RPG event - Quest NPC Contact

[thalassino]

◣ Quest NPC Contact ◢

Below is a place to thread out quick little conversations with the NPCs that aren't worth an entire log. Vatheon's staple NPCs will have postings here, and all the other new quest NPCs will simply be listed under the "Quest NPCs" comment header. Please put in the subject line which quest you're talking with an NPC about!

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[thalassino]

[He's clearly not lacking for energy, anyway. A little hunger might make him calm down a bit. The boy sighs dramatically and hugs his knees, waiting for the rest of the story.]

[stridercentric]

[Yes, good. Now, where was he? Oh yeah.]

Accompanied by their new companion, the Wasted Witch, they continued their journey along the yellow brick path. On and on they walked, until they passed by a gigantic bean stalk that grew up, up, all the way into the sky. As they stopped to marvel at it, a voice shouted "Look out below!" Then, an enormous man fell down from the heavens and landed behind them with a deafening crash. It was a giant and if he wasn't dead before, he sure as hell was now.

Dumbstruck, the three turned to stare at the dead giant and a boy came swinging down from the beanstalk. He was awesome as hell, but did not gloat about it and instead gave them all a stoic, deadpan stare. "Are you the one who slayed that bigass giant?" asked the Pied Strider. The boy nodded and replied: "I am. I climbed the beanstalk to its castle in the clouds and killed it with one great blow. It's all in a day's work for a knight." The Wasted Witch gave an impressed "oooh" and Lil Cal Riding Hood let out a low whistle.

"You'd best be on your way," said the young Knight, "when the sun goes down, this forest becomes twice as dangerous." But the Pied Strider shook his head. The trio still had a long journey ahead of them and they were unsure they could find the Huntsman before nightfall. The young Knight's eyes widened behind his dorky shades. He'd heard of the Huntsman before. Tales of his radical dance parties had spread across the land far and wide, but the Huntsman would only allow close friends to enter. Lil Cal Riding Hood ensured the young Knight that he was on good terms with the Huntsman and they'd surely be allowed to see him. Swinging his broadsword over his shoulder, the Knight decided that he should accompany the trio to the Huntsman's home.

And so, our trio became a foursome and together they set out on the yellow brick path once again. Little did they realize, danger was on the horizon. You see, the evil leader of the wolf pack had caught wind of the fact that our heroes were seeking the Huntsman's help to get rid of 'm all, so he'd begun to concoct a plan of his own. All he had to do was reach the Huntsman before they did. Then, nobody'd be able to stop them and his wolves'd be free to be douchebags all over the land.

[thalassino]

[As fascinating as all of this is, the boy just can't go any longer without knowing what a douchebag is. It's destroying the sense of danger! He has to know what the wolves are going to do that's so bad.]

What's a douchebag?

[Maybe if he asks nicely again, Bro will tell him.]

[stridercentric]

[Uh. Uhoh. He knows this technically isn't his kid and it's not like he shielded Dave's ears whenever he cursed, but he gets the feeling corrupting this kid might reflect badly on his quest completion score. So he'll break this to the kid gently.]

It's an ancient fairytale word. Basically means bad person, only a little more underhanded. Like, you know kids who'd take your backpack and throw it in a puddle of mud for no reason? In fairytale land, that'd be a douchebag. It ain't really a word to use around here though, so don't. Just call that person a jerk. [Yeahhh, perfect save.]

[thalassino]

Oh, okay.

[He doesn't like old timey words anyway, if he goes saying douchebag he'll look totally lame! He quiets back down to hear the rest of the story.]

[stridercentric]

[This kid ain't so bad! He's not sure why the mom was having so much trouble with him.]

For hours on end, the four heroes wandered down the yellow brick path. It seemed like it would go on forever and ever. As the sun began to set, the Wasted Witch began to fret and worry, sticking close to the Pied Strider as if hoping he'd protect her. Or maybe she just wanted to use him as a human shield if danger were to arise. She was a witch, after all, so takin' advantage of other people was in her nature.

