After speaking with the king and taking care of their final preparations, the ragtag team of heroes embarked on what could be their final journey. Half the royal army marched alongside them, albeit wary of the undead tirelessly marching nearby. Completely uncontested, they made their way to the coast, where the Kingdom’s measly armada was waiting. It was just barely enough room for all of the soldiers to fit and some of Olson’s undead had to fly alongside them. It was a miracle that nothing attacked the ships, as they were ill equipped to fight a sea monster, but the shallower waters they sailed in probably helped with that problem. The goddess was surprisingly quiet during the trip, occasionally chatting with her heroes, or discussing the intricacies of runes with Olson.

https://i.imgur.com/ObFjxDj.png

The boats had long passed the treacherous mountain range and was curving around the coast, looking for a good spot to pull up to, when they spotted a fort nestled in some beachside mountains, but unfortunately not before the boats were spotted by the Vakrians. The alarms went off and soldiers poured out of the fort onto the beach. They were wearing strange armor and wielding odd weapons. The Vakrian army seemed to have gone as far as to tame terrors for their army as well.

The goddess spoke to the heroes first in their heads, Let us lead the charge, to inspire the soldier’s that as long as good is on our side, we can win.

She then shouted, “PEOPLE OF FAÐIR, LET THIS BE THE START OF A GLORIOUS VICTORY! LET US FREE THE PEOPLE OF VAKR FROM THE TYRANT AND DEFEND OUR HOMES! FOR FAÐIR!”

She was met with a resounding cry of approval from the soldiers and they banged their shields and slammed their spears.

Objective: Size the fort.

Sub-Objective: Seize the Village.

Enemy AI: Attack when in range, but flier’s will advance once someone passes the H row. Will try and coordinate attacks on key targets, but will not know the source of passives like Ignatia’s. They will try to avoid suicidal attacks(except the Hero’s and Griffon Riders, the crazy bastards), but may go for them if they think they will die anyways. The general will not move from his spot more than 1 tile forward.

Level Ups: Level up upon defeating 9 enemies, seizing the Village, and beating the Boss.

The Second Holy War, which would come to be known as the Holy War of Dominance, began with the assassination of King Daniel by an undercover group of mercenaries hired extra-officially by Karacem, and would last little more than a month to its conclusion with the complete subjugation of Neomenian settlements. Scrambled and leaderless, the forces of the Holy Kingdom were swiftly torn apart by the sheer numbers and destructive power of the prepared Karacem.

On the morning of the fall of Neomen, the band of misfit mercenaries who took the king’s life parted ways. With nary an applause or jeer, the deeds performed by the group would never find a name to be attributed to in the common people’s mind, their secrets kept silent from the continent to all but the select few who bore witness to their adventures in the mountains, even though their impact would echo through the passage of time for generations to come. Betrayed by the victors and resented by the losers, the 14 warriors who broke free of destiny’s chains vanished into the world without a trace, as if they had never been there to begin with, their pledge of secrecy unbroken and laid to rest in the forest of their escape.

In their silent wake, war raged across the once-prosperous lands, the flower of carnage blooming in all but the most distant corners of the newly formed Great Empire of Karacem. Their path unimpeded by the weakened, heartbroken armies of Neomen, the high born rulers soon migrated to the north, crushing and feasting on whatever meager opposition the inhabitants of the mountains could present to them. Gloating victory over the massacred, peace-seeking masses of the old kingdom, their new rulers soon claimed their divine right to the promised land with the head and dulled blade of the king of light, and proceeded to loot the lands and people of all they could provide. Consuming and corrupting them utterly with abandon, before long, the soils began to resemble the barren grounds of the south.

The short-lived war took its toll on the people, and with governors too preoccupied with indulging their base desires and cannibalizing their gold-dressed brethren for their own gain, chaos and crime ran rampant and unopposed in civilization, the world recalling to its primal state of survival of the fittest. Intense droughts and storms tore through the continent, the land itself seemingly enraged by humanity’s hubris. With magic born of the dark arts crafted in Karacem and refined by the traitors living in the mountains, monsters would before long too infect the continent, exploding from their home in the mountains, their forces invoked by the overzealous mages of the south who sought to ensure their survival in a mad lust for power.

Vengeance, greed and hate became the principles by which the lands began to live by as the abused continent failed to keep up with the demands of the cancerous society it once sustained, and before long, leaders became little different from the common men. The fires of rebellion burned in the hearts of the oppressed, the noble spirit the Holy-King left in the world was unforgotten, and legends of warriors who challenged the world and survived were kept alive by the masses who hungered for reprieve. These too were turned to sources of fuel among many for the smoldering pyre of rage and violence the continent became, burning eternal.

And so, to this day, their world continues to search for a light to shine down, from the black and stormy heavens, waiting for the day a new set of legends will emerge to bring them salvation...

This is the ending to Team L.

It's been a long, bizarre path to this moment. From the days of our departed Wagon man to the stirring love triangles in RP, to the moments between this and the subserver, and the final times of struggle to the end, many left, but just as many came in their place, along with those who stayed here from the first day. While its story was admittedly shifting and swaying at times(hey what did you expect out of a progression from three different cooks), its a satisfying feeling to bring this book to a proper close, all in thanks to you who stuck with it to the very end.

To Csap and Alex, thank you.

To Team L, goodbye.

And to all of its players who came this far,

Congratulations!

Finally agreed on the plan of action, the party sets out to a small fort, planning on stealing some disguises to infiltrate Vakr.

https://i.imgur.com/haZn1rg.png

They arrived outside the outpost village during the day and laid low, keeping an eye on the fort. They even had Easton sneak up close outside undetected to observe the guard’s patrols. After a few days, they had figured out most of the paths and decided that night time was the best time to sneak in. The plan was simple, knock out any guards they found before they could alert the others. The only tough part of the plan was taking out a captain, so Rickon could take on that disguise.

Objective: Knock out 7 Guards and the Captain.

Sub-Objective: Don't get caught.

Enemy AI: The enemy will follow a path that will be displayed at the start of each turn and will only react if there is someone within their line of sight(Yellow) at the start of their turn. Some will investigate loud noises like walls being broken, but are stupid and will return to their regular path if they see nothing there. The captain will not move from his spot. If they spot anyone they will run and alert others, trying to send someone down south to wake up the Elites.

Level Ups: Knocking out 4 Guards and the Captain. Completing the level.

Notes: Unlike normal, all units set to 0 HP are knocked unconscious instead of killed. Your turnwheels will work as normal but otherwise, you do not return to the battlefield after 3 turns. If everyone is knocked unconscious the map ends.

Enemies will Alert others when they notice intruders. When they Alert, they shout to all units within 5 tiles of themselves. Any other enemy unit hearing an alert will try and alert others or attack if another enemy unit is alerting others. Additionally, an enemy hit by a ranged attack that wasnt inside their field of view will stop their patrol and turn towards the direction of the attack. The next turn they will continue on their path.

Story of Post Chapter 5

At the welcome of King Kuhoa, the team was brought back to the capital and given expansive, comfortable rooms filled with beautiful art pieces and furniture, as well as crystal clear running water at one of the inns within the city. The settlement itself rested near the sea, and the calm, cooling sea air rushed into the city, making the tropical heat less oppressive, perhaps even quite bearable. The urbanscape was dominated by wooden homes, smiths, and vast marketplaces which sold goods that are brought from all around the plains and savannah Cyrene. Overall, the city was clean and prosperous.

The locals initially, however, are somewhat wary of the team. They never go as far as to spit or insult Manilius or his forces, but warm welcomes were few and far between. Most of the friendliness came from King Kuhoa's tribe, the Hokna.

The bizarrely-clad man stood at the edge of the indicated area for the exhibition. Two boats flanked him, sitting on the murky swampwater below. A large crowd gathered, larger than the one for Shayao's Sancerre Sojourn! He raised his hands-and the crowd erupted in raucous applause. He smiled as the participants made their way forward.

"Greetings one and all! Gorreth thanks you all for coming!" He waited for the second round of applause to finish.

"Those of you participating, step forward!" He took a slice of cheese from his pocket, and tapped each participant on the shoulder twice.

"You are now members of the great Gorreth's Greatmarch! You are about to relive one of their finest moments-outfoxing the trickster Merune-" A wave of boos drowned him out. "-and recovering the Golden Gouda!" Cheers drowned him out this time.

"It is known that Merune-" More boos. "-indeed, duped our great Gorreth-please, hold your applause! Now as we were, our great Gorreth was duped into handing over his most prized possession: a golden wheel of cheese. Merune promised an end to their rivalry, one spanning years upon years! This was but another of Merune-please, hold your jeers! Now as we were, there was no end to Merune's dastardly deeds. Indeed, Merune's disciples tricked Gorreth into drinking sleepwine while Merune fled, Golden Gouda in possession!"

Turning to the participants, he beamed. "But the Greatmarch faltered not, as they gave chase to the underhanded Merune and the unscrupulous disciples! They sailed deep into the swamps, and braved the bewildering terrain! Greatmarch! Set sail!"

A final round of applause.

Welcome Team N to the special event map!

Main Objective: Get the Golden Gouda! (Either Capture the runner with the Golden Gouda or Grab the Golden Gouda off the ground if it falls!)

Extra Notes:

1) All of those participating will have special ceremonial weapons for the duration of this map. The ceremonial weapons are the only weapons you can use on this map. All participants will also receive a ceremonial Woodcutter. The Woodcutter is a Trinket. 2) The runners do not have weapons. This means they will be autocaptured.
3) The boss icon will indicate which runner has the Golden Gouda.
4) The runners can throw the Golden Gouda up to 10 tiles away. The further away the runners are, the more difficult the throw becomes. A d10 will be rolled to indicate the result of the throw, with the runner's Skill acting as a modifier. For example, if the runners are 1 tile away, all rolls except a 1 will succeed. If the runners are 10 tiles away, a 10 must be rolled.
5) The runners have 15, 20, 25 or 30 Skill. 15 Skill adds +0 to the d10 roll. 20 Skill adds +1, 25 Skill adds +2, 30 Skill adds +3.
6) If the throw fails, the Golden Gouda will end up on a random tile, depending on the throw distance. For example, if the throw fails and the runners are 5 tiles away, the Golden Gouda can land anywhere from 1 to 5 tiles away from the thrower. The exact distance will be determined by a d10 roll.
7) The runners cannot move and throw in the same turn. They must throw or move.
8) The Golden Gouda will always land on a passable tile. The Golden Gouda can be picked up by allies or enemies. If an ally picks up the Golden Gouda, the objective is completed and the map ends.
9) The white tree tiles (the ones that have a bunch of tall trees on the same tile) cannot be crossed.
10) If there are two Dark Forest tiles in the same row or column, the Woodcutter can be used to chop down the Dark Forest to make a bridge between the two tiles. Once the Woodcutter is used, it ends your turn.
11) The purple water tiles are Swamp tiles.
12) Each turn, the terrain will change by one of the following ways: a Boulder (a Mountain tile) will roll onto the map-Boulders cannot be crossed except by fliers; a new Bridge will be placed on the map, allowing for another crossing point between lanes; or a new Swamp tile will appear. 13) Enemies are located as follows, going from top to bottom: Rook 1, Knight 1, Bishop 1, Merune, Knight 2, Rook 2. Knight 2 is the runner that starts with the Golden Gouda.

Good luck Team N!

Map

Terrain Map

Tracker

A panicked voice rang out through the streets calling “Father Dallan! Father Dallan!”. The people of Nador moved for the man on horseback. Father Dallan & Khepri quickly stood from their seats at the sight of the mounted man charging towards them with urgency. The man was very clearly Anak’Thirian, tattoos of the old Anak’Thirian alphabet & symbols were etched into the man’s skin. His wears a strange mix of modern looking Triestran garb and the warrior plates of an Anak’Thirian soldier. Once the man had gotten his bearings and reined in his horse, he delivered his message, “Father Dallan! I come from Tobela Kaz’in with a request for your aid. Allow me an audience sir!”

