One of the humans, geared as if for battle, marches before you and kneels. She then unsheathes a sword and presses it to the ground reverently, as is your due. She bows her head before speaking. “Great Fyreheral,” the knight intones. “I could not stand guard over your rest any longer. I have failed as your Claw.”

Ah. You remember the Order of the Claw. An organization dedicated utterly to your service, you founded it years before you laid down for deep sleep.

“My blood or my blade, my Lord,” she offers, “whatever your will, you shall have it.”

Another human steps forward. He’s oddly disfigured, but regally dressed. You can literally smell the magic on him from where you are – whoever he is, he’s not to be trifled with.

Instead of fear, awe, or reverence, the man’s tone contains sarcasm. “Get up,” he says, snapping a finger at the knight. “You can die on your own time.” He then turns his lidless gaze onto you. “Oh God,” he says. “You’re a Crimson Spine. And they’ve flown a Riverback on the banner for generations.” He makes an amused sound. “Anywho,” he continues casually, “the sad remnants of your kingdom’s council have decided to give you your crown back, Lord Fyreheral. I assume it’s proved too weighty for them to manage.”

>>14849520
>You’re a Crimson Spine. And they’ve flown a Riverback on the banner for generations
"What? I gave very specific instructions on that point. I am sorely disappointed that such a simple order could not be successfully carried out."

>>14849520

"Well, you look competent. Explain the current situation. How long have I been out?"

A third joins the group, clad in the fine apparel of court. He’s very old, but time hasn’t dulled his movement or thought.

>>14849551

"It's been so long that even the pages your words were recorded on have long since turned to dust, my Lord," he says. He casts his eyes downward and removes his hat before speaking further. “The royal line has proved… inadequate in the task you left for them, my Lord,” he says, explaining. “Only the might, wisdom, and power of a dragon – our dragon – has the chance of redeeming us from our current predicament.”

So I'm getting an enlightened dictator vibe about our character here.

Are there any others who look like they will come forward and speak?

So this is like Dead King's Quest?

>>14849628

Dead King's Quest + Dragon Quest = ?

I will watch this Quest closely and I hope that I will be able to put an awesome that the end of that equation.

A straight-backed man of duty strides up through the cave, flanked by military aids. A marshal. “The dragon of stories is up again, is he? Excellent!” He turns to one of the men at his side. “Inform the men. It would be awful to lose any to despair when triumph waits just ahead.”

The aide scurries off.

“Your majesty,” the Marshal announces, bowing.

>>14849561

The magical, deformed human claps his hands together. "One thousand five hundred and thirty three years, my liege, give or take a decade. Time flies while you're having fun dreaming, doesn't it."

[My upload speed is really slow, so bear with me. Also. I really like Mors' dead king questing. Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I'm going to try it out myself.]

“We didn’t want to bother you with our troubles,” says a hopeless man. He has a drawn face, thin build, and uniformly dark clothing. “But the land is in open revolt before its divinely appointed – that is, its draconically appointed – the descendent of the Regent you appointed!”

>>14849713
We will need to be apprised of what exactly the kingdom is facing. Also an update concerning present politics and the international scene.
Also if there's been any significant progress in science or technology.

You don't have to detail anything; just provide a bullet-point list about what troubles face the kingdom, and who our neighbors are and how they feel about us.

The magical, disfigured human gives a long, exaggerated sigh. “The old Regent was a capable man, but he had certain… deficiencies," he says.

"Several months ago, his beloved daughter decided she’d make a much better Regent, and so we had a civil war of sorts. We sided with the daughter of course. She’s young and will last longer,” he explains. “We were winning thoroughly despite being outnumbered, I assure you. A week ago, the old Regent died in tragic circumstances. The disreputable forces that sided with him, however, did not recognize our younger, prettier Regent as the rightful ruler. She was kidnapped yesterday, and now we’re stuck with a bit of a problem.”

>>14849737
Is the regent among this group? We will need to speak with them about their failure and our...disappointment.

OP, I don't know how well this will work, since being a dead skeletal king, there's not much we can do ourselves, but this is an enormous dragon.

"Oh, you've got bandits plaguing the south? FIRE BREATH. Rival nation stepping into our borders? FIRE BREATH! Shit's going wrong in any way? FIRE BREATH."

>>14849744

The Marshal takes liberty to answer your inquires. "Well, for starters," he says, "we've just won a civil war. Sort of. Few have had chance to plant with all the fighting. The other half of the people won't stop fighting though their cause is lost. But all will be well with you back, your Majesty!"

