Prince/Monk for Healing, Hoplite for Damage Mitigation, and three of whatever offensive class you want. Get a couple of Farmers for harvesting. (With the advent of Double Crop, 5 of them are unnecessary.)
Also, for those of you wondering about the Travelogue updates, I have [strike]two[/strike] three words: Ghost Trick. Sorry.
What's the standard beginner's party for EO3, anyway? I know things get quite shaken up at the midpoint of the game...
My party started out as:
Buccaneer / Hoplite / Princess
Arbalist / Zodiac
The thing to do in 3, though, is to create at least one of every character class in the game (I'd go with 2, because there's at least 2 distinct builds for each class; I picked up 4 Farmers, though) and just leave the extras in the inn with all of their skill points going in the Combat Training.
That way, they'll go up levels "for free" while your main party is out messing around.
Prince/Monk for Healing, Hoplite for Damage Mitigation, and three of whatever offensive class you want. Get a couple of Farmers for harvesting. (With the advent of Double Crop, 5 of them are unnecessary.)
Also, for those of you wondering about the Travelogue updates, I have [strike]two[/strike] three words: Ghost Trick. Sorry.
Five farmers can still be helpful, what with Keen Nose (I think that's what it's called) stacking, to increase your chances of finding rare gathers without exposing yourself to danger.
Well, the 10th floor of the Labyrinth’s a right harsh place to be, if I do say so myself. Of course, I guess every single floor of the Labyrinth except maybe the first is a pretty harsh place anyway, but we sure took our lumps in this particular case.
Well, when you boil it down to its essentials, our big screwup was not paying attention to those mushrooms all over the place. Nice going there, Dwayne. Anyway we were taking out a bunch of the those weird bugs with rattles on their tales and apparently a few of the mushrooms got antsy with all the fighting going on and started releasing some sort of spore into the air.
I don’t really remember much after that. Mostly a lot of confused yelling and stumbling around, and then I remember getting bashed pretty hard on the shoulder. Since Clay was the only one with a blunt weapon in today’s group I gotta assume it was her, but, well, decided not to press the issue.
Anyway, we elected to get away from all the mushrooms after our heads had cleared a bit, and so we shortcutted over some heat vents or something. Not the most stable ground, you have to admit, and I’m pretty sure all of us got scorched in the process, but that’s what you get when you go traipsing around a volcanic cave.
Finally, we made it through a doorway, slammed the door shut, and then turned around. To find like maybe half a dozen dragons, apparently sleeping on the spots of earth where the lava had seeped through.
I’m not sure it’s actually possible to tiptoe while carrying a bow as big as you are, but I managed it somehow. We avoided getting into a fight while in the room, so I guess we were all feeling a bit relieved when we finally made it through.
Then came the ants. Well, at least they looked like ants in shape, although ordinary ants aren’t the size of dogs. Then again that makes them easier to shoot. After the first half dozen bunches or so we just wrote it off as enough for one day and yanked the Ariadne Thread back into Armoroad.
Now I could do with several strong drinks.
*~*
Zeetha
Today has been incredible! So much new information to add about the creatures that live in the 3rd Stratum!
The mushrooms have evolved to defend themselves by using hallucinogenic spores. I have to admit that after inhaling some of them I sincerely believed that my hair was green for a pretty long period. But that raises some fascinating questions – obviously they wouldn’t have evolved such a defense mechanism unless there were creatures that wanted to use them as a food source. Which creatures, then? The Nozuchis apparently do not care for the mushrooms , and I have my doubts about the dragons consuming plants. Perhaps the stegosauruses wander down here on occasion to feed? I’ll need to step up my observations.
The dragons of the 3rd Stratum apparently make their homes in areas with molten rock around. I suppose it would only be natural that they would seek sources of intense heat for their homes. More importantly, I couldn’t find any sign of the baby dragons even though their eggs were scattered all about. I’ll need to look into where the dragons’ offspring go off to.
Lastly the ants! These are complete mysteries, like so many others within the Labyrinth. How did such creatures grow to such monstrous sizes? Well, I suppose that particular mystery is out of my grasp for now, but at the least, I want to find their nest. They appeared to swarm us once we passed through the doorway (I suppose they didn’t want to intrude on dragon territory), so I suppose it must come from the western end of the Labyrinth.
Maybe I should arrange more unofficial visits to the Labyrinth so I can observe these creatures better… and hopefully without them noticing us and being compelled to attack us.
*~*
Juliana
After asking Zack and Wooster about what to do, I have decided on a course of action! The nefarious beast plaguing the waters of the city to the north should be struck down in the name of righteousness and justice! Just think about the vast boost to my reputation this will be if I succeed!
I’ve also talked to Alexis and she’s given me the go-ahead, so all that’s left to do is to make the plans on who shall accompany my on this adventure. I’ll be taking the Tranquility, of course, so there’ll be more than enough room for everyone.
Hm. Perhaps I should first see who would willingly volunteer for such a trip. It’s always nice to see if people are eager for this sort of thing.
(X)
Jared came up to me and told me that he and Relena would definitely be coming on this journey. Well, that’s three slots filled. To be honest, I’m not sure about Wooster and Zack. Both of them would probably come out of obligation to me, but I’m not sure if I shouldn’t offer the chance to a couple others?
I guess I’ll sleep on it and try to come to some sort of decision later.
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Tired
Well, even for someone as fit as me, spending the whole night in the Labyrinth fighting off monsters tuckers you out some. Especially when you’ve got to look out for a weaker friend the whole time.
Of course, there was that close call with the King Starfish – that wasn’t pleasant. Actually got my blouse torn open a little. It wasn’t so bad, except that Pure got to see the amulet.
Of course he asked what it was (after he helped me beat up the Starfish), and of course I gave him the usual answer of not wanting to talk about it.
Man. Sometimes I wonder why I even carry this thing with me if all it’s gonna do is give me grief.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 22nd of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Juliana came up to me with a proposal for taking down the Corotrangul currently terrorizing Sheba. I wearily resigned myself to the fact that the Paragon Guild is apparently going to end up dealing with every single aquatic monster in between Armoroad and the Northern Continent and gave her the go ahead. She’ll be handling most of the logistical details for this venture, which I suppose is a good chance for her to flex her skills.
I wonder if she’s received word from her father yet.
In other news, Clay’s trip today apparently made some headway at the cost of discovering a set of dangers in the 10th floor. More to the point, nothing remotely resembling a ‘Hall of Conviction’ was found. I guess I’ll lead a team in tomorrow and see how much deeper in we can go.
Finally beat EO3 (marked for spoiler, apologies for crappy isight pic) ...
one of the paths anyway.
Down to boss with a sliver of health and my ninja; I didn't think the hit before I took this pic would keel it. But since one character died, I resetted to try again later.
Now I have to get around to writing character records.
Would anyone have the list of months in chronological order handy by any chance?
Finally beat EO3 (marked for spoiler, apologies for crappy isight pic) ...
one of the paths anyway.
Down to boss with a sliver of health and my ninja; I didn't think the hit before I took this pic would keel it. But since one character died, I resetted to try again later.
Now I have to get around to writing character records.
Would anyone have the list of months in chronological order handy by any chance?
Found a post by Internisus on the Select Button forums, showing the calendar months. Each of the months is 28 days long, with Khrysaor being the exception that brings the total days up to 365.
In the event that any of you are wondering about the almost-weeklong-gap in updates, I was busy helping with moving house.
Well that's behind us now, so hopefully the update rate can go back on track.
*~*
The Etrian Odyssey Travelogue
Entry Fifty Nine
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 23rd of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Progress on discovering the Hall of Conviction was delayed today when we ended up in combat with one of the giant worms inhabiting the 3rd Stratum.
I’m pleased to say that we managed to defeat it.
I am, however, less pleased to say that Zack and I were the only ones standing by the time we dealt the final blow to the beast. He salvaged what he could from the carcass of the creature while I attempted to apply some rudimentary first aid to the others. I believed I’d just about gotten Sidney into consciousness when Zack announced that he was done with the worm. In any case, attempting to progress further would likely have turned out badly for us, so we returned to Armoroad for the day.
Asmodeus came out of it the worst of any of us – his leg was broken and he’ll need to spend time recovering before he’ll be ready to continue exploration. I get the feeling he was more interested in studying the Deep City (apparently he’s been allowed access to their library) so I suppose it’s no great loss on his part.
I had a brief talk with Zack after we had returned, mostly to ask if he was fine with having gone on such a harrowing trip when he would be setting out tomorrow to fight the Corotrangul or whatever monster it is that’s infesting Sheba, he merely shrugged and told me that he would be fine.
On that note, Lady Juliana has been stockpiling an absolutely extravagant amount of foodstuffs on her ship, and when I pointed out that her journey would likely take less than a single day (especially since they would be starting off at that Geomagnetic pole Rook discovered), she insisted that one had to always be prepared for all possibilities, no matter how unpleasant.
I suppose that she’s able to stock up using the Guild’s coin would be a factor in her decision. Regardless, I left her to her preparations, I’m sure she’ll be able to handle whatever it is that’s out there.
His Majesty’s been acting strange lately. I wonder if anything’s the matter. He probably hasn’t heard anything from his Father about the impending war, or at least I hope not. I don't know how much longer I can keep this from him, though.
*~*
Jules
Suddenly I’m starting to wonder if buying a cat for Alexis was such a good idea after all.
Expenditure on Equipment: 3020 en
Expenditure on Supplies: 770 en
Expenditure, Misc: 1240 en
Income, Labyrinth Goods: 783 en
Income, Sea Goods: 322 en
Income, Misc: 0 en
Total Profit: -3925 en
Current Funds: 12, 412 en
*~*
Juliana
All the necessary preparations have been made, and we’ll be setting out for Sheba come the dawn tomorrow! I’ve heard descriptions about this beast – it’s supposed to be some sort of inhuman monster, surrounded at all times by a flock of loyal attendants. It would be a noble endeavour if they weren’t all monsters.
Several of the people who’ve attempted journeys to Sheba have come back with tales of how it’s long, whip-like tail can ensnare you at any time and how its icy breath can leave a man immobilized and unable to defend himself. It all sounds positively horrifying!
The Lady Alexis had the nerve to criticism my preparations for the upcoming trip. I suppose I can understand her concerns, but honestly. It’s my ship, and I can do what I want with it!
Zack just read this over my shoulder and commented that Alexis was probably more worried about the money used to purchase all the supplies. Well if that’s what she’s so upset about, I’m certain that I can cover the funds for her. It’ll just take a letter to dad and a couple of weeks.
I should probably mention that Zack insisted on coming along. Well, I suppose I can’t fault his enthusiasm, although he looked a little tired from today’s excursion. Well, I suppose it won’t be a big problem come tomorrow.
Now, I should turn in early. I will need to be well rested and alert for our trip tomorrow! Think of the fame and glory that awaits me once I slay this beast!
*~*
Zack
Getting a giant worm kill under my belt wasn’t half bad, but it shouldn’t compare to fighting off that giant sea monster. Alexis seemed to think I may be biting off a bit more than I can chew, but she doesn’t know me. I can handle it.
Lady Juliana appears to be in fine spirits. I suppose that’s only to be expected, given that she really hasn’t had much action ever since we slew the Hammerhead Shark and some miscellaneous trips into the Labyrinth. This will be her first chance to shine in a while, so I can understand her eagerness. And for my part, I’m going to have to make sure I don’t let Lady Juliana down!
If I stop now, I can probably get more training done before nightfall.
*~*
Jared
Word’s gotten around Armoroad that the Paragon Guild’s gunning for the Corotrangul tomorrow. Funny thing is, I think a lot of them were half-expecting it. Know for a fact that at least one group bowed out after hearing that it was declared that we were hunting the monster down.
We really are getting ourselves a bit of a reputation, aren’t we? Given the rate more and more of these beasts pop up (and given the rate we’re moving deeper into the Labyrinth) I think we’ll have plenty of chances to keep boosting that.
As long as we don’t get ourselves horribly killed first of course, but then working around Armoroad’s waters for so long has given me a bit of perspective on all that.
I think I’ll go see Relena now. I wonder how she feels about going so close to Sheba. But then again she was the one who insisted on coming for this trip.
I am pleased to report that the foul beast tormenting Sheba is no more! It may have been a long and fierce clash, but the final outcome was never in doubt for a moment. And it was indeed a glorious moment where I dealt the final blow to the aquatic monstrosity, plunging my rapier deep into its flesh!
I am, however, less pleased to report that during the battle the currents whipped up by the creature ended up inadvertently dragging us through the ocean, and even after the creature had expired we were still left at the mercy of the treacherous waves.
Finally we ran aground on the shores of an unmarked island, with the Tranquility having sustained more than its fair share of damage. After inspecting the ship, Jared proclaimed that there was simply no way the five of us could get it on the sea again, so we’re stuck here for the time being, I suppose.
At any rate, Zack and Atahualpa volunteered to go scouting in the forests surrounding the island and they’ve yet to return. I do hope they make it out safely – and that there aren’t any unpleasant surprises waiting for us within the canopy of the forest. The rest of us focused on building a campfire and waiting out the night. I must say that all these new experiences are positively thrilling, even if they tend to be inadvertent.
I do worry about Wooster. The poor dear is going to be apoplectic when we don’t return by the appointed time. Well, once the others notice they’ll set out to search for us, I’m sure. Alexis can be a tad stuffy at times, but at heart she’s as reliable as any one of my father’s own knights.
Although when she does find me I can point out how I was right to stockpile all that food. Ha!
*~*
Zack
Yeouch. Just got back from exploring the island and aside from a brief clash with what appeared to be a living twig, there wasn’t much to find. Mostly lots of dark, dense, undergrowth. Cutting through it was a damned chore, but Atahualpa seemed completely at home with moving through the trees.
Well, he did at first. After a while he shook his head and muttered something about a bad smell before saying that we should turn back.
I guess when the guy who’s grown up in a jungle tells you to turn back, you turn back.
Can’t say I’m not glad for the chance to sit back and unwind. That Corotrangul took some killing and no mistake. Those little creatures all around it were almost as much of a pain to deal with as it was to fight the giant monster itself. Almost – that didn’t spew cold air that made swinging my sword properly all but impossible. And just when I thought I’d got a handle on the thing its tail came out of the water to wrap around me. If Atahualpa hadn’t attacked the creature and forced it to back off at that moment I might’ve been dragged underwater, and that doesn’t really bear thinking about, does it?
Lady Juliana did splendidly out there today, I thought. She’s really growing as a leader, able to give commands that aligned properly with the flow of the battle to give us. I don’t doubt she played a pivotal role in helping us to fell the beast, and in the end, it was her who delivered the final strike.
Well, there’s nothing really much to do aside from waiting to be rescued, so maybe I’ll turn in early.
Or maybe I’ll go check to see how Lady Juliana is doing. She can’t be used to spending the nights outdoors, after all.
*~*
Jared
It’s bad enough that there are so many beasties out there in the waters, but why do so many of them had small armies of smaller monsters that follow its beck and call.
Any case, Relena and I were the ones assigned small fry cleanup duty while Zack, Atahualpa and the princess dealt with the Corotrangul itself. I can’t decide if the ones that kept spewing lightning at me were worse than the ones that kept blowing up in my faces, but beyond a certain point I guess it’s all academic, and by the end of the fighting I was all but out of ammo.
Relena was fighting like a woman possessed out there. She was just carving her way through the enemy hordes without giving a thought to her own safety. I guess she still cares about Sheba in her own way. Still seemed uncomfortable at the idea of entering it again, though, which is why I guess getting swept away onto this island might have been a blessing in disguise. (Although we could have avoided all this had Juliana been slightly more adept at handling the wheel. Nice going, princess.)
Kind of, anyway. Juliana’s stockpiled more than enough food to last us a while, but she didn’t pack any rum. Or beer. Or mead. Or any other alcohol. How in the blazes does someone stock a ship and neglect to pack anything to drink?!
Well, at least we shouldn’t be out here too long. Relena’s been giving funny glances at the forest behind us, but there’s no reason to go in deep now, and we should be fine as long as we stay on the ship instead of gallivanting about.
Relena’s already turned in for the night. Guess I’ll go join her.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 24th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Word just reached us from Sheba that the HMS Tranquility was dragged off course by the Corotrangul, and that last any of Sheba’s citizens saw of it, the ship was still locked in combat with the monster and its servants.
Rook’s already gone out with Jules in the St. Eris to the North to help look for them. I volunteered to accompany them, but Jules pointed out that someone needed to stay behind and manage the Guild affairs, and that I would be better suited for that task then he, if only because he doesn’t have a phobia of sea travel like I do.
As much as I hated to concede the point, he was right, and I saw the both of them (along with Midori and Rossa) off about an hour ago. And said ‘mundane’ Guild matters presented itself shortly after, such as having to foot the bill for Asmodeus’ treatment. There’s also a general halt on Labyrinth exploration, at least until we find Juliana’s group and bring them back.
In the meantime, his Majesty told me not to open the door to his room until he returned. I haven’t the slightest idea why, but it’s an easy enough request to abide by.
*~*
Asmodeus
All that time spent studying how to read the stars, and you think they’d be of enough use to warn me when I’m about to receive a broken arm.
Well, at least this won’t affect my research into the Deep City. Much.
I suppose I’ll pay them another visit to their Library tomorrow. I’ve been starting to piece together some cryptic references to a suppose ‘Deep One’, whatever that is. Or perhaps there’s more than one of those? More research will of course be needed.
No luck with finding Juliana and the others today.
Well, that’s not quite true. We actually have a pretty good idea of where they are, it’s just getting to them that’s going to be the problem. I don’t think the Tranquility was any more equipped than the St. Eris for moving through seaweed this thick, but maybe the Corotrangul churning up the place allowed them through inadvertently. Or something. Rook isn’t sure either.
Anyway, we’ll be spending the night in Sheba while they outfit our ship with the necessary equipment to allow us to break through the seaweed tangles. I guess we can tow the Tranquility behind us on the way out or something (Juliana will throw a fit if we try to leave it behind). I sent a messenger to Alexis informing her about the situation. She should be able to handle things well enough back at the Guild for one more day.
Hang tight for a while longer, guys. We’ll be there to help you soon.
Current Expenses: 100 en to rent a naval ram and get it installed. Will integrate it into other finances when I get back to Armoroad.
*~*
Midori
Sheba’s design and architecture is really different from Armoroad’s. For one thing it’s surrounded on all sides by walls and towers. The cities in the South sea tend to be more… open? But then according to history Sheba’s been the target of several invasion attempts from the North so I guess they have a right to be wary.
Everything’s white here. I was helping out on the ship until evening so I didn’t get to properly see the town until then (and my feet could use a good long soak in a tub of warm water) but I gotta imagine that the whole place would be positively blinding under the noonday sun.
Based on the direction that the Corotrangul monster thing dragged the Tranquility off to as well as the currents, we’ve managed to pinpoint an island west of Sheba as the most likely place for Jared and Relena and the others to have ended up. Only thing is there’s a lot of seaweed in the way so we kind of have to wait for the ship to be outfitted with some sort of ram to get through it. Rook was overseeing the process and when I paid a visit to him earlier he was yelling at them nonstop about being more careful with his ship. It was actually kinda funny to watch.
As for myself, well, once all the work was done there wasn’t really much to do. I wasn’t really familiar with Sheba so I mostly wandered about a bit through the bazaar areas. A lot of the stuff there I’ve never seen before; it was a bit of an eye opener.
No fox masks on sale, though.
I tried some sort of rolled up bread stuffed with meat and sauce for dinner. So far I’ve spent most of the night throwing up. No more of that for me.
*~*
Rossa
The food in Sheba is delicious! Especially the gyros! I ordered extra sauce on mine too.
