
Retrieval: The Glint of a Gromril-Locked Chest
Deep within a natural cavern formed from the roots of a megadendric tree, sunk into a pool of crystal water, your adventurers have spotted the unmistakable glint of Gromril—a rare and valuable metal used by the Dwarfs. The chest, locked and untouched by time, promises untold treasures. However there have been scaled shapes spotted lurking within the water, and the more wizened of adventurers have pointed out the upturned spike-roots of 'Bear-trap Mangroves' -what in Sigmar is that name- near the entrance. Moving what appears to be a half-ton chest -not even to mention the contents- out of this cavern will be a perilous endeavour.Primary Role: Intrigue.
Potential Rewards:
- A Gromril-Locked rune reinforced Chest, likely filled with Dwarf-crafted items and/or valuable metals
- A dilemma/choice between returning the chest to the Karaz Ankor, for a reward, or using your smithy to break it open in hopes of finding all the more wealth within.
- 30% chance of injury
- 10% risk of death on failure.
The Relic Bones of a Fallen Behemoth
Your scouting adventurers located this potential prize almost three days travel south, deep into the soft soil of the amaxon's broad flood-forest, in a place that hunters had come back from after reporting hoots and voices in the dark woods.- There the adventurers found -in the midst of a shallow mangrove lagoon- a fallen behemoth, The titanic carapace and scales of an Ancient Bastiladon -a true titan, in life it would have been able to swing that club-tail over the roof of a bunk-house-, all still glossy and firm against the ravages of time.
Yet sadly not against the ravages of greenskins, for the adventurers also reported a small savage orc tribe having taken up residence nearby the beast, slowly carving out bones and pains-takingly hewing the ancient cadaver's carapace with axes as they try to remake the beast into an armory. Surely those bones and the seemingly rot-immune carapace could be better served in Your possession, for at least you would give the giant beast's remains some profitable dignity.
Primary Role: Martial
Potential Rewards: - A Mostly intact Ancient Bastiladon skeleton,
- 2-3 Titanic bastiladon Carapace-Plates,
One Titanic club-tail.
Each Usable as a gift for Grand Cathay, the Empire, The Amber College, Various Lizardmen factions.
Each Saleable to The Empire,Grand Cathay, The Amber College, Various Lizardmen Factions.
Risk:
20% chance of injury.
5% risk of death on failure.
Retrieval: Amazonian Grave-Trees. All that Gold left Fallow
In the heart of the jungle, your adventurers have discovered a grove of ancient trees and pure redstone markers, each adorned with golden chains, plaques, piles of brooches an other glittering treasures. These grave-trees mark the burial sites of legendary Amazonian nobles, priests and Warriors, according to Pandora when she is asked. Retrieving these riches will require a blatant disregard for the sanctity of these graves and the greed-fuelled bravery to fend off any guardians—be they traps, the horde of swarming reptiles summoned by the wards or deathly magical guardians—incensed by such sacrilege.Primary Role: Martial
Potential Rewards:
- A mass of Golden artifacts and jewelry of Amazonian origin
- Ancient weapons and armor with unique enchantments
- Access to maps, tomes, scrolls and other uniquely amazonian information secreted in each grave.
- 35% chance of injury from traps or guardians
- If this act is uncovered, this will severely damage relationships with all Amazon factions.
- 20% chance of death on failure.
Retrieval: Unctious Sweet-fruits and their Flaming Guardians
Your scouts have discovered a swampy grove of trees bearing unctuous sweet-fruits that Porito De Lucci names 'Scale-Apple' whilst salivating, highly sought after for their minor healing properties, incredible sugar-content -perfect for alcohol making- and delicious taste. However, these trees are fiercely guarded by a warren of territorial Salamanders, notable for their boiling, flaming caustic spit. Gathering these fruits will require both skill and bravery.Primary Role: Martial
Potential Rewards:
- Baskets upon baskets of Delectable sweet-fruits with potential healing properties.
- Possible captured Salamanders and eggs.