"Don't be a fool," says the Emissary. "Serasis and Dunland haven't annexed Lanifell yet because of the plague. Our people are ridden with it. No one wants to go to war only to come back with ill and dying, so for the time being, we're safe. On the downside, no one will conduct trade with us. Our coffers are bare, unless Lord Fyreheral decides to change the royal currency to cobwebs and spiders."

>Lanifell is destitute.
>Lanifell is smitten with a plague.
>Lanifell is in open revolt.
>Lanifell is barely fed.
>Serisis fears the plague!
>Dunland fears the plague!
>Traders fear the plague!
>Travelers fear the plague!

“The Archbishop promised aid,” the Emissary continues, “and the Church will intervene in time – but I wouldn’t give us a chance of living past tomorrow without your help. There are revolting masses of common men crashing against the front gate as we speak. We’ll be lucky if we last to this time tomorrow – there is little justice to be found with an angry mob. Circumstances would be hard pressed to be worse.”

>>14849878
Well, before we can give orders, we need to know what each of our advisors is capable of.
From the sounds of it, curing the plague and getting planting done so the peasantry have food will have to be our primary goals.
Our visible presence will hopefully be enough to stop the rebels.

>>14849768

Sounds like they're a bunch of nincompoops, to be honest.

We should eat the least useful looking one just to express this.

>>14849896

"Of course, my Lord," the Emissary says, inclining his head. "I was just getting to that."

He quickly describes for you all those present and not present, and their general roles.

>Dragonknight - Your Champion
>Marshal – Martial affairs
>Emissary – Political affairs
>Magister – Arcane dealings
>Artisan – Renowned scholar, artist, inventor
>Regent – Civic affairs
>Archbishop – Church aid

The old man bows. "I am the Royal Emissary of Lanifell, agent of the Regents. Though I will answer directly to you now that you're awake, my Lord."

> The Emissary is a man wise beyond his considerable years. He's served a few of your Regents during his life. His loyalty lies not with any person, but with the ruler of Lanifell, whoever or whatever it may be. He knows much of current politics and foreign affairs, and is an expert ambassador.

>>14849949
We need the Artisan to work on a cure for the plague. The Marshal will need to work with him to institute quarantine and clean zones to keep the epidemic from getting any worse.

The Emissary will need to attempt negotiations with the hold-outs and supporters of the old Regent.
We are back, and they will be offered clemency in exchange for laying down their arms and freeing the younger Regent.

Ask the Magister if he can magically aid crop production; otherwise he is to assist in finding a way to stop the plague.

As for the Dragonknight, she is to come with us as we get up and go and tell the mob outside to stop this nonsense and get back to work.

"Hello Lanifell; Daddy's home."

>>14849855

[Wouldn't that be something?]

>>14849992

Thank him for his assistance; ask him what the rest of your scaly kind has been up to?

Also, is the plague magical in nature, or natural? What's the religious affiliation for most nowadays? What is the Archbishop like?

The Marshal offers a wide smile and nods at you. "I'm the Marshal of Lanifell's military. The original commander, actually. So yes, I rebelled, but if you knew the old Regent like I did, you would have rebelled too, let me tell you."

He laughs nervously.

>The Marshal is a proper man with a proper notion of how things ought to be done. Forward thinking pushed him to disagree with the old Regent's stubborn methods. His chief interest is his men, and ensuring that Lanifell's military is the envy of its neighbors.

From what I hear Im standing in a room full of traitors. You had best tell me the reasons for your rebellion, and if they aren't what I'm looking for I'll show exactly what a freshly awoken dragon is capable of

The Artisan seems reluctant to speak. "I am a man of common birth, and upbringing," he finally mutters. His voice echoes in the cave. "But I have uncommon dreams, Lord Fyreheral, and with your support, I - we can do many uncommon things!"

>The Artisan grew up as a farmer. His beautiful, but crudely made sketches caught the eye of a noble, who took the boy in and paid for his education and world spanning travels. He's since painted several renowned pieces of art, designed castles and cathedrals, and builds curious machines and contraptions powered by water or wind.

>>14850170
From what they've been saying, it sounds like the old regent was running the kingdom into the ground.

"I'm the Magister," says the human that reeks of arcane energy. He curls a nonexistent lip. "I am at your disposal, Lord."

>The Magister does not possess the type of power that a wizard or sorcerer holds, but he is incredibly powerful. Save for alchemy, what the Magister can do is not very well documented or understood. He shares his past with none, but for some inexplicable reason, his loyalty belongs solely to Lanifell.

[Questions will be answered when I'm finished with these introductions.]

The seagull eyed the group auspiciously.

It had travalled far to be here, over vast sands and high mountains. The message it brought was not a happy one, but it had to be said.