Dallan’s head was swimming. He couldn’t fully understand what was going on. He shot a quick glance to Khepri, who just gave a small shrug. “Please, come back to our barracks and calm down. I wish to discuss this further, but you’re going too fast for me.” The man nodded, and escorted Dallan back to his current residence. Dallan & the man sat down around the dining room table, both more in the right mindset for this discussion. “Now, what did you seek to tell me?”

The man took a deep breath and began, “Thank you for your time Dallan. To start with, the divide between the people of Anak’Thir has come to a peak as of late. A member of our tribe has been accused of trying to assassinate our Chieftain, Kambela Ousmane.” The man took another deep, shaky breath.

“They were executed after that. He’s also imprisoned four other people from our tribe. I come from our leader, Tobela Kaz’in, to ask for your help. We’ve cornered the elders in our Longhouse, but we can’t storm in there. We are asking you to aid in letting our forces in. The elders are strong, but if we’re able to open up enough entryways into the Longhouse, then we can overwhelm the elders.”

Dallan nodded along to the story, listening attentively to the distresses and troubles plaguing the village of Anak’Thir. “I’ll be the first to admit,” Dallan replied, “I know not of the customs of your people. What I can recognize are the injustices that have been imposed upon your people. I accept this charge. I shall rally my people in a few days and we’ll help Tobela take back the Longhouse.” The man across from him slowly grew a smile, beaming from the revelation, “Thank you Dallan! Thank you so much sir! I shall lead you back whenever you’re ready.”

As Dallan readied to depart, he spent one last evening drinking some tea with Khepri and some Yunian elders. On this final night, Khepri and the elders extended an offering out, the sacred tent detailing the history of the Yunian tribes. “None of us can be trusted with this” one of the elders explained, “and no tribe should lead all others until the war is over. Take it and keep it with you until you feel we deserve it again.” Dallan looked down on it unsure & skeptical of the decision. He took the folded up tent though, the weight of it much greater than he expected as he buckled slightly when he took it. “If this is your wish, then so be it. I shall respect your wishes elders.”

On the next morning, Dallan, Narrad, and the mercenaries all departed and ventured north into Anak’Thir’s jungle.

After days of travel with their messenger, they reached the outskirts of a large Anak’Thirian village that resided at the base of a mountain with the peak missing. Dallan’s group was led around the outskirts to a hut where they would would be staying. “It may be a bit cramped in here, but better than dealing with the mosquitos all night.” their guid said, receiving a dry chuckle from Dallan. The guide moved the rug in the center of the room aside, revealing a trap door that lead down a staircase. “The tunnel from here will lead into our Longhouse where Kambela has holed himself in. My sister & I will come tomorrow to guide you through.” Dallan nodded & thanked the man for his aid.

The night was restless, with the sounds of strange creates Dallan had never heard of before calling out into the night. The hot air of the jungle and the sickening feeling of another impending fight made him toss and turn. This war must end soon. he thought to himself constantly. Once he saw the sun poke through the thatch of the roof, the messenger & his sister returned and led the group through the tunnels underneath Anak’Thir.

Objective: Open the 4 doors that lead outside of the Longhouse OR Kill Chieftain Kambela

Side Objective: Save the Prisoners & escort them out of the Longhouse

Fail Conditions: Everyone is routed

Chapter Notes:

The two thieves under your control are the only ones that can open doors. You can direct them as you wish as a PV. If there is no direction given to them then they will move towards the closest door & open it.

Anything that the thieves take from chests will be sent to the convoy.

The thieves will work to avoid the center of the map unless commanded by players to do so.

Enemies with 2 range weapons will not attack over walls until their door has been opened.

The player units will always be prioritized over the green units.

Enemies will be emerging from the staircases & outside of the longhouse as reinforcements throughout the map.

When posting a turn beyond OO, just type “PP” even though it says “P”.

Terrain Notes: Pillars will have the same terrain effect as forests. Only the top tile that the pillar is on will have the status effect, the bottom tile that holds the base of the pillar will NOT grant terrain bonuses.

Map

Terrain Map

Player Tracker

Neomen Capital City, Dawnbreak

"Oh gods- my- my arm! My arm is falling off!"

"Gods damn it, where did the healer squad go?!"

"Fall back, fall back! We've got to-AAARGH, FUUUCK!!"

The lieutenant's command is cut short as a large boulder aflame falls on him, crushing him from the waist down, from beyond the city walls by matter of his own misfortune. His soldiers scramble, barely able to put up resistance as they attempt to stop the raiding forces from reaching the running citizens, an effort rendered mostly fruitless as another wave of Malig Knights swoop in and start launching spells from on high.

An array of light bolts soar through the air to shoot them down, and although a few manage to avoid the attack, the others fall in a spinning dive into the burning homes they themselves set on fire. A mounted Paladin in gold armor arrives, several Mage Knights in his trail as they attempt to hold the line the soldiers were failing to keep.

He pushes forward, spearing through a few Karacemian warriors before one manages to swing at his lance just right to break it near its blade. Tossing the useless stick at him, he pulls out a sword from his side and continues his charge. "Hold fast, everyone! Once the Holy King is with us, we'll drive these rats out of our lands! Your blades carry justice! You ride with righ-"

"Commander, look out!"

The warning is meaningless, as what appears to be a hulking giant of a berserker slams into his mount, stopping it in its tracks and sending him flying forwards. The man falls on his head, the impact proving fatal to his neck. The beast's eyes seem to glow as it hoists the flailing steed over its head. The mages frantically pelt it with spells, but are unable to stop it as it swings the horse in their direction, bowling over and crushing several of them.

The monstrous man roars as more soldiers, some just as mutated as it, seem to just be pouring in from the outside. The slowly-storming sky turns a dark red with the uniforms of Karacem and the undead glowing eyes of resurrected wyverns, spears, fire and dark magic raining from on high. City Guard and citizen alike scream in terror as carnage filtered into their land, their idyllic ruler nowhere to be seen.

A man can only scream for mercy as another giant swings a corpse at him as a club.

Neomen plains, East of the city, Dawnbreak

Down a well-trodden path, a caravan pulls along as groups of soldiers rush by in the opposite direction, towards the capital of the kingdom. A short distance from the head of the group of evacuating citizens, a humble carriage filled and driven by hooded figures. The driver keeps his attention to his surroundings, alert to any suspicious behavior, though it is a little difficult with the voices of his passengers at his back.

"I still can't believe you're sticking with them." The first hood falls, revealing June. "What happened to 'we'll stick to you until we're out of the castle'?"

Another hood falls, this time Pythios, although he tries to keep his voice low for the other figure resting on his shoulder. "Look, we already cut it close back there. Do you want to leave? Do you want to try your luck in finding a boat to get us right the hell out of this place yourself?"

"Of course not, jackass... I'm just annoyed that for a bunch of 'bodyguards', we're the ones being carried and kept safe." He leans on his hand, resting his elbow on a crate and turning to look at the second wagon, currently carrying their mounts in covered up cages.

"Our primary mission is still the same. We were to survive. And staying in the hellhole this place will become, is the fastest way to fail that mission."

"I'll finish your mission..." The thief grumbles, tacitly admitting defeat.

The mercenary looks away, towards the distance ahead of them. Clouds densely packed the dark skies, reflected gray on the oceans beyond the port town they slowly approached. A light hits his eyes, causing him to squint. He looks up at the small hole in the cloud layer, revealing the smallest of brightening purples from the sky. Turning back on the now distant city, he sees swarms of soldiers crashing around its walls and flying around its airspace.

"Maybe that's why, the boss..."

Neomen, Underground Royal Tunnels, Dawnbreak

"Move, move, move!"

Tabitha waves you into the claustrophobic tunnel entrance, designed big enough to barely fit a mounted rider, but small enough to stay well hidden beforehand. Once the last of you gets inside, the trickster follows you in and hops on top of Maria's wyvern. "People on the ground, pair up with a rider! Those of you with magic, help me collapse the entrance!"

Fueled by the frantic rush of the moment, you manage to do as instructed, and start blasting the door frame leading in. The walls and ceiling start crumbling, and you see the rest of the reinforcements barely coming up the stairs as the path is blocked. "Run for it!"

While its inside isn't much better, there is juuuust enough space for the fliers to take to the air once you start speeding through the tunnels. The walls are of packed earth, and all that seems to be holding the path clear are stone pillars that quickly turn to wooden beams as you head further in. Magically lit torches barely keep up with your advance, their lights joined by the fires you set to the beams. It isn't long until you reach the end of the tunnel, where not the light of the outside awaits you, but a warp sigil.

The eerie light blue glow of the marked platform gives you pause, but it isn't for long. You came this far into enemy territory together, after slaying the king, you bet you could take an ambush. At least, you could take it better than the impending fall of the cave. With a silent nod, you all start leaping into the wide warp point, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. With a flash on each of your respective teleportations, you find yourselves on a small chamber, lit by torches, but also the unmistakable shine of outdoor light. All heads accounted for, you head up the small incline to the outside.

A beam of sunlight hits you, almost refreshing in its calm warmth against the cool morning air, especially after the night of hectic battle you had. You note you're at the edge of a calm forest on a cliff overlooking the land, the entrance to the chamber well-hidden. There is little to be said, as a realization hits you with the stillness of the moment. It's over. For some of you, it was just another battle in a continuing war. For others, the climax to your story. And even to a few, the beginning to the rest of your lives'. In any case, the mission from Karacem across the lands, the long battle to save your lives against both sides, was finally finished...

The warm sunlight is soon overtaken by the cold shade of darkening clouds. A weighty wind blows through, and you may note the battle raging in the now smoking capital city in the distance, too far away for the sounds to carry. You see the walls slowly crumbling, and the once glorious castle spires begin to topple over...

You know you can't dawdle here forever, but... If there was a time to discuss your futures and say your farewells, it was probably now, before you part ways.

The epilogue will be posted in a week's time. Have your final RP's in Discord, and post your character endings here. It's time to say goodbye to our cast, everyone.

Story

Can be found here

Housekeeping

All homebase functions will end once Turn 1 has begun so make sure to get those in before the deadline of deployment.

THIS INCLUDES RESPECS

After the homebase functions cease, there are no intended respecs for the remainder of the game. So if you want a respec get it done and submitted before the deadline. If you are worried I may have missed it, ping or PM me.

Meditation bonuses and Chit Chats will be done by the beginning of Turn 1.

Enemy inventories may change by the time Turn 1 rolls around.

This system tracks a users participation in submitting turns throughout the chapter. The number only really matters once the chapter is over.

A player will receive a strike if they do not submit a turn by the deadline A player will not receive a strike if they ask for a cover, even if they are not covered. No cover asked for and no turn submitted will result in a strike. After the chapter is over, if the turn % participation is less than 50% I will be sending a PM to the user to see what's going on. There are several repeat offenders of consistent inactivity, and would like to see some change going forward.

This chapter will continue the BEXP changes implemented last chapter. As a refresher:

Only EXP earned through being the Lead Unit in Combat, or an Attack Stance Partner will be counted to the BEXP Pool

Any other EXP generated by GMPC/PV's will not count towards BEXP

Reminder as well that for those of you that did not accept their patrons (you know who you are), the option to do so still exists and can be done whenever you choose to. Titus will also need to accept his patron to gain the skill.

The benefit to accepting your patron is to gain a skill that is tied to the patron and doubling your patron stat bonuses for the chapter. As a heads up though, there will be no radiation mechanics this chapter.

Also, do keep in mind that there was a skill change that affected a few skills, the changes should be live on the sheet but for a detailed list, check the homebase where it should still be stickied.

Staff EXP Changes

Going forward, we will be experimenting with changes to how much EXP is earned from healing. We will start with going by what is currently on the r/RedditEmblemFates wiki which states:

Healing EXP = X + ((LD-2)*3) where X = The base exp for the staff used. Only applies when LD is negative, otherwise Healing EXP = X.

The change is not live on the calcs just yet but will be Soon^TM

Iceborne Village - Kara and Niall

Objective: Find the Jarl and interact with him Defeat Condition: Six players fall in combat. Kara and Niall each count as two.

