Let's Save Daria! Let's Play The Lost Heir Trilogy from ChoiceOfGames

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achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Magic is ahead by one vote.

Tell me about Magic... posted:

- "Magic is an essential force that permeates all of existence. The gods grant their favour upon their followers as divine magic. Wizards take control of this natural force on their own. So no, there is no real difference, only the method of acquisition. With that said, divine magic lends itself to aiding actions, such as blessing and healing. And with evil priests, cursing becomes possible too."

She shows you a few gestures and incantations that are common to both priests and wizards. Alone, they do nothing, but you can see some similarities.

(Sister Geri Relationship +5, Religion +3, and Magic +3)

Sister Geri is the best Mentor for Unarmed character builds- Monks and Thugs. She's also good with Knowledge or Magic Builds because of her relations with Religion. Again, we can't see her full Relationship level until after we pick our actual Mentor but this early training is good.

More about Magic later, when we finish meeting the Mentors. It seems an appropriate topic to discuss before we reach the climax of the first chapter, especially given our current character build.

Original Stuff posted:

Sister Geri smiles after answering your question.

- "I'm not surprised you would ask me such a thing. I've often seen you in here gazing with interest at the Gods. Did you know there are some new ones? In Daria's pantheon, strange new Gods appear all the time."

You look at a few shrines she indicates. Sister Geri points out a stained glass window depicting a flaming warrior holding aloft a mighty sword. Next to him is a green statue of another apparent warrior, a winged humanoid with a face covered in tentacles, holding a ready sword at his side. His other hand is clutching a ball of fire. And next to that statue is a larger idol of what may or may not be the same God. It's of a winged octopus-headed humanoid too, and it looks the same, but this God is dark and brooding where its twin is heroic and amusing in many ways.

- "Hieronius the Smiter, flawed as some Gods are, but clearly a Good God. The other idols may be of the same God, just different versions, or perhaps one is a false image. I don't know yet. Perhaps meditation may reveal the answer."

You ask her about the bandits.

- "I did indeed fight off four temple robbers by myself. But that's a story for another occasion. I'm glad I was able to tell you about magic. I know it is fast becoming one of your personal strengths."

Sister Geri is correct, you muse. I do know more magic than most children my age, and I'm good with it too. My parents even hope to send me to the Academy of Wizards when I'm old enough. It's not free now like it was back in the days of King Gerald I and his preceding monarchs, but the Archmage owes the Crown enough favors to waive tuition. Unless that rival of his takes over, I've heard he's a petty vindictive sort. Archmages are now elected every six years and the current term is coming up soon. But that's not important right now.

"Have you seen the Consortium delegation in here?"

- "A few came by earlier. They were curious about the Crown's knowledge of the Som'Reth and Demon Summoning. Their knowledge in both areas far exceeds ours. I told them there are a few Som'Reth artifacts in the Royal Treasury, but only your parents can approve access. Perhaps their Chancellor will ask for that at tonight's banquet."

"Or they could try to rob the Treasury."

- "I doubt they'd get far with all the guards and wards in place. This isn't some story where we already know the ending, although maybe the Gods do. A priest I know, Father Mulibar, had a vision this morning, one he could not immediately interpret. He thought it might greatly impact Daria's future, but he was not sure. The only key point I recall is that Daria will soon need a great hero, perhaps even more than one. I'll try to find him, ask him more about it. Could we meet after the banquet tonight, with Harmond and your parents as well?"

You nod. "That would be good."

- "Is anything else troubling you?"

You tell Sister Geri about the Consortium, Harmond's lecture regarding them, and your current concerns.

- "I understand. Do not be afraid, Renata. The Gods are always watching. They all have interests in helping humanity, for right or advantage. Good or Evil, aiding their worshippers fits their character either way."

She glances at the shrines around her and smiles, then turns back to you.

- "Why don't you visit the training yards next? A mock magical duel with Sir Grady may help your nerves."

You nod in agreement. Sir Grady is the elderly Knight who trained your parents in weapon combat during their childhood and who adventured with them and Sister Geri also. He has tried to instruct you in fencing and archery at times, but you've never picked up on either. Despite this, Sir Grady has always been pleased to help you learn to maintain your concentration when casting Magic under stress. He says that is an important skill for any Wizard, and has been pleased many times to see you using a spell he did not expect. Your friend Petra took to his combat training better than you did, while Gale was denied it due to her mischief- at least until she grew up, Sir Grady has always replied to her pranks.

There's a big hint in the above paragraphs for an action that may help our current build when we meet Sir Grady. Before that, I'd like to discuss...

Daria's Military

Daria has your typical fantasy medieval army, with foot soldiers, archers, knights, siege engines etc. There are also fantasy elements such as Wizards aiding the army in various ways, sneaky Rogues acting as scouts and spies, and Priests providing first aid along with the usual spiritual advice. The demi-human races have their own armies also- Elves have archers and spell-weavers, dwarves smiths and strong axe-men, Orcs berserkers and Worg cavalry. Halflings have cavalry too, only they ride large dogs. Their soldiers are adept with daggers and slings. Meanwhile, Gnomes can both weave powerful illusions to confuse their enemies and engineer awesome devices such as repeating crossbows, siege engines, and bridges. We can take advantage of all this in LH 2.

Most soldiers in the army have Guard levels, Guards being one of the three main Warrior classes in LH. The other two, Thugs and Squires, are not officially affiliated with the military. They both have more independence and less structure to their training, allowing their characters to develop different Skills than Guards. Thugs hire themselves out to the highest bidder, sometimes fighting with Blades but usually Unarmed. They are often reviled by heroes, nobles, and commoners, but everyone has to fear their threats and dirty tricks.

Squires on the other hand are usually above such things because they are supposed to be training to become Knights, the ultimate lone hero class in Daria. Knights are generally more skilled in Blades, Archery, and cavalry tactics than your average Guard. Guards have to respect them for their skill levels, even if they follow their own class's orders more often. Knights constantly train and compete in tournaments to preserve their Skills. The Squires who do well in such tournaments or who do special heroic deeds can become Knights.

Knights are supposed to be honorable Good people, male or female, not just skilled at combat. Some stories tell of Knights who acted otherwise and lost their status. Other stories are about Knights who deceived their peers about their conduct with the aid of Evil Gods until they could do so no longer. Then they continued to serve Evil by killing the Knights who sought to expose them, and the Evil Gods granted them the status of Dark Knights. In contrast, the most honorable of all warriors- Guards or Squires, not Thugs- can become blessed Paladins serving the Good Gods if they also study as Priests and Clerics. Clerical Orders of militant Priests exist throughout Daria to take advantage of this. They don't make as much money and they have less Magic Skill, but they are more numerous than Priests among Adventurers.

General Vale is the leader of Daria's central army. He is both a high level Guard and a War Master. War Masters are the strategist class in LH. They can pull off tactics with soldiers other classes can't due to their Knowledge levels. Real world War Masters include people like George Patton, Robert E Lee, Ulysses Grant, Dwight Eisenhower, Genghis Khan, Shaka Zulu, etc.

There is no official navy or air force in Daria. Airplanes aren't yet invented and ships are mainly used for trade, not war. That said, pirates and other seaborne dangers do exist, so many ship captains employ catapults and magic-users as defense. We'll get the chance to check that out in LH 3. Perhaps, if we acquire the appropriate training and inspiring mount, we can also give Daria its first air force at the end of the game. I'm planning to pull off that feat with Princess Rynn once this LP is over. Click her name for a hint if you're interested in doing something similar in your own LH play.

The main military force independent of the government in Daria is the Adventurer's Guild. This group employs classes of all sorts and hires them out to whoever needs them. We'll get the chance to go on quests for that Guild later in LH 1. Adventurers will strike out on their own quests just as often, looking for treasure and fighting monsters without a sponsor, just as in many other fantasy stories.

Other mercenary groups exist too. The most prominent in LH is the Weapon Masters of Opal Cove. They train in styles generally not available to other warriors, and thus an LH player cannot become one. There is one part in LH 1 where we can train with a Weapon Master, however, and we can hire them in LH 2 and 3. Blademasters and other high Weapon Skill characters can also approach their Skill levels. Weapon Masters pride themselves on only working for those who pay them well and who do right by them. Most stay in the main organized group. Others, such as Thuja and our possible trainer Suno/Suna, adventure on their own for coin. Thuja isn't a Weapon Master in the canon game, by the way, but I figured making him one would help flesh out the group and his character early on. We need to learn to respect the Weapon Masters to avoid something unbelievably stupid in LH 2.

