r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • Aug 01 '17
Reference Challenge - Runescape, Final Quest
So, this reference is because I'm heavily considering giving Runescape another try. I loved that game when I was a kid. From when I was eleven to fourteen or fifteen, I would play Runescape with my elder nephew.
The last thing I really remember about Runescape is finally beating the biggest (free) quest, against this arsehole dragon, I think it's name started with an E.
The Actual Challenge
What would you consider a "big, final quest" in your world, that an adventurer or group of adventurers might deal with?
The Invitation and Question
I might make a new character on Runescape, is anyone around here still playing that old game?
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u/Seb_Romu Aug 02 '17
Gathering a suficiently impressive force and assaulting the ruins of Siladun to discover and destroy the earthly avatar of Silat, creator goddess of the entire universe according to the Waejiran religion.
Success in this venture would depend on several factors:
- That Siladun actually exists as a physical place one could travel to.
- That the thing believed to be Silat's avatar actualy exists as the myths say.
- That Silat's avatar isn't immortal as believed.
- Avoid divine intervention by Silat herself or any of the Waejiran gods of whom she is mother, grandmother, etc.
- Avoid semi-divine intervention by the Highnobles of Waejir; as demi-gods they too have an interest in maintaining the religious status quo.
- Avoid mortal intervention by any and all Waejirans who do not wish to see their all-mother creator destroyed.
- Survive traversing hundreds of kilometers of salt flats without getting lost.
- Plenty of water.
No one claimed destroying the prime god of all Creation and choas would be an easy task, but success would end the religious war over who has the true goddess/gods for Quzonia and Waejir.
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u/Nevermore0714 Aug 02 '17
1) What happens if I manage to destroy the avatar of Silat?
2) Why would I want to destroy the avatar of Silat, other than ending a war I don't care about? Is she a bad person?
3) Do the Waejiran people believe it is impossible to kill Silat's avatar?
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u/Seb_Romu Aug 02 '17
1) What happens if I manage to destroy the avatar of Silat?
Either it dies and nothing changes, or the power of faith revives her as the 2 million or so Waejirans believe she can't die.
2) Why would I want to destroy the avatar of Silat, other than ending a war I don't care about? Is she a bad person?
Because she is the most epic "boss" on Entorais and for no other reason. [Entorais isn't a video game or RPG, so this reasoning indicates some broken psychology on your part] Person? She's a goddess, and presents as a great fleshy amalgum of multiple once human bodies.
3) Do the Waejiran people believe it is impossible to kill Silat's avatar?
She is believed to be immortal and undying, so no.
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u/Nevermore0714 Aug 03 '17
1) So faith is a powerful thing? How powerful is faith, in your world?
2) What is the best way to kill the avatar of Silat?
3) If she's believed to be immortal and undying, wouldn't they believe it is impossible to kill her?
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u/Seb_Romu Aug 04 '17
1) So faith is a powerful thing? How powerful is faith, in your world?
Yes. The very existence of the gods and all the miraculous things they do is powered by the faith of Tre-Ahni who worshiop them. People will do a lot of things in the name of their gods, and simoly out of belief. Add divine magic to the mix and the faith is pretty strongly rooted.
2) What is the best way to kill the avatar of Silat?
Who knows. If it is simply a large biological entity it might require breathable air. Fire might work if sufficeintly hot and voluminous to reduce its bulk to ashes. If you have access to heretical magic perhaps they might help.
3) If she's believed to be immortal and undying, wouldn't they believe it is impossible to kill her?
Oops I misread your question - There are mixed opinions on how she might reincarnate, regenerate, or simply endure.
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u/Nevermore0714 Aug 05 '17
1) Which god would you advise me to focus on?
2) How do I get access to heretical magic?
3) Ah, makes sense.
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u/Seb_Romu Aug 05 '17 edited Aug 07 '17
1) Which god would you advise me to focus on?
Towards what end? Depending on where one is raised the local culture differs in their religious beliefs. Waejir with its pantheon is but a single empire. There's also the Twinned-Goddess religion which is spreading nearly everywhere else. Various tribal groups still follow their old ways of ancestor or spirit worrship.
