Quests & Challenges

[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/Jnx1VGq7/i-need-a-NAME-for-this-guy.png[/img] [color=#6E4135][size=7][font=courier]SOMETHING WORTH THE PAIN...[/size][/font][/color] [color=#AE8272][size=5][font=courier][ a godlocke ][/font][/size][/color] [color=#AE8272]<< --- >>[/color] [color=#6E4135]Hello, my name is Rook and I guess I am attempting a 'locke again. But this time I entirely made my own rules! Why? Because I felt like it! This is [b]a lore and story-heavy 'locke[/b]! I am 100% encouraged by people following along and posting, so feel free to do so if you want! ^u^ This 'locke uses rules found [b][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159193]here[/url][/b] (normal difficulty). I'm not gonna be posting the rules here and will probably do most of my tracking in a separate spreadsheet. So this thread will mostly be story content! But I'll share important "behind the scenes" events too, like if I get any rare / special coli drops. [color=#AE8272]<< --- >>[/color] [color=#6E4135][b]Contents[/b] > [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390/1#post_51936979]The living[/url] < > [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390/1#post_51936981]The dead[/url] < Entries [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390#post_51937756]1[/url], [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390/1#post_51941979]2[/url], [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390#post_51946476]3[/url], [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390/1#post_51960263]4[/url], [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390/2#post_51968044]5[/url][/color], [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390/2#post_51982108]6[/url], [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390/2#post_51990559]7[/url], [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390/3#post_51995243]8[/url], [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3159390/3#post_52033455]9[/url] [color=#AE8272]<< --- >>[/color] [b]Pinglist[/b] @/Uyi @/sedge122 @/chippertowns @/harpyja @/Jaspernoir

[color=#6E4135][size=7][font=courier]>> THE LIVING...[/size][/font][/color] [columns][color=transparent]..........[/color][nextcol][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/78312720][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/783128/78312720p.png[/img][/url][nextcol][color=transparent].....[/color][nextcol] [color=#6E4135][b]Zarillys[/b] | "Zari" | he/him[/color] [color=#AE8272]An intense, aloof, closed-off dragon with no knowledge of his past. Trouble has an uncanny knack for finding him, no matter how cautious he is. [b]Level:[/b] 9 || [b]Turns taken:[/b] 4[/color][/columns] [columns][color=transparent]..........[/color][nextcol][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/79703493][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/797035/79703493p.png[/img][/url][nextcol][color=transparent].....[/color][nextcol] [color=#6E4135][b]Hather[/b] | any pronouns[/color] [color=#AE8272]A grumpy, inexperienced mercenary trying to recover from a botched job. But they must have a heart in there somewhere. [b]Level:[/b] 9 || [b]Turns taken:[/b] 4[/color][/columns] [columns][color=transparent]..........[/color][nextcol][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/79744390][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/797444/79744390p.png[/img][/url][nextcol][color=transparent].....[/color][nextcol] [color=#6E4135][b]Kunda[/b] | he/him[/color] [color=#AE8272]An introspective and thoughtful herbalist devoted to the worship of the Plaguebringer (or at least, his own interpretation of her). [b]Level:[/b] 9 || [b]Turns taken:[/b] 3[/color][/columns]

>> THE DEAD...

..........

None... yet.

.

