Posts from ⚔️Serberia Auto-translated

Regarding specific events, including MirKoria, I will write about them briefly, but later.

Consequently, this dissatisfaction led us to seek out battles in casual quests, even when it wasn't strictly necessary.

To some extent, yes. We wanted to complete at least one quest "correctly," and from my perspective (and, as I understand it, the perspective of some other players), eliminating the armed Inquisition detachment that wanted to oppose the Count's plans and intended to overthrow him felt like something we were hired by Rutger to do. It didn't help that the detachment was located in the deepest part of a mine filled with deadly (though avoidable) traps. I won't deny that Revan's hints played a role, but here, as with the quest itself, perception varies from person to person. I saw it as roleplaying by the Artherians, plus something like Yukina, that is, an unwillingness to wipe out players. The idea that simply leaving was the best option, with no negative consequences, didn't even occur to me, especially since Revan even clarified whether we were attacking. So, there was a certain misunderstanding, where the players saw everything in one light, while Revan had planned something completely different.

Philosophically, from the perspective of the game concept, I agree with Alex. The main reason I haven't considered another option until now is that in that case, the importance of decisions would be diminished, and there would be a risk of making many game situations very bland.

This may sound strange coming from the main tactician of the detachment, but although beautiful victories in difficult battles do give me pleasure, I can't say that this pleasure outweighs the loss of pleasant NPCs or interesting characters of other players. The main point of the experience, in terms of decisions, for me is the roleplaying and the consequences of these decisions on the surrounding world and the characters of the players. Battles are far from the most important thing here. Therefore, this love for hardcore gameplay in games that focus on character development is incomprehensible to me. Hardcore gameplay can be justified in games of a different focus, but in such games, the setting and the system are usually designed so that the characters either die during the game or have a not-so-pleasant ending.

And if players even in the current system make rash decisions and fight even where I didn't intend them to, then there would probably be complete chaos.

I think that in situations where it is not planned that players will fight, it is necessary to create conditions under which such a thought does not even occur to them. For example, in the case of Lorentia and Tyros, we could have met them behind a rubble/cliff/already at the top (while we are at the bottom), having the opportunity to have a dialogue, but not to take up arms. Or, although this is not ideal, we could directly state our intention. This may slightly disrupt the immersion, but it would not lead to the fact that both sides, the players and the GM, remain dissatisfied with the result and end up with a pile of negative emotions. And such a violation of immersion is preferable to me than arguments, resentment, and misunderstandings.

I didn't quite understand what the problem is with the current quest and why it's considered to be bad (considering that the ambiguity regarding Tyros's death is supposedly resolved by concealing it, although it's not a particularly kind route).
Well, anyway – okay, I'll patiently wait for the ending. Apparently, the loss of some people will lead to a very sad note, not only is Yua upset with her brothers and sisters. And when the cat says that Alessia also died there... Even without the cat, many should have similar suspicions – after the strange joining of the hunchback, his equivalent abilities, and then his equally sharp tongue when communicating with Tyros. Just a coincidence... Of course.
In any case, it was fun. I'll have time to repeat it, but it was very fun.

Not only Yua was upset.

