State of the Village

[beastlyroses]

Here are various bits and pieces of information that characters might be able to pick up from the villagers. Please note that characters will have to ask around and listen to conversations between villagers to gain this information, and that feasibly no one character should automatically be aware of everything on this list.

Recent changes are bolded.

Villager Approval: 50% (-12)
Village Construction Status: 35% (-30)

Jump to section:
Astor
The Glass Forest
Traders
Goblins
The Rat Kingdom
Draco Mountains
Levon



Astor
- The country is called Loria. It is an island nation that no one has been able to enter or leave for ‘many decades’.

- The village is called Astor. It has a population of approximately 400 people, and appears to be entirely self-sufficient.

- The generally accepted length of time the coffins have been around is about fifty years. There doesn’t seem to be anyone with a memory of the time before the coffins.

- Characters receive this post in their inbox in the village center. Because of this, the majority of villagers have decided to place the blame for the curse on either the Queen or the Princess, although a few stalwarts think it's the Fox. Since the Crackatook event, certain elements have begun questioning the legitimacy of the information. This is due to rising discontent with Mitch, and also suspicion and hatred towards Fox - surely he's the one responsible for this?

- After the village Council and Guard being formed, more and more villagers are starting to recognise that not only do they need to start looking after themselves here, they're also capable of it. Therese Goodman is the councilperson in charge of the Guard.

- Much of the Guard was decimated in the recent dragon attacks, but their numbers are building up fast as more and more villagers want to get involved in the defence of their village.

- Therese Goodman is experiencing a surge in popularity. After being the leader of a small but vocal minority, it seems that the idea of Astorians for Astorians (and only Astorians) is spreading. Consequently, attitudes towards the Heroes are cooling off

- The Guard will now intervene in altercations. They're willing to smash heads (literally!) if necessary. Please respond to this post if you want to have a run in with the Guard! This now includes altercations with goblins, now that the treaty has been signed

- While people once used to defer to the opinions of the business owners in town, the formation of a Council has created a new central authority that, for the time being, most villagers seem to be deferring to. However, Brad Mekor the Baker seems to have turned his bitterness from the heroes for not saving his son on his fellow villagers and the Council, angry at not being given a seat and finding his influence much lessened. As Therese Goodman is busy with Council business now, he is starting to puck up a few of her followers.

- Brad Mekor has been found dead. The Guard has investigated and found no evidence of foul play. He is survived by his wife, and his apprentice. The former will be taking over the business, but none of his collection of followers seem to be willing to step up to take his political position.

- The old woman who gives characters the mirrors is Grandma, an old woman who lives on the edge of the village and sometimes sells helpful potions and other artifacts. Villagers will agree that she’s the only person alive who could have any clear memory of what happened before the player characters showed up. However, upon visiting her cottage, no one seems to be home.

- Other towns do exist, and the capitol city Kerros is situated to the north east. The blacksmith has visited this place and actively warns against trying to reach it, but no other Astorians seem to have been there.

- Villagers who warned people to stay within Astorian boundaries were once regarded as kind and helpful, but are now starting to be considered by their fellows as timid and maybe a little tiresome.  A number of Astorians have teamed up with adventurer/traders to explore the mountains and the Glass Forest. They're willing to join up with player characters if people would like to go exploring, so reply to this post if you're interested in that!

- The man eating roses have gorged themselves on dragon meat and are now content to eat other forms of meat. They are also back up to full strength, and farmers will start to report that while the harvest is smaller than previous years, it should be enough.

- On a related note, alcohol is still scarce and expensive.

- Two members of the dead hunters families have decided to pick up where their loved ones left off, and forge into the forest. As such, the price of meat is a little cheaper than it was.

- The Council has decreed that any donations of food in particular (but other helpful objects as well) are to go to Sylvia the Innkeeper, who will be in charge of distributing them as necessary. While the odd helping hand here and there will be overlooked, anyone making a habit of giving food out for free will be fined. The reason given for this is that the village needs to be self-reliant, and while they obviously don't want people to starve, they also don't want people expecting that there will always be heroes to feed them in hard times.

- After the week of darkness, many people were ready to blame Mitch for a sudden evil having befallen them. There is now a patch of dead earth near the village where nothing will ever grow again, thanks to Mitch's attempts at protecting the roses. With Peeta and his mitigating influence gone, rumours about how the Witch has fallen to evil are starting to swirl again.

- This isn't helped by the fact that Red Kill (Mitch's river) is still running black. Comment below if you want to have a run in with Mitch!

- Thanks to the efforts of player characters, more traders than ever have started to return to the village with the break in the bad weather. However, no Lekkites have been seen since the surviving attackers from the dragon attack melted back into the mountains.

- Despite hostility toward Flavia and general fear of dragons, the villagers seem to accept the fact that there are now Dragon Riders in Loria again - especially since they all seem to be living in Astor. Claudia, Fenris, and even Reginald will be treated with equal amounts of awe, fear, and respect. Children especially are excited about this, as they would like to become Dragon Riders.