Daria has had many wars in its history. Banditry is a big problem in the wild, and the army conducts regular campaigns against it. The kingdom has been raided by Elves, Orcs, and Dwarves. In Life of a Wizard, you can conduct a great war of conquest with varying success. Only the King or Queen can call out the main Army, however. Dukes and independent groups with a military like the Consortium have less presence and thus less advantage. Or maybe they have some other advantages the main army doesn't, as we'll soon learn. Let's now visit...

The Training Yards posted:

The training yard is full of soldiers. Some of them are duelling with practice swords while others are training their archery. A guard captain named Madine is directing a drill on the main parade ground.

- "Present Arms! Atten-Hut! At Ease! Atten-Hut!"

You see two groups of soldiers not usually in the castle watching the drills. One is composed of the Consortium soldiers and mages. The other is dressed in black and white colors contrasting Daria's usual uniforms of red and gold. Your Geography Skills recognize them as soldiers from the western province of Ludd. This area of Daria borders a great wilderness, so attacks from Orcs and other bandits are a constant concern. Your parents thus allow the local Duke to maintain his own military. You recall, however, that your mother was concerned about that military's recent increase in size. You also did not know a detachment from Ludd was at the castle today.

Their grey-haired Commander is quietly observing the castle guards. He glances at you for a moment, then quickly looks away.

- "..."

You consider speaking to the various soldiers in the yards, but all look not interested in you or very busy. There is one exception.

You see old Sir Grady sitting in the shade of an old apple tree. His white moustache hangs over his mouth and his eyes are closed. He's been retired for twenty years now, although he still comes to afternoon practice every day. More often than not, like today, he falls asleep before the drills are over. Soft mushy apples lay scattered about, too wormy to eat.

- "ZZZZZ."

The old knight is fast asleep. You wonder if you should...

1. Try to conjure a small fire in his mustache.

2. Throw a rotten apple at the old man.

3. Speak to the old Knight.

4. Leave the old man alone.

If we pick Option 3 posted:
In summary, Sir Grady wakes up in response to your polite address. You...

1. Ask "Can you teach me to use a sword?"

2. Ask "Can you teach me to use a bow?"

3. Lie- "The King and Queen need to see you immediately."

Picking Option 3 above wakes up Sir Grady politely and replaces the above choices with the following options I put above to save time. Please vote for whichever build you prefer. There is an advantage for our current build here if you can guess it. Or we can get some weapons skills in addition if anyone wants that. Perhaps a certain poster who seems keen on negative options will finally get to win here, you never know.

W. Morgan Sheppard voices Sir Grady. We'll get some lines from him next update tomorrow morning ~~afternoon~~ in response to our actions here.

BTW, we will get combat training if we take Knight levels but we might need some additional Skill to get us started off prerequisite-wise. Every class has prerequisites, as I'll address when we can pick one. At least one Prestige Class available in LH 2, Rune Knight, requires high levels of both Magic and Blades.

Stats posted:

Stats
Renata, Princess of Daria

Health: 100%

Specialized Training: None

Possessions: Spellbook.

Animal Companions, Pets, and Familiars- None.
Mounts- None.

MORALITY:
Good: 53% Evil: 47%

ABILITIES:
Agility: 20%
Charm: 33%
Endurance: 20%
Perception: 20%
Strength: 20%
Willpower: 20%

SKILLS:
Archery: 0%
Devices: 0%
Magic: 26%
Blades: 0%
Stealth: 13%
Unarmed: 0%

KNOWLEDGE:
Arcana: 41%
Geography: 30%
History: 30%
Nature: 20%
Religion: 33%

RELATIONSHIPS:
Gale (friend and future Rogue) 63%

achtungnight fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Oct 23, 2017

# ? Oct 23, 2017 22:00

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 20:58

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Conjure that fire.

I'm actually curious too see what class we'll end up going for.

# ? Oct 23, 2017 22:14

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

How can we not 1. Try to conjure a small fire in his mustache?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
well put everything in magic and then decide we're a knight with zero actual fighting skill.

# ? Oct 23, 2017 22:28

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

FoolyCharged posted:

we're a knight with zero actual fighting skill.

Magic focused knight should actually be possible to pull off. The skill/class system is quite robust, especially for a CYOA.

Avalerion fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Oct 23, 2017

# ? Oct 23, 2017 22:54

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

You can be a Magic Knight. See the mention of Rune Knight in the above edited update. IIRC, Rune Knights are the only Knight subtype that doesn't require you be an actual Knight first (Dark Knight and Dragon Knight both require that). You can guess what Mentor you have to pick for Knight levels. Magic oriented classes are good for any build, you'll just have to find other ways to practice your Magic if the class levels don't give you points in that Skill.

It can be hard to get multiple Skills up to high levels for some classes, though. Combat especially. The Skill tests are often geared to high standards when it really matters, and failure to have the required level will injure you and/or your teammates, also deny you various rewards. You get no points for trying and failing a Skill Check, unfortunately. We have our first open Skill Check in the current choice if you want to try it. I'll talk more about it next update.

I should note that I am not telling people to pick any particular class. That's all up to readers. I will cooperate with any class we choose. I will merely hint at appropriate times about what's good for what build seems the current trend.

# ? Oct 23, 2017 23:06

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Ok, I guess we're going per my recommendation. Not necessary, but thanks. BTW, I looked on the CoG boards for this game last night and there is a Prestige Class in LH3 called Shadow Weaver. I may have called it Shadow Mage in the opening post. It revolves around Stealth and Magic, requiring high levels of both to attain (70 each). I haven't played it myself, but the name is cool. To work towards it, we may want some extra Agility before the prologue finishes so we can take stealth-oriented Class levels (Thief requires Agility 30, not sure what Assassin requires, I think Hunters also get Stealth but Nature is our Knowledge dump stat right now and it governs your success in that class). Just something to consider. There are a lot of other classes we can take.

Burn the Knight's Mustache posted:

The spark erupts and burns a little more than you had expected before Sir Grady awakes with a yell. He jumps to his feet and runs around in circles as the smell of burned hair fills the training yard. He rushes quickly over to the water trough near the guards' stables and dunks his head. Many soldiers laugh at the prank, but others give you dirty looks. As the princess, they say nothing to you directly. Pleased with yourself, you start to wander off.

(Sir Grady Relationship -10, Magic +3, and Evil +5)

This didn't even work for me the first time I tried it due to low Magic. Any time a choice in LH says "Try" or "Attempt" that is warning you of an open stat check. I think the required Magic level here is 10, and that is only possible with the Spellbook or the Holy Symbol and a couple other bits of Magic training we got (opening scene, Sister Geri). My first character who did it had a Sword, so I restarted after experiencing humiliation here.

Also be aware that when the game gives us the option to consider something, it is also warning of an open test but with additonal passing requirements and consequences for failure. There are freqently "are you sure" or "sorry, can't do that" events behind such options.

There is no bonus for failing a Skill test and it will get you injured and possibly cost you rewards if you don't succeed. Companions will then pull you out of danger when you fall unconscious and not be able to to help you in later events. Success gets you +3 in all stats relevant to the test, Magic in this case.

This action put our Morality towards Evil too.

Uh Oh... posted:

You wonder if you should feel sorry for what you did as you leave the training yards. Your parents would not be amused by your action, whatever your excuse. But it was a bit of good magical practice, so maybe it was worth the bad karma. You are not sure.

A firm hand falls on your shoulder.

- "Renata, what was that about?"

You recover quickly from your surprise. "Sorry, Sir Grady, I was hoping to start a magical duel."

- "Challenge me politely next time and perhaps you will get one. I do thank you for waking me up, though. All these visitors to the castle have me on edge. I've noticed them wandering around memorizing guard patterns, I really should not be sleeping right now. I may be retired, but my duty remains important. Thank you again."

You figure he is still mad at you but recovering his dignity. "You're welcome."

