《Gloomhaven: Glorious Gatherers》 01 - Glorious Gatherers Craig''s intro: "The world is such a fascinating place, especially in the area surrounding Gloomhaven. So many intriguing phenomena! So many fruitful samples to collect! The place is dangerous, though. It''s likely best to find some help." Everyone needed to eat. Whatever an adventurer¡¯s reason for coming to the city of Gloomhaven, out here on the edge of the world this simple fact held true¡ªeven for the Savvas. Although Craig¡¯s rocky body didn¡¯t need much nutrition, he still needed some sustenance if he wanted to remain in shape. A starving Savvas would turn into a pile of doddering pebbles, if they didn¡¯t take care of their body. So when Jekserah¡ªa Valrath woman wearing a red cloak and enough gold jewelry to keep Craig fed for a decade¡ªapproached him in the Sleeping Lion and offered to pay him ten gold coins to track down a thief and retrieve some stolen goods . . . well, to Craig it seemed like as good an excuse as any to sober up and start paying off the tab he and Vera had built up. "This thief has taken some important documents," said the red-skinned merchant, her tail whipping about in agitation. "I don''t care what you do to him. Just bring back what is mine." Craig looked down at his diminutive companion, waiting for her approval. Vera just shrugged and scratched the base of her pointed ear, making it clear she wasn''t thrilled but wouldn''t object either. "Alright," Craig rumbled. "We, the¡ª" "Oh no, don''t say it," Vera groaned. "We, the Glorious Gatherers accept your request," Craig said stubbornly, looking at Jekserah in a solemn manner. He considered smiling at her reassuringly too, but Vera always kept telling him that his gaping hole of a maw looked really scary when he tried to smile. "Why do I even bother, "Vera hopped off her chair, chittering under her breath. "Thank you," Jekserah told Craig with a sigh of relief,then bid the two of them good luck as they headed out of the inn. There was no point to delay their search, in Craig''s opinion¡ªand judging by Vera''s mannerisms, she thought so too.Based on Jekserah''s description, it was easy enough to knock around a few alley thugs and get a location of the thieves'' hideout. You didn''t find yourself as a mercenary way out in Gloomhaven without knowing how to crack a few skulls. "You wouldn''t even know which skulls to crack, if not for my help!" Vera squeaked at Craig''s side. It was true, Craig admitted, feeling grateful that he had such a down-to-earth companion. Vera might have been tiny like a child, but no one could say she wasn''t pulling her weight. More than her weight, actually. Yes, Vera was a good companionin spite of what the general populace thought of Vermlings. They were a scavenging, animalistic race, feeding off the flesh of the dead¡ªand when they couldn''t find any of that, they were more than happy to do the killing themselves with their crude knives and arrows. Nothing overly dangerous for Craig''s tough skin, but even he was a bit wary of the little creatures. Vermlings were primitive and weak-willed; left to their own devices, they typically formed hunting packs and spent their short lives fulfilling basic needs. None of that applied to Vera, however. Some Vermlings did make their way into Human society. They were universally shunned and feared in such settings, forced to live in dark alleys and feed off scraps. Oftentimes, city-dwelling Vermlings would flee to the sewers to escape harassment. There, without their pack to connect with, they would form strong bonds with the massive rat population. Communication with such a large number of creatures could strain one''s mind, though. Where most Vermlings failed, some¡ªlike Vera¡ªhad risen to the challenge, honing her powerful psychic abilities to incredible levels in order to control the swarms. So-called Mindthieves could be scary people, though Craig also found them . . . awesome. Who wouldn''t, in his situation? He only wished that he had as much control over his powers as Vera had over hers. Oh, she could be just as vicious and cruel as her kind tended to be, but she also had restraint. With all that said, it was easy to see why Craig didn''t mind Vera''s company at all. In a sense, they were both outcasts¡ªthough while Vera had risen above her people, while Craig had been cast out for being inadequate. Complete opposites in some way, comrades in other.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Craig was brought out from his musings by a loud noise up ahead. Even from afar, the rumbling voices of the crowd were unmistakable¡ªthey were of Craig''s kin. More than kin, Craig noted once he got closer, because they were in the same predicament as he was. They were Craghearts too. Taking a deep, calming breath, Craig stomped towards the commotion.