- The village is currently in a state of disarray with much of the houses destroyed or damaged in some way. There is talk of rebuilding in stone rather than wood, but no one has yet taken charge of this.

- Bandits have not yet clued in to the fact that the roses are better, and can be found hanging around the outskirts of the village. Loud screaming around the roses is beginning to be the norm.

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The Glass Forest
- Villagers seem to hold the Glass Forest in equal amounts of fear and awe, although more and more of them are starting to venture into its depths now. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets, and you are guaranteed at some point to stumble across something from the Bestiary. Encounters with less dangerous beasts are common occurrences, and no one should be able to get too deep into the forest without running across something more dangerous.

- There are rumours of a man who lives within the woods, who has watched the coffins as long as they have been there. Whether he was involved in magical calamity that caused the destruction of Loria is a hotly debated topic.

- The glass coffin containing the body of Prince Reginald Fairfax has been found and he has been awakened! He's a grumpy jerk though, and hasn't been willing to engage in much conversation yet. All in due time.

- The Fox once lived in a burrow somewhere in the forest, but it has since been emptied and abandoned. The Witch lives somewhere in the forest, in a cottage next to the river, Red Kill. It's rumoured to be a river of blood. The villagers don't ask. The Dragons live in the south, beyond Lake Inferior. No one has any information on where the Queen or the Princess are.

- Dwarf bones can be found scattered in some of the deeper areas. Many of them appear to be charred

- A few kids who were exploring the forest while playing "Hero" claim they saw a mermaid climb out of Lake Inferior walking on two feet instead of fins. Any male who asks about this will be told they're not allowed to investigate.

- The ents have disappeared back into the deep forest. It is still possible to find and speak to them, but it will be an arduous journey.

- There are a number of fairies floating around the forest at this time, too. Some are mischievous and will play pranks and harass people, while others might grant blessings, or boons. If you would like to have an encounter with a fairy, please reply to this post! The type of encounter will be determined randomly.

- Various villagers who evacuated can be found in here over the next few weeks. Some of them have just collapsed on the forest floor and appear to be in a deep sleep. Others have gained an uncontrollable urge to eat sweet things. A couple have stripped themselves bare and won't accept any offers of clothing unless it happens to be red. Three of them turned into bears. Bears that talk! But still bears. If your character encounters any of these villagers, please let us know in the comments!

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Traders
- Surprise at the existence of Astor has largely faded - many of the traders are returning to the village after winter. Most evacuated during the dragon attack, but have returned at least in the short time, in a hope to recoup their losses, to help out Astor, or simply to catch their breath before travelling on.

- Some expected to find a castle of some sort beyond the roses, with the Princess Tristana asleep inside. Most of the people who hold this belief consider themselves more adventurers than traders, and you might be able to get a few stories about fighting dragons and seducing sirens out of them. While many adventurers have held negative views towards Astor, this is view is changing as the village expands and the villagers become braver. They have taken a number of Astorians under their wings, and are the non-villagers who were involved in the taking down of the dragon to feed the roses over winter. They’re not afraid to start a few tavern brawls – or finish them. The majority of these people stayed in the village to help fight the dragons during Flavia's attack.

- The discovery of the prince's body in the Glass Forest has led to much crowing amongst the traders who believed he existed, and much grumbling amongst the Astorians (who did not) - and requests for stories. This has not noticeably changed now that Reginald is awake. It seems that the prince could not have been Tristana's brother, as Fairfax was a small principality on the mainland. It was either very poor, or very secretive. The prince was their finest warrior - no, the son of a Witch - no, a spy for Alexandra (it seems no one can agree on what the prince did, exactly).

- While the vast majority of the traders are wanderers, a couple of very pale men and women will speak of a city to the south, in the mountains. When pressed, they will reveal that the city is called Lekk, but are reluctant to speak of it beyond ‘in the mountains’. They’re happy to know where Astor is, but they aren’t willing to give away the location of their own home. These traders will speak almost reverently about dragons, treating them with a similar respect that the Astorians give to Mitch. Brawls between Lekkites and adventurers bragging about killing dragons (or anyone else doing so) are not uncommon. There has been a fall in the number of Lekkites in the village as winter sets in. They don't like the cold.

- The Lekkites took the side of the dragons during the attack, and the majority of them were wiped out in the process. However, a few goblins say that they saw Gailene Marquette fleeing back into the mountains.

- There was a mass exodus of traders from other villages over the winter, but people have started to return, particularly from the village of Levon. And it's not just traders - whole families are pouring into Astor. They bring with them dragon meat, and the news that three large dragons attacked Levon towards the end of winter. They were fought and killed by the sentient haystacks the guard the borders of the village, and knowing of Astor's troubles, a number of Levonese brought the meat to trade as a show of good faith. And also because they are hauling a strangely high number of young children with them and seeking shelter.

- There is a lot of ill will towards the Levonese due to their bringing dragon meat into the village. This, coupled with the news that thanks to Roy, the creature stealing their children has been captured, has resulted in a number of Levonese leaving Astor once they've got things sorted post dragon attack.

