Epilogue: More Endings!

Whoa, whoa, whoa!  You thought that the 108 (and more) endings was all there is!  WRONG!  Here are more endings!

Bandit Bill

Bandit Bill finally proved his worth when, on a fateful night, bandit friends from his previous life came and wanted to make Bill the King of Bandits (and even Games!).  When Bill refused, he was given his own shop by Rosalita.  Bandit Bill made himself a good living for several months but one day he vanished.  He was last seen on a boat with Caesar towards the Western Lands, with Caesar claiming "Every Good Army needs a good morale officer - and Bandit Bill is the best!"

Grant

Grant was forced to wield the King Dragon Sword for the rest of his days.  When Nathan acquired his diplomat position, he became Nathan's bodyguard.  After he defeated the asssassin Kage, his renown became great, something that led him to yet more drinking due to society and its pressures.  Eventually, he insulted the diplomat of the Island Kingdom while drunk, and not even Nathan's pleading could keep Grant from resigning in disgrace.

Grant became a bum, a poor businessman and a wanderer, seemingly destined to become a shadow.  Then, of all people, his old friend Sherman found him in Kanakan and told him of a crisis.  A false son of Barbarorsa, the former user of the King Dragon Sword, was creating problems throughout the land, mainly by using an army of wild dragons.  Grant raised a battalion with Sherman, and marched to the sea to eliminate the false son.  Grant was made a hero and a general of the Toran Republic, and lived the rest of days in peace.
 
"In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins"

Sherman
Sherman became a well-loved public figure of the AU, becoming the first official press diplomat, helping create a thriving literary and newspaper culture for the AU.  Sherman though found the peaceful life boring, and after a couple of years became a wanderer dedicated to helping the injustices caused by the war.  During his travels he encountered a new rival, a Mr. Hood, the former spokesman of Harold.  Hood would cause constant troubles over the years, eventually even creating a false son of Barbarorsa dedicated for the main goal of killing Sherman.  Recruiting Grant, the two defeated Hood one last time.

Shortly afterwards, Sherman was nominated by not only the Toran Republic (whose life was threatened by Mr. Hood) but also the AU and the Island Nations to be the next leader.  Sherman simply stated
"I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected"
Sherman became a supporter of veterans throughout the nations and remained a beloved figure until the end of his days.

Guard Gary

Guard Gary became an influential minster of trade by using his connections to the Unity Rune Users for many years.  However, it was discovered that Gary was in fact a corrupt, son-of-a-gun, cannibal who was having prisoners executed just for his pleasure.  When his sins were discovered he was said to have yelled
"Oh Bugger!"
He was promptly executed by Royce's dragon via eating.

Commander Miles

Commander Miles still remains dead, buried underneath a boulder.  He's not coming back.

Session 31 Recap: The AU Awakens

To keep the mood light before the final battle, our heroes decided to put on one final production. In our interpretation of King Lear, Kuarjav took the title role, the three daughters Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia were played by Royce, Sciath, and Daisy respectively, and the ever lovin’ Harold took on the role of the Narrator. The play was well-received, and we went to the war room in high spirits.

Caesar explained that only Windy and Yuber remained to stand against our army, and they still had control of Aldea, the capitol of Camaro. Our best option was to use our overwhelming force to march straight in, no need for funny stuff. In the army battle that ensued, Daisy got the finishing blow on Grant, Viktor drove Yuber back (he tried to teleport away, but was blocked by Leknaat), and Mukumuku and Daisy teamed up against Windy, with much support from our dozen True Runes and allies.

We drove all of them back into Aldea, but just when the battle seemed won, Windy used her second rune, the Rune of the End, to wipe out scores of our troops all at once, making it impossible to advance further. We regrouped at a safe distance and formed a plan to counter her devastating rune by sending in multiple small parties under Aldea’s defenses to destroy Windy face-to-face.

The Unity Rune heroes made up one team, along with their usual partners and Lydia, who knew Grant personally, and ran right in, dodging magic attacks and fighting past guards. Kuarjav actually succeeded in making one of the guards, Guard Gary, repent and join our forces. Inside the castle, we found lots of treasure and demons to fight for it, and, most importantly, the Golden Hammer inside a shining golden chest. (We gave the hammer to Massa later, of course – I hope he’ll finally get the confidence he needs!)

