- Joined
- Dec 1, 2003
- Messages
- 31
Well, since I don't know Darky's status and who knows when things might get done, this may entertain those who have stuck around here.
The following is the unfinished script to DOTF, with notes for the mapmaker (Darky) included. It's got a beginning and end, but parts of the middle need fleshed out. Nevertheless, it may amuse you. If you want to wait until the campaign releases (should that ever occur) and like being surprised, don't read it... but here it is if you'd like to read it.
**** SPOLIERS START HERE ****
"DAY OF THE FISH"
TWO maps will be needed. One (the DWARVEN STRONGHOLD) will utilize the undeground indoor catacomb tileset seen in the Night Elf mission where the player rescues Illdain, and the other (THE OUTDOOR FORESTLANDS) will use the typical Lordaeron forest tileset.
ACT 1 (using the DWARVEN STRONGHOLD)
(a short cinematic mission which sets up the story)
** the camera settles on a throne room deep within the catacombs. The room is littered with treasure. In the room are two DWARVES **
KING UNDER THE SMALLISH HILL: "Ahrrr. All I ever get to eat down here is tunnel rat! Roasted tunnel rat. Stewed Tunnel Rat. Boiled tunnel rat! AHRR! I can stand no more! I am a king, and I demand something new and extravagant to fill my belly!
DAWRF ADVISOR: Great and wise King Under The Smallish Hill, tunnel rats are the only animals in our realm that have enough meat on their scrawny bones to sustain us! Alas, all of our below-ground lightless farming experiments have been failures... And don't even get me started on Bilbor's "all mushroom diet". That one had us wandering around in a daze for weeks! If...
KING UTSH: SILENCE! Your ceaseless prattling about our culinary ineptness vexes me! What use is it being King if I cannot even eat a decent meal? You must find me something NEW and EXOTIC to dine on! Tunnel rats are not a meal fit for... tunnel rats, much less a Dwarven Lord!
DWARF ADVISOR: Why, to find anything else we would need to go...
KING UTSH: OUTSIDE! Yes, outside our halls into the wretched forests of trolls and men. Gather seven of our finest warriors and send them in search of my supper!
DWARF ADVISOR: Yes, oh magnificent King Under The Smallish Hill. Right Away.
** the ADVISOR scurries off and after a second or two, the text '... a bit later' appears on the screen. The ADVISOR returns with 7 DWARVES in tow. They consist of two Mountain King units (AXEY and CHOPPY), one rifleman (ANGRY), and 2 mortar teams (BLASTY & BOMBUR, and LONG ROUND & SHORT ROUND) **
KING UTSH: THESE are the best you have to offer? Look at them. What a pathetic, scraggly lot. This rabble isn't fit to staff a dwarf tossing team, much less find me a meal!
DWARF ADVISOR: Apologies, sire, but your seven -best- men haven't been seen since they went off to help that pretty girl escape her wicked stepmother... These will have to do.
KING UTSH: Very well then... hurry up and go! I'm getting hungry.
ACT 2 (using the FOREST map)
(BRINE is introduced and gathers his forces)
** The scene opens with a lone wizard by the base of a waterfall. He looks around for a moment before saying- **
WIZARD: "Hmm, yes. This is as good a place as any. These spoiled potions have got to go!"
** WIZARD dumps a load of magical potions into the water, and all manner of spell effects go off **
WIZARD: "Like I'm going to pay the city a Magical Waste Disposal Fee when I can just dump 'em in the river. HAH!"
** WIZARD walks away, but the camera stays focused on the pool where the spell effects are finally subsiding **
NARRATOR: Unbeknownst to the wizard, his casual disregard for civic authority would have long reaching consequences. Swimming in the limpid pool he so callously befouled was a baby murloc, barely bigger than a tadpole. The rotten spell components reacted with one another, producing.... unexpected results.
** screen fades to black, then the scene shifts to a grassy field some distance away, where a small murloc and two human boys are playing happily **
MURLOC (BRINE): Haha! You're 'it'! You're 'it'! *he runs up to the boy and 'tags' him*
BOY: No way fishface! I'll get you! Hahaha!
** they all chase around a bit, until... **
WOMAN (offscreen): Billy! Samwise!? Where have you scamps run off to?
