>>4797128
Can stats be understood as strength, dexterity, stealth, focus, intelligence and charisma?

>>4797163
Yes, but there's nuance. Exertion is more than strength - in your case, it will far often be offensive magic, your capability to intimidate and project a forceful personality. Twilight is both the ability to lie, and pull off physical sneaking, and so on.
It's how you approach things in general.

>>4797181
I think I get it. I vote
>Exertion 3
>Movement 1
>Twilight 2
>Prudence 0
>Mind Palace 1
>Dazzle 2

>>4797128
3 Prudence
2 Mind palace
2 Movement
1 Exertion
1 Twilight
0 Dazzle

>>4797128
>Dazzle 3
>Exertion 2
>Mind Palace 2
>Twilight 1
>Movement 1
>Prudence 0

>>4797224
+1

>>4797128

> Mind palace 3
> Prudence 2
> Twilight 2
> Movement 1
> Dazzle 1
> Exertion 0

>>4797128
>Exertion 0
>Movement 1
>Twilight 1
>Prudence 2
>Mind Palace 3
>Dazzle 2

>>4797224
+1

I am going to trust that this is the will of the people, not the will of a phoneposter. Alright - these are your stats.
Now it's time to choose your Flaw. Flaw is a double-edged sword - occasionally, situations will come up that make you suffer. However, every time you do, you get a bonus in the form of a Fate point - a free re-roll. You can even cause situations like this on purpose in order to get your rerolls.

>Soapbox Sadie
You're a bit of a political animal, one that lives and breathes niche and frankly extremist beliefs. Which would be fine - if you could keep them to yourself - but you rarely do. Going on unhinged rants can make making allies difficult - or worse, make you into a pariah and a target.

>Crippled
Ever since a bad injury, you've been forced to rely on a cane to walk, although you've often got around your disability by traveling horseback and using magic. You will not be eshka dancing any time soon - and if the situation calls you to run for your life, you might be forced to stand your ground.

>Possessed by Spirits
Life must have done a number on you before you ended up like this. To drown out the pain, you turned to the bottle, and lost control of your vice. Being too out of it to stand on your two feet is no way to gain respect, but things might take a turn for even worse if you find yourselves passing out in some ditch.

>Dark Omens
Many warlocks succeed in hiding their nature through a number of spells and clever tricks. You are not one of them - your aura is so potent that anyone with a magical gift, and even some without one, can tell who you are. Disdain for your heroic craft is one thing, but what will happen once it earns you some truly powerful enemies?

>Wheel of Fortune
It's been proven by great minds of Dalaran that astrology and tarot cards are not a form of magic, but a primitive superstition. You have not heard of this study - and superstitions keep guiding you every step of the way. The stars can steer you wrong - you may feel the urge to play it safe when you need to be bold, and to risk it all when disaster is sure to follow.

>Offensively Elven
You don't look like you belong, anywhere. From the way your dress, to how you speak, to how you carry yourself. Humans don't like elven arrogance, nor do they speak in "dosts" and "thous" in this day and age. You are so noteworthy that rumors of your remarkable self will travel fast and reach everyone they shouldn't. They might even reach your homeland - and, well... There's a reason you're here.

>Write-In

You can pick multiple, if you want. The Fate points will flow like a river, but the negatives will also influence you more often. Have fun with that.

>>4798053
>Dark Omens
This will probably be cause if problems but with our getup we should be able to navigate or escape them... Crippled would maybe make that difficult even if might earn us more sympathy and less suspicion.

>>4798075
+1

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We must secure the future of the elvenkind

>>4798053
>>Dark Omens
>Many warlocks succeed in hiding their nature through a number of spells and clever tricks. You are not one of them - your aura is so potent that anyone with a magical gift, and even some without one, can tell who you are. Disdain for your heroic craft is one thing, but what will happen once it earns you some truly powerful enemies?
>>Wheel of Fortune
>It's been proven by great minds of Dalaran that astrology and tarot cards are not a form of magic, but a primitive superstition. You have not heard of this study - and superstitions keep guiding you every step of the way. The stars can steer you wrong - you may feel the urge to play it safe when you need to be bold, and to risk it all when disaster is sure to follow.
>>Offensively Elven
>You don't look like you belong, anywhere. From the way your dress, to how you speak, to how you carry yourself. Humans don't like elven arrogance, nor do they speak in "dosts" and "thous" in this day and age. You are so noteworthy that rumors of your remarkable self will travel fast and reach everyone they shouldn't. They might even reach your homeland - and, well... There's a reason you're here.

Let's not do things by half-measures.

>>4798129
+1
fortune favors the bold

>>4798053
>Dark Omens
Many warlocks succeed in hiding their nature through a number of spells and clever tricks. You are not one of them - your aura is so potent that anyone with a magical gift, and even some without one, can tell who you are. Disdain for your heroic craft is one thing, but what will happen once it earns you some truly powerful enemies?

>Wheel of Fortune
It's been proven by great minds of Dalaran that astrology and tarot cards are not a form of magic, but a primitive superstition. You have not heard of this study - and superstitions keep guiding you every step of the way. The stars can steer you wrong - you may feel the urge to play it safe when you need to be bold, and to risk it all when disaster is sure to follow.

You people really seem to like Dark Omens.

>>4798172
Dead thread?

>>4798053
>Crippled
Going for a crippled but charming build.

>>4798053

>Crippled
>Dark Omens
I'm a sucker for a suave looking ornate cane. Throwing my vote in with Dark Omens too since it seems we'll be getting that one either way at this point.

>>4798215
I want a few more people to vote first.

>>4798220
With dazzle of 0, you won't be charming anyone.

>>4798240
You got 7 voters, man. Many QMs here would kill for that number of players. Most quests only have like 3-4 regular voters.

>>4798053
>Possessed by Spirits
Be an alcoholic.

>Dark Omens
Have an aura of evil around you so strong you might as well have "Hitler" written on your forehead

>Offensively Elven
Be a egomaniac stuck up bitch.

Offensively Elven is the right choice in term of minmaxing, but if we're going for the badass style factor, then I vote Dark Omens.

>>4798053
>Crippled

>>4798248
If you say so. So, we have
>Dark omens 5
>Soapbox Sadie 1
>Wheel of fortune 3
>Offensively elven 3
>Crippled 3

Well, the crowd clearly wants Dark Omens, but opinions are a bit more split on Wheel of Fortune, Offensively Elven and Crippled. Let's compromise by rolling the dice, and see if they make it in.

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>4798270
Wheel of Fortune makes it in on 1-30.

Rolled 100 (1d100)

Offensively Elven makes it on 1-30.

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>4798274
Crippled makes it on 1-40.

File: Plague doctor swagger.gif (2.62 MB, 220x275)

2.62 MB GIF

>>4798275
The dice hath spoken, we get a swanky cane.

>>4798275
Please don't OP. How can we even be Cripple if our Movement stat is at 2, tied for second best. It's kinda contradictory

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Your hero has statistics of
>Exertion 1
>Movement 2
>Twilight 1
>Prudence 3
>Mind palace 2
>Dazzle 0

With the following Flaws:
>Dark Omens
Many warlocks succeed in hiding their nature through a number of spells and clever tricks. You are not one of them - your aura is so potent that anyone with a magical gift, and even some without one, can tell who you are. Disdain for your heroic craft is one thing, but what will happen once it earns you some truly powerful enemies?
>Crippled
Ever since a bad injury, you've been forced to rely on a cane to walk, although you've often got around your disability by traveling horseback and using magic. You will not be eshka dancing any time soon - and if the situation calls you to run for your life, you might be forced to stand your ground.

Your Flaws can impose -2 on your rolls in the appropriate circumstances. Trying to run away from the brigands on foot is an example of such appropriate circumstances. Whenever that happens, you get an additional Fate point.
You start with 3 Fate points. They can be either used to reroll a die, or add +2 bonus to the result of the dice. You get more whenever your Flaw comes up, and the number refreshes back to 3 when I say so. I may complicate the rules for using them down the line, but for now you can use them whenever you want.

>>4798286
You still have a number of uses for it. Your hands are perfectly fine, your reaction speed is superb, you can still move unimpeded when in the saddle, and so on. Crippled is a threat to you only when you need to use your legs. You hardly need to move from your place to fight.

File: Kingdom of Alterac.jpg (46 KB, 318x428)

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Stress: You feel fine.
Consequences: None.
Fate Points: 3

To tell the truth, this journey was going not half as terrible as it could have been. Moving through the Plaguelands has been a dangerous, tasking and - most important of all - expensive affair, as the paladins of the Argent Dawn trippled the prices they ask for protection the moment they've seen your face. But the moment you've left the remnants of Lordaeron behind, and you could finally breathe in the unplagued air of Alterac, you felt... Not safe, but safer.

There was clean water here, something to drink. You knew enough of the edible roots and berries endemic to the area, and could cook them without fearing to contact the dreaded undead sickness. Even the beasts here were just that - beasts - and not abominations hungering for your blood. Not only you could scare them with fire, you could even hunt them for meat. The conditions for survival were present.
There were, however, some things that urged you caution.

Your chief concern was the fact that the place you were in, kingdom of Alterac, did not actually exist. The Second War ravaged this place, and the Third has delivered the finishing blow. From what you've heard, the kingdom of Alterac of now has been a collection of warlords, robber barons and their brigands, all still clinging to titles and coats of arms. If you remained here long, you would meet them without a doubt - on the road, or by your campfire. Then, in the best case scenario, they will rob you of what little you have left.

If you managed to survive the journey through the lands they prey upon, and move further southwards, you would end up in the dwarven lands. The war between your people was over - but you weren't quite certain the dwarves would meet the yesterday's enemy with the open arms. But perhaps, you'd find a ship there, in the Menethil Harbour. To the western lands of Kalimdor, or one of the neutral goblin cities. If not, you could continue down south.

If not south, you could always turn around and head north, back into the Plaguelands. While the idea was insane, it was not quite as insane as it first appeared. Andorhal was close, and that was Forsaken territory. They were the allies - maybe not yours, but of your kind. From there, you could reach Tirisfal. That was hardly an attractive end point of your journey - it was almost as bad as the Plaguelands, but with the added danger of your kind. But perhaps, it was a safer bet than south?

This was a hard decision to make, but you needed to decide soon.

>Laugh at the irony of your situation. It was safer to stay in the bandit kingdom than to leave it. You would remain here.
>Not only remain in Alterac, but seek out its people intentionally. Unlike all the others, the robber barons had no quarrel with you. In fact, you could offer them much, if you would only find the right ear.
>The war is over. The dwarves beyond Dun Modr will not dare to raise their hand against me - and through these Wetlands, I could reach the sea. By sea, I could reach anywhere.
>The Plaguelands are dangerous, but Tirisfal lies beyond. It's by far the safest bet. The other elves will probably not even recognize me.

>>4798318
>The war is over. The dwarves beyond Dun Modr will not dare to raise their hand against me - and through these Wetlands, I could reach the sea. By sea, I could reach anywhere.


Not staying in Alterac unless one of the Alterac quests returns.

>>4798318
>>The Plaguelands are dangerous, but Tirisfal lies beyond. It's by far the safest bet. The other elves will probably not even recognize me.

>>4798318
Time to join the Syndicate. Not seeing any opportunity anywhere else.

>>4798318
>The war is over. The dwarves beyond Dun Modr will not dare to raise their hand against me - and through these Wetlands, I could reach the sea. By sea, I could reach anywhere.

>>4798323
>>4798429
Dwarves are gonna use us for target practice. And if we survive that, it's Stormwind then.

>>4798318
>>The war is over. The dwarves beyond Dun Modr will not dare to raise their hand against me - and through these Wetlands, I could reach the sea. By sea, I could reach anywhere.

>>4798284
That is a powerful gif my guy.

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It was a hard choice to make, but eventually you settled on continuing your road down south. If you make it past the brigands and reach the highlands, it would be the easiest thing in the world to make it to the Thandol Span - the great stone bridge that will take you to the lands of men. How do you cross it was the problem for another time - you needed to make it there alive first.

Your hand involuntary caressed the sack with the provisions you've managed to forage. It was a good thing you knew how to survive in the wilderness - otherwise, you couldn't move towards the border with care. Slowly, incrementally, never approaching the roads, you could very well sneak through the bandit kingdom unmolested. It would take a long time. You would not spend this time in leisure and comfort. But it would be safer.
There was, of course, another way. A mischievous thought appeared in your head, an idea as brazen as it was sudden. You could throw caution to the wind, and let your steed carry you all the way to the highlands, maybe even further beyond. No force will dare to stop you, if you rush through the night on the back of a fiery demon - the brigands will scatter in fear of the terrifying rider like the yokels they are, or perish under the felsteed's hooves. You could see the images of their terrifed faces clear as day - although as the mirage faded moments later, you admitted to yourself that it was your lame leg speaking, not your sense.

>[Exertion] I did not master the dark arts to cross half the continent on a lame leg, like a knave. I ride!
>[Twilight] Caution is necessary. I am in the enemy territory, and I don't know whose attention I might attract. I will stay clear of the road, and continue foraging.
>There is no need for either of those extremes. I'll journey normally, using the roads - and if I even encounter any brigands, I'll handle them as they come.

>>4798479
We're not exceptional at either brute force or clandestine approach. Let us take it casual, although our ominous presence may raise some flags along the way...
>There is no need for either of those extremes. I'll journey normally, using the roads - and if I even encounter any brigands, I'll handle them as they come.

>>4798479
>>[Exertion] I did not master the dark arts to cross half the continent on a lame leg, like a knave. I ride!

>>4798479
>>[Exertion] I did not master the dark arts to cross half the continent on a lame leg, like a knave. I ride!

Rolled 1, 4, 6, 2 = 13 (4d6)

All skill rolls in this game are 4d6 roll, with your added skill - in this case, Exertion 1. On a d6, 1-2 is a failure, 3-4 is a blank, 5-6 is a success.
Failure, just like a success, can lead to interesting and exciting situations. Or it can lead to death. Use your discretion.

>>4798586
Adding up the results with Exertion, we get 0, which is not a good result. Will we be spending a Fate point for a reroll, or a bonus?
I won't be waiting long for the decision when it comes to rerolls.

>>4798595
I don't understand. What are we taking? Average? Best of four? Amount of successes? Difference between successes and failures?
It looks to me like from the 4 rolls there was 2 failures, 1 success and 1 blank, so if you go by 1 success minus 2 failures plus 1 from skill you arrive at 0, am I understanding it correctly?

And let's see what this gets us without reroll.

>>4798611
>It looks to me like from the 4 rolls there was 2 failures, 1 success and 1 blank, so if you go by 1 success minus 2 failures plus 1 from skill you arrive at 0, am I understanding it correctly?
This is exactly how it works.

>And let's see what this gets us without reroll.
I've heard you, chief, allons-y.

When you've just begun your training, it took you hours upon hours to summon the lowliest of demons. A whole night spent over the grimoire, as you double checked the incantation, the lines forming the summoning circle, how to pronounce the name of the demon. You knew what to do and what not to do - it was explained to you in excruciating detail, but when you first saw the silhouette of the fiend in the summoning circle, barely visible in the rising cloud of sulfur, excitement and fear made you forget everything you were taught.
You're older now. More experienced - when you are dealing with servants long bound to you, you don't even need to scribble the pentacle in the dirt anymore - merely imagining it gives you power over your minions. A ten second of monotonous incantation - that is all it takes for your steed to appear before you.
But the excitement you feel every time as power rushes through your body, that has never gone away.

As the felsteed rises below you with an infernal cry, you're almost knocked into the air by the sudden manifestation of his shape - but you remain in the saddle perfectly. You've done this many times before. For less than a moment, your wills struggle before you assert yours - and then, you ride forth.
You see shapes in the darkness, as you emerge from the woods and reach the road - a pair of frightened figures, barely lit by the flames your mount is wreathed in, and the sparks born of its hooves striking cobblestones. Peasants? Brigands? You can not see - and either way, they stagger in terror and fall on the grass, shocked by the terrible night rider.

That's what you are right now, you smile briefly, trying to half-remember, and half-imagine their bulging eyes and agape mouths. A terrible folk tale made flesh - something to scare children with. When a country yokel shivers from the lightning strike and thinks he saw a shape in the darkness - you are what he should fear to see.
You gallop, a thunder clapping each time the hoof strikes the stone, moving through the ravaged countryside like a lightning. Many a times, you see those who the war never finished off - those who should not travel at night - and every time, they would gasp, scream, and flee from your way, even those armed.

