: Alright, I know this is going to start a whole mess of
: misinformed ideas and speculation, but I'm going to
: try it anyway.
: What parts of the Myth story would you like to see
: created into a solo/coop campaign?
The story of the Mad Journeyman.
Setting: The early years of the War in the West, Free Cities of the North.
"Malory"
Journal: The Mad Journeyman, One Heron Seeking, begins his journal. His mentor from the Heron Guard, on his death bed, told the Mad Journeyman "this has happened before" (millenial wars with the Dark), and to seek the reasons behind it. The Mad Journeyman has sworn himself to doing so, and has enlisted the aide of a Warrior Hero, Malory, to protect him in his quest.
Level: In a small town outside Tandem, a Brigand gang attacks. The few Warriors on hand jump to the rescue, including Malory. The Player controls only Malory and Heron, but that is enough to save the town with the small help of NPC Warriors.
"North of Tandem"
Journal: The Warriors defending the town are awed by Malory's skill, and when he requests their help in the Mad Journeyman's quest, they swear loyalty to him. One Heron Seeking decides to head north to the Skrael lands, for they believe they each of their kind who dies in battle is reincarnated seven fold, and that each of those may again be reincarnated. He hopes that some memory of the distant past may have been preserved in this manner, and thus he begins north to the Skrael lands with the Warrior Hero and his escorts.
Level: North of Tandem, the travellers come across another band of Brigands attacking a small group from the Legion. They rescue several people from the group, who join your party. Togther you defeat the Brigands, then continue north.
"Children of Bahl'al"
Journal: The Mad Journeyman hears word that a number of local Brigand gangs are rallying together to destroy the powerfull Warrior Hero Malory, who they percieve as a threat to their existance. The amassed Brigand army is a short distance behind them and closing. Fortunately, scouts have spotted a horde of Thrall northeast of their current position, and a small group has been sent to lure the Thrall directly across the Brigands' path.
Level: You control a small party of warriors. Find the horde of Thrall, and lure them southwest, between the travellers and the Brigands. When they begin to battle, head north and catch up with the travellers.
"The Skrael"
Journal, "The Skrael": Forward elements of the travellers' party have found the borders of Skrael lands in the Deep Mire. The horde of Thrall, having defeated the Brigands easily, have now begun chasing the travellers north. The Skrael have amassed a small army to defend their borders from the Thrall, and have agreed to let the travellers enter their lands.
Level, "The Skrael": Head north to the awaiting Skrael army. There are Soulless patrols and buried-Thrall ambushes along the way, and the horde of Thrall behind you constantly moving north.
"Rearguard"
Journal: One Heron Seeking has spoken to a number of Skrael, and they believe that one of their most ancient generals may be able to help him on his quest. A small group of Skrael are escorting them north to his sunken palace now. But the Skrael army still has to defend against the Thrall horde coming up behind them. Malory has stayed behind to help and supervise.
Level: You control a small group of Skrael and the Warrior Hero Malory. The Thrall horde is moving north. You are to hold them off for as long as possible. Malory will know when you are outmatched and signal to retreat north.
"The fir'Bolg"
Journal: The travellers seem to be attracting quite a bit of attention amongst the local minions of the Dark, and a vast column of Soulless has been spotted approaching from the southwest. Because the Skrael's slings are no match for Soulless javalins, a party of Warriors and and Skrael have headed east to enlist the aide of the fir'Bolg archers.
Level: Travel east to the edge of the Ermine, watching out for Soulless patrols and Thrall ambushes. Ghasts begin to appear nearby.
"Messengers of Culwyeh"
Journal: The fir'Bolg have agreed to help the travellers, on one condition. There is a Wight farm nearby, guarded by Ghols, which poses a rather massive threat to the local fir'Bolg. They can deal with the Wights, but fir'Bolg are no match for Ghols. If the Warriors and Skrael will deal with the Ghols to allow the fir'Bolg to take out the Wight farm, the fir'Bolg will help defend against the Soulless.
Level: Lead a small party of Warriors and fir'Bolg into the nearby Wight farm and destroy it. One of your warriors posesses a Fever Stone, which makes him immune to the parylizing effects of Wight pus.
"gae'Bek"
Journal": With the Wight farm succesfully destroyed, the fir'Bolg are on their way northwest to rendevouz with the travellers. They have also used the dud pus packets from the destroyed Wight farm to create Aconite, a parylizing tip which can be placed on arrows.
Level: Head northwest across the Deep Mire. Watch out for Soulless and Thrall. Remnant Wights and Ghasts tail from behind. Your archers have one parylizing arrow each, except gae'Bek, Captain of Archers, who has an unlimited supply. gae'Bek must survive.