[color=#6E4135][size=6][font=courier]>> Entry 1[/size][/font][/color] [columns][color=transparent]..........[/color][nextcol][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/78312720][img]https://i.postimg.cc/66RbLhJd/image.png[/img][/url] [color=#6E4135]Today, I woke up in an alleyway. Dark, damp, stinking of refuse and echoing with the distant skittering of vermin. I was sore. I bet if I parted my fur, I'd see bruises across my whole body. But I didn't bother; didn't want to see how beat up I was. My head was banging. In the reflection of a nearby puddle I could see how rough I looked, with a visible lump on the side of my forehead. No treasure or... really, no belongings to my name. I had a satchel, apparently, but it was empty. Nearby, there was a tattered old journal. It had been soaked through, and the pages were lumped into one slimy mess. I tried to salvage some of it, but none of it was legible. [i]Great[/i], I thought to myself. [i]The only clue as to what might have happened, or... who I might even be, lost to some stupid puddle in some dismal alleyway in some godsforsaken city in who-knows-where.[/i] Besides the journal, I also found a scrap of a map. Most of it was drenched like the journal, but there was a note in the corner in neat handwriting, which, now I'm writing, I recognise as my own. Sadly for me, the only readable part of the note just said "damn dreams", which is about the least helpful thing I could possibly have found. I lingered at the reflection I saw in the water, just for a moment. It was me, I recognised that, but something felt off. An uncanny feeling of recognising your body but not recognising [i]yourself[/i]. But I shrugged it off. Got bigger problems to deal with. I know my name, at least. Zari. Zarillys. I don't know if the reason I can't remember anything besides that is because of my, I guess concussion -- or just the fact that I'm a tundra. Doesn't really matter. I picked myself up. Tried to tidy up my fur, but it was a lost cause. Anyway, nobody on the streets noticed another vagrant, and nobody spared me even a passing glance. I guess that's okay. It certainly worked in my favour as I swiped a few items from busy roadside stalls. Nobody notices the dull little tundra. Always innocent, we are. Maybe it shouldn't have been a priority, but I picked up a new journal. Nothing special, but it'll do. Last thing I need is to be forgetting everything [i]again[/i]. I need to find my way out of this city. There's nothing here for someone with no money to their name. I'll get out into the wilderness; at least out there I can forage and hunt for supplies. Yeah. Get out from the crowds and bustle. Beyond that, I don't know. It'd be nice to find out where I came from, but I don't have any leads to follow. So I guess for now, I'll just try to survive. -- Zari ----- [color=#AE8272][b]Turn:[/b] 0 Not playing the actual 'locke just yet, but I thought I'd write something to set the story up! ^^

[color=#6E4135][size=6][font=courier]>> Entry 2[/size][/font][/color] [columns][color=transparent]..........[/color][nextcol][color=#6E4135]Ugh. Not again. So somehow I ended up half-conscious in a ditch just off some dirt trail. Woke up in a puddle of blood that was... concerningly large. Got some new scratches to accentuate all the bruises. At least I remember what happened this time. Damn chargers. There must've been at least six of them. Guess they were hungry, and I was on the menu. I had just been out scavenging for supplies. Turns out that city I woke up in is called Wyrmblight -- and, to the surprise of nobody, the lovely city of Wyrmblight is found in the dead centre of the Wandering Contagion, right on the shores of the blasted Wyrmwound. Lots of aberrations here; I guess some don't bother to make that annual pilgrimage, instead just living here year-round. Typical that I find myself in the least hospitable place in Sornieth... still, I left the city to see if I could find anything resembling edible forage. And maybe scrounge for something sellable while I'm at it. ...Given my current situation, suffice to say it didn't go so smoothly. At least this time I didn't lose my journal. I was roused from a pained daze by some great beast of a bogsneak. Specifically I was roused by them giving me a firm kick while saying, [b]"you dead?"[/b] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/79703493][img]https://i.postimg.cc/63vZZ9ns/image.png[/img][/url] I think I just groaned. Distantly I heard the dragon speak. [b]"What the ****. How... that's so much blood. Gods."[/b] The voice wasn't distressed, to be clear. Just seemed a bit shocked. Anyway, I staggered to my feet after that. Shook myself off. Everything hurt, but I managed. The dragon lingered. I raised an eyebrow. [b]"Ugh. I can't just abandon some dragon on death's door. I'm a Plague dragon, but I'm not... ruthless."[/b] They seemed to be talking more to themself than to me. Still, I shrugged. [b]"You can tag along if you want. I don't really care."[/b] And that's how I met my new travelling companion. A mercenary, according to them. But clearly not the jaded, well-worn type; they seem too uncertain for that. Honestly, they seem green as spring in the Labyrinth, but I'm hardly in a position to judge. For now we're staying in the periphery of Wyrmblight. Maybe I can snag some odd jobs, earn a bit of treasure to get me on my feet. Hather, as I learned is the bogsneak's name, is planning on doing the same -- though they seem weirdly averse to seeking out actual merc work, considering they're a merc. Not sure how long Hather will stick around once I'm healed up, but for now I'm just grateful to have someone who can watch my back. Maybe there'll be less waking up on the verge of death now. -- Zari[/color] ----- [color=#AE8272][b]Turn:[/b] 1 Right, getting started for real now! I got a lucky drop from Zari in the Training Fields (a familiar) which got me enough treasure to get another dragon already. :D Managed to get them both up to level 5 as well. Current goal is to get enough treasure to grab another dragon and round out my coli team. Hopefully before these two are too high a level to train in the Woodland Path... Scorched Forest is brutal.

