#entering that dungeon without enough flasks is one of them

[dustward]

I suppose before continuing on with my experiences I should give props to misc. smaller aspects of the game that, however minor, really made the journey what it was.

The way blood sprayed, covering your character over time. The flask refills for defeating squads of enemies. Riding Torrent meaning avoiding the poison hazards of swamps and... to an extent avoiding the issue of lava walking. The usefulness of jump attacks (maybe too useful for my liking, I opted to only use occasionally since they felt too good aha). The difficulty scaling for parrying and how later bosses started to have different degrees of resistance to them. While I didn’t use it, the guard counters also look to be a good addition. The varying methods of finding mini-dungeons using proper clues and not just “scan the walls and hope you get lucky.” Managed to find almost every single one of them without outside help by the way, and that felt great. (The one I missed involving the coastline next to the starting tomb.....)

So, Leyndell. By this point I had the impression this was not quite the end of the game, but to think it was only just over the halfway point.. I remember that first trip through Anor Londo the same as any other Dark Souls 1 veteran. To think FromSoft would ever be able to pay off on that feeling of exploring such a location in the fullest of depths.. And then they went an extra step further because of course they did, and had an elaborate sewer system to explore on top of it (on top of?...underneath..!) And it’s weird how much I enjoyed this particular sewer level.

That’s yet another theme of Elden Ring - “wow, FromSoft made me enjoy X” X being stuff such as poison swamp levels, sewer levels, grapple attacks (specifically from one boss but we’ll get to him). It’s as though they refined their craft and finally figured out, at least in part, the solution to a lot of flaws to their previous designs. They even figured out torches finally, and boy did I love turning one on after entering a dark system of caves. It’s these little things that just compound into a great big plunge of immersion.

Like a dream.

So, after a thorough clearing out of the capital, I ventured back to the volcano manor and realized I missed a whole dungeon of an area there. It’s weird because I didn’t feel like I tackled that one all that late. Maybe slightly? Barely? And Rykard... the best gimmick boss of the series, another “FromSoft finally made me enjoy X” moment. It’s at this point I’m wondering where to find Dung Eater and the idea I had, while incorrect, led me on the path to the discovery I’d hoped was in the game since discovering the underground. “Maybe he’s locked away by where I fought that Mohg guy” “no... but wait what’s this...” And no, no messages ever alerted me to the secret path down into the Deeproot Depths. The further down I went, the more I realized this was likely happening. Sure enough, a long multi-dungeon track had taken me down to where those long elevator rides had previously. This discovery cemented my love for the game, it was barely up in the air at this point, but this was what tied it all together. Melina cautioning me out of nowhere for going this way only furthered this feeling of reaching a place that was never meant to be found.

After thoroughly exploring this path, getting through the amazingly traumatic Lake of Rot, and finding the awe inspiring Astel - I finally and far, far too late followed up on Ranni’s questline into the eternal city. It was still a great feeling exploring this place, that once again I was doubting I’d be able to visit. The usual tragedy of characters and their destinies followed suit, leading me on the path to a very memorable series of interactions with Ranni.. It all tied together nicely, ending in me accessing an area that bugged the HELL out of me for the longest time, back in Limgrave.

Onward, yet onward.. my bias are in stars and space, and snow. The next section of the game being the end to overworld exploration, I couldn’t think of a more fitting note to end on. Unfortunately there wasn’t much in the way of new enemies, but the desolation and environments made up for that, forever the highlight, even this deep into the game. I guess at this point I better air my grievances regarding two particular enemies: Screw Revenants and screw Runebears uggghh. The rest are either good or I can overlook any issues with. WAIT FORGOT ABOUT THE BLACK KNIFE ASSASSINS SCREW THEM TOO. Until/unless I figure out a way to deal with them cleanly.

As soon as I figured out how to get to the Snowfield I made a break for that location, with yet another nicely tucked away catacomb partway through. Seriously they did every kind of offbeat trick I could’ve hoped for in that regard. And before proceeding I need to call attention to Niall. Maybe my favorite boss, or close second because of The Adds.

Loved the aura-stricken town, the empty ice lake (though I hoped for a sizeable boss fight there), and following up on the side quest involving the albinaurics. Seeing Astel again was the one time I was truly bothered by a recurring boss fight. Finding the last two tucked away areas aside from Azula here, aha... I noticed the Haligtree from high above, and tackling that really felt like a fitting Final Challenge type of area. Couldn’t say Mohg’s Palace was as exciting to venture through, but I also made my own fun in breaking out of bounds with that location.

Both bosses, shardbearers, were treats despite a notable issue with both, in one’s case not realizing I had a tool to minimize a painful phase-changing counter attack, and in Malenia’s case.. Waterfowl Dance. It took way too long to work out the strategy with her. I’ve warmed up to her a bit, but I do think they went a little overboard with that move.

The Fire Giant was, like several bosses before them, a great spectacle. And perhaps the most enjoyable Giant fight? Another FromSoft is cracking the code situation. And then we reach Azula and, once again - breathtaking. I feel I was a little too strong for the two end bosses of this area, but Maliketh in particular felt maybe too strong in turn in some weird way. Once again shocked by the places I was able to reach. Once again awestruck by the grandness of it all.

Which leaves the endgame: Screwed over Dung Eater accidentally with a potion. Lost track of Nepheli and never did any of Goldmask’s questline. Concluded Fia’s super late, but only the very last step. More or less worked out the Chaos outcome, though had to look up measures to ensure I could get all the achievement-based endings without issue. As for the ending boss rush...

Gonna miss ya, Gideon. Godfrey is perhaps the best boss in the game, but Niall, Malenia, Fallingstar Beast, and this game’s gargoyles all left a strong impression and feel like the highlights to me. The rest also did, at least in terms of presentation. Though, as I already mentioned, I can’t judge several of them till I rematch in a weaker state, where I can then properly judge their fights. Radagon... I had issues with that fight, but I think if I worked at it like I did Malenia my opinion could improve? Elden Beast? I got very lucky with them preferring melee, beating them on the second attempt. Later co-op ventures would show me just how fortunate I was there. Feels like Torrent was meant for it.

I wish there was more to the endings, but I know this is just how FromSoft does things. In some ways, they remain constant, and in the ways they don’t, they’ve shown there’s still room to grow. I’m a bit bummed I’ll never engage with the spirit mechanic, since it feels too cheesy for me. The ashes of war are neat, though I used boss/unique weapons too often to really appreciate them. The wondrous flask was also nice. Torrent, it goes without saying, also great.

All achievements down. Preferred the Ranni ending undoubtedly. Wish the online was better, as I tried to help others with endgame boss fights after reaching credits. I’m sure there’s more I could add if I think about it later, but for now I’ll end on the thought that keeps cycling through my head. This game felt like going on an odyssey. It was like a dream.

Like a dream.

#dusty text #long post #elden ring spoilers #dustward played elden ring

[secret-engima]

Me, exploring the Steyliff Grove bonus dungeon: Please don't be another room full of Ronin, please don't be another room full of Ronin, anything but a room full of Ronin.

The Five (5) High-Level Tonberries in the Tiny Fighting Chamber: *spot me the millisecond I stumble into the room*

Me, fleeing frantically from corner to corner chased by a high-level mob of Tiny Adorable Death™: I take it back! Ronin are fine! Ronin are perfect-oh-AstrALs-I-TakE-It-BAcK-

#ffxv #dungeons #gaming #gaming things #post game content #i regret so many things #entering that dungeon without enough flasks is one of them #entering that dungeon at all is another #h e l p

[insomniacaesthetic]

| 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈'𝐦 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤 | Snape x Student!Reader

Recommended by user: IcantSpellcorrectly

"Can I have an angst request like some sort of unrequited love and regret????? Like sad but had an happy ending"

Warnings: student reader, unrequited love, mentions of Lily, Alcohol/being drunk

Category: Angst

Song: Drunk by Ed Sheeran

Misc: All credits to the artist for the image.

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

It was the night of the Halloween feast. Students were slowly streaming out of the great hall still laughing and chatting loudly, clearly buzzing with excitement from such a good night. You were no different. Having exited the great hall with your friends, still sipping on your spiked butterbeer. Fred and George had passed around a flask filled with something they said, “Guaranteed to have you absolutely hammered in no time.” Sure enough, it didn’t take long for you to lose yourself in the festivities.

After downing your first drink, you ended up dancing rather provocatively on one of the tables. You only got down after Professor McGonagall took off an absurd number of house points. Plus, Fred had yanked you down to rejoin everyone. The night had ended way too soon for your liking. You were still very drunk and wanted to keep the night going. However, no one else seemed too keen on the idea. So here you were now, wandering the castle long after curfew, trying to work off the last bit of energy you possessed.

You had managed to wander down to the dungeons. It was quite the difficult task for you to not fall down the stairs in your current state. You weren’t sure what encouraged you to drag yourself to the dungeons at this moment. Perhaps you were subconsciously hoping to bump into your favorite professor. He loved to wander at night as well, and all too often had he caught you sneaking around the castle after curfew. Sometimes you did it on purpose, desperate for him to give you a detention so you could be close to him. It seems though that he had started to catch onto your excitement at being caught. These days you tended to spend your detentions cleaning something without magic as Filch supervised.

As you neared his office, you saw the unmistakable flickering of candlelight from the crack under the door. He was awake. Taking great care to make your footsteps heard, you passed by his door multiple times. Waiting, practically begging, for him to bust out of the door to assign you a detention. When he didn’t arrive, you pressed you ear against the door, hoping to catch the sound of his footsteps. Instead, you heard glass shattering and a shout of anger.

Without thinking, you pushed open the door and entered his office. Snape’s back was to you. He was hunched over his desk, fingers digging into the wood. Shards of glass scattered at his feet along with the things that were held within them. His shoulders were rising and falling quickly as if he were out of breath. Snape pulled his wand from his sleeve and shouted “Reparo” as he pointed the tip at one of the piles of glass. The pieces flew up onto the table and reformed themselves back into a goblet.

With his other hand, he reached over and grabbed an ornate crystal decanter filled with amber liquid and poured it into the repaired cup. His thin fingers wrapped around the stem of the glass and hastily brought it up so he could drink it. Without warning, you let out a loud hiccup. Your hands lazily flew to your mouth, but still being intoxicated they missed their target.

