Conversation 2: Daisy and Sasari (and Bandit Bill)

Green: Daisy

GM: Black

Daisy will try to talk to Sasari sometime when he's not in the war room. She's not shy, but she figures the other leaders won't be very interested in their conversation. If he's always in the war room, she'll just ask to speak with him, either at the bar or somewhere more private, she doesn't care.

You can find him one night at the bar, having a drink. He seems lost in his thoughts, hardly touching the drink. You doubt he even knows he's one of the last at the bar.

"One for me, please," Daisy said as she sat down next to him, not looking to see if it was Rosalita or Bandit Bill manning the bar (Bill, maybe?).

"Hey, Sasari," she said in a friendly tone. "Something eating you, besides the war stuff? You look a little down or something."

Sasari says nothing at first, just nodding. "I suppose I am down. There have been so many lives lost in war after war after war. I've buried so many lately. I'm just...weary of all this fighting. I'm tired of burying my friends."

Bill brings you a drink, and starts running you a tab, as would be normal for you.

"Thanks, Bandit Bill," Daisy said, and took a swig.

She nodded at Sasari. "I think I know what you mean. Sometimes my daddy and Flik say stuff like that... Not often, though. I think they know that they were fighting for important reasons, especially in Dunan. Do you have regrets?"

Sasari chuckles. "Don't we all have regrets? I would think that is part of the human condition, to wonder about the paths not chosen. I've spent nearly 40 years dedicated to preserving an empire that no longer exists. Were my efforts in vain? I've commanded troops in many a war, and ordered so many to their deaths. The cost of lives lost trying to save this empire.... what meaning do they hold now? Were they just drops of water in a bucket without a bottom, spilled at once? If Harmonia is truly finished, then what did they all die for? It just seems so stupid. The empire is gone, and nothing can bring back those who died for it. And now this. Regardless of who is the victor in the coming battles, the empire will change names, change leaders, maybe even change politics.... but those who died will still be dead. And even more will die for this new country, first to form it, then to defend that country's name. How can humans be so stupid to continue fighting wars for something so pitiful as a country's name, or some royal family? Is killing each other all we are good for? Some cycle of never ending war and death, death and war? I...I just am tired of it. All of it...."

He stops, looking to the point of tears, and drinks from his beer.

"I don't know if the people who fought for you back then volunteered or were drafted or what, but they were probably glad to be fighting for their country, right? Even if it changes names or politics or whatever, it's still their land that they want to improve and protect. You said before that you wouldn't fight for Harmonia anymore, but for the people in it. I don't see much difference... That's something I don't have much experience in, I guess," she shrugged.

"But if the formula you've been following bothers you so much, why not really change it up? My dad and Flik and Humphrey have always been the traveling types, just fighting for the causes where they could help the most people. That's what my life has been, too. Why just stay with one political country anyway? I was born in Highland, which is just part of Dunan now and could end up as something different if that rebellion succeeds somehow, so who cares what country you're from?"

Daisy took a long drink and looked back at the former priest general. "That's what I think, anyway. Just fight for what you love or believe in, like your soldiers did, and don't have any regrets. I know I'm no big speechwriter, but there you go." She looked suddenly wary. "You're not gonna bring down the castle, are you? I heard that Reynaldo had to rebuild the whole palace last time you got really upset."

Sasari blinks, and then laughs. "No, I won't bring down the castle, no worries. I'm sorry if I'm a downer. A good friend of mine passed in the last battle, and I was just thinking he would be here telling not to drink so much if he were still alive." Sasari looks at his drink, and pushed it away.

"I'll fight for the people as I was born with the power to do so, and I will protect those who can't defend themselves. It's just at times, I wish I hadn't been born with this power, to just be one of those normal people. To plant a small field and watch it grow, spending day after day without a care in the world, without staining my hands red with blood. I want to see a world at Peace. It just feels like a pipe dream, slipping through my fingers with each war. Sometimes, I fear Luc was right in the end."