Grady grumbles something under his breath and walks away.

1.Visit the royal garden.

2. Go to your room and have an afternoon nap.

I would be remiss if we did not visit the Garden and meet our last potential Mentor. She is a rather interesting case. First, though, let me talk about...

Daria's Guilds

Like in the real medieval world, Guilds exist throughout Daria to organize, regulate, and educate people involved in various trades. They have advertising and monopolies on their services. Some provide insurance and security to their employers along with craftsmen. Some crafting Guilds that get brief mention in LH include the Sailmakers' Guild, with whom we have to deal to fix up a ship in LH 3, and the Fletchers' Guild, of which our main Archer ally is a member. Fletchers make arrows, if you didn't know. Making up something about the Consortium of Planewalkers to start off Harmond's lecture has you tell him they're a group of crate and barrel makers attempting to compete with the Coopers' Guild (Harmond will correct you on that after he laughs).

I mentioned the Thieves and Assassins Guilds during our dungeon visit. The Mages Guild, which operates the Academy of Wizards, is also a possible Guild an LH player can join. All these Guilds are not plot mandatory, though. The Adventurer's Guild is. This Guild allows our character to work as an adventurer and take on quests later in LH 1. It also hires out adventurers and advertises adventuring services. You will organize a party through it. Like most legitimate Guilds in Daria (ie all but the Thieves and Assassins), the Adventurer's Guild only employs adults who have not been in the Guild before. That means we can't join it till we're 18. We'll also need to take a class level first to get some experience under our belts.

One can argue that the Consortium of Planewalkers is a Demon Summoning Guild. Think of them that way if you like.

In Life of a Wizard, there was a Fighter's Guild, but that group does not exist in Lost Heir. The Opal Cove Weapon Masters and the military substitute nicely. One can also count the Knights as a Guild because they organize training for their profession and expect certain conduct from their members. Bards have a Guild too- its college is in the capital city of Tornassa and we can ply our trade there or anywhere else if we become a Bard.

Lady Emaline (I got her name wrong earlier, my bad), the Mentor we're about to meet, is a prominent member of a certain secret Guild in Daria. You probably have already guessed which one. For those who haven't, the fact that she is played in this LP by Victoria Atkin and that her head-canon resembles the aged version of a certain video game character who deserved a way better game and story than she got IMO is not coincidence. That is all.

In the Garden... posted:

The garden looks like it always does. The afternoon sun shines brightly from the cloudless sky, making all of the various leaves and flowers seem even brighter. You are surprised to see an older woman sitting on one of the stone benches. It is one of your mother's royal advisers, Lady Emaline. Her iron grey hair is of medium length and cut to a straight edge evenly below her ears. She leans heavily on a wooden cane as she inspects a bright blue flower growing from one of the vines. You know that she isn't really a noble, but your parents call her Lady anyway, their respect for the old woman not seeming to match her appearance. You aren't even sure what her role is, although you suspect that she may be a gardener of some type.

The old woman looks up at you, and you recall that Gale told you Lady Emaline was training her in combat. You are not sure how this could be. Lady Emaline does not carry a visible weapon, and she seems quite infirm. You recall something Gale told you to ask her.

"I was told to ask you about weeding, Lady Emaline."

The old woman's eyes narrow.

- "Tell your friend she needs to respect the need for secrecy. It must be maintained. Sooner or later you will learn what I do for your parents, Renata, but not today."

She stands up from the bench and walks over to a flower bush, then begins pulling off the blossoms and tucking them into a pouch at her belt. You walk closer to her, but she only nods in acknowledgement and says nothing further.

Maybe Lady Emaline really is going senile, you think.

1. Ask inanely, "Are you picking some flowers, Lady Emaline?"

2. Wait for the old woman to leave.

3. Casually bump her cane away from her.

There's no ignoring this Mentor, it seems.

After we pick what to do here, we'll be about ready to start the Chapter 1 climax scenes. If you're waiting for action, it is soon to come. See you this afternoon. I can wait, though, if we're not sure what we should do here.

achtungnight fucked around with this message at 00:54 on Oct 28, 2017

# ? Oct 24, 2017 15:00

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

bump the cane

I bet she's faking.

# ? Oct 24, 2017 15:57

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Bump cane, might as well commit to being a dick now.

# ? Oct 24, 2017 16:09

CommissarMega: Nov 18, 2008; THUNDERDOME LOSER

We shall wait, as befits royalty :colbert:

# ? Oct 24, 2017 17:55

Lord Cyrahzax: Oct 11, 2012

Bump the cane.

Sir Grady is my favorite, now everyone must suffer

# ? Oct 24, 2017 18:39

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Ok, the last spurning I tipped you off about. This one was earned.

Bump the Old Lady's Cane! posted:

It might be cruel, but it's interesting. You casually walk closer to her, smiling to disarm the woman. She appears to be collecting parts of some blue flowers and putting them into a small clay jar. When she seems the most distracted, you let your foot scoop the cane out from under her.

(Emaline Relationship -5 and Evil +3)

Somehow, she seems to lift the cane at just the right moment and shift her weight so that she doesn't fall. She teeters precariously for a moment as she jabs the cane to the ground to regain her balance. The end of the stick lands right on your toe!

"Ouch!"

Lady Emaline snickers dryly, although you notice that her eyes don't seem alarmed.

- "Oh my!"

She lifts the cane off of your toe and puts it to the ground once more. She places a small lid on her clay jar and quickly begins to hobble away, mumbling as she departs.

- "Pardon me, I'm sorry, Princess Renata. Good day to you."

You wonder how she moved so fast all of a sudden. Then her voice catches your attention.

- "I will give you one piece of advice. For every mission, there is a right way and a wrong way. Barging thoughtlessly into combat is, more often than not, the latter. Remember that."

With that, the odd gardener is gone before you can do anything more than blink.

Yep, she was faking. Sorry folks, no bonuses here other than Evil and disrespect.

Lady Emaline is probably my favorite Mentor, Sir Grady a close second because of the diversity of bonuses he offers. Both are counter-intuitive, I only like Lady Emaline better because you wonder "what the heck is this woman's deal?" Amos and Sister Geri are a bit more straightforward, if you like that type. All can be of benefit to any character. We'll see who Renata goes with at the proper time.

Only one choice now posted:

You are suddenly feeling very tired from your eventful day. You decide to-

1. Go to your room and have an afternoon nap.

You had gotten up early in order to meet Gale, so you are exhausted. You walk into your room and lay down on your bed, drifting off to sleep almost immediately.

Alright, we're going to sleep. Perhaps we'll have another dream. The last one concerned...

Magic in Daria.

Magic is, as Sister Geri told us, a natural force that shapes the world. In Daria, that's what it is exactly. There's Magic to be found all over the land, and it can be wielded by many varied practitoners. Princess Renata is already good at Magic for her age, and she can only get better.

All people who use Magic in Daria are called Wizards. Their ranks include traditional magic users, hedge witches, warlocks on the fringes of society, devout priests both good and evil, druids crying in the wilderness, and a number of other varied people. Every isolated tribe of humans or monsters has its shaman or witch doctor. Dwarves have artificers crafting magical weapons and armor, Elves have spellweavers bending the light, Gnomes are masters of illusion, even Orcs and Halflings have been known to cast Magic every now and then. The greatest Wizards have served the Crown as Court Wizards. Harmond is one of these. We can't take him as a Mentor, unfortunately. Wizards were the stars of Lucid's earlier game set in Daria.

Life of a Wizard divided Magic into several schools. Arcana, the study of general magical phenomena. Conjuration, the harnessing of the elements for magical dueling- fireballs, lightning bolts, force bolts, ice storms, meteor swarms at the extreme. Enchantment was the ability to cloud and influence other beings' minds. Illusion created grand visions to confuse the senses. Transmutation turned one thing into another. Summoning called forth animals, monsters, demons, and other allies. Healing helped cure wounds and poisons. Alchemy brewed potions and other magical elixirs. Divination predicted the future. Necromancy harnessed the power of the dead. Unfortunately, in Lost Heir not all these schools of magic have quite the power they did before.