- Non-specific to any particular group is the knowledge that Kerros is definitely still functioning in the north-east. Very few traders have made it that far, and even fewer are willing to speak about it. The general sense of the capitol from the traders is that it’s a good place to get either very rich, or very poor, very quickly. Corruption is a word associated very closely with it, said either in a tone of disgust, or laughingly – of course the capital would be corrupted, what else would you expect in the world?

- While the above still holds true, a pair of richly dressed merchants (a man and a woman) have rolled into town with heavily fortified caravans. They are extremely derisive of Astor, and indeed...pretty much everyone, although they are extremely curious about Fox and the player characters, and will pay good coin to for information about either. They say jewellery which they claim is charmed for luck or fertility (or fertility-prevention), as well as weapons charmed to burn of freeze targets (as with all magic in Astor, the efficacy of these will vary) Despite their crappy attitude, they are constantly surrounded by curious villagers and traders; it would appear that they have come from Kerros. Numerous rumours have begun flying about the capitol city because of this - feel free to make up your own to have overheard or spread! If you would like information directly from the source, please reply to this post. The merchants disappeared the second they heard of the impending attack.

- Unlike the Astorians, the traders seem to have much firmer opinions about whether they would have supported the Princess or the Queen. Advocates of the Princess say that she was kind and cared about her people, and would have been willing to do anything for them, whereas the Queen was brutal and uncaring, and willing to do anything for power. Advocates for the Queen insist that she was an excellent administrator who would have taken the country into a new age, and that the Princess was young and flighty and should have known when to quit.

- Also unlike the Astorians, if asked about the Witches, the majority of traders will believe that they’ve been abandoned by those who are supposed to keep the balance. There’s little respect here for them, and a few spots of outright anger. It is notable that Astorians, while still likely to disagree, have stopped taking these arguments to the heights of physical violence. A couple even begrudgingly agree.

- Some of the traders have picked up on the stories of this 'Fox' character. One enterprising merchant has started to sell fox masks, but none of the Astorians will buy them. The adventurer traders seem quite fond of them however. More fox merchandise is starting to appear - fox hats and tails.

- No one seems to have known about the coffins in the Glass Forest, or who these supposed Heroes are until recently. Apparently the Astorians are the only ones who even venture near the place anymore, at least from amongst this new wave of people. While many traders cling to their own personal beliefs, some have started to question the 'heroes'. People may find themselves accosted about their hero-ing credentials, asked for stories from their homeland, or (in a few desperate cases) ask if they can find so and so's long lost sister or cousin or father.

- Ross Meer the toymaker has fled the village in the wake of the Cracktook event. Nothing further is known about him.

- While any number of the traders possess instruments, there is one woman whose only means of income appears to be a set of pipes. She plays the sweetest music you've ever heard, and has set up camp at the inn in exchange for room and board for the time being. If asked, she'll tell stories about her travels - the time she stole a golden goblet from the dragon Flavia, getting lost in the caverns around the city of Lekk and following the wind out, a few intimate encounters with the mermaids in Lake Inferior. The answer to how she got out of all these situations is a wink and a trill on her instrument. She goes simply by Piper. Piper is back in the village, and recently assisted the evacuees in fighting the rats in Arativ. It seems she can control them with her pipes.

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Goblins
- Are no longer tolling! While still mafia-like in their organisation (smuggling and controlled substances are experiencing a rise), they have signed and are honouring a peace treaty with the Council after the dragon attack.

- With the housing mostly gone, have reverted to canvas tent camps (although some of those tents look more like miniature palaces).

- On the condition that they be allowed a share of the housing, are offered to help people find resources and sell tools etc. for a lower rate when it comes to the rebuilding of the village.

- Are willing to trade a lot more opening now! If a number of the things they have for sale look suspiciously like they might have belonged to bandits at one point or another, maybe don't question it too closely. They also sell materials for forging weapons, and are charging Astorians and Heroes fair rates. Other traders are getting a little skinned though.

- They're still demanding the head of Captain Pissoff.



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The Rat Kingdom
- A previous post related to this area can be viewed in the Mirror archives.

- To the north of Astor is the burned husk of a village. Throughout the village, tiny trapdoors can be found, leading to an underground network of tunnels - the Rat Kingdom

- Rumours in the village say that the destroyed village was once the relatively prosperous town of Arativ. Player characters who were present, or who search through the Mirror archives, might recognise the name.

- In order to enter the Rat Kingdom, a potion needs to be obtained from Grandma, or size-changing mushrooms found in the forest. The former will cost money, but is more reliable - it's possible for the mushrooms to wear off while in the tunnels, although the severity of effects (from getting out in time, to getting stuck but being dug out or pushing through the dirt on their own, to being buried alive) is up to you as a player.

- The tunnels underneath are spread out at first, but grow more numerous and widen out into actual rooms the closer you get to the centre. It looks like tiny beings once lived there, but the most of the tunnels have been cleared out in a hurry. It's possible to loot the remains for scraps of gold and gems, which will grow in size if they remain on your person when you return to normal.