- Rare botanical specimens for trade, growing and study
- 20% chance of injury from Salamander attacks
- 10% risk of death from failure
Repel: Cold One Clever Girls in the Bushes
Reports have come in of aggressive Cold Ones—ferocious, reptilian predators—stalking the nearby jungles. These creatures, known for their speed and cunning, pose a significant threat to your farms. Repelling them will require keen senses and quick reflexes, but the rewards could include valuable hides and trophies.Primary Role: Martial
Potential Rewards:
- Cold One hides and scales for crafting armor
- Rare Cold One eggs, potentially hatchable or sellable
- Prestige and reputation boost for successfully dealing with the threat
- 25% chance of injury due to Cold One attacks
- 5% risk of death on failure
Repel: Mega-Boa in the Swamp
A massive Mega-Boa has been terrorizing the swamp regions to your south, devouring wildlife and threatening to disrupt the ecosystem. This enormous serpent must be driven off or slain to ensure the safety of your colony. The task will be dangerous, but the rewards could include rare materials and the gratitude of the swamp's inhabitants.Primary Role: Martial
Potential Rewards:
- Mega-Boa skin and scales, highly valuable for crafting
- Mega-Boa blood and bones, highly treasured by Amber Wizards
- Increased favor and support from local settlements
- 35% chance of injury from the Mega-Boa's attacks
- 10% risk of death on failure
Special: Rescue Klaus!
Klaus has been kidnapped by Pirates! Led by a crazed and evidently very skilled brute-woman in a mockery of imperial uniform, this group possesses at least one witch who uses Ulgu (shadow) magic, according to the many magical-sensing eyes that examined Rufus, the little creature being essentially programmed like some sort of meat-golem to take the ransom letter back to you.Fuck Giving In.
You'll be sending out your adventurers to solve this shit, and you are about 60% certain that Johann will kill you with a shovel if you do not let him go (with Rufus). This will, however, be a mission of sneaking up until it becomes very very violent, with caution necessary to scale the Creeping Jungle's cliffs and descend onto the cove from above, before ambushing the pirates and hunting for Klaus. Extraction will come in the form of your colony's sole lightly armed transport carrack, once an alchemical flare (thank you Porito) is fired off.
Rapunzel has some disquiet about this plan and the deep risks involved, much as she is plainly disgusted by what her magic saw in Rufus.
Primary Role: Intrigue.
Johann Klinger must be assigned to this quest, or to the 'Ransom Klaus' quest below.
Potential Rewards
- Klaus Steinberger.
- Pirate Treasure and whatever smuggled goods they held in that cove.
- Maps of the local coast and hints toward other factions in the area.
- Reward bounties of any notable corsairs.
- 40% chance of injury.
- Klaus will die on failure.
- 35% chance of death -or worse- on failure.
- This will begin a cold conflict with the unknown Pirate Faction.
Special: Ransom Klaus!
Klaus has been kidnapped by Pirates! Led by a crazed and evidently very skilled brute-woman in a mockery of imperial uniform, this group possesses at least one witch who uses Ulgu (shadow) magic, according to the many magical-sensing eyes that examined Rufus, the little creature being essentially programmed like some sort of meat-golem to take the ransom letter back to you.They're not asking for... That much.
You'll be solving this with your wealth and with concessions, at least until you can get enough cannons to shoot that bitch and burn their witch, and in doing so you will hopefully return to normalcy without risking more of your people. The pirates in their letter are requesting the construction of a second smaller set of docks along the cliff-face to your harbour's north, and promise that the trade from that dock will be lucrative so long as your colony's guards and snoopers do not look too closely at anything passing through it. They'll even pay tariffs and taxes, and promise that they do not trade in slaves.
How... Reassuring.
You can feel the distaste in Rapunzel's every movement as she checks in on Rufus, and on Arda. She also looks worried.
Primary Role: Diplomacy.
Johann Klinger must be assigned to this quest, or to the 'Rescue Klaus!' quest above.
Potential Rewards.