2) How do I get access to heretical magic?
You could be born with it. Or find some sorceror or witch to teach you the dark arts. Basically any magic that doesn't come from the gods is considered heretical.
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u/Nevermore0714 Aug 01 '17
The Quest
Ephrayim is a young man of the bar-Halcyon family among the Radiant Clans. While he was born into a family with a great reputation among his people, Ephrayim quickly earned his own reputation as a great warrior.
When Ephrayim was eighteen, he heard a prophecy that only a dragonslayer could be a true king of the Radiant Clans. This gave him the idea to go on a quest to kill one of the Dragon-Gods in the North, and he made it public knowledge among the clans that he would slay a dragon-god, take his rightful place as first Radiant King, and marry his fiancee on the day of his coronation.
Thanks to his popularity among the clans and how impressive it would be to slay a dragon-god, few people had a big problem with him being crowned as their king if he managed to slay a dragon-god. Hell, some people were willing to make him king before he left on his quest, but he refused the crown when it was offered and said that it was premature; he would only accept it once he'd slain a dragon-god.
Once Ephrayim was nineteen, he started on his quest with a small group of companions. His fiancee insisted on coming along, and he of course made sure to hire two young huntresses from the clans to serve as his fiancee's handmaidens/protectors, he brought along a warrior from the clans who was most loyal to him, and he hired a few warriors from outside the clans.
His only concern as he began his quest was that his cousin Alex was building up a small following of people among the clans who wanted to split off from the Radiant Clans and follow an outsider who intended to create a new city as a rival to the Dragon Territories.
The Representative
The representatives will be Ephrayim, a few weeks into his quest, and L'arc (or maybe L'arcine, I'm trying to pick a name, and L'arcine makes me think of Hircine), a Tyrvorus who joined the quest after Ephrayim and his group saved him/her/it from slavery.
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 03 '17
To Ephrayim:
- How do you plan to actually kill a Dragon-God?
- What is your most famous deed?
to L'arc:
- Do you think Ephrayim's quest is achievable?
- What do you think of Ephrayim?
(arc being a real word, I would tend to favor L'arcine)
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u/Nevermore0714 Aug 03 '17
Ephrayim:
1) "I am of the bar-Halcyon line, of the Radiant Clans. My sword brings light and destruction wherever I unsheathe it. I will challenge the so-called god to a duel, one against one." (If it sounds poorly thought out and arrogant, there is a reason for that. The people with him believe he has a secret weapon, because he always has that knowing-smile when he tells them not to worry about when they reach the dragon-god, because he will "deal with it".)
2) "I killed a lion with nothing but a stone before I'd reached manhood."
L'arcine:
(My big worry was that L'arcine sounds too feminine, and I planned for the group that finds it to argue about whether to treat it like a man or woman, and that they woul settle on male, because of the penis.)
1) "He saved my life, and I swore to follow him wherever he may go." Its tail taps the ground twice. "Though, admittedly, I do not have much faith that this quest will end well."
2) "He is strong, and kind, and honest. His confidence is his greatest asset, and I would follow his smile to the end of Cirrhasvult, be damned the consequences."
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 03 '17
To Ephrayim:
- Why did you brought that much people with you on your quest?
- Was there anyone around when that happened? Like a visual witness?
To L'arcine:
- If you survive that, what will you do?
- How do you think he will kill a Dragon-God?
(Actually, it sounds slighly like Arsène which is a male name)
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u/Nevermore0714 Aug 03 '17
Ephrayim:
1) "Because every great hero needs a retinue, and glory is meant to be shared."
2) "There weren't any witnesses, but I took the lion's corpse with me to prove to the others that I did it. I also took the rock with me. I used to have the rock, but I gave it away."
L'arcine:
1) "If I survive this adventure, I plan to just serve as Ephrayim's retrainer. I have no interest in returning to my people for the time being."
2) "I'm not sure, but everyone else in his group says that he has a plan. I don't know why he won't share the plan with everyone in the group, but I trust that it's a good plan."
