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Story/08 - The Faces/The Faces.txt

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+THIS IS TO BE TOLD ONCE ALL TWELVE REGALIA HAVE BEEN EARNED  
+  
+----- ----- ----- ----- -----  
+ 
+You receive a call very early in the morning. 
+You hear Vivid, and she is panicking. 
+ 
+"Guys, something's wrong! I'm in King Akarui's office and he's not here! Have you--" The line suddenly goes dead. 
+ 
+Within seconds, you hear and feel a rumbling sensation from your living room. Anyone who WASN'T awake would be fully awake at this point. 
+ 
+*IF THEY LOOK* 
+You can see the remnants of a massive fireball and a smoke trail coming from the center of the city. 
+  
+-----  
+ 
+*AT THE CAPITOL* 
+The center Capitol building has a massive burning hole in the backside of it, and the ground is littered with flaming debris & burning paper. Noone appears to be hurt severely, but a few people have some scratches and burns.
+
+(INVESTIGATE Roll)
+(HIGH Roll) You spot a pile of broken bricks with a furred arm sticking out
+(LOW Roll) You spot a badly damaged file cabinet with a pair of legs sticking out, wearing badly burned motorcycle pants and heavy black boots
+
+-----
+
+- FURRED ARM
+- PAIR OF LEGS
+- SPLIT TEAM + SAVE BOTH
+
+- *FURRED ARM*
+You manage to pull an unconscious wolf woman out of the debris. Though covered in dirt & scorch marks, she has neck-length black hair, black fur across most of her body except her white limbs & face, and tight sunglasses wrapped around her face. And although badly damaged, she is wearing a basic black spaghetti strap top and tight black pants.
+
+She sits upright after a moment, groaning in agony, and looks up to your group. "Urgh... what happened..?"
+
+*ANY RESPONSE*
+She suddenly does a doubletake and twists herself around into a pounce position, diving right over your group and punching a man in a motorcycle outfit standing right behind (lowest roller) with all her might, knocking the assailant backward into the rubble. She then collapses from the pain, bellowing in agony.
+
+The attacker slowly sits upright, and you see them wearing the outfit associated with the person you know as JOKER. But this person is taller and more masculine than the JOKER you remember, and their outfit is all black instead of accented in red.
+
+-----
+
+*PAIR OF LEGS*
+You pull an unconscious Joker from the pile of debris, except this person is taller and more masculine than the JOKER you remember, and their outfit is all black instead of accented in red.
+
+The "black joker" sits upright, groaning in agony and holding their motorcycle helmet-clad head. "What the fuck happened..? Wait, WHERE IS SHE?!" You KNOW you've heard that male voice before.
+
+From behind, you see a black and white wolf woman with shoulder-length black hair and sunglasses pounce onto the back of 'black joker,' getting them immediately into a strangle hold, before suddenly throwing them back into the debris. The woman then screams out in agony and collapses into a heap.
+
+-----
+
+*SAVE BOTH*
+(High roller(s)) pull(s) out an unconscious wolf woman. Though covered in dirt & scorch marks, she has neck-length black hair, black fur across most of her body except her white limbs & face, and tight sunglasses wrapped around her face. And although badly damaged, she is wearing a basic black spaghetti strap top and tight black pants.
+
+(Low roller(s)) pull(s) out an unconscious Joker, except this person is taller and more masculine than the JOKER you remember, and their outfit is all black instead of accented in red.
+
+Both of them come to after a moment, badly injured and visibly in pain. But they take one look at your group, then turn and see each other. They both immediately take combat poses and rush each other in rage.
+
+(PHYSIQUE Roll to keep them each from attacking each other)
+(Both will have a +1 PHYSIQUE for this roll due to physical condition)
+(Player(s) will succeed even on a MATCH for this one)
+
+- *Wolf woman passes, Black Joker fails*
+Both people struggle against your (collective) grip(s), but the wolf woman manages to escape with some effort and dives after Black Joker, immediately landing a double kick into their chest and knocking them clear back into the debris. But the wolf woman crumbles onto the ground, bellowing in agony.
