War for the Crown Gameplay Part 1

A moment after that insult passes Momo's lips, there's a flash of golden, shiny dust and suddenly all but Adelaide can't see at all. "You have angered Arrow-Dean! Pay tribute to the Arodine or suffer!" the voice booms furiously

"Uh... what would a good tribute be, exactly?" Corey asks, waving an arm in front of his face and trying not to panic at his sudden blindness.

Momo stops suddenly as she holds her hands in front of her face and double checks. "Yep, can't see more than usual. Thanks, weird image," she grumbles.

"Meat, shinies... I mean jewels, gold, magic!" the voice booms back.

"Ah! Covering her face vainly with her hands, Josie snaps, "Momo, just stop talking. You've fucked this up enough as is."

”Hm... and what happens if we don’t offer tribute?” Adelaide asks, suddenly smiling. She twirls her rapier in hand.

"Arrow-dean's wrath will fall upon you! With the sting of a drow's whip and power of a duergar's hammer!" the voice proclaims in response.

”Aroden is dead,” Adelaide reminds the speaker. ”His clerics have been powerless for centuries.”

"Blasphemer!" the voice cries out. "Tribute and leave or Arodeen will strike you down!"

”I don’t think I’ll leave til I’m satisfied with what I’ve learned, thank you.” Adelaide answers with a bright smile. ”Now, I’m curious about the comparison you made just now. Very few know of the drow and duergar aboveground. I don’t imagine they’d be point of references for a dead god of humankind, either. Would you introduce your true self?”

With that, the image disappears and a voice from the rafters simply shouts, "Leave!"

”Again, no thank you,” Adelaide answers with a smile. ”Won’t you come down so we can talk? If you mean us no harm, we don’t mean you any harm. I only look to talk.”

There's some scurrying above, then a short, fat, reddish-tinged gremlin emerges from a little hole in the wall, squeezing through it with some difficulty. "I am talking then," he scowls, looking like a sullen child with the face of a 50 year old man.

”Wonderful,” Adelaide answers. ”A monaciello, huh? I am Dame Adelaide Morilla, what’s your name?”

"Viecar," the gremlin answers. "What do you want to talk about, Ms. Morilla?"

Adelaide nods. ”What brings you down here, Viecar? There can’t be a lot of people coming through, or many Arodenites to trick.”

"I nap," Viecar explains. "Sometimes for months. Been stuck here. Darklands everything's bigger, stronger than me, and can't go up because there's always humans with swords and armour. So the Rat King made me his high priest, but that don't mean much either."

”The Rat King? Could you tell me more about him?” Adelaide asks, puzzled.

"The Rat King, Dagio the Great. I don't know much, just that he's a very old, very intelligent rat. Also a mage. Don't know more than that. He's usually near the exit outside, past the two-key door," Viecar replies.

"... wait, like, a literal rat? Four little paws, pointy nose, cats hunt them?" Corey scratches his head, confused.

"Big rat, my size," Dagio corrects, lifting a hand to his nose level to demonstrate.

Corey blinks. "... okay Ah know Ah'm not exactly the expert on magic here but Ah'm pretty sure rats ain't s'posed ta be mages."

Adelaide hums, but can’t think of anything immediately that might explain the odd rat. ”Well, thank you for that information, Viecar,” she says. ”Really, we mostly came in to take a look around this building, as its age made it intriguing. If you’d rather we left, and there’s no key here, we can just be on our way instead.”

"I didn't say there was no key here," Viecar grins wickedly. "I may or may not have one key."

"Well shucks, don't that make it easier on us," Corey chuckles. "Ah don't s'pose we could trouble ya ta borrow it?"