riariadne

Another perfectly executed KS by THE velvet (42, 55) [33 exp/2 wexp] Joviana deals 12 damage to the mercenary (6, 21) [10 exp/1 wexp]

Stop being... more of you! Sidney was sick and tired of this battle and wanted to just fall over and cry at all the people harmed, but it was not yet to be. One of the Deirans with a staff was cursing everyone... "Some joke of a holy nation you all claim to be, waving something damned like that around." Sidney to (20, 12) attack the Curate with Flaming Bow, and also trades Freya so her Javelin is equipped

(63, 7) Aaron hits the surprisingly durable mage for 11. The mage's counter does nothing to Aaron at all because of the Lionheart. [10 exp/1 wexp] Kaya fixes up Joviana's injuries pretty well for the most part. [11 exp/2 wexp]

Enemy phase... will be coming soon, after this other phase! The only attack that happens is that Koerm Monk B (10, 56) deals 12 damage to Mage D with Starstrike. Then there are moves. Wow, that's it for Other phase. [10 BEXP/70 TOTAL] Joviana has a mage duel (30, 45) (83, 46) (24, 77) with the guy she moved into the range of, taking 10 and dealing 9+4. [10 exp/2 wexp] Despite Joviana's shaky positioning, (81, 65) (61, 30) (4, 25) Troubadour B botches the KO attack and takes 8 damage, then 8 again from Adept. [10 exp/2 wexp] (4, 26) (83, 31) Troubadour A and Archer F both hit Mikhaila with their attacks. They do 8 and 4 damage respectively. Impressive, very nice. [2 exp] No more combat this phase, but for notable non-combat actions, Troubadour C used Rescue on Usvarn to move him to where he is. Uh oh! Also, Thief C Moved to Ab8, but... A sharp caw is heard, a white raven flying across the battlefield, landing at the foot of Eaglus point before disappearing in a flash of white. "Now, now." The white-haired woman who appears is very easily discerned, even from a glance. "Sorry, allies of Timaeus, but a victory for you here... well, that's just not what I foresee right now." With a wave of her hand (88, 8), the thief collapsed to the ground, shrieking in pain before suddenly becoming quite silent. "Now then... what have we here?" It's turn 4. Player phase begins. Shylah, the Dark Prophet, has arrived. She's a neutral unit, not an ally. Though I would not recommend attacking her. She moves after enemies. Since this is the third time this map is on the page, no spreadsheet. But I advise looking at it anyway.

(73, 90) (49, 13) soldier go boom [33 exp/3 wexp] (23, 44, 52, 54, 33, 17, 25, 47) HP, Spd, Lck Enemy phase soon!

Boom! Everywhere seemed to be exploding. Whatever the Deiran plan was, it seemed to be working far too well, as the village was practically crumbling around them and Sidney took little solace in retrieving trinkets from treasure chests. But maybe there was some hope still... she approached a lone home that seemed undisturbed by the battle. "Is anyone here? It's so horrible out there... the Deirans have explosives that are ruining everything out here, I just wanted you all to know. There's not fighting too close to this house, b-but, you should be ready to escape, just in case... Sidney to (5, 15) and visits the home

Sid (12, 5) chest Angus move to 14,12, attack swordfighter with whip, and move to 12,15

Mika is healed up to full HP [15 exp/2 wexp] Aaron (67, 96) hits the Soldier for 12 damage, who does nothing on his counter still. [10 exp/1 wexp] Joviana (44, 47) finishes Archer A, dealing 14 damage. [30 exp/2 wexp]

(75, 99) Mika pays 4 HP to deal 14 damage to Mage A [10 exp/1 wexp] (64, 66) Kolmar finishes with Javelin for 12 on this surprisingly tanky mage [36 exp/2 wexp]