- A blueprint for the 'Smuggler's Dock' that must be constructed within two weeks. It will generate upwards of 5 Mo per week.
- Klaus returned unharmed.
- New -suspicious- adventurers will become available in the tavern.
- Contact with the mysterious Pirate faction.
- None. Apparently.
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On one hand, don't negotiate with criminals, on the other, do we have the might to fight them?
Sertorius
Rebellious Legate
- Location
- Roma Invicta
We do with the right approach to the problem.
Shovels for everyone!
wow, those risks of death are a shit of a sight. Mwke sure to reduce them as possible.
Also, diplomacy and connections. also fuck the Pirates, better to overprepare than fail.
Also, diplomacy and connections. also fuck the Pirates, better to overprepare than fail.
- Location
- Australia
Rescue Klaus is primarily Intrigue, and the only Intrigue adventurer on our payroll is Klaus. If we put a Martial, Diplomacy, and Learning adventurer on there, that's 30%, add another 10% by throwing in another couple adventurers, and then add 20% with Johanna's help and 5% from the booths. Total chance of success is 65%. Not the best odds, but we have an ace up our sleeve.
The GM said we'll have access to temporary adventurers thanks to the tavern and booths we constructed this turn. Odds are good at least one, maybe two adventurers will have Intrigue as the primary attribute. If we manage to snag two, our chance of success goes up to 100%.
The GM said we'll have access to temporary adventurers thanks to the tavern and booths we constructed this turn. Odds are good at least one, maybe two adventurers will have Intrigue as the primary attribute. If we manage to snag two, our chance of success goes up to 100%.
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Sertorius
Rebellious Legate
- Location
- Roma Invicta
True, better to overprepare given the odds. You just can't negotiate with Undead criminals. They will screw us over when we are at our lowest if we let them near.
Let's hope so.
- Location
- Australia
If they were only pirates, I think I might actually favour a deal. The terms are genuinely excellent, it's nothing worse than trading in stolen goods, and the alternative is conflict even if the quest succeeds. However, that Ulgu magic really cinches these pirates as someone we really don't want to deal with. It's freaky as hell and something we do not want running around near our colony, and OOC we know just how vile Peony is between her vampirism and enthusiasm for torture.
Darn it, Intrigue, I was hoping for Learning since we've got two spare adventurers good at that. I'm still inclined to give it a shot even with a low success chance since I already put Imilar on it instead of a diplomacy action, and there's no death risk. 25% success chance with Anwen and Elena on the job.
Nice, this one's Learning. I think we could do this next turn, have Elena and Briala crack it open with some help.
Nope. I'd be interested in going there purely to study the place, take sketches and the like, but looting is a big no no.
Neat quest, something to look into later.
We'll want to tackle these as soon as we can. We stocked up high on Martials to deal with these kinds of things in the absence of mercenaries, so let's deal with these kinds of things. Since we've got two other quests we want to do this turn, we'll maybe do one this turn and the other the next. It'd only take two Martials each to get 50% success chance for both though.
Time sensitive. Gah. I don't think we have time for it this week, might have to let the opportunity pass. Hopefully it's still there next week.
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- Location
- Australia
Actually, @Pillowsperky should Signs of the Asrai and Gromril-Locked Chest have their Primary Roles swapped? A heist to steal treasure sounds solidly Intrigue, while Signs of the Asrai involves deduction, studying markings and art, and presumably working with maps a bunch, the latter of which I think would fit Elena.
I've got three sidestory ideas. First is Rapunzel processing everything in the epilogue of Flynn saving her from Gothel, second is a council meeting between our advisors so we get to see all their personalities in play, third is an inaugural bar brawl for the new tavern with Free Bird playing in the background (oh hey, that's a potential name for the tavern).
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Hmmm. You are correct. Also those Omakes sound fun ^..^. I'll have to do them. The council meeting i particular sounds like a fun chance to show off your wildly varied council.
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Sounds like a quest board situation. We chose which quests to 'green-lit' which to ban dou to consequences, and there are odds those quests will be finished without our factuall input. It certanly makes things easier for us . Still would be wise to set up a proper militia and diplomatic core. Sometimes you Do need specialists.