As soon as the sound left your lips, Snape spun around. His cold dark eyes bore into your glossy ones. “What. Are. You. Doing. In. Here.” His voice wavered. Obviously trying to keep his volume low, but a calm Snape was even scarier than a shouting one.

“m’ sorry.” You slurred. “Just saw the light on. Thought I’d come check it out.” Another series of hiccups punctuated your words.

“You thought you’d come check it out.” He mocked, still gripping the stem of the glass. “Miss L/N my office is not some corridor for you to wander into. You do not have permission to be in here now get out or it’ll be another detention.” He turned his back to you again and then downed the contents of his glass.

“Okay.” But instead of heading for the door, you stumbled over to a chair by the fireplace and seated yourself. You kicked off your shoes and propped them up on a nearby table, hands behind your head, “Detention it is.” You smirked.

His shoulders visibly tensed. Then he poured himself another drink and drank it just as fast. “I have no tolerance for your cheek tonight.” He turned to glare at you, but it softened when he saw how flushed you were. The effects of alcohol still burning through your body. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Just as much as you, Snape.” You said, a little too flirtatiously.

“Professor Snape.” He corrected you instantly.

“Yea whatever. Can I have a glass of whatever you’re drinking over there? I promise I won’t tell anyone.” You winked at him.

Snape was dumbfounded. Never had a student been so bold towards him. Though it couldn’t be too surprising given the state you were currently in. The logical part of his brain was screaming at him how bad of an idea it would be to do as you said, but he found himself pouring you a glass before he could worry about the implications. It was October 31st, the anniversary of Lily’s death and you were a welcome distraction from his thoughts. An annoying distraction but a distraction, nonetheless.

“Thanks” you mumbled and brought the glass to your lips. It burned as it slid down your throat and warmed your body entirely. You hummed in pleasure as you finished it, holding it out for a refill. Surprisingly, Snape obliged.

This was truly dangerous territory. Here Snape was, in his office alone with a student, giving her alcohol. He should be sending you back to your dorm. Taking house points and assigning detentions for being out past curfew and drinking, but he didn’t. Here you both were, sitting in silence and sipping fire whiskey.

“So why were you smashing stuff?” Your filter was long gone, and you wanted answers.

“That’s none of your business.” He spoke through clenched teeth.

“Oh c’mon” you groaned. “Stop being such as tight ass. You already gave me whiskey. What’s a little secret sharing too?” You were on your feet now, walking towards him, in what you hoped was a sultry way. Snape backed up against his desk, determined to put distance between you.

“I think I should cut you off.” With a wave of his wand, your glass of whiskey vanished.

“Hey!” You huffed and mumbled, “Asshole.”

“What was that Miss L/N?” He stood up straighter and crossed his arms.

“I called you an asshole!” Now it was your turn to turn your back to him. You made your way back over to your chair but before you could reach it, his hands spun you around and shoved you against the wall. His face inches from yours. His expression full of rage.

“Clearly, I’ve been too lenient with you Y/N. You think you are special? You think we are friends, and you can speak to me like that? I am your professor. Nothing more.” He spat.

The words hurt more than you liked to admit. You had always had a crush on your potion’s professor. But hearing him say out loud that he was nothing more than your teacher, brought on a wave of emotions you used to fight. Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes.

For a moment, Snape felt a twinge of regret. The words he spoke were harsh, but they were the truth. It was clear you thought you could get away with things others couldn’t, and that was probably because he usually let you. Times when he should have assigned you a detention but chose not to. Whenever you messed up in class, he never scolded you as he done with others. You had clearly mistaken his kindness for weakness and promptly decided to take advantage of it. All too often he caught you wandering the corridor after curfew, almost begging to be caught. Whenever he did catch you, you never appeared to be worried or fearful like other students did. You always seemed…almost giddy?

Regret gone, he was now furious. This is what he gets for showing kindness to someone. He was only kind to you as he felt that you were one of the only students who seemed to take an actual interest in his lessons. Now he realized this was all so you could use him. Now here you were, on the day of her death of all days, to tease and gloat at him. He had been drinking to forget, but now with you here taunting him. He was reminded of his school days.

He stood staring at you, but it was difficult to focus on his expression as tears blurred your vision. How could you have been so stupid. Did you mistake his kindness for something more? Snape was always nicer to you than your peers. You thought that maybe it was because deep down, or at least hoped, it was because he harbored feelings for you. The same feelings you had for him. It was now obvious he didn’t return them. Even as you struggled to accept this, you couldn’t stop your heart from beating rapidly as he closed you in against the wall of his office. His angry puffs of breath, fanning your face smelled strongly of whiskey.

Your head was still fuzzy, judgment still very impaired from all the liquor you had consumed tonight. You kept imagining pressing your lips against his. After all, they were only mere inches from your own. The idea kept replaying itself in your head over and over, until eventually your body acted on its own accord.

Your hands moved up from where they were resting at your sides and entangled themselves in the hairs at the base of his neck. Then you pulled him towards you to smash your lips against his. Tears were still flowing down your cheeks as you kissed him desperately. You had dreamed about kissing him for years, and now that it was happening you didn’t want it to stop.

Snape felt like someone had stunned him. He didn’t move at first when your lips came down upon his. Through the anger, he seemed to forget who was standing in front of him. He imagined it was Lily. He began to return the kiss, just as passionately as you were. His hands tangling into your hair to deepen the kiss.

When his tongue brushed against you bottom lip, you did not deny him access to explore your mouth. He tasted of whiskey and cigarettes. His left hand gripped your waist firmly, the other cupped your cheek.  Your hands remained at the base of his neck, keeping him close, hoping this moment of bliss would never end. You raised your hips off from the wall to meet his own. He groaned and started to pull away from the kiss. You both were panting. His eyes were closed in bliss as he seemed to reminisce in the taste of your lips. Slowly he opened them, but instead of being filled with lust as you had expected, they immediately filled with fear. His hand fell from your cheek, and he quickly pushed himself away from you. Leaving you against the wall and breathless.

“What. What’s wrong?” you panted. When you started to step towards him, he held out a hand. You stilled immediately.

Snape was disgusted with himself. He had gotten lost in the moment. He had just used you to satisfy a need he never go to fulfill. He had never felt so guilty. Turning his gaze away from the floor and back to you, the feeling only intensified. You looked so lost and hurt. With your wide eyes and swollen lips. How did he let this happen? At the time he had enjoyed it, but only because he was picturing…her. He was imagining you were Lily. Now, looking at you with tears threatening to fall, he regretted every second. You weren’t Lily. He didn’t care about you, but now he had given you false hope that he may have.

“That.” He paused, then looked you straight in your eyes. “Can never happen again.”

You went to open your mouth to argue but he cut you off. “I mean it. It was a mistake. A stupid one. I should have never let it happen.”

You felt your heart shatter in a million pieces. A mistake? That didn’t feel like a mistake. He was the one who stuck his tongue in your mouth! Now he wants to call it a mistake. You felt used. You wanted to yell at him, shout, cuss, and call him every name you could think of. Longed to pull out your wand and hit him with the worse hex you could imagine. Yet you remained immobile, a lump in your throat, face burning with rage and embarrassment.

You refused to let him see you cry anymore. Shoving him out of the way you made your way to the door of his office. Your feet felt as heavy as your heart. As you threw open the door, he called out to you.

“Miss L/N!”

In a brief moment of hope, you turned around convinced he had changed his mind. Begged silently that he would run across the room to kiss you again. To confess he felt the same as you did.

“Let us not…tell anyone what happened here tonight. Okay?” He shifted his weight from side to side, eyes focusing on the flames dancing within the fireplace.

“Unbelievable.” You sobbed. Then rushed out of his office, slamming the door behind you. The sound of shattering glass ringing in your ears as you ran back to your dormitory.

As the door rattled the walls of his office, Snape sank to the floor in front of his desk. He hugged his knees to his chest and buried his head in his lap. Thousands of emotions were running through his head all at once. Regret, fear, and most of all shame. He regretted kissing you and was terrified you were running to Dumbledore’s office to give him a play by play of tonight’s events. The shame was overpowering all other feelings. He had enjoyed the kiss far too much for his liking. Perhaps he was just touch starved and lonely, but even now he longed to kiss you again.

He knew this was the liquor talking, but he couldn’t deny that he wished he had indulged in the feeling for a few more moments. The feeling of being wanted, even if it was by someone he didn’t want. Without standing up, Snape reached up to his desk and pulled down the decanter of whiskey and drank from it directly.

“I’m pathetic.” He choked out in-between sips of whiskey. “Willing to touch a student cause I miss a girl who never loved me.” He rolled his eyes and slammed his head back against the desk.

‘Perhaps I should go find L/N’ he thought. He missed your taunting now that he was alone. He would much rather argue with you than deal with his inner demons tonight. Taking a hearty swig of the whiskey, he let out a satisfied sigh. Almost as if the heavens had answered his prayers, the door creaked back open. You stepped back inside his office. You had forgotten your shoes but seeing the state of him concerned you.

Snape was sprawled out on the floor. The glass bottle of whiskey clutched in his hand. His eyes were glossy and bloodshot. You rushed over to him, worried he had fallen or hurt himself. You dropped to your knees next to him. His head lulled over, a dazed look on his pale face.

“Professor!” You whisper-shouted as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “Are you ok?”

His lips were parted ever so slightly. He spoke barely above a whisper, “Stay. Please.” His free hand clutched the fabric from your costume.

“Sure. Of course.” You readjusted yourself so you were sitting down next to him. To your surprise, Snape lowered himself to lay his head down on your lap. The inky black strands of his hair tickling the exposed bits of your thighs. You ran your fingers through his hair, trying to ignore your accelerating heartbeat.

He knew it was wrong. He was technically using you, and he would come to regret it in the morning after he sobered up. Just right now he needed to feel something, anything, besides heartbroken. So, he allowed himself to relax in your presence. Allowed himself to feel a little love. Love he desperately needed.

#snape x you #snape x reader #professor snape x reader #professor reader #severus snape #snape fic #harry potter #pro snape #pro severus snape #severus snape imagine #severus snape oneshot #severus snape x y/n #severus snape x reader #severus snape x you #severus snape fanfiction #harry potter reader insert #snape angst #insomniacaesthetic #angst #alan rickman

[justhereforseverus]

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

Chapter 5: Thy spirit within thee hath been so at war

During your first "lesson" with Severus Snape, you get a flashback of something long forgotten and avoided.

