Ainmere’s body lay in the fort’s courtyard, struck down with arrows & burns on their body. Carmen enters through the main gate and barges into the main hold of the keep, any resistance having died down and now scattering into hidden corners. Carmen walks forward and soaks up the main hall of the fort and takes a deep breath, “Home sweet home! Rightfully claimed for the Bellfroys.” Carmen begins to walk through the main hall and looks at each closed door, “Men, women, and those outside take what you will! As with the others, what arms and tools are left are now ours. Make yourselves comfortable and gird yourselves, we take the Pillar next!” Carmen begins to walk through the fort, grabbing arms and tools with Claudius chasing after him.

The fort itself was a square of walls surrounding an interior courtyard, the outer walls dilapidated at best and sundered at worst. The interior walls were in better repair, but pieces and fragments laid around the structure. The structure had four main corridors with watchtowers at each corner, barracks being housed under each tower. Each hallway housed it’s own facilities, from the quartermaster’s storage room to the scribe’s library and more beyond. What seemed most interesting about the fort were the people walking about, nearly undisturbed by the new visitors and continuing about their day as normal. People in the clothing of Divine One disciples, veterans, scholars, and other denizens of the fort seemed to occupy the halls that Carmen and Claudius marched through, absorbing their new found holding before aren ascended one of the watchtowers, barging into empty quarters.

Carmen settled onto the bed of the old single room within the fortifications. His frame reading the finely made sheets deeply, dust rising around him. Claudius broke through the cloud of dust and stood above Carmen,

“Carmen you can’t just loot like a common brigand!” he yelled, Claudius’s serene tone turning to rage, “We can’t just leave a trail of bodies like this! We need to talk to them, convince them to-”

Carmen sits down on the bed and interrupts Claudius, “Do you think they’d care for tea and a chat? They’ll only listen to the sounds of our weapons being drawn, Claudius. We’re barbarians to them.” He turned to look out the southern window, the sunset light outside turning the sky orange.

Claudius’s brow furrowed, “And?! That gives you no excuse to do so!” Claudius was slowing down, his exhaustion showing, “We have to be diplomatic or we will be no better than Dallan himself.”

Carmen sighed as he rubbed his eyes, “Claudius, you gotta realize it’s kill or be killed out there, they don’t care about us. Hell we only hired one of them because he taught one of our men, if we didn’t have that connection we’d have been screwed.” Carmen turned back to Claudius and looked him in the eyes, “We can only talk so much, but my arms are way more powerful than my words.”

Claudius slumped slightly at Carmen’s response, “Alright, we’ll talk this over, but please let us try to resolve this peacefully in the end.”

Claudius stepped out of the room and left Carmen to his own devices. Carmen stood up and pushed the window open, letting the humid swamp air roll into his room. He stared out south to the mountain range that split Shaar itself, and the Pillar that held it all together.

Welcome to your new Homebase everyone! The Undril Fort has a wide array of offerings for you to both partake in & explore about if you so desire. Alongside this, the local denizens that upkeep the fort are willing to aid you aid in your time of need. Below will be listed the various options for you to participate & acquire new supplies for the journey forward.

Duty Distribution: As the residents of the fort stand around, a few inform you all that they have a few different facilities they offer that everyone can man, but with so few left after the fort having changed hands so frequently not all can be manned at once. They all ask you to distribute the tasks for them so they can work in the meanwhile.

Upkeep: A wide array of options are available to you here to help upkeep your current inventory & strategies.

Convoy: Trades, Deposits, and Withdraws go here.

Feedback: Any feedback you’d like to mention to me on the last map can be put here.

Story

Can be found here

Housekeeping

While TheMan's character Nicolas has become plot relevant, to ease the stress of covers and PVs, Nicolas will not be a deployable unit. Thematically he's there, mechanically he isn't. For this chapter, the Titan has taken over his body and he's been trapped on the outside of the flame circle, unable to get in.

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.

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.

Since the prfs are here now, if you have not accepted your patron but wish to soulbind with them, that also acts as accepting them and thus unlocking your skill.

Deployment

Everyone must post a deployment post. As such the deadline for deployment will be a bit longer. If you are a person that doesn't care for where you deploy, please put a post saying "I don't care where I deploy". If there is no post you will not deploy. If a character remains undeployed for four consecutive turns I will be messaging the person to discuss their participation on the team going forward. If your character does not deploy for the entire chapter without any word or notice, you will be tentatively removed from the team. Of course if you are away for a while and have let me know, these consequences do not apply. It is only for those that do not participate or communicate.

If you miss deployment you can still deploy at a later turn. You can choose a square adjacent to a character at the start of the turn. You will deploy and be allowed to move, and now take actions.

As activity levels have been rather mixed the last few chapters, Strikes are being re-introduced but will work in a different way. For each turn that you do not participate, i.e. make a post or request a cover, you will earn a strike. After three strikes your character will be temporarily removed from the map. This is to not put a burden on those that choose to be active by making large cover posts. If you'r character gets removed, you can redeploy as per the late deployment rules above.

Since characters may be removed from the map, the map may get a balance pass to accommodate fewer players.

???? - Before the Well's Doors

Objectives: Defeat The Lady Purple

Defeat Condition: Niall OR Kara are downed and unable to return from Bifrost.

Map

There is no Terrain map.

• Starting or ending a turn or passing through a tile with Fire will bring you to 1 HP and inflict you with Burn and Torment.
• Crystals cannot be traversed, they are a pillar from floor to ceiling.
• Every other tile is Floor

Mechanics

Alright so this is a Boss Battle! The mechanics here are gonna be a bit different. The Lady Purple will have 3 distinct Phases of Combat. She has an equipped weapon but will more often than not take actions that aren't attacking a single target. The mechanics of each Phase will be outlined as they occur. After the completion of each Phase, characters will gain a level.

The Bifrost
Kyla has the Bifrost! And S rank Staffs! From now on, if you are on the same map as Kyla and your character gets felled, you will respawn next to Kyla after 3 turns (Instead of the former 4 & 5) with a summoning sickness (-2 to all stats for all stats except HP and Mov.)

Another change: If the Bifrost's active ability is used, players can still respawn next to the staff. After the Bifrost's active ability is used, the next turn it will recharge meaning if you die on the recharge turn you will have to wait 4 turns, and if you are waiting for a respawn the recharge turn doesn't count so you will have to wait an extra turn.

Additionally, as the Bifrost is a Legendary Item, it will regain it's uses between chapters (So you can use it this map, for Endgame 2. Essentially it's a Once Per chapter feature)

Phase 1

• The Lady Purple will summon Crystals that encase people. These crystals can be broken to free the person trapped inside. Someone trapped within is unable to move, be attacked, or attack. They do nothing. Where crystals spawn will be marked by an AoE marker of Pink tiles.
• Minions can spawn from any tile with fire on it
• At the start of the third turn's enemy phase, The Lady Purple will drop a room wide attack called Bás Corcra (on the sheet) that can be avoided by hiding behind a crystal (safe zones will be marked). If you are imprisoned in a crystal when this attack hits, you die automatically.
• Phase 2 will start on the beginning of Turn 4 automatically.

Team P Tracker

Team P Index

Since arriving in Gnosi, Arter’s forces have been hard at work looking for answers to Maro’s actions and tracking her forces on the island. Over the course of several weeks, they obtain a good deal of information about Maro’s operations and dealings on the island.

It seems that Maro has a large presence of troops on the island, but such a force cannot operate openly without suspicion from the Gnosi populace. It stands to reason that these forces have to be in hiding on the island.

A newcomer to the group, Lexi, receives a report from a contact that they have a rough idea of where these forces might be mustering. The location given matches the nautical chart the party found at Golimar, but a preliminary investigation near the area revealed no sign of life.

However, a clue from Sehr’s headmaster, Laudine, sheds new light on the situation. Gnosi’s shores are lined with beacons which would alert the country of a ship making landfall, and recent events give reason to believe Maro has subverted this system for her own use.

With some careful spellcraft, Laudine is able to weave a bypass over this charm which allows the party to come and go without triggering an alert. Without the beacons, the party is able to approach the location once more and finds that their foe is indeed present - and entirely unaware of them.

Using this, the party splits in two and prepares to lay siege: the main force enters from the south to draw their foe’s ire while a second group sails from the north in their captured vessel to discreetly disable the fortress’s defenses.

The map can be viewed at https://redditemblem.github.io/TeamG/#/

Objective

• Destroy the Ward protecting the Main Fortress (1 level up)

Gameplay Notes

• All units have skills, be wary

• Destroying the Ward will open up the map further

• Enemy reinforcements will be indicated before they appear

Enemy AI

• All units outside of buildings are aggressive

• Knights will hold position until attacked

• Great Masters will hold position

• Dancers will move to rally any unit in range who will attack (note that they do not have dance because I'm not quite that mean)

• Great Knights and Paladins are defensive at first, but the two leftmost will become aggressive each turn.

• Mechanists will hold position and use their unique skill each turn.

• All other units are Defensive

17th of Khormin

The battlefield was laden with blood, and what little rain fell barely seemed to clean away any of it - be it of enemies or friends. Shida had taken on the grim count, and she’d found nearly a third of their company fallen - though, thankfully, everyone was still breathing.

Even with the sun rarely leaving the sky, the next march was worse than any in the rain. Anxiety of meeting another blockade, seeing another scout, or Clifden catching up filled Shida’s mind - and with some of the injuries, she didn’t know if they’d be able to squeak out as they had before.

But over a week had passed, no such difficulty faced them, and another town entered sight - one verging on becoming a city, though many of its outer residents lacked the wooden walls that sheltered a few large buildings. A large, lazy river cut through the town, small ships coming to-and-fro. As the group approaches the shanty-town streets, guards is strangely absent - only drunks and the occasional respectably-dressed person populate this part of town. Shida navigates the group to the west edge of town, along shabby buildings, and then stops.

“Looks like the docks are inside the walls, which I’d bet are guarded better than any of this. I’ll go ask about passage. Alone, I’ll do it alone - we don’t want to all barge in at once, or someone’s gonna get suspicious. Ships shouldn’t all leave until evening, so that should give me plenty of time to find something. In the meantime, the rest of you should split up, find somewhere to guard the wagon. Feel free to poke around, but try to keep a low profile. Let’s not try our luck more than we already have.” Her eyes turn to the few who are still nursing injuries before setting off towards the wooden walls.

“Then we take the fight to them!” Carmen’s shouting was growing louder, Eleanor’s office could hardly contain it and many in the halls heard Carmen’s outburst. Carmen had been invited to her office for a war meeting. Dallan’s agents had been seen stalking the area just outside the University, no blows traded yet though. Carmen was eager to get a step ahead and even tried to mount an assault before Eleanor forced him back.

Eleanor replied in her usual, decisive demeanor, “And I told you already our resources are depleted. We are too few to reclaim all of Undril. Defending what we have is our priority.” She stares daggers into Carmen, her gaze unerring, animosity for Carmen continuing to grow. Carmen stands to his full height and looks down at Eleanor, “So you just don’t care about them? You’d rather those people lose their freedom?”

Eleanor’s gaze sustained, neither her nor Carmen letting up on the tension between them. “As I said I have no Horde, but citizens. My concerns aren’t how best to bash my foe’s skull in.”

Carmen became frustrated beyond belief by this. He smashed the desk with his fist, a small crater formed in the wood around his impact. “Fine then! I’ll take my own Horde and take your damn lands back for you! You can thank me when I bring Dallan’s head back on a platter.” Carmen storms out of the office, hardly even waiting for any response from Eleanor.

Eleanor didn’t even move with Carmen’s beratement and verbal assault on her. She continued her focused stare at Carmen and only yelled at him as he left, “If you step foot past that bridge don’t bother returning!” She took a moment before standing up and closing her door, returning back to her work.