Lady Juliana and the others should be all right for one more night. In the meantime, I should check how quickly these things spoil so I can stock up before I leave.
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Bored
So Armoroad’s throwing some sort of yearly festival soon. According to Pure, it translates into ‘Night of the Thousand Glittering Lights of the Sea’ from the old languages. A bit of a mouthful, really.
Well I sure wouldn’t mind kicking back and enjoying myself when the festival hits (and I’m pretty sure Master wouldn’t mind me doing that either), but that’s not for a week or so and right now there are no Labyrinth expeditions planned since half our manpower is out at sea for one reason or other.
So really, there hasn’t been much to do aside from training. And training Pure, too. He’s learning a lot faster than I thought he would be, and he hasn’t made any excuses about feeling under the weather or something for skipping out on work. Guess I won that little bet with Sidney. Heh.
The robe Pure bought for me’s getting to be a little tattered. Maybe I shouldn’t wear it so much, especially when I’m Labyrinth diving. I know it’s made of tough material and all, but I don’t think many things stand up well to walking inside a volcano. Or what’s close enough to a volcano to be one anyway.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 25th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
I received word from the front desk of the inn that a cat(?) had escaped from his Majesty’s room when one of the cleaning staff entered to tidy up the place.
I honestly had no idea how to respond to that aside from promising to keep a lookout.
All I know is that I’ll have some questions for his Majesty when he gets back.
Any advice for someone thinking about starting this game soon, and who never played the first two?
Make sure you map everything?
When you start the game, make a bunch of back-up characters in addition to your "main party." Assign all their starting skills to Combat Study (it's on their second skills tab). They'll get "free" experience every time your active party does (percentage determined by ranks in Combat Study). Then, from time to time, check back and assign their new skills.
Make sure some of your back-up characters (or some of your main characters) know the harvesting skills (Chop, Mine, Gather). They're one of the best ways to make money, and they unlock new weapons, armors, and items.
Have fun - but you'll probably die several times and be forced back to an earlier save.
Finally beaten the game "proper", saved and now I can actually start writing character stuffs (belated thanks to the poster providing the months in order).
Spoiler tagged crappy isight pictures
I dunno why I bother taking pictures either. o_O
Note: The victory pic was one sentence immediately after the one I took in the last one.
So yeah, pretty much once the weaker boss fell (taking my princess as well), it was a ninja and her clone fighting back and forth until I bound the boss' arms (Dreadnought + Bind Arm 3x), then I revived the princess, then won.
Now I can't decide if I should continue on to post-game content or start again ... decisions decisions.
So... Wildling questions:
- I assume having one makes Ninjas as a main/sub less attractive? Seems you only have one summoning slot with a full party which would mean a Summoned Beast OR a Clone, and the other class is left twiddling their thumbs.
- Summons work best in the front row, right? Which means I'd want a party with 2 front / 3 back. Any suggestions?
Also:
- How good are Buccaneers in the back row compared to the front?
- Prince(ss) are wasted if not in the front row?
- Who's cooler? Arbalists or Zodiacs?
- How well do Arbalists do in the front? I see Front Mortar, but I'd imagine they'd have to be covered defensively?
So... Wildling questions:
- I assume having one makes Ninjas as a main/sub less attractive? Seems you only have one summoning slot with a full party which would mean a Summoned Beast OR a Clone, and the other class is left twiddling their thumbs.
- Summons work best in the front row, right? Which means I'd want a party with 2 front / 3 back. Any suggestions?
Also:
- How good are Buccaneers in the back row compared to the front?
- Prince(ss) are wasted if not in the front row?
- Who's cooler? Arbalists or Zodiacs?
- How well do Arbalists do in the front? I see Front Mortar, but I'd imagine they'd have to be covered defensively?
Some of these questions are beyond the scope of my experience but here's what I can comment on:
You are correct about there being only one summon slot; having more requires you to run with only 4 main people, which tends to be counterproductive. One of the reasons wildlings lag a bit in the endgame is because you're going to want the sixth slot for things like Hop/Nin. I don't know much about summon positioning, I'm afraid.
As for the other questions:
Buccaneers tend to spend a lot of time chasing attacks or dropping debuffs through moves like Hanging. I seem to recall you can build a bucc to get a lot of use out of the high-end damage skills, as well. So really you can make either front row or back row work fine as long as you decide in advance and set skills appropriately. It's worth looking at the rest of your time to see what gets used more: physical attacks or elemental ones, if you're planning on putting points into chases.
Prince/ss can use the heavy armor and shields of Hoplites so they have more staying power on the front row, although they don't have Hops passive damage reduction or nifty defensive skills. Eventually they'll start taking more significant damage. Sticking them in the back row lets you keep the passive heals up more frequently, but you lose out on some offensive power (although princes don't have a lot of dd options unless you skill for them, and you might want those points elsewhere) and probably more importantly, you've stuck someone more fragile up on the front row. When I used a prince I generally kept him up front for random battles and switched to back row for bosses, when he'd have more important things to do than attack.
Arbalists and Zodiacs are equally cool. So equal they are often each others subs, too! Use both. I used both. No? Fine, flip a coin.
Front Mortar arbalists are engines of raw destruction once you get appropriate skills up but they will require constant bodyguard once you hit later floors. Arb/Zodiac is a safer option, generally.
Well we’ve finally been rescued from that dreadful island, and not a moment too soon.
I was woken this morning by Zack coming to tell me that there was a ship on the horizon sailing towards us. Before long it became apparent that it was the St. Eris coming to rescue us, and we hurriedly began packing out things so that we would be ready to leave by the time they reached us.
In the end, it took far longer than I’d had anticipated, mainly because Jules had (correctly) anticipated that I’d want to bring the Tranquillity back with me. I must say that really was rather thoughtful of him. So in the end once we got into our rowboats we spent about two hours connecting the Tranquillity to the St. Eris. Zack offered to let me rest while he picked up my slack, but it is my ship and I didn’t want to appear unsporting.
And to be honest, I suspect that some of the others were not entirely happy with having to spend so much time on salvaging the Tranquillity. I’m not about to give up the ship father gave me, though.
Wooster quite nearly fell over himself when I stepped off the gangplank onto dry land again. I’d been right in thinking that he’d been beside himself with worry. Well, I calmed him as best I could and assured him I’d been fine during my impromptu camping trip.
And now I’m back in the relative comfort of Armoroad. It does feel ever so nice to be able to sink back into a sofa and simply relax. Jules and Alexis were having some sort of animated discussion as they left the inn, but I suppose it really doesn’t have very much to do with me.
Now. I wonder what I shall have for dinner tonight?
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 26th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
According to the missive his Majesty sent, he should return sometime today in the afternoon. I suppose I’ll ask the staff at the inn to get ready for the arrival of several tired patrons all at once.
Meanwhile I’ve managed to track down what I believe to be the wandering cat that had somehow found its way into his Majesty’s room. If nothing else, it fits the description given by the maid who let the creature escape in the first place. In absence of any other place to keep it until his Majesty gets back (and my assumption that his request not to enter his room is still standing) I’ve brought it to my room so I can keep an eye on it until I can ask his Majesty about it. In all probability it will just be some stray that found its way into the room by accident but I suppose it won’t hurt to have a confirmation.
It appears surprisingly well behaved, if nothing else. Right now it’s simply napping while I work on shuffling the next set of Guild duties. And I’m going to have to check on the condition of Juliana’s crew when they return before I can safely decide what tasks to assign them over the next few days.
(X)
Jules got back, and everyone else who went out to sea as well. They’re all fine, more or less, which is fortunate. Most of them are recuperating right now in their own way (Jared hit the pubs almost immediately, I believe), and since we’re back to full strength I can plan our next push to finally reach the Hall of Conviction (I believe the Abyssal King is getting rather impatient with us, although I don’t really see why he’s so anxious about all this).
Also, the kitten was apparently supposed to be a gift to me. For the anniversary of my knighting, he claimed. I was once more in the rather uncomfortable position of not having any idea of how to respond to something like that. I can’t exactly turn down a gift from his Majesty, even if it’s not something I wanted at all.
Jules later brought across the rest of things he’d apparently decided that a pet kitten needed, including several bags of pet food, a basket with some sort of cloth, and what appeared to be a scratching post. I also got him to promise that he would help me with taking care of it since the whole thing was his idea.
And it just occurred to me that I’ll have to think of a name for it.
*~*
Jules
The rescue mission went off without a hitch, and Alexis took the news of her now having a pet tolerably well, so I’d say today wasn’t a bad day at all.
Of course, shortly after I came back a message from the Senatus arrived. Apparently Senator Flowdia would like to have a word with me about the Hall of Conviction and what might be found there. That she knows a bit more about the history of Armoroad, the Deep City, and the Labyrinth than she’s letting on is obvious, and trying to tease it out of her is an exercise in frustration.
Also, Atahualpa mentioned something about the island we picked them up from being ‘a dark place’. Well, I would suppose so, given how thickly the trees in there grow, but I guess he meant something a bit different. I just get the feeling he really doesn’t like that place.
Also, apparently we’ve been getting more and more applicants for the Guild lately. Most of them seemed decent fighters too, but we had to turn them down. We’re already running into administrative issues as-is, unless they’re a cut above the rest we really don’t have space for more people in the Guilds.
Expenses, Equipment: 0 en
Expenses, Supplies: 135 en
Expenses, Misc: 100 en
Profit, Labyrinth Goods: 0 en
Profit, Ocean Goods: 210 en (Rook apparently got some fishing done without me noticing)
Profit, Misc: 47 en
Total profit: 22 en
Total Current Funds: 9, 753 en
*~*
Sidney
Been experimenting with a set of Ice rounds. Just seems like it’d be useful for the 3rd Stratum, you know? Plus if I can get this down I’ll master the whole set!
Maybe I should go have a talk with Asmodeus about this. After all, he helped Clay with enchanting her weapon with Ice, didn’t he?
In other news, preparations for the Festival of Lights is well under way. They’ve already started putting up the tents and banners all around the place. This will be Adrian’s first time experiencing the Festival – Pure and I will have to make sure it’s a good one for her.
I wonder if they’ll set up that ‘Horror Mansion’ tent again. That was a fun one. Of course, half the fun was sneaking in because Mom and Dad thought my temperament was too delicate to handle it. Pfft. I’ve already killed scarier things these past couple of months.
Written personal records entered in a special book (unique to each person) that logs time and date of each entry and automatically sends a copy to a massive archive public for all members to see. This personal record system limits each entry to the length of one long sentence or several short ones (a bit more than 20 words).
Yes, it's convoluted magical twitter, though I'm not too sure about continual use of this format for character info.
dehugonas
Name: damceles k.o.h.
Bio: A connoisseur of large ranged weapons.
Just got off the ship and onto the new town. hope they serve more tan milk here.
07am Emperor 1
Also, managed to lose my tavern wallet ... errr Px.
07am Emperor 1
Waiting at the Guild Hall's waiting room. waiting to be served. rather be drinking.
07am Emperor 1
Wait a minute, did I hear they only serve milk here? anger
07am Emperor 1
Finally got in. will be joining some odd guild called … dd4e? really? eh, better than sitting bored.
07 am Emperor 1
Looks like the spaz finally made us official. heading out
07am Emperor 1
First stop armouries. got kicked out of every one but napier. won't like it but it'll do
07 am Emperor 1
Edie (armoury owner) seems cool. got a good head on her with her priorities in check. we need to drink some time.
07 am Emperor 1
At the bar. this town is hell incarnate. all they serve is MILK. how can people live like this?!
07 am Emperor 1
Needed to go see Senatus. i don't like official places and the lead person is creepy. I hope i never end up like her …
07 am Emperor 1
Map? drawing? as if I ever get bored enuff to do something like that. Px can do it
07 am Emperor 1
pixilas
Name: priscilla k.d.
Bio: Princesses favours the likes of food and entertainment.
If I have to put up with Dh complaining about me getting seasick again, the next time, it'll be … nm, too gross. Oh, time to disembark.
07 am Emperor 1
The guild spaz finally agreed to keep the two of us together in the same party. Good. Last thing I need is to constantly reset the guild.
07 am Emperor 1
I cannot believe Dh lost all of our gear and now we're stuck with rusty pocket knives and grass skirts. At least we have … 500 en?! pain
07am Emperor 1
Our monetary situation wouldn't be so bad if a certain someone wouldn't drink it all away. Esp when all they sell us is milk. I blame Val.
07 am Emperor 1
We wouldn't get kicked out of nearly as many shops if Dh would put on a shirt and stop beating up on people who gawks at her.
07 am Emperor 1
Serious, I thought archers were supposed to be weak. But then again, her bow is bigger than she is; I shouldn't be surprised.
07 am Emperor 1
Oh dear. Why do I have a bad feeling things won't go well between Dh and the armoury clerk. And I don't mean them fighting.
07 am Emperor 1
How is it possible that we did so much in a single hour? Oh wait, yes. Magical time warping abilities of the town and seas.
07 am Emperor 1
Thought for the day: Teamwork allows others to cover your weaknesses.
Entered the 2nd Stratum today.
Intention was to face one of the Scaled Dragons that populate the seventh floor.
Sir Wooster led the way. I believe he wished to prove his mettle after not being brought along by the Lady Juliana on the hunt for the Corotrangul.
Rossa came along, mainly out of idle curiousity.
Clay came along, in search of a challenge.
Lastly, Zeetha came along, seeking to study the creature.
It was a tenacious battle, but we eventually succeeded.
I deemed Clay and Rossa in need of medical attention and so we retreated quickly after that.
I do wonder why the beast had a book on his person, though.
The boy Pure has come to me with a request about learning healing. I am willing to teach him, but I question if he has the discipline to master such a path.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 26th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
‘Scraps’.
It’s not the best name, but I believe it fits my new roommate well enough, if only because it keeps insisting on eating the leftovers from my meals.
His Majesty said that it was a nice name, although I suspect he might have said it primarily so as to avoid upsetting me.
Rossa shrugged, said the name wasn’t important, and went back to playing with it, mostly by dangling a piece of string in front of it.
Pure scratched his head, mumbled ‘whatever’, and requested this week’s pay. I think it hissed at him on his way out.
Juliana called it ‘painfully unoriginal’.
Scraps it is.
(X)
Had a training session with his Majesty earlier in the evening. During out sparring session I brought up the fact that trying to properly protect an entire team of explorers was a noticeably different task than trying to protect him alone. Naturally, I had to give him priority, although he did not see it that way, and in fact urged me to focus more on the others.
The ability to guard multiple people at once… I’ve been looking into it, and I believe I might have a proper solution. But then there’s no way to no for real until I test it in actual combat.
Another Labyrinth venture has been scheduled for tomorrow. Assuming no more unpleasant surprises (which is a shaky assumption anyway) we should be able to locate the Hall of Conviction by tomorrow.
*~*
Midori
Went to visit Agata and Hypatia’s graves today. Rook came along with me without me needing to ask. I’m glad he was there with me.
Luckily none of the beasts in the area had been nosing around, at least as far as I could see. I guess we did a decent job of digging proper graves for them. Rook stood a distance away to wait for me and to keep an eye out for enemies.
We spent about fifteen minutes there before heading back. When I got back I found a quiet spot on the beach and got back to training. One of the techniques in Agata’s scroll was about using the last of your life to fire a bolt of flame at your enemy. If I combine it with my ability to create body doubles, I might be able to use them as bait to attack my opponents.
I’ll need all the edge I can get. Even if not against the Deep City, against the beasts of the Labyrinth.
*~*
Melina
I’ve been working hard on improving my stamina today. People like Ms. Alexis and Ms. Adrian expend so much energy on protecting me and Pure when we go in; I don’t want to fall behind.
I’ve been studying Ms. Alexis’ teachings with the shield, and I think I’ve just about got the hang of blocking enemy attacks. It’s still not too reliable, though. I should probably work in more practice. I’d ask Ms. Alexis, but she appeared to be cooped up in her room for a rather long while today. I wonder what the matter was with her.
I also went to Ms. Edie’s store to sell some of the Flame Fruit’s I’d been gathering (Pure wanted to see what kind of juice he could make with it, but if he wants it so badly he can jolly well gather his own ingredients) and she offered me a cup of tea. I had to pay for it, of course, but I know the prefers the expensive imported stuff and the charge was nothing, really. We got to talking about the branch in the Deep City, and how there haven’t been enough explorers down there to drum up big business. Well, that’s something we can’t really fix until more Guilds are found worthy of entrance, isn’t it? I do wonder what sort of tests the Deep City and the Senatus have for determining if Guilds are found worthy…
*~*
Pure
Today’s Profit: 1314 en
Got paid today, so that’s one bright spot.
Today Adrian’s training consisted of asking me to dash to the spots in the 3rd Stratum where the Flame Fruits grow (which, I might add, cross over several heat vents), pick as many of them as possible, and make it back in as short a time as possible.
Hey, it turns out you’re not actually running as fast as you can until an enraged stegosaurus is bearing down on you with teeth as big as your entire arm. I honest to go thought I was done for until Adrian jumped in and hit it right on the head, stunning it long enough for me to get away. And then Sidney followed up by shooting it in the leg.
Also, flame fruits don’t make for good juices. Guess I’ll be getting more of those moss strawberries for Adrian the next time I head in. We’ve also been picking up the Scarlet Sage every once in a while to send over the innkeeper boy’s friend overseas. Wonder how much more they need.
Also, Master Geoffrey okayed my request to learn healing, but he warned that ‘it would demand much of me’.
I can hardly wait.
*~*
Sidney
Ice rounds were a no-go today. Pure nearly got skewered because my critical shot simply refused to go off and if Adrian hadn’t jumped in to cover for me I wouldn’t have had time to reload and fire a bolt into that monster’s thigh.
Rrgh. Guess I’m gonna have to pull another all-nighter figuring out what I did wrong. That juice Pure made earlier is also making me too twitchy to sleep right right now (and it didn’t taste very good anyway).
I wonder if it’s the release mechanism that’s the problem.
Edit: Great, massive formatting error and I missed it for nearly the whole day.
These days I can't decide if I should continue with post game material of EO3 (which also means I have to take meticulous notes, which is why I'm putting it off), continue as I'm doing and play more yu-gi-butts 2010 or start new game plus already. :confused
dehugonas
Got greeted by Olympia as soon as we got up. Not the best first thing to see after sleeping for a few days.
11pm Demiurge 6
Finally out of treatment from facing you-know-who. Frankly, we've faced worse and … what happened to our records?! :anger
11pm Demiurge 6
You fall unconscious for a few days and they lose a year and half of your records. Damn them all
11pm Demiurge 6
Greeted by cheery lad as usual. Does he always refer to everyone by "boss". Strange behaviour that I'll never understand.
11pm Demiurge 6
Now where's royal shortstuff? She has our wallet.
11pm Demiurge 6
Back in the Porcelain forest, nothing has changed. Time to finish mapping the empty parts.
11pm Demiurge 6
Stepped through the new gate and immediately had to fight. Nice change of pace.
01am Demiurge 7
Nothing makes you feel more comfortable going to a new area than oncoming darkness.
07pm Demiurge 7
Two steps into the new stratum and the geofield is in sight. Time to hug some walls and … more mushrooms and rabbits?
07pm Demiurge 7
Can't remember what cricket bat I was hit with earlier but we fled quickly. I need a bed or a drink or something. Now who up for giant bird?
10pm Demiurge 7
Was told to slay some dragons if we are to prove ourselves. I think we're more than capable. We've slaughtered dragons before.
10pm Demiurge 7
After a quick stop to the Deep, Olympia doesn't remember us or our encounters at all. Maybe it's for the best.
10pm Demiurge 7
pixilas
Was Olympia hovering over us waiting for us to awaken the entire time? But then again, androids tend to not have much of a life.
