Part 36: 25.A: Not A Knight At All
Gfy
: This knight’s one-time commanding officer… imagine, if you will, a Wyrm without the slightest trace of bravery!
: Sir Gilman then recants his tale of Sir Deluge’s past, and how it is that they wound up together in the Downside.
: Music: Knights Of The Sea: Some wyrms born under the Sea-Dominion’s waters sought life’s meaning on dry land. The Commonwealth recognized their chivalrous traditions and soon put them to use.: Sir Deluge was just another bit of front-line fodder in the war against the Highwing Remnants. Yet, time and again he distinguished himself for one simple reason: He would not die.
: Very impressive for a worm fighting against an army of birds, honestly.: His unusual instinct for self-preservation kept him safe in many battles, and over time, he was repeatedly promoted for lack of any real competition. Then, in the battle of the Spiral Sanctum, when retreat certainly was not an option, Sir Deluge retreated anyway. This was a breaking point, and he at last was sentenced into exile.: In the Downside, he sought water, where he made contact with Sir Gilman and other members of his kind. They all saluted him as their superior. The other knights had little choice but to respect his rank. As the Pyrehearts, they conduct the Rites in the name of their great hero, the Underking Ores, while adhering to their strict code.: This knight might not have failed quite so miserably at the battle of the Spiral Sanctum had his entire regiment not turned in disarray after Sir Deluge fled. Perhaps by confronting his former commander, this knight’s own honor may be re-gained in part… for now, however, this knight must beg your leave.: You say good-night to Sir Gilman, in turn. There is no time to make flight preparations now, though in the morning you will press on once again.
: Real talk, Sir Deluge’s whole situation actually sounds kind of funny. He had the misfortune of being born as part of a race that values honour, courage, and chivalry above all else, and he has the (surprisingly uncommon) sense to prefer to want to live. Because of that, he rose in rank compared to everyone else not due to his deeds, but strictly due to his seniority. You can only imagine the look on Gilman’s face when he met Deluge again in the Downside.: Anyhow, let’s take a look into the blackwagon and see who wants a word.
: Fred’s in a good mood. I guess I would be too, after a match as close as the one we just had – and he has a strong argument for being the MVP, what with Final Kindling saving our bacon pretty hardcore.
: (Ti’zo is happy to have Volfred back among the Nightwings once again.)
: Thank you, Ti’zo. I am happy to be back among the Nightwings, as well.
: Though, you understand why we were forced to be apart for so long, don’t you?
: (Ti’zo indicates he understands full well.): I trust that Tariq provided some good company and song during the intervening time.: (Ti’zo confirms he did enjoy traveling alongside The Long Minstrel for some time.): And, there he is, right on cue.
: Volfred laughs warmly at this.
: No, Tariq, we are well enough for now. Ti’zo and I, we were just remembering the time when we first met, the three of us.
: Ti’zo was rather apprehensive, then, as I recall.: He was merely being circumspect, I’m sure. Ti’zo has the sharpest instincts of us all.: But, the bite he gave you, sir… it left a permanent impression, did it not…?: Look, I’m not gonna judge Ti’zo. When I first met Volfred, I was this friggen’ close to biting him myself.: It did, indeed. I consider it a mark of friendship. May it stay with me for all my days.: It’s a good reminder that, despite the challenges we faced together in the past… my time among the Nightwings has been extraordinary.: Likewise can I say the same, sir.
: Volfred turns to you.: I should apologize, my boy…. Here we are talking of a history you do not share. Believe me when I say we’re skipping over many of the bad parts.
: What I mean is, it isn’t my intention to exclude you as we wax nostalgic. The Nightwings that you know… we are a strange assortment, are we not?: Those of us who share some kinship from the past… I suppose we cannot help but seek some warmth in it. But, it should not be to the exclusion of the friendships that we forge right now.: So, please, why don’t you join us for a bit?: Together, you, Volfred, Ti’zo, and The Lone Minstrel talk awhile about the times gone by. The three of them are pleased to be back in one another’s company again, having grown close through shared experience in the past. Just the same, they have welcomed you into the group.: In spite of the hardships you have faced, some of these idle moments that you share together may one day form memories you think back on with fondness.: Soon, the conversation winds down, though it lifted all your spirits for a while.