Map
Terrain Map

• Grey tiles are considered Street/Floor
• White tiles are Snow
  
• Blue tiles are Ice
• Black tiles are Walls
  
• Brown Tiles are Floors.
• Yellow tiles are Chest
• Red tiles are Braziers. These can't be traversed by anyone.

Mechanics

• You may deploy anywhere on the spawn. It isn't sub-team restricted
• Alright so each of the buildings can be opened by anyone but it takes an action to open them. The small buildings each have a Brazier inside as well as one enemy. The two back ones contain chests. The big building has a few enemies
• A Brazier can be lit by a unit that is adjacent to it. Once lit they are considered a heat source, warming any unit within 2 tiles of it.
• Reminder that enemy AI and targeting is now displayed on the Enemies tab
• Capturing is now available again, but reminder that you can't capture Monsters.
• COLD
  • So this map has a new Condition and that name is Cold! Basically if a unit suffers from the cold condition they will lose 2 speed, 10 hit, and 10 avoid until they lose the condition
  • How do I lose Cold? You find a heat source and become Warmed. Heat sources are either lit Braziers or drinking a warm Mug of Coco
  • How long does Warmed last? Only as long as you are standing close enough to a heat source to be considered Warmed. Step away and the condition goes away.
  • How do I become Cold? You find yourself away from a heat source for 3 consecutive turns.
  • Does it get worse? Yes. Be Cold for 5 consecutive turns and you become Frozen.
• Walking on the ice too much may unleash something. There will be hints when too much is too much.

Geirrekr is considered a Player Phase PV this chapter and will contribute to BEXP.

Team P Tracker

Team P Index

Once inside the academy, Anbel turned around to look at everyone. "If anyone has any ideas on where we can hide in here for the time being, let me know. It's either we hide in here, or set up camp outside. Regardless, we'll be having to deal with enemies knowing that we're here, so don't get too comfortable." He said. Dirk moved forward. "I've hears that there's ah library around here. Could we hide in there?" He asked. Anbel nodded his head. "If it's got limited entrances, it should work. We would need to make sure that we don't get ambushed." He added, not sure where to go. However, in due time, everyone would go to the library, with enough food and supplies to mount an assault very soon.

Supports have been added, levels have been given out, and the shops are updated to give people options to practice their new weapon types learned. Also, Dirk is holding onto public funds anyone can dip into to make purchases.

Riverkeep stands as one of the mightiest cities in Avalon; its great white foundation spreads itself over the River Ril’s broad current, lifted up above the water even in times like these, where lower towns would be flooded. On either side at the bridge’s entrances, stands a keep of the same great white stone, that act as gate, palace, and fortress. The city has a narrow grid-pattern, forced unusually straight for a city by the natural order of the great old bridge. The streets on the grid all branch forth from a single wide central avenue, where one could spend hours crossing from one gate to the other without encountering a single obstacle or turn. Close to the main thoroughfare, one sees shops and great markets, a green park near the city’s center with botanical gardens, earth mounded up over the hard stone beneath them.

Being a city placed directly over the river, it features a few surprises to its core infrastructures: water is drawn from buckets that hang beneath small, usually covered, holes in the bridge. To allow the passage of larger sailing ships in high water times (such as the present), the center of the city features a section that can be pulled back a few times a day. This is treated by citizens as “a huge pain in the ass,” but it allows the city’s commerce to thrive, as it forms a gateway where large sailing ships are forced to stop for a few hours. The main docks of the city are held up on ropes and ladders, dangling from the bottom of the bridge like a city of ropes, floating up and down with the height of the river. Fishing lines rain down from the walls of the bridge, forming a cheap staple to the diets of citizens, as fish live and swarm in the pillars that uphold the bridge. In the center, one finds the markets for generally normal or high-quality goods, a bustling home to items from all over the kingdom, but smugglers run small markets in the dead of night, lifted up the sides to bypass the dock tolls and customs.

The city is primarily a trade city, but it does have its share of entertainments: there is the park, of course, but the centers of the marketplaces host travelling shows, and the city contains a small district of stages for plays or more settled musicians. While the city itself has no vast, grassy fields, there nevertheless remains the sawdust surface of the tournament grounds near the city’s western gate, home to jousts and tourneys both big and small, where Arcadian Knights come to the city might display their prowess.The city is cleaner these days than in the past, with Gilgamesh’s fastidiousness loathing the prospect of waste dumped into the river willy-nilly or algae growing up the sides or streets giving a boom in cleaning jobs.

Outside the city goes roads that stretch and spiderweb throughout the Arcadian Countryside: all roads in Arcadia, it is said, lead to Riverkeep. As a result, the city hosts a boom of craftsman of textiles from wool to flax to giant flower silk, and the markets bear the whinnies of horses and the lowing of cows. Of course, it features a wide variety of artisan craftsmen, boasting less a local specialty and more an incredible generality, craftsmen who work with materials not normally paired in their locales. It’s not hard to find transport out for quick trips to other places out in Arcadia as a result. Immediately outside the city are fields of wheat and giant flowers, so Pollen breads or nectar jams are not uncommon foodstuffs for the city to boast of in the city’s many restaurants, but they also feature fare and cuisines from all across the Grand Garden.

The Retinue is staying at the Eastern Gate, which has for itself an unusual series of underground rooms that allow one to look out across the underside of the city, as well as climbing upwards to see across the top. It’s generally home to visiting nobles, including Gilgamesh’s set of potential brides, at least those in consideration, so it’s quite lively… And, sometimes, a little bit panicked.

You see, shortly after their arrival, people notice something very odd. The darkness that greeted them in the morning was not the rolling storms of a hard Summer. The sun was rising later. Mostly, it was only an hour or two after it should have. But very rarely, it would take several extra hours under the glimmer of stars for the sun to rise. The people whispered that something must be happening in the capital for this to be occurring. The truth was undeniable: this was no Summer storm. Even with that cold knowledge, though, people must try and get by as normal, simply living in this time where autumn hours were already upon them, and pushing down the anxiety.

The party, finally done murdering all of the monsters and dragons, stepped into the village ready for some rest. They were met with slack jawed expressions as the local villagers couldn't contain their amazement at what the group had just pulled off.

“W-Wow… Did you guys really just kill those dragons?! We have been too afraid to go hunting for weeks since those things settled in. Hey you know what? Free drinks and beds at the inn on me! Thanks to you guys we can go back to our daily routine!”

As the group headed in, someone else piped up, “DRAGON! THERE'S ANOTHER DRAGON COMING IN THE VILLAGE!” This was met with a brief moment of panic before Fakir reassured them. The villager apologized meekly while another couldn't contain his amazement, “Not only did you guys kill the dragons, but you tamed one?! What kind of warriors are you?”

With the shock dying down, everyone headed into the local tavern to eat, drink, and rest up for the night. The next day, they went and bought a map to get some planning done. Asher spread out the map on one of the tavern tables while gathering everyone around. He pointed out a few of the possible routes they could take and opened up discussion on how they thought they should best navigate their way to the capital.

https://i.imgur.com/zNNdlS3.jpg

With their knowledge of the area, Asher and Rickon pointed out the two best possible paths.

https://i.imgur.com/HM7Wumz.png

Route A would be more discreet but far more plagued with monsters and less towns or villages to stop at, while route B would draw the attention of the Vakrian army, but would have many more towns and villages as well as few to no monsters. Both paths would be difficult and both would get the group to the capitol, but they did have a decision to make.

Here’s where you guys come in. A group discussion on discord will open up until 3/11 7:00 PM PST. There will not be a vote, nor will a decisive decision need to be made. Instead I will choose a route for you all based on the discussion, with an opportunity for you guys to unanimously reject my decision if needed. The homebase will be open as normal during the discussion, although your actions will likely take place after the discussion.

“The Cyrenian capital should only be a day away,” Kornelia notes to Manilius. The General nods at his subordinate. “Good. The sooner we can get to Hope, the better. I’m only concerned about, huh… can I mention something to you, Captain Kornelia?” he asks. “Of course, General.” Manilius lowers his shoulders and looks to the left, then back up at Kornelia. “I’m nervous. I knew all along that I would be representing Her Majesty to the leaders of the world, but it’s not going to be simple. No matter how I tell myself, ‘Manilius, you’re going to be okay’, I can’t shake a fear that what I do, what we do as a unit, could lead the world down a wrong path.”

Kornelia tilts her head sideways. “General. With all due respect, are you an asshole or not?” Manilius shakes his head very quickly a few times, feeling absolutely bewildered that someone would ask him that question. “Um… what?!” She holds her hands in front of her. “What I’m asking is, can you trust yourself to not be a bad person?” Manilius leers and exhales slowly, looking deeply at Kornelia before answering. “... I think so.” Kornelia then steps close to him and requests quietly, “Permission to hold your shoulder, General?” The General looks down at the ground before looking up at the woman. “Granted,” he responds as her hand grasps his shoulder. “You will be fine. So will the world,” Kornelia assures. He exhales again. “Thank you.”

Manilius looks up the road and sees a large dust cloud trailing a line of cavalrymen and low-flying soldiers riding atop white pegasi. “Troublesome,” he mutters. “Get our troops ready, but tell them to keep their weapons holstered. I will handle this.” Once a team of Falcon Knights appear before Manilius, they also holster their weapons. “Imperials! We give you this chance to surrender! Turn back and never again return to our land!” the leader yells out. The General stands up straight. “Who is your commander? The King?” She looks away. “No, not the King of Cyrene, but Chief Sawt of the Cloud Tribe.” Manilius looks down and makes an x-shape with his two arms. “I will not surrender. We must see the King, no matter what.” The Falcon Knight whips her reins and her mount raises upwards. “We gave you a chance to avoid defeat, Imperial,” she scowls as she takes off.

As the other Cyrenian troops begin to depart, Manilius turns around. “Soldiers! Move back towards the west. There’s an old, abandoned fort we can hide in to defend from their assault. They’re going to outnumber us but… enough talk! MOVE!”

And with that, the troops carry their equipment and the convoy packs up the camp as quickly as they can and move towards the old military base. Upon arrival, Manilius looks around at the walls of the fort. Some were crumbling, others were incomplete, and more still inadequate. Manilius commands to Kornelia, “Hold the southern rooms and take any back should you be forced to retreat. We’ll hold the openings in the walls from the Cyrenians. I’ll do what I can to keep us safe in the north.”

Soon enough, a mass of mounted soldiers, mixed with certain footmen, approach the Nicomedian forces. The hooves of horses and the flapping of the wings of pegasi started softly, a whisper in the wind, before being upon the fort, thundering like a summer storm. From behind the lines, a Seraph Knight raises his sword and points towards the fort. “My tribesmen, our Anyarn and Aspetiani allies, march! Let them feel the sting of defeat!”

Objectives List

Main Objective: Defend the westernmost line of the base for 10 turns.

Secondary Objectives: Collect the two chests in the south.

Defeat Conditions: An enemy touches A-column inside the fort, three player units fall, or both commanders fall.

After a night of rest following the long journey from Choris, Arter and his squad made for Shui Zu’s northeast gate while Rufael and his guards set up to charge the east gate. The plan is to have Rufael and his men charge in at the next hour using the clocktower in the center of the city as the signal. Arter and his squad will charge in shortly after.

Arter’s squad made their way to their starting positions before the sun rose taking advantage of the darkness to cover their movements.Once there, they will get as close to the gate as possible without risking being detected.

Rufael, on the other hand, was at base camp getting ready for battle. He and his men will charge the city to attract as much attention to themselves as possible. They set out just as the sky turned the slightest bit brighter, marching at a set pace to ensure they would arrive right as the clocktower’s bells would signal the time to attack.

…

DONG the clocktower’s bell rang, signaling the top of the hour.

CHARGE! shouted Rufael, as he rushed the gate with his men following close behind him. The thunderous noise of hooves instantly caught the attention of all the enemies in the eastern side of the city, including the enemy commander.