11pm Demiurge 6
A new mission? Find evil, repent our sins, yes it's the usual. Bring us opposition and we'll slay them. No need to tell us.
11pm Demiurge 6
Despite the recent event, town gossip is the same thing as before our last encounter. I'm sure it'll change once we reach a new floor.
11pm Demiurge 6
Sold the drops from our last encounter and only good thing was a sword. It's pretty cheap for a high powered weapon.
11pm Demiurge 6
However, weapons gotten through this method had always been pretty lousy, even back in Etria and Lagaard. Why am I surprised again?
11pm Demiurge 6
Back to where the battle was and the only thing left here is ground to map out. Surprise surprise, a warping gate. No intruders at least.
00pm Demiurge 7
Random battle right after we landed, but at least it wasn't anything threatening especially compared to what we beat.
05pm Demiurge 7
As we approached the entrance to the next floor down, the clock strikes 7 and darkness falls. Foreboding …
07pm Demiurge 7
The new strat is green and damp. And are we walking on floating leaves or another mirror pool. Good thing we can't look down.
07pm Demiurge 7
Checking the walls as we go, as I always do, I found a shortcut that's closed on this side. Surprise surprise. Onward.
09pm Demiurge 7
Another mushroom enemy appears. I'd be surprised, but this thing isn't anything compared to Lagaard's strat 6 mushroom. Size matters y'know.
09pm Demiurge 7
Found the stratum warp then ran into an old friend: a pumpkin head. As usual Dc gets wiped out but after boosting her evade? Time to escape.
09pm Demiurge 7
Revived Dc with Nectar and took a hit. Legs got freed after and we hightailed it. Back in town now & when we go back, time to get serious.
10pm Demiurge 7
Upon entering town, the pleasant disembodied voice returns. Why can't the narrator let me state the obvious instead?
10pm Demiurge 7
Interesting, the dragons actually have plot behind their existence and slaughter now. Fine by me, I like plot devices.
10pm Demiurge 7
Why does everyone in town think we were leaving? Because they expected us to immediately go to EO4? Or newgame+? There's still more to kill!
10pm Demiurge 7
Huh, so that's what that floating island in the western north map is about. Time to set sail to check it out, then a time warp reset.
10pm Demiurge 7
Arrived at floating island after manipulating currents and nothing was found. Gotta slay some dragons first. Time to reset.
08pm Demiurge 9
I don't like how Dc unwinds by killing Meregho and drinking with the crew afterwards. We get full HP/TP sure, but is it really the best way?
10pm Demiurge 7
Entry Made: 27th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
So much for the lack of unpleasant surprises. We’ve had the unfortunate experience of running into several more nests of the dragons that live in the area, as well as discovering first hand that they tend to be agitated when fighting breaks out in their resting chambers.
Well I try not to overestimate my own capabilities, I believe that as a Holy Knight of the Empire I have achieved a certain level of physical ability. That ability was nonetheless severely taxed by us having to constantly flee from those dragons. We may have been able to best one in single combat, but attempting to face down half a dozen of them at the same time would be tantamount to suicide. The extreme heat played a large role in sapping my strength of course, but then the counter argument is that I should have simply prepared myself for this better.
We’ve also managed to locate the Hall of Conviction. And I’m not convinced that locating it in the middle of a giant – I don’t know what the exact geological term is, but there’s lava seeping out all over the place and crossing it will not be pleasant.
For the time being we’ve decided to retreat and hole up in a corner of the room – aside from the occasional wandering (giant) ant there appear to be less monsters around than usual. There’s also a hot spring here of some kind we were able to use to replenish our water supplies after cooling it down, since we didn’t anticipate having to stay here overnight we didn’t bring nearly enough for that long. All of us are exhausted right now, and his Majesty and I concurred that we want to be fully rested before approaching the Hall of Conviction – who knows what’s waiting for us in there.
I wonder how Scraps is faring on his own.
*~*
Jules
We’re currently huddled together in an uncomfortable heap at the far end of one of the floor’s corners, trying to catch some sleep and recover our strength before we enter the Hall of Conviction. Needless to say, it’s been a rather uncomfortable and trying experience so far.
I offered to try singing some songs to keep morale up, but that idea was quickly shot down. Not that I’d honestly expected it to go through, but it probably couldn’t hurt to have asked.
Got a pretty nasty burn on my arm earlier. Alexis looked at it with her usual amount of fussing and admonishment, which gave me time to notice her own injuries. When I pointed that out she shrugged and told me she’d look to them later. I did what I could with the magic Rossa had taught me, but I can’t be sure how effective it was. And while we’re at it I made Alexis take off her armour. Her discomfort at being so vulnerable while she slept was obvious, but I doubt it would match the discomfort of having spent the night in scorching conditions while she slept.
Sometimes I wonder if Alexis has too much common sense or too little.
*~*
Zeetha
Oh, pooh. I haven’t been able to find out more about the ants. We were too busy killing them. I hope we don’t end up disrupting the ecosystem of this place. We’re only a small group, but the Labyrinth isn’t that big either.
Still, based on the directions they attacked us from, I’m relatively certain now that their main nest is not on the tenth floor, and what’s more, there has to be multiple entrances and exits in between this area and the nest. It’s still up in the air whether it’s the floor above or below us, though.
Sleeping in here isn’t the height of comfort, but it reminds me of the time father took me to the Lahetna Volcano to track down the rare Spotted Flan. If anything, conditions there were even worse, so this is something I should be able to deal with easily.
I let Gosric off to go do his hunting. He’ll return whenever he’s filled.
I wonder what’s in this Hall of Conviction that everyone is concerned about. Maybe some ferocious beast forgotten by the rest of the world?
*~*
Midori
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow we find out about this great secret the Deep City and the Abyssal King have been keeping all this time.
And whether or not it was worth the lives of dozens upon dozens of explorers.
*~*
Asmodeus
The Paragon Guild and its members appear to have acquired something of a reputation amongst the people of Armoroad. I can’t say I don’t want to be noticed by others around me, but I hadn’t expected it to be on the basis of my battle prowess instead of, say, my scholarly exploits.
Well, I take recognition where I can get it. It’s not like the people back at the Library will be any less impressed with the work I’m collating on the Deep City right now. I’ve returned to Armoroad’s library and I’m now comparing the historical accounts in their texts with that of Armoroad’s. There are several significant differences in events that probably bear more investigating. Naturally all of Armoroad’s texts become severely fragmented during the period of the Calamity, which is more or less what happened all along the rest of the civilizations on the Northern Seas.
Infuriatingly enough, the section of the Deep City’s Library that deals with events after the Calamity have been sealed off from ‘outsiders’ like me. I hope whatever goes down today in the Labyrinth with the Hall of Conviction, wins us more of the Abyssal King’s trust. It’s quite possible the one set of intact accounts about what exactly occurred one hundred years ago.
Horoscope: Within the maze, there lies the ancient frost.
*~*
Rook
Armoroad explorers claim they’ve discovered an island with an underground network of tunnels to the south of here. From the way things were built, it was obviously designed as a defensive network, but against what, they’re not too sure.
Anyway, word on the street is that they’re on the lookout for guards for hire. That, and some historians to help them analyse anything they might find in those ruins. I’ll run this by Alexis when she gets back from exploring the Hall of Conviction. It sounds like something the Guild might want to take an interest in.
Beat the 1st Stratum boss my first try playing with no-guide. Man, that guy pulls two different 'motherfucker, you didn't just do that' moves in the fight.
The running away and leaving me to beat down five(?) FOEs before I could chase him down again.
And the dive underground thing where I hit him with AoE to pop him out of it. I'm amusing he does some attack if you don't?
My Prince/Gladiator/Wilding/Arbalist/Ninja party is feeling good right now.
When do I unlock subclassing?
Beat the 1st Stratum boss my first try playing with no-guide. Man, that guy pulls two different 'motherfucker, you didn't just do that' moves in the fight.
The running away and leaving me to beat down five(?) FOEs before I could chase him down again.
And the dive underground thing where I hit him with AoE to pop him out of it. I'm amusing he does some attack if you don't?
I never saw it, myself, but...
He has an earthquake attack that hits the entire party for massive damage if you leave him alone underground too long.
Entry Made: 28th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Today has been a day of discovery, and the majority of them were not pleasant.
We reached the Hall of Conviction in what I deemed to be shortly before dawn, to find Olympia there waiting for us. Midori stiffened slightly upon catching sight of her, but otherwise remained calm. After a curt greeting she unlocked the door to the inner chamber, and let us in to face the creature she referred to as the Eldest One.
What followed was it somehow spawning a pair of warriors from its blood and forcing us into a battle for our lives. Throughout it all, the being known as the Eldest One simply sat back and watched us silently.
As for its spawn, they proved formidable opponents. The five of us together were barely able to outmatch them, and with Zeetha’s pet bird distracting the female half of the pair for us.
After the battle, the Eldest One applauded us mockingly before asking us why we were here at all. What followed was a brief explanation (mostly from Olympia) on the nature of the Eldest One and the other… creatures of its race. Then she ushered us out again.
The Eldest One… my time with it was brief, but there was an immense intelligence and will within that creature. I admit to not sensing much malice from it, but then it did send its spawn to attack us. But at the same time it did not bother to face us itself. Perhaps it was testing us?
Regardless, we still do not have all the pieces of the puzzle. His Majesty was just preparing to make a request for an audience with the Abyssal King when a missive arrived saying that the Abyssal King wished to meet with us anyway. We need to use this meeting to find out more about the so-called ‘Deep Ones’, and how it is related to the mystery of the Labyrinth, and what we should do going forward.
Scraps greeted me with a dismissive flick of his tail upon my return to my quarters. It’s always nice to be loved.
*~*
Jules
The Eldest One. It seems an odd name to give him, really. He’s not human, but humanoid enough for us to recognize many of his features as being childlike.
There’s no denying his abilities, though. Those minions he created without any visible effort were powerful enough to severely tax the five of us, and it’s a safe assumption that he had far more tricks up his sleeves.
According to Olympia, the Eldest One is the god of the Deep Ones, an aquatic race that considers itself the enemy of humanity. That explains a bit, but it also raises more questions, such as why we haven’t amassed armies to defeat them, or why the secrecy of their existence is so important.
I discussed these matters with Alexis after returning to Armoroad, and she had no answer for me either. I’m to appear before the Abyssal King tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll be able to get a fuller picture of the situation then.
Rook came to me with news about an archaeological group looking to hire bodyguards for some ruin exploration. I don’t see a problem with lending our services, but I think it best that we figure out more about the Deep Ones first. I also told the others who were with me not to speak about what we saw there until I meet with the Abyssal King tomorrow. If he wants this thing hidden, I suppose I can hear his explanations out first.
When I went to inform Alexis that dinner was ready I found her fast asleep, still in the clothes she had set out yesterday with. She must have been more exhausted then she’d let on. I called Scraps and fed him myself; there was no reason to disturb her.
*~*
Midori
Olympia was there today. She displayed no emotion, no acknowledgment of the fact that she had tried to end our lives more than once. For her this affair was simply a task assigned by the Abyssal King. Just thinking about that, thinking about her, makes my blood boil. And then we’d entered the deepest chamber of the Hall of Conviction.
The Eldest One. That’s the source of the Deep City’s fears, the reason they tried so hard to prevent anyone from finding the Deep City at all.
I admit I don’t have a clear view of the whole situation, but I didn’t see what about it would require such drastic measures, I mean, yeah that was a tough fight, but the five of us were able to beat its soldiers. Don’t tell me all those soldiers hanging around the Deep City can’t take that thing on?
Jules ordered us not to talk about the Eldest One until he could talk with the Abyssal King and figure out more about the situation. I didn’t like telling Rook that I couldn’t talk about it, but hopefully things will change soon enough.
The Eldest One. It was definitely hostile to us from the moment we entered its presence. Still, if they’ve managed to lock it up, why don’t they just kill it? Why are they taking half-measures against these supposed enemies of all humanity while killing any of the people whose only crime is simple ignorance. It doesn’t add up.
I need more answers.
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Pensive
After the group came back from their foray to the Hall of Conviction, most of them were pretty quiet. I tried asking Zack about what happened there, but it was pretty clear after a few minutes that he didn’t want to talk about it.
Had lunch with Sidney today (Pure got dragged away by Melina to attend some sort of conference on farming methods) and I couldn’t help but notice that conversation in the restaurant kinda died down when we went inside. I also caught a few whispers about the Paragon Guild and us being a part of it.
Gotta say, becoming something of a celebrity takes a bit of getting used to. When I brought this up with Sidney she just chuckled and shrugged. I guess being the daughter of a fancy merchant gets you used to this sort of thing? I’m not too sure.
*~*
Zeetha
I can’t write too much right now, but! But! Those creatures! Growing so rapidly from mere blood! What kind of unique physiology must those monsters have?
I wonder if their even sentient? Their leader certainly was, but the creatures he spawned made no sound through the entirety of our battle. It’s certainly possible that they might be mindless drones.
Just think! And entirely new species hidden within the Labyrinth! I have to see this through to the end now! What else could await us down there?
Today’s meeting with the Abyssal King didn’t exactly start on the right foot. I’d brought Alexis with me because I figured that anything important enough for me to know was also important enough for her to know.
Apparently Seyfried intended for our talk to be private, and we ended up with an argument over that. Alexis appeared on the verge of simply opting to remain outside the chamber, but I pointed out that if Seyfried had Olympia attending him for this talk, then there was no reason to deny me the courtesy of having my own retainer. At this he subsided, although with obvious ill grace, and began to tell us about the Deep Ones.
Apparently the threat of the Deep Ones has existed for ages – but it came to a head a century ago, in the event now known only as the Calamity. There the Deep Ones rose from the depths en masse and waged war against humanity all across the Northern Seas. They were on the verge of overrunning most of the island cities when the Abyssal King took up Yggdrasil’s offer to sink the central portion of Armoroad, bringing the fight to the home of the Deep Ones. That, of course, wrecked the section of Armoroad that remained above the seas.
So that’s where we are now. The Abyssal King managed to capture the Eldest One ages ago, and has spent the interim period between then and now holding back the hordes of Deep Ones, along with those who agreed to join him in his battle. Apparently some magic in Yggdrasil was what gave him his long life and strength.
And as for why this has to be such a secret… apparently the Deep Ones feed off the fear of humans or… or something. I wasn’t too clear on that point. But the idea is that the less humans know of the Deep One’s existence, the weaker they’ll be.
I guess that’s why they only let the strongest Guilds enter the Deep City and beyond?
He left us with that information for now, with strict orders that this was not to spread beyond the Guild (I’m pretty sure he didn’t even want it to leave the room, but at least he knew that would have been an exercise in futility). I’ve no doubt that he’ll ask us to do more concerning the Deep Ones before very long, but right now I guess the important thing is to inform the rest of Paragon and try to figure out what we should do about this.
When we were leaving the Deep Palace, I noticed Alexis had a deep frown on her face. I asked her about it, but she shook her head and said that she would talk to me about it later.
Expenses, Supplies: 312 en
Expenses, Equipment: 0en
Expenses, Misc: 35 en
Profit, Labyrinth Goods: 450 en
Profit, Seafaring Goods: 0 en
Profit, Misc: 1000 en
Total Profit: 1103 en
Total Current Funds: 13, 275 en
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 29th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
We learnt about the Deep Ones today. About the threat they pose to humans, and the reason for the secrecy of the Deep City. All in all, a strange tale.
I can’t help but note that aside from the Eldest One, we’ve yet to meet any other creatures that could be described as a ‘Deep One’. I would assume ocean dwellers would not feel too comfortable with a volcanic cavern (and I suspect that is part of the reason why they imprisoned the Eldest One here), but we’ve met none at all so far.
According to the Abyssal King, Armoroad, or at least the area of Armoroad that became the Deep City, was brought to the depths along with Yggdrasil to combat the Deep Ones. But we’ve not seen any sign of combat with the Deep Ones ever since our arrival. I can’t help but find this situation rather incongruous with what the Abyssal King has been telling us.
While his Majesty went to inform the rest of the Guild about the truth behind the Deep City, I went around to ask several of the locals about the current situation concerning the war with the Deep Ones. Most of them were rather cagey about the whole affair, but from what they did say it was possible to determine that they’re rather unnerved by the recent lull in hostilities.
Honestly, not a good sign. This situation has rapidly become a lot bigger than simply exploring a Labyrinth, which I suppose the Abyssal King knew all along. Now the next thing to decide is what to do going forward. I’d rather not leave the Abyssal King and his soldiers to fight this war on their own, but at the same time I’m not sure we bring enough to the table to create a practical difference.
At the very least, we should consult the rest of the Guild before moving ahead. They all have a stake in this matter now, too. And I suppose there shouldn’t be an issue with continuing Labyrinth exploration. At least, for the time being.
*~*
Asmodeus
I was recently informed that the books in the Deep Library concerning the Calamity are now available for perusing. Of course the Abyssal King has already spoken to our Guild leaders about the events of a century ago, so I suppose he feels there is no longer a need to keep them restricted.
More troublesome is the standing order not to speak of the existence of the Deep Ones to anyone outside the Guild. My duty is to report such knowledge and events back to the Library, where it can be used for the benefit of mankind. I reluctantly agreed to a temporary silence, but once our venture with the Labyrinth is over, I will be spreading the word of the Deep Ones at the library, whether or not the Abyssal King gives his approval.
For now, I suppose I’ll be holed up in the Deep Library, soaking up as much info as I can. Or at least I would be doing so if I weren’t assigned to tomorrow’s Labyrinth journey.
Horoscope: Size matters.
What in the world?
*~*
Tinker
Hoo boy, Dwayne, looks like you’ve got yourself into a bit of a mess without even knowing about it. Deep Ones? A threat to all humanity? The secret to the Calamity? Honestly all I wanted out of this gig was a bit of extra coin and maybe being able to blow some stuff up.
I’m not even sure I really want to tangle with the Deep Ones. From what I heard, two of them nearly laid five of us flat just yesterday, and hell, I’m not exactly the toughest customer around. But at the same time I’m already privy to this sort of information, so I’m not sure they’d just let me leave and blab it out to others, would they?
Come to think of it, I got the feeling that the prince and his knight weren’t quite sure how to proceed either. And while we’re on the subject, I didn’t hear anything about the Abyssal King asking us to do anything. You know these types, get your head too high up in the clouds and you lose all connection from what us ordinary folk think.
*~*
Pure
Today’s Profit: 12 en
Oh, gods.
How did I get myself into this?
One moment I’m just a guy thinking he’ll sign up for a guild to get some steady cashflow, the next moment I’m locked into a front row seat with some ancient menace from the depths of time or some other nonsense.
Of course Adrian would look forward to matching blows with the Deep Ones. She was practically bouncing on her feet at the thought of getting to challenge such powerful creatures. Meanwhile, sane people like me are wondering why joining this Guild seemed like such a good idea in the first place.
I need a drink. Or two. Or several.
*~*
Rook
Well, that was quite the revelation.
Still, all that’s in the future, and I’ll cross the bridge when I come to it.
Right now I’m more worried about Midori. When we got the news about the Deep Ones from Jules, she got up and began walking away. I wanted to chase after her, but Clay grabbed me by the arm and shook her head.
Ooh, I've been waiting for this part. Thinking back to some of the character profiles you posted, I can guess what path you chose. Keep up the great work, Pure.
The festival in Armoroad will be starting tomorrow! I went down to the Deep City to invite some of the people I know there – I thought it would be a good idea to give them a taste of Armoroad’s culture and everything.
