March 2020 Review: Lockdown the World

With the coronavirus exploding around the globe it's a strange world at the moment with many working from home and normally busy public areas being deserted. Doesn't bode well for my current industry but all we can do is just wait and see what happens next. This "social distancing" order has also put our board game sessions on hold, which just leaves more time for the many free games available online - though most of those really old ones from the sudden surge at GOG (because I wasn't paying attention) are a bit too dated for my tastes.

As for the bloggers among you Blaugust has come early in the form of Blapril! Go check it out as it might be something that interests you! :)

On to the task list...

    End 2020 with less weight (+4 kg from last month, running total: +2 kg)
    Make 1 web comic page (you'd think I have the time now but nope)
    hire landscapers for back yard (cancelled for now due to the virus)
    repair roof leaks (done)
    +try make a boardgame now that you "have time"? :P

BACKLOG
How to Survive 2 [gift]
Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain [gift] (done but want more)
NWO: Infernal Descent (2/2) [free to play] (done)
Faeria [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
Horace [free from Epic Games] (second chance) (had enough)
Observer [free from Epic Games] (second chance) (done)
Farming Simulator 19 [free from Epic Games] (second chance) (had enough)
Inner Space [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Gonner  [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Offworld Trading Company [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Mutazione [free from Epic Games] (done)
+A Short Hike [free from Epic Games] (done)
+Anodyne 2: Return to Dust  [free from Epic Games] (done)
+The Stanley Parable [free from Epic Games] (done)
+Tomb Raider (2013) [free from Steam]
+The Lords of Midnight [free from GOG]
+Stargunner [free from GOG] (had enough)
+Flight of the Amazon Queen [free from GOG]
+Jill of the Jungle: Complete Trilogy [free from GOG] (had enough)
+Lure of the Temptress [free from GOG] (had enough)
+Teenagent [free from GOG] (done)
+Postal: Classic and Uncut [free from GOG] (had enough)
+Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire [free from GOG] (Second Chance) (had enough)
+Ultima Worlds of Adventure: Martian Dreams [free from GOG] (had enough)
+Eschalon: Book 1 [free from GOG] (done)
+Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves [free from GOG]
+Doomdark's Revenge [free from GOG]
+Akalabeth: World of Doom [free from GOG] (had enough)
+Bio Menace [free from GOG] (had enough)
+Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius [free from GOG] 
+Cayne [free from GOG] (done)
+World War Z [free from Epic Games]
+Figment [free from Epic Games]
+Tormentor x Punisher [free from Epic Games]
+Drawful 2 [free from Epic Game and Steam] (nope, no single player)

Board games:
Zombicide: Black Plague Campaign (10/11)
London Dread Campaign (1/4)
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (6/13)
Mice and Mystics: Heart of Glorm (0/11)

BLOG STATS

One Year Ago

I began the Dying Light Diary and also said goodbye to the Foundry of Neverwinter Online. Ironic given that five years ago...

Five Years Ago

I was happy one of my Foundry quests got second place! It didn't stop me from hating Neverwinter Online's black ice design though, which has since rightfully been removed. I also made a Photo Story folder which is now defunct thanks to Photobucket, and watched a number of movies - the highlight of which is The Interview.

Most Viewed Posts last Month
LISA: That's RANDO
Enderal: Dead Weight
LISA: What Luck!

Top Search Terms last Month
fish glue ffxiv
runescape enhanced fire cape
darklands tarnhelm e hanover

Sounds like people are looking for stuff in games, which is to be expected with more people working from home. Unfortunately I think this blog only has hints to the Tarnhelm in Darklands...

Getting the Gang Together

As I promised last time, I've re-added the blogs of all those from the Darklands of Arkania. The ones that still existed anyway. Obviously this has also blown out the side list which now scrolls lengthily! That will only be up for a week; a "grace period" if you will before I go back down to the business as usual of trimming any blog that doesn't update once every three weeks.

Ready to RPG!

Also had a successful guild get together over the weekend. For our tiny group to field six people at the same time was pretty good, and we not only smashed the epic stronghold encounters but could finally attempt the Dragonflight thing which requires a minimum of 5 players to happen. It took us a few attempts but we did manage to bring the red one down eventually (the easiest).

I was not impressed with the rewards for doing so though. I got two chests of average goodies. The only catch is you need to buy keys to open said chests to collect the goodies. Buy with real money. Or in my case, the semi-real currency of astral diamonds. It's still BS though. "We need to get better so we can pay Cryptic more," does not really give you the good feeling you should get with a reward. Not impressed with this system. Not at all.

Season Break

I hope you all enjoyed the Darklands of Arkania story that just finished (for now). As you might have guessed, I'll be dialing back the posting frequency for a little bit to recover from that marathon. Sad to say that much like the many characters in that tale my list of "active blogs" (those who post at least once every 3 weeks) to link to is also quickly dying. Blogging is dying!?!

Not this again.

As a boon to all those who were randomly selected as characters in that tale I'll be re-adding their blogs, if they have fallen off the list, back to it when I get the chance to see if any have been resurrected. Hopefully that will give the next graph a nice big spike.

Meanwhile, the grind continues in NWO, I'm getting back into Skyrim, and there'll be more movie reviews coming up. Oh and I still have another unfinished story lying around don't I? In the meantime enjoy what must be close to hula hoop mastery.

Thea: Last Memory

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

With only Screaming Monk and Plushie Mostly left in the village, they are surprised to see the enemy forces inexplicably wander off. While they desperately try repair the walls they suddenly notice the drinking water has again been poisoned. Damn it, it was Thurazz all along! Both suffering from heavy poisoning there is no recourse but to try make the run to the herbalist hut as was done before, but since leaving the village unattended means ending the game, Screaming Monk tells Plushie Mostly "Go ahead, I'll be right behind you."

Plushie literally runs for her life, knowing that the odds of Screaming Monk surviving the poison before she gets back are slim. It's when she reaches the door to the herbalist that she hears the echo of the loud war drums, knowing that the orc army (most likely led again by Thurazz) had returned to the Memorial Ground.

The end.

With only one Screaming Monk in their way, the orcs claimed an easy victory and destroyed the village, once and for all. I can only assume Screaming Monk fought as hard as Lu Bu in this clip, complete with operatic singing, before being taken down. Either way, Plushie Mostly knew that she now had no home to go back to. After being cured by the herbalist it would be time to move away from these orc infested lands. This is turn 410.

That's the end of the story for now, thank you for reading!

Thea: Catching Fire

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

During Kupala Night, Couch Potato gets a vision of fire elementals that he feels the gods want them to find. Chief Talarian is hesitant at letting an expedition leave at this point, especially to such a distant location but the young people, being as they are, are adamant in this path so he lets them form the Catching Fire team, whose members include Couch Potato, Sister Kia, Xinrae, War Tome, Seth Megadirge, Screaming Monk, Plushie Mostly, Kamalia, Gnome Spy, Fiona Nerd, Elio, Elfi and David DM.

Knowing he won't see some of them again, the chief wishes them well and sees to the defenses of the village. Almost as soon as the Catching Fire squad depart the village is set upon by more dragon spiders but they hold without taking casualties - easing Talarian's mind somewhat.

The squad makes good time cross country, evading the many orc patrols and slamming through random bandits who happen to be in the way. Finally they find the fire elementals Couch Potato had seen, but they are no longer aligned with the gods.

Bloody Pyromaniacs...

As a group fully composed of violent, war loving teenagers they do the most logical thing and attack - destroying the heathen elementals. Despite losing Seth Megadirge in the battle (he was well roasted), the team refuse to return to town empty handed and set their sights instead on a large orc raiding camp nearby.

Thea: Kupala Night

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

At Memorial Ground the next group of warriors come of age: Elio, Elfi, Vidyala, War Tome and Gnome Spy. These are supplemented by more travelers hearing the tales of Talarian: Bec Jinx, Kamalia and the strangest member yet: "Tough Bat"! Yes, it's a giant bat... who busily goes about helping craft arms and armor at the forge... Ooookay, sure why not.

As Chief Talarian expected, the orcs have begun their offensive - starting by trying to spread a plague in the village. Thanks to their high supplies and in-town herbalist hut, this has absolutely no effect so they instead lure another pack of dragon spiders to attack, all of which are slain. Their allies the werewolves then have their moment, managing to slay the defenseless Dina Farmer. This time the wolves aren't allowed to escape, all being executed due to their arrogance.

This is followed by a wave of undead and finally a small contingent of orcs who manage to end Natalie Patalie with an arrow to the knee. Still, all these enemies fall before the mighty defenses of the Memorial Ground. In celebration and defiance of the evil still around them, the village celebrates Kupala Night which involves nakedness and fire jumping apparently.

