Chronicle of Heroes ~ The Seer's Dilemma

[GM-Ciar]

60 vit at most

[The Midgard Times]

Tonight it was reported that Agent Selene Winterfield, head of the International Peacekeeper Force, Vynn The Seer, and as usual, a group of volunteers, all traveled to Niflheim.

Sources within the International Peacekeeper Force told us Selene was partially motivated to take The Seer into custody in order to have a chance at reaching closure for the sudden death of her wife and former head of the IPF, Agent Adelaide Adlersflugel. But she was not searching for closure just for herself. She brought their daughter, Gabrielle Adlersflugel-Winterfield.

After a long journey by foot, the group reached the Valley of Gyoll, where spirits are often seen hovering aimlessly through the sky. They stood at the spot Vynn pointed to, and called out for Adelaide. After over an hour, a small glow appeared near the group. Adelaide had arrived.

Gabby, as their mothers called her, talked to her mom, thanking her for everything she had done, while Selene sought advice. She claimed to struggle often, to do what's right.

"To struggle deciding what's right for everyone... Is to live above those that favor some over the rest. It is to live above those that have a fast answer to something... without truly considering all factors... I know you'll always try to do what's right... Just consider what is right for all those involved..."

Selene thanked her beloved Adelaide for the encouraging words, and the family said their goodbyes for good.

Back in town, Selene and Vynn exchanged words of gratitude, and the two went their separate ways. He was allowed to return to the Dark Allegiance again, and was informed they would not interfere further in matters regarding The Seer.

We attempted to reach out to Ms. Winterfield, but she was allegedly unavailable to comment. Instead, the IPF press office offered the following statement.

"The IPF only wants The Seer's vision solved, for the safety of the world. Being with the Peacekeepers mean some nations have easier access to him. This includes Rune-Midgard. By extension, Light Allegiance Councilmembers Zhi Xun and Nereus could have possible access to him, the latter of which has proven time after time to act in detriment to The Seer.

Taking this into consideration, along with the fact Vynn himself is reluctant to staying within the IPF, we concluded it is best for the world that he return to the Dark Allegiance, as long as he make an effort to find answers regarding his troubling vision. After a long talk between Vynn and Ms. Winterfield, he offered to help her reach closure. In no way was the offer made in exchange for being allowed to leave."

In related news, today the Light Allegiance participated in various rallies and protests throughout Rune-Midgard and Schwartzvald, with the goal to create awareness of alleged dangerous actions on The Seer's part. They explain in detail how knowledge of The Seer's prophecies change the natural course of the world to cause them to come true.

But with The Seer returning to the Dark Allegiance once more, how will the Light Allegiance react?

The details and logistics of the Grand Finale of The Seer's Dilemma are currently in development!

The tentative date of the event is approximately two weeks from now, and will require at least one patch, a new map, and at least one server maintenance.

My (Ciar's) goal is to provide a different type of finale than those we've seen in the past, toning down my preference for Trippy Battles in favor of something more grounded, and moving away from "manually" hosted finales and straightforward battles, for a variety of different fight styles and mechanics.

Screenshots from the last event:

[GM-Ciar]

The next Seer's Dilemma event will take place on Friday, March 20th, 2020 at 9:15 PM EST. It involves only RP. We'll just be talking with Wes, & Lianne over their worries for Vynn.

• All participants will receive 1 OCA and 5 Million Base and Job Exp.
• Active roleplayers will receive an additional Old Card Album. To be considered an "active roleplayer" you must contribute to the story by roleplaying your character throughout the event (not just talking once or twice and never again).

Time Converter
Countdown

[GM-Ciar]

Bump, the Seer's event is tonight!

[The Midgard Times]

Two days after The Seer returned to the Dark Allegiance, The Midgard Times has received exclusive information indicating Vynn will soon attempt to find answers to his cataclysmic dreams again. However, he would be doing so aided by Allegiance Councilwoman Tiamat Eirdottir, under different circumstances.

