conversations.from: system
conversations.value: This is a story with one ending. The Arch-Fiend Goliath has been slain, his plans for conquest are over. Nothing you do will change this outcome.
  
  But Goliath never was a true threat.
  
  Humanity's power surpassed that of hell a long time ago. The Great Sages learned of Goliath's plans long ago. For the past ten years, they have prepared a magic ritual unlike anything ever heard of before, that will rain destruction across the entire landscape that Goliath and his fiendish allies will arrive on, incinerating them all. The battle is already won.
  
  There is an unfortunate casualty. This place, where Goliath will appear, is a populated province called Hasar. It is full of villages, farmland and castles. The rich and those able have already left, but thousands of poor with no way to start a new life elsewhere and stubborn families refusing to leave their ancestral homes still live here.
  
  Ninety days from now is the day when Goliath's many-year journey from the depths of the underworld to the surface of the earth will be complete. With great glee, thousands of fiends rush ahead of him, hoping to find their own sadistic desires fulfilled on earth. The Arch-Fiend has no friendship with them, nor they with he. But his power is like a bridge, allowing them to reach the world above with ease, and Goliath has no reason to stop them from following.
  
  Hellish beasts reach the surface and roam Hasar. The more intelligent ones have learned of the plan of the Great Sages, but it is too late to go back, and a tight military border has been set up around Hasar, trapping them inside. No fiend may leave Hasar now that the border has been set, and no human, either. With Goliath's death assured, the greatest threat to humanity are the remaining Arch-Fiends, the weaker cousins of Goliath. Possessing magic as strong as a Sage, many are capable of changing their shape to a poor refugee. Just a single Arch-Fiend allowed to roam the earth freely would mean the destruction of uncountable unprepared, undefended provinces.
  
  So now, Hasar is condemned to death, so that those outside of it may live.
  
  But there is one hope. All fiends, great and small, could be defeated through careful planning and sweeping of the land by the Great Sages and the various armies who collaborate to guard the border. Although it would take many years and much work, all parties believe that this would be a better solution, as it would result in less loss of human life. But Goliath is stronger than anything that has ever existed on earth. He is larger than anything that has existed on earth. His magic is only surpassed by each of the Great Sages combined. If this apocalyptic spell is not cast upon Goliath, there is no guarantee he will ever be defeated.
  
  But if Goliath COULD be defeated? If it is possible that the combined might of every person brave or foolish enough to remain in, or enter this doomed province, could kill him, then it is worth the chance. The Sages are in agreement. They will not cast their spell until Goliath comes within view of the sentries bordering the province. If, somehow, by any method, Goliath can killed before that time, then they will forgo their ritual. Instead, they will spend whatever time and magic is needed to purge every fiend within Hasar by another method, in order to save the human life within.
  
  Goliath must Die. But must Hasar?
  
  -
  
  Background and Rules:
  
  Storium is a wonderful website that lets everyone to combine their own ideas into one story. I would love for everyone to make up their own villages, locations, and use their own ideas to make this story unique and interesting. But for the sake of me as the narrator/GM not stepping on people's toes and vice versa, I just want to make a few clarifications that will keep the lore coherent and make sure that everything flows together.
  
  Setting:
  This world is filled with humans. Other races you might find in fantasy, like elves or dwarves, don't exist. The magic for this setting is medium fantasy. If you have no idea what that means, it means that magic exists, but is less-than-common. For the life of a commoner, fiends and monsters are a rarity. For an adventurer, you've probably seen a handful, but not a lot. Your average joe/average jane will probably have seen magic if they've been to a very large city, but won't really know how it works. Most adventurers know the basics of magic, and some can cast minor spells. A few adventurers are expert spellcasters, but that usually means they aren't as good in other areas. Fantasy elements are a little less common than in dungeons and dragons, but a lot more common than something like King Arthur folklore.
  
