>TO-DO

- Defeat Ramsey
- Reclaim the Crown
- Kill Richard
- Become God
- Save the world
>LAST TIME ON DROWNED QUEST REDUX

You are meeting with Lucky, Monty, and Eloise on the subject of Jean Ramsey and her "Game," the murder-tournament she's been running for the last couple months. It seems that Ramsey has finally made her way back to the Corcass, and she intends to bring the Game with her.

In fact, Ramsey hasn't just made it to the Corcass: she bursts in through the door, all chummy, like she isn't a horrible mass murderer everybody hates. She shakes everybody's hand, except for yours: you take it upon yourself to assert your dominance. Unfortunately, Ramsey is unaffected by your powerful grip, and you're left to seethe as she makes her big announcement: she needs eight local "volunteers" to participate in the Game, lest she arbitrarily select them herself. Immediately, Lucky volunteers himself and seven Courtiers, but Ramsey dismisses this: she wants more variety in the contestants. In the end, she allows Lucky and three other Courtiers to volunteer, leaving four slots. You volunteer for one of those, and Monty volunteers for the other, meaning you have to recruit two more participants.

You invite Gil (obviously) and Earl-- your second pick after Fake Ellery, who *would* be usefully immortal. Unfortunately, you discover Fake Ellery in the doldrums, having met his real counterpart face-to-face while you weren't looking. Feeling bad for him, you task him with working on the Recharlottizator, then ring up Earl instead, who kills people for a living and is happy to help. This leaves you a little bit of time before the start of the Game, which you use to help Madrigal's efforts to reinforce Base Camp-- she's clearing out a big empty "arena" for people to fight in-- and to meet with Pat, who has a surprise for you. Apparently she's been cooking up a suit of armor for you! Granted, it's made of goo, but you'll take it. You thank Pat, apologize once and for all for wrecking Namway, and promise to bring Lester back from the dead once you're God.

And then the Game starts. Ramsey makes a big speech and installs all the new contestants with "tokens," gold coins with Ramsey's face onto them-- they burrow into the flesh, and apparently into your mind, so Ramsey can track your whereabouts. Wonderful. You pair off with Monty, reasoning that he has the most Game experience, and book it before the slaughter gets going.