Vera''s intro: "I remember that very first time an arrow shot from my bow and pierced the heart of a deer, killing it instantly. That feeling of besting my prey on its own turf. But deer are such easy prey! There''s far more challenging game out there in the wilds, and I want to experience it all. I do not hunt in order to kill. I kill because it is part of the hunt." "This city would be a lifeless pile of rocks without us!" one of the Savvas yelled. "It''s time we see some of its prosperity!" Vera watched from the shadows of the nearby buildings as Craig approached the commotion and engaged in conversation with the group of unruly Savvas workers. By the looks of it, they were in conflict with their manager about their wages, demanding better pay for the specialized work they usually performed. Their manager on the other side of the argument looked like a captures mouse, not sure at all how to get out of the situation. It was quite the surprise when Craig actually took the manager''s side. The big guy remained calm and confident, not flinching even in the face of the heated debate. Vera listened from afar with mild interest as Craig tried to appeal to the workers'' sense of duty and community, reasoning that they needed the city just as much as the city needed them. It was utter bullcrap of course, though Vera wouldn''t have been surprised if Craig actually believed his own words. The Savvas in general did consider duty and community as two of the most important pillars of life. Needless to say, Vera didn''t like the Savvas much. They were an obnoxious, stuck-up race, valuing power above all else¡ªelemental power, to be precise. Although their skin was rocky and uneven on most of their body, they had smooth, transparent glass covering their chest, and beneath the surface of that glass was the manifestation of their power; an energy core fashioned from the elements they had mastered. Ice, fire, air and earth. Before a Savvas mastered at least one of those elements and obtained its power as their own, they were considered to be nothing by their own kind. That''s why, from an early age, Savvas children studied feverishly to gain mastery over a single element¡ªtypically spending 20 years of devoted effort to do so. Ridiculous. They were studying longer than an average Vermling was expected to live! Vera shuddered to think about being a nobody for an entire lifetime long. And it wasn''t even as if the Savvas did anything useful with their powers, once they truly mastered them. Few Savvas was known to live among other races, using their elemental mastery in one for or the other . . . but this was largely frowned upon by the majority of Savvas as a base and primitive way to live. There were many Savvas, however, who never attained the mastery of an element and were cast out from their society. A Cragheart exiled this way earned their name by having their chest cavity marred and shattered by their kin, forever reminding them of their inadequacy. Craghearts were not without their strengths, though. Even with no control or mastery, they still had an affinity for their native earth and could display great feats of strength with their rocky stature. Knowing what Craig was capable of when he truly got going, Vera often wondered how terrifying opponent he would be if he were in control of his powers. Vera''s claws twitched in excitement. It would be a worthy feat to hunt a Savvas in the height of their power. If only she found the people who had cast Craig out... The argument between the Cragheart workers seemed to have been resolved, and Craig trudged back to the alley where Vera was hiding. It was obvious that he was pleased with himself like a cat who found the rat pit. "Come on, V!" Craig rumbled once he found her. "The Glorious Gatherers have a quest to do. At this rate, all we''re gathering is dust!" "No one agreed you could call us Glorious Gatherers," Vera grumbled as she joined Craig''s side. "Huh? What do you want to call us, then?" Vera scratched her head, thinking. Glorious Gatherers was a somewhat fitting name, true, considering hers and Craig''s goals. Even so . . . they needed something that didn''t sound so lame. A name that struck fear in their enemies'' hearts. "Hmm . . . how about Vera and her Sidekick?" "Sidekick?" Craig