*Squawk!*

The knight kneels on the ground in silence through all this, patiently awaiting your decree of whether or not her life is forfeit. The Order of the Claw knows well of the time a dragon can spend making a decision.

>The Dragonknight is a member of the Order of the Claw, your personal traditional military order. Her life is yours for all intents and purposes. Though the Dragonknight is unmatched in combat prowess, her true value comes from an unconventional objective-oriented mindset instilled in all Claws. Order five of them to solve a problem and you will see five wildly different solutions.

>>14850370
"Blast!" thought the gull, flying above the waves.
His efforts had been in vain, the humans had not spoken his tongue and it seemed that the gull's were on their own.

The gull glanced up as a shadow flicked accross his vision. It was one of his compatriots!

"What brings you this far, friend", he called.
"Sire, the Ravens of the northlands have massacered the nests of high falls" the fellow gull returned.

Shock entered our protaganists mind, it seemed all hope was lost, were the gull's defeated?

>>14850484
They reached the High Falls. It was a massacre. The bodies of the gulls litered the watery shores around the base of the falls.

"How could the Ravens... be so cruel" said the first gull, shaking his beak in disdain.

"They came without warning" said the second, "we stood no chance..."

>>14850550
"Well this gull won't stand by and do nothing!" said the first, "we fly to the northlands".

"But what can two gull do against an army of Ravens!?!"

"What we can my friend, what we can..."

>>14850592
The two were well into the northlands when they final met with the ravens, a great hoard of blackness, darkening the sky, rose to meet them.

"We may die this day, but we will die well *Squaaaaaaaaaaaawk*!!!"

With a great screech the dove into the Ravens, the fighting was, and though they fought well, the Ravens numbers were too many, and began to rip and tear at the gulls.

Was all hope lost?

The knight kneels on the ground in silence through all this, patiently awaiting your decree of whether or not her life is forfeit. The Order of the Claw knows well of the time a dragon can spend making a decision.

>The Dragonknight is a member of the Order of the Claw, your personal traditional military order. Her life is yours for all intents and purposes. Though the Dragonknight is unmatched in combat prowess, her true value comes from an unconventional objective-oriented mindset instilled in all Claws. Order five of them to solve a problem and you will see five wildly different solutions.

[Whoops, double post.]

>>14849992

The Emissary is surprised at your thanks. “I am glad to serve, my Lord,” he says. “It is my duty. I will always do what you deign needful.”

Your query about dragons causes him to think for a moment. “The mountainous Merdanin region entertains the only dragon I know of,” he says. “He is a great drain on the duchy’s resources. Your kind is thriving, know that, but a dragon’s time is not the time of man. My life has been long, but not that long, Lord Fyreheral.”

>Another member of your haphazard court might know more.

You ask all present about the plague.

“A simple mundane malady of the lungs,” says the Magister, “but very tenacious and infectious. It’s a rather interesting phenomenon, carried on the wind’s breath and on the rat’s back. It causes a charmingly blind delirium in its final stages which must be witness firsthand to adequately appreciate.”

Your query about religion is answered in kind by the Emissary. “The Church embraces those that believe in the God of Light. It wields considerable power in our realm, your Majesty. The Archbishop is a generous man interested in the welfare of all men. He will be of great service when he arrives.”

>>14850622

Dont you dare stop writing

>>14850622
Suddenly, the Ravens began to scatter and fall. The gulls looked around, for their saviours. Humans! Down on the ground!

The Gulls flew to meet them.

"But Marshall, why did you help us" Squawked the gull.

The Marshall holstered his crossbow and said:
"After the OP abandoned us, we had little choice"

THE END

>>14850622

This is actually pretty good.

>>14850624
Well, lets tell her to get up of course. "Rise, my loyal vassal, I would not dream of harming you. It was merely a test of your loyalty."

>>14850633
"Have we already established quarantines to try to keep the plague from spreading? If not, we need to do so. In addition, we should see the feasibility of sanitizing our cities of rats and their leavings..."

The Ravens Story, Chapter 1.

"Humans!" thought the Raven King as he and his forces retreated. So close to victory against the gull menace, a new foe had emerged. These humans lacked flight, but had firepower, a new strategy would be needed to tackle this gull/human alliance...

>>14850647
I lol'ed.

>>14850633
Reiterating my suggestions from >>14849997

>>14850682
In the throne room of the great nest, the Raven King sat with his advisors.

One Eye, the leader of his military.

Whore Spittle, the nest cleaner.

and Lord Charlington Darshtadly-Cruel, his economic adviser.

It was the beginning of a long night...

>>14850710
"Kill all of them!" Screeched one eye. Though being a veteran of many a campaign, he was true old-guard, and had never fought against a none avian presence.

"A full scale attack, press the advantage while we still can!" he screeched.

The king sighed "We have already lost the advantage One Eye, we need a new plan..."

>>14850746
"Someone think of the chicks!" interrupted Whore Spittle. "If we lose the war, what will become of our nest, what will become of our chicks!"

"See, she backs me!" said One Eye

"She's hysterical" replied the King, "plus she's a total whore."

>>14850674

“My loyalty is yours, Lord.” The knight stands instantly at your command. “I have studied your exploits, but I never expected to meet with you in person. Forgive me for guessing your mind.”

Before you attend to anymore business, you decide that a council of such pressing issues should be held in a chamber built for such meetings. You show the humans the passageway that leads into the main hall of the castle, much to their surprise.

>>14849997

Once there, you dole out assignments.

> You: The Marshal will need to work to institute quarantine and clean zones to keep the epidemic from getting any worse.

“Then I will be to it,” says the Marshal. “As soon as the mob outside is allayed, of course,” he amends.

>The Marshal will attempt to quarantine the disease at the first chance.

>You: We need the Artisan to work on a cure for the plague.

“I do not know of the body, save how to mimic it on a canvass or with clay,” the Artisan apologizes.

>You: The Emissary will need to attempt negotiations with the hold-outs and supporters of the old Regent. We are back, and they will be offered clemency in exchange for laying down their arms and freeing the younger Regent.

“Your leniency is… unexpected from one of your kind,” says the Emissary. “But not unwelcome. I will do as you instruct.

>Ask the Magister if he can magically aid crop production; otherwise he is to assist in finding a way to stop the plague.

The Magister yawns. “The weather is out of my reach. And though I could cure your plague, Lord Fyreheral, plagues run their courses on their own, and administering an antidote to an unruly peasantry is more trouble than it’s worth. Give me but a word and I will bring the masses to an understanding of your awakened rule.”

>The Magister may work on curing the plague.
>Alternatively, the Magister may terrorize the populace into a more passive state.

>You: As for the Dragonknight, she is to come with us as we get up and go and tell the mob outside to stop this nonsense and get back to work.

The knight nods silently, ready to depart at a moment’s notice.

this isn't the right thread is it?

>>14850811
"Gentlemen" the gravelike tone of Lord Charlington echoed through the throne nest. "The latest financial reports from the kingdom suggest that our economy can no longer afford to keep our army airborne."

"LIES" Screamed One Eye.

"I'm afraid not" continued Lord Charlington directing his attention towards the King "If we continue like this, the Kingdom will soon be bankrupt..."

>>14850868
Your out of your league, join the avian revolution or be detroyed.

>The Dragonknight will accompany you to handle immediate problems.
>The Marshal will attempt to isolate the plague and stop it from spreading.
>The Emissary will go to remnants of the old regime to offer clemency.
>The Magister is available.
>The Artisan is available
>The Regent is jailed.
>the Archbishop is en route.

>>14850868
As entertaining as terrorizing the populace may be, curing the plague has better long-term benefits.
The Magister is to still work on a cure; our supporters are to be given first pass of the cure, followed by any neutral peasantry, and lastly those rebels who have laid down their arms.

Since the Artisan cannot help with the epidemic, have him work on invetions and machines which can aid farmwork and help to increase crop yields.

Then we should get to quelling the mobs outside.

>>14850892
"Very well, release the frydbirds from their duty" ordered the king.

"What!" Screamed One-Eye

"To kill the humans, mere avian fighting skill will not be enough" replied the king "we will have to be more subtle"

"How do you mean" said Whore Spittle.

"What I mean is, that a small elite team may be able to succeed where an army has failed, General One Eye, assemble a squad of three of your best Ravens"

One Eye nodded, and the night ended...

>>14850952
I'll be back.

Another day.

Another thread.

>>14850921

The Magister shrugs at your order to work on a cure to the plague. “If that is your will, my Lord,” he says. He leaves for his study.

The Artisan, however, seems to regain some measure of calm at the request to design new agricultural tools. “I’ll call on all my muses, though I fear what I might accomplish won’t be as grand as you’d desire.” His words seem to be out of modesty, however, and he quickly excuses himself to get to the task.

We're a DRAGON, we want the Artisan to make a statue of us, and then make a scaled-down souvenir sized mold for when the tourism industry is running again. Because we're going to be the primary attraction until the economy is running properly again.

We need to find the regent, let's work on that personally with the Dragonknight. We're a fucking dragon, and she seems pretty competent.

>>14851116

[That's what the Dragonknight's task will be after you're done scattering the mob.]

>It has not yet been a year since your rise.
>It is Spring.

Word of your awakening spread slower than you might have liked after you and your knight scattered the crowd in front of the fortress - they took flight at the first sight of your form rising into the sky.

However, the suddenly restored order in the capitol did give your council leeway to set to the tasks you gave to them, if they required mobility.

The first of your court approaches...

[Sorry for the rocky start guys. I don't usually run games on imageboards. I'm having a lot of trouble getting these pictures through my painfully slow upload speed.]

The Dragonknight comes into your presence and kneels immediately.

It took several days of searching, but between your mere presence and the knight’s subterfuge, you were able to ascertain the location of the Regent and recover her from her captors.

Your appearance across the skies of the land did more to solidify your new reign. Many people have withdrawn their protests from the streets, fearing reprisal. Many, however, continue on, disbelieving or oblivious to the change of power.

>Unrest lowered to high.
>The Regent is no longer Jailed.

“My Lord,” your knight states. “The Regent sustained no more than bruises in her captivity and has recovered quickly. She will speak with you herself.” She looks up. “Your will is mine. Let me know your next wish and it will be done.”

[I'll figure out the pictures later. Sucks, but oh well.]

The Magister approaches, disdain in his eye and a stoppered bottle in his hand.

He shakes the bottle. "The cure for the plague, your Majesty," he says with excessive politeness. "I've made a great deal of it. Perhaps we should hold a festival for all the lives we've saved once we decide how to get it to the unruly children?"

>The Magister's patience is tested.
>The Magister will do as he pleases for a season if his patience runs out.

The Emissary enters with a pleased look on his face.

"Negotiations with the rebelling barons has gone swimmingly, my Lord," he reports. "Though they're making a fuss about it, they've come into line. While they may not like the Regent, they won't contest your claim to the throne - if you can be proved to exist. If you gave me more time to work, I may have been able to negotiate the Regent's release on my own. Though, your rescue took away their major bargaining chip."

>Unrest lowered to moderate.
>Unrest will increase without proof of your new reign.

"Unfortunately, taxes haven't come in very well. It's a pain squeezing money from those who can't even afford food."

>Lanifell is destitute. You may not make a major purchase this season.

"I managed to scrounge together what's left of our army to contain the plague," says the Marshal, entering the chamber, appearing tired. "They did well for themselves. The men we've got left after the civil war aren't the most skilled troops I've ever fielded, but their hearts are in the right place. We've rounded up those ill in every township and city and isolated them from everyone else. Some of ours came down with the plague themselves, but... that's what's to be expected from dealing with the sick."

>Lanifell lost two units of unskilled troops to the Plague.
>Lanifell is fairly equipped.
>Lanifell has three units of unskilled troops.
>Lanifell has one unit of standing troops.

The Artisan approaches with a sheaf of papers in his hands. "My Lord, I fear it may be too late for this year's harvest, but these designs detail a machine, mounted on a cart and powered by beast, that could do a day's work of a dozen strong men in an hour."

>All subsequent harvests will yield more food.
>For one major purchase, the populace may be afforded with superior farming equipment immediately for this Spring's harvest.

"But I feel no inspiration for these machines - the people have no spirit. Let me tempt noblemen to our borders with a new masterpiece that will put all of my efforts up to this point to shame."

>The Artisan desires to focus on art.
>This may increase the number of travelers visiting Lanifell.
>This may increase the amount of trade in Lanifell.

>>14852059
Regent? Archbishop? OP?

I see the start of great things, pity about your slow connection! :(

Don't give up!

Let artisian do what he desires

rolled 23 = 23

Hey

OP

You still here?
What happened? Did you connection go down or something?

rolled 87 = 87

U liked Mors' macro kingdom simulator.
I think it works better for Quest Runners. I've seen many micro-management quests which got suddenly dropped, I believe that the sheer amount of number-crunching made DMs give up.

I hope that the trend Mors started continues.

That said, WHERE ARE YOU OP?!

If they wish me to prove myself then lets give them a venue where no one can deny my existence, hold a grand fair in the honour of my reawakening and the ceasastion of the civil war

bump for OP

We should probably have the Magister spread the news of our awakening like he wanted to in the first place.
Have the Marshal use and spread the cure; that should protect the troops distributing the cure from becoming infected themselves.

>>14855860
Supporting this to quell more unrest.

Another bump for OP's eventual return.

Bumping, and hoping that OP's connection is the only reason for the lack of responses.

Bumping for dialup modems everywhere.

Waitin for OP

thefinalbump