: No bonuses or anything – but, really, what better bonus could I ask for than to spend a bit of time with my close friends, reminiscing over the good times we’ve had in, um, in the Commonwealth’s prison?: … well, I mean, a boost to my Presence would have been nice.: Let’s read a book.
Gfy
: It turns out, Bialanthius wasn’t crushed by a rock – he was crushed by sixteen-thousand tons of beetle dung. That sounds like Pyre, all right.
: This will be the first time we’ve done righteous combat against Sir Deluge since we met him on our initial run to Mount Alodiel. His win record is currently four-and-twelve. Let’s find out if all those Valuable Lessons have taught him anything worth learning.
: I do my typical sweeps through the biomes before I proceed to the next one, in case there are any points of interest that my companions would like to talk about. They’re getting increasingly uncommon, however, now that we’ve scoured the world pretty well by this point.: That said–
: Ya know, I gotta say, I kinda like your style, there…! Come right on crashing into us, like you ain’t even care!! That’s pretty good! Keep tellin’ my mates here we oughtta do the same!
: Barker’s fun. I’d tell him to calm down, but then he wouldn’t be Barker.: Moving into the Sea of Solis–
: … nah, Ignarius is an alright-enough guy. And besides, I kind of doubt he’d humour us crashing into him all that well, considering we just beat him in a Rite.: Although, spinning around the Sea of Solis a little bit, speak of the devil, there’s a point of interest.
: With the climate in the Downside intensifying, you wonder if the storm has spilled forth from its confines, and started to ravage other regions of the land.: You know, that’s an interesting thought. In order to quell the Deathless Tempest enough to sail through it, Sir Gilman had to destroy Unfathomed Plurnes’ eggs. Now, I know that Plurnes died when she was impaled on the bow of a ship, but it’s possible, similar to Yslach, that she’s still kicking around in some incorporeal capacity, and she’s pissed. Pissed enough to bring about unending storms and unending blizzards to the Downside.: Or this is just regular climate in the Downside. This place sucks, after all.
: Still in the Sea of Solis, we chance upon Udmildhe on her way north. Let’s say hello, repeatedly.
: Beware, ye who wouldst mock the dessssigns of the Withdrawn… ye cannot comprehend the terrors which sssshall come to ye, in time….: How’s that whole ‘dead god’ thing treating you? Still dead? Good to hear!
Gfy
: Finally moving on from the Sea of Solis, there’s nothing to see in the Wyrm Gulf…
: … Ignarius and the Tempers have settled onto Flagging Hands for their next Rite…
: … and we finally arrive in Jomuer Valley, ready to take on the Pyrehearts. Now that I think about it, this is kind of unfair terrain to be playing the Pyrehearts on: we’re in a desert, fighting against some leeches (present company excluded). It’s in an oasis, fair enough, but all the same, this is a very dry climate compared to, you know, the ocean.: Oh, hey!
: I don’t want to crash into Dalbert, but I would like to speak with him. He’s a good guy and I just want to say hello (seriously, this time).
: They deliberately crashed into us, Father!! Yet, you still address them in such a cordial matter!
: Now, Almer. I am certain that this was an honest accident, and it appears no lasting damage has been done.: Uh, yeah 
: Please, take the helm, as I shall go and start to pick up all the fallen artifacts, which shook free from the walls after the impact. Perhaps some of these old heirlooms may yet be repaired with adhesive drawn from certain flora we may find along our long and difficult quest.: Uh… sorry.
: Damn you, Nightwings. You stay away from us!!
: 
: That, uh, went disastrously. Let’s just check and see what our landing options are.
: Hold on, what? Barker is here? But we just passed him in the Sea of Solis!: This is one of those decisions where I can’t rely on our thread’s bias to decide where to go next – and hell if I’m going to pass up on the opportunity to see what the hell Barker’s doing here. Sorry, Pamitha, you’ve never done me wrong, but I don’t think this chance is going to come up a second time.
: Nobody with us is in a talkative mood, and we’ve just finished reading the Book, so, we might as well just get straight to it.