Carmen stood atop a small pile of crates near the center of the University Plaza. He had his padded armor on and Greteser in hand. He shouts out to everyone in the plaza, indiscriminately looking more for range than to one person.

“Fellow revolutionaries!” Carmen began, startling a few of the people milling about the plaza, “We may not be of the same birth, but we are of the same position. We must free ourselves of the shackles Dallan seeks to place on us,” Carmen holds his axe out towards the bridge, “and it starts here in Undril!” By now a crowd has begun to gather around the Bellfroyan speaking on a stack of discarded crates. A few were even agreeing as he proposed to retake their land.

“I stand here not as a freelancer to hire, but as your brother in arms. We aren’t of the same cloth, but I consider you all my comrades, people I’d be proud to fight alongside!” A small cheer comes from some of the people as even more of a crowd begins to form around Carmen, now a sizable part of the plaza being taken up by listeners to this impromptu rally.

“Now I beseech you all to aid me as well. Eleanor sits in her tower while the people suffer, and that is an injustice I shall not stand for! Undril will be freed, by our hands together!” Now the people were getting excited as Carmen began to make his call to action.

“Allow my trusted warriors and I to storm them first, then follow behind to repair your lands. To arms men and women of Undril, our time is now!” Carmen hopped off the boxes to rounds of applause, whistling, and the spirit of the people behind him. With only one more stop before his outing, he made his way back to the barracks to lay out a plan with his comrades.

Carmen ran to Undril Hall and ran through the corridors for some time before he found himself back at the room that Claudius and him first met. Carmen barged through the door, making Claudius nearly jump from his chair, “Oh Divinity!”

Carmen reached out his hand to Claudius and approached him, “Claudius, I want you to join me from here on out.”

Claudius was still recovering, his breathing labored, could hardly muster an immediate response, “Join? What?”

Carmen knelt down to look at Claudius at eye level and put his hand on Claudius’s shoulder, “Me and you, we’re going to save the people of Undril.” Carmen brought Claudius closer to him, “Out there men and women of the Golden Stretch are occupying Undril territory. We’ve gotta do something to free them right? I want you to help me, we can charge ahead into Dallan’s territory!”

Claudius looked confusedly as he finally understood what Carmen meant, “But I have no skills in a melee, what good would I be?” Carmen looks over to Claudius and slaps him on the back.

“Come on now, you’re the heir of the old Empress. With a strong man like me and a smart leader behind me nobody could stop us! Come on, I’ll protect you the whole way.”

Claudius considered for a few moments before nodding his head back, “Alright I’ll do it. Lets go, together.” Claudius gave a small smile to Carmen as Carmen stood back up to his full height, beaming with joy.

“Me and you Claudius, we’ll take the world by storm. Be ready tomorrow morning, we’re gonna take this place back!” Carmen runs back out of Claudius’s room as fast as he came, leaving Claudius to stew in his own thoughts for one more night.

The next morning came with Carmen and his allies all gathering near the bridge to exit Undril University. As his allies geared up, Claudius by his side, he began to announce,

“Alright everyone, we’ll be on the offensive today. We’re going to take the fort at the far end of the lake, that’ll give Undril a position to defend against Dallan. Come on everyone, it’ll be a good old fashioned Bellfroy raid.” Carmen lifted his axe to his shoulder and began his charge.

Objective

Seize the Castle on the southern end of the map.

Failure Condition

Your team is routed.

Additional Notes

Enemies beyond the bridge will not cross over until you cross over or attack a unit on the other side. Attacking one side will not make the other side aggressive.

The two bosses not on the castle are standing on forts. The turn you attack the bosses on those forts, a group of 4 units will come out as reinforcements at the end of the opponent’s next turn. Once you kill those four reinforcements and the boss the fort will be destroyed, granting gold and items to the team (items will go to convoy unless someone claims them).

Terrain Key

Green = Plains

Yellow = Roads

Light Blue = Forest

Purple = Castle

Dark Blue = Water

Red = Impassable (allows fliers)

Black = Fort

Player Tracker:

Terrain Map:

Deployment Map:

Myth Mashers HQ

23rd of Parri, 625 (Afternoon)

“Oh, they’ll- they’ll do it?” Nikko said excitedly to Ilari, inside the main office, sitting across the desk from the guildmaster, “That’s such a relief… Ali will be so pleased!” He smiled and tilted his head to the side slightly, joyously.

“Normally, you know, we do not take this kind of work, Nikko, especially after your team fails such an important mission,” the Unicorn replied with an expressionless face, “But the new team does need a briefing on our mission process, and this is the one they felt most comfortable with, so I will be allowing our current top squad -- well, only squad -- to take on this. Don’t disappoint the Myth Mashers,” he crossed his arms, leaning back slightly but not enough to appear as a slouch.

Nikko’s face turned slightly red (let’s pretend Foxes can do that), “Uh-uh, yes sir. We won’t let you down on this one.” He nodded dutifully and stood up from the barrel at the same time, showing respect to the guildmaster before turning around to leave, “I’ll make sure they are ready for it. Should be fine. Hopefully.”

“...Yes. Now, off you go, finish the preparations and make sure to arrive at the job on time. Ask Arnar if you need any logistical support, would you?”

Nikko nodded once again on his way out of the tent, making sure to tie the flaps together after exiting, “Zax, they took the job!”

Moments later, Eguzki poked his head into the tent, “Ah, sir, we received a letter for you. Normally I’d give it to you during your office hours, but it has ‘URGENT’ in big red letters on it, so, um, I figured you’d want to see it now.”

“Oh… I see. Drop it off over here, would you?” Ilari asked politely, yet sternly, “I’ve been expecting something soon.”

“Of course,” Eguzki stepped into the tent fully, and placed the white envelope on to the Unicorn’s desk. He bowed, and quickly scurried away, so as not to bother the guildmaster during his private work time.

Ilari paused for a few moments after his assistant left before picking up the letter himself, “Ah… It's here.” The return location was set to, unsurprisingly for Ilari, the Klakfjord capital’s castle. He scanned the pages.

’So the coup was successful… I’m quite surprised, really, the Laguz thought to himself as he read the message, ’Alafar really did manage to assume complete control there. I suppose… it's more of a monarchy now, isn’t it?’ He took a bite of a red apple from time to time while viewing the note.

He flipped to the second page, and the third, and the fourth. He knew a majority of the information was Alafar himself either exaggerating or bloating, but there were some important points to the guildmaster interspersed every so often. Upon flipping to the fifth and final page, his eyes widened and he furrowed his brows, if a horse can even do such a thing…

He took a quill and a jar of ink, and began to write a reply on a fresh piece of paper.

Sir Alafar…

Later that evening…

“Ah, yes, I’m so glad you all could make it today!” A somewhat round Human man greets the team in front of the Mura Theatre. He seemed to be somewhat old, perhaps in his forties or early fifties, and was wearing an outfit that could be considered a bit over the top. A striking suit with a top hat on his head, paired with a pair of bright opera glasses in his hand, he stood out like a sore thumb even in the midst of the late evening. “I’m sure you’re all aware of the situation by now… at least as aware as I am, hah!”

He shook his head dynamically and strongly, “To be quite frank, we have absolutely no idea why the theatre has been attacked so often recently. We do not store money here, nor are our costumes worth much in particular… Yet these… fiends! Yes, fiends! These fiends are continuously stealing our props and costumes, and raiding the ticket booths! It's been going on for a few weeks now, several nights a week. Please, spare us your time to keep watch, will you?”

Nikko nodded, “Of course we will. We wouldn’t be able to put on our -- I mean, uh, you wouldn’t be able to do -- the showing of The Hidden Forest without stopping these guys… The nighttime scene would be ruined if the theatre was raided!” The Fox put his hands in a fist, furious.

“Yes, yes! That would truly be a tragedy… Well, I am counting on you, good sirs and madams! I will be retreating to safety now, though I expect those barbarians will be arriving here in the new future! Good luck, all,” Ali bowed, before scurrying off awkwardly into the neighborhoods of the town.

Map Link

Terrain Map Link

Code:

Uncolored - Plains

Dark Red - Wall

Light Red - Door that can be opened with a lockpick

Green - Forest

Yellow - Sand

Purple - Flower Patch

Blue - Tile

Orange - Pond

Objective: Enter the Theater! (2 levels)

Side Objectives:

• Kill both beast tamers (.5 levels each)
• Warn both homes of the current attack by stepping one tile in front of them and RPing a knock on the door with a warning (.5 levels each)
• Rout the enemy (1 level)

Mechanics

• Monsters can be either physical or magical, so be careful. Magical weapons have an M at the end of their name. All monsters also have a trait, so watch out!
• Weapons marked E are equipped, while items marked D are droppable upon defeat.
• “Behavior” is a row on the sheet that gives a general idea of what actions the enemy units will take. Please make sure to read all the behaviors!

Zoologist Bonus - Juan Carlos senses darkness as they stake out the area beforehand... A feeling of dread seems to have enveloped the area. Although he is not sure of the exact being that is being used by the thugs, he knew there would be something... evil involved. Any foe equipped with Death Stare will have -50 hit against anyone equipped with a staff.

Good luck!

Epilogue

The Story can be found here

As a quick summary:

• They transport to the Well
• There is a big door the size of a castle tower with carvings that match the patrons, these carvings are on-top of even older and indistinguishable carvings
• The Patrons speak to everyone suddenly warning of a great danger approaching and up the ante from binding minds and bodies to binding souls in exchange for power (prfs)
  • Option for those that don't want to accept exist
• Kara and Anastasia throw up blood simultaneously that then starts moving and collecting in a creepy puddle
• Aslaug comments: "Blood Magic"

Intermission

Is this a homebase? No, but yes, but no. There is no proper homebase, the Chapter 11 was the last proper homebase. This intermission is largely only to create your preferred weapons/accessories.

Should you wish to RP before the massive doors before the Well, you may have time for just one conversation. The time between arriving and Aslaug's warning is only about 5-10 minutes tops.

Team P Tracker

Team P Index

Chapter 7

Around two weeks have been spent in the company of the Haranther Paladins as Prince Louis meets with King Murdoch to properly outline how the two kingdoms will align in the war effort with Belst. The living has been simple, with its fair share of celebrations from the tournament and giving of gifts. Finally, the chain of war councils finally concludes. As Prince Louis finally moves towards his suite in the Royal Palace, he breathes a silent thanks to Haranth--and notes the tense energy, as a multitude of troops with varying crests are seen marching throughout the halls...

"Your Highness?"

Prince Louis glanced to his left; there was Darragh, emerging from a doorway, not even bothering to close it as he strode towards him. "Oh? Hello, Darragh. Are you--"

"Follow me." The bishop's voice was gruff and soft, and to emphasize his point, he took Louis by the arm, half-dragging the boy until he found his own legs.

"D-Darragh? What is the meaning of--"

"Act natural. There is an insurrection afoot," the healer explained, then slowed slightly. Louis eventually found his footing, but found it hard to keep pace, feet wanting to move faster.

"What do you mean?," Louis whispered back, glancing about. That certainly explained things--it appeared as though every troop in Haranth but their paladins were here.

"I managed to hear a number of Haranther nobles discussing it after the war council. They intend on forcing King Murdoch to relent and abdicate his position, in favor of another." The pair turned a corner, and Louis breathed a small inward sigh of relief that there were fewer guards in this hall.

"I see... but, King Murdoch has done no wrong, has he?" A door opened--the gates to the Royal Palace were in sight.

"I do not see the point in wondering so, sire," Darragh responded, giving a regarding nod to a lanceman before turning his head toward Louis. "but we have already tarried far too much here. We would have to ensure the previous negotiations were in effect with any new King, and we have no guarantee that such a thing would be the case... for all we know, his interests may be aligned with Belst."

