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[pikachu17]

Are the most recent saves going to be added to the OP?

[Lord_lemonpie]

How's the FPS?

Also, I'll finally be able to take a real turn again soon, so I'd like a spot on the waitlist.

[Gwolfski]

How's the FPS?

Also, I'll finally be able to take a real turn again soon, so I'd like a spot on the waitlist.

I had ~12

[highmax28]

((Sorry I missed a couple days. Been busy at work/out of town and haven't played as much as I would have liked))

Lord Lemonpie held the artifact crown in his hands. Lolokmilol or the Granite Messiah as it was called. A contrast to Apiks' crowns of bone, this even bore engravings of their own history of suffering, with the death of a great forumite, ezum the marksforumite, who died holding off the trolls during the days Highmax arrived etched into the very stone. Lemonpie pressed the crown to his head and wept. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Highmax was to deliver them from Apiks' reign and drive off the enemy, not bring him in. He remembered watching as Apiks and Highmax dueled with magic, the fell power of Armok seen through a cursed warrior. Lord Lemonpie knew that Highmax's suffering was great, having endured more than most with his predecessor damning each and every one of descendants and those who shared his blood in other worlds. He chose to stay and protect. This Highmax only wanted the release of death; to finally be free of his endless agony.

Lemonpie knew that Highmax would remember everything due time. When he crawled away from that horrifying mess, he knew he had to ask for the other gods for power to aid the suffering fourmites, as evil had entered their home. And the gods bestowed Granite Messiah. There would come one who would deliver them from this madness, and this would give them the power to do so. But no such hero was here yet. Until then, Lord Lemonpie would hide the symbol of their freedom.


Apiks entered his proper bedchambers after having his fill of proper alcohol. The mild whimsy was cut short as Apiks was greeted with a figure reading through his bookshelf, reading some of his documents. "Give your name and greet your king properly!" The figure turned around, book in hand. Apiks face turned to one of minor shock and disgust as the face he was greeted with was thin and soft like that of a female but bore scars and the broad features of a male. He heard a crack as the face seemed to continue shifting as the two eyes looked up from the book; one colored a cold gray and the other milky white. "You can thank me for ordering your freedom, Apiks."

The voice seemed to change slightly midway through the sentance, but the voice of a male dominated. Both voices familiar. Apiks slowly reached for his chainsaw hung near the door when the figure put his hand up. "I'm not here to fight you. After all, you have a duty as King to fulfill. I hope you'll excuse my visage. This 'Monom' seems to be trying to reject me. It matters not to me how I look, as long as people know who I am." Highmax made a gesture to sit at Apiks' desk as he put the book away. "Here's the deal Apiks. I want nothing to do with what you made yourself here. As you saw before, I wanted nothing to do with being a ruler. The very thought of settling down and being an immortal ruler sickens me. You however, seem to know this position well.

You act as the ruler and get these forumites to do as I say, and I'll have Ur slain before long. You have your place, and I have mine."

Apiks smirked before leaning in. "You actually believe that I have reason to trust you, hero?" Highmax slammed his hands into the table at Apiks' mocking tone. "I remember everything, Apiks. I don't care what you do to Armok once I finally embrace death when Ur lies slain. You think of me as his pawn, but do you think he would continue to grant me power when I know that he allied himself with my foe?" To emphasize this, Highmax created a small orb of blood in his hands. "The stories say all Highmax's had innate affinity for learning magic. I never could until I made a deal with Armok. Perhaps in this world they work together. But in mine, Armok aided us at times. To make me able to fulfill my duty was what he allowed me to do."

Apiks folded his arms. "So you're telling me that you have full control over yourself?" Highmax's half-blind gaze seemed to pierce Apiks' very soul. "If he truly did, why wouldn't he have done so yet to kill everyone here?" Apiks thought for a moment before looking back at Highmax. "Lets suppose I believe you. What do you intend to do?" Highmax pulled out a crusty, blood-stained paper and placed it on the table. Apiks face let out a smirk. "I see... I'll have the scholars put to work immediately."

((No images sadly cause slow period right now))

[highmax28]

Smoke bellowed from below the earth, but away from the monstrosity that is Gedor Echohearts the God-Fosaken Ruthlessness. Panicked squeaking told people he was burning giant rats alive for sport as the flames scorched the caverns. But little of that was a worry, as the people began to pray relentlessly to Omer during this time, as it seemed some disfigured forumite was roving the halls and Apiks was free. The people prayed to the gods for strength, if not death.