- The closer to the centre you get, the harder it becomes to breathe. There is an oppressive air about the rooms, and the sound of scratching and squeaks is loud.

- It's possible to run across large rats who will attack on sight, either with teeth and scratches, or tiny rapiers. The closer you get to the centre, there will be both more rats, and mutated rats - too large teeth, two heads, extra arms, that sort of things. If wounded by these rats, nausea and swelling will take hold of the victim, followed by unconsciousness if they don't exit the tunnels soon.

- There is a shard of the Magic Mirror in these tunnels that was not retrieved during the Mirror, Mirror, Everywhere quest.

- A number of rats were killed during the recent evacuation of Astor, leaving the population extremely depleted - but also more dangerous. Their mutations are getting worse.

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Draco Mountains

- An attempt has been made by villagers to visit Lekk! It failed miserably. Whenever a promising pass in the mountains is approached, two dragons will swoop in and block it unless other dragons, gryphons, or wyverns happen to be with the people in question. Although it is possible to bribe dragons with gold, these ones appear to be incorruptible.

- The northwest edge of the mountains near the Glass Forest holds the lair of a dragon that is clearly suffering from some kind of corruption or illness. There is a massive cave with a hoard of treasure in it set into a cliff behind it but getting close to this area will result in faintness and nausea. The closer you get to the dragon, the stronger the sensation becomes, but the dragon is also weak from its illness. If you want to sneak up the cliff to get to the hoard, talk to the dragon, or fight it, please reply to this post! It is possible to intentionally acquire a map to this place, which will make the journey easier, or accidentally stumble across it (the hard option).

- Somewhere in the heart of the mountains is a breeding ground, where young dragon hatchlings used to romp. They have since cleared out after the attack on Astor, but what other mysteries could be there? Maps to this place can be found on the bodies of dead Lekkites

- From the southern side of the mountains, you can see the ocean! Unfortunately, it's all sheer cliff face - no beaches or easy descent into the water. But at least it definitely exists?

- Somewhere within the mountains are resources such as limestone and slate. The river and its tributaries can be panned for gold. 

- If you choose to go up rather than through, you'll find the air getting thinner, and colder. The most notable find is giant nests, far too big for any bird. Stick around long enough, and you'll find that they're home to gryphons! Please reply to this post if you would like your character to have a gryphon encounter. Death is possible, but so is great reward.

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Levon
- Situated on the southern side of the mountains, Levon is a village backed onto the cliff and surrounded by stacks of hay that feed off gold. They are somewhat sentient, and will attempt to rip apart or strangle anyone not admitted to the village by someone born there. The previous camps that were here for this purpose have packed up, and you now have to be nice to whoever happens to be hanging around the hay bales to get in.

- The hacked apart carcasses of three dragons about fifty foot in length each are lying on the outskirts. It is still possible at this point to take scales, and bones from them - the Levonese won't stop anyone. The scales can be made into armour and shields, and the bone into weapons, although a blacksmith will have to be found for this purpose. Levon doesn't have one.

- Once a thriving village of about 800 people, the population has decreased sharply to about four hundred. There are less than fifty children present. However, villagers are starting to trickle back in.

- In the centre of the village is a creature surrounded by an armed guard, trapped under a small mountain of gold. All it really does is laugh whenever someone approaches it. When asked, the guard (or any villager) will tell you that the creature stole countless children and has not yet given up their location

- The headman has locked himself up in a room and refuses to open it. It's unknown how he's sustaining himself at this point, but he has a shard of the Magic Mirror. No one has tried to forcibly remove him for some reason yet, but his daughter has taken charge of the village and is currently attempting to get the location of the children out of the creature.


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Comments

[auditor]

HELLO IT'S ME AGAIN. i have questions... did brad makor show signs of illness or injury, or strange behavior, when claudia ordered flavia's cookies? if not, claudia would offer her protection to his widow because it sounds suspicious to her! (but she wouldn't kick up of a fuss or suggest as much to olivia bc she has no...proof...)

also, she would like to hear piper's story about flavia (and any more information of flavia she'd have), and she would like information from the kerros traders. what sort of information would they want about player characters that she could trade in return?

OK THANKS BYE sweats

[beastlyroses]

He would have seemed both stressed, and very excitable. The symptoms of his death are consistent with that of a heart attack. He was increasing his political activity at the time, and actively utilising his influence, a few followers amongst the villagers, and Heroes to try and get more people to follow him. In particular, he was aiming for the significant minority of people who look to Therese Goodman (the Herbalist) for guidance and leadership.

I WILL HAVE TO ANSWER YOUR OTHER QUESTIONS IN THE NEAR FUTURE but I wanted to answer the one i could for now. If you have any questions or lines of thoughts prompted by this, feel free to comment back!

[needlepricked]

/hand raised!

Okay, so how about them gryphons?

[beastlyroses]

OKAY so having spoken to Armin mun, the following options are for the both of you! Both characters can pick the same one, or different ones if you'd prefer.