You lose track of time - there is no telling if you were on the road for half an hour, or for six. You're lost in the movement - only waking briefly, as you pass by a hamlet and briefly wonder if you should tempt fate and ride through.
Having forgotten yourself in the excitement, you don't see a thing in front of yourself but the road. When suddenly, you hear a noise you can't quite understand, and then feel weightlessness and movement, you find yourself wondering only one thing.

>How did I not notice this tripwire..?

Stress: You feel fine.
Consequences: Tied to a chair with a sack on the head (-2)
Fate Points: 3

You don't remember blacking out. You don't even remember falling - but when you open your eyes, headache notwithstanding - you find yourself being unable to see. Your first instinct is quickly breathe in, your second - to struggle against your bonds. You have the prudence to suppress both, and instead you remain perfectly still, trying to take in as much of the situation as possible before acting.
If your long ears can be believed, nobody noticed your awakening - and you're not sure if there's anyone present with you to even notice a thing. The only thing you hear is water dripping from somewhere very slowly, leaking through the ceiling or the roof. A moment later, you focus - and manage to hear words. Not from anywhere nearby - but from some distance, maybe from behind the door.
Your bonds are tight - you have no hope of slipping out, or breaking them with brute force. Luckily, you don't need either. Your fingers have just enough freedom and reach to conjure a small flame and burn through the rope. There is only one problem - your flesh would almost certainly be scorched too.

>[Prudence] Burn through the rope without making a noise.
>[Prudence] Try to focus on the conversation outside. Figure out what they're talking about from whatever words I can catch.
>[Mind Palace] I am not yet dead. Who are these people, and what will they want from me?
>Cut to the chase and say something to alert my jailors.
>Wait until someone comes in the room.

>>4798709
>[Prudence] Try to focus on the conversation outside. Figure out what they're talking about from whatever words I can catch.
Quite a pickle we've landed in. Let's start with figuring out who our captors are, how many are around and what their intentions are.

You have gained a consequence. Consequences can make various relevant actions harder (by how much, depends on the severity. In this case, it's a -2 penalty). In this case, it would be, for example, a bit more difficult to attack your captors while tied to a chair.
Taking consequences is a way to avoid suffering more Stress, which is your health bar. More on that when it comes up. Consequences disappear with time, depending on their severity. This minor consequence will disappear quickly, but if you're dealt enough stress to be forced to take a severe consequence, something like Broken Arm (-6), this will take time to be fixed.

>>4798709
>>[Prudence] Try to focus on the conversation outside. Figure out what they're talking about from whatever words I can catch.

Rolled 3, 1, 1, 4 = 9 (4d6)

+3 Prudence.

It's been slightly unclear but are we male or female?

>>4798734
We're an Elf.

"...about this.", you manage to hear a bit of the conversation. The first voice is high-pitched, speaking quickly, trying to be quiet. "...in the neck... Now... Nagas..."
Nagas, you make note quickly, and can't help but raise an eyebrow. The accent is odd and hard to understand, but you're almost certain that's what you've just heard. Are these creatures somehow involved?
"Too late now.", the second man is speaking louder, making it easier to discern the words. He is also not in the room. Behind a door, almost certainly. "Flaming horse... Even lords... Little people... Wake..."

Wake. Is he referring to you? Are they going to try and wake you up? You're quite certain who the "flaming horse" bit refers to. Although you feel a twinge of guilt over what happened, it doesn't quite grow into burning shame. It was a very good ride, and it was worth it.

>[Exertion] They're coming. Burn the bonds. Very, very quickly. It's just rope, this shouldn't be overly hard.
>[Mind Palace] Nagas..? It's really bothering me.
>Call out. Maybe threaten or curse them. My mood is certainly right for it.
>A better opportunity will present itself. I wait.

>>4798761
>>[Mind Palace] Nagas..? It's really bothering me.

>>4798736
I can tell

>>4798761
>>[Mind Palace] Nagas..? It's really bothering me.
Probably better to learn more while we can. The moment we break out we'll be forced into confrontation.

Hmm... do we know how to summon Succubus, and could we do it while bound? They have lesser invisibility so she could give us an edge if things went poorly.

>>4798777
In your circumstances, it will be a Movement check complicated by your Consequence.

Rolled 5, 3, 4, 6 = 18 (4d6)

Mind palace 2

Nagas, nagas, nagas... Alterac is too far from the ocean to be comfortable for their kind. While it's not unheard of from them to wander far, and you've heard stories of them and their schemes reaching as far as the Icecrown far in the north, each time you imagine nagas puppeteering your captors from the shadows, the suspension of your disbelief shatters. They would be just too out of place here, too ridiculous.
But he certainly what sounded like "nagas". With an odd accent, to be sure - but you've heard what you've heard. Unless this fall really messed up...

And then it hits you. Nagaz. He said "Nagaz". It's a name - not human, orcish. One you've heard too - in some relation to the Shadow Council, the failed architects of the demon invasion. If he's really a member, and he survived until these times, he must be truly impressive - or really craven. You're sure they were speaking of him. If only you could have heard the context more clearly. Are they in the league with him, somehow? Or do they think that you are?

Suddenly, you hear the footsteps - and then the two men loudly salute someone. "Sir!", they shout in one voice, and there's no response but the sound of the rusty hinges, and the foosteps closing in. Right now, he's probably some twelve feet away. Maybe slightly more.

>Pretend that I'm asleep.
>Don't pretend that I'm asleep. I don't care.

>>4798807
>>Don't pretend that I'm asleep. I don't care.

>>4798807
If they're competent at all they will probably see through fake sleep if they pull the sack off, and even if not they'll just pour a bucketful at us or something unpleasant.
But maybe we can seem more groggy and confused than we are.

>>4798807
>>Pretend that I'm asleep.

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You can hear something wooden in front of you creaking - a chair, you realize quickly - and then a sigh. Then, the sack covering your head is quickly pulled up - reflexively, you squint to protect your eyes, before realizing that cellar you're in is quite dimly lit.
That's what it really was - a cellar of some home, perhaps even a mansion - no, it's unlikely. There's not enough wine caskets for it to be a dwelling of a rich man, nor is there enough furniture. The place was almost stripped of everything barring a few empty shelves, and a few barrels.
On one of them, in the very corner of the cellar, sat a young woman with fair hair. Her eyes were staring in your soul most unkindly, while her hand laid on the sword.

Slowly, feigning weakness, you returned your gaze in front of you and spared another glance at the man. He did not look quite as young - although truth be told, human ages always confused you. He looked about thirty, or maybe forty - with short, trimmed black beard, and lively, inquisitive eyes. They were meeting yours, squinting, taking in your features.
"Well, the face didn't suffer.", he concludes, straightening his neck. "That much."
It seemed to be a jest. You did not find it funny. Neither did the woman in the corner, you felt.

>This is a misunderstanding.
>Ask him who he is, and why am I being held there.
>Tell him he might as well unbind my hands too. I seem to be outnumbered. What am I going to do? Kill everyone?
>May I have some water?
>[Dazzle] I'm aware that I lack some of that genuine charm. But I could at least try to conjure up a smile.
>Stay silent and stare him down. Whatever he wants, he'll get to it. Any questions I ask, anything I requiest, it gives him power over me.
>[Exertion] The best time to burn the bonds was a minute ago. The second best time is now.
>Write-in.

>>4798895
>Ask him who he is, and why am I being held there.

>>4798895
>>[Dazzle] I'm aware that I lack some of that genuine charm. But I could at least try to conjure up a smile.

>>4798895
>Ask him who he is, and why am I being held there.
We havn't been killed yet, so chances are they want something from us. Most likely information. Best to play it safe and look for opportunity to either talk our way out of this or get them to lower their guard enough to hopefully score a sneak attack.

>>4798895
>>Stay silent and stare him down. Whatever he wants, he'll get to it. Any questions I ask, anything I requiest, it gives him power over me.

>>4798895
>>[Dazzle] I'm aware that I lack some of that genuine charm. But I could at least try to conjure up a smile.

Well, I was in the middle of writing a post, and now we have a tie between asking him directly and trying Dazzle. Break that tie, and I'll get back to you.

>>4798908
>>4799406
+1

Before he has the chance to talk, you clear your throat and speak:
"Let's go through the obvious questions. Who are you, why am I here, and what do you want?"
Your voice is almost demanding, despite your pitiful position, and the questions produce a visible smirk on the man's face, one he doesn't try to suppress. Before answering, he makes himself more comfortable on his chair and leans on its back. He confesses a moment later:
"It's funny.", a moment more passes before he deigns to clarify. "For two reasons. First being, you're asking why you're here after crossing half the country - illegally - on a fiery steed, scaring all our good people with proclaimations of doom and gloom..."
You have no recollection of proclaiming anything. Maybe once, you could have done it in the excitement of the moment, twice at most, but you certainly were not in the habit of doing it.
"... one would think the reason you ended up here is pretty obvious. And secondly, I actually have all the same questions for you. Who are you? Why are you here? What do you want? That crosses the last two of your list, doesn't it?"
Another jest falls flat. You blink a few times, remaining silent. Your jailor inhales and continues:
"But as for the first... I am Godfrey Church, and the fair lady that's been keeping your company is corporal Sherman. Brooks Sherman. We both represent the kingdom of Alterac..."
"His grace, the duke.", the woman, this "Sherman", spoke for the first time. Her voice was firm and insistent, but the man paid no heed.
"...but I am here on the behalf of the Argus Wake also. We are an order of like-minded sorcerers, dedicated to restoring the kingdom to its rightful glory."
"Sorcerers" was a rather unusual way to put it. He was a warlock, same as you were - and now that you got a good look at him, there could be no doubt. He wore an infernal amulet on his neck, openly, without even bothering to pass it as something else.

"Now that we've introduced myself... Ourselves, will you return the favor?"

>[Movement] I have no personal effects with my name on them. Invent a false identity for myself, and stick to it. He won't know better.
>While I can lie, I struggle to imagine any reason to do it. Answer quickly and truthfully.
>[Dazzle] I am not in the habit of having civil conversations while tied to a chair.
>He dares to feign courteousy, while keeping me bound like an animal? Spit in his face.

>>4799872
>>He dares to feign courteousy, while keeping me bound like an animal? Spit in his face.

>>4799872
I’m wondering whether there is point in lying here. An elf warlock traveler is probably going to stick out like a sore thumb so we risk them finding out soon enough anyway, and we’re not going to convince them we’re just a harmless traveler given our display.
Lets use half truths I guess to avoid going into details.
>[Movement] I have no personal effects with my name on them. Invent a false identity for myself, and stick to it. He won't know better.
After all, we are kinda turning a new leaf.

>>4799872
>>[Dazzle] I am not in the habit of having civil conversations while tied to a chair.

>>4799872
>He dares to feign courteousy, while keeping me bound like an animal? Spit in his face.

What the fuck is a Sunhawk? Is that our family name? Are we Sunhawk?

Guided by spite, you deliver a spit in his face instead of the answer. It lands right on the jailor's cheek.
"You little...", his entire demeanor changes in an instant. Leaping from his seat, he raises his hand and backhands you forcefully - you're almost thrown together with the chair, and the pain stings, but the satisfaction of getting back at the human makes it worth it.
Gripping you by the chin, the man hisses at you, any semblance of courtesy now void from his tone.
"Right now, I'm being polite with you. We could talk under different circumstances. Begin answering questions, or we're going to find out how many fingers do you need. Who are you? Who do you work for? Why are you here?"

In order to torture you, they might need to move you into a specialized chamber. Being escorted could provide an opportunity for an escape. It also might end with you losing fingers.

>My name, right... It's... Magistrix PISS OFF.
>That felt good, but the risks are getting too great. I should stop antagonizing my captors.
>[Exertion] We're breaking out. Here and now.
>[Movement] Summon a minion in order to get better fighting odds.

>>4800629
>>My name, right... It's... Magistrix PISS OFF.

>>4800629
>>[Movement] Summon a minion in order to get better fighting odds.

>>4800629
>[Movement] Summon a minion in order to get better fighting odds.

Rolled 2, 1, 2, 1 = 6 (4d6)

Things seem to be taking an even more violent turn.
Movement +2.

>>4800864
Guess we're rerolling this

Rolled 4, 1, 5, 4 = 14 (4d6)

>>4800881
Fate point spent

>>4800892
With the consequence invoked against you, that 2 turns into a zero. Will there be a second reroll?

>>4800896
nope

>>4800896
Can we burn another fate point to get a +2 on this? Because I'm not sure if 0 is quite good enough in these circumstances.

>>4800921
For now, you can.

>>4800921
wait for a better opportunity anon

>>4800921
I'm with >>4800926, shitty option the one we choose, hopefully instead of killing us they would laugh off the situation and get to a more neutral ground with them

Stress: 1
Consequences: Tied to a chair with a sack on the head (-2)
Fate Points: 2

Two against one - and there's guards outside too. If you could just get a servant there, you'd even the odds. The image of the pentacle flares in your mind, words of the profane incantation leave your lips - and you hope you can finish the spell faster than the man can intervene. You almost get there - surprised by your brazen escape attempt, Godfrey wastes several moments cruicial to gripping your throat - and you feel a spark of hope. You'll make it.
But you don't. The last word of the incantation never leaves your lips, as your jailor manages to silence you - not with a spell, but with his own to hands on your neck, almost strangling you.

"Almost took me by surprise.", the warlock exhales, closing his eyes. "Can't take eyes of you for even a second, can I?"
The woman with the sword, now standing on her two feet, glared at you with clear concern in her eyes.
"She's a menace. She needs to die. If she gets to speak..."
"Don't tell me how to do my job.", the warlock snapped back without turning. "You're here as a formality. The Wake is handling those matters. Not you."
The armed woman snarled, displeased by his words, but remained silent. Attention of both was now solely on you.
"That being said, I see her point.", Godfrey's tone softened again. "You're just too much trouble. Spitting, cursing, trying to kill us - and I've thought you elves were supposed to be more civilized than us, more refined. Interrogating you is a pain in the ass, and I don't even know if you have anything worthwhile."
He twitched his nose.
"How about this. I'll weaken my grip right now, and you give me a reason I shouldn't follow the corporal's advice. If you try to cast a spell, well... You do you."

>Write-in

>>4800991
I've got nothing desu.

Idk, offer some forbidden warlock knowledge? Or we could volunteer our real name so they can ransom us off to someone who would pay for privilege of killing us and then look for way to escape in the meantime.

Still, the gall of that bandit.

>>4800991
>Write-in
>"You expect me to act civilized while being treated like an animal? Get the ropes off, bring me some water and we can discuss anything you want to discuss... Also, when someone is knocked up like that while traveling is not very nice, so forgive me if I was rude"

>>4800991
I'm honestly surprised people actually voted for spitting Godfrey in the face. Like what the fuck did you expect to happen, that he'd just break down in tears and profusely apologize for clearly being in the wrong and offering up all of his personal wealth as long as we don't hurt him and his family? Play stupid games, win stupid prices I guess.

I'll support >>4801004 since I'm not good with write-ins. I hope at least there's something we can salvage out of this, because it's looking pretty much like a game over already if we can't convince Godfrey not to kill us.

>>4800991

>>4801004
I'll support this

>>4801004
yeah, might as well give it a shot

>>4800991
>>Write-in

"(Bluff)"

"You think killing my body will rid you of me? Amateurish monkey. My soul is better secured than that, like yours could be if you had a real... mentor. Say what: why don't you give me a reason not to take bloody vengeance on you and your little whore?

>>4802823
I'll wait for some opinions about this first.

>>4802854
As a matter of fact, can we do soulstones?

If yes, serves as a reminder to keep one up at all times. If we can make it out of this alive.

>>4802866
Yes, you can do it. The soulstone must be kept on your person for it to work, and it will resurrect you a short time after death, upon which it will fade away.

>>4801004
New player here, supporting this so it doesn't start with a game over.

Stress: 1
Consequences: None
Fate Points: 2


The outlaw weakened his grasp on your throat, and words began leaving your lips, twisted in a snarl.
"You expect me to act civilized while being treated like an animal?", you breathe in through your teeth, before spewing. Get the ropes off, bring me some water and we can discuss anything you want to discuss."
The human female scoffed, narrowing your eyes:
"Would you like anything else? Maybe a foot massage?"
The warlock, meanwhile, coudl not hold back an amused grin. He raised his eyebrow and shook his head.
"So this is the famous elven humility.", Godfrey whistled. "You're something. Sherman, tell your boys to bring a pitcher here."
The woman looked like she wished to argue, but she did not - briefly standing up from her place, she paced towards the door and barked an order.