** they all stop playing **
BILLY: Uh oh! Mom's coming. You'd better go, BRINE. She prob'ly wouln't unnerstan' us playin' with you!
BRINE: Ok BILLY, I'll go back to the pond now. See you again tomorrow?
SAMWISE: Yeah, bye! We'll be back t'morrow!
** the kids run off in one direction and BRINE in the other **
NARRATOR: And so it went for some time. The strange magic BRINE had been exposed to had granted him an amazing intellect... by murloc standards, anyway. The children secretly taught him lessons they had learned in school until one day their visits abruptly stopped. Having learned all that he could from humans, BRINE tried in turn to educate his own people.
** scene fades out and jumps to the large river basin pool that will be visited later when the DWARVES try to make a meal of BRINE and his folk. BRINE is standing in front of and facing a large group of murlocs **
BRINE: (BRINE speaks now in gutteral murloc language. The text below appears as- TRANSLATION: Come on, you all can say it with me... Humanspeak is not that difficult... )
MURLOCS: (grunting)
BRINE: (in english) Sir...
MURLOCS: (in grunted, mangled english-ish words) Srrrrrr...
BRINE: ... please remove ....
MURLOCS: PZZZZ rurrrrmvvvvv
BRINE: ... your hook ...
MURLOCS: yrrrr wHUK
BRINE: ... from my mouth.
MURLOCS: FRrrr muhhh mmmmuth.
NARRATOR: Progress was slow, but BRINE was happy, and he persisted in his efforts to enlighten his hapless bretheren. All was well, more or less, until one day...
** the scene again fades and moves to the extreme north of the map **
The next sequence will be a gameplay one. The party of 7 dwarves from the intro appears at the mouth of a cave (on the top edge of the map) and heads out.
ANGRY DWARF: Well, we'd best be goin
** DWARVEN TRAVEL SONG **
(before the lyrics start, the dwarves will chant this a bit)
Hey-yo ... Hey-yo
Chorus
Hey-yo, hey-yo
Its off to the forest on a search we go
Got to find the king something good to eat
Or he'll have us ground into fresh dwarf meat!
Hey-yo, hey-yo hey-yo hey-yo!
** As the dwarves traverse the forest, they will encounter several bands of creeps of varying challenge and as they maul each one, they try to cook them and decide they aren't worthy of bringing back, with some hopefully clever dialogue at each sequence. The northern half of the map (or at least the part where the creep battles take place) should be seperated from the area where Brine and the murlocs are frolicking in the river, maybe by some dense forest that the players woudn't typically think to try to cut through. Mainly I'd want it this way so they don't stumble onto the murloc scene before it's time. **
** The dwarves fight: **
- MUD GOLEMS (after defeating them, the following conversation takes place)
ANGRY: Bah! Well, sure an' we can't bring THESE back to the King!
AXEY: Well... we could make him... umm... mud pies!
ANGRY: King's don't eat dirt! Move on out men!
- FOREST TROLLS
ANGRY: Ach. 'as any o'you ever tried to cook one o'these things?
BLASTY: They look all greasy an' tough an' full o'gristle.
ANGRY: Hmmm. Even so, we should fry 'em up an' see if they're good eatin.
** The scene shows them start a fire and gather round it, perhaps making eating noises. It then fades out and the words 'the next morning' appear before fading back in **
ANGRY: OOOOhhhhhhhh me belly....
CHOPPY: Whoulgh! Aggh.
LONG ROUND: I'm NEVER eatin' that again.
AXEY: Tha' troll meat won't make the king happy... It'll make him dead!
ANGRY: urr. I'll keep that in mind.
** the scene then fades out and 'later' appears on the screen before the dwarves move on **
ANGRY: All right, then. Lets move on.
- KOBOLDS (they fight a big swarm of them)
ANGRY: These things are hardly bigger 'an the rats we -been- eatin'!
AXEY: *CRUNCH* Mrmmm. Don't taste no better, neither.
ANGRY: Blast! There's got to be somethin' worth eatin' around here. Come on, then. Lets go.