***
The count's son was not to her liking, but the words of the captain of the Inquisition seemed quite reasonable to her, and the option of parting peacefully in the current situation seemed more preferable than bloodshed. Perhaps they would even allow them to use their equipment to search for Ryohei? Maybe, Eir was just a naive fool who didn't understand anything in this world, but she couldn't understand why she and her brothers and sisters had to die for someone and something unknown. Nevertheless, after she voiced her opinion once, it became clear that the others did not share her views regarding the count and the current situation, and she had nothing left to do but shut up and grip the hilt of her saber tighter.
***
On the same day, Gungnir visited Myrkoria, having learned that Duke Arnulf von Illia had redirected their detachment to Myrkoria, which was probably not in the baron's plans. On the same day, they all, together with Imelda, returned to Baldr.
- I am not proud of what Hecate and I planned, - in the final moments of the conversation with Gungnir, Rutger did not say that everything that was happening was solely at Hecate's initiative, and he was only following her lead, believing that he was just as involved in what was happening as she was, - but in the end, these warriors can only blame themselves. Those who do not have power are doomed to serve as a means of fulfilling the dreams of those who do.
Having learned about the details of the Rivelstein's scheme, Gungnir felt the need to do everything possible to prevent the plan, but he perfectly understood that he simply could not do this in the current situation, and therefore he had to leave everything to fate.
***
A week later, the count's couple's plan was realized - Rika Serdolik fell in battle against thousands of mercenaries and soldiers, as well as the immortal Zeno. Thanks to the efforts of the elven sorceress and the vampire of the East, Rutger regained his lost health, and he and Hecate gained youth for many years to come. The fate of Tyros, who wanted to take his father's place next to Hecate, remained unknown.
***
On Matthias's birthday, a church burned down in Baldr. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but it soon became known that Almandina was to blame. Ever since she learned about the real state of Arteria, her spirit had weakened greatly, and what happened to Rika, apparently, broke the last thread that kept her from breaking down.
***
- After what happened to Gungnir, Emilia von Breckenndorf became very weak and lost her former energy, and six months later she followed her husband.
- Not finding any other options, since none of the characters of the opposite sex leveled up their friendship with them, Claudia Aham and Gregor Philanemo got married in 780 and continued to live in Baldr.
- Eisen and Cecilia left Baldr, preparing to fulfill the roles assigned to them in the impending conflict.
- Matthias von Breckenndorf became the next ruler of Baldr.
- Almandina had two fates awaiting her: either, after the reconstruction of the church, she would return to her priestly duties, or, if he offered it to her, she would continue her life's journey with Anselm.
- Viktor and Amelia said goodbye to the townspeople and disappeared in an unknown direction.
- Buvardia Milano, never waiting for her knight in shining armor, went on adventures full of adrenaline-fueled battles and sweet nights.
- Hans and Christoph continued to serve as guards of Baldr.
- To his surprise, Eir von Walravn took Gungnir's death very hard. The filial feelings that she had for him in the depths of her heart only came out when it was too late. Staying in Baldr, where every corner reminded her of her second father, turned out to be too difficult for her, and so she left.
- Imelda spent six months under the close attention of Eisen von Mariendorf, and her mental state improved (also an option for Anselm).
- After the construction of the railway station, Christina began to visit Anders with favorable prospects for a joint future.
- Britta gave birth to a son from Weserod.
- Gerda is available for Weserod (if he decides not to stay at the bottom of the mine).
- It is unlikely, of course, but Eitel, Berta and Gunter are free options.
- Arselias Akatalle, the last sorceress of Isselia, could not fulfill her plans in Serberia. Unfortunately, the pupils she cursed, Gungnir and other inhabitants of this country, did not play a key role in her fate.
- Norbert achieved great success in Tamfan and was always glad to see his fellow countrymen from Baldr.
- Yukina continued to terrorize the inhabitants of Western Vistaria, transferring most of the profits remaining after the organization's expenses to Mirai.
- Leon Julius Lunge joined the anti-government coalition.
- Eugen von Breckenndorf continued to carry out the crown's assignments, but secretly waited for an opportunity to make Elheim an independent state, both from Serberia and Rohental. Under his leadership, this province showed rapid growth and became one of the safest corners of the kingdom.
- Karl Esser fled from Serberia.
- Diablo, for a reason known only to himself, decided to leave the Baldr guys alone and began to look for battles in other parts of Vistaria.
- Ludolf Lalik continued to expand his business both within the kingdom and beyond, trying his hand at new products, etc. Over time, his "bunny girls" became known throughout Vistaria.
- Egilmar Goldenrod joined the anti-government coalition.
- Lillian, the artist from Galgan, found the strength to travel through Vistaria.
- The Forest King of Galgan avoided the fate that Arselias Akatalle had prepared for him.
- Sebastian Carte became the champion of a grand tournament in Artoria - not least because many of his opponents simply remained without equipment. Later, he will join the army and become one of the most effective officers in the kingdom.
- Raimund Drache and Burgundia began dating and went to see Vistaria together.
- Meinrad Michtardt continued to serve the countess and work for the good of his family.
- Astrid von Blankenfels forbade her husband from leaving the borders of Myrkoria, and since Lalik's business in Illia was not successful, he would hardly see the "bunny girls" he desired.
- After winning the archery competition, Roland Carte gathered the courage to start courting his beloved.
- The fates of Weserod, Ryohei and Alessia are up to you. The latter, if she survived, could inherit Eisen's clinic when he decides to leave, but she would not even recognize the new "Alessia" as her former student, even if this information somehow became public.

Added 12 minutes ago
Regarding the curse of Syzygy - it was a so-called "anxiety curse". It had no effect at all, except that the character sometimes experiences an inexplicable feeling of anxiety. I did not reveal the real effect solely to better convey the meaning of this curse and the sadistic nature of the elf - the fear that something bad may happen to your character at any moment.

For some reason, the image isn't loading for me.