Social Meetings: Pandora the Pioneer
Hunting down Pandora takes more effort than you could ever expect once you decide to try and have a little meeting with her. Your day descends into traversing back and forth across the mass construction-zone that is your expanding colony, following up on Pandora's apparent chain of connection-making and incredibly casual affection. You track the woman down by the smudges of pink lipstick she leaves on cheeks, necks, and lips down the main street, ending up—of course—in the newly made tavern's upper rooms...
...Right above where you start the hunt in the first place, of course.
The Estalian explorer's bedmate, a stunningly beautiful Arabyan woman, seems uncaring about being in her silk nothings with you in the room, and she introduces herself as Sian. Before much more can be made of her, however, Pandora interrupts with a grin and a query.
"So, Guv Ryder, how can this humble lady assist you?"
She speaks in elegant Reikspiel while affecting an Altdorfian noble's accent, curling around Sian for a parting smooch before standing up from under the covers with crass indifference toward her own undress. She seems all the more amused by your ironclad control over your own gaze, keeping your eyes firmly upon hers as Pandora elaborates.
"Come for language lessons? I know over five dozen."
You cock an eyebrow as Pandora slips on her breeches and a blouse, instantly making herself presentable in a tousled and fashionably ruffled 'just ravished' way that many in Estalia seem to have mastered—you're not jealous; you've made strides in mastering it yourself with Rapunzel's assistance—and she smirks when you comment.
"I didn't know there were over five dozen languages to know."
Pandora takes a seat on the bed and gestures toward an opposite seat, graciously giving you the cue to sit before she responds further.
"Not many people take the time to think about it, yet for me it serves my dream."
Her eyes blaze as she speaks with fervor.
"I want to talk with everyone. I want to know their language, their syntax, the history, and cultural drift. I want to make a map of the world's tongues so I can speak to anyone, from anywhere."
You smile as you say, "A wonderful dream, and in hopes of serving that, I'd love to chat about your adventures before I plan my first true expedition."
Pandora's eyes glittered as she rubbed her hands and grinned "Ohohoh? A real Expedition, tell me more~."
You expound on the nature of the task, from Else's odd fixation with those stones to the issue of goblins, and as you chatter Pandora rummages in her many satchels and travel-cases to grab journals and a notepad plus pencils. She grins like a loon as she then responds.
"So! You're going to the Centorean heartglades? A deep-jungle expedition then, which reminds me of my stay in Santa Magritta. There I stayed for a few years as a negotiator and contractor, putting together groups you know?"
You ask "Lucrative?"
She smiles and waggles a hand "I got by... Money was certainly not why I left."
You catch the woman glancing for a moment toward her travel chest, face pensive before she continues.
"No... Money was not the issue, life and its complexities were, along with my growing moral repugnance of course. You may not expect it of a proud Estalian, yet I hold no pride and feel no kinship with the brutos asquerosos of Santa Magritta's slave-docks, whose depravaciones are excused by those of my home kingdoms as 'colonial eccentricity', much to my shame."
Pandora's face twists, Sian doing her part -with a face of understanding and shared trauma- to give some comforting back-rubs as the pioneer pushes herself to keep talking, slathering on a weaker smile.
"The expeditions, though, they were my vice in that place, my pleasure. To see the unseen, to meet the novel peoples of this land and learn their tongues, it is my driving passion.
To prepare for them you must first keep in mind that la jungla hates you.
It hates all of us. Even the folk of scales tread with care, with caution. This is their home, it bends to their will. Yet what bends may also snap and whip at those who held it."
She turns the pages of her journals to highlight terrifying and disturbing dangers, from borer snakes to parasitic worms and mosquitos that could pierce hardened leather.
"There is beauty, Governor, there is safety... In places. Yet to find those things one must know the signs, the markers left by the scaled ones and by the jungle tripartate."
You cock an eyebrow at the new named group and Pandora giggles, holding up three fingers as she explains.