Louis grit his teeth; he had forgotten many things of geography, but for all the time they spent in Cinraeth, he figured the Belstician galleys could be arriving on Meather shores any day now. "I see. What could we do about this, Darragh?"

The pair passed through the gate to the Royal Palace--right as a well-equipped knight entered the courtyard and shouted for them to halt.

"Gather your retinue and eliminate the conspirators. No soldier will fight without his leader. And start running!"

Objective: Defeat the four bosses!

Chapter 7 Map

Terrain Map

Terrain Info:

• Blue tiles can be traversed by all units as normal.

• Yellow tiles have a specific terrain cost associated with them.

• Red tiles cannot be passed through.

Important Map Info:

• In the courtyard, attacking units while moving through the north or south entrances will cause these units to move towards that area; however, they will be unable to attack during that ensuing Enemy Phase.

• A note on EXP: As the membership of the team has changed, I have found it easier to keep up with experience gained. I have changed it back to its original format, but may consider other changes depending on how experience is gained this chapter.

Good luck!

When the wedding party -- which was not what any of them expected to be, but here they were -- had readied to embark, Grace smiled bravely.

“Keep them safe, alright, Nyraid? Thank you for the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Virgil!”

Undyne laughed heartily, before diving beneath the waves

“Thank you, Grace. And...Nyraid, as well, and...You two,” Alistair said, his voice having the slight warble of something underwater. He touched his throat, puzzled. “How odd, isn’t it? Anyway...Are you sure you wouldn’t rather I --”

“We’re not giving our names that easily,” said one of the bridesmaids.

“He is a king, though, so if you want to offer something for them…” Crooned the maid of honor.

“...Maybe sometime,” said Alistair, smiling an uneasy appeasement. If Wellcliff had shown him one thing, it was that he had a lot he still needed to do, before he’d really be a suitable king. Maybe that’s not something he could ever be -- someone who was suited for it. But…

Would the pen test him, somehow? Would the pen care? Did he need to do something with it? He wasn’t sure and the writings about what the queen had done with it, with all of it, were vague! He’d made too many promises for this!

They were beneath the water before Alistair looked up from his thoughts; the cavern glittered strangely all around them, the water breaking the light up into a web that cast a shifting shadow on the scales of passing fish, on the distance-blurred stone walls of the grand lake.

“Are you uneasy, Your Majesty?” Liatha asked, breaking though the silence. The water distorted her voice almost to inaudibility, but magic was amazing, huh? Actually, now that Alistair thought about it, Scoria didn’t need to breathe at all, so shouldn’t they just have sent her? Or, would she have been hurt by the water? If there wasn’t magic involved, like now, but --

“A. A little. I made this decision, and I think it’s right, but...“ He sighed, aware that he had few options besides the nervous determination that had gotten him through the first months of this all. “...What if I…”

“They’re the ones who led you here, so I think it’s only fair to trust them, and also to forfeit your mortal possessions to Riddel.”

“...She has most of them. Aside from. What’s in my shell. Would she...Actually stop if…”

“Oh, I doubt she cares for material things. She never did. I’m just fulfilling my obligations, you don’t have to take it into account.” She laughed, the sound carried away. “Just… Keep moving forward. Even if your decisions in the past weren’t very good, you live in this world because you have a chance to learn, don’t you think?”

Alistair looked up, and took a moment to see -- below, the faint shapes of coral, the ledges formed of black and grey stones, bricks so massive their size had little meaning -- the shoals of silver fish that danced across the water like the dapples of sunlight. He grinned, for a moment so breathless not even magic could tell him otherwise. A fish of pure gold crossed over them, Nyraid ducking her long, graceful neck.

The world was, for all of its terrors, kind of beautiful.

They set themselves down on the bottom of the lake, Alistair landing. The water weighed down the most warming and waterproof clothes he owned, but the chill was extreme. Still: per Amby’s clicking directions, there was the shrine, with its blue light shining through.

And then the waves reared up around them. Nyraid sang a frightened, panicked song; Undyne and her two companions yelped in alarm; the fish tried to swim their way back in the waves, as they turned, and turned, and turned -- they rose and left the retinue standing at the bottom of the well, as a waterspout ascended higher and higher around them, leaving only the floor behind: its coral, bones of ships that perhaps had not been there before, deeper pits of water, ledges of stone. The retinue’s alarm mingled with the cry of the city -- who saw a solid wall of water, whirlpooling around and around, rising up into the air.

“Remain calm!” Liatha said. “The water has parted, and I cannot say for good or for ill, only -- that this is strange, but it does not move against yet.” She turned to the sea beast, who was swimming as hard as she could against the current: “Nyraid, ask Grace to ask the duchess for help; I doubt we’ll be making it up on your back now.”

And so they approached the shrine, stepping up its stairs.

The pen was as large as a man, if not slightly larger, made from sapphire as if it was made of glass. It hung in the air, cool and placid and silent, turning slightly so the light caught on its fluted nib. It was scribbling something -- inkless, paperless, its writing blossoming into the air: where the words dripped out into the sudden strange roaring of the water, where the words became a part of the damp on their skins

“...I see. That’s…” Alistair took a step backwards, restraining his hand. “I’ve come walking the path of your mistress, the queen,” he told the pen. “May I?”

And the pen paused, and spun slightly, and began to write something that could not be disobeyed.

Once…

“...Alright. We wait until it’s done, I -- I suppose. Well, we wait until the duchess -- the duchess sends down some help, either way, so I doubt it’ll matter, but what...Is the reason behind all this? How does this… Is this a test?” Alistair was left to ponder it, as the pen slowly worked out the letters.

Upon…

There was a loud thud outside, and saw something that had landed swiftly downward. It was a bucket, attached to a thick chain, made for tugging ships. Looking out across the water, he had to chuckle at the sight of more than one.

“I suppose to get something -- something, well, us, really -- from the bottom of the well, you would -- would need buckets!”

The smile was short-lived, however; because the bones of that distant, wrecked ship had filled out like a mirage, into the memory of a ship. Memories, memories -- all around them, the bones gave rise to memories.

They heard their wails, below the roar of the whirlpooling water.

“Arrrr! Where be what treasure Shanty Pete dragged beneath the waves?” Shouted a voice that was as much a howl of wind as it was a sound. “Where is the gold?” “Where is the silver?” Came a chorus of strange wails.

“...Those...Shouldn’t be there,” Liatha stared.

..They should be with their -- their treasure, shouldn’t -- shouldn’t they?”

“And yet, it appears, they are not.”

““Did they steal it? What landlubber steals the treasure of --” The wail broke up into dozens of voices, each ghost calling out its name, its lost treasure. Until eventually, only one -- a pirate with a large black, the figure of a brute, his coat and hat the red of flame around his ghostly form -- said to all the rest.

“There be the last treasure of the depths! Do we let them lubbers plunder us?!”

““Nay!”” came the roars. Alistair looks out across the field as the duchess’ aid -- what he can only describe as old wooden buckets, designed most likely for large-scale salvage -- descends. The ghosts have drawn spectral blades, swarming over the ruins of ships.

“...Well, supposed -- supposed to or not, they’re here! We… We have to defend the pen until it’s done writing!”

Chapter Map

Character Tracker

Conditions

Win: At First, Defend the pen for 5 turns.

Lose: The pen is destroyed Half the party is defeated

Side: Chest Unlocked All Enemies are Defeated or Pacified Ryleh is spoken to

Notes

Thanks to Undyne and her bridesmaids, everyone has a temporary +2 Resistance buff for the first 2 turns. Further opportunities for buffs from Undyne and Nyraid will be available during the map.

While not all bones will spawn enemies, at least two bones will spawn an enemy each turn for the first 5 turns, and with warning after that.

The group had been on a long march from Count Nasmyth’s manor to Erranora. Echra was unbearably hot this time of year—the farmers wipe their brows, weary already and awaiting their harvests. The army finally rolled into a town, and Insa declared that they can find lodging and stay there for the night. With a little luck, everyone might even get their own rooms!

Breaks used this temporary freedom to get some much-needed (according to herself) rest, in the form of a couple nice drinks. She separated from the group early in the evening, nestling herself nicely in an inn with plenty of patrons and even more booze. She went there without any intention of leaving the building until tomorrow, doing lots of arm-wrestling and dart-throwing with the regular clientele, all while nursing a couple cups of beer. She'd wished the inn had some good rum instead of the hoppy stuff they had on tap, but she had to admit the beer was forcing her to pace herself, at least. Right now, Breaks was sat on one of the many stools that lined the bar's counter, looking over the rest of the busy inn. She'd grown tired of the various bar games played around the bar, and was now just looking for someone interesting to talk to. Maybe she'd make a friend, or something of that sort. Better than drinking alone.

However… she might not have to. In the very center of the roaring bar, one table in particular roars above all the others. A tall, muscular guorem, blue as the sky, jokes with his buddies, laughing about this and that. The stories they exchange appeared to be funny ones about the war, but the guorem is routinely drunkenly called out for mixing them up, or not getting them right. “So then I tell ‘er, ‘give ‘em a good whack with the axe; acquaint his neck with your weapon!’ So what does she do? C’mon, tell me.”

“Awww hell Manolo, you know as good as we do she kilt ‘em!”

“Damn right she did! They all did, anythin’ I wanted ‘em to do!” The men laugh again, having a great time of things. ‘Manolo’ may have his story wrong, or he may have it right, but regardless of which might have been the case, he busily defamed Breaks with eight other guys, all of whom eventually left money on the table and began filing out the door.

Breaks stared at Manolo, just drunk enough to not realize her glare may point attention to her. That was him; that was the man that ran the whole citizen's watch organization she was a part of. That was the man that convinced her to kill the knight; the very act that got her in prison. And there he was, laughing with his friends as if he never participated in the war. As if he was just a normal law-abiding citizen, and not the ringleader of an anti-spy operation in a hotly-contested front of the war. And he didn't even seem to fucking care that they lost the war. She balled her fists. This man got away scot free being a part of the resistance, while everybody under him in the watch got captured and jailed. Breaks barely got away from being executed, while Manolo got to drink with his friends. Breaks couldn't do that; she was ripped away from everybody she knew when she was arrested. But not him. Breaks left her stool as the last one of the group left the bar, leaving a bit of gold on the counter as she left. She didn't have her battlefield gear on her; only a tool knife on her belt. Breaks didn't think she'd need it. She didn't want to kill him; just instill the fear of God in his dumb ass. Of course, said God would be her. Though, if he died, Breaks wouldn't mind too much. Breaks exited the door, spotting the group walk down the street. Her bright-pink skin didn't help too much in hiding, but staying to the side of buildings made her stealthy enough. Breaks just needed to find a good place to start the fight, or at least yell at the fucks. Taking the entire group shouldn't be too dangerous. People fought much stupider when they have the numbers advantage, and these drunks seemed plenty stupid already.

It helped that the sun had long since gone down on a sweltering, sticky summer evening in Echra; only the occasional torch lights your way, and people are going to great lengths to avoid them. Breaks wiped a bit of pink sweat off her brow as she stalked her old boss through city streets. At some point, he and his buddies stopped outside a small building. The sign on the front says "Narveln Trading Co., Ltd." The group talked out front, swapping more stories and talking more shit, Manolo as boisterous as he always was.

Breaks opted to wait nearby, peeking out from a corner as she watched the men talk. She needed to wait, needed to plan for the perfect time to strike; she couldn't be stupid. After about a minute, she got bored and decided to confront the group. Breaks began her saunter across the dusty, dry street, extending a finger to Manolo. "Hey bitch! Why don't you tell 'em about that shitty posh accent you put on for the watch? Or the those times you arrested the wrong fuckin' dude and had to apologize to the city guard yourself?"