Toplessness is mandatory.

Thea: Impending Doom

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

The supplies recovered by Team Ardwulf give the Memorial Ground another period of peace during which time the legend of Chief Talarian grows, and more people join: David DM, Fiona Nerd, Dina Farmer, and Sister Kia. Also growing are the children, all following in the warrior footsteps of their chief: Plushie Mostly, Seth Megadirge,  and Screaming Monk.

The chief leads Team Talarian (composed of Tacktix TLC, Tyranno Dorkus, Ancient Gamer, Xinrae, Plushie Mostly, David DM and Liopleureodon) on another lightning raid against nearby slavers and manage to save a child but lose Liopleureodon in the process. More worryingly is the amount of high level orc raiding lairs spotted that are now around the Memorial Site. While they are out, the town is attacked by werewolves! I guess Team Ardwulf didn't get them all...

Damn dogs probably just want the bones in the Graveyard.

The wolf men are upset about the whole slaying of their lair thing, but somehow it is Rhino who scares off the whole pack with silver before any combat even takes place. Soon after, Team Talarian returns to help bolster and upgrade the town defenses for the impending siege. This is turn 300.

Thea: Short Lived

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Some time passes in peace, letting the warriors Liopleureodon, Tyler Edwards, Angie Kawaii, Coriel and Xinrae grow up into fully fledged members of the Memorial Site. With a growing uneasiness at leaving the wilds beyond the walls unchecked, Ardwulf convinces Chief Talarian to let an expedition go out to explore a rumored tower with supplies that might benefit the town. Also, the new blood needs to gain experience if they are to truly be useful later on. Talarian eventually accepts and Team Ardwulf is formed.

With him are Natalie Patalie, Ancient Gamer, Tyler Edwards, Liopleureodon, Coriel and Angie Kawaii. Their first encounter is with Hohlick who wants to play hide and seek, which they do but this time they are rewarded only by Hohlick lightly poisoning Coriel and Ardwulf! A subsequent attack from crazed bee swarms puts an early end to Angie Kawaii's career as she is stung to death.

When they get to the tower they find it is in the middle of being ransacked, so they fight off the looters and rescue the resident sage, Couch Potato, who lets them take what the looters did not. Couch Potato also gives them the location of the werewolf lair so the team attacks it, finding elves to be the masterminds behind the monsters. In the ensuing combat, Tyler Edwards and Ardwulf are killed, as are the evil elves and their pets. The survivors return to town with a large stash of supplies.

Werewolves with Bear friends, naturally.

Thea: No Safety

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

With no time to waste, Team Talarian escapes from the dragon's lair and rushes back to the village but at each turn are faced with hostiles coming out of the wood work. Monstrous bats swarm Alysir and drain him dry and try the same to Ravanel Rising, but since she is undead they instead opt to lift her high into the sky and let gravity finish her off. Needler is swarmed by skeletons at is basically boned to death, and Light Falls is caught and used as food in the web of a dragon spider, which I can only assume is a spider the size of a dragon.

Team Talarian makes it back to man the walls just in time as a group of dragon spiders attacks the village. The arachnids are slain but at the high cost of Fanatic Sword, Spiral Star, Moxie Pally, Burning Octopus and Graev. There are werewolf sightings in the vicinity soon after but before a team can be assembled to hunt them down a fierce storm hits the village leading to more injuries.

Your reward for saving the land! Lol.

With the werewolves out of range, a rebuilt Team Talarian (Talarian, Tacktix TLC, Ardwulf, Ancient Gamer) opt for a lightning raid against some nearby slavers instead, rescuing two children and the witch, Natalie Patalie. They then return to the Memorial Ground and all pitch in to construct stronger defenses, improving the wall just in time to thwart a striga attack. Establishing his position as chief, Talarian Design dictates that no one leave the village walls for their own safety.

Thea: A Hero's Reward

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

With soaring morale after the victory against the Zmey, Team Talarian proceeds to start smashing the goblin camps across the land. They are joined by the elves, Alysir and Burning Octopus (aka the wandering translucent elf), whose curse is lifted thanks to Talarian's magic he learned from Striga Syl. Not long after they also encounter a dreaded black mist, the last of the darkness, combing the land.

Why would it form a face though?