: Your senses guide you to a scrying pool somewhere in the barren wastes of Fallflat, and you look upon the waters.
: What, is that the best you loafs can do? I thought the Pyrehearts was gonna make us work for this!
: G-g-go on and gloat, while this knight wallows in his latest wretched failure.
: What’s that sad little sound I hear, mates?! Was that a little tiny imp, or maybe that was Sir Deluge crying ‘bout something again?: The vision fades. It seems the Dissidents prevailed against the Pyrehearts sometime not long ago, gaining the favour of the Scribes. You wonder where their paths have taken them since as you return to the blackwagon to pursue your Vocations.
: … you know, reading Deluge’s response to Barker’s chiding, it sort of puts him in a sympathetic light. He’s a coward that would rather eschew his entire species’ traditions and standings in favour of his own well-being, but, well, first of all, could you blame him? The threat of death is a pretty significant motivator by itself, and it’s why he chose to retreat as often as he did.: Second, I’m reading this as Deluge is aware of how pathetic he is, and it’s hanging over him like a stink he can’t get rid of. He doesn’t try to spin his loss against the Dissidents as ‘this is a mere setback, I’ll get you next time!’ sort of thing; he calls it his ‘latest wretched failure.’ It must be hard for Deluge; all he wants is to survive, but the traditions of his kind forced him into a dangerous job that he didn’t want, and even after being exiled to the Downside, he can’t escape it.: All that said, he was an asshole to Sir Gilman, and that simply will not do.: As for my Vocations, I don’t put much thought into this. Volfred could still use some extra help, but I still have a Wisdom Trace banked, and we’re okay on money for the time being. We also haven’t read the Book for those bonuses in a while yet, if I remember right, so there’s no harm in giving it a read.
: You find a quiet corner near the blackwagon’s ground to delve into the secrets of the Book of Rites. Through greater understanding comes the Reader’s Influence.
: This is the last category we need before we can finally start boosting our Glory. And once that’s done, we’ll be done with this Vocation forever. So, including this time, we only need to read this Book four more times.: You concentrate on your knowledge of the Eight Scribes, and how together they composed the Book of Rites, among their many feats. Inspiration comes to you in a flash; whether from the Book or from within, you cannot tell.
: We still have nobody willing to share a few words, so, there’s nothing keeping us from moving on to the oasis and getting this Rite over with.
Gfy
Music: Surviving Exile: Rukey was against letting Mae on board and wanted her to rot in the desert. Are we talking about the same guy?: You learn Rukey’s past transgressions have all been forgiven since his return to the Commonwealth. He was even offered a well-appointed home and place of business. It must have represented just the kind of lavish lifestyle that Rukey always claimed to have had for himself and his extended family.: Eventually, and somewhat reluctantly, however, he refused the gifts. Instead, he tracked down Volfred’s agents, and gave them ample information, thus emboldening their ranks.: The last bit of the message sounds as though it was transcribed word-for-word from something Rukey said. It simply reads, “The rest of you better get back here soon, OR ELSE!”: You thank the messenger-imp for the report. Soon, it has all your companions talking.: I had ever faith that our friend Rukey would stand tall, and rise to the occasion.: … Oh! Uh, yeah, me too, about Rukey and his morals, yeah.
: We understand this Rukey holds no small degree of influence, at least among his kind.: Ah, the noble Rukey! He sets a shining example unto us all!
: Hard to believe he would have turned down living in that kind of luxury. Though maybe he got used to it out here.
: Don’t you think he must be sad to have turned down a house? I hope he isn’t said!
: (Ti’zo is happy to learn that Rukey joined the revolution in the Commonwealth.): The news of Rukey’s liberation fills you and your fellow exiles with newfound resolve. The messenger-imp accepts some scraps to eat from you and rushes off.
: These little boosts are always nice to have. I’m not sure how much I’m going to need them against Sir Deluge, but I’m definitely never going to say no, of course.
Gfy
: The only thing to do before we meet with Sir Deluge and the Pyrehearts is to stop at Ron’s shop… and, hell, might as well give the Book another look. We’ve unlocked enough pages to last us a while.Gfy
: And finally, let’s see what Ron’s got. Maybe he’s got something good this time.