  Controlling NPCs:
  You're free to control any NPCs you feel you need to in your post. If you want to have guards arrest you because you failed a challenge, you can write the details of the exchange. If you want to cut off some enemy's arm when you play your strength card, feel free! You used a strength card, so you deserve it.
  I do want to make one exception, however, which I find useful for Storium games. I'm just going to call it the PLOT VITAL rule. The more plot vital an NPC is, the less you should control them. If an NPC is just called "The guard" for example, they probably aren't very important, and you can have them do whatever is appropriate. If an NPC has an actual name, a job, and a backstory, that generally means that they're going to be an important, possibly recurring character, and you should let me do MOST of their actions myself, because they have specific motivations and traits that you, as a player, won't know about. And of course, if an NPC is extremely important, you shouldn't write any actions that they take, only what you do to them, and how you do it. (It wouldn't be a very interesting game if you decided when and how Goliath appears and what he does.)
  
  Other than that junk, you're free to do anything you want, just as long as 'anything you want' is mutually exclusive from 'being an asshole.' Thanks for reading!
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: i am gay
conversations.prefix: im gay:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A gemstone, perhaps the size of  a fist.
  
  A ham-fisted attempt at a totem. The effort spent making it was probably more than what this can provide.
conversations.prefix: Lonely Desire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Baubles of wood and common metals looted from fiends. Interesting, certainly, but probably not worth much.
conversations.prefix: Petty Trinkets:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Silver items carved in the underworld. Valuable not only for material worth but also because of its exotic nature.
conversations.prefix: Fiendish Silver:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It sees a human as an object of great envy, so it fashions itself into one. Yet, it cannot tell the difference between living flesh and rotting meat, nor between guts and bone as opposed to dirt and metal.
  
  -"The Lesser Ones" by Afmoch the Unstable
conversations.prefix: Wretched Facsimile (copy):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have a serious injury which will not heal over time or with simple care; you'll need to seek appropriate treatment.
conversations.prefix: Severe Wound:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Tablets in an unknown script. The information might be valuable if you could read it. May still be worth something, to the right person.
conversations.prefix: Fiendish Tablets:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Marchioness Alfhilder had requested that you find Mortimer and help him round up his associates.
conversations.prefix: Angry Dwarves and Old Women:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A very beautiful gem, and unnaturally bright and warm.
  
  Only the mistreatment of others is enough for this desire to grow.
conversations.prefix: Wrathful Desire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Very useful if you're almost dead. Not useful if you're dead.
conversations.prefix: Medical Supplies:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There are people you haven't seen since the beginning of this nightmare. It would be good to check on their status.
conversations.prefix: Old Contacts:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There are things in Hasar you have heard of which you believe would be helpful. The more you can learn about them, the better.
conversations.prefix: Relic Hunt:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You work for years and years to cast the most basic spells whenever you want, and scorn people who rely on rituals. Well, one ritual does more than a whole life of 'real' magic. So I say you're the one whose power is fake.
conversations.prefix: Unknown Ritual:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A gemstone, perhaps the size of  a fist.
  
  Some fiends make totems no larger than grains of sand. Others make them no smaller than a castle.
conversations.prefix: Lonely Desire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have lost something very important; it's necessary to get it back and ensure its safety.
conversations.prefix: Lost Property:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: "To the Esteemed Sir Switsten."
conversations.prefix: A Strange Letter:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Moving from where one is, to anywhere that one is not.
conversations.prefix: Evacuation:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Although not as harsh as some areas in Hasar, the Highlands has few villages, if any, due to its unsuitability for farming. Still, some houses dot the road.
conversations.prefix: North Hasar - Highlands:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: In regard to those many questions I have received on the powers of the Arch-Fiends: Many fail to comprehend 'what', because they did not first ask 'why'.
  
  -Morsmus's Addendum
conversations.prefix: Grim Desire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A tall woman in full-plate armor, wearing a vicious looking helmet and with three varieties of swords on her belt. You can't see any physical details about her, other than red hair, brown eyes and light skin through her helmet.
conversations.prefix: Stranger:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: if you read this challenge while posting, you have been visited by the gay furry shirtless neko of homosex. great pleasure and arch-fiends will come to you, but only if you post "thanks gay furry shirtless neko" in skype.
conversations.prefix: homo romance orgy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It sees a human as an object of great envy, so it fashions itself into one. Yet, it cannot tell the difference between living flesh and rotting meat, nor between guts and bone as opposed to dirt and metal.
  