Annie and Armin are up in the mountains when they come across a gryphon's nestled in some rocks. It's by no means a difficult approach to clamber across the terrain towards them at this point. There are three screeching gryphon babies in the nest right now, and no sign of their parents. Do they:

a) Approach and try to liberate one or more of the babies from the nest.
b) Approach and try to stroke/otherwise touch them
c) Approach and just sort of stare at the mutant babies
d) Stay where they are for the time being (please note if they try to communicate with the babies at all)
e) Run away /o/

[hijackedbread]

While Peeta would never actively try to participate in politics, he'll continue defending Brad - even to point of defending Brad's views and beliefs, so long as he doesn't outright disagree - to any villagers who ask or mention the former master baker. jk I just read your last reply. With recent happenings, he'll actually probably stop talking to the villagers much in general and not really offer any unsolicited opinions or even interact much beyond what politeness demands.

I'd love a fairy encounter for Peeta! He wanders around the forest a lot (not too deep).

Peeta will also seek out Gailene Marquette to talk to, wanting to know more about why the Lekkites have left.

[beastlyroses]

Honestly, that'll make Olivia a little warmer towards him. Not that she's ever been standoffish, but she'll slip him a little extra pay (unusual for her), and a few sweet treats here and there. The woman's pretty much lost everything, and the last thing she really wants right now is to get involved in village politics.

RNG says a negative encounter, sorry buddy! They'll fly around and tease him (pull on his hair and his ears and stuff) and then seemingly disappear. But when he gets home that night, all of his underwear and socks will have disappeared.

She'll seem a little despondent and set as far away from the Levonese encampments as possible. At first she won't respond, but sooner or later she'll tell him that it's because of the dragons. They're sacred to the Lekkites, have kept them safe all these long years. Most Lekkites consider that saving a village isn't worth killing even a drake who hasn't get gained sentience.

[greenridinghood]

That's a double request on gryphon encounters, by the way.


(You know you want Armin to invent airmail.)

[beastlyroses]

BEFORE WE GET BACK TO THIS, do you mean that Armin will be going with Annie to check out the griffins, or will they be going separately? That'll have an effect on the outcome.

[whalebone]

Ssssoooo someone namedropped Mitch in conversation with the Outsider, and now he's very, very interested in tracking down the dude for a conversation on magic in this stupid dimension. Is that perhaps a conversation that could be a thing.

[beastlyroses]

That it's totally a possibility! I'll toss up an open log with him in the coming week, if that works for you?

like 9000 things im so so sorry

[whalebone]

SITS UP STRAIGHT and raises hand all proper.

Walking Roses Kinda Update;
Noiz and the Outsider have more or less joined forces to keep wandering roses corralled as best they can considering they are, as Noiz-mun put it, The Worst F&#king Team Ever. Progress is slow but moderately effective, hopefully, although they're more inclined to actively respond to complaints than they are to show up and deal with things on their own. Right now we're saying they're handling the less grown specimens first, since less bitey possibilities, but they're both morons willing to take on more dedicated responsibilities if necessary.

At the moment they're taking fairly decent lengths to Not Hurt The Roses as they relocate them to more appropriate pastures, and the Outsider has taken to trying to bribe them with vermin cutlets although he does not consider himself part of the feeding/tending team.

Village Exterminator Update plus Possible Rat Kingdom Excursion?;
I'd like to note that the Outsider has been turning in his vermin bounties primarily in the form of rodent tails and pest-bird wings, since their actual meat and blood are useful to his various companions. He figures it's about as useful as the full body as far as tallying goes, after all. I may or may not be poking mods in the future, dependent on event stuff, about the Outsider going poking around the rat kingdom and perhaps dragging along his pseudo-tame scary pet rat for the adventure. BUT. I digress.

Third;
holy dang sign the Outsider up for a fairy encounter si vous plais he deserves it after being a dick to them on his tdm

[beastlyroses]

LMAO a+ dudes way to go. Sylvia the innkeeper will probably gives them a few free meals for helping out with that, and while she won't speak on behalf of the council, she will say that she's grateful for the assistance. The roses will show some moderate interest in the vermin, but their condition doesn't really improve from eating it. They will, however, bite the vermin over biting Noiz and the Outsider, so there's a plus?

Feel free to hit us up about rat kingdom stuff whenever! And people are cool with rat tail tallies, no one really has anything to do with vermin corpses except feed them to the roses anyway haha.

RNG says a positive encounter! Fairies are still kind of jerks at times though, so the Outsider is just going to walk around for a week being pelted with gold. Just. Getting smacked in the head with a sovereign or gold nugget or something at the most inopportune moments.

[auditor]

WOW THIS ASSHOLE AGAIN so how hard is it to find that sick dragon in the nwest mountain......

CLARIFICATION!!! without a map. is it possible to stumble onto the area, or is the poor drago hidden away and require a lot of looking?