[color=#6E4135][size=6][font=courier]>> Entry 3[/size][/font][/color] [columns][color=transparent]..........[/color][nextcol][color=#6E4135]Been a rough few days, but I'm finally starting to feel a bit better. Situation seems to be looking up, overall. I mean, I'm still feeling pretty beat up, we're still broke, and we're still in the Wandering Contagion; but at least we've got some food supplies now. And we've managed to trade in some scavenged materials for, well, an admittedly pitiful amount of treasure -- but surely better than none. Met someone kinda weird earlier today. Claims to be a herbalist, and the familiar checks out at least; everywhere he goes, he's followed by this horrific plant creature (a janustrap, I think they're called), slithering about on roots that look more like a mass of tangled tentacles. Gross. [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/79744390][img]https://i.postimg.cc/PqzcZkNK/image.png[/img][/url] He was the first one besides Hather to even notice my condition. Even wandering busy city streets, most dragons seem pretty blind to the state of others. I'd say maybe it's just a Plague dragon thing, but the new guy -- Kunda -- is a Plague dragon too. Bit of a strange one, but still. He had a cart on a somewhat busy street, stacked with dried plants and vials of weird liquids and poultices. I guess he must've noticed my sorry state when I walked past, because he approached -- politely enough, I guess -- to ask if I was okay, and if I wanted anything to disinfect my deeper wounds. I said I didn't have enough money for that. He considered me for a moment, then started to rummage through his cart. I wasn't sure what to expect, and was a bit taken aback when what he offered me was some simple, run-of-the-mill honey. He claimed it would prevent infection. I looked at him doubtfully, but he insisted, so I caved. I guess at least now, when a predator inevitably finishes me off, they'll have an extra tasty meal on their hands. I thanked him, though. Not many would stop to help some random stranger, especially for no payment. He seems like a decent guy. He surprised me by asking if he could accompany us. [b]"My stall is failing. The dragons here, they view medicine as a perversion, as if it goes against the great Plaguebringer's will. Some even threaten me. So I think it's time to leave. The smaller clans appreciate my services more. You're travellers, right? You don't have the look of city-dwellers."[/b] I hesitated for a moment, glacing over at Hather, who was watching the conversation. But they shrugged, then I shrugged. [b]"Mostly we're just trying to survive, honestly. But you can join us if you really want."[/b] And thus our band of poor, wretched vagabonds has grown to three. Kunda packed up his cart, which is light enough to bring along with us. He has some other supplies on there besides just the healing stuff -- a large tent, some pelts for beds, and some dried food for the road. I think it's time to start heading away from the city. I just wish I knew where to go. Logically, heading towards the Starwood Strand would seem like a good bet, right? Especially considering I'm an Arcane dragon. But I don't know. When I think about it, I get this weird feeling in my gut, like it's... the worst thing I could possibly do. Ugh. I need to think about this. Discuss it with the others. For now, I'm gonna turn in for the night. Kunda's agreed to share all he has with us while we travel together, so I actually have something to sleep on tonight -- maybe not a fancy bed, but some soft pelts under the roof of a tent is still an improvement. We're camped just outside the city. Can't wait to leave this place behind. -- Zari ----- [color=#AE8272][b]Turn:[/b] 2 Another new dragon! I just hope none of them die when I get to training them in the Scorched Forest, aaaaa. :')

