169 lines
16 KiB
Text
169 lines
16 KiB
Text
This warbling gate is a golden ring with a violet magic wall, displaying a field of flowers
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Out on the farm:
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https://youtu.be/nDbE6Z5b8TM?si=RH_6wMk5Gi6zQMpV
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Doing farm work
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https://youtu.be/6LI-yCnA2UM?si=7jXv4WZIHlOjA2t0
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## Upon exiting the VIOLET gate,
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you are immediately surrounded hy the sounds of animals & acoustic guitars, the smell of fresh cut grass & hay, and the sight of endless ranches surrounding a dusty dirt road that stretches for miles.
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Welcome to the **Countryside** demense!
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The left side of the road looks to be all animal farms, each one filled with dozens of a single species of animal, like each one is a specialty ranch.
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The right side of the road is filled with multitudes of crops in their own dedicated fields, mimicking the ranches opposite them, in a sense.
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*BEHIND*
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The gate itself is attached to the side of a red and white barn, and right next door, you spot a trio of burly cow men sitting back in rocking chairs, each one smiling and playing tunes from old fashioned acoustic guitars.
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*IF THEY APPROACH*
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The yellow one puts his guitar down, stands up, and approaches your group. He tips his brown cowboy hat in greetings, his purple nametag on his blue shirt reading "MONTANA." "Howdy, ya'll new to these parts?"
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*ASK ABOUT REGALIA/DM*
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"Ah, yer lookin' fer Arledge. Ain't seen 'im today, but we got a shipment to deliver to the market. Why don't ya'll come with, see if anyone spotted 'im?" He gestures to his horsedrawn wagon sitting in the barn the Gate is attached to.
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*IF THEY ACCEPT*
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He will help each of you one at a time into the back of the cart, then pick up two large sacks and throwing them in the back between you. The other two cow boys (a Holstein named Kid and a Blue steer named Dakota) attach a pair of horses to the front of the cart, which Montana will thank them for.
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*If there are any women in the group, Kid the Holstein will try to flirt with them and show off. (Make a Grade A Beef joke.) Afterwards, the blue steer that stands several inches taller will pick Kid up by the back of his shirt, tilt his hat & say 'ma'am,' and walk away with Kid in tow.*
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He will then climb into the front and hop into the driver's seat, grab the reigns, and get the horse moving down the dirt road.
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-----
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*ON THE FARMS*
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Each one has both an actively slow spinning windmill, the animals within mulling around to eat their grass or food from a trough, and a few farmhands tending & feeding their individual livestock. Most of them pay you no mind, aside from the occasional friendly wave.
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*IN THE CROP FIELDS*
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Several farmhands have paired up and are carrying large wheeled baskets back and forth between the tree or crop of choice, each pair pulling them together to & from, and then working as a chain to load it from said plant onto the cart, and unload it from the cart to a nearby storage shed.
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*IN THE FLOWER FIELDS*
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There are a few farmhands out picking different varieties of flower, each one with a sizeable crop that would make any florist you've ever met jealous.
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Montana turns to the group a little, still eyeing the road. "Forgive me fer bein' nosy, but it ain't ev'ryday someone asks ta see Arledge. Ya'll got business with 'im?"
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*MENTIONS DM/REGALIA*
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"Oh, ya'll's a bunch o' then Regalya hunters, are ya? We don't get too many o' yer types around 'ere, most people that come around are lookin' fer work."
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*ASKS ABOUT ARLEDGE*
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"Ah, well Arledge is a bit of an oddball. He may not look it, but he's a heck of a farmhand. I'd say at least half the work around here's done cuz o' him."
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-----
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In the distance, you spot a large farmer's market sign, advertising fresh produce and meats for everyone. And there are just as many stalls inside selling meats as there are farms, plus a few extras for fruits, veggies, milk, eggs, magic rings in a purple hue, and fresh bouquets.
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Every seller is smiling and chatting with each other, trading and selling between different amounts of Z, different jarred & preserved ingredients, or fully made foods. You could swear one person was haggling a fresh slice of blueberry pie for a plate of fresh cooked bacon.
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*IF ASK ABOUT DM/REGALIA*
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The sable running the (food) stand, wearing blue jeans and a red tee shirt with a straw hat and a violet nametag reading MARTY, thinks for a moment. "Huh... ya know, I did see him a couple hours ago when I opened, haven't seen him since."
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(PLAYER) suddenly feels a tug on their shirt from below, and you see a short elderly sheep lady, her purple nametag reading JUDITH. "I couldn't help but overhear, are you looking for Arledge?"
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*IF THEY CONFIRM*
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"Oh I know where he is, sweetheart is brushing down the horses in the stables right behind the market."
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*STABLES*
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Behind the market looks to be the only non-produce related farm, and there are well over a dozen freshly groomed horses. Deeper inside, you see one that has a wet mane, but is currently being brushed down by a light purple rabbit in tight jeans and a deep purple tee, with a white cowboy hat nestled between a pair of loppy waist-long bunny ears, barely obscuring a fuzzy mop of violet hair.