+
+- *Black Joker passes, wolf wman fails*
+Both people struggle against your (collective) grip(s), but Black Joker breaks free and immediately takes a swing at the wolf woman with all their weight into it. But she simply grabs his arm and swings him around, throwing them clear back into the debris. But the wolf woman crumbles onto the ground, bellowing in agony.
+
+- *Both fail*
+Both people struggle against your (collective) grip(s), but neither can seem to break free. Both of them slowly sink onto their knees, their injuries severe and their struggling only making things worse.
+
+The woman manages to take a deep breath and screams "LET ME GO! HE ALMOST KILLED ME!" This is the voice of Vivid, but she is no longer wearing her brown fur dye.
+
+"AND I'M GONNA FINISH THE JOB WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" This male voice you definitely recognize.
+
+-----
+
+- *EITHER WAY*
+The smell in the air suddenly mixes with the stench of ozone, and moments later, the Thunder Force finally arrive, four specifically arriving to grab Vivid and Black Joker, two each. But when they grab Black Joker, they yank off his helmet and reveal the fluffy sheepy visage of LUCKY. And unlike before, he has deep black rings under his eyes, like he hasn't slept in a week. And he is giving Vivid a look of absolute bloodthirst.
+
+-----
+
+You hear a blaring horn sound and see a pair of boxy vehicles pull up, one red and one white. 
+ 
+Within seconds, you see a fleet of firefighters run out and start blasting the exploded office with water spells, while a fleet of white coated & uniformed men & women all set up special tents, and start helping various people inside to treat any injuries.
+
+The two Thunder Force officers help carry Vivid carefully into one of the tents, while the other two VERY strongly guide Lucky into the opposite side of the same tent. And for safety, they tie him down to a makeshift table so he doesn't attack anyone else.
+
+Two male nurses walk into the tent, an Alpaca with poofy brown hair & a gold nametag reading MICAH attending to Vivid, and a black (Vietnam forest) scorpion man with a pale blonde buzzcut & a gold nametag stating KITIA carefully doing the same to Lucky. And 'for some odd reason,' Lucky is VERY interested in holding still.
+
+-----
+
+*WHAT IS GOING ON*
+Vivid sighs a little in relief as she feels the healing magic taking effect. "I spotted the FACES in the Gated community, they kidnapped the fox guy and stole his house for their temporary base."
+
+"They're getting ready for the next step in their plan. They're gonna destroy the hydroelectric generator and cripple the city's power, then blame it all on the King's negligence."
+
+Lucky suddenly starts yelling. "THE KING IS TO BLAME FOR EVERYTHING! HE REFUSES TO TRY HARDER TO GET US OFF THIS FUCKING ISLAND!!!" He suddenly winces a bit nervously seeing his nurse's scorpion stinger hovering so close to his body.
+
+*WHY ARE YOU HERE / DIDNT YOU GIVE UP*
+"After I was abandoned at the R&D building, I gave up everything I had and everything I knew. Not just about the Marauders, just... I gave up on everything. The 'I was gonna sit in my cell and rot for the rest of my life' kind of done."
+
+"The day after I was put behind bars, the Crooked King broke in and paid me a visit. He offered me my freedom, and I turned him down. Told him what I just told you. And he told me that if I was ready to give up on the world... then why not watch the world burn. And he gave me the Black Joker outfit."
+
+"he said all I had to do was either capture or kill King Akarui, even game me a squad to work with. I had them wait outside his house for him when he left, and they would either capture him or make him run in a panic. He'd get to the building and I'd set off my explosive trap.
+
+"He'd either die in the explosion or be too injured to fight back and I capture him. But since he never showed... That means my advance team got to him first! TAKE THAT, BITCH!" Right when the word 'bitch' leaves his lips, the scorpion's stinger finally pierces his shoulder, a very irritated scorpion staring back at him.
