Part 64: The Road Goes On Forever...

Update 22: The Road Goes On Forever...




"I'm not one to usually complain about a parade being thrown in our honor…"

"…but some sleep would be much appreciated."

"Crap, is that who I think it is?"



"Oh, you survived. That's.. that's great."

"A victory celebration will commence at the palace!"

"Well, gotta go! I'll meet you at the palace!"



"Well, that's actually kind of sweet. Maybe with some extra help he'll actually be as good as she thinks he is."




"I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. I'm just glad we made it back here in one piece."

"Mostly because he didn't get anywhere near the controls."



After a rest it's time to cash in that experience for a level up. Walking through the citadel you'll occasionally get a bit of chatter about being recognized as heroes, having people come up to touch you, or so on. This one just amuses me the most because of the anti-gnome subtext. What, like if it had been a human offering their daughter we'd have accepted? At any rate, once the party is healed and ready it's time to head to the palace. And just as a bit of warning… you want to be healed up.



"Wow, I think this party has been going on ever since we got back."

"They couldn't really start without us.. hey, Daenor and… uh…"

"Crysia. Thank you for all of your help. My brother has told me of your bravery, and I am sorry for the trouble I caused you all."

"A sorceress of your skill should take the time to learn how to defend herself against a spell as simple as charm person."

"Nonsense, my sister. To have you back again safe and sound makes everything worth it. Tonight, we celebrate!"




"Hope really does spring eternal."

"If the gem has stayed away from them for all those thousands of years, I think it'll probably be okay."



"Looks like she's doing a lot better. I don't think we'd have ever expected her to actually fly."

"Probably not going to get much bigger than that, though."



"I.. don't think I can eat another bite…let it end…"



"I think you might get your wish… wait, what is that thing?"

"Imagine, a royal cheese nutgall! What a magical day!"

"Well, they certainly deserve it."



"I.. uh.. I think we'll pass?"




"This is definitely something… special. Yes, I think special is the right word."



"Is this part of the party?"

"I'm afraid the chances of that are extremely small."




"Tremor, you're being unspeakably rude. If you'd actually come in the front door, you'd have been welcomed as an honored guest."

"Fools! With the Dark Queen out of the way, and our courage restored, your services are no longer required!"



"Oh? And what are you going to do about it, old bard?"

"Trakvalhiss Draackiss, I challenge you to the death!"




"Well, this is awkward. It's like watching your parents fight."



"For a supposedly superior species, you guys are awfully slow learners."




So this is it. The final regular battle of the game. There are 21 different dragons in these screenshots, and that's not even all of them. They range the gamut of chromatic dragons, and they're surrounding us on all sides. It looks bad… but we've faced worse at this point. First off, there are a good dozen gnomes around. They're not much use, but they distract the dragons long enough for us to get a few spells and the like off. Sam and Boo can kill two dragons per turn, and Ishmael can wipe out whole groups while the other three members provide support. As always, the priority is green and blue dragons. Luckily they tend to be fairly close to each other.




"That had to hurt… does Tremor even realize that if he wins this fight, we're just going to slaughter him?"



"He's never been the sharpest knife in the drawer.. although red dragons possess tremendous intellect in a few areas and are great spell casters, they're not very good at long term planning."




"Point taken. And now he's shamed and driven away. He'll be hiding in the swamps for decades after this."



"shadows. Your generous offer of friendship must wait another day. Please, take this iron scale with you."

"We'll be taking this back home with us. If they really want it that bad, they can come across the sea and try to take it from us."




"We can skip the cheese ball for the next victory celebration, if you don't mind."



And with that, our adventures in Krynn conclude. The game says at this point that you can explore places you haven't seen yet, but that's not exactly true. We can't go back and visit the Hulderfolk or Blackwater Glade, and nothing has chanced in any of the other areas. There is no post game content that I've been able to discover, and no reference to it on the internet. You can still run around and get in fights if you want, but… eh, we've had enough of that. So, without day we'll move straight into the…

Epilogue




After returning to Ansalon, Boo used his portion of the party's treasure to buy a proper castle. Now a highly respected Knight of the Rose, he is settling into his new role. Members of the knighthood are still trying to figure out whether he's a lesser hero than Huma for his role in destroying the Dark Queen's avatar while it wasn't inhabited by her, or a greater hero because of the fact that he actually survived the experience. As it is, eligible daughters from the knighthoods families are eyeing him up, and there's a que of squires vying for a chance to study under him.




Following their adventure Sam returned to his believed forests, which have experienced a remarkable decline in the number of evil creatures since his return. Still not caring over much for society he avoids elven settlements, but occasionally lends a hand in times of need. Young elven hotshots have taken to trying to find him as a test of their skills, with a few being rather confused and thinking that he's actually a reclusive forest maiden that will fall in love with the first man who catches her. Occasionally he heads off to visit his friends, completely confounding his pursuers.




Having pretty much reached the pinnacle of achievement as a paladin, Amanda decided to retire and enter the priesthood in search of achievements on a different field. She's not the best priestess, but she's universally the most feared. It'd be nice to say that her racism was tempered by her experiences, but it's actually been reinforced in a few cases. Minotaurs and Hulderfolk in particular are at the top of her shit list.




Rip returned to Solace and to his room at his favorite inn, but his adventures have changed him and he's no longer the man he once was. Although he still certainly enjoys a drink, Rip has become a considerably more concerned and philanthropic individual. One of Mishakal's most powerful clerics spends his days caring for the people in his community, and his nights hanging out in a bar and nursing a few drinks… and both Mishakal and her cleric are perfectly content with that arrangement.




Ishmael returned to the Towers of High Sorcery, although they don't quite know what to do with him. He's uninterested in taking over the role of Head of the Red Robes, despite being one of the most powerful mages in Krynn's history. There's some question of what exactly they should do with him, but nobody wants to argue with a man who can kill any other wizard on the planet with a single word. Instead, Ishmael has returned peacefully to his own studies and is in search of an adventure that can challenge him further. After his contact with Raistlin, many consider it just a matter of time until he decides to go ahead and make a shot at becoming a God.




Silent as a shadow and twice as stealthy, Gable continues his private pursuit of exploring the most dangerous and forbidding ruins that he can find. Now more than capable of evading the most perilous traps and snares, his unmatched expertise continues to build his legend among the Kender and among thieves of all species. Occasionally he spends weeks or months at a time with his best friend Sam, going on their own adventures.




The party's unofficial 7th member of our party, Grunschka split off the party and pursued her private mission of killing every draconian she could find. As their numbers dwindled this became a more and more difficult mission, but dwarves live long lives and she has the time. What she'll do when finding relatively peaceful draconians remains a mystery, but the consequences should be interesting.