"He Who Knows Most"
Journal: The Travellers have arrived at the sunken palace of He Who Knows Most, an ancient Skrael general on his 343rd life. The Mad Journeyman has gone inside to speak with him, and the army of Soulless is approaching the palace, along with other small Dark groups who the Travellers have made enemies with. The Skrael forces and a good number of fir'Bolg have formed an outer guard, but just to be on the safe side, Malory and his men, gae'Bek, and a number of fir'Bolg with parylizing arrows are standing as the inner guard on the steps of the Skrael general's palace.
Level: Guard the palace against Dark forces who have penetrated the outer guard. Each archer has one Aconite arrow, except gae'Bek, who is using a special arrows anointed with an Aconite derivitve which kills on contact. Several small groups of Thrall, stray Wights and Ghasts, and a massive column of Soulless are the forces you will face. Malory and gae'Bek must survive.
"The Griffins"
Journal: One Heron Seeking has spoken with He Who Knows Most, who unfortunately knew much less than Heron had hoped for. However, he did remember one great war, nearly a millenium ago, with a race of horrible creatures led by a man named Moagim. These Myrkridia, as they were called, were enemies of all the lands, and he recalls especially their emnity with the Trow, whos empire once spanned nearly into Skrael lands. He Who Knows most has suggested heading east along the northern coast, to seek the Trow who live in those glacial lands and ask for their help in his quest. gae'Bek, not trusting the Trow, has suggested that they first enlist the help of their ancient airborne allies, the Griffins, for they may fly above the Trow and speak for the travellers without ever nearing harm.
Level: gae'Bek and a group of fir'Bolg are searching the northen edge of the Ermine for a hidden artifact, a special horn which may be used to summon the Griffins. Along they way, they encounter a number of bre'Unor, and must fight them off. The Aconite arrows come in very handy here, for parylizing attacking bre'Unor long enough to kill them, as does gae'Bek's bow of killing, obviously.
"Jailbreak"
Journal: The Griffins went forth and spoke to the Trow, who agreed to help the Mad Journeyman on his quest. However, they insisted that they speak to Heron himself, and not to the cowardly Griffins who float above all the land-dwellers, never letting themselves come into danger. So One Heron Seeking, Malory, gae'Bek, and all their men went forth to speak to the Trow... who had tricked them! They walked straight into an ambush, and were then captured and imprisoned. But the Griffins staged a distraction for the Trow, a massive explosion to the east, and then broke a hole in the gates imprisoning the travellers, allowing them to escape south toward the lands of the Berserks.
Level: Lead your forces out of the prison and south toward freedom. Hurry before the Trow get back! You have Warriors, fir'Bolg, the Mad Journeyman, Malory, gae'Bek, and two Griffin scouts. You must retrive gae'Bek's bow of killing, and you may also grab some Aconite arrows and mandrake roots while you're at it. Around the prison are Ghol guards, and other trapped prisoners such as Berserks and Dwarves, who you might want to rescue. At the southern gate of the Trow camp are two Trow guards, immune to Aconite and the ointment on Bow of Killing arrows. If you fly a Griffin south past them to the waiting Berserk army, and manage to keep your other forces alive long enough for the army to reach you, you can head south to freedom at last. Heron, Malory, and gae'Bek must survive.
"Northen Lands"
Journal: Having succesfully fled the Trow prison camp, the travellers are now somewhat safe just north of the eastern end of the Stair of Grief. The Trow, angered at the prison break, have mounted an assault force and are heading south. The travellers, in gratitude, have agreed to to help the Berserks defend their lands. A lost patrol from the Legion is also present there, and some of their number are assisting.
Level: Set satchel-charge ambushes in the passes where the Trow will be passing through, with fir'Bolg archers positioned on the bluffs above them, and Berserks near the end of the passages. The Trow throw severed heads, heavy as rocks and moving quite fast, so don't presume your archers to be invulnerable just because they are positioned on the high ground. Griffin scouts hover above the terrain, giving you forewarning of the invading Trow forces.
"The Kithless"
Journal: With the Trow attack turned back, the travellers have begun moving south toward Seven Gates, where it is rumored that the great Forest Giants are aiding the armies of the Province to hold the dark behind the mountains. The lost patrol, also heading south, has agreed to join the travellers until they reach Seven Gates. But all that is days away: currently, Berserk scouts have spotted an army of their ancient kin the Myrmidons heading in from the east, with a number of Trow accompanying them. Battle appears imminent, and thus the Berserks accompanying the travellers have suggested that they set up camp and prepare to defend themselves.
Level, "The Kithless": A Myrmidon army is invading from the east, with Trow warriors among them. The Berserk army has already engaged them, but no doubt a number of forces will make it through. The Myrmidons attack with not only grithsma blades, but with the shrunken, explosive heads of their vanquished enemies. The Trow are also packing heat, with the giant explosive barrels they call Rhi Bombs, which spew sharpened fragments of bone in every direction upon detonation. If you can hold off those forces long enough for the Berserk army to destroy or deflect the rest, you can continue south towards Seven Gates.