+
+He thrashes for a few seconds before finally stopping moving altogether, aside from breathing very deeply and slowly. He turns to everyone else in the tent and sighs a bit. "Before you bitch... my venom's a paralytic. He's gonna be fine in a few hours."
+
+-----
+
+
+(IF THEY LOOK TOWARD THE GATED COMMUNITY)
+You see an almost straight line of smoke trails from the entryway of the Gated Community and ending about halfway back.
+  
+-----  
+  
+*GATED DISTRICT ENTRANCE* 
+You see the entrance guard shack is on fire and the gate is completely destroyed. You also see three Marauders, as well as ACE, all waiting around. He tightens his gloves and sighs. "Looks like King was right again..."  
+ 
+He reaches out to two of the three Marauders, and smashes their heads together, before the third one turns around to face him, and he punches that one hard enough to knock him out. "Call me old fashioned, but I prefer a one-on-one fight." 
+
+(ACE is challenging ONE member of the team)
+  
+- *WHY HE IS DOING THIS* 
+"I'm an immigrant to this land. United States military, deployed here ten years ago. My mission was likely the same as yours, (1) find out what makes this place so specifically indestructible, (2) see if it could be replicated for military purposes, and (3) discover what happened to the soldiers sent in before me. 
+  
+We carried out our mission as best we could, and our conclusion came down to a unique magic we simply could not pin down the nature of. But being unable to leave AND being unable to defeat the Masters meant our mission was ultimately a failure.
+
+So we dissolved our group and became members of society, some of us in the Thunder Force, myself included. When the Marauders became an active threat, I did everything I could to stop them. But nothing we did was ever enough.
+
+Every time we put one away, two more would appear. These were not just new people gone criminal either, these were the citizens I was supposed to protect. It became very clear that so long as they were stuck here, they were their own worst enemy.
+
+I infiltrated the Marauders and attempted to bring down the entire organization. And failed. But I earned an audience with their Crooked King. He helped me reach the conclusion that the island itself is to blame for everything.
+
+They stay prisoners on this island, attack each other out of misery, promote that attitude to the next people, and more join in to spread the misery. An unending cycle that will only grow, unless we all get off this island. So we struck a deal.
+  
+I helped him craft their organized ranking system to coordinate & track their forces, fudged information on reports, and misdirected the Thunder Force during deployment calls. In exchange, he frees the people from this accursed island.
+  
+-----  
+  
+Running further inside, you see the black and yellow Jack, sitting on his massive kanabo like a chair. Some of the houses have their standalone bushes on the edges of the property set on fire, almost giving it a kind of gladiator arena feel. "Sure as shit took you long enough... I had money riding on Ace not stopping you... looks like I win the bet."  
+
+(JACK is challenging ONE member of the team)
+  
+- *IF THEY ASK WHY*  
+"I've run into fifty different immigrants to this land, and seen every kind of currency they carry. Do you know how many of them use magic infused coins? ZERO. We literally have the single rarest currency in existence here in Diadem. Not because it's scarce either, but because we exclusively hold the ability to make it. 
+ 
+Do you have any idea how much that information is worth? I could take ONE of these coins to any nation on the planet and be set for life. And the Crooked King promised me my weight in Z once we are free. He even paid half up front! It's honest business, nothing more." 
+  
+-----  
+  
+You reach the front yard of Nash's family home, the bushes set on fire and clear evidence of explosions. This time, you are met by Queen, casually leaning against the doorway of Nash's invaded home. "Hilarious, Jack wasn't worth a single Z he was paid. Oh well, guess that means I get to finish you off afterall."  
+
+(QUEEN is challenging everyone left)
+  
+- *IF THEY ASK WHY*  
+"Oh honey, it's all in the title. I'm a queen, tandem to his being, my King. But a king and queen are nothing without their kingdom to rule. And my kingdom is, was, and always will be DIADEM ITSELF!  
+  
+Once his plan is fulfilled and King no longer needs Diadem, the queen shall rule in his stead! The entire island will be mine to do with as I please! I can establish any law, any structure, any taxation rate I wish! And as the queen, I will decree that everyone either get on board or get out!!!" 