[beastlyroses]

There are people who have been there! Topher and Armin, who iirc have maps, and there areother maps available, but yeah it would not be hard at all haha

[usagimodokidoki]

Because Noiz has SUCH a good track record with rich snooty couples who treat people like shit, I am going to go ahead and ask about that shit. Basically, say he was willing to give them information in bits and pieces for coin but also whatever they know about the places outside of astor, How would that go?

for the record, bits and pieces essentially means telling them SOME general information about things (e.g Coils are wrist computers and blah blah) but not specifics (how computers work and so on).

[beastlyroses]

They'd want information more specifically about things that relate to the player characters that are in the world now - while they might pay a pretty cheap price for general world information, what they really want to know is what people can do and how they do it. At the moment, the information he'd get back from them would be similar to what Claudia found out, namely:

'The information they'd give on Kerros seems conflicting at first, but it all paints a pretty grim picture overall. The traders will describe the Duke as 'great' and 'fair' and 'wow what an awesome ruler who really holds things together', but it'll be said with much snorting and literal eye-rolling. They'll add that some people in particular seem to appreciate him a great deal, though, so maybe it takes all kinds.

There's a whorehouse (their words) on every street and people get away with murder, but isn't the sea lovely, fellow trader person? Oh yes, gorgeous. Shame about that shithole Obok having the best access to all the fish, but at least they pay for it appropriately. Seriously, if you ever get the chance to visit, try the fish. They need to outsource for the grain though - a lot of foodstuff, actually. They imply that the land around Kerros isn't actually all that sustainable, and that people who would be able to supply the city with more food would be paid handsomely for their trouble.'

BUT if he can get them more specific information, they might let something more specific of their own slip, who knows. Or a big fat pay check, either or.

[ravenfeathers]

Sukaku is determined to make as complete a catalogue of plants as he can. At home, his people would know what grew anywhere nearby and how it could be used. I'm assuming he'd find some common plants that would be beneficial to healing and such, but are there other ones he might find? Any with magical properties?

. . . Any that would be good against dragons?

[beastlyroses]

There are mushrooms that will make a person grow larger or smaller, although the effects are unpredictable - if you want to know how long you're going to say small or big, better to ask Grandma for help. Rampion will promote extreme hair growth. There's a particular kind of purple flower that tastes like pork and will make a person feel like they've have a full meal if they eat a petal (it has no name). And extremely rare flower called the Wonderflower will yield a precious gemstone if you tug it up by the roots. A particular sort of mandrake, when dug up, will start to scream and howl, causing nausea, unconsciousness, and even death if it isn't shut up (which works around dragons! but also anyone else in the vicinity)

I hope that helps! As the game progresses we will probably add more plants that can be found (and create lore pages).

Sorry!!

[greenridinghood]

Since the mountains are being explored now seems like as good a time as any to ask-will characters be able to find adequate information about the missing children problem to try and help out? Or is this for future game plot? Is there any harm in asking around about this over the mirror if a character has been to the mountains and could have possibly gone as far as Levon?

...You know, for something to do after the dragons stop wrecking faces.

[beastlyroses]

It's not (currently, at least) part of a future plot! So ask as much as you like about it - the information in the post above can be found out fairly easily just by asking the villagers. Even if the creature is defeated (which I believe Roy is on his way to do), the children won't reappear, but characters will need to go to Levon itself in order to follow up on that thread.

sorry not sorry

[trulyfree]

So Fenris has been playing chase with Hawke's dog Champion through the streets of Astor every so often and causing general havoc whilst doing so...

I know that's kind of random, but I'm sure there are probably consequences for nearly breaking shit and running people down repeatedly while playing with a giant dog and continuing to do so without giving a real damn. Are there any counter measure that the villagers might take? Aside from yelling at them when they run by.

rude!!

[beastlyroses]

Haha mostly yelling, to be honest. he might find himself barred from a couple of businesses like the bakery or the blacksmith while he's got the dog with him, but so long as he's only nearly breaking stuff rather than actually wrecking things, people are mostly just going to curse at him and roll their eyes. It's possible that if the dog runs someone belligerent down, that villager might cause a punch up, but that's up to you!

/dogpiles in here

[hawkethat]

So the Dragon Age cast (that is, the players, not the characters) are in the market for some kind of largish, possibly haunted housing for our trio of losers. Are there any abandoned and/or run-down manor-type buildings floating around in the forest we might hijack for fun and profit? The fun will be ours; the profit will probably be someone else's.

ALSO in that vein, all of these alcoholic assholes are having a very difficult time adjusting to Life Without Liquor and would totally be down for figuring out how to make their own home-grown hooch. Probably out of potatoes or corn or apples or some horrible combination thereof. So while we're dreaming big, can we also have a magical potato garden / apple orchard / field of corn? As with all moonshine brewing, comical explosions are basically inevitable.

Re: /dogpiles in here

[beastlyroses]

HOLD THAT THOUGHT, because while there aren't any manors or anything in the general vicinity of the forest, there may be a Thing that can be Done here, I just need to discuss it with my fellow mods. It'd probably involve bandits and near death experiences, so right up their alley.

