So, it's been a few days and there's been some progress. I was planning to make an update earlier, but then I went on with the game. Here's a summary of what has gone by. I'll try to keep it short. Also, sorry for the small texts in some of the screenshots. I'm not sure why the upload does that.
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Iki Murderbanner on tour: Going southThe town of Fieryspeaks was quite unlike the ruined Waneamber. It was bustling with activity. It seemed like there were so many things to see and to hear, that going through the town felt like it was taking an eternity. Taverns were visited, as some random houses. Many ears heard
Surely It Knows In The End. The town also had two temples. The first one actually resembled a giant swimming pool more than a temple. The second one was also a bit peculiar, as there were statues floating mid-air.
Had something happened here? Iki was for a moment, tempted to push the statues a bit. But then, some rare voice of reason inside his head convinced him it might not be a great idea. He took a few looks at the artwork present and went on.
Iki also felt an inspiration for a new poem. Yet, he was a bit disappointed with it afterwards.
There were still a couple of unvisited hamlets nearby. As Iki and his band of devouted(?) art practicioners visited one of the lords, a question was asked. A serious question.
"What is the name of your troupe, o' bards most divine?" Of course, a name is what we need. A truly inspiring name.
This should do it. It's memorable, cheerful and original. Should be great for advertising.
And so,
Murderbanner, the Enjoyable Grim Doom-Path of Burials continued south, where dwarves lived.
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A lone hamlet was all there was between the settlements near Fieryspeaks and the nearest dwarven hillocks. While journeying, Iki felt a desire. A new desire. He must write masterwork novels. He had heard dwarven fortresses were bastions of knowledge, even granting visitors the chance to produce written material.
And so, the hillocks of Pointtraded were reached. The dwarves turned out to be as good an audience as any. The fortress of Lancegleamed was right next to it, but alas, there was no sight of a library! Iki searched throughout the crowded halls, spending too much time in the progress. And it was all in vain. The journey must continue.
There were quite a many hillocks further south. Iki and his troupe did the same they had done before. Doing spontaneous pop-up concerts in people's houses and lordly halls, accompanied with ferocious poetry recitals and storytelling. And then, in the fortress of Ringedprophet, a library was finally found! Iki marvelled at the hundreds of books and scrolls stored in. Then reality struck. Only a true masterpiece would ever stand out and be remembered. Nevertheless, Iki was keen to give it a go.
Iki "borrowed" some (read=all) quires from the library and went inside the tavern. There, he would write:
No masterpieces. But he realized, he could write down the songs and poems he had composed. He could also gift them to lords and peasants alike, to make sure no-one ever forgets his magnificent works. A few works were placed on the library that gave Iki the gift of writing. Then it was yet again time to move on. At this point, there was no certainty what would come across. There was supposed to be a larger dwarven kingdom somewhere along the mountain range east-southeast. But as no sites were seen nearby, preparations for a longer journey were made.
Now, it's a good time to introduce some of the new performers who had joined in during the travels this far:
First, there's a tavern keeper from Fieryspeaks. She also happens to be the lady of the local lord. Yet, she decided to leave it all behind when a random bard came in and asked her to join as an entertainer. A proof that Iki Murderbanner must be truly irresistable. Then, there's a goblin dancer. She hates Iki's poetry. In turn, Iki's heart is filled with everlasting hatred towards her. A dwarf drunk had also joined. He thought it would be a great idea. And then, there's an elephant man. He was found at the trade depot, right next to the library. He is greater in size than our warriors combined. Truly a valuable asset.
(Quite many merchants turn out to be animal people, btw)
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The troupe went on. Surprisingly, a few more dwarven sites were found. Iki and the troupe reached Sneakearth..
..which was populated by a hostile gang of goblins!
The goblins were weak. There were no casualties on Iki's side, although one goblin managed to shaft a spear into Iki's other arm as Iki was bashing the creature frantically with his kost. The hit severed nerves, and the quire he was holding in his hand fell down to the ground. It was then, when Iki realized again that he is no warrior, therefore he should keep his distance to anything that looks harmful. On the other hand, he much enjoys bashing skulls in..
The goblin corpses were piled up and much merriment was had. It sure felt nice to dance on the corpses of lifeless goblins. Iki felt mighty. He should take over this place and become lord! Thus, a claim was made. Although, there were still some goblins around other buildings. More slaughter ensued. It turned out the leader of the goblin group was an elf. Elf! A goblin patrol squad kept Iki from truly claiming the site. The troupe managed to kill the other goblin from the squad, but the remaining one constantly fled in fear, no-one being able to catch him. Yet again, there was not too much time to waste, so Iki had to let the bugger go. But he swore to return one day..
Next to Sneakearth was the fortress of Windheal.. except there was no fortress. Only a couple of bridges across a stream and some roads (there was still considerable lag, possibly a bugged site without an entrance?). The hillocks of Painthero was a normal settlement, and definitely the last one visible nearby. The next step is to continue east, along the borders of the mountain range..
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..the wilderness never ends. Were there supposed to be dwarves out here? Iki had yet again serious trouble crossing rivers, as he couldn't swim, although he knew how to swim.. until finally he realized he could just run and jump over streams. The rivers claimed Gasom, who also was apparently unable to keep himself from drowning.
The wildlife turned out to be quite funky at times.
Iki tried to recruit the sponge man swimming in the river, but the creature was very reluctant to do so. The troupe left, but came back once more and found the sponge man standing next to the river. After a brief discussion about values, the poor thing died. Maybe it's better to leave aquatic creatures alone in the future and not give them crazy ideas of touring across the lands..
Then came these ugly insect fellows.
They turned out to be non-hostile, although everyone kept talking about how they had attacked the troupe members. After a few masterful musical performances, one of them actually agreed to join Iki, as an entertainer! For some reason, the thrips woman doesn't want to join the troupe itself. But whatever, she's with us now.
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After many painful days spent travelling in the wilds, human settlements were finally sighted. The environment turned out quite hazardous in the last part of the trek when plains were reached. The lands were infested with snakes, elephants, hippos, even alligators.. In the end, Gasom, Sorus and the elephant man never saw the hamlet of Paintedbrown. Gasom drowned, as stated before, but the fates of Sorus and the elephant man Zefon remained a mystery. They disappeared one at their time, and were never seen again (my guess is they went after wildlife and got chewed).
But the show must go on.
The thrips woman generates general confusion around her, but there have been no conflicts so far. After a visit to the local lord's place, a goblin lasher found her place among Murderbanner. Thus it is time to introduce:
There's a town nearby, and many more settlements further east. They shall be the next places this tour lands on. It would be great to reach the dwarven kingdom, but it might be quite doubtful to think they'll ever be found at this rate..
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Topic: Bard Quest! The succession legend. (Read 11024 times)