+   
+(If it wasn't obvious, she is a control freak.)  
+  
+-----  
+  
+The bottom floor of the house consists of a grand entrance hall, living room, dining room, library, kitchen, and laundry room. Every room your group explores will be in destructive disarray, but you see no people around.
+  
+(INVESTIGATE ROLL) The most material and damage appears to be in the upper floor. 
+ 
+There are crates and bags all around one of the bedroom doors. 
+ 
+You find it to be locked, but you can hear muffled yelling from behind it.  
+  
+(FIGHT/PHYSIQUE ROLL) Once you break into the room, you see Nash lying on the ground, tied up with rope and blindfolded & muzzled by torn up rags. He hears the door open and starts thrashing, muffledly screaming for help. 
+
+*IF THEY REMOVE THE BLINDFOLD*
+He seems genuinely shocked to see you all here, but he starts turning himself around to show his tied back arms. 
+
+*UNTIE HIM*
+He picks himself up and runs to the closet door, yanking and pounding on it. "KING AKARUI IS IN HERE!"  
+  
+After a few moments of trying, he will make a mad dash for the bedroom door. "YOU TRY TO GET IN, I'LL GET THE KEYS!"  
+  
+*OPEN THE CLOSET DOOR*
+The bedroom door slams shut. And you hear several heavy objects barricading the door. And you see fire seeping in from under the door. You are trapped in the burning bedroom. 
+ 
+*INVESTIGATE ROLL* 
+The room is pretty simple. Bed, dresser, chest of drawers, cabinet, closet, window, walls, barricaded door. 
+
+*JUMP OUT THE WINDOW*
+You are on the second floor, but you can jump down without much difficulty.
+ 
+*ONCE THEY ESCAPE*
+You land in the back yard of the house, and see flames beginning to escape the window. The entire house is slowly catching fire, starting from the room you were all in and working its way down. You hear a loud wailing in the front yard, from a male voice. 
+  
+*FRONT SIDE OF THE HOUSE*
+The Crooked King is standing in front of the burning house, cradling Queen in his arms. "You people couldn't just curl up and die, could you? It would have made my job SO MUCH DAMN EASIER."  
+ 
+(NOTICE ROLL) You spot in the distance JOKER carrying ACE and JACK on her shoulders. 
+ 
+Joker sets the two down and approaches him, arms crossed. "Face it fucknut, they beat you fair and square!" 
+ 
+King doesn't move an inch. "I suppose I have you to thank for this too..."
+
+He turns and hands QUEEN to JOKER, then kicks her in the stomach and pushes them both away so they fall beside ACE and JACK. Ace is visibly disturbed by what he saw. "King, that is enough! She's right, they beat you at every corner. Whatever this insane plan of yours is, it won't work anymore." 
+ 
+King turns to them. "Oh no, my plan is very much salvageable. See, Akarui isn't here, which means he was captured by my first wave of men. Otherwise he would've either been caught by the explosion at his office I had LUCKY plant, or he survived it and came straight here to deal with us."
+
+"Either way, be it captured or dead, noone is running Diadem now. Which means..." 
+ 
+ACE takes a pause. "You cannot be serious." 
+ 
+KING laughs a bit. "Oh I am very serious."
+
+He walks over to ACE and leans in real close. "We all know what happens to a kingdom without a competent leader." 
+ 
+Even JACK is shocked at this revalation. "You mean we did all of this JUST so YOU could actually be the KING OF DIADEM?" 
+ 
+KING shrugs a bit. "Only for a short while. The King's throne, as it were, is the second to last step of my plan." 
+ 
+He turns to your group, both gold weapons in hand. "The only thing stopping me at this moment is my competition, the so-called Kings of Kings. ANY of you could be the next King of Diadem, if you so desired, and the people would back any one of you 100%. And I can't have that." 