"I just heard about Luc from Leknaat," Daisy said sadly, gazing into her drink. "It's really too bad. I always heard so much about him and wanted to meet him, and then I'm told that he died years ago. She said he was trying to destroy his True Rune. You really think that would be a good idea? I think they can do all sorts of good things as well as bad; he should have just given up his rune if it made him so miserable. It's probably because he tried to kill it that the rune got so angry and Serena ended up losing her leg."

She shook her head. "No helping all that, I guess... It'll just be up to me to find the guy who has the rune now and get back at him for Serena. Anyway, who did you lose in the battle? Was it one of the other priest generals?"

Sasari looks a bit stunned at the information you just gave him. "My friend, Dios. He's been my assistant for over a decade now, but he was killed in the fighting with the demons. He was the closest thing I ever had to a friend, and he's gone now." Sasari says.

"As for Luc, you knew of him, eh? I didn't think Luc and his plan was common knowledge, though it's no surprise Leknaat knew. From what I understand, Luc's rune became intwined with his soul, meaning if he 'gave it up' it would have killed him. The rune's visions drove him made so he couldn't live with it or without it. He chose to try to 'save the world' by destroying his rune, ignoring the damage such a thing would do so. It's a sad story, don't you think?"

"But who is this serena, and how doer her losing a leg have anything to do with the wind rune?"

Daisy explained what Serena had told her about her friend finding the rune, the accident that cost her her leg, and his disappearance. "I promised to find him for her so she can get some answers. it's obvious this history is still hurting her bad, and I'm gonna put a stop to it," she said in a voice that brokered no argument. "Oh yeah, Serena's the appraiser. She has a shop here in the castle."

"And yeah, I heard stories about Luc growing up. My dad, Viktor, and Flik and Humphrey fought alongside him a couple of times, even way back in Toran. I like meeting people from dad's stories... But then, you've shown up in his stories too." Daisy rested her chin on hand, leaning on the counter, and said, "I'm sorry about your friend. If you ever want someone to talk to, or someone to fight with, I'll be your friend too, okay?"

Sasari chuckles. "You are quite the character.... Daisy, was it? Maybe it's the beer talking, but from you approaching me and offering to be a 'friend' one could easily interpret you as trying to flirt with me, you realize. And since I'm likely twice your age, it would make for quite a different story for your father to tell," he says smiling.

"If you think I'm flirting, you clearly haven't met April yet," Daisy chuckled, downing the last of her beer. "I just like getting to know people, especially the ones who've ended up in my-- in the castle. I guess..." Daisy leaned back. "I keep thinking of all this as my fight. Dad's fought so many battles, in so many castles... Even though he's here too, I can't help thinking that this is my turn to do something important."

Daisy shot Sasari a quick grin. "You're a good sort. If you wanted to take this as flirting, I wouldn't say otherwise. But we don't have to get ahead of ourselves, my friend. And my dad hasn't had a say in my relationships since the last time he tried to leave me behind somewhere 'safe', and that's when I was... eight, maybe?" she shook her head, pitying the entire institution of fatherhood.

Sasari looks at you a moment, then laughs. "I didn't expect that. You surprise me, Daisy. Not many people can do that. The Church of Harmonia has raised me to be a soldier since I was a child. How to fight, how to use magic, how to anticipate the moves of those around me... it's become second nature for me to be one step ahead of people. But you, I can't guess your movements. I thought for sure you'd throw a drink at me," he says, chuckling.

He shakes his head, and says. "Well, why not? I've never had free time working for a government that doesn't exist, and I've never dated to follow codes of a church that no longer stands. I've lost enough time pleasing others. You interest me, Daisy. I admit not knowing the first thing about courting a lady, but would you care to join me for a date some time? Maybe we can do something important together."

Daisy smiled. "You said it. Why not? I'm sure we can think of something. We could go see a show at Lydia's new stage, or do a cooking battle... or if all else fails, maybe I'll see you on the battlefield next time we head out," she said with a wink. "It's a date."

She looked over at the bartender then and grinned. "What about you, Bandit Bill? When are you gonna get yourself a girl, eh? I'm sure you've seen how Bernadette has been giving you the eye."