  -"The Lesser Ones" by Afmoch the Unstable
conversations.prefix: Wretched Facsimile:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It is quite unfair that many fiends try and fail to appear human. The wisp is born nearly identical to human shape, yet finds the parts it lacks revolting.
conversations.prefix: Greater Wisp:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Fire is consuming the area. If you don't put it out, it will continue to spread.
conversations.prefix: Raging Flames:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: "Don't worry, nothing could have survived that."
  
  -Idiot
conversations.prefix: Burning Facsimile:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The party has some moderate injuries. They will inhibit your character's power for some time. Mending them effectively will give you less penalties.    
conversations.prefix: Moderate Injuries:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The capital of the province and the place which contains the majority of craft and trade. Normally, Gebald would export massive amounts of food and import many luxuries. Currently, however, trade is on a somewhat low priority.
conversations.prefix: Central Hasar - Gebald:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You can give asset cards away to receive useful items.
conversations.prefix: Barter:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Most of the rich-bloods have already taken their money and left. A few, however, are still here. For one reason or another.
conversations.prefix: Highborn:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: An ounce of prevention is worth several dead bodies.
conversations.prefix: Keep Watch:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: East Hasar is a mixture of hills and flat plains. Some forest remains, but the vast  majority has been harvested for lumber. The Sweetwater River cuts the whole eastern region into two smaller sections; one east of the river and one west of it.
conversations.prefix: East Hasar:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Named for the nearby spring and the water in it. Within an hour's walk are the ruins of Sweetwater village. The castle is in the mid-eastern region of Hasar.
conversations.prefix: Sweetwater Castle:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A modest village in East Hasar, very close to the Sweetwater River. Fiends are common around this area, for some reason or other, which has caused the village to be completely abandoned.
conversations.prefix: Sweetwater VIllage:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Before the maggot finds the corpse, the Drake has been there first. The Drake will eat the maggot too, I'm sure she's had much worse.
  