Enemy phase 2! Archer A goes to L10 to shoot at Jovi (10, 80) for 14 damage (16, 87) then takes 14 back Soldier G at N11 (80, 29) misses Jovi (5, 62) and takes 16 back Troub B goes to H8 and heals off the Soldier's damage with Physic Jovi gets 20 exp/2 wexp overall Mage C on Ab9 uses Ice Beam on Mika (30, 46) for 16 [1 exp] Other enemies move, look at them on the map! -- The clatter of armor and footsteps signals the arrival of more of Timaeus's forces, mostly from the southwest, largely undoing any progress prior to that point with there still being a veritable legion of foes to deal with. Fortunately, there was a similar amount of movement coming from the castle, a few more knights appearing. "Captain Tairn!" Judas saluted her as he and two others appeared. "We're all that can be spared for now. The western civilians are escaping, and we're mounting a comeback there... but it seems mostly because they've diverted forces to this side. We'll have to be careful not to be overrun!" Further away, some shouting could be heard. "They've come! Then it is time for glorious battle to be engaged! We will set forth upon their stronghold immediately, for the honor of King Timaeus!" Weapons were being unsheathed and stances for advancing were taken- they would be coming, and soon. It's turn 3/10. Player phase begins. Sheet is on this page already!

my o key is being finnicky so I'm gonna keep the writing in this short dance (10 exp) and heal (11 exp/2 wexp) bring Raz to full (22, 100) Kolmar does the stabs for 9 [10 exp/1 wexp] (64, 85) Mika does the talismans for 23 [30 exp/2 wexp] Mika level (85, 67, 83, 8, 15, 56, 64) Speed, Lck, rounded Def (43, 92) (22, 92) Raz pow pows the soldier for 12+6 [30 exp/3 wexp] (26, 12) Joviana successfully Mads the cavalier for 36 damage [36 exp/2 wexp] Jovi level (93, 38, 51, 21, 78, 37, 85, 85) Skl, Lck, rounded Mag -- Koerm Knight A (73, 55) goes to S12 and claps soldier D for 21 damage. [27 BEXP] Koerm Monk B (56, 92) to W10, deals 16 to Mercenary D [33 BEXP/60 TOTAL] Enemy phase coming soon.

1) Favorite role you've been of every alignment? 2) Any roles in setups you were in you wish you could have played as? 3) Favorite 3rd party that isn't SK or an SK variant? 4) Any unpopular opinions about mafia setups? 5) Rank the regions of Pokemon, best to worst. 6) Favorite FE lord? 7) Based on nothing, power rank these games I hosted that you only played in the NOC one of: Haphazard Mafia, Choral Mafia V, Badass Mafia 1, Badass Mafia 2, RTFR2, Encounter Mafia, Resurgence Mafia 8) Based on the fact that you were in all of them, rank the SFMM games, even though it's 2> 3 > 4 > 1. 9) What is your favorite avatar I've ever had on SF/skype/discord you can remember, probably ignoring the fact that I haven't changed my SF avatar in over a year so you might not remember older ones? 10) Who do we riot against ever since deIlluminati was changed into the much worse TheIlluminati emote I don't know why I made 3/10s of these power rankings.

Sidney made a very uncomposed shriek at the house next to her exploding. "C-Claire..." She looked at the mage girl, rather stunned, but... it probably wasn't good to press on with mentioning it more. Instead, as Claire headed away, she circled around the wreckage of the home, scouting for any more Deirans and seeing the treasure ahead. It's probably worth taking from them. Sid to (11, 6) -- No flame Owen, but... (Morning of May 12th, somewhere in Myrcia)

soldier E gets punked for 14 [10 exp/1 wexp] Yarvus can't use Debilitate, so he uses Irradiate instead, and (64, 36) blows up Soldier F. (this isn't actually a crit it's exact damage) [24 exp/2 wexp] Kaya heals Kolmar up to 1 hp from full. [15 exp/2 wexp]