Instead of cowering from it, Team Talarian banishes it once and for all like the true heroes they are! Unfortunately things aren't going as smoothly at the Memorial Ground, whose reward for helping save the world is to be attacked by raiders. While Ardwulf and Tyranno Dorkus fight them off, Curian and Belly Rumbles are slain in the attack. It doesn't help that the slain raiders rise as undead and must be defeated a second time. Fortunately the veteran warrior Ancient Gamer arrives to help.

Team Talarian immediately changes course back to the village but fall into a dragon's lair! It just so happens it's the same weeping dragon as before, only this time - Hohlick shows up and demands the team steal the gold or it will scream and wake the monster up. Talarian agrees to the terms, and despite successfully plundering the hoard, the Hohlick screams anyway, takes the gold and teleports out leaving the squad to face the angry monster which devours both Izlain and Keen before it is killed.

Thea: Zmey You

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Back at the Memorial Site, the number of villagers grows rapidly as a chef healer named Belly Rumbles joins as do the brothers Keen and Graev, and the warriors, Light Falls, Ardwulf and Tyranno Dorkus, come of age. They are also attacked by a strange undead creature - a Viescy, who slays one of the other children.

Team Talarian is sent on the case to stop it, finding its actual grave and then performing a magic ritual to destroy it. The ritual doesn't actually do that, instead it cleanses the monster into a regular person who now wishes to repent and joins the team as Ravanel Rising.

Viescy's are pretty scary!

Ravanel proves her worth as she leads Team Talarian to some nearby slavers whom they easily dispatch and save a captive child. With this sudden influx of people Talarian decides it is time to take the fight to Zmey, so his team returns to the village and leaves only Thorgrim, Belly Rumbles, Curian, and Rhino to be defended by Ardwulf and Tyranno Dorkus.

Needler, Striga Syl, Moxie Pally, Fanatic Sword, Tacktix TLC, Ravanel Rising, Izlain Backwood, Pineconettes, Spiral Star, Keen, Graev, Light Falls gear up and follow Talarian to Zmey's lair for an epic showdown.

As epic as a card game can be anyway.

While Pineconettes and Striga Syl are slain in the fight, the battle is won and Zmey and his snake minions are defeated. Talarian then chooses to plant the cosmic seed to return the world to the light and it immediately becomes shielded by a magical field. During this time, the orc witch is seen on the opposite side of this field trying to break through to no avail. Talarian knows that this will eventually doom her race to be hunted once more but he doesn't care. Victory for the light! VICTORY FOR TEAM TALARIAN!

Thea: Unexpected Actions

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Team Talarian track the drake to Vavelin Castle where they meet a peculiar man named Needler who is selling shoes and also offering to slay the beast for a price: a wife. Needler apparently knows the drakes weakness so the team agrees to let him exploit it. The weakness turns out to be sheep, and after eating one left as sacrifice the drake ludicrously fills with gas and explodes. I'm not kidding. :P

Of course, Talarian isn't in the business of arranged marriages so instead he convinces Needler (a sage) to join the team and maybe earn a wife the normal way. They then play some hide and seek with Hohlick (the rat-poodle fairy demon) who gives them a magic doll for their trouble and soon after encounter some refugees who unload more children on them, saying the kids won't survive the trek. They also mention where their old village was, not too far from the Memorial Site.

Upon reaching it they find its been over run by orcs, so doing what they do best, they assassinate the scum and loot all the stuff before saving yet another child from a wolf pack. Striga Syl surmises that the recent influx of children has something to do with Hohlick's magic doll. That night they are jumped by dwarf bandits from the nearby mithril mine, but the bandits are talked down and even share a meal with the team before returning to their underground home.

Peace is the answer...?

With their guard down, Talarian decides this is the best time to follow them in and slay them. MUAHAHAHAH! Did you really think I'd let criminals LIVE!? The dwarves are out of luck this time as the team murders them efficiently and proceeds to haul all their valuables back to the village.

Thea: Team Talarian

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

With Cooper dead, it now falls on Talarian - the most veteran of the Memorial Ground villagers to form a squad, and so Team Talarian is born: composed of Harika, Striga Syl, Korima, Moxie Pally and Tacktix TLC. On their first outing they find a magically shielded tree and attempt to dispel the shield. Striga Syl succeeds, teaching Talarian some magic in the process and finding that the shield was actually protecting Spiral Star and Pineconettes who happily rejoin!