  -Bestiary of Arch-Fiend Morsmus
conversations.prefix: Feast Drake:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The worst thing that can happen, other than loss of life and limb, is loss of hope.
conversations.prefix: Morale:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Knowing what lies ahead is almost as useful as knowing what to do about it.
conversations.prefix: Plan of Action:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Arrows are raining down on you. You'll have to find some way to avoid them or stop the source.
conversations.prefix: Rain of Arrows:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You come from a distant land with one goal: To protect. If there is any path to kill Goliath without letting innocents die, you will take it.
conversations.prefix: Crusader:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've been taught to defend your homeland against anyone coming to attack it. Why should a fiend be exempt from this rule?
conversations.prefix: Defender:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: If you even HELP kill Goliath, you'll be famous across the earth. Everyone will know your name, everyone will know your face.
conversations.prefix: Glory-Seeker:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have no horse, no wagon, no gold and no relatives. What did they expect you to do, walk out of Hasar and starve in the gutter of some strange town?
conversations.prefix: Lowborn:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Criminals are often branded with their crime. Your past has prevented you from being let out of the border when you had the chance.
conversations.prefix: Scum:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Where other people are proficient in magic, you excel in it. Your innate magic is powerful enough to be used in most situations without any magic items for help.
conversations.prefix: Arcanist:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have had access to fantastic libraries in your life. And, unlike most people, you read the books in them, too.
conversations.prefix: Knowledgeable:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: People who say that Goliath can't be beaten to death probably haven't seen anybody beaten to death before.
conversations.prefix: Physical Prowess:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You know tactics, you know strategies, you know how to kill and more importantly how to win.
conversations.prefix: Veteran:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You can track, trap, hunt, fish, keep warm and stay alert even if you're alone in the wild. And in war, everywhere is the wild.
conversations.prefix: Wildlander:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Quick-thinker, sharp-tongued, fast in all forms of thought. You know what everyone else thinks before they do.
conversations.prefix: Words and Wit:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You shy from combat, retch at blood and can't stand the thought of dying.
conversations.prefix: Cowardly:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You act before thinking, and have a tendency for poor planning. 
conversations.prefix: Foolish:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The closest you've come to combat is poking rats with sticks. You'd have to check to see which parts of a sword are sharp.
conversations.prefix: Green:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your health and body are much worse off than most. You are in poor shape for combat.
conversations.prefix: Scrawny:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You rarely left your home before recent times. Although skilled in some ways, you do poorly outside of city walls.
conversations.prefix: Sheltered:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You aren't dull, but you've never been able to read or write, nor have you been taught things which did not concern you.
conversations.prefix: Uneducated:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Soldiers, wizards, merchants, craftsmen, farmers, shepherds, militia, mercenaries; it doesn't matter. The more people you can convince to fight Goliath, the better.
conversations.prefix: All must fight:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: We could learn about worlds, creatures and cultures we've never even dreamed of. There are secrets here that can change the world forever.
conversations.prefix: Diabolicist:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: No unholy thing shall survive as long as humans who dedicate themselves to the destruction of the wicked still exist.
conversations.prefix: Fiend-Hunter:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Doesn't matter if you have to grow wings and fly to a different province. You aren't going to die here.
conversations.prefix: I will survive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The layabouts and buffoons still loitering in Hasar certainly won't help against Goliath. If a few peasants die while you're recruiting powerful allies, so be it.
conversations.prefix: The strong shall win:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The White Mountains were deforested long ago due to the valuable gems that were found inside and extracted; leaving only the white rock that forms the mountain behind. These mountains are very near the northern border of Hasar.
conversations.prefix: North Hasar - White Mountains:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Insane with passion, he cannot comprehend that others might not share his dreams.
conversations.prefix: Nifaso:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Power stems from desires, dreams and fantasies. The totems which spawn around elder fiends show off their most personal and private thoughts. Most often, the fantasies of fiends are incomprehensible to lesser species, such as demi-fiends, monkeys, or humans.
  
  -"Observations on our lords" by Afmoch the Unstable
conversations.prefix: Burnt Desire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A cloud of smoke should not have driven away a hundred people without a trace.
conversations.prefix: Investigate Camp:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You need to gather information about the region you are currently in before you can continue.
conversations.prefix: Explore Region:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There are some people here who may be important. You should get to know them a little better.
conversations.prefix: Meet and Greet:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Corpses of animals, children and men.
  
  Let us make you whole again.
  
  We may have hurt you in attack.
  
  But we are here to bring you back.
  
  -Bestiary of Arch-Fiend Morsmus
conversations.prefix: Man of Smoke:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Most fiends posses at least two, often three, of the Great Virtues: Power, charm, loyalty and intelligence. Imps have none of these.
  
  -"Observations on our lords" by Afmoch the Unstable
conversations.prefix: Imp:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A large and imposing man, he dresses in poor clothing but seems to have many items of value on him.
conversations.prefix: Gregory Amador:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A strange woman with unusual tattoos. She doesn't seem quite... 'right'.
conversations.prefix: Iken (?):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The party has some minor injuries. They will inhibit your character's power for some time. Mending them effectively will give you less penalties.
conversations.prefix: Minor Injuries:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An important time to rest and relax. You never know when it will be your last chance to do so.
conversations.prefix: Camp:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Learn more about people, places or objects.
conversations.prefix: Investigate:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A large crowd is blocking your path forwards, you will need to pass them.
conversations.prefix: Crowd:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: If you need to be unorthodox to better understand magic, then Bartholomew is omniscient.
conversations.prefix: Bartholomew Nordimine:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: This portion of town contains many large homes. It's likely that on their way south, the fake magicians hid the corpse here.
conversations.prefix: Private Residences:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have lost something very important; it's necessary to get it back and ensure its safety.
conversations.prefix: Lost Property (copy):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There are people you haven't seen since the beginning of this nightmare. It would be good to check on their status.
conversations.prefix: Old Contacts (copy):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There are things in Hasar you have heard of which you believe would be helpful. The more you can learn about them, the better.
conversations.prefix: Relic Hunt (copy):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have a serious injury which will not heal over time or with simple care; you'll need to seek appropriate treatment.
conversations.prefix: Severe Wound (copy):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The party has some serious injuries. They will inhibit your character's power for some time. Mending them effectively will give you less penalties.    
conversations.prefix: Serious Injuries:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: If you decide to take up the letter's request, you must complete this challenge.
conversations.prefix: A Strange Request:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: I believe that there is life after death. But it is not your life, and neither is it a life in a different world.
  