"Las amazonas, la gente serpiente, el centauro. You have met one, been given the contacts of the second, and heard of the third, and together they watch over the jungle not directly governed by the scions of the temple cities. The amazons watch over the outskirts of ruins plus sacred places of Los Viejos, the 'Old Ones'; the Snake-men make their homes along the waterways along with the many swamps, and the Centorea make their homes in the deeper woods near the jungle's hearts.
Their cultures talk amongst themselves, of course, and they share a network of markers which denote safe glades and caves without dire dangers, alongside safe-ish trails through the jungle and swamps."
Your unspoken question is obvious, and Pandora responds with a smile.
"Of course, I shall lend this expertise to your expeditions, so long as I am paid to go on them, and perhaps I might teach these signs and markers in time. Is there anything else, governor?"
You say "not truly, this has been a fascinating insight."
Pandora smiles brightly "Then may I request some privacy..? I and Sian were in the midst of a linguistics lesson, of a sort."
You leave as the pioneer begins to unbutton her blouse all over again, and you step up your pace before you have to hear anything that makes you any more wanting for Rapunzel's embrace.
Unlocked Pandora's unique Expedition Goal: Learn the Tripartate Markers.
...Right above where you start the hunt in the first place, of course.
The Estalian explorer's bedmate, a stunningly beautiful Arabyan woman, seems uncaring about being in her silk nothings with you in the room, and she introduces herself as Sian. Before much more can be made of her, however, Pandora interrupts with a grin and a query.
"So, Guv Ryder, how can this humble lady assist you?"
She speaks in elegant Reikspiel while affecting an Altdorfian noble's accent, curling around Sian for a parting smooch before standing up from under the covers with crass indifference toward her own undress. She seems all the more amused by your ironclad control over your own gaze, keeping your eyes firmly upon hers as Pandora elaborates.
"Come for language lessons? I know over five dozen."
You cock an eyebrow as Pandora slips on her breeches and a blouse, instantly making herself presentable in a tousled and fashionably ruffled 'just ravished' way that many in Estalia seem to have mastered—you're not jealous; you've made strides in mastering it yourself with Rapunzel's assistance—and she smirks when you comment.
"I didn't know there were over five dozen languages to know."
Pandora takes a seat on the bed and gestures toward an opposite seat, graciously giving you the cue to sit before she responds further.
"Not many people take the time to think about it, yet for me it serves my dream."
Her eyes blaze as she speaks with fervor.
"I want to talk with everyone. I want to know their language, their syntax, the history, and cultural drift. I want to make a map of the world's tongues so I can speak to anyone, from anywhere."
You smile as you say, "A wonderful dream, and in hopes of serving that, I'd love to chat about your adventures before I plan my first true expedition."
Pandora's eyes glittered as she rubbed her hands and grinned "Ohohoh? A real Expedition, tell me more~."
You expound on the nature of the task, from Else's odd fixation with those stones to the issue of goblins, and as you chatter Pandora rummages in her many satchels and travel-cases to grab journals and a notepad plus pencils. She grins like a loon as she then responds.
"So! You're going to the Centorean heartglades? A deep-jungle expedition then, which reminds me of my stay in Santa Magritta. There I stayed for a few years as a negotiator and contractor, putting together groups you know?"
You ask "Lucrative?"
She smiles and waggles a hand "I got by... Money was certainly not why I left."
You catch the woman glancing for a moment toward her travel chest, face pensive before she continues.
"No... Money was not the issue, life and its complexities were, along with my growing moral repugnance of course. You may not expect it of a proud Estalian, yet I hold no pride and feel no kinship with the brutos asquerosos of Santa Magritta's slave-docks, whose depravaciones are excused by those of my home kingdoms as 'colonial eccentricity', much to my shame."
Pandora's face twists, Sian doing her part -with a face of understanding and shared trauma- to give some comforting back-rubs as the pioneer pushes herself to keep talking, slathering on a weaker smile.
"The expeditions, though, they were my vice in that place, my pleasure. To see the unseen, to meet the novel peoples of this land and learn their tongues, it is my driving passion.
To prepare for them you must first keep in mind that la jungla hates you.
It hates all of us. Even the folk of scales tread with care, with caution. This is their home, it bends to their will. Yet what bends may also snap and whip at those who held it."
She turns the pages of her journals to highlight terrifying and disturbing dangers, from borer snakes to parasitic worms and mosquitos that could pierce hardened leather.
"There is beauty, Governor, there is safety... In places. Yet to find those things one must know the signs, the markers left by the scaled ones and by the jungle tripartate."
You cock an eyebrow at the new named group and Pandora giggles, holding up three fingers as she explains.
"Las amazonas, la gente serpiente, el centauro. You have met one, been given the contacts of the second, and heard of the third, and together they watch over the jungle not directly governed by the scions of the temple cities. The amazons watch over the outskirts of ruins plus sacred places of Los Viejos, the 'Old Ones'; the Snake-men make their homes along the waterways along with the many swamps, and the Centorea make their homes in the deeper woods near the jungle's hearts.
Their cultures talk amongst themselves, of course, and they share a network of markers which denote safe glades and caves without dire dangers, alongside safe-ish trails through the jungle and swamps."
Your unspoken question is obvious, and Pandora responds with a smile.
"Of course, I shall lend this expertise to your expeditions, so long as I am paid to go on them, and perhaps I might teach these signs and markers in time. Is there anything else, governor?"
You say "not truly, this has been a fascinating insight."
Pandora smiles brightly "Then may I request some privacy..? I and Sian were in the midst of a linguistics lesson, of a sort."
You leave as the pioneer begins to unbutton her blouse all over again, and you step up your pace before you have to hear anything that makes you any more wanting for Rapunzel's embrace.
Unlocked Pandora's unique Expedition Goal: Learn the Tripartate Markers.
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The eternal internal debate, between making the Rapunzel Social the most horny post in this story, or making it into romantic pathos with a serious & wholesome scene.
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both, both is good. We need Isha to bless her for half-elfs in the future.
- Location
- Australia
I really like how you write characters in this quest. It feels so vibrant. Pandora's cool and was fun to read, and makes me want to talk to other advisors and adventurers.
Romantic pathos. This is the first full update dedicated to Flynn and Rapunzel, a pretty ideal moment to focus on character work.
God damn. I edited in "she's multilingual" post-facto after remembering that some of the puzzles in Dora the Explorer involved Spanish, just something I thought would help glue our multi-national adventurers together. Certainly wasn't expecting her to be the Caledor of linguistics. We are definitely keeping her around.
Siobhan, that's an Irish name, which I believe would be Albish. Between her and the Imperial named Flynn Ryder, I'm beginning to think there was some kind of Albion fad that swept the Old World a couple decades back, had parents naming their newborns with Albish names.
Shared trauma, I think that means Siobhan was an old adventuring buddy of hers and came over with her to the colony.
The contrast between Pandora's polyamory and Flynn's staunch monogamy was funny.
Social: Rapunzel
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, colombe bien-aimée du matin~, puis-je utiliser tes cheveux dorés?"
Your soft tone makes the elfin girl blush as you evoke the cheesy over-flowered words of your youthful self, begging the use of her enchanted hair to climb the tower in which Gothel held her captive. Rapunzel giggles softly before she nods, leaning back on the comfy booth seat as you lie along the padded bench to lay your head on a pillow of her silky locks, her golden waterfall flowing around your shoulders as you enjoy her thigh warmth and hair cushioning. Though you can't stop turning a question over in your head until you ask it, idly rubbing at her back with your right hand.
"Why are you here, Rapunzel? What goal drove you to come here to Lustria, with me?"
You ask with a smile, wan though it is at the corners, prompting your elven beau to nibble her lip before answering with care "Is love not enough? I love you, Flynn, anywhere you are is where I wish to be..."
