Go West to the poor district. We might be able to find arms and the like there.

Our group needs to split up. Go our separate ways. Take Mhail with us and head into the poor district to hide, heal, and regain our strength.

I'm pretty sure this goddess of gambling is just Tzeentch in disguise here
That being said, viva la revolution. Head towards the poor district, we need to gain support

>>14960681
Seconding.

>>14960709
More like Xom to me, but to each their own.

‘It would be nice to rest’ you think to yourself, your arm is still deadened and charred. Looking back at your group, you notice that many are bruised and battered, some have small cuts, and the weeping woman has an arrow embedded in her leg.

When hearing your call for the group to split up, some slowly start to walk down the streets towards the rich district. “To find what happened to their families” they tell you.

The rest stay, they seem to look at you as their hero. You being the one who saved them from the Dukes dungeons, this isn't probably far off. An old man looks at you and smiles “This is the will of Degarth that you have come to us.” You briefly recognize that name as that of another god, perhaps this man was a cleric before he was imprisoned.

You lead your now diminished group of six towards the poor district. When you get there, many of the poor civilians spit at you. Probably because of the Guard uniforms you appropriated from the keep.

One old woman runs up to you, tripping as she goes. She grabs on to your feet and loudly screams through her tears “Why did you take my baby?!”

rolled 73 = 73

Wait, like a literal baby? An infant?
What crime could an infant has done?


Anyway there ought to be a local healer, doctor or cleric. Any poor district sports one wise old medicine man. Lets search for him

>>14960971
Helping the old woman up, you assure that even though you may look it, you are not one of the guards. Helping her to calm down and stop crying, you eventually ask her how old her baby is, and why it was taken.

"My dearest Elizabeth, she was 6 years old and under the study of Madral, the towns cleric. Even though she was told to tell no one of the god Degarth, she didnt listen. She couldn't understand that the worship of Degarth is illegal in the city now thanks to the duke, they took her away for who knows what" At this point she lapses back into tears, managing to choke out, "I just want my baby back" You comfort her by patting her on the back.

"Marissa, who are these people?" the voice draws your attention. An old man dressed in what looks like dirt and possible blood stained white robes is standing before you, he has a short gray beard, no hair, and oddly enough, has no eyes.

"I am Madral, who are you that upsets Marissa so?"

rolled 98 = 98

I assure you I did not mean to upset her.
This disguise I took must have been too convincing to her, she thought I was one of the people who took her daughter.
I presume you are the cleric of this place? I am in dire need of your services.


Hmm, we never got confirmation that the guy we burned to death was the duke. Ask Mhail if it was

We need to make worshipping of this Degarth guy legal again after we overthrow the duke, clearly he is the poor people's bro.

>>14961183
He seems to accept your explanation, but at the mention of the word cleric he tenses.

"I pray you quiet your voice kind sir, I have no wish to draw the duke's lapdogs to me." he then sighs, "If healing is what you seek, I can not refuse you." Walking forward he takes Marissa from you and helps her walk, back towards what looks like a shack no bigger than your own cell.

Following the two, you ask Mhail if the pompous man we killed was indeed the duke.

"Aye that was Setiva, although he is a cunning one. I doubt very much that he is dead. Until I hold his beating heart in my hand I will remain unconvinced." His voice quivering with rage as he speaks.

Madral gently leads Marissa to her home, and then looks back at you. "Divine Edict binds me to heal whomever asks for it, but i beg you, please do not speak of this within earshot of anyone else." Even without eyes, he seems to be staring at you.

rolled 5 = 5

Oh, alright
I am sorry if I might have said something unnecesserary earlier.

Now healing the arm.
Hmm
Ask Mhail how we should proceed? Tell him that you too wish to be sure of his death. If he is not dead we can expect search raids very soon

>>14961306
Would help if I hadnt lost my name.

rolled 24 = 24

Ask Mhail if there is anything useful in his old tower

"My thanks. Now, please follow me." He turns around and begins to walk to another shack made from wood, roughly about twice the size of your cramped cell.

Turning to Mhail, you ask for his thoughts on how to proceed from here.

"Well James, if you plan on leading a revolution like you promised the other convicts when you released them, then we are going to need to find us a base of operations, supplies, and an army. The six of us will not be able to accomplish it by ourselves alone i think."