(64, 71) magic is everything, a thesis by Yarvus, as Fighter A takes 51 damage [30 exp/ 2 wexp] After that one fight it's other phase. The NPCs form a more defensive position. No combat here. After that comes the first enemy phase... Atop the southeastern walls of Koerm, a lone woman surveyed the battlefield from an odd lens attached to her bow. "Here they are. They're defended rather well. Not bad for a sudden alliance of soldiers and travelers, but they're all too easily pinned down." She shot an arrow across half the city, landing at the foot of a locked doorstep, then she looked away from the Koermese fortress to her forces to the west. "Usavrn! Your search for good combat will not be long. I ask you only wait a bit longer until our western forces and those outside the city are ready. They will be hard pressed to defend from so many sides." "As you say, Commander Valerie!" A man with long brown hair and a beard was sharpening his blade, and laughed heartily after the order. "It will be a wondrous carnage ahead of us! I wish only that Mercury could witness what is to come!" "Very well. On my ready, you may all charge." Valerie's sights were set back on the red-haired girl with the dragon marks. "We've secured the west well enough, there's no exit to the east, the northern ships are all out of the equation, and it would be insane to come towards us all south... so where will you run?" Moves! Mercenary A goes to Y10 (16, 96) hitting Kolmar for 11 and dropping his speed by 3 due to the Frostblade. (47, 68) Kolmar hits back for 12 too. [11 exp/1 wexp] Solider F (38, 81) goes to Z9 and also deals 11 to Kolmar. (34, 21) Kolmar hits him back for 10. [10 exp/1 wexp] Archer D goes to Aa9 and (85, 65) ruins the crucial shot [1 exp]. C'mon dude. Soldier C heads to O6, then (8, 14) hits Raz for 17 with his Javelin, (54, 55) (56, 88) but in return takes 11 twice for his troubles. [11 exp/2 wexp] Also he takes 11 twice more because I forgot about Adept so raz gets 25 more exp and 2 more wexp and pretend Soldier C isn't on the map. Troubadour B goes to G5 and does nothing because Soldier C is kill Soldier D rather unfortunately has one person in range, and that's Aaron, so he goes to S13 to give it a try. (17, 15) He does deal 7, but (77, 86) taking 20 in return seems not worth it. [10 exp/1 wexp] Everyone else just moves along. I don't feel like typing them all out and you can see for yourself on the map anyway! It's Turn 2/10. Player phase begins. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FcCwlTsG0D4yALkymth1RsRTlsw-u848ADkBVAkSgmM/edit#gid=945975530 Here's that sheet again! Also, I always forget to post the Crusader's Calling effect turn 1 from my list of them... for this map it's Lethal Payback. If the holder is damaged in battle, for the rest of that combat they get Follow Through and 3x final critical hit chance. This was factored in for this turn.

1) Favorite role you've ever hard of every alignment? 2) Biggest mistake people make with EiMM setups, ignoring that #1 is people think stupid bullshit like Faust and variants of it, fake or real, are still funny? 3) Biggest mistake you personally have made in an EiMM setup? 4) Any unpopular opinions on mafia setup design, for regular games or EiMMs? 5) Power rank these games I hosted that you mostly didn't play in: Haphazard Mafia, Choral Mafia V, Badass Mafia 1, Badass Mafia 2, RTFR2, Encounter Mafia, Resurgence Mafia 6) Favorite starter Pokemon for each generation? 7) When will I stop being cursed to be unable to win on Smogon? 8) What are some favorite video games besides Fire Emblem and Pokemon? 9) What is your favorite avatar I've ever had on SF/skype/discord you can remember, probably ignoring the fact that I haven't changed my SF avatar in over a year so you might not remember older ones? 10) How do you feel about the fact that Jace, the Mind Sculptor is unbanned in Modern?