Sasari chuckles. "A date on the battlefield, eh? My military strategists would roll over in their graves," he says, smiling. "No matter what we do, I'm sure it be something unforgettable. I will look forward to it, my lady," he says, raising a glass to you.

Bandit bill is caught bringing you a drink, and stops. "Me? Bernadette was looking at me? She....she's pretty, but I never would have thought a high class lady would be seen with someone like me. We'd be quite the pair, huh?" he says, laughing it off, clearly embarrassed.

"Aww, don't short-change yourself, B. I know she's lonely; you should chat her up next time, give it a try," Daisy said encouragingly, taking the beer he'd brought her. "Just don't come on too strong, and treat her like a lady."

She turned back to Sasari then, raising her glass. "To surprises on the battlefield. You ain't seen nothin yet," she chuckled. Daisy will happily chat with Sasari for as long as he wishes that night, though she's decided to keep the bear thing to herself for now. :)

Bill laughs. " I don't know, Daisy. She seems like a high maintenance noble, and I'm a no class janitor. What could we possibly have in common?"

"Listen, B, it doesn't matter what your title is, especially in the new Harmonia we're fighting for. I really don't think Bernadette is shallow enough to care about that kind of thing. So don't be blinded by her fancy pants, and make a move," Daisy winked.

Sasari will have another drink with you, and then excuse himself. "Until tomorrow Daisy. I look forward to it." He says. He pays his tab, and leaves with a wave.

Bill laughs. "I guess it can't hurt, eh? Still, what's your interest? Wait, did she put you up to this?" he asks, surprised.

Daisy will wave to Sasari and put a few potch down for her own tab. "Don't be silly. Someone like Bernadette would probably hate to have someone butting in to her relationships. I just hate seeing her so down all the time, that's all. She lost someone dear to her right before she joined our army -- not that you should ever bring that up," Daisy added hastily. "If there's any chemistry going on between you two, I don't think you should let it slip away. And if I'm wrong, no harm done, right?" she shrugged, standing up. "'Night, B."

Bill laughs. "Well, I guess it can't hurt, eh? Night Daisy."

Conversation 1: Daisy and Serena

Green: Daisy

Black: GM

I want to talk to Serena about her friend who had/has the True Wind Rune.

She'll get a little apprehensive and you can see her tense up as soon as you ask. She immediately asks "What makes you think I know anything about that?" clearly uneasy.

Daisy's not used to hiding anything, and she says without preamble, "Xander's been investigating everyone around here, and he said you knew someone who had the True Wind Rune. Is it Luc? My dad's had a couple of fights with Luc on his side, and he sounds like a pretty reliable guy, even if he has a bad attitude sometimes. I always wanted to meet that guy."

Serena shakes her head. "I'm afraid I don't know of any Luc. My....friend.... with the Run was named Ardith. We found it on an adventure about 3 years ago. We had dreamed of finding one of those runes, filled with so much power and history... I never expected Ardith to try to claim it. But he did, and in the blast of power that came from him, I...well, you know what happened, I suppose," she points to her missing leg. "He disappeared shortly afterwards. I've not seen or heard from him since."

"Huh... Where did you find the rune? Did Ardith manage to keep it? I wonder how Luc lost it... Maybe I'll ask Sasari, I think those two knew each other a while back. What was Ardith gonna do with it?" Daisy asked without pausing, obviously bursting with questions.