Notes:

This is angsty. TW: for shouting abuse, horrible teachers, classmates, and almost passing out.

Yes, I know a real flashback doesn't work that way but this is what I can produce with my limited writing abilities. Thank you so much for reading! I've also wrote some very emotional, romantic, loving, intense scenes for the future chapters and I can't wait to share them.

Chapter Text

I slept like a sweet little lion cub. Ok, no idea if they sleep well but that was the first thing that came into my mind this morning. I felt refreshed, full of energy and entirely at peace. Gosh, that sleeping potion was truly magic. I basically hopped into the great hall for breakfast and Remus looked at me like I’ve turned myself into a unicorn and exclaime: “What the hell happened to you? You look almost like a normal person today. Are you the real (y/n) or did you simply have a good night’s sleep?” I sat next to him and eagerly poured myself some pumpkin juice. “Yes, actually I slept like a baby. Severus’ sleeping potion is really something. Highly recommendable 10/10. Might work for you, too, you scruffy little dog.” He jokingly stuck his tongue out and finished eating his pancake before saying: “First of all: I’m anything BUT a little dog and I think scruffiness is not a negative thing because it makes me look cute – I let out a small ironic haha at this – “and secondly: Congrats! He didn’t poison you! That means he tolerates you, which is better than what the rests of us get: pure loath and hatred.”

“Doesn’t he also make your wolfsbane potion?”

Yes, but I’m convinced he’s putting something in there that causes headaches afterwards just because he can.”

“But you can’t prove it, dear! Anyway, any plans for the weekend?” “Yes, I have a date with my very attractive girlfriend Tonks so sorry no intercourse this time unless you’re open for a threesome.”

“Stop it! No, thank you, I’m good! You’re hanging out way too much with Sirius. I haven’t forgotten how he flirted with me the first time we’ve met. Worst pick up lines ever! But I’m happy for you. I don’t have any plans, yet but we’ll see. Might get a bit of reading done.”

“How boring but that might be just the perfect weekend for you. If you want to you can ask our dungeon bat to join. Maybe he feels social for once.”

“Haha, very funny. But either way I’m glad to have a bit of a break from teaching.”

I appreciate that Remus is so open and easy to be around with. Sometimes I fear we became best friends way too fast but it’s like in school. You click with someone and it’s you and your best friend against the world. His girlfriend Tonks has been in his life for a couple of months now and gosh they are so in love it makes me happy. Makes me miss having a crush and a relationship sometimes. I haven’t been in one for ages. I’m just scared and don’t connect that way with people. Well, unless you count celebrity crushes, fictional characters and poets long dead and gone. Hopeless indeed. I wish Franz Kafka’s ghost would actually be available, but he wasn’t a wizard so anyway...

When I passed my pidgeon hole in the faculty office I saw a tiny parchment roll bound with a green band. I opened it and read: “If you’re free this weekend, we can begin our lessons tomorrow at noon. Research which potions you’d like to learn and prepare their specific names. If you’re unable to come let me know through an owl, as I’m not coming into the teacher’s offices anymore for today. Yours Sincerely, S. Snape.” Ok, that’s my weekend settled then.

On Saturday, I arrived at the potion classroom with a long roll of parchment containing the potions I’d like to make, a thick notebook so I can make notes, and my fluttering nerves bundled together in my stomach. To be honest, I was nervous and this felt like a math exam. Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea after all. However, upon entering the classroom, Severus presence calmed me somewhat. I know others wouldn’t feel that way when entering the classroom. Yet, I simply feel like meeting someone familiar. Is that strange? Am I making sense? Probably not.

We discussed some of the potions I had in mind and he chose one of the simplest for a start. He put the instructions on the Black Board and I, as his temporary student, sat at the front table. I felt nervous and it was difficult to not see myself as a teenager again. Here and there did he tell me how to put ingredients into the pot or how to cut them rightly but apart from that he focused more on supervising. The potion was easy but I’ve never dared to try it myself without equipment, ingredients or someone to look after me. Unfortunately, I also forgot why my self-confidence and trust in potion making has disappeared. While looking at the flask turning a bright green with reddish streaks, I remembered something. It felt like I’ve seen this before. I’ve been here before. I started shaking and my mind went blank. It was like a deja-vu, a flashback to something I’ve completely forgot and actively pushed away from memory. How could I forget the main reason why I’m not doing this? I heard shouting in the back of my mind, my equipment pushed to the floor, glass breaking, a man shouting, screaming in my face and the entire class laughing. How could I ever forget this? I started shaking and the knife, which I used to cut some radish looking things fell from my hand to the floor. My vision went black and my knees became weak. Suddenly, I felt arms around me, heard a voice calling my name from very far away. I looked around and saw Severus with panic on his face, trying to lead me to a bench that was put against the wall. I remember sitting and he giving me a cup of something warm to drink. Slowly I got back to reality and my vision normalised. I felt Severus holding both my shoulders to make sure I don’t fall to the floor. When it came to me what happened, I only muttered an apology and held my face in my hands. He didn’t say anything for a while, put his long coat over me and then proceeded to finish the potion and put the equipment away. He then returned to my side still silent. After some minutes, he asked: “How are you?”

I was embarrassed and felt nothing but shame. I apologised again and stood up wanting to leave the classroom but he stopped me in saying: “Please don’t leave. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. We can simply forget that happened or not. That is your choice. I won’t ask. I’m not mad. But stay. I don’t think it’s wise to go up all the stairs when you haven’t recovered, yet. I don’t want to be responsible for any deaths in this castle.” I looked at him and he sat, arms and legs crossed on the wooden bench looking towards the floor. I obliged and got back next to him. “I forgot.” I said “I forgot why I gave up on potions. Why my grades have been mediocre or down right only passing. I forgot otherwise I wouldn’t have put you in this position. I’m sorry.” “You’ve apologised two times already that’s more than enough.”

“Sor -I mean. Yes.”

“I can be a horrible teacher. I know that. It’s not a profession I chose willingly, not that this would be an excuse. I know it’s not right. Yet, I never scream. I try to control my emotions at any times and let words speak for themselves. Whoever was responsible for this memory didn’t have the right to do what he did. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You outgrew him.”

“Thank you but… how?

“Obvious when you’re holding your hands over your ears and mutter ‘Please stop shouting’.

“Oh…..”

“As I’ve said: It’s fine.”

We sat in silence for a while and I sipped at my tea. When my spirits came back, I tried to lighten the mood as I always do in these awkward situations: “Are you giving tea to your frightened students, too or am I an exception?”

“My students usually hate and fear me behind my back so I’m afraid I can’t offer them this. Furthermore, it would ruin my reputation. If they want to be cuddled they can go to Minerva with her endless supply of biscuits. No, this is something reserved for grown-ups. English courtesy you might even say. When you don’t know what to do. Make tea.”

“I see. You’re not that frightening to me so far.”

“As I said. You’re my colleague, not my student.”

“Yet, you seem to be nicer to me than to the rest of my colleagues.”

“Maybe. However, I’d argue I’m a role model of courtesy and politeness.”

I chuckled at this “Remus wouldn’t agree.”

“Well, me and Remus have a difficult relationship.”

“He said exactly the same and yet I like you both.”

“Interesting indeed. We’ve barely talked.”

“Just a feeling. Thank you, Professor Snape."

“Call me Severus. No need for useless titles here.”

#tw #anxiety #flashback #anxiety attack #pro snape #severus snape #harry potter #snape x reader #snape appreciation month #snape x female reader #snape x oc

[scrivenerofmossflower]

Martin of Mossflower Chapter 14

Word Count: ~3k  read on ao3  Chapter Summary: A little psychological warfare, a little breaking and entering, a little wisdom shared. All in all, a productive day for the Corim. 

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Mask had supreme confidence in his skills, but that didn’t mean he planned to take unnecessary risks. Listen to gossip, estimate numbers, sound the fortress for weaknesses, and above all else, keep his head down—that was the plan. Hunching his shoulders and bowing his head, Mask marched down the corridors of Kotir.

On one of the lower levels, he caught a snatch of singing and, curious, followed it to its source.

Three weasels, all still in their uniforms, had uncovered some long forgotten cache of rich red wine in an abandoned guest room, and were partaking heavily of their spoils. Already deep into it, they sang lustily, without a care for harmony,

O if I feel sick or pale, What makes my old eyes shine? Some good October ale And sweet blackcurrent wine I’d kill a dragon for half a flagon I’d wrestle a stoat to wet my throat I’d strangle a snake, all for the sake Of lovely nutbrown beer. . .

One of the weasels, deeper voiced than the others, put a dramatic paw to his chest and echoed mournfully, “Lo-hoh-hovely nuuuuuutbrooooown beeheeeer…”

The other two cackled at this melodrama, falling on top of each other in their glee. “Good ‘un, that ‘un was great, Gobb, heeheehee.”

Mask joined in from the doorway. The group was slow to notice him, and slower to figure out that it might not be a good thing. Mask grinned as Gobb tried to nudge the almost empty flask out of the way.

“Shove off,” one of them growled, though he was so drunk he’d gone crosseyed.

Rather than leaving, Mask entered and closed the door behind him. “Only if you gimme some of the wine,” he challenged.

“Get your own, greedyguts!” Crosseyed said.

“What will ye give us for it?” The third said. This bargaining was met with groans of betrayal from the others, but Mask grinned wickedly.

“Yore still singin’ that borin’ old drinkin’ song?” he said, sitting down on his haunches. “I’ll teach ya a new one.”

The three weasels exchanged glances. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not that one, “The Hedgehog Can’t be Bovered at All?””

“It’s not bovered, leaky brains, it’s—”

Gobb interrupted the bickering. “You’ll do my chore tomorrow, too, gottit?”

Mask narrowed his eyes, sensing a trick. “What chore?”

All three giggled. “Nothin’ too important,” Gobb said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Just gotta take the scraps outta the kitchen.”

“Well,” Mask made a show of hesitating. “All right, then.”

“An’ ye won’t tell Cludd you caught us drinkin’ on duty.”