The weeping woman, one of the convicts you set free, speaks up. "There used to be abandoned ruins in the forest. There used to be brigands and bandits that lived around there, but I don't know if they still do." She looks down and mutters something inaudible, causing one of the other convicts to pat her on the shoulder.

Mhail leans closer and whispers "But if you plan on just assassinating the duke, I am sure the two of us could pull it off if we where at our full strength. I have never seen magic like yours before."

Looking at mhail, you bump into Madral not realizing that you had already made it to your destination.

(cont

He smiles at you, and beckons you inside and gestures to a mat, indicating you should lay on it.

"Oh humble Degarth, please heal this man. I, your servant, ask this of you." Looking at Madral, you watch as his hands glow a bright blue, and where his eyes used to be are twin orbs of blue fire. He grips your arm, and you convulse in pain, blacking out from the experience.

You waken several hours later. You can tell it is dark out through the diminutive window. Madral Is still hovering over you, but without the fire. Instead he has a candle.

"Healing damage caused to you by other divine powers is most painful, I will not ask how you received your wounds, but I wish you had informed me of the nature before I attempted to heal you."

Looking down at your arm, you find that you can move it again. The brands of the lightning bolt and Dark Circle are still there, but the Circle appears to have increased in size.

(my apologies for the slow post)

Thank him and then get some rest, in the morning we check out those ruins.

rolled 33 = 33

Thank him for his help.

Ask him about this place, these people. About himself. About the duke and his regime.
About the rich district and the poor.

Then see if you can find Mhail.
I think we should just go and assasinate the Duke. Much less hassle thay way. I dont want to deal with the hassles of keeping a guerrila army.

Though...
Lets gind out where the Duke gets his riches, if there are any valuable caravans on route. We could stage a raid or two for supplies and money

You are awakened by Mhail “Come on lad, up an at em.” He seems to be smiling and looks significantly healthier than yesterday.

“Hey old man” you smile back at him and push yourself to your feet. “Lets be on our way, to the forest!”

Walking out of the building, followed by Mhail, you see the rest of your compatriots. They to look healthier and most are smiling. The weeping woman isnt.

“I head for the abandoned ruins in the forest. There I will lay claim and use it as our focal point for resistance, those of you who wish to follow my cause, may do so.”

Your compatriots cheer, but before you can set out, the feeble gates of the poor district shatter open with a loud roar that draws you and many others attention.

Three Men dressed in black silk riding atop white stallions stride forth through the wreckage, flanked by what you estimate at thirty of the dukes soldiers step forward in perfect formation.

Many of the peasants scream in terror and run back to the tiny shacks they call home.

A magically amplified voice speaks, “The Duke Setiva has ordered that this blight of a district finally be purged. He will not suffer your existence any longer.” and as if to emphasize the point, the three mages as one start to light houses on fire.

rolled 6 = 6

Look at Mhail
nod


Use our lightning + Mhails firebomb combo on the mages.
Guards will be easier to deal with

rolled 96 = 96

Its go time.

If the prevoius suggestion does not work.
suck them into a blackhole, but this time be more careful when casting it

>>14962058
i vote for this, the black hole thing is too dangerous with so many people around.

This duke is less a BBEG and more a horrible cunt

Have Mhail magically amplify our voice in return and call him a cunt

Looking at Mhail, you nod. His previous smile gone, now he looks of grim determination. As one the two of you raise your hands and cast your deadly magic. Twin streaks of Lightning and fire drive across the empty space between you and the small army until finally impacting the two magicians flanking the one in the middle. The mage on the left slumps forward onto his horse and falls to the ground. What looks like a large hole the size of a melon
can be clearly seen despite the distance. The mage on the right fares no better, both he and his horse topple to the ground smoking.

The mage in the middle looks at your group with disdain. “Your petty magics may have taken my students, but you will find I am a more challenging opponent.” With a short bark he points at you.

You feel an immense force, as though gripped by a giant, before you are thrown to the ground 15 yards away. Pushing yourself to your feet, you feel an intense pain in your side that signals a broken rib.

You see one of Mhail’s fireballs impact into the mage on horseback, only to be stopped by what appears to be a shimmering shadow.

The weeping woman has taken it upon herself to start firing arrow after arrow into the group of marching soldiers, accompanied by one of the other convicts.