They then find the new lair of Zmey, and this time, since I'm not using auto resolve - I see just how overpowered the great serpent is. Without a hope to defeat it just yet, Team Talarian backs off and instead focuses on neutralizing the numerous abomination army camps that are becoming prevalent in the region. During one such assault, Harika and Korima are slain.

It's not good news at Memorial Ground either where a drake has captured and consumed two of the children. Rhino spotted which direction it fled in though, so after Team Talarian switched out Moxie Pally and Spiral Star to village guard duty for Fanatic Sword and Izlain Backwood, they were hot on the trail of the winged beast.

It looks kind of cute!

Thea: The Leech Lord

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

To hunt the Leech Lord, Cooper Team first returns to the Memorial Ground to gear up and get reinforcements in the form of Korima, Moxie Pally, Tacktix TLC and recent newcomer Izlain Backwood. Learning from last time, the rest of the villagers stay put while the chase commences, and a short chase it is too. Now is a good time to mention that due to my absolute dislike of the "card challenge system" this game has which happens whenever you fight, explore, converse and the like I've been simply Auto-Resolving every encounter up until now.

Realizing that the game is probably weighted against the player, this turns out to be my first actively participated "card battle". For a first timer it goes rather well I think, and while Cooper Team all take injuries, they are ultimately victorious - restoring some power to the Night God Horos, who for some reason rewards people at the village (Curian, Rhino and Harika) with leech (life drain) abilities. Horos also commands a newly formed striga mistress to join Cooper Team: Striga Syl (who was actually the first casualty of this tale)!

It is not all good news however, as during the night Mama Cori, Vayshen Panda and Cooper Mantly succumb to their wounds and die.

Saving throw = failed.

Thea: Not going to "Let it Go"

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Fortunately it seems the herbalist from Hermit's Lake had also moved nearby, so while Cooper Team holds down the fort at the Memorial Ground the rest of the villagers make the run there and pay in food to be cured. The plan is successful and the mostly non-combat villagers are lucky to not encounter anything during their travels. Once they are back, Cooper Team explores the Ice Tower right beside their village and find Princess Zuzanna already in there, trapped by her own lackeys.

Just leave our prisoner alone!

They are willing to spend their undeath to keep her trapped within the tower, and she proposes a counter offer of riches for Cooper Team to help free her instead. Cooper refuses, and leaves the cruel princess to rot there for eternity. They then go on patrol, poisoning spider hives, assassinating bandits, helping a wandering translucent elf with food and finding a mithril mine filled with tough dwarves (who successfully defend their territory).

It is around this time that they finally come across the trail of the Leech Lord once again.

You are dying (Experiment).

Hi all! I'm taking a few days off from blogging so there won't be any new posts for two or three days after this one, at which point the Darklands of Arkania story will continue. Still, this gives me an opportunity to spring this little experiment on you!

All you need is either MS notepad, or a pen and paper (or a really good memory)! Please do try to keep it as serious as possible and at the end I'd like you to please put just the one result I ask for in the comments section below, if it isn't too much trouble. So, let's begin!

(1) You got some bad news and have learned you only have 24 hours to live. Write down what you would do with your last day. Please try be realistic on your timings - doing a world trip or going to the moon would probably take too long. Once done, draw a horizontal line beneath your list (or skip a few lines) and move on to (2).

Highlight the text to make it visible. :)

(2) Good news, your life expectancy has increased to one week! Continue your list of things you would do (don't duplicate things from above unless you really want to revisit them) with your final week to live, underneath the line or blank space (just to keep the list separate). Those overseas relatives might not seem so far now... Once done, again put some marker or leave a space and move on to (3).

(3) Amazing, you will now live for a whole month! Continue your list again now with what you'd like to do in your last month of life, no need to duplicate things you've already listed unless you really want to revisit them. Once done, put a marker or leave a space and move on to (4).

(4) Congratulations - you will now live for six months! Continue your list now (technically you have 5 months to add since your first one is already listed out). Don't worry too much about price and money stuff for this part - it can be your "bucket wishlist". Once done move on to (5).

(5) I imagine you would have a pretty long list now, and I'm sure some people would have longer lists than others. I'd like you to put in the comments below the only entry I'm interested in: 

What section did you put "play [my current mmo/game]" (or a variation there of) in? Did it even make it to your list? 