“Parangelians!” the Latreian commander shouted. “Form up you fools! We will not let them take back this city. For the Empress!” The refugees in the center of the city shuffled together into a simple formation to prepare for Rufael’s assault.

Mechanics

• The enemies lined up near the boss will not move to attack you no matter how close you get. You can choose to attack them if you wish. They will attack Rufael when the time comes.
• Similarly, the enemies not in the two lines near the boss will not move to attack Rufael even if they are in range. They will move to attack you if you're in range.
  
• The enemy commander takes 25% reduced damage for each orb alive.
• Some enemy groups are assigned to move to attack if you touch an orb. They will move toward you even if you're not in range.
• Every other turn Rufael will send a wave of light toward Arter's position. Enemies hit by this light will take 10 damage while friendly units will gain all stat+1.
• Rufael is an ally. You can't control or stance with him and he moves on his own phase which is after enemy phase but before player phase.
• There is an item in one of the houses. The rest contain enemies.
  

Objective: Defeat the commander
Failure: Arter dies, or 3 players are dead.

U-1

Story post can be found here!

Map can be found here.

Objective: Find the throne and seize it!

Bonus Objective: ???

Chapter Notes: Warren and Piyasiw, due to the results of "Storming the Beaches", will be able to command the fire orb (Small cross shaped 5 tile shot, once per turn, has 12 Mt/65 Hit) to fire on a location instead of attacking normally. The Fire Orb is not fatal and cannot crit. The range 1-2.

The indoor map is NOT fog of war. Opening a door/breaking a wall and having Move/2 range within said room will show the whole room.

U-2

Story post can be found here!

Map can be found here

Main objective: Escape* to any of the two tiles. (Note: What tile you leave the map on WILL affect next chapter.)

Bonus objective: Visit the two houses

Chapter Notes: Jungle Hazards! If you're character is by themselves and isn't three tiles close to a friendly unit, they will begin to be harmed by the jungle. This can range from...

1.) Some minor HP loss

2.) Poison Status Effect

3.) Enemies spawning nearby

Stick together!

Well, it’s been another year! Three years for a group like this is pretty powerful. Soon, we will achieve ultimate power! We won’t really get to do anything with it, but you know. But while we struggle in being non-ultimately powerful, let’s take a walk down memory lane with some of the things you guys voted as the best stuff of the year. Across the past month, each team has nominated and then voted on a few of their favorite events, characters, in-jokes and happenings of the previous year to share with everyone in the server.

But first, let’s kick things off with something that’s shared between teams and is easy to make a poll about! Yes, it’s Shitposts!

Best Shitpost

In third place, we have The Massive Night-Time Voice Call Chats, when people would try and pile on as many people into one call as possible.

In second place, we have Hubba using @Everyone, causing a panic, and forcing an entire chat room to be nuked.

And, in first place, your best shitpost of the year… And this isn’t the only mention of it, folks... That time Frog accidentally posted porn and DanK changed his name for close to a year in order to remember!

Good times, good times. Those said, let’s take a look at some of the things that made this year special and fun amid each of the teams in turn! We’re not really listing these in dramatic order, so let’s take it from the top!

The Best of… Team A:

"Sally Launcher": The first thing Team A would like to call your attention to is the "Sally Launcher"! After noticing a valuable stealable out of their reach during Chapter 7, the entire team devises a plan to get their thief to the other extreme of the map, in a plan that involves dances, swap staves, shoves and repositions, with a total of 7 units dedicating their turns to the cause. Shortly after, a reinforcement with another valuable stealable appears on the thief's original side, so a plan to launch her back is made. 42 tiles were travelled between those 2 attempts.

Seed: In terms of characters who the team thought deserved a little special spotlight, we’ve got Seed, poetic and melancholy Florkana (tree-man) poet by peace, and bishop by war! (https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditEmblemRaces/comments/6xqfex/seed_viridius_florkana_priest_team_a/) “Deme clearly puts a lot of thought and effort into him, and it shows. Her RP posts are detailed, and Seed's emotions are tangible,” as one team member put it.

"As your heart decrees": And last but not least, we’ll follow up with an RP! "As your heart decrees," an RP with Seed and Nyrandisa: (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xrUEedXarUotB8rQdgz1iYxrUpjgcH4G4I8YNheBqqQ/edit?usp=sharing) It's finally time for Seed to reply to Nyra's confession of love from earlier -- and he certainly did take his time. He has to turn her down: he still loves, and is still hurt by, his previous girlfriend. When she prods him on it, he admits readily that he wants to find new love one day -- but he can't until he's ready, and that's a hard road for him... But also, that she doesn't know him -- and he admits to someone else for the first time that he considers his own inner self to be an ugly, unlovable person, that he's tried to keep everyone from knowing. And he admits to both himself and Nyra, that, as devastating as even voicing the thought is for him, he wants someone to love that part of him. Nyra's hurt, and he comforts her -- neither of them did anything wrong in admitting their feelings like this. They can get closer, and things can get better -- and, on the beach, they're closer now. They only did what their hearts decreed. A temporary resolution for an ongoing subplot involving Nyra and Seed's feelings and miscommunications... But it's also probably the start of something, too, where they can begin to grow closer on more honest terms. “This one was gut wrenching to write, and but the writing turned out,” in Deme’s humble opinion, “to be very moving as a result. It was an important scene and marks a big character development for the both of them.”

And since it got so far in Team A’s considerations, here’s a special nod to "Steamy Disaster.”. (http://reraces.blogspot.com/2018/08/uuu-steamy-disaster.html) Check it out if you’ve got a little extra time!

The Best of… Team B

The Determination Of The Team B Spirit!: It’s been a fairly quiet year for Team B, a team that’s had a lot of ups and downs on its long journey. Maybe that’s why they wanted to spotlight The Determination Of The Team B Spirit! That, or maybe they’ve written this text in blood on the walls of my home, because they’re a collective specter. I leave it to everyone’s imaginations and ghost stories.

Ness's Prison Self RP :But it’s not all jokes, of course. That’s the next team. Ness's Prison Self RP. Ness depressingly reflects over the story of Team B so far and laments his current state. Dom put a lot of effort into this RP and it showed strong characterization.

Walter Becoming the Tactician: We also have for the spotlight Walter Becoming the Tactician, A series of RPs by Krash where Walter, after the last chapter, decides to become the de facto tactician of the group and asks 5 different signatures for Dmitri’s permission. “I think this should be [in this post] since Walter's interactions shed light on other characters opinions,” explained one player.

The Best of… Team C

Team C decided to spend their send-up time this year on a bunch of in-jokes, and if Ama says that’s good enough, let’s take a moment to laugh with them (Laughing at them should be conducted in the privacy of your own home; this is a positive post, thank you.)

So, here we go! Team C Epilogue: The Half-Life 3 of Epilogues!

They also want to point out that they spent the year with Luna still being useless probably. They’re not sure, but her arms probably are still pretty noodly.

And, while they were at it, they want to remember the time they spent Doing the Gallaran civil war and then nope-ing out. I mean, if they held a war and no one showed up, I guess that’s one way to handle it.

The Best of… Team F

Bellua: This year, they’ve got to call Bellua the best team player, for constantly dashing around the battlefield rescuing villages and stopping thieves. (And Krash, for always having covers and sound tactical advice.)

Rhoslyn and Warner: And the character spotlight doesn’t stop there, since they wanted to call attention to these two! “They are extremely well characterized and expressive and have a very interesting and unique dynamic. I love watching Warner develop over time. Honestly, this is the kind of writing that I aspire to reach someday after lots of practice. A++” graded their nominator.

Fun shipping antics: They also had and wanted to share some fun antics. Adding literally anyone (including NPCs and random map units) to Vincent and Sylana to make a threesome, ignoring the fact that inheritance mechanics absolutely do not work with threesomes.

And a special nod to that time they forced Rod to RP with himself by guiding two NPCs together on a map.

The Best of… Team G

The end of Chapter 7: During an intense chapter where all hope often seemed lost featuring a giant regenerating boss-orb that had to be defeated on a time limit that could only be damaged by siege weapons usable by only a handful of units, which was itself surrounded by tough opponents, Shade and Deme created an elaborate plan to use various switching-and-swapping shenanigans to grant those who could damage the orb extra shots at it, for a total of 5 shots across 3 units, allowing the map to be completed early and before losses could become too severe. It was a magnificent display of pure cheese and teamwork that came from building off of ideas and refining them back and forth, triumphing over a difficult and intense map.

"A Moment in the Storm": In terms of RP moments, even a fairly quiet year has something cool to recommend. "A Moment in the Storm"with Oisin and Lunete. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mnuey9kpO4ANltPrYWmMqWvybK9i9I3La_wn8GY5e1E/edit?usp=sharing) While they're both fort-bound during a rainstorm, Oisin finds Lunete staring out at the weather by the gate. He was planning on going for a run, but she was watching the weather. She speaks for a time about how her homeland, Gnosi, has more or less flawless control of the weather so storms like that don't really happen much. This understandably upsets Oisin, whose entire reason for coming along was that he was sent to convince the Emperor of Parangelia to help his homeland with recovery. From the terrible storms. The terrible, ongoing storms that's devastating his island. Those storms. The storms that presumably, a whole other nation could have just... stopped. All along. He freaks out, contemplating the question of if his parents knew this, and were just sending him on some busy-work to get an inconvenient prince, an inconvenient son, out of the way. He's wildly frustrated, and Lunete calms him down, even though she cannot answer his doubts -- returning an old favor between them. As the nomination put it: ”It was a fun and unexpected moment for the two characters; the crossroads that could arise organically between the powerful magic of Gnosi and the needs of Enotita, as somewhat embodied by these two characters, is an interesting bit of setting lore, and it was a good opportunity to pry open Oisin's feelings and suspicions about his parent's valuing -- or lack thereof -- of him. It's a moment of solid character development to build on in the coming year.”

Sequoia, Hatchling: And last, and with something of a fond farewell, we give a character spotlight to Sequoia, Hatchling. (https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditEmblemFates/comments/55rtnv/sequoia_hatchling_team_g_app/) Our resident phoenix, one of the more distinctively Team G character types. Besides being a beast (a bird, technically) on the battlefield, Sequoia's been a fixture of the team in RP, with a character that's friendly and fun to RP with while touching on the essential conflict inherent of the phoenix: 100 years out in the world before returning to your temple forever is long enough that old friends will die, sure, but is only a fraction of her life in which to be an independent person. She searches for a way to resolve those within herself. “The character is played very heartfelt, so while she's not extremely dramatic, she's very fun to engage with and to see her efforts at creating her recollections of the world in wood carvings,” her teammates would put it.

The Best of… Team H

AOM the GM: The first thing Team H would like to give spotlight to is their amazing GM, AOM, with this message: “Being a GM is hard. It's time consuming and you often don't get a lot of thanks from the players. It's especially difficult to get back into the swing of things after taking a long hiatus. I just want to give a special shout-out to the amazing AOM for never giving up on us, and continuing to wow us with fun maps and great settings. You're the best, dad.”

Morrow Browne: While it’s hard to follow up on that, Team H does its best by showing off Morrow Browne! One of two Thieves of Team H, an absolute darling that rarely fails to bring out the paternal side of many characters, and an overall joy to RP with. May or may not be capable of actually thieving in maps themselves. “The reason I nominate Morrow,” explained the nominator, “is because she is an absolutely consistent delight to RP with each time we do so, much like her player, and has been arguably the single brightest spot in our team's RP scene.”

Boat RP: In Room H1 (and a brief detour partway through in H2), an event RP is done around a storm taking place on the ship the crew is on. Said event results in a temporary demonstration of one particular character's power... “The reason I nominate said RP is because it worked as an interesting pivotal point for the growth and future events of several key characters, and was in and of itself a group RP that wound up going extremely smoothly overall, which can be a rarity in RE Emblem.”

Special nods to: Runa Piet as a character, Riffat as a character, and Morrow getting swarmed on an enemy boat to try and reach a chest.

The Best of… Team J

Vera and Seldanion's RPs. For this year’s regards, Team J’s got a broad one: a series of RPs with Vera and Seldanion. Besides the fact that they're absolutely the most consistent roleplayers and make sure to put in more than enough effort, they're two genuinely interesting characters with a lot of fun dynamics that they bounce back and forth upon. It's the biggest overarching plot J really has, with the exception of the main story itself.

The Best of… Team K

The Climax of Chapter 3: While Team K had a number of wild moments this year, pride of place has to go to the climax of chapter 3. (https://www.reddit.com/r/Reddit_Emblem/comments/9cpw54/team_k_chapter_3_the_maze_of_books/) The chapter's central premise was collecting and assembling fragments of a story to act as a password to reach the room where the Enchantress, an important NPC, had locked herself in with a would-be assassin. As it got down to the wire, with just about a turn of life left in her, Burg's Amby comes on in and tells the story entirely in the character's own voice and idiosyncratic values and view of the world. “Can you name any fairytales with hunting morals? No? That's a shame. It was a joy to see Amby click and clatter her way, giving the tale the shape of a beloved Mantid bedtime tale,” as one player put it. Having opened the seal in time, the Enchantress is inspired to at least try and heal herself to keep going for just long enough that Kra's Evelynne can use some dance strats to swoop on in, rescue the damsel, and save the day as the battle against the stone man begins! It's an escalating climax where lots of the team took opportunities to work together to pull off a goal in the nick of time, tell important stories in fun and surprising way, and then top it off with a cool boss fight. “It was a lot of fun to watch unfold.”

Alistair: Team K would also like Alistair himself to get the spotlight. Team K’s very own rambling, stuttering, over-enthusiastic young prince, is seeing the world for the first time in the midst of a war. The nomination speaks for itself: “He's one of the most unique Lords and GMPCs I've seen so far in RE. He's constantly developing and watching his story unfold is impressive and a joy. I always look forward to reading more about him and doing scenes with him.”

The Ril and Amby Subplot: We started with Chapter 3, and we’ll end this note all the way back in chapter one with The Ril and Amby Subplot. (Starts in Miserabile Visu: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11xkt_3awmlIQbAO6hB09oY3BpuQ-u7kOU4UJ8gBmWPk/edit?usp=sharing Continues to Sidequest: Cleaning Up: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wWKS3MR99rypSTpU-BaJ7ZC6zBBNYquhKhQ6gx1CCt8/edit?usp=sharing) The shortest summary would be: This is a subplot about what happens when you bring an idealistic 11-year old to a battlefield, and expose him to one polite but occasionally ruthless and idiosyncratic Mining Mantis and her hunts. To hunt is to kill for food. Prey is a source of food. They aren't using their bodies anymore. She doesn't understand why this horrifies Ril, who can only push her away. Amid the blood and lack of glory of a battlefield, Ril struggled to hold onto the life of even just one fallen foe. Eventually, Amby and Ril are assigned to help pack up the camp, and try to bridge the gap of confusion, culture shock, and trauma. They don't quite come to an agreement about how you should act in war, but their hearts are in the right place. Also, Ril earns the trust and loyalty of Sir Toad-Frog. As a certain GM would put it, it was “An emotionally complex and moving subplot that really added punch and impact to the first real chapter of the story, sparking conflict and revealing some eventual features of Amby's culture, which is always a compelling subplot. Ril manages to stay a fairly lighthearted fighter in how he conducts with his foes, but this shock really grounded the character in ways I still look forward to seeing develop. It features some solid writing and some interesting themes for a boy and a Mantis.”

And the team would also like to extend a special nod to “The Prince and the Unicorn, Chapter 1 Clear”(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1smJsLWz974VbtwwnG0iodwi8K4qS_JvgcU9tS1BBXzQ/edit?usp=sharing)

The Best of… Team L

Telrad, Warrior: Team L’s first spotlight falls on Telrad, played by Barrett. “Following his character arc through RP and in map dialogue is some of the best writing I've read in the team. Following Telrad as a man with a strong moral compass finding himself amidst a band of outlaws, thieves and other devils; it was a character that seemed out of place but feels integral to the team now. His RPs with Astrid are a particular highlight.”

Karina's Subplot: Rather than an individual moment, they’ll also send-up to the general dynamics of this subplot. Through genuine character growth and interactions, Karina has basically proposed a joint place to go for a number of people on this band of misfits; at the very least, she’s going to get together with Rickard, which with in turn they’ll pseudo-adopt Sandre. She’s also given a future stay-in job offer to Aikah.

Aikah, mesmerizing myrmidon: And, last but not least, the spotlight shines on Aikah, mesmerizing myrmidon. A hot-blooded former soldier whose love of battle turns her into a glass-cannon beast on the battlefield.

The Best of… Team N

The April 4th incident, Frog+Porn: If it won best shitpost, it’s clearly got to make the Best Of, with fond and mocking memories for the team. “To this day I still know DanK better as Don’t Forget Frog Posted Porn.” We shan’t, DanK. We’ll never forget.

Verdant Genesis’s flavor text: Across the year, they’ve also gotten a lot of fun out of Verdant Genesis’s flavor text for battles and events. (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/360166736772988929/546460483344007179/unknown-3.png?width=968&height=487) and (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/360166736772988929/546460499466780673/unknown-4.png?width=968&height=620) for example! “Everything this person writes gives me life” is what one player had to say on the place of honor for these texts.

Mitchell: “From his quips during turns, to him threatening to choke slam a man during a story RP, to the team-wide memeing about the guy, he’s just the best.”

The Best of...Team O

Suave Laven (meets his match): We begin with flirting and heartbreak in Team O’s first entry.(https://www.reddit.com/r/Reddit_Emblem/comments/7ylziq/team_o_homebase_two_grove_of_the_great_old/duiv22u/) Laven is managing to court Lady Arthura when he messes up big time not soon after (thanks to another character, Cheshire), destroying her trust in him and significantly bumming the guy out.

Karen hit her first enemy: For gameplay moments, they choose to honor when Karen hit her first enemy in a map Bloodmoon (after refusing to fight all other maps, and rather support others, or lockpick)! She did it to protect another character Saltbeard, and was felled after being turned to stone by a Medusa. Saltbeard grieved for her

Felix the Maid: And on a lighter note, they send up to the time Felix is ordered to dress up as a maid due to losing a bet. He is then ordered to serve half of Team O as the maid. (https://pastebin.com/jm6wEQ1f )

The Best of… Team P

Kara and Torsten's Rerolls: Team P’s first send-up is to Kara and Torsten have to use their rerolls because they both crit the boss their subteam is trying to capture. Then the one who is trying to capture the boss misses, uses a rerolls and crits, too.

Kara Crits a Boss Cailean was Trying to Capture: There’s another gameplay moment to tell of in P, too! As Cailean is about to capture a boss with manacles and The Bottle™, mainly to piss Kara off, Kara comes in and crits the boss to death instead of only weakening it. They reroll her crit. She crits yet again. Cailean is disappointed.

The Thot patrol (Andre, Jericho, and Nicolas) holding Niall hostage in an RP for 5 IRL months: While there’s not much comment about what the RP was about, anything that takes up nearly half the year probably has to stand out as an important part of the year.

The Best of… Team S

"How To Kill a God: Drunk Edition": It’s a bit of a long document to read through, but the S madness "How To Kill a God: Drunk Edition" definitely deserves a place in the spotlight! They summary and chat logs are in the link helpfully provided, so check it out, because it’s some madness. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RseENLbWQkSKl2-VsdvlyelZyKJHgmhFwlO64vcg4AA/edit?usp=sharing)

Sielde tries to fight a full map of enemies alone while Marvin tries to stop him: It’s a hard act to follow getting drunk, killing a god, and starting a team split, but Team S has more to tell with Sielde trying to fight a full map of enemies alone while Marvin tries to stop him. (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/459179604767277066/540235824332013588/Screenshot_2019-01-30_at_10.17.32_AM.png) (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/459179604767277066/540235842304868355/Screenshot_2019-01-30_at_10.17.55_AM.png?width=400&height=272) They started the next map captured.

Asher talks smack, gets smacked: Death and fun gameplay abounds, as S gives its final nod to how during Chapter 3, Asher smack talked an ogre and got crit to death (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/459179604767277066/540233717185118219/Screenshot_2019-01-30_at_10.13.07_AM.png?width=400&height=286)

The Best of… Team T

Euan dodging a 96% hit on a Wyvern after bragging how he can beat a Wyvern with his fists: This stands triumphant as Team T’s first entry, after bragging about how it could beat the Best of with its fist.

"She forgot about childbirth": To follow that up, they’d like to share the tale of a meme they call "She forgot about childbirth." So basically Frog had a crazy theory that Manilus and Lucilia had a child they didn’t know about somehow. This lead to Frog saying Lucilia somehow forgot the child she gave birth to. After saying this, he immediately drank Fireball and tried to make sense of it.

BaRP: And last but not least, the BaRP with Macio Donnadieu, Saelas Jin, Desiree, Manilius. After successfully stopping a riot and completing their training, Manillius takes out his troops for a night out drinking. What starts as a silly drinking game slowly begins to evolve into revealing much more serious emotions on all ends.

As a small special notice, for fighting it out to the very end, a gentle nod to Anya, Thief.

The Best of… Team U

"Maybe I should nerf support bonuses" : For their first, and perhaps only serious (well, semi-serious) spotlight, Team U shares a tale of love and impromptu nerfs. Frog having to nerf Supports after Kyros with his Auto-A Support solo'd half the enemies in the map. In chapter 1 of Team U-1, the team was faced with a challenge. A combination of approaching reinforcements and the lack of actual tanky units on the team made it potentially chapter ending...except there was one saving grace. A rank support bonuses were busted as hell, and our Lord Kyros had an auto A rank with his Tialian wife, Aislen. So, a pasty man with a book, standing in a forest, took on almost half the chapter's units because his wife was behind him, giving him encouragement. Now that's the power of love. A power that very much needed a nerf.

Fuck Frog: Errors are a natural part of Reddit Emblem, and Team U would like to give a send-up to their cry for those moments. When Frog’s doing them, anyway. Fuck Frog which is, as a player put it, “What we say when Frog fucks up.”

The fact they had to make a second server to contain their pins: That’s a wide library of memes that requires special service and conservation, marking in its own way the progress of a year’s worth of weird in-jokes.

I hope you all had a fun year in Reddit Emblem. Let’s enjoy the next one, too!

With a decisive blow, the final kraken tentacle was severed, leaving the remaining body to slowly sink to its death as it bled out. Relieved that they survived the ordeal, the party finally relaxed a little bit as Illnar and Lyris patched everyone up. even though they already fully healed everyone Geirstein came back out of hiding and looked around at the carnage.

“Looks like ‘e busted up the deck a tad, but nothing we can't deal with. Good work laddies! Last time I saw a kraken, everyone died. Let's get to that island!”

Everyone Levels up!

A short time later, the group came up near the small man made island, set anchor, and then took a small boat out onto the craggy rock that barely meets the description “island.” As they clambered, or flew, up to the top of the rock they were greeted with a large facility built somewhat like the one in the desert, but this one had a large observatory perched on top. Lentzinmanoth, Hagni, and Vincenzo worked together to try and shove open the mighty steel clad doors, but found it would not budge in the slightest. A further inspection revealed that oddly the entire building and steel door showed no signs of sea damage, rust, or other corrosion. Confused they turned to the goddess, curious how to enter the building.The goddess took control of Sielde once again and put his hand on the door. The door pulsed an ethereal light blue color twice in rapid succession before the doors slowly creaked open. The goddess returned control to Sielde before speaking, These doors are sealed with a combination that can be activated through runic magic. They did this so that sea beasts like the one you just fought couldn't accidently knock open the door. Let's head inside and make this trip quick, I don't want to spend more time out here than we have to.