Near the top of the castle, we found Grant guarding a huge set of double doors. He wielded the King Dragon Sword once used by King Barbarossa of Toran, which is engraved with the Sovereign Rune, making him immune to the effects of all other runes. We tried to reason with him, but when that got us nowhere, Grant challenged Daisy to a duel instead. In her usual style, Daisy disarmed him and pinned him to the ground, sword at his throat. After much debate, we finally convinced him to join us again (and Daisy threatened to hit him until he did). Unfortunately, without the Sovereign Rune in his hand, his Unity Rune piece tried to kill him when he attempted to force it out of its Betrayal phase. Only the rest of us joining our Unity Rune pieces in Friendship saved his life and reconnected the spirits of our rune pieces, at which point group hugs ensued. As a sign of good faith (and to make sure his rune wouldn’t turn on him again), we let Grant keep the King Dragon Sword.

We passed through the now-unguarded doors and spotted Windy standing on a glass skylight on the roof above us, blasting magic in all directions. Yuber told her they had to run, but Windy’s eyes held only a crazed look, and she kept blasting without pause. She didn’t stop until we attacked; Harold’s fancy rose bit attack eventually finished off Yuber, and Daisy sent Windy sprawling back and crashing through the skylight. Yuber followed to try and use Windy’s teleporting, but Leknaat’s team arrived just in time to block her again.

Our allies came pouring in through every door. When Yuber and Windy tries to activate their runes again, all of the True Runes at our command joined forces to seal their magic away, rendering them utterly helpless. Kuarjav, as the leader of the army (and, in many eyes, the AU), officially sentenced the two lifelong criminals to death. We all agreed; without delay, Pesmerga beheaded Yuber, and Daisy plunged her sword into Windy’s heart.

We were left with three True Runes (not counting Windy’s half of the Gate Rune, which returned to Leknaat): the Eightfold Rune, Demon Rune, and Rune of the End. The Eightfold and Demon Runes were originally stolen by Yuber, so Pesmerga offered to return them to where they belonged. McDohl requested that Gremio be allowed to hold onto the King Dragon Sword because the Sovereign Rune it contained was the only thing that could contain McDohl’s cursed Soul Eater rune, allowing him to live near other people again for the first time in many years. We agreed to all of this and, seeing no use for it, we let the Rune of the End go dormant and fly off to find its own way in the world.

In the end, all that was left was to decide what would become of our new country, and what role each of us would have to play in it. Kuarjav offered to make Harold the official envoy to AU from Dunan, as Harold was never officially working with us (since he was employed by Dunan this whole time). Harold told Percy to figure out how much back pay Dunan owed him for fighting in this war. Daisy asked if she would be paid for the last few months, so Kuarjav gave her the Master at Arms position and asked her to travel the AU as a special government agent with a salary, helping people wherever she was needed. Royce was awarded the Defender of the Asgardian Union title, but he was always planning to return to the Dragon’s Den, where at least one big promotion was in his future. And Sciath, of course, with her devastating chain-spell powers, became the AU’s Head Magician.

For the complete account of what became of our heroes after the war, please refer to the Suikoden Endings page! 

http://suikodensix.blogspot.com/p/suikoden-endings.html

As for Grant, our unexpected ally in the end, our army spokesman had this to say: “Grant stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk, and now we stand by each other.” – William Tecumseh Sherman. Who knew?

Congratulations, heroes! See you next time!

(unofficial recruits: Guard Gary)

Semi Final update!

Ok, all pages have been updated to their final form...except the comment box, I'm afraid. I tend to write those the week of, and the last two weeks (and this week...oy) have been too hectic for me to write much. Everything is done though, and I WILL update the comment box....eventually.

Session 30 Recap: To Quell a Queen

Though the ninjas had offered to cover it up for her, Daisy refused their help and confessed to murdering her grandparents in cold blood (see Conversation 8). Harold expressed approval for her actions, if not for her messy technique. Kuarjav was not happy with the killings, but allowed Daisy to remain with the Union Army as long as she felt in control of her anger. All in all, the team was accepting of Daisy’s choice to kill the pair of demons that were once her grandparents, and we were able to move on with our explorations in Camaro.

We visited Pirate’s Point, a boisterous city, and acquired Recipe #16 “Hamburger” between buying and selling equipment. The town of Shogamon gave us Recipe #38 “Lobster”, and Qwieg offered up Recipe #52 “French Fries,” our final recipe.