Serena shakes her head. "To be honest, I don't know much about it. We found the Rune in an old Ruin on Mirgo Island, far to the west of here, between the Eastern and Western Continents. We had heard rumors of a strange light descending on the island, and how the island had become possessed of fierce storms, destroying most any ship that grew near. We figured something was there, either it be treasure of just a story to tell, so we went there looking for answers. Our ship was wrecked, of course, but we made it ashore. We found the rune atop a mountain ruin, creating massive wind storms around the whole island, nearly out of control with what felt like....well, rage. We tried to get in close, see if we could somehow destroy the rune, not knowing what it was. As we approached, Ardith started talking, whether to himself or the rune, I don't know. But then suddenly, the rune stopped it's assault on us, and flew into Ardith's right hand. An explosion of pure power sprang forth from them, and I was knocked back, unconscious. When I came to, I had been brought back to the local village, and found myself missing my leg. Ardith told me he had attained the power of the rune, and called it the True Wind Rune. We stayed there for a few days, me learning how to walk with crutches, and Ardith learning to control his new power. After about a month of this, we were getting ready to leave the island, when Ardith suddenly vanihsed one night. I don't know how or why he left, just that he did. I looked all over for him as best as I could, but he was gone. I left the island, and I've never gone back. I've started my life over as an appraiser, and tried to forget Ardith and that damned rune....but it still haunts me..."

"Wow," Daisy whistled. "This guy sounds like a real jerk to up and leave when he just made you lose your leg. I hate thoughtless guys. Do you have any idea how many jerks I've had to "talk to" for April? Sheesh. I'll find this guy for you, Serena. We'll get to the bottom of this, and then I'll make him apologize. You're one of us now, after all." Daisy will ask for a description of him, where he's from and been, etc.

Serena laughs at your offer of violence. "I don't think thats' needed Daisy. But if you do find him, let him know I'm looking for him. I'm dying to know what happened, why he left and all. There was a time I thought we'd be together forever, but...well, things change. I just want to know what changed, if that makes sense."

"Don't you worry, Serena, I'll get to the bottom of this," Daisy said firmly. "No rune is an excuse to just leave a friend without even saying goodbye. Just tell me everything you know about him, and I'll track him down. I might have another job for Xander, too."

Serena nods. "Ok, I'll tell you what I know. He would be about 41 now. He had long brown hair, and brown eyes. He had a notable scar across his forehead, from a sword fight years back. He tended to wear light armor, like leathers and such, liking the freedom of movement. He also carried a two handed spear, which he could use at great speeds. I don't know if that's enough to find him, but that's who he is...or was, at least."

"That's a good start," Daisy said, nodding sagely. "Do you know where he was born? Where did you guys meet?"

"I don't know where he was born. We didn't meet until we were in our 20's, fighting in the war on the western continent. He saved my life in a tough spot, and we stuck together from then on. After the war, we decided to travel together as adventurers. We traveled for nearly 20 years, right until the incident with the rune. We were partners, you know?"

Daisy nodded. "There are lots of people here with special skills, for finding people and runes both, I think. I'll find this guy and drag him back here. You can count on me!" Daisy declared, marching out on that parting note. She will bring this problem to Xander's attention to add to his workload, if you want it to come up at a later point in the game :) I know I have a library now and other resources, but I don't know that any of those will be of use here.

Sure, I can add it to Xander's workload to look for this guy. Same deal with Felicia. I can make them 'unofficial' investigations, and write something out if those are people you want to investigate. As long as I get a little time, I can work out anybody you want to check out :)

Session 20 Recap: Befriending the Bear

Though there was still much recruiting and exploring to do with our level three castle under our belts, everyone was feeling very tired and rather under the weather (or at least Daisy was), so we turned in for the night. The next morning, Daisy was alarmed to find herself no longer human. Her body was half-woman, half-bear, in seemingly random patches. (Jon immediately said “I guess you’re just gonna have to grin and bear it,” thus opening the floodgates of bad bear puns for the rest of the night.)

Daisy decided that she should probably alert the others, so she broke down Harold’s door and the two of them rounded up Kuarjav and Sciath (Harold said he’d sent Royce and Vasuki on a secret mission into some distant mountains to find a special feather for Harold’s hat). Kuarjav, in spite of his years of study in runes, had no explanation for Daisy’s plight, so the team relocated to the library. We ran into Viktor there, just awaking from a drunken haze and unaware of where he was, and very confused to see his daughter’s condition. Daisy sent him to go look for Jeane to get help, though he must have gotten lost or passed out somewhere along the way, because we didn’t see either one of them for the rest of the morning.