And regarding the fallen trio, I'll mention it one last time – Rohei did fall into the abyss, but I didn't explicitly state anywhere that he died; the same applies to Veserod and Alessia with their pierced arrows; they mechanically went into the negative, but I didn't record their deaths. So, it's up to you to decide.

Regarding the Syzygy curse – it was a so-called "anxiety curse." It had no real effect other than causing the character to occasionally experience an inexplicable feeling of anxiety. I deliberately didn't reveal the real effect in order to better convey the meaning of this curse and the sadistic nature of the elf – the fear that something bad might happen to your character at any moment.

It seems like I also get this kind of curse before each expo...

well, what can I say, my sword survived, which means it's a happy ending.

Some location, some time. First they sailed on a boat, then entered an unremarkable-looking cave, proceeded to a lift hidden in its depths, descended deep underground, walked through yet another long corridor resembling more of a labyrinth and, finally, found themselves in the middle of a stylish-looking establishment.  — A bar? — One of the travelers raised his gaze from beneath the hood that concealed the contours of his face and fixed his eyes on a ragnite air conditioning unit. — Pretty great, isn't it? — His fellow traveler asked him. — We're this far underground, but thanks to the "Workshop's" technology, it's more comfortable here than anywhere else! Oh, by the way, we're lucky — we caught some important people. — He nods toward the barmaid and a man in black robes sitting at the counter. — Let's go say hello, I'll introduce you. — Hey boss! — The guy places his hand on the shoulder of the man dressed in black, but as soon as he turned around, he backed off a little. — Uh, good day... Oh, Limma, you don't come here all that often... I always wonder, why would someone in your position bother with such routine work? — At times we need to devote ourselves to simple labor, otherwise we risk forgetting what it means to be human...  — Come on... Admit it, you simply enjoy it. — Who knows?.. Quite possibly, someday I might try my hand at being a "Rabbit" — that trend keeps gaining popularity in Serberia and beyond. — Ah, right... How are things in that country now? — Well... My work with the "Tear" concluded successfully, so there's one fewer valkyrie under the Church's command now.  — You really are heartless, aren't you. — I truly feel sorry for Rika, but... She was too stubborn, so this fate was inevitable. — And what about the impending war? Is everything going according to plan? — He asks the masked man sitting beside him. — The Queen and her team have exceeded my expectations. Those developments I shared with her — she refined them and brought them into practical application. I believe we will see the results of her work very soon.  — Is that so... By the way, this is my friend Ve... — Verginius, correct? — Asked the barmaid. — Almost. Virgil.  — Ah, right. Sorry, sorry, Virgil, I'll be glad to work with you henceforth. — Well, Aganzo has already approved him, so there shouldn't be any problems with that... He hasn't been wrong about people even once so far.  ... The paladin from Baldr stared at the floor, then looked around, then cast glances at the faces of the people gathered today. Their conversations registered in his mind only as fragmented echoes. And this is one of the valkyries? Heh. Once upon a time he had admired them, but now he thought they were just ordinary girls like everyone else, merely granted great power by chance. — ... Ver, hey, Ver! Virgil! Are you even listening? — What?.. Yes.  — I've just received information about those people you were interested in. Teodahad and Teya Bors, right? — Correct... — Hearing those painfully familiar names, a choking lump rose in the paladin's throat, and his heart seemed ready to burst at any moment. — I don't know who they are to you, but anyway... — He tells how a certain Jan Dere rescued the girl from Clefbert's captivity, after which Teodahad secretly flees Marion together with his sister. — As I understand it, after several days of living with her would-be husband, the poor thing went a bit mad, became fixated on the idea of her own defilement and all that... Well, that sort of thing isn't uncommon when sheltered young ladies fall into the hands of bad people. Now they seem to have settled somewhere in Heckelia. — So that's how it is...  These were simultaneously joyful, sorrowful, and indifferent news for Virgil... Be that as it may, Aganzo had healed him, and now his fate was tied to this nameless organization and its shadowy plans regarding Visteria.

it turns out that with her actions, Gulveig still managed to heal her beloved teacher...

Now that I'm done, I'd like to officially thank everyone for the game. Thank you for making these stories and emotions possible... It's a shame, of course, that I didn't manage to bring it to a logical conclusion, even though this time the plot and locations were worked out much better (in the sense, before the start, and not in the process; that is, for example, in Vistaria, it was possible to leave Clematis, but I had only thought about the alternatives in general terms, and when changing locations, I planned to take a break). Each location had its own specific theme, etc. As I mentioned somewhere, Ilva's quest to survey the residents in Mir Koria was one of my favorites, as it was absolutely simple and straightforward in its idea, but it filled the city with life very well. In Artoria (when all other provinces of the kingdom had already been explored), I planned something slightly different, focused on the players' characters themselves - to write an article in the newspaper about the provinces of Serberia, as was done with the Valkyries - to list them and their rulers from best to worst. Something tells me that poor Leon and his city of warriors wouldn't have gotten a very good reputation... I'd also like to mention Fragment. He signed up quite unexpectedly, but I was very pleased with his roleplaying. If we play again, I hope to see you among the players. What else... A few words about Air. Initially, when I was just thinking about the concept of the "orphanage," I had the idea to make a crowd of NPCs, as in RoM III, but I eventually abandoned this idea for two reasons. First, this niche was already somewhat filled by the mentors, and second, I wanted the players' characters to interact with each other more than usual. As a result, I limited myself to one NPC, who was supposed to be another Ifeon, but due to the plot, I apparently became more attached to her than usual, and, well, this joke by Siever:

Revan wants to play the expansion so much that he finally decided to join his own game.

turned out to be somewhat true. The main thing that can be highlighted here is that I developed, let's say, my own interest in the players' success, as in some ways I was one of them; I had to think about spending money, event points, etc., which added to the interest. I think that Air became one of the reasons why I was able to conduct this very long game without burning out until the very end. At the same time, I tried to be careful - I went to her limited events only when no one else expressed a desire, I waited for the players to leave the city so as not to deprive them of limited goods. And considering the RP moments, in my opinion, this was only a plus, so when, from the moment Yan appeared in the mountains and throughout Elheim, I received messages in private about the all-knowing, successful GM character, I was sometimes tempted to just close the game. I honestly didn't quite understand this and I'm not sure if I want to understand it. NPCs have always been and will be, some of them live their own lives, others (Air, Yuisis, Cleona, RoM III NPCs, etc.) live by the same rules as the players' characters; this is nothing new, and they are unlikely to go anywhere in the future ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ We'll see about a continuation. It depends on my time and your desire.

Veserod slipped into the darkness. This time, he had really messed up. The first arrow hit as usual – in the heart, but that part of the hunter’s body was already so scarred that he didn’t even feel it. It was impossible to remove the arrow, so he hit it with his fist, causing it to pass through and pulled it out by the tip from his back. But the second and third... They hit his arm and leg. Unable to continue the fight, Veserod slid to the floor and silently bled out. At one point, he began to feel an unpleasant, gradually growing, all-consuming sense of impending disaster. His vision blurred, his ears rang, and the dying man was covered in sweat. On the verge of consciousness, he could distinguish cries – people were screaming in pain and anger, and Kalentia was giving orders instead of him. "They are in good hands," Veserod nodded to himself, though only in his mind, because by that time he had already lost the ability to control his body. Unable to cope with the blurred vision and the cacophony of sounds caused by the gradual dying of his brain due to blood loss from his mortal wounds, Veserod muttered with cold, numb lips: "May my ancestors forgive me... May my brothers and sisters forgive me... Forgive me, grandfather... B... B... Britt... Is that you?" It seemed to him that a woman from Baldur was leaning over him, but it was the dying Esghif, clutching his pierced belly and collapsing next to him. Veserod tried to raise his hand to hug her, but he couldn't. "She carries my... my child... P...p...please..." The hunter didn't finish the sentence because it turned out to be too difficult, but he hoped that at least someone would hear his last words. "D...deliver... my... seed... to Gerda..." Veserod began to lose consciousness and desperately tried to say everything he could before it was too late, no matter how absurd it was. "To Shi...no... N...n...n... ... ... find... brother and sister..." He would have liked to say more – take care of grandfather and Yue, of Eznir and Gregor, of his sheep, Diana and Nikita, and many other things, but the gangrene from his arm and leg had already spread throughout his body and did not let him finish. The last thought, inappropriately flashing in his dying consciousness, was: "It's good that I didn't eat anything today."

What about the horoscopes? Was there a secret event, or just a +3 to stats, and that's it? Or maybe it will be useful sometime (no)...

And I was interested in the hero items throughout the game. I didn't pick them up a second time, of course, but let's say there were enough opportunities to summon demons. But I didn't notice any hints about followers of the best (almost) faction. Or were they deliberately removed because they were unnecessary?

Yeah, +3 to the base stat of the month in which the character was born (randomly chosen from 5 for the Hydra and the Thinker, randomly chosen from all for the Narcissus). The description itself was just for flavor.

And no one among the involved parties actually used heroes, so you could say it was a unique option.