We had the chance to continue the war at that point, but our collection of Unity Rune warriors didn’t feel quite ready to start our final battles, so we put on a few stage productions first. In our production of William Tell, Royce played William Tell, Kuarjav was his Son, Harold was the cruel Lord, Sciath was his Attendant, and Daisy played the entire Crowd, running back and forth and shouting encouragement to William Tell. In Call of the Wind, Harold’s interpretation of Geddoe was gravelly enough to hurt his throat, though he played a sensible Narrator; Daisy appropriately took the role of Sarah; Sciath was Chris, Royce was the Flame Champion, Hugo; Kuarjav played Sasari and, in a twist, Sasari himself played his now-dead brother Luc (though it seems there was no love lost between the luckless brothers). Finally, our interpretation of To Kill A Queen allowed Harold to reprise his gravelly voice as Georg, Sciath played the Narrator, Royce was the Archer and the Assassin, Kuarjav was Ferid, and Daisy got to rant like a madwoman as the doomed queen Arshtat. By the end of our thespian adventures, one could assert with confidence that the Unity Rune heroes were the most skilled actors in the whole castle.

Caesar called us to the War Room to get on with the Camaro assault and filled us in on his plan to send in a small team to infiltrate Chivalry Castle and disable their magical defenses. The only way to get close enough was to have ex-Camaro generals like Janell and Hilda (and Gears) lead the Unity Rune heroes inside. General Gregory found and recognized us almost immediately, but we were able to convince him to help us with the promise that we would try to free the queen from Yuber’s influence rather than simply kill her. He led us inside without sounding the alarm and even allowed us to collect stray pieces of armor, runes, and the Silver Hammer for Massa too. Royce found a switch on a statue that opened a secret wine cellar inexplicably guarded by a rhino named Jake; we recruited the rhino and collected some wine for the bar too. Gregory told the guards to stand down while we continued on our way up some stairs to the queen’s bedroom, where we took one of her fancy dresses and some potch. 

Up on the rooftop, we found the queen standing in a summoning circle, which Daisy tackled her out of before she could react. But the queen immediately blasted Daisy off of her, and the battle broke out while Kuarjav looked for a way to remove the Black Rune of control that he’d spotted on her hand. We wore her down enough for Kuarjav to blast her with a Repent!, which finally destroyed the Black Rune.

The queen fell to the ground, but her body and mind were once again her own. She remembered everything she had done and the harm she had caused, and her reaction was to ask to join us so she could fight Yuber and Windy for betraying her. Kuarjav accepted Queen Dianna’s offer, and so the queen and Gregory both joined our army, officially completing our Tablet of Destiny. With that, Chivalry Castle and all of Camaro surrendered to us, bringing the war one step closer to its conclusion.

“I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the [country of Camaro].” – William Tecumseh Sherman

With the Silver Hammer, Massa was able to upgrade our weapons to level 15 once we returned home (we bought a rabbit named Quik on the way). On a whim, we went to the kitchens and asked Hai Yo to summon the Ghost Chef Otani, who gladly autographed his book for us using telekinesis. And since we had two star chefs at our disposal, the Unity Rune heroes decided to challenge them to a friendly cooking battle!

The Queen of Cuisine, our noble lady has noble taste buds! It’s Dianna!

This four star general loves four star food! Give it up Gregory!

This eccentric genius loves food from far away, brought here by his invention! It’s Gomez!

Bradenton is from Kanarkan, and that means cooking with wine! Trust us on this!

Appetizer: Poutine (french fries+salt): Daisy, Royce: 10,10,10,10

Main Course: Succulent lobster (lobster+sugar): Kuarjav, Harold : 6666

Dessert: Red Velvet Cake (cake+salt): Sciath, Sun Crystal: 10,10,10,10

Total: 104

Cheese platter 9999, lemon chicken 5555, chocolate cream pie 8888

Total: 88

Our reward for somehow defeating two of the top chefs in the world was Recipe #53 “Waffles”! Hai Yo learned how valuable we really were as his assistants all this time, and we moved on to more serious matters.

After a lengthy debate, we settled on renaming Harmonia the Asgardian Union and declared that every province of the AU would get one chance to leave the new country if they so wished (either by one leader’s choice or by referendum of the residents). After that, each province will be legally bound to the central AU authority but still maintain a significant state authority (essentially early US-style but with only one house of Congress; strong state powers but some central authority and one currency).

And so the war soon draws to a close. Before long, warriors will seek out new challenges, refugees will start building new homes, and everyone will get on with their lives. There are those in Liberty Castle who watch the approaching finish line with trepidation, wondering what place there will be for them in the new world. But our army spokesman has no such fears. “My dear sirs, when peace does come, you may call on me for anything. Then will I share with you the last cracker, and watch with you to shield your homes and families against danger from every quarter.” – William Tecumseh Sherman

 

Recruited: Dianna, Gregory

Investigations: Dianna, Gregory, Bradenton, Mitch, Dale

Conversation 8: Daisy and the family

Our last one!

Green: Daisy

GM: Black

Simon’s family

Leknaat teleports you without question to the City of Delon, where Simon's family is said to reside. Xander gave you an address, and you find the Rune shop where Fiona, Simon’s widow, works. They have an apartment over the shop.

Daisy casually entered the shop, trying to remember if she had already met the woman Xander had described. Unfortunately, one shopkeeper seemed to blend with any other in her mind. She shook her head to clear it and called out for assistance as she strolled in, hoping it would be the widow who responded.

"Hi there!" a woman responds. "I'm Fiona, the owner. Did you need something today? A rune attached, perhaps?" she asks.

"Uh..." Daisy scratched her head, wondering how to begin. "Actually, runes aren't really my thing. I've never been able to use active ones. But I wanted to talk with you about something. Do you mind if we sit down somewhere?"

"Hm? Sure, why not? It's almost closing time anyway. Penelope!" The woman calls, and down the stairs in the back, a young woman comes down.

"What's up?" she asks.

"My daughter, Penelope," Fiona explains. "I have a guest. Could you watch the shop for a little bit, and close up tonight?"

"Me?! Sure, I can handle that!" she practically yells.

"Thank you. Now, my dear... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?" Fiona turns to you.

"Oh, right. My name's Daisy. Daisy Saint-Anicet. I'm 100 percent sure that he never would have mentioned me, but I'm Simon's niece," she said slowly.

"Oh!" Fiona and Penelope both exclaim. "This is wonderful!" Fiona says, grabbing you in a hug. "I never knew Simon had siblings. His parents are quite judgmental of us, so I wouldn't put it past them to keep something like that secret. They can be real demons at times, don't you think?"

"You don't know the half of it," Daisy said grimly. "But I might as well tell you a little more about me first. My mom, Simon's sister Rose, died giving birth to me in Highland. I never met Simon, but I hired a detective to find out if I had any relatives on my mom's side. My dad's no nobleman, so those bastards who happen to be my grandparents shunned us, too." She tried to stay calm, but being faced with yet another family who had suffered greatly at her grandparents' hands made her whole body shake.

"Oh, you poor thing. I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. I'm sure I would have loved meeting her, and Simon would too. I doubt you'll get anywhere with my in laws, but you are welcome here at least. I'm sorry to say my husband isn't in right now. He went to go check in on his grandparents a while ago, and he's not come back. To be honest, I'm starting to get a bit worried about what might have happened."

She starts to lead you upstairs to where you can sit, and as you go, Penelope yells out.

"See you later, cousin!" and gives you a wink when you turn.

Daisy waved mutely to her new cousin and followed her aunt up the stairs. "I wish Simon could have been here today," she sighed. "He and his parents must have had nothing in common, to have married someone like you. I guess crazy skips a generation."

"I say that all the time!" Fiona laughs. "Simon will be so thrilled to see you when he comes home. Honestly, I don't know what to do about that man. His parents are probably making him work for them again, and he's too timid to stand up to them."

"I wish that were true," Daisy murmured, directing her aunt to the first chair she saw. "He was a braver man than most to even speak to his parents ever again once he'd managed to get away from them. Fiona, Simon... Simon is dead."

"Huh?" Fiona says, clearly taken aback. "What did you say? I mean...that can't possibly be true... I'm sure he's just late, is all..." she says, her face going white. You don't know who she's trying to convince, herself or you.

"I'm sorry, Fiona," Daisy said, pained. "I never did get to meet him. I've had it confirmed from several sources to find out what happened, and I'm sure now. I have his... I have the culprits in the dungeon at Liberty Castle." Daisy looked away, suddenly finding it difficult to tell her the truth.

"Oh god, no, this can't be happening....this can't be happening...." she starts muttering, as she sits down. "You...you're sure then? There's no doubt? I mean, how could he be...? It just doesn't make sense. He was just visiting his parents!"

Daisy bit her lip, coming to a snap decision. "It's this war that caused it. You've surely heard about the hordes of demons that have been sweeping Harmonia, especially the Crystal Valley. We've been wiping them out as best we can, but it wasn't safe to return to Crystal Valley yet. Simon's parents are dead as well. I'm so sorry, Fiona."

Fiona nods, amid tears. "Well, it couldn't have happened to better people. But poor Simon. God, how am I going to tell the kids? This... is just too much to take in right now. I know we just met Daisy, but would you mind coming back later? I think I just need to be alone for a while. I'm sorry."