** If you have more ideas for creep encounters, we can work them in pretty easily. **
** After the creep encounters are done, the screen fades and the dwarves appear on the other side of the dense forest to the north of where Brine and his murloc buddies are. **
ANGRY DWARF: We 'aven't found -anything- ! The King'll spill our guts an' eat our gizzards if we don't come back with SOMEthing. We have ta search further out. Mebbe there's somethin through this forest. It's too thick for us to pass through, though...
CHOPPY: Ah, stan' back, ya whiner! I'll -chop- us a path.
AXEY: Nay! Let ME and my axe have at em... lousy trees! Always growin' in our way.
** Suddenly and without warning, BLASTY fires off a round into the forest that clears a small patch. All the other dwarves jump back and exclaim a 'whoa' or some such thing. **
BLASTY: You'd best let the -professionals- handle this. Step away!
** BLASTY & BOMBUR, and LONG ROUND & SHORT ROUND proceed to blow the crap out of the forest and clear a wide swath through it, which the dwarves march through. On the other side, they happen upon a river, in which are situated a large number of murlocs. Inlcuding BRINE, our hero. **
AXEY DWARF: Lookit the size o them fishes!
CHOPPY DWARF: Ohhh! They'll make a right fine meal for the King! They're HUGE!
ANGRY DWARF: We got a problem... we din't bring fishin poles.. or bait!
BLASTY DWARF (who is of course part of a mortar team): Oh, that in't such a problem...
** BLASTY and the other mortar crew pound shells over a ridge down on the hapless murlocs, who are caught by surprise and are torn to shreds, except for BRINE, who manages to survive since he was on the outer edge of the blast area and runs away. **
___________
TO make a longish story shorter, BRINE decides to rally the heros of the four great murloc tribes to avenge his eaten family. He has to fight through forest creeps, and maybe a small human / orc outpost along the way to the spread out murloc tribal pools. Once he's assembled the group of heros and their allies (normal units who will not carry over to the later act, but will be handy during this act), they head off to storm the dwarf caves. Hijinks ensue. Dialogue to be determined later.
__________
** BRINE finds himself outside the gate to a large human town. If he enters, a cutscene ensues and the following takes place... **
BRINE: Perhaps we can find something to aid our cause here among the human dwellings.
** a WOMAN is standing just inside the gates **
BRINE: Hello, human.
WOMAN: AAH! (startled) A talkin' fish! (increasingly troubled) w..w..why tha's even worse 'an the talkin' cow from yesterday! ** she runs off **
** BRINE and whatever murlocs are with him then march into the town proper and control is returned to the player. As they pass by the numerous townsfolk, the townies run away in terror shouting some of the following as they flee **
TOWNIE: Fishmen! Fishmen!!
TOWNIE: man-fishes! MAN-FISHES!
TOWNIE: Oh no... not again...
TOWNIE: Mother! Father! The fish are coming!
** BRINE and co. can find various powerup chests in the town if you think its necessary. Eventually, BRINE will come across his old pals BILLY and SAMWISE, now all grown up. BILLY is a paladin, and in response to the ruckus caused by the fleeing villagers, he will seek out the source of the disturbance (BRINE) after a minute or two. When he runs into BRINE, the following conversation ensues: **
BILLY (labelled as SIR WILLIAM): Halt! You there. Fishman.
BRINE: Yes, paladin?
BILLY: (taken aback a bit) You... speak the common tongue? (thoughtfully) I've only ever known one murloc with such skills... (with authority) Who are you and what brings you and your ilk to my town?
** The player will be presented with a simple two answer dialogue tree to pick a resoponse from: **
RESPONSE 1: "Out of my way human! I have dwarves to kill!"
** This response yields a fight with SIR WILLIAM, who is a very tough foe. **
BRINE: Out of my way human! I have dwarves to kill!
SIR WILLIAM: Stand down, miscreant, or you'll taste my hammer.
BRINE: (grunts in Murloc, with translated dialogue text reading: "He seeks to stop us! Destroy him!")
** They fight, and when BRINE's party inevitably previals, SIR WILLIAM drops a nice a hero item as a reward for their bloodthirsty violence. **
BRINE: (grunts in Murloc, with translated dialogue text reading: "We move on. More humans will come soon to stop us if we stay.")
** Indeed, if they linger around, more human patrols harrass them. The humans won't follow them out of town, though. **
RESPONSE 2: "I am BRINE. I once knew humans... two humans..."