looked down at her, confusion clear on his face. "Is that a special move of yours?" "Ugh, no," Vera groaned. "Nevermind, Craig, nevermind." Craig nodded, looking back up ahead. "Alright, then. Glorious Gatherers, it is." "Now, just wait a sec¡ª" "Onwards, to our new destination!" Craig bellowed, pointing forward with a stubby finger. "The Glorious Gatherers are going to Black Barrow!" Vera slunk back, her ears flattened to her head in embarrassment as every nearby citizen shot strange looks at the two of them. Yeah, pairing up with Craig had been an awful idea, after all. 02 - Black Barrow (part 1) Not long after leaving the city, Vera and Craig came across a group of brow-beaten Inox trudging down the path in the opposite direction as them. The tall, muscled creatures were pulling carts laden with carious miscellany, mostly furs and crudely crafted goods. The rest had armloads of much of the same.It was fairly obvious that this was everything the Inox had¡ªtheir life''s worth in their arms and wagons. "The beast awakens!" the shaman at the head of the group called out to the two of them. "The mountain is aflame! Beware you do not anger it!" Vera looked at the horizon behind them and sawsomething dark at afar-off peak. It could have been just stormclouds, though. "Oh dear," Craig rumbled, looking at the soot-covered group of Inox. "Maybe we could help you carry¡ª" "Sorry but we can''t do anything," Vera spokeover Craig''s voice. "Carry on, fellas, you''re not far from Gloomhaven now!" She patted Craig''s leg, signalling him to move on¡ªand thankfully, he did. If it was up to him he would stop and try to fix every little problem, for which Vera had very little patience now. One didn''t simply interrupttheir hunt just to help poor folk carry stuff! Still, as they moved on and left the group of Inox behind, Vera looked at the distant mountains once again. The shaman''s ramblings aside, there wassomething ominous about that darkness. Probably not simple stormclouds, after all. "Let''s just focus on the job for now," Vera said to Craig as much as to herself. The hill of Black Barrow was easy enough to find; a short journey past the New Market Road and Vera already saw it jutting out on the edge of the Corpsewood, looking like a rat under a rug. Moving closer, Vera saw that the mound was formed from black earth. Its small, overgrown entrance presented a worn set of stone stairs that led down to the darkness. As Vera descended with Craig in tow, she noticed light emanating from below. Unfortunately, the light was accompanied by the unmistakable stench of death. Vera''s sensitive nose twitched while she contemplated what kind of thieves would make their camp in such a horrid place. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she found her answer; a rough group of cutthroats who didn''t seem to have taken very kindly to her¡ªno, to Craig''s sudden appearance. Yes, it was definitely Craig who had given their presence away. The big rocky dude''s footsteps were not exactly silent. Vera''s eyes flashed acrossthe assembled bandits. Four in total, with one in the back matching the description of their quarry. "Take care of these unfortunates," the man said offhandedly, walking out of the room. Vera could vaguely make out his silhouette as he retreated down a hallway and through a door to his left. "Well, it''s not every day we get people stupid enough to hand-deliver their valuables to us," grinned one of the larger bandits, unsheathing a rusty blade. "We''ll be killing you now." The joke was on them. If Vera and Craig had any valuables, they probably wouldn''t have been down there in the first place.
Action Sequence Start Glorious Gatherers vs Black Barrow Bandits Fight!
Vera groaned inwardly at the floating window that appeared in her vision. Now even the gods have acknowledged their group''s name! She was going to die of shame. Still, she didn''t let the message distract her from the situation at hand. Not knowing the abilities of her opponent, she opted for caution. Power flooded her veins, cold and chilling. Her mind expanded, touching the minds of nearby rodents, calling them to arms. Her [Gnawing Horde] abilitydidn''t even need to create rats out of thin air; there were enough of them in the dirty room to form a small swarm for her.
