Chapter 59
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"I'll move the captain away a bit first.
Jinn has cast *Hearts Content*
The air around Jinn shimmered slightly, a collective gasp came from her teammates as she morphed into a Gnoll. She was smaller than the Gnoll guards, definitely female and a much lighter color.
"That's just impressive as hell" Not quite as cool as the demon spider queen, but Quinn liked the look.
"Work it Jinn!" Ro-Ro quietly clapped her hands.
Jinn has cast *Rapture*
System Message: An AE buff is in effect. +50 to ATK, +50 to Defense.
Grace has cast *Angels Light*
System Message: All allies heal 4500 hit-points per minute for three minutes.
Quinn gave Jinn the thumbs up, "all set!"
Jinn has cast *Walk among your enemies*
The female gnoll walked slowly, as soon as she entered their range, all the gnolls turned towards her. They did not attack, at first they seemed confused, then two of them started howling. The light brown female stared at the gnoll Captain, the elite male raised his nose into the air, sniffing several times. The female tilted her head to one side and then walked past the group, the gnoll Captain followed.
"Damn.. did Jinn read up on Gnoll seduction techniques?" Quinn shook his head in wonder.
Ro-Ro smirked at him, "he's male.. so its really not complicated."
"...." Onion.
"..." Quinn.
Jinn led the Gnoll Captain a bit out of aggro range and then turned to face him. Slowly she started to dance around him.
Jinn has cast *Private Dancer*
An Elite Gnoll Captain has been enthralled.
Onion moved within aggro range of the Gnolls. "I want all of your COOKIES!!"
Onion has activated *Battle Cry*
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
Daze has cast *Barbed Vine*
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
Daze has cast *Twisted Roots*
A Gnoll Guard has been rooted.
The remaining four Gnolls charged Onion.
Onion has activate *Shield Stance*
Incoming damage is reduced by 15 percent.
Quinn used his hud to place a star over his target. "Attack my target!"
Daze has activated *Eagle Eye*
Ranged damage on target has increased by 20 percent.
*Blink*
Quinn appeared behind the Gnoll guard he had targeted.
*Backstab* Critical hit 11,405 points damage, bonus damage 11,405 points.
*Shadow Bow* Daze has struck a Gnoll Guard for 26,005 points.
Tormented Rhapsody has activated *Nature's Fury* Critical hit for 32,500 damage, one poison counter applied.
*Return*
Quinn returned to his original spot.
*Open Range Pistoleros.* 1955 damage, 1870 damage, 1961 damage, 2243 damage, 1139 damage, 1248 damage.
Grace has cast *Blessed Hand*
*Critical Heal* Onion has been healed for 105,550 hit points.
A Gnoll guard has been slain.
Quinn put the marker on the next Gnoll. "Target is marked!"
Onion has activated *Battle Cry*
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
"Recasting Root"
Daze has cast *Twisted Roots*
A Gnoll Guard has been rooted.
Daze has activated *Eagle Eye*
Ranged damage on target has increased by 20 percent.
Onion slammed his shield into the target.
A Gnoll Guard has been stunned.
*Blink*
Quinn appeared behind the Gnoll guard he had targeted.
*Backstab* Critical hit 21,600 damage, bonus damage 21,600
*Return*
Quinn returned to his previous location.
*Chain Shot* Daze has struck a Gnoll Guard for 16,000 damage, 9,984 damage, 5,355 damage
Torment Rhapsody has activated *Nature's Grasp*
Barbed Vines shot out from the ground wrapping around the legs of the Gnolls, binding the three of them together, before lifting them up and slamming them into the ground.
A Gnoll Guard has been slain.
A Gnoll Guard has been stunned and struck for 31,000 damage
A Gnoll Guard has been stunned and struck for 26,500 damage
Grace has cast *Sun Goddess's Judgement*
*Critical Hit* A Gnoll Guard has burst into flames and been hit for 77,500 damage
A Gnoll Guard has been Slain.
*Critical Hit* A Gnoll Guard has burst into flames and been hit for 68,888 damage
A Gnoll Guard has been Slain.
"...." Quinn.
"...." Ro-Ro.
"..." Daze.
Grace has cast *Blessed Hand*
Onion has been healed for 55,650 hit points.
Grace has cast *Angels Light*
System Message: All allies heal 4500 hit-points per minute for three minutes.
"Last one!" Onion charged the Gnoll just as it broke root.
Onion has activated *Cleave*
A Gnoll Guard's armor has been damaged, all incoming melee damage is increased by 20 percent
Quinn pulled his pistoleros.
*Thundering Pistoleros* 4655 damage, 3860 damage, 4360 damage, 5444 damage, 5006 damage, 1248 damage.
*Shadow Bow* Daze has struck a Gnoll Guard for 23,445 points.
A Gnoll Guard has been Slain.
"Grace how's mana?" Quinn pulled his halberd out as he walked towards Jinn.
"Eighty percent, good to go." Grace sat down on the path, her mana bar increasing steadily.
"Damn Grace. Who knew you were such a bad ass?" Quinn grinned at the cleric.
"Me." Daze replied.
"Me." Onion replied.
Grace's pretty face turned red, "thanks guys."
They moved closer, Quinn watched his former teacher dance, it was almost hypnotic. "Taunt doesn't break enthrall Onion, so get over there and establish yourself. Otherwise he'll go after Jinn.
"Understood."
Rhapsody has summoned *Bingo*
Bingo
Spirit Hound: War Dog
Level 68
"Shit.. What have you been feeding Bingo?" Quinn scratched the hound's ears which were nearly chest high.
Ro-Ro shrugged, "whatever he wants. He's a leveling monster. I don't use him much now days, it's so traumatic for me when he dies."
The Captain went down surprising easy, Bingo clamped down on one of his legs and drug him to the ground while the rest of the group hit him until he died. Apparently the 55 level cap didn't apply to pets, since Bingo wasn't sent out.
With the counter at 2:33 and 16/25 the group set out to hunt the remaining mobs. The total time to clear the outside mobs would end up taking 55 minutes, that would include 21 regular Gnoll Guards and 4 Captains. Bingo presence made the Captain fights relatively easy.
The Courtyard was surrounded by a stone fence approximately ten feet in height. The entrance was an archway, no gate or door was visible. After resting for a few minutes they approached the Courtyard at 2:00 and 25/25.
***Cutscene Civilization History Fora***
Surprisingly as they neared the Courtyard a brief cutscene played. A village made up of mud huts with grass roofs filled their vision. The inhabitants were quite small, but from the visuals enjoyed a happy and content existence. This scene quickly turned gruesome as the village was overrun with Gnolls. The villagers were killed and the buildings razed to the ground. These buildings were then replaced with larger stone structures. The scene continued showing a Gnoll King taking power and starting a brutal reign. Finally the last scene showed the destruction of the Gnoll Army by endless fields of giant spiders. Quinn recognized a younger looking Spider Queen Moa in the last scene. They had completely wiped out the Gnolls and then returned to their underground lairs. It was graphic and brutal, most of the Gnolls had been wrapped in webbing and drug away for food.
System Message:You have witnessed the forgotten history of this land.
System Message: A copy of "Lost Civilizations" has been added to your inventory.
Lost Civilization:Historical
Description: This book contains
details regarding World Civilizations.
Additional Effect: Having Lost Civilization
in your inventory gives you +30 to Intelligence.
Grace's face lit up as she read the message, "did the rest of you get the book also?"