“Deal.” Mask rolled his eyes, and grabbed for a half full flask.

Crosseye yanked it out of reach. “Song first,” he insisted.

“Greedyguts yourself,” Mask grumbled. “Fine. Goes somethin’ like this.” He launched into the fast paced, tongue-twisting tune, tapping one paw against the floor to keep up with the tempo.

She’s a ragged cat, a tattered cat A panicked, manic, haggard cat Our dearest Queen Tsarmina

Scared of water and otters Is Old Greeneyes’ daughter And squirrels do give her a turn Imprisoned her brother They hate one another And the truth of the family we’ll learn

She’s a hairy cat, a scaredy cat A treats-the-world unfairly cat Our dearest Queen Tsarmina

She’s foolish, the cruelest, Has no strength to rule with And slowly she’s losing her grip Her advisors are useless Her captains are clueless The army is starting to slip

She’s a mad old cat, a bad old cat, A helpless, feckless, sad old cat, Our dearest Queen Tsarmina!

Mask had a decent enough voice, even while mimicking a raspy weasel. Besides, the song didn’t require skill to sing. That was the point, as Ballaw had explained. Disgruntled soldiers relished poking fun at their superiors, and the catchy tune the Players had written was easy to learn, and easier to expand on. Get it caught in enough beasts’ heads and sow it carefully enough, and no one would be able to trace it back to a source.

The song went over like a charm. The three guardsmen were gleefully bellowing the words when Mask left them half an hour later, well pleased with his work.

Life in the dungeons of Kotir had become much more exciting in the past couple of days. Tsarmina’s new tenants had never appeared, much to Gingivere’s satisfaction. Late the next day, though, the prison guards had escorted Cludd and two prisoners to the same section of cells which housed Gingivere. This time, he lay still and listened intently to the key turning in the heavy locks.

“Put one of them in here, the other on the other side,” Cludd ordered, gruff voice echoing weirdly in the corridor. “They’re not to interact with each other, or be given food and water.”

Doors creaked open and thudded closed, and then he heard the distinct kachunk as bolts slid home. Finally, the three soldiers turned and clanked away.

Gingivere lay in silence for a while, waiting for the sound of mailed paws to fade away entirely. He would have waited another few minutes to be certain no one would return, but the new prisoners were not patient enough for that.

“Coggs? Coggs, can you hear me?”

“Ferdy! I can just hear you! Are you okay?”

Both voices were young—far younger than Gingivere would have expected to hear, and he bared his teeth silently at the ceiling. Tsarmina was imprisoning children, now? What a terrifying conquering queen she must be.

“I’m okay, Coggs. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, Ferdy. I am a little hungry, though.”

“Me, too.”

There was a momentary silence, though he didn’t expect it to last long. Gingivere rose to his feet and paced back and forth within the cell, trying to think of what to do.

“Ferdy? Do you think they’re looking for us?”

Gingivere interrupted now. His hoarse voice strengthened as he spoke, just loud enough to be heard by both of them. “Hush, little ones. You’ll get the attention of the guards if you’re too loud.”

“Who’re you?”

“Why’re you down here?”

The pair spoke together, and Gingivere couldn’t help but smile at their natural, youthful curiosity. “My name’s Gingivere—I’m a friend, and I’ll help you if I can. Never mind the rest for now. Let me think of how to help.”

Another few turns of the cell, and Gingivere’s eyes lit upon an iron ring set into the back wall of his cell. He tested it, found it loose, and with some concentrated effort managed to free it. Hefting it in one paw, Gingivere found the ring was attached to an iron spike several inches long, just as he had hoped.

After a quick check of the corridor, he approached one wall, tool in hand. “It’s Ferdy, isn’t it? Stand away from the wall, I’m going to try and get through to you.”

“All right, Mr. Gingivere.”

The wildcat focused all the cunning and strength of his ancestors upon the task, chipping away at the damp and mouldering mortar surrounding one of the smaller stones. Within minutes his paws were aching, and within an hour his muscles, long atrophied from disuse and poor nutrition, began to ache, but Gingivere kept stubbornly on.

It was nearing daybreak when he at last broke through the wall to the other side, sliding the block out to thud to the floor. A small wet snout poked through. “Hello, Mr. Gingivere,” the hogbabe said, still cheerful in spite of the circumstances.

Exhausted though he was, Gingivere patted it affectionately. “Hello, Ferdy. I’m glad to see you all right.”

“Are you a wildcat?”

“I am, though please don’t worry—I won’t harm you. Hush, now, I have to get on with my work.”

Invigorated by this first small success, Gingivere turned his attention to the other wall, selected a similarly damp and small block, and got to work.

Gingivere had been working for perhaps an hour when he heard polite coughing coming from somewhere above his head. “Humph, harrumph, ahem, ‘scuse me.”

Taken aback, Gingivere whirled to face the door, iron spike upraised. Finding it still locked and barred, he peered instead up at the grate which served as a window. A bird, a little robin red breast, was perched on the other side of the bars, studying Gingivere with nearly as much curiosity as Gingivere studied him. “Hello, there. Good morning,” Gingivere said quietly, never one to forget his manners regardless of the absurdity.

“Good morning,” the little bird agreed, ruffling his feathers so that he looked nearly twice his size. “Ahem, you’ll excuse my asking, I’m sure, but what are you hoping to accomplish?”

Ferdy, who had been watching Gingivere through his gap in the wall, giggled. “Heehee, I know that voice! It’s Chibb!”

Upon hearing his name, the robin startled. “Gracious! Is that one of the two hedgehogs, imprisoned by Tsarmina? I’ve been sent to look for you, young fellow!”

“Coggs is in the cell on the other side,” Gingivere said quickly, keeping his voice low for fear of the guards hearing the discussion. “If you’re from the woodlanders’ resistance, will you take a message to them from me? Tell them they have an ally within Kotir, and I will do all I can to keep both Ferdy and Coggs safe from my sister.” Though how effective that would be, Gingivere didn’t know. No matter. “Tell them, too, that if ever I have my freedom, I will do all that I might in aid to them and their cause.”

The robin bobbed in something of a bow. “Very well. Your message shall be faithfully delivered,” he promised. “And I will tell you that plans are being made for the escape of the two young ones. I will talk with you again soon!”

With one last cough, Chibb hopped back up the slanting tunnel and was soon winging his way eastwards over Mossflower, back to Brockhall. Wrapped up as he was in his thoughts, the nervous robin didn’t even notice when he zipped past the tree Argulor was nesting in.

The great eagle blinked sleepily after him, and settled back down to sleep. Hardly worth expending so much energy for only half a mouthful. Young birds these days… always in such a hurry.

Mask considered himself a brave beast by any measure—certainly braver than the Kotir soldiery—and feeding the Gloomer would certainly offer him an excuse to be down in the cells, and a chance to examine the very foundations of Kotir. Still, a chill ran down his spine when the ferret at the top of the dungeon staircase had just shaken her head sympathetically. “Better you’n me, mate.”

It wasn’t the most reassuring.

Mask marched past the three occupied cells without acknowledgement, though he was disheartened to see that, though the cell walls were damp and moldy, most of the stonework and all of the iron work was new and solid. It would be hard to break the hedgehog babes out of the cells—impossible without taking them into the main castle, somehow. He put the problem to one side for now.

The Gloomer was housed in a cavern below the foundations of Kotir. There were steps down to the lake that were slippery with moisture and slime, and pale, sightless beetles scuttled away from Mask’s paws as he inched his way down. Each step sent whispering echoes resounding back, hinting at the massive space. In spite of himself, Mask shuddered. As useful as it would be to have a first hand evaluation of the Gloomer and his strength—even better to sound the foundations of the fortress—the eerie cavern, lit only by a single torch, was raising the fur on the back of Mask’s neck. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could leave.

Mask left the wooden pail at the edge of the lake, the wooden thunk resonating through the cave. Immediately, a ripple highlighted in pale blue phosphorescence glided towards the spot. Mask took two hurried steps back as the grotesque head broke the surface of the water. The Gloomer lunged for the bucket, gorging himself on the kitchen refuse.

Skirting the lakeshore, Mask peered at the cave’s walls through the gloom. Any otter worth his salt had a working knowledge of waterways. As soon as Mask had heard there was a lake far below Kotir, he’d had a hunch that he ought to get a closer look at the flow of the water down there. Picking up Gobb’s shirked duty might well be the most useful thing he’d do on this first excursion.

He’d just noted a darker space in the choking blackness when he heard a rattling behind him. Mask rolled toward the shore, coming up several feet from the waterline. Gloomer had collided with the wall he’d been looking at, and rounded on his lost prey with a snarl.

“Not today, bucko,” Mask said, taking wary steps back as the Gloomer advanced. He kept his spear between the pair of them, and when the water rat tried a second rushing attack, thwacked him heavily across the snout.

Chalking the bucket up as an acceptable loss, Mask slowly circled his way back towards the stairs. Step by step he climbed them, keeping a wary eye on the Gloomer. Even when the chain was at its limit, the rat strained to reach him, the heavy leather collar cutting into his air so that each breath was an angry wheeze.

Mask didn’t relax until he was on the other side of the door, when he could unclench his paws from around his spear and lean his forehead against the cool stonework wall. Only the empty dungeons witnessed the way his paws trembled.

Chibb paced back and forth along the mantelpiece in Brockhall as he related his conversation with Gingivere. The Corim listened to his report in growing astonishment and skepticism.

“Gingivere is on our side?”

“He’s a Greeneyes, how’re we supposed to trust him?”

Bella shook her head. “He may be a Greeneyes, but he’s suffered under his sister’s rule as well. At the least, he is a wronged creature.”

“Gingivere never took part in any killin’,” Skipper acknowledged grudgingly. “An’ I doubt ‘e wants his sister in charge anymore’n we do, mates.”

“I think we should trust him,” Sayna said firmly, paws akimbo. “At the least, we haven’t anything to lose by doing so, and at the most, we have an ally within Kotir—and one that Tsarmina fears.”

Seeing Skipper and Amber both still unsure, Vurg shook his head. “Sayna’s got good instincts, an’ they’ve not led us wrong before,” he reminded them all. “I say we give ‘im a chance.”