"Engineers"
Journal: The Griffins have left, returning west to the skies above the Ermine. The Dwarves from the Legion have been busy lately, working on some mysterious project that none of the others can guess at. Turns out that their arrival is in perfect coincidence with the departure of the Griffins, as they have been busy working on a small fleet of hot-air balloons, to scout the way ahead of them and clear the area of ground troops. These balloons carry satchel artillary strikes, making them great against melee enemies who can't reach them so high up.
Level: Lead your crew of assault balloons south along the edge of the Cloudspine, destroying the hordes of Thrall that cross below you. The Ghols who bark and shout at you could be usefull, as they will try to throw pus packets at you, but never hit, instead having the pus fall down to damage their own forces. Watch out for Trow with Rhi Bombs, as they can destroy your balloons, and keep the balloons spread apart, for they explode upon destruction, and a chain reaction could destroy your entire fleet. When you reach the horde of Soulless, Ghols, and Wights near the bottom of the map, retreat north and rejoin your ground troops. Head south with them, and use them to destroy horde. Then continue south off the edge of the map.
"Dirigibles"
Journal: Dwarven balloons are cool. 'Nuff said. The travellers are continuing south, but with forces of the Dark seem to be shadowing them, probably interested in the balloons. Thus the balloon forces are spread rather thin, having to cover the south, east, and north sides of the travellers (with the mountains to the west), instead of just the south and southeast ahead of them.
Level: Similar to the previous level, but now you have to use the balloons to cover all sides of your ground forces. You will encounter mostly Thrall, Ghols, and Soulless (who will have to be taken with fir'Bolg, because they can pop your balloons), with a few Myrmidons trailing from the north, and a Trow or two, as well as a few Wights from the south. But the big surprise comes when a fleet of Dirigibles, floating corpse-balloons filled with the Wight death fever (and just as willing to pop), come down from the mountains, as a massive phalanx of Thrall closes in from the south and east. Your archers will have to take out the Dirigibles before they get too close, and your balloons can take out enough Thrall to make them easy targets for your melee forces, but you'll have to act quickly or the Dirigibles' pus will parylize your forces, giving the Thrall time to surround and overwhelm them.
"The Tarnkappe"
Journal: The Dark have their own balloons now, the Dirigibles. These could be a horrible weapon to use against the West, and they must be destroyed. Berserk scouts have located the facility where they are being produced, hidden in the mountains on the north side of Tharsis. A small group of fir'Bolg and Dwarves, accompanied by Malory and some Berserks, have volunteered to sneak into the facility, destroy as many Dirigibles as possible, and then destroy the facility itself, all the Wights and Ghasts penned up, and the Ghols guarding them all.
Level: Durin, a Dwarven Pathfinder, must sneak past the Fetch and Soulless patrols outside the Dirigible camp, wait for one of them to enter the gates, and follow them in. Then comes some sneaky work. Durin is not only using Dwarven magic to hide himself, but he posesses the Tarnkappe, a cloak of invisibility. Because of this, he only becomes visible when he is doing something, and thus he can sneak around the camp and do whatever he wants so long as nobody sees he when he does it. Of course, if the enemy hears explosions, they'll come running; but laying satchels is quite enough. So, here's what you must do: Durin must lay satchel charges around the gate while nobody is looking. Then, blow the satchels and blast open the gates. This will get all the enemy forces running around the camp, looking for the Dwarves who did it. Take this opportunity to pop the central cluster of Dirigibles, showering the entire camp with Death Fever. But Durin is safe; he's got that Fever Stone used back at the Wight camp near the Ermine! While the enemy forces are parylized, bring in all your other troops to finish them off. Kill any Wights, Ghasts, and Dirigibles left over, lay satchels around the buildings, and blow them all to hell!
"East of Tharsis"
Journal: Nearing Seven Gates, the travellers have come to a place just north of a vast battlefield where the armies of Balor himself are attempting to cross, but so far have been held by the armies of the Province, with the aide of the Forest Giants. It is these ancient beings, the Giants, who Heron is trying to reach. Unfortunately, wave after wave of Thrall, Myrmidons, Soulless, and Fetch are crossing this land, and to reach the Forest Giants, the travellers must cross it.
