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Myreque VI+ - what we know

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26-Jul-2016 02:26:56

Rondstat

Rondstat

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So, on the best quests thread I said that I thought Morytania deserved a Tale or miniquest (because I strongly doubt we'll ever see another full-blown vampyre quest). I was having a think on how this might be done. I had a couple ideas.

The first concept, which is extremely resource-light and fits well into the story, revolves around the evidence lifted from the conspirators during Legacy. Ivan asks for our help in going through Drezel's things, and we rediscover the map we entrusted to him. We determine that it actually is marked with the locations for a dozen dead-drops around Misthalin and Morytania - spots for hiding messages to be picked up later. The miniquest consists of us traversing the map, finding hidden notes and uncovering more about the Splinter Group.

This would be pretty much all text based, and be a great delivery mechanism for lore on the group's involvement in the merc protocol (and what the mercs are doing now Morytania is "liberated&quot ;) , interactions with werewolves, role in supporting the Myreque, intentions in capturing Paterdomus, views of the Edicts, and just where/how/if they've dispersed in the 6th Age. It could also potentially cover loose threads like the fates of Flaygian and Mauritys (and maybe the role/development of mutated bloodvelds), the identity of Vanstrom (I still like to think he was secretly conspiring with the separatists), and the origins of Mort'ton sludge.

The other idea I had is a little more contrived, and would probably be a bit big for a miniquest. However, I like it a little more, and I actually jotted ideas down for a dozen separate 'parts' to it. The Tale of Ascertes, I imagine something similar to the Nomad miniquest - travel to locations of significance around Morytania to see scenes from Vanstrom's life.

09-Oct-2016 16:57:43

Rondstat

Rondstat

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Ugh, I hate the automatic smilies. Not every parentheses is a mouth.

Anyways, here's the silly little scenario I envisioned.

It's the 6th Age. Safalaan is growing desperate in his role as co-ruler of Morytania. Humans, emboldened by the return of Saradomin, have refused voluntary tithing, and are pushing for the God of Order to reclaim the Hallowland from its vyre usurpers. Meanwhile, a growing contingent of disgruntled vyres have formed a cult-like movement centred on Lowerniel, calling for humans to be culled, and their blood used to feed and fuel passage back to Vampyrium. On top of all this, blood stores are running perilously low, and Safalaan fears that what's left has been contaminated - it's been analyzed to contain trace amounts of silver, mithril, and wood ash.

Safalaan has been starving himself to demonstrate solidarity with his subjects. However, he has been experiencing flashes of rage and Wyrd-like behaviour. Efaritay has abandoned her post, and without her reining influence, Safalaan fears a descent into bloodlust. He asks us to find her, claiming he last saw her flying southeast.

We encounter Efaritay in the Icyene tomb, formerly blocked off (a very simple new environment - a plain square room using the GWD kit, with two open Saradominist caskets from Lumb catacombs). She tells us it is the 6000th wedding anniversary of her and Ascertes, and regrets her husband's soul will never know rest - her people believe the body must have its proper rites under Saradomin to pass into the afterlife, and his is long gone. However, she also claims that lost souls tend to gravitate towards the people and places that were significant to them in life. Perhaps, with out help, she can recapture Ascertes' soul, and properly send him to the beyond. We owe her that much, she cryptically states.

09-Oct-2016 17:22:06

Rondstat

Rondstat

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Here's the central mechanic of this quest. She gives us an Icyenic scrying orb - a gift to Ascertes on their first anniversary. When we rub it, we see the image of a person, living or dead. By using the orb on that person (or their remains), we absorb an 'echo' of Ascertes (summoning points regen animation). Charged with an echo, the orb will pull in a particular direction, until we happen upon the right place. We then 'discharge' the orb, to generate a tableau (similarly to Tales of Nomad). Two of the static figures in the tableau have a dialogue - one for Ascertes/Vanstrom, one for the person in question - which recalls a memory of the depicted event (not a conversation).

Efaritay gives us the first echo, which leads us to Mort'ton, just outside Flamtaer. Her memory recalls that, in the civic unrest following the death of Zaros and the competing voices crying to either seize the remains of the Empire or strengthen the borders against the Zamorakians, she faced the first serious opposition to her place on the throne. To mollify the masses, she took Ascertes Hallow - an extremely popular war hero and scion of the human family that had founded the Hallowland - as husband. Ascertes' memory recalls being overwhelmed by her beauty, experiencing love at first sight.

Safalaan is next, which brings us just outside the SE Castle, where Ascertes holds off a vyre as a child hides behind Efaritay. Ascertes' memory elaborates on the first invasion of the vyres, and their utter rout of Hallowvale's forces, while many of their greatest Icyenic generals were called west to fight for Saradomin elsewhere. Safalaan's memory recounts the deep love between his parents, and how, on the brink of defeat, Efaritay had broken down and begged Drakan for mercy rather than hold fast.

09-Oct-2016 17:39:09

Rondstat

Rondstat

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The third echo is Vanescula's, which leads us to the Arboretum, where a collapsed Ascertes, surrounded by blood globules, reaches towards Vanescula. Ascertes' memory recounts his fear as the vyres began the long, painful process of vampyrizing him, which would more likely leave him a pile of ash than a vyre. His last conscious act is to beg Vanescula to look after his son, not to let an innocent be killed or turned. Vanescula's memory recalls her submission to Lowerniel, following him despite being content on Vampyrium, or with the Empty Lord, and pins this moment, and her acquiescence to this request, as the start of her rebellion.

Next is Malak, which leads us to the Daeyalt mine, where we see Zamorak displaying the Stone of Jas to Malak and Drakan, with a small juvinate flanking the Lord of Vampyrium. Malak's memory emphasizes that he and Lowerniel were Zamorak's most trusted agents in Morytania, but notes a distrust of Drakan and a growing possessiveness over the artefact he hid safe. Ascertes' memory muses on his kingdom's utter defeat and on the role of predator and prey - that no human would ever stand the hope of a chance against something that could hold such unfathomable power.

A gravestone in Darkmeyer gives us an echo from Lowerniel, which brings us to the Burgh de Rott tomb. Drakan's memory marks Ascertes for vast potential as a vyre, but is confounded by his continued resistance to bloodlust. By interring Ascertes centuries, until his transformation could be complete, along with his personal magical implements, he would gain a powerful soldier. Ascertes' memory expresses his resentment of the Icyene, for abandoning him and their Queen, and hatred of the vyres who controlled him - vowing vengeance against vyre and Saradominist alike.

09-Oct-2016 17:55:04

Rondstat

Rondstat

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Another gravestone gives us an echo from Ranis, which puts us on the roof of Castle Drakan, Vanstrom kneeling before the royal. Their memories state that the newly christened Vanstrom Klause quickly proved himself adept at spying, tracking and infiltration (with possible allusions to Phasmatys or the novels), leading to his ascension to Overwatch. Vanstrom's memories dwell on his continued resentment of the vyres, but ability to suppress this with the raw exhilaration of murder and espionage.

The next echo comes from a conspirator (possibly the grave of Zaromark next to Paterdomus), and leads us to Vanstrom's first meeting with the Splinter Group above the Hair of the Dog. Their memories detail the formation of a pact, to support the burgeoning Myreque and agitate both the vyres and Misthalin enough to spur them into action. With the reclusive, widely-resented Drakan forced into the open, (ironically) popular vyre hero Vanstrom would have an opening to assassinate him, seize Morytania, and declare all-out war, breaking the Edicts.

Sarius leads us to Meiyerditch Labs, where we see Mauritys cowering from a Vanstrom violently smashing equipment, while a young Sarius hides in the corner. Sarius' memory recalls her father's everpresent melancholy being broken by a discovery he claimed could end tithing forever. Vanstrom's memory focuses on how the researcher's work with haemalchemy and producing alternate sources of human blood (mutated bloodvelds) could potentially destroy tensions before they could sow it, forcing him to obliterate the lab, ostensibly in the name of Drakan.

The next echo comes from Hiylik Myna, just east of Paterdomus, producing another tableau of Vanstrom with the conspirators. This memory details the impetus behind the merc protocol, as well as conspirator goals with werewolves and Paterdomus.

09-Oct-2016 18:19:30

Rondstat

Rondstat

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Vanstrom's memory also notes that he had been put fully in charge of eradicating the Myreque, making his job easier.

When we talk to Hiylik Myna after viewing this memory, he initially tries to lay some propaganda on us, claiming that this land belongs to Saradomin, that humans must lead soldiers of light to take it once more. When we accuse him of (essentially) terrorism, as part of the conspirators, he attacks us (copy-paste world event fighter EOC mechanics).

After Hiylik's death, he is replaced with Harlow, who claims to have given up drinking after the return of the gods, and heard there was need for a man of his expertise. Unlike the current npcs, his dialogue doesn't refer to mercenaries, but rather volunteers, whom he is training to cleanse the Mort Myre of wild beasts, making it safe to travel (no more escaping/fighting - changes loreful purpose of minigame to merely entering the Mort Myre). A side effect of this is that all followers can now damage vyres.

Our next echo comes from Sentinel Noctantine (who, in Branches, seemed to believe Vanstrom's death could open up his position for her to take; for this reason, I put her as his lieutenant). This brings us to the heart of Meiyerditch, where Vanstrom and Noctantine capture a fleeing Mauritys. Memories reveal that the scientist had planned to defect to the Myreque, which Vanstrom feared could give them the means to undo or overcome the conflict. His memory notes his plans to take Mauritys to a hidden prison cell, free of interlopers due to its infestation with ravenous beasts, where he could be kept until he was of use to the conspirators.

We find this cell by searching a coffin in the ravenous ghoul dungeon, leading us to a square chamber, bare save for rats and imprisoned Mauritys (the second and final unique environment).

09-Oct-2016 18:35:20

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