It's time for the forces of evil to rise again, and take over the land of Gloriana! Our journey begins in the province of Sweetblossom, a sickeningly twee and cutesy place dedicated to such things as family, good food and small birds. Disgusting. Fortunately, it's weak military presence and proximity to more crucial areas of the Kingdom make it an ideal staging ground for the forces of darkness.
As dusk falls upon the capital, Petalfall, the Dungeon Master Darius puts his plans into motion...
VintageBass, Firehead
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
"I have chosen you for a very special task."
The bass voice of the Dungeon Master rings through your head as you lurk in the bushes outside of a convent building, ancient stone walls overgrown with moss and ivy. The architecture is impressively gothic, which makes it all the more of a shame that it belongs to the forces of good. There are no noises aside from the hooting of an owl - the air is still and there is little movement.
"Despite my best efforts, my forces have ended up with a surplus of men, or things which I can't tell the gender of. Our forces require more women - for morale, entertainment, and to look good when my superiors check in on me later. This convent to the Goddess Kaila, she of the healing and kindness, contains many fine specimens, or so I'm told. They presumably have sworn oaths to fight evil and stay pure, but in this conflictless hell-hole their wills will be weak. I need you to.. persuade them to enlist, in whatever manner you see fit. Bring them to me alive, at the least. You will be rewarded handsomely."
There are no lights on inside, as far as the two of you can see. There is the obvious large oaken door to the front, but presumably that may be guarded (as best as a nun can guard something, anyway). There might also be a servant's entrance. And of course, you can always just make your way in via smashing one of those pretty stained glass windows. How will you get in?
"I have chosen you for a very special task."
The bass voice of the Dungeon Master rings through your head as you lurk in the bushes outside of a convent building, ancient stone walls overgrown with moss and ivy. The architecture is impressively gothic, which makes it all the more of a shame that it belongs to the forces of good. There are no noises aside from the hooting of an owl - the air is still and there is little movement.
"Despite my best efforts, my forces have ended up with a surplus of men, or things which I can't tell the gender of. Our forces require more women - for morale, entertainment, and to look good when my superiors check in on me later. This convent to the Goddess Kaila, she of the healing and kindness, contains many fine specimens, or so I'm told. They presumably have sworn oaths to fight evil and stay pure, but in this conflictless hell-hole their wills will be weak. I need you to.. persuade them to enlist, in whatever manner you see fit. Bring them to me alive, at the least. You will be rewarded handsomely."
There are no lights on inside, as far as the two of you can see. There is the obvious large oaken door to the front, but presumably that may be guarded (as best as a nun can guard something, anyway). There might also be a servant's entrance. And of course, you can always just make your way in via smashing one of those pretty stained glass windows. How will you get in?
LilyMacow, exalted
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
The fug of the Dancing Donkey tavern, combined with the cheers and boisterous talk of drunk men and the stink of booze, makes the Dungeon Master's mental commune a welcome relief. Valeria finds herself working at the bar, doling out watered-down ale and tasteless food to fat men and receiving a lot of leers and crude jokes. Junko is sat at the bar, and so far has managed to deflect the attention of these smelly idiots. Suffice to say, this place is too low for a goblin.
"You two have a special mission. Whilst most of the so-called warriors here are old fogeys or weak teenagers, there is one man who poses a unique problem. Sean the Sharp is a local hero around these parts for taking down a troll - no small feat, as I'm sure you'll know. I'd much prefer him out of the way. Dead in a ditch would be best. His party is due to arrive here soon. Dispose of him - quietly, if at all possible. I'll throw in a little extra gold for any of his party members you can bump off or persuade, too."
You have some time to prepare before Sean the Sharp arrives. What do you do?
The fug of the Dancing Donkey tavern, combined with the cheers and boisterous talk of drunk men and the stink of booze, makes the Dungeon Master's mental commune a welcome relief. Valeria finds herself working at the bar, doling out watered-down ale and tasteless food to fat men and receiving a lot of leers and crude jokes. Junko is sat at the bar, and so far has managed to deflect the attention of these smelly idiots. Suffice to say, this place is too low for a goblin.
"You two have a special mission. Whilst most of the so-called warriors here are old fogeys or weak teenagers, there is one man who poses a unique problem. Sean the Sharp is a local hero around these parts for taking down a troll - no small feat, as I'm sure you'll know. I'd much prefer him out of the way. Dead in a ditch would be best. His party is due to arrive here soon. Dispose of him - quietly, if at all possible. I'll throw in a little extra gold for any of his party members you can bump off or persuade, too."
