Medivo - The Loose Ends

BrikWars fiction in long-prose form. Trigger warning: Walls of text

Moderators: The Shadowscythe, Quantumsurfer

Post Reply
User avatar
Zahru II
I kinda like it if the lady's dominant...
I kinda like it if the lady's dominant...
Posts: 4462
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:22 am
Contact:

Medivo - The Loose Ends

Post by Zahru II » Mon Jan 23, 2023 4:29 am

I've been doing a bit of housekeeping with my lego collection, which got me thinking about the old battles and campaigns hosted here. At the time the access window to my tabletop lego projects had dwindled significantly due to life stuff, which led to me abandoning several narrative threads. I think the idea was to put these stories on ice then revisit them later on. Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to do so, but the story beats have been rattling inside my head all along. So I figured that if anything, I could provide a rough outline of the three micro-arcs that went nowhere and address the last story interlude.
Originally, Call of the North, The Serpent Rising, Cry of the Amazon and Echo from the Past would’ve all consisted of 3-3 battles each, culminating in a 12-episode anthology campaign I liked to refer to as ‘The Four Corners’. The intent was to increase the scale and scope of the setting and provide world-building beyond the somewhat stale three-axis conflict of good guys/orks/undead.

The Serpent Rising

TSR was the introductory micro-arc that would have served as the prologue/preamble to the 4th major story arc on Medivo, where the existing factions would have joined in the conflict on The Dragon Isles. Despite such lofty ambitions, this is probably one of the more undercooked campaigns as I recall very little of it. It was supposed to be a more of an introductory series of battles to present the heroes and factions of the new setting. I think the Red Ronin/Jubei was supposed to be an anti-hero sort of character instead of a villain, however his motives would only become clear after he was defeated by Ryusei. Plot details get a little murky from here, I think I had two competing story beats in mind, but maybe one would’ve linked to the other as the story developed. Anyhow, the two major plot arcs were the following:

A: Jubei’s insurrection was justified as the Dragon Emperor was in fact a villain all along. Ryusei and Thao Zu would’ve switched sides in order to overthrow the corrupted leader.

B: The insurrectionists were led by an evil sorcerer, who managed to drive his forces into either the Emperor’s palace or another significant location/shrine where he would’ve summoned a ghost army to bolster his forces. However…
It turns out the spirit realm the sorcerer tapped into was the same space Xalen and Warlock had warped away during the climax of Shatterpoint! Arriving at the spirit realm with the amplifier on the cusp of exploding would’ve resulted in the torrent of necrotic magic washing over the place, perverting what was essentially tranquil afterlife for thousands of souls into a desolate realm of the damned. Both Warlock and Xalen would’ve been transfigured by the dark magic into ghoulish shadows of their former selves, giving an edge to the former due to his expertise in necromancy and binding Xalen to his bidding.
The newly unsealed Warlock would’ve easily dispatched the renegade sorcerer and become the true villain of the larger Dragon Isles storyarc, with Xalen returning as a revenant anti-hero trying to either free himself from the curse or take Warlock down with him. I think the climactic battle would’ve taken place around a whirlpool of necrotic energies as the combined forces of good would try and subdue the mad ambitions of the undead.

I was initially rather enthusiastic about this campaign idea and delivering an appetizer for it in the form of TSR. However, I found myself soured on the concept increasingly. The "Asia-themed expansion" is a really trite fantasy cliché, and quite frankly I am unsure if I could’ve done the setting the proper presentation it would have deserved. Furthermore, making the ghost faction’s origins (intentional or not) allude to real-life events was probably not the most tasteful idea, so I’m glad that got caught before shipping. I do not think it would be impossible to do this sort of story justice, but I am also not sure if it is a story that is needed to be told as part of the larger Medivo canon.

Cry of the Amazon

The goal of CotA was to present two new factions in the form of the Soleki Empire and the Warbands of Mythakos, with the elves acting as the PoV faction in terms of familiar faces. The story kicked off with a fairly standard mystery: an abandoned border post and a new threat that is more than capable of giving the elves a run for their money. The follow-up battles would have involved the elves having to escape through an ancient portal to the nearby island of Mythakos, where they would find the MiA amazons and form a temporary alliance to push out the pursuing Soleki. I always intended the Mythakos to evoke the idea of the Gaia theory, meaning that the island’s inhabitants were so attuned to their homeland there was no need for militarization. Either through collective consciousness or through the land directly, the various mythical creatures would sense encroaching danger and band together to push it back, making the force less of a traditional army and more like white blood cells. Even though the intent was to end on a Soleki defeat, this would not have been the last we’d see of the reptilians – they were more of a bit-sized sampler of a future axis of conflict and thus most likely receive a flat villainous characterization.
CotA would have ended in a true Greek tragic fashion, with victory celebrations cut short by the Mythakans turning on the elves, paralleling the same isolationist hubris that brought the initial conflict upon themselves. It would’ve also shown the more sinister edge of the Mythakan collective spirit, having fully assimilated the previously elf-aligned amazons to the point where they would raise weapons on their former brethren without question.