"Of course. You all helped us a great deal, it would be a disservice to leave you out of the loop of important information. As for rooming, don't trouble yourselves. There is plenty of space in the castle for everyone," Barus assured Kaya. "My good friends Reid, Eliza, and Damas shall be arriving tomorrow, and to avoid needless repetition, I propose reconvening and pooling all of our information together then. Until then, may you all rest well!" (Aaron also buys all his vials) ---- Chapter 6: The Parting of the Ways Castle Veiro, 5 AM Any sleep ended abruptly for the party when their doors were banged on by Mikhaila in turn. "We have to go! Grab everything, we're under attack, it's the army of Timaeus!" She already had her sword drawn and didn't stay long at any one person's door. Belongings were gathered in a scramble, and none too soon as there was fighting audible even just outside. "The soldiers said that the east is much safer, there's a tunnel to Duke Argalian's home that they've escaped to with some of the guards," Mikhaila told them as a few of the Koermese knights signaled where to go. "They infiltrated the castle too quickly to defend it, but there's still hope to hold out!" one man told them, who only Aaron would've recognized as Judas. "Make your way there... go, swiftly! We can't let them reach our safehold, too." The eight- for they were eight now, Telmara's presence nowhere to be found- shuffled through the hustle and bustle to reach the entrance through the tunnel, which was perhaps less crowded than expected. "Everyone is on the move. The Duchy is important, but all lives must be saved, and we can't let more weapons fall into Timaeus's hands if possible. You guys, you're not trained in all that miscellaneous helping, but we've heard you can fight, so we're speeding you along there," Judas explained as they went. It was surprisingly roomy for a secret passageway, with Lord Yarvus's horse able to move through easily as they descended and then soon enough begun up a slope towards daylight. Fia and a small group of soldiers were there to meet them at the top. "The first great news all day, you made it soon enough. Good work, Judas, get back as soon as you can." He saluted before running back down the passage. "They've timed their attack too well... somehow they found out about the meeting between Duke Argalian and Duke Bereen, and struck right when we were shifting guards around, so we have a lot of people that are too tired to work at their best. That hurts our manpower a lot, so we need all of you, especially since you have experience fighting against Timaeus's armies. Nobody has seen the man himself yet, but down there, atop that wall..." She pointed out the window, the silhouette of a woman holding an ornately designed bow staring down across the city. "It's Valerie, his strategist, and unfortunately she lives up to her reputation. So... we can't hold on forever, and we can't bar the doors, there's simply not enough room for us to fight favorably here. That means we have to get out there and keep them from this building! There's fifteen of us right now. That's bad, very bad, but we'll not be alone for too long. More of the soldiers will come here as they finish their tasks. Unfortunately, we can expect more of Timaeus's forces to head from that way too, but luckily for us, there's help outside the city already on the way- Duke Mazzarrin and Duchess Rhodes were expected this morning because of the meeting, and that's a key bit of information they don't know. So we outlast them! Understood?" At that, the group made their way outside of the castle, surrounded on all sides by the Time King's troops. A poor night's sleep or not, there wouldn't be rest for the weary for some time. -- Primary Objective: Defend the Gate (T7, where Fia is) for 10 turns! Secondary Objective: Defeat the Ruby Deadeye, Valerie! Tertiary Objective: Visit all nine homes. It is turn 1. Player phase begins. As usual, I suppose it's always best to lay out a few ground rules. The phase order is Players -> allies -> enemies. Fia won't move. You can suggest moves for green units, but they will try not to die if possible. Expect reinforcements in green, red... perhaps even gray, whatever that could mean. Combat experience from allies will count towards bonus experience, so don't worry about that. Please don't take too long with turns, nobody enjoys those taking a week every time. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FcCwlTsG0D4yALkymth1RsRTlsw-u848ADkBVAkSgmM/edit#gid=945975530 Here's the sheet.