** This response nets SIR WILLIAM as a party member to help BRINE along and leads to the chance to acquire SAMWISE as well, both occurring after the follwing exchange: **
BRINE: I am BRINE. I once knew humans... two humans...
SIR WILLIAM: BRINE... it can't be... after all these years? You're still alive? HAH! It is I, SIR WILLIAM! ah... well, you knew me as BILLY, actually. (chuckling) I was much smaller then.
BRINE: BILLY? (pauses) But... why did you leave and not come to teach and play with me any more? You and brother SAM disappeared and never came back!
SIR WILLIAM: I'm... so sorry. Mother and father decided to send us to the academy. SAM went to study magic, and I to learn the ways of the paladin. After we graduated, we were called into duty... one battle after another... one enemy after the next. The fighting never ceases for long. When I get the chance, though, I come back here to keep order and make sure justice is served.
BRINE: I seek justice as well. Seven dwarves have murdered my family and friends. I hunt them even now.
SIR WILLIAM: ...Murdered?
___________
ACT 3 (using the DWARVEN STRONGHOLD)
(BRINE seeks his revenge in the dwarven caves)
** During Act 3, Brine will enter the dwarven caves to hunt down and take his revenge on the dwarves that slaughtered his family and friends. He may take pains to avoid killing other dwarves along they way unless they're attacking him as well. **
** BRINE will find information from dwarves in the caves that lead him to sub-level entrances (seperate maps like in the TFT orc campaign) which are arena-like rooms that the dwarves live in. Defeating each of the seven dwarves yields a unique trophy item. **
BRINE: You are one of those who slew my people!
ANGRY: (startled) Wha... you c'n talk? Well tha's a first.
BRINE: Now you shall pay for your transgressions!
ANGRY: (angrily) I aven't transgressed on nobody! Least of all, you! I'da remembered you, I think... what with the talkin' and all! Why din't you speak up when we blasted yer 'people' ta bits, eh? Ya fin-headed coward. What've ya got ta say to -that-?
BRINE: ... (silence)
ANGRY: Are ye waterlogged, fishface? Got seaweed stuck in yer ears? Unless yeh really -are- such a coward, face me one on one! Fish to dwarf!
BRINE: So be it.
** BRINE then engages ANGRY in one on one combat. With some luck we can concoct an entertaining battle that makes use of the terrain and each characters' spells. **
** At the end of Act 3, after defeating all seven of his targets, Brine will encounter King Under The Smallish Hill in his throne room. **
BRINE: You! Dwarf King! Why did you order your soldiers to attack my family?!?
KING UTSH: (nervously) I did no such thing! Who among my subjects perpetrated such a vile act?
BRINE: The one called ANGRY! ...and AXEY! ...along with...er... CHOPSEY.. or whatever his name was. And those ones with the cannons! You are their ruler! You are at fault as well!
KING UTSH: Those blunderers? I only told them to get me some dinner! Not to start a war with angry fish men! Wait a minute... fish men? I... ugh... may be sick...
BRINE: (ponders this revelation and puts two and two together) ... dinner... fish men... oh, no...
BRINE: (pointedly) Sooooo... HUNGRY, you were? Well, I am a chef of great repute among my people. Please, oh magnificent King, let me cook you a meal!
KING UTSH: This meal you offer doesn't involve me boiling in a stew of my own juices, does it?
BRINE: Oh, no, marvellous King. Not YOU... not at all. No no no. *turns to his soldiers* Make sure the King remains safe while I prepare his feast.
** BRINE stalks off camera, leaving the throne room. 'Time passes' shows on the screen, then he returns. It would be neat if he appeared to be carrying a plate, which he then gives to KING UTSH **
KING UTSH: This... smells quite delicious! *eating noises* Yes... not bad at all! What do you call this fabulous delicacy?
BRINE: Oh King Under The Smallish Hill, I have named the dish "Soylent Dwarf". I created it only today, -specifically- with you in mind.
KING UTSH: *still eating noisily* What is it made of... WAIT. On second thought I'd rather not know. Just bring me more. MORE!
BRINE: With pleasure, your majesty! With pleasure! HAHAHhahahahahaha.