Please post your findings in the comments below. :)

Thea: Ice Princess

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

There are problems at the village when once again the wells are poisoned (by the effing orcs I presume) and Cooper Team is once again on the hunt for a water spirit to cure them. Hopefully Spiral Star is around? During this time of weakness the village is attacked by packs of wolves. Cateaclysmic, who was working on constructing the palisade at the time, is dragged off into the forest and eaten alive.

Meanwhile Cooper Team also suffered a loss: Missy Sparks having been slain by an aggressive mob of skeletons. Soon after they encounter Princess Zuzanna and her undead servant, most likely the source of the skeletons who killed Missy. It becomes clear the Princess is cursed due to her cruelty, that her own people don't like her much, and that she is looking for her ice tower. Due to the dilemma at the village, Cooper decides to deal with her later, saying he's never seen it before and continues on the quest to find the water spirit.

"Yup, never seen it before."

The water spirit is not as helpful this time (guess it's not Spiral Star), instead being a harpy in disguise. Cooper Team slays the creature, but the townsfolk remain poisoned taking damage over time.

Thea: Child Care

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Not long after settling in, a letter from a nearby dwarf smith arrives asking for assistance. Cooper Team is happy to oblige, learning that the dwarf basically wants a date with a raven haired rusalka and will give some good gear in exchange. The rusalka isn't that keen however, asking Cooper Team to first rescue her children from some orcs. Sure enough, they find that orc witch again with kids in tow but convince her to hand the kids over peacefully.

The most plain (and clothed) rusalka I've ever seen.

Of course those kids don't actually belong to the rusalka. She just wants to drown them which then makes them rusalka too. Cooper will have none of this, and basically threatens the bitch to "Date the dwarf or die - the kids stay with us!" Surprisingly, this actually works. The dwarf isn't too happy with the approach but gives over the payment of gear anyway. Some of the said children grow up pretty fast, and the village gains the warriors Fanatic Sword and Tacktix TLC as well as Rhino the worker.

Thea: Rookie Mistake

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

The confrontation with the Leech Lord does not go well, for he doesn't travel alone. Indeed, he has a whole entourage of strigas with him - and just one of those gave Geralt of Rivia a lot of problems. While Cooper Team is defeated, they all manage to escape while the Leech Lord and his monsters feed on the random caravan folk they were attacking at the time. Thinking logically, Cooper decides to rally everyone from Hermit's Lake to face this foe, but this turns out to be a rookie mistake.

Having zero people in the village ends the game, a small fact the douche bag Theodore forgot to mention in his tutorial. To this end I can only assume the Leech Lord circled around and destroyed the settlement while everyone was out hunting him. Regardless, the survivors are forced to move on and begin a new settlement at a bone yard with rich soil which they name the Memorial Ground (yep, that's me restarting). The place is clearly haunted but fortunately there's a resident Lapiduch (spirit catcher frog demon) around.

Soul Eater!

The task of building this settlement falls to Thorgrim, Curian, Cateaclysmic and Korima while Cooper Mantly reforms his expedition crew of Harika, Vayshen Panda, Talarian Design, Missy Sparks, and Mama Cori. One of the children also grows up to be a warrioress - Moxie Pally. Alas, during the move it seems Pineconette and Spiral Star were separated from the rest of the villagers and are now listed as missing in action.

Thea: Divine Quest

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Cooper Team didn't have to make much of a detour to find the Water Spirit, but the Syrin wasn't just going to help outright. First she wanted them to steal a hair from her nearby sister without getting spotted. A task that proved pretty easy since Horos' blessings are those of stealth. True to her word, the Syrin cures all the people of Hermit's Lake of their poison and as a bonus, removes Cooper Mantly's curse.Yeah, it lasted awhile!

So wet...?

At this time, a female warrior named Spiral Star joins the village - leading me to suspect that she is actually the Syrin in disguise. Meanwhile Cooper Team proceeds to the ivory tower they learned about from the Grand University. There they are confronted by an avatar of Horos himself. Instead of fighting, they fall to their knees in worship and the avatar blesses them and gives them the divine quest of slaying the Leech Lord who just so happens to be wandering nearby.

Before they reach him though, they come across a pack of wolves attacking a child and a cat. After saving both, the black cat turns out to be a Dola demon which grants another blessing on the group. They then march on to face the Leech Lord.