But Angie shook her head and told me that recently a group of explorer’s from Armoroad had gotten themselves badly hurt and that right now all her time was devoted simply to keeping that lot alive. She looked a little tired, too, so I asked her if I could do anything to help. I want to be able to use my magic to help people too, after all. In the end I helped her sterilize her medical equipment with my fire. I hoped what I did was helpful, at any rate.
Later I went to find Edie’s sister. She was bored, because most adventurers who ever came to the Deep City just stocked up in Armoroad first. I think we’re one of two Guilds that frequent the branch with any regularity. Anyway, she couldn’t come either because her sister had placed her under strict orders not to leave the branch for any period of time. Most of the time I spent there was with her complaining, although I guess I can’t really blame her for feeling unhappy.
I saw Olympia at the entrance to the Celestial Palace, and I kinda considered inviting her too, but I guess she wouldn’t be popular with the Armoroad locals. I mean, she did get a lot of explorers killed. Besides, she looked kinda upset about something anyway.
When we got back to Armoroad the Innkeeper’s son was helping to decorate the inn, and Midori was helping him, so I pitched in a little too. It felt kinda nice to be helping with this sort of thing.
It might have been a little easier if Scraps hadn’t kept getting underfoot. Whatever the official inn policy on pets is, the cat’s got free run of pretty much the whole place.
*~*
Asmodeus
The culmination of today’s venture was us getting rampaged over by a berserk elephant with spiked tusks. The sad part is that it wasn’t even the worst experience I’ve suffered within the Labyrinth.
Regardless, we survived once more, and managed to discover the route deeper into the Labyrinth. I’ve already passed the information on to Alexis, and for now I simply want the chance to rest and recuperate.
Unfortunately, preparations for some sort of festival appear to be ongoing, with the resultant increase in noise being rather distressing. I suppose I can make the best of it, but still, this really is awful timing.
Perhaps I might be able to rest better if I lodged at the Deep City’s Twinkling Tavern for the night. I don’t believe anyone in the Guild would mind.
*~*
Melina
The Farmer’s Guild asked for all hands to help with distribution of the foodstuffs for the festival tomorrow. Naturally Pure was nowhere to be found when I went to look for him.
Oh well, the work was still carried out without a hitch. Now my back is aching, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. It was nearly nightfall by the time I was done with my work, so I took a walk to the town square. I’m always surprised by how quickly they managed to transform everything each year. There’re so many stalls now, and once the sun rises the whole place is going to be a huge blaze of colour.
I’m actually glad for the festival. Everyone was feeling a little down yesterday after we learnt about the Deep Ones (well, almost everyone). This should be a good chance to get everyone’s spirits back up.
And of course we’ll get to show the beauty of Armoroad to those of us from distant lands. I can’t wait for the looks on their faces when they see the Swimming Dragons dance in the town square.
*~*
Clay
Someone asked me to help them with setting up stalls and stuff for some fair tomorrow. Heck, it’s a way to pass a few hours and get a handful of coins, I’m not complaining.
Went for dinner at the Bistro, caught sight of Jared and Relena talking. Didn’t catch much, but apparently they were talking about Sheba and that Relena came from there. Sounded like there’s something he wanted her to do with that place? It’s not really much of my business.
Also, Missy didn’t have much on the menu tonight. Just as I was having a craving for some of her braised sea cucumber. Fucking figures.
*~*
Midori
It’s a little jarring to have everyone discussing the Deep Ones and the danger they pose to humanity one day, and the next we’re preparing for a festival. I guess it’s true that we should always make time to relax and refresh ourselves, but… I don’t know. It just seems wrong, somehow.
The locals are really getting into the spirit of things, though. The innkeeper’s boy needed help with setting up decorations for the festival (although I have to wonder why he only bothered to do so one day before the actual event, and I decided to help him with that. A little while later, Rossa joined in to help as well.
We got to talking about this tradition, and the kid explained that long ago, before the Skandalia lighthouse was built, a princess of Armoroad was lost at sea and didn’t know how to find her way back, and none of the search parties that they sent out was able to find her. And then one night, her ship appeared again, sailing through the fog, with the princess still on the boat, safe and sound. When asked about how she managed to find her way back without knowing anything about navigation, she claimed that a path of golden lights appeared on the water, leading the way back home.
Ever since then, every year they release thousands of floating candles onto the waters of Armoroad, in the hopes that the lights will lead wayward sailors back home.
It’s a nice story, I guess. He told me that the sight of all the lights on the water come nightfall will take my breath away. I guess I’ll take his word for it, and I’ll see for myself tomorrow.
*~*
Juliana
Well! Today’s Labyrinth expedition was simply dreadful! Never mind the boiling heat and the endless number of ravenous beasts, I ended up getting my foot stuck in a crack in the ground and ended up having to sacrifice a boot.
Well, it wasn’t all bad, though. At the least, we’ve discovered a path into the eleventh floor. I daresay Alexis will be pleased with that news.
And now there’s a huge festival about to take palce! It honestly kind of snuck up on me, and I’ve just realized that this will be the first time I’ve seen any sort of celebration amongst the common folk. Wooster seems to view the whole matter as being rather degenerate, but Zack’s assured me that if it’s anything like the feasts we hold back home, I’ll love it.
I do hope so. This promises to be a wonderful learning experience.
*~*
Atahualpa
The town is holding a feast day soon. I understand their importance, but I am not fond of large, milling crowds in a place such as this.
Perhaps I shall spend the day to come in the woods surrounding the town instead of within its wall. It is indeed pleasant to be without the responsibility of overseeing the populace.
Ahul, I hope the mantle of a leader does not rest too heavy upon you.
The Night of the Thousand Glittering Lights of the Sea.
Rook knows a lot about it – after all, he’s been to Armoroad any number of times, so I guess he’d know about their celebrations. In any case, he offered to give me a grand tour of the place.
For most of the day we mostly walked around, seeing performers put on shows and demonstrations. There were a couple of mock duels being held for the townspeople’s entertainment, but watching them it was easy to see that those were playactors and not actual warriors. The crowds seemed to like it, though, and who am I to complain?
The real payoff was at night, when the entire town released their candles onto the water at once. I thought that if there was any turbulence in the water it’d make the whole thing go off, but the sea was as smooth as glass tonight. When I mentioned it, Rook chuckled and told me that all the times he’d been here for the Festival, he’d never seen a time where the ocean wasn’t at its calmest at night.
A few minutes after the candles were released into the water, everyone in the crowd was silent watching the candles float down the water. It really was a beautiful sight. While I was sitting there, I honestly felt like I could just stay there and watch it forever.
The kid was right, after all.
*~*
Pure
Today’s Profit: 0 en
Another year, another Festival of Lights.
This time, the feeling was a little different, though. Maybe it’s because we’ve found the Deep City or because the sea lanes are getting more cleared up or… or whatever, but there was a lot more intensity in the air.
I don’t mean to brag, but I caught sight of Senator Flowdia and Princess Gutrune releasing their own candles out there. They weren’t any fancier than the others, so they disappeared into the crowd pretty quickly, but I could see the two of them standing there quietly and talking to each other for a while.
A while later I glanced back and noticed that they’d already left. I guess they had more important stuff to do than to take part in the dancing and feasting and whatever.
Speaking of dancing. Adrian got herself rip-roaring drunk somehow, which is a surprise considering how much she hates alcohol. And not just a little tipsy, either. We’re talking red-in-the-face, giggling-to-herself-for-five-minutes, hug-random-people-and-say-you-love-them drunk. At one point I ended up with her arms wrapped around my waist and me being, I swear, carried out to the dance on the town plaza while spouting some nonsense about how I was her disciple and disciples had to obey their masters.
I needn’t remind you that Adrian is far, far stronger than I am.
The only other person I recognized was Melina, not that it did me much good when she was simply doubled over with laughter at the sight of the both of us.
So yeah, ended up ‘dancing’ with Adrian. She probably wasn’t the best dancer even when sober and drunk out of her skull as she was she spent more time tripping over her own feet than anything. In the end Master Geoffrey helped me carry her back to her room where she enthusiastically proclaimed that ‘It looks just like a bird’s nest’ before falling onto the bed, fast asleep.
I wonder how she’ll react to this tomorrow.
*~*
Sidney
The Festival of Lights this year was a success, as always. I kinda wish I could have been with the rest of the Guild, but my parents dragged me away for one of the official dinners with the rest of the upper crust. At least the dress they made me wear wasn’t that stifling.
Anyway, after the dinner we were just in time for the candle ceremony, and we all went there to watch. I admit I slipped away a little from mom and dad for a better view, but I wasn’t expecting to catch sight of the Princess slipping her own candle into the water.
I mean, I guess she’d have her own contribution, being part of Armoroad and all, but I always figured that the princess’ candle would have some big ceremony where she’d be the first to release it to a waiting crowd or something. The way she did it, it looked really personal for her.
Heh, now I’ve got myself thinking about the old legend about the princess who was led home by the lights. I wonder if there’s anyone the princess or anyone wants to be led home?
Later ran into Pure at the end looking like… well, like the time he ended up on the wrong end of a Furyhorn, actually. I asked him what was up and he mumbled something about never letting Adrian have alcohol again.
I wonder if I really want to know.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 1st of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Days of festivity are always good ways of keeping the morale of the populace high, and I suppose today’s was no exception. And the sight of thousands of candles on the water was indeed breathtaking.
I ran into Juliana near the pub, eating some sort of spiced shrimp that’s apparently a delicacy only brought out for special occasions like today. When she caught sight of me she waved me over and offered me several pieces. I didn’t have much else to do, so I accepted her offer and we just sat there and ate for a while.
After a while, we got to talking about festivals in each of our countries. Apparently one of the celebrations both of our states have in common is the Feast of the Saviour. Juliana appears to have never heard of the Day of Saints, and I admit that I was clueless when she talked about the gaiety and absurdity of the Festival of Fools.
We all had our traditions, I suppose. And the Lady Juliana has a great pride in the traditions of her nation – even if she admits that she doesn’t fully understand all of them. Perhaps it was the general atmosphere of revelry at the time, but I suggested that when she returns to her own country she could try participating in the celebrations herself. She looked a little surprised – but not displeased – at the idea.
*~*
Jules
Got a message from the Abyssal King around the time the celebrations were starting to break up. Apparently he has a task he wants us to perform and we should meet him as soon as possible.
I guess that means we go see him at first light tomorrow? Maybe Yggdrasil empowers the Deep Citizens to be able to operate around the clock, but us ordinary, unaugmented humans require something in the way of sleep.
I wonder what he’ll ask of us, come to think of it. It’ll probably have something to do with the Deep Ones, I guess.
Pft. It's only a small typo; you guys don't have to jump down my throats over it.
Oh man why do I suck so much at proofreading
*~*
The Etrian Odyssey Travelogue
Entry Sixty Nine
*~*
Jules
When I met with him, the Abyssal King issued a demand for me to help him in stopping explorers from attempting to venture deeper into the Labyrinth and potentially provoke the Deep Ones.
It seemed a bit contradictory for him to have ever allowed explorers to continue exploring and then suddenly issued a gag order, and I told him as much (in conciliatory tones, of course. Alexis was there and she’d probably had done something like stamp on my foot if she thought I was behaving in a manner unbefitting a noble). The reply was that he’d needed to ensure that only the absolute best, those with the strength to face the Deep Ones, could be allowed through, and that as it stood he wasn’t sure about a large number of the Guilds that had passed the selection process.
I gathered he believed that the tests devised by the Senatus in Armoroad was nowhere near rigorous enough for his liking, and now he’s seeking to eliminate that middle man by having us (the one Guild who’s apparently surpassed his standards) shut down the exploits of the others.
It feels like dirty work, this. I had a bit of a talk with Sir Geoffrey and Alexis about this later on, and he pointed out that the Abyssal King’s been used to dealing with the problem of the Deep Ones on his own discretion for a century, and our appearance and activities would be something he’s not very used to. Fair enough, I guess, but that doesn’t change the fact that this isn’t a very useful way of handling things.
It’s not like I even want to get involved in the affairs of the other Guilds. Alexis is adamant that I can’t be seen marching in step to the will of another sovereign, especially if it’s counter to my own interests. But as it stands, my refusal to comply will end up hurting relations (tenuous as they are right now) with the Deep City and Armoroad, and the Guild will be in the centre of it.
This is a big mess.
*~*
Sidney
Mom and Dad asked me to join them today for an official meeting with the Senatus. I wasn’t sure what it was about, but I didn’t have any Guild duties scheduled today so I said yes and just went with them.
Miss Flowdia was there, of course, but what I didn’t expect was for Princess Gutrune to attend. I never was the most attentive at picking up news from the grapevine, but then I didn’t have to be in order to know that the Princess has always been frail. I honestly thought her excursion out for last night’s Festival would have left her exhausted.
And, well, to be frank she still didn’t look very well today.
The second surprise was that Mom and Dad hadn’t brought me along just so I could watch – I was the main reason for this audience. Well, the Paragon Guild’s activities was the main reason, and I was the person they chose to contact. After hearing what they had to say, I guess it’s because they felt that if push came to shove I’d side with Armoroad over the Deep City (Ugh. Just writing this down makes me feel a little sleazy.)
Apparently they know about the Deep Ones already, despite the Abyssal King’s attempts to keep it hidden from Armoroad (I should mention that I was escorted into an inner chamber while mom and dad were left to cool their heels with some tea and biscuits. Being treated as more important than my parents felt really odd). And they intend to fight the menace, which I suppose is a good thing. But they know the Abyssal King won’t approve of this, so they want to see if the Paragon Guild can be counted on for support.
I didn’t give them a direct answer (how could I?) but I know they won’t be willing to wait forever. The Abyssal King’s been meeting with Jules and making other demands too, that much I know.
I joined up on this journey to help reunite Armoroad and the Deep City, not to pick and choose one side over the other. This is all turning into one big mess.
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Barely functioning
What the hell happened last night. Feels like
Like Master got one into one of his sparring duels with me, only he didn’t hold back and
Hard to write
Hard to think
Remember carrying some sort of struggling animal. Gotta ask Pure about that one.
*~*
Pure
Today’s Profit: 328 en
Came back from today’s work to find Adrian slumped over in the common area of the inn, face planted in what I guess is her diary. Managed to carry her to her room without anyone helping, so that’s another fruit of her training.
Not to mention I still carried out my exercises today even though Adrian was in no shape to watch over me. It’s routine enough in my life by now, I guess.
Also, I caught sight of Melina helping with the after-festival cleanup. I swear, her work ethic makes the rest of us look bad. Especially since she refused to quit even when she had that cough of hers.
Yeah, I ended up going out there and helping her. (Would’ve just taken over, but she refused to leave…)
I hope Alexis didn’t see me.
*~*
Clay
Oh hell yeah.
Some rich bastard with more money than sense decided to hold some kind of competition to see how can bash the most monster heads in the 3rd Stratum. Well, a challenge like that isn’t one that I’m going to pass up.
I figure I’ll get a few of the others that like a good scrap, and then we can sign up for this and have ourselves a good time in the 3rd Stratum. Guess I’ll just float the idea at the next Guild meeting.
*~*
Juliana
Oho! Just what I needed to brighten up my day
Jules gave me approval to sign up a squad as bodyguards for that tunnel excavation expedition to the southeast of Armoroad! I’ve already met with one of the head historians (he’s a nice enough person, but his name’s a trifle odd. Bongaro, I believe it was?) Now all I need to do is to put together a team (Wooster has expressed his interest in joining so far) and we’ll be off on another adventure!
I must say that the Lady Alexis and Jules look unusually troubled today. Well, I don’t expect it to be that serious a matter, and if it is, I’m always willing to lend an ear and perhaps some of my expertise if it will aid them. I know I’m not knowledgeable in that wide a range of topics, but what I do know might prove useful!
Ooh, I've been waiting for this part. Thinking back to some of the character profiles you posted, I can guess what path you chose. Keep up the great work, Pure.
And some choices Jules and (I think?) Alexis have made.
As far as endings go, I am hoping that Pure uses enough author's license to avoid making it a foregone conclusion. Don't want things to be too predictable, after all.
I would be fooling myself if I didn't say I'm hoping they get the true ending in spite of their choices.
Entry Made: 3rd of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Although diplomatic relations between the Deep City, Armoroad and Paragon are souring at a rapid rate, we still have leeway to continue exploration of the Labyrinth, and I intend to make use of that freedom.
So naturally we would run into Kujura on the 11th floor of the Labyrinth. He spoke to us briefly about being sure of where our loyalties lay before departing further. I could not help but notice that he was travelling alone and did not appear to be having any trouble with the Labyrinth’s denizens. That, and the way he carried himself, spoke highly of his skill.
That aside, we encountered a new kind of monster here – some distant cousin of the dragons inhabiting the area, perhaps. Smaller and coloured a dull green, these winged lizards could snort heated fumes at us. While not overly dangerous, they proved a constant annoyance for our trek through the stratum.
We also happened upon another chamber filled with the larger, more conventional dragons. This chamber had actual lava pits that they rested in, so we were sure to steer clear of them. They didn’t appear very aggressive, so we were able to avoid further combat.
Sidney and Adrian also discovered what appeared to be a rock with several decorative markings on it. After observing it for a few moments we were unable to determine what purpose (if any) it served, and so we let it be for the time being.
I had a talk with his Majesty over dinner tonight after returning from the journey. It was one of the restaurants in the Deep City that they’d recommended to him (and I must say that the cool air of the underwater restaurant was a welcome relief from the blasted heat of the 3rd stratum). We got to discussing what we should do about Armoroad and Deep City in the event that being neutral proved untenable. Sidney had informed me that Armoroad intended to combat the Deep Ones with or without the Deep City’s approval, but it appears they don’t have a set timeframe in mind. (I’m inclined to think that they’re waiting to see where some of the Guilds (including outs) decide to pledge their loyalty to.)
In any case, his Majesty was not keen on enforcing the Deep City’s demand for Guilds to vacate the 3rd stratum. Not that it appeared to matter much, there weren’t many travellers at even the 10th floor, and the only person we met from outside our Guild on the 11th was Kujura. On the flip side, Armoroad’s policy of aggression against the Deep Ones appears reckless. Given that the Abyssal King has been fighting those creatures off for a century, I’m inclined to believe he knows what he’s talking about when he claims that the Deep Ones are too much for man to handle.
I also received a report from Holy Renais. Repeated skirmishes along our border with the Western Shelf. The situation back home can’t keep from degenerating into open war for much longer. And his Majesty still doesn’t know anything about it. Or, at least I don’t think so. He’s received correspondence from his siblings, of course, but his countenance doesn’t appear to have been affected any, so perhaps they’re conspiring to keep the situation from him.
I wonder how much Lady Juliana knows about this. Given that she’s hired herself out as a bodyguard on some excavation expedition, my guess would be ‘not very much’.
*~*
Juliana
Well, this journey has been a bit of a disappointment so far.
First off, we couldn’t take the Tranquility for this trip. Apparently there wasn’t enough space to store all the materials they’d need for this journey. It was a bit upsetting for me, but of course I took it in stride.
Now we’re on the island and, well, it’s just been dreadfully boring. All the historians are busy poking around all the ancient stonework which I’m sure I’d find fascinating if I could understand the slightest bit of anything that’s going on. Zack’s just spent most of the day napping, and Wooster keeps looking through the ruins as if he had the slightest idea what any of it meant. Athulpa (Is that how his name is spelt? I’m not sure.) just keeps staring out to see, and of course Asmodeus is busy assisting the others since he actually knows what this is all about.
I thought that when we were hired as bodyguards we’d end up fighting off graverobbers or ancient tomb guardians or… or something. But so far it’s just been a big boring wait for nothing. And it’s not even like I need the cash from this job badly.
All I can say is that something had better happen soon or this trip will have been a gigantic waste of time.