A resident of Crystal Shore in Lutia who wished to remain anonymous told us Vynn's friends, Wes and Lianne, were in town recently. Lianne voiced her concerns regarding Vynn's health with members of the Dark Allegiance. The Seer was allegedly pushing his limits, and becoming distant. However, Wes was not as worried as Lianne, trusting Vynn was not "burning himself out", so to speak.

While Lianne eventually began making peace with what would transpire, she was untrusting of Councilwoman Tiamat. She found it strange Vynn was once afraid of her but now spent most of his time with her, trying different methods to improve his abilities. The discussion ended abruptly though, as The Seer himself stumbled out of a residence he was staying in, claiming he saw Thea and others gearing up to find him, prompting them to leave in a hurry to warn Melot.

Lutia has a stronger allegiance presence than other nations. A church named after St. Vitus and a hospital, both located west of Farsat, are all under ownership of the Light Allegiance, while the Kaldheim Arena, a popular destination for fighters which was rumored to be reopening soon, is owned by Sir Melot.

"He saw a bright light..." Selene thought to herself, walking back to her office. She unlocked a safe behind a painting, and pulled out a camera, and a couple of pictures.

"Not very Neutral if you're letting Dark take him." Light Allegiance Councilman Nereus was standing at the entrance to her office.

A startled Selene dropped the pictures as she turned back to face Nereus, who quickly began helping her with the mess, noticing they were pictures of blueprints. "Not very Neutral if he stays with me." She replied, audibly annoyed. "You're not an elected official or cabinet member of any government. Were you following me? Who let you in?"

"Are you going to do anything about The Seer?" Nereus asked, handing over some of the pictures on the floor.

"Yeah, I did something. I let him go so he's safe from people like you." She angrily grabbed the pictures, failing to notice Nereus slipped some into his robes. "Thank you, now please leave. I'm sure you've got people to bribe."

"Very well. We can find him without external assistance."

Within less than an hour of our original report regarding Vynn and Dark Allegiance Councilwoman Tiamat, the Light Allegiance issued a statement, aimed at Melot and The Dark Allegiance.


"Since The Seer began making headlines, he was essentially all we heard about. After his disappearance, even whole guilds scrambled to find him. Then, we learned of his vision, and conflict only increased. Vynn's visions only breed catastrophe. The Seer's powers are not to be taken lightly.

We have a duty to take care of this world. We once again ask for Vynn to be released and to stop using his powers, to safeguard life as we know it from any terrible consequence his dreams may have.

If The Dark Allegiance insists on using and abusing these dangerous powers, we will be forced to take bold action to protect our world."


Sources claim Vynn is still being held within Lutia. Some believe any violent conflict will go by with little legal consequence due to Light and Dark's influence in the nation, especially with the International Peacekeeper Force unable to intervene due to various different factors.

Regardless of legal matters, many are worried over possible escalation of these conflicts into the very vision everyone has tried to prevent until now.

The Seer's Dilemma Grand Finale, titled "Emancipation", is upon us! The date of the event will be announced in the next few days. It will most likely be during the weekend. The event details will be posted beforehand to ensure everyone has a chance to prepare.

Event Requirements
• Only players Lv 89+ or higher may join.
• All players must be within the same party. If there are more than 18 players present, parties will be split to be more evened out so that all the heavy hitters are not in a single group, etc.
• Should parties be split, it will be required that everyone have the #Map channel active for better communication instead of leaking info to @Main. Reminder: #Map channel is activated by simply PM'ing "#Map", and must be activated each time you visit a different map.
• This isn't necessary as heRO is generally one of the most friendly communities out there, but as a reminder, please be courteous to your event mates, as for some people this can be one of the first few large events they participate in.
  