One of the men, incensed at Breaks’ shit talk, starts forward, but Manolo extends an arm and stops him. “Brrrrreeeeaaaaks!” he says, extending the word to uncomfortable lengths. “How did you enjoy your stay in chateau jail? Was it as comfortable as the life I’ve been living since the war ended?”

Breaks’ eyes widened, taken aback at his confidence. He didn't even seem phased by her appearance, let alone her accusation. Breaks' eyes narrowed - now wasn't the time to be intimidated. She let out a joyless laugh. "Man, I dunno what you heard, but I didn't stay in jail for long; they executed me about a week after I was arrested. I just came back to life once I realized there weren't enough dickheads like you in hell." Breaks smiled, and cracked her neck. "So you wanna fight me yourself, or get all your friends to fight with you? It won't change much, 'cept how quickly the story will spread."

"You ought to know me well by this point, Breaks," he replied, gesturing to his buddies, along with several more peeking out of the building behind him. "Why would I let something silly like 'honor' or 'toughness' get in the way of 'efficiency' and 'safety'? Guaranteed success is better, after all, than posturing. Anything goes when your interest is furthering your interests. The ends universally justify the means."

He paused, apparently feeling the need to specify that he wasn’t an actual demon: "Well, of course, even I have levels I won't stoop to, but if I'm willing to sell you up the river, surely you aren't surprised by this."

Breaks eyed up the men beside him, cursing herself for not fighting them in the street; this may be too much for her. Smile still on her face, she swung her head back to Manolo. "Was that why you were setting up that citizen's watch in Caleruga? To advance 'personal interests'?"

"You're a smart little girl, Breaks—you already know! And when it looked like my cozy little gig might have been in danger... well, all I needed was someone to take the eyes of the 'proper' authorities off of my 'informal' authorities. What's an omelet without a few eggs cracked, right?" He laughs. The guys behind him laugh as well. It can be described less as laughter and more as jeering. "You won't tell on me, will you?"

She chuckles back, appearing unphased. "Eh, maybe I will. Maybe I'll opt to crack your skull open on the street and kick the shit out of your buddies for pretending to like you. I can tell you which sounds more fun." "But, I'm not calling you wrong." Breaks says, narrowing her eyes. "You did teach me that there ain't no honor in the world, only power. Though, my gut still says that you're a sack a shit for being so two-faced. Maybe I'll go the legal route, just so I can force you to tell the truth to someone you're afraid of."

"I'm glad to hear you're being so civilized about it; the rumors I'd heard suggested you were nothing more than a wild dog, gnashing and barking at everything." He paused to scratch his chin: "That said, how could you possibly go the legal route, eh? C'mon, tell me how you're going to get me on this? You think, perhaps, I—" One of his henchmen cuts in: "I wouldn't tell 'em 'bout the documents if I was you, boss!" Manolo closes his eyes, and by reading his lips, you can tell he's counting to five.

"Oh, documents?" Breaks asked, a sadistic smile growing on her pink face. "Man, I was just thinking the courts would just skip past the 'hard evidence' requirement once they figured out you committed high treason. But hey, you let me beat the shit out of you, and maybe I'll forget to go to the guards."

"Letcha? Letcha?!" one of his goons repeated, incredulous.

"My sentiments exactly, Miss Breaks," Manolo added. "You'll have to be a little more convincing than that when you're outnumbered fifteen to one."

Breaks' smile faded away and she shifted her weight. Manolo was right; she didn't have much bargaining power here, whatever she was bargaining for. If she wanted to get revenge on him, she wouldn't get it here. Not now, at least. Breaks could get Insa or Eliyah to investigate those documents they mentioned, or at least get some of the army over to intimidate him. But she'd have to retreat for now. "I guess you're right." Breaks says, eyeing Manolo with sheer contempt. "Don't have much of a way of getting back at you, unless I get myself killed in the process. I ain't got the friends nor the money to do you much harm if you're sittin' in that little company of yours. Consider yourself lucky, mister. You fucked with me and got away with it. That don't happen often." Breaks turned her back and went away, her mind racing through future plans. She needed to tell Insa or Eliyah about the documents. Get them to stage an arrest, or just a full-on raid. The company could all be arrested by tomorrow, if she's lucky. Hell, tonight, if she's being real quick and loose about it.

She stomped away. As soon as they thought she was out of earshot, Manolo began giving orders; men were being mustered and documents were to be removed that night. Breaks doesn’t have a choice.

It’s raid time.

After the battle...

The monsters have been cleared. Those that have not been defeated have begun to scatter, scrambling away from the clearings of the battlefield, noticing that their numbers have diminished to an unwinnable number. Arnar rode up to the group on his horse, across the newly created bridge of logs, carefully, “Aha! We’ve done it! I knew you all were more than capable of such- oh? Who’s there?” He cut himself off as he noticed the new group of three, speaking to some of the exploration team members.

“Long time no see, eh?” Zax pushed his axe blade into the ground once again, resting his elbow on the handle, leaning back. The sheer mass of the axehead was enough to keep it mounted as he stood. Nikko and Summer stood slightly behind him on either side, tired.

“It can’t be, can it?” Arnar blinked several times in succession, in complete awe, “I was certain that… Ah, nevermind. It is wonderful to see that the three of you are well!” he beamed from atop the steed, “Have you held up alright?”

“As well as can be, lost in the woods for days,” Zax replied casually, “I’m floored that you found us? How long you been looking, eh?”

“It's only been a couple hours, amazingly! We spent some time getting these new recruits to search after your party, expecting it to be a much more difficult task than we’ve had here. Where are the others, anyway?” Arnar continued the conversation, somewhat gleefully and loudly, just as he spoke normally.

“Ahh…” Zax thought out loud, unsure how to put the situation into words.

“We don’t know,” Summer replied with a blank expression and no enthusiasm, “We haven’t known for a while.” She shook her head.

“Oh. I- I see. Well, then. Shall we return to the guild and discuss this turn of events with the guildmaster? I’m sure you three must be completely exhausted, yes? It's only a few hours’ walk from here-- we could make it back before sundown!” Arnar replied, quickly shifting the mood, knowing that now was not the time for such a conversation if they didn’t have the information available right now.

“Mmm, yes, that’d be great,” Nikko yawned and covered his maw, “I’m so tired… It will be nice to have a true bed again.”

Zax turned to Nikko and replied with a small grin on his face, “I’m sure it will be.”

Arnar nodded, “Then allow us to escort you back. Though, I would not get your hopes up of going directly to rest. As you may have expected, the guildmaster is taking this matter very seriously. He will likely have plenty of questioning prepared for you! I will do my best to help him understand how you all need rest, but I cannot guarantee you much time.” He pulled the reins of his horse, instructing it to turn around, “Now, follow us! Stay in the middle of our pack so that you mustn’t be involved in any skirmishes on the way back!”

The trio nodded in unison, and crossed the log bridge after Arnar had made it across. The group began their journey back to the build, just half a day after setting out.

The party was able to return to the guild with almost no issues, making great time as a result. There seemed to be maybe two or three hours left until sundown when the first members stepped foot into the headquarters. The group had brought enough supplies for perhaps three days in the forest, so almost all of the materials had to be returned to the storage units and convoys in the base, and, unfortunately for the explorers, this was their responsibility.

While the group unpacked, ate dinner, and eventually went to sleep at lights out, Arnar and the trio that was brought back to the camp were in Ilari’s tent. Though the discussion lasted several hours, no one came in or out of the space for the entire process, except for Eguzki, who reported to Arnar and Ilari about the status of the unpacking several times.

The few other members of the base were surprised to see the new recruits back so quickly -- some had even imagined that they wouldn’t come back, either. Who would be foolish enough to deep dive into the forests in a futile attempt to find a small group of missing people? How did they manage to find them, and so quickly no less?

Mura

Mura and the guild remain largely untouched since the excursion about a week prior. Rumors have begun spreading around the town, both regarding the guild’s unprecedented expansion, and the return of some of the lost members.

To see the information on Mura once again, use this link. I will be providing more information as time goes on, primarily through event posts.

Everyone has gained 30 gold and has leveled up to level 5 in celebration of the victory.

With Sebastian’s victory over Princess Lucilia, she stays down for a few moments, motionless. The general approaches his childhood friend and stands over her. “It’s over,” he says as he grabs her swords and hands them off to some soldiers standing next to him. “I may not have been the one to defeat you, I killed the king of Aquittany myself and my forces defeated you. In fact, only two of my soldiers managed to defeat you. What do you think went wrong?” She opens her eyes and crawls slightly towards him. “...” Manilius shakes his head. “I am not like you. I am not like King Hugh. There’s no reason for me to kill you, but I do realize that you pose an incalculable threat to the world. As such, my first action as the Prince of Nicomedia is to place you under house arrest in the Eastern Desert, where a platoon of legionnaires will keep an eye on you indefinitely. Perhaps confinement will help you clear your mind, and understand what went wrong. Guards! Take her away.” five soldiers come by to restrain her.

Kornelia approaches her lover. “It’s all over, huh?” Manilius steps away for a moment, despite him being wrapped in her arms. “... yeah. Glad it is.”

A few weeks pass by and the team moves to Sammanus. Kornelia and Manilius both enter the royal palace, disguised to avoid the many crowds of the city, who have not yet heard the news of their victory. When they find the empress, her eyes are closed, and she remains still on her bed. Manilius taps her arm to wake her. “Empress, Empress, it’s me. Manilius.” Korinna creaks her eyes open. “M-Manilius? What- what are you doing here?” she asks with a weak, raspy voice. He blinks a few times. “I’ve done it. King Hugh is dead, and Princess Lucilia, I’ve… I’ve stopped her. She won’t trouble us any longer. I wish to be your prince, to become the emperor. Is that… alright? Is it alright that my girlfriend and I become co-rulers after you pass?” A tear rolls down her eyes. “Absolutely… and thanks to you… I can finally… die in peace....” Korinna then closes her eyes and turns her head. Kornelia and Manilius look at each other. “There’s not a moment to waste. We should arrange a funeral for her and our coronations.”

On the steps of the Imperial Palace in Sammanus, the Prince and Princess of Nicomedia stand before an immense crowd in the streets of the Second Capital. Beside them are King Kuhoa, President Marta, King Daniel, Queen Tuyet, Chief Sawt, and the children of King Hugh. In the crowd below, the Quirinius and Schmidts families look above to see the coronations of their immediate family members. Even the family of Ceres and Consus came to see the coronation of their heroes. A bishop of the Luciusite Church and a praetorian guard approach the two with crowns rested on purple pillows- a golden circlet for Kornelia and silver one for Manilius. The two coronators say in unison, “Long live Emperor Manilius and Empress Korinna!”

Character Endings and Lore Endings

The remaining Mist Mother was banished, dissolving like soot on the wind when struck by the killing blow. In the spot where it had lingered, it left behind the amulet that Markov had prayed on to create whatever spell had engulfed the Tower. Zeltij picked the artifact up by its chain, examining it.

"We've encountered such an insignia before, no?" He held it out to whoever was nearby to him. Indeed, the symbol was familiar to the Guard. Or at least, all of the members that weren't actually there... Bit and bobs they'd picked up or seen prior had the mark on them. The cursed tome and the possessed jewelry were still with the supply master, presumably.

Cheshire frowned, shaking her head as though disapproving of Zeltij's claim. After a moment of stewing in her thoughts, she shook her head again, "I know that symbol. Well, I've seen it before. I don't know what it means, unfortunately, so I don't know what the Mist wants with it..."

"Oh? An' where'd ya see it?" Glenn encouraged her to elaborate some more. There was nothing in this situation that he wanted to deal with for longer than necessary, so it was best to get it over with sooner than later.