Conjuration is pretty much intact, as is Arcana. Abjuration, the school of shielding and warding in Dungeons & Dragons, is also still around, though it remains a defense and not a specialty. No school of Magic can be a specialty in fact. Alchemy is present, as is Necromancy, but neither school can be explored until you get to take a Prestige Class in LH 2. Even then, you must have the right pre-existing stats and you will already have other strengths.

Illusion is now solely the province of Gnomes rather than humans. Healing is practiced by Priests, not Wizards. Artificing of magical items can be learned, but only by completing the right side quest and keeping the magical item it gives you around for study well into LH 3. Transmutation and Enchantment are pretty much gone except for certain situations. Summoning is used for Demons and nothing else. No more horses, ogres to fight evil Halflings, or other cool stuff.

Divination is still present, but requires great Magic skill to even pull off. I think the first Divination spell is cast in LH 2 and only successful at 70+ Magic. You can easily get the same results other ways.

Why Magic has declined like this in the world can not be easily explained. I won't get into it much. Suffice to say, Magic in Lost Heir is just one of many special Skills you can develop. There are many others that will allow you to complete the game if you get good enough at them. In Life of a Wizard, Magic was taught free of charge to all characters at the Academy of Wizards. That is no longer the case- even if you have prior experience and want to study Magic at the Academy, it's not free. And you can get about as good experience with it in many other places, if not better. If you like it for your character, go on and take it. Renata certainly has.

Magic is not much different across the classes. Wizards may seem best at conjuring the elements for attack, but any Magic user can do the same, so their use is more limited than you would think. Priests get blessings and healing, curses also for evil Priests. Both good and evil Priests have power over the dead. Druids have nature Magic that allows them to change shape and manipulate the elements. Specialty classes like Necromancer and Alchemist take a while to get and some might find them underwhelming after the first time played.

There are new Magic classes- Luck Mage, Shadow Weaver, Siren, and Seer are a few I'll discuss in detail. Luck Mages can manipulate probabilities while Shadow Weavers work with shadows, living and otherwise. Neither is possible till LH3. Seers, powerful Divination specialists, and Sirens, who have Enchantment abilities, can become part of our character makeup in LH2, but they are Prestige classes like Alchemist and Necromancer. All Prestige classes are unique, none is really the best.

I should also mention a new possible form of Magic- Soulburning. This is the art of using the Wizard's own life force, or that of other people, to fuel extremely powerful spells. You have to be born with the ability to Soulburn, and our protagonist does not have the power. They may, however, meet a Soulburner one day, and befriend them. With enough Endurance and other stats, they can also become a Catalyst with nearly unlimited energy for their Soulburner ally to draw upon. They have to find the right lost ritual for that, though, and as with all other forms of Magic, it's just one of many ways with which to win the game.

Does all this diversifying and decline in power hurt Magic? Yes and no. It's not the only way to win any more, it's just a specialty. As such, it is still a valid way to complete the game. Renata will probably be using it. Plenty of my LH characters and other people's have done the same. Our second run character, if any, will probably do something else. That will be perfectly fine.

I'll close with a few more notes on Demon Summoning. In Life of a Wizard, you could Summon Demons to serve the people as workers, bodyguards, or an army of conquest. In Lost Heir, any character has the ability to call up Demons for help. There's only two stats that matter for it. Arcana, to properly read the runes on Demon Stones, and Willpower, to keep the Demons summoned under control. Lack of either is a bad thing. I do not recommend Demon Summoning for characters with low Arcana, and low Willpower can make things even worse. You also won't get very much Willpower if you don't Summon Demons beyond the plot mandatory moments, though that's alright because good Demon Summoning skill is not necessary for game success and there is no other use for Willpower really. Concentrating on Demon Summoning as a skill is just one of many ways to finish the game. You can easily dabble in it and then stop, missing out on only a few benefits of doing otherwise with luck. It's more the province of this game's antagonists, Zusak and the Consortium, than it is the protagonist. We'll learn more about what it can and will do for and to Daria later on.

I'm not saying we have erred in building our current character towards Magic. Far from it. We'll see how much it helps her now, as Renata's journey is about to really get started.

You Awake... posted:

Your handmaid is shaking you lightly, waking you up.

- "Princess Renata? Pardon me, but the banquet has already begun."

You get up and accept the towel that she hands you to wash up with. Another change of clothes has been laid out for you as well. The dress is made from the best materials and is designed by one of the most skilled tailors in the land. The shoes that go with it are exquisite, comfortable as well as stylish. You wait patiently while the woman does your hair. Bertie is quiet and smiles as she finishes.

- "They're waiting for you."

1. Say, "Thanks, Bertie," and hurry to the banquet hall.

2. Say, "Thank you, but please be sure to wake me on time in the future."

3. Say, "Next time, wake me up on time. I don't want your ineptitude making me look bad."

4. Ignore the servant and hurry to the banquet hall.

This is a good decision for roleplaying. I'll leave you with it till the morning, see you then.

# ? Oct 24, 2017 22:14

Lord Cyrahzax: Oct 11, 2012

When I'm queen, I'm having your inept rear end drawn and quartered! :argh:

# ? Oct 24, 2017 22:16

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Wake us on time next time.

# ? Oct 24, 2017 22:48

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

1. Say, "Thanks, Bertie"

Let's be nice again. Can't have people thinking we're predictable after all.

# ? Oct 24, 2017 22:48

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Maybe I should speed this up. The regulars have responded already.

Sorry, folks, the last decision was just a false choice. Hope you enjoyed the moment, though. Now we're about to have some more fun.

Counseling the Handmaid posted:

Before you leave, Bertie looks at you with downcast eyes.

- "Sorry for waking you late, m'lady. It won't happen again."

You leave her and hurry from your room, a sudden bad feeling come over you. The halls are curiously empty of guards and other people as you transverse them. Suddenly, turning a corner, you nearly run straight into Gale!

Your friend is only surprised for an instant. She grabs your shoulders and looks at you, deeply troubled.

- "Renata! Thank the gods! I need your help."

"What's wrong, Gale?"

- "You know our visitors? Those Consortium Demon Worshippers? Well, I was helping prepare the banquet for them. And a lot of them were wandering around the castle acting suspicious. Many of them said or seemed like they weren't even planning to attend the banquet and, if it's in their honor, why would they not attend?"

You nod at her to keep talking.

- "I took a break and asked Amos what I should do. He's the old thief I told you about. He said to keep watching them, get more information. Lady Evaline said the same thing when I asked her. She also said I should ask you to ask your parents if they wanted her to do any weeding. 'The garden of Daria is overgrown with weeds,' she said."

"What the hell did she mean by that?"

- "No idea! She's even worse than Sister Geri with her confusing advice sometimes. I asked Sister Geri what to do, but she didn't know either. Sir Grady was asleep again, I didn't want to wake him up. Anyway, I watched the Consortium people as much as I could, but I couldn't guess what they were up to. Then that redhaired noblewoman who's with them, Lady Seraina..."

"Selena, from Brightwater."

- "Yeah, her. She came storming into Mom's kitchen like she owned the castle, started barking out orders! She wanted us to put a special spice in the food for the banquet, something to give it flavor and help the Consortium maintain their Willpower. She said it was harmless to anyone who doesn't Summon Demons. I thought she might be lying, and so did Mom. But we couldn't stop her from putting it in the food! When we protested, she said servants should obey and not speak! Then she left the kitchen, smiling in a way that made me think Petra was right. Gingers have no souls!"

You have met many nice red-haired people who disprove that notion. But perhaps Selena is not such a ginger. You allow Gale to keep talking without countering her words.

A little South Park homage there. Apologies to any gingers or friends of gingers who are reading this. Selena is perhaps the worst person in the Lost Heir games, though other redheads of better character are present too.

Trouble Ahead! posted:

You wave Gale to get to the point of why she needs your help.

- "Mom told me to ignore Selena, she's just another haughty noble. I thought maybe I should do something to disrupt the banquet, stop people from eating the food and whatever she put in it. But no one would listen to me! This banquet's too important, people kept saying, and none of the nobles or the guards would let me in. I can't get close enough to your parents to talk to them. Can you please..."

"Say no more. I'll see what I can do."

- "Thanks, Renata. I picked some of the strange spice from Selena's pocket. Maybe Lady Evaline or Amos or someone will know what it is, if it's really poison, and if there's an antidote. I'll ask them."