+ 
+He places the back of his sword on his shoulder and aims the gun at your group. "Once you're gone, everything falls into place." 
+  
+----- ----- ----- ----- -----  
+  
+HALFWAY THROUGH THE FIGHT  
+  
+The Crooked King's helmet shatters, and you see Nash panting heavily, blood dripping from his forehead and mouth. His eyes hold a bloodthirsty rage you have NEVER seen on him. "I am so... God damn... SICK... of you people. This was a two year plan. TWO! YEARS! And all you had to do was literally NOTHING but leave it alone." 
+ 
+----- 
+ 
+QUEEN suddenly shrieks "WHAT THE FUCK," pointing at Nash in disbelief. "YOU?! HOW COULD YOU BE THE CROOKED KING?!" 
+ 
+JACK is tilting his head a bit. "Damn, I lost that bet." 
+ 
+QUEEN is furious. "THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! YOU KNEW WHO I WAS UNDER THE HELMET, AND YOU STILL LET ME BEAT YOU UP ALMOST EVERY TIME I SAW YOU?!" 
+ 
+NASH just rolls his eyes. "Please, your never hit me THAT hard. Besides, if you knew, you wouldn't have followed me." 
+ 
+ACE turns to QUEEN. "He has a point." 
+ 
+"SHUT IT!" She yanks off her helmet, revealing herself to be Anais of the HOA, and throws it on the ground. "YOU WERE NEVER GOING TO GIVE ME THE ISLAND, WERE YOU?!" 
+ 
+JACK removes his helmet, revealing himself to be JERRAS. "And what about my payment?" 
+ 
+ACE pulls his off, revealing himself as Harken. "I assume you didn't intend to free the people either." 
+ 
+Jerras and Anais turn to him. "HARKEN?!" 
+ 
+JOKER is laughing her ass off in the grass. "This is the best day of my life!"
+
+She sits up and yanks her own helmet off, revealing herself as VIVID in her original fur colors. "The leaders of the infamous and terrifying Marauders are the king's secretary, the third in command of the Thunder Force, the weapons dealer, and the Wicked Bitch of the HOA!" 
+ 
+You hear a gunshot and see a smoking hole right beside Vivid's head, which shuts her right up. And an identical trail of smoke from Nash's gun. "For the record... I missed on purpose."
+
+He pauses and picks himself up a little. "Also for the record, I DID plan to give you all exactly what you asked for, as an end result to my plan." 
+ 
+----- 
+
+*WHAT IS YOUR PLAN / WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS*
+"This is all so I can leave this dead end rat's maze. Nothing More. I've lost my friends, my family, and my future to this place. And I want OUT."  
+  
+I told you my father was an immigrant and an engineer. Built the drills that dug the hole down through Diadem being used for the hydroelectric generators. And I told you the drill exploded and killed my parents. But it wasn't an accident.
+
+The drill exploded because it came in contact with this fancy golden magic metal. It runs through the entire underside of the island. And as I learned, it gets volatile when it's hit hard enough. 
+ 
+That explosion killed my parents, AND scattered huge chunks of this metal all over the place. Once I regained my sense of thought from watching my parents die, I collected the metal and looked into why it was there in the first place.  
+  
+I spent eight years in college, job hopping until I wound up as the King's aide, all the while trying to figure out what the gold metal was and why it was there. And I couldn't find SHIT.
+  
+But ya know, eight years of fruitless efforts wears on a guy's soul, and I started to think I should move on with my life. I met my best friend in college, I had a good paying job, I owned a nice home... hell, I owned two!
+
+But I wasn't allowed that luxury. My friend and his friends were making a movie about Diadem's origins, and he found information I missed. The island was made by someone named Zeroth, to elevate mortals to a higher plane of something or other. Ancient ramblings from some whacknut in days of yore type stuff.
+
+After the movie was done, he and I worked hot & heavy to find more information for his sequel. He wanted to return the book to his source and had me come with him. Turns out he borrowed it from a Demense Master I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED.