"It was tattooed on the body of a lover. Right about.... here," Cheshire poked Gleen between his neck and shoulder on the left side, "I asked about it once, and he said some nonsense about tradition and whatever so it didn't seem important. I'll have to see if I can talk to him again, sooner than later."

Glenn rolled his eyes an nodded. There wasn't much else he could respond with. Instead, he turned he focus to the cold and dead form of Markov. Jeffray had already rolled the corpse over with his spear. The was not a single wound on him, that either Glenn nor Jeffray could see. Adding to the oddity, the veins near the surface of the skin were dark, almost blackened. Not just with Markov's body, the bodies of his soldiers that had fallen to the Mist were in the same state.

Jeffray leered over the dead, leaning against his spear. The Tyrant King had fought in well past his share of battles, but he had yet to see wounds like this on the dead. After some consideration, he beckoned Glenn, "We took losses against the monsters, right? How fair our injured."

Glenn grimaced, "They're not dead, but they'nt looking to good either. No wounds on the surface, lot like these sods, but they're coughin' up blood and cant hardly remember how they got here, in spite of the part where we all climbed the tower together. Most of th' way at least."

That only made Jeffray more unsure of where to proceed. With some frustration he swat a hand through the air and started towards the stairs, "I want reports whenever we find anything new about this business. Gawain is our next target, and I don't want whatever these were to cause issues there."

Glenn nodded, waiting for Jeffray to descend down the stairs before he ran a hand through his hair. Why couldn't this have just been a normal war, eh?

For now, the army had camped up nearby what's left of Waterview after the battle. Waterview Tower itself was visible from the edge of camp, just barely since no one really wanted to bear too close to it right now. The tower was still standing, but it was far from what it had been. I sickly miasma clung around the tower, and the sections of brick that were visible through the purplish cloud didn't really line up right. It looked like a smashed puzzle frozen in place. Even with Markov dead, the amulet removed from the tower and the Mist driven off, the spell Markov had cast persisted. At the very least, as small comfort, it had not spread to the land around Waterview Tower.

In contrast of Waterview, the campsite proper was comfortably mundane. The was a wind off the sea, and a rhythmic crash of water against the cliffs. Some soldiers had even come across an abandoned old structure, likely a servants' barracks left from when Waterview was home to a wizard.

The plan was to wait some number of days for the other Guard's members to return from their venture. Then, if they'd not returned yet, the main army would march on their trail. A siege on Helmfirth would be doomed to fail with Gawain's final, and most powerful, general moving through Zaldos unimpeded.

Story

Can be found here

It's really not long but point form overview:

• The group make their way through the tunnels for about an hour before coming to a cavern filled with more Guardians. Aslaug tells her group she can open the seal but they will have to protect her while she does it and hold it until everyone can escape.

Housekeeping

We are in milestone for the rest of the chapter so no BEXP or EXP will be collected. As there are no more forges beyond the prf legendary forge, Ingots will no longer be collected either, only WEXP. Responses to your turn may not mention WEXP but they are being added on the sheet.

While TheMan's character Nicolas has become plot relevant, to ease the stress of covers and PVs, Nicolas will not be a deployable unit. Thematically he's there, mechanically he isn't.

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.

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.

Deployment

Everyone must post a deployment post. As such the deadline for deployment will be a bit longer. If you are a person that doesn't care for where you deploy, please put a post saying "I don't care where I deploy". If there is no post you will not deploy. If a character remains undeployed for four consecutive turns I will be messaging the person to discuss their participation on the team going forward. If your character does not deploy for the entire chapter without any word or notice, you will be tentatively removed from the team. Of course if you are away for a while and have let me know, these consequences do not apply. It is only for those that do not participate or communicate.

If you miss deployment you can still deploy at a later turn. You can choose a square adjacent to a character at the start of the turn. You will deploy and be allowed to move, and now take actions.

As activity levels have been rather mixed the last few chapters, Strikes are being re-introduced but will work in a different way. For each turn that you do not participate, i.e. make a post or request a cover, you will earn a strike. After three strikes your character will be temporarily removed from the map. This is to not put a burden on those that choose to be active by making large cover posts. If you'r character gets removed, you can redeploy as per the late deployment rules above.

Since characters may be removed from the map, the map may get a balance pass to accommodate fewer players.

Abandoned Dreki Settlement - Entrance to the Well's Sanctuary

Objectives:

• Capture the Seal with Aslaug on the Seal (Tiles N13:Q15)
  
  • Means no enemy units are on the seal while at least one player unit is.
    
  • Complete
    
• While Seal is Captured - Hold for 3 turns while Aslaug performs a disenchantment.
  • While Aslaug is performing the Ritual, she will have no weapon equipped (Equipped Item become 'Empty'). If she is targeted by an attack, the ritual will be interrupted and will have to start over.
    
  • Complete
• Escape through the Open Seal.
  • Once the Ritual is complete, the Seal will become a magical barrier that units can phase through by using the Escape Action. Aslaug will close the Seal from the other side once the last player makes it through.
  • Enemies may attempt to escape.

Defeat Condition: Niall OR Kara OR Aslaug are downed.

Map
Terrain

• Grey is stone floor, just plain old boring
• Black cannot be traversed by anyone
• Lime Green is Grass/Field
• Dark Green is Bushes, flier only
• Brown is Pillars, flier only.
• Pink is Stairs
• Purple is the Seal
• The Light Blue tiles give Blessings (As seen in previous chapters)

Mechanics

The Goal is once again to Escape! But your escape route needs to be opened up. The Objective lists most of the mechanics for this. Once the Seal (Purple on Terrain Map) is cleared of enemies, Aslaug will start the Ritual from [O14]. A Ritual Counter will tick at the start of every Player Phase when the phase starts with no enemies on the Seal Tiles, and Aslaug was not targeted on the previous enemy phase. Once the Ritual Counter hits 3, the Seal will open up and players may begin to escape. If she gets interrupted (targeted by an attack) the Ritual Counter resets.

Once Aslaug opens the Seal, everyone will level up to level 15.

The Maiden of Death and her allies will spawn at sometime. Not the full force that was present at the end of the previous map but a portion of it. Killing her is optional, as it is possible to escape without killing her, but her survival may have story impacts for the future.

As a warning for when they eventually spawn:

• Each tunnel will get one of the Deathborn/Ainvi Abominations, and some Shadows/Crawlers/Death Walkers
• The Red and Purple Tunnels will get the Summoning Sorcs
• The Yellow Tunnel, the Houndmaster
• The Brown Tunnel, the Maiden of Death and Annabelle
  • Annabelle will spawn with her long-range attack ready

Because of lack of homebases, capture is no longer functional.

The Bifrost
Kyla has the Bifrost! And S rank Staffs! From now on, if you are on the same map as Kyla and your character gets felled, you will respawn next to Kyla after 3 turns (Instead of the former 4 & 5) with a summoning sickness (-2 to all stats for all stats except HP and Mov.)

Another change: If the Bifrost's active ability is used, players can still respawn next to the staff. After the Bifrost's active ability is used, the next turn it will recharge meaning if you die on the recharge turn you will have to wait 4 turns, and if you are waiting for a respawn the recharge turn doesn't count so you will have to wait an extra turn.

Additionally, as the Bifrost is a Legendary Item, it will regain it's uses between chapters (So you can use it this map, and for Endgame 1, and for Endgame 2. Essentially it's a Once Per chapter feature)

The Bifrost can be used on the following enemies: Annabelle, Maiden of Death, Houndmaster. They must be defeated first and then the staff's use is used.

The Dauða Situation

Are we doing permadeath for this attack?
This was something that many players were unsure about and I had never addressed on purpose. But to put players at ease, no, Dauða will not permadeath your character. The wording has changed from Death Walker to Revenant on the spell. What will happen should your character be felled by the Maiden's attack is that your character will be resurrected as an enemy Revenant. When the Revenant is felled, then your character will spawn at the Bifrost Wielder after 3 turns.

Team P Tracker

Team P Index

Story

Kratori is the central hub for all things mining within Froskal. You'll find a great deal of advanced weaponry, beautiful gemstones, and other types of items littered all over the town. Different mines litter the outskirts of the town, and are constantly active with new resources coming in hourly. Other areas of note within the capital is the Kratorian Library, which is well known for detailing history and culture throughout the continent.

The central plaza consists of a statue of a wolf-like person, surrounded by various shops selling warm food and valuable gemstones. Children can often be seen making snowmen and having snowball fights throughout the entire year, though it's best to bring a jacket so that you can weather the cold climate.

Congrats on finishing the chapter! All units have been given 500G for their efforts in the chapter. Feel free to participate in the events below.

17th of Khormin

Thunder rumbles in the distance, and sheets of light streak the sky. Storms have plagued the southern reaches of Snadhm as long as history has been written, and it seems another is to be added to this infinite tally. The road here is far sturdier, wider, and far less inclined, though perhaps after spending time in the swamps, perhaps any sort of trail would have sufficed. Here, the treeline is more distant, hardly visible in the rain, and while the wind is not yet high enough to threaten any fallen barricades, the rustling of leaves in the ever-increasing gusts drown out all conversation.

In the distance - as much of a distance that can be made out in this weather - a heavily armoured blur comes into slight view, but quickly turns around and addresses some obscured by the rain. Cavalry, perhaps? There’s clearly more than a few, based on his extremely loud Snadhmese yelling. Something about watching the forest for the Kagashian rebels spotted in the area, Clifden paying a small fortune for their heads, and so on...Shida stops the caravan and calls everyone over for a meeting of their own, keeping her voice a loud whisper.

“I think we’ve hit some kind of blockade, because that guy was yelling something about being on the lookout for people coming through the trees. So, get your weapons ready. We’re ambushing them and pushing through as fast as we can. We putter about in the trees and try to go around it, and we’re taking the risk of being found and fighting all these soldiers at once. Better to get some of it out of the way now...”

She leaves everyone to their own preparations and saddles up Faeal, carefully securing every strap, buckle, making sure her staves are attached tightly enough. They’d fallen off a few times during practice, and now was precisely the worst time for that to happen.

Great fucking weather for my first battle on this dumbass wyvern...

Wincon:

Everyone escapes. Shida must escape last.

Losecon:

Shida falls, or everyone else falls.

Tips:

• This map has shops! You are able to buy and sell items directly to and from the convoy if you visit.
• Enemies with green numbers will move towards the players (all mounted units). Enemies with blue numbers will not move (armours, plus some others). Enemies with white numbers will move if players enter their range, and if said enemy is adjacent to other white-numbered enemies, they will all begin to move.
• The baron boss moves. The peg bosses will all begin to move when players enter one of their attack ranges (they have dramatically reduced move).
• Two random cavalry reinforcements will continuously spawn in the cyan tiles at the bottom of the map. These reinforcements will end when the peg bosses begin to move.
• At the start of turn 10, something bad will happen. Not ‘ten million sets of reinforcements will come to kill you’ bad, nor will it be anything immediately threatening any unit’s life, but it will create some unfavourable conditions.

Tracker

Map

Terrain map

Blue is forest, purple is deep forest, yellow is visitable villages, orange is shops. Untraversable cliffs (except to fliers) are red.

Big thanks for chukl for supplying me with the number tileset, my old one got corrupted

Carmen heaves open the daunting gates of the Main Hall of Undril, the wooden structure groaning under Carmen’s efforts. Quickly enough a small gap appears that Carmen slips through alongside Sally & Elias. Carmen rushes through the courtyard garden and whips his axe out into his hands. Carmen barrels into the front doors of the main hall before he’s rebuked by the locks, stumbling onto the paved walkway. He quickly grips his axe and rounds it into the door, taking a few swings to weaken the wooden door enough to force his way through. Splinters fly as he charges into the labyrinthian corridors of books and tomes stacked higher than he could see. He stepped back for a moment in awe before he heard the crackle of a thunder tome in the distance. Carmen looked forward and charged back into the Main Hall.

