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LORE QUESTS.
LORE QUESTS
The world of Kenos has many mysteries to explore, and not all of them are directly tied to the ongoing plot of Meridian and Zenith struggling against each other to claim the Oracles. This page is for compiling the token-purchased lore-related quests for the game.
Lore quests are multi-part questlines that focus on uncovering a greater idea of what is going on behind the scenes, peering behind the curtain and uncovering information that might make or break how a character relates to the world, factions and their own goals or dreams. To be clear, these are all separate from Side Quests, demand a higher level of participation and planning, and are posted as areas get added and/or Loremasters get ideas for quests.
( There is a section for players to submit key interests their characters would have, for Loremasters to take into account while crafting future lore quests! )
While uncovering the lore is it own reward, sometimes players may gain other rewards based on their participation in lore quests; not every lore quest you undertake has universally good outcome, but every quest will affect the swing of relationships between the cities and factions. We are considering allowing players to pool their AC tokens in the future, but currently this practice is not allowed.
OOC, you will spend the correct number of tokens in your AC reward, then comment under a side quest to “claim” it by noting all participating characters. Players will receive additional details and information once the claim is made. After the thread/log/etc. for the mission is complete, you’ll return to the comment and turn it in. Loremasters will then tell you the further rewards + outcomes. As a note, you can only have one active lore quest per character at a time. If you're expecting upcoming time constraints, please consider your purchase, as dropping from the quest may cause the party to have to redo it.
Unless noted, the lorequests are bound to a single purchaser ( and their entourage ). Once purchased, the questline is tethered to the purchaser, but participants can change as the questline develops.
UPDATE 01/30/24: If unsure whether a personal goal is something you can simply play out yourself, or if it would qualify as a Lore Quest/AC Reward, the key question we use to assess for this is: will it affect the world of Kenos or multiple other player characters as the result of my character's actions? If the answer is "yes", we would consider that something you need to use tokens for, develop over time via threads/reporting on your Notable Actions, or working together with mods to achieve! If the answer is "no", you have every right to craft your own narrative for your character.
So, without further ado, get to questing!
Lore quests are multi-part questlines that focus on uncovering a greater idea of what is going on behind the scenes, peering behind the curtain and uncovering information that might make or break how a character relates to the world, factions and their own goals or dreams. To be clear, these are all separate from Side Quests, demand a higher level of participation and planning, and are posted as areas get added and/or Loremasters get ideas for quests.
( There is a section for players to submit key interests their characters would have, for Loremasters to take into account while crafting future lore quests! )
While uncovering the lore is it own reward, sometimes players may gain other rewards based on their participation in lore quests; not every lore quest you undertake has universally good outcome, but every quest will affect the swing of relationships between the cities and factions. We are considering allowing players to pool their AC tokens in the future, but currently this practice is not allowed.
OOC, you will spend the correct number of tokens in your AC reward, then comment under a side quest to “claim” it by noting all participating characters. Players will receive additional details and information once the claim is made. After the thread/log/etc. for the mission is complete, you’ll return to the comment and turn it in. Loremasters will then tell you the further rewards + outcomes. As a note, you can only have one active lore quest per character at a time. If you're expecting upcoming time constraints, please consider your purchase, as dropping from the quest may cause the party to have to redo it.
Unless noted, the lorequests are bound to a single purchaser ( and their entourage ). Once purchased, the questline is tethered to the purchaser, but participants can change as the questline develops.
UPDATE 01/30/24: If unsure whether a personal goal is something you can simply play out yourself, or if it would qualify as a Lore Quest/AC Reward, the key question we use to assess for this is: will it affect the world of Kenos or multiple other player characters as the result of my character's actions? If the answer is "yes", we would consider that something you need to use tokens for, develop over time via threads/reporting on your Notable Actions, or working together with mods to achieve! If the answer is "no", you have every right to craft your own narrative for your character.
So, without further ado, get to questing!