*~*
Rossa
Went exploring around the Deep City again today when I ran into… something odd. I was walking down one of the back alleys when I nearly tripped over what I first thought was a pile of junk someone had dumped there.
It was only after it started moving and told me to watch where I was going that I realized it was alive. Well, sort of. It’s alive in the sense that Olympia is alive, I guess.
I said sorry and hurried off. But looking back now, I have to wonder. Olympia could pass for a human if she just threw a cloak over her body. This other Yggdroid was clearly mechanical all over. I wonder why there’s a difference between the two of them?
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Embarassed
What in the world did I do the other night? Pure and Master avoid the topic whenever I bring it up, Sidney shrugs and just says that she heard it wasn’t pretty, and I think I’ve caught sight of Melina and Rossa laughing behind my back.
Ugh. I didn’t even want to drink that stupid ale. But Tinker kept on blathering about how it was the finest brew in the Northern Seas no matter how many times I told him I don’t like to drink I finally grabbed a cup and downed it just to shut him up.
And now I can’t remember what happened. Oh well, it can’t have been anything too bad, I guess. I hope.
Also, made another trip to the Labyrinth today. I handled myself fairly well, if I say so myself.
*~*
Clay
Jared, Relena, Rook and Tinker agreed to come with me on our monster hunt. The contest starts tomorrow, and I know I’ll be winning this one! Apparently there’s some kind of tally for each type of monster you kill being worth a different amount of points. I wonder if I should try doing a hunt for a few of those dragons in the middle levels. I’m pretty sure they’ll be a sure way to victory.
Posts
Also, for those of you wondering about the Travelogue updates, I have [strike]two[/strike] three words: Ghost Trick. Sorry.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
My party started out as:
Buccaneer / Hoplite / Princess
Arbalist / Zodiac
The thing to do in 3, though, is to create at least one of every character class in the game (I'd go with 2, because there's at least 2 distinct builds for each class; I picked up 4 Farmers, though) and just leave the extras in the inn with all of their skill points going in the Combat Training.
That way, they'll go up levels "for free" while your main party is out messing around.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Five farmers can still be helpful, what with Keen Nose (I think that's what it's called) stacking, to increase your chances of finding rare gathers without exposing yourself to danger.
Entry Fifty Eight
*~*
Well, the 10th floor of the Labyrinth’s a right harsh place to be, if I do say so myself. Of course, I guess every single floor of the Labyrinth except maybe the first is a pretty harsh place anyway, but we sure took our lumps in this particular case.
Well, when you boil it down to its essentials, our big screwup was not paying attention to those mushrooms all over the place. Nice going there, Dwayne. Anyway we were taking out a bunch of the those weird bugs with rattles on their tales and apparently a few of the mushrooms got antsy with all the fighting going on and started releasing some sort of spore into the air.
I don’t really remember much after that. Mostly a lot of confused yelling and stumbling around, and then I remember getting bashed pretty hard on the shoulder. Since Clay was the only one with a blunt weapon in today’s group I gotta assume it was her, but, well, decided not to press the issue.
Anyway, we elected to get away from all the mushrooms after our heads had cleared a bit, and so we shortcutted over some heat vents or something. Not the most stable ground, you have to admit, and I’m pretty sure all of us got scorched in the process, but that’s what you get when you go traipsing around a volcanic cave.
Finally, we made it through a doorway, slammed the door shut, and then turned around. To find like maybe half a dozen dragons, apparently sleeping on the spots of earth where the lava had seeped through.
I’m not sure it’s actually possible to tiptoe while carrying a bow as big as you are, but I managed it somehow. We avoided getting into a fight while in the room, so I guess we were all feeling a bit relieved when we finally made it through.
Then came the ants. Well, at least they looked like ants in shape, although ordinary ants aren’t the size of dogs. Then again that makes them easier to shoot. After the first half dozen bunches or so we just wrote it off as enough for one day and yanked the Ariadne Thread back into Armoroad.
Now I could do with several strong drinks.
*~*
Zeetha
Today has been incredible! So much new information to add about the creatures that live in the 3rd Stratum!
The mushrooms have evolved to defend themselves by using hallucinogenic spores. I have to admit that after inhaling some of them I sincerely believed that my hair was green for a pretty long period. But that raises some fascinating questions – obviously they wouldn’t have evolved such a defense mechanism unless there were creatures that wanted to use them as a food source. Which creatures, then? The Nozuchis apparently do not care for the mushrooms , and I have my doubts about the dragons consuming plants. Perhaps the stegosauruses wander down here on occasion to feed? I’ll need to step up my observations.
The dragons of the 3rd Stratum apparently make their homes in areas with molten rock around. I suppose it would only be natural that they would seek sources of intense heat for their homes. More importantly, I couldn’t find any sign of the baby dragons even though their eggs were scattered all about. I’ll need to look into where the dragons’ offspring go off to.
Lastly the ants! These are complete mysteries, like so many others within the Labyrinth. How did such creatures grow to such monstrous sizes? Well, I suppose that particular mystery is out of my grasp for now, but at the least, I want to find their nest. They appeared to swarm us once we passed through the doorway (I suppose they didn’t want to intrude on dragon territory), so I suppose it must come from the western end of the Labyrinth.
Maybe I should arrange more unofficial visits to the Labyrinth so I can observe these creatures better… and hopefully without them noticing us and being compelled to attack us.
*~*
Juliana
After asking Zack and Wooster about what to do, I have decided on a course of action! The nefarious beast plaguing the waters of the city to the north should be struck down in the name of righteousness and justice! Just think about the vast boost to my reputation this will be if I succeed!
I’ve also talked to Alexis and she’s given me the go-ahead, so all that’s left to do is to make the plans on who shall accompany my on this adventure. I’ll be taking the Tranquility, of course, so there’ll be more than enough room for everyone.
Hm. Perhaps I should first see who would willingly volunteer for such a trip. It’s always nice to see if people are eager for this sort of thing.
(X)
Jared came up to me and told me that he and Relena would definitely be coming on this journey. Well, that’s three slots filled. To be honest, I’m not sure about Wooster and Zack. Both of them would probably come out of obligation to me, but I’m not sure if I shouldn’t offer the chance to a couple others?
I guess I’ll sleep on it and try to come to some sort of decision later.
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Tired
Well, even for someone as fit as me, spending the whole night in the Labyrinth fighting off monsters tuckers you out some. Especially when you’ve got to look out for a weaker friend the whole time.
Of course, there was that close call with the King Starfish – that wasn’t pleasant. Actually got my blouse torn open a little. It wasn’t so bad, except that Pure got to see the amulet.
Of course he asked what it was (after he helped me beat up the Starfish), and of course I gave him the usual answer of not wanting to talk about it.
Man. Sometimes I wonder why I even carry this thing with me if all it’s gonna do is give me grief.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 22nd of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Juliana came up to me with a proposal for taking down the Corotrangul currently terrorizing Sheba. I wearily resigned myself to the fact that the Paragon Guild is apparently going to end up dealing with every single aquatic monster in between Armoroad and the Northern Continent and gave her the go ahead. She’ll be handling most of the logistical details for this venture, which I suppose is a good chance for her to flex her skills.
I wonder if she’s received word from her father yet.
In other news, Clay’s trip today apparently made some headway at the cost of discovering a set of dangers in the 10th floor. More to the point, nothing remotely resembling a ‘Hall of Conviction’ was found. I guess I’ll lead a team in tomorrow and see how much deeper in we can go.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Down to boss with a sliver of health and my ninja; I didn't think the hit before I took this pic would keel it. But since one character died, I resetted to try again later.
Now I have to get around to writing character records.
Found a post by Internisus on the Select Button forums, showing the calendar months. Each of the months is 28 days long, with Khrysaor being the exception that brings the total days up to 365.
Emperor 28
Dormouse 28
Taurus 28
Summoner 28
Tiger 28
Lapin 28
Stallion 28
Phoenix 28
Uroboros 28
Aries 28
Demiurge 28
Serpent 28
Capuchin 28
Khrysaor 1
Well that's behind us now, so hopefully the update rate can go back on track.
*~*
The Etrian Odyssey Travelogue
Entry Fifty Nine
*~*
Entry Made: 23rd of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Progress on discovering the Hall of Conviction was delayed today when we ended up in combat with one of the giant worms inhabiting the 3rd Stratum.
I’m pleased to say that we managed to defeat it.
I am, however, less pleased to say that Zack and I were the only ones standing by the time we dealt the final blow to the beast. He salvaged what he could from the carcass of the creature while I attempted to apply some rudimentary first aid to the others. I believed I’d just about gotten Sidney into consciousness when Zack announced that he was done with the worm. In any case, attempting to progress further would likely have turned out badly for us, so we returned to Armoroad for the day.
Asmodeus came out of it the worst of any of us – his leg was broken and he’ll need to spend time recovering before he’ll be ready to continue exploration. I get the feeling he was more interested in studying the Deep City (apparently he’s been allowed access to their library) so I suppose it’s no great loss on his part.
I had a brief talk with Zack after we had returned, mostly to ask if he was fine with having gone on such a harrowing trip when he would be setting out tomorrow to fight the Corotrangul or whatever monster it is that’s infesting Sheba, he merely shrugged and told me that he would be fine.
On that note, Lady Juliana has been stockpiling an absolutely extravagant amount of foodstuffs on her ship, and when I pointed out that her journey would likely take less than a single day (especially since they would be starting off at that Geomagnetic pole Rook discovered), she insisted that one had to always be prepared for all possibilities, no matter how unpleasant.
I suppose that she’s able to stock up using the Guild’s coin would be a factor in her decision. Regardless, I left her to her preparations, I’m sure she’ll be able to handle whatever it is that’s out there.
His Majesty’s been acting strange lately. I wonder if anything’s the matter. He probably hasn’t heard anything from his Father about the impending war, or at least I hope not. I don't know how much longer I can keep this from him, though.
*~*
Jules
Suddenly I’m starting to wonder if buying a cat for Alexis was such a good idea after all.
Expenditure on Equipment: 3020 en
Expenditure on Supplies: 770 en
Expenditure, Misc: 1240 en
Income, Labyrinth Goods: 783 en
Income, Sea Goods: 322 en
Income, Misc: 0 en
Total Profit: -3925 en
Current Funds: 12, 412 en
*~*
Juliana
All the necessary preparations have been made, and we’ll be setting out for Sheba come the dawn tomorrow! I’ve heard descriptions about this beast – it’s supposed to be some sort of inhuman monster, surrounded at all times by a flock of loyal attendants. It would be a noble endeavour if they weren’t all monsters.
Several of the people who’ve attempted journeys to Sheba have come back with tales of how it’s long, whip-like tail can ensnare you at any time and how its icy breath can leave a man immobilized and unable to defend himself. It all sounds positively horrifying!
The Lady Alexis had the nerve to criticism my preparations for the upcoming trip. I suppose I can understand her concerns, but honestly. It’s my ship, and I can do what I want with it!
Zack just read this over my shoulder and commented that Alexis was probably more worried about the money used to purchase all the supplies. Well if that’s what she’s so upset about, I’m certain that I can cover the funds for her. It’ll just take a letter to dad and a couple of weeks.
I should probably mention that Zack insisted on coming along. Well, I suppose I can’t fault his enthusiasm, although he looked a little tired from today’s excursion. Well, I suppose it won’t be a big problem come tomorrow.
Now, I should turn in early. I will need to be well rested and alert for our trip tomorrow! Think of the fame and glory that awaits me once I slay this beast!
*~*
Zack
Getting a giant worm kill under my belt wasn’t half bad, but it shouldn’t compare to fighting off that giant sea monster. Alexis seemed to think I may be biting off a bit more than I can chew, but she doesn’t know me. I can handle it.
Lady Juliana appears to be in fine spirits. I suppose that’s only to be expected, given that she really hasn’t had much action ever since we slew the Hammerhead Shark and some miscellaneous trips into the Labyrinth. This will be her first chance to shine in a while, so I can understand her eagerness. And for my part, I’m going to have to make sure I don’t let Lady Juliana down!
If I stop now, I can probably get more training done before nightfall.
*~*
Jared
Word’s gotten around Armoroad that the Paragon Guild’s gunning for the Corotrangul tomorrow. Funny thing is, I think a lot of them were half-expecting it. Know for a fact that at least one group bowed out after hearing that it was declared that we were hunting the monster down.
We really are getting ourselves a bit of a reputation, aren’t we? Given the rate more and more of these beasts pop up (and given the rate we’re moving deeper into the Labyrinth) I think we’ll have plenty of chances to keep boosting that.
As long as we don’t get ourselves horribly killed first of course, but then working around Armoroad’s waters for so long has given me a bit of perspective on all that.
I think I’ll go see Relena now. I wonder how she feels about going so close to Sheba. But then again she was the one who insisted on coming for this trip.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Entry Sixty
*~*
I am pleased to report that the foul beast tormenting Sheba is no more! It may have been a long and fierce clash, but the final outcome was never in doubt for a moment. And it was indeed a glorious moment where I dealt the final blow to the aquatic monstrosity, plunging my rapier deep into its flesh!
I am, however, less pleased to report that during the battle the currents whipped up by the creature ended up inadvertently dragging us through the ocean, and even after the creature had expired we were still left at the mercy of the treacherous waves.
Finally we ran aground on the shores of an unmarked island, with the Tranquility having sustained more than its fair share of damage. After inspecting the ship, Jared proclaimed that there was simply no way the five of us could get it on the sea again, so we’re stuck here for the time being, I suppose.
At any rate, Zack and Atahualpa volunteered to go scouting in the forests surrounding the island and they’ve yet to return. I do hope they make it out safely – and that there aren’t any unpleasant surprises waiting for us within the canopy of the forest. The rest of us focused on building a campfire and waiting out the night. I must say that all these new experiences are positively thrilling, even if they tend to be inadvertent.
I do worry about Wooster. The poor dear is going to be apoplectic when we don’t return by the appointed time. Well, once the others notice they’ll set out to search for us, I’m sure. Alexis can be a tad stuffy at times, but at heart she’s as reliable as any one of my father’s own knights.
Although when she does find me I can point out how I was right to stockpile all that food. Ha!
*~*
Zack
Yeouch. Just got back from exploring the island and aside from a brief clash with what appeared to be a living twig, there wasn’t much to find. Mostly lots of dark, dense, undergrowth. Cutting through it was a damned chore, but Atahualpa seemed completely at home with moving through the trees.
Well, he did at first. After a while he shook his head and muttered something about a bad smell before saying that we should turn back.
I guess when the guy who’s grown up in a jungle tells you to turn back, you turn back.
Can’t say I’m not glad for the chance to sit back and unwind. That Corotrangul took some killing and no mistake. Those little creatures all around it were almost as much of a pain to deal with as it was to fight the giant monster itself. Almost – that didn’t spew cold air that made swinging my sword properly all but impossible. And just when I thought I’d got a handle on the thing its tail came out of the water to wrap around me. If Atahualpa hadn’t attacked the creature and forced it to back off at that moment I might’ve been dragged underwater, and that doesn’t really bear thinking about, does it?
Lady Juliana did splendidly out there today, I thought. She’s really growing as a leader, able to give commands that aligned properly with the flow of the battle to give us. I don’t doubt she played a pivotal role in helping us to fell the beast, and in the end, it was her who delivered the final strike.
Well, there’s nothing really much to do aside from waiting to be rescued, so maybe I’ll turn in early.
Or maybe I’ll go check to see how Lady Juliana is doing. She can’t be used to spending the nights outdoors, after all.
*~*
Jared
It’s bad enough that there are so many beasties out there in the waters, but why do so many of them had small armies of smaller monsters that follow its beck and call.
Any case, Relena and I were the ones assigned small fry cleanup duty while Zack, Atahualpa and the princess dealt with the Corotrangul itself. I can’t decide if the ones that kept spewing lightning at me were worse than the ones that kept blowing up in my faces, but beyond a certain point I guess it’s all academic, and by the end of the fighting I was all but out of ammo.
Relena was fighting like a woman possessed out there. She was just carving her way through the enemy hordes without giving a thought to her own safety. I guess she still cares about Sheba in her own way. Still seemed uncomfortable at the idea of entering it again, though, which is why I guess getting swept away onto this island might have been a blessing in disguise. (Although we could have avoided all this had Juliana been slightly more adept at handling the wheel. Nice going, princess.)
Kind of, anyway. Juliana’s stockpiled more than enough food to last us a while, but she didn’t pack any rum. Or beer. Or mead. Or any other alcohol. How in the blazes does someone stock a ship and neglect to pack anything to drink?!
Well, at least we shouldn’t be out here too long. Relena’s been giving funny glances at the forest behind us, but there’s no reason to go in deep now, and we should be fine as long as we stay on the ship instead of gallivanting about.
Relena’s already turned in for the night. Guess I’ll go join her.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 24th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Word just reached us from Sheba that the HMS Tranquility was dragged off course by the Corotrangul, and that last any of Sheba’s citizens saw of it, the ship was still locked in combat with the monster and its servants.
Rook’s already gone out with Jules in the St. Eris to the North to help look for them. I volunteered to accompany them, but Jules pointed out that someone needed to stay behind and manage the Guild affairs, and that I would be better suited for that task then he, if only because he doesn’t have a phobia of sea travel like I do.
As much as I hated to concede the point, he was right, and I saw the both of them (along with Midori and Rossa) off about an hour ago. And said ‘mundane’ Guild matters presented itself shortly after, such as having to foot the bill for Asmodeus’ treatment. There’s also a general halt on Labyrinth exploration, at least until we find Juliana’s group and bring them back.
In the meantime, his Majesty told me not to open the door to his room until he returned. I haven’t the slightest idea why, but it’s an easy enough request to abide by.
*~*
Asmodeus
All that time spent studying how to read the stars, and you think they’d be of enough use to warn me when I’m about to receive a broken arm.
Well, at least this won’t affect my research into the Deep City. Much.
I suppose I’ll pay them another visit to their Library tomorrow. I’ve been starting to piece together some cryptic references to a suppose ‘Deep One’, whatever that is. Or perhaps there’s more than one of those? More research will of course be needed.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
Entry Sixty One
*~*
No luck with finding Juliana and the others today.
Well, that’s not quite true. We actually have a pretty good idea of where they are, it’s just getting to them that’s going to be the problem. I don’t think the Tranquility was any more equipped than the St. Eris for moving through seaweed this thick, but maybe the Corotrangul churning up the place allowed them through inadvertently. Or something. Rook isn’t sure either.
Anyway, we’ll be spending the night in Sheba while they outfit our ship with the necessary equipment to allow us to break through the seaweed tangles. I guess we can tow the Tranquility behind us on the way out or something (Juliana will throw a fit if we try to leave it behind). I sent a messenger to Alexis informing her about the situation. She should be able to handle things well enough back at the Guild for one more day.
Hang tight for a while longer, guys. We’ll be there to help you soon.
Current Expenses: 100 en to rent a naval ram and get it installed. Will integrate it into other finances when I get back to Armoroad.
*~*
Midori
Sheba’s design and architecture is really different from Armoroad’s. For one thing it’s surrounded on all sides by walls and towers. The cities in the South sea tend to be more… open? But then according to history Sheba’s been the target of several invasion attempts from the North so I guess they have a right to be wary.
Everything’s white here. I was helping out on the ship until evening so I didn’t get to properly see the town until then (and my feet could use a good long soak in a tub of warm water) but I gotta imagine that the whole place would be positively blinding under the noonday sun.
Based on the direction that the Corotrangul monster thing dragged the Tranquility off to as well as the currents, we’ve managed to pinpoint an island west of Sheba as the most likely place for Jared and Relena and the others to have ended up. Only thing is there’s a lot of seaweed in the way so we kind of have to wait for the ship to be outfitted with some sort of ram to get through it. Rook was overseeing the process and when I paid a visit to him earlier he was yelling at them nonstop about being more careful with his ship. It was actually kinda funny to watch.