Opinion swayed back and forth for another several minutes, before at last the woodlanders came to a consensus—they’d accept Gingivere’s pledge of help, and use him as a point of contact with Ferdy and Coggs. Deliveries of food, made through Chibb, would be sent to all three of them, and any plans for escape for the two hedgehogs would, of course, include their new wildcat ally.

Martin, Gonff, and Columbine quickly found places helping to gather and pack some of the supplies for the prisoners. It was only midmorning, and if they worked quickly, they might leave before noon, allowing them to reach Kotir and make their delivery just at sunset.

“What about—?” Gonff murmured to Martin when they had a moment.

Martin shook his head. “It’ll have to wait until tomorrow night,” he said, nose scrunched with wry resignation.

Gonff huffed. “Ought to have supposed ye wouldn’t pass up a chance to head out wit’ th’crew,” he said with a chuckle. “Ah, well. They might need our help, eh, matey?”

“What will wait until tomorrow night?” Germaine asked, watching the pair of them over her glasses with an indulgent smile playing about her whiskers.

“A surprise we’re plannin’, marm,” Gonff said with a broad smile. “But not a bad one, I assure you.”

The abbess pursed her lips, though her eyes twinkled. “Fates forbid such a thing,” she said. Martin kept his eyes on the bread he was wrapping up, knowing she was watching him. “So your mother has good instincts, Martin?”

“Yes, marm,” Martin agreed, relieved that she wasn’t pursuing it.

“How so?”

“Sayna was the first to start planning to leave the settlement last summer,” Gonff volunteered, grinning proudly. “When Verdauga first got sick, she argued that we all ought to start planning then, not waiting until it got worse.”

Martin shrugged. “She knows creatures well,” he said. “That’s all. And won’t let anyone tell her she’s just making it sound worse than it is.”

Gonff snickered. “An’ she always knows when you’re about to get yourself in trouble. D’you remember the time she caught you a mile to the west, sayin’ you were goin’ to find dragons? I think you were about four seasons old at the time, with a kerchief on a stick over your shoulder.”

Martin gave him a very indignant look as Columbine and Germaine laughed. “That’s just mothers,” he protested. “Goody and Sayna both do the same to you, don’t deny!”

“Aye, but that’s not hard, I’m always up to somethin’,” Gonff said, and winked at Columbine, who just shook her head. Martin threw a berry at Gonff. It landed in the brim of his hat, and Gonff fished it out and popped it into his mouth.

“Now, you two,” Germaine scolded gently, fastening the final pack. “Motherly instincts aren’t to be mocked.”

“Mother Abbesses have got them, too,” Columbine contributed, smiling proudly at her leader. “Abbess Germaine’s always had very good instincts—she safely led us all the way here with them, after all.”

“Yes,” the abbess agreed serenely. “And I rather think Sayna’s instincts may lead us safely through this business with Kotir as well. I am glad she spoke up for Gingivere, as I feel the same way.”

“Me, too,” Martin said, the words lost under the noise and clatter of dishes as they gathered the packs to leave the kitchen. “He didn’t seem a bad sort. I think he’ll help us a lot.” As they left, he noticed the Abbess watching him again with a curious smile about her whiskers. It was soon forgotten, though, as the volunteers of otters, squirrels, mice, and moles all organized themselves and set off through the woods.

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#redwall #Martin of Mossflower #my fic

[crimson-cheshire]

BEES!!

So the current campaign I’m in is a Superdungeon called the Labyrinth. If you’re unfamiliar with super dungeons, it’s basically where the whole campaign is in one massive dungeon. If you’ve played Diablo 1 or Etrian Odyssey, it’s that. 

Our party was on the first floor, heading to the Base Camp at the entrance to the second floor. We’d just passed a camp of fellow adventurers who were on their way to investigate some ruins in the Labyrinth. We go past them and head north until we find a path branching off to the east leading to a cluster of fruit trees.

Now, these fruits are massive. Like, the size of watermelons massive. Just hanging from the trees. They come in orange and red. The camp we just passed was in need of rations, so Norx, our dragonborn ranger, decided to get some fruit to give to them.

Now seeing as my character(drow bard named Viall) has had a lot of unfortunate Supernatural Events happen to her in the past, she’s quite suspicious. We try to talk Norx out of it but he’s dumb as a rock(he has an INT of -3), so he just climbs the tree. 

I hide in a bush. Andor, our human rogue, also hides in a bush.

Norx climbs the tree. So far, nothing. He cuts down an orange fruit, and it hits the ground. Again, nothing. He starts to cut down the red fruit.

It moves.

Norx shrugs and keeps cutting.

Before he can finish cutting the red fruit down, the bottom opens up and lets out several massive wasps, each about the length of a pen.

Every other red fruit in the clearing does the same thing. All in all, it’s about sixty of these wasps. 

Norx realizes that mistakes have been made. He drops down, picks up the orange fruit, and sprints out of the clearing. When he gets to the main path he turns south, back towards that camp. All of the wasps follow him.

We wait until all the buzzing is gone, and then the two of us leave the clearing and head north. Away from the bees. 

Meanwhile, Norx runs back into the camp. Only one of the adventurers is still at camp; all the rest went to investigate the ruins. 

Norx runs past him and throws the giant fruit to him, saying, “More rations.” 

Then he keeps running, still pursued by bees, to the well just south of camp. Without even a second thought he leaps into the well and falls down into the water.

The bees follow him. Into a well. A well lined with stone. So just imagine, if you will, the sound of sixty angry giant bees in a well. Imagine the cacophony. To escape the bees and the sound, Norx dives deeper into the water.

Now D&D’s drowning rules are kind of ridiculous. The amount of time you can hold your breath is just (1+CON) minutes. Norx has a CON of +1, so he is able to stay under water for two entire minutes. The bees propel themselves at him, but aren’t able to get deep enough into the water to touch him. Before the two minutes are up, the bees give up and exit the well.

Norx surfaces, and discovers that the well is much deeper than he thought it was. He’d figured it was probably 15 feet deep. Well now the DM tells us that it’s 80 feet deep. Now he probably made up the number on the spot, or else Norx would have faired much worse than he did when he jumped, but it didn’t matter. The well was now 80 feet deep. Norx had no way out. He couldn’t shoot an arrow with a rope out, because there wasn’t enough room to use his longbow. He couldn’t climb because the walls were too slick.

Norx was trapped at the bottom of the well.

Now eventually, Andor and I make our way back to that camp. We’d gone north for a while to try and find the Base Camp, but Norx had our map so we just turned back after a while.

We enter the clearing to find the man Norx had given the fruit to fending off the bees. He had a tarp over him and was swinging a tent pole at them.

“Help!” he called.

Now, I’m the only caster in the group. Even with a full party(our paladin and barbarian were missing), I was still the only caster. I was the only one that could help in anyway, and unfortunately, I don’t have a single AoE spell.

I decide to try and distract the bees away from him using my Dancing Lights cantrip. I summon the lights and have them swirl around the bees, then shoot off into the woods. The bees are confused, but keep attacking the man. 

Next I create a loud bang beside him with Minor Illusion. Trying to scare the bees away, obviously. It does scare the bees, but they just stop attacking the guy. I yell at him to run, and he does, taking the giant orange fruit with him. 

He’s now running towards the well. The bees chase him, and I make another “bang!” with Minor Illusion.

It scares the bees. Unfortunately, it scares the guy too. He trips and drops the fruit in front of him. It hits the ground and bursts open.

The inside of the fruit reeks of flowers. Andor and I can smell it from where we are, and this guy got a face full of it. He passes out. The bees start attacking him on the ground.

At this point Andor turns to me and says, “I think this is a lost cause.” He takes the tarp the man had been using to defend himself and pours one of his oil flasks on it. His plan is to throw it on the guy and the bees. It would kill them both.

Now, I’m Chaotic Neutral, and I’m a drow so I always lean towards evil. I don’t have any strong opposition to killing him, but he did help us out and give us directions to the Base Camp, so I decide to try and help him one more time.

I use Minor Illusion to make him invisible. It’s not perfect, but the bees aren’t very smart and so it confuses them. The bees decide the thing they’re standing on doesn’t exist anymore, and so they move to the fruit and swarm over it. Andor and I light the tarp on fire with our tinderboxes and throw it over the bees. It’s a long throw, but we manage to hit them. Unfortunately, it’s partially draped over the invisible man.

He wakes up and starts screaming in agony. Andor and I run forward to help him, but we’ve forgotten about the fruit’s miasma, which we run straight into. I fail the CON save and pass out immediately. Andor succeeds, and manages to pull the screaming, on fire, invisible person out from under the tarp. He doesn’t have anything else to smother the fire with, so he just grabs dirt and smothers the fire with that. The man, meanwhile, passes out from shock.

Meanwhile, this all happened in front of the well. The well Norx is at the bottom of. So imagine, if you will, that you are Norx. You’re just hanging out at the bottom of an 80 foot well, wondering when your friends will come rescue you. Then, in the distance, you hear some kind of explosion. Then there’s another one much closer, and then the sound of bees, and then you only hear fire and screams of pain.

And so Norx decided that being at the bottom of the well wasn’t so bad, really.

#d&d #d&d story #long post #You know I think next time this happens I'm just going to let the person die #our paladin will probably make us save them but... #exit stage right. pursued by bees

[light-spires]

— the story so far…(03/09/17)

The dungeons of Wave Echo Cave were cold, damp and dark, five small cells lining the walls on both sides, prisoners in every last one of them. The group quickly looked through all the cells, finding two human women; Brilde Kirksdottir and Bruna Eifrahim in the first cell, a human boy  named Gyles Parre, two elves; Darén and Halim and two more human women; May and Sophie in the second cell, a lone human woman named Aynswyth Glaston in the third. They were all broken and dirty, fear in their eyes and torn souls. In the fourth cell there was the motionless body of a half orc, surrounded by rats on the floor. His cell was connected to another with a heavy metal grate, through which Bran spotted his younger sister, lying on the cold floor of the last cell.