"Wow.. +30 to intelligence. That's a huge boost to the mana pool, even if we end up with nothing, that makes the trip worth it." Intelligence was a worthless stat for Quinn, but for mana classes like Jinn, Grace and Ro-Ro, it was a substantial bonus. Quinn pretended to be upset as he looked at Grace, "does this mean we won't get to see you do the legendary 'mana dance?'
"T-The mana dance?" Grace had a confused look on her face.
Ro-Ro nodded, "you haven't done the mana dance when you fall below 30 percent?"
Jinn turned her head to hide her smile.
Both Onion and Daze looked clueless.
Jinn stepped away, "here Grace, watch me." Jinn placed her hands on her hips and then began swaying them side.
The cleric stood next to her and started copying her movements. She was actually quite good.
"Like this?"
Quinn clapped in approval, "very good. I think you are missing the hair-whip portion."
"Right, the hair whip." Jinn let her dark hair down, it wasn't overly long, a bit past her shoulders. She started rotating her head and then snapping it to make her hair fly forward over her eyes.
Grace let her long blond hair down and started copying her movements. As soon as she did, Jinn stepped away and joined the others. Grace continued for a minute before glancing up, the rest of the group were watching her with big smiles on their faces, by this time Daze and Onion had figured it out.
Ro-Ro and Quinn began laughing so hard, they had to lean on each other for support. Onion was on his knees pounding the ground. Jinn and Daze politely covered their mouths, but they were laughing also.
Grace's face looked surprised at first, then she turned red and finally a big smile burst through as she started laughing. "I can't believe that. You guys!"
Quinn was struggling to speak, "tell me you recorded that!"
Ro-Ro nodded as she gasped for air, "every sweet moment."
Grace jumped on Quinn's back and pounded the top of his head lightly with her fist. "Bad, bad Quinn!"
Quinn spun her around a few times and then set her down carefully. Surprisingly Grace was a good sport.
The hilarity died down after a few minutes, each of them eyeing the Courtyard entrance. Quinn was in a good mood. "This was fun, but now comes the hard part."
Jinn was tying up her hair as her dark eyes watched him. This was the Quinn she liked, the funny guy with the quick wit. The weight of the past few weeks had caused that light to dim a bit, she was very happy to see this side of him return.
As a group they stepped through the archway into the Courtyard. The Courtyard was circular and except for the archway, completely enclosed. The Courtyard itself was covered in intricate brown cobblestones and except for a large fountain at its center, completely void of any structures.
System Message: You have entered the Courtyard within the allotted time.
System Message: The level restriction has been lifted. You may invite four additional fighters to join your quest. You have 12 hours to defeat Gnoll King Brisbane.
A deafening howl raised the hair on the back of Quinn's neck and reverberated through the courtyard. On top of the fountain crouched Gnoll King Brisbane.
"That is one big Gnoll." Quinn was shocked at his size, it was at least twice the size of the other Gnolls.
Ro-Ro whistled, "guess we know why he was king."
Daze stared at the Gnoll. "Wait Brisbane, like the Gnoll Chieftain in the Quarry raid."
Onion couldn't hide his excitement, "that was probably the earlier version of him, this would be him at his pinnacle."
"Exactly right." Grace spoke from behind them, causing the entire group to turn. She had the Lost Civilization book open and was reading it. "Chieftain Brisbane united the nomadic tribes of Gnolls to usher in a new era. He would become the first and last Gnoll King."
Quinn stared at the book in her hands. "I'm going to have to sit down and read this. Or better yet I'll let Pops read it and give me the abbreviated version."
"...." Jinn.
Ro-Ro smirked at her friend, "he's your student."
Quinn brought up his hud and accessed the Raven menu. "Looks like Leah and Crow are on."
A few minutes later Leah and Crow had agreed and were readying themselves for the journey. Lara and the Songbirds were unavailable. Quinn guessed they were probably exploring Exodus.
"Crap.. we can't find anyone else?" Jinn frowned at her hud, no one from Zephyr was on either.
"How about Jaded Ice?" Ro-Ro was checking her friends list and surprisingly Jaded Ice had logged in.
"Anna Banana? She'll work nicely." Quinn tried Mojo and Yayia, neither could drop what they were doing. "Damn, guess we'll go at it with nine.
"Tal just logged in also." Quinn sighed heavily. Tal had leveled to the low 30s based on her engineering accomplishments. He didn't want to see her get beat down by a Gnoll King.
"Too late, I already talked to Nanna, she's bring Tal." Ro-Ro smiled innocently, she wasn't worried about Tal, the woman was formidable.
"So we have four on their way, should only be 3 or 4 hours." Jinn sat down with her back leaning against the wall.
"Crap, if I had my Cottage with me we could have relaxed in the hot springs while we waited." Quinn took a seat next to Jinn.
Ro-Ro sat on the other side of Quinn, she wasn't shy about leaning against him. "This place is gorgeous, once we kick this Gnolls ass, I might choose this place for my building site."
Jinn nodded, "I was thinking the same thing." Jinn hadn't used her build order either.
"I still have my build order also, the one I used for HQ was the reward for declaring Crow's TAP class." Quinn was mostly sold on building here, especially if they could restrict access.
Daze, Onion and Grace sat in a circle facing them, No one said a word when they noticed Daze and Onion holding hands.
"Do you think we'll really own this place?" Grace had looked around a bit, it seemed really big.
"Well, we didn't get any loot, unless you are counting the book." Quinn closed his eyes lazily as he leaned back against the rough stone.
"No xp either for any of the kills," Grace wanted to level up badly, as a cleric she was the slowest leveler.
Ro-Ro showed her sharp teeth, "we are definitely fighting for this place guys, so everyone bring their best."
"Do you think this fight follows the same pattern as the Chieftain fight?" Onion had been going over the Quarry raid in his head, it was fairly straight forward.
Jinn nodded, "I believe so, everyone will be stronger, but I think we can expect it to follow his pattern."
Ro-Ro squinted as she stared at the over-sized Gnoll. "He doesn't have the four guard Captains like the other one did."
Quinn considered it for a moment, "I think he does, or at least he did. Those were the Captains we beat on the way here."
"So expect him to resummon them at 80, 60 and 30 percent?" Jinn liked the idea, "let's move forward expecting that, but be ready for anything."
"Who wants to fly around a bit and do some exploring?" Quinn stood up and fired up his jetpack. The entire group decided to go, and within minutes they were airborne.
Onion stopped the group just after they took to the air, "Want to split up and map the entire area? With the six of us going in separate directions, it won't take long."
"Good thinking, then if we win we'll already have a good idea what we are looking at." Quinn looked on his hud, "lets meet back here in two hours."
Quinn flew over a heavily wooded area, he took a minute to land and stow his jetpack.
*Ba'Avriel*
*Stealth*
*Hunt*
A moment later Quinn was back in the air, much higher than before and circling in long lazy patterns. Quinn used his vision to scout out wildlife, there was no shortage of smaller game. The wooded area he was flying over quickly turned into orchards and after a few minutes into grassland. The instance had lots of thermals that Quinn soared on. He discovered that his vision could easily see the air thermals. The slightly warmer air was like a pale crimson path to his eyes.
Two hours later Quinn landed and switched back to his jetpack, he was the last one to arrive back at the archway. He noticed that Onion was compiling the map so he sent him his data.
The group each downloaded the finished version and were busy studying it when the heard the hum of jetpacks in the distance.
"Wow, they made good time." Quinn smiled when he saw the group of four heading towards them.
Tal and Leah were flying side by side, they both smiled when they landed, but neither offered more then a nod. Jaded Ice was actually holding on to Em's hand, she had never flown before and the trip out here was her first time training with the jetpacks.