You respond with calm warming reassurance, capturing Rapunzel's hand as it comes to stroke your head, pulling her fingers to your lips for a lingering kiss that warms her breath.
"Love will always be enough, yet I would ever wish you to find more than me alone, ma colombe d'amour dorée, for I would loathe to be your anchor instead of your lifting wind. We will always be bonded for so long as my heart beats, as it beats for you alone."
You still as your eyes catch the sparkle of tears in Rapunzel's own, welling as she speaks with a well of hidden grief.
"It is that day my beloved, when your heart will stop beating, that has driven me to follow you here..."
You wince at the implication of her words in the tone and look of haunted grief, for it brings up a question that neither you nor Rapunzel have ever spoken long about... Your lifespan. You cup her cheek, caressing your gentle lady's jaw with a thumb as you speak softly, attempting comfort.
"I have decades with you, my sweet, my heart... Before Morr parts us. I swear that I shall live so long as I can manage to remain at your side. I shall pray to Shallya for health at every morn, to Rhya for life at every noon, to Ranald for luck at every dusk."
Your comfort goes awry, for Rapunzel seems all the more grieving as she sniffles despite a smile as she rubs her cheek on your palm, kissing your thumb as she caresses your hand in turn.
"I want more than decades, Flynn... I am selfish for you..."
She quiets your response with a finger, continuing her wet speech.
"I come here to this world's font of life to find you more that we might spend together, my hero, just a little. The Orchid of life might grant you another half-century if we are lucky, but it only works once mon amour..."
She shivers and sniffles, a teardrop landing on your own cheek, before she elaborates.
"...There exists a fabled lake within the depths of the jungle, Flynn, one fed by a 'Spring of Eternity' supposedly known only to the Slann of the temple cities, somewhere at the heart of the Amaxon river. It is not eternal life for I know that to be an abomination unto our gods of death, yet it is one life-time more, for those who drink from the spring's waters are said to age at half the rate of a normal mortal, if not a little slower."
You contemplate Rapunzel's words in the context of her deep grief, and your heart feels a turmoil of love, sadness, and happiness at the thought of your lady-love devoting herself to your survival so selfishly yet lovingly. It is an obsession, clear and plainly, yet is that not the way of elves? All are creatures of habit and obsessive dedication, attached to their whims and acts with a passion that is hard to comprehend in a human context. The idea of aging so slowly, of living more than a century or two with your beloved... You would lie if you told yourself that such a thing is not worth obsession.
You pull her finger from your lips gently, Rapunzel accepting the motion and even further as you lean up to meet her lips in a long soft kiss, the both of you taking long minutes of pulsing affectionate pressure, touching tongues whilst closing your eyes in the almost-meditation of shared breath and warmth. Then you break the contact, Rapunzel's blush back in full force as she nuzzles into your cheek before allowing you to lay back upon the pillow of her unending hair. You speak with airy breath, your right hand in hers, your left hand on her jaw once more.
"I promise that I shall find this Spring, my sweet, we both shall find it in our time here... Yet I would beg, ma amour~, that you take time to devote yourself in other ways, for nothing brings me happiness like the fire of inspiration in your eyes, the glee upon your smile when Johanna and you take the night to watch the sky."
Rapunzel nods, tear-tracts on her cheek as she bends to meet your lips again, enclosing your world within the curtain-ring of her golden hair as you while the evening away with loving touches and gentle affection, exchanging massages and ending up spooning as Rapunzel delights in teaching you just that little bit more of the arcane mathematics which govern Kepler's calculus. You trace parabolas on her belly while she speaks herself to sleep.
Unlocks the 'Eternity Spring' Special Quest Chain.
Your soft tone makes the elfin girl blush as you evoke the cheesy over-flowered words of your youthful self, begging the use of her enchanted hair to climb the tower in which Gothel held her captive. Rapunzel giggles softly before she nods, leaning back on the comfy booth seat as you lie along the padded bench to lay your head on a pillow of her silky locks, her golden waterfall flowing around your shoulders as you enjoy her thigh warmth and hair cushioning. Though you can't stop turning a question over in your head until you ask it, idly rubbing at her back with your right hand.