+
+And when he returned it, that... BASTARD... split him in two... I watched that little MONSTER rip Sunny right down the middle... Just like that, I was alone all over again..." He is visibly shaking.
+
+"I ran home and dug out my father's old lab notes. The drill, the submarine, all the plans he made for the great escape. I couldn't trust the Masters' stupid rules, not after that. Never again.
+ 
+I proposed my father's submarine plan to Akarui the next day, poured my heart and soul into the presentation. He said he would consider it. Waited a week. Then two, a month, three months, nothing. It wasn't bad enough the island took my parents and the masters took my friend... the people had to take my hope.
+
+In a fit of depression and rage, I took some of that gold metal to the Volcano Forge, to make a poetic weapon out of it and "hand deliver it" to the king. I found out it can't be melted down like normal metal. But, it could be bent, sharpened, and whittled. It was delicate, couldn't take more than a couple hits.
+  
+But the edge itself? Sharper than any blade and packs a HELL of a punch. The first shitty one I ever made accidentally cut through an anvil. AN ANVIL. BY ACCIDENT. I also found out 'by accident' that it eats magic and raw mana, and spurts out gold dust. Which is SO MUCH FUN.
+  
+I spent six months making versions, and eventually into tubes for guns. The tiny pieces I couldn't use for THAT went into those gold magic shields (like the one you're wearing), made a killing selling those through Jerras.
+ 
+I took my largest piece and poured my heart & soul into making THIS Cutlass. It cut so cleanly, glided so smoothly... But I lacked the material to make a proper handle.
+  
+I grabbed my dad's old biker gear and went to the Forest Demense in disguise. People didn't go there at night, figured I could harvest some wood for a handle in peace. And apparently Cassius is fucking psychic, because he came out of nowhere and scared me shitless.   
+  
+Words were exchanged, I fumbled a bit and called myself the Crooked King, kinda ran with it. And since I had some pent-up rage and frustration against the Masters already, I decided to challenge him and see what my weapons could really do.
+ 
+I kicked his ass eight ways to Sunday AND made his ink demon of a pet go ballistic. I went to claim my prize, but when he hid his Regalia, I got pissed and started screaming things I was... VERY grateful noone else was around to hear.  
+  
+I got so mad, I kicked him through the supposedly unbreakable magic barrier. I didn't realize until after that the SWORD was GLOWING, and it... changed the rules so things COULD go through the barrier, but only one way. I... decided to NOT press my luck and ran off with the wood.   
+  
+I kept replaying everything that happened in my head over and over, and none of it made sense independently. But I noticed a pattern on everything I hadn't before. 
+ 
+Gold magic metal under Diadem, gold magic barrier around Diadem, gold magic barrier circles, demense masters and their regalia with bits and pieces of gold on them... it's all connected. Everything here shares a common magic source and design.  
+  
+And then it hit me. IF... If this is all from the same source, then everything about this place must be made by the same person, ZEROTH. He made this island, put people on it, lined it with magic eating metal, surrounded it with an inescapable barrier, and has them challenge his twelve henchmen for God powered trinkets.
+
+But then I realized something horrifying. According to the legend, once you get all twelve in the center of town, GOD HIMSELF is supposed to appear and reward them with some fetters of mention of a god tier prize that FIVE HUNDRED YEARS WORTH OF TEXT CAN'T SEEM TO GIVE A STRAIGHT ANSWER ABOUT?!  
+  
+THIS IS ALL JUST SOME STUPID GAME! The gold metal is the cardboard walls of this magical rat maze, and we're the lab rats! The demense masters are glorified referees, and their Regalia are promotional incentives!
+ 
+The wish, the freedom, the power, whatever prize that was offered was just the fucking piece of cheese at the end of it all! Which means I lost everything and everyone I ever cared about to some COSMIC SCIENCE EXPERIMENT!  
+   
+Well when I figured that out, I decided I had enough of playing by ZEROTH's rules, and I started my own game.