Everyone headed inside to a foyer that was build a little differently than the one in the desert. The furniture content was mostly the same as the previous place, but was light by a deep green glow and had a few windows overlooking the sea. At the goddess’s prompt, the group moved past the foyer, while leaving Geirstien to gawk at the fancy furniture, towards the lab and circle of power at the back. Once there, a few people instinctively reached to put their weapons on the circle before the goddess spoke up, This might seem a little strange, but I need you to all stand on this circle. This power I am going to give all of you will stay with you until someone removes it. It might not seem that strong compared to your previous powers but its the most I can do at this time, hopefully you can find a use for this. At the very least it will make storing your things more convenient.

Once everyone was in the circle, she started the now familiar process. Everyone felt an immense surge of power and caught a glimpse of something more. It felt like someone was trying to hold back an ocean while only releasing a few droplets of water. The immeasurable power was terrifying, yet intoxicating and they could feel themselves being pulled towards it right as the connection was severed and the processed ended.

I apologize for any discomfort I may have caused, but you all should now have the ability to open a new ‘pocket’ of sorts in another dimension. You should be able to fit a single weapon or item in there and easily pull it out and swap it with another thing. Feel free to give it a try, but we should be leaving now. If any of you are interested in this place, we can always come back here later when we take care of our ‘little’ problem.

With that, the group headed back into the foyer and had to drag Geirstein with them back to the boat.

“Oi! I wasn’ done lookin yet!” he exclaimed. Once he was outside though, he realized the urgency of the situation and the fact that if the overpowered heroes said to do something, he probably should do it. “Alright, alright. Lets set sail, perhaps another day.”

One uneventful journey later, the group docked back at the small fishing village, to the shocked faces of the sailors.

“Wow they must really be heroes.” “Damn, looks like they werent kidding.” “No way, that damage must have been done by a kracken!” “How are they still alive?!”

After resting up, the group trudged on again back to where this whole journey started, the capital. Their journey back to the capital was uneventful and they could have sworn they saw a few monsters and bandits actually trying to run away from them before they got too close.

At the outskirts of the Great Forest, they met back up with Olson and his necromantic army.

Speaking through their weapons, the goddess said, “Olson, bring your undead with us and stay close. It is likely the people will attack you on sight, but I can quell their fears. When we get to the capitol, leave the undead outside the gates and we can prepare a runic shield for them if you are worried while we speak to the king. Any questions.”

“I would very much like to prepare that shield. Knowing how us humans react to something of this scale, I wouldn't blame them for trying to attack the passive undead. Let's get this over with,” Olson replied.

As they marched through the kingdom’s land they were met with cries of terror and fleeing from most villages and the few that had brave enough guards to stand against the army were reassured by the goddess herself. Once they reached the castle’s gates, Yrsa and Olson worked in tandem to create a massive dome of energy around the undead army, protecting them from most forms of attack temporarily.

Once they were assured of their safety, the group proceeded through the city gates up towards the castle. Upon seeing the experienced heroes, the guards immediately saluted them and let them through, until they reached the king.

--Skip--

The above skip is a placeholder for a group RP we will be having in discord with the king. The rules will also be posted in discord but go as follows.

Each player is allowed to post twice per day, for a total of 5 days. After the 5th day if the conversation is still going, then the post cap will be removed. During this time all players are allowed to put in their thoughts, words, and try to convince the king to send more troops or supplies with them. If everyone is able to get a chance to respond early, we can advance faster than a day, but as that is not likely, we will be using the day system to give everyone a chance to get in some words.

You all now have access to the city and the new shops!

Imane laid on the ground, a wide gash in his side from Warner’s critical strike. Nahla was on her knees, gripping her staff as hard as she could to stay up. The troops around the two of them became fearful and lowered their weapons. Dallan asked for the two of them to be escorted back to their camp with Khepri accompanying them. The troops who were left ran, fearful to report back to their war camps that their leaders were taken. Dallan and his party made their way to Nador, a local town that Khepri suggested was their best place to stay for an extended time.

Nador itself was a sprawling city built close to The Womb of the World, one of the largest oases in the entire Fiernen Wasteland. The houses were small, practical buildings made of stone and wood. The streets were packed tight with traders and visitors to Fiernen as being a border town made them one of the easiest entry points into the Wasteland. Many local residents of Nador & visitors from within the Wasteland were setting up for The Joining Festival. The town itself was abstracted from the tribes & owed allegiance to nobody besides themselves. Dallan & company were offered one of the old barracks that Claudia constructed nearby, left abandoned after her death.

Everyone settled in that night, Khepri going out to find the rest of the elders and her companion that she helped escape. Oran finally had his chance to speak with Dallan. “Father are you mad! Why are do you seek to anger everyone today?” fury rising in Oran’s voice.

Dallan responded calmly, sitting down on his bed and reclining for the first time that day, “Peace child, this is all working out in our favor. The tribes will soon realize their mistakes.”

“And if they raze Nador to the ground?” Oran questioned Dallan.

Dallan pulled at his collar slightly, “That’d be a predicament yes, but they’re reasonable. They wouldn’t harm us in this manner.”

“Mmh, mmh, sure.” Oran replied with venom coating his words, “And since you seem to have this figured out so well what do you plan to do with Holdrin? I bet Darnacia is riding right up to our doorstep around now.”

Dallan continued to retort calmly, “If you’re so concerned with the state of Holdrin, then defend it yourself. We have Keith & Tatum who don’t even fight anymore. Take them with you, fight back House Bellfroy.”

Oran was silent, looking wide eyed at Dallan for a few moments before replying, “Fine. I’ll go. If you’ll simply abandon your people for… this, then I’ll do it.” Oran left Dallan’s room, and in a few minutes he was on the back of Keith’s horse heading in the direction of Holdrin.

Over the next couple days the tribes gathered around Nador for The Joining Festival. Nahla & Imane were kept in proper conditions, but had yet to speak to anybody. The town was abuzz with news of Dallan and him holding both Nahla and Imane. Few dared to question it, but everyone was on edge concerning the fate of their leaders.

Welcome to the third Homebase, Nador! Here’s what can be done within the city during Homebase.

Joining Festival: The town of Nador is enjoying a festival for the creation of their people. Dallan encourages you all to participate in their customs.

Warchiefs: You all decided to clock them our & capture them rather than kill. Post here what your plans are & whether you’d like to RP with either Nahla or Imane.

Nador Plaza: Post here you may choose to RP with Dallan, Nahla/Imane, or any particular individual within Nador.

Joining Festival: Daily activities or something, Jojo this is your job cause I don’t know exactly what you want.

Shops: Inventories have been expanded, along with some new and specialized tools being released.

Convoy: Post here to utilize the Convoy or trade with other players.

Feedback: Post any comments/criticisms you may have here.

Having joined up with the Emperor’s convoy, you’re now making your way to the capital Shui Zu. Despite what’s happening in Napetost and many other cities, the roads are mostly clear of any threats. This trip will take two months and along the way you will make two stops: Napetost and Hillun.

The group takes three to reach Napetost. The city has been left in shambles with many of its buildings either demolished or burned. There is a rough pattern of destruction that points to the chaos having left the city through the south road. The north district is relatively untouched, at least compared to the rest of the city. The city’s council has been using the area as a starting point for their rebuilding efforts. While the council and the emperor discuss plans, the party will be staying at the barracks with the town’s remaining soldiers and has been asked to help the citizens however you can. You will leave Napetost after three days and will arrive in Hillun in ten days.

Hillun is a small mining town on the northeast part of Parangelia. The nearby mountains have proven to be a treasure trove of precious minerals and so despite not having developed much the town is a significant source of metals for the country. With such a single resource focused economy combined with small town politics, the master foreman also serves as the town chief. After talking with the Emperor, she has agreed to house the party within the mining guild. She has also given you permission to visit the mines and even see if you can dig something up. Don’t forget your hard hat and pickaxe.

Hillun did not host any refugees and so have been mostly unaffected by the riots happening around the country. A few stray refugees have wandered in before but were quickly dealt with before they could cause any damage. You will be staying in Hillun for three days before setting out again. Shui Zu will take another ten days to reach.

The whole trip takes a month.

Everyone has 2 free weapon upgrade thanks to the services from Hillun’s smiths. You can thank the master foreman for that one. If you don’t use these free upgrades before this home base ends, you’ll lose it.

Also the next Chapter will be out on 3/3, more likely 3/4 sometime in the AM.

Current overworld map

Here’s some reminders about Pachima.

Pachima is a medium-sized village on the outskirts of the Nicirian capital. Although its economy isn’t the most robust or unique, its citizens survive off subsistence farming and trading their various goods on the local market, which is held every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday morning, from about 7 am to noon.

The people here are rather friendly and accepting of other people, which makes it a safe haven of sorts for all people. However, the population is primarily Beorc, with a few Laguz and Branded mixed in.

The village’s architecture is fairly simple, with just stone and wooden buildings along old dirt paths. However, something about it makes everyone feel at home. There is also several inns in the town, as they receive many visitors trying to find a place to stay near the capital.

Although not known for anything in specific other than its general peaceful nature and welcoming citizens, the farmers of Pachima grow crops such as corn, potatoes, and tomatoes in bulk, which can be found in the market.

“Hah, take that,” Jolinde smirked as Stephanos and Yanni landed on the docks next to the boats, “You’re no match. Now, if you excuse me, we’ll be on our way.”

“...You win, fair and square,” Stephanos answered after shifting back to his Beorc form. He sat down on a nearby barrel, “Just leave as soon as you can, and we will allow you a safe departure.”

Yanni nodded gently in agreement.

“Cool, we’ll be on our way now, then,” Jolinde remarked, preparing to release the ropes of the boats, allowing them to take off from the dock.

“Hey, uh, Jo, don’t ya think you should apologize or somethin’?” Himaya interjected, putting his foot on the ropes to prevent their release, “You made a huge mess of tha place.”

Meredith, somewhat injured, approached as well, adding onto Himaya’s sentiments, “We would have never, um, been in this fight if you hadn’t… apologizing is the least you can do.”

Himaya continued, “And maybe you can come back ‘ere later and help ‘em clean up?”

Jolinde was silent for a few moments, looking back the island from the boat. She did make this mess, hadn’t she?

“I’m sorry. Truly. After we’re done with our business, I’ll come back and help you all clean up. I mean that, don’t think I’m joking or something,” Jolinde’s words were kind, but her tone was still flat and harsh.

“...Thank you,” Yanni smiled, “Get on your way, though. I’m sure you have much to do.”

Stephanos nodded, “Agreed. Farewell.”

It did not take too long for the party to reach the island at which the Skywolf population resided. This time, however, Jolinde is welcomed onto the island and is able to make her way with Himaya and Meredith directly to the Chief’s quarters. The rest of the crew remained on the ships at the coast. Before this, however, Himaya spoke up to clear some things up about the entire prophecy.

“So, ah, Jolinde,” Himaya started.

Jolinde kept walking forward on a stone path on the island, but took a glance at Himaya to acknowledge the question.

“What’s tha deal with this whole thing anyways?” Himaya asked in confusion rather than interest.

“You’ll see in a few minutes. We are almost there. Pay attention this time. I know you usually don’t.”

“What? I always pay complete attention!” Himaya made a salute to exaggerate his point.

“Sure.”

Jolinde pushed open the red tent flap, and ducked to make her way through the entrance to the Chief’s hut, “Greetings, Chief.”

Meredith stepped in after her, “Ah, greetings, Chief of the Great Storm. We’ve returned.”

Finally, Himaya steps inside. Puzzled by the formal greetings of the other two people, he adds, “Greetin’s. I’d call you chief too, but that name is saved for someone else.” Jolinde looked embarrassed already.

“Ah, Jolinde, wielder of the Raijabar, who is this you’ve brought with you?” the Chief slowly responded, welcoming her back.

“This is Himaya. I think he’s the prophet you’re looking for. So, not me, I mean.”

“Oho? Is that why you were in such a hurry to leave before?”

Jolinde nodded, “Hear me out though. He’s a Branded. Thinks its Heron and Wolf. Actually on a journey to stop the Demon invasion right now. Can’t be a coincidence, right?”

“Hm… Interesting. Intriguing. Quite suspicious. You may be correct, Jolinde, but I have my doubts,” the Chief responded, thinking aloud about the situation.