"They're not too fun, no," Sidney commented wryly at Steve's surprise. "Doesn't seem like we can do anything but just press on against Deira's vile tactics. How dare they claim a righteous cause..." With that said, everyone else seemed to be doing pretty good around here, but maybe there wouldn't be such good news elsewhere, so she headed to regroup. Sid to (9,9), Steve to (10, 12)

Tension "Ah, but of course you do," Anwir spoke coolly. "All that is done in the name of the greater good--" "Anwir!" Barus interrupted more suddenly. "I told you, I will not have your infighting sully the mood in my halls. All of us have more important things to do here than uphold grudges, and there is no need to be condescending, regardless of any past history between the two of you, of which I am sure there is much. I don't want to hear it from either of you- it is clear that there is a level of resentment, but so long as you are guests in Castle Koerm, set it aside. Am I clear?" He paused for a moment, seeming satisfied that Anwir made no retort. "Tip toe out?! Do you know where the other entrances are?" Velvet whispered to Joviana. "We should just stay here and hope that they don't catch us..." "Ladies, you are not as stealthy as you'd like to believe. Please do not insult me and think that the security here is so paltry I'd not know of people sneaking right outside my meeting room to try and listen in. Come here," Barus spoke with a tone more of exasperation than anger. Velvet looked meekly to Joviana before taking her hand and walking out to face the two Dukes. "There's a level of trust I put in you by allowing you to enter the castle. While you did not overhear anything truly confidential, I ask that you respect that more." That Whacky Evil Guy "Can't say they're too far off the mark about making trouble for you, huh?" Batro clapped Kolmar's shoulder with one hand. "Well, I can't be sticking around chatting forever. If there's anything up that's strange, I'll see if I can let you know of it. Not too hard to get in contact now that we've seen you again, eh? You'd best be careful of people who you don't consider friends now that you've shown your face around these parts. Best be careful in times such as these." big-time mage aaron "I see... interesting. It was nice to meet you, then. Can I ask one last thing of you? What is your name?" Fia inquired. - "Welcome, sir!" A vendor spoke to Aaron almost as soon as he reached the Bay. "I see that axe of yours, but you... I sense that you have strong magical potential! What say you take a look over here? Even if you've no thoughts of being a mage... there's plenty of enchanted trinkets you could make great use of! Mystic scrolls, empowered gems, books containing long lost secrets to power. I'm almost certain there'll be something that catches your eye here!"

"Are you guys sure you're supposed to be well-trained soldiers?" Sidney seemed to have no problem at all taking them down, and as far as she could tell everyone else was doing pretty well too. Owen even performed his family technique he'd complained about a few times before. "Impressive, Owen... I guess I can't get left behind, then." She darted off to fire at yet another swordsman. There sure seemed to be a lot of them. Sidney to (9, 15), Steel Bow Swordfighter 10

Anwir "Yes, that makes our quest much harder..." Velvet frowned, thinking of Jovi's question. "Well, I don't know a lot about the sword. But if it was the one taken from here by Timaeus, and if it really was spotted in the mountains, then that would confirm it really is one of his soldiers who seized the Lazarus Gem. I'm... not too sure how helpful it is for them, unless it has hidden powers, seeing as him and his closest soldiers seem to have a hard time dying already, but he has some other normal followers than just those other four and the sand beings." Her eyes widened. "Uh, the meeting seems like it's ending, maybe we shouldn't stick around here?" Meanwhile, Andrea put on her best pouting face briefly. "Aww, but adventuring is fun. And maybe I'm small, but I'm not super helpless, and besides, even if you're big sis, you're not that much taller than me either!" Andrea protested for a bit, but stopped. "But, if you want to take me back to the castle, then I guess I can go with you, Kaya. The main castle isn't really that far, there's stairs from the wall right next to the castle. So I only ran up them and walked around the wall, that's not so bad!" She lead Kaya along the wall, bouncing around as they went, and sure enough almost nobody was on their way other than a few soldiers posted along the walls. As Kaya and Andrea were allowed in fairly easily, the door to the meeting room opened, two well-dressed men exiting, the height difference rather comical although their identities were both fairly obvious. Duke Argalian had curled, shoulder length green hair with rather flamboyant robes in Koerm's well-known purple, while Duke Bereen towered over him, his leering blue eyes matched with fiery red hair made him appear quite stern. "Where were you off to, Andrea?" Anwir asked as the smaller girl walked up to him, then speaking up, "Though you seem to not be the only lady who sneaking around," loud enough that Velvet and Joviana were sure to hear. He scowled at the sight of Kaya. "So your lunatic dragon sect hears of the Gifts being possibly found across the continent, and you really did just go scrambling around pursuing them now? I'd hoped that the rumors weren't completely accurate, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to end up disappointed in that regard." "Come now, come now!" Barus spoke up before Anwir could go on for too much longer. "No need for such hostilities. Duchess Mazzarin says they've been of great help in Fordright, and we all have a mutual distaste for Timaeus, so let's not be too quick to burn bridges! You must be Kaya- I'm Duke Barus Argalian of Koerm. And I certainly welcome you here, especially after you dealt with those rogue soldiers within Koermese boarders as well!" Tales of the Road Batro chuckled at Kolmar's description. "Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you. Though, if they were deadweight, I'd imagine you'd not be traveling in a group so much. I thought the treasure-hunting plan was nuts, but there's tons of people striking it rich everywhere, even with all the bad news about that wacky mage running about. It really is the change of an age with how crazy the world is these days." Esteemed Duelists "They are different. I'm very magically attuned, but I don't work well with tomes for whatever reason." Fia shrugged. "Bladework's in the family, I suppose. If that was your first time using it, that's pretty good. You'd make for a fine knight, though I understand you have current commitments right now, so I'll not do the insistent recruiter gimmick." She brushed her hair over her shoulder, listening to his story. "Dione, presumably? No wonder nobody could find it before now. I'm not sure this exact uchigatana was actually on Tethys, but that's where they originate from. It's a strange forging style, from how I've heard it described, but I guess it's a pretty good one." Cityscape "I wasn't exactly sure where to go, but I didn't want to follow him, either. So I just let him talk almost the whole time before he went off... that just took longer than I was hoping for." Mikhaila's face turned half red at Raz's affection, squirming slightly but not making too much of a real attempt to escape. "In the middle of the city? Even if it's not that busy..." she complained meekly. "Well, I don't have anywhere in mind to go..."

Sidney yelped as the man she was doing exploded, and then a house was soon afterwards. "Wh-what in the name of Engel is WRONG with you people?! How can you possibly think what you're doing is right?" she screeched, accepting Nona's help to get away without a second thought despite her... less than convincing phrasing. "My nights are taken, thanks," she mumbled after Esclabor's lackey helped her down. Still, she couldn't afford to be shaken for too long, and there were plenty more enemies to take down. Owen seemed to be fighting particularly poorly currently, so she took aim at one of the swordfighters charging towards him. "Hands off, loser!" Sidney to (5, 13), Silver Bow on Swordfighter #2

"Belts? Magic crossbows? They really don't know what they're using all that well, do they?" Still, that didn't mean the weapons weren't dangerous, though what was meany by belts was not entirely clear to Sidney. She stepped forward to take aim at one of many swordfighters, this one just inside the town. He had what could sort of be described as a belt on... Sidney to (8, 12), attacks Swordsman #7 with Silver Bow

It felt better traveling with their small team, even if it was diminished, rather than the main group of the Raewalden army. Something about it was much more comforting to Sidney, even if they were going to the destination suggested by Tarasque as part of the overall campaign, she'd been in much better spirits recently for a lot of reasons. I think I just hate big groups, for one. Still, it certainly wasn't going to be easy getting rid of a lot of Deirans with new and advanced weaponry, though it seemed to be largely in the form of firearms upon first glance, which was something of a relief. That being said, Owen was right- there could be weaponry concealed. The explosive he used at the beach was something he had kept hidden, after all... She readied herself not too far away from him, paying a lot of attention to a bow that had been provided by Tarasque. "Sets off explosives easily, huh? I think I can do a pretty good job, then... they might have more powerful weapons, but if they're no good at aim, then they're not gonna be blasting anyone! Let's show these clowns what kind of ranged weapon is really the best." She batted her hair away and adjusted her glasses. Missing would be awfully embarrassing after insulting their aim. Sidney deploys on (5, 14), switching her Machete for the Flaming Bow.

A Taste for Adventure "But going on adventures is fun! I always like it when we get to leave the city to do something new and exciting, I practically had to beg father to let me come here... but, if even you say I should wait, I guess I will." Andrea was very clearly over her nerves by now, enamored with her 'new' big sister, though she glanced away when Kaya asked what she was doing. "Well, he's not... letting me walk around like this? I'm sneaky! And I couldn't just sit in the castle while there's important meetings going on that I can't hear the whole time, I like to be outside." Travel Time "Ha! Out of necessity rather than personal preference, in that case? That explains it a lot better. Oh, and sorry, rude not to say who I am... name's Batro." He extended a hand to Kolmar. "With one of the shipping crews. Your face hasn't been spotted in these parts in a long time. If you're in a group... is it one of them recent questing groups, huh? Figure you might strike rich that way?" Wind Fencer "No, he's not the best. But he is pretty good- I'm rather impressed." Fia smiled, drawing her sword again for him to look at. "Can't say I'm surprised you wouldn't know it- it's a wind sword, with magical properties. Certainly not one of a kind, but it is rather uncommon, mostly because not a lot of swordfighters are too keen on using magic. I'm not all that strong, but I outmaneuver just about everyone, and magic's harder to defend against than steel- your armor probably wouldn't help you much." She put it away before drawing another sword, this one also unusual. "This one is an uchigatana, from Tethys, another continent. Sierra used to use it before she got her two swords custom-made, then she gave me one. Neither quite as special as the Lionheart." Beneath the Mask Mikhaila wasn't too difficult for Raz to find, mostly because she hadn't really strayed all that far from the city's gates in the first place. "Hello, Raz. Lord Yarvus was chatting my ear off about the wonders of Veiro, his regrets that he'd only been here fleetingly and couldn't detail them better, mostly missing hints that I wasn't all that interested. The nobility from Fordright sure do love talking for way too long, if him and the Duchess are much of an indication. What did you do?" Two Dukes The pair of smaller women approached Castle Fernait, and were perhaps surprisingly allowed in right away. "Captain Tairn cleared your descriptions- you're permitted to visit the castle. There are a few more chambers that are prohibited, but otherwise, you can stay here and view what you like," one of the four guards at the front gate told them as they stepped aside. "There are some rooms prepared, as well, and although sleep is a bit early, you can drop off any belongings if you'd like." "C'mon, Jovi!" Velvet whispered excitedly. "I've been here once when the security wasn't so tight, so I know the way a little. Maybe we can figure out some more secrets when we're inside..." Immediately upon entering, the most obvious door had two more guards, probably where the Dukes were meeting, but Velvet walked past them to a hallway on the right, stopping suddenly partway down it. "Heehee! We can't go in, but I might be able to listen in on some things... my ears are really sensitive. I'll tell you if they say anything interesting." She pressed up against the wall, ears twitching as she listened for a few minutes. "Mostly boring so far... they expect most everyone to be here by tomorrow, except Duke Glaivor, who has the longest distance to come from. Oh, hold on..." She quieted herself, gasping at a new development. "The sword stolen from here... it was spotted in the mountains in Balor, held by a man just like the one Regus showed a projection of. And they think that the group that found the Lazarus Gem was really lead by Timaeus... oh, that's veeery baaad..." -- Alignment adjustments, based on a few things from before: Velvet: +3 animism Raz: +5 darkness