+2 EXP
The bandits shifted their posture, watching warily as the rats skittered across the floor. Taking advantage their hesitation, Vera cast the secondary effect of [Into the Night], calling upon the darkness to envelop her and make her invisible to mundane vision. Then, in the safety of her invisibility, she allowed herself the luxury of bringing up her Ability Status and taking a look at it.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Available Active Inert Exhausted
Empathetic Assault Gnawing Horde Into The Night
Fearsome Blade
Feedback Loop
Parasitic Influence
Perverse Edge
Scurry
Submissive Affliction
The Mind''s Weakness
"Let''s do this!" Craig hollered. The airin the room suddenly felt heavy, small pebbles floating upwards around him as earth-energy saturated their surroundings. Vera took a cautious stepaway from Craig¡ªit was better to be safe than sorry. Even the three bandits seemed to be losing their earlier flippancy after witnessing the swarm of rats and the floating pebbles. Craig attacked abruptly, an unseen force ripping out a chunk of earth from behind himand launching it at the foremost bandit. The man took the boulder had on, grunting as he blocked it with his shield.The chunk of earth exploded into smaller debris, showering the other two men with dirt. "Here I come!" Craig yelled, charging into the group of bandits.The pressure in the air became even heavier, and the ground around Craig exploded in a shower of dust as the big guy used up the earth-energy in a violent explosion. Yeah, definitely better to stay back for now. Although Vera was a safe distance away, she felt the life of some of her rats wink out. "Enough with this shit!" the foremost bandit cursed, panting from exertion but still on his feet. He raised his rusty blade to strike¡ªonly to find no one in front of him. Craig had punched a tunnel into the ground becoming one with the earth as he moved beneath the group of bandits, upturning the ground as he passed. Thebandits found themselves ankle-deep in the loose ground, unable to move even as Craig emerged behind them. They turned around to focus him¡ª ¡ªand that was when Vera struck. She directed her rats to swarm around the leftmost man, their tiny teeth biting through his inadequate armor. Even as he screamed in pain, Vera pushed her power forward, invading the foremost bandit''s mind with [Submissive Affliction]. The other bandit didn''t even suspect a thing as the man Vera had possessed whirled on him, plunging his blade into the base of his neck. Vera closed in the distance to the remaining bandit to give him the same fate; deftly jumping up to his chest, she activated [Perverse Edge] and slashed her dagger across his neck.
+1 EXP
"Easy enough," Craig said as the last of the bandits fell to the ground. He walked to the body of the one chewed by the rats, and putthe small floating shape¡ªthe bandit''s soul¡ªinto the Soul Orb on his belt. Vera did much the same with the other two, pocketing them while she took another look at her Ability Status.
Available Active Inert Exhausted
Empathetic Assault Gnawing Horde Into the Night Perverse Edge
Fearsome Blade Submissive Affliction
Feedback Loop Scurry
Parasitic Influence The Mind''s Weakness
"Don''t let your guard down," Vera said, even as Craig moved towards the door though which their target had disappeared. "We''ve used way too much abilities on these small fries." It was likely a mistake, Vera admitted to herself. But she didn''t know what awaited them, so it was better to be careful¡ªthe leader of the bandits might have some dirty tricks up his sleeve. As Craig opened the door, Vera performed a [Recharge], sacrificing her [Into the Night] in order to get her other abilities back to their available state.