Event Information
• The event will be mostly PVM, with some roleplaying at certain points.
• The Light and Dark Allegiances will have a turn on separate days to raid a dungeon. The Light Allegiance will have their turn first as they are the ones after The Seer.
• The allegiances have 1 hour to complete the entire dungeon, but the ending of the event itself may take about 30 minutes more.
• Whichever Allegiance finishes in the fastest time will win. Should neither allegiance finish... Let's hope that doesn't happen.
• This event will take place in the Lutia Region, in several currently event-only maps: a field map southeast of Kaldheim, hinted at by NPCs and even marked by the minimap for ages, plus at least two dungeon floors.
• GMs will NOT provide any direct assistance, with the exception of roleplay dialogue, hints or to bypass any rare bugs or glitch that might occur. This means there will be no warps, resurrections and heals.
• If you fall in battle, disconnect, etc. it is up to you to walk back to the event map from Kaldheim. As such, it is recommended you save in said town.
• Teleportation, map memorization, and vending are disabled in the event maps.
• There is also no exp penalty for being KO'd in the event maps.
• The Asura Strike skill deals 75% less damage in the event maps.
  

Part 1 - Beneath Celestial Lights
• The allegiances must journey through the snowfield, battling opponents of the opposing side. Depending on which allegiance's turn it is, at the end, there will be one boss fight.
• The Light Allegiance will fight Lord Matthew, while the Dark Allegiance will fight Light Councilman Archelaus.
• Archelaus avoids violent confrontation, while Lord Matthew is a relentless warrior.
  

Part 2 - Abandon Doubt
• The allegiances must traverse through a dungeon, solving different puzzles of varying difficulty to reach the end.
• After a few puzzles, the allegiances will face another boss.
• Light Councilman Zhi Xun will face the Dark Allegiance. He does not fight hand to hand and instead relies on throwing acid demonstrations and letting his people to do the work for him.
• Dark Councilman Rajnish will face the Light Allegiance. He and his team strike from the shadows without mercy.

Part 3 - Stronger Together
• The necessity of coordinated teamwork only increases as allegiances reach the halfway point.
• Light Councilwoman Maristella will battle the Dark Allegiance from an inaccessible ledge.
• Dark Councilman Ciar and his machinations will confront the Light Allegiance.

Part 4 - Edge of Madness
• As the allegiances reach the end, the difficulty of the area intensifies.
• The Dark Allegiance will confront Light Councilman Nereus. He focuses on slowing down his targets and casting slow but deadly spells.
• The Light Allegiance must confront Dark Councilwoman Tiamat. She has a wide variety of spells in her arsenal, some of which no normal person can hope to master.
  

Part 5 - In The End
• After finally reaching the end, the allegiances will encounter the leader of the opposing allegiance.
• Lady Thea is a powerful Lady Knight, proficient in melee, ranged and magic skills. She is also has her allegiance's Elite Squad backing her.
• Sir Melot is just as proficient in melee, ranged and magic skills as Thea, but will often choose to stall the group instead.
• These fights are not as worldbreaking as the time we faced off against Kushiel, Dark Lord or Jangantytan, but will hopefully require a different strategy than just throwing people at the bosses and hoping it dies.
  

Part 6 - Heaven's Gate
• This part of the event will take place once both allegiances have their turn, and will require both allegiances to be together for the conclusion of the story. This means that Light Allegiance must also be present on the 2nd day of the event.
• It will take place 1 hour after the Dark Allegiance's turn begins (regardless of whether they finish earlier or not). on Sunday April 12, 2020 (see post below).
  

Participation Rewards
All participants of this event will receive the following:
• 100 150 Battleground Points
• 50 120 Million Base and Job Experience
• 25 Allegiance Points
• 5 Bloody Branches
• 3 ToH Vouchers
• 1 Hat Voucher
• 1 Enriched Elunium
• 1 Enriched Oridecon
• 1 Million Zeny
  
  Those who attend Part 6 of the event will also receive:
• 2 Old Card Albums
• 1 TOH Voucher (Total of 4)
  
  The winning allegiance will win the above rewards, plus the following:
• 15 Allegiance Points (Total of 40)
• 3 ToH Vouchers (Total of 7)
• 2 Old Card Albums (Total of 4)
• Trial of Heroes winning side discounts for 6 months.
  
  Winners that attend Part 6 of the event will also receive 1 Hat Voucher (for a total of 2)
  

This event will replace The Trial of Heroes until the month of September. This means that there will be no Trial of Heroes for 6 months. Do your best to quarantine yourself on the weekend of the event to participate!