But to the surprise of many, something was amiss. The lower parts of the temple were barricaded off by the army. Lord Lemonpie himself wasn't even allowed in. He knew what was happening. He grabbed his walking staff and began to hobble over to Apiks' chambers, with Arx aiding him up. There were foul forces at work, and he knew Apiks would know what the were, if he wasn't the source of it.


Pounding came on his door. "By the holy word of Omer, open this door, Apiks!" The King unlocked the door and swung it wide open to beckon them in. "I prefer you use my title. I have it for a reason. Come and sit, dear priest." Lord Lemonpie leaned heavily on his staff as he let go of Arx and lurched forward. "What are you doing, Apiks!? You desecrated Omer's holy place once, I will not allow you to do this a second time!" Apiks shook his head. "I'm not doing anything with it." Lemonpie's gaze turned from one usually peaceful and solemn went to one of fury as his body seemed to stand taller. "Do not take me for a fool, Apiks. What do you plan to do?" Apiks was stunned for a moment from the fury the crippled forumite had. "I am not lying. Highmax is the one doing this. Now, if you're going to accuse me, I suggest you leave." Apiks picked up his chainsaw as it gently began to rev, the droning sound making the tension thick. "You are a fool to think Highmax is actually letting you rule. You are nothing to someone who cast out his humanity." Apiks swung his chainsaw in defiance, but Lemonpie did not flinch, and instead stared down Apiks as his chainsaw was inches from his head. "Until my duty is finished, Omer will see to it that I live long enough to see our people saved." Apiks grunted as he lowered his chainsaw. Killing a priest, especially a defenseless one, would only destroy his name.


Every fourmite arrived, with an armored figure standing atop the army, two swords strapped to them. The figure removed his helmet as Highmax's disfigured face was revealed. The smoothed features of Monom's soft face was now beginning to look gruff and masculine, with blotches of beard marking parts of her chin and cheeks. Monom's once long, white, and combed hair was now mixed in with short dark brown hair, matching Highmax's beard. Highmax's milky eye was now covered by an eyepatch, as he had worn before. His voice was loud and booming.

"Fourmites of Necrothreat, I welcome you to the Temple of Omer; a place of the gods. I called for you all here so you may bear witness to the rise of your savior. Today marks the day us fourmites will be able to strike against back against Ur and the forces of the undead.

You are all aware of the story of my namesake. Highmax was a warrior who sacrificed everything to save his people. He gave up his life and his chance at an afterlife. But in doing so, he damned not only himself, but his descendants. And as you are all aware, I am the current descendant of Highmax. And I cannot rest until I sire a child or Ur lies slain. And I intend to make the second option happen for the sake of all of us."

Highmax stepped forward and raised his arms to present something.

"If you will look now to the lower floor, you will see the means to make myself grow in power." The army stood around with weapons at the ready as several cages were displayed. The clawing and snapping of teeth from the crundles inside were heard.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"As you know, many animals were slaughtered the past few days. I personally had them brought here and sacrificed as a test to see the power seen in this temple. And now I intend to use this power from the gods to give me strength in their stead.

But Omer will not do. Neither will Ibel the Creamy Dinner ((OOC: That's actually her name)). No, we must seek to take power away from a god far greater than them..."

Panicked chatter began to be heard as Highmax walked forward and rested his hand on a newly made lever.

"The only way the God of Blood gains his power is through a specific form of slaughter; I will not slay a fattened reindeer, nor a courage wolf child. No... The only way to sacrifice to Armok is through spilling the blood of our enemies!"

Screams were heard as Highmax dropped the lever and leapt down to slay the creatures and the monsters leapt at the soldiers. The roars of fury from the crundles quickly were turned to sounds of metal rending flesh, as blood and entrails began to flow into the temple. Lord Lemonpie dropped to his knees in horror. His holy place wasn't just desecrated by aranging of letters, but this time it was performing full heresy; sacrificing to Armok.

As the shrieking horrified cries of the crundles being slaughtered died down, Highmax raised his hand up and the blood from the crundles raised to the air. Soldiers all stopped from the shock of what just happened, acting only on reflex to deal with the crundles, as they could only watch as the blood turned from deep crimson to a muddy black.

Highmax then took off his helmet again and lifted his eyepatch. The milky white eye staring at nothingness.

"In order to kill the undead, we must be willing to sacrifice everything." Highmax pulled out a small dagger and let out a scream of pain as he began to cut his own eye out. Blood poured forth from the now gouged out eye as he threw what little was left of it on the ground. "I gave up my eye in the past, and I will do so here as well." Highmax's hair seemed to grow shorter and more akin to Highmax's hair than Monoms at a rapid pace, along with his beard starting to grow. Highmax stood tall over the horrified masses. Lemonpie began to weep as his face lie buried in the cold stone of his poor temple.

"I will give up far more if it means that Ur is slain..."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

((Needed an excuse to start cutting down on prisoner numbers. So why not sacrifice to Armok and take the power of doing so? ))

[TheFlame52]

On an unrelated note, who are the "good" and "bad" guys in this fort from the perspective of the dwarves?

[Carefulrogue]

Rogue watched from the shadows.  Only  his face really poked out from the wall, but there he was in a corner where the light didn't reach.  From there, he watched the sacrifice.  The soldiers make quick work of the rabble of cavern creatures. 

"You've got to be kidding me.  All this set up to kill a bunch of crundles?  It took forever us five years to get to cleaning the temple the first time around, it'll take more with this mess," he muttered out loud.  The crundles fell one by one, until finally the horde was slain.  "I bet we can do this better.  A training arena perhaps for soldiers to handles these monsters, in a confined area where we don't mind getting blood on on the floor.  That's what we need, not this foolish-"

Carefulrogue stopped when the blood, all of it, not a single drop left on the ground, rose up into a black blob.  "Oh," he breathed out.  Around him the stones felt colder, but sticky.  As if something else had come to watch next to him.  Something encompassing the dead.  Rogue stumbled out of the wall, catching himself when he was at the edge of the alcove.  Glancing at the wall, Rogue shuddered.  He definitely hadn't imagined that. 

Morom, or was it Highmax, screamed out from the center, a dagger carving a gory mess from his eye.  Rogue couldn't tell who it was anymore, he could only see the sudden transformation, shades of magic affecting the forumite, altering in an instant the the forumite, molding feminine features into a face Carefulrogue remembers well.  One that nearly killed him two years ago.  "Shit."

"I will give up far more if it means that Ur is slain..."  Highmax said from the center of the gathered crowd.

"You damn well better make clear what you're sacrificing.  I won't take part in any case," Rogue swore.  His hands tightened on the air in front of him, a spear materializing before him.  Rogue stared on, glancing about for the presence in the shadows.  It didn't appear again.


excellent update Highmax. 

[apiks]

On an unrelated note, who are the "good" and "bad" guys in this fort from the perspective of the dwarves?

You mean forumites? Both Ur and Armok were the enemies at start. At this point of time though you can't trust anyone from the looks of things.


Also boo, something's amiss so it always must be Apiks' fault. You give me too much credit.

Good update.

[Carefulrogue]

Also boo, something's amiss so it always must be Apiks' fault. You give me too much credit.

Any time something goes wrong, he's the general logic everyone follows:

if (overseer.present<distanceToEvent(50))
responsibility=overseer.present;

if (apiks.alive==true)
   if (apiks.location<distanceToEvent(50))
       responsibility=apiks;
   else if (gwolfski.alive==true)
       if (gwolfski.location<distanceToEvent(50))
        responsibility=gwolfski;
        //continue for all overseers

You get the idea.

[TD1]

Carefulrogue, you have cracked the code to life itself.

[Carefulrogue]

Carefulrogue, you have cracked the code to life itself.

Sigged

[pikachu17]

Lemonpie can't lean on a cane. He is a quadriplegic.
Also, seriously? That temple just got cleaned up.

Also, Carefulrogue, it looks like it only checks if Gwolfski is alive, if Apiks is alive, but not close to the event. It should check if he is alive if Apiks is dead, as well.

[Carefulrogue]

Lemonpie can't lean on a cane. He is a quadriplegic.
Also, seriously? That temple just got cleaned up.

Also, Carefulrogue, it looks like it only checks if Gwolfski is alive, if Apiks is alive, but not close to the event. It should check if he is alive if Apiks is dead, as well.

FUCKING BUGS.

[apiks]

Real life has more or less settled down now and I have updated the savegame section of the OP finally. Sorry for the delay.

[highmax28]

Darkness filled the fortress as evening set in. It took Lord Lemonpie many days to move out of his bedroom to anywhere respectable, and thus the meeting held in the one place not many remember: the resting place of Alias.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Arx packed documents from his office for the meeting of fourmites as the panda corpse in the corner of his room made a lurching noise as it played with the ball he threw in there a long while ago. It was friendly, it seemed, but he didn't trust undead. He kept this one under his watchful gaze. But today, he had worse things to worry about. Highmax wasn't leaving it seemed, which lead many to believe that his boast about slaying Ur either was a lie or he plans of doing something drastic. Arx let out a shout of fury as he dropped his ink bottle. Highmax was supposed to help them, not fuel the enemy. Everything was supposed to be so different... Highmax was a magician and swordsman of great prowess, not some hate-fueled sangromancer. Arx kicked the ink bottle to the side of the room and stormed out.


Arx was the last to arrive, as Lemonpie already took his place before the tomb at the center of the room before many of the other fourmites, leaning against his staff and the young Quill Arcane. Despite being barely five years his senior, Lord Lemonpie's face showed wisdom of a hundred lives. Dwarfy leaned against a wall by himself as Red Hammer, Crazy Fey and even the apparition of Carefulrogue arrived. The priest hoisted himself up on his staff to bring the illusion of standing tall, Quill still using himself as a human crutch.

"Thank you for coming, everyone. I know each and every one of you feel the same way as I do about Highmax. Even if you do not follow the ways of Omer, you can understand that his desecration cannot go without repercussions. Highmax has yet to leave to do battle with Ur, and it has been two months! We cannot allow this to go on."

Red Hammer spoke up. "I have seen Monom fight with Rosywander, and I can say Highmax assuming control of Monom's body has only made him stronger. He seems to have learned her fighting style. Not only has he damaged her blade and hidden it, he seems to have gained full control of her body since cutting out her eye. We can't just march in and hope to slay him through martial means."

Carefulrogue joined in in a solemn tone. "Apiks had no chance against him. That was why he made him forget who he was. For all the power of the bone crown and his room of bones where he gains power, his power comes from something... Else. Highmax's power comes from a god. There won't be an easy way to kill him without Apiks' help. But I doubt Apiks will aid us. It seems Highmax believes he has a place as ruler over us. A sociopath like Highmax would only let him keep his position if it meant that it benefited him."

Lord Lemonpie spoke up in turn. "I agree. What bothered me most about this whole ordeal is what Highmax said about being able to rest. He is a slave to a destiny he had given to him before he was born. His claim of being unable to die means a few things. For one, he's immortal as a few of us seem to be are. It seems, however, that he instead possesses whoever he takes over in a violent manner, compared to how others seem to just... Appear. It also seemed to make me question one other thing he said. "I cannot rest until I sire a child". I wondered what he meant by this, but it seems the late Dastot asked him before his passing. There seems to be an unfinished part of Highmax's tale, where it said he had a wife in the other world. However, it seemed that due to some curse or magic, he was rendered infertile."

Crazy Fey spoke up. "It must have been the deal with Armok he made. He's no victim, he chose his eternal doom, let him suffer for it!" Lord Lemonpie shook his head. "Dastot's notes seem to say that during his many skirmishes, he contracted several sicknesses, one of which may have led to his infertility. One of them for sure rendered his eye nearly useless. What better thing to trade to a god than a worthless organ? Little is lost but much is gained. It seems his fury from this disease or curse caused him to hunt Ur so he can be at rest. The reason why seems to be that his wife passed on a little ways before his deal with Armok by another undead raid."

Dwarfy put up his hand to gesture a pause. "What does this have to do with anything? All it tells us is Highmax was pushed to the brink to be what he is now. This doesn't mean we can use any of this knowledge now."

Quill spoke up. "On the contrary, it seems we have all the information we need. The few scholars that aren't serving Apiks and I discovered there is a way to stop him this way. While Highmax was rendered infertile, it doesn't mean the body he inhabits is. While he still believes that he is, we can set things in motion to have him gain an heir. And then we raise the next highmax to be the true guardian."

Rogue spoke up. "Are you suggesting we convince Highmax have a child in Monom's body? I don't think that would be a possiblity anymore."

Quill smirked and shook his head. "No need. Monom already had a child. If Highmax, or if we're lucky, Monom, acknowledges her heir, Highmax's cursed immortality will end. There's only one problem-"

Rogue interupted "Monom's children are dead or have abandoned her. There is no way for her to acknowledge any of them."

Quill Arcane waggled his finger and let Lord Lemonpie down as he began to speak: "Bear with me on this..."

((Little is happening sadly, mostly because the magma forges are taking forever to rebuild... At least the frame rate is decent enough.

Also, who's the genius who left undead in an office?))