The mage on horseback cackles and shouts “You fools!”

rolled 60 = 60

Shoot lightening at his horse so that he falls. The distraction might be useful and could give opening for the next attack.

If he resists again.
Make a small locolized blackhole over the mage and suck him in

Thinking quickly you shout to your group of convicts “You guys go after the soldiers, Mhail will tell you how!”

You hurl lightning bolt after lightning bolt at the mage, one of which manages to hit his horse. The beast Starts to shake uncontrollably, knocking the wizard off in the process. Apparently he didn't think to extend the same protection to the stallion.

He laughs as your lightning bolts impact against his shimmering wall of shadow. The ground beneath your feat erupts at a gesture from him, and you find yourself on the ground. Looking at the wizard before you, you think back to the black sphere.

As you do a multitude of voices burst through your mind.
>No, you would dare destroy the order?
>Yes! KILL THEM ALL!!
>Your body will be ours...
>You are an abomination that must be destroyed.
and in the background you can distinctly hear what sounds like weeping.

>Wat Do?

>>14962438
I am not a huge fan of using the black shit.

That said, if this guy wasn't some sort of moron, he'd have killed us by now. We're entirely unshielded. Can't afford to sit here and take even more hits. Black shit it is, right to his face.

rolled 25 = 25

Shut up voices
you are of no use at all


he came into melee range?
He must have thought this is pure arcane battle.
Kick him with the force of thousand suns in his groin.
Then break his neck with your arms.

if all fails
like if there is no other way
use you blackhole generator

>>14962497
I vote for this

rolled 39 = 39

We dont know the full extent of our powers, right?

Try to sboot guided lightnig: shoot and miss, then guide the bolt to his back and fry him.
Perhaps his protection is not omnidirectional

Grab the mage's head. Introduce it to the road. A few hundred times.

‘How arrogant of him’ you think to yourself. Rolling to your feet, you kick out with as much force as you can muster aiming for his groin, but as it impacts the wall of shadow, you feel a strange sensation of ice. Your foot makes contact, but not anywhere near the amount of force you put into it.

He laughs and makes the same barking command as before. You find yourself being hurled even farther down the dirt road. Coughing up blood, you determine that the mage is far enough away for you to use the black sphere.
At the thought of the sphere the voices once again make themselves known, but you push them away. You grin at the mage and let loose. The small ball of pure darkness speeds towards him and strikes his shield. You hear a laugh that swiftly changes to a scream as the void grows larger and larger encompassing him, the ground, and part of a nearby shack, before disappearing with a pop. Nothing remains of the area. Your arm is charred, but not dislocated.

The Voices are back, and the weeping sounds more foreboding.
>Roll 2d6 for personality check. number to beat is 7

rolled 6, 3 = 9

>>14962665
Checkan.

>>14962700
( i didn't want the first check to be too hard, but didn't really think the first roll would beat it. God that's disheartening.)

You fight with the voices in you head. A battle of wills ensues as they try to take control.

"I Am James Courtland!" you find yourself repeating over and over. One of the voices laughs at you.Another one sounding like a small child says
>"You are no one"
>"You will be ours!"
>"Hahahahahahaha"

You push yourself back to the present and see that the wizard is dead, Mhail and the convicts are fighting a short sided battle against the soldiers, and one of your numbers seems to be on the ground with a missing arm.

>watdo

rolled 63 = 63

[Hey op, thanks for the quest, I really enjoyed it but now I will have to take some sleep]

>>14962778
[Im glad you enjoyed it, have a good one.]

>>14962774
>( i didn't want the first check to be too hard, but didn't really think the first roll would beat it. God that's disheartening.)
Beating a 7 is something like a 41% probability. It's really not that unusual; why should it be disheartening?

Anyway. Toss some lightning the soldiers' direction and make our way over to our fallen friend; see if we can keep them alive, if they're not dead yet.

Blast them with lighting! People the duke's men come to slaughter you like laumbs will you sit in homes and wait for or will you join in retibution!?

>>14962977
Rejoin the fight, flinging lightning about casually to blast the soldiers. Let none escape.

[Why do i keep losing my name? Wtf]

Firing a few lightning bolts into the mass of soldiers, you run towards your fallen comrade. Upon reaching her you realise that it is the weeping woman, she looks up at you and tries to touch your face. Oddly enough shes smiling.
She tries to talk, but you shush her. “Be still, help is on the way.” You look around for help and see Madral. He is already tending to the wounded, his empty eye sockets alight with fire. Hearing your shout, he runs over to your side and you hear the familiar prayer.

"Oh humble Degarth, please heal this woman. I, your servant, ask this of you."

Leaving it to him, you get up and look around. You call out with firery passion, “The duke's men come to slaughter you like lambs.Will you sit in homes and wait for your destruction or will you join in retribution!?”

Slowly a few of the peasants begin to fire bows from the top of shacks and through windows.

You hear Mhail scream in rage, and you see what looks to be a giant being of fire striding through the soldiers, setting them alight like kindling.

By your estimates the band of 30 soldiers has now diminished to 14.
>watdo

>>14962999
Charge them, leave none alive!

>>14962806
[I didn't>>14963019
think to do the math and just picked a number that felt right. I should have though.]
>>14962988
You look back to the soldiers. Some attempt to run from the monstrosity of fire as the flames feed off those trapped within, but to no avail as you cut them down with a look of disdain.

The fire giant lets out a roar as it picks up a poor unsuspecting soldier currently exchanging blows with a convict. His death screams pierce through the carnage as hes quickly roasted alive.

One Soldier manages to lock blades with you, but after exchanging blows, falls to the ground smoking. Lowering your sword, now coursing with electricity, you gaze across the battlefield. All of the soldiers are down, and the peasants are cheering.

Madral is walking amongst the wounded and corpses, healing where he can. And the fire giant ceases to exist, leaving the ash of what used to be soldiers fall to the ground.

One of the peasants steps forward and kneels before you. You recognize him as one of the ones who participated in the fighting.

He shouts for all to hear, “I know not who you be strange sir, but I pledge myself to your cause.” He draws a finely made sword from its sheaf, and presents it to you. Looking at it you can see that it is indeed a fine weapon, befitting a lord. How did this peasant come by it? “I present my sword, may it be as strong as my oath of service.”

>watdo?

>>14963193
"I... don't know that I deserve anyone's oath of service, but I'll not insult you by turning you down. Who are you, sir?"

>>14963193
Put our hand on him, and accept his service then see to the wouned and and adress the people.

"I... don't know that I deserve anyone's oath of service, but I'll not insult you by turning you down. Who are you, sir?" You shockingly ask him.

He nods his head in acceptance and then responds, “My name is John de’martel my lord, and I am one of the last few Knights of the Kingdom.”

Hearing this many of the people in the crowd gasp. ‘When did they surround you like that?’ you find yourself wondering. Reaching down you help him to his feet. “My memory is not as good as it used to be sir, what is this Knighthood of the kingdom you speak of?”

He looks taken aback, but recovers quickly. “My lord, three hundred and fifty years back, my order policed the kingdom, then we where known as knights of the eagle.”

Mhail speaks up as well saying, “Their order became known for their honesty and benevolence. They where exemplars of Misjal, the goddess of Righteousness and order.”

“Aye, that is where the Eagle symbol comes from. It belongs to her and she allows us to wear it as her paladin. When the Kingdom fell to darkness so many years ago, what was left of my order from the fighting went into exile, there we have lived to this day. I was captured while traveling, and brought to this forsaken city, but I managed to flee before I became imprisoned.” He looks at you, and you notice just how young he is, he cant be more than eighteen. “But I believe you can change things my lord, and i will follow where ever it is that you lead.”

>>14963434
Right first we must tend to the wounded then,we must find a safe place to rest,then we take this city back from evil and bring the kingdom out of darkness and back into the light!

>>14963434
"Thank you. I hope I will not give you cause to regret your oath. Ten years in a cell and I am... not the man I once was. Much of me was lost in all too many ways."

Look at the crowd and raise your voice. "But now there is no way but forward. I have had enough of this oppression, this tyranny. It is time to cast it aside, even at cost, and build something better upon the ruins."

>>14963570
>>14963525

“Thank you. I hope I will not give you cause to regret your oath. Ten years in a cell and I am … not the man i once was. Much of me was lost in all too many ways.”

>You are no one....
>You are a monster!
>We will drag you into the darkness and consume you
and one voice against the rest,
>He will destroy you all!