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The horse reacts to you first with a whinny, then the bunny boy turns with a warm smile, and a pair of wide blue -almost purple- eyes greet you, as does his distinctly southern accent. "Howdy! I'd greet ya proper, but I'm finishin' up here. Ya'll mind givin' me a sec?"
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It only takes him 2 minutes to finish brushing down the mare's side before he steps away. She decides to thank him by shaking her mane free and dry of any moisture, getting daffodil scented water all over everyone. "Alright, ya showoff, get goin'."
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The horse trots away as the bunny walks to a nearby hose, kneeling down to rinse off his hands and brush. "Sorry bout that, she was th' last one, wanted to give ya'll my undivided attention. How can I help ya'll?"
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*IF REGALIA/CHALLENGE*
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"Aw shoot, I'd love to help ya, but I can't. Someone already won m' Regalia a while back, and it ain't found its way back t' me yet."
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*IF THEY ASK WHO*
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"Hm.. th' name escapes me, one a' them fancy foreign names, but he was a purple bird man, kinda short, big into regal stuff an' lookin' like some kinda royalty. If ya'll find HIM, ya'll can either challenge HIM an' win it off a' him, or have 'im give it back t' me."
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(CONTACTS ROLL) If you haven't figured it out, he's referring to King Akarui himself.
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*IF THEY ASK WHY*
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"It's all fancy pants magic rules, we hold the items until someone wins 'em off us. Don't mean dirt if they just take 'em, gotta be won in some kinda competition, usually a fight o' some sort. Otherwise, they're just unbreakable geegaws, nothin' more. But whoever legit owns it gets all its 'magic benefits.'" He makes sure to wiggle his fingers on the last two words.
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"Now I'd love to keep jawin' off with ya, but I gots a busy day today. I gotta help milk the cows, then help sheer the sheep, then help feed the baby animals..." He thinks for a moment. "Wait a sec... ya'll got anywhere ya need t' be? I'd get done FAR quicker if'n I had some extra hands?"
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*IF THEY ACCEPT*
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"Now that is what I was hopin' t'hear! C'mon, let's get started!" He runs into the stables and grabs two horses, walks them both out front, and hooks both up to a cart identical to the one you came here in. He helps each of you into the cart same as last time, takes the driver's position, and takes off.
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Your group rides down the beaten path you came up for about a minute before you stop at the nearby dairy ranch. Arledge "parks" the cart in a nearby horse stall and ties it to a hook, before helping each of you down. He guides all of you straight into the nearby barn on the property, guiding you to a series of miling stalls.
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The next several minutes is all of you taking up a stall and milking one cow at a time. There are no pumps, so all the milking is done by hand. He demonstrates by giving slow squeezes to each udder, and explicitly points out to NOT pull them.
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(RESOURCES Roll) Each milking only takes about five minutes.
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(Each player milks an average of ten cows, but add one for each PLUS on the roll and subtract one for each MINUS)
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At the tail end of it, Arledge playfully squirts (lowest roller) with a stream of fresh milk, but whistles innocently qith a shit eating grin he is trying his HARDEST to hold back.
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After they're all taken care of, the ranch owner (an older terrier and his wife) both thank Arledge AND all of you, and hand him a bag of Z for his trouble. He drops it into his hat on the back of his neck and excuses himself & your group to move to the next task. As before, he helps you in the cart, takes driver, heads down the road a solid minute, and parks in a different farm.
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This time, you're all taken to a wool farm attached to a sheep field. This time they have electric trimmers ready for you, so the shearing part will be much quicker. Arledge demonstrates how to do it and starts with the top, trims around the sides, then lifts each leg and rolls them onto the belly to finish, all in about 2 minutes.
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(CRAFT Roll) It takes the rest of you a few tries, but the sheep wool comes off for each of you clean as butter.
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(Each player shears an average of five sheep, but add one for each PLUS on the roll and subtract one for each MINUS)
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But in the middle of your shearing, (LOWEST ROLLER) is suddenly surrounded by a group of your freshly cleaned sheep, and start taking bites at your clothing.
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You struggle to try and get away, but they chase you clear across the ranch and back. By the time you get out, your clothes have fairly large holes in them.
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The ranch owners (a middle-aged pair of bluejays) are laughing a little, and offer you some fresh clothing to replace them as payment for all your hard work.
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*IF THEY ACCEPT*
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Unfortunately, the only clothing they have that fit you perfectly is a basic white long-sleve shirt and a pair of blue jean overalls.
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You all climb back into the cart, Arledge reclaims the reigns, and you all head back toward the market, this time pulling off to the side somewhat to a petting zoo. Arledge hops out first and sheepishly rubs the back of his neck with a grin. "Okay so, I might've fibbed a bit with this'n. It's not so much that I need to feed th' babies as it is just makin' sure they all get fed."