Man, find a clearing in the forest, especially near the wild man-eating roses that are in there, and go crazy. Like, there are actual farms, but tbh they don't really want to let the heroes near them at the moment.

[auditor]

quick q, how much of the village is made of wood?

[beastlyroses]

most of it :'D

like a few of the more important buildings like the inn/tavern will be made out of stone in the centre of the village, but for the most part, wood and thatching.

[hawkethat]

On Hawke's triumphant return to the village, he's going to be starkers because Fenris was a good friend and cremated him when he died...as you do. This is me operating under the assumption that he would have woken up in the clothes he was wearing when he died. Since those clothes are gone, everybody gets a free show. :'D

So! I was wondering:

He'll be heading back to the inn for his spare clothes. I realize the inn is now stuffed to the rafters with homeless villagers, so the room he was using has undoubtedly been re-purposed to that effect. Will Sylvia have held on to his spare clothes (which was literally a pair of trousers, two linen shirts, and a jacket), or will she have given them away since he obviously no longer using them?

Regardless, he's not going to be pushing his way back into the inn for room and board. Since it's no longer winter he'll be joining Fenris' hobo camp in the woods. Once he gets his feet back under him he will resume hunting and sharing his game with the innkeeper as he did before, if she'll accept it.

[beastlyroses]

Assuming nobody claimed them, she would have given them away, yes :'D But if someone was like, hey i am here for Hawke's stuff, she would have been like oh here you go then. And she will definitely accept the hunting and game, and offer the odd free dinner in return. This whole coming back from the dead business concerns her.

ALSO re: the mansion request above. Along the road to Kerros is a manor that looks like it's been hit with some torrential flooding, been picked over by bandits and looters, and is now home to a troll and a number of gnomes. BUt it's still standing! If they happen to clear it out, there's no one stopping them from taking it, although bandits like to use the rooms far far away from the troll as a regular hideout, so they'll have to deal with that. There will be a few signs - letters that no one thought was worth anything, etc - that the place once belonged to Astor's liege lord.

[greatcleavage]

Skipping to a new thread, since the old one is mostly irrelevant now:

Roy is going to be working hard to rebuild old houses and build new ones. He will consult with goblins on their preferences and make sure some of the housing will suit them.

If anyone speaks openly about Mitch being evil around him, Roy will diplomatically relate to them the substance of his conversation during the attack -- that Mitch had stood his ground and defended the village despite his own very deep and personal misgivings, even when given the opportunity to leave or act elsewhere.

[beastlyroses]

He will find some people are snappy and like, hey stay out of our business etc, but they're in a minority - even the villagers who aren't happy with the hero presence will acknowledge that they need the help right now. They are going to be trying to rebuilding the housing in stone so if he wants to get involved in helping find a place to set up a quarry/lug it back etc, that's definitely a thing! The goblins still find him amusing, but are pleased with the idea that he wants to find things to suit them. Some of them might request more and more ludicrous things (GARGOYLES AT THE ENTRANCES) to see how far he'll go to get them, but if he does do it, they'll give him a fair price :'D

I'll take that into account when I update the SotV next, thank you! No one's going to react too belligerently - there might be a few snorts, 'bullshit' etc, but some people will just stop talking, and others will admit that he's given them something to think about.

[greenridinghood]

There are probably some magical toads hanging around from the faerie curse last month! Now that it's warm enough Armin would have turned them out. I don't know if they procreate since they're magical or if anyone might think of them as a nuisance but they're likely to be around until the faeries do something with them I guess?

[beastlyroses]

LMAO thanks for the head's up! I will see if we can work this into the next SotV or SotG update :'D

[keepsmoving]

Lara has been helping the villagers dig graves for their fallen, as well as assisting with general clean up and maintenance following the attacks!

[beastlyroses]

Four for you Lara you go Lara. This has improved both village approval and village construction rates!

[auditor]

yo, it's this asshole again. lmao. claudia and hawke are going to levon! claudia intends to get supplies for reggie's quest group, but she would accept villagers' requests for supplies as well. (prob ask for half of their estimated cost upfront so she can, you know, buy stuff but also, so the villagers don't feel swindled.) they're gonna get booze and MAYBE STEAL THAT MIRROR SHARD.........

so how difficult would that be? has the headsman posted guards? are there a lot of windows, or are the windows barred? etc etc etc? not sure about hawke but claudia would scout it, first, before deciding for sure. so kind of up in the air, there.

and last thing! she'll visit aelius with those double chocolate, slightly burnt cookies he likes.

[beastlyroses]

Claudia won't find a whole lot of villagers approaching her for that (some, but not a great deal), which will have something to do with that whole...dragon thing oops. Hawke will have better luck though!

And it would be disgustingly easy actually. The headman has basically locked himself in a windowless room, but there aren't any guards near the door - there's a hole cut in it to pass food through, but that's covered most of the time. The whole wing of the building he's in seems to have been cleared out, which might be because the closer you get to his room, the more nauseous a person seems to feel (Claudia might recognise the sensations from visiting Aelius).