Echo from the Past

EftP was essentially the epilogue to the Falx Invasion and it also would’ve set up the Talonclaw faction. Also the idea of the new-old Dragontalon/Drakhirri forces fighting against the surviving Falx had the added benefit of serving as a pseudo-reenactment of the Unification War which so far had only been referenced in text. Battle 2 would’ve culminated in a wizard duel between Lyra and Isabella, with Lyra revealing herself to be the daughter of Gallikronn and, as such, also a dragon. She took control of the Drakhirri with the help of Aurelius to crush Isabella and her people as she believed her father died due to Falx. In truth, Isabella and Gallikronn were allies, but the Falx leader’s word would reach on the deaf ears of the vengeance-fueled dragon. Lyra’s killing blow would’ve been intercepted by Guillaume, whose sacrifice would’ve made the girl snap out of it. Overwhelmed with remorse, the two talk, Isabella finally able to tell her truth. Just as Lyra learns that she’s been on the warpath against her father’s ally, Aurelius emerges, ready to cut her down as a traitor… only to eat a lightning blast from Isabella and dissolve into a pile of bones and ash!
As it turns out, Lyra was purposefully mislead by the undead, who provided the Dragontalon forces which were merely revenants and ghouls concealed by powerful illusion magic. The Cult of the Corrupted aimed to wipe both factions out this way. Having been exposed, they dropped the act and moved onto the offensive, leading to the final battle.
Battle 3 would’ve involved Isabella and Lyra (in dragon form) combining their forces to fight off the undead. This was essentially the first battle to include the complete Talonclaw faction, although forces would’ve been split to make sure multiple people could participate.
Ultimately, with the Falx and Drakhirri rising victorious, Lyra is put to trial for her crimes but ends up spared by Isabella. By destroying the fake Aurelius, Isabella bested the faction’s head and became their new leader. Her mercy would also indebt Lyra to her service. With these newfound allies and the Empire failing to meaningfully aid throughout the crisis (although this was mostly due to factors outside of their control), Isabella announces the merge of the two factions into Talonclaw and declare their secession from the Empire, putting a major dent in the unified human kingdom that would serve as future points of friction between the two armies. As you could tell, this was probably the most fleshed out idea of the three.

The Slayer Returns

Even though I was satisfied with the photography and the storytelling of this interlude, realistically, it was always an awful idea. Having the author’s insert be an active participant in the main plot never sat well with me and it would’ve warped the story around itself over time. This one I prefer to keep in the realm of pseudocanon, or as a metanarrative that is shared as a story in the camps of Imperial troops, making it their equivalent of the WW2 Superman comics.

What is next?

Honestly, no idea, and there is still a lot left unanswered, including the fate of Albrecht, who we left off on a one-man war against the undead chain command and so on. Ultimately I think you could chalk it up to genre fatigue and the fact that of me growing weary of the idea of a war without end. Cool and flashy as it may be on a moment to moment basis, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the soul-crushing bleakness of a reality it represented once one peered beyond its optimistic and noblebright veil. Regardless, I love the setting, and I think they deserved peace after half a decade’s worth of conflict. Call me a sap for all I care.

Later on, I threw together a techno-fantasy army in the form of the Hammerheart. Within a year of its creation, lego released their official equivalent. It is rare to feel this directly catered to, let alone twice in a lifetime (with fantasy castle being the first). I think if I were to ever consider story-focused gameplay again, it would be a mix of the two eras. I’m not sure how that would work out, but it is fascinating to ideate about whenever I have a little time to kill.
Whatever may lie ahead, thanks for reading this. Thank you if you ever participated in any of the games, or if any of Medivo inspired you in one way or another with your ideas or MOCs. The thread can also double as a Q&A section if anybody wants to ask about stuff I might've glossed over.
Image
My stuff: Medivo / Armylists / Battles / SPACE

User avatar
Quantumsurfer
Thank god for Kool-Aid™
Thank god for Kool-Aid™
Posts: 2532
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 5:27 pm

Re: Medivo - The Loose Ends

Post by Quantumsurfer » Mon Jan 23, 2023 2:42 pm

I think it's good that you've gotten the chance to address these things. There are loads of good ideas stuffed in here and where they withered on the vine, I think it seems pretty clear why now you've examined them. It's rare to have that kind of insight, I think, and it can only make you a stronger storyteller in the future.