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The following information is provided to help your threading and planning relating to the task: As players, you'll submit your group's general plan for tackling their task to this comment. The results will be given to you based on that plan, so that your threading can be done freely and at your own pace! We're looking for a general write-up of their strategy, such as found in this post, as an example.
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Characters involved: Joshua Rosfield, Yuri Leclerc, Shez
Investigation Details: In order to investigate the disappearance of Sain-Breq, Yuri has asked a couple of not-yet-harmonized Shard-bearers for their assistance, knowing them to both be capable and interested in learning more about whatever truth is behind the world they've found themselves in.
Team Composition: Due to the prevalent bias against Meridian among two-thirds of the potential suspects, their group is comprised of two unharmonized and one Meridian. Yuri is shrewd and experienced with leveraging his charm and good looks, highly experienced with plying people for information. Shez is an unassuming, naturally helpful man who has a way of getting along with anyone he gets to know, regardless of how different they are. Lastly, Joshua has experience in politics as well as being an academic at heart who wins people over with his kind nature.
Preparation: To begin with, Yuri has shared all information provided to him with Joshua and Shez. They first discussed how to approach the situation and agreed that they'd be best off starting with a charm offensive, deciding upon who would speak to whom.
Strategy: After making themselves a visible presence around the Spire and covertly observing their suspects individually, they will each insinuate themselves into their routines, offering a helping hand, a sympathetic ear, or affirmation as deemed appropriate. Around a week into this approach, if their suspects haven't made any comments regarding Sain-Breq and his research by then, they'll casually bring the matter ijto conversation themselves to see what might be learned. Shez will focus on Charante, Joshua on Garonne, and Yuri on Aigneuse. Their backup plan is to snoop around their workspaces or living quarters, something Yuri is very well-equipped to do without leaving visible traces due to his criminal background, but the trio has agreed that the least risky approach is their first course of action.
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Over the course of several days, Yuri, Shez and Joshua manage to ingratiate themselves with their three targets. All three prove sociable enough, though withdrawn from the conversation regarding their year-mate; all except for Charante, who proves quite agreeable to Shez's approach in particular. They are gregarious and driven, and their ( notably one-sided rivalry..... ) with Sain-breq proves to be a topic they're quite willing to speak to Shez about. And speak to him about. And speak to him about. To the point where it's quite obvious that Charante is all bluster and no muster, but all the same, they essentially adopt Shez under their wing as their "best friend". Er, maybe their only friend. :C
Joshua's luck with Garonne is tenuous, as he is unwilling to speak at length about anything that might cost him his place within the Spire. While a citizen of Springstar, he comes clean about the fact that he's begun to find Highstorm a more stable environment where he can see himself residing in the future — after all, he's already broken into Highstorm society as a non-Shardbearer. The hard part is done. Because of his caution, the secondary plan of breaking into his workspace becomes necessity. Within his workspace, it becomes a little more obvious that he is someone torn in two: he wants a future, but is deeply homesick. Several letters between he and his family speak fondly of Sain-Breq, including a final response from Garonne's sister in Springstar, stating that she knew Garonne would never harm someone he loved.
Which leaves Yuri, and the Scholar called Aigneuse. Aigneuse and Yuri are like mirrors. Two charming individuals who parry conversations until it becomes glaringly obvious that Aigneuse is, in fact, too clever to pry information out of. In breaking into her workspace ( a small flat rented near the Spire, where the scholars in need of public housing during their academic days reside ), the trio will find a room that lacks any sign of her presence or personality. A shell of an existence. There is an empty wardrobe, a bookshelf lacking any tome beyond standard textbooks and a bed that has been re-positioned over a large bloodstain that had been ineffectually removed from the floor.
They also find Aigneuse, attempting to flee the premises. The NPC information is provided to assist players with threading, and players are welcome to adopt the NPC into their writing. Players are welcome to use any approach to deal with the NPC ( YES, INCLUDING MURDER??? ), as this will determine the route the next part of the questline takes in future months. Thread out any part of your quest and submit it here as proof that U Done Good This Time, gang!!
Quest Turn-In
Summary:
After scoping out the building, Yuri broke into Aigneuse's flat to investigate with Joshua on watch and Shez following close behind. When Aigneuse was discovered in the room, Yuri alerted his companions, leading to Shez joining him in the room and Joshua hiding just outside of it. In the course of their conversation, it was decided that they were better off seeking out the missing research together rather than competing, as their desired outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Some Notes:
With respect to the timing of the log which comes prior to Aetós' Communion post, Yuri had heard references to the potentially cyclical nature of their setting from other Shardbearers prior, one of whom asserted that Yima has been here for previous conflicts over the Oracles.
Due to this being something he couldn't substantiate, he saw no reason to mention this to Joshua or Shez prior to this investigation. Those comments could be proven or disproven by any findings, which is part of what spurred his interest to begin with. There have since been multiple NPC Communions with tidbits about the nature of the setting, so he'll be following up on this.
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Aigneuse is pleased to have not only been granted clemency ( and her life ) by the lads, but also to forge a connection with them. Her general attitude is positive toward the two of them, if still mistrustful — whether this is because she recognizes them as Meridian-aligned or simply because she's a paranoid person is up for them to decide. She then admits to them that she is a Shard-bearer, a T1 Zenith-aligned one, from the generation prior; she doesn't have any memories of her time spent competing for the Oracle then, only that she'd begged her patrona to extend her life by turning her into a vampire. She wants to know what happened, and what the "cycles" and "wheels" truly mean.
While Communion with a Shard-bearer from another generation is impossible, she indicates that she has a spell that will allow her to leave the two of them messages ( it's Illusory Script ) that only they can read. She asks that they keep an eye out for future correspondences from her, and shares with them the last locations that Scholar Sain-Breq had visited before her ill-advised assassination of them: a gambling hall in Kowloon, called the Crown. She suggest the two of them get some R&R, and when they're ready, they can try to follow Sain-Breq's trail to those documents. OOCly, this effort will serve as the next part of this lore quest!
Timing-wise, she won't ICly contact them until the December 2023 update, so it's notable that Kowloon will be hostile toward Meridian-aligned Shard-bearers. This doesn't mean you'll be met with a dead end, it's just a housekeeping note for the future!
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Players Involved: Ren, Kiva, Thirteen
Characters Involved: Yuri, Byleth, Gavial
Follow-Up Details: After telling him about the missing research, Byleth advocated for Yuri not going alone... Then volunteered to go into Kowloon to search for it. Alone. Byleth has an uncanny way of finding missing objects, or rather, they seem to have a way of finding him. Despite that gift, it would be just as dangerous for him to brave Kowloon solo, so the two have agreed to search together after Byleth has more fully recovered from his difficult revival.
Following this conversation, Byleth reached out to Gavial about whether she might be interested in their Kowloon venture. The two had discussed Gavial's desire to dig up more information during the previous Oracle. With her interest confirmed, after the new year, Yuri checked in with her regarding their upcoming foray.
Three mercenaries will enter a casino...
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Aigneuse reaches out to Yuri halfway through the month, without explanation or reason as to why it took her so long. It might be safe to say that with the shifting opinions of Springstar and Highstorm ( and Kowloon ) toward the more hostile of their Factional enemies, she's been a little busy. The fledgling vampire sends Yuri a note indicating that she will meet him and his chosen companions in the Last Dance, a sprawling environment of artistic alleyways full of unique businesses, arts and theaters, that is affiliated with Kowloon. Once he and the others arrive, she pulls them into a booth at one of the small dens and draws the curtains around them.
While clearly unhappy with the change of individuals, she accepts the presence of Byleth moreso than Gavial, whom she treats with vague suspicion. Strange, considering Aigneuse herself is an admitted Zenite Shard-bearer. Regardless, she gets right to business with the trio: they're going to be visiting The Crown, a Kowloonite gambling den run by a demon called Coalbrand. She's concluded that this is the place that Scholar Sain-Breq left the documents pertaining to their research, and that she suspects the documents are held by Coalbrand himself, either as collateral or as part of a deal made with him.
The four of them will be entering the Crown, and their goal is obtaining the documents from Coalbrand. The way they do this is up to them, and all decisions will have pros and cons.
To this end, she has the following information to give them, to assist them with their planning and implementation:The trio have three options to choose from, in order to acquire Sain-Breq's documents, recommended by Aigneuse. In order of difficulty from least to greatest, and also degree of reward on top of acquiring the documents, they can do the following: strike a deal with Coalbrand, take to the games and challenge the house, or engage in an Ocean's Eleven style heist.
Decide among yourselves what option you want to take, comment here, and receive the rest of the information pertaining to that route! Each route comes with its own pros/cons, as well as consequences for success OR failure. The only guarantee, barring an extreme blunder or poorly-prepared approach, is that they will obtain Sain-Breq's documents at the end.
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The three, having agreed to challenge the house, will come up against the following challenges and reap the following rewards, after preparing and participating in their chosen route:You do not have to submit a battleplan, nor adhere to the super-technical rules of either game. Just play it out socially using the general atmosphere of the two types of games! Two threads resulting in a victor being named in each game are required.
Coalbrand expects one winner, so strong competition between the three is favored over a simple agreement to support one winner by, say, throwing games. He absolutely will know if they try it! The winner, which you as players agree upon, will receive a private audience with Coalbrand for a 1:1 mod-run thread, again resulting in rewards for that character AND the acquisition of Sain-Breq's documentation.
The losers, in contrast, will be "punished" by Coalbrand and the Crown. They will be drafted into a temporary contract with the devil, where he will require one favor from both of them ( note: NOT one each, just one favor, performed together ) to be repaid at a later date. They are allowed one "veto" on his favor, but he will advise them that the next favor he asks of them will both be mandatory and worse than the first. If, for any chance, either or both "losing characters" have dropped from the game at the time he'd want his favor fulfilled, we'll revisit the "punishment" portion.
Once you have the threads submitted here, to this comment, the rewards will be dispersed to the "victor" and the contract provided to the "losers"! Remember that even when you get what you want, the house always wins.
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Immediately following Yuri's win, Coalbrand ( whom was long observing the trio ) approached them to congratulate him on his well-deserved victory over his two opponents. He confirmed that he had Sain-Breq's documents, and that — had Yuri, Byleth and Gavial not come when they did, he was going to be "forced to sell them off at auction". The information that the Scholar had uncovered was, after all, something that pertinent individuals might want to use against Shard-Bearers: either by destroying it, or editing it. And he would have relished in the pacts he could have made in return for it.
As it stands, he vowed he had not edited nor destroyed the documents, and asked that Yuri allow him time to fetch them from his vault and deliver them directly to him. As it would, unfortunately, take him a little bit of time to get to his vault and retrieve the papers. In the meanwhile, Byleth and Gavial both received a solid, red and gold pin in the shape of a gold crown. These, Coalbrand said, would be the proof that the two of them were now temporarily contracted with him. The pin would always be on their person ( in fact, if either tried to throw it away, they'd find it always returning to them. Anyone affiliated with the devil would be able to smell his claim upon them.
As the trio are permitted to leave, they would have seen Aigneuse arriving — a gold pin of her own upon her lapel, which she then would have taken off her person and handed to Coalbrand. Her words, as she looked to Byleth and Gavial, would have referenced that she had "promised to double Coalbrand's gains" and seeing as she'd made good on her word, she was to be released from her own deal with him. After which, she tugged on a Crown-affiliate jacket and rejoined the floor staff to continue her job. :) Sorry, y'all.
And then the Advocate Oracle happened.
A few weeks after the Advocate Oracle, and once everyone has time to settle, Coalbrand comes calling. Coalbrand, upon delivering the documents, is available to Yuri for that private 1:1, should he still want it. As for Gavial and Byleth — you'll be getting contacted in a Discord thread quite soon...