Even amongst the voices it appears you have some support.

Looking at the crowd, you raise your voice and extend your hands in triumph. “But now there is no way but forward! I have had enough of this oppression, this tyranny. It is time to cast it aside, even at cost and build something better upon the ruins!”

The people around you cheer! Many of the men follow the oath of the young paladin knight and pledge there service to your cause.

You look up and point at Madral walking through the bodies looking for more to heal. “That man needs your help, those of you capable should go and tend to the wounded.” Looking back to the crowd of peasants and convicts, all willing to fight for what they believe in you ask, “We need a safe haven to gather. Do any of you know of such a place?”

“The abandoned ruins of the temple to Degarth lies in the woods sir” Mentions the knight.

“The Wizards Tower looks to be a formidable bastion if we where to take it” Mhail states, but then puts in “But its in the center of the rich city and I'm sure that it hasn't just sat empty all the years Ive spent in the dungeons.”

I say we move into the ruins for now but try muster up a force to take the tower later.

Madral and the crew do their best to heal the wounded. The weeping woman has to stay behind, her wound closed, but her arm unrecoverable. She wishes you good luck on your journey. The rest of of your group, now 37 all told, gather around you. Most of them are sporting armour and weapons from the soldiers. Madral has elected to join you, smiling as he is somehow able to notice your charred hand.

Looking at each of them, you cant help but feel proud. “We travel towards the forest to create a safe haven for all and start our war against the Duke!!!”

A rousing cheer answers you and you march.
>Your all going to die you know
> a pitiful worthless death,
>Dead, dead ,dead ,dead
>Hahahahahaahah

>Roll 1d6 for traveling disturbances!

Before we leave kiss the women, tell her we will be back if nothing eles then for her.

>>14963875
Running forward to catch you before you depart the weeping woman gives you a one handed hug. and proceeds to rip out a piece of her own hair to give to you.
"Thank you for all that you've done!"

You tenderly embrace the woman with a kiss, and accept the lock of hair. "I will come back for you madam." You whisper so that only she can hear.

"Cassandra." she sputters, "My name is Cassandra."
The both of you smile at each other.

>watdo?
>If leaving towards forest roll 1d6 for traveling shenanigans.

rolled 3 = 3

>>14963979

If we have no need of further supplies or whatever before we head off, then let's go.

Those voices are beginning to worry me. Perhaps Madral might know something of them, seeing as he's more familiar with things of divine nature than we are?

>>14964011
>3 = Hippies!

You reach the edge of the forest and are greeted by and odd site. One of what appear to be a myriad of women and men, all with extremely long hair, and an elf! They seem to be .. dancing.. around a purple fire and singing songs of merriment. There is also a dancing bear, with … multicolored dyes in his fur. Truly a sight to behold.

One of them notices you, and gestures towards the fire. “Hail travelers... would you like to learn about the peace and love of mother venechale? Shes the earth mother you know!” He grins at you happily, and giggles.

>>14964103
You know what, if they're offering hospitality, I'm not going to turn it down. At least they're not the duke.

Do we actually care about peace, no. But maybe they can tell us about the area and we can rest around there.

>>14964111

We need all the allies we can get. They may not aid us in a fight, but we can certainly trade and get supplies from them. I agree, let's rest, but not long enough to get sidetracked from our goal (or slowed down TOO much if the Duke sent men after us).

You agree to share the fire and hospitality. As your group gathers round, several of the women skip along giving you each a flower. Looking to Madral, you draw him to one side and confess to him about the voices you hear in your head.

He places a hand on your shoulder and is quite for a moment before speaking. “Child, this is a rare malady one beyond my abilities to heal. There are several different ways that i know of that could have caused you to become this way. Demonic possession, a past life resurfacing, a traumatic event … any and all of these could be a factor, but you do not seem to be possessed. I am sorry.”

Thanking him, you look towards the elf, who appears to be the leader of the small band, and ask if she would be willing to trade.

“The earth mother provides to all her children,” She responds. Her voice sounds eerily similar to that of the weeping inside your head. Gesturing towards a large stack of food and clothing she tells you “Take what you need, but keep your money for we have no use for it.”

How kind.

>wat do

>>14964288

Food would be greatly needed on our journey, since it might take a few days to get a steady supply of food set up ourselves once we arrive (not to mention our continued journey to the ruins). Not sure if we need clothes, if we do, just take what is needed, not all of it.

Awfully kind of them though, we'll have to keep this place in mind if we ever need to trade again for supplies.

As for the voices, perhaps the weeping one is the voice of an elf? Still doesn't explain why it's in our head (although if it's the voice of an elf hippy, it would explain why it cries whenver we kill people in our revolt).

>>14964288
>wat do
Take what we need. Keep our money.

Eat something, assess our followers' health and abilities. We didn't really bring many supplies with us, and starting from scratch is always a bitch and a half.

>>14964337
>>14964335
Taking only what you need, you amass a good amount of what appears to be traveling rations. Only enough to last until you can start bringing in food of your own.

Looking at your followers, they do seem to look a bit hungry. The hipp- Small group of men women and elf, decide to share a meal with you. Much laughter is had by all and they are generally very friendly.

You find yourself drawn to the conversation between the elf and Madral. It would seem that she is a cleric of Venechale.

“Does the Earthmother speak to you?”

“No she has been strangly silent of late, she has not spoken to any of her chosen ones that I know of. What of Dergath?”

“He has been silent for twenty long years, but he still answers my calls for healing. I know he watches me, but I feel that i have wronged him. I have received no direction from him at all.”

“All the clerics I have spoken to tell of the same, it would seem that the gods speak not to mortals anymore.”

>>14964494
Keep our own counsel on this.

>>14964494

Wait...

Could the voices in our head be the gods trying to speak through us? I bet the weeping one is this Venechale, her cleric has such a similar voice.

But why us? We were just a random prisoner, I doubt we were amazingly pious before being thrown into jail, and probably weren't at all during our time imprisoned.

You decide to keep your thoughts on gods to yourself, and not share them at the table. Especially about she who laughs.

But while eating, the thought that maybe these voices are in fact the voices of the gods themselves crosses your mind. They remain unusually silent and unhelpful though. Finishing your meal, you get up and thank the elf for her hospitality. Questioning as to the whereabouts of Degarths temple she tells you that it should be northeast of this campsite, and no too far.

“we can lead you there, if you like. Are you a pilgrim?”

Madral looks at her through his sightless sockets, and speaks. “I am a pilgrim, I would love to visit that sacred place.”

The elf nods approvingly and looks to you. “What about you and the rest of your group?”

>>14964695

How long do you think it will take us to our destination if we include this detour?

Getting the potential blessing of a god might help, but I'm still a little worried that the Duke might send his men after us to nip our revolution in the bud. I would hate to get ambushed without a proper base of operations and fortifications set up.

[sorry for the deleting of posts, you'd think I would have learned to check for my name before submitting, I don't know why it keeps disappearing.]

>>14964741
[The remains of the temple, and the ruins you seek are one in the same.]

>>14964808

Oh, in that case, yes we are pilgrims.

Looking at you, she seems to accept your confirmation. Her face breaks out into a wide smile that shows her very white teeth, and she skips along through the forest. The rest of the hip- companions scramble to skip after her, none as graceful, and even the bear who drags the rest of the supplies behind it.

Trying your best to keep up with them you and your group follow in a more civilised manner. Its not long before you arrive at the ruins of the lost temple of Dergath.

The large building is easily 12 feet tall, and even in decay is a testament to the god. What used to be sheenly polished marble though, is now overtaken by vines and vegetation. Some of the columns have fallen, and a part of the ceiling has caved in. The statue of Dergath that looked to stand in the middle of the temple, is now just a set of legs. The rest strewn about on the floor.

Madral sinks to his knees at the sight of his god destroyed and bows his head. You feel sorry for him. In your mind you hear the cacaphony of voices

>HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
and a bitter one
>How could it have come to this?
Questioning them, they ignore you. Looking back to the temple, you can see your group smiling as the unload the bags they carried with them. You have made it.

[Hopefully I have managed to entertain a few of you, but I am going to call it for tonight. Need to sleep, if anyone's interested ill be back tomorrow.]

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14960664/
Archives up

rolled 97 = 97

Thanks dude
I wish quest threads weren't always past midnight for me :(

rolled 36 = 36

Also,
>How could it have come to this?
this confirms it

We have gods talking in our head.... Great. Just great. Useless old bunch.