You have some time to prepare before Sean the Sharp arrives. What do you do?
Randomizer4, Riptide
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Being in the dungeon is strange. The walls are stone, the torches are wood, the flagstones beneath you are stone and the roof is earth. But you can feel, almost into your bones, the ba-bump ba-bump of the Dungeon Master's heart. You are, quite literally, inside of the Dungeon Master. Don't think about it took much.
"I wish I had a batter task for you than solving a labour dispute." The voice of the Dungeon Master is strong, reverberating through the walls. It's followed by a sigh. "I was hoping that a simple force of goblins would be all I needed to overtake this wretched place. Unfortunately, they have proven to be lazy and feckless, and are currently being useless as opposed to getting ready for the attack on Fort Sweetblossom. If you can call it a fort. Anyway, I need you two to play Good Watchman, Bad Watchman and knock these wretches back into line. Once you're done, lead them to victory and cut off the head of the doddering Lord Brook. Simple enough."
Your journey through the tunnels eventually leads to a side room. It's a training room full of wooden dummies, and rusty swords discarded along one wall. A few goblins - small green humanoids that sadly fit every stereotype about a goblin you'd know - lean against the walls, talking about nothing in particular and clearly not preparing for combat.
"I'll leave you two to it, then."
Being in the dungeon is strange. The walls are stone, the torches are wood, the flagstones beneath you are stone and the roof is earth. But you can feel, almost into your bones, the ba-bump ba-bump of the Dungeon Master's heart. You are, quite literally, inside of the Dungeon Master. Don't think about it took much.
"I wish I had a batter task for you than solving a labour dispute." The voice of the Dungeon Master is strong, reverberating through the walls. It's followed by a sigh. "I was hoping that a simple force of goblins would be all I needed to overtake this wretched place. Unfortunately, they have proven to be lazy and feckless, and are currently being useless as opposed to getting ready for the attack on Fort Sweetblossom. If you can call it a fort. Anyway, I need you two to play Good Watchman, Bad Watchman and knock these wretches back into line. Once you're done, lead them to victory and cut off the head of the doddering Lord Brook. Simple enough."
Your journey through the tunnels eventually leads to a side room. It's a training room full of wooden dummies, and rusty swords discarded along one wall. A few goblins - small green humanoids that sadly fit every stereotype about a goblin you'd know - lean against the walls, talking about nothing in particular and clearly not preparing for combat.
"I'll leave you two to it, then."
CondorBoH
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
You find yourself in the deep, dark, dank caverns. You're not too far from the dungeon - you can still feel a little of its heartbeat. Your eyesight can make out the rugged walls and floors just fine. Being a native of the underground will do that! There's not much to look at here though. Just rocks and dirt.
"You'll like this one, oni." The Dungeon Master's voice is wickedly pleased. "In the last war, we razed this area with... what was it called? Oh, yes, a Big Ugly Flying Animal. A Bufa. Thanks, goblins. Anyway, it's basically a tiny, ugly dragon. One was left in the caverns below when the heroes retaliated. I want it. Go find it and bring it back. Have fun."
Oh, good, a chance to beat up something! He's too kind. Ahead of you, the tunnels fork into two paths. One is even more rugged and rock-filled than even bfore. The other, however, is curiously man-made, with a large rusted gate busted off of its hinges. Presumably the Bufa is down one of these tunnels. Which one will you pick?
You find yourself in the deep, dark, dank caverns. You're not too far from the dungeon - you can still feel a little of its heartbeat. Your eyesight can make out the rugged walls and floors just fine. Being a native of the underground will do that! There's not much to look at here though. Just rocks and dirt.
"You'll like this one, oni." The Dungeon Master's voice is wickedly pleased. "In the last war, we razed this area with... what was it called? Oh, yes, a Big Ugly Flying Animal. A Bufa. Thanks, goblins. Anyway, it's basically a tiny, ugly dragon. One was left in the caverns below when the heroes retaliated. I want it. Go find it and bring it back. Have fun."
Oh, good, a chance to beat up something! He's too kind. Ahead of you, the tunnels fork into two paths. One is even more rugged and rock-filled than even bfore. The other, however, is curiously man-made, with a large rusted gate busted off of its hinges. Presumably the Bufa is down one of these tunnels. Which one will you pick?