[color=#6E4135][size=6][font=courier]>> Entry 4[/size][/font][/color] [columns][color=transparent]..........[/color][nextcol][color=#6E4135][b]"Hey Zarillys!"[/b] I received a sharp nudge on my shoulder, which was still sore, and winced a bit -- but Hather either didn't notice or didn't care. [b]"Found us some work. Pay's really good, and it sounds easy enough. Just--"[/b] [b]"Gods Hather, give me a second to wake up at least,"[/b] I grunted. I stretched, then pushed past Hather and started stacking up some fresh wood on our burned out firepit. As I tried to get a fire going, I spoke back to Hather: [b]"Okay, what--"[/b] [b]"There's a job clearing some kind of rodent or something, out of some abandoned clan cave, maybe an hour's walk from here. Don't know the full story, don't care. It's good, easy money, and if we don't take the job [i]soon[/i], someone else will."[/b] [b]"Okay. I'm on board,"[/b] I said, ignoring her scowl. The fire was being stubborn (or maybe I'm just not good at starting one), but eventually I got a spark. [b]"You want some tea?"[/b] I said as I rummaged through Kunda's cart. [b]"Kunda's got the proper stuff, like they grow in the Windswept Plateau. None of that cheap **** you get around here."[/b] [b]"Ugh, no thanks. Any coffee in there?"[/b] Kunda emerged from the tent. [b]"No coffee, sorry. But I'll take you up on that offer, Karillys."[/b] We had breakfast around the fire. The sun crept up past the horizon as Hather discussed with us details of the job. [b]"Just like I said. The guy didn't know exactly what was in there, but it's probably just pocketmice, chipskinks, something like that."[/b] [b]"And it pays well?"[/b] [b]"2,500 treasure. For killing some vermin. Won't get a better deal than that."[/b] We all agreed -- it sounded almost too good to be true. Hather went to report back that we'd take the job, while me and Kunda packed up and prepared to head off. It was, like Hather said, a short journey. The clan cave was a dismal place; the tattered remains of some tents and clan banners lurched around the entrance to what looked like a very poorly repurposed natural cave. I could only guess someone might want to claim the land for their own, and hired us to take care of the "current residents". There was a sharp [i]crunch[/i]. Hather jerked back; she'd stood on some poor, dead *******'s skull. She shuddered. That was the first skeleton we saw around the place, but far from the only one. [b]"Disease took them, I think,"[/b] said Kunda, examining one of the dead. [b]"As it takes many... especially here."[/b] He seemed mournful. Not something I'd expect from a Plague dragon; I thought death by disease was kinda their thing. I tried not to hold my breath as I walked by. Silly to do that. If any of that sickness lingered, it was too late for me now anyway. We wandered further into the cave, past the point where whatever clan had lived here had started excavating and expanding it for themselves. There were a few rooms branching from the main tunnel. Kunda lit a torch. It cast uneven light across the rough dirt tunnels. Ahead, there was a sound. Like something scurrying, but... different. Bigger than a pocketmouse, that's for sure. It was intermittent, like someone was jumping across the floor. I was about to say we should back up -- then one of the things jumped out and slammed its feet into Hather, sending her crashing back into me. Kunda's torch fell to the floor and lit up a chaotic scene, maddened creatures attacking from seemingly everywhere at once, with powerful kicks and tails like maces. I shot a bolt of energy at the one attacking Hather, then I was hit from the side by a different one, and when I turned to face it it had already... hopped off somewhere else. We were kind of out of our depth, I think; we hadn't gone in there expecting a serious fight. But we all survived in the end. Scratched up, and I think I have a broken rib... but we're still breathing. After the fight was over, Hather went to inspect one of the dead beasts. [b]"Jerboas? Seriously? He sent three dragons to deal with a nest of [i]jerboas[/i]? Was he trying to get us killed!?"[/b] Hather said with increasing volume and pitch. They growled. [b]"We better get extra pay for this."[/b] We decided to check the lair for anything of value. There was a surprising amount in there -- I guess the old residents survived until pretty recently. We might even have been the first scavengers there. I found a really nice-looking crossbow in one room, I think it was a storeroom. I handed it to Hather and they actually smiled. Beamed, in fact. [b]"I will have fun with this,"[/b] they said with a flick of their lizard-like tongue. [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/79703493][img]https://i.postimg.cc/Sx9CN861/image.png[/img][/url] We left. Returned to the city one last time to collect payment (somehow Hather [i]did[/i] manage to squeeze an extra 500 treasure out of our employer, so we got 3,000t in total... not bad). And we spent some money before we left. I bought an acuity stone -- a little polished gemstone charged with magical energy. Should help me if we get into any more fights, which I'm sure we will. I stashed it in my satchel. And now we've set off for real. We've decided to head south, towards the Reedcleft Ascent. It'll be a long journey across harsh terrain, but it sure beats staying in Wyrmblight for one day longer. -- Zari ----- [color=#AE8272][b]Turn:[/b] 3 Into the Scorched Forest, just in time for Warrior's Way! I was expecting it to go horribly wrong, but my dragons are actually holding their own okay there. Just gotta avoid all the Fire enemies, since two of my dragons are Plague ahah. This turn was, overall, pretty uneventful. They got one familiar drop, which I sold. Overall they earned just under 3kt, and I spent some of it on new battlestones for them. They really needed it!

oh please add me to the pinglist! im enjoying the story a lot so far, and it's convincing me to make my own godlocke too

@Uyi

Ahh thank you!! :D If you decide to make your own then definitely ping me, I'd love to follow along!