[GM-Ciar]

Hello heroes. This finale has been teased for a whlie now, and it was planned (though not officially announced) to happen this weekend, but unfortunately I have to delay it one more week, in order to ensure it goes by with no problems (or at least as few as possible!).

As compensation, the following changes will be made to rewards/event rules:

- Experience reward will be increased from 50m to 100m (with the increased rates, it's 60m -> 120m)
- Battleground Points reward will be increased from 100 to 150
- ToH Voucher participation reward will be increased from 3 to 4 (total of 7 for the winners, and will not affect TOH's hiatus until september)

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you so much for your continued support!

[The Midgard Times]

"I think I'm ready." Vynn told Tiamat. "It's the first time I'll be asleep for that long, though."

"Don't be afraid of what happens outside while you're under. We will protect you." She replied, looking out the window. They were in a room at the highest point of a tower. Dark Allegiance troops gathered outside with councilman Lord Matthew.

"I'm... sorry for doubting you..." The soul linker's tone changed to a more remorseful one.

Tiamat chuckled and shrugged. "I don't blame you for being suspicious of me, returning just after the Dark Allegiance left Hugel to ask for such a strange prediction."

Vynn made his bed, and laid down on it. "Who else in the allegiance knows of your visit?"

Tiamat simply shook her head.

"I suppose that means no one else knows about the um, other thing." The Seer asked in a much lower tone, in case of eavesdroppers.

"You've seen how sought-after you are for your abilities." Tiamat smiled pensively.

Vynn nodded, not having much else to ask. "Well... I guess this is it." He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "Goodbye. See you soon, I hope."

"Farewell." she replied, leaving the room.

"Are we finally moving out now?" Councilman Nereus peeked his head through the door.

"Yes, hurry up." Thea responded, putting on her armor. "I know where The Seer is."

The Finale of the Seer's Dilemma storyline will take place on:

• Friday, April 10 at 8:50 PM for the Light Allegiance siege - Time Converter - Countdown
  
  
• Saturday April 11 at 8:50 PM for the Dark Allegiance counterattack - Time Converter - Countdown
  
  
• Sunday April 12 at 9:00 PM for both allegiances to be part of the conclusion (Part 6 of the original event listed above) - Time Converter - Countdown
  

Since most if not everyone should be staying home due to the pandemic, I figured it reasonable to separate the proper finale from the PVM portion in order for both allegiances to be present rather than forcing Light to show up on Dark's turn and wait until the end.

The rewards remain as listed in the above posts, with the following change since the event is now spread out over 3 days:

• 1 of the participation TOH Vouchers and the 2 participation OCA will be rewarded for attending the Sunday Finale
• The winners' Hat Voucher will be rewarded for attending the Sunday Finale.

Once again I thank everyone for their patience and understanding in these uncertain times, and hope everyone is doing well.

[GM-Ciar]

12 Hours from now, The Light Allegiance will attack an old outpost southeast of Kaldheim.

The event starts at 8:50 PM, but it is recommended to meet up in Kaldheim at around 8:30 to 'strategize' and pick classes. Assuming I don't go AFK (sorry in advance!), From 8:50 to 9:00 the event rules will be explained, and around 9:00 PM we will head out by foot. The moment we warp into the event map known as Lutia Field 16, the timer will start counting down. It will ONLY stop (in general terms) when we RP before or after a boss battle, or if we encounter an issue that is out of players' control such as a bug.

[GM-Ciar]

less than 2 hours remain until the event starts!

[GM-Ciar]

Approximately 13 Hours from now, The Dark Allegiance will attempt to reconquer the old outpost southeast of Kaldheim before the Light Allegiance can bring down the final barrier protecting The Seer's room.

The event starts at 8:50 PM, but it is recommended to meet up in Kaldheim at around 8:30 to 'strategize' and pick classes. Assuming I don't go AFK (sorry in advance!), From 8:50 to 9:00 the event rules will be explained, and around 9:00 PM we will head out by foot. The moment we warp into the event map known as Lutia Field 16, the timer will start counting down. It will only stop if we encounter an issue that is out of players' control such as a bug.