+ 
+First I destroyed all the knowledge I had up to that point, including the books in the library and bookstore. If I could figure this out, someone else could too, and I couldn't risk anyone stopping me.  
+  
+Then I started the Marauders, a band of Freedom Fighters sick of being stuck in Diadem, whose sole mission was to distract King Akarui by inflicting directed attacks on certain strategic locations, all funded by my magic shield profits.
+
+But I'd keep the mortality casualties to a minimum because I AM NOT A MONSTER. Mostly just irritating property damage, unless a point needed to be made. Or, in one particular instance, a... very... unfortunate accident...""
+
+(WHOMEVER HAS THE EYES)
+You don't even need to try and activate it, the suffocatingly thick black aura seeping off him is so potent you can just SEE it like it was always visible. And it looks identical to the black aura you spotted at the funeral.
+
+-----
+
+- *YOU KILLED HIM*
+"I just went to destroy the books... Warton saw me and realized what I was there to do...  He begged me not to, and I didn't listen... He ran to call the Thunder Force, and I panicked, and... I tripped. His blood will forever stain my hands."
+
+He shakes himself back into focus. "I decreed from that day, the Marauders must NEVER take another mortal life, 'because there's no point to dealing misery if they aren't around to feel it.' But the Demense Masters, well... I had no such qualms of taking them out.
+  
+With the Thunder Force busy, King Akarui buried under paperwork, and the Demense Masters kept occupied, the people would become unsettled! Chaos, combat, property damage, failing financial infrastructure, it's enough to drive ANYONE mad!
+ 
+It would promote the idea that MAYBE someone really SHOULD try to get us out of here sooner, without relying on some mystical playthings all being in one place at the same time. Of which, by the way, AFTER 500 YEARS, noone was able to do.  
+  
+And my plan WORKED! The submarine proposal FINALLY got approved! Supplies were coming in, the escape vessel was underway! Once it was done, the Crooked King would magically disappear, the generators in the hole would be shut down, we would send out a crew of people, and we would finally be free!  
+  
+And then, at the WORST possible time, YOU SHOWED UP. You started giving these people HOPE that their fate could be solved by your quirky can-do attitudes and following the legend's rules. AND to make matters worse, you were competent at collecting Regalia. And as a result, faith in MY submarine idea plummeted.
+ 
+So I changed it up a little, decided to send my men to kidnap King Bird Boy, then take over as active leader myself. As the king's most trusted aide, I would fill the void until the submarine was finished and we got out of here.
+ 
+He stares at Harken. "By getting us out of here the easy way, the people would be freed."
+
+He turns to Jerras. "You'd have all the rare currency you'd ever need AND a ticket to ANY nation you wanted."
+
+He turns to Anais. "And as the acting King, I'd leave you in charge after I left."
+
+"Everything would've been wrapped up in a nice little bow, everyone would have been happy." 
+ 
+Vivid glares at him. "And what about me?" 
+ 
+Nash stares back for a second. "Oh I fully intended to MURDER every Demense Master, especially the one that took my friend away from me. But I decided to call that pre-emptive hit I called on Dorrin my one attempt and leave him alone. I'm a man of my word."
+
+"And that officially brings us back to the here and now, where I kill each and every one of you FUCKERS calling yourselves Kings of Kings. The last roadblock in the way to my freedom."
+  
+- *IF THEY ASK ABOUT AZAR*    
+
+"Okay to be fair, THAT was an accident. I heard a rumor about some full blooded dragon out in the Farmlands, and had to see it for myself. I followed the purple one when he went out into the middle of nowhere to feed the thing. 
+ 
+When it went out for a flight, I tried grabbing some dragon scales to see if they could make a more comfy handle, and that thing dropped out of the sky and scared the shit out of me. 
+ 
+I took a swing in self defense, you can hardly blame ME for that one. It was LITERALLY fight or flight." 
+ 
+- *IF THEY ASK ABOUT THE SHIPMENT* 
+
+"That was plan B. On the extreme off chance my plan DIDN'T pan out, I had the others take the last shipment of necessary pieces to build a mini-sub JUST big enough for myself and my four most loyal teammates to bail out in."