"I was expecting a dungeon, this place is gorgeous." Tal handed Quinn a rifle, "I had this finished already so I thought I'd bring it."
Quinn
Engineered: Custom Rifle.
Range Weapon: 500 meters
Description: Finely crafted by
a Grand Master Engineer.
Effect: Has a chance to ignore
magical barriers.
Quinn's face lit up as he hefted the weapon. "Nice and light." He brought it up to his shoulder, "open sights too. This is perfect, thank you."
"Your welcome hun. I made a few adjustments and built mine as well." Tal took out a second weapon and showed him. Tal could use any armor or weapon, as long as it was engineered.
Talia
Engineered: Custom Rifle
Range Weapon: 800 meters
Description: Finely crafted by
a Grand Master Engineer.
Effect: First Strike Stuns Target in place
for 3 seconds, effect cannot be resisted.
"Are you up for this fight Tal?" Quinn knew that she could always be rezzed, but the idea of Tal being hurt made him cringe inside. "You can sit this out if you like."
Tal stepped closer and hugged him. "I promise I will be smart, I brought flash and smoke grenades. I brought armor also Quinn." She took out an assortment of metal alloys that seemed to click together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Iron Maiden
Armor:Engineered
Description: Crafted
by a Grand Master Engineer.
Additional Effect: Immune
to range attacks.
"Okay, I'm no longer worrying Tal."
Jaded Ice stopped in front of him, her hands were behind her back as she smiled at him. If Quinn hadn't known, he'd never guess this leather wearing, Goth Necromancer was Anna Li. As he watched, her eyes slowly turned as black as coal.
Jaded Ice has cast *Grim Reckoning*
From out of nowhere, Jaded Ice produced a long Scythe and a ragged black cape. She glided away from the group toward the entrance.
"Where is she going?" Quinn noticed his sister unpacking a few items, he hugged her when she wasn't expecting it, making her laugh.
"Gathering souls she said, " Crow shook her head in disbelief, "who knew Nanna was so dark?"
Leah had been waiting her turn, finally she flung herself at Quinn. She squeezed him tight for a few moments and then let him go. "It's so beautiful here Quinn!"
"Yeah, not only is it beautiful, but it's ours if we win." Quinn grinned at the newcomers.
Tal, Leah and Crow all stared at him with their mouths open.
Jinn nodded, "we are fighting for ownership, so bring your best!"
The nine of them readied themselves, after a few moments Jaded Ice returned. She was followed closed by four skeletons. By their size Quinn guessed she had raised the Gnoll Captains.
"Lets all move closer and we'll talk strategy. Quinn proceeded through the archway. Crow, Tal, Leah and Jaded Ice froze in the archway for a few moments. Quinn waited patiently, he assumed they were seeing the cutscene.
Finally they scene ended and they moved to one side.
"Those were halflings." Leah had heard legends of the halfling race, but they had died out long ago.
Tal's eyes showed her interest, "Gnolls conquered the Halflings, Spiders conquered the Gnolls." She held the book of Lost Civilizations in her hand, "this is amazing."
Rhapsody smirked at the blonde engineer, "you forgot the 'Quinn blew up the Spiders' part."
Tal clucked her tongue, "Little Q..."
The group got ready to fight. They went over the plan and armed themselves.
Jinn was standing beside Quinn, "I'm guessing if we leave the Courtyard, the fight will reset. So no one run out, unless you absolutely have to."
Quinn was looking at the group, "honestly we are a bit short I think."
Ro-Ro nodded, "I'm guessing we need to be 55-65 now that the level cap has been lifted."
"All we can do is try right?" Onion seemed to deflate slightly.
"I'm too low," Grace frowned. "I'll still do my best."
"We just need a bit of a boost I think. Wait here please." Quinn walked out of the archway without saying a word.
Quinn walked around the corner and stopped.
Quinn has activated *Hiding in Plain Sight, Foreign Prince*
A moment later Prince Quinn walked through the archway. Of the ten people, only Crow, Daze, Grace and Onion were unaware of his alter ego. All nine of them were surprised.
He approached them without speaking and drew his sword. "Please take a knee."
"The ten of us share a common bond. It's based on love and trust. We each share different relationships with one another. We are friends, sisters, brothers, lovers and companions. This bond that holds us together also strengthens us. We've shared happiness, grief, vengeance, victory and defeat. We will not fail here, we will strengthen our resolve and emerge victorious. I dub thee Knights of Ravenwood."
A golden light enveloped the group, even Ro-Ro who had already been Knighted felt her strength increase. After a few moments the light disappeared. Quinn exited the courtyard while everyone was checking out their improved stats. He dropped the foreign prince form and quickly returned through the archway.
System Message: An Order of Knights has been founded. The Knights of Ravenwood have been established in Fora.
Quinn rejoined the group, they stood side by side staring at the Gnoll King.
Tal elbowed him, "did you do that so you could name this place?"
Quinn shot her an innocent look, "who me?" He heard Leah laughing from behind him. "Spread out. Onion you're up."
Onion stepped away from the group, he drew his mace and hefted his shield. "Let's do this!"
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"I'll move the captain away a bit first.
Jinn has cast *Hearts Content*
The air around Jinn shimmered slightly, a collective gasp came from her teammates as she morphed into a Gnoll. She was smaller than the Gnoll guards, definitely female and a much lighter color.
"That's just impressive as hell" Not quite as cool as the demon spider queen, but Quinn liked the look.
"Work it Jinn!" Ro-Ro quietly clapped her hands.
Jinn has cast *Rapture*
System Message: An AE buff is in effect. +50 to ATK, +50 to Defense.
Grace has cast *Angels Light*
System Message: All allies heal 4500 hit-points per minute for three minutes.
Quinn gave Jinn the thumbs up, "all set!"
Jinn has cast *Walk among your enemies*
The female gnoll walked slowly, as soon as she entered their range, all the gnolls turned towards her. They did not attack, at first they seemed confused, then two of them started howling. The light brown female stared at the gnoll Captain, the elite male raised his nose into the air, sniffing several times. The female tilted her head to one side and then walked past the group, the gnoll Captain followed.
"Damn.. did Jinn read up on Gnoll seduction techniques?" Quinn shook his head in wonder.
Ro-Ro smirked at him, "he's male.. so its really not complicated."
"...." Onion.
"..." Quinn.
Jinn led the Gnoll Captain a bit out of aggro range and then turned to face him. Slowly she started to dance around him.
Jinn has cast *Private Dancer*
An Elite Gnoll Captain has been enthralled.
Onion moved within aggro range of the Gnolls. "I want all of your COOKIES!!"
Onion has activated *Battle Cry*
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
Daze has cast *Barbed Vine*
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
A Gnoll Guard has been snared.
Daze has cast *Twisted Roots*
A Gnoll Guard has been rooted.
The remaining four Gnolls charged Onion.
Onion has activate *Shield Stance*
Incoming damage is reduced by 15 percent.
Quinn used his hud to place a star over his target. "Attack my target!"
Daze has activated *Eagle Eye*
Ranged damage on target has increased by 20 percent.
*Blink*
Quinn appeared behind the Gnoll guard he had targeted.
*Backstab* Critical hit 11,405 points damage, bonus damage 11,405 points.
*Shadow Bow* Daze has struck a Gnoll Guard for 26,005 points.
Tormented Rhapsody has activated *Nature's Fury* Critical hit for 32,500 damage, one poison counter applied.