** the scene fades to black as BRINE stalks off out of the throne room again, and the words 'THE END' appear and a final dark, quirky musical phrase intones **
The following is the unfinished script to DOTF, with notes for the mapmaker (Darky) included. It's got a beginning and end, but parts of the middle need fleshed out. Nevertheless, it may amuse you. If you want to wait until the campaign releases (should that ever occur) and like being surprised, don't read it... but here it is if you'd like to read it.
**** SPOLIERS START HERE ****
"DAY OF THE FISH"
TWO maps will be needed. One (the DWARVEN STRONGHOLD) will utilize the undeground indoor catacomb tileset seen in the Night Elf mission where the player rescues Illdain, and the other (THE OUTDOOR FORESTLANDS) will use the typical Lordaeron forest tileset.
ACT 1 (using the DWARVEN STRONGHOLD)
(a short cinematic mission which sets up the story)
** the camera settles on a throne room deep within the catacombs. The room is littered with treasure. In the room are two DWARVES **
KING UNDER THE SMALLISH HILL: "Ahrrr. All I ever get to eat down here is tunnel rat! Roasted tunnel rat. Stewed Tunnel Rat. Boiled tunnel rat! AHRR! I can stand no more! I am a king, and I demand something new and extravagant to fill my belly!
DAWRF ADVISOR: Great and wise King Under The Smallish Hill, tunnel rats are the only animals in our realm that have enough meat on their scrawny bones to sustain us! Alas, all of our below-ground lightless farming experiments have been failures... And don't even get me started on Bilbor's "all mushroom diet". That one had us wandering around in a daze for weeks! If...
KING UTSH: SILENCE! Your ceaseless prattling about our culinary ineptness vexes me! What use is it being King if I cannot even eat a decent meal? You must find me something NEW and EXOTIC to dine on! Tunnel rats are not a meal fit for... tunnel rats, much less a Dwarven Lord!
DWARF ADVISOR: Why, to find anything else we would need to go...
KING UTSH: OUTSIDE! Yes, outside our halls into the wretched forests of trolls and men. Gather seven of our finest warriors and send them in search of my supper!
DWARF ADVISOR: Yes, oh magnificent King Under The Smallish Hill. Right Away.
** the ADVISOR scurries off and after a second or two, the text '... a bit later' appears on the screen. The ADVISOR returns with 7 DWARVES in tow. They consist of two Mountain King units (AXEY and CHOPPY), one rifleman (ANGRY), and 2 mortar teams (BLASTY & BOMBUR, and LONG ROUND & SHORT ROUND) **
KING UTSH: THESE are the best you have to offer? Look at them. What a pathetic, scraggly lot. This rabble isn't fit to staff a dwarf tossing team, much less find me a meal!
DWARF ADVISOR: Apologies, sire, but your seven -best- men haven't been seen since they went off to help that pretty girl escape her wicked stepmother... These will have to do.
KING UTSH: Very well then... hurry up and go! I'm getting hungry.
ACT 2 (using the FOREST map)
(BRINE is introduced and gathers his forces)
** The scene opens with a lone wizard by the base of a waterfall. He looks around for a moment before saying- **
WIZARD: "Hmm, yes. This is as good a place as any. These spoiled potions have got to go!"
** WIZARD dumps a load of magical potions into the water, and all manner of spell effects go off **
WIZARD: "Like I'm going to pay the city a Magical Waste Disposal Fee when I can just dump 'em in the river. HAH!"
** WIZARD walks away, but the camera stays focused on the pool where the spell effects are finally subsiding **
NARRATOR: Unbeknownst to the wizard, his casual disregard for civic authority would have long reaching consequences. Swimming in the limpid pool he so callously befouled was a baby murloc, barely bigger than a tadpole. The rotten spell components reacted with one another, producing.... unexpected results.
** screen fades to black, then the scene shifts to a grassy field some distance away, where a small murloc and two human boys are playing happily **
MURLOC (BRINE): Haha! You're 'it'! You're 'it'! *he runs up to the boy and 'tags' him*
BOY: No way fishface! I'll get you! Hahaha!
** they all chase around a bit, until... **
WOMAN (offscreen): Billy! Samwise!? Where have you scamps run off to?