As for myself, well, once all the work was done there wasn’t really much to do. I wasn’t really familiar with Sheba so I mostly wandered about a bit through the bazaar areas. A lot of the stuff there I’ve never seen before; it was a bit of an eye opener.
No fox masks on sale, though.
I tried some sort of rolled up bread stuffed with meat and sauce for dinner. So far I’ve spent most of the night throwing up. No more of that for me.
*~*
Rossa
The food in Sheba is delicious! Especially the gyros! I ordered extra sauce on mine too.
Lady Juliana and the others should be all right for one more night. In the meantime, I should check how quickly these things spoil so I can stock up before I leave.
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Bored
So Armoroad’s throwing some sort of yearly festival soon. According to Pure, it translates into ‘Night of the Thousand Glittering Lights of the Sea’ from the old languages. A bit of a mouthful, really.
Well I sure wouldn’t mind kicking back and enjoying myself when the festival hits (and I’m pretty sure Master wouldn’t mind me doing that either), but that’s not for a week or so and right now there are no Labyrinth expeditions planned since half our manpower is out at sea for one reason or other.
So really, there hasn’t been much to do aside from training. And training Pure, too. He’s learning a lot faster than I thought he would be, and he hasn’t made any excuses about feeling under the weather or something for skipping out on work. Guess I won that little bet with Sidney. Heh.
The robe Pure bought for me’s getting to be a little tattered. Maybe I shouldn’t wear it so much, especially when I’m Labyrinth diving. I know it’s made of tough material and all, but I don’t think many things stand up well to walking inside a volcano. Or what’s close enough to a volcano to be one anyway.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 25th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
I received word from the front desk of the inn that a cat(?) had escaped from his Majesty’s room when one of the cleaning staff entered to tidy up the place.
I honestly had no idea how to respond to that aside from promising to keep a lookout.
All I know is that I’ll have some questions for his Majesty when he gets back.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Or wait for the region locking to be cracked.
Either or.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Make sure you map everything?
When you start the game, make a bunch of back-up characters in addition to your "main party." Assign all their starting skills to Combat Study (it's on their second skills tab). They'll get "free" experience every time your active party does (percentage determined by ranks in Combat Study). Then, from time to time, check back and assign their new skills.
Make sure some of your back-up characters (or some of your main characters) know the harvesting skills (Chop, Mine, Gather). They're one of the best ways to make money, and they unlock new weapons, armors, and items.
Have fun - but you'll probably die several times and be forced back to an earlier save.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Spoiler tagged crappy isight pictures
Note: The victory pic was one sentence immediately after the one I took in the last one.
So yeah, pretty much once the weaker boss fell (taking my princess as well), it was a ninja and her clone fighting back and forth until I bound the boss' arms (Dreadnought + Bind Arm 3x), then I revived the princess, then won.
Now I can't decide if I should continue on to post-game content or start again ... decisions decisions.
And yeah, you'll likely be dying ... a lot, especially in the beginning.
- I assume having one makes Ninjas as a main/sub less attractive? Seems you only have one summoning slot with a full party which would mean a Summoned Beast OR a Clone, and the other class is left twiddling their thumbs.
- Summons work best in the front row, right? Which means I'd want a party with 2 front / 3 back. Any suggestions?
Also:
- How good are Buccaneers in the back row compared to the front?
- Prince(ss) are wasted if not in the front row?
- Who's cooler? Arbalists or Zodiacs?
- How well do Arbalists do in the front? I see Front Mortar, but I'd imagine they'd have to be covered defensively?
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Some of these questions are beyond the scope of my experience but here's what I can comment on:
You are correct about there being only one summon slot; having more requires you to run with only 4 main people, which tends to be counterproductive. One of the reasons wildlings lag a bit in the endgame is because you're going to want the sixth slot for things like Hop/Nin. I don't know much about summon positioning, I'm afraid.
As for the other questions:
Buccaneers tend to spend a lot of time chasing attacks or dropping debuffs through moves like Hanging. I seem to recall you can build a bucc to get a lot of use out of the high-end damage skills, as well. So really you can make either front row or back row work fine as long as you decide in advance and set skills appropriately. It's worth looking at the rest of your time to see what gets used more: physical attacks or elemental ones, if you're planning on putting points into chases.
Prince/ss can use the heavy armor and shields of Hoplites so they have more staying power on the front row, although they don't have Hops passive damage reduction or nifty defensive skills. Eventually they'll start taking more significant damage. Sticking them in the back row lets you keep the passive heals up more frequently, but you lose out on some offensive power (although princes don't have a lot of dd options unless you skill for them, and you might want those points elsewhere) and probably more importantly, you've stuck someone more fragile up on the front row. When I used a prince I generally kept him up front for random battles and switched to back row for bosses, when he'd have more important things to do than attack.
Arbalists and Zodiacs are equally cool. So equal they are often each others subs, too! Use both. I used both. No? Fine, flip a coin.
Front Mortar arbalists are engines of raw destruction once you get appropriate skills up but they will require constant bodyguard once you hit later floors. Arb/Zodiac is a safer option, generally.
Entry Sixty Two
*~*
Well we’ve finally been rescued from that dreadful island, and not a moment too soon.
I was woken this morning by Zack coming to tell me that there was a ship on the horizon sailing towards us. Before long it became apparent that it was the St. Eris coming to rescue us, and we hurriedly began packing out things so that we would be ready to leave by the time they reached us.
In the end, it took far longer than I’d had anticipated, mainly because Jules had (correctly) anticipated that I’d want to bring the Tranquillity back with me. I must say that really was rather thoughtful of him. So in the end once we got into our rowboats we spent about two hours connecting the Tranquillity to the St. Eris. Zack offered to let me rest while he picked up my slack, but it is my ship and I didn’t want to appear unsporting.
And to be honest, I suspect that some of the others were not entirely happy with having to spend so much time on salvaging the Tranquillity. I’m not about to give up the ship father gave me, though.
Wooster quite nearly fell over himself when I stepped off the gangplank onto dry land again. I’d been right in thinking that he’d been beside himself with worry. Well, I calmed him as best I could and assured him I’d been fine during my impromptu camping trip.
And now I’m back in the relative comfort of Armoroad. It does feel ever so nice to be able to sink back into a sofa and simply relax. Jules and Alexis were having some sort of animated discussion as they left the inn, but I suppose it really doesn’t have very much to do with me.
Now. I wonder what I shall have for dinner tonight?
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 26th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
According to the missive his Majesty sent, he should return sometime today in the afternoon. I suppose I’ll ask the staff at the inn to get ready for the arrival of several tired patrons all at once.
Meanwhile I’ve managed to track down what I believe to be the wandering cat that had somehow found its way into his Majesty’s room. If nothing else, it fits the description given by the maid who let the creature escape in the first place. In absence of any other place to keep it until his Majesty gets back (and my assumption that his request not to enter his room is still standing) I’ve brought it to my room so I can keep an eye on it until I can ask his Majesty about it. In all probability it will just be some stray that found its way into the room by accident but I suppose it won’t hurt to have a confirmation.
It appears surprisingly well behaved, if nothing else. Right now it’s simply napping while I work on shuffling the next set of Guild duties. And I’m going to have to check on the condition of Juliana’s crew when they return before I can safely decide what tasks to assign them over the next few days.
(X)
Jules got back, and everyone else who went out to sea as well. They’re all fine, more or less, which is fortunate. Most of them are recuperating right now in their own way (Jared hit the pubs almost immediately, I believe), and since we’re back to full strength I can plan our next push to finally reach the Hall of Conviction (I believe the Abyssal King is getting rather impatient with us, although I don’t really see why he’s so anxious about all this).
Also, the kitten was apparently supposed to be a gift to me. For the anniversary of my knighting, he claimed. I was once more in the rather uncomfortable position of not having any idea of how to respond to something like that. I can’t exactly turn down a gift from his Majesty, even if it’s not something I wanted at all.
Jules later brought across the rest of things he’d apparently decided that a pet kitten needed, including several bags of pet food, a basket with some sort of cloth, and what appeared to be a scratching post. I also got him to promise that he would help me with taking care of it since the whole thing was his idea.
And it just occurred to me that I’ll have to think of a name for it.
*~*
Jules
The rescue mission went off without a hitch, and Alexis took the news of her now having a pet tolerably well, so I’d say today wasn’t a bad day at all.
Of course, shortly after I came back a message from the Senatus arrived. Apparently Senator Flowdia would like to have a word with me about the Hall of Conviction and what might be found there. That she knows a bit more about the history of Armoroad, the Deep City, and the Labyrinth than she’s letting on is obvious, and trying to tease it out of her is an exercise in frustration.
Also, Atahualpa mentioned something about the island we picked them up from being ‘a dark place’. Well, I would suppose so, given how thickly the trees in there grow, but I guess he meant something a bit different. I just get the feeling he really doesn’t like that place.
Also, apparently we’ve been getting more and more applicants for the Guild lately. Most of them seemed decent fighters too, but we had to turn them down. We’re already running into administrative issues as-is, unless they’re a cut above the rest we really don’t have space for more people in the Guilds.
Expenses, Equipment: 0 en
Expenses, Supplies: 135 en
Expenses, Misc: 100 en
Profit, Labyrinth Goods: 0 en
Profit, Ocean Goods: 210 en (Rook apparently got some fishing done without me noticing)
Profit, Misc: 47 en
Total profit: 22 en
Total Current Funds: 9, 753 en
*~*
Sidney
Been experimenting with a set of Ice rounds. Just seems like it’d be useful for the 3rd Stratum, you know? Plus if I can get this down I’ll master the whole set!
Maybe I should go have a talk with Asmodeus about this. After all, he helped Clay with enchanting her weapon with Ice, didn’t he?
In other news, preparations for the Festival of Lights is well under way. They’ve already started putting up the tents and banners all around the place. This will be Adrian’s first time experiencing the Festival – Pure and I will have to make sure it’s a good one for her.
I wonder if they’ll set up that ‘Horror Mansion’ tent again. That was a fun one. Of course, half the fun was sneaking in because Mom and Dad thought my temperament was too delicate to handle it. Pfft. I’ve already killed scarier things these past couple of months.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
dehugonas
Name: damceles k.o.h.
Bio: A connoisseur of large ranged weapons.
07am Emperor 1
Also, managed to lose my tavern wallet ... errr Px.
07am Emperor 1
Waiting at the Guild Hall's waiting room. waiting to be served. rather be drinking.
07am Emperor 1
Wait a minute, did I hear they only serve milk here? anger
07am Emperor 1
Finally got in. will be joining some odd guild called … dd4e? really? eh, better than sitting bored.
07 am Emperor 1
Looks like the spaz finally made us official. heading out
07am Emperor 1
First stop armouries. got kicked out of every one but napier. won't like it but it'll do
07 am Emperor 1
Edie (armoury owner) seems cool. got a good head on her with her priorities in check. we need to drink some time.
07 am Emperor 1
At the bar. this town is hell incarnate. all they serve is MILK. how can people live like this?!
07 am Emperor 1
Needed to go see Senatus. i don't like official places and the lead person is creepy. I hope i never end up like her …
07 am Emperor 1
Map? drawing? as if I ever get bored enuff to do something like that. Px can do it
07 am Emperor 1
pixilas
Name: priscilla k.d.
Bio: Princesses favours the likes of food and entertainment.
07 am Emperor 1
The guild spaz finally agreed to keep the two of us together in the same party. Good. Last thing I need is to constantly reset the guild.
07 am Emperor 1
I cannot believe Dh lost all of our gear and now we're stuck with rusty pocket knives and grass skirts. At least we have … 500 en?! pain
07am Emperor 1
Our monetary situation wouldn't be so bad if a certain someone wouldn't drink it all away. Esp when all they sell us is milk. I blame Val.
07 am Emperor 1
We wouldn't get kicked out of nearly as many shops if Dh would put on a shirt and stop beating up on people who gawks at her.
07 am Emperor 1
Serious, I thought archers were supposed to be weak. But then again, her bow is bigger than she is; I shouldn't be surprised.
07 am Emperor 1
Oh dear. Why do I have a bad feeling things won't go well between Dh and the armoury clerk. And I don't mean them fighting.
07 am Emperor 1
How is it possible that we did so much in a single hour? Oh wait, yes. Magical time warping abilities of the town and seas.
07 am Emperor 1
Entry Sixty Three
*~*
Thought for the day: Teamwork allows others to cover your weaknesses.
Entered the 2nd Stratum today.
Intention was to face one of the Scaled Dragons that populate the seventh floor.
Sir Wooster led the way. I believe he wished to prove his mettle after not being brought along by the Lady Juliana on the hunt for the Corotrangul.
Rossa came along, mainly out of idle curiousity.
Clay came along, in search of a challenge.
Lastly, Zeetha came along, seeking to study the creature.
It was a tenacious battle, but we eventually succeeded.
I deemed Clay and Rossa in need of medical attention and so we retreated quickly after that.
I do wonder why the beast had a book on his person, though.
The boy Pure has come to me with a request about learning healing. I am willing to teach him, but I question if he has the discipline to master such a path.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 26th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
‘Scraps’.
It’s not the best name, but I believe it fits my new roommate well enough, if only because it keeps insisting on eating the leftovers from my meals.
His Majesty said that it was a nice name, although I suspect he might have said it primarily so as to avoid upsetting me.
Rossa shrugged, said the name wasn’t important, and went back to playing with it, mostly by dangling a piece of string in front of it.
Pure scratched his head, mumbled ‘whatever’, and requested this week’s pay. I think it hissed at him on his way out.
Juliana called it ‘painfully unoriginal’.
Scraps it is.
(X)
Had a training session with his Majesty earlier in the evening. During out sparring session I brought up the fact that trying to properly protect an entire team of explorers was a noticeably different task than trying to protect him alone. Naturally, I had to give him priority, although he did not see it that way, and in fact urged me to focus more on the others.
The ability to guard multiple people at once… I’ve been looking into it, and I believe I might have a proper solution. But then there’s no way to no for real until I test it in actual combat.
Another Labyrinth venture has been scheduled for tomorrow. Assuming no more unpleasant surprises (which is a shaky assumption anyway) we should be able to locate the Hall of Conviction by tomorrow.
*~*
Midori
Went to visit Agata and Hypatia’s graves today. Rook came along with me without me needing to ask. I’m glad he was there with me.
Luckily none of the beasts in the area had been nosing around, at least as far as I could see. I guess we did a decent job of digging proper graves for them. Rook stood a distance away to wait for me and to keep an eye out for enemies.
We spent about fifteen minutes there before heading back. When I got back I found a quiet spot on the beach and got back to training. One of the techniques in Agata’s scroll was about using the last of your life to fire a bolt of flame at your enemy. If I combine it with my ability to create body doubles, I might be able to use them as bait to attack my opponents.
I’ll need all the edge I can get. Even if not against the Deep City, against the beasts of the Labyrinth.
*~*
Melina
I’ve been working hard on improving my stamina today. People like Ms. Alexis and Ms. Adrian expend so much energy on protecting me and Pure when we go in; I don’t want to fall behind.
I’ve been studying Ms. Alexis’ teachings with the shield, and I think I’ve just about got the hang of blocking enemy attacks. It’s still not too reliable, though. I should probably work in more practice. I’d ask Ms. Alexis, but she appeared to be cooped up in her room for a rather long while today. I wonder what the matter was with her.
I also went to Ms. Edie’s store to sell some of the Flame Fruit’s I’d been gathering (Pure wanted to see what kind of juice he could make with it, but if he wants it so badly he can jolly well gather his own ingredients) and she offered me a cup of tea. I had to pay for it, of course, but I know the prefers the expensive imported stuff and the charge was nothing, really. We got to talking about the branch in the Deep City, and how there haven’t been enough explorers down there to drum up big business. Well, that’s something we can’t really fix until more Guilds are found worthy of entrance, isn’t it? I do wonder what sort of tests the Deep City and the Senatus have for determining if Guilds are found worthy…
*~*
Pure
Today’s Profit: 1314 en
Got paid today, so that’s one bright spot.
Today Adrian’s training consisted of asking me to dash to the spots in the 3rd Stratum where the Flame Fruits grow (which, I might add, cross over several heat vents), pick as many of them as possible, and make it back in as short a time as possible.
Hey, it turns out you’re not actually running as fast as you can until an enraged stegosaurus is bearing down on you with teeth as big as your entire arm. I honest to go thought I was done for until Adrian jumped in and hit it right on the head, stunning it long enough for me to get away. And then Sidney followed up by shooting it in the leg.
Also, flame fruits don’t make for good juices. Guess I’ll be getting more of those moss strawberries for Adrian the next time I head in. We’ve also been picking up the Scarlet Sage every once in a while to send over the innkeeper boy’s friend overseas. Wonder how much more they need.
Also, Master Geoffrey okayed my request to learn healing, but he warned that ‘it would demand much of me’.
I can hardly wait.
*~*
Sidney
Ice rounds were a no-go today. Pure nearly got skewered because my critical shot simply refused to go off and if Adrian hadn’t jumped in to cover for me I wouldn’t have had time to reload and fire a bolt into that monster’s thigh.
Rrgh. Guess I’m gonna have to pull another all-nighter figuring out what I did wrong. That juice Pure made earlier is also making me too twitchy to sleep right right now (and it didn’t taste very good anyway).
I wonder if it’s the release mechanism that’s the problem.
Edit: Great, massive formatting error and I missed it for nearly the whole day.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
dehugonas
11pm Demiurge 6
Finally out of treatment from facing you-know-who. Frankly, we've faced worse and … what happened to our records?! :anger
11pm Demiurge 6
You fall unconscious for a few days and they lose a year and half of your records. Damn them all
11pm Demiurge 6
Greeted by cheery lad as usual. Does he always refer to everyone by "boss". Strange behaviour that I'll never understand.
11pm Demiurge 6
Now where's royal shortstuff? She has our wallet.
11pm Demiurge 6
Back in the Porcelain forest, nothing has changed. Time to finish mapping the empty parts.
11pm Demiurge 6
Stepped through the new gate and immediately had to fight. Nice change of pace.
01am Demiurge 7
Nothing makes you feel more comfortable going to a new area than oncoming darkness.
07pm Demiurge 7
Two steps into the new stratum and the geofield is in sight. Time to hug some walls and … more mushrooms and rabbits?
07pm Demiurge 7
Can't remember what cricket bat I was hit with earlier but we fled quickly. I need a bed or a drink or something. Now who up for giant bird?
10pm Demiurge 7
Was told to slay some dragons if we are to prove ourselves. I think we're more than capable. We've slaughtered dragons before.
10pm Demiurge 7
After a quick stop to the Deep, Olympia doesn't remember us or our encounters at all. Maybe it's for the best.
10pm Demiurge 7
pixilas
11pm Demiurge 6
A new mission? Find evil, repent our sins, yes it's the usual. Bring us opposition and we'll slay them. No need to tell us.
11pm Demiurge 6
Despite the recent event, town gossip is the same thing as before our last encounter. I'm sure it'll change once we reach a new floor.
11pm Demiurge 6
Sold the drops from our last encounter and only good thing was a sword. It's pretty cheap for a high powered weapon.
11pm Demiurge 6
However, weapons gotten through this method had always been pretty lousy, even back in Etria and Lagaard. Why am I surprised again?
11pm Demiurge 6
Back to where the battle was and the only thing left here is ground to map out. Surprise surprise, a warping gate. No intruders at least.
00pm Demiurge 7
Random battle right after we landed, but at least it wasn't anything threatening especially compared to what we beat.
