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[ZM5]

I swear my current adventurer just became the main villain of this world.

Chol'losh, a two-headed ogre axeman, started off as a fairly average traveller. Just an adventurer who went around killing beasts and bandits. His most notable trait was a hunger for knowledge and power, far beyond any of the other intelligent ogres. He armed himself with a steel battle axe, several khorium javelins, a gladiator's helmet for one head and a horned helmet for the other. A dark iron breastplate finished the set.

His longest-lasting companion, Cemur, an antiquan axeman, also was one of his first. The other was a spearman whose name escapes me right now.

In his travels, he stumbled across a pyromancer tower - making its way into it, and killing many of the pyromancers burning, skeletal minions, he found and read one of the magic tomes written by the pyromancers themselves, gaining power over fire.

He travelled far north from his ancestral home, seeking out more tomes of knowledge - a gruelling venture that claimed the life of his spearman companion. The lands were full of hostile wildlife, and roving bands of demonically corrupted elves and humans - all met their ends at the end of Chol'losh's axe - it could be said that he played the part of an incidental hero, as he freed several hamlets from the yoke of the fel elves. Nonetheless, he would not be dettered from his quest.
He eventually had gained all the magical prowess of pyromancers, necromancers, death knights, sorcerers, and psychics. But there had to be something more to gain.

Not content, he travelled west from the site of a ruined Draenei city. A massive desert stretched across the horizon - however its most peculiar feature was a gargantuan structure, stretching skyward - a vault!

The guardians were the servants of Ymirjal, a vrykul goddess of treachery, lies, trickery and thunder - she had helped a powerful demon, Ekuumvi, into becoming part of the world.
The servants consisted of short one-eyed humanoids with antennae, and taller, eyeless humanoids with three horns. The latter utilized powerful weapons made out of dark metals; none of them posed a threat, however. Their weapons proved most useful to Chol'losh and his group.

After a long series of upward staircases and winding corridors, Chol'losh finally came across a large chamber, guarded by two of the one-eyed humanoids, and the Beast of Ymirjal - a massive toucan with a twisting, jointed trunk and amber feathers. The behemoth laughed as it charged - the companions steeled themselves, and spread out, cutting its flesh. It focused on Cemur and knocked him over with its girth, before stomping on his head, crushing it into paste.
Dalah fought on, crippling one of the beasts legs - a kick from the remaining leg sent him skidding across the ground, his torso and head splitting open in gore.
Seeing this, Chol'losh took a more defensive stance - after killing the two impish servants of the Beast, he began tossing the javelins he procured early and keeping his distance. The giants body leaked blood from the numerous wounds inflicted on it - after a long while, it eventually stopped moving.

The slab contained the true name of Ekuumvi - Aralgalkwarok, or "Starveauras". Ekuumvi ruled over the corrupted humans from the dark fortress of Swayvanished.

The journey there was long and uneventful. Chol'losh went alone, having no need for companions anymore.

The fortress was surrounded by small towers on all sides - however, none of the demon-worshipping humans posed any threat to Chol'losh at this point. Merely a minor nuisance.

The climb to the top took a while, due to the humans and their rhinotroll minions trying to slow Chol'losh's ascent. None were spared.

The demon lord, a towering, humanoid armadillo with downy, red-purple feathers, didn't even resist as Chol'losh spoke her true name and bound her to serve.

The two made their leave - Chol'losh, weary at this point, headed back north to the ruined town of Marunstos, "Charmedperplex". Although many people still lived here, it had no proper governing structure.
Chol'losh got the attention of several peasants, and assumed lordship of the town, with Ekuumvi as his main enforcer. For now, he was content with all he had done in such a short time.

I'm tempted to make some adventurers who would join Chol'losh as hearthpeople, and afterwards another adventurer who would defeat both him and Ekuumvi.

[gnome]

So I finally figured out what the deal usually is with these criminal organizations. Since you can't ask about them in the current conversation tree, I usually take to checking abandoned buildings and sewers until I find a bunch of bandits serving under a lieutenant or a chief. Usually I come up empty-handed, and other times occasionally I'd just walk over a sewer grate, and a bunch of amphibian people would panic and flee, completing my quest instantly. So finally after dicking around a bunch of sewer networks that led to dead ends, I figured out that near just about every bridge, in the water, there will be a tunnel leading into otherwise inaccessible areas of the sewers, usually stuffed to the brim full of amphibian people. Problem is - the only way in is a single enclosed tile filled with water - no air, so you immediately start drowning upon entering. However I managed to instigate a conflict between myself and these nests of creatures and lured a few of them out into the main canal, where I could at least breathe while fighting them. After killing enough of them, the rest began to panic, and sure enough my quest now shows as complete.