** they all stop playing **
BILLY: Uh oh! Mom's coming. You'd better go, BRINE. She prob'ly wouln't unnerstan' us playin' with you!
BRINE: Ok BILLY, I'll go back to the pond now. See you again tomorrow?
SAMWISE: Yeah, bye! We'll be back t'morrow!
** the kids run off in one direction and BRINE in the other **
NARRATOR: And so it went for some time. The strange magic BRINE had been exposed to had granted him an amazing intellect... by murloc standards, anyway. The children secretly taught him lessons they had learned in school until one day their visits abruptly stopped. Having learned all that he could from humans, BRINE tried in turn to educate his own people.
** scene fades out and jumps to the large river basin pool that will be visited later when the DWARVES try to make a meal of BRINE and his folk. BRINE is standing in front of and facing a large group of murlocs **
BRINE: (BRINE speaks now in gutteral murloc language. The text below appears as- TRANSLATION: Come on, you all can say it with me... Humanspeak is not that difficult... )
MURLOCS: (grunting)
BRINE: (in english) Sir...
MURLOCS: (in grunted, mangled english-ish words) Srrrrrr...
BRINE: ... please remove ....
MURLOCS: PZZZZ rurrrrmvvvvv
BRINE: ... your hook ...
MURLOCS: yrrrr wHUK
BRINE: ... from my mouth.
MURLOCS: FRrrr muhhh mmmmuth.
NARRATOR: Progress was slow, but BRINE was happy, and he persisted in his efforts to enlighten his hapless bretheren. All was well, more or less, until one day...
** the scene again fades and moves to the extreme north of the map **
The next sequence will be a gameplay one. The party of 7 dwarves from the intro appears at the mouth of a cave (on the top edge of the map) and heads out.
ANGRY DWARF: Well, we'd best be goin
** DWARVEN TRAVEL SONG **
(before the lyrics start, the dwarves will chant this a bit)
Hey-yo ... Hey-yo
Chorus
Hey-yo, hey-yo
Its off to the forest on a search we go
Got to find the king something good to eat
Or he'll have us ground into fresh dwarf meat!
Hey-yo, hey-yo hey-yo hey-yo!
** As the dwarves traverse the forest, they will encounter several bands of creeps of varying challenge and as they maul each one, they try to cook them and decide they aren't worthy of bringing back, with some hopefully clever dialogue at each sequence. The northern half of the map (or at least the part where the creep battles take place) should be seperated from the area where Brine and the murlocs are frolicking in the river, maybe by some dense forest that the players woudn't typically think to try to cut through. Mainly I'd want it this way so they don't stumble onto the murloc scene before it's time. **
** The dwarves fight: **
- MUD GOLEMS (after defeating them, the following conversation takes place)
ANGRY: Bah! Well, sure an' we can't bring THESE back to the King!
AXEY: Well... we could make him... umm... mud pies!
ANGRY: King's don't eat dirt! Move on out men!
- FOREST TROLLS
ANGRY: Ach. 'as any o'you ever tried to cook one o'these things?
BLASTY: They look all greasy an' tough an' full o'gristle.
ANGRY: Hmmm. Even so, we should fry 'em up an' see if they're good eatin.
** The scene shows them start a fire and gather round it, perhaps making eating noises. It then fades out and the words 'the next morning' appear before fading back in **
ANGRY: OOOOhhhhhhhh me belly....
CHOPPY: Whoulgh! Aggh.
LONG ROUND: I'm NEVER eatin' that again.
AXEY: Tha' troll meat won't make the king happy... It'll make him dead!
ANGRY: urr. I'll keep that in mind.
** the scene then fades out and 'later' appears on the screen before the dwarves move on **
ANGRY: All right, then. Lets move on.
- KOBOLDS (they fight a big swarm of them)
ANGRY: These things are hardly bigger 'an the rats we -been- eatin'!
AXEY: *CRUNCH* Mrmmm. Don't taste no better, neither.
ANGRY: Blast! There's got to be somethin' worth eatin' around here. Come on, then. Lets go.
** If you have more ideas for creep encounters, we can work them in pretty easily. **
** After the creep encounters are done, the screen fades and the dwarves appear on the other side of the dense forest to the north of where Brine and his murloc buddies are. **
ANGRY DWARF: We 'aven't found -anything- ! The King'll spill our guts an' eat our gizzards if we don't come back with SOMEthing. We have ta search further out. Mebbe there's somethin through this forest. It's too thick for us to pass through, though...
CHOPPY: Ah, stan' back, ya whiner! I'll -chop- us a path.
AXEY: Nay! Let ME and my axe have at em... lousy trees! Always growin' in our way.
** Suddenly and without warning, BLASTY fires off a round into the forest that clears a small patch. All the other dwarves jump back and exclaim a 'whoa' or some such thing. **
BLASTY: You'd best let the -professionals- handle this. Step away!
** BLASTY & BOMBUR, and LONG ROUND & SHORT ROUND proceed to blow the crap out of the forest and clear a wide swath through it, which the dwarves march through. On the other side, they happen upon a river, in which are situated a large number of murlocs. Inlcuding BRINE, our hero. **
AXEY DWARF: Lookit the size o them fishes!
CHOPPY DWARF: Ohhh! They'll make a right fine meal for the King! They're HUGE!
ANGRY DWARF: We got a problem... we din't bring fishin poles.. or bait!
BLASTY DWARF (who is of course part of a mortar team): Oh, that in't such a problem...
** BLASTY and the other mortar crew pound shells over a ridge down on the hapless murlocs, who are caught by surprise and are torn to shreds, except for BRINE, who manages to survive since he was on the outer edge of the blast area and runs away. **
___________
TO make a longish story shorter, BRINE decides to rally the heros of the four great murloc tribes to avenge his eaten family. He has to fight through forest creeps, and maybe a small human / orc outpost along the way to the spread out murloc tribal pools. Once he's assembled the group of heros and their allies (normal units who will not carry over to the later act, but will be handy during this act), they head off to storm the dwarf caves. Hijinks ensue. Dialogue to be determined later.
__________
** BRINE finds himself outside the gate to a large human town. If he enters, a cutscene ensues and the following takes place... **
BRINE: Perhaps we can find something to aid our cause here among the human dwellings.
** a WOMAN is standing just inside the gates **
BRINE: Hello, human.
WOMAN: AAH! (startled) A talkin' fish! (increasingly troubled) w..w..why tha's even worse 'an the talkin' cow from yesterday! ** she runs off **
** BRINE and whatever murlocs are with him then march into the town proper and control is returned to the player. As they pass by the numerous townsfolk, the townies run away in terror shouting some of the following as they flee **
TOWNIE: Fishmen! Fishmen!!
TOWNIE: man-fishes! MAN-FISHES!
TOWNIE: Oh no... not again...
TOWNIE: Mother! Father! The fish are coming!
** BRINE and co. can find various powerup chests in the town if you think its necessary. Eventually, BRINE will come across his old pals BILLY and SAMWISE, now all grown up. BILLY is a paladin, and in response to the ruckus caused by the fleeing villagers, he will seek out the source of the disturbance (BRINE) after a minute or two. When he runs into BRINE, the following conversation ensues: **
BILLY (labelled as SIR WILLIAM): Halt! You there. Fishman.
BRINE: Yes, paladin?
BILLY: (taken aback a bit) You... speak the common tongue? (thoughtfully) I've only ever known one murloc with such skills... (with authority) Who are you and what brings you and your ilk to my town?
** The player will be presented with a simple two answer dialogue tree to pick a resoponse from: **
RESPONSE 1: "Out of my way human! I have dwarves to kill!"
** This response yields a fight with SIR WILLIAM, who is a very tough foe. **
BRINE: Out of my way human! I have dwarves to kill!
SIR WILLIAM: Stand down, miscreant, or you'll taste my hammer.
BRINE: (grunts in Murloc, with translated dialogue text reading: "He seeks to stop us! Destroy him!")
** They fight, and when BRINE's party inevitably previals, SIR WILLIAM drops a nice a hero item as a reward for their bloodthirsty violence. **
BRINE: (grunts in Murloc, with translated dialogue text reading: "We move on. More humans will come soon to stop us if we stay.")
** Indeed, if they linger around, more human patrols harrass them. The humans won't follow them out of town, though. **
RESPONSE 2: "I am BRINE. I once knew humans... two humans..."
** This response nets SIR WILLIAM as a party member to help BRINE along and leads to the chance to acquire SAMWISE as well, both occurring after the follwing exchange: **
BRINE: I am BRINE. I once knew humans... two humans...
SIR WILLIAM: BRINE... it can't be... after all these years? You're still alive? HAH! It is I, SIR WILLIAM! ah... well, you knew me as BILLY, actually. (chuckling) I was much smaller then.
BRINE: BILLY? (pauses) But... why did you leave and not come to teach and play with me any more? You and brother SAM disappeared and never came back!
SIR WILLIAM: I'm... so sorry. Mother and father decided to send us to the academy. SAM went to study magic, and I to learn the ways of the paladin. After we graduated, we were called into duty... one battle after another... one enemy after the next. The fighting never ceases for long. When I get the chance, though, I come back here to keep order and make sure justice is served.
BRINE: I seek justice as well. Seven dwarves have murdered my family and friends. I hunt them even now.
SIR WILLIAM: ...Murdered?
___________
ACT 3 (using the DWARVEN STRONGHOLD)
(BRINE seeks his revenge in the dwarven caves)
** During Act 3, Brine will enter the dwarven caves to hunt down and take his revenge on the dwarves that slaughtered his family and friends. He may take pains to avoid killing other dwarves along they way unless they're attacking him as well. **
** BRINE will find information from dwarves in the caves that lead him to sub-level entrances (seperate maps like in the TFT orc campaign) which are arena-like rooms that the dwarves live in. Defeating each of the seven dwarves yields a unique trophy item. **
BRINE: You are one of those who slew my people!
ANGRY: (startled) Wha... you c'n talk? Well tha's a first.
BRINE: Now you shall pay for your transgressions!
ANGRY: (angrily) I aven't transgressed on nobody! Least of all, you! I'da remembered you, I think... what with the talkin' and all! Why din't you speak up when we blasted yer 'people' ta bits, eh? Ya fin-headed coward. What've ya got ta say to -that-?
BRINE: ... (silence)
ANGRY: Are ye waterlogged, fishface? Got seaweed stuck in yer ears? Unless yeh really -are- such a coward, face me one on one! Fish to dwarf!
BRINE: So be it.
** BRINE then engages ANGRY in one on one combat. With some luck we can concoct an entertaining battle that makes use of the terrain and each characters' spells. **
** At the end of Act 3, after defeating all seven of his targets, Brine will encounter King Under The Smallish Hill in his throne room. **
BRINE: You! Dwarf King! Why did you order your soldiers to attack my family?!?
KING UTSH: (nervously) I did no such thing! Who among my subjects perpetrated such a vile act?
BRINE: The one called ANGRY! ...and AXEY! ...along with...er... CHOPSEY.. or whatever his name was. And those ones with the cannons! You are their ruler! You are at fault as well!
KING UTSH: Those blunderers? I only told them to get me some dinner! Not to start a war with angry fish men! Wait a minute... fish men? I... ugh... may be sick...
BRINE: (ponders this revelation and puts two and two together) ... dinner... fish men... oh, no...
BRINE: (pointedly) Sooooo... HUNGRY, you were? Well, I am a chef of great repute among my people. Please, oh magnificent King, let me cook you a meal!
KING UTSH: This meal you offer doesn't involve me boiling in a stew of my own juices, does it?
BRINE: Oh, no, marvellous King. Not YOU... not at all. No no no. *turns to his soldiers* Make sure the King remains safe while I prepare his feast.
** BRINE stalks off camera, leaving the throne room. 'Time passes' shows on the screen, then he returns. It would be neat if he appeared to be carrying a plate, which he then gives to KING UTSH **
KING UTSH: This... smells quite delicious! *eating noises* Yes... not bad at all! What do you call this fabulous delicacy?
BRINE: Oh King Under The Smallish Hill, I have named the dish "Soylent Dwarf". I created it only today, -specifically- with you in mind.
KING UTSH: *still eating noisily* What is it made of... WAIT. On second thought I'd rather not know. Just bring me more. MORE!
BRINE: With pleasure, your majesty! With pleasure! HAHAHhahahahahaha.
** the scene fades to black as BRINE stalks off out of the throne room again, and the words 'THE END' appear and a final dark, quirky musical phrase intones **