Available Active Inert Exhausted
Empathetic Assault Gnawing Horde Perverse Edge
Fearsome Blade Intothe Night
Feedback Loop
Parasitic Influence
Submissive Affliction
Scurry
The Mind''s Weakness
Whatever nasty surprises the bandits had for them, she would be ready. 03 - Black Barrow (part 2) Verasmelled the bandits sooner than she saw them. Awoman crouched at the other end of a short corridor, fiddling with something on the floor. A trap, perhaps? Two men stood halfway down the corridor between Craig and the woman, hastily raising their small shields and readying their weapons. By the looks of it, neither of them expected Craig and Vera to defeat their comrades so fast¡ªor defeat them at all. At least the woman had a good reaction time. She drew her bow as she straightened back up,and loosed an arrow at Craig without hesitation. The projectile flew past the duo of bandits with the shields and hit Craig''s right leg with so much force that he staggered, falling down to one knee. Vera''s companion roared in defiance, touching the ground next to him and launching a pair of boulders at the bandit guards. The men took the attack in stride, pausing only briefly under the impacts before lashing out at Craig with their sword, chipping off chunks of rock from his shoulders and arms. There was no time to be cautious now, Vera decided. Any hesitation on her part, and Craig would be out of the fight. She burned her [Fearsome Blade], activating its secondary effect. Her feet suddenly felt lighter, time slowed around her, and she broke into a sprint.Craig was getting back to his feet in slow motion as Vera ran towards him, dropping to the ground and sliding forward between his legs. She shot past two very surprised bandits, then did a sharp turn, pivoting on one feet and jumping off the ground towards one of the men''s back. Herdagger glowed with dark power, unbearable to look at¡ªnot that the bandit had any chancesee it, as Vera plunged the blade into his back.
+2 EXP
The archer at the back cried out in alarm, shifting her bow to aim at Vera, but she was too slow, much too slow. Vera reached out with her mind, casting [Parasitic Influence] on the archer andforcing her one step forward. "Hyah!" the woman screamed as razor-sharp spike erupted from the device she''d stepped into. Definitely a trap, then. Vera''s eyes flashed across the floor, noting that there were two other traps as well, right between the screaming woman and the door to the next room. She drew her dagger out of the dying bandit''s back¡ªhis buddy was so slow that he was only now swinging his sword at her¡ªand kicked herself off the bandit''s back, activating [Feedback Loop]''s secondary effect. The sword coming at her sailed past her feet harmlesslyas Vera flipped in the air, landing nimbly on the other side of the set of traps. Gasping painfully, the archer tore her leg free quickly and swung her bow, using it like a club to block Vera''s strike¡ªa strike that never came. Still under the effect ofher [Feedback Loop], Verapassedthrough the bow to get behind the woman. Both of them whirled in the same time as Vera struck, but the archer wasn''t able to block the attack properly; caught off-balance, she stumbled and fell backwards¡ªstraight into the other spike-trap. She didn''t even have time to cry out before she died. "Rumbling Avalanche!" Craig bellowed, and the entire corridor began shaking as he marched down the corridor, spraying earth and floor-tiles everywhere. "Going in!" "Dammit, Craig!" Vera cursed as shebarely managed to dodge Craig''s charge. The big guy burst through the next door with the momentum he had built up, dust flying everywhere. Vera took this opportunity to look at her abilities.