[bloop_bleep]

So I finally figured out what the deal usually is with these criminal organizations. Since you can't ask about them in the current conversation tree, I usually take to checking abandoned buildings and sewers until I find a bunch of bandits serving under a lieutenant or a chief. Usually I come up empty-handed, and other times occasionally I'd just walk over a sewer grate, and a bunch of amphibian people would panic and flee, completing my quest instantly. So finally after dicking around a bunch of sewer networks that led to dead ends, I figured out that near just about every bridge, in the water, there will be a tunnel leading into otherwise inaccessible areas of the sewers, usually stuffed to the brim full of amphibian people. Problem is - the only way in is a single enclosed tile filled with water - no air, so you immediately start drowning upon entering. However I managed to instigate a conflict between myself and these nests of creatures and lured a few of them out into the main canal, where I could at least breathe while fighting them. After killing enough of them, the rest began to panic, and sure enough my quest now shows as complete.

Can't you just "ask about any troubles" and then "ask about the criminals" to find out where they are? It would be much less effort than what you're doing here.

[gnome]

So I finally figured out what the deal usually is with these criminal organizations. Since you can't ask about them in the current conversation tree, I usually take to checking abandoned buildings and sewers until I find a bunch of bandits serving under a lieutenant or a chief. Usually I come up empty-handed, and other times occasionally I'd just walk over a sewer grate, and a bunch of amphibian people would panic and flee, completing my quest instantly. So finally after dicking around a bunch of sewer networks that led to dead ends, I figured out that near just about every bridge, in the water, there will be a tunnel leading into otherwise inaccessible areas of the sewers, usually stuffed to the brim full of amphibian people. Problem is - the only way in is a single enclosed tile filled with water - no air, so you immediately start drowning upon entering. However I managed to instigate a conflict between myself and these nests of creatures and lured a few of them out into the main canal, where I could at least breathe while fighting them. After killing enough of them, the rest began to panic, and sure enough my quest now shows as complete. I'm pretty sure 9/10 times they will either be in the sewer or in a crypt below a temple.

Can't you just "ask about any troubles" and then "ask about the criminals" to find out where they are? It would be much less effort than what you're doing here.

No, that doesn't work. When I ask them about troubles they always refer me to criminal organizations that are harassing from other places, they never tell me about their locally based criminal issues right away (or at all maybe) because I think generally if there is a well-established group in the area they don't consider them a threat. It's always an offsite lord that tells me to go looking for them, and yeah anyone I ask at the place I'm supposed to find them at always tells me about criminals who are from the next town over. I don't think they are one and the same - the ones I'm sent to find are always presently located and upon either being killed or fleeing offsite the quest is completed.

Even IF I could ask them about the right group of criminals, I'm not even sure there's any text prompts implemented that would work to locate them. Normally if you are searching for a single individual they will say "they are my neighbor" or "check in the cottage to the SE" or something like that - but since there is no convo branch for groups I don't think there's anything that works as a placeholder for that. It's always a roll of the dice which trouble you're going to be told about - and sometimes there can be up to 20 groups vying for control of the same location. I don't believe there is any additional information to be provided in the form of "they operate out of x building".


Believe me, I've covered every inch of the conversation system and there is no way to make it simpler. In fact, even when I learn the name of a chief/boss/leader from one of their lieutenants, there is often no option to ask about them when I "ask about somebody" or "ask for directions" - it simply does not exist much of the time.

[bloop_bleep]

I'm not sure, it works completely fine for me.

I think you're confusing "bandits" and "criminals." Bandits have camps out in the open away from civilization. Criminals take up residence directly inside the place they're harassing.

[gnome]

I'm not sure, it works completely fine for me.

I think you're confusing "bandits" and "criminals." Bandits have camps out in the open away from civilization. Criminals take up residence directly inside the place they're harassing.

No I'm not. Bandit camps I have zero issue with. Find the camp, kill them all in their sleep, if any run away they return to the camp. Easy. I'm not confusing anything. Sometimes criminals set up shop in a town and then systematically harass other towns - however these are not the quests a lord will send you to complete, yet they are the ones the local population will tell you about when you get there.