A minute of tense silence passed, before the door opened again, and another bandit (or man-at-arms, as those present would certainly claim) entered, a clay pitcher held in one hand, and a cup in the other. Letting them rest on the table before you, the brigand turned towards the woman, expecting to hear new orders.
"Unbind her hands.", Church commanded instead. The brigand seemed uncertain for a moment, before Brooks echoed.
"Do as he says."
"My legs too.", you spoke suddenly, catching the glares of all present. "You think I could run, even if I wanted to?"
Your words seemed to land - and soon, all your limbs were free at last. There was still a matter of armed opposition in the room - but at least you could stretch your back and do something about the soreness in your arms that's been driving you mad.

After all this time, the water you've tasted was sweeter than any wine you'd tried in your life. You emptied nearly the entire cup into your throat, before letting it rest on the table again.
"I've indulged you.", Church leaned back on his chair, visibly unintimidated by you even with your hands unbound. "Now that we're all acting civilized, will you be getting cooperative?"

>Actually, I'll take that foot massage too.
>We can talk.
>[Movement] They've made a fatal mistake. Now I have the freedom of movement, and a weapon. I attack!

>>4803265
>>[Movement] They've made a fatal mistake. Now I have the freedom of movement, and a weapon. I attack!

We've dumped our "be nice" stats, aren't putting our high "analyze the situation" stats to good use (as expected from 4chan), and so far failed to capitalize on our decent "think fast, act quick" stat. Let's at least make an effort.

>>4803265
I kind of wish I participated in character creation and earlier choices now. I hate having the "persuasion" stat as a dump stat.

>We can talk.

One anon wanted to see where just failing our rolls got us, presumably in a "fail forward" sense.

May as well see what they want, unless they mean to coerce us into an unfavourable arrangement where we do shit for them and get none of the benefits or essentially act as their slave, then I see no issue with simply hearing them out or even working with them briefly.

I'd also rather not risk physical conflict now even unbound as we are. There seem to be multiple guards plus a warlock and I'd rather have an advantage of some sort whether it be analysis granted from our Prudence stat or distance so we can defeat them in detail.

>>4803265
>>Actually, I'll take that foot massage too.

>>4803371
+1 to this, but also >>4803402

And now I have another question, Can we combine answer/options?

>>4803536
When it makes sense, sure.

>>4803265
>>We can talk.

"I'll take the foot massage.", you spoke dryly, your tone making it difficult to discern if it's merely a jest, or you're being serious.
Church turned his head slightly and threw a sideways glance at the corporal, who immediately twisted her face in such a grimace, you barely managed to suppress a smile.
"Are you serious? No.", she cut off harshly. "Stop goofing around, and get to your business."
The man rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to you.
"Oh well, maybe she'll come around.", he grinned for a moment, before suddenly his expression changed and became sterner. "Now that we've given you almost every comfort you've asked for, let's return to my earlier line of questioning. Who are you, and why were you here?"

>On the matter of the name...
>>Answer truthfully.
>>[Movement] I still haven't come up with an alias. Better think quickly.
>>[Twilight] Assume a false identity of one of my enemies.
>On the matter of my business...
>>I was passing through. My goal is Thandol Span, and what lies beyond. I have no business with your people.
>>[Twilight] I am on official business. Subtly imply that people know that I'm here, and will come looking for me. They don't want this kind of trouble.
>>[Mind Palace] Why am I here is not that interesting. It's far more curious why you are here, and I have a pretty good guess.
>>I'm here to seek fortune and wealth. There's no other reason.

>>4803846
>On the matter of the name...
>>Answer truthfully.
>On the matter of my business...
>>[Twilight] I am on official business. Subtly imply that people know that I'm here, and will come looking for me. They don't want this kind of trouble.

>>4803846
>>On the matter of the name...
>>>Answer truthfully.
>On the matter of my business...
>>[Mind Palace] Why am I here is not that interesting. It's far more curious why you are here, and I have a pretty good guess.
Does this option mean we (if successful) gain the information for ourselves, or that we reveal it to them? Because announcing we figured it out might not be the best thing to do. Outward I'd say
>>I was passing through. My goal is Thandol Span, and what lies beyond. I have no business with your people.

>>4803875
I can post the conclusion if the hero ends up making that roll, and the people can decide if you voice that conclusion or not.

>>4803846

>On the matter of the name...
>>[Movement] I still haven't come up with an alias. Better think quickly.

I know next to nothing of Warcraft lore, I only played Warcraft 3 more than a decade ago and I never played WoW, but we are supposedly "the last Sunhawk" and we seem to have a lot of enemies who would pay to know where we are, so we best play it careful. Our enemies - whoever they are - are likely more dangerous than this lot, enough so that I'm fine with risking lying, we have fate points if we need it.

>On the matter of my business...
>>[Mind Palace] Why am I here is not that interesting. It's far more curious why you are here, and I have a pretty good guess.

We may as well impress them with our intellect and demonstrate that we can gather what they want and how we can help. It's also one of our good skills, so we may as well use it.

I have no issue telling them the truth on the matter of our business though. No need to play coy.

Also, we should use our fate points more liberally we have two flaws which will give us lots of fate points, especially because they are ones that will trigger a lot because they deal with us moving and us being recognized for what we are, so they should trigger basically all the time. No point hoarding them, we only need 1 for emergencies to prevent a game over, the rest we should use to boost our rolls to get what we want.

>>4803987
+1

Also, OP, Can you some time to time post an update with a little list of the stats of our character? Must of the time I forget what we have for stats when the option of using it comes up, and so we don't have to go all the way up to see them.

Rolled 2, 2, 1, 2 = 7 (4d6)

>>4804516
Mind palace + 2

>>4803987
+1, especially the part about fate points

>>4805115
Does that mean you're rerolling the above check, or is the public fine with it?

>>4805118
What's our current Fate Points at? If it's two or above, yes, I absolutely vote for a re-roll. There's a statisically unlikely that we get a worse roll than this one

>>4805118
sure, let's.

I'm beginning to thing our doom and gloom aura extends to dice rolls though. I mean that one amounts to pretty much critfail.

Rolled 2, 4, 5, 1 = 12 (4d6)

Rerolling, mind palace +2.

EX 1, MOV 2, TWI 1, PRU 3, MND 2, DZL 0
Stress: 1
Consequences: None
Fate Points: 1


Before you even open a mouth, a thought occurs to you. Godfrey is asking the right question, although he does not know it yet. Why ARE you actually here? Not in Alterac, but in this interrogation room?
Why have you still not been killed, despite you giving them repeated causes to stick a knife in your throat? Why were you offered water, why were you unbound, why are you not being tortured, despite the threats of just that?
They might wish to make you spill the beans by yourself, before resorting to rough treatment. This is a possibility. But... What beans? What is the endgame of this interrogation? Ordinarily, they might have suspected you of being an enemy scout, a spy, but no spy would ride into the enemy territory as brazenly as you did. They know you have not come to their bandit country to sniff around whatever secrets they may have. A spy would not behave like you have, nor would he get caught.
If it's not your secret mission they want to get out of you, then what? State secrets? Presuming you even know anything of the sort, why would they suspect you of having any valuable information?

All of this is just a prelude. A little pathway that puts you on the real track to the conclusion. You have not managed to settle why you are here. But why is this human, Godfrey Church, here? He doesn't quite appear to be in the same hierarchy as everyone else here. Nobody present actually answers to him, nor does he answer to anyone. In a normal interrogation scenario, it would be the woman, Brooks, who would be handling you. She clearly has some degree of formal authority.
So, why him?

Because this is not an interrogation. This is a recruitment scenario. Church is part of an order of dark sorcerers, likely with close ties to the Shadow Council - Nagaz specifically. And upon finding out about promising asset just stumbling into his hands, Church rushed here to see if you're the right material.
It's the only theory that explains everything that's going on, and you have a feeling it will be getting further proof with each passing minute.

>Voice your conclusions.
>Don't voice your conclusions.

>>4805773
>>Voice your conclusions.

>>4805773
>don’t voice your conclusions
Even if they want us to work for them they are not likely to be taking “no” for answer. Looks like we are going to have to play along, unless we decide to break out forcefully. Maybe if they think they got us won over they’ll ask for practical demonstration of our ability.

>>4805773
>Don't voice your conclusions.
I feel it's better to try and fish for confirmation right now, we think we might know what's going on so it's best to try and confirm it before we make a move that we might regret.

>>4805773
>Bluff working for the Shadow Council already, but for a different branch/order/cabal/whatever, not connected to Nagaz.

It's sprawling and disjointed enough to lack any means to ascertain if someone belongs already (or it'd be extremely easy to root it out). And as a warlock, we very well might namedrop some influential and still-active demons of the Legion as our contact.

>>4805934
An interesting idea, let's hear some opinions.

>>4805934
Yeah, I'll bite. Lets see if we can bluff ourselves out of this.

>>4805934
Well, first was the option about spit on the guys face and now this... Fuck it, lessgooo

Rolled 5, 2, 3, 2 = 12 (4d6)

Your will is my command. Twilight check, +1.

EX 1, MOV 2, TWI 1, PRU 3, MND 2, DZL 0
Stress: 1
Consequences: None
Fate Points: 1

Rarely in your life you've had to think on your feet so quickly. There were a thousand different possibilities in this conversation alone, and many of them would have led you into the direction you did not like. Initiative had to be taken, even at a risk.
"It's best that the uninitiated leave the room, before I speak.", you produce finally. Only several seconds have passed since the man asked his question, but to you it seemed like an eternity.
"The uninitiated?", Church raised his eyebrow. The question leaves him, but when it does - he already understands exactly what you meant. Without turning his head, he speaks. "Brooks..."
"Out of the question.", she interrupted coarsly. "Do not outstretch your authority, sorcerer."
You see hesitation in the man's eyes. You've cornered him - not in a dangerous situation, but certainly unpleasant. Speaking of the Shadow Council's secrets in public was the most foolish thing to do, yet one he would attempt anyway. You understood the gamble - those present would barely even understand the conversation you're about to have. All of this, you could work with.
"Not only you have the power, but you also walk the enlightened path?", Church raised an eyebrow. "With all due respect, anyone can claim that. Is there proof?"
"Names hold power.", you answer tersely. "Someone like you certainly understands."
"Then give me one.", he looks you in your burning, verdant eyes, trying to find something there.
Names really do hold power. You could have remembered hundreds, if you wished to. You knew them all. But suddenly, as if you were a student standing dumbstruck on an exam, you can not speak a single smart answer. But a name does roll down your tongue.
"Delrissa.", you speak, and feel the regret strike you like a knife.
You should not have said that.
"Delrissa..?", the man blinked several times, vaguely recognizing it. He furrows his brows, smiling. "What are you, some kind of a sunhawk?"
A seemingly innocent question, the gravity of which he can't even begin to understand. A treacherous drop of sweat threatens to roll down your neck. Your throat, the one that just tasted the contents of the entire pitcher, suddenly runs dry.

>I pledge my allegiance to the Sun King.
>[Twilight] Merely a coincidence.
>FUCK.

>>4806127
Guess that prudence really didn’t kick in.
Time for poker face.
>Petty politics notwithstanding, only a fool scorns a font of power for its flavor.

Lmao, so that's the deal with the protagonist. We're a fucking war criminal.

>>4806127

>"The best kind: a sunhawk who placed her loyalty better than others. Is there any other kind alive now?"


(Or this: >>4806223. But since we're billed as the last sunhawk, why not turn our slip of tongue to our advantage?)

>>4806127
>>4806223
>>4806326
I guess, I'll support these, but I really have no fucking idea what any of these names mean or what the context is of this situation.

I'll add something else to think about. Assuming we escape bondage whether through words or violence, where do we want to go and why? We had a choice earlier of where to go, so where and more importantly why are we going there? Do we want to hide away from our enemies, try and gain wealth and power, attack a particular foe, gain allies and influence, take a vacation and sort through our life, or more than one of these or none of the above?

Discussing and deciding out of character now will help align us in figuring out what we want to do and whether we actually want to work with these guys or escape.

This would all be made easier if I knew anything at all about Warcraft.

>>4807288
Good questions, all of them. Please do discuss it.

>>4807288
Like this anon i'm going to support all of them because I know nothing about WoW or any about those names.

About out objectives and if we can escape from these idiots I think we should go to where we were planning to go, find a place, see what's going on in the city and make a steady place for ourselves. THEN! We should seek some power, maybe make a new identity and make business

>>4807288
>>4807401
Like these anons, I am stricly limited in my lore knowledge to what I can remember from Warcraft 3, so don't expect me to understand a lot of the subtext that might appear. Will throw my votes in with this anon >>4806326 for this reason.

As for what we want to do, I don't really have much to contribute here, because of the aforementioned lack of lore knowledge. If any knowledgable lore-anon would like to step up and gives us reason and direction I would be more then willing to support that.

Oh boy, this is worse than I've thought. Do you people need a reality lowdown?

I was hoping you would do that from the beginning. However, I have spent the last few hours doing a wiki dive doing some light reading, and I intended to write up a summary. I'll try and write up that summary now in a second post, it'd probably help if you wrote up your own summary as it is likely to be more accurate than mine. Also, please include where we are in the timeline. (post- Battle of Azeroth?)

File: The great map.png (3.27 MB, 1571x1051)

3.27 MB PNG

The current political landscape is made up from two superpowers - the Alliance (major points marked with blue) and the Horde (major points marked with red). Although it makes no sense, and made no sense, your elves are aligned with the Horde.
The two were just recently in a major war, but it ended in a peace (meaning, the Mists of Pandaria expansion just ended). The peace is rather uneasy, but maybe it'll hold.

If you want to continue traveling, you have several major possibilities. One - you can travel to one of Horde territories, and hope that although they are closely aligned to blood elves, your people won't find or reach you there. Two - you could travel to the Alliance territories, and hope that although your eyes seethe with demonic corruption and your aura betrays you as a warlock, the peace will defend you, and again, you won't be reached.
The third possibility is running to one of the yellow places, they are run by goblins. Goblins don't care about politics, or dark magic, so you've got this covered. Goblins only care about gold. and don't care what hand presents it. You could also run to another city - the magical city of Dalaran, recently restored. It's flying somewhere over the ocean, and is usually reached through portals, one of which you would have to find.
The fifth possibility would be to join one of the unaligned, often extremist, groups, who will probably offer you some degree of quality of life and protection, in exchange for something. There are lots of those.
You could also turn around and head right into your elven home, and face whatever awaits you.

File: Chronicle2_Eastern_Kingdo(...).jpg (3.81 MB, 2292x3056)

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Okay, here's how I've decided to do this summary, I'll VERY briefly summarize what I think a Sunhawk is, what a warlock is, what fel magic is, what demons are maybe, what Blood Elves are, then go over some political geography to orient anons who like me didn't play WoW and barely remember Warcraft 3 and along the way I may mention the shadow council, the syndicate, and how to use our stat build to achieve some goals and what those goals should even be in my opinion.

I should mention that I have not played WoW at all, nor read any of the novels, do not read WoW forums or watch youtube videos involving warcraft and I've only played Warcraft 3 more than decade ago, I also have read Dragon Hunt (A canon manwha) more than a decade ago. Take everything I write with a grain of salt.

A Sunhawk is a Blood Elf that follows Kael'Thas Sunstrider (An important character and hero turned villain) even after he betrayed everyone(?) and even his own people(?) (We probably think his people betrayed him rather than the other way around) when he decided to ally with the Burning Legion (Demons, I think?) because they promised him that they would save his people. As far as I can tell, a Sunhawk is basically a war criminal/terrorist/whateverthefuck who slaughtered a bunch of dranei, treated Blood Elf pilgrims like slaves at one point, took some magical territory and invaded their own capital city, and most importantly tried to summon the Big Bad Evilest of all demons into the world. I think the reason they followed Kael'thas was that he was a prince and legitimate ruler of the Blood Elves and Kael'thas and the sunhawks were trying to solve the Blood Elves magic addition or something.

Warlocks are people who use fel-magic and summon demons. In WoW they are apparently a very good or maybe even the best ranged DPS class. Most of our utility probably comes from demon summoning, otherwise warlocks seem to mostly just shoot stuff with fireballs and shadow magic. Demons seem to be objectively evil, but warlocks are not necessarily evil, though they can be.

Fel magic is basically the magic used by the Burning Legion and Demons, the fundamental force behind it is Disorder. It is entropic and volative and for Blood Elves who require magic for some reason are often addicted to it. It is formed from Light and Void colliding on a cosmic scale, can be fueled by insignificant amounts of life force. (the wiki says a fish or two or a few strands of seaweed, and in WoW you can use HP to fuel it instead of mana) It is apparently countered by arcane magic which represents Order. It can also cause Fel corruption which can manifest in positive or negative ways such increased strength, more magic potential, horns and other genetic mutations like wings and things like the Blood Elves' Green Eyes, mental instability, increased impatience and tendency towards violence, rapid aging, physical weakness with long term exposure, lack of empathy, oh and...turning into a fuckin' demon.

(1/2?)

File: EasternKingdomsCompositeMap.jpg (7.62 MB, 4500x6500)

7.62 MB JPG

I said I would be brief, but anyone can tell that this doesn't look brief, none the less, in comparison to how much shit has happened in this franchise, this is in fact very brief and glosses over a ton of shit.

Demons, I was gonna talk about demons but honestly, reading about them, who cares...

Demons are evil typical fantasy demons that come from the Twisting Nether or something, they do evil shit. Their leader is Sargeras, who is a imprisoned Titan or something. Probably none of this shit matters, apparently some freed themselves from their dependence on fel magic and instead use arcane magic and follow the Illidari who in term follow Illidan Stormrage, as one would expect. So, I guess they aren't all evil, but really, most of them are evil.

Blood Elves are High Elves, who in turn are Night Elves, sort of. Physiologically they are the same, except Night Elves live in the north of the western continent of Kalimdor and are what we would typically refer to as "Wood Elves" in DnD parlance, basically druid hippie types who have purple skin, High Elves have blue eyes and live in Alliance territory and I guess feed off arcane magic(?) and they only comprise 1 % of the surviving populace of High Elves, Blood Elves have green eyes and wear red and black, are kind of edgy, are part of the Horde, comprise 9% of the surviving populace of High Elves, but choose to call themselves Blood Elves for...reasons. I think they feed off fel magic to cope with their magic addiction or something. They inhabit Quel'Thalas, which is the in the northern most part of Lordaeron, which in turn is the Northern most sub-continent of the Eastern Kingdoms (The stupid name for the three eastern most sub-continents)

Wait...I sort of wasn't clear with the elf population. Blood Elves are High Elves with a different name to be clear. 90% of the total High Elf populace was genocided during the events of Warcraft 3 when the Scourge invaded Quel'Thalas. Of the remaining total 10%, 9% became Blood Elves and 1% remained High Elves.

Okay, political geography, lets be quick. Look at the image from my first summary post, everything below the yellow stromgarde across the strait is irrelevant for now. The Amani Empire no longer exists. Lordaeron (also the name of the sub-continent we are on) is where Arthas is from I think, but no longer exists and instead the Plaguelands are basically all of Lordaeron. Alterac has already been addressed by the QM earlier in the quest, the only factions of note in it are the Syndicate (who we probably don't know about) and a bunch of former nobles and bandits fighting over the remnants of a long dead kingdom. Dalaran is ruled by mages and is a crater (I think) but still exists, the crater isn't a signal that Dalaran is destroyed but rather than it flew like a floating island and is elsewhere. (I think?) I don't know much about the rest of Lordaeron, I think there aren't any other relevant polities, but I could be wrong. (2/3)

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Final post I promise.

Lordaeron has a mild climate, mostly forests and fields, etc, etc. Alterac (where we are now) is really mountainous. There geography over.

The Syndicate are criminals, they wear orange masks. There is a lot of evidence that the syndicate either are allied to or serve the Shadow Council. Apparently...though I will remind people I didn't play WoW and almost all of this shit that I've recounted is from WoW.

The Shadow Council is pretty expansive, they have a lot of sprawling branches and layered inner circles to their hierarchy. They work for demons. I'm too lazy to continue to look up more extensive info for all of this shit, and frankly this seems like the most relevant stuff. They seem to be made up of Warlocks.

Okay, the real shit I wanted to get to. How to use our build to achieve our goals and what (I think) they should (or could) be. Frankly, I hate our stat build, with mediocre Exertion and non existent Dazzle, we are forced to be more subtle because we lack the ability to easily kill shit, our ability to coerce people to do what we want or work for us or otherwise give us a better deal is pretty poor, and we aren't charming our way into any benefits or parties, nor are we persuasive or otherwise charismatic enough to be a convincing leader or demagogue. Our strengths are thus: We have good willpower in regards to resisting pain and we are perceptive and are good at being polite when we want to, reading maps and navigating culture, a skill that has not paid off so far and has few "active" uses, next we have "good reaction speed", are apparently good at improvising, and can deflect conversation topics decently, and finally we're smart. This is based off the stats we have 2 or more in.

Based off of this, I think we are best suited as an investigator, scout, translator, and spymaster/mastermind. The easy routes to power (being charismatic and being strong in terms of destructive potential) are not open to us. Therefore we either need to form an organization with minions to serve us and do all the work we are bad at, or we need to work for an organization as one of the jobs I listed above in exchange for things that push our goals forward.

I think our goals should be as follows, from most immediately necessary to...less so: Subsistence and Security, we need to not have to spend time and resources just to survive or not have our throat slit while sleeping, since we are a Sunhawk and a Warlock with Dark Omens, this means we need to work with other warlocks or criminals or people who will tolerate Warlocks who aren't affiliated with Blood Elves and don't mind demons too much. To this end I believe we should either try and carve part of Alterac out for ourselves or work with the Shadow Council or find some criminals to work with in some other nation. I also believe we should avoid going to Horde territories too much because the Blood Elves are part of the Horde. After that, our choices open up.

>>4807935
>>4807978
>>4808011
Holy shit, what a write-up. Pretty much all of this is entirely accurate, with the sole exception of the Syndicate, where the anon described them and the former nobles of Alterac as separate political entities. They're actually one and the same, with the prince of Alterac, Aliden Perenolde, being one of the leaders of the organization.

I am rewarding you - personally you - with three Fate points you can spend however you see fit. I would like to comment that the ability to customize the build are coming.

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I completely lied, there's more, but at least I only have a few more sentences to write. Fuck, I can't believe I wrote all this and put in all this effort for this quest and setting I know jack shit about. It's a fuckin' wall of text, a god damn short story or something.

Anyways, when our choices open up, which will be after we obtain a measure of Security as well as basic access to food, water, and shelter as well as some funds to purchase equipment and hire minions or bribe people with, we can do a lot of shit. It comes down to coming up with a motivation for our character, what does our MC want? We could try and resurrect Kael'Thas Sunstrider, (I don't even know if this is possible) we could try and find a solution for Blood Elf addiction to magic, (the details of which I don't yet understand) we could try and destroy those responsible for Kael'Thas's death but frankly that is a tall order as the people who are responsible for his death are the Blood Elves themselves along with some Draenei and Naaru and if "The Last Sunhawk" didn't give it away, we are the last follower of The Sun King (except all those who got turned into felblooded I guess, which makes us even more niche, since we are a follower who didn't get their "reward") and our enemies are entirely mainstream and otherwise the Blood Elf establishment, also destroying our own people seems pointless and stupid and seems like an unbelievable motivation that would make it hard for me to empathize with our character. I'm honestly kind of at a loss for a motivation for our character, we are the last war criminal follower of a character who is dead and who's fall from grace was apparently considered poorly written and out of nowhere by the fan base. If the issue was lost territory, then revanchism would be a good motivation, but that isn't a problem, so I think our motivation should either be revenge, survival, (since we are hunted) or following through with our leaders motivation for his betrayal of his people and allies, that is to save our people. To that end I guess we could research cures to elven requirements for magic or try and research fertility boosting technologies and magic to try and boost the Blood Elf population so they aren't a dying race.

Oh, and I forgot some details, but I don't care to type it all out. I'll just say that Delrissa is the demon(?) that restored Kael'Thas to "health" after he got his ass kicked and was a boss in the raid or whatever where you killed Kael'Thas, apparently.

Yeah, that's all from me, why the fuck did I type this wall of text.

>>4808055
Holy shit, anon. In addition to QM's three fate points, I hereby award you with 50 respect points.

>>4808024
Thanks QM, I appreciate it.

Really though, all of this is information I kind of consider pretty relevant or even necessary for even basic context of the premise of your quest, I kinda wish you laid it all out for all of us instead of me having to trawl through the wiki's for all of this stuff. (You kinda just threw us into the deep end, I know WoW is extremely popular, but some of us spent our time watching anime or playing video games that weren't WoW or some shit)

Though it could've been more concise, hell it should've been a lot more concise, but I ain't got the time to edit all of that stuff down.

Please don't drop this quest, or at least let it run for a few threads (like 4 or 5), I'd hate for my literal hours spent writing that wall of text and reading wiki's go to waste.

>>4808064
The plan was, and still is, to deliver exposition and explore character motivations as the game goes on, through dialogue and different choices. I just didn't realize the playerbase of this quest was 90% composed of people, who have utterly no idea what is going on, and thus what do they need to do. I've thought it's about 30%, which would be far more managable.

With all of this exposition in mind (I'l also answer any questions as they come, if they're necessary for the players to make judgements), do we have a better idea what to do in this moment in time?

>>4808058
Thanks anon.

>>4808078
Sorry, I'm gonna take a break and watch some videos and listen to some music or something, I'll either return in a few hours or in like 9-16 hours after I sleep and wake up.

I think a lot of anons may be asleep, I dunno what time zone you are in but I'm in PST (I literally stayed awake through the night writing that wall of text since I'm not working) and if other anons are in the west coast of North America then it is very early morning, and in other timezones anons may be working, you may have to wait a bit.

Plus, some may be catching up and struggling to read through my write up without suffering from the rather common tendency of modern people to have their eyes glaze over when confronted with more than a paragraph of text, not that I blame them in this instance.

>>4807883
>>4807935
>>4807978
>>4808011
>>4808055
Shit anon, thanks for the lore dump, really useful.

>>4808078
From my part I don't have a better idea, aside from being dismissive and say something like "You asked for a name, and there you have it. I didn't say it was my name" and maybe that can give a clear message that we won't give one by the moment.

>>4806127
>>4808078
I'll be honest, I reread a lot of the story posts to try and recontextualize our situation in my mind, but my support for >>4806223 and >>4806326
still remain. I don't really have a better idea other than just saying it's a coincidence because we are still stuck with having name-dropped Delrissa and bluffed already being a member of the Shadow Council, and even if we were to be exposed for NOT being a shadow council lackey, being a sunhawk seems potentially vaguely aligned with Shadow Council interests despite their differing goals. They did try and summon Kil'jaeden after all, even if their specific goal was intended to help the blood elves, they still ended up doing stuff that would've benefited the demons and Burning Legion. Or, at least I think, again not that WoW savvy despite my wikia-dive.

I'm not even that worried about them trying to coerce us by threatening to expose us to the Blood Elves or something, most tangible physical consequences that we can suffer can be inflicted by anyone who can overpower us anyway and Quel'thalas has no particular reason to believe a shadow council warlock pretending to be a normal sorcerer that they know the appearance and location of a sunhawk than any other reportings of sightings of sunhawks. I'm not even sure you really CAN report sunhawk sightings since a sunhawk is just a warlock or blood elf follower who has a ideological alignment with Kael'thas, not someone who has unique abilities or appearance that gives credence to a "sighting".

>>4808055
Nice infodump, was very informative. I will undoubtedly refer back to these posts as the thread continues.

As for our potential short term goals could be like, I can see two options. We either:
1 - Stay on the path south and take a ship to one of the neutral goblin cities and try to establish ourselves there
2 - Stay in Alterac, infiltrate one of the nobel factions fighting for control and either work for them loyally or seek to ruin them from within, possibly even set ourselves up as some sort of Warlord

Our skillset is not geared for combat right now, and considering how the dice really wants us to eat shit we should probably try and stick to what we're best at: Logical deductions and impressive diplomatic and social etiquette, which is why I suggest infiltration rather than outright trying to muscle in on a territory if we decide to stay behind on Lordaeron.

As for long term goals, I still feel pretty stumped, I'd have to admit. On one hand we can go down the easy revenge story, were we build up a powerbase of loyal minions and go after the Scryers for killing our sun daddy, perhaps maybe even go as far as to try and finish his grand scheme and summon Kil'jaeden. Or alternatively we can just go full WarCrimes McGee and try to glass the whole world on our own due to madness induced by snorting raw magic.

On the other hand, we could head off and start some sort of continent spanning crime syndicate where we pull all the strings from the shadows if we make it out of Lordaeron alive. Or if we're feeling more in the mood for a "redemption arc" approach (not sure if a walking War Crime can really be redeemed), we could open up a detective agency and turn this quest into Warcraft Noir detective quest, because again, our strength is in Deduction and Social Understanding. Not sure if the QM wants to run a story like this, but I have a massive boner for cheesy noir settings.

All of this of course presupposes that we make it out of our current situation alive.

"You've asked me for a name. I have given you a name.", you speak without a muscle on your face twitching. "Do you have any intelligent questions, or do you intend continue wasting my time?"
"My goodness.", Church did not seem taken aback by your rudeness one bit. A spark flared in his eyes, as he put the two and two together. "She really is..."
Turning his head, he nodded to the others.
"Brooks, and... You there, I'd like to present you someone special, a dying breed in the today's age of declining nation states. What we have, sitting in this chair, is an actual, real patriot. Girls, the two of you should get along really well."
"Church.", the woman clearly was beginning losing her patience. "I have no idea what are the two of you talking about, what the fuck is a "sunhawk", who is Delrissa, and what is your point. From my perspective, you have not spent a single second here productively. If you have an agenda you'd like to get to, please begin immediately, or get out of here. This circus has overstayed its welcome."
"See?", the warlock glanced in your direction.
Suddenly, his expression lost its mirth, and his voice - a lot of its volume. Leaning forward, he almost mumbled into your ear.
"Look, I think I have a pretty good idea of who you are, and why you are here. Now, don't deny anything - I don't actually care - just listen to my offer. You're exactly what we've been looking for. Foreigner of the right skill set, with flexible morality. You help us out with this dump, and our little book club will return the favor. These might not be your elven woods, but the Argus Wake can provide you with influence and the material goods. Everything a practitioner of the darks is entitled to."
You responded in tone.
"Considering I'm willing to entertain your offer. What is it exactly that you want?"
"Nothing you shouldn't be used to. The first priorities are retaking lost territories, making friends in the right places, re-establishing an economy that can turn a profit. We're looking at making Alterac strong again."
"For purely altruistic reasons?", you inquired dryly.
"Princess, if the morality of the issue is a problem to you, you're in the wrong business. And have been for quite a while."
"And what if I say no?"
Church only rolled his eyes. His annoyance at the question was difficult to miss.
"None of this had to be difficult, until you've started making it difficult. You say no, you walk out of here, free as a bird. We could force you to work for us, but it wouldn't be worth it. Too much oversight needed, for very little gain."
He straightened his back, looking you in your verdant eyes.
"Well? Will we be graced by your elven presence?"

>We have a deal.
>A human kingdom is not what I plan to dedicate my life to. I'm leaving.
>He says he'll let me go, but will he? I'll agree with his proposal for now, but I don't plan to stay here for long. Maybe not even a full day.
>Before I make a decision, I have questions. [Write-in]

>>4809775
Yeah, I think the best bet is either staying in Alterac or going to a goblin city to build up capital and influence and then either coming back to Alterac or building up in a region that is relatively safe for us but "nearby" to Quel'thalas so we can pursue goals related to the Blood Elves, whether we go the redemption route and try and pursue noble goals in helping solve the elf magic addiction or something or whether we go the evil cartoon villain route and try and restart the apocalypse. Though since we already have this Shadow Council thread going, I'm willing to see where it leads.

>>4809807

>We have a deal.

We need some starting money and supplies even if our intent is still to head to Menethil Harbour. After all, we have to pay for passage somehow, as well as food and a room when we arrive in the city, as we can't exactly forage in a city and if we arrive in the harbour with no money then that puts us on a time limit to obtain funds to purchase a meal and a room before night fall or starvation. Not to mention money for bribes could be useful if people take issue with us being a warlock.

Contacts and influence would also be good if we return to this area on our way back to Quel'Thalas or just in general if they can give us contacts that we can access from other parts of the world.

>>4809807
Also, we should be vague when we do this, but perhaps it may be best to inform Church of our skill set, again in vague terms so as not to give him precise knowledge of how powerful we are or to otherwise give him an edge over us. Once we come to an accord that is, and he gets us out of this little issue with whoever these military types are.

It's just...we want to actually work in a capacity to which we are best suited for both our sakes. So, like I said, we should have subordinates and/or teammates that complement our skill set and fill in for our weaknesses, we could use a couple of people who are good at killing and breaking shit and a good sneaky talker/charmer to round us out, depending on what he has in mind for us to do. As I mentioned in a post above, we are better off as the mastermind who puts all the logical pieces of information about a situation together to find solutions or as a pathfinder or scout or someone who can bridge gaps between cultures/races or diverse peoples.

>>4809807
>We have a deal.
Right now we have the solution of our problems of HOW we're going to survive. Our boy Church and his people need us and we can help with the part of making friends and re-establishing the economy of Alterac thanks to our skills, but as >>4809859 we should say something like "You need friends? Contacts? A Strategist perhaps? Then I'm the indicated for that kind of job"

>>4809807
>We have a deal.

We'll run with these schmucks, for now.

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You thought on the matter for a few brief moments, before slowly nodding.
"We're in agreement. I would like to..."
"Capital.", Church raised his hand and made an odd gesture towards you, the meaning of which even he was probably unsure of. His next words were said, as he was already turning and heading towards the door. "We'll contact you in several days with your orders. You'll meet Nagaz then, and some other folks."
You barely managed to suppress a suprised "what?", as you stared him in the back.
"What am I meant to do until then?", you furrowed your brows.
"I don't know, eat. Sleep. Meet the people, make some friends, try not to spit any of them in the face. The world is your oyster. Brooks, don't lose this one too."
The door closed shut a moment after the last word has been said, and you were left alone with two... You were still uncertain as to what to call them - soldiers or brigands. Both of them were looking at you - one with caution, and one with an indecipherable, stern expression.

"Your cane is leaning on the wall behind you.", the fair-haired woman spoke tersely.
It seemed as if she meant for you to rise and try to take it yourself - but after a moment of stillness, she paced through the cellar herself, and handed you your walking stick.
"A word of warning, elf.", she spoke. Her fingers released the cane into your grip somewhat unwillingly, as if she was tempted to use the opportunity to assert her power. "You may have been invited to live here by this man, but he does not rule these parts, and neither do you. The duke is the only authority here - and you have only as much power as he'll allow you to have. Do not overstep your bounds - and you won't earn any enemies."
You nodded barely in understanding, but did not comment - not yet.
"What did he mean by his last words?", you inquire, and watch for the changes in her expression. None occurred.
"Your predecessor killed himself. Some manner of dangerous spell, I don't understand these matters. It went wrong, and now instead of him, we have you."

She turned around and bobbed her head towards the door, seemingly intent to lead you out. Despite her cold attitude, the woman seemed to be in a talkative mood for now - perhaps, an opportunity to be seized. You only need to settle on a subject.

>She mentioned the duke. What kind of man he is? Wha's his history? If I'm to serve him, I should be aware of such things.
>Actually, I'd like to talk about her. I don't think "corporal" is particularly high rank in human militaries, not at all, but she clearly possesses more authority than it should allow. Why is that?
>What exactly is the Argus Wake, and what is your relationship with it? It's led by an orc. Should they not be your enemies?
>I'll ask about the Wake's dead warlock. I could learn a lot from his example - how far could my powers stretch, what missteps I must not commit.
>I know the history of Alterac. But I'd like to know her version of it, including the current events.
>The way her eyes dart towards me sometimes. She actually wants to ask something herself. If I simply keep silent, she'll speak her piece.

>>4811545
>>I'll ask about the Wake's dead warlock. I could learn a lot from his example - how far could my powers stretch, what missteps I must not commit.
>>I know the history of Alterac. But I'd like to know her version of it, including the current events.

>>4811549
>The way her eyes dart towards me sometimes. She actually wants to ask something herself. If I simply keep silent, she'll speak her piece.

This first, she may speak something she may not have otherwise in a moment of curiosity or passion.

Then...
>I'll ask about the Wake's dead warlock. I could learn a lot from his example - how far could my powers stretch, what missteps I must not commit.
>I know the history of Alterac. But I'd like to know her version of it, including the current events.

These are probably the most immediately relevant, the rest we can infer or deduce on our own.

The fact that Alterac is the way it is explains her relative surplus of authority, and we can learn about the Duke another time.

>>4811906
+1

You've seen them, those glances that she was throwing at you. Impatience she could not hide, no matter how hard she would try. You only needed to climb the stairs in silence for her to reveal what was gnawing at her - and lo, it did not take her long to speak.
"What did you talk about with Church? I did not understand."
"You'll have to be more specific.", you answered without looking. "We talked about great many things."
"He called you a sunhawk. What is that?"
You paused for a moment, turning your head and giving her a look.
"What if I told you this is the Wake's internal matter now?"
The woman clearly did not have a thought out response to that. She clenched her jaw, made a few steps in silence, before speaking again, forcefully.
"You should tell me.", she pressed. "You want me to trust you."
She made an accent on the word "me", although you doubted it was intentional. So that's what it's really about, you pondered.

About that time, the two of you made your way outside - and you were forced to squint, as the blinding light of Alterac's day attacked your senses.
"And will you, should I tell you the answer?", you forced out, struggling against the cruel sun.
"No.", she answered tersely. "I won't. Firstly, elf, I don't even know your name yet. Secondly, trust is built of many little things, over time. But not keeping secrets is one of them."

Once you managed to get used to the light, despite its best efforts, you took the opportunity to open your eyes and take a good look of your surroundings.
This place, whatever was its name, made an impression of trying. Much like back home, in the parts ravaged by the undead, and those little points of light in the Plaguelands, this town was in act of active struggle against the reality of the surrounding desolation. You saw a small castle - nowhere as imperious as the spires of Quel'Thalas - half of which laid in ruins. The signs of the siege weapons battering its walls were visible to the naked eye, but much like the kingdom itself, it was holding on. There was light in the windows, and banners decorated with the image of the prancing unicorn. On the wall, you've spotted a guard, armed with a crossbow and looking down, at you.
Surrounding the castle walls, there were houses, built out of wood as was the human style. People lived there - ordinary looking folk, not dissimilar from the ones you've seen in the north. Someone was feeding a hound. A woman dragged her children into her home, having caught the sight of you. Somewhere outsight of your view, a smith was hammering iron. A group of men in orange scarves and masks were singing a crude song.
All of them, and none of them, seemed to be aware that their kingdom was dead.


And then, there was Sherman, looking at you surverying her home. For a moment, her impatience subsided. She was looking at the subtle hints in your expression that would tell her what you've really thought of what you'd seen, and what thoughts could be discerned through a look into your eyes.

Truth be told, the town faded from your ponderings moments after you've first laid your eyes upon it, and something else gripped you. With all these questions, you were stalling - not because you wished to waste her time, but because you wanted to win some for yourself. Some precious seconds needed to look within, into that black, shriveled heart you knew had to be beating somewhere in there, and ask it:
"What is a sunhawk?"

>It means doing what's right, not what's popular.
>It means being loyal and following orders.
>It means being blind, and making mistakes.
>It meant advancement and power, once upon a time.
>[Prudence] It's a name for a political movement. One that lost. Feelings and philosophy don't belong in the matter.
>[Twilight] Come up with a lie that will bore her.
>"You speak of trust. Well, I do not trust you either."
>"This is really not something you should be aware of."

>>4812149
Reformatting your posts, QM?

Anyways, oh boy, time to discuss and decide how our character felt about Kael'thas and being a sunhawk.

I personally don't want to be an evil cartoon villain, but I DO want to be "morally flexible" at the best of times and have mixed feelings about our people and our Prince.

>Write-in: "To be a sunhawk is to be loyal to the only true royal sovereign the sin'dorei ought ever recognize, there will never be another King or Queen, nor Prince or Princess after our Prince's passing." *Enter appropriate slightly dramatic pause for gravitas* "Being a sunhawk means proactive, doing what's right, seeking a cure for our people's weakness in the face of the Sunwell's destruction, regardless of the outcries of those who would gladly sit at home and wither and die rather than do what was necessary to save our people. *Another somber, more natural pause* "It meant doing terrible things in pursuit of our goals as supplies and will dwindled and we were forced to ration our resources when absorbing new territory and people came to us in pilgrimage, it meant being blind and following our Prince even as his "solution" drove him mad, for there was and IS no other leader worthy of the name to us. I don't regret following him, I regret not saving him, I regret failing to save our people, traitors that they are.

I think this covers the gamut of the QM prompts and offers a speech that shows our mixed feelings while leaving it open for us to be good or evil or in between in the future without tying down how our character feels to strictly one or the other. I'll admit that it is a bit wordy and realistically our character probably wouldn't be this open, but I think that can be worked around by saying that our character felt impulsive to get out how she felt after being isolated from any people she trusted to talk to that were her own kind and being stuck in the plaguelands for however long, so she just lets it all out on the first person who wants to listen and to know her.

It's also vague enough that despite it revealing more than realistic, it doesn't actually reveal any of the demon-summoning, slaving, blood-soaked warcrimes that we and the sunhawks no doubt commited.

I also have to say that some of the speech is meant to be interpreted as our character rationalizing. That and I had to take some liberties because I haven't actually played WoW and have no idea why the sunhawks treated blood elf pilgrims like slaves or did what they did, so I rationalized it from their point of view they didn't have enough supplies to go around.

>Now what about her, we opened up a little, now it is her turn.

Plus...
>I'll ask about the Wake's dead warlock. I could learn a lot from his example - how far could my powers stretch, what missteps I must not commit.
>I know the history of Alterac. But I'd like to know her version of it, including the current events.

Ask these afterwards.

It's worth saying that I doubt we'll suffer consequences for being this open with this woman, or even most people in Alterac, even high-status ones. Alterac in addition to being in a time of civil strife and insecurity is also, mountainous, and bordered by the fucking huge plaguelands to the north, with no ports to speak of. Meaning minimal flow of information in or out and especially not about Quel'thalas or the Blood Elves, I doubt this corporal will ever know if we tell a lie or whitewash a ton of warcrimes other than through her own skepticism, and even if she meets another Blood Elf in the future, she may choose to believe us over them depending on how our relationship develops.

I told you we should have taken Soapbox Sadie. Do you feel robbed yet?

Actually, doing more wiki reading, I'm not sure the sunhawks were even involved in all the acts committed by Kael'thas and his forces.

Apparently the actual army or main body of Kael'thas's forces were called the Sunfury, which had a bunch of sub-groups one of which was the sunhawks. Supposedly after Kael'thas's betrayal was discovered by Scryers the remaining most loyal sunfury forces that didn't switch sides called themselves the dawnblade.

According to the wiki, the sunhawks were specifically the group of Blood Elves who sabotaged the Exodar after the draenei tried to escape with it, it then crashed and then the sunhawks tried to hijack it, they also apparently tried to turn eredar into demonic eredar.

Aside from some superfluous details, there is almost no other info about the sunhawks at all, perhaps because supposedly they were this one specific sub-group taskforce, whereas the real main group of followers of Kael'thas were called the Sunfury, and then later the loyalists to Kael'thas called themselves the dawnblade.

Not entirely sure my write-in makes sense if that is the case, maybe the QM can paraphrase if my write-in gets the most votes.

>>4812241
I mean...sort of? I wasn't even here for the character creation votes, so not really. But, I mean..kind of, it'd go well with my write-in at the very least. And being sunhawk almost by definition makes one an extremist

>>4812246
The main group is called Sunfury in lore, of which Sunhawks are a subgroup of really unclear scope. But due to various factors*, there's a complete equivalence between the terms "Sunfury" and "Sunhawk" as far as this quest concerned.

* - Two main ones are, "Sunfury Spire" is where the current legitimate government, led by the regent-lord, is located. "The Spire" will therefore be used to refer to the elven equivalent of "the Man". Also, "sunfury" just sounds awful. Try it: "You're a sunfury", "I'm sunfury".

>>4812251
Oh, no, I completely agree. It makes sense to refer to oneself as a sunhawk, but it sounds stupid to call oneself a "sunfury" in reference to a person or as a member of a political/militant movement.

I was just confused, since I didn't know anything about WoW before reading the wiki and when my first search was to look up "sunhawk" I was ultra confused by why the article was so incredibly sparse on information. Since the premise of the quest was being a sunhawk and I could find no info on sunhawks, I thought "wow, the QM sure chose a really niche, obscure group that probably only featured a few times in some meaningless sidequests with minimal lore to write a quest about".

>>4812197
Oh, and I vote to tell her something along of those lines. Maybe not as dramatic.

>>4812197
Throwing my vote behind this, even if the speech feels a little bit overdramatic.

We're an elf, melodrama is guaranteed.

Though, if you have a better write-in, be my guest. I'm just glad someone is voting, it seems like everyone either forgot to or lost interest or something.

EX 1, MOV 2, TWI 1, PRU 3, MND 2, DZL 0
Stress: 0
Consequences: None
Fate Points: 1 (3 special)

You stopped and breathed in deeply, closing your eyes.
"To be a sunhawk is to be loyal to the only true royal sovereign the sin'dorei ought ever recognize, there will never be another King or Queen, nor Prince or Princess after our Prince's passing."
Your voice grew firmer and fiercer with each word, as you gripped into your cane with one hand, while another you have almost lost control over - your finger pointed somewhere into the human's direction, as if you were giving a grand speech with her as the audience.
"Being a sunhawk means doing what's right, seeking a cure for our people's weakness in the face of the Sunwell's destruction, regardless of the outcries of those who had the luxury of sitting at home. It meant doing terrible things in pursuit of our goals as supplies and will dwindled. It meant being blind and following our Prince even as his "solution" drove him mad..."
You could no longer see a thing before you, as your spirit was far from the mountains of Alterac. Your cane struck against the ground with force. Your voice quaked, as you almost shouted out:
"...for no one else could have reached as far, and kept going! I don't regret following him. I regret not saving him. I regret..."
Your breath betrayed you for a moment, as you stumbled over the words for a moment, merely a moment.
"I regret... Not saving our people. Traitors that they are."

Your senses slowly returned to you, as once again you have found yourself together with a stranger, in the unfamiliar land. Your hands were trembling lightly, and your throat was dry. Your expectant eyes stared at the human before you, who seemed stunned by your display. Seconds have passed in silence, before Brooks carefully, quietly inquired.
"So, it's a movement you were in?"
You forced yourself to still your hands, and still your breath, for never in your life have you felt the need to strangle someone so strongly. The alteraci seemed to pick up on her mistake quickly, and added:
"I know very little of what goes on in the faraway lands."
"It's a movement.", you conceded moments later. With a heavy sigh, you explained yourself again. "When the Sunwell was destroyed, our people were afflicted by a hunger for magic. The prince and we searched for the solution, and eventually we've found it."

You paused. Not because it was difficult for you to remember - but because now you were careful as to which parts you were to say out loud.
"It's a rather long story, but eventually we returned to the homelands to right the wrong that was done to our people. Not everyone agreed with what the Sun King had in mind, and there was a war. We lost, the king died, and eventually, I've ended up here."
"I'm sorry.", the human spoke seconds later. You could tell that her understanding of what you've said was still little, but her words seemed sincere.

"Are you still plagued by this hunger?"
For the second time, you had to restrain yourself from lashing out. It's ignorance, you reminded yourself, not malice. She did not know.
"No. It was...", you mumbled, briefly looking away. "Solved through other means."
She wanted to know, you could feel it, see the lingering question in her expression. In the end, she knew better.

"What of your people?", your voice cut through the air. The awkward, pregnant pause that remained of that conversation was done away with just several simple words. "I've told you what the sunhawks are. Tell me, what is Alterac."
"What is Alterac?", the brigand echoed.
"I've read the histories as they were written by your enemies. I don't care to hear these things - tell me what you know."
"There are more appropriate times, and people, for history lessons. I'm sure if you ask his grace, the duke..."
"I don't want to ask his grace, I want to ask you.", you pressed. There was still some resistance in her, so you continued. "I've just indulged you. Will you not have the courtesy to return the favour?"
This seemed to have worked. For now, at least, you seemed to have dashed whatever hopes Brooks had of escorting you to your destination and getting rid of you - and instead, she began.

"I'm no historian, or poet.", she warned. "I'll simply tell you what every man in the kingdom knows. From the first days of our independence, we were surrounded by enemies. Stromgarde were our mortal rivals, certainly, but Lordaeron, Gilneas - all of them - were hardly friends of ours. But when the orcs invaded from whatever hell they were spawned in, our neighbours still had the gall to demand our aid. Our king, Aiden Perenolde, reluctantly agreed."
This certanly seemed like a familiar story. His late royal majesty Perenolde was the last to seek fights with the orcish horde. If the history - written by the victors as it may - was to be trusted, he was too yellow to seek any confrontation for his entire life.

"The war with the orcs was not going too well. Stormwind fell, and Lordaeron was on its last legs - and then, the orcs came here. Our people were meant to fight those, who we had no quarrel with, for the sake of our enemies. Lose the lives of countless soldiers, lose our villages and towns, while the king of Strom was feasting on pork. This never made any sense."
There were odd tremors in her voice. Was it righteous anger, as she imagined good king Trollbane feasting on pork, while the brave sons of Alterac lost their lives? Or was she struggling to justify what she was about to speak of?
"So his majesty Perenolde engaged in diplomacy. Made peace with the orcs. The Horde made guarantees. Promised to protect our interests, help us with out rightful claims. The Alliance has never done anything of the sort."

It was quite a gamble, to betray humanity for the chance to fight under the banner of the otherwordly invaders. Who knows, if things went a bit differently, it might have paid off. Of course, as you knew well, it did not.
"...then, the Horde lost. We lost. And before orcs were even done with, the vultures in Stromgarde and the rest of the "great kingdoms" tore our land apart. Our king was deposed, and in his place they've wished to place one puppet or another, as one last humiliation."

"Did they?", you've inquired with genuine interest.
"No. They didn't. Because there is some justice left in the world. The plague ripped through Lordaeron, destroyed it. Stromgarde got what's coming for it too, the only thing left is to put it out of its misery. But Alterac remains, and mark my words, our eagle will be back amongst the stars where it belongs."
"So your kingdom remains.", you summarized dryly. "Do you have a king?"
"We have a Perenolde.", Brooks answered evasively. "Lord Aliden, his majesty Aiden's eldest son. It's a complicated matter."

Of which you'll have to ask someone else, you finished for her. A moment passed, and you raised your eyes to meet the human's, only to notice she's looking at you expectantly.
"So?"
She was waiting for your opinion. And regardless of what you would say to her out loud, you did have one brewing privately...

>Alterac betrayed humanity to side with the cruel and savage orcs, out of treachery and cowardice. What opinion can I possibly have?
>This king Perenolde was looking out for his people. He may have lost, but had he won, there would be statues of him all over the kingdom.
>The king may have erred - or maybe, he has not. Regardless, Alterac did not deserve to be reduced to this for actions of one man.
>Politics aside, both of us know what it feels like to be on the losing side.
>No, I don't. Humans and human politics are beneath me.
>Write-in.

>>4816167
>This King... seemed to know how to make difficult choices that offered the best outcome for his people. That is a mark of a leader deserving of loyalty.

>>4816167
Outwardly...
>This king Perenolde was looking out for his people. He may have lost, but had he won, there would be statues of him all over the kingdom.
>There was injustice done to Alterac, regardless of trust betrayed, Alterac had an undue burden put upon it by the Alliance and the Alteraci people have a unique culture and cannot and should not have had their hard-earned land taken from them and split amongst the "great kingdoms" like spoils of war.
>Politics aside, both of us know what it feels like to be on the losing side.

We are supposed to be good at navigating cultures even if we aren't the most charming, so we should probably have this historical knowledge to know about the Alteraci tribe and its history with Stromgarde and the Empire of Arathor. We should probably try and have a least someone who likes us when we are surrounded by literal brigands and thieves. I also genuinely think that there are parallels between us and corporal Sherman here.

Inwardly...I guess I'll leave that up in the air for now. Our sunhawk may not think as highly of Perenolde as Kael'thas, probably uncertain of his motivations without the bias towards him from being his subject, whereas we are biased towards Kael'thas and more likely to whitewash his actions.

I also don't think we would be TOO supremacist in this matter, our character has high Prudence, so I imagine they are interested in other cultures, we probably turn up the elven disdain for when we are genuinely annoyed or think we aren't being given the proper respect or attention we deserve, but I doubt we are disinterested entirely in other races.

>>4816167
>Write-in
>Then your King was as meek as history tells. He fell on his knees to heed the Call of War from other Monarchs, and when that war came to his own lands, he fell on his knees again to beg for mercy and security from the Horde. And when the Horde fell, he undoubtedly crawled on his knees to beg forgivness from the same men he promised he would march shoulder to shoulder with. Had it not been for cirumstances beyond his control, those 'Great Kingdoms' as you call them would've put this land completely to the torch and all it's people in chains or nooses.
>A Monarch's Duty is to rule, not to BE ruled. Would your King be able to lead your nation to prosperity by acceding to the demands of others? By submitting to the authority of others? He would tell you his actions were necessary, yes? That it was essential to maintain the peace and spare you from suffering?
>Some would call this "Cowardice". Certianly the lords of Stromgarde would say nothing less than that about the character of your former King. And yet, it is not the curse of Cowardice that plauged him. No, instead he lacked something. He lacked Strength. Strength to endure hardships. Strength to see his people through strife and conflict. A Ruler who lacks confidence in his own strength, in the strength of his nation, and would rather crawl through mud like a maggot than face adversity deserves neither respect, nor reverence.
>And yet, throughout all of this, the desctruction and suffering brought upon you, your people still endure. They are still here, fighting for who they once were. Fighting for what they can become once again. There is virtue in such tenacity. This land could be strong and prosperous under the right leadership. I pray that your faith in this 'Lord Aliden' is not misplaced, for I fear that this land can not survive another indecisive ruler.

>Politics aside, both of us know what it feels like to be on the losing side.

Yikes, looks like I can be melodramatic too if I put my mind too it

>>4816757
Opinions on this?

>>4816167
>>4816759
I'll switch to this >>4816757 to speed things along. While it is harsh, it still gets across the points of us both knowing what it's like to being on the losing side while complimenting her people or saying something positive. It's certainly more honest than my write-in, which was meant to be inoffensive.

lol, we should've taken all the flaws, imagine the Fate Point farm.

Your nose twitched, as you delivered your brutal, but honest verdict.
"If all of this was true, then your king was as meek as the history tells. He fell on his knees to heed the call of war from other monarchs, and when that war came to his own lands, he fell on his knees again to beg for mercy and security from the Horde. And when the Horde fell, he undoubtedly crawled on his knees to beg forgivness from the same men he promised he would march shoulder to shoulder with. Had it not been for cirumstances beyond his control, those 'great kingdoms' as you call them would've put this land completely to the torch and all it's people in chains or nooses."
"You weren't there.", Sherman did not take your words kindly.

Neither were you, you thought, but those were not the words that left your lips. Instead, you continued.
"A monarch's duty is to rule, not to be ruled. Would your king be able to lead your nation to prosperity by acceding to the demands of others? By submitting to the authority of others? He would tell you his actions were necessary, yes? That it was essential to maintain the peace and spare you from suffering?"
You expected another remark, but none followed, even though you've intentionally given the human several long seconds to retort.
"Some would call this "cowardice". Certianly the lords of Stromgarde would say nothing less than that about the character of your former king. And yet, it is not the curse of cowardice that plauged him. No, instead he lacked something. He lacked strength. Strength to endure hardships. Strength to see his people through strife and conflict. A ruler who lacks confidence in his own strength, in the strength of his nation, and would rather crawl through mud like a maggot than face adversity deserves neither respect, nor reverence."

>>4816793
>lol, we should've taken all the flaws, imagine the Fate Point farm.

>character takes one step
>breaks both legs due to crippled
>falls over
>starts a political rant about how this is all the Scryers fault
>scares the whole population of the village away with just our ominous aura
>summons a magic bottle of whiskey and down the whole thing to deal with the pain of two broken legs
>try to read our fortune in the stars
>fail horribly because we're shitfaced
>when the local guard come to arrest us for being a public nuisance they're accosted by an elven supremacy speech
>get knocked out by guards
>locked up in county jail for the foreseeable future until they figure out what the fuck to do with us
>"You have gained 37 fate points"

I'd play it.

"His majesty protected us from the torches of the Horde.", Brooks pressed. There was a sort of cold anger in her tone that did not carry the threat of an imminent backlash - merely a sign of her increasing displeasure with your increasingly patronizing comments.
"So your people could fall to the torches of the Alliance instead. You've endured in spite of him, not because of him. And yes, your people have endured. They are still here, fighting for who they once were. Fighting for what they can become once again. There is virtue in such tenacity. This land could be strong and prosperous under the right leadership."
Your nails tapped lightly on the top of your cane, before you finished.
"I pray that your faith in this 'Lord Aliden' is not misplaced, for I fear that this land can not survive another indecisive ruler."
"Are you done?", Brooks raised an eyebrow then, her bemusement clear in her tone.
"For the time being."
"Good, because I'm not certain I could take more of it. Everything I've heard about your people seems to be true. I don't know which was worse, elf, your vile slander, or your backhanded praise."
"You asked for my thoughts, and I've presented you with them. Should I hold my tongue next time, or tell you of how great the state of affairs here is, and what remarkable leaders must have brought you to this?"

By this time, the two of you have long started moving - into the direction of the castle, from what it looked like. Your slow pace has given you and the soldier plenty of time to continue exchanging sharp comments, which is exactly what you did.
"You have a lot of opinions on the land and people, with whom you've spent the entirety of half an hour.", the brigand has chosen offense.
"I pick up on things swiftly."
"I mean to show you a finger, elf. Can you pick up on which one it's going to be?"

"Have I truly wounded you this much?", you turned your head slightly and gave the woman a sideways glance. "None of this was meant as a slight."
"You didn't, because I care none for the opinions of loudmouthed strangers, and because I've had to bear folk far worse than you. But be warned that not all here have the patience with you that I and the sorcerer have shown. If you don't hold your tongue with some men, you might lose it. They won't care if you're the Wake's new recruit. Some here remember the Second War well."
At that moment, you've passed by a guard standing by the castle's humble gate. He's given you an idle, curious glance, but naught a word was spared - he only allowed the two of you to pass inside, into the cold stone hall.

Human castles were nothing like the spires of home. There was no more warmth in these stones than there was color. Torches dimly lit the interior in the stead of dancing magical lights - and as for tasteful decorations, there was never even any hope. You've thought you spotted a tapestry somewhere on the wall - but you were too distracted by your conversation to try to appreciate it.
"So I have wounded you.", you sighed deeply. A few seconds of silence later, one only filled by the sound of your footsteps and the cane striking against the stone floor, you continued. "In truth, I think that you and I are not that different. We both..."
"Save it."

Soon, you were in front of a door - a simple wooden door, right by which the corporal would stop.
"This here belonged to your predecessor. There's probably still some things left there that Church didn't bother with, so I suppose it's yours if you want it."
A room in the castle, close to the powers that be. A less inquisitve mind would take it as a sign of respect for your craft - but you were clever enough to know your new dwelling was only chosen, so the brigands and their lord could keep an eye on you.

"How soon am I expected to meet the duke, and the rest of his courtiers?"
"At your convenience.", the woman shrugged. It was clear that she cared none about this particular issue. "You could go right now, he should be at his study. You could also meet him at the dinner. But I'd advise meeting him today."
Strange man. You'd expect a lord to demand a lot more punctuality from you than "today". This either meant disregard, or... You weren't entirely sure what. As you pondered on the subject briefly, Brooks gave you a long glance.
"I'd also advise a bath. You don't look, or smell like an elf."

>Write-in

>>4816823
kek, glorious.

>>4816931
That...didn't turn out great.

>Prepare a bath or rather, have someone else prepare a bath for us, we aren't exactly in the condition to carry buckets of hot water into a copper tub ourselves. In the mean time examine our room and go over the materials left over by our "predecessor".

File: 1373040464567.jpg (30 KB, 500x539)

30 KB JPG

>>4816931
Fantastic work, me.

>>4816952
I'll add to this, we should be careful when we examine the contents of our predecessors chamber. We're told he killed himself by accident with a spell, but chances are he might've been 'removed' for some reason or other. Whatever the case, anything of value still left in the room could be magically booby-trapped, and I'd rather not have that blow up in our face.

>>4816931
>>4816963
Sure, my intent is generally just to figure out what he was working on and the value and use of any materials left behind, but yes, we should watch out for traps, in addition we should try and see if he was suddenly killed before completing his work or something that would indicate his death was anything other than accidental, perhaps by deducing his progress through his work before his sudden death or by seeing if he left any notes or journals behind.

If necessary we should use of our high prudence skill to determine any of this, though only if a roll is even required. Or perhaps Mind Palace so understand the spell he was working on and any flaws in it.

It would also help if we had a third voter, most QMs don't really continue until there are three votes that have consensus and failing to get three votes on anything indicates a lack of interest, it'd help if some of the lurkers came out of hiding.

>>4817043
Lurker and relatively new poster here. Gonna be honest, I'm a bit daunted by the sheer amount of text that is required of posters in this quest, which is why I haven't joined yet. Especially since I'm not a native speaker.

On topic, I think that we should be very careful when inspecting the room indeed, but even more so when we meet the lord. I have a feeling that something is up.

Rolled 5, 1, 3, 6 = 15 (4d6)

The idea was not unwelcome. To soak in the this enveloping warmth for an hour or two, let it touch your aching joints and wash away the dirt you've gathered on the road. Just for a short while, let all the concerns of the world drift away. The last time was still in Quel'Thalas, weeks ago.
"Do you have servants here?", you came alive from your trance. "I'll need water, and..."
"I'll send a boy."

You nodded barely. There was nothing left to say - nothing that came to your mind right now, anyway. Your fingers grasped the door handle and pushed it down, the door gave in with a creek, and a step later, you were on the other side.
The room you've been provided was small, and was nothing like even the humblest part of your ancestral home. The planks below you moaned, as you've made your first step inside and closed the door behind you.
There was a bed in the near corner, with linen sheets and a pillow. The kindest thing you've had to say about them was, they were fresh - no one has laid there before you. Not for days, mayhaps even weeks. They were changed - not for you personally. No one was comfortable with bedsheets of a dead man still there.
Right by it, there was a bedstand, one drawyer had a lock on it. There could have been something inside - but you somehow doubted it. Whatever personal effects there used to be on top, were removed long before you came, all but a candle and a knife.

Then there was a closet, just big enough for someone to hide there. Not far from it - a bookshelf, nearly empty. You could easily read the names of some tomes right from where you stood - "Fish, and other bards". "The Paladin's Ride". "The Death of the Titan". What still remained there were fiction books - all of those probably belonged to the deseased, but nothing on the matters of your area of magic, or even sorcery in general. Either he kept his grimoires hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated - a wise notion - or this man, Godfrey Church, took them into his possession.

A tiny window looked out in the courtyard. You did not step towards it. You did not even make one step away from the door, as you surveyed your new chambers.


Prudence +3

>>4818159
Quick question on how the dice resolution works, QM. How is our stat added? Is it die results, plus our stat number in successes or is it the die plus the stat number? I'll give an example, you just rolled a 5, 1, 3, and 6, would we add 3 for prudence to all of those and thus bump everything except the 1 above a 4 and thus getting us 4 successes? Or is the above roll 2 successes, one failure for the 1, one blank for the 3, plus 3 successes for a total of 4 successes? Or something else entirely?

Your fingers grasped a small, round stone that remained in your pocket, exactly where you've left it. This flawlessly smooth marble rolled on your palm as you've lifted it to your face, to your lips. A short incantation was all that was necessary to awaken it - to wreath it in verdant flame. Slowly, it would lift from your palm, strung up by an invisible force, and then, you would suddenly exhale, as your perceptions were ripped from your body and flung into the curious floating orb that would see the things your naked eye could not. The faint remnants of the dark magic practiced here, nearly faded. The summoning circle once drawn in chalk was wiped away from the floorboards - but an echo of it remained. Just like the echoes of objects of power - multiple - once concealed in the bedstand, under the pillow - the last resort. All of them, now gone. This place was scoured clean of anything that might have been of use to you.

But there was a presence beyond an echo. Not in the room - outside, beyond the window frame, in the cold skies of Alterac. A burning, disembodied orb with a dancing flame for an iris, every bit like you. Concealed from mortal eyes, it watched over the peasantry below, the soldiers and the brigands, yes. But also, you. Your glares met, and for a moment, just a moment, you have seen the mind behind it, and sensed its thoughts. You, and your vigilance, were acknowledged. There was no fear there, no concern for being discovered. You were being watched. And you were to accept it.

Having finally pinpointed the otherwordly presence, you've made the all-seeing eye turn in its place, cast its gaze towards the door. It was an old piece of wood, covered with an invisible, and long disabled defensive spell. And by it, utterly bereft the presence of your mind, remained the flesh you've escaped. The perfect sight of the Eye made all the flaws you've grown to disregard leap into your attention. The thick layer of grime that covered you and your clothes. The black pores in your skin. The dim, tired flame in your eyes, and below - the bags of exhaustion. If you would float the eye just a bit closer, and see into your matted hair, you would be certain to see blood.

You remembered your consciousness returning into the insides of your skull - but you could never quite remember how you ended up in a bath tub. You barely even remembered being in it - your hands scrubbed your skin on their own, squeezed the washcloth and drowned it in the soapy water below. Occasionally, you would snap back to reality, feel the water surrounding you, slowly dripping from your hair and rolling down your shoulders, but no matter how pleasant the sensation was, you did not dwell in it.

Your spell might have been broken but somehow your mind was still elsewhere. In the forest, in the saddle, in the dark cellar, and then far away, by the Thandol Span. In the dwarven lands, and beyond even them, in the Outlands, and on Quel'Danas. You were in the past and the future, pondering the potential, the mistakes, the might have beens.

Fate point counter reset to 3.

Choose one:

>Pride of the Sin'dorei
>Although you've walked away mostly unscathed, your performance during the interrogation was frankly an embarrassment. You were inconsistent, more than a little hysterical, and in short, made a complete fool out of yourself. Perhaps it was just one, never to be repeated again, moment of confusion. Perhaps, it was just the circumstances of the affair that made you act that way. Or perhaps, years of peace and keeping your head down made you soft and weak. Either way, this has to end now. You're a soldier. Even bound to a chair, your every word and gesture must show strength, power, confidence. Anything else is unworthy of a sunhawk.
>+2 to Exertion when attempting to project strength

OR

>Bondweaving
>You never intended your historical insights to to offend the human so deeply, but it was hardly a surprise when they did. You spent your early years without any real peers, and when life threw you into adulthood, you've found that although you can notice the slightest eye twitch of a liar, or quote magical theory, philosophy and poetry from memory, you could not make a friend. Even as late as in the prince's ranks, you've watched helplessly as cliques formed around you, while you were left untouched by the famous camaraderie. You'd done without them all your life, but now, surrounded by strangers and vipers, you've suddenly developed an urgent need for someone who could watch your back, Yes, you have all the charm of a damp rag, but what if you at least try?
>+2 Dazzle when interacting with social equals or close friends.

Additionally, you can add +1 to one of your stats, and substract -1 from another. You will have multiple opportunities to do this again, regardless of what you decide today.

>>4818199
It's the number of successes, minus the number of failures, plus the stat. So when you roll 5, 1, 3, 6, and you have relevant stat +3, it means the result is 4. If you rolled 1, 1, 1, 3, but had bonus +3, the result would be 0. The situational bonuses, and bonuses from fate points, are added the same way.

>>4818375
>Bondweaving
>You never intended your historical insights to to offend the human so deeply, but it was hardly a surprise when they did. You spent your early years without any real peers, and when life threw you into adulthood, you've found that although you can notice the slightest eye twitch of a liar, or quote magical theory, philosophy and poetry from memory, you could not make a friend. Even as late as in the prince's ranks, you've watched helplessly as cliques formed around you, while you were left untouched by the famous camaraderie. You'd done without them all your life, but now, surrounded by strangers and vipers, you've suddenly developed an urgent need for someone who could watch your back, Yes, you have all the charm of a damp rag, but what if you at least try?
>+2 Dazzle when interacting with social equals or close friends.

I'll tentatively go with this. We have no dazzle at all, no ability to persuade, sway, be empathized with or any talent with the magics associated with the stat. While this isn't a straight stat boost and is only with peers or close friends, it could help us MAKE friends or otherwise get along with the agents who actually do work rather than the managers. It goes against my usual bent because it feels less like an skill we would use proactively to get something we want forcefully.

The other skill trait seems to only be for intimidation or looking tough or otherwise coercing, which I'm interested in but I'd rather have the actual strength itself, to have both visible threat of power and power itself, with the comportment to boot; in other words, increased Exertion, rather than a narrow boost.

The idea behind my choice is that I'd rather have friends in a pinch than the option to roar loudly but have no claws to back it up if people call our bluff. Still a tough one though.

>>4818379
Thanks for clarifying.

>>4818375
>Pride of the Sin'dorei - +2 to Exertion when attempting to project strength

I would've taken Bondweaving if it had broader use than it has now, just for the additional social intrigue, bur right now we are sitting comfortably at 3 Prudence which we could use in those situations anyway, at least the social equals part I guess. Meanwhile we have very little force projection, so a +2 to any intimidation roll puts us on +3 successes for that, which rounds us out nicely in terms of options. Even if we have little to back up our bark with, big words delivered in the right tone can be enough to disuade any would be aggressors.

As for exchanging stats, maybe swapping 1 point of movement for 1 point of Exertion is the way to go here. These stats were chosen before we picked flaws, and with crippled we won't do many backflips or run marathons, and it makes any escape attempt impossible. It would do better for the future to have more fighting strength in general I feel, I don't think the Wake expects us to just mingle in high society for all eternity.

>>4818375
>Bondweaving

>>4818513
If we get a third voter who votes for Pride of the Sin'dorei, then I'll switch just to make it clear we have consensus, otherwise I'll keep my choice for now.

The way I interpret prudence and dazzle is that prudence is good for knowing specific etiquette in regards to say; high society, or a specific gang or another culture or different race, but it isn't a substitute for what in DnD would be the persuade skill itself. Like I mentioned in my infodump post, ideally we would eventually have subordinates who would fight and intimidate on our behalf while we would both notice things first, analyze things (with mind palace), and have initiative and react first with our decent movement stat, which is what the build chosen seems to be aiming for.

In regards to the stats, I don't think we would be allowed to switch, it's fine regardless, there seems to be an element of character progression in this quest and if it comes down to it we can just spam fate points for plus 2's or rerolls. Movement is more than just...well, movement, in the previous posts and the summary at the top of the page, it is used for speaking evasively or changing the topic, (which seems to be different than outright lying or being deceptive or acting innocent, which is what twilight is for socially) it is also can be used for combat when we are seeking the initiative or to strike first, (like the option we had when we were untied) as well as just general reflexes stuff. So it seems that as the QM said at the start, there is some nuance to the stat, it doesn't seem like Exertion is the only stat used in combat, or even for fighting or attacking in general, it seems to matter what the context of the situation first, if there is a lull in combat and no one expects us to attack, I suspect we would be forced to use Movement to strike first, but for general fighting or displays of massive power then I suspect we would use Exertion. Oh, and it seems like Movement is used for summoning for some reason, though that might have just been because we were trying to do it quickly before getting strangled by Church. Plus the QM post that describes Crippled says we can still get around it by moving with magic, I assume we just don't do that all the time because it would cost mana or our life force.

Oh, this is also an appropriate time for feedback of all kinds, from the system and rules, to the narrative, to the protagonist and NPCs.

>>4818556
>Movement is more than just...well, movement, in the previous posts and the summary at the top of the page, it is used for speaking evasively or changing the topic

Oh shit, I forgot that. I guess I was thinking in more traditional lines when it comes to what our stats do or don't do, d'oh. I'll keep my vote the same for now, as I still feel intimidation to be the stronger choice but I'll scratch the stat change. If we don't get anymore input by tomorrow I'll change over, since I'm the odd one out right now.

>>4818572
Are there any degrees of success on the dice rolls? Like, if we roll 3 or more successes it becomes a good success, and more than 5 it becomes a great success?

>>4818572
Now that I understand the dice resolution mechanics, the rules seem fine. I'm glad it isn't a best of 3 system or otherwise a system that encourages easy mode or the player to feel like a god, that just kills the quest for me and makes me feel like different choices are largely irrelevant.

I will say that some aspects of the stats are slightly unclear, I understand that they are used both socially, physically and for spellcasting, but it'd be ideal if we had more detail on which stat is used for what spell and also what degree each success contributes to the effect. I'll give some examples; does having no dazzle mean we cannot summon a succubus at all, or does it mean we can but the succubus cannot use seduction, or can we but the probability of us successfully summoning one depends on the degree of success? Another example I'm curious about in regards to tying down the degrees of success to specific metric we can evaluate, for the Exertion stat, say, if we had 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 degrees of success, what would each of these mean in terms of feats of strength and physical combat, magic destructive power, and feats of intimidation or coercion? Like, is 1 success enough to overpower the average farmer and how cleanly, a struggle or we just instantly knock him out, is 2 successes enough to bend iron bars or would that require say, 4? How much is 10 successes worth in fire magic firepower, a modern day high explosive grenade, a HE tank shell, or a bomb strong enough to blow away half a castle. etc, etc for all the stats and stuff. Sorry if this seems restrictive or annoying, but generally I consider it a essential feature of any good system (at least a proper tabletop RPG meant for commercial release, not necessarily every random system) to have a table showing what numbers correspond to effects on the world so players know what they can do and how difficult certain tasks are. Like how strong are various mooks/famous WoW characters in terms of your systems stats?

The narrative is good, the characters seem to have their own thoughts, emotional states, personalities, etc. I will say that you didn't do a great job easing in people who weren't familiar with WoW or Warcraft into your quest, at the very least we should've gotten an explanation of what a Sunhawk was and a little more than "we just came from Quel'thalas, through the plaguelands", a little more in regards to our characters specific exit and their thoughts on that and the failure of their political movement at the start would've been good, would've helped orient us. I may be getting mixed up with some other quests I'm reading, but I think there were quite a few typos and places where the wrong word was used, but it's not too bad. The characters are good, we are just missing some stand outs, but it's early, so no worries. It would be good to have a stand out antagonist, a close friend character we could talk to eventually, or someone tied to our past to make things personal.
1/2

>>4818572
>>4818665
That isn't to say we need these archetypes of charcters like in checkbox sense, it's just there isn't a ton of stand out characters yet because it is early in the quest. But, we shouldn't necessarily have any of these unless we go out of our way to warrant encountering such archetypes; we shouldn't have friends unless we make them, we shouldn't have big bad recurring antagonists unless we would logically collide, which we may not depending on our playstyle or if we go through with being the spymaster/mastermind build I mentioned, we shouldn't encounter other sunhawks or Blood Elves hunting us unless we screw up and do something noticeable, etc, etc.

I like the way you allow us to choose our characters opinion in regards to certain things. I even like the way the stat bonus traits we just had the option of choosing shed light on our characters potential(?) thoughts on their interrogation and their history and how that affects their lack of friends or peers and hence their non-existent Dazzle stat with the Pride of the Sin'dorei/Bondweaving traits respectively.

Uh...yeah, that's all I can think of for now, I'm enjoying the quest.

2/2

>>4818375
>>4818598
Wowzers, people really aren't interested in contributing. Shame that really. Swapping over to:
>Bondweaving
so that we can keep on going.

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There won't new posts until tomorrow, but I will answer some of your questions.

What we're using in this quest is a bastardization of Fate Accelerated system. I'm saying bastardization, because we're not using (and will definitely never use) aspects, the most important part of the whole thing. It's a narrative, very rules light system, that was definitely never meant for one character.

There are degrees of success - if you beat the difficulty by 3 and more, you're considered to have "succeeded with style", which is supposed to grant special bonuses, such as creating aspects. Because we're not using aspects, I'll award other rewards as they make sense.

You'll never get a detailed list of different things or spells different approaches can do, because that's the opposite of everything the system stands for.

The image should give you some idea of what difficulties are meant to represent, but keep in mind that I'm going to eyeball it, a lot. Like I've mentioned, this was never meant for a single character, but also the protagonist is not yet as powerful as a character is meant to be when the game ordinarily starts.

>>4820584
Oh, and I should probably explain a little what an aspect is, and why we're not using them.
An aspect is a condition, or a trait, or anything at all, that either helps, or hinders characters in the game. Aspects are dormant, until a fate point is used to activate them - so if you have the "Warlock of the Argus Wake" aspect that's meant to represent how your character is an expert in dark magic, you can use a fate point to become better at dark magic for whatever roll you need it for. Likewise, you can use fate points to hinder your enemies if you've discovered something that's meant to hinder them. Aspects can be discovered, created, and lost very quickly.

We're not using that, because first of all, half this thread would turn into either keeping track, or discussing aspects. And secondly, because this already slow quest would grind to a complete halt.
Instead of that, you can activate Fate points whenever you want, and so can I when I use my own fate points to fuck you over. It makes the protagonist a bit of an omnidisciplinarian, but again, this system was never meant for one player character, so I consider this a worthy trade-off.

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>Somewhere not here...

In the tallest tower in the city, a man smelling of autumn is scribbling something on parchment. Someone else is staring him down, righteous indignation barely contained within, the voice cracks with it.
"After everything I've done for this kingdom, you doubt my word?"
"These were not my words.", comes the answer. The tone does not carry a single apologetic note. "But the Sunwell crisis has ended four years ago. You could have made a mistake. And if you have not, a non-insignificant number of the royalists were rehabilitated and integrated into society after facing proper justice."
A moment passes. The air shivers with tension.
"There was no mistake. It was her. I could see it in her putrid eyes, green like mold and full of fear. She recognized me, she knew I've seen her for what she is. And then, she turned and scurried away, escaping into the crowd like a rat."
"With a cane.", the man did not look up from the parchment once. A quill gripped by his fingers moves quickly.
"You mock me?!"
"Merely clarifying the situation."

The corner of the parchment is pressed against the surface of the table, turned and moved across. Another pair of eyes is looking at the finished work now.
"Is this an accurate depiction of the suspect?"
The golden eyes are flashing with recognition and anger. A second passes in silence, as a slow nod is spared.
"I've heard that the Spire has a long shadow, and there's nowhere it can't reach. Can you swear to me that justice will be done?"
"I promise that the matter will be taken with all the seriousness it deserves, and thoroughly investigated. The law will be upheld, and the interests of the state will be protected. Is this enough?"

Only one moment of hesitation. Then, a smile.
"It will do."

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>In Alterac once more.

"This is an outrage!", you've heard a man's voice bellowing long before you were led into the main hall. "Who does Falconcrest think he is, taking the road for himself?"
"Please, Mercer, keep your voice down. There's no telling who might be listening.", a softer voice implored.
"Keep my voice down? Keep my voice down?! That smarmy fuck is robbing us blind! And if there's some rat here listening - good. He can regale his lordship with what I've done to his mother's arsehole while he was still still a gnat."

Freezing before the door, you gave corporal Sherman - seemingly your eternal escort - a sideways glance. Not a muscle twitched on her stone face, as she turned, leaned in and muttered into your ear.
"The duke will be the furthest one from the door. Treat him with respect. Don't embarass yourself."

You nodded faintly - this was not the time to comment on her seeming utter lack of faith in you, even if you wished to. Her hand already pushed the doors open, and a moment later the two of you were standing in the frame. Your fingers grasped the cane tightly - you weren't sure what to expect, but something told you to remain on guard. A thousand and one things could be amiss right now - and you would rather not lose your head for a lack of vigilance.

Your gaze quickly wandered around the hall, taking note of everyone and everything inside before anyone managed to even say a word. You were in a large, although rather sparsely decorated, dining chamber of sorts, the central place in which was taken by a long oaken table. Four men - all humans - sat beside it, and several more stood some distance away. Two armed brigands standing by the far door, and one to the side of yours.
As for the more important men, the ones feasting on mutton and curds, the closest of them all was a bald, scarred, aging human around forty or fifty. It was his voice you've heard the first, this "Mercer" character. A brute. Of all present in the room, you were immediately inclined to peg him as the most dangerous one should things ever come to a confontation - although as you reminded yourself a moment later, appearances could be deceiving.