Level: One wave of Dark forces has just passed near the travellers, heading west toward the Province. Another wave is ten minutes behind the first, and that is the travellers' window of opportunity, to meet the armies of the Province just behind the first wave, but without being crushed by the second. Unfortunately, half a dozen patrols of Fetch and Soulless are criss-crossing the space between the waves, with Myrmidon runners ready to signal their masters of any trouble. So you must head southwest around the foot of Tharsis, at a rate such that you won't encounter either wave; and avoid enemy patrols as much as possible; but should you encounter one, make sure their runners don't get away. To help fight off the patrols, gae'Bek has devised an ingenious trick, forking arrows, which are bundles of arrows fired simultaniously, but then separating to cover a wider area. One man can counter an entire volley with these; unfortunately, only five have been made.
"South of Tharsis"
Journal: The travellers are now remotely safe behind the outer guard of the armies of the Province, lousy with Warriors, Archers, Dwarves, and a scattering of Berserks. One Berserk has spoken with One Heron Seeking, and has agreed to take him to meet Hardwood, the leader of the Forest Giant army, near the southern end of the outer guard. The men from the Legion have rejoined their comrades, as have the Berserks, leaving only Heron, Malory, his warriors, gae'Bek, and his archers.
Level: The grounds just inside the eastern mouth of Seven Gates are swarming with NPC Warriors, Archers, and Dwarves, with Berserks running between armies, patroling, etc. You control Heron, Malory, gae'Bek, and about a dozen of their men. Follow your Berserk guide south to meet Hardwood. Occasionally Dark forces will break through the outer guard, and you will have to defend against them.
"Shadow Warriors"
Journal: The Mad Journeyman may have found his answer. The Forest Giants remember the Myrkridia, the ancient race of evil creatures from the last great war, almost a thousand years ago. They came up from the Untamed Lands and through Forest Heart, lead by a twisted being calling himself Moagim. The Giants knew of him, but not by the name Moagim. He was the legendary founder of the Age of Reason, Tireces. Humans had carved his likeness into the stones of holy structures and artifacts for centuries, most of which were now destroyed or lost, forgotten by all but the remarkably long-lived Giants. None of the Humans remember Tireces anymore, of course, as he vanished over fifteen centuries ago. That is all the Giants know of any millenial wars; that the greatest hero of two millenia ago, vanished half a millenium later, only to return a thousand years ago as the greatest evil ever known, who was only defeated by the great hero of the Wind Age, Connacht. Heron remembers that Connacht himself was last seen just over five hundred years ago, and notes that this does not bode well. But currently there are more important matters to deal with. Balor himself is leading one of the approaching waves, and strange black shadows have been seek skulking about the volcano Tharsis. The Forest Giants are steeling themselves to contain Balor's fury, and the scouting party sent to investigate the mysterious "Mahir" near Tharsis (who have long been the subject of horrific stories told to naughty children before bed) have not returned. The Legion has mounted a company to destroy whatever threat the Mahir may pose, and Heron has released Malory and gae'Bek from their servitude, now that he has enough of an answer. Both of them have joined the company of Legion attacking the Mahir, and Heron has gone further west, away from the fighting.
Level: Lead Malory, gae'Bek, and over three dozen men from the Legion to attack the Mahir at the foot of Tharsis. A Journeyman in the company posesses a magical talismand which, when activated, will force nearby Mahir to become corporal just long enough to be killed, but it takes just as long to recharge it's power. With this small party of men, you must hold off the forces of the Mahir long enough for the armies of the Province to turn back Balor and his army, or else they will cross Seven Gates into the west, and the forces of the Light will surely be lost.
Epilogue
The Forest Giants held Balor off, losing half their number in the battle, while the armies of Dark and Light nearly annihilated eachother throughout the pass, after which Balor fled faster than any man possibly could, across the desert that once was the Cath Bruig empire. But the Giants saw his face, and they remembered him. His likeness was still carved in stone around the West, outside the cathedral at Covenant, and elsewhere. It has he who once defeated Moagim and the Myrkridia, who lead the Cath Bruig to the height of their civilization. It was Connacht; or rather, the twisted thing which he had become.
Traveling with back east with the other survivors, heading toward the last vestiges of civilization, Heron has been preaching his new theory to any who will listen. He says that the world is like a spinning coin, with the forces of Light and Dark holding successive dominion over the world, and the land belonging in turn to men, and to monsters. He rambles of proof, on the words of the Skrael and Forest Giants and his dead mentor, a Heron Guard over two millenia old. But none believe him; the shocking scale of the truth makes him unbelievable. They call him mad.
Early this morning, One Heron Seeking was surrounded by four Thrall and slain in his sleep. The journal he kept would later serve as an inspiration for a young warrior, conscripted from work on his grandfather's farm to serve in the newly-formed Legion. He would begin a journal of his own, and in it document what may be the greatest of the great wars ever.
(Resemblances to Chimera, with the lone Jman and the warrior who protect him and everything, are purely incidental. Silicon is convinced that Badlands has a telepathic link with us folks who were once working on the MadJman project).