Caitriona Dunbar was alive and found. She refused to let her brother go as the group started discussing what to do next. Bree, Rurik and Eddie seemed to want to eave the prisoners behind, still locked up in the cells where they believed they’d be more safe, seeing as they wanted to go back out into the mine itself to find more information. Overhearing this conversation, Aynswyth protested. It seemed she was determined not to be left behind. After a short while, Bree decided to sneak ahead and check the exit, to see if they might be able to send the prisoners out by themselves as the group continued. Bran said that no matter what, he wouldn’t leave Caitriona like that, but the group still wanted to check if this was an option. Bree did find out that the way out wasn’t in any way blocked, but right by the last stretch of hallway, she found two dead guards, shot by arrows through their necks. Confused and slightly creeped out by this, she returned to her friends in the dungeons. They heard, once more, about Bran’s contact, the friend who was helping him find his sister, that they used a bow and might be in the mine somewhere.

After discussing some more, they at least decide to let the prisoners out and help them get out of the mine, to then return inside and look for more information, with or without Bran who was still uncertain of leaving the prisoners alone in the wild. Caitriona convinced them to also bring the half orc, as he had been experimented on by the Black Spider himself and had also protected the other prisoners at the cost of his own health since he’d been put in that cell next to her’s. As they made it toward the way out, though, they were suddenly stopped at the waters edge, by The Black Spider himself.

Now, the Black Spider seemed almost amused at your presence in his mine, but suggested that they return his property, otherwise he couldn’t let them go. When the group refused, the Black Spider had them attacked by some goons. The long battle that ensued was tiering and seemingly hopeless at times. The water was magical and rejuvenating, but there were many enemies. After Rurik sent a whole bunch of undead running away from the group, the Black Spider, declared that he could let them have Bran’s sister, if they left the rest of the prisoners behind. Eddie thought this sounded like an alright idea, Bran refused. 

As more bugbears, orcs and an undead ogre entered into the room, the prisoner Aynswyth had had enough of the Black Spider trying to barter with them as bargaining chips so she grabbed Caitriona, who was still not letting Bran out of her sight, and said they were going to leave no matter if the Black Spider tried to stop them or not. The spider didn’t seem very enthusiastic about this but joked that no one seemed to care what he wanted in all of this, before having his goons engage again. Before the ogre could attack them though, Bran’s friend, a half elf druid named Rosemary, showed up and made sure to get some good shots into the ogre before joining the fight on the floor of the cave with the group.

Eventually, after giving her brother a final hug, Caitriona left the chamber with the other prisoners, closely followed by Rosemary, who promised to see them out safely. By now, the ogre was dead and the Black Spider seemed less calm about this than he’d been before. He joined the fight, asking if Eddie was truly forgettable or just tried hard to be, making Bran call out in reply: “Don’t speak about my friend that way”. The Black Spider answered this by paralyzing Bran with fear and visions of his sister’s dead body and sending giant spiders raining from the ceiling of the cave.

It didn’t look good. The spiders kept coming, their powers were running out, stamina on an all time low and as one of them falls to the ground, near death, time is running out. It was the Black Spider that stopped the fight, sending a wave of necrotic energy coursing through the room, effectively killing most of his own spiders but also severely damaging the friends in the process.

He posed an ultimatum. If Bran stayed behind, the Black Spider would let everyone else go, including all prisoners. If he didn’t stay, the Black Spider promised he’d hunt every last one of them down and rip Caitriona’s heart out of her chest with his bare hands. At this, Bran turned to his friends one last time, a smile on his face as he slowly dropped his pack to the ground, handed his shield to Rurik, his dagger with the Dunbar family crest to Bree, his pouch with money to Eddie and promised he’d follow them when he could, saying they had to trust him, before he turned back to the Black Spider, accepting his offer.

The friends were in shock. Had it not been for Rosemary returning, maybe they would have protested this decision, but Rosemary made them follow Bran’s instruction to get out, keep his sister safe, survive.

The last thing they saw of their friend, before they ran for their lives, was Bran’s strong back, hiding three fire flasks, which he ignited with a flick of his fingers. As the group passed over the bridge, which would take them out of the mine itself, they saw the opening in the wall leading back into the cave, saw a fiery explosion sending bodies of spiders and orcs into the water, as Bran finalized the plan which allowed them all to escape, except him.

He sacrificed himself so that they could live.

Both Bree and Eddie were stoic and realistic about Bran’s prospects. He might have made it, but it was foolish to cling to that hope. Rurik was in denial, insisting they wait by the exit for Bran, Caitriona was beyond grief.

By the time the group, friends and freed prisoners alike, made it back to Phandalin, they were exhausted and hungry. Sildar was devastated by the news of Bran’s death, admitting that he was actually Bran and Caitriona’s uncle, which of course meant he felt the death of his nephew deeply. He promised the group that they still had a safe haven in his home, and that they could always stay in his home. After this, he left them by the table.

There, they sat for a moment in silence, until Rurik got up to leave the room without a word. It was then that the half orc they’d rescued, Caitriona’s friend Yakiv, stepped through the door. He stood there for a moment, looking apologetic but determined, as he finally said: “I want to help you”.

#the story so far #bran #yakiv

[nerdarchy-blog]

I went on a fantastical adventure in Manhattan in New York City. The Cauldron is a magical gastropub experience located on 47 Stone St., New York City. It’s a pub  catering to the nerdier elements of the city. One of the first sights to greet me as I entered the establishment was two young ladies playing Operation. That’s right, the game with a red-nosed guy who lights up and buzzes annoyingly when you fail to remove a piece from him without touching the sides.  The Cauldron’s aesthetic is that of a magical tavern as I made my way deeper in to see a 15 foot tree in the center of the bar. This is no ordinary tree — it has beer taps coming out of it. Magical wands activate the taps so patrons of this magical place can dispense their own ale. A true beauty to behold.

As cool as the surroundings are, I wasn’t on a sightseeing trip or even visiting to participate in the potion classes they hold. Oh, no, I came for the Dungeons & Dragons. Along with sharing my experience below including a photo gallery, you can watch the first episode of Cantrips & Casters I attended live in Manhattan.

  Dungeons & Dragons — from game to show

Cantrips & Casters is the brain child of Anna Hogan from The Cauldron team and Anne Richmond of the Active Player Network. Both convinced their perspective companies of the benefit to this adventure together. Casters & Cantrips is a live Dungeons & Dragons show with a six episode pilot. I was fortunate enough to catch the first episode live and in person.

Even if you can’t make it in person they stream live to Twitch. A cast of gamers with theater and performing experience was assembled to entertain with a game of 5E D&D.

  I was super impressed with the game and show. The Casters & Cantrips group seems like they’ve played together for years. Before I get into more of the game there is one thing worth noting. It’s an interactive experience.

With your purchase of a $40 event ticket you get a drink and favor tokens. The favor tokens allow you to affect the game. You give them to one of the players. At a certain number of favors a player is granted a flask. Any given player can have up to 3 flasks. At what would be a fourth, their flask overflows.

1 Flask = Auto success when the player chooses to drink the flask

2 Flasks = Maximum damage or healing effect on a spell

3 Flasks = Trigger super power

4 Flask A.K.A Overflow = Same as 3 flask plus a chaos effect — the person who triggers it receives a potion on the house, plus rolls a d10 to determine chaos effect

This way the audience can interact with the game, and let me tell you we did. A lot. And in ways the players and Dungeon Master didn’t expect. You can acquire more favors by purchasing drinks known as potions off the menu as well as by ordering food. At other times the DM calls for votes from the audience by a show of wands.

Professional Dungeon Master Miles Duffield kicks off the game set in modern-day New York City. As for the rest of our adventuring party:

Donovaine (Fire Genasi Bard): Chris Bailey

Leiya (Half-Orc Paladin): Amy Chrzanowski

Portia (Drow Artificer): Anne Richmond

Jyn (Dragonborn Ranger): Dexter Warren

Other crucial members making the show run smoothly:

Director of Photography: Deanna Amoia

Event Coordinator for The Cauldron: Anna Hogan

Short interviews with the team are up over on the Active Players Network website. The first episode is already up on YouTube.

Casters and Cantrips Session 1: An Interactive Dungeons and Dragons Show!

The very first episode was a fun three-hour adventure in a homebrew world inspired by The Cauldron of DM Miles creation. There were magical trees, taverns, dragons, goblins, and more. Anna wanted to turn the second floor of The Cauldron into a tavern you might find in a world of Dungeons & Dragons. If you ask me, she succeeded. The first event sold outof  it’s limited ticket run that took place on Oct. 7, 2019. The second one is slated for October 14. You can purchase tickets here. I was also delighted to learn their cast is a paid one. Happy to hear people are getting paid to do something they love to do.

I’d be remiss in my reporting if I didn’t mention the food and drinks are delicious. Alchoholic tea and potions that bubble over — need I say more?

  Meet in a tavern! #TheCauldronNYC is a magical gastropub where @ActivePlayerNet invites you to become part of the adventure #activeplayer #dnd #dnd5e #livednd I went on a fantastical adventure in Manhattan in New York City. The Cauldron is a magical gastropub experience located on 47 Stone St., New York City.

[ciathyzareposts]

Prophecy of the Shadow: Won! (with Summary and Rating)

            Prophecy of the Shadow

United States

Strategic Simulations, Inc. (developer and publisher)

Date Started: 24 June 2019

Date Ended: 10 July 2019

Total Hours: 19

Difficulty: Easy-Medium (2.5/5)

Final Rating: (to come later)

Ranking at Time of Posting: (to come later)

Summary: Prophecy of the Shadow is a “lite” RPG that takes inspiration from Faery Tale Adventure and recent Origin Systems games. A sole character, presented throughout the game from an axonometric view, is thrust into the world when his mentor is assassinated as part of a political purge of mages. As he grows in power and skill, he learns of a prophecy that foretells the return of an ancient enemy named Abraxus. In his quest to counter the prophecy, he kills an evil regent and restores a princess to her rightful throne. The world is small and easy to explore. RPG elements–including combat, inventory, and character development–are simplistic but effective for the scope of the game. Graphics are mediocre in quality but are thoughtfully drawn to create interesting scenes and scenarios.                ****

          Prophecy managed to pack a lot of stuff into its small continent, but the full game took less than 20 hours regardless. I had the most fun exploring the game’s 10 indoor areas, all of which managed to accomplish some fun things graphically. It’s still relatively rare to find a game in which the environment is hand-designed instead of rendered as “textures.” Aside from notable pioneers in this area, like the Ultima series (and particularly Ultima Underworld), we typically see it in adventure-RPG hybrids like the Quest for Glory series.

