Intermission 9 Page 11
————
“So how have things been while we were gone?”
“Fine, I suppose.”
“Except it’s getting hard to sleep during the day with all the construction people running around.”
“I’m practically diurnal these days. Bah.”
“Were they really that noisy?”
“They kept hammering and knocking around the back of the house. It echoed all through the walls.”
“I mostly tried to stay away from them.”
“So…”
“…You didn’t see what they were working on?”
“No, I have no idea. Why?”
“…Why?”
The Fear.
~ Hello, my name is Mr. Fear
I wish I had a faster therapy
I’ve come to mind control your needs
Tonight I’m gonna star all of your leads ~
CAUSE YOU KNOOOW
I NEVER DIS-A-PEAAAR!
Nah. Excitement. OH MY GOD WAIT TILL YOU SEE WHAT WE BUILT FOR YOU LOHK!!!!!
Starry-eyed girl (trope?)
Wow, even Ricki’s lower fangs look bigger in the second panel. XD
Amadeusz is still not on the Characters page, which makes me think he’s going to remain an NPC, albeit one we can bring to dungeons with us. So maybe he won’t count toward our four-player-per-dungeon cap? If so, I’ll feel a little better about taking him along, since it’ll be 4 vs. 1 if he turns against us. On the other hand, it might also mean that the dungeons ahead are going to be hard enough to challenge five adventurers.
I’m glad to see that Lupus Lazuli won the worg naming poll – not that Periwinkle was bad, just that LL was better in my opinion. And flower fans can still call him Lupine for short 🙂
It could be like Kamau in the Jail, where Amadeusz accepts suggestions without joining the party. That would be a pretty strong indicator that he’d betray during the dungeon though, doubly so if he doesn’t count against the cap of four. Which post-Manor dungeon would’ve gone the worst if we had an intelligent adversary on par with the Manor Knight pick a fight with us at turn 30?
Of course, Kamau and Lara got their mechanical benefits at the same time near the end of the intermission, I8P49. Hopefully we’ll see Amadeusz when we’ve had a chance to hear from Lohk and see what potential buff she gets from a soundproofed place to get a good day’s rest for once.
I think he’ll do just one dungeon with us and completely dominate it. Like he’ll be kind of terrifying. And it’ll be one of those storytelling instances where it’s meant to be a teaser of his strength while also adding uncertainty as to how strong he really is. Like he’ll use some crazy ability and leave a trail of ash in his wake. You can’t even guess what the exact damage output is; he’ll just one-shot everything. I’m talking total dungeon wipe. Might even de-dungeonify, which I’m kinda itching to see.
There are several valid storytelling reasons to do this. But I think after we’re done with the dungeon and seen what he’s capable of, we’re going to be faced with a choice. He’s probably going to ask us to do a favor that is morally dubious or not in our best interests. If we accept, there will be consequences but we gain a ridiculously powerful ally. If we don’t accept, he doesn’t join us and we know we may have to face a ridiculously powerful enemy down the line, plus he no longer helps us. I don’t see him attacking us right away if we decline whatever he’s got in store for us, but rather, politely saying he understands our decision then walking away and disappearing into the shadows, and now we know there’s this mysterious entity out there that knows where we live and could easily wipe us out and who we know we’ll meet again but don’t know when, where, or under what circumstances.
I think he’s meant to be a tension building character. Not evil, but definitely scary. You don’t even know if you’re seeing the full extent of his power or if he’s holding back. You don’t know if he’s the ultimate good guy or the ultimate bad guy. And if you want to know more about him, you have to appease him. He basically strongarms you without making it seem like he’s doing it. “Oh, it’s still your decision, Ricki! You’re in total control! Of couuuurse you can decline my help.”
I dig it. Tough decisions and trolley-problem-style dilemmas make a story game like this niiiice and spicy.