"Why are you here, Rapunzel? What goal drove you to come here to Lustria, with me?"
You ask with a smile, wan though it is at the corners, prompting your elven beau to nibble her lip before answering with care "Is love not enough? I love you, Flynn, anywhere you are is where I wish to be..."
You respond with calm warming reassurance, capturing Rapunzel's hand as it comes to stroke your head, pulling her fingers to your lips for a lingering kiss that warms her breath.
"Love will always be enough, yet I would ever wish you to find more than me alone, ma colombe d'amour dorée, for I would loathe to be your anchor instead of your lifting wind. We will always be bonded for so long as my heart beats, as it beats for you alone."
You still as your eyes catch the sparkle of tears in Rapunzel's own, welling as she speaks with a well of hidden grief.
"It is that day my beloved, when your heart will stop beating, that has driven me to follow you here..."
You wince at the implication of her words in the tone and look of haunted grief, for it brings up a question that neither you nor Rapunzel have ever spoken long about... Your lifespan. You cup her cheek, caressing your gentle lady's jaw with a thumb as you speak softly, attempting comfort.
"I have decades with you, my sweet, my heart... Before Morr parts us. I swear that I shall live so long as I can manage to remain at your side. I shall pray to Shallya for health at every morn, to Rhya for life at every noon, to Ranald for luck at every dusk."
Your comfort goes awry, for Rapunzel seems all the more grieving as she sniffles despite a smile as she rubs her cheek on your palm, kissing your thumb as she caresses your hand in turn.
"I want more than decades, Flynn... I am selfish for you..."
She quiets your response with a finger, continuing her wet speech.
"I come here to this world's font of life to find you more that we might spend together, my hero, just a little. The Orchid of life might grant you another half-century if we are lucky, but it only works once mon amour..."
She shivers and sniffles, a teardrop landing on your own cheek, before she elaborates.
"...There exists a fabled lake within the depths of the jungle, Flynn, one fed by a 'Spring of Eternity' supposedly known only to the Slann of the temple cities, somewhere at the heart of the Amaxon river. It is not eternal life for I know that to be an abomination unto our gods of death, yet it is one life-time more, for those who drink from the spring's waters are said to age at half the rate of a normal mortal, if not a little slower."
You contemplate Rapunzel's words in the context of her deep grief, and your heart feels a turmoil of love, sadness, and happiness at the thought of your lady-love devoting herself to your survival so selfishly yet lovingly. It is an obsession, clear and plainly, yet is that not the way of elves? All are creatures of habit and obsessive dedication, attached to their whims and acts with a passion that is hard to comprehend in a human context. The idea of aging so slowly, of living more than a century or two with your beloved... You would lie if you told yourself that such a thing is not worth obsession.
You pull her finger from your lips gently, Rapunzel accepting the motion and even further as you lean up to meet her lips in a long soft kiss, the both of you taking long minutes of pulsing affectionate pressure, touching tongues whilst closing your eyes in the almost-meditation of shared breath and warmth. Then you break the contact, Rapunzel's blush back in full force as she nuzzles into your cheek before allowing you to lay back upon the pillow of her unending hair. You speak with airy breath, your right hand in hers, your left hand on her jaw once more.
"I promise that I shall find this Spring, my sweet, we both shall find it in our time here... Yet I would beg, ma amour~, that you take time to devote yourself in other ways, for nothing brings me happiness like the fire of inspiration in your eyes, the glee upon your smile when Johanna and you take the night to watch the sky."
Rapunzel nods, tear-tracts on her cheek as she bends to meet your lips again, enclosing your world within the curtain-ring of her golden hair as you while the evening away with loving touches and gentle affection, exchanging massages and ending up spooning as Rapunzel delights in teaching you just that little bit more of the arcane mathematics which govern Kepler's calculus. You trace parabolas on her belly while she speaks herself to sleep.
Unlocks the 'Eternity Spring' Special Quest Chain.
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