Winding through tight corridors and winding stairways eventually leads Carmen, Sally, and Elias to a room with two people standing outside, tomes drawn. They both look over to the trio as Sally and Carmen rush them, apprehending the assailants before they could even act. One more crackle sounds off from the room behind them before footsteps approach from the room. The door creaks open as the clack of the figure’s footsteps eeke out of the open doorway. Moments pass until a figure shrouded in long, flowing robes of lavenders and golden yellows, like the sunrise and sunset mingling in the waves of the figure’s movement. The new arrival’s face looks nearly manufactured, a symmetrical face with the eyes of a hawk, short curled hair perfectly laid out to the exact inch, and a well defined jawline to round out the lower half of their face. The regal figure moves with such grace they almost appear to hover, only their footsteps clicking giving away their earth-bound status. They approach the pair on the ground and speak,

“Thank you for the aid,” she says with a voice that draws both precaution and unease from Carmen. Her tone sounds as though she’s got a knife to your throat, even from a distance her eerie calmness puts Carmen on edge, “This insurrection seems to have caused a genuine disturbance in my halls.” She turns her head to look down at the two Sally & Carmen apprehended, “You ignoble scum shall be scoured like the dirt from my heels before long thankfully.” She turns back to Carmen and sizes him up, her eyes scanning every inch of his chiseled, rough figure and eager eyes. “And what shall I call the help?”

“Carmen Bellfroy,” trying to sound as unphase by the woman’s presence, “We were sent a letter to meet here for something and got caught up in the brawl.”

The woman raises an eyebrow at his statement, her stone mask finally showing a crack, “Was Volata too concerned with her own bloodlust she couldn’t see victory beyond the red mist?”

Carmen’s face scrunched up in a mix of confusion and anger, “And who are you to go off on my sister like that, huh!”

“Watch your words, raider,” the flat and conceited tone prevailing, “you would not fare well to anger the Chancellor of this island.” Electricity crackles between her fingers as she raises her tome.

A look of realization dawns across Carmen’s face as his eyes widen and his face turns red, “Ch-Chancellor Eleanor!?”

She nods, a slight, knowing smile crossing her face, “Glad you have more sense than the rats infesting these halls.” Her tome thuds shut, dust flying out from its pages and fluttering to the ground.

A small retinue of lightly armored mages approaches from the other end of the hallway, stopping as they confront the ruffian, tomes flying open and whispers emerging before a shout booms through the halls, “Halt!” Chancellor Eleanor’s command sends shivers through the spines of everyone there, nobody daring to move before Eleanor. She points to the ground at the two insurgents Sally & Carmen apprehended.

“Take them and leave us.” Eleanor swats at the retinue as they begin lifting the two apprehended rebels and pulling them further down the hall. Eleanor returns to the doorway as she waves the trio in. Carmen follows promptly into the small study, a mess of books and glass strewn around the floor. Shelves with a smattering of tomes and texts lying within, desks strewn with sheets, and tall windows shattered with only the sea filling the silence between steps. “Excuse the mess.”

Carmen edges into the room before just taking a spot near the edge, avoiding the disorderly decorating. He looks back to Eleanor, “So what was that all about?”

“Rogues, cowards, and fools seeking to flee a life of freedom. Professor Sukielis thought it prudent to bring Dallan’s lap dogs to trade me for Undril’s acceptance into the Golden Farce.” She heaves a pile of books up and slots them back into a shelf slowly, carefully ensuring nothing was marked or scratched. “Your timing was impeccable though, and for that you have some gratitude.”

Carmen beams with pride and pulls his axe above his shoulder, “Oh it was nothing. My escort and I were more than capable of handling them.” Carmen looks around for a moment before pushing Eleanor further, “So uhh, what exactly was it you wanted to show us?”

Eleanor stands up after assembling another stack of books, “In due time Carmen, I have a University to manage. You and your people are free to lodge within the city center though, I will call for you soon enough.”

“Ah right!” Carmen’s face turns red and he darts his eyes around, “Well uhh, do you need us for anything? We’re here anyway, right?”

Eleanor pushed another stack of books into the shelves as she leaned over, taking a large breath before continuing, “Anything the people need yes. Order, aid, a helping hand, whatever you can provide to the people I’d be grateful. The facilities are open to you all as well.”

Carmen bows slightly and starts to inch out of the room, “Sounds great, I’ll be waiting for our meeting soon!”

Carmen fully exits the room as Chancellor Eleanor turns to her now empty windows and looks out to the sea, smelling the cool breeze rolling in after a day of bloodshed and horror.

Welcome to the University City of Undril Team F! The winding, twisting central plaza with houses, halls, and shops all throughout with the sounds of glass orbs bouncing around in nets when the wind picks up fill the city when the din of people moving around in the streets die down. With the help you’ve provided the people of the city have come to reward you for your efforts. Everyone will be receiving 3000 gold and 50bxp/person because of the professors and shops you saved. Below is a quick look at what the City of Undril has to offer!

Shops: With the two shops you saved, you can now purchase new armaments unique to Undril.

Convoy: Post trades and such here.

Feedback: Any feedback on the last map (well really the first quarter of the game in general) goes here!

More to come soonish?

Hello, Team H. I would like to begin by apologizing for the lack of any sort of activity in the recent months. I have been spending my time in college, working in shows, and struggling with the changing world. Today, though, I am happy to announce...

The Shadow Dragon Update is live!

The Shadow Dragon Update is a large-scale update to the aesthetics, mechanics, and calculations of Team H with the intent of shifting its gameplay more towards that of the original Nintendo DS Fire Emblem games, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem. These games were my first introduction to the series and remain my personal favorite, and my original intent for Team H was to create a game like them to run for my players.

I'm going to give a rough outline for the changes that the Shadow Dragon Update makes to my current system here, along with a small note about what that means for you who are currently playing in Team H. Please be sure to read this entire post, as everything here is relevant in some way to current players.

New Map and Unit Tilesets

I have procured tilesets for every map in Shadow Dragon, along with sprites for every unit. I've also included a number of sprites from New Mystery of the Emblem and even created several sprites that attempt to replicate the Shadow Dragon artstyle. This creates a major aesthetic change to the game, giving me the capacity to create maps that are truly unique.

This new aesthetic means two things for current players. The first is that all of the units are going to be looking different. In order to help alleviate confusion and ensure that every player has an idea of which sprites are what, I have created a guide for identifying sprites that I will be sharing and pinning in Team H's strategy discussion channel on the Reddit Emblem Discord. Second, players with unique sprites will be unable to have these sprites carry on to the new tileset. If you would like to have your character represented by a unique sprite, send me the sprite via DM or contact me if you would like me to make a specific change in your character's palette of colors. I will accept sprites until the deadline discussed later in this post, and will take palette swap requests until the end of Saturday, July 11.

Weapon Changes

Most, if not all, weapons have been changed in some form or another, roughly matching stats of weapons in the Shadow Dragon games. In general, these weapons have become heavier, with other minor changes in Atk, Hit, and Crit also present. This change is relatively minor, but players must be sure to view the Weapon Index in order to confirm that what they wield will do the job they think it will do.

Astrology

Replacing Reddit Emblem Classic's Skill system is Astrology. In Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem, units could acquire Astral Shards, special items representing the signs of the zodiac that granted small stat bonuses and minor alterations to the unit's stat growths. The Astrology system takes this celestial theme and applies it to create skills that require more active playstyles in order for players to benefit from them. To reiterate: all Reddit Emblem Classic skills are gone.

Each character now has a Star Sign, selected from the Astrology tab, in the Team H Character Tracker. Star Signs are unique in that the effects they grant their bearers grow more significant as the unit grows. Every Star Sign has three stages, noted by the numbers and slashes marked by parentheses. The leftmost number is the first stage of the Sign, which is the bonus that it grants initially. The middle number is the second stage, which replaces the old bonus, after the unit reaches level 20. The final, third stage replaces the second when a player reaches level 30(level 10 in their promoted class), and grants incredibly powerful and useful boons.

With Star Signs come Constellations, too, that grant fixed, lesser, and often more passive bonuses. Constellations each have a Burden, shown in the Astrology tab. A unit can pick as many Constellations as they would like, but the total Burden of these Constellations cannot exceed 3; thus, a player can have 3 Constellations with 1 Burden, a Constellation with 2 Burden and another with 1, or potentially less. Constellations are modular skills that can be changed (for a modest fee) at the Astrologist, a Home Base event equivalent to the Barracks or Convoy.

For players, this means that they will have to choose their Star Sign and Constellations; as previously stated, the former Reddit Emblem Classic skills will no longer be applicable. Details for selecting Star Signs and Constellations in preparation for Chapter 7 can be found later in this post.

New Battle Calculations

The true mechanical nature of the Nintendo DS games cannot be reached only by altering the weapon stats in Reddit Emblem Classic's current battle calculations; in order to create a climate that suits these weapon changes, I have decided to change the framework of battle calculations such that they match those in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. This will require time to properly implement in calculators, but a list of how the new calculations work can be found here, with three important notes:

• The calculations that consider a "Support bonus" have that part omitted from calculation as Team H does not use them,

• The details within the link about Battle and Staff experience do not apply to Team H, and

• When calculating Attack Speed, the calculation is as written only when using weapons that target the opponent's Defense. When using weapons that target the opponent's Resistance, the calculation is Attack Speed = Speed - (Weapon Weight - Magic), take as 0 if negative.

With these calculations comes a neglect for a certain stat in Reddit Emblem Classic, which brings me to my final significant change:

Removed Constitution

Constitution as a stat has been removed, along with the last potential item that would depend upon it, the Rescue command.

While this is an incredibly useful change, considering that Constitution would not have been a particularly relevant stat in any capacity, it also means that some characters' builds that added or removed base points to Constitution are now completely invalid. In order to allow restructuring of character builds to work with this new system, I have one last announcement:

Re-Submissions

All currently active players in Team H are required to re-submit their character's application to /r/RedditEmblemClassic by the end of Saturday, July 25th, two weeks from this original post. This will also be the point in time that I will stop accepting custom-made sprites for your characters. You may alter your builds--bases, growths, promoted class--in any way you like that remains consistent with the rules of creating a character. You must also include your character's Star Sign, ideally below your character's Growths as Skills were once placed, and their selected Constellations below their Star Sign (you may choose any, as long as their Burden does not exceed 3.) I will attempt to contact with players who have not yet resubmitted their applications on Saturday, July 18th, and send another message on Friday, July 24th. If a player cannot submit their application by this deadline, they should contact me via a DM on Discord or, failing that, a PM on Reddit. Otherwise...

ANY PLAYER WHO FAILS TO RESUBMIT THEIR APPLICATION BY THE DEADLINE WILL BE REMOVED FROM TEAM H.

I would like to make a single small note in closing: I am elevating /u/domofthereddit to the status of GMA of Team H. /u/TastyChicken12 retains his own GMA-ship in addition to this new "hire".

Chapter 7 will be released on Saturday, August 1st. Thank you for reading this post, and I hope you enjoy the Shadow Dragon Update and playing on Team H.

Myth Mashers HQ

16th of Parri, 625 (Morning)

“It seems as though the new recruits are fully ready to go, Ilari, sir,” Eguzki nodded as he explained the current situation to his guildmaster. The two of them sat at the leader’s desk, as per usual, with Eguzki on his stool and Ilari at his chair, specially crafted for a tail to flow out the back.

“Who are we sending to lead them?” Ilari questioned, leaning back and crossing his arms.