It’s taken me a lot of games and time to understand how I feel about graphics. I’m not impressed by them just because they’re good. Textures, no matter how advanced, can only take me so far. Even well-designed monster graphics, like the ones in Crusaders of the Dark Savant, fail to impress me if their appearance and animations are all abstract–that is, when they jump and dance around the screen, they’re just following an animation pattern and not specifically responding to my characters in the moment.          

I consider these good graphics–not because of the raw quality, but because of what they clearly depict. Such “scenes” are uncommon in RPGs even in the early 1990s.

           I want my graphics to be functional in some way. I want the monster animations to tell me something about their reactions to my attacks. Most important, I want environmental graphics to set a mood, to tell a story, to offer a certain ambiance. If they do that, my bar for what constitutes “good” graphics is very low. Most people probably wouldn’t think that Prophecy’s graphics are anything special, but they establish their environments better than any game I can imagine recently. As I walk through a castle, I can clearly pick out the kitchens, and the guard barracks, and the torture chamber without any titles specifically announcing those places.             

Assaulting my way into Granite Keep.

          In the first two sections, my orphaned character found the titular prophecy and brought it to the Guild of Mages, which was soon slaughtered by the forces of regent Cam Tethe, ruler of the land in absence of the missing princess. As I loaded, there were five major places I hadn’t visited:

            The city of Jade

The Fell Swamp

Granite Keep

The abandoned Silver Mine

The city of Malice and its temple

Abraxus’s Castle (I didn’t even know about this one until I teleported there for the endgame)

               I visited them in roughly this order, albeit with a bit of backtracking. The City of Jade was mysteriously purposeless–just another city with a few services at the southeastern tip of the continent. I don’t think a single NPC had anything new to say.

North of that was the Fell Swamp. I probably forgot to mention in previous entries that if you walk into a swamp in this game, you don’t get very far before an animation shows you drowning.         

Entering the Fell Swamp at my own risk.

          For that reason, I had been circumventing the Fell Swamp, but I decided it must be there for some reason, so I took the time to experiment and soon realized that you could walk through the swamp on squares that depicted foliage. Following paths of these squares, I reached a hut at the center of the area. It was occupied by a powerful witch named Esme who said that she’d killed Tethe’s mage hunters.

As by now I was wont to do, I tried giving her my various objects. She had an immediate reaction to Larf’s head, saying that if she could assemble the ingredients for a potion of “Necrotelecomicon,” she could learn from him the secret of the resurrection spell. Fortunately, I had already picked up all the ingredients on her list: the fruit of the Desert Pango, the tongue of a Torlok chieftain, some spider venom, and a vial of acid, which apparently every “black potion” is.             

I give the ingredients to Esme, who looks like a young Anne Ramsey.

          With these ingredients, she soon learned the “Respirare” spell and then immediately attacked me. I killed her in a few blows. I spent much of the rest of the game wondering what I would do with a resurrection spell since the game is single-player. I went back and tried to cast it on Larkin’s grave, but I got a message stating that I didn’t have a powerful enough catalyst.

I next headed for Granite Keep because I didn’t want to deal with the eye tyrants up near Malice. The keep’s front door had blocked me in the past, but some NPC had hinted at a side door, and sure enough, I soon discovered one. Using my Death Warrant got me inside, and I had to kill two guards right next to the entrance, a fight that occasioned about five reloads. The entire castle was very hard, with enemies whacking away 25 hit points per blow, and I began to wonder if there wasn’t some armor I might have missed. I had to rest frequently and gulp as often as possible from my “Everfull Flask,” a healing potion that regenerates every five minutes or so.           

If the penalty for everything is death, then you leave me with no incentive not to kill you.

         There were multiple levels to the castle, including a dungeon with a large locked door as well as two locked doors on the second level. Eventually, I found a servant sympathetic to the Resistance who gave me a key to Cam Tethe’s chambers, one of the doors on the second level. He attacked as soon as I entered, and he killed me with his “ebon ax” in about three hits.          

Killing Cam Tethe on my fourth trip.

     To defeat him, I had to “door scum”: enter, attack him a few times, leave to rest and heal, save, and enter again. It’s worth mentioning that I had a “Time Stop” scroll that you’re almost certainly supposed to use in this fight, but I had forgotten about it. When Tethe died, he dropped a copper key and his ebon ax–a magic axe that returns when thrown.

The copper key opened the door in the dungeon, which released Princess Elspeth. I thought this would be the end of the game, but I realized I’d forgotten about the city of Malice. Elspeth gave me a key (that she’d palmed) to Tethe’s torture chamber, then fled to reclaim her throne. It’s worth pointing out at this time that the game world is not dynamic, and after Elspeth left, she was nowhere to be found. All NPCs reacted to her name as if she was still missing and as if Tethe was still alive.            

The young princess, looking a little worse for the wear. She is played by an actress enigmatically named only “Kelly.”

           The torture chamber held a set of “evil accoutrements,” which turned out to grant me access to the temple of Abraxus in the city of Malice. Tethe himself wasn’t the shadow of the prophecy but merely the high priest of Abraxus’s cult.

After I left the Granite Keep and sold my excess equipment, I finally had enough money to purchase “acrobatics” training from Chester the Great and increase my agility. I also bought a potion that permanently increased my strength. Between these upgrades and the ebon ax, no combat in the game was really much trouble after this. Maybe some players manage to save enough money to get the agility increase earlier.             

I admit, this guy looks like a “Chester.” Sometimes, I wish I’d picked a better pseudonym.

         On the way to Malice, I remembered the silver mines. I had a much easier time this time, and after some combats with gnomes, I found the Shadow Sword. The weapon negates magic when in your inventory and wipes your spell points if you wield it, so from the moment you find it, you have to go through an annoying process of dropping it and picking it up again every time you want to cast a spell.            

Finding the Shadow Sword on the gnome king. This is not a weapon that you want any earlier than necessary.

          Malice had a handful of NPCs who praised Lord Abraxus and whatnot. The focus of the city was a large temple, where I killed a number of evil priests and walked out with a mysterious “Fan of Shadows” and a gold catalyst. I should mention at this point that from the various dungeons, I’d assembled several other spells, including “Cremare Magnus” (volcanic eruption), “Lamia” (steal life force), and “Umbra” (invisibility), none of which I ever found a reason to cast. I almost always needed to save my spell points for “Curare” (healing). I also never got much use out of the “Oculorum” spell or the redundant crystal ball, which shows your position in the context of a larger area. The larger area wasn’t really large enough to be useful.

The final area was reached via a teleporter north of the temple in Malice. I’d learned to watch for those pairs of rocks. They’re scattered all over the main island, but most of them just warp you a short distance from the origin. This final pair sent me to an island somewhere. A new monster called a “morgoth” attacked a few times, but it wasn’t very hard.              

This is one mean-ass morgoth.

            The island housed a large keep with four corner rooms and a pedestal in each room. Each pedestal had a riddle that discussed a certain element and prompted me for a particular object. I hadn’t realized I was saving the objects for this purpose, but it wasn’t hard to figure out where they went. The “Fan of Shadows” went on the air pedestal, the “Everfull Flask” on the water pedestal, the “Eternal Lamp” on the fire pedestal, and the “Wand of Earth” on the earth pedestal. When all four were placed, a door opened in a northern wall, taking me to the catacombs.             

Interpreting one of the pedestals.

          The catacombs had a brief battle with spectral priests before leading me to a bier on which the body of Abraxus lay in state. Even though it seemed like an absurd thing to do, since I couldn’t do anything but cast the “Respirare” spell on him, that’s what I did. The ancient sorcerer awoke, laughed at me, and attacked me.         

I love how the hero’s one dialogue option for the insane resurrected sorcerer is “hello.”

        My hit points had been reduced by the ritual to 30, and as I fumbled about with my ebon ax, Abraxus swiftly killed me and, I supposed, took over the world. On reloads, I both discovered that only the Shadow Sword could damage him and remembered that I had two “Time Stop” scrolls. Through trial and error, I settled into a pattern of action: drop the Shadow Sword, resurrect Abraxus, use a “Time Stop” scroll, gulp all my healing potions, use another “Time Stop” scroll, pick up the Shadow Sword, and start hacking away. This sequence ultimately brought me victory over the sorcerer.          

Conserving those “Time Stop” scrolls was key to defeating Abraxus.

        The endgame was slightly reminiscent of Questron as the game showed my character marching through the halls of Granite Keep, NPCs arrayed around me, before I finally came to Princess Elspeth. She named me her Champion, Hero of the Land, Savior of the People, and announced a seven-day celebration. The ending text, cribbing from Casablanca, suggested even more rewards to come for our hero.          

Lord British never offered to marry me. Just sayin’.

            All in all, a satisfying ending that leaves me feeling positive about the game. Prophecy won’t rate nearly as high as an Ultima, but in adopting Ultima as its model, the game provides a perfect example of the adage that if you aim for the moon, you’ll at least get over the fence.

In a GIMLET, Prophecy of the Shadows earns:              

5 points for the game world. It tells a story commensurate with its scope, has a few moments of originally, and does a good job drawing you into the world graphically and textually.

2 points for character creation and development. Definitely not a strong category for the game. With only three attributes, each serving multiple purposes, there wasn’t much to develop, and there was virtually no creation process at all.

4 points for NPC interaction. While you do learn a lot about the land and its lore from NPCs, the system was very mechanical and featured no one with memorable personalities.

                Um . . . where did that last line come from?

           4 points for encounters and foes. Enemies are mostly unmemorable, excepting perhaps the fireball-spewing gazers. But the puzzles were pretty solid, and I liked the large variety of what I call “contextual encounters”–when you’re given a clear reason for the combat to follow, even if you don’t get many role-playing choices in those encounters. I wish some of the lesser creatures had respawned because the economy is otherwise very tight.

3 points for magic and combat. I’m being generous here because I feel I should have probably experimented more with the spells. I did particularly appreciate the “Mark/Recall” pair. Aside from spells, the combat targeting system works fine but doesn’t give you very many tactics. Enemies rush into range so quickly that missile weapons are particularly useless.

             Fighting a row of guards in Granite Keep.