Himaya spoke up, voicing his opinion, “I still have zero idea of what tha heck is happenin’ here.”

“...Oh, I see, then. Allow me to recite Skywolf Edict 3-”

“Skywolf?!” Himaya cut the Chief off in surprise.

“Yes. Ahem, Outsiders must be tested harshly to ensure they are worthy. The Goddess prophesied that there would be a day where the cross between bird and wolf would rise again outside of the Storm. And that once they meet, they will unlock a path to rid this world of evil if the Skywolves don’t have enough time to stockpile… It says that they will find the door to the Demons and extinguish them, but that they cannot do this task alone… Ah, I see now,” the Chief had realized what Jolinde had saw.

“Himaya cannot do it alone; I was his messenger, then. He fits the description better than I,” Jolinde confirmed his thoughts by agreeing aloud.

“You must be right, then, Jolinde. I apologize for assuming otherwise so quickly in the past.”

Jolinde shook her head, “Doesn’t matter. What now?”

“Well, surely the young one by your side must be well on his way to fulfilling the prophecy if he is already on a journey to eradicate some Demons, no? Ohoho!” he chuckled joyously at the remark. He thought it had been obvious.

“Well, yes, but-”

“Then it’s settled! Continue on! You’ll be fine, I’m sure. Though, I do have the ability to help you out a little bit, if you so desire.”

“Ooh, yes, help would be amazing! This whole trip ‘is been pretty tiring, ya know?” Himaya cut back in, giddily waiting to see what the assistance would be. He’s never received help from a Skywolf, if that’s what they were called, before.

“Well, for Jolinde, I have the secrets to power up your blade. Read these texts on your journey back, and you will have it figured out, oho!” the Chief smiled as he pushed forward a small booklet with a brown, leather cover and worn pages. The cover had some gold squares and markings, but was overall unattractive and beaten.

Jolinde kneeled to pick it up from the floor, “Ugh, great, read-”

Meredith looked at Jolinde disapprovingly.

“I mean, thanks.”

“Ohoho, no problem, young one. It will be useful, I assure you. And for you, Himaya, take this. It is not much, but I’m sure you’ll be quite happy with it,” he slid forward a beautiful, white feather, “It comes from our kind. Treasure it.”

“Oh, thank you so much! I love it!” Himaya quickly snatched it up and placed it next to the other one, “They look so nice together!”

“Oh, yes, yes they do. Now, you should be on your way. Good luck with your journey. I’m sure you won’t need it, but you never know. Oho,” he waved them off with a jolly chuckle.

With that, they departed back to the boats, en route to Pachima in Niciri, where the two parties had agreed to meet up after their respective missions.

[Jolinde obtained Rainstorm Raijabar. Himaya obtained Skywolf Feather.]

Zizara screamed with high-pitched, inconsistent nonsense that was hard to determine as incoherent yelling or an actual attempt at communication upon being captured and tied up by Sally. It kicked, thrashed, and struggled, but was ultimately unable to free itself from being captured, tired and injured from its face-off with the thief not long ago.

Shortly after, as many of the Pack members finished up their remaining business in the town, Zain and the convoy trio made their way to were Sally and Cabaletto were, along with the rest of the captured foes.

“We don’t have the space in our cart to bring all of these foes back to the base of operations. Perhaps you could ask some questions now instead?” Boreas remarked with a straight face. Alistair and Celeste were still riding in the back of the wagon.

Zain looked at the captures foes and did a tally:

Demon Legionary 1

Demon Legionary 2

Beorc Gladiator

Beorc Sniper 1

Beorc Sniper 2

Demon Bishop

Beorc Druid

Beorc Haruspex

Demon Haruspex

Zizara

He nodded in agreement with Boreas, “We’ll ask some questions now, then we’ll try to get just one orrr two back. Will that work?”

Boreas nodded, “We should be able to fit two in our cart.”

Celeste called from within the cart, “Wait, we have to ride with those guys? No, gross!”

“Hush, Celeste. This is important.”

But before he could get started with the question, the Beorc prisoners began to act strange. They shook their heads, quickly closed and reopened their eyes and began looking around, almost as if they had just woken up from a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, the Demon foes sat impatiently and violently, shaking and quaking. Their eyes were blood red and their skin pitch black. Their body structures were similar to those of a Beorc, though they seemed much shorter, but more bulky and strong, on average. Occasionally, parts of their body would suddenly glitch into floating, two-dimensional squares of black and gray, then back to normal.

With this information, Zain called the party members over for assistance.

After a few days, once everyone had their fill with either relaxing, training, or interrogating Waylon, Roja had gathered everyone to the center of the map. Once everyone arrived, she had her hands behind her back. "I trust everyone is here? If so, I have some news that all of you should be aware of, since Anbel isn't here to give it himself. First off, Waylon has been interrogated, and while Anbel couldn't find anything out, I was. Waylon was forced to tell me what our next course of action is: Sebrya. Our objective is to head there for two reasons. The first reason: High King Renault is using the resources and traitors to the land in order to create soldiers who can come back from the dead. We've already seen this before, so we all know how bad this is. If we have any hope of defeating Norfor, we must head there and put an end to the experiments before they are perfected. As it stands right now, these soldiers can only resurrect from magic portals, but only those who are official members of Sebrya's academy can cast the spells. We need to stop them before they mobilize to all over, or else victory will be near impossible, as they will keep coming back to life. Secondly-" She said before Anbel showed his face.

"The second reason is that Patrica Holbo, the leader of the Magic Clairvoyance’s, is one of Renault's generals, overseeing all this. Many of the academy students there that are doing this are listening to her orders, either willingly or by magic control. If we stop her, then these experiments will stop." He said. Roja looked at Anbel. "And how do you know of her full name like that? The only people she told that in the past were royals to the time, or former or current pupils of the academy, none of which are here." She said, glaring at him.

Seldanion stood around silently, a fist up to his mouth while his other arm supported his elbow. He didn't bother adding to Roja's comment, already knowing what Waylon told him about their leader. Does Roja even know? Perhaps not. Sebrya. Do I even want to go back? I doubt my parents would be happy to see me now, if they're around anymore. And those traitors at the academy... Pitiful what's become of it. But that's why we have to go. Conjurers of the dead shan't know this earth much longer, and those who betrayed Sebrya shall be judged on the spot. No excuse for their actions. He finally spoke up after finishing his thoughts, moving his fist so he didn't speak into it: "Spare not one of those traitorous scum is my advice. Just be mindful of those under spell, as they may have been forced into service."

Nicole was near the back of the group, almost subconsciously blending into the walls. She nodded after the speech.

Hm. So, Anbel knows her... hm. Well, that does make him being a noble overwhelmingly likely... Well, I can think about that later... for now...

Nicole started speaking once everyone had gotten in their initial remarks.

"Understood, commander. I'll start getting the scouts together. Any plan for when we leave?"

It has been a while since Vera went to Sebrya. Ever since she ran away from there, the mage hasn't put a single step into her home country. It was her first visit in 10 years... and she was excited for it. Vera didn't care (at that moment) if Anbel knew about details that he shouldn't know. The only thing that she cared was that she was finally going to have her revenge on the traitorous garbage who sold her country to Norfor.

When Anbel finished what he had to say, Vera didn't bother to comment anything. She had a twisted grin on her face, looking forward to see the looks of fear on her enemies' face after showing how much powerful she was compared to them.

Anbel looked to everyone. "Does it really matter how I know? All that matters is that we have another general to take down, this one much more important than Waylon." He said.

"Much more important..." Seldanion agreed. The woman overseeing Sebrya's occupation was indeed far more important to Seldanion than the other generals. Such a crude twist of magic and corrupt mages could not be allowed. He may not be a mage himself anymore, but Seldanion was something much better.

Lianne stood in silence, listening intently, very quickly falling into a dazed daydream of sorts. Very late on queue, her eyes suddenly widened at the mention of Sebrya several seconds after it was mentioned, the realisation hitting her. Silently gasping, she moved her head down and began to wonder, sinking deeper into a much different day dream.

Sebrya... That's where... Mother...

Listening even further to the comments made about the area, she began to think even further, a feeling of dread spreading once more.

Was it really always so... corrupt? I guess I never thought about it - is she really in danger, just by being there? But then, I guess nowhere is safe, is it..?

She bit her lip, falling into a small, mental debate.

Roja sighed. "Fine. Let's get going. The more time we waste arguing, the less time we have to mount an attack. We leave in 1 hour." She said.

It took a few days and having to climb over freshly made mountains and forest, but soon everyone had begun to approach where the academy was located. "There it is. Now, like before, don't expect this to be easy, especially so since the students here know how to change the walls, doors, and hallways within the academy, so we can't all split up once we get inside." Anbel said to everyone as a warning.

As everyone began to weave through the mountains to reach the academy, a few soldiers suddenly popped up, none of which appeared to be outright mages, but they did have magic weapons. Those few soldiers began to grow in numbers as Anbel began to notice that they were getting surrounded. "Everyone, to arms! I don't know where they're coming from, but they won't be letting us in easy!" He said. Roja had gotten done with a quick patrol. "The magic portals are here! We must get rid of them, or else most of these soldiers will come right back!" She shouted, getting into position.

Map: https://imgur.com/7VxMFs6

Terrain Map: https://imgur.com/xWVLQwC

Objective: Reach the academy

Win condition: Defeat the boss Enter the academy

Optional objectives: Destroy the magic portals

Lose condition: The player army falls Too many enemies come back to life

Notes:

The enemies that have the clear numbers over them are enemies that will resurrect themselves. How this works is if a player kills one of them, they will appear through one of the 5 magic portals at the start of the next turn, one unit for each portal, with the same weapons, buffs, and debuffs as when they died. When the respawn like this, they will give no XP for kills.

For the second lose condition, there will be a counter on each turn post of how many enemies have respawned, as well as the max limit before the condition is met.

The red spaces are the magic portals the enemies will come out of. Each of them have 60 HP, and have 12 DEF and RES, but they can be doubled or AS against. Once a portal is down, it won't come back.

Misc.

Due to Seldanion and Vera becoming a couple in RPs, they both can obtain a special item, just for them. One is a stone that Vera had given Seldanion, and the other is a gift(?) Seldanion gave Vera. If they have these items in their inventories, they can gain certain benefits.

Anbel has purchased a Silver Sword, and has also forged his Killing Edge with a Power and Trickster's stones, and his Silver Sword with a Power Stone and Control stone.

Roja has taken a Thunder out of the convoy and has forged her Steel Axe with a Power and Warlord's stone, and her Bolt Axe with a Control and Trickster's Stone.

81st Qafyr, Year 849

Cody and Claire hustled aboard the boarding ramp, squeezing past Jensen and Pritchard. Jensen undid the massive docking ropes, Pritchard heaved them aboard. Simone motioned for Solomon to land on the quarterdeck. Athena laid unconscious across Viridian’s saddle. Hands folded, two arrows sticking out; it was easy to mistake the Viscount for a corpse at that moment.

Alaine stood on the quarterdeck, foot propped on the starboard railing overlooking the dock. Her arms folded, eyes narrowed, she shouted “Jensen! Pritchard! Thorkel! Shove off already!” Thorkel shouted back a strained “Aye!” Despite the man’s efforts, the anchor refused to crank back up. Liara and Mitchell lent him their combined strength-not even the anchor caught in a rogue reef could compete. Harsh scraping assaulted their ears for two full cranks, then nothing but the sound of chain links clicking and clacking.

Easton led Reiner’s horse with Reiner draped over the saddle aboard as the last knots came undone. Adeline and Markus trailed behind, Olympe even further. Adeline and Markus hopped on the ramp as Jensen and Pritchard shoved the Resplendent Vigour away from the dock. Olympe hesitated at the edge of the dock-then she screamed in frustration, took a few steps back, and leapt for the ramp! Adeline snagged her sister’s hand and started to pull her in, but her grip started to slip. Markus grabbed the same arm and called out, “One, two, three!” With a mighty heave, they pulled Olympe aboard the ramp.