05pm Demiurge 7
As we approached the entrance to the next floor down, the clock strikes 7 and darkness falls. Foreboding …
07pm Demiurge 7
The new strat is green and damp. And are we walking on floating leaves or another mirror pool. Good thing we can't look down.
07pm Demiurge 7
Checking the walls as we go, as I always do, I found a shortcut that's closed on this side. Surprise surprise. Onward.
09pm Demiurge 7
Another mushroom enemy appears. I'd be surprised, but this thing isn't anything compared to Lagaard's strat 6 mushroom. Size matters y'know.
09pm Demiurge 7
Found the stratum warp then ran into an old friend: a pumpkin head. As usual Dc gets wiped out but after boosting her evade? Time to escape.
09pm Demiurge 7
Revived Dc with Nectar and took a hit. Legs got freed after and we hightailed it. Back in town now & when we go back, time to get serious.
10pm Demiurge 7
Upon entering town, the pleasant disembodied voice returns. Why can't the narrator let me state the obvious instead?
10pm Demiurge 7
Interesting, the dragons actually have plot behind their existence and slaughter now. Fine by me, I like plot devices.
10pm Demiurge 7
Why does everyone in town think we were leaving? Because they expected us to immediately go to EO4? Or newgame+? There's still more to kill!
10pm Demiurge 7
Huh, so that's what that floating island in the western north map is about. Time to set sail to check it out, then a time warp reset.
10pm Demiurge 7
Arrived at floating island after manipulating currents and nothing was found. Gotta slay some dragons first. Time to reset.
08pm Demiurge 9
I don't like how Dc unwinds by killing Meregho and drinking with the crew afterwards. We get full HP/TP sure, but is it really the best way?
10pm Demiurge 7
Entry Sixty Four
*~*
Entry Made: 27th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
So much for the lack of unpleasant surprises. We’ve had the unfortunate experience of running into several more nests of the dragons that live in the area, as well as discovering first hand that they tend to be agitated when fighting breaks out in their resting chambers.
Well I try not to overestimate my own capabilities, I believe that as a Holy Knight of the Empire I have achieved a certain level of physical ability. That ability was nonetheless severely taxed by us having to constantly flee from those dragons. We may have been able to best one in single combat, but attempting to face down half a dozen of them at the same time would be tantamount to suicide. The extreme heat played a large role in sapping my strength of course, but then the counter argument is that I should have simply prepared myself for this better.
We’ve also managed to locate the Hall of Conviction. And I’m not convinced that locating it in the middle of a giant – I don’t know what the exact geological term is, but there’s lava seeping out all over the place and crossing it will not be pleasant.
For the time being we’ve decided to retreat and hole up in a corner of the room – aside from the occasional wandering (giant) ant there appear to be less monsters around than usual. There’s also a hot spring here of some kind we were able to use to replenish our water supplies after cooling it down, since we didn’t anticipate having to stay here overnight we didn’t bring nearly enough for that long. All of us are exhausted right now, and his Majesty and I concurred that we want to be fully rested before approaching the Hall of Conviction – who knows what’s waiting for us in there.
I wonder how Scraps is faring on his own.
*~*
Jules
We’re currently huddled together in an uncomfortable heap at the far end of one of the floor’s corners, trying to catch some sleep and recover our strength before we enter the Hall of Conviction. Needless to say, it’s been a rather uncomfortable and trying experience so far.
I offered to try singing some songs to keep morale up, but that idea was quickly shot down. Not that I’d honestly expected it to go through, but it probably couldn’t hurt to have asked.
Got a pretty nasty burn on my arm earlier. Alexis looked at it with her usual amount of fussing and admonishment, which gave me time to notice her own injuries. When I pointed that out she shrugged and told me she’d look to them later. I did what I could with the magic Rossa had taught me, but I can’t be sure how effective it was. And while we’re at it I made Alexis take off her armour. Her discomfort at being so vulnerable while she slept was obvious, but I doubt it would match the discomfort of having spent the night in scorching conditions while she slept.
Sometimes I wonder if Alexis has too much common sense or too little.
*~*
Zeetha
Oh, pooh. I haven’t been able to find out more about the ants. We were too busy killing them. I hope we don’t end up disrupting the ecosystem of this place. We’re only a small group, but the Labyrinth isn’t that big either.
Still, based on the directions they attacked us from, I’m relatively certain now that their main nest is not on the tenth floor, and what’s more, there has to be multiple entrances and exits in between this area and the nest. It’s still up in the air whether it’s the floor above or below us, though.
Sleeping in here isn’t the height of comfort, but it reminds me of the time father took me to the Lahetna Volcano to track down the rare Spotted Flan. If anything, conditions there were even worse, so this is something I should be able to deal with easily.
I let Gosric off to go do his hunting. He’ll return whenever he’s filled.
I wonder what’s in this Hall of Conviction that everyone is concerned about. Maybe some ferocious beast forgotten by the rest of the world?
*~*
Midori
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow we find out about this great secret the Deep City and the Abyssal King have been keeping all this time.
And whether or not it was worth the lives of dozens upon dozens of explorers.
*~*
Asmodeus
The Paragon Guild and its members appear to have acquired something of a reputation amongst the people of Armoroad. I can’t say I don’t want to be noticed by others around me, but I hadn’t expected it to be on the basis of my battle prowess instead of, say, my scholarly exploits.
Well, I take recognition where I can get it. It’s not like the people back at the Library will be any less impressed with the work I’m collating on the Deep City right now. I’ve returned to Armoroad’s library and I’m now comparing the historical accounts in their texts with that of Armoroad’s. There are several significant differences in events that probably bear more investigating. Naturally all of Armoroad’s texts become severely fragmented during the period of the Calamity, which is more or less what happened all along the rest of the civilizations on the Northern Seas.
Infuriatingly enough, the section of the Deep City’s Library that deals with events after the Calamity have been sealed off from ‘outsiders’ like me. I hope whatever goes down today in the Labyrinth with the Hall of Conviction, wins us more of the Abyssal King’s trust. It’s quite possible the one set of intact accounts about what exactly occurred one hundred years ago.
Horoscope: Within the maze, there lies the ancient frost.
*~*
Rook
Armoroad explorers claim they’ve discovered an island with an underground network of tunnels to the south of here. From the way things were built, it was obviously designed as a defensive network, but against what, they’re not too sure.
Anyway, word on the street is that they’re on the lookout for guards for hire. That, and some historians to help them analyse anything they might find in those ruins. I’ll run this by Alexis when she gets back from exploring the Hall of Conviction. It sounds like something the Guild might want to take an interest in.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Beat the 1st Stratum boss my first try playing with no-guide. Man, that guy pulls two different 'motherfucker, you didn't just do that' moves in the fight.
And the dive underground thing where I hit him with AoE to pop him out of it. I'm amusing he does some attack if you don't?
My Prince/Gladiator/Wilding/Arbalist/Ninja party is feeling good right now.
When do I unlock subclassing?
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
I never saw it, myself, but...
Entry Sixty Five
*~*
Entry Made: 28th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Today has been a day of discovery, and the majority of them were not pleasant.
We reached the Hall of Conviction in what I deemed to be shortly before dawn, to find Olympia there waiting for us. Midori stiffened slightly upon catching sight of her, but otherwise remained calm. After a curt greeting she unlocked the door to the inner chamber, and let us in to face the creature she referred to as the Eldest One.
What followed was it somehow spawning a pair of warriors from its blood and forcing us into a battle for our lives. Throughout it all, the being known as the Eldest One simply sat back and watched us silently.
As for its spawn, they proved formidable opponents. The five of us together were barely able to outmatch them, and with Zeetha’s pet bird distracting the female half of the pair for us.
After the battle, the Eldest One applauded us mockingly before asking us why we were here at all. What followed was a brief explanation (mostly from Olympia) on the nature of the Eldest One and the other… creatures of its race. Then she ushered us out again.
The Eldest One… my time with it was brief, but there was an immense intelligence and will within that creature. I admit to not sensing much malice from it, but then it did send its spawn to attack us. But at the same time it did not bother to face us itself. Perhaps it was testing us?
Regardless, we still do not have all the pieces of the puzzle. His Majesty was just preparing to make a request for an audience with the Abyssal King when a missive arrived saying that the Abyssal King wished to meet with us anyway. We need to use this meeting to find out more about the so-called ‘Deep Ones’, and how it is related to the mystery of the Labyrinth, and what we should do going forward.
Scraps greeted me with a dismissive flick of his tail upon my return to my quarters. It’s always nice to be loved.
*~*
Jules
The Eldest One. It seems an odd name to give him, really. He’s not human, but humanoid enough for us to recognize many of his features as being childlike.
There’s no denying his abilities, though. Those minions he created without any visible effort were powerful enough to severely tax the five of us, and it’s a safe assumption that he had far more tricks up his sleeves.
According to Olympia, the Eldest One is the god of the Deep Ones, an aquatic race that considers itself the enemy of humanity. That explains a bit, but it also raises more questions, such as why we haven’t amassed armies to defeat them, or why the secrecy of their existence is so important.
I discussed these matters with Alexis after returning to Armoroad, and she had no answer for me either. I’m to appear before the Abyssal King tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll be able to get a fuller picture of the situation then.
Rook came to me with news about an archaeological group looking to hire bodyguards for some ruin exploration. I don’t see a problem with lending our services, but I think it best that we figure out more about the Deep Ones first. I also told the others who were with me not to speak about what we saw there until I meet with the Abyssal King tomorrow. If he wants this thing hidden, I suppose I can hear his explanations out first.
When I went to inform Alexis that dinner was ready I found her fast asleep, still in the clothes she had set out yesterday with. She must have been more exhausted then she’d let on. I called Scraps and fed him myself; there was no reason to disturb her.
*~*
Midori
Olympia was there today. She displayed no emotion, no acknowledgment of the fact that she had tried to end our lives more than once. For her this affair was simply a task assigned by the Abyssal King. Just thinking about that, thinking about her, makes my blood boil. And then we’d entered the deepest chamber of the Hall of Conviction.
The Eldest One. That’s the source of the Deep City’s fears, the reason they tried so hard to prevent anyone from finding the Deep City at all.
I admit I don’t have a clear view of the whole situation, but I didn’t see what about it would require such drastic measures, I mean, yeah that was a tough fight, but the five of us were able to beat its soldiers. Don’t tell me all those soldiers hanging around the Deep City can’t take that thing on?
Jules ordered us not to talk about the Eldest One until he could talk with the Abyssal King and figure out more about the situation. I didn’t like telling Rook that I couldn’t talk about it, but hopefully things will change soon enough.
The Eldest One. It was definitely hostile to us from the moment we entered its presence. Still, if they’ve managed to lock it up, why don’t they just kill it? Why are they taking half-measures against these supposed enemies of all humanity while killing any of the people whose only crime is simple ignorance. It doesn’t add up.
I need more answers.
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Pensive
After the group came back from their foray to the Hall of Conviction, most of them were pretty quiet. I tried asking Zack about what happened there, but it was pretty clear after a few minutes that he didn’t want to talk about it.
Had lunch with Sidney today (Pure got dragged away by Melina to attend some sort of conference on farming methods) and I couldn’t help but notice that conversation in the restaurant kinda died down when we went inside. I also caught a few whispers about the Paragon Guild and us being a part of it.
Gotta say, becoming something of a celebrity takes a bit of getting used to. When I brought this up with Sidney she just chuckled and shrugged. I guess being the daughter of a fancy merchant gets you used to this sort of thing? I’m not too sure.
*~*
Zeetha
I can’t write too much right now, but! But! Those creatures! Growing so rapidly from mere blood! What kind of unique physiology must those monsters have?
I wonder if their even sentient? Their leader certainly was, but the creatures he spawned made no sound through the entirety of our battle. It’s certainly possible that they might be mindless drones.
Just think! And entirely new species hidden within the Labyrinth! I have to see this through to the end now! What else could await us down there?
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Entry Sixty Six
*~*
So.
Today’s meeting with the Abyssal King didn’t exactly start on the right foot. I’d brought Alexis with me because I figured that anything important enough for me to know was also important enough for her to know.
Apparently Seyfried intended for our talk to be private, and we ended up with an argument over that. Alexis appeared on the verge of simply opting to remain outside the chamber, but I pointed out that if Seyfried had Olympia attending him for this talk, then there was no reason to deny me the courtesy of having my own retainer. At this he subsided, although with obvious ill grace, and began to tell us about the Deep Ones.
Apparently the threat of the Deep Ones has existed for ages – but it came to a head a century ago, in the event now known only as the Calamity. There the Deep Ones rose from the depths en masse and waged war against humanity all across the Northern Seas. They were on the verge of overrunning most of the island cities when the Abyssal King took up Yggdrasil’s offer to sink the central portion of Armoroad, bringing the fight to the home of the Deep Ones. That, of course, wrecked the section of Armoroad that remained above the seas.
So that’s where we are now. The Abyssal King managed to capture the Eldest One ages ago, and has spent the interim period between then and now holding back the hordes of Deep Ones, along with those who agreed to join him in his battle. Apparently some magic in Yggdrasil was what gave him his long life and strength.
And as for why this has to be such a secret… apparently the Deep Ones feed off the fear of humans or… or something. I wasn’t too clear on that point. But the idea is that the less humans know of the Deep One’s existence, the weaker they’ll be.
I guess that’s why they only let the strongest Guilds enter the Deep City and beyond?
He left us with that information for now, with strict orders that this was not to spread beyond the Guild (I’m pretty sure he didn’t even want it to leave the room, but at least he knew that would have been an exercise in futility). I’ve no doubt that he’ll ask us to do more concerning the Deep Ones before very long, but right now I guess the important thing is to inform the rest of Paragon and try to figure out what we should do about this.
When we were leaving the Deep Palace, I noticed Alexis had a deep frown on her face. I asked her about it, but she shook her head and said that she would talk to me about it later.
Expenses, Supplies: 312 en
Expenses, Equipment: 0en
Expenses, Misc: 35 en
Profit, Labyrinth Goods: 450 en
Profit, Seafaring Goods: 0 en
Profit, Misc: 1000 en
Total Profit: 1103 en
Total Current Funds: 13, 275 en
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 29th of the Month of the Shining Leaves, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
We learnt about the Deep Ones today. About the threat they pose to humans, and the reason for the secrecy of the Deep City. All in all, a strange tale.
I can’t help but note that aside from the Eldest One, we’ve yet to meet any other creatures that could be described as a ‘Deep One’. I would assume ocean dwellers would not feel too comfortable with a volcanic cavern (and I suspect that is part of the reason why they imprisoned the Eldest One here), but we’ve met none at all so far.
According to the Abyssal King, Armoroad, or at least the area of Armoroad that became the Deep City, was brought to the depths along with Yggdrasil to combat the Deep Ones. But we’ve not seen any sign of combat with the Deep Ones ever since our arrival. I can’t help but find this situation rather incongruous with what the Abyssal King has been telling us.
While his Majesty went to inform the rest of the Guild about the truth behind the Deep City, I went around to ask several of the locals about the current situation concerning the war with the Deep Ones. Most of them were rather cagey about the whole affair, but from what they did say it was possible to determine that they’re rather unnerved by the recent lull in hostilities.
Honestly, not a good sign. This situation has rapidly become a lot bigger than simply exploring a Labyrinth, which I suppose the Abyssal King knew all along. Now the next thing to decide is what to do going forward. I’d rather not leave the Abyssal King and his soldiers to fight this war on their own, but at the same time I’m not sure we bring enough to the table to create a practical difference.
At the very least, we should consult the rest of the Guild before moving ahead. They all have a stake in this matter now, too. And I suppose there shouldn’t be an issue with continuing Labyrinth exploration. At least, for the time being.
*~*
Asmodeus
I was recently informed that the books in the Deep Library concerning the Calamity are now available for perusing. Of course the Abyssal King has already spoken to our Guild leaders about the events of a century ago, so I suppose he feels there is no longer a need to keep them restricted.
More troublesome is the standing order not to speak of the existence of the Deep Ones to anyone outside the Guild. My duty is to report such knowledge and events back to the Library, where it can be used for the benefit of mankind. I reluctantly agreed to a temporary silence, but once our venture with the Labyrinth is over, I will be spreading the word of the Deep Ones at the library, whether or not the Abyssal King gives his approval.
For now, I suppose I’ll be holed up in the Deep Library, soaking up as much info as I can. Or at least I would be doing so if I weren’t assigned to tomorrow’s Labyrinth journey.
Horoscope: Size matters.
What in the world?
*~*
Tinker
Hoo boy, Dwayne, looks like you’ve got yourself into a bit of a mess without even knowing about it. Deep Ones? A threat to all humanity? The secret to the Calamity? Honestly all I wanted out of this gig was a bit of extra coin and maybe being able to blow some stuff up.
I’m not even sure I really want to tangle with the Deep Ones. From what I heard, two of them nearly laid five of us flat just yesterday, and hell, I’m not exactly the toughest customer around. But at the same time I’m already privy to this sort of information, so I’m not sure they’d just let me leave and blab it out to others, would they?
Come to think of it, I got the feeling that the prince and his knight weren’t quite sure how to proceed either. And while we’re on the subject, I didn’t hear anything about the Abyssal King asking us to do anything. You know these types, get your head too high up in the clouds and you lose all connection from what us ordinary folk think.
*~*
Pure
Today’s Profit: 12 en
Oh, gods.
How did I get myself into this?
One moment I’m just a guy thinking he’ll sign up for a guild to get some steady cashflow, the next moment I’m locked into a front row seat with some ancient menace from the depths of time or some other nonsense.
Of course Adrian would look forward to matching blows with the Deep Ones. She was practically bouncing on her feet at the thought of getting to challenge such powerful creatures. Meanwhile, sane people like me are wondering why joining this Guild seemed like such a good idea in the first place.
I need a drink. Or two. Or several.
*~*
Rook
Well, that was quite the revelation.
Still, all that’s in the future, and I’ll cross the bridge when I come to it.
Right now I’m more worried about Midori. When we got the news about the Deep Ones from Jules, she got up and began walking away. I wanted to chase after her, but Clay grabbed me by the arm and shook her head.
Still, I should go talk to her soon.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Entry Sixty Seven
*~*
The festival in Armoroad will be starting tomorrow! I went down to the Deep City to invite some of the people I know there – I thought it would be a good idea to give them a taste of Armoroad’s culture and everything.
But Angie shook her head and told me that recently a group of explorer’s from Armoroad had gotten themselves badly hurt and that right now all her time was devoted simply to keeping that lot alive. She looked a little tired, too, so I asked her if I could do anything to help. I want to be able to use my magic to help people too, after all. In the end I helped her sterilize her medical equipment with my fire. I hoped what I did was helpful, at any rate.
Later I went to find Edie’s sister. She was bored, because most adventurers who ever came to the Deep City just stocked up in Armoroad first. I think we’re one of two Guilds that frequent the branch with any regularity. Anyway, she couldn’t come either because her sister had placed her under strict orders not to leave the branch for any period of time. Most of the time I spent there was with her complaining, although I guess I can’t really blame her for feeling unhappy.
I saw Olympia at the entrance to the Celestial Palace, and I kinda considered inviting her too, but I guess she wouldn’t be popular with the Armoroad locals. I mean, she did get a lot of explorers killed. Besides, she looked kinda upset about something anyway.
When we got back to Armoroad the Innkeeper’s son was helping to decorate the inn, and Midori was helping him, so I pitched in a little too. It felt kinda nice to be helping with this sort of thing.
It might have been a little easier if Scraps hadn’t kept getting underfoot. Whatever the official inn policy on pets is, the cat’s got free run of pretty much the whole place.
*~*
Asmodeus
The culmination of today’s venture was us getting rampaged over by a berserk elephant with spiked tusks. The sad part is that it wasn’t even the worst experience I’ve suffered within the Labyrinth.