You wonder if you should tell her to alert the castle guards to possible danger. But no, they might not believe Gale, and neither of you still know what the exact danger might be.

- "I saw the big guy with the axes from the Consortium walking towards the dungeons. I wonder why he would be going that way."

You shrug and tell Gale to hurry off. You need to get to the banquet and tell your parents what she saw. Surely your mother or your father will have some idea what is going on and what to do in response. You travel quickly through the castle, not stopping for anything else.

The great hall is in full swing as you enter. You can see that the long tables have already been filled with the first course and everyone has begun to eat. If there was any chance you could have stopped them from consuming the food, over-sleeping has prevented it. Two dozen nobles are seated along with your parents, with the Consortium guests among them. You're surprised to see six or seven nobles at the table who rarely ever come to these things. They are currently out of favour with your parents due to various reasons- over-taxation of their lands, allegations of scandals, and other things. You notice none of these nobles are eating. Neither are Zusak, who sits just across from your parents, or Selena, who is at his right hand.

- "Princess Renata, Heir to the Throne of Daria!"

You ignore the herald as he announces you and rush over to your place next to the king and queen. You notice Zusak's eyes on you as you take your seat.

Your mother frowns at you as she takes a large bite of the meal before her. Your father is nodding at you in greeting while he chews a large bite himself.

- "You're late."

1. Say, "Sorry, I fell asleep."

2. Say, "I'm glad I was missed. I wanted to make a good entrance."

3. Say, "I came as soon as I could."

4. Say, "My handmaid forgot to wake me."

5. Lie, "My handmaid found a stain on my clothes and had to pick a new outfit."

6. Scream, "The food is poisoned! Stop eating it now!"

The last choice is my original contribution.

If you've guessed we're back in mandatory plot false-choice stuff, you're right. Hence my incorporating original bits to increase the tension. Things are going to be a bit more dramatic soon, too. I'll give us some more time to role play Renata until the morning comes. drat work for making me stretch this out.

# ? Oct 24, 2017 23:35

TheGreatEvilKing: Mar 28, 2016

I like my entrance

# ? Oct 25, 2017 00:15

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

lie

We uh definitely know nothing of this coup in progress that would get us killed alongside everyone else

# ? Oct 25, 2017 00:21

sullat: Jan 9, 2012

Fell asleep, nap time.

sullat fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Oct 25, 2017

# ? Oct 25, 2017 02:04

Black Balloon: Dec 28, 2008; The literal grumpiest

FoolyCharged posted:

lie

We uh definitely know nothing of this coup in progress that would get us killed alongside everyone else

Yeah clearly everyone else is hosed at this point anyway, so this.

# ? Oct 25, 2017 04:46

John Lee: Mar 2, 2013; A time traveling adventure everyone can enjoy

achtungnight posted:

John Lee- Ok, my bad on the FF6 thing. I'll fix that. Thanks.

Heh, I was just messing around, ya goof. No legitimate criticism was meant; in fact, I think letting others know that I know that counts as self-deprecation.

# ? Oct 25, 2017 05:26

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Let's be charming again, wanted a good entrance.

# ? Oct 25, 2017 07:00

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Ok, the original choice would have let us skip the next bit of railroading, but I guess we should play out the game as written.

Done.

Any Canon Response Gets You... posted:

Your mother laughs and pats your shoulder in a friendly way.

- "No matter, you're here now."

- "Come on and eat, Renata. This food is delicious."

You frown at the course set before you, a large bowl of soup. You ask, "Why are over half the people at this table not eating?"

Selena answers you with a smirk.

- "We were debating whether to eat when the meal was set before us or be polite and wait for you. Your parents weren't sure when you would arrive. Now that you're here, I suppose we should eat."

- "Yes, we definitely should. Dig in, everyone!"

At a gesture from Zusak, many of the Consortium guests and nobles at the table who were not eating before now begin to pick lightly at their meals. You wonder if the food is in fact alright and Gale was just being paranoid.

- "We're certain there's no poison. Our Royal Food Taster is just fine."

You glance down the table and see the Royal Food Taster eating with gusto. Perhaps everything is okay after all.

You pick up a spoon and place it into the bowl of soup in front of you. Suddenly, your mother knocks the spoon from your hand! You look toward her and notice that it was unintentional.

- "Aaargh!!!!"

She appears to be having some type of seizure and a small trickle of blood is running from her nose. You begin to stand up to help her, but before you are able to do anything, you see that she isn't the only one struggling for breath.

- "No!"

Your father's face turns white as he faints. All around you, nobles and court officials whom you recognize as supporters of your parents are clutching their throats before they also pass out. The Food Taster, having high tolerance for poison, is one of the last to succumb, but he collapses nonetheless. Zusak and Selena nod at each other and stand up along with their underlings and allied nobles.

- "Good thing we consumed the antidote before the meal."

- "Yes. Now to deal with the surprise of this foolish child."

They both turn to face you. Footfalls echo in the suddenly silent room, as though a large group of people is approaching quickly from the nearby hallway.

You-

1. Push the food in front of you onto the floor.

2. Yell for the castle guards.

3. Ask your parents, "Are you okay?"

4. Watch what happens next in stunned silence.

No violent action options just yet. We're being railroaded again. See you this afternoon once you set the next scene's opening flavor text.

# ? Oct 25, 2017 14:41

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Are you ok? is just too funny given the circumstances, I'd like to imagine it's said with a lot of sarcasm.

# ? Oct 25, 2017 15:34

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

As all my first aid training has taught men the proper course of action is to prod our parents and say, "Hey! Hey! Are you ok?"

# ? Oct 25, 2017 16:21

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

I agree, asking "Are you ok?" is funny. Not much in the game, but I think this next part needs a bit more drama and realism anyway...

Violent Revolution... posted:

In the shock of the moment, you bend to your mother's side as she collapses. "Are you ok?" you ask her. You ask your father the same question as he shakes back and forth in his chair. Your enemies hesitate, watching you. Selena looks amused. Zusak's expression contains something else- pity or sympathy, you can't tell which.

In any case, your parents are unable to answer your pleas as they grab at their throats. From that point on, your immediate circumstances become a blur of chaos, fear, and horror. Nearly all of the nobles and other people around you are choking and gasping for breath, as are both of your parents. The few who are standing are either fleeing the room or engaging each other with swords and other weapons. Your enemies are soon separated from you by the melee as you continue to kneel pleading at your parents' side. Realizing at last that it is too late, you look at your surroundings. It seems not all the people in the banquet hall are aware of or part of the coup that is taking place. Castle guards, loyal nobles, and various courtiers are fighting the Consortium soldiers and those nobles who are not loyal. You wonder if someone will save you. As a child, there is little you can do on your own against so many fearsome foes.

A guard screams at you, breaking the moment.

- "We'll hold them off, Princess! Run!"

You see his wisdom and nod, then dash for the banquet hall exit.

You can hear loud screams and clashing swords from the castle hallway. You watch in stunned silence as men in dark chainmail begin to flood into the great hall before you can escape. You can tell by their clothing that these are more of the Consortium's guard. Royal guards follow them in, their swords also out.

They are not fighting each other, though. Surprised, you see a third group enter the hall. They look to be a rag-tag bunch, wearing unmatching armor and wielding all manner of weapons. Both royal and Consortium guards battle them in a steady retreat as the fighting spills across the great hall. Thuja, the large Weapon Master who was with Zusak at his audience, is leading the rag-tag bunch of men, swinging his hand axes with unnatural speed to engage all who would fight him. You also recognize some of the prisoners you saw in the castle dungeons among his men, although neither Amos nor any of the ones Piett identified for you are there. The melee before the hall's exits quickly escalates into the room itself, cutting off your immediate chance at escape.

Alexander Zusak yells dramatically.

- "We're under attack!"

This breaks you from your motionless surprise, as Zusak's companions rush to guard his sides. His words go unnoticed by the vast majority of nobles, who are beginning to fall to the ground, at last giving in to the poison they were earlier able to resist.

The castle guards who have entered the banquet hall blink at the sight of all the dead bodies before them. In that instant, the Consortium soldiers and their allies suddenly turn on the royal guards and use the surprise to their advantage. Many are cut down in an instant while others valiantly hold out against enemy sword and spell.