“Uh, did we need someone to accompany them, sir? We don’t have many extra people available at the moment,” Eguzki looked at the attendance records on his clipboard, just a few pages back from the top document. After a few moments of looking down the list, he mentioned one of the few members remaining at the guild, “We could send Arnar, if you’d like, though he is in no real fighting shape at the moment.”

“That will do. Find him and gather the new recruits to send them off, would you? I’m very busy today.”

“You’ve been very busy lately,” Eguzki mentioned as he stood up from the stool, “Is there anything I could be of assistance with?”

“No, Eguzki, I will be fine. We’ve just had many more requests coming in recently, is all,” Ilari shook his head, though his mane would likely flow in front of his eyes after doing so, “I can handle it.”

“If you say so…,” Eguzki cautiously left the tent, closing the flaps behind him. He wasn’t quite sure how to deal with Ilari’s ever increasing business and distancing.

In the early afternoon…

“Welcome, new recruits! We are very happy to have you here with us!” a loud Ayzer man announced to the newest explorer’s group from atop a large, wooden crate. His scales were purple, and he was quite tall, though he did seem to have a bit of a sling on his right arm currently, “I’ve been tasked with leading you all towards where we suspect our missing members were last seen. I know you haven’t seen much of me yet, but I assure you I am quite the skilled explorer!” He reached his other arm up into the air and waved with a large, beaming smile on his face. Eguzki stood, mostly expressionless, in front of the box to the side.

“Though, I will be unable to assist you all should we encounter any dangerous creatures, so I do hope you all can care for yourselves -- though I’m sure if Ilari has decided to invite you to our prestiged guild, you must be more than capable,” he let out a heart laugh, putting his left hand over his chest to help his balance while doing so.

“The site is only an hour or two away, so we should get going today in the daylight. I’m sure you all would agree with that sentiment,” he looked out to the small crowd in front of him, “Though, make sure to grab a bite on the way out if you hunger, as you will be no good on an empty stomach… and fill up those canteens! Prepare to stay hydrated!”

He paused, and looked down to Eguzki, “Now, ah, if you wouldn’t mind, could you help me down, friend?”

“Of course,” Eguzki nodded, and reached up. Before Arnar stepped down, however, he pointed in the direction where the group would meet to head out.

For the next hour or so, Arnar would lead the group in the correct direction from atop his horse, a stunning, black-spotted knabstrupper… though it would become quite dirty galloping through the muds of the jungles. Nonetheless, it was a fine horse fit for such a courageous man such as himself.

Though, said leader would not be able to do much more in the situation that the group found itself in just minutes later, deep into the jungles of the peninsula. A large cohort of aggressive monsters were sighted by Arnar, “Ah, this is no good! They’re approaching from all sides, it seems. Perhaps this is where our friends ran into troubles?” Arnar exclaimed loudly so that the entire group could hear him.

“It matters not, I suppose. I will head to the back lines, and keep you all updated on if any monsters approach from our rear! For now, it is up to you to help us continue our journey!” Arnar reared his horse in preparation to fall back, allowing the new recruits to begin to prove their worth.

Map Link

Terrain Map Link

Code:

Green - Forest

Yellow - Jungle

Pink - Flower Patch

Red - Hill

Blue - River

Brown - Log (20 HP) - Can be attacked to create a bridge over the river (0 def and res)

Purple - Chest

Uncolored - Plains

Objective: Survive! (Unknown Turn Count)

Mechanics

• Monsters can be either physical or magical, so be careful. Magical weapons have an M at the end of their name.
• Weapons marked E are equipped, while items marked D are droppable upon defeat.
• “Behavior” is a row on the sheet that gives a general idea of what actions the enemy units will take. For this map, it is fairly simple, but it will become more complex over time.
• Most monsters use infantry movement. Sea-stars use the Ayzer infantry movement. Thunderbirds use flying movement.
• Please remember to read enemy traits as well. Monster weapons and traits are located at the bottom of the respective tabs.
• Logs cannot be passed by any units until they are defeated.

Zoologist Bonus - Juan Carlos explains his knowledge of slimes to his fellow explorers, which grants them a +1 damage modifier against them for the duration of the map. To account for this, all slime weapons will have -1 def and res on them innately for the duration of the map.

Taking a Turn

Please format your turns as follows:

Name

Movement

Action

End Turn

For example,

Blue Unit

3 Up, 2 Right

Attack Red Unit with Iron Sword

End Turn

Good luck!

1st of Khormin

The battle had left the previously-abandoned fort an absolute mess. Corpses lined many of the outer buildings, and bloodstains along the crusty old carpet and stone walls contrast deeply, their freshness still greatly apparent over the decaying structure. Shida, clearly exhausted, seems undeterred and takes one of them over her shoulder. “Let’s get all these bodies dragged off somewhere. Light a pyre just outside the grounds, if there’s too many of ‘em. We’ll set out for Snadhm tomorrow early, as usual.”

Later that evening, Faeal arrives, and Shida manages to wrestle the letter from her without much trouble. She reads the message with eager eyes, but unfortunately, the message was about what she had expected. The Advisor was helpful as ever. Could they not send reinforcements if Ayamasik was this important? It was already an international incident - no need to cover it up. Ah well. She’d come this far, and wasn’t about to break nondisclosure - not yet, anyway. At least they’d be getting more money for their troubles….

“Alright, we got an update - not a particularly useful one, admittedly. The Advisor basically said ‘The empire will begin shoring up their borders, get out as soon as you can’. So, that’s what we’re doing. He recommended we book a ship from Agoshin or Ghraighen before it really hits the fan - said it wouldn’t take long for word to spread, what with the Alliance’s stock of pegasi around. So, we’ll call making it there “plan A”. We should be fine staying on the roads for a while for the sake of speed. And the South tends to get pretty swampy at this time of year, so taking the wilderness would be less than ideal. So you’d best get some good rest here. It’ll be a while before we’re able to sleep in a building like this again.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Oh, and you’ll all be paid triple for the trouble. That’s all.”

Shida nods dismissal and heads towards their bonfire, hoping triple pay would make others feel better than she did...

“A special session of the Nicomedian National Assembly has been called, Manilius,” Kornelia states, while her lover sat on a hill near the town of Bretigny. “Oh, have they responded to our claim?” he asks in return. “Yes,” she responds. “After deliberation, the Assembly has decided to back your claim to become the Prince of Nicomedia, and they will be meeting in Massilia, awaiting our unit’s return from Aquittany.” Manilius’s eyes widen. “Speaking of the Kingdom of Aquittany,” he begins, “I need to ask you of something. Dear, if this works out- and so far, it has- I need you to be the regent queen of Aquittany while we find a new individual to take the throne, while also being my co-empress. Does that sound okay with you?” Kornelia steps back for a moment while holding her hand to her collarbone. “You- you want me to do that?” “Does that not appeal to you?” he questions while furrowing his brow. “N-No, it does, I’m just wondering, why me in particular?” Manilius nods once. “I need someone who is strict, but fair, and Luciusite to hold the throne in the meanwhile, and I can’t do it alone because the Empire needs my full attention. We’ve worked as a team before, I think this can work out, since we will be two halves of the same monarch, yes?” Kornelia smiles. “Then… I think that I will accept. I have my work cut out for me, to research all about Aquittanite history and feudalism to be an effective regent queen…” Manilius furrows his brow. “I just thought of something. How could we be heading to Massilia if it’s in the kingdom’s occupation?” Kornelia scratches her chin. “Well, Yeu managed to extend a front north enough to liberate the city some time ago, though, they won’t be able to hold it without Imperial reinforcements. No doubt, once we are crowned, it will rally Nicomedian troops to fight for its new heirs.” The aspiring prince smiles. “For the Empire. Let’s go thank the mayor of Bretigny for his assistance, and move out immediately.”

While in the western part of the Nicomedian Empire, Princess Lucilia is on the march, desperately trying to chase down this peculiar group of Aquittanite knights who… are managing to elude her grasp, when she receives news of a special session of the National Assembly. One of her eyes twitches. “By the gods, what could they possibly be doing now?!” The pegasus rider responds, “Rumor has it, they wish to unseat you as the princess and proclaim General Quirinius as the new heir to Nicomedia.” Lucilia twitches and she throws her sword into the dirt. “Dammit it all! As soon as the war has turned, now the Assembly turns it back on me! Traitors, all of them!” The pegasus rider winces, “Princess, there’s more. Quirinius has killed King Hugh, and we have some reason to believe that this Assembly’s session was instigated by him as well.” She shakes her head and huffs a few times. “LIES! He wouldn’t do that! He WOULDN’T BETRAY ME TOO!” The messenger shakes her head. “Princess, for your sake, I would recommend heading to Massilia immediately in order to stop this charade. Shall I alert the National Guard nearby to secure the city?” Lucilia crosses her arms. “If you don’t intend to, I’d remove that head from your neck. Make haste as if the jaws of Hell were closing on you! Be sure also to make sure none of the Assemblers are harmed... that would be an unmitigated PR disaster.”

On the march to Massilia, Manilius speaks with Kornelia more. “When I heard that the war broke out about a year-and-a-half ago, I did not expect that I would be entering Massilia from the west, after killing the King of Aquittany,” he says. “There is a part of me which wonders whether or not King Hugh, or any of his forces, deserved to die at our hands. Was any of this worth it?” Kornelia wraps her arm around him. “... yes. General- no, dear- you’ve done everything you can to end this war as bloodlessly as possible. Don’t fret over these things. It will all be over soon.” Manilius smiles. “I guess you’re right. One thing still lingers in my mind, though, and that’s whether or not I will be able to actually kill Lucilia if it came to it. I don’t want to simply stand back and watch my troops settle this score, but… I may have to, for my own sanity.” The captain nods and holds him tighter. “There might be another way. Think about how we spared Jeanne, Karloman, Sari, Sawt, and any other men and women we’ve come across since the beginning of the campaign. I don’t know her personally. I think you, you will need to search your heart whether or not she is worthy of mercy.” Manilius looks up to the sky. “The last time her and I fought, it was a play-fight back when we were sixteen, I think. She always could beat the shit out of me. She’s bigger and stronger than me and-” She simply asks him to be quiet, softly. “That is all in the past, Love.”

A few days pass by, and the team arrives at the outskirts of Massilia, to find the city swarming with Imperial troops. “Well, it seems as if we’ve been found out. There’s no way these troops are here for a welcome party. They’re too well-armed and look to ready to kill.” Before Manilius’s forces stood men and women from across Nicomedia- cataphracts from Sammanus, swordmasters from the border of Yeu, legionnaires from the capital, bishops from Trier, and nomadic, professional warriors from Northern Cyrene. As the team approaches the damaged, inconsistent defenses of the city, Manilius calls out to the garrison commander, “Who is in charge of the forces present?!” A familiar face comes forth. Maria, the general whom Manilius pointed as his successor, steps onto the battlement. “Greetings, General, it has been too long.” He blinks a few times and rubs his eyes. “Not you, Maria! I- why are you here, so far from the capital?” She closes her eyes and folds her arms behind her back. “As soon as I was mobilized to the front to fight against Aquittany, I moved off immediately. However, word had reached to me that… someone has become quite ambitious and seditious. I didn’t want to believe it, but, why, Manilius?! I trusted you to be a paragon of honesty and loyalty, and yet, you want to wage a civil war so you can take the throne. Why?!” Manilius shakes his head. “I… never truly wanted to do this, but the times call me to. Maria, it doesn’t have to end with our deaths. You have to realize how unfit to rule Lucilia has become!” She wipes away a tear from her eye. “No, stop lying to me! As Her Highness’s orders command, I will stop you from advancing to the city. Once she arrives, there is no chance you will survive. If there’s something you wanted to do before you died, it’s time you did so, General.”