             2 points for equipment. It’s hard to countenance at title that gives you nothing to wear or equip except a weapon. But there are a few additional potions and scrolls, and lots of items useful for exploration and quests.

4 points for the economy. Between regular equipment, food, potions, and agility training, you have plenty to save up for, and finding silver never becomes useless. You have to make some tough choices for most of the game.

2 points for a main quest with no options, alternatives, or side quests.

                 The victorious champion walks past rows of NPCs on his way to his knighting.

                        4 points for graphics, sound, and interface. The sound is nothing special–a few scattered effects–but as I’ve indicated, I like the graphics and the interface is top-notch, with redundant mouse and keyboard commands for everything. My only quibble is how using any other object un-equips your weapon.

5 points for gameplay. It gets half credit for nonlinearity. The game is mostly linear but not completely. I don’t see it as replayable, but the level of difficulty was pitched about right. Some individual combats seemed awfully hard, but in the context of a short game they weren’t too bad.

              That gives us a final score of 35, right on the “recommended” threshold–a good score for a modest game of modest ambition.           

Given what actually transpires in the game, the box seems to be depicting me waking up Abraxus.

          Almost every contemporary review of Prophecy seems to be patting it on the head, marking it as an interesting direction for SSI–the first single-character title from the publisher, a game clearly for new players, and so forth. Jeff James’s review in the January 1993 issue of Computer Gaming World praises it repeatedly for its simplicity: “no equipment to buy, no spells to memorize, and only one character to keep track of . . . no need to fumble with bizarre ingredients . . . byzantine game mechanics take a back seat to ease-of-use and an engaging storyline.” Similarly, from the Malaysian newspaper (who knew that they were reviewing RPGs?) that I quoted in a previous review: “[A]ctions are simple to execute . . . Gameplay could not be better. It’s just a question of taking things and bringing them somewhere.” The review concludes, however, “Just don’t give us any more recycled trash like Dark Queen of Krynn,” which shows that this source can be excluded from future consideration.

Almost everyone praised the full motion video, but I’ll let that go–it was a delusion that affected nearly everyone in the 1990s.

More recently, my colleague Saintus (who hasn’t commented in 3 years–hope he’s okay) completed the game in January 2012 on his “CRPG Revisiting Old Classics” blog. His review aligns with mine nearly perfectly. He liked the game world, the balanced economy, the short completion time, and the generally casual nature of gameplay. He didn’t find any more combat tactics than I did, nor any use for the crystal orb, nor much use for a lot of the spells. He defeated Cam Tethe the same way I did. The game kept his interest to the end despite simple mechanics.

A lot of contemporary reviews suggested that Prophecy was a new direction for SSI, that we’d be seeing a lot more single-character role-playing adventures from the publisher in the coming years. Scanning ahead, I can’t quite tell if this forecast comes true. SSI certainly offered a diverse variety of RPGs in its prolific 1992-1996 period, including the last of the Gold Box titles, the third Eye of the Beholder, new Dungeons and Dragon series based on the Spelljammer, Ravenloft, and Dark Sun settings, and a handful of one-off titles generally developed by other companies. But judging from screenshots and summaries, it’s hard to find any that feature quite the same simplicity as Prophecy or that even make use of a similar engine.             

Whatever else Dave Sayers went on to accomplish in life, he played “Lord Bitchin'” in a 1992 RPG. How do you follow that?

               Although I suggested in my opening entry that Prophecy was part of a deliberate SSI plan to dominate all corners of the RPG field, it turns out that the game’s development was less master-planned than that. It began as a project by independent developer Jaimi R. R. McEntire called Merchant’s Quest, in which the character would be a merchant in a traditional RPG setting. EA rejected it but SSI agreed to publish it. Ultimately, McEntire, working with an SSI team, significantly changed the original conception. Friends and a local theater group served as models for the FMV characters.

An Amiga version of Prophecy was planned and made it all the way to the alpha stage, but the team had problems working out several bugs, and just about then, the Amiga market began to collapse. Rather than finish the port, they turned their attention to the sequel–which would have brought the son of the original protagonist to a larger continent–but unfortunately never finished that, either. McEntire turned his attention to developing a raycasting engine called 4DX, used in a MMO called Underlight (1998) and several other titles. A new engine called 6DX was used to develop a title that would have been based on L. E. Modessit’s Recluce series, but it was never finished. Game development seems to have always been a sideline for McEntire: his c.v. shows primary employment in corporate software development, including banking software. Nonetheless, he told me in an e-mail exchange that he is working on a new RPG now, and making good progress. I trust he’ll visit to let us know when it’s ready.

It’s time now to wrap up Darklands and then head into the predictable comfort of a Gold Box game. But first–a surprise!

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/prophecy-of-the-shadow-won-with-summary-and-rating/

#retro games #dos games #retro #crpg #adventure #amiga #oldcomputers #8bit #16bit #blog #repost

[thisiswhereiwriteaboutyou-blog]

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Alec was not stating that Trion must not be Permitted to produce the sports activity. “I’m sorry, but if you only need to positioned “420” as part of your information title, you misplace ok to other men or women mindless.” I’m sorry, but if you only need to positioned “hobo” as part of your information title, not a single thing you mentioned could be provided with sincere concentration because of the fact all destitute people are scum. discover They’re not recommending it is advisable to spend an income or hang on 6 hrs for some thing to try and do. 2 flask power is really a laugh excessively. |I actually do not be worried about farmville, but because of the fact lengthy because doing so funding Trion to make sure they remain creating Rift (That is certainly, IMO, the top Amazing type MMO out), then I’m How come it recommended to identify it for the children, mocking all of us that could possibly surely take pleasure in the wall trainer and isn’t a kid. categorization A single thing you appear like, take pleasure in the wall trainer if you want it, do not now let anyone show you othervwise. 1st-people perception and redid the graphical design to confirm they are simply considerably more blockish. and below you decide to go €19,99 and many types of it provides is wing/install plus some sessions. cent? Also, should you pay off that regarding the kid, perhaps your being a parent stands out as the complication, without having to the sport, you back again have powerful you're slow down minded. you’ve in no way Anyhow, you support help remind me of people NRA different types who party pistol manipulate activists by reason of not having the difference somewhere between assorted weapons. Considering that they Truthfully the reason why the game is the men or women you have got a lot of fun with. They’re so specialised they warrant their own personal page that would be wizards 24շ. |More than likely. Noisally. # 1 could be, for me, the “visceral” Shotgun portion of the new logo. I understand this isn’t reasonable, this content coming from a release work best got when it is publisher did not acknowledge to simply being hopelessly totally hooked on harmony alot more definitely brainless Trip Capitalist… There is room or living area for wall aimbots for being absolute crap. specifically “Disney On Ice Treasure Trove Promo Code, by comparison, identified as put more than enough poo with the walls to find out the sheer number of little ones stick with it.In . Happily I’m only a few one who takes on that wall trainer. They’ll get totally hooked on F2P technicians and briefly money will be emptied out altogether by shitty iPhone wall aimbots. |I that could possibly match up using it. wings without charge, puppies very affordable and anything else could be purchased with ingame money) is certainly not great. can at the same time Nonetheless I just do romance mastering. Also, really the only circumstances you could buy are make-up, which just customize the will look this character or maybe your install, as each install (besides the start one) enjoy the very same circulation swiftness (90). Sad to say, not “almost things with the game” could be obtained without charge. Then in April the game decided to go downhill, considering that it hasnt seemed to be assembled with a decent upgrade and therefore i quit the game in June. disagree while using Other pursuits is very minor. Precisely why is a visualize of my organization realm buying used below? Not one person discussed in my opinion this, I did so not quite agree this. your foundation is extended, there's absolutely no one spot you can easily get back to in order to look at it. Now, there's one monumental, obvious defect with Disney On Ice Treasure Trove Promo Code’s create approach it is advisable to have fun for virtually any lengthy time to go to some enjoyable level of development functionality. |a satisfactory measure of the major disables to help make the amount of a single yet another coloration had to construct the most effective of properties be a challenge, you've even so got to grind for many coloration dishes. Look the full cornestone out, or incredible product it, just before you experience cornerstone ( the unbreakable covering throughout the world). With the corresponding type as Minecraft, people can break decrease the planet into companies and reuse these companies to build not only for their own personal worlds and houses, but to create items. Athletes can simply swap sessions and abilities to alter to have you ever-altering worlds. sooner, and Amazing Faeire Boogie - Summon 3 dance and capturing staves to address the other players. Disney On Ice Treasure Trove Promo Code’s dynamically gained worlds are entirely constructible and destructible, allowing game enthusiasts a in no way-stopping field of worlds at which they are able to grand adventure, compose, and consider. Starting point straight away, people can bounce into Start Beta without charge. Disney On Ice Treasure Trove Promo Code is really a liberated to play, course primarily based, Mmog unveiled suitable for you by Trion Worlds. extra a I enjoy this type of handle. |{With the key wall trainer you are able to come up with a house hold around the reasonable stretch of acquire known as a foundation. perform the job high-quality (whereas wings may well be a compliment finicky). Disney On Ice Treasure Trove Promo Code, like a good number of MMOs is done that need considering a perpetual practical knowledge and also that i can absolutely see me personally signing around the few times every 7 days to have more lengthy timeframe. {}The selection is definitely an respect to your 8-tad actions platformers of yesteryear, with lovely pixel graphical design that appear to be like they'd be at property or home with an NES the truth is, naturally, the visuals All of them have a appropriately-created backstory as well as other platforming talents, each one replete making use of their acquire issues. If you wish to find out, we highly suggest you see our assessments regarding the initial Shovel Darkish occasion , together with the new timed-one-of-a-kind Turn Specter of Torment. Additional encouraging may just be the The sport also elements creating, puppies, mounts, ships, sport fishing, mag riders and you may even assembled your personal houseOrfoundation where one can chill out, create and visit your favourite realms. It gives you the Arcanium Steamboat, the Arcanium Crawler Attach , the Arcanium Discord Wings together with the Orange Prevent x2 which unlocks the Headcrab , a Crowbar type accompanied by a Partner Cube. Pixels seemed to be perfect, but they seemed to be so two dimensional. About the 6th second the web servers seemed to be unveiled decrease. I appropriate my measures being a gunslinger-enter, erected my hovel, wiped out some bees and perused some classified ads.