There's maybe a lot of people who have moved on from the forum who I know would nevertheless find this a fascinating read and find some catharsis in it, so I hope you got some good closure from some of these things.

Thanks for the gift of your thoughts. It's easy to think these stories just appear out of thin air and difficult to know all the background work that goes into them. Even if that background was just ideas tumbling around in the creator's skull for years on end, it'd still be a lot.

Here's to the process of creation and inspiration that drives evergreen stories.

User avatar
Joshua
Cannon Fodder
Posts: 396
Joined: Wed May 12, 2021 6:07 pm
Location: Ravenously consuming a bottle of vodka

Re: Medivo - The Loose Ends

Post by Joshua » Tue Jan 24, 2023 10:59 am

:shock:

Zahru finally did the one thing I've been wanting him to do?!?
Ever since I first read through your Medivo saga, I've wished you would have wrapped up these loose stories.

You were one of the main inspirations that lead me to create my own medieval story, so thanks for inspiring me!
Remember, as a wise man once said: "Nihil Est Quod Videtur"

User avatar
Dienekes22
Cannon Fodder
Posts: 364
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2012 7:40 pm
Location: Des Moines, IA

Re: Medivo - The Loose Ends

Post by Dienekes22 » Wed Jan 25, 2023 3:03 pm

This is a good thread and I’m glad you’ve put it together. I’ve always been a fan of your Medivo stories, and still today I scroll though your Encyclopedia Medivo thread for inspiration.
stubby wrote:Oh man, look at these guys. Beautiful units, photos in focus, appropriately cropped, white background... what if I remove all the current photos from the rulebook and just replace everything with these
Contest Badges
Show
ImageImageImage
ImageImage
Image
Medivo factions - Medivo Forum Battles
Sci-Fi Factions -

User avatar
Duerer
Forum Champion 2016-2017
Forum Champion 2016-2017
Posts: 2907
Joined: Sat May 03, 2014 11:22 am

Re: Medivo - The Loose Ends

Post by Duerer » Wed Jan 25, 2023 3:15 pm

Zahru II wrote:
Mon Jan 23, 2023 4:29 am
Furthermore, making the ghost faction’s origins (intentional or not) allude to real-life events was probably not the most tasteful idea, so I’m glad that got caught before shipping. I do not think it would be impossible to do this sort of story justice, but I am also not sure if it is a story that is needed to be told as part of the larger Medivo canon.
Oh hey, that's pretty much my entire pre-Ragnablok repertoire!
Winning Contest Entries
Show
ImageImageImageImageImageImage
Image
Battles and Stories and Stuff

Mr. President
Officer
Posts: 105
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 2:04 am
Location: West of the Unapproachable East

Re: Medivo - The Loose Ends

Post by Mr. President » Thu Jan 26, 2023 4:46 am

I remember reading a lot of these back in my long lurker phase. Medivo was an inspiration to me too, so thank you for posting this - it was very interesting!
Badges and stuff:
Spoiler
Show
Image

User avatar
Bragallot
MULTIPLE, SIMULTANEOUS AND DEVASTATING DEFENSIVE DEEP STRIKES!!!
Posts: 5367
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:00 pm
Location: Medivo

Re: Medivo - The Loose Ends

Post by Bragallot » Tue Apr 11, 2023 12:51 pm

I know it's been a while since you posted it and I did skim it back then but now I read it thoroughly, it's good to have some closure and I can definitely relate to a lot of the stuff you said here.

When you have less time down-scaling is probably preferable to up-scaling and feeling like you have this massive story that you need to complete. Focusing on isolated or smaller conflicts, even if they're technically part of a bigger conflict, is easier if you just wanna set up a game.

As for the minifigs deserving a rest, yeah, I've sorta felt that, at least in a (semi-)serious setting that makes sense. Even more importantly it's unrealistic that an all-out war could keep going on and on, war fatigue is a thing and eventually resources and troops would be spent.
Fantasy battles - Scifi battles
Kommander Ken wrote:
Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:04 pm
Wtf is this thread?

Post Reply