  -Morsmus's Bestiary
conversations.prefix: Post-Mortem:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When alive, this figure was massive. Bony protrusions protect its vital parts like a partial exoskeleton. It has been sliced, gutted and burnt in so many places, that you do not know what its appearance was.
  
  "You may too late realize that your dreams are too ambitious. Have faith, however, that fragments of desire, even unfinished, still hold life within them."
  
  -Bestiary of Morsmus
conversations.prefix: Venularus (Deceased):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You work for years and years to cast the most basic spells whenever you want, and scorn people who rely on rituals. Well, one ritual does more than a whole life of 'real' magic. So I say you're the one whose power is fake.
conversations.prefix: Unknown Ritual (copy):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Archfiends love the Borudur, for the only thing that a Borudur flatters more than another Borudur is someone who is more powerful. Or, if none are available, itself.
conversations.prefix: Borudur Greenhorns:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A magican, a seer, and considering how frequently he is against the law, probably some kind of criminal.
  
  Tattoos not included.
conversations.prefix: Mortimer:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A knight who carries his head around. Very rarely do stories of such creatures contain any truth.
  
  He speaks a language you don't know.
conversations.prefix: Dullahan:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A fiend's strength is often proportionate to its age. Not because they become stronger over time, but because the weak are already dead before maturity.
conversations.prefix: Borudur Elites:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Archfiends love the Borudur, for the only thing that a Borudur flatters more than another Borudur is someone who is more powerful. Or, if none are available, itself.
conversations.prefix: Borudur Greenhorns (copy):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You chose not to flee Hasar. Your goal is, and has always been, to minimize human suffering and death. You know you can't save everyone in Hasar, but maybe you can do a little better than "everyone dies."
conversations.prefix: Guardian:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You can't take on Goliath alone, but you can still make a difference. By intervening effectively at crucial moments, you hope to achieve a butterfly effect and spread your helpful influence as far as possible.
conversations.prefix: Support:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Actions often have consquences, something you seem averse to remembering.
conversations.prefix: Reckless:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: In uncertain places, you generally manage to find your way after consulting with what you already know, and some trial and error. 
conversations.prefix: Lay Of The Land:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: With titles and land just a death away, you've always been a little paranoid. 
  
  In times like these, that kind of alertness can save lives. 
conversations.prefix: Noble's Paranoia:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your knowledge of magic is strong. You can detect the presence of magic in foreign items and learn about their purpose.
conversations.prefix: Arcane Intellect:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It comes naturally to you to be highly aware of your surroundings. You pick up on subtle details that others might miss. 
conversations.prefix: Perceptive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sometimes even the most cowardly individuals realize there are times to run, and times to fight. This is one of the latter.
conversations.prefix: Fight-Or-Flight:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Years as a groundskeeper (not a brigand) has made your eyes sharp.
conversations.prefix: Marksman's Eye:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Charm doesn't come easily to you. You often fail to make a good impression on strangers.
conversations.prefix: Uncharismatic:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: In times like these, where death and hysteria cloud the senses, the past can seem to take a vengeful life of its own. 
conversations.prefix: Unquiet Memories:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Time spent hunting small game in the past has made you quick on the draw.
conversations.prefix: Fast Reflexes:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have nimble fingers and excellent fine motor control. 
conversations.prefix: Dexterous:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild: