Regina Arusu I

"We traveled north from Romaly and then west from Khoryv. The Chanpane Tower is where the thief Kandar is held up. The citizens of Romaly believe Kandar stole the crown.

The tower was straightforward enough. There were a number of side rooms that were once used for esoteric stuff, but the workings have been lost to time. We walked around the outside of the spire for three floors until we reached the top. After opening the red doors, we met the thief himself. But he had a backup plan. As we rushed forward, a trap door was sprung beneath us. We only fell to the floor below, but it was enough. When we returned to the top, Kandar and his hoodlums were gone. But there was nowhere for them to have gone, so we peered over the end of the tower, expecting to see five corpses. Instead, they were running away. Forsaking her former laziness, Arusu threw herself from the top, and we followed. We landed on the ruffians, and a battle ensued.

For a heroic group like us, we had some issues here. Maybe it was the war of attrition that was the lead up to the tower and the trek up, but Kandar and his four hoodlums took all we had. Cordy and I used some of our recently learned buffs on us. She upped speed, and I made sure Tryton and Arusu were powered up. While this was happening, the frontline took out one ad after another. By the time we had the numbers advantage, Cordy Sapped Kandar's defense as our last ounce of MP ran dry. Just as we were about to collapse from the whole ordeal, Kandar gave up. He returned the crown and begged for mercy. I was in favor of vanquishing him from this plane, but Arusu felt like she had to let the whole gang go. I felt conflicted, but I'll trust our leader. Kandar's forces jumped from the tower, and we did the same. I had a wing of wyvern in my pocket that we used to return to Romaly.

As thanks for returning the royal crown, the King abdicated his throne, giving Arusu the role instead. She vowed to protect the kingdom from the archfiend but stepped aside as a traveler. Our group split up, and I watched the goings on.

Tryton and Cordy enjoyed their free time together. I didn't watch them much for obvious reasons.

But Arusu took her new title well. She looked as though the royal gown was suited for her, and the town took a liking to her. They asked for aid with their problems, and Arusu jotted them down. But she found the old King's whereabouts. He was gambling in the monster arena under the city. It seems he has a habit of spending all his time, as King or otherwise, down there. He didn't step down as a sign of goodwill but to waste away his existence here. Arusu grew furious and forced the wastrel back to the throne. Apparently, the chancellor has been ruler five times. Had we not had bigger things to do, I would have tried to convince her to remain. She'd make a wonderful ruler, and even the previous King agreed.

But we learned something during her reign. Far to the north is a cursed village, Noaniels. It was far, far to the north of Khoryv, but we got there. And the sights were troubling. Bodies littered the town, but they weren't corpses. Everyone was fast asleep. The only waking person informed us this was the elves' doing, and they lived off to the west. Hidden deep in the forest is the Super Secret Fairy Village. It's home to a small group of fae folk who hate humans. According to one old human, this resentment is due to an eloping between a fairy and her human lover. But the Fairy Queen believed it was a kidnapping. Her daughter ran away, taking the Dream Ruby with her. Arusu hoped returning the ruby would break the curse. The awake man in Noaniels believed the stone was in the Underground Lake south of the Fae Vil.

This is a hot springs grotto, and an onsen three floors down can be used to restore vitality. It was a long trek, so we made use of it. The cave was the most straightforward location we've been to yet. The only side path looped back, and the dead end at the bottom is quick to reach. Beware of the sleep mushrooms and the defenseive wolves. At the bottom was a somber discovery. While we found the Dream Ruby, we also found a note beside it. It was written by the fairy princess, Ann. She wrote that she loves her human and wants to live with him. But the Queen wouldn't allow it no matter what. Because their love can never be in this world, perhaps it will be in the other...

We returned to the village and told the Queen the truth. She was heartbroken and asked us to leave, which is an upgrade from her demands. She did give us the Wake Dust, which Tryton threw to the winds of Noaniels. Everyone awoke with no memory of what happened or how long. This village frozen in time revealed some important information for us. "Yesterday" Ortega left the village. He went to Asham, east of Romaly, to find a magic key. We tried to go there but got lost. So we stayed in Romaly a little while longer and made some internal plans to change the place. A republic seemed nice."

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All of this was optional, apparently.