Daisy stepped back at once. "Of course. You'll need time. I live at Liberty Castle if you want to find me, or I'll... I'll come back in a couple of days. See you." Daisy left the shop without waiting for an answer and used the blinking mirror. Back at the castle, she headed straight for the dungeons. Daisy returned to her grandparents' cell and folded her arms. "I've just told Fiona and their children about Simon. Just out of curiosity, have you caused any other atrocities that I need to take responsibility for?" she said coldly.

"Fiona? That human bitch? Why would you give a damn about her? Her bloodline isn't impressive, as I told Simon time and time again. Dumb boy just wouldn't listen. He learned the price of that, didn't he though?" the woman cackles.

"You keep saying human as though it's something separate from yourself... And you know, you're completely right. It's disgusting that you'd even pretend to be as good as human. Those bodies are nothing but a mask. Why don't I rip some of that skin off for you and help you see what's underneath?" Daisy growled, going bear as she finished her threat. If nothing prevents her, Daisy will slaughter both of them then and there and rip them to pieces.

((Well, there would be a guard on duty, but he's nowhere near strong enough to stop you. And neither are they. So if you like, we can say that the guard yells at you to stop, but you don't. You can barge in and rip them to shreds without a problem. They fight back and might hurt you - I had the odd idea of one giving you a scar somewhere to remind you of them - but unless you want it to be, it won't be anything serious. The only question now is, what do you do now that you're covered in their blood and have a guard to witness what you did?))

Daisy shrank back into her human form, standing on the mangled remains of the jail cell... and the Saint-Anicets. She was breathing hard. Daisy had been in countless battles, but this was the first time in her life that she had forgotten to draw her sword and relied only on her teeth and claws, and she had a few wounds to show for it now. Killing someone with her bare hands had been messier, more wild, and more intimate than hacking and slashing, but it wasn't bad. As she wiped the demon blood from her eyes and gave the rest of her body an animal shake, she felt only pleasure at what she had done.

The young berserker looked up from her handiwork and spotted the guard. She'd been half-aware of his protests, but not nearly enough to care. "Hey, do you guys keep any water or towels down here?" she asked, smiling.

((I'd say one of the demons managed to claw at your arm, leaving a scar on your forearm. It will be circular, almost star-shaped.))

The guard nods. "T-there's a fountain for prisoner drinking water, ma'am. That way!" He says, pointing, and getting out of your way. Your inner bear can smell the fear on him.

Daisy glanced at the guard as she passed, blood dripping from her hair. "You're scared. Don't worry; we'll all be better off without a couple of demons locked up in the basement. You don't have anyone left to guard, right? You can take the rest of the day off." She followed his directions to the fountain and dumped a bucket of water over her head, trying to wash off the worst of the blood and gore.

As you wash off, you hear some movement down the hall. As you turn, you see Cassie, Diaz, and a team of security ninja's scramble in.

"Daisy!" Cassie yells out. "What happened in here?! We heard screaming. Are you alright?"

"Screaming? I guess that was them," Daisy shrugged and waved at the ruined cell in an off-handed way. "Those demons weren't going to give us any more information, so I made sure they won't be hurting anyone else. I don't need any help, but since you're here, would you mind getting someone to clean this up? You never know when we'll be needing one of these cells again."

"Oh...ok," Cassie says. "George, Wade, and Jules, work on cleaning the um, mess up, would you?" She directs three of her ninjas, and they head off, grudgingly.

"You sure you're ok Daisy?" Cassie asks. "I heard those....prisoners were once family of yours. And um, I know you're not the most politically minded, but we generally frown upon executing prisoners like this. Did something happen?"

"My grandparents got what they deserved," Daisy said flatly. "And if I could kill them again for every child they've forced to grow up without a parent, I would. This isn't about politics. It's about family, and it's no one's business but mine." She frowned, sensing an objection already. "But if it'll make you happy, I'll tell Kuarjav and the others next time I see them. That work for you, Cassie?"

"There's no need for that," Diaz says, speaking up. "I'm sure we can make up a report of how they were killed trying to escape."

Cassie nods. "As you say, this was your decision to make, but next time, you might want to use some more caution, is all."

Daisy snorted. "Caution. Right. I'll keep that in mind. I don't want you lying about this, though. Kuarjav has the right to know, and if he decides that it's time for me to leave the Union Army, so be it." With that, Daisy went to find a change of clothes and started to think about where she might go looking for her next job.