[timg]https://s19.postimg.org/8lrj47u4z/Guardcaptain_CU.jpg[/url][/timg] - "Avenge the King and Queen! Protect the Princess!"

- "Kill them all! Kill the Princess!"

You realize you might have another chance to escape the chaos and start to run for the exit again. Selena points at you as you run, shouting at a large bald man who looks like an ogre.

- "Bunta, grab her!"

- "Come here, you little mouse!"

The ogreish man runs toward you, but is unable to get through the melee. You see some soldiers from Ludd at the rear flank of the guards entering the banquet hall. The grey-haired Commander is leading them. Perhaps they are on our side, you think. You call out to them. "Help me!"

- "Yes, Princess. We will gladly help you- help you die!"

The Commander levels his sword at you. Before he can get close, Castle Guard Captain Madine is there to fight him.

- "Run, Princess!"

You again seize the opportunity to flee.

We'll see Bunta (1980s & 90s menacing character actor Brian Thompson) again in LH 2, I thought it'd be fun to introduce him now as an Easter Egg since he's by far my favorite boss fight in this series. The Ludd Commander (Clancy Brown) we might or might not see again in LH 2 as well. The Guard Captain won't be coming back, though his head-canon might be used for a similar character as is tradition in fantasy games.

Fleeing, but we don't get far... posted:

Before you can escape the hall, someone intercepts you and grabs you arm. It's Thuja, Zusak's warrior ally. He is moving through the melee and cutting down those who threaten him with unnatural speed. You notice runes on his belt shining with magic and wonder if this is the source of his speed ability. Thuja takes firm hold of you before you can get anything but a passing look at the belt.

- "Gotcha! Now come with me!"

Pulling on your arm, the large black-haired man with the two axes is trying to lead you away from the fight. You notice that the castle guards and others on your side are losing now, outnumbered and damaged by the poison they had ingested before the battle started. You see Selena and Zusak maneuver through the melee easily, each supporting one of your parents, who are still shaking in seizure, somehow not yet dead. The red-haired woman is helping your mother and Zusak is helping your father. Your parents are nearly unconscious as they are escorted out of the great hall. Thuja falls in beside Zusak and Selena, still dragging you.

- "Why isn't she dying?"

- "She didn't eat."

- "I see. Do we need a hostage?"

- "Perhaps. Don't kill her yet."

Thuja nods. You open your mouth to say something to Zusak yourself, but are interrupted as two of the ragtag men whom Thuja led into the hall step to bar the exit of the party dragging you. You and Thuja are in front of the men, both of whom seem very upset at Thuja.

"You're killing the King and Queen!" yells one of the men. "You promised us a pardon if we helped save them!"

He rushes at Thuja, waving his weapon. The axeman pulling your arm is forced to let go as he deals with this angry former prisoner.

The other former prisoner is a large man with an ugly scar running down his face. He glares directly at you and shouts, "Vengeance! Spill royal blood!" He has a wicked-looking morning star on a chain in his hand. The spikes are red and crusted with gore from his previous opponents. You can see the man's rotten teeth as he begins to swing the weapon toward you!

1.Try to strike the man with a bolt of fire.

2. Try to punch the man in the face.

3. Attempt to dodge the blow.

4. Do nothing.

Ok, this is our first combat, a tutorial of sorts. All of the above options other than the last one are Skill Tests. I know we can pass one, maybe two of them, and avoid injury here. (Not that we can die or be knocked out this early in the CYOA, but avoiding injury is good.) What should we do?

Best two out of next three votes wins.

achtungnight fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Oct 28, 2017

# ? Oct 25, 2017 21:07

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Bolt of fire!

We weren't just being a jerk to Grady, we were practicing for just such a moment.

# ? Oct 25, 2017 21:15

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

fire!

# ? Oct 25, 2017 21:17

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Fire...Ball! posted:

"Fire...Ball!"

The spell comes quickly to your lips as you summon a ball of fire into your hand. You thrust your palm forward and the bolt strikes forth. It catches the large man with the morning star in the upper arm, sizzling as it burns. You can smell the stench as he steps aside, dropping his weapon and trying to put out the fire.

(Magic +3)

Your enemy collapses as the fire burns him, an opportunistic guard on your side also stabbing him in the same instant. A Consortium soldier intercepts and starts battling that guard before he can further intervene to help you. Thuja has meanwhile slain his own opponent and grabs your arm again.

- "Come, quickly."

The large man with the two axes drags you away from the banquet hall fight. He moves with a speed you've never seen before. It almost seems unnatural.

Speed of Plot.

Breaking into the Treasury... posted:

You are led back toward the royal private quarters. You see that the Consortium guards are leading people in all directions and that another group of them have formed a protective barrier between you and the fight. It's amazing that the hallway battle has spread through the castle so quickly. Zusak and his two associates- the man with the two axes and the lady with the fiery mane- drag you and your parents further away from the melee.

Selena comments to Zusak in her cold voice.

- "She didn't eat."

- "I know. Don't worry, she'll be dead soon. Your claim at power is safe."

They lead you into a room you recognize as the Royal Treasury foyer. Three guards you recognize- Piett, Biggs, and Wedge- are standing in front of the large metal vault door, weapons ready.

- "You'll go no further! The Treasury must be protected!"

Zusak frowns at the guards, then unceremoniously drops your father on the floor. Selena does the same with your mother. Thuja frowns, but Zusak gestures at him to keep hold of you. He then reaches into a rune-covered black bag at his belt and withdraws a glowing green gem you recognize as a Demon Stone.

- "Brahl, I summon thee!"

A huge horned Demon appears, its muscles flexing with menace.

- "Remove these obstacles!"

The Demon chuckles and advances on the shaking guards, whom he quickly tears to pieces before your horrified eyes. A part of you cannot help but wonder at how Zusak so easily commands such a monster.

- "Now tear open the vault door!"

- "No."

Zusak sweats as he directs his Willpower at the Demon.

- "Obey me, Brahl!"

Brahl grunts and grabs the treasure vault door, straining to open it in vain. Zusak frowns and pulls another Demon Stone from his bag, this one glowing ice blue.

- "Xi'atta, I summon thee!"

A glowing blue imp appears. He grimaces at Zusak.

"Yes, Master?"

The last word is dripping with contempt, but Zusak does not seem to care.

- "Help Brahl! Freeze that door's hinges!"

The imp nods and zaps the vault door hinges with white beams that freeze them in ice. Brahl keeps pulling at the door, but it still refuses to give way.

- "You both are useless! Return to whence you came."

The Demons nod and vanish, looking almost relieved as they disappear. You feel confusion at their attitudes.

Xi'atta and Brahl are by far my favorite Demons in Lost Heir- well them and Tyborr, who we might also meet later. If we don't Summon him this run, maybe we will in a second one. Andy Serkis or someone similar can play and voice all three. Before anyone asks- no, neither the game nor I will allow us to pull off Demon Combo Actions like this later even if we Summon Demons. The bad guys are experts and they need to retain at least some advantages.

Back to the action posted:

Zusak frowns at the vault door.

- "If force won't open it..."

- "Maybe you should examine those runes."

Zusak nods and looks at a line of red runes etched across the door Selena is indicating.

- "'Only royal blood may enter'. I see it was more literal than we thought. That's why we brought the king and queen here."

He grabs your shaking father and touches his hand to the door, but nothing happens. Zusak frowns while Selena repeats the motion with your mother. Still, the door does not move. Selena suddenly looks aghast.

- "My poison! It's contaminated their blood."

- "But we have an untainted royal! Fortune smiles on us! Thuja, bring her!"

You are unable to resist as Thuja drags you forward and presses your hand against the vault door. You feel and hear the magical lock give way at your touch. Zusak laughs as the vault door swings open.

- "Perfect! Thank you, Princess! Thuja, allow her one final moment with her parents before she dies!"

Thuja nods and releases you. You kneel beside your parents as Selena and Zusak enter the vault. The red-haired woman immediately takes out a large magical Bag of Holding and starts filling it with gold, gems, and other treasures. Zusak meanwhile ignores most of the treasure, perhaps looking for something specific. You examine the situation further, wondering if there is anything you can do.

Your parents are no longer moving at all, having succumbed entirely to the poison. You can see that their necks have swollen and their tongues have turned black as they protrude from their blue lips. The large man who was accompanying Zusak, Thuja, stands over you, holding an axe in each hand. You notice again that he's wearing a thick leather belt covered in runes, but he seems too attentive to let you touch it or try to take it off him right now, not that you could get the belt off Thuja as a child anyway.

Zusak turns from the vault contents at last and looks down at you with no hint of his former smile. He's holding a grey Demon Stone the size of an acorn in his hand. The object is covered in runes, but otherwise seems very dull. Unlike the other Demon Stones Zusak had produced earlier, this one is not glowing in the slightest amount.

- "That's it?"

Zusak nods in reply to the axeman.

- "It looks so... dull."

- "It's what we came for."

The Consortium's High Chancellor removes the black cloth bag from his belt and carefully opens it. A myriad of conflicting colours arise from the opening. He carefully drops the strange unglowing stone into the bag and then returns the bag to his belt.

Thuja and Selena meanwhile look at you.

- "Poor little girl. Her parents are dead. Her own brief survival has doomed her kingdom."

You have a moment to...

1. Examine and attempt to revive your dying parents.

2. Ask Selena, "What do you mean by that?"

3. Pray to the gods for aid.

4. Beg your enemies- "I can help you!"

5. Do nothing.

This may look like another false role-playing choice, but it's not. These are real game options, all but the last carrying a stat bonus if picked here. I had to modify how #2 was offered slightly since Selena says no appropriate line close to this choice's option in the canon text.

Choose wisely during the next few hours. I am off work tonight and can produce a few more updates. Or if I should slow down, I will do so when votes request it or seem to slack.

achtungnight fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Oct 28, 2017

# ? Oct 25, 2017 22:17

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Offer to help (so that we can backstab them later!).

# ? Oct 25, 2017 22:45

Sylphosaurus: Sep 6, 2007

Try to help our parents

# ? Oct 25, 2017 22:58

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

Our parents are dead, there's no saving them.
Like hell will we bend a knee to our captors.
There is only 1 thing to do.

Pray to the gods. No one will remember if we were good or bad. Why we fought or why we died. All that matters is that one stood against many. That's what's important!

# ? Oct 26, 2017 01:07

TheGreatEvilKing: Mar 28, 2016

ask the gods to smite our enemies

# ? Oct 26, 2017 01:23

Lord Cyrahzax: Oct 11, 2012

Be curious. We need to start planning our revenge now.

# ? Oct 26, 2017 01:43

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

Let us pray.

# ? Oct 26, 2017 01:53

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Ok, #3 is ahead by two votes. FYI, the other options do the following-

#1. Trying to revive your parents won't work, but you do get a Nature bonus for learning a little about the poison they ingested.

#2. Selena laughs and won't tell you any secret plot details this early, but you do get a Perception bonus for taking the opportunity to ask.

#4. Zusak says a line I love- "You'd help us best by dying, Prince/ss!", and you get a Charm bonus.

Proceeding with #3. Get ready, a lot of stuff's about to happen.

Prayer for Aid posted:

You fall to your knees beside the corpses of your parents and whisper prayers to the Gods. As you do not follow any specific God, you instead pray to all Gods of which you are aware. You plead with the Good Gods to watch over Daria, to help you combat the evil that has slain your parents. You ask the Evil Gods to recognize that your parents' deaths may thwart some of their plans for Daria and that Zusak's ill deeds threaten their competing designs.

You seek help from any God or Goddess who might listen, either to smite your enemies or save you from your current circumstances. Your past academic studies of Religion aid you in this prayer. As you near the conclusion, you sense that perhaps the prayer has gotten through. One particular God or Goddess has taken interest in you. However, their identity is not immediately clear at this time.

You blink when your prayers are not answered. Zusak looks at you with an expression of contempt on his face.

Religion +2 for praying. We do get some bonus for doing this even if our enemy can't appreciate it. And should we later become a Priestess or purchase a Holy Symbol, the identity of the deity on our side shall be revealed.

Now the Drama posted:

Zusak coldly addresses his associates.

- "Kill her, Thuja. They'll think it was an escaped prisoner. It would have been cleaner if Selena's poison had done the deed, but this will work just as well."

- "As you wish."

You watch in stunned disbelief as the man with the axes steps toward you. Suddenly, flashes of bright white fill the room!

You see ice shards flashing past you and feel one of them cut your arm open. The three others are cut much worse as they raise their hands to block the onslaught. Through the barrage, you see kindly old Harmond, your tutor, casting the spell from the doorway of the Treasury with an angry expression.

(Health -20, no way to avoid)

The Court Wizard makes a gesture and mystic bands of paralysis entwine Thuja and Selena. A similar spell forms around Zusak, but he dismisses it with a sneer. Harmond challenges Zusak with words instead.

- "Alexander, you fool! How could my former number one pupil have fallen so far?"

- "Professor Harmond! I missed you at the banquet, you old bore."

- "I was avoiding you. I did not want to face what you have become. I tried to deny it. That is my greatest sorrow now. You have killed the King and Queen! For that you shall pay."

Harmond glances at you as you struggle to your feet and start preparing a spell of your own to aid him.

- "No, Renata! Let me handle this upstart! His magic is far too powerful for you to counter with your current skill! Run!"

You scramble to your feet as Zusak and Harmond start to dance about the room, hurling bolts of magical power at one another. You can see that your tutor is trying to act as your shield, but you are not sure you can leave him to his fate.

- "What are you doing, Professor? You know you cannot defeat me. Neither of you will escape here. Brahl, I summon thee!"

Zusak reaches into his runebag and again calls forth the enormous horned Demon.

- "Kill them both, Brahl!"

- "..."

The Demon stomps towards Harmond first, but he coolly snaps his fingers and speaks a word of power.

- "DIE!!"

Brahl shudders and vanishes back to its home Plane.

- "You know one can't really kill Demons on this Plane. I'll have Brahl back shortly."

- "I think not! Protectus Cancellus! Procella Crystalli!"

Harmond waves his hands and a wave of magic hits Zusak. First there is a blue stream of abjuration, followed by another spray of freezing shards.

One of the shards of ice randomly slices through the bag hanging from Zusak's belt. You watch as the fabric is torn open and glowing rune-covered Demon Stones scatter across the floor of the Treasury, including the dull unglowing one that Zusak had just acquired. Instinctively, you grab at the Stones as they roll towards you, scooping the unglowing Stone and three others into your hands. Unknown to you at the time, this odd compulsion will change the course of Daria's history forever.

- "What are you... Put those down!"

You shake your head, tucking the Stones into your pockets. Harmond raises an eyebrow at this action, but says nothing in disfavor.

- "Run, Renata! Others are outside in the front hallways waiting for you! Hurry!"

You nod and flee the Treasury at once as Zusak and Harmond again start blasting magic at one another. You take one final look over your shoulder as you exit. Your last vision of that room is of the bloated corpses of your parents, a vision that will haunt you forever.

(Gained three glowing rune-covered Demon Stones and one dull unglowing rune-covered Demon Stone.)

You hear Harmond and Zusak yelling at each other between spell exchanges as you run away.

- "Your powers are weak, old man!"

- "You can't win, Alexander, not as long as Renata survives. And if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!"

- "Oh, you just had to tempt me!"

There is a massive explosion from the Treasury, followed by cold mocking laughter.

RIP Harmond. I think you would have made a great Magic Mentor for the Lost Heir, but its original author had to disagree.

Run Princess Run! posted:

There is no time to contemplate your tutor's memory right now. Instead, you must honor his sacrifice and survive. Unfortunately, the castle halls are still full of guards and enemies battling one another. As you flee the Treasury, you find your path to escape blocked by a huge mob fighting in the Throne Room. You need to get through.

1. Push your way through the guards.

2. Dodge through the guards.

3. Say, "Excuse me!"

I'm pretty sure any action here will work to avoid damage and give us a bonus. What should we do? Please vote to resolve this tense situation while I work on the next update, majority of votes will win. I will proceed late tonight or tomorrow afternoon, pending sufficient votes.

achtungnight fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Oct 26, 2017

# ? Oct 26, 2017 04:20

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

dodge

# ? Oct 26, 2017 06:19

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Edit: On second though, dodge.