Available Active Inert Exhausted
Empathetic Assault Parasitic Influence Perverse Edge
Submissive Affliction Feedback Loop Into The Night
Scurry Fearsome Blade
Gnawing Horde
The Mind''s Weakness
[Recharge] or [Refresh], that was the question. As the dust settled, Vera went over her options. Craig had obviously chosen to [Refresh], with the way he didn''t even stop before entering the next room¡ªand perhaps he was right. A [Refresh] would be enough for Vera too, since she didn''t need to heal up at the moment. Her only magical item¡ªthe Minor Stamina Potion¡ªdidn''t needto be recharged either. Losing a random ability instead of one selected by her could hurt, but that''s what she had her potion for. In all fairness, she''d be fine with a quick [Refresh] after her next move. "What the hell?"Vera asked, peeking inside frombehind Craig''s legs. As the dust settled, the two of them found themselves face-to-face with the reason these bandits had chosen this particular hole to nest in. A pair of skeletal creatures looked back at them with glowing red eyes, their three or four arms sporting a weapon each.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "Get him, boys!" Two bandits stood at the other end of the room, jeeringas the animated bones ambled slowly closer to Craig. "Well, then," Craig rumbled, crunching his rocky hands into fists, "Nothing more to do but lay them to rest¡ªalong with the remainder of this troublesome rabble!" The big guy launchedhimself at the skeletons, alongside with a pair of floating boulders. Vera''s attention was on the bandits, though. One of them nocked an arrow to his bow, ready to shoot Craig in case he cleared the skeletons.Vera targeted the other with [Submissive Affliction], turning him to strike the other, only for the man to miss completely with his sword. "Crap," Vera cursed, casting [Refresh] quickly to get her abilities back. She lost [Scurry] in the process,which was an acceptable price this time. "The fuckare you doing?" the archer asked, tossing his bow away and fumbling for his sword. The controlled man''s head twitched, breaking out of Vera''s ability. "It''s not me, man, it''s that little fucker!" he yelled, pointing at Vera, who was trying to hide behinda nearby table. Meanwhile, the skeletons were a whirlwind of bones and steel, and though Craig held his ground valiantly, Vera knew she had to do something about them. Activating [Feedback Loop], she passed through Craig and the animated bones. The bandit duo raised their weapons and got ready for her arrival, she however surprised them by turning around and hitting one of theskeletons from behind.The empowered strike¡ªthe secondary effect of her [Submissive Afflicton]¡ªshattered bones, destroying both ofthe creature''s legsat the same time.
+1 EXP
Craig crushed the second skeleton at the time, and Vera whirled around to¡ª
-3 HP
Her vision went red as the swordsman slashed at her torso, spraying blood everywhere.Her blood¡ªthe only kind of blood Vera couldn''t stand to see. She grit her teeth against the pain, and focused on the other bandit''s strike that was aimed for her head. However, before the strike could have connected Vera sacrificed one of her available abilities in order to avoid taking damage.
[Empathetic Assault] exhausted
"Fucking Chosen," the bandit spat as his sword failed topenetrate Vera''s skin, bouncing off her harmlessly. "V!" Craig bellowed, "Final move, stand clear!" If Craig meant that he was out of abilities too, they were in big trouble. Still, with only one ability remaining and with Craig''s warning ringing in her ears, Vera didn''t have to think much about what to do. She smashed her Minor Stamina Potion''s vial on her belt, energy flooding her and allowing her to regain her exhausted [Scurry]. Then, she . . . well, scurried out of the way. One of the banditsattempted to grab her, butwith a quick [Parasitic Influence] cast at himVera was able to hold him at bay. With no available abilities left, she was forced to do a [Refresh] and gain back her [Feedback Loop] and [Parasitic Influence] in the process.
Available Active Inert Exhausted
Feedback Loop Perverse Edge
Parasitic Influence Into The Night
Fearsome Blade
Gnawing Horde
The Mind''s Weakness
Scurry
Empathetic Assault
Submissive Affliction
Bam! The ground shook once again,making Vera almost lose her balance. Craig had smashed into the ground behind the bandits, forming a small crater and making them fall to the ground. He didn''t give them any time to recover either; clasping his hands together in an overhead strike, he smashedthem to the ground in an explosion of earth-energy that briefly blinded Vera.
Action Sequence Finish Glorious Gatherers win! Achievement unlocked: First Steps
"Oh, thank the gods," she sighed. She wouldn''t have expected this to be such a close call¡ªand they didn''t even find their quarry! It was an uncomfortable thought what would have happened if he was here also. "Woo!" came Craig''s weak cheer from amidst his dust cloud. He hadn''t been kidding when he said this would be his final move; he was clearly exhausted. While Craig rested, Vera took a look around the room, not letting her guard down despite the gods'' message. Aside from the tables and a dusty chest in the corner, the chamber was utterly empty. There was only a single door besides the one that Craig had burst through, so there was no question which way the bandit leader could have gone. It would be easy enough to follow him¡ªafter both of them rested, of course.