Regardless, we survived once more, and managed to discover the route deeper into the Labyrinth. I’ve already passed the information on to Alexis, and for now I simply want the chance to rest and recuperate.
Unfortunately, preparations for some sort of festival appear to be ongoing, with the resultant increase in noise being rather distressing. I suppose I can make the best of it, but still, this really is awful timing.
Perhaps I might be able to rest better if I lodged at the Deep City’s Twinkling Tavern for the night. I don’t believe anyone in the Guild would mind.
*~*
Melina
The Farmer’s Guild asked for all hands to help with distribution of the foodstuffs for the festival tomorrow. Naturally Pure was nowhere to be found when I went to look for him.
Oh well, the work was still carried out without a hitch. Now my back is aching, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. It was nearly nightfall by the time I was done with my work, so I took a walk to the town square. I’m always surprised by how quickly they managed to transform everything each year. There’re so many stalls now, and once the sun rises the whole place is going to be a huge blaze of colour.
I’m actually glad for the festival. Everyone was feeling a little down yesterday after we learnt about the Deep Ones (well, almost everyone). This should be a good chance to get everyone’s spirits back up.
And of course we’ll get to show the beauty of Armoroad to those of us from distant lands. I can’t wait for the looks on their faces when they see the Swimming Dragons dance in the town square.
*~*
Clay
Someone asked me to help them with setting up stalls and stuff for some fair tomorrow. Heck, it’s a way to pass a few hours and get a handful of coins, I’m not complaining.
Went for dinner at the Bistro, caught sight of Jared and Relena talking. Didn’t catch much, but apparently they were talking about Sheba and that Relena came from there. Sounded like there’s something he wanted her to do with that place? It’s not really much of my business.
Also, Missy didn’t have much on the menu tonight. Just as I was having a craving for some of her braised sea cucumber. Fucking figures.
*~*
Midori
It’s a little jarring to have everyone discussing the Deep Ones and the danger they pose to humanity one day, and the next we’re preparing for a festival. I guess it’s true that we should always make time to relax and refresh ourselves, but… I don’t know. It just seems wrong, somehow.
The locals are really getting into the spirit of things, though. The innkeeper’s boy needed help with setting up decorations for the festival (although I have to wonder why he only bothered to do so one day before the actual event, and I decided to help him with that. A little while later, Rossa joined in to help as well.
We got to talking about this tradition, and the kid explained that long ago, before the Skandalia lighthouse was built, a princess of Armoroad was lost at sea and didn’t know how to find her way back, and none of the search parties that they sent out was able to find her. And then one night, her ship appeared again, sailing through the fog, with the princess still on the boat, safe and sound. When asked about how she managed to find her way back without knowing anything about navigation, she claimed that a path of golden lights appeared on the water, leading the way back home.
Ever since then, every year they release thousands of floating candles onto the waters of Armoroad, in the hopes that the lights will lead wayward sailors back home.
It’s a nice story, I guess. He told me that the sight of all the lights on the water come nightfall will take my breath away. I guess I’ll take his word for it, and I’ll see for myself tomorrow.
*~*
Juliana
Well! Today’s Labyrinth expedition was simply dreadful! Never mind the boiling heat and the endless number of ravenous beasts, I ended up getting my foot stuck in a crack in the ground and ended up having to sacrifice a boot.
Well, it wasn’t all bad, though. At the least, we’ve discovered a path into the eleventh floor. I daresay Alexis will be pleased with that news.
And now there’s a huge festival about to take palce! It honestly kind of snuck up on me, and I’ve just realized that this will be the first time I’ve seen any sort of celebration amongst the common folk. Wooster seems to view the whole matter as being rather degenerate, but Zack’s assured me that if it’s anything like the feasts we hold back home, I’ll love it.
I do hope so. This promises to be a wonderful learning experience.
*~*
Atahualpa
The town is holding a feast day soon. I understand their importance, but I am not fond of large, milling crowds in a place such as this.
Perhaps I shall spend the day to come in the woods surrounding the town instead of within its wall. It is indeed pleasant to be without the responsibility of overseeing the populace.
Ahul, I hope the mantle of a leader does not rest too heavy upon you.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Entry Sixty Eight
*~*
Midori
The Night of the Thousand Glittering Lights of the Sea.
Rook knows a lot about it – after all, he’s been to Armoroad any number of times, so I guess he’d know about their celebrations. In any case, he offered to give me a grand tour of the place.
For most of the day we mostly walked around, seeing performers put on shows and demonstrations. There were a couple of mock duels being held for the townspeople’s entertainment, but watching them it was easy to see that those were playactors and not actual warriors. The crowds seemed to like it, though, and who am I to complain?
The real payoff was at night, when the entire town released their candles onto the water at once. I thought that if there was any turbulence in the water it’d make the whole thing go off, but the sea was as smooth as glass tonight. When I mentioned it, Rook chuckled and told me that all the times he’d been here for the Festival, he’d never seen a time where the ocean wasn’t at its calmest at night.
A few minutes after the candles were released into the water, everyone in the crowd was silent watching the candles float down the water. It really was a beautiful sight. While I was sitting there, I honestly felt like I could just stay there and watch it forever.
The kid was right, after all.
*~*
Pure
Today’s Profit: 0 en
Another year, another Festival of Lights.
This time, the feeling was a little different, though. Maybe it’s because we’ve found the Deep City or because the sea lanes are getting more cleared up or… or whatever, but there was a lot more intensity in the air.
I don’t mean to brag, but I caught sight of Senator Flowdia and Princess Gutrune releasing their own candles out there. They weren’t any fancier than the others, so they disappeared into the crowd pretty quickly, but I could see the two of them standing there quietly and talking to each other for a while.
A while later I glanced back and noticed that they’d already left. I guess they had more important stuff to do than to take part in the dancing and feasting and whatever.
Speaking of dancing. Adrian got herself rip-roaring drunk somehow, which is a surprise considering how much she hates alcohol. And not just a little tipsy, either. We’re talking red-in-the-face, giggling-to-herself-for-five-minutes, hug-random-people-and-say-you-love-them drunk. At one point I ended up with her arms wrapped around my waist and me being, I swear, carried out to the dance on the town plaza while spouting some nonsense about how I was her disciple and disciples had to obey their masters.
I needn’t remind you that Adrian is far, far stronger than I am.
The only other person I recognized was Melina, not that it did me much good when she was simply doubled over with laughter at the sight of the both of us.
So yeah, ended up ‘dancing’ with Adrian. She probably wasn’t the best dancer even when sober and drunk out of her skull as she was she spent more time tripping over her own feet than anything. In the end Master Geoffrey helped me carry her back to her room where she enthusiastically proclaimed that ‘It looks just like a bird’s nest’ before falling onto the bed, fast asleep.
I wonder how she’ll react to this tomorrow.
*~*
Sidney
The Festival of Lights this year was a success, as always. I kinda wish I could have been with the rest of the Guild, but my parents dragged me away for one of the official dinners with the rest of the upper crust. At least the dress they made me wear wasn’t that stifling.
Anyway, after the dinner we were just in time for the candle ceremony, and we all went there to watch. I admit I slipped away a little from mom and dad for a better view, but I wasn’t expecting to catch sight of the Princess slipping her own candle into the water.
I mean, I guess she’d have her own contribution, being part of Armoroad and all, but I always figured that the princess’ candle would have some big ceremony where she’d be the first to release it to a waiting crowd or something. The way she did it, it looked really personal for her.
Heh, now I’ve got myself thinking about the old legend about the princess who was led home by the lights. I wonder if there’s anyone the princess or anyone wants to be led home?
Later ran into Pure at the end looking like… well, like the time he ended up on the wrong end of a Furyhorn, actually. I asked him what was up and he mumbled something about never letting Adrian have alcohol again.
I wonder if I really want to know.
*~*
Alexis
Entry Made: 1st of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Days of festivity are always good ways of keeping the morale of the populace high, and I suppose today’s was no exception. And the sight of thousands of candles on the water was indeed breathtaking.
I ran into Juliana near the pub, eating some sort of spiced shrimp that’s apparently a delicacy only brought out for special occasions like today. When she caught sight of me she waved me over and offered me several pieces. I didn’t have much else to do, so I accepted her offer and we just sat there and ate for a while.
After a while, we got to talking about festivals in each of our countries. Apparently one of the celebrations both of our states have in common is the Feast of the Saviour. Juliana appears to have never heard of the Day of Saints, and I admit that I was clueless when she talked about the gaiety and absurdity of the Festival of Fools.
We all had our traditions, I suppose. And the Lady Juliana has a great pride in the traditions of her nation – even if she admits that she doesn’t fully understand all of them. Perhaps it was the general atmosphere of revelry at the time, but I suggested that when she returns to her own country she could try participating in the celebrations herself. She looked a little surprised – but not displeased – at the idea.
*~*
Jules
Got a message from the Abyssal King around the time the celebrations were starting to break up. Apparently he has a task he wants us to perform and we should meet him as soon as possible.
I guess that means we go see him at first light tomorrow? Maybe Yggdrasil empowers the Deep Citizens to be able to operate around the clock, but us ordinary, unaugmented humans require something in the way of sleep.
I wonder what he’ll ask of us, come to think of it. It’ll probably have something to do with the Deep Ones, I guess.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Minor typo:
FLASHBACK.
*~*
The Etrian Odyssey Travelogue
Entry Sixty Nine
*~*
When I met with him, the Abyssal King issued a demand for me to help him in stopping explorers from attempting to venture deeper into the Labyrinth and potentially provoke the Deep Ones.
It seemed a bit contradictory for him to have ever allowed explorers to continue exploring and then suddenly issued a gag order, and I told him as much (in conciliatory tones, of course. Alexis was there and she’d probably had done something like stamp on my foot if she thought I was behaving in a manner unbefitting a noble). The reply was that he’d needed to ensure that only the absolute best, those with the strength to face the Deep Ones, could be allowed through, and that as it stood he wasn’t sure about a large number of the Guilds that had passed the selection process.
I gathered he believed that the tests devised by the Senatus in Armoroad was nowhere near rigorous enough for his liking, and now he’s seeking to eliminate that middle man by having us (the one Guild who’s apparently surpassed his standards) shut down the exploits of the others.
It feels like dirty work, this. I had a bit of a talk with Sir Geoffrey and Alexis about this later on, and he pointed out that the Abyssal King’s been used to dealing with the problem of the Deep Ones on his own discretion for a century, and our appearance and activities would be something he’s not very used to. Fair enough, I guess, but that doesn’t change the fact that this isn’t a very useful way of handling things.
It’s not like I even want to get involved in the affairs of the other Guilds. Alexis is adamant that I can’t be seen marching in step to the will of another sovereign, especially if it’s counter to my own interests. But as it stands, my refusal to comply will end up hurting relations (tenuous as they are right now) with the Deep City and Armoroad, and the Guild will be in the centre of it.
This is a big mess.
*~*
Sidney
Mom and Dad asked me to join them today for an official meeting with the Senatus. I wasn’t sure what it was about, but I didn’t have any Guild duties scheduled today so I said yes and just went with them.
Miss Flowdia was there, of course, but what I didn’t expect was for Princess Gutrune to attend. I never was the most attentive at picking up news from the grapevine, but then I didn’t have to be in order to know that the Princess has always been frail. I honestly thought her excursion out for last night’s Festival would have left her exhausted.
And, well, to be frank she still didn’t look very well today.
The second surprise was that Mom and Dad hadn’t brought me along just so I could watch – I was the main reason for this audience. Well, the Paragon Guild’s activities was the main reason, and I was the person they chose to contact. After hearing what they had to say, I guess it’s because they felt that if push came to shove I’d side with Armoroad over the Deep City (Ugh. Just writing this down makes me feel a little sleazy.)
Apparently they know about the Deep Ones already, despite the Abyssal King’s attempts to keep it hidden from Armoroad (I should mention that I was escorted into an inner chamber while mom and dad were left to cool their heels with some tea and biscuits. Being treated as more important than my parents felt really odd). And they intend to fight the menace, which I suppose is a good thing. But they know the Abyssal King won’t approve of this, so they want to see if the Paragon Guild can be counted on for support.
I didn’t give them a direct answer (how could I?) but I know they won’t be willing to wait forever. The Abyssal King’s been meeting with Jules and making other demands too, that much I know.
I joined up on this journey to help reunite Armoroad and the Deep City, not to pick and choose one side over the other. This is all turning into one big mess.
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Barely functioning
What the hell happened last night. Feels like
Like Master got one into one of his sparring duels with me, only he didn’t hold back and
Hard to write
Hard to think
Remember carrying some sort of struggling animal. Gotta ask Pure about that one.
*~*
Pure
Today’s Profit: 328 en
Came back from today’s work to find Adrian slumped over in the common area of the inn, face planted in what I guess is her diary. Managed to carry her to her room without anyone helping, so that’s another fruit of her training.
Not to mention I still carried out my exercises today even though Adrian was in no shape to watch over me. It’s routine enough in my life by now, I guess.
Also, I caught sight of Melina helping with the after-festival cleanup. I swear, her work ethic makes the rest of us look bad. Especially since she refused to quit even when she had that cough of hers.
Yeah, I ended up going out there and helping her. (Would’ve just taken over, but she refused to leave…)
I hope Alexis didn’t see me.
*~*
Clay
Oh hell yeah.
Some rich bastard with more money than sense decided to hold some kind of competition to see how can bash the most monster heads in the 3rd Stratum. Well, a challenge like that isn’t one that I’m going to pass up.
I figure I’ll get a few of the others that like a good scrap, and then we can sign up for this and have ourselves a good time in the 3rd Stratum. Guess I’ll just float the idea at the next Guild meeting.
*~*
Juliana
Oho! Just what I needed to brighten up my day
Jules gave me approval to sign up a squad as bodyguards for that tunnel excavation expedition to the southeast of Armoroad! I’ve already met with one of the head historians (he’s a nice enough person, but his name’s a trifle odd. Bongaro, I believe it was?) Now all I need to do is to put together a team (Wooster has expressed his interest in joining so far) and we’ll be off on another adventure!
I must say that the Lady Alexis and Jules look unusually troubled today. Well, I don’t expect it to be that serious a matter, and if it is, I’m always willing to lend an ear and perhaps some of my expertise if it will aid them. I know I’m not knowledgeable in that wide a range of topics, but what I do know might prove useful!
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
As far as endings go, I am hoping that Pure uses enough author's license to avoid making it a foregone conclusion. Don't want things to be too predictable, after all.
Entry Seventy
*~*
Entry Made: 3rd of the Month of the Azure Lance, in the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Year of the Holy Empire
Although diplomatic relations between the Deep City, Armoroad and Paragon are souring at a rapid rate, we still have leeway to continue exploration of the Labyrinth, and I intend to make use of that freedom.
So naturally we would run into Kujura on the 11th floor of the Labyrinth. He spoke to us briefly about being sure of where our loyalties lay before departing further. I could not help but notice that he was travelling alone and did not appear to be having any trouble with the Labyrinth’s denizens. That, and the way he carried himself, spoke highly of his skill.
That aside, we encountered a new kind of monster here – some distant cousin of the dragons inhabiting the area, perhaps. Smaller and coloured a dull green, these winged lizards could snort heated fumes at us. While not overly dangerous, they proved a constant annoyance for our trek through the stratum.
We also happened upon another chamber filled with the larger, more conventional dragons. This chamber had actual lava pits that they rested in, so we were sure to steer clear of them. They didn’t appear very aggressive, so we were able to avoid further combat.
Sidney and Adrian also discovered what appeared to be a rock with several decorative markings on it. After observing it for a few moments we were unable to determine what purpose (if any) it served, and so we let it be for the time being.
I had a talk with his Majesty over dinner tonight after returning from the journey. It was one of the restaurants in the Deep City that they’d recommended to him (and I must say that the cool air of the underwater restaurant was a welcome relief from the blasted heat of the 3rd stratum). We got to discussing what we should do about Armoroad and Deep City in the event that being neutral proved untenable. Sidney had informed me that Armoroad intended to combat the Deep Ones with or without the Deep City’s approval, but it appears they don’t have a set timeframe in mind. (I’m inclined to think that they’re waiting to see where some of the Guilds (including outs) decide to pledge their loyalty to.)
In any case, his Majesty was not keen on enforcing the Deep City’s demand for Guilds to vacate the 3rd stratum. Not that it appeared to matter much, there weren’t many travellers at even the 10th floor, and the only person we met from outside our Guild on the 11th was Kujura. On the flip side, Armoroad’s policy of aggression against the Deep Ones appears reckless. Given that the Abyssal King has been fighting those creatures off for a century, I’m inclined to believe he knows what he’s talking about when he claims that the Deep Ones are too much for man to handle.
I also received a report from Holy Renais. Repeated skirmishes along our border with the Western Shelf. The situation back home can’t keep from degenerating into open war for much longer. And his Majesty still doesn’t know anything about it. Or, at least I don’t think so. He’s received correspondence from his siblings, of course, but his countenance doesn’t appear to have been affected any, so perhaps they’re conspiring to keep the situation from him.
I wonder how much Lady Juliana knows about this. Given that she’s hired herself out as a bodyguard on some excavation expedition, my guess would be ‘not very much’.
*~*
Juliana
Well, this journey has been a bit of a disappointment so far.
First off, we couldn’t take the Tranquility for this trip. Apparently there wasn’t enough space to store all the materials they’d need for this journey. It was a bit upsetting for me, but of course I took it in stride.
Now we’re on the island and, well, it’s just been dreadfully boring. All the historians are busy poking around all the ancient stonework which I’m sure I’d find fascinating if I could understand the slightest bit of anything that’s going on. Zack’s just spent most of the day napping, and Wooster keeps looking through the ruins as if he had the slightest idea what any of it meant. Athulpa (Is that how his name is spelt? I’m not sure.) just keeps staring out to see, and of course Asmodeus is busy assisting the others since he actually knows what this is all about.
I thought that when we were hired as bodyguards we’d end up fighting off graverobbers or ancient tomb guardians or… or something. But so far it’s just been a big boring wait for nothing. And it’s not even like I need the cash from this job badly.
All I can say is that something had better happen soon or this trip will have been a gigantic waste of time.
*~*
Rossa
Went exploring around the Deep City again today when I ran into… something odd. I was walking down one of the back alleys when I nearly tripped over what I first thought was a pile of junk someone had dumped there.
It was only after it started moving and told me to watch where I was going that I realized it was alive. Well, sort of. It’s alive in the sense that Olympia is alive, I guess.
I said sorry and hurried off. But looking back now, I have to wonder. Olympia could pass for a human if she just threw a cloak over her body. This other Yggdroid was clearly mechanical all over. I wonder why there’s a difference between the two of them?
*~*
Adrian
Mood: Embarassed
What in the world did I do the other night? Pure and Master avoid the topic whenever I bring it up, Sidney shrugs and just says that she heard it wasn’t pretty, and I think I’ve caught sight of Melina and Rossa laughing behind my back.
Ugh. I didn’t even want to drink that stupid ale. But Tinker kept on blathering about how it was the finest brew in the Northern Seas no matter how many times I told him I don’t like to drink I finally grabbed a cup and downed it just to shut him up.
And now I can’t remember what happened. Oh well, it can’t have been anything too bad, I guess. I hope.
Also, made another trip to the Labyrinth today. I handled myself fairly well, if I say so myself.
*~*
Clay
Jared, Relena, Rook and Tinker agreed to come with me on our monster hunt. The contest starts tomorrow, and I know I’ll be winning this one! Apparently there’s some kind of tally for each type of monster you kill being worth a different amount of points. I wonder if I should try doing a hunt for a few of those dragons in the middle levels. I’m pretty sure they’ll be a sure way to victory.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111