Avalerion fucked around with this message at 07:02 on Oct 26, 2017

# ? Oct 26, 2017 06:53

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

Be an Artful Dodger.

# ? Oct 26, 2017 07:47

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Dodge! posted:

Aided by your trained Stealth and natural Agility, you squeeze past the melee before anyone realizes you're there.

(Agility +2)

Stealth and Agility often work together. Thieves need 30 Agility, but a lot of their Checks to steal require both high Agility and Stealth. Pushing at this decision boosts Strength, politeness Charm.

Rescuers posted:

You burst back into the main Throne Room, holding your bleeding arm. The attackers wearing mismatched armour are still fighting royal guards, but none of them are trying to push past the Consortium's men. All of the nobles are now gone, either dead or taken away to safety.

In addition to the royal guards, you see a group of older people fighting at the entrance to the hall. One of them is the old knight, Sir Grady. He looks ancient, but his sword is covered in blood. He is fighting like a man a quarter his age, his white moustache flying out as he defends himself.

- "Have at thee! Yah!"

Another is a short bald woman in flowing robes- the monk, Sister Geri. Her hands are a blur as she strikes at the attackers with her fists and feet. A look of concentration adorns her face as each blow knocks aside an enemy.

- "..."

A second man with long straggly white hair and a dirty beard stands nearby. He looks very out of place, but he too is fighting the attackers with a short sword and helping the royal guard. It's Amos, the prisoner you met earlier that day. He sees you and waves.

- "Hey Princess! Nice dodging just now!"

The last figure is an old woman- Lady Emaline, your parents' adviser and gardener. Like the other heroes, she shows almost no trace of her age inhibiting her during the combat. You watch as she slides a wickedly sharp-looking dagger from her cane and drops the stick itself to the ground. Her movements are fast and lethal as she uses the previously concealed knife to kill those who oppose her. Emaline whispers something as she thrusts her dagger into an enemy mage's heart.

- "Time to weed. Rest in Peace!"

Sensing that these are the allies Harmond mentioned waiting for you and safety lies amongst them, you sneak and dodge through the melee around you until the four have you encircled. You help them to drive back the attackers nearby by launching a few magical missiles as you move.

The four odd fighters have soon broken through the mismatched attackers, opening an exit in their ranks. You speak to them in a moment of calm amidst the chaos of battle.

"Mom, Dad, and Harmond are dead!"

- "I am sure they all fell with honor!"

- "You are alive. We aim to keep you that way!"

- "Good to see you, Princess."

- "That big merc with the axes fought his way into the dungeons and freed everyone earlier. I snuck away instead of following the crowd, helped your friend Gale and her mother get to safety. They're waiting for us in the tunnels."

You smile in relief. "Let's go there then."

As you move through the halls alongside your four protectors, there is a crackling of magical lightning from the other side of the melee back towards the Treasury. A trio you did not want to see again this soon starts to move through the parting ranks of battling guards.

Zusak strides forward confidently with Thuja and Selina at his sides. The High Chancellor is holding the end of his shirt in one hand, which appears to be sagging in the center. Judging from the colors shining from the makeshift pouch, you guess that it's holding the Demon Stones that had fallen out of his torn bag which you did not have time to collect.

I just realized I've been spelling Selina's name wrong. From now on I will get it right unless a typo in the game or of my own fault trips me up again. Apologies.

Escape posted:

Zusak yells at his minions, pointing at you.

- "Get her!"

The invading soldiers immediately begin to close in on you. The four older fighters hold them back, trying to maintain a clear path to allow you to escape the hall.

Everyone begins to look worried as the Consortium troops all start to turn their attention towards you. The castle guard and your other allies have fought bravely, but they were outnumbered and weakened by sabotage and poison before combat began. Thus they are losing. Even the four great heroes standing around you could not turn the tide. You must escape, though. The heroes realize this and speak to you again as you move.

- "Princess. We must come to a difficult decision!"

"What do you mean?"

- "It's easy to guess. Only one of us can best get you out of the castle while the other three act as shields like I presume Harmond did. Gods, why did I get involved in this? I love Daria, but..."

- "Sometimes one must die to protect the things one loves. The mother bear guarding her cubs will kill many foolish hunters."

Amos looks a little more resolved after Sister Geri's words.

- "What she said."

- "I realize this decision will be hard for you, Princess. Please take all the time we can give you. If you want help narrowing things down..."

The four aged heroes of the realm nod at one another and move to opposing corridors, both of which you know lead to secret paths adjoining the tunnels beneath the castle that will be your escape. They continue to battle and kill enemies who get close while you make up your mind who to escape alongside.

Sir Grady and Lady Emaline stand to the left while Sister Geri and Amos stand to the right.

1. Run left, toward Sir Grady and Lady Emaline.

2. Run right, toward Sister Geri and Amos.

Ok, we have reached a big plot decision. We need to choose with which potential game Mentor Renata is escaping the castle. As you can probably guess, the next choice narrows it down from four options to two. So, I will accept votes for one Mentor and proceed with the top pick if you want to save time. Or I can do it the game's way if you like and increase tension- vote for a pair or a direction in that case.

Funny enough, there's a thing about going left in these boards' CYOAs and both Mentors we pissed off earlier are on the left.

Spoilers to aid this decsion regarding our current build follow this paragraph if you want to read them. Next update will come tomorrow evening, preferably on a new page. If we pick a Mentor, it will be a big one. You have plenty of real time to decide how we should proceed from here.

Spoilers- We are on a good path for the Priest class (or Priestess, to use the proper gender). Magic and Religion are high, so we should do well. However, we can also switch paths easily this early if you prefer, though we may or may not do as well in that case. Consider the following:

-

Sir Grady is the best Mentor for melee combat with Blades. He will also increase our Strength and allow us to become a Squire (free Sword and Horse later) at first class level, then later a Knight in LH 2 if we pick him.

-

Lady Emaline is the best Mentor for Stealth and also Nature, our Knowledge dump stat. Should we pick her, we can walk the path of the Assassin (free Dagger) and do several cool side quest contracts.

-

Sister Geri is the best Mentor for Unarmed combat and will help us become a Monk. She also provides an Arcana bonus for spellcasters. Monks can easily get both Unarmed and Knowledge bonuses, also go on a quest to get Ki abilities at the end of LH 1, then beginning of LH 2 (playing a Monk without Ki like Geri is still on my to-do list but I imagine that's fun too, I've also never done a Monk with Stealth or Magic).

-

Amos is expert in Thief Skills (Stealth & Devices, though he isn't as Stealthy as Lady Emaline) and provides a bonus to Charm. His special class is Bard, which gives us a free Instrument. And he's the funny guy.

- Any Mentor can train us equally in Magic or Archery. Those who are not experts in requested Skills can also train us in other things to a lesser degree by hiring other teachers to help.

- We can become a Priestess, Thief, Guard, Hunter, Scribe (first level Sage), or Thug after training with any Mentor. We may not have the prerequisite stats for all these jobs, though. I know we can do Scribe or Priestess (which gets a free Holy Symbol) for sure. Either class can easily lead to Wizard later if we want that. If we want Shadow Weaver, a lot of Stealth is a good thing to get here. Then Priestess to boost our Magic for the first quest since you need 40+ in a combat ability to do well against the mandatory boss there.

- Every Mentor has a unique side quest to acquire in LH 2 and then complete in LH 3. This gives us a good magic Artifact and story bits.

I'll look for a decision tomorrow around 1800 CST. Stats at the top of the page's update if you need them.

achtungnight fucked around with this message at 12:26 on Oct 26, 2017

# ? Oct 26, 2017 12:04

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 20:58

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Our best options are probably priest and just focus on magic, or a magic/punch focused monk, so Geri. Could also do well as a bard though I figure so right works either way..

Trying to be a magic thief might spread us too thin and not sure if we actually can take thief with our current agility - I remember the shadow weaver reqs being really particular about needing a level of both thief and wizard, though..

Avalerion fucked around with this message at 13:26 on Oct 26, 2017

# ? Oct 26, 2017 13:16

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Let's Save Daria! Let's Play The Lost Heir Trilogy from ChoiceOfGames

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