I'm saying there is no way to get additional information about the criminal short of finding them once you arrive at a town. Your lord gives you two pieces of information: the group name, and the town they reside in. The people in the town can not be questioned about individual troubles, there might be 30 criminal organizations vying for control of the same area. You cannot guarantee that asking someone there will give you any additional information regarding the local criminals. I'll show you. Give me a moment.

[ZM5]

Criminals are practically always found within the underground areas of towns. Dungeons (beneath the keep), catacombs (beneath the temple) and sewers (obvious, only in bigger towns though).

I have no idea if lords give quests to drive them away - that said, for whatever reasons while townspeople wont talk about their local criminals if you ask them about troubles (maybe its supposed to simulate them being too fearful or something) - they'll still have a positive view of you iirc if you do kill them.

[bloop_bleep]

Oh, I see. I thought you were having trouble with finding the town itself, not where the criminals were within the town.

[gnome]

Oh yeah my bad I'm bad at explaining things. But since I went to all the trouble here's my proof:









Don't get me wrong - I like doing the detective work but it'd be nice if like in a larger hamlet than this that I could get a helping hand. But you are correct, they are almost always in a sewer or in a crypt below a temple.

But yeah if anyone ever has issues like I have - where it seems like they're not anywhere - check the enclosed canals where you can't get in without beginning to drown. You might have to swim a few paces in, attack, and then retreat if you've got a full tribe of amphibian or fish people living in there.

And logically here I should be able to ask about this Pebu character but no dice. In this particular case I don't need to - because I've found his lieutenant in a crypt so I know he's gotta be right around the corner - but in other cases this isn't always so.



I've never seen this before. Looks like I took care of everything around here for the moment.

[Foxite]

I was exploring a catacombs for armor. The town keep had nothing, so this was my plan B.

Shortly after entering I pick up a single iron right guantlet, hoping to find the left one soon.

After moving through several corridors filled with dead peasants, I see a bunch of yellow !!s in the darkness ahead. I know what that means - someone's fighting. I haven't explored even a fifth of the temple by my estimate, so this was unexpected.

I enter the corridor where it's coming from and, suddenly, MUMMY.

It took like three turns before he punched me in my unprotected head and instantly killed me.

[bloop_bleep]

I was exploring a catacombs for armor. The town keep had nothing, so this was my plan B.

Shortly after entering I pick up a single iron right guantlet, hoping to find the left one soon.

After moving through several corridors filled with dead peasants, I see a bunch of yellow !!s in the darkness ahead. I know what that means - someone's fighting. I haven't explored even a fifth of the temple by my estimate, so this was unexpected.

I enter the corridor where it's coming from and, suddenly, MUMMY.

It took like three turns before he punched me in my unprotected head and instantly killed me.

I thought red !'s signified fighting?

[pikachu17]

Yeah, yellow !'s just signify noise that isn't necessarily from fighting.

[gnome]

Currently being tracked by a band of six or so human bandits and a vampire for some reason. I don't know what I did to offend them but they are very clearly following the exact path I take - but as soon as I make eye contact with them they run away.

Ok I took a nap and that scared them off for good.

[Eschar]

Currently being tracked by a band of six or so human bandits and a vampire for some reason. I don't know what I did to offend them but they are very clearly following the exact path I take - but as soon as I make eye contact with them they run away.

Ok I took a nap and that scared them off for good.

Reminds me of when I kept wandering into the same ambush... consisting of a crossbowman and spearman who yelled for help and fled as soon as my companions saw them. It was a bit annoying; the ambush stopped me whenever I fast-traveled.
I encountered the same guys later in a nearby forest. Assuming that they would be as timid as before, I struck up a conversation - or would have, but, for some inexplicable reason, they attacked this time.

[ZM5]

My current adventurer is a goblin (Warcraft-style, not vanilla DF one) and possibly the most metal adventurer I've had.

On my travels, I gained the powers of a death knight, necromancer, psychic and demon hunter. Oddly enough my two companions have survived the long trek relatively unscathed.

Until now.

I came across a volcano out in the desert. For some reason, my first thought was to knock the female hammerwoman, Moranny, into it with a jump-slam - a virgin sacrifice for the gods. Afterwards, I fought my male axeman companion, Gre, as a spectacle for these same gods. As he lay dying on the floor from his injuries, I also slammed him into the crater.

I'm wondering if this makes me evil or not.