Kuarjav found a book in the library that referred briefly to people from the Beast Village losing control of their runes and experiencing semi-transformations such as Daisy’s, but there was no indication of how to regain control.
At that moment, a girl named Sophia stepped out from behind the stacks and admitted that she had been following Daisy since our first visit to the Beast Village, when we’d been unable to find anyone in human form. Sophia explained that there is a room under the Beast Village where people go to tame their runes, and that could be Daisy’s only way of learning to control her form. The trouble is, only Octavia has the key to the chamber, and everyone is afraid of Octavia, who usurped power in the village over twenty years ago. Octavia is the Beast Village shaman, whose role is supposed to be an advisory one; she refused to choose a new leader after the previous one died of old age, and has claimed control of the village as interim leader ever since. Though Sophia is Octavia’s daughter, there is no love lost between them – Sophia told us that her mother has tried to have her killed numerous times.

The team was unable to decide how best to approach Octavia, diplomatically or forcefully, so we opted to just go to the Beast Village with Sophia and play it by ear. Viki teleported us directly there, surprising the villagers in their human forms, who whispered and stared as we strolled in. Harold played herald as we marched into the center of town, where Octavia stood waiting for us with her guards. Daisy’s reasoning fell on deaf ears, as Octavia was nothing but hostile and turned downright violent when she spotted Sophia among Daisy’s companions. All three goons were harmlessly knocked out (two of them repenting their sins along the way), but Octavia still refused to cooperate.

Sophia stepped forward then and made an impassioned speech to rouse the villagers to action. They began to rally around us. Incensed, Octavia tried to blast Daisy with magic, leading Sophia to jump dramatically in slow motion and intercept the spell. The gloves came off, and Daisy charged Octavia with her sword, starting the real fight. Thanks to a nasty chain-spell from Sciath and some lucky rolls on all sides, Octavia recognized defeat at the tip of Daisy’s sword and took to the skies, leaving behind a key far too big for an owl to carry. (During this battle, Sciath was promoted to “Chief Wizard” by Kuarjav and The Twist was named our army’s official dance.)

Sophia was left in the care of the village doctor while the rest of us descended into the dungeon. Each room contained assorted treasures and cryptic tablets on the walls about meeting challenges. One chamber contained dozens of life-size animal statues, including a bear like Daisy’s, though the statue did not react to Daisy’s touch. We also blew through some bats. Our wanderings left us with time to chat about titles, earning Kuarjav the official title of “The Boss”; Daisy got “Beastmaster”; Harold is still “Fancypants”; Sciath is now the “Wiz Kid”; and Royce is“Psycho” (these may still be up for debate).

At last, we came upon a scary-looking magical pedestal with the body of a long-dead man in armor lying before it (we never figured out who he was, but we did take his helmet). Understanding what she must do, Daisy stepped onto the pedestal and immediately felt power emanating from her birth rune. When she closed her eyes, a voice sounded in her head, asking her what she wished for. Daisy said she wanted to be able to control her rune, at least as much as she had before, and was plunged into a one-on-one fight against a bear very much like her. Daisy won the fight in a few rounds and the voice told her that she could now control her rune transformation at will, which she gleefully demonstrated to her friends at once.

Our first move once we regained the surface was to have some of Steve’s delicious soup (we were all quite relieved to see that Octavia hadn’t killed him for talking to us last time). Daisy was cheered as the new leader of the village, but being less than enthusiastic about assuming that much responsibility, she appointed Sophia as the new village shaman and interim leader, promising to return when the time was right. In the words of our official army spokesman, “If forced to choose between the penitentiary and [politics], I would say the penitentiary, thank you.” So all in all, Daisy gained three things from her experience: the ability to change shape at will, the specter of future leadership and responsibility, and the right to truthfully tell a story that ends with “And then they made me their chief.” And possibly an unfortunate aversion to owls.