*Return*
Quinn returned to his original spot.
*Open Range Pistoleros.* 1955 damage, 1870 damage, 1961 damage, 2243 damage, 1139 damage, 1248 damage.
Grace has cast *Blessed Hand*
*Critical Heal* Onion has been healed for 105,550 hit points.
A Gnoll guard has been slain.
Quinn put the marker on the next Gnoll. "Target is marked!"
Onion has activated *Battle Cry*
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.
"Recasting Root"
Daze has cast *Twisted Roots*
A Gnoll Guard has been rooted.
Daze has activated *Eagle Eye*
Ranged damage on target has increased by 20 percent.
Onion slammed his shield into the target.
A Gnoll Guard has been stunned.
*Blink*
Quinn appeared behind the Gnoll guard he had targeted.
*Backstab* Critical hit 21,600 damage, bonus damage 21,600
*Return*
Quinn returned to his previous location.
*Chain Shot* Daze has struck a Gnoll Guard for 16,000 damage, 9,984 damage, 5,355 damage
Torment Rhapsody has activated *Nature's Grasp*
Barbed Vines shot out from the ground wrapping around the legs of the Gnolls, binding the three of them together, before lifting them up and slamming them into the ground.
A Gnoll Guard has been slain.
A Gnoll Guard has been stunned and struck for 31,000 damage
A Gnoll Guard has been stunned and struck for 26,500 damage
Grace has cast *Sun Goddess's Judgement*
*Critical Hit* A Gnoll Guard has burst into flames and been hit for 77,500 damage
A Gnoll Guard has been Slain.
*Critical Hit* A Gnoll Guard has burst into flames and been hit for 68,888 damage
A Gnoll Guard has been Slain.
"...." Quinn.
"...." Ro-Ro.
"..." Daze.
Grace has cast *Blessed Hand*
Onion has been healed for 55,650 hit points.
Grace has cast *Angels Light*
System Message: All allies heal 4500 hit-points per minute for three minutes.
"Last one!" Onion charged the Gnoll just as it broke root.
Onion has activated *Cleave*
A Gnoll Guard's armor has been damaged, all incoming melee damage is increased by 20 percent
Quinn pulled his pistoleros.
*Thundering Pistoleros* 4655 damage, 3860 damage, 4360 damage, 5444 damage, 5006 damage, 1248 damage.
*Shadow Bow* Daze has struck a Gnoll Guard for 23,445 points.
A Gnoll Guard has been Slain.
"Grace how's mana?" Quinn pulled his halberd out as he walked towards Jinn.
"Eighty percent, good to go." Grace sat down on the path, her mana bar increasing steadily.
"Damn Grace. Who knew you were such a bad ass?" Quinn grinned at the cleric.
"Me." Daze replied.
"Me." Onion replied.
Grace's pretty face turned red, "thanks guys."
They moved closer, Quinn watched his former teacher dance, it was almost hypnotic. "Taunt doesn't break enthrall Onion, so get over there and establish yourself. Otherwise he'll go after Jinn.
"Understood."
Rhapsody has summoned *Bingo*
Bingo
Spirit Hound: War Dog
Level 68
"Shit.. What have you been feeding Bingo?" Quinn scratched the hound's ears which were nearly chest high.
Ro-Ro shrugged, "whatever he wants. He's a leveling monster. I don't use him much now days, it's so traumatic for me when he dies."
The Captain went down surprising easy, Bingo clamped down on one of his legs and drug him to the ground while the rest of the group hit him until he died. Apparently the 55 level cap didn't apply to pets, since Bingo wasn't sent out.
With the counter at 2:33 and 16/25 the group set out to hunt the remaining mobs. The total time to clear the outside mobs would end up taking 55 minutes, that would include 21 regular Gnoll Guards and 4 Captains. Bingo presence made the Captain fights relatively easy.
The Courtyard was surrounded by a stone fence approximately ten feet in height. The entrance was an archway, no gate or door was visible. After resting for a few minutes they approached the Courtyard at 2:00 and 25/25.
***Cutscene Civilization History Fora***
Surprisingly as they neared the Courtyard a brief cutscene played. A village made up of mud huts with grass roofs filled their vision. The inhabitants were quite small, but from the visuals enjoyed a happy and content existence. This scene quickly turned gruesome as the village was overrun with Gnolls. The villagers were killed and the buildings razed to the ground. These buildings were then replaced with larger stone structures. The scene continued showing a Gnoll King taking power and starting a brutal reign. Finally the last scene showed the destruction of the Gnoll Army by endless fields of giant spiders. Quinn recognized a younger looking Spider Queen Moa in the last scene. They had completely wiped out the Gnolls and then returned to their underground lairs. It was graphic and brutal, most of the Gnolls had been wrapped in webbing and drug away for food.
System Message:You have witnessed the forgotten history of this land.
System Message: A copy of "Lost Civilizations" has been added to your inventory.
Lost Civilization:Historical
Description: This book contains
details regarding World Civilizations.
Additional Effect: Having Lost Civilization
in your inventory gives you +30 to Intelligence.
Grace's face lit up as she read the message, "did the rest of you get the book also?"
"Wow.. +30 to intelligence. That's a huge boost to the mana pool, even if we end up with nothing, that makes the trip worth it." Intelligence was a worthless stat for Quinn, but for mana classes like Jinn, Grace and Ro-Ro, it was a substantial bonus. Quinn pretended to be upset as he looked at Grace, "does this mean we won't get to see you do the legendary 'mana dance?'
"T-The mana dance?" Grace had a confused look on her face.
Ro-Ro nodded, "you haven't done the mana dance when you fall below 30 percent?"
Jinn turned her head to hide her smile.
Both Onion and Daze looked clueless.
Jinn stepped away, "here Grace, watch me." Jinn placed her hands on her hips and then began swaying them side.
The cleric stood next to her and started copying her movements. She was actually quite good.
"Like this?"
Quinn clapped in approval, "very good. I think you are missing the hair-whip portion."
"Right, the hair whip." Jinn let her dark hair down, it wasn't overly long, a bit past her shoulders. She started rotating her head and then snapping it to make her hair fly forward over her eyes.
Grace let her long blond hair down and started copying her movements. As soon as she did, Jinn stepped away and joined the others. Grace continued for a minute before glancing up, the rest of the group were watching her with big smiles on their faces, by this time Daze and Onion had figured it out.
Ro-Ro and Quinn began laughing so hard, they had to lean on each other for support. Onion was on his knees pounding the ground. Jinn and Daze politely covered their mouths, but they were laughing also.
Grace's face looked surprised at first, then she turned red and finally a big smile burst through as she started laughing. "I can't believe that. You guys!"
Quinn was struggling to speak, "tell me you recorded that!"
Ro-Ro nodded as she gasped for air, "every sweet moment."
Grace jumped on Quinn's back and pounded the top of his head lightly with her fist. "Bad, bad Quinn!"
Quinn spun her around a few times and then set her down carefully. Surprisingly Grace was a good sport.
The hilarity died down after a few minutes, each of them eyeing the Courtyard entrance. Quinn was in a good mood. "This was fun, but now comes the hard part."
Jinn was tying up her hair as her dark eyes watched him. This was the Quinn she liked, the funny guy with the quick wit. The weight of the past few weeks had caused that light to dim a bit, she was very happy to see this side of him return.
As a group they stepped through the archway into the Courtyard. The Courtyard was circular and except for the archway, completely enclosed. The Courtyard itself was covered in intricate brown cobblestones and except for a large fountain at its center, completely void of any structures.