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He walks over to the rail of the corral, peering in to all the individual pins full of animals. There are ponies, baby goats, piglets, chicks, and many more, all separated by size of the species so they don't hurt each other. And, the spaces inside are elevated just enough so the animals can each be fed by hand without risk of them escaping.
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Right on cue, the petting zoo starts filling in with families and their children from the farm itself, all of them excitedly wanting to pet and play with the animals. You see the kids all immediately run over to a table full of food pellets, an odd color mix of brown, green, and orange. And when they feed the animals, those cubes disappear in a blink, and the animals all start nibbling or licking the hands that fed them.
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*ASK ABOUT THE FOOD*
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He smiles and replies "Not an issue, each corral has them special all natural-y pellets full of vitamins, minerals, and plenty of roughage. It's no different than grazin' grass n' such, just in a pellet form. But fer th' more discernin' taste, we also got fresh fruit n' veggies we can give 'em."
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He points out the long table of fresh produce and fruit juices in cups before continuing, "It's just as much fer us as it is them." He pauses to take a carrot stick off the table and takes a nice resounding crunch off it, munching on it happily. "Been needin' t' eat anyways. Help yerselves, ya'll!"
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After a few minutes of munching and making sure all the animals in the zoo are getting an equal amount of food each, you all finally get a chance to relax. "Thanks a ton fer th' help. I'm sure ya'll're probably keen on that challenge thang, so I won't take up anymore of ya'll's time--"
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He is interrupted by a loud bellowing roar in the distance, making all the animals hide and the children rush back to their parents. "... oh shoot, that's a problem."
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He bolts for the market, runs back out with two burlap sacks, and calls to you. "C'mon, I need yer help fer one last thang!" He runs over to the cart, loads up both sacks, and ties them down. Once everyone is aboard, you all head in a fast gallop back out beyond the market for a solid five minutes.
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Arledge has a look of concern in his eyes as you all travel. "Okay so, there's one other baby I gotta feed, an' I was gonna do it after ya'll took off, but I might need ya'll's help with--"
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He pauses when you come within eyesight of a small mountain in the distance with a rather large cavern surrounded by large chunks of rock. He stops the cart, looks around for a moment, then looks upwards, and spots a massive body flying around in the distance. "Sheeeiiit... Azar is not happy."
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The large body descends and lands before you with a massive THUD, revealing itself to be a large red dragon with golden underscales, whom then proceeds to screech at you. "Oh he's gonna go after th' market if'n we don't calm 'im down..!"
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He will hop out and try to call the dragon's attention, but AZAR will simply thwack him with his tail and send him into the cart.
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He will sit upright and groan a bit, noticing his arm is severely red. He will look to your group reluctantly. "Fellas, I know it's alot t' ask, but I need ya'll to wear Azar out. I hate violence, but I don't see much of an option."
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He will slowly climb his feet, his free hand holding his injured arm and surrounding it in a violet magical energy, causing it to slowly heal itself. "I'll keep ya'll in fightin' shape!"
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*The fight will begin with your team facing Azar in front of you with Arledge behind you. The dragon is treated as a LV5 25HP creature that interchanges between a 2DMG CLAW-CLAW ATK, a 3DMG BITE ATK, and a 2DMG FIRE BREATH ATK that hits 4 ZONES like a LV2 LINE spell*
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- FIGHT & ACADEMICS +5
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- ATLL OTHERS +1
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- Immune to FIRE
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- Resistant to MELEE
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- Weak to WATER
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AFTER THE FIGHT
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Azar bellows out and flops over against the grass with a dull thud, exhausted and unable to continue. Arledge walks over to Azar and places a hand on his side, releasing more of the violet healing magic you saw him use on himself and during the fight.
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"There now, ya big baby. Now what's got yer scales in a snarl?" He starts to do a once-over around Azar, then pauses near his underbelly and tilts his head a bit. "Huh... that's weird... ya'll might wanna see this!"
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Arledge points out a spot on Azar's left side, where there is a large cut and a series of scales missing. "Sumthin' done attacked 'im, cut clean through his scales. That prob'ly spooked the li'l guy and got 'im all flustered."
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He looks closer and tries to heal it specifically, but when he does, it suddenly leaks out golden dust from the cut. Arledge looks visibly disturbed, taking a step back. "That... that ain't right... whatever did this ain't normal... I mean it ain't a deep cut, but it's keepin' healin' magic from workin' on it... ya'll seen anythin' like this?"
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*EITHER WAY*
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"Well, I'll keep an eye on 'im, come back later and make sure he's okay. Meantime, it's gettin' late, I'll give ya'll a lift back to the gate." He leaves the two sacks beside Azar's head, which he slowly sniffs for a moment in his post-combat haze, and begins chewing on.
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"Well at least it ain't affectin' his appetite.." He reluctantly leads your group back to the cart and heads to the gate, looking back at Azar back and forth the whole ride.
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Once you all arrive at the market, he keeps up a brave face and lets everyone know everything is okay. Montana steps up to your group with a smile. "I'm assumin' yer business is done, so how's about a lift home?"
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