+
+He will pause and turn toward the FACES. "Or at least they WERE, until they started questioning EVERYTHING I EVER DID FOR THEM!!!"
+
+He will sigh VERY loudly before finishing. "Good help is so hard to find, I swear." 
+ 
+----- 
+ 
+*IF NOONE SAYS OR DOES ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY* 
+All four of the faces stare at Nash for a few seconds in silence, then look at each other. Jerras is the first one to speak up. "You really expect us to believe you intended to do all of that..?" 
+ 
+"I don't EXPECT anything. That is the truth, plain and simple. Your belief in it is irrelevant to the fact." He pulls out a large HP potion and chugs it quick, wiping the blood from his lip after. "And I've come too far to stop now." 
+ 
+Harken speaks up finally. "You are going to kill yourself, you realize that right?" 
+ 
+Nash pulls out his gun, loads it with fresh ammo one bullet at a time, and clicks it closed. "I'm not giving up until either they go down or I do. I'm willing to die on this hill." 
+ 
+Anais actually stands up and walks up to him, and for once all the rage in her eyes is gone. "Do you have any idea how much I want to kill you right now?" 
+ 
+"No more than them I assume--" She interrupts him mid sentence by grabbing his shirt collar, yanking him down to her level, and KISSING HIM. Right in front of everyone.
+
+He takes a few seconds to process what just happened. "...you are giving me really mixed signals, you know that?" 
+ 
+"Shut it." She pulls out her own rifle and loads a fresh magazine. "If we make it out of this alive, you and I are gonna have A LONG TALK." 
+ 
+Harken stands up and lights a cigarette, sighing a bit. "Well you can count me out. If I join either side, I stop being a neutral entity. You both have different means of achieving the same goal. Whomever wins, is the one in the right." 
+ 
+----- 
+ 
+ROLL FOR JERRAS 
+ 
+- *DOES NOT JOIN* 
+"Well you can count me out too. As a businessman, I know when the coin ain't worth the effort." 
+ 
+- *DOES JOIN* 
+"Well you can count me in. I make it a habit to see every business deal through to the end." He marches himself over to Nash's side, hefting his hammer on his shoulder. 
+ 
+Vivid rolls her eyes and groans. "Fuuuck, this is such bullshit..!"
+
+She picks herself up and walks to your group, pulling out her sword. "Harken, you and I are gonna have words after all of this. But I know HE gave you the order to shoot my dad, so I'm gonna kick his ass TWICE as hard for the BOTH of you." 
+ 
+REDO FIGHT WITH HALF HEALTH ENEMIES 
+ 
+*IF THEY WIN* 
+Nash flops against the ground HARD, curling up a bit in severe pain. Anais slowly drags herself toward him, groaning in agony, until she reaches him. 
+ 
+----- 
+ 
+- *IF JERRAS JOINED* 
+Jerras lies on his back, half conscious. "I think it's safe to say it's over..." 
+ 
+- *IF JERRAS DID NOT JOIN* 
+Harken takes a long drag off his cigarette. "You lost fair and square. Twice. Time to pack it in." 
+ 
+----- 
+ 
+"NO! I'M NOT DONE!" Nash slams his fist into the ground in frustration, and Anais puts her hand over his, holding it tight. He stops shaking for a moment, muttering a bit in frustration, and she full on hugs him tightly from behind. 
+ 
+*IF THEY APPROACH* 
+Nash raises his arm and reveals a green potion bottle. "THIS ISN'T OVER, YOU HEAR ME?!"
+
+He slams the potion bottle into the ground right in front of him, causing a whirlwind explosion to send himself, AND Anais clinging to his back, flying into the distance. 
+ 
+Harken just stares, his cigarette finally gone. "I'll give him this, he is persistent."
+
+He walks over to your group, helping each of you up. "This is going to be one hell of a report."
+
+(Recommend the party rests before summoning Zeroth, given their current condition)