System Message: You have entered the Courtyard within the allotted time.
System Message: The level restriction has been lifted. You may invite four additional fighters to join your quest. You have 12 hours to defeat Gnoll King Brisbane.
A deafening howl raised the hair on the back of Quinn's neck and reverberated through the courtyard. On top of the fountain crouched Gnoll King Brisbane.
"That is one big Gnoll." Quinn was shocked at his size, it was at least twice the size of the other Gnolls.
Ro-Ro whistled, "guess we know why he was king."
Daze stared at the Gnoll. "Wait Brisbane, like the Gnoll Chieftain in the Quarry raid."
Onion couldn't hide his excitement, "that was probably the earlier version of him, this would be him at his pinnacle."
"Exactly right." Grace spoke from behind them, causing the entire group to turn. She had the Lost Civilization book open and was reading it. "Chieftain Brisbane united the nomadic tribes of Gnolls to usher in a new era. He would become the first and last Gnoll King."
Quinn stared at the book in her hands. "I'm going to have to sit down and read this. Or better yet I'll let Pops read it and give me the abbreviated version."
"...." Jinn.
Ro-Ro smirked at her friend, "he's your student."
Quinn brought up his hud and accessed the Raven menu. "Looks like Leah and Crow are on."
A few minutes later Leah and Crow had agreed and were readying themselves for the journey. Lara and the Songbirds were unavailable. Quinn guessed they were probably exploring Exodus.
"Crap.. we can't find anyone else?" Jinn frowned at her hud, no one from Zephyr was on either.
"How about Jaded Ice?" Ro-Ro was checking her friends list and surprisingly Jaded Ice had logged in.
"Anna Banana? She'll work nicely." Quinn tried Mojo and Yayia, neither could drop what they were doing. "Damn, guess we'll go at it with nine.
"Tal just logged in also." Quinn sighed heavily. Tal had leveled to the low 30s based on her engineering accomplishments. He didn't want to see her get beat down by a Gnoll King.
"Too late, I already talked to Nanna, she's bring Tal." Ro-Ro smiled innocently, she wasn't worried about Tal, the woman was formidable.
"So we have four on their way, should only be 3 or 4 hours." Jinn sat down with her back leaning against the wall.
"Crap, if I had my Cottage with me we could have relaxed in the hot springs while we waited." Quinn took a seat next to Jinn.
Ro-Ro sat on the other side of Quinn, she wasn't shy about leaning against him. "This place is gorgeous, once we kick this Gnolls ass, I might choose this place for my building site."
Jinn nodded, "I was thinking the same thing." Jinn hadn't used her build order either.
"I still have my build order also, the one I used for HQ was the reward for declaring Crow's TAP class." Quinn was mostly sold on building here, especially if they could restrict access.
Daze, Onion and Grace sat in a circle facing them, No one said a word when they noticed Daze and Onion holding hands.
"Do you think we'll really own this place?" Grace had looked around a bit, it seemed really big.
"Well, we didn't get any loot, unless you are counting the book." Quinn closed his eyes lazily as he leaned back against the rough stone.
"No xp either for any of the kills," Grace wanted to level up badly, as a cleric she was the slowest leveler.
Ro-Ro showed her sharp teeth, "we are definitely fighting for this place guys, so everyone bring their best."
"Do you think this fight follows the same pattern as the Chieftain fight?" Onion had been going over the Quarry raid in his head, it was fairly straight forward.
Jinn nodded, "I believe so, everyone will be stronger, but I think we can expect it to follow his pattern."
Ro-Ro squinted as she stared at the over-sized Gnoll. "He doesn't have the four guard Captains like the other one did."
Quinn considered it for a moment, "I think he does, or at least he did. Those were the Captains we beat on the way here."
"So expect him to resummon them at 80, 60 and 30 percent?" Jinn liked the idea, "let's move forward expecting that, but be ready for anything."
"Who wants to fly around a bit and do some exploring?" Quinn stood up and fired up his jetpack. The entire group decided to go, and within minutes they were airborne.
Onion stopped the group just after they took to the air, "Want to split up and map the entire area? With the six of us going in separate directions, it won't take long."
"Good thinking, then if we win we'll already have a good idea what we are looking at." Quinn looked on his hud, "lets meet back here in two hours."
Quinn flew over a heavily wooded area, he took a minute to land and stow his jetpack.
*Ba'Avriel*
*Stealth*
*Hunt*
A moment later Quinn was back in the air, much higher than before and circling in long lazy patterns. Quinn used his vision to scout out wildlife, there was no shortage of smaller game. The wooded area he was flying over quickly turned into orchards and after a few minutes into grassland. The instance had lots of thermals that Quinn soared on. He discovered that his vision could easily see the air thermals. The slightly warmer air was like a pale crimson path to his eyes.
Two hours later Quinn landed and switched back to his jetpack, he was the last one to arrive back at the archway. He noticed that Onion was compiling the map so he sent him his data.
The group each downloaded the finished version and were busy studying it when the heard the hum of jetpacks in the distance.
"Wow, they made good time." Quinn smiled when he saw the group of four heading towards them.
Tal and Leah were flying side by side, they both smiled when they landed, but neither offered more then a nod. Jaded Ice was actually holding on to Em's hand, she had never flown before and the trip out here was her first time training with the jetpacks.
"I was expecting a dungeon, this place is gorgeous." Tal handed Quinn a rifle, "I had this finished already so I thought I'd bring it."
Quinn
Engineered: Custom Rifle.
Range Weapon: 500 meters
Description: Finely crafted by
a Grand Master Engineer.
Effect: Has a chance to ignore
magical barriers.
Quinn's face lit up as he hefted the weapon. "Nice and light." He brought it up to his shoulder, "open sights too. This is perfect, thank you."
"Your welcome hun. I made a few adjustments and built mine as well." Tal took out a second weapon and showed him. Tal could use any armor or weapon, as long as it was engineered.
Talia
Engineered: Custom Rifle
Range Weapon: 800 meters
Description: Finely crafted by
a Grand Master Engineer.
Effect: First Strike Stuns Target in place
for 3 seconds, effect cannot be resisted.
"Are you up for this fight Tal?" Quinn knew that she could always be rezzed, but the idea of Tal being hurt made him cringe inside. "You can sit this out if you like."
Tal stepped closer and hugged him. "I promise I will be smart, I brought flash and smoke grenades. I brought armor also Quinn." She took out an assortment of metal alloys that seemed to click together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Iron Maiden
Armor:Engineered
Description: Crafted
by a Grand Master Engineer.
Additional Effect: Immune
to range attacks.
"Okay, I'm no longer worrying Tal."
Jaded Ice stopped in front of him, her hands were behind her back as she smiled at him. If Quinn hadn't known, he'd never guess this leather wearing, Goth Necromancer was Anna Li. As he watched, her eyes slowly turned as black as coal.
Jaded Ice has cast *Grim Reckoning*
From out of nowhere, Jaded Ice produced a long Scythe and a ragged black cape. She glided away from the group toward the entrance.
"Where is she going?" Quinn noticed his sister unpacking a few items, he hugged her when she wasn't expecting it, making her laugh.
"Gathering souls she said, " Crow shook her head in disbelief, "who knew Nanna was so dark?"
Leah had been waiting her turn, finally she flung herself at Quinn. She squeezed him tight for a few moments and then let him go. "It's so beautiful here Quinn!"
"Yeah, not only is it beautiful, but it's ours if we win." Quinn grinned at the newcomers.
Tal, Leah and Crow all stared at him with their mouths open.
Jinn nodded, "we are fighting for ownership, so bring your best!"
The nine of them readied themselves, after a few moments Jaded Ice returned. She was followed closed by four skeletons. By their size Quinn guessed she had raised the Gnoll Captains.
"Lets all move closer and we'll talk strategy. Quinn proceeded through the archway. Crow, Tal, Leah and Jaded Ice froze in the archway for a few moments. Quinn waited patiently, he assumed they were seeing the cutscene.
Finally they scene ended and they moved to one side.
"Those were halflings." Leah had heard legends of the halfling race, but they had died out long ago.
Tal's eyes showed her interest, "Gnolls conquered the Halflings, Spiders conquered the Gnolls." She held the book of Lost Civilizations in her hand, "this is amazing."
Rhapsody smirked at the blonde engineer, "you forgot the 'Quinn blew up the Spiders' part."
Tal clucked her tongue, "Little Q..."
The group got ready to fight. They went over the plan and armed themselves.
Jinn was standing beside Quinn, "I'm guessing if we leave the Courtyard, the fight will reset. So no one run out, unless you absolutely have to."
Quinn was looking at the group, "honestly we are a bit short I think."
Ro-Ro nodded, "I'm guessing we need to be 55-65 now that the level cap has been lifted."
"All we can do is try right?" Onion seemed to deflate slightly.
"I'm too low," Grace frowned. "I'll still do my best."
"We just need a bit of a boost I think. Wait here please." Quinn walked out of the archway without saying a word.
Quinn walked around the corner and stopped.
Quinn has activated *Hiding in Plain Sight, Foreign Prince*
A moment later Prince Quinn walked through the archway. Of the ten people, only Crow, Daze, Grace and Onion were unaware of his alter ego. All nine of them were surprised.
He approached them without speaking and drew his sword. "Please take a knee."
"The ten of us share a common bond. It's based on love and trust. We each share different relationships with one another. We are friends, sisters, brothers, lovers and companions. This bond that holds us together also strengthens us. We've shared happiness, grief, vengeance, victory and defeat. We will not fail here, we will strengthen our resolve and emerge victorious. I dub thee Knights of Ravenwood."
A golden light enveloped the group, even Ro-Ro who had already been Knighted felt her strength increase. After a few moments the light disappeared. Quinn exited the courtyard while everyone was checking out their improved stats. He dropped the foreign prince form and quickly returned through the archway.
System Message: An Order of Knights has been founded. The Knights of Ravenwood have been established in Fora.
Quinn rejoined the group, they stood side by side staring at the Gnoll King.
Tal elbowed him, "did you do that so you could name this place?"
Quinn shot her an innocent look, "who me?" He heard Leah laughing from behind him. "Spread out. Onion you're up."
Onion stepped away from the group, he drew his mace and hefted his shield. "Let's do this!"
"I'll move the captain away a bit first.Jinn has cast *Hearts Content*The air around Jinn shimmered slightly, a collective gasp came from her teammates as she morphed into a Gnoll. She was smaller than the Gnoll guards, definitely female and a much lighter color."That's just impressive as hell" Not quite as cool as the demon spider queen, but Quinn liked the look."Work it Jinn!" Ro-Ro quietly clapped her hands.Jinn has cast *Rapture*System Message: An AE buff is in effect. +50 to ATK, +50 to Defense.Grace has cast *Angels Light*System Message: All allies heal 4500 hit-points per minute for three minutes.Quinn gave Jinn the thumbs up, "all set!"Jinn has cast *Walk among your enemies*The female gnoll walked slowly, as soon as she entered their range, all the gnolls turned towards her. They did not attack, at first they seemed confused, then two of them started howling. The light brown female stared at the gnoll Captain, the elite male raised his nose into the air, sniffing several times. The female tilted her head to one side and then walked past the group, the gnoll Captain followed."Damn.. did Jinn read up on Gnoll seduction techniques?" Quinn shook his head in wonder.Ro-Ro smirked at him, "he's male.. so its really not complicated.""...." Onion."..." Quinn.Jinn led the Gnoll Captain a bit out of aggro range and then turned to face him. Slowly she started to dance around him.Jinn has cast *Private Dancer*An Elite Gnoll Captain has been enthralled.Onion moved within aggro range of the Gnolls. "I want all of your COOKIES!!"Onion has activated *Battle Cry*A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.Daze has cast *Barbed Vine*A Gnoll Guard has been snared.A Gnoll Guard has been snared.A Gnoll Guard has been snared.A Gnoll Guard has been snared.A Gnoll Guard has been snared.Daze has cast *Twisted Roots*A Gnoll Guard has been rooted.The remaining four Gnolls charged Onion.Onion has activate *Shield Stance*Incoming damage is reduced by 15 percent.Quinn used his hud to place a star over his target. "Attack my target!"Daze has activated *Eagle Eye*Ranged damage on target has increased by 20 percent.*Blink*Quinn appeared behind the Gnoll guard he had targeted.*Backstab* Critical hit 11,405 points damage, bonus damage 11,405 points.*Shadow Bow* Daze has struck a Gnoll Guard for 26,005 points.Tormented Rhapsody has activated *Nature's Fury* Critical hit for 32,500 damage, one poison counter applied.*Return*Quinn returned to his original spot.*Open Range Pistoleros.* 1955 damage, 1870 damage, 1961 damage, 2243 damage, 1139 damage, 1248 damage.Grace has cast *Blessed Hand**Critical Heal* Onion has been healed for 105,550 hit points.A Gnoll guard has been slain.Quinn put the marker on the next Gnoll. "Target is marked!"Onion has activated *Battle Cry*A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.A Gnoll Guard has been taunted.A Gnoll Guard has been taunted."Recasting Root"Daze has cast *Twisted Roots*A Gnoll Guard has been rooted.Daze has activated *Eagle Eye*Ranged damage on target has increased by 20 percent.Onion slammed his shield into the target.A Gnoll Guard has been stunned.*Blink*Quinn appeared behind the Gnoll guard he had targeted.*Backstab* Critical hit 21,600 damage, bonus damage 21,600*Return*Quinn returned to his previous location.*Chain Shot* Daze has struck a Gnoll Guard for 16,000 damage, 9,984 damage, 5,355 damageTorment Rhapsody has activated *Nature's Grasp*Barbed Vines shot out from the ground wrapping around the legs of the Gnolls, binding the three of them together, before lifting them up and slamming them into the ground.A Gnoll Guard has been slain.A Gnoll Guard has been stunned and struck for 31,000 damageA Gnoll Guard has been stunned and struck for 26,500 damageGrace has cast *Sun Goddess's Judgement**Critical Hit* A Gnoll Guard has burst into flames and been hit for 77,500 damageA Gnoll Guard has been Slain.*Critical Hit* A Gnoll Guard has burst into flames and been hit for 68,888 damageA Gnoll Guard has been Slain."...." Quinn."...." Ro-Ro."..." Daze.Grace has cast *Blessed Hand*Onion has been healed for 55,650 hit points.Grace has cast *Angels Light*System Message: All allies heal 4500 hit-points per minute for three minutes."Last one!" Onion charged the Gnoll just as it broke root.Onion has activated *Cleave*A Gnoll Guard's armor has been damaged, all incoming melee damage is increased by 20 percentQuinn pulled his pistoleros.*Thundering Pistoleros* 4655 damage, 3860 damage, 4360 damage, 5444 damage, 5006 damage, 1248 damage.*Shadow Bow* Daze has struck a Gnoll Guard for 23,445 points.A Gnoll Guard has been Slain."Grace how's mana?" Quinn pulled his halberd out as he walked towards Jinn."Eighty percent, good to go." Grace sat down on the path, her mana bar increasing steadily."Damn Grace. Who knew you were such a bad ass?" Quinn grinned at the cleric."Me." Daze replied."Me." Onion replied.Grace's pretty face turned red, "thanks guys."They moved closer, Quinn watched his former teacher dance, it was almost hypnotic. "Taunt doesn't break enthrall Onion, so get over there and establish yourself. Otherwise he'll go after Jinn."Understood."Rhapsody has summoned *Bingo*BingoSpirit Hound: War DogLevel 68"Shit.. What have you been feeding Bingo?" Quinn scratched the hound's ears which were nearly chest high.Ro-Ro shrugged, "whatever he wants. He's a leveling monster. I don't use him much now days, it's so traumatic for me when he dies."The Captain went down surprising easy, Bingo clamped down on one of his legs and drug him to the ground while the rest of the group hit him until he died. Apparently the 55 level cap didn't apply to pets, since Bingo wasn't sent out.With the counter at 2:33 and 16/25 the group set out to hunt the remaining mobs. The total time to clear the outside mobs would end up taking 55 minutes, that would include 21 regular Gnoll Guards and 4 Captains. Bingo presence made the Captain fights relatively easy.The Courtyard was surrounded by a stone fence approximately ten feet in height. The entrance was an archway, no gate or door was visible. After resting for a few minutes they approached the Courtyard at 2:00 and 25/25.***Cutscene Civilization History Fora***Surprisingly as they neared the Courtyard a brief cutscene played. A village made up of mud huts with grass roofs filled their vision. The inhabitants were quite small, but from the visuals enjoyed a happy and content existence. This scene quickly turned gruesome as the village was overrun with Gnolls. The villagers were killed and the buildings razed to the ground. These buildings were then replaced with larger stone structures. The scene continued showing a Gnoll King taking power and starting a brutal reign. Finally the last scene showed the destruction of the Gnoll Army by endless fields of giant spiders. Quinn recognized a younger looking Spider Queen Moa in the last scene. They had completely wiped out the Gnolls and then returned to their underground lairs. It was graphic and brutal, most of the Gnolls had been wrapped in webbing and drug away for food.System Message:You have witnessed the forgotten history of this land.System Message: A copy of "Lost Civilizations" has been added to your inventory.Lost Civilization:HistoricalDescription: This book containsdetails regarding World Civilizations.Additional Effect: Having Lost Civilizationin your inventory gives you +30 to Intelligence.Grace's face lit up as she read the message, "did the rest of you get the book also?""Wow.. +30 to intelligence. That's a huge boost to the mana pool, even if we end up with nothing, that makes the trip worth it." Intelligence was a worthless stat for Quinn, but for mana classes like Jinn, Grace and Ro-Ro, it was a substantial bonus. Quinn pretended to be upset as he looked at Grace, "does this mean we won't get to see you do the legendary 'mana dance?'"T-The mana dance?" Grace had a confused look on her face.Ro-Ro nodded, "you haven't done the mana dance when you fall below 30 percent?"Jinn turned her head to hide her smile.Both Onion and Daze looked clueless.Jinn stepped away, "here Grace, watch me." Jinn placed her hands on her hips and then began swaying them side.The cleric stood next to her and started copying her movements. She was actually quite good."Like this?"Quinn clapped in approval, "very good. I think you are missing the hair-whip portion.""Right, the hair whip." Jinn let her dark hair down, it wasn't overly long, a bit past her shoulders. She started rotating her head and then snapping it to make her hair fly forward over her eyes.Grace let her long blond hair down and started copying her movements. As soon as she did, Jinn stepped away and joined the others. Grace continued for a minute before glancing up, the rest of the group were watching her with big smiles on their faces, by this time Daze and Onion had figured it out.Ro-Ro and Quinn began laughing so hard, they had to lean on each other for support. Onion was on his knees pounding the ground. Jinn and Daze politely covered their mouths, but they were laughing also.Grace's face looked surprised at first, then she turned red and finally a big smile burst through as she started laughing. "I can't believe that. You guys!"Quinn was struggling to speak, "tell me you recorded that!"Ro-Ro nodded as she gasped for air, "every sweet moment."Grace jumped on Quinn's back and pounded the top of his head lightly with her fist. "Bad, bad Quinn!"Quinn spun her around a few times and then set her down carefully. Surprisingly Grace was a good sport.The hilarity died down after a few minutes, each of them eyeing the Courtyard entrance. Quinn was in a good mood. "This was fun, but now comes the hard part."Jinn was tying up her hair as her dark eyes watched him. This was the Quinn she liked, the funny guy with the quick wit. The weight of the past few weeks had caused that light to dim a bit, she was very happy to see this side of him return.As a group they stepped through the archway into the Courtyard. The Courtyard was circular and except for the archway, completely enclosed. The Courtyard itself was covered in intricate brown cobblestones and except for a large fountain at its center, completely void of any structures.System Message: You have entered the Courtyard within the allotted time.System Message: The level restriction has been lifted. You may invite four additional fighters to join your quest. You have 12 hours to defeat Gnoll King Brisbane.A deafening howl raised the hair on the back of Quinn's neck and reverberated through the courtyard. On top of the fountain crouched Gnoll King Brisbane."That is one big Gnoll." Quinn was shocked at his size, it was at least twice the size of the other Gnolls.Ro-Ro whistled, "guess we know why he was king."Daze stared at the Gnoll. "Wait Brisbane, like the Gnoll Chieftain in the Quarry raid."Onion couldn't hide his excitement, "that was probably the earlier version of him, this would be him at his pinnacle.""Exactly right." Grace spoke from behind them, causing the entire group to turn. She had the Lost Civilization book open and was reading it. "Chieftain Brisbane united the nomadic tribes of Gnolls to usher in a new era. He would become the first and last Gnoll King."Quinn stared at the book in her hands. "I'm going to have to sit down and read this. Or better yet I'll let Pops read it and give me the abbreviated version.""...." Jinn.Ro-Ro smirked at her friend, "he's your student."Quinn brought up his hud and accessed the Raven menu. "Looks like Leah and Crow are on."A few minutes later Leah and Crow had agreed and were readying themselves for the journey. Lara and the Songbirds were unavailable. Quinn guessed they were probably exploring Exodus."Crap.. we can't find anyone else?" Jinn frowned at her hud, no one from Zephyr was on either."How about Jaded Ice?" Ro-Ro was checking her friends list and surprisingly Jaded Ice had logged in."Anna Banana? She'll work nicely." Quinn tried Mojo and Yayia, neither could drop what they were doing. "Damn, guess we'll go at it with nine."Tal just logged in also." Quinn sighed heavily. Tal had leveled to the low 30s based on her engineering accomplishments. He didn't want to see her get beat down by a Gnoll King."Too late, I already talked to Nanna, she's bring Tal." Ro-Ro smiled innocently, she wasn't worried about Tal, the woman was formidable."So we have four on their way, should only be 3 or 4 hours." Jinn sat down with her back leaning against the wall."Crap, if I had my Cottage with me we could have relaxed in the hot springs while we waited." Quinn took a seat next to Jinn.Ro-Ro sat on the other side of Quinn, she wasn't shy about leaning against him. "This place is gorgeous, once we kick this Gnolls ass, I might choose this place for my building site."Jinn nodded, "I was thinking the same thing." Jinn hadn't used her build order either."I still have my build order also, the one I used for HQ was the reward for declaring Crow's TAP class." Quinn was mostly sold on building here, especially if they could restrict access.Daze, Onion and Grace sat in a circle facing them, No one said a word when they noticed Daze and Onion holding