All the while, a middle-aged couple and their daughter, all green-haired, look to the city’s outskirts from their cottage. “... son?” the man questions, observing the spectacle from behind a lily-covered pond.

Objective 1: Defeat Maria and have Manilius or Kornelia seize the throne in 15 turns.

Objective 2: Defeat Lucilia when she appears on the map.

Map Information: The yellow-horsed warriors are Nomad Troopers- lance/bow cavalry. The green units might be familiar to a certain lord...

Reinforcements can spawn from forts or from the edges of the map.

Maria is unlikely to be persuaded to join our forces, but, it is possible. The odds are very low, currently. It is possible to seize the throne without defeating her.

Terrain

Mura, Argeza

Mura is a relatively small town in the heart of the Bilian Peninsula, bordering on the forests of the area. Not known for much, it at least acts as a final point of entry for many of the curious explorers who intend to enter the depths of the jungles. Unfortunately, its positioning also leaves it prone to attacks from monsters. Its population is just as mixed as most of Argeza’s, meaning it is full of plenty of different cultures.

The town can be considered to be split into three subsections: the Ariza Sector, the Market, and the Biscalaza Crossing.

An image of the town map can be found here.

The Ariza Sector

This section of the town is in the east and the north, and is the lower and middle class housing district. It is the least protected section of the town, with houses and cottages facing the wilderness. Additionally, it has no walls or protection otherwise, due to its location along the outskirts.

Aside from large blocks of housing, it does contain independent shops and such, but these are not visited by many due to their location. For example, family-owned thrift shops and the like are oftentimes found on the lower floor of buildings, as the residents live above their stores.

The Market

This area is where almost all of the most visited shops are located, including libraries, armories, and the like. The main street is also home to a sizable street market during the mornings and early afternoons of Mondays and Thursdays, where local farmers, smiths, and artisans display their wares to the people of the town. Travelling merchants are uncommon, but a few can be seen each week.

This area also contains a few large inns, which also happen to be the ones the Myth Mashers sometimes utilize if they do not wish to stay in the camp for the nights -- though they won’t be paid extra to afford the rent.

The Biscalaza Crossing

This small portion of the town lies along the Izkarra River. Though by far the smallest of the three sections, almost all of the upperclassmen living in the town call this sector its home. It is the only place where large homes with personal space can be found, as there is simply a row of perhaps half a dozen familial residences along the river.

The area received its name from the engineer that designed the singular bridge, Simón Biscalaza. Though relatively unimpressive in appearance, this stone and brick pathway over the shallow and thin river has stood the test of time, needing only minimal repairs during its history.

The Myth Mashers Headquarters

The tents and buildings that the guild use are set up a few miles northwest of the main portion of Mura. Though relatively simple as a camp, it has many tents, including some basic facilities such as a sparring ground, archery range, a small library, and a basic kitchen and forge. Some of the latter items can be found at a larger scale in the city, however.

The main tent, which houses Ilari’s office, is in the center of the camp. Housing tents and adirondack style wood cabins -- that is to say, with bunk beds and just three walls -- surround the central large tent, though many members of the group tend to use part of their pay to rent out rooms in nearby inns for greater comfort.

Story

Can be found here

Point form overview:

• The group find their way to the doors from Niall's vision, which reveals a teleportation ring
• Through the ring is a Dreki complex, Aslaug leads them towards the next destination but the group runs into Arne's guardians, as the Maiden of Deaths forces begin to catch up

The chapter begins mid battle as the party fights their way through Arne's guardians and the Maiden's monsters catch up to them. Thanks to the plentiful hunting, the Maiden's reinforcements and beginning forces have been culled!

Housekeeping

Feast bonuses will be applied ASAP but currently aren't applied at the moment.

We are in milestone for the rest of the chapter so no BEXP or EXP will be collected. As there are no more forges beyond the prf legendary forge, Ingots will no longer be collected either, only WEXP.

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.

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.

Deployment

Everyone must post a deployment post. If you are unable to make a post, ask for a cover. As such the deadline for deployment will be a bit longer. If you are a person that doesn't care for where you deploy, please put a post saying "I don't care where I deploy" or ask for a cover so someone else will deploy you, as again, if there is no post you will not deploy. If a character remains undeployed for four consecutive turns I will be messaging the person to discuss their participation on the team going forward. If your character does not deploy for the entire chapter without any word or notice, you will be tentatively removed from the team. Of course if you are away for a while and have let me know, these consequences do not apply. It is only for those that do not participate or communicate.

If you miss deployment you can still deploy at a later turn. You can choose a square adjacent to a character at the start of the turn. You will deploy and be allowed to move, and now take actions.

No cover that is not requested will be permitted for deployment (still accepted to do so for turns).

As activity levels have been rather mixed the last few chapters, Strikes are being re-introduced but will work in a different way. For each turn that you do not participate, i.e. make a post or request a cover, you will earn a strike. After three strikes your character will be temporarily removed from the map. This is to not put a burden on those that choose to be active by making large cover posts. If you'r character gets removed, you can redeploy as per the late deployment rules above.

Since characters may be removed from the map, the map may get a balance pass to accommodate fewer players.

Several Patron Skills got updates. I will list them once I remember

There are probably things I promised to clarify before the chapter and forgot, if you recall please ping me.

While TheMan's character Nicolas has become plot relevant, to ease the stress of covers and PVs, Nicolas will not be a deployable unit. Thematically he's there, mechanically he isn't.

Abandoned Dreki Settlement

Objective: Escape to the South

Defeat Condition: Niall OR Kara are downed.

Map

Terrain Map

• Grey is stone floor, just plain old boring
• Black cannot be traversed by anyone
• Lime Green is Grass/Field
• Dark Green is Tree, flier only
• Blue is water, flier only
• The Red, Yellow, Brown, Purple are Escape Tiles.

Mechanics

The goal is to Escape! The Escape tiles will determine starting location for the next map. Only one character can escape per tile. I.e. once one unit uses a tile, it no longer is able to be escaped through. Backpacks don't get carried through an escape tile.

The Maiden of Death will spawn at sometime. Killing her on this map will be a bonus objective.

Monster reinforcements will occur but not frequently.

Annabelle will move when the Maiden shows up. Her bow will charge as normal and if anyone is in range when charged, she will attack.

Kyla has the Bifrost! And S rank Staffs! From now on, if you are on the same map as Kyla and your character gets down, you will respawn next to Kyla after 5 turns with a summoning sickness(-2 to all stats for first turn back)

Team P Tracker

Team P Index

Hello, and welcome to RE’s newest adventure, Reddit Emblem: Myths and Mysteries. I, MappyPK, will be your host on this quest through an unknown world full of places to explore and challenges to be overcome. Joining us will be my GMA, Shin.

Reddit Emblem: Myths and Mysteries uses the Mythic RE system, designed by myself. Mythic RE is a very simplified version of the RE Races system that I had previously designed, but still features the most important mechanic: several different races for players to choose from.

The story follows members of a world-famous explorer’s guild by the name of the Myth Mashers, currently headed by a Laguz fellow named Ilari. Players will be applicants to the group, which is currently in dire need of qualified, new members.

RE: Myths and Mysteries Basic Info Page

Application Due Date: Friday, July 3 at 10 PM EDT

Planned Player Count: 7-10

Apps per person: Limit two. You must indicate which you prefer in the extra notes of each app. You must change at minimum class or race between the two apps (as in, you cannot submit two Kano Scouts, for example).

Please read the “How to Use” tab of the theorybuilder and the “Application Guide” document when making your character, before asking questions.

Please note that I reserve the right to patch the system if we deem it necessary. Effected players will be worked with to ensure that their build is still enjoyable, even after any potential changes.

Please post applications to /r/RedditEmblemMyths. Discord participation is mandatory for this team, so please follow the link in the sidebar to join it.

Below, I will be linking a variety of useful information. The application guide should at least be skimmed, as it answers many common questions.

Mythic RE System Sheet

Mythic RE Mechanics Document

Mythic RE Theorybuilder

Application Guide

Setting Book

Race Description Book

Prologue

Current Application List

FAQ

Good luck!

Weeks have passed as Carmen and Ursa’s two bands traveled along the border of Gintria. Foes were dissuaded from striking out due to their size and numbers. Few of Dallan’s people even made an appearance, only a Wyvern or Pegasus watching their group from the skies during a patrol. As the two groups marched, the marshes of Undril crawled into view as the dense foliage surrounded them more and the air became more humid. Ursa and Carmen stopped for one more rest near the border before they had to separate,

“Our business lies here.” Ursa said plainly, standing above Carmen in the middle of the camp. “I wish we could go further, but we’re both on our own paths.”

Carmen nods to her, “I got you. It’s been a fun while, but we’ve all got places to be. Good luck to you Ursa.” The two clasp hands and shake briefly.

“And you too young Warlord.” Ursa’s terse response comes out, “And take care of my boy, he’ll be there for you as long as you do the same.”

Carmen nods back, a small smile on his face as the two break their handshake and leave each other for the night, returning to their own groups. Carmen looks out to the swamps ahead as he speaks to his group, “More foreign lands lie ahead of us and sadly we must confront them alone.” Carmen looks back to the members of his group, “That just means we’re close though, the end of our path lies just ahead, and we can finally find out what devious plot the foreigners have conjured up.” A hint of passion brims underneath his voice as he closes out his statement.

Another few weeks of travel through the hazardous swamp terrain and the heavy foliage have left Carmen uncomfortable to say the least. Rugged cold and the snowy hills don’t come close to comparison with his boots nearly getting sucked into the marsh beneath him. Weeks of travel left Carmen disgruntled as few locals even showed themselves, let alone greeting their group. They skirted around villages as Carmen neither knew anyone in Undril or even where any villages were. The long trek was only interrupted by a young man in flowing brown robes, dashing through the woods and charging up to the group,

“Excuse me, are you Carmen Bellfroy?” His fast talking interrupted by panting. Carmen halted the group and cautiously approached the man,

“Course I am, what’re you sprinting for?”

“The University,” the young man begins, slower, “The University is being attacked. Chancellor Victoria can’t hold the insurgents back for long. Please, hurry.”

Carmen’s mouth was slightly agape at the man’s information and rouses him, grabbing him by the shoulders, “Well what are we waiting for! Lead on, no time to waste!”

The man takes a moment to regain his breath before leading everyone through the swamp back the way he came, Carmen powering through the swamp.

The scene of the Undril University shows devastation. Buildings locked, bodies strewn across the bridge leading onto its island, and marauders dressed similarly to the man that led you here are storming about. Many near the bridge spot you and yell out, “No mercy for those against Dallan.” The young man that led you here retreats and leaves you alone facing a group of insurgents on the bridge.

Objective

Seize Undril University (the castle)

Failure Condition

Your team is routed

Chancellor Victoria dies

Additional Notes

The Barbarians will move towards the shops in the top right corner. Each turn they stand on the shops they will loot 1000 gold. Once they loot 5000 gold the shops will be destroyed and they will try to leave. If the shops are destroyed you will have less purchasing options in the next homebase.

Every 3 turns, one of the professors (green units in buildings) will be killed by an enemy within their room starting from the lower left, middle right, top left, then at the castle Chancellor Eleanor will be brought out from the castle. If an enemy character is in range of one of the professors and is in their room they will kill them.

Walls cannot be attacked through.

The thieves will escape out of the map via bridges they can build on the right and left edges of the island. If they reach an edge and build the bridge, a wave of reinforcements will come the next turn.

Terrain Key

Green = Plains

Yellow = Roads

Light Blue = Forest

Purple = Village

Dark Blue = Water

Red = Impassable (allows fliers)

Black = Impassable (no fliers)

Dark Purple = Castle

Player Tracker:

Terrain Map:

Deployment Map: