>>28987011

HARROWMONT STATUS

>[X] signifies the area is under your control
>[/] signifies the area is contested
>[] signifies the area is not under your control or contested

OUTSIDE THE WALLS [X]
OUTER WALL [X]
+ Outer courtyard [X]
+ Merchant area [X]
+ Residential area, north []
+ Residential area, south []
INNER WALL [X]
+ Inner courtyard [X]
+ Noble manors [X]
KEEP []
+ Lower floors []
+ Upper floors []
+ Underground []
+ Source vault []

>Now, without any further ado

>>28987040
>3. Use some sorcery to leap at the doors of the keep. You’ll be between a rock and a hard place, but if you’re successful you can guarantee entrance to the keep.

The keep is wide-open as the Vitrians are looking to let their comrades in. This is an opportunity you can’t waste, no matter the risk. You’ll take the keep now and have your Champion by noon.

You push the sounds of the battlefield out of your mind for a moment, ignoring the yells, screams and clatter of feet on stone. You quickly summon and focus magical energy in your legs, position them for a leap and you then hurtle through the air. You fly past a low-flying mage knight, lucky you didn’t crash into him, and from the corner of your eye you catch a sudden surge of light and energy from the keep. Then you’re crashing feet-first into one of the enemy standing at the doors of the keep. Another burst of magical energy to steady yourself and you land on top of the stone steps in front of the doors.

Then there’s a sudden snap, and you feel like somebody just slammed a war hammer into your side. Damn these mages and their love of strong barriers – the keep’s defences just fired off at you. It seems if flyers get too close, and you were flying just long enough, they’ll get a nice blast of magic for their trouble. That rules out much in the way of assistance from Arail and his flying knights – you can take a blast like that, but they’d be out for the fight after one. You have no more time to waste on this though. There’s a few dozen foes inside the keep, desperate to let their friends inside, and a mass of them charging right at you. You’re here now, time to make it count.

[DC 14 Wall of Death]

Rolled 11

>>28987057

Rolled 7

>>28987057

make laik yesterday, and succeed

Rolled 14

>>28987057

>Target met

The first enemies to meet you are those from inside the keep. A pair of mage-knights charge at you, axes high and ready to strike. You don’t give them the opportunity to bring them down – once they close, you stab forward at the closer one’s and go around his shield, following up with a hard bash from your shield against his shield. Your magically-empowered might overwhelms him easily, despite the enchantments in his armor, and he is knocked backwards into his ally. No time to celebrate though, as more foes charge at you – you quickly jump back to the top of the steps and meet them there.

Shouldering your shield, you two-hand your greatsword and put all that practice into use. Swinging in large, controlled arcs you become a wall of death for the enemy. If they come close enough to attack you, they die. If they stay further away, they cannot aid their friends. If they fire magical bolts at you, you simply deflect them with your sword. They quickly realise they cannot defeat you but the satisfaction in their eyes shows you you’ve made a mistake. You spin, and see several knights preparing to strike you down.

>continued

>>28987364
And then they are blown off the steps by a great magical force. You spot Arail and a pair of his flying knights buzzing in the air in the distance – far enough to avoid the keep’s defences but close enough to still aid you with their explosive magicks. You grin slightly – it’s all coming together. The enemy doesn’t seem to know what to do as many of them mill at the steps, defending themselves frantically as your troops close on them behind. Suddenly, many of them rush you madly with shields raised but not weapons. They intend on simply trying to run past you or die trying. You…

>1. Raise your shield and project a barrier of magical energy to try to stop them all dead. This is an all or nothing gambit – screw it up and they all get through.
>2. Keep up the wall of death – you’ll get most but some will get through.
>3. Leap over them as they charge, avoiding combat but still preventing them from closing the keep doors.
>4. Custom

>>28987390
>>1. Raise your shield and project a barrier of magical energy to try to stop them all dead. This is an all or nothing gambit – screw it up and they all get through.

FOR GLORY!

>>28987011
Gonna be back to read the thread later-have things to do today. Don't go letting us die or anything guys!

>1.

Right as the enemy closes on you, you raise your shield and try to create a magical barrier to stop.

[DC 12 Barrier]

Rolled 6

>>28987653


pls lady luck, nat 20 cause xmas

Rolled 13

>>28987653

Rolled 1

>>28987653

fuck you lady luck

>>28987782
...Are you just stupid?

>dramatic failure

You feel the magical energy surge through you and into your shield. Then, right as you attempt to use your sorcery via your mnemonic it all goes wrong. You summon the barrier in the wrong direction and the burst of magical energy slams you in the chest. You’re hardy enough to take the blow, but you hear a scream and see a burst of blood as some poor bastard gets his head taken off.

You slam into a mass of bodies that were behind you, feeling them all fall to the ground under your weight. No time to stay on the ground, you leap up and enter battle with those around you. You can hear the shouts of Captain Glynn outside and if you can hold on long enough to keep them from closing the keep doors, you’ll have this.

[DC 14 Combat]

Rolled 19

>>28987894

Rolled 4

>>28987894

Fuck >>28987882, and Lady Luck

>>28987929
...that would probably be more impressive if you didn't roll after we had passed the check, again.

Rolled 4

>>28987894
>20 get

>>28987970
>For future reference, I prefer to get three rolls before posting (in case of 1 or 20). If the quest slows down enough, I might go with less.
>Target met

You cleave through the lightly armored enemies in front of you and charge the doors. A pair of mage-knights are attempting to close the doors whilst some of their comrades hold off your men. Slamming into one of them with your shield, you hear a crunch as he slams into the wall next to the wall. You spin to take on the other one but before you can take any action, Caitlyn, in full armor, comes through doorway and takes him apart. Behind her are Captain Glynn and the rest of his mage knights.

You quickly glance into the great hall and see those Vitrians that had made it inside are fleeing to the upper floors.

>You now contest the keep
You…

>1. Gather your men and follow them upstairs.
>2. Ignore the Vitrians and make for the underground levels and the Source
>3. Slow down, take stock and gather your men in the courtyard and great hall. You still have men in the outer courtyard.
>4. Custom

>>28988115
>2. Ignore the Vitrians and make for the underground levels and the Source
Once we secure the source we can demand the Vitrians surrender.

>>28988115
>>2. Ignore the Vitrians and make for the underground levels and the Source

>2.

The Vitrians can wait. If they want to hole up in the upper floors, you’ll just take the real prize – the Source. Or you would, if it weren’t for another barrier.

“Can you break through this one like earlier, sir? Or have the Archmagister do it?” Caitlyn asks, her voice that odd, male lilting tone from her helmet.

“Not much point. This is a keyed barrier, and the fact it’s weaker on this side means there’s a key pretty close. Probably upstairs. They’ve likely locked their mages down there to summon the Champion.”

Your familiarity with barriers lets you recognise this one without trouble. Keyed barriers must have a rune imbued onto the same object, and close to it, as the barrier itself. That means one of the walls upstairs probably has a glowing rune the size of your head that you need to find and deactivate. Gareth might be able to help you get through, but it will take several hours from experience. If they’re summoning a Champion, you might not have time…

You wonder where the mage who killed the queen has gotten to – you can tell this barrier has been active since before she died, so they must be in the upper levels of the keep.

You…

>1. Have Gareth try to break through the barrier.
>2. Head upstairs with your men.
>3. Slow down, take stock and gather your men in the courtyard and great hall. You still have men in the outer courtyard.
>4. Custom

>>28988342
>>2. Head upstairs with your men.
get
dat
rune

>>28988342
>2. Head upstairs with your men.

>>28988342
>2.
Up up and away.

>2.

You want that Source, and you want it now. You gather Caitlyn and a few mage-knights and prepare to go upstairs. On the way there, you spot Glynn and Malaine conversing and giving orders to the men around them. The two of them are veterans and know exactly what to do now – Malaine catches your eye and movements and gives you a sharp salute. You head upstairs.

You sweep the next two floors with little fanfare. Most of the rooms are empty of everything but dust. The layout is like many keeps – winding and confusing. Your and your men’s experience with keeps allows you to complete the sweep without covering the same ground again. Finally, once you reach the third floor, you find the enemy sitting around and chatting. You think you know what’s going to happen now.

“We surrender, Sir Talon.” One of the few remaining knights, his helmet removed, comes over to speak to you and represent his men. “You already have the keep and have defeated us. There is no point in dying like this for money we will never see.”

You respond…

>1. No quarter. Slay them all.
>2. Ask them where the barrier key is, then show no quarter.
>3. Ask them where the barrier key is and take them prisoner.
>4. Custom

>>28988546
>>3. Ask them where the barrier key is and take them prisoner.
they have info, we need info

>>28988546
>3.
If we're gonna be an emperor, we've gotta be a just one. plus, we can use them.

>>28988546
>3

Mercy is a virtue after all

>>28988546
>3. Ask them where the barrier key is and take them prisoner.

>3.

“The barrier protecting the dungeons – where is its activation rune. Tell me and I’ll treat you as I have your comrades we’ve captured earlier.”

The man nods. “Fair’s fair. Go up one more level and find the King’s Suite at the end of the hall – you’ll recognise it from the engravings on the door. You’ll find what you’re looking for, in more ways than one.”

You frown at that but experience tells you he won’t say anything more. He’s still a knight, if a pragmatic one. You signal to them to head downstairs and one of your knights uses a magical sending to alert Captain Glynn of what’s happened. You start moving to the King’s Suite.

“Why did they surrender, sir? I thought a knight’s honor meant they preferred to die than surrender?” Caitlyn asks as you troop upstairs.

You snort. “Knights only speak that sort of tripe. They don’t actually follow through. If they were that type, they’d be dead. Besides, he’s a mage-knight – a soldier, not a noble knight. He probably has a family and needs income. He can’t provide for them if he’s dead.”

Caitlyn makes an odd noise but stays quiet. You arrive at the King’s Suite shortly. There’s no barriers here and you can’t sense any sorcery. This is the only exit, according to the plans. You…

>1. Have Caitlyn and the knights stand guard outside whilst you venture in alone.
>2. Go in with Caitlyn but leave the knights outside.
>3. Take everybody in. The suite is big enough.
>4. Custom

>>28988745
>2. Go in with Caitlyn but leave the knights outside.

>>28988745
>2.
There's most likely SOMETHING dangerous in there, but taking everyone in might just provide a target rich environment.

>>28988745
>>2. Go in with Caitlyn but leave the knights outside.

>>28988745
I smell a trap. send in a trooper in to check it out. No sense getting murked by treachery

>>28988782
Its the champion most likely. that would explain the "You’ll find what you’re looking for, in more ways than one."

Everyone is aware that the sources are currently busy powering the barrier right?

>2. But you send in a soldier first

You signal to one of your knights to breach the door. He nods and spends a moment activating all his defensive enchantment. You and the rest of your men (and woman) line up against the wall. If something goes wrong, Caitlyn and yourself will charge in and your knights will pull their comrade out.

The knights smashes his war hammer into the door, and a charge of magic turns it into splinters. He takes a labourous step inside, his enchantments slowing him to a crawl. Nothing appears to happen.

“You know, I would have thought the great General Talon would have come in here himself. But then, I suppose you became great by not being too stupid,” a male voice comes from inside the room. The accent is western. This isn’t a Vitrian – your childhood memories tell you he’s probably from Pharos, the continent to the far west.

“It’s just a single man, sir. He looks dangerous,” your knight tells you. ‘Dangerous’ coming from these veterans probably means ‘I want to get the hell out of here.’ You step inside and Caitlyn follows, and the knight troops back outside to stand guard with his comrades.

>continued

>>28989077
Dangerous is right. Your instincts tingle at the sight of the man. He’s wearing no armor, just some expensive fabric clothes. He sits in a chair, a huge glowing rune behind him. His skin marks him as from Pharos – you don’t get many dark-skinned Gaurons. ‘You’ll find what you’re looking for’ – you get it now. The barrier rune… and the man who killed the queen. He’s no mage, the wicked scimitar and clawed gauntlet give it away. More importantly, no mage would need the strange vials and magical devices on the table next to him. At least you know why the queen’s barriers failed.

“Bloody magite-,“ you start with a sigh, but he gives you no time to finish. The assassin is on you in a whirl, orange runes firing along his scimitar. You barely block with your shield – the blow wasn’t that strong, not compared to Caitlyn, but he’s one of the fastest men you’ve fought. A match for that daywalker vampire you fought last year. This is going to be hard.

[DC 14 Combat]

>first real PC-level fight

Rolled 13

>>28989098
Let us make this quick

Rolled 7

>>28989098

Rolled 3

>>28989098

Rolled 10

>>28989098

try to cripple but not kill... we might want to ask him questions

Rolled 7

>>28989098
For the glory!

>Target not met

The assassin is a whirl of steel. You’re bleeding from a half-dozen wounds, and that magic scimitar of his punched through armor and nearly gutted you. This is just from the first exchange of blows. He charges in again, his gauntlet knocking your shield aside and his scimitar swooping in to take off your sword arm. Then Caitlyn is there and she nearly takes his head off – but for all her speed, he’s just that touch faster. Or perhaps it’s just experience. You can tell this man has fought no small number of battles. He darts back and pauses a moment, unsure of who to concentrate on. This is your chance. You…

>1. Bullrush him with a fully-empowered sorcerous leap – you’ll cut him in half with one slash.
>2. Be sneaky, hammer him with a barrier smash from your shield and hope that Caitlyn exploits the opening.
>3. Work with Caitlyn to keep the pressure on him in the hopes he slips up and gives you an opening.
>4. Custom

Rolled 1

>>28989289
>>3. Work with Caitlyn to keep the pressure on him in the hopes he slips up and gives you an opening.
we are obviously shit, need to make it a team effort

>>28989136
>>28989145
>>28989154
welp.

>>28989289
>2. Be sneaky, hammer him with a barrier smash from your shield and hope that Caitlyn exploits the opening.

>>28989289

>1
If we can at least injure his arms his combat efficiency should drop considerably.

>>28989289
>3.
We gotta fight like a team for this.

>3.

You can’t take any chances here. If Caitlyn and yourself work together, you should be able to trip him up. If he leaves an opening, one of you should be able to get a solid blow in and make this easier. He senses the slight change in your stance and changes his own. It looks like he’s gone a bit defensive – hopefully he’s not as good at defending as attacking.

[DC 14 Team Combat]

Rolled 18

>>28989514

Rolled 5

>>28989514

Rolled 15

>>28989514

Rolled 1

>>28989514

>>28989686
You're a regular comedian.

>>28989686
It's the 4th, shouldn't count. God thing we got it out when it didn't do anything.

>>28989686
>imlying legit roll

>>28989686
fuck this gay earth

>>28989762
its a 1d2O not a 1d20.

>>28989686
>I see what you did there.

>Target met

Fighting as a team with Caitlyn goes a lot more smoothly. The fact the both of you have a similar fighting style makes the battle seem unnervingly synchronised. Even so, your foe is still holding up. That gauntlet must be less obviously enchanted than the scimitar, as it’s somehow able to withstand Caitlyn’s hammer blows – though he winces with each one he takes.

And then it’s there, he catches one of Caitlyn’s blows poorly and his gauntleted arm is knocked aside. You crash forward into him, slamming your sword pommel into his chest and he lets out a harsh gasp of pain. Before you’re able to follow-through, he recovers slightly and pushes you away. You then feel a slight flicker of that same strange sorcery Caitlyn used against you – it seems she’s going for the same opening. This will be over-

The assassin grabs a vial from his belt and moves to flick it at the charging Caitlyn – it flickers with a strange light. You…

>1. Quickly leap and knock her down, avoiding the vial completely but knocking both of you to the ground.
>2. Leave it to her. She handled your barrier-break, she can handle whatever this is.
>3. Empower yourself more than you should, in an attempt to take him out before he can throw the vial.
>4. Custom

>>28989762
>>28989794
Oh derp, didn't notice the o instead of a zero.

Rolled 31

>>28989834
>>3. Empower yourself more than you should, in an attempt to take him out before he can throw the vial.

>>28989834
Can we specifically target the vial with a small magic blast to destroy it while it's still in his hand?

>>28989834
>>4. Custom
use our ad hoc sorcery ability to either deflect or destroy the vial before it hits her.

>>28989906
>>28989928
You are able to do that.

>>28989949
seems to be the optimal solution then.

>>28989928
>>28989906
thirding this then

>4. Custom: Use ad hoc projection to destroy or deflect the vial before it strikes Caitlyn

You can't let that vial hit Caitlyn. To stop it, you'll see if you can't strike it or deflect it with some magical energy. You haven't tried something like this before, but there's a first time for everything.

[DC 15 Ad Hoc Sorcery]

>>28989906
>>28989928
>>28989949

adding my support to the plan

Rolled 10

>>28990031

Rolled 18

>>28990031

Rolled 6

>>28990031
Maaaaagggiiiiick!!

Rolled 20

>>28990031

>>28990073
RAaaaagh, one roll too late.

>>28990073
>if only you'd rolled that a tad earlier

>Target met

You quickly summon and project a trickle of magical energy – it’s a small object moving at high speed, so you shouldn’t need much to deflect it. You feel the energy fire off and catch the slight tinkly of golden light as it strikes the vial – success!

Then the room explodes.

Your shield was raised and so you instinctively shielded yourself with sorcery, but you’re still knocked into the wall at the other end of the room. You hear another thud – probably Caitlyn, who would have been similarly shielded by her sorcery and a loud scream. As you try to clear the ringing from your ears, you idly realise that the assassin must have been unprepared for his vial to explode so close to him. You suspect, judging from the other magitech devices he had on the table, that the vial may have been an explosive anti-magic solution. He used the same trick to kill the queen in her barrier.

“General Talon! Are you alright?” You hear loud voices and the thud of boots. Some strong arms pull you up and out of the room. You realise that your knights are pulling you and Caitlyn clear.

“I’m fine,” you cough out, senses returning.

You…
>1. Check on Caitlyn
>2. Head back into the room to check on the assassin and the rune
>3. Take a quiet moment to clear your head
>4. Custom

Rolled 17

>>28990213
>>3. Take a quiet moment to clear your head

>>28990213
>3, but ask the knights what happened to the assassin.

>>28990213
>4. Custom
Send some of our men inside to finish him off if he isn't already dead.

>3. Plus have knights deal with assassin

You lean against the wall and slowly slide down it. You feel bloodied and exhausted. Your magical reserves are run down too – you haven’t felt like this for a long time. You figure it must only be around 7am. It’s been a long, long night.

You address one of your knights, “Make sure the man inside is dead. I don’t want any more trouble.”

“No need, sir. The explosion took off his arm and burnt most of his skin. He’s won’t trouble us anymore.”

You nod and dismiss him, wanting a quiet moment. You idly spot Caitlyn standing up further down the hall, a couple of knights checking up on her. The rest of your knights troop back into the hallway from the room.

“Sir, we’ve deactivated the rune. Would you like me to notify Captain Glynn and have him sweep the dungeons and secure the Source?”

You…

>1. Agree to his plan.
>2. Tell him to wait. You want to sweep the dungeon yourself.
>3. Have Glynn start the sweep but rush down to join him.
>4. Custom

>>28990443
>1. Agree to his plan.

>>28990443
>3.
But hold back a bit, don't rush, just calmly make our way there and make sure we're in fighting condition before we join up in the battles.

Rolled 9

>>28990443

1, with a hint of 3
Commend Caitlyn on her performance during the fight. Then head down once we have gathered ourselves.

>>28990443
>>3. Have Glynn start the sweep but rush down to join him.

>>28990443
>1. Agree to his plan.
we apparently feel like shit, no need to cause everything to go to hell.

>1. With a bit of 3

You slowly stand back up and address the knight, “Do it. Let him know we’ll join him when we’re able. Let’s do this cautiously.”

The knight nods and prepares a sending. You signal to the rest to march with you and for Caitlyn to join you.

“That was a good performance, Caitlyn. He was a strong opponent but you held your own and kept me from getting torn apart.”

She tilts her head and replies, “Perhaps, but if I hadn’t been there you wouldn’t have needed to deflect that spell of his and you may have taken him alive.”

“Or I may have died. That wasn’t a spell, Caitlyn, it was manufactured anti-magic. It’s rare and expensive. I’ve seen it on display only once – you could buy a house for one of those vials, or a high-quality set of magical plate. That could easily have been me getting a faceful of explosive.”

She nods in reply. The rest of the descent is uneventful. In the great hall, you are greeted at the bottom of the steps by Captain Malaine.

“Shouldn’t you be helping Glynn, Arail?” you ask.

He shrugs in reply. “One of us needs to keep an eye on the men here. Glynn’s not meeting much resistance either – it seems they were pretty reliant on that barrier. We have the fortress now, general. The Vitrians in the residential area panicked and tried to flank us through the outer courtyard, but out men fought them back and we’re currently sweeping through and taking care of any stragglers. They’re all surrendering now – they know it’s over.”

>continued, and a long set of choices is incoming

>>28990783
You leave him to his work as you and your knights descend into the dungeons. Not much resistance was right – you pass a group of mages being escorted back up and encounter Glynn on the third level of the dungeons.

“They summoned the Champion, sir. But it won’t obey them – it’s just sitting in there. Says it’s waiting for a worthy master.”

You quirk an eyebrow under your helmet. “Well, let’s see if I’m worthy.”

You step inside the room and find your Champion who is a…

>long set of choices coming

Oh, quick question: when you said the royal line of Darlesia is dead are we talking a through extermination, or are there a couple of fourth cousins of the queen with nothing resembling political power or influence still hanging around.

>>28990841
There may be a few distant cousins. The main family is dead, though, and Taour controls the city. As Taour is ruled by vampires, it's possible they simply butcher or puppeteer any remaining royals.

>>28990813
Hurrah, choices!

>>28990813

>1. Male Mystic Fox

Medium artillery / good support caster. Mystic foxes are powerful spiritualists and highly knowledgeable – this fox prefers to research widely. They appear as humanoid foxes with multiple tails. They lack any decent empowerment abilities, making them vulnerable to physical attacks but their magic is so powerful to make that a minor problem at worst.

>2. Female Mystic Fox

Heavy artillery / okay support caster. Unlike her male counterpart, she isn’t as widely researched but is more powerful. Still lacking empowerment and physical strength, at full strength she could single-handedly destroy an army.

>3. Male Revenant

Super-heavy one-on-one fighter / terrible at group fights. Revenants are powerful warriors brought back to life by divine beings. This revenant specialises in duels and one-on-one fights. He is strong and extremely capable, but isn’t too threatening and lacks effective anti-army capabilities.

>4. Female Pure Earth Elemental

Good fighter / excellent mage-killer. Pure elementals are the most powerful type of elemental and have a strong connection to the land and magic. Earth elementals can manipulate earth and stone with ease, and also specialises in manipulating the flow of magical energies. This makes her ideal for fighting mages.

>more choices

>>28990963
>5. Female Pure Water Elemental

Good all-rounder. This water elemental is the youngest of her kind, but is no pushover. She has access to powerful water sorceries and is skilled enough to imitate many sorceries. She is ideal at long-range support, but would have no real difficulties in CQC.

>6. Female Pure Fire Elemental

Good fighter / good anti-army. This fire elemental is brash but has the power to back it up. She can use her fire abilities to incinerate foes but can also access much more magical power than she would otherwise be able to use. She is effective against most enemies but has a particular weakness against mages.

>This voting period will be longer as I need to have lunch. Maybe try to argue it out a bit? The Champion will be a quest-long companion so long as you control the Source.

>>28990963
>>28990984
Even though I'm hesitant to take the furry option, I'm leaning towards the female mystic fox. Heavy artillery could be nice, and we could specialise in one on one battles ourselves.

>>28990963
2. Artillery wins wars

Rolled 54

>>28990963
>5. Female Pure Water Elemental

>>28990984
6 is my personal favorite. She's great at killing large numbers of enemies but can still fight it out in melee. 5 looks interesting as well.

>>28990963
>2.
We don't have any heavy artillery yet I don't think.

>>28990963
>Male Revenant

>>28990984
>5

>>28990866
Their endorsement and support could be very useful in rallying Darlesian common folk to our banner. Once we get a spy guy we should look into that.

>>28991084
since 6 doesn't seem to be popular I'll go with 5.

Rolled 12

>>28990963
>5
fem water elemental is sweet at long range, will double as our artillery

>>28991162
2 is the artillery option, 5 is more support it seems.

>>28991099
You there sir, your choice doesn't seem to popular. Would you consider changing your vote to 2?

>>28990963
>>28990984

Hmmm, 2 would be highly useful in most situations due to the generally useful nature of artillery, especially in support of light/fast units, though artillery does have a level of unpredictability in regards to where it actually hits... 4 would be best used for the creation, upkeep and destruction of earthworks in conjunction with neutralizing any enemy mages/mage knights... 6 would be best used as a separate unit, mainly in open plains as use in forests and urban environments may cause a backlash against us due to the uncontrollable spread of the fires... 5 would be best served commanding our Archers and other ranged forces. She could target and neutralize HVTs during open battle and possibly disable siege equipment, though she would probably not be as effective in assaults on enemy keeps with their likelihood of having a large concentration of mages and mage-knights...


All in all, I throw my vote in with 2


Also; I did not mention 1, 3 or 4 due to 1's greatest boon being knowledge, which we can acquire from elsewhere, while 3 is what Caitlyn does, Dueling and 4 is what we do, Anti-mage...

>>28991313
hurrah, more votes for the glorious Number Two! Death to the Number Five infidels!

>votes appear to be tied for the female fox and the water elemental

Should I throw up the character sheets for both and do another vote with the extra info? or make a tie-breaker myself?

>>28991357
Your brilliant oratory convinced me to vote for number 5

>>28990963
My vote's on #2

>>28991514
first sounds good to me

My first instinct is 4, but that's because we have a city to rebuild and I'd imagine an earth elemental might help with that.

But given we are upon a large rock formation with a single direction to attack we should be relatively alright.

So with that said I'd go for 5. She can be specialized into whatever we really need in the long run as opposed to just go straight for something that may end up being situational in the end.

>>28991523
>Both character sheets will be posted
>Second vote, voting cuts off in exactly 15 minutes whilst I finish lunch

>1. WATER ELEM

Name: Undine
Class: Pure Water Elemental
Title: Champion
Magic Type: Sorcerous
Equipment: Expensive clothes
Place of Power: 0 / 7
Personality: Well-mannered and pleasant

STATS

Strength [3]
Endurance [2]
Speed [4]
Intelligence [4]
Magic [5]
Resistance [4]
Charisma [1]

SKILLS

Martial Arts I – proficiency in a variety of martial arts and in combining them.
Battlefield Basics I – proficiency in all general battlefield skills (dodging, blocking etc).
Sorcery (Water Element) III – ability to use complex water sorceries. Undine is exceptionally skilled even if her power is currently limited.
Knowledge (Sorcerous) III – extensive knowledge of sorcery and sorcerous magicks.

ABILITIES

Empower Self I - you use magic to increase your physical attributes by one point for one hour.
Water Control I – you may manipulate or create anything of the water element (water, ice etc) within a close radius. You may control a maximum volume of 10m^3. With extended concentration, you may control a much larger amount of water over a greater distance.
Imitate Sorcery I – you may imitate the effects of a sorcery not within the water domain with more or less equal effect with some concentration. Some complex sorceries cannot be imitated.

>fox sheet to come

>>28991617

>2. FEMALE MYSTIC FOX

Name: Taira
Class: Female Nine-Tailed Mystic Fox
Title: Champion
Magic Type: Spiritual
Equipment: Elegant robes
Place of Power: 0 / 7
Personality: Mischievous and inquisitive

STATS

Strength [2]
Endurance [2]
Speed [3]
Intelligence [5]
Magic [5]
Resistance [4]
Charisma [2]

SKILLS

Martial Arts I – proficiency in a variety of martial arts and in combining them.
Battlefield Basics I – proficiency in all general battlefield skills (dodging, blocking etc).
Spirit Techniques (Arrays) III – ability to use complex spirit techniques. Mystic Foxes make use of spirit arrays that they draw with their tails. With nine tails, Taira can draw multiple complex arrays simultaneously, but does not have the power to utilise this properly.
Knowledge (Magic) II – great knowledge of magic, be it sorcery or spiritual.

ABILITIES

Force Techniques I – you may generate raw force (i.e. massless kinetic energy). This force can be projected at a moderate distance and at up to ten targets or over an area of 25m^2. Maximum force against ten targets is that of a strong war hammer blow. These techniques ignore magical barriers.
Teleportation I – you may teleport a distance of up to a kilometre. You may take up to one person with you. Extended concentration extends the distance up to one hundred kilometres.

>>28991655
I already voted for fox before but teleportation seems very useful, stats seem equal overall to the water elemental and she's got a fun personality.

>>28991655
>I missed Taira's last ability:
Spiritual Fire I – a sorcery cleansing fire. Highly effective against magical beings. May be project up to close distance over an area of up to 15m^2. This fire will not burn physical beings, just sorcerous and sorcerous effects.

>>28991617
>>28991655

Casting my vote for Undine/#5, just see her being more useful in the end, particularly in siege operations.

>>28991617
>>28991655

changing my mind now. I assumed that the fox would have a range greater than 25 square meters... and while the teleport sounds useful, I just can't pull myself to chose it over the alternative...

voting 1

>>28991655
1 Undine seems better.

>>28991744
That's not the range, that's the area of effect. Range is "moderate distance."

Vote cut-off. Looks like Undine wins. Writing it up now

>>28991885

seems as though even if I changed my vote, 1 would have won anyway...

I'm sad now. I'm hoping at one point we'll get the chance to get Taira as a second champion.

>>28991946
>Female Water Elemental is the Champion

Sitting in the centre of the room, a gigantic prismatic stone behind her, is a woman wearing what appear to be some expensive black fabric clothes and shoulder-length brown hair. She glances up at you when you enter and her blue eyes seem to look right through you for a moment. Then she smiles and stands up.

“Ah, so you are the one to be my master. Those mages had said that somebody worthy would be coming and it looks like they were right. I am Undine, a pure water elemental, and it will be my honour to serve you to the best of my ability.”

>response?

>>28992026
>All the other champion choices will appear at some point in the story, though they may not be friendly depending on player choices. Your choice of champion actually rewrites history to an extent, in that the other choices never perished in their lives if you didn't select them.

>>28992029
Extend hand "Talon York, glad to have you working for me. For starters, go see Captain Malaine to help clean up any lingering resistance. Or help put out whatever some idiot set on fire."

>>28992161

That sounds exceedingly menial, and kind of rude.

>>28992182
I agree.

Have her accompany us down to the Source itself after a brief introduction.

>>28992029

Ask to see her truer form, I imagine sorcery can hide her elemental natural and mask it with her previous life/preferred form. We would look upon our Champion in all her glory.

>>28992029
>>28992161
>Let's start with
Extend hand "Talon York, glad to have you working for me."
>>28992208
And end with
>Have her accompany us down to the Source itself after a brief introduction.

>>28992248
er, what no.

>>28992029

"So you are to be my Champion? Well then, I am Talon York, and I lead this army. Immediately I would like to know about your skills, powers, knowledge and preferences both in and out of combat. After all, It is important that Moral be kept high and combatants be suitably assigned. Though You must forgive my lack of formalities, I expect that this fortress will see yet another siege, but this time, I expect it to hold..."

the sooner we organise the repair efforts, the better we will fair against the oncoming assault, which should be here in just over one day, assuming one is coming...

I'm currently going to mix these two posts:
>>28992300
>>28992252
If nobody disagrees.

>>28992287

Why not?

>>28992365
from the pastebin:
>There's a variety known as pure elementals that are humanoid and also tough as nails from the sounds of it.
There's a good chance this is her true form, especially since illusion isn't on her char sheet.

>>28992424

Entirely my bad then. Hadn't gotten around to reading the pastebin. Proceed.

Honestly, you’re not entirely sure what to expect. You’d heard about pure elementals – a supposedly humanoid, but very powerful, type of elemental. Even so, you figured humanoid meant they would have some inhuman characteristics but this woman looks like any other woman you might meet in a fancy restaurant.

Even so, you greet her in a businesslike but somewhat friendly fashion by extending your hand in greeting. “So you are to be my Champion? Well then, I am Talon York, and I lead this army. I would like to know about your skills, powers, knowledge and preferences both in and out of combat. After all, it is important that morale be kept high and combatants be suitably assigned. Though you must forgive my lack of formalities as I expect that this fortress will see yet another siege but this time, I expect it to hold.”

She takes your hand lightly, and her smile quirks up a bit early in your little speech. She looks genuinely amused by something you said.

“My skills and powers are those you would expect of any water elemental – the manipulation of water via natural sorcery, though I am also capable of emulating the evocation of you humans. My knowledge is rather vast – perhaps we can speak of it over a longer time. I may be young for an elemental but I know a great deal.” Now her smile definitely grow. “My preferences in and out of combat? I’ve spent a lot of time around humans so I think I know what you mean… but you were so serious in saying it I’m not sure. Was ‘preference’ an euphemism or were you actually asking me what I want to do?”

You reply gruffly, “The latter. And you are teasing me. Nevermind then. Let us go to the Source together – I want to see it myself.”

>continued

>>28992593
That damned smile is still there. What is it with woman and enigmatic smiles? Then she steps to the side of the stone and suddenly that stone is not a stone. You feel power unlike any you’ve ever felt, as though you’ve touched the essence of life itself – power flows into you, so much power. You feel like you could lift a mountain.

You come to. You appear to be laying on your back on the cold, stone floor. Undine is on all fours over you, looking very worried.

“Talon? Talon! Are you alright? What did you just do?”

>response?

>>28992615
I'm fine, I'm fine... The source overwhelmed me for a moment, that's all.

>>28992615
"I saw a God in my own reflection."

>>28992733
this.

>>28992615

"The simplest answer would be that I was just overwhelmed by it's very essence... Though your concern is appreciated..."

>>28992743
This.

Let a sly smile creep across our face and stand up. We have an army to address and an Empire to forge!

>>28992593
>>28992615

>"Perhaps a bit over zealous, it has been a long siege, my wits are not about me. Though I am fine. Thank you for the concern."

> “I'm fine, I'm fine... The source overwhelmed me for a moment, that's all.”

You try to wave her off, but your arms won’t move. At least your lips still do, though your throat feels dry.

Instead of looking reassured, she looks incredulous. “Overwhelmed you? Talon, being dazed for a few seconds is being overwhelmed. Suddenly drawing an enormous volume of energy from the Source is insanity! You shouldn’t even have been able to do that and even if it did, that amount of uncontrolled astral energy should have killed you instantly.”

She’s furious and you don’t have the slightest clue what happened. You try to dismiss her concerns again but she won’t have any of it. She looks more worried now.

“Talon, are you sure you don’t know what just happened?”

“Not really.” You shake it off and finally muster the strength to stand up. Your magical reserves appear to be empty now too, but you feel them refilling slowly. “Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine now.”

She doesn’t look very reassured but nods.

>1. Continue conversing with Undine. (Throw in some conversation choices if you like)
>2. Head back up to hold a war meeting.
>3. Help with the clean-up of Harrowmont.
>4. Custom

>>28992875
>2. Head back up to hold a war meeting.
We have an Empire to build, I am sure we will have time to converse with Undine when we travel away from this fortress.

>>28992875
>1. Continue conversing with Undine.

Move back to the Source and look it over. "Tell me what you know of the Source. You spoke of vast knowledge I would have it tapped."

Also send off whatever soldiers we have with us with orders to begin preparations for a possible counter siege, and the clean-up/restoration efforts of the city.

>>28987011
>Lorebin: http://pastebin.com/x8F1UeZu
Neat. Pure curiosity, how does this setting view polygamy?
I am personally pulling for polygamy being cool so we can do multiple political marriages + the people we actually like rather than do the traditional European thing of marrying for politics and then cheating on the bitch with someone we actually like.

>>28992875
>2. Head back up to hold a war meeting.

>>28992995
It varies from place to place, and culture to culture. Generally for humans, outside the larger mage-run cities, monogamy is the convention although it is considered normal for nobles to have mistresses. The mages don't really marry so don't really care, so polygamy is practiced there by some. You don't know much about the standards of other races.

>>28993084
Cool, makes sense.

>I might just mix 2 and the convo option posted

You gesture to Undine to follow you and start moving to exit the dungeon. Glynn, who has apparently been waiting for you outside the room, falls into step behind you.

“Undine, you spoke of having vast knowledge – tell me a little bit more about the Source. For instance, you said something about astral energy?”

She eyes you for a few moments before speaking up. “That’s right. A Source is a powerful anchor between the astral plane and the physical plane. It pulls in enormous amounts of astral energy.”

“A powerful anchor… Doesn’t that mean they’re kind of important? Why were they all sealed then?”

Undine raises an eyebrow. “Sealed? No, they weren’t sealed. If they were the world would probably end. I’m not precisely sure what was done to them during the formation of the Barrier of Marie, but it wasn’t the sealing you humans think it was.”

“Anything else?” you ask.

“Nothing particularly important. They can’t be moved and they enable the summoning of a champion. Oh! The ability of a Source to realise astral energy into the physical plane, such as with my summoning, is reliant on places of power.”

“That sounds like another question to ask…” you start.

“Places where magical, or sorcerous in your terms, energy gathers. They’re the sorcerous version of a Source, but harder to find. When we have time I can show you one that should be nearby.”

You enter the main hall and call a war meeting with your advisors.

>continued

>>28993231
Arail, Glynn, Cormann, Gareth and Undine meet with you just in front of the broken throne at the far end of the great hall. Apparently they scrounged up a wooden table from somewhere.

“First matters first – this is Undine, my Champion. She’s a pure water elemental.

Gareth gasps at the realisation and introduces himself at rapid pace. The rest of you stare until he regains his composure and introduces himself properly. The others follow suit.

Now…

>1. Ask about current status of Harrowmont
>2. Ask about the immediate problems once Harrowmont is secured
>3. Talk about larger plans for the Darlesian region.
>4. Custom

>>28993282
>1. Ask about current status of Harrowmont
>2. Ask about the immediate problems once Harrowmont is secured
>3. Talk about larger plans for the Darlesian region.
Lets take these in order.

>Also, sorry I'm a bit slower right now. I couldn't do any pre-writing for the post-Champion selection scenes due to the possible variation in Champion.

>>28993291

Pretty much agree with this, we need to address them all here.

Rolled 94

>>28993282
2

>>28993291
1+2 before slowly moving on to 3

>>28993282

1, 2 & 3.

1 blends into 2, as the status of the fortress will lead into what requires attention, theoretically providing several short term solutions.
This will then lead on into 3 as we discuss what resources that we will require to both repair and potentially upgrade the fortress. Meaning that we will have to either raid caravans, mines or towns for the supplies or conquer/found them to get a more stable supply...

Feel free to post it as the 3 parts it is made from... gives some time not only to write the next segment, but also for us to analyse the information and possibly suggest alternatives and discuss which course of action would be best meaning less overall waiting time for a consensus...

>All three it is

>Current status

Malaine answers, “A lot of the Vitrians have been taken alive. Our estimates are about 50 mage-knights and 100 of their regular soldiers. The knights are from the noble house of Oaln, but the regulars are actually mercenaries.

“Otherwise the fortress is secure. We’re still doing some sweeps of the outer areas, but we’re confident we’ve flushed everybody out.”

>immediate problems

Cormann speaks up, “We should be fine in terms of food – there’s enough farms and towns around here to supply our small force for as long as we’re here. Rebuilding the fortress will be harder.”

Gareth: “We could use magic for the walls, if we could get the materials. That, I suspect will be more difficult. Unless our wonderful Champion…”

Undine shakes her head. “My older sister, Gnome, could probably rebuild the fortress in a few weeks with nothing but her magic, but I can only help with shaping and enchanting the walls, not in creating the materials. I’m not all that good at mining with my magic, either, though I could try.”

Glynn: “The other worry is a Vitrian assault force. They almost certainly got a sending out, so they know that we’ve besieged the fortress. They’ll be here as early as a day and half, by my estimate. Maybe earlier if they let themselves be cut off from their supply train, but with our flying knights that would make them easy pickings if we could hold them off otherwise.”

>continued

>>28993606
>Larger plans

You speak up, “I don’t want to just hole up in the fortress, even when we rebuild it, for all eternity. We need to expand.”

Cormann nods. “Understandable. I can’t see you being the type to just sit around with his feet up. Best short-term bet is to move west – most of the former Darlesian territory is probably just controlled by robber barons and the like. With a bit of time and some help from Captain Malaine’s knights I can prepare a map that has the most recent borders and diplomatic situation. With the Seraphs nearby, they’ve probably seized some the Darlesian catchment.”

Glynn: “If you want to take the fight to those Taouran bloodsuckers, I’ll be right by your side, general. Darlesia may be no more, but I’ll be damned if I see Taour smug with their victory.”

Gareth: “Although Taour may be a longer term goal, Vitria is probably a better short-term target. We may be able to utilise the friction between the nobles to gain their aid without outright conquering them.”

>Any more questions or statements on this note? Undine is signalling she wants to talk to you in private after this meeting.

>>28993606
>We could use magic for the walls, if we could get the materials
Sorry that this was so unclear. He means that they could build the walls using magic, if they have stone, wood, magical essences for enchantment etc.

>>28993606
>>28993622

>Current Status

"Mercenaries can be bought, see to it, I would have our ranks swelled. The Mage-Knights who know their place will swear their noble fealty to me, the others, prison will suffice, they could still provide a ransom."

>immediate problems

We have a water elemental on our side. Why rebuild the city out of common stone? Couldn't she use her magic to form ice structures interlaced with magic? Make the city a wonder of never melting ice. That's just my opinion.

>Larger plans

Personally I think we should swell our ranks here first, begin conscripting from the locals, see if any of the old vessals begin showing up and swearing fealty. The usual fare.

Then we should take Vitria, it is a port town, and our Champion would do a lovely job of helping with that. And commerce will help us swell our ranks further and equip it far better.

>>28993622
"Mercenaries huh? Canvas them to see if there are any who you guys might trust in a fight. I trust your judgment, though I don't exactly expect to find many of them. In the meantime, reequip as many of our men at arms as possible with captured mage-knight gear. Also, if there are any locals you'd trust to form auxiliary units do so. We'll at least have enough weapons and armor to equip them decently, though I doubt they will be particularly useful in the short term."

>>28993735
>"Mercenaries can be bought, see to it, I would have our ranks swelled. The Mage-Knights who know their place will swear their noble fealty to me, the others, prison will suffice, they could still provide a ransom."

We need to ensure reliability first. If these guys turn mid-fight it could be disastrous.

>We have a water elemental on our side. Why rebuild the city out of common stone? Couldn't she use her magic to form ice structures interlaced with magic? Make the city a wonder of never melting ice. That's just my opinion.
Lets ask her in private rather than make an ass of ourselves in public.

>>28993756
This sounds good. Though our friend the archmage should be making barriers and such in the time we have before the siege.

>>28993606

"Send out some light scout forces. I want our forces to have enough time to get to defensive positions. How viable would having some forces set up 'Murderholes' from which to flank the enemy from by letting them walk over them then attacking their flank once we have their full attention towards us?"

>>28993622

"We can wait on mapping out the local politics until we have seen off this assault. Though it would prove valuable to have a squad or two to locate the nearest mines, quarries and lumber mills and their allegiances so we can secure the necessary materials to begin the major repair works..."
"For now, barricade the breach in the noble quarters gate, add additional reinforcements to both the courtyard and the residential district gatehouses. If we have any time to spare, set up as many fallback positions from the outer walls. we have no chance of repairing them to a suitable defensive condition, so they will be used purely to greet the arriving army with a volley of arrows and ranged magic."

Rolled 46

>>28993824
>>28993735
>>28993606
Requesting we hire The Band of the Hawk

>>28993735
>Mercenaries can be bought
Cormann: "Half of them are probably useless, or near useless, without a bucket of money they're not worth. The rest should be easy to keep with what we get from taxes."

You say, "Make sure they're trustworthy at the least."

>Conscript the locals, old vassals
You remember your old friend Maloric Reegan. "I let a magister friend of mine know what was going on. With any luck he should arrive here in the next few days."

Gareth: "Friend of yours? That would be Magister Maloric, wouldn't it? I'll gladly hand over my Archmagister position to him when he arrives."

Cormann: "You can expect some of the Darlesian knights and soldiers that stuck around in the city to probably turn up here if we spread the news. General Talon in Harrowmont will probably be enough to double our forces.

>>28993756
>capture mage-knight gear
Glynn: "My thoughts exactly. Most of our men-at-arms have at least basic training with the magic plate and I can't see the Vitrian plate being that much different. Not all of it will be useful, though - some of the plate just won't fit our men properly I'll bet."

>locals to form auxiliaries
Cormann: "Should be able to muster up some militia once we're clear of the Vitrian assault. This is technically Vitrian territory, but many of the locals will side with somebody like yourself any day."

>continued

>>28993867
>light scout forces
Malaine: "I'll see to it right away. If I can spot their forces we'll have advance warning of their attack."

>murderholes
Cormann: "If we can draw them through the residential area, there's plenty of them already there. The merchant area will be trickier though. We should probably look at reinforcing that hole in the wall. The barrier will slowly rebuild itself, but it will still be weak."

>hold off on mapping, find resources
Cormann: "Understood. I might still use some sendings to work out politics - the delay there is mostly in getting replies. Not much effort from me."

>reinforcement instructions
Glynn: "Consider it done."

>>28994118
>Anything else? Otherwise I'll move onto the Undine scene - or something else you might want to do.

>I'll be finishing up the session in the next hour or so

>>28994143
undine scene is good.

>>28994143

nope. all stratagizing that needs to be done has been done... assuming that watch, work, sleep rotation is arranged by the various officers...

>>28994233
Yeah, you can assume a lot of the minutiae is handled by your officers and men. As the quest increases in scale as planned, this is going to become more and more vital. (The Darlesian region is, for example, about 30,000 sq. miles.)

You thank the officers for their contribution and dismiss them. As you walk away with Undine, you notice them continue talking – they’re quite obviously getting into the details of how to do what you’ve asked them to. It’s a good thing you’ve got talented officers – this would be a hell of a lot harder without them.

Once you’ve stepped off into an alcove in the hall with nobody nearby, Undine asks the question she’s quite obviously been sitting on for a while.

“So, Talon, it’s rather obvious that you’re not a sedentary person. What, exactly, do you aim to achieve here? In the larger scheme of things, I mean, not in this fortress itself.”

It seems Undine wants to know your ambition. Part of you thinks that she already knows – the way her eyes pierced you and the fact she judged you worthy… Is she instead asking why? What exactly is your motivation?

>Response?
>Note that your response here will shape Undine’s personality a bit going forward

>>28994368
"To be the best, like no one ever was!"

>>28994368
Peace and stability for Darlesia. No matter the cost.

Rolled 78, 99 = 177

>>28994368
To drive the northern monsters from this land once and for all. But for now to take Darlesia and the port.

>>28994432
...no
>>28994368
"To be an emperor. As for why," *shrug* "a mix of ambition, desire for a challenge, for the perks, to genuinely help those under my rule and to see that my men die for a decent cause, I've seen far to many die for nothing, almost done it myself on quite a few occasions. I've had entirely enough of that."

>>28994368
Make Darlesia greater than it has ever been. To rival and eventually eclipse Seraphi Kingdom and all others. For we aim to become an Emperor, and no true emperor restricts his reign to a single country.

>>28994432
Uh, no.
>>28994450
>>28994530
We didn't grow up there and have basically no allegiance to the place.
>>28994462
Eh, that's decent if a bit farfetched.
>>28994507
A mercenary who wants his men to be able to die for something more meaningful than coin? Me like.

>>28994368

"I can tell you all sorts of things about want peace and stability, or divining a way to rid the world of monsters and other such things but really who am I to say that is my true intent or that it won't change. So really, wouldn't you like to know." Coy smile, tease her back, move onto other things. Like mother fucking ice cities.

>>28994530
>>28994450
from the opening post of the first thread.
>The queen of Darlesia and her retinue lie dead, incinerated by magic in a daring ambush by the enemy. Yet her veterans stand firm, knowing that all that lies behind them is death and ruin but it is opportunity that lies before them. You’ve built a reputation, despite not owing any allegiance to Darlesia, and these men and women fight for you now to take this fortress. An excavation team is said to have found a Source underneath the walls and floors of Harrowmont and the last men loyal to Darlesia, and now to yourself, want its power – the power of a Champion. Harrowmont’s defenders, the hired arms of a Vitrian noble, have yet to realise its power.

>>28994507
>>28994563
either of these two are good really.

So:
>>28994462
1. Crazy bold ambition, well beyond being an emperor.
>>28994507
2. Bald-faced admission of ambition, tempered with humanity.
>>28994563
3. Teasing refusal to answer whilst appearing slightly whimsical.

Right now, 2 appears to be the answer but as this is the second-last content post of the session I'm willing to take on some more feedback.

>>28994689
2 and 3.

"My face on every gold coin on the continent."

>>28994507

I like this...

The one thing more deadly than coin; belief. A soldier who believes that the little he does can make a difference to that he cares about is more dangerous than than even the most heavily armoured foe driven only by his pay...

Rolled 100

>>28994707
Definitely this, but with more 2.

>>28994689
I was actually partially going for "Is a better man than he's willing to admit, especially to himself." Not that the ambition isn't real you understand, because it totally is.

>>28994507
This makes us seem kinda cold, though.
I'd rather Talon be Evil or Good.

>>28994707

Agreed. Only because I want to be able to play back at our Champion a little.

>>28994689
>3

>>28994748
See >>28994743
His motivations are more or less stated in reverse order of importance.

A mix of 2 and 3 it is, then. Writing it up.

Also, this is the last content post of the thread, though it'll be a long-ish one. I lied earlier. There'll be an open-ended choice at the end of it.

>>28994743
I'll keep that in mind whilst writing it and making my notes on Undine.

>>28994716
>>28994743
I'm going with 2 as well.

"I can tell you all sorts of things about wanting peace and stability, or divining a way to rid the world of monsters and other such things but really who am I to say that is my true intent or that it won't change.”

She looks intrigued at this, which isn’t quite the effect you were going for – perhaps she’s taking you more seriously. You press on.

“But I am a man of the earth. My aim is to be an emperor. As for why," you say with a shrug, "a mix of ambition, a desire for a challenge, for the perks, to genuinely help those under my rule and to see that my men die for a decent cause. I've seen far too many die for nothing - almost done it myself on quite a few occasions. I've had entirely enough of that."

There’s a small smile on her face at that. She seems… proud of you. Odd given her supposed youth – but then you don’t know what young for an elemental means.

“Oh and I want my face on every gold coin on the continent.”

She blinks and her smile goes wonky. “I’m sorry? What?”

“You heard me – the world will know my face and respect it as coinage,” you say with a completely straight face. Not that it helps matters as she breaks down in a fit of giggles.

>continued

>>28994958
“Gareth mentioned that we had a Champion – is this her?” you hear Caitlyn say, helmet clearly off from her voice. She appears to have snuck up on you during the conversation – you’re not sure how much she heard. “I expected something a little more majestic.”

Undine smooths her face suddenly, trying to look a little more dignified. “Oh, sorry, it was just a little-“ Her face suddenly freezes when she sees Caitlyn. Her mouth moves like a fish for a few moments.

Suddenly, Undine jerks forward with an angry face. “What are you? What do you intend on doing here, beast? Answer me!”

With a surge of sorcery, a dozen dagger-sized icicles appear in the air around Undine, targeted at Caitlyn. For her part, the girl looks at you in what looks like a state of panic – only the barest hint of her smile present.

>How do you intervene?

Last post of the thread, gentlemen. Current plan is to resume tomorrow at the same time (5pm server time). Then I'll take a break for Christmas. I'll post any changes on Twitter.

Whatever you decide to do this thread I'll take through to tomorrow's.

Rolled 45

>>28994978
Watch them sort things out, but step in if it gets too serious. No need to baby sit these people.

>>28994978
Stay chill as fuck and look them both over, nice and calm.

Then, go "If you keep this up, I'll make an example of you to the rest of the men and my prisons." Can either go full "I-will-murder-you-mode" or still preferably nice and calm.

>>28994978
"...Being the sole member of my personal guard? Are you sure you're not mistaking her for someone else?"

>>28994978

assuming that we are standing next to Undine hold a hand in front of her gesturing her to stand down.
"Judging by your reaction there is something that Caitlyn is hiding from me... And I suspect this has something to do with her martial prowess..."

>>28994978
"Please do not murder my personal bodyguard on account of her ancestry."
She's a god, that's obvious.

Just to make it clear, the decision made now will be what I open tomorrow's thread with. Right now I'll do one about the ancestry/personal guard comment.

>>28995811
QM, I caught up on your first quest and I just finished reading this one a few minutes ago and I was wondering how much micromanaging is going to be involved later? Is this going to be like that (Dead) Kings quest?

>>28995903
My intent is to minimise micromanagement as much as possible as the scope increases. An emperor handles large scale decisions.

>>28996115
Sounds good. Leave it to the rabble and petty nobles to deal with that nonsense. Good night, QM. I look forward to the next session.

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>>28994978
Make them mudwrestle