We returned to the castle in high spirits and filed into the kitchen for some tasty grub. To the surprise of no one who knows him, we found chef Hai Yo being confronted by Retso of the Black Dragon Group, who challenged him to a cooking battle. Daisy and the others encouraged Hai Yo to accept and promised to help out in the kitchen, so Retso called forth his wimpy apprentice Tenro to meet the challenge. Jeane was summoned as the first of our judges, but unfortunately, we were suddenly interrupted by both the GM’s computer overheating and Sarah’s health once more taking a turn for the worse. This means that next time, we will begin with the first cooking battle of the game: Hai Yo vs. Tenro! Someone call Fu Tan Chen!

Recruited: N/A

Investigations: Humphrey, Lorelai, Viki, Massa, Cyrus

Official Union Army Facts

Official Dance: The Twist

Official Titles: Kuarjav “The Boss”, Daisy “Beastmaster”, Harold “Fancypants”, Sciath “Wiz Kid”; Royce “Psycho”

Official Slogan: We Come, We See, We Bring Liberty

Official Motto: Liberty and Union

Session 19 Recap: Tango with the Troops

Between this session and last, Harold and Xander followed Bryce and Hikusaak on an exhausting journey that ended up at Cerock castle, a haven for those who live outside of normal society. Albert Silverburg was spotted, and the pair learned that Hikusaak had been taken there in order to see one of the most well-respected doctors in Harmonia, a man named Roy (perhaps the same one whose father died in Sorrowyn to save our lives, and was formerly a student of Kuarjav’s?). Harold learned that Bryce is a well-known face at Cerock, though not necessarily as a priest general. Doctor Roy is admired and well-liked to the point of being considered by most to be the unofficial leader of the city, which he helped found way back when.

Back at Liberty Castle, we killed time until Harold reported back by checking up on a lot of random recruits, starting with Ramza. Daisy suggested that Ramza, who long ago became obscenely wealthy at the expense of others, use his money to help people like Dexter who are struggling to support their families while they fight for us. Ramza agreed, and decided to approach Caesar about setting up a war fund to help the families of soldiers.

Next we approached Nathan, who is obviously still troubled by Grant’s betrayal. He’s still angry that his former best friend could turn against him and can’t understand this betrayal of his trust, and none of us can think of any reason that could explain the behavior. Surprisingly, Wayne the kobold (played by Michael while Harold was away) theorized that Grant had turned against us precisely because of his separation from the rest of us; as the rune of friendship and betrayal, it’s possible that the rune felt “betrayed” by the distance between it and its fellows, and is somehow affecting his behavior now.

Wondering if removing Grant’s piece of the True Rune might make him go back to normal, we went to consult Leknaat on True Runes. She talked briefly about Luc’s fate in relation to True Runes (assisted by split-screen anime-style explanation by Harold), and eventually said it would be almost impossible to remove Grant’s True Rune piece against his will. Our next stop was asking Jeane the Runemaster (though we took note that Bryce’s True Domination Rune might ultimately be our best bet, if we can secure him as an ally). Jeane sold Royce a cool Dragon Fire Rune, but she wasn’t much help rune-wise, though she offered to see what she could do if we ever brought Grant to her. Daisy asked Jeane about herself (elf? True Rune? Relation to Faye?); Jeane said she was born in Harmonia in a little village that no longer exists, where her parents Jeane and Frank are now buried, and Faye was also from that village, but no specifics. Kuarjav asked what might happen to Grant’s piece if he died, and Jeane said it might go dormant or integrate its power into the rest of us… who knows?

We proceeded to the next item on our laundry list and checked out Monty’s shop to investigate the break-in he reported a little while back. Nothing was taken, but someone was obviously there during the night, and Monty recognized the fingerprints on the crystal balls that didn’t belong there (it was a very amateur job). Vasuki’s powerful nose followed a trail from the shop into a kobold part of town, straight into a female kobold’s house, whose reaction upon seeing us was, “Eep!” Royce told us why we’d come, and she soon broke down and confessed, explaining that she was too shy to tell Monty how much she admired him and just wanted to get to know him. Wayne ordered her to apologize, and Monty and his shy admirer ended up going on a date.