hands."Do you think we'll really own this place?" Grace had looked around a bit, it seemed really big."Well, we didn't get any loot, unless you are counting the book." Quinn closed his eyes lazily as he leaned back against the rough stone."No xp either for any of the kills," Grace wanted to level up badly, as a cleric she was the slowest leveler.Ro-Ro showed her sharp teeth, "we are definitely fighting for this place guys, so everyone bring their best.""Do you think this fight follows the same pattern as the Chieftain fight?" Onion had been going over the Quarry raid in his head, it was fairly straight forward.Jinn nodded, "I believe so, everyone will be stronger, but I think we can expect it to follow his pattern."Ro-Ro squinted as she stared at the over-sized Gnoll. "He doesn't have the four guard Captains like the other one did."Quinn considered it for a moment, "I think he does, or at least he did. Those were the Captains we beat on the way here.""So expect him to resummon them at 80, 60 and 30 percent?" Jinn liked the idea, "let's move forward expecting that, but be ready for anything.""Who wants to fly around a bit and do some exploring?" Quinn stood up and fired up his jetpack. The entire group decided to go, and within minutes they were airborne.Onion stopped the group just after they took to the air, "Want to split up and map the entire area? With the six of us going in separate directions, it won't take long.""Good thinking, then if we win we'll already have a good idea what we are looking at." Quinn looked on his hud, "lets meet back here in two hours."Quinn flew over a heavily wooded area, he took a minute to land and stow his jetpack.*Ba'Avriel**Stealth**Hunt*A moment later Quinn was back in the air, much higher than before and circling in long lazy patterns. Quinn used his vision to scout out wildlife, there was no shortage of smaller game. The wooded area he was flying over quickly turned into orchards and after a few minutes into grassland. The instance had lots of thermals that Quinn soared on. He discovered that his vision could easily see the air thermals. The slightly warmer air was like a pale crimson path to his eyes.Two hours later Quinn landed and switched back to his jetpack, he was the last one to arrive back at the archway. He noticed that Onion was compiling the map so he sent him his data.The group each downloaded the finished version and were busy studying it when the heard the hum of jetpacks in the distance."Wow, they made good time." Quinn smiled when he saw the group of four heading towards them.Tal and Leah were flying side by side, they both smiled when they landed, but neither offered more then a nod. Jaded Ice was actually holding on to Em's hand, she had never flown before and the trip out here was her first time training with the jetpacks."I was expecting a dungeon, this place is gorgeous." Tal handed Quinn a rifle, "I had this finished already so I thought I'd bring it."QuinnEngineered: Custom Rifle.Range Weapon: 500 metersDescription: Finely crafted bya Grand Master Engineer.Effect: Has a chance to ignoremagical barriers.Quinn's face lit up as he hefted the weapon. "Nice and light." He brought it up to his shoulder, "open sights too. This is perfect, thank you.""Your welcome hun. I made a few adjustments and built mine as well." Tal took out a second weapon and showed him. Tal could use any armor or weapon, as long as it was engineered.TaliaEngineered: Custom RifleRange Weapon: 800 metersDescription: Finely crafted bya Grand Master Engineer.Effect: First Strike Stuns Target in placefor 3 seconds, effect cannot be resisted."Are you up for this fight Tal?" Quinn knew that she could always be rezzed, but the idea of Tal being hurt made him cringe inside. "You can sit this out if you like."Tal stepped closer and hugged him. "I promise I will be smart, I brought flash and smoke grenades. I brought armor also Quinn." She took out an assortment of metal alloys that seemed to click together like a jigsaw puzzle.Iron MaidenArmor:EngineeredDescription: Craftedby a Grand Master Engineer.Additional Effect: Immuneto range attacks."Okay, I'm no longer worrying Tal."Jaded Ice stopped in front of him, her hands were behind her back as she smiled at him. If Quinn hadn't known, he'd never guess this leather wearing, Goth Necromancer was Anna Li. As he watched, her eyes slowly turned as black as coal.Jaded Ice has cast *Grim Reckoning*From out of nowhere, Jaded Ice produced a long Scythe and a ragged black cape. She glided away from the group toward the entrance."Where is she going?" Quinn noticed his sister unpacking a few items, he hugged her when she wasn't expecting it, making her laugh."Gathering souls she said, " Crow shook her head in disbelief, "who knew Nanna was so dark?"Leah had been waiting her turn, finally she flung herself at Quinn. She squeezed him tight for a few moments and then let him go. "It's so beautiful here Quinn!""Yeah, not only is it beautiful, but it's ours if we win." Quinn grinned at the newcomers.Tal, Leah and Crow all stared at him with their mouths open.Jinn nodded, "we are fighting for ownership, so bring your best!"The nine of them readied themselves, after a few moments Jaded Ice returned. She was followed closed by four skeletons. By their size Quinn guessed she had raised the Gnoll Captains."Lets all move closer and we'll talk strategy. Quinn proceeded through the archway. Crow, Tal, Leah and Jaded Ice froze in the archway for a few moments. Quinn waited patiently, he assumed they were seeing the cutscene.Finally they scene ended and they moved to one side."Those were halflings." Leah had heard legends of the halfling race, but they had died out long ago.Tal's eyes showed her interest, "Gnolls conquered the Halflings, Spiders conquered the Gnolls." She held the book of Lost Civilizations in her hand, "this is amazing."Rhapsody smirked at the blonde engineer, "you forgot the 'Quinn blew up the Spiders' part."Tal clucked her tongue, "Little Q..."The group got ready to fight. They went over the plan and armed themselves.Jinn was standing beside Quinn, "I'm guessing if we leave the Courtyard, the fight will reset. So no one run out, unless you absolutely have to."Quinn was looking at the group, "honestly we are a bit short I think."Ro-Ro nodded, "I'm guessing we need to be 55-65 now that the level cap has been lifted.""All we can do is try right?" Onion seemed to deflate slightly."I'm too low," Grace frowned. "I'll still do my best.""We just need a bit of a boost I think. Wait here please." Quinn walked out of the archway without saying a word.Quinn walked around the corner and stopped.Quinn has activated *Hiding in Plain Sight, Foreign Prince*A moment later Prince Quinn walked through the archway. Of the ten people, only Crow, Daze, Grace and Onion were unaware of his alter ego. All nine of them were surprised.He approached them without speaking and drew his sword. "Please take a knee.""The ten of us share a common bond. It's based on love and trust. We each share different relationships with one another. We are friends, sisters, brothers, lovers and companions. This bond that holds us together also strengthens us. We've shared happiness, grief, vengeance, victory and defeat. We will not fail here, we will strengthen our resolve and emerge victorious. I dub thee Knights of Ravenwood."A golden light enveloped the group, even Ro-Ro who had already been Knighted felt her strength increase. After a few moments the light disappeared. Quinn exited the courtyard while everyone was checking out their improved stats. He dropped the foreign prince form and quickly returned through the archway.System Message: An Order of Knights has been founded. The Knights of Ravenwood have been established in Fora.Quinn rejoined the group, they stood side by side staring at the Gnoll King.Tal elbowed him, "did you do that so you could name this place?"Quinn shot her an innocent look, "who me?" He heard Leah laughing from behind him. "Spread out. Onion you're up."Onion stepped away from the group, he drew his mace and hefted his shield. "Let's do this!"