And then, appearing before them so suddenly it was like it came outta nowhere, was a house. Big, majestic... Almost like a mansion. The yellow brick path led right to its front door and Lil Cal Riding Hood grinned excitedly. "This is it!" he called. "This is where the Huntsman lives!" Lil Cal ran up to the front door to knock, but as he did, the Pied Strider lagged behind just long enough to see a wolf darting away from the back of the house. He exchanged a meaningful glance with the young Knight, who'd seen it too. Was it just a coincidence, or had the wolf paid a visit to the Huntsman as well?

Lil Cal Riding Hood knocked on the door once, twice, three times... But there was no response. "Maybe he's out hunting," the Wasted Witch suggested carefully. "That is what huntsmen do." But the young Knight shook his head, saying it was unsafe to hunt in the Enchanted Forest at this time of day. They should get inside the house as well, because twilight was turning fullblown nightfall. Lil Cal Riding Hood jiggled at the handle and the door swung open at his touch. It wasn't locked.

Throwing one last cautious glance into the darkness of the forest, they entered the Huntsman's house.

[thalassino]

[She's run out of stories, and it's the only thing that gets him to sit still long enough to fall asleep. He is a good boy, he just has a very active mind and body. Still, after sitting still for this long, he's starting to feel the wear and tear of the day a bit. He climbs under his blanket and watches Bro, still listening carefully.]

[stridercentric]

[Well, don't fall asleep just yet, kid. Bro's getting to the good part, now.]

The place was dark and silent. Our four heroes wandered through the halls, calling for the Huntsman, but there was no reply. They entered the kitchen to find a weird sight. On the ground were the Huntsman's clothes, but there was no Huntsman! The Pied Strider and the young Knight exchanged glances again, but it was the Wasted Witch who broke the silence. "A wolf got to him first!" she shrieked like a hysterical maniac. "He was eaten and all that was left were his clothes!"

Everyone hung their shoulders. "With the Huntsman gone, who will help us gather up the wolves?" Lil Cal Riding Hood asked in a timid voice. "And who will keep me company?" the Wasted Witch chimed in, giving a loud, dramatic wail. "Who will organize rad dance parties?" the young Knight wondered aloud. But the Pied Strider wasn't listening. His gaze was on the clothes, as something was stirring within. So he sank down to one knee, reached inside the Huntsman's shirt and pulled out a big ol' nasty frog. Green, slimy, smelly and covered with warts.

The other three backed away in horror, but not the Pied Strider. He set the frog down on the table to watch it and then he understood. It wasn't a frog at all, it was the Huntsman. The wolves had put a spell on him so that he couldn't help the Pied Strider and his friends seal them away. He explained it to his friends, who shook their heads helplessly. "Great," said the young Knight. "That's just as bad as him being eaten. How's he supposed to help us as a frog? He can't hold a gun, or a crossbow, or even an axe."

It was the Wasted Witch who came up with a solution. Drunk and whiny as she was, she was wise when it came to magic spells. "It's said that a kiss of the One True Badass can undo frog transformations." Everyone stared at her like she was a moron. See, the One True Badass was a myth that was told far and wide. It was said that when the need was greatest, the One True Badass would emerge from the populace and save the day. Of course, it was just that- a myth. But the Wasted Witch shook her head and insisted that it was real. It was a prophecy made by the wisest seer and it would come to pass the very next day.

"But if the seer predicted the One True Badass would meet a person turned into a frog, that could mean the One True Badass is one of us!" Lil Cal Riding Hood deduced. Because what were the chances of someone else being turned into a frog recently, right? "Let's all try kissing the frog and see what happens!"

The Wasted Witch immediately backed away, making a face like this- [Bro makes an overly disgusted face at the kid, before continuing with the story.] "No way am I going to kiss a stinky old toad! Being the One True Badass isn't worth that kind of torture!" So she stood by the side as the other three lined up to kiss the frog.