However the headman will assume that whoever opens the door is the creature (currently pinned down by gold in the village centre) who's been stealing children, and start raving loudly, and attempt to attack them. He's weak as shit, but if he manages to claw at them and break the skin, the wound will swell in the next hour or two and they'll start feeling sick and light-headed - they'll need to visit grandma or the herbalist back in Astor to deal with that. Also, the raving will bring guards, but it's up to y'all how that goes down.

Just please let me know if they kill the headman or not, if they succeed in getting the shard, what happens re: the guards, and if they get the shard, what they do with it after.

Aelius will be very grateful! He'll also notice that she's a Rider now, and say something like, well if you're lucky maybe one day your dragon will be as great as old Aelius and you can amass a hoard like him and terrorise the surrounding countryside wouldn't that be nice???

[living_legacy]

Cloud is helping with the rebuilding effort! And he's signed up to go on the quest to Kerros. He'll also be asking a lot of question on WTH happened in the month he was gone.

[beastlyroses]

Awesome! The villagers will look pretty kindly on him, and a few might even express gladness that he's back - he's always been helpful around the place and hasn't really fucked with much of their lifestyle, so they appreciate him.

[ruthlessheroics]

I'm thinking Rachel might be doing what she can to help the Blacksmith out since she's pretty fond of him. Whether that means trying to help him with his injuries or just asking him if he needs help doing anything, she'd definitely just try and make herself available to doing what she can to make his life easier.

Assuming he'd give her specific requests or just tell her to help the rest of the village, she'd definitely be helping with rebuilding.

[beastlyroses]

The blacksmith will show some quiet appreciation with this, and would also ask - although not require - that she help with the village. However, once news goes around that the Prince is going to head for Kerros, she might notice his mood drop. If she happens to inquire about it, he'll says something about having given up more than enough trying to get away from that place, he doesn't understand why anyone would want to go back.

[whalebone]

While he can't do much with the actual (re)building efforts due to his injury, the Outsider will be hanging around the inn under pretenses of helping Sylvia while collecting gossip and keeping an eye on things. Easy menial labor, that sort of thing. As a result the inn is probably completely vermin free at the moment.

OH RIGHT and he'll probably be testing the waters asking around about Mitch, how people are feeling about him right now and why. Additionally interested in how people would feel about other witches/magical types in the area who might be willing to offer their aid.

PS requesting permission for the Outsider to have looted a map from one of the dead Lekkites. No promises he'll actually do anything with it, but it's an Informational Advantage sort of thing.

Aaand I need to grab Corvo-mun to discuss this but I'm thinking the Outsider will finally be getting his ass over to Arativ. I'll hit you guys up about that once I've hashed out timing deets!

[beastlyroses]

At first Sylvia might try shooing him away until she realises that he's actually making himself useful. Look u creepy son.

Some people are still favourable to him! They say that even though he hasn't been able to help them at all, he's always done his best to look over them in the past few decades, and they understand why he can't be more involved. Older villagers will talk about the old stories of Witches, back when there were three or even more of them, and how they worked to keep the world in harmony.

Others, however, are bitter. They feel that the Witches have failed at keeping the world in harmony, and while some might have understood once upon a time why Mitch hasn't gotten involved, the truth is that since the heroes showed up, he has been getting involved, so his ~code~ or whatever can't mean that much to him? Some of these people will be resentful of the heroes for getting his help somehow, while otherwise will just be like well you helped show us his true colours so thanks i guess.

Permission for the map granted!

[hawkethat]

Running piddly errands for NPCs is Hawke's favorite thing to do! He's definitely helping with the rebuilding efforts, doing what he can to help individuals in other ways as needed, and of course still hunting to provide food for himself and his friends, while passing along any extra (there's usually a decent amount of extra, even with how much Cousland eats) to Sylvia to distribute as she sees fit.

[beastlyroses]

Sylvia has a soft spot for him now tbh. I'll take his actions into account with the next update!

[trulyfree]

Um. Forgot to mention this before, but Fenris has uh...been "very covertly" (as in not at all) stealing supplies for a while now to help take care of Cousland. Cloth bandages, salve, a spool of thread + needle, among other things. Also stole a blanket (the one Cousland uses) and a pot, probably from the inn. And...

Yeah.

...but he also brought Cousland's armor and sword to be repaired by th blacksmith? Which he is actually paying for...um...but with stolen coin... But he probably uh...paid upfront following the end of the dragon attack and stole the other stuff after.

Who might notice any of this (if at all collectively so that it's more incriminating rather than as independent incidents), and what are the consequences? Because if anyone follows him back, he's clearly just a hobo. Um. Sort of. (cough) And for the record, no, he isn't remotely sorry.

Also, he's not really helping with anything. Because he sucks like that. He might help if explicitly asked and he has time to spare (outside of taking care of Cousland and preparing meals for the camp), but the chances of that aren't super high at present.

[auditor]

i love how hilariously awful the two player dragonriders are omg.