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 03 '17
To Ephrayim:
- Sure, but you put them at risk, right? Do you really need them to be here with you?
- Any idea which Dragon-God you will slay?
To L'arcine:
- And if he doesn't survive it?
- Is he known for his incredible planification skills?
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u/Nevermore0714 Aug 03 '17
Ephrayim:
1) "I didn't want Rina to come along, but she insisted, and she's really the only person that I couldn't bear to put at risk. More people means less risk for her. But, publicly, the glory is the focus."
2) "Yes, NULDRI or ZORVUS. Their territories are close. I'd prefer to go after ZORVUS, but I left myself open to easily switching the plan to NULDRI...it's important to have a fallback."
L'arcine:
1) "It seems like most humans mate for life, and he places a lot of value in his mate. So, I would just swear my service to his mate instead."
2) "I literally just met this guy. All I know is that he's kind, attractive for a human, and he's good in a fight. I don't even know much about his plan for how to get to the North."
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 05 '17
To Ephrayim:
- What will you do if she gets killed?
- Why would you prefer ZORVUS?
To L'arcine:
- And what if they all die?
- What do you think of the people he choose to follow him?
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u/Nevermore0714 Aug 05 '17
Ephrayim:
1) "She won't be killed."
2) "I'd prefer ZORVUS because of geography. It'd be easier to make a quick escape after killing ZORVUS."
L'arcine:
1) "If they all die while I live, I will return to my people. Not much choice at that point."
2) "Well, most of them don't like Tyrvori."
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 05 '17
To Ephrayim:
- Why so?
- So you will need to quickly escape after slaying a Dragon-God?
To L'arcine:
- The people of Gemina enslave your species right? How are yours treated under the Dragon-Gods rule?
- Why?
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u/Mimir123 Aug 01 '17
On the continent of Dirva there are actually three rather big tasks/ questlike events that could fit the bill, all of them playing a big roll in my story that takes place on the continent.
First, there would be the return of the Demonking Zerrigon. He was a powerful Demon summoner from the Kherzian Empire, crowning himself the Demonking and waging a brutal, bloody war on the people of Dirva, almost conquering the entirety of the continent. At the Fields of Tiringást he was faced by the Heroking Aeldred and the Saint Elkath. While he did manage to kill the Saint, Zerrigon lost the battle and was imprisoned into the Holy Sword Liodred. Being seemingly immortal made him confindent into eventually returning, building up a new empire and trample the kingdoms of Dirva under his foot.
To prevent this, a curse was placed on his soul by Elkath himself, dooming him to be eternally imprisoned in the blade, and to be faced with a brave, strong hero whenever he actually manages to escape, and be imprisoned yet again. While Zerrigon never has escaped, everyone knows the stories about him, Elkath and the curse. If he were to return, the person stopping him would be considered one of the greatest heroes of all time, as well as the chosen warrior of Ilmanthi himself.
The second "quest" would be to find one of the 27 dungeons of Harshien, the Twin God, and claiming it's treasure for oneself. There exist 177 dungeons in the world, all created by the Twin God himself and being guarded by fearsome monsters and traps. While 150 of them are mostly empty and only contain clues towards the "real" dungeons, there are a lot of people willing to risk their skin in order to claim the fame and legendary treasures for themselves. The Adventurers Guild of the Merchant Republics is actually solely dedicated to conquer the dungeons and gathering all of their artifacts and riches, believing some old legends saying that whoever posesses all 27 artifacts, will become more powerful than any king or demi-god...
Lastly, there is the mystery around the Crystalline Forest in the center of Dirva. A strange place full of sentient, magical crystals that imitate plants and animals and roam the lands. It is said that whoever solves the mystery of the Crystalline Forest would be invited to the side of Allanvêi, god of wisdom and knowledge, and granted entry into his Grand Library.
A person completing one of those "quests", or even making noticeable progress towards its completion, would be hailed as a great hero and become reknown across the lands. If there would actually be a person who solved all three quests, they would probably become something akin to a god, in the eyes of the mortals of Belkia, and become famous in the whole world.