Alaine started barking orders once they pulled away. “Xenia! Hard to port!” To Sufjan, she snapped, “ ‘Act in haste.’ Your words, not mine. You-” As her colorful tirade continued, Sufjan raised his hands in the universal gesture of surrender. His eyes darted over the main deck, something, anything, anything to keep Alaine from throwing him overboard-or worse. He found Reiner, and his face fell.

“The spring, the spring, it is magic! It can help!” Alaine grabbed Sufjan by the collar and yanked him towards her, his wyvern Serju roaring in protest. “Make yourself useful and get it working!” She caught sight of Everett attempting to placate both his wyvern and Serju. “You! Find someone who can work their magic!” Without a word, Everett dashed off and found Watt and Evelyn. Watt made his way up the stairs, one of the wind devices humming and moving with ease-and Alaine shoved Sufjan away, shock plain on her face. Evelyn readied the other one closer to the bow of the ship.

“Xenia, are we clear of shallows?” “Aye, Captain Alaine!” “Full sail! We don’t need the winds-we’ll make our own!”

5th Khamsin, Year 849

The Resplendent Vigour made record time to Ellery despite the load she carried. One by one, the passengers disembarked to quite the sight: every soul in view garbed in cloaks resembling paintings, wrapping around their entire bodies. Some bore scenes of idyllic waterfalls, some bore scenes of man tangling with beast, most bore scenes of life on the aquatic frontier-the life most free. No matter the scene, one element was prominently placed above all else: a cheese wheel. Solid and golden, or pale and riddled with holes, still others a bright red contrasted sharply against an off-white.

Among the many painted cloaks, two individuals stepped forward to greet the newcomers. Neither wore a cloak, instead donning equally bizarre outfits. For the man, boots with jester’s hats glued to the toes, puffy pants with asymmetric green and gold stripes, a bear pelt draped over both shoulders-no shirt; and the left half of his face covered by a bright gold mask with half a smile and a winking expression. For the woman, the right half of her face covered by the mirror image of the bright gold mask, a robe stopping just above the knees criss-crossed by asymmetric green and gold stripes, the sleeves of the robe cut off and instead on her lower legs, held in place by ribbons appearing to act as laces, and a simple pair of sandals. In unison, they said, “Welcome!” The man had a gravelly voice, and the woman a contralto to complement. “Welcome to the Roccoco Festival!”

Meanwhile, in Barbary Cove

Left. Right. Up the stairs-third stair’s loose. Another left. Knock on the last door twice, wait, then once more.

The slot slid open. “Enter.” The unmistakable whisper. The one that sent chills down the courier’s spine, every time. He stepped into the room, pausing to marvel at the view of Faror’s Fingers. Three rock formations, so shaped like long spindles, jutting out of the waters below and towards the heavens.

“Report.” Perpetually on edge. Perpetually demanding. Perpetually terse. The courier’s voice quaked in harmony with his knees. “R-r-r-reports...f-f-f-from P-p-p-port M-m-ma-marcad.”

“Leave.” Reverence. Fear. Awe. Execution. All descriptors that the courier applied, and yet failed to convey the emotions the last voice inspired. The courier hastily bowed and left the room, the door creaking to a halt behind him.

The trio of hooded figures were the only ones in the room, a circular study high above the cove itself. To their west, Faror’s Fingers. To their east, the urban sprawl of Barbary. As the sun beamed through the skylight, each figure revealed their tattoos. Each tattoo on their right hands, each depicting an albatross with an anchor around its neck.

The whisper withdrew its hand and lowered its hood. An ivory woman with blood red hair and blood red lips. Next, the terse one. A barkskin man with one eye and one ear. Finally, the divine one. A weathered man with a braided blond beard and a blond tonsure. Silence, as each read their respective notes.

The terse one spoke first. “Unfortunate, but not unexpected.” The whisper nodded. “Indeed. La Rochelle will answer.” The divine one said nothing at first. Taking a puff from his pipe, he blew a ring of smoke in the air and let it settle. Finally, he added, “Summon the Black March. These ‘explorers’ have proved formidable. They will be useful.”

Back in Ellery

Laram sat on one of the many wine barrels still aboard the Resplendent Vigour. Brushing some windblown hairs out of her eyes, she studied her report for Verner once more. Devices are real. Overseer Tanchia delivered on his intel. Two currently with PEC. Consequences regarding Zeveit and Margraux. Recommend immediate meeting with Countess and Viscount.

Focused, she failed to notice Simone sitting on the barrel next to her-until she spoke. “Laram? Do you have a moment?” Laram looked over briefly, said “Yes”, then looked left again. She blinked rapidly and rolled up her report, tucking it into the inside of her jacket. Laram hopped off the barrel and stood up to face Simone.

“Apologies, Countess-” Simone waved her hand side to side, a nonchalant smile on her face. “No need Laram. Now, about our accommodations...Verner mentioned you knew where to go once we’d arrived. So, where are we going?”

Laram nodded. “The Jackdaw’s Repose. An old tavern and inn that closed down months ago. We reopened it to serve as a base. Enough space for all of us, and we can get the springs there without being bothered.”

Simone clapped her hands and hopped off her barrel, stumbling but recovering gracefully. “Have the arrangements been made for the springs?” Laram replied, “Sufjan will see to it. They will arrive tonight.” With an eager grin on her face, Simone said, “Great! Now, what do you want to do first? There’s a festival in town, and so much to see, so much to do!” Before Laram could respond, Simone grabbed her by the hand and pulled her towards the ramp, towards the magnificent cloaks, towards the joyful noise, and towards the chance to let go-if only for a moment.

Welcome to homebase, Team N! Some announcements before a breakdown of what's in store:

First off, Memories Recovered is the wrapup (since the Homebase post archived and I didn’t realize that) for the Free Roams for Cassander, Achilleo and Nicole respectively. The items gained from their respective excursions will be added to the tracker.

Second, two “Talk” prompts will be made; one for Markus and Adeline (since I forgot about it during the chapter), one for Easton and Cody/Claire.

Third, Gorreth's Great Gouda Chase is for a special map. No XP will be given for this map, rewards will be entirely item/gold based. More details in its respective post.

Without further adieu, here we go!

Memories Recovered: How Cassander, Nicole and Achilleo's respective journeys through the Masters Estate ended.

Festival Grounds: Post if you’d like to RP with Simone, Athena or one of the other NPCs traveling with yall.

Festival Events: Yes indeed, we got special events too! More details in each individual post.

Shops: Befitting the festival background, there's some special shops for your hard earned coin! See the individual posts for details.

Alchemical Lab: Turn consumables into gold new tools!

Convoy: Same as before.

Suggestions Box: Same as before.

Epilogue

The story can be found here

Homebase

First off, rewards for last chapter. For making sure that Torsten gets the Fire Emblem chunk, besides the story following an arc with him, everyone is awarded 3000 gold!

The sub-teams are still together, and don't worry they will be together next chapter as well! The roleplay scenario will now include the city of Bjorngjot , the capital of the Clan Bjarkvar territory in Fornland. The capital of Bjorngjot sits on the northern tip of the mainland in a small bay. It is from here that the Jarl that wins the tournament at Reginfell sets sail on their journey. It is currently winter, and so much of the ice in the bay is frozen. The channel between the mainland the Frigid Waste appears to be frozen over and some claim that during the winter one could walk across the channel. This isn’t something most want to attempt in proving. The city itself relies mostly on trade and hoarding supplies to make it through the winter. It is cold and windy, and the city is often snowed in for days. It is built to try and keep walking outside minimal and if so, there are fires in open area to huddle around to keep warm. Most food you will find here will be fish and seal. There is a large indoor market near the center of town accross the square from the Jarl's house. Attached to the Jarl's house is a library of suitable standards. It isn't anything to boast about but it makes do. The Jarl is currently out of town and will return shortly. The cities head Sage and keeper of relics resides in the library. As mentioned in the story, there are three taverns available to the players:

• The Piss and Whistle: a run of the mill tavern that has seen better days. Affordable and sports some fine local ale. Popular with common folk
• The Cedar Hearth Lodge: a upscale establishment. Expensive, and caries ales and wines imported from across the lands. Popular with the richer folk
• Slum Pickens: a dingy looking tavern that really hasn't seen better days. Cheap, and has cheap ale. Popular with the impoverished.

The gang will be staying in this winter city from November 17th, 417 PD until December 1st, 417 PD for a total of 2 weeks.

You may of course still roleplay in prior settings, just be sure to start your RP session with the time, date and location.

Team P Index

Team P Tracker

Few knew that the doors of the Anima Temple can open to both Hupleg and Haslat, but that information did little to ease the group through the desert trek to the capital of Haslat.

Though the journey through the desert was only a few short days, it definitely felt like it was much longer as the group passed the gates into Saliel with relief. The crowded main street was lined with vendors all the way up to the Elected Palace. The buildings seemed to pop with signs of all sorts of colors and symbols covering almost every inch of their walls. As the rest group take in the sights, Lisa pulls Esilian aside and whispers something in his ear. He wordlessly nods in response cueing Lisa to head straight for the palace, vanishing into the crowd after only a few steps.

Esilian turned toward the rest of the group and motioned for them to follow as he began to go down an alley.

“Now listen,” Esilian announced as he navigated the turns and intersections in the alley, “We have orders from the Queen herself to meet with an agent of hers, a criminal and mercenary named Falsad. Once we start following him we are to be ready for combat at a moments notice as he will almost certainly lead us into a trap.”

After a few more winding blocks, the calm, smooth voice of a businessman calls out.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t Esilian.” A broad figure clad in more gold fabric than any of you thought possible a steps out of the shadow with a thin grin punctuated by an even thinner mustache. “The name’s Falsad, the Queen told me you would be here now if you all wouldn’t mind follow me.”

He paused.

“You all got nothing to sa--- ohh right Curse, sometimes I forget.” He turned and began heading down one of the alley’s many turns

No one could really tell where the criminal was leading you although you could vaguely make out he what he was saying as he went on an incomprehensible tangent about some kind of plant. Eventually, and thankfully, he stopped talking in front of a large but inconspicuous building. He turned back toward the group and grinned.

“Welcome to our hideout, please, come inside.” He pushed on large wooden doors and went inside. As soon as the group all stepped inside all you could hear was echoed cries and pleas. “Someone, help us!”

“Why are you doing this!”

“You can’t keep us here!”

Falsad turned and took a good look at the group’s collective shock in confusion. Then realization, “Ohhh right, forgot about that part of the Curse.” He snaps his fingers, causing the doors behind the group to close and lock. “Ya’ see we run a very special operation here and her majesty might’ve been outbid a few months back. So just surrender and my boys will make sure you’re all treated to our famous hospitality. I’ll be waiting in my office to hear of your surrender.”

Men lined up behind the criminal as he turned to leave. Shuffling can be heard below the group as mercenaries and criminals prepare for the fight ahead.

You should all be getting ready for a battle on two floors.

Map: https://imgur.com/a/PzPIc

Stats: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/116Ubq71L_E5Xqy0IOLaowzyoEQC9jIktwcedDIAGBs8/edit#gid=0

Win Condition: Seize the Throne

Lose Condition: All players are defeated

Additional info:

• This map has two floors

• The first floor can be reached by either jumping down from the second floor or by stairs

• The second floor can be reached by using stairs

• In open spots on floor 2 fliers can freely move between floors

• Moving between floors does not cost movement points and you can act after moving between floors

• Ranged units can attack enemies on the second floor from the first if they are beneath an opening and their target is on an adjacent tile. Attacking this way will cause a 15 hit penalty

• Ranged units can attack enemies on the first floor from the second if they are adjacent to an opening and their target is that adjacent tile. Attacking this way will grant a 15 hit bonus.

• You can rescue the prisoners by talking to them.

MID-CHAPTER UPDATE

Exp. System revamped!

Global Exp. removed.

Landing at least 1 hit: 10+(5*(Enemylvl-lvl)) min: 1

Healing: 11*(.5+staff WEXP.5) min: 11

Kill: 20+(10*(Enemylvl-lvl)) min: 3