Down in the gambling hall, we talked June into coming with us (an awkward scene with Nathan preceded) and flew to Marid, where June’s family lived. June reluctantly agreed to enter the town as long as we promised let the issue drop from that day on. She had a reunion with her mom, who chided her for being gone so long. Before we left, June’s mom gave her a fancy, poofy dress (leaving the girl completely mortified). June gave us the ball gown after we left the town, and then June and Nathan went off on their own, the ice apparently cracked.

We took Marcus and Reuben with us to Lorin and paid Marcus’ family a visit. All ten of his kids came rushing out the moment we landed, equally fascinated by Wayne the “puppy” and Vasuki, who seems to love children. We all stayed for dinner, and Marcus’ wife gave us a Saint’s Cloak on our way out. Since we still had the two former priest generals with us, our next stop was the Hermitage, where Ramza had indicated we might find someone of interest this time. The eagle still sat outside the hug, but inside we now met a very old man drinking tea. Reuben recognized him at once as Lucius, greeting him warmly. Reuben says Lucius was a commanding officer of his when he was a young man (and Reuben is no spring chicken – Lucius is 94!). Lucius is long retired now and got away from it all because he couldn’t stop trying to help when people when he saw them in trouble, but when we told him Crystal Valley had fallen, he agreed to help us and come out of retirement, with some encouragement from Reuben.

On our next return to Liberty Castle, we decided to finally get down to details with the noblewoman and her friend who we’d saved from Yuber. We found them in Lorin. In response to Daisy’s nagging, Juliette finally admitted to being a former princess of a country that no longer exists, but would give no further details. She claimed that too many people had already died to keep her secrets. She would say no more about her daughter Patricia (a.k.a. Patty) either. Still, we offered to let them stay at our castle where it would be much safer than a refugee camp, and they readily agreed.

The next morning dawned over the diminished Camaro army at our gates; it was time to finish the battle at last. Caesar gave us an update on the Camaro progress, and Harold returned just in time to report his findings about Hikusaak and jump into the fray. To our intense relief, we found all of the enemy units working at less than full capacity (i.e. already one strike down) thanks to Leknaat’s banishing spell from the day before. The demons left a wide swath of the enchanted forest burned to a cinder in their wake and advanced right up to the castle. A slew of masterful magic and archery took Grant and Henry out of the fight first; Daisy and Viktor took down Yuber; Harold teleported behind Relos and forced him to flee; and the rest of the demons were dispatched without any casualties on our part. Seeing their forces broken and scattered, Windy and the Queen of Camaro retreated, presumably to regroup with their allies for another assault. For the moment, though, our castle is a safe haven again.

With our castle now at Level 3, it’s time to start our next recruitment drive. We quickly recruited Bethany the rancher and Lydia the stage manager from Belus, and our plan for next time is to start looking for the woman Ramza told us about who could speak with animals. Royce expressed his concern that he hasn’t seen Felicia in some time, and wondered what she’s been up to. The dragonrider still doesn’t know exactly how to deal with his dangerous nemesis, but he said in no uncertain terms that he hopes she’s still alive because he wants to be the one to kill her if it comes down to it. The rest of us were once again not convinced that Royce is not going to snap one day and kill us all in our sleep.

But most importantly, another trip to Lorin paid off handsomely when we came across Hai Yo, the famous chef! He was cooking for the refugees, as he was one himself. We convinced him that he could do wonderful and much-appreciated work for us back at Liberty Castle, and he accepted our invitation to become our head chef. Cooking battles are on the horizon!

Recruits : Lucius, Patricia, Juliette, Bethany, Lydia, Hai Yo

Investigations : Lucius, Patricia, Juliette, Caesar, Wayne

More updates!

Ok, most of the pages are updated! I still need to work out a few kinks here and there, but you have stars of destiny, your castle, investigations, war teams, NPC bonuss, newspaper, rumors, etc, are all updated. I am still working on the comment box, the old books at the library, and figuring out where to put stuff like the mini games like the cooking game, if anywhere. Ideas?