: Well I just want you to know, he was one of my most favorite customers, and because of that, I’m giving you the same great deals, OK?
: Let’s see… Ron’s stocked up on some Star, Sun, and Moon serums… he’s got a new handful of Stardust… and, what’s this new Talisman?
: … holy shit.: I like to give the Righteous Flame Talisman to Mae because it’s more immediately useful to her than her Sandra-given Talisman (it allows her Aura to bounce off walls and objects). Righteous Flame recovers my own Pyre by five every time Mae gets a dunk, no matter how much damage she dealt to it.: This thing, though, can recover up to half the damage dealt to my enemy’s Pyre. Hypothetically, if I give this to Bertrude, and she gets a full-damage dunk with Hex Of Defeat active, I’ll recover fifteen Pyrepoints off that single move.: That’s half of Endriga’s influence gone, off one dunk. And I can give this Talisman to anybody, and I am going to be scoring more than one dunk per game. I’d have to do at least ten or more damage in order to match Righteous Flame, but that’s not a difficult thing to do.: With this Talisman, plus Final/Miracle Kindling, plus Stubborn Flame, I’ll be damn near impossible to kill.: The only problem is its price…
: 140 Sol is a ton of cash. Money is pretty hard to come by, even with the Feats of Glory active.: … Well, let’s be honest, I’ve been hoarding all this cash and I don’t even know what else I’m going to spend it on, if anything. Let’s buy ourselves a slug.
: That said, though, uh, this will conclude our business for today, and for some time in the future, I think.
: Armed with this powerful new Talisman, I think we’re ready to wear some wyrms like scarves. Let’s see what Sir Deluge has been up to.: Everything is set for the Rite to commence, and all is quiet amid the dry flats at the Spring of Jomuer. All there is left to do is wait for nightfall to set it.
: <This knight… this knight… this knight… this knight is not a knight, at all! This knight betrayed his former commander!! Abandoned his brethren of the Sea-Dominion.>: <But… what is knighthood, even? What is knighthood, if it means having to follow such a craven as that Sir Deluge?>
: <Cease this nonsense, Gilman. Focus on the Rite. Focus on the Rite. Focus on the Rite.>: He notices you, finally.
: Oh! Master-Reader…! This knight did not see you there just now, such was his preoccupation with the task at hand.: Know that this knight stands prepared! He has no misgivings whatsoever when it comes to battling his ex-triumvirate.
: You heard the man.: Then, a glimmering within the sky draws your and his attention.
: Shax Six-Shoulders has a unique effect on the Rites: with him active, if I were to ever banish all three of my enemies at once, they would instead all spontaneously reappear rather than remain banished.: That’s annoying as hell, of course, but at the same time, it’s borderline redundant with Limbless Arizech, who gives each of my opponents +8 Hope.: Not only am I okay with activating Shax this time (particularly since, of course, we need to win with him active in order to unlock his page), but I’m so confident in my ability to slap around Sir Deluge that I’m also going to activate Arizech and Archbeast Sung-Gries.: Endriga The Widow can fuck off and stay there, though.
: Sir Deluge wrestles with his mask for a time.
: Th-this knight is most surprised that you have the c-c-courage even to show yourself!!: You speak of courage, Sir Deluge…? But, this knight has little else to say to the likes of you.: That’s a very reserved thing for Sir Gilman (Sir Gilman) to admit.: Th-that figures, Gilman!! Y-y-you are no knight at all! You are a teensy minnow swimming in a sea of minnows many, many times your size, and with much more honor, too!
: …but, just as soon, it fades. Sir Gilman slinks away.: D-d-disgraceful!! You Nightwings, you are STUPID to have taken that one in! And you are no-good at the Rites! And, another th-thing!!: W-WE DO NOT FEAR YOU!!
: We’ll fix that.
: The time for talk has ended – it’s time to play the Rite against Sir Deluge and the Pyrehearts.: As usual, it’s up to you to decide who we bring into this match. Our available players are Mae, Ti’zo, Sir Gilman, Pamitha, Volfred, and Bertrude.: Lemme know who you want to see in this game in the next twenty-four hours, and I’ll lock them in.