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Sitting on the opposite side of him, there was another man - younger, but fatter, although half a moment of inspection later, you've noted that "sitting" was perhaps too much of a charitable description. Quietly snoring with his eyes shut, and his head fallen to the side, the man was clearly black out drunk - and you've immediately disregarded him to glance at the one by his side.
A sharply dressed ginger man, with lively eyes inspecting you as thoroughly as you've been inspecting him. His choice of dress was velvet, and on his neck you've spotted an impressive for these parts necklace encrusted with rubies. He could come from the money, but given the place you were in, it was far more likely that he lifted everything he was clad in from someone else.
The man smiled to you with two rows of pearly whites.
"My lords, would you look at that. If it's not our fair elven maid, the guest of honor."

His look, his tone, and his smile, all of it told something he clearly wished you to know - the moment this man laid his eyes on you, he desired you, in the most physical sense.

>I want to vomit.
>I'm flattered, really.
>I have no strong feelings one way or another.

>>4821936
>>I'm flattered, really.

>>4821936
>I have no strong feelings one way or another.
We have been face to face with felguards, imp mothers, gazers and horrors from beyond. This guy can't possibly be all that impressive either way. Give him a polite smile and a nod and move on.
If he gets grabby he can always be slapped or cursed.

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The first few moments of your presence in the hall were still stretching, and your eyes darted to the most distant of those who sat at the table, the one right beneath the banner hanging down the wall, the one embroidered with the unicorn.
He was not quite what you expected. The duke of these parts was awfully... Truth be told, you've always been terrible at judging human ages, as your own people barely knew the weight of aeons, but this man here was either the yesterday's child, or still a boy. There was certain nobility and seriousness to his look, as much as humans could be noble - but regardless of his breeding and his attire (which still was second best even at this table), this unshaven youth certainly failed to live up to any expectations you've had regarding the leader of the local brigands.

>Greet them in the alteraci manner. I want to endear myself to this people from my first moment here, and impress them with my knowledge of their people.
>Greet them in a thalassian manner. I've read somewhere that the most effective way to be memorable is to always be a little exotic and foreign.
>Greet them in a manner befitting a warlock. I am here as a practitioner of a dark arts, and I want them to be aware of it.
>I want to be greeted first. I intend to rule these parts one day, and it's best to make an impression early.
>"Hello."

There was also one last detail that raced through your mind as the first words began forming on the tip of your tongue. None of these humans knew your name yet.

>I'll say my real name. Who am I afraid of here?
>I've had plenty of time to think about an alias.
>They don't know my name, and they won't. I'm a mystery. Maybe they'll come up with nicknames.

>>4821936
>I have no strong feelings one way or another.
Those in power think they can have anything. We'll shut any attempts this ginger has down, but ultimately what goes on in his minds we have no control over. For now.

>>4821950
>Greet them in the alteraci manner. I want to endear myself to this people from my first moment here, and impress them with my knowledge of their people.
This is the court working to re-establish a dead kingdom, greeting them as such would be to recognize their efforts. Lets put our Prudence to use and make a favourable impression

>>4821961
>I've had plenty of time to think about an alias.
Probably the safest option. We didn't give a name to Church during our interrogation. He knows we're a Sunhawk, but he doesn't work for The Duke, only with him, so him revealing that information seems unlikely. Being mysterious and dark and shit will probably trigger a secret investigation of us. They might find out nothing, they might find out everything. Whatever the case, I'd rather the only thing possible Alliance spies embedded in Alterac could find out is that "The Duke has a new Warlock in his service".

>>4822005
Brooks knows we're a sunhawk, and what it means. How much do we trust her to keep her mouth shut?

>>4822046
She's an Alterac Loyalist first and foremost, and right now we're working for them on behalf of the Argus Wake. As long as we don't jeopardize this relationship I don't think she'll reveal anything. But people have done dumber things before, maybe we can summon something sneaky later to keep an eye on her without being seen and make sure she doesn't do anything she shouldn't do.

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>>4821936
>>4821950
>>4821961
>I have no strong feelings one way or another.
>Greet them in the alteraci manner. I want to endear myself to this people from my first moment here, and impress them with my knowledge of their people.
>I've had plenty of time to think about an alias.

They know were a warlock or will soon, no need to ham it up to get the point home, better to come off as cultured and knowledgeable. Even if we learn afterwards that they don't care for courtly obligations or words paid in respect, it is better to be safe and at least show we made the effort to be respectful.

Lets also not give our name about so easily, there's not much point in using our real name at all for the near future, not unless we're among our own kind, and even then only among friends unless we mean to intimidate. The cutaway to the Spire is worrying.

Rolled 5, 6, 2, 1 = 14 (4d6)

The real trick of performing the stromic curtsy was not remembering the form, but pulling it off with a bad leg.

Prudence +3

>>4822341
Is our bad leg giving us a consequence for this check? Just wondering if we should use a fate point to boost this roll. Then again...it is only a roll for courtesy, and even if we get a -2, we still have 1 success.

EX 1, MOV 2, TWI 1, PRU 3, MND 2, DZL 0
Stress: You feel fine
Consequences: None
Fate Points: 4

In another life, such a simple gesture would be not even worth a thought, nevermind the effort. But with a crippled leg and a cane in your hand, the traditional northern greeting became the world's most unorthodox and humiliating torture. Trying to keep a straight face and even showing them a tortured smile, as your body was screaming bloody murder, made you regret not simply bowing your head. There was a moment, when you were certain you would lose your balance and fall - and you were quite possibly a hair's width away from it.
But somehow, you managed. You straightened your back, leaned on your walking stick once more, and even resisted the urge to exhale. Showing that any of this was the slightest challenge to you would be disasterous.
"My lords.", you spoke in the human tongue. "Lynestra Dawnstrider, at your service."

You've snuck a glance a passing glance at the faces of all present - and you could claim without false humility, that you've managed to make some impression.
"She has manners too.", the ginger man noted, raising his eyebrow. "And I've heard she will be difficult."
"Please, sit down with us. It is an honor to have from your people in my court.", the boy lord spoke for the first time. His voice sounded every bit like you expected it to.
"Your grace, it is an honor to be here."

You were seated seconds later, having chosen the place by the bald Mercer - and then, came the time for introductions.
"I'm duke Dryden, the rightful ruler of this land."
His voice quaked a little as he spoke. Although the boy lord tried his best to sound official, indifferent, high-strung, he clearly could not help but feel some excitement upon meeting you. This was certainly new - but then again, he must have never even seen an elf before.
"By your side is sir Egmund Mercer, my trusted advisor. On the opposite side is Jonas Halligan, my other trusted advisor. And..."
He threw a glare at the corpulent, snoring man, and the duke's face contorted in a most displeasured grimace.
"That is father Delvin. He doesn't appear to be entirely with us."

Sir Egmund, who looked and sounded far more like a bandit than a trusted knight, also threw a glare - but not at the priest.
"So. You're the Wake's newest toadie. Recruited straight from the gutter."
The absolute disrespect in his tone was unmistakable. He did not simply wish you to know that he felt nothing but contempt for you - he wished everyone at the table, and the guards in the hall, to know that too.
"I've heard you rode through Alterac on a blazing horse, leaving a trail of ashes in your wake.", Halligan intervened briefly, but his comment was unable to guide the conversation.
"I've heard she tripped on a wire, and fell flat on her face.", Mercer snorted and rolled his eyes. "After the last man, I've thought the bar could not get lower."

You felt anger flash within. How dare this absolute nobody talk to you this way? It's a direct challenge. If you don't answer this now...

>[Exertion] Put him in his place. Now.
>[Prudence] Swallow my hurting pride. I'll make him look like a fool by not lowering myself to his level.
>Do you have a problem with me?
>Do you have a problem with the Argus Wake?
>Is this courtesy?

>>4822537
>>[Prudence] Swallow my hurting pride. I'll make him look like a fool by not lowering myself to his level.

>>4822537
>>[Prudence] Swallow my hurting pride. I'll make him look like a fool by not lowering myself to his level.

>>4822537
You know what? I almost regret not picking Pride of the Sin'dorei just for this. I wanna put him in his place and establish early on that while we may have manners we won't be talked down to like a dog. But we aren't great at that, and we don't want to be too inconsistent and bounce around all over the place with our tone.

>[Prudence] Swallow my hurting pride. I'll make him look like a fool by not lowering myself to his level.

If we are going to do this, I'd rather we really make a strong impression and embarrass him by making him look supremely rude.

>Spend a fate point to boost our successes by 2.

We just got a Fate Point from our Crippled flaw, lets use it, they refresh at certain intervals anyways when we get a rest or reach certain appropriate thresholds in the story, it seems.

>>4822769
This is good, +5 to successes to smack a bitch verbally.

>>4822769
Supporting this

Rolled 1, 3, 1, 6 = 11 (4d6)

Prudence +3, fate point used for +2.

It was a very difficult thing, to muzzle this voice telling you to respond in kind, and say something you might come to regret later in a heated moment. You are an elf, you reminded yourself. You will live to see his grandchildren hunt rats for good. There's no sense in engaging in a spat with a mayfly, no matter how good it would make you feel.

"By chance or not, I'm here now, your grace.", you spoke without even a bat of an eyelash showing that you heard the brigand's taunt. "I look forward to getting to work, and seeing the fruits of my efforts."
"I'm glad to hear that. The road ahead is not impossible, but it will be difficult.", the boy lord nodded. His blue eyes looked away from you, and remained on the sir highwayman for a moment or two. "We will need every hand we can get."
Mercer grimaced. It was clear that his remark was meant to get a rise out of you in front of the lord - but instead, it only demonstrated your superiority. A smug grin never quite emerged on your features, but on the inside, you smiled.

"Times have been strange for Alterac for some time, or so I've been told.", the boy lord continued. "We've made strange allies over the years, and I hope we will all prosper together. But although I might be young, I'm no fool. I know that Argus Wake is not helping us out of kindness of their hearts."
He was silent for a moment, as if unsure what more to say - but then, he found himself again.
"Some advise me to shun the Wake. Limit their numbers here."
It did not require a genius to guess who was representing these "some" in this room.
"I know that we must be cautious. But I also can't turn away everyone who does not come here with entirely noble intentions. We need friends. And whatever may happen, this is what I ask you to be - a friend."

>I understand what he's speaking of. Necessity drove my people to make some strange bedfellows too.
>Argus Wake is not selfless, but they mean well.
>He should listen to this advice. The Wake does not mean well.
>I can't make promises on behalf of the Wake, but I can be a friend.
>I'm a professional. I am here to do a job, I will do it, and this is as far as my investment will go.
>These people have a funny understanding of friendship. I have not been treated as a friend here.
>Is he asking me to choose Alterac over the Wake, should the time come?
>Write-in.

>>4823975
>>I can't make promises on behalf of the Wake,
>>But when I give my word, I don't do so carelessly. Words and contracts are things of power.
(of course, letter and the spirit are not always on the same page...)

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>>4823975
>I understand what he's speaking of. Necessity drove my people to make some strange bedfellows too.
>I can't make promises on behalf of the Wake, but I can be a friend.


I guess my reasoning behind these choices is to emphasize the similarities between us to build that feeling of empathy and understanding, among more forward thinking selfish reasons as well. Sherman said they have Aiden Perenolde's eldest son, Aliden. That lends them legitimacy, if we can back up that legitimacy with force and then get the economy working again and then secure the roads for safe trade then these people should come out on top eventually. This would give us personally an in with the leaders of a hopefully eventually fully restored and working kingdom, with plenty of land to expand into among the decimated former nations surrounding them.

Our interests may part ways with The Shadow Council and their puppets the Argus Wake, but while we should not make promises on their behalf, I would like to make friends and contacts here, both for selfish reasons and just because our MC seems lonely as fuck.

Lets also not do the Wake's PR for them or otherwise ask redundant questions we can answer one the time comes, if they want to convince people they mean well, they can attempt to do so on their own time, lets not say good things on their behalf only for us to eat our words when they summon a demon or something.

>>4824004
I'll support the write in as well.

>>4823975
>>4824286
Supporting this.

Side note: sorry for not being more engaged. I'm not that confident in my language abilities, but I love what you guys are writing!

>>4824367
Don't worry about it, your English is fine as far as I can tell.

Regarding your earlier comment, I don't think the QM requires a lot of text, and write-in only prompts have been rare. It is just my big info dump bloats the screen and adds a lot of words to the thread, and there have been a couple big write-ins by myself and another anon plus a few others here and there. That, and I tend to write more than necessary, - redundant sentences and all that - if brevity is the essence of wit, then certainly no one has ever accused me of being witty.

I just try and prompt lurkers to join in because I want to get the required number of votes so we can get our next update. That, and I want to prompt participation both for the health of the thread and health of the board in general. If a quest doesn't die because of the QM suffering immediate writers block or underestimating the time commitment required of a quest and then flaking, then it will frequently die due to lack of voter participation, this is especially relevant for new QMs who don't use a twitter to relate to followers that they are starting a new thread ahead of time, particularly ever since quests have been relegated to qst only, this board simply doesn't get that much traffic, so QMs that aren't already established have to deal with the luck of the draw or be either an exceptional writer or an artist. If this quest can stay consistently updated and managed to get past 5 threads, a few lurkers who are reluctant to join in either due to the female protagonist or due to burn out from dealing with flaky QMs who drop the quest on the first thread after 60 posts may show up out of the woodwork. Though I have no idea what the intentions are of our QM in regards to the lifespan of the quest.

"I was always taught to treat my word like law. I think you'll understand that I can't make any promises lightly, your grace.", you spoke slowly. "Most certainly not on the behalf of these people."
Your spoon digging into the plate before you. You were hungry, and the food was getting cold - but somehow, you did not find it in yourself the desire to eat.
"I hope you'll understand some hesitation on my part. This whole affair is strange, and nothing that I'm used to.", another short pause followed. "That's not to say I don't wish to be a friend of his household. I do."

"I get it. I've asked a difficult thing of you.", duke Dryden nodded. Despite his words, you could hear notes of disappointment in his tone. He could speak with reason, but his thoughts were likely another matter entirely. "Nobody expects you to swear eternal loyalty to people you've met just this day. In such a fashion, too."
"It would look mighty suspicious if you did.", Halligan noted with a waggle of an eyebrow that could mean any number of things. "Anyone can say what people want to hear, but miss... Lynestra, is it? Is clearly a figure of integrity and honesty. Am I right, Mercer?"
The rogue knight made such a grimace that you barely resisted a smile. His lips moved and some sounds certainly left them, but you weren't certain those were words.
"I don't think sir Egmund trusts you even now, miss.", the steward smirked. Could there be some dislike between the two?

You did not wish to dwell on the subject any more now, than a minute ago.
"A friend or not, I'm now here. How do I make myself most useful?"
"I'd rather not discuss business already.", the boy lord answered. You could see his eyes light up, as he finally seemed to get to something he actually found interesting. "Would you tell us about yourself for now? How are things in your land? How do you like it here?"
Hold your horses, boy! That was a lot of questions, and there was a lot you could tell him in turn. Or you could get away with only answering some.

"Truth be told, I've not had a lot of opportunities to look around, but..."
>Repeat what I've told to Brooks earlier this day, word for word. Maybe this audience will be more grateful for my wisdom.
>This is not what I expected. You are not what I expected.
>I didn't know the line of Perenolde still lives. Is he going to be the new king?
>I've heard the Syndicate is nothing but brigands and lowlives, but that's clearly not true. Look at my new friend, corporal Sherman.
>I recall thinking about the words "strange bedfellows". I'd still like to say it, it's a very accurate description of everything I've seen.
>Truth be told, I'm excited to be here. If this succeeds, I will be a part of history.
>The Wake's presence here is worrying. They're strangers to me, not brothers. And they're not here by accident.
>The Wake's presence here is inspiring. I'll be working with someone who shares my craft.

Regarding myself...
>Go over my biography, briefly, with no unnecessary focus on the unseemly parts.
>Tell him about my origins, and my childhood. Someone as young as him should be able to relate.
>Sir Mercer is a special case, but I don't sense a lot of trust in my craft from this boy lord either. Tell him how I came to be a warlock. It's exciting and educational.
>I should focus on my time in the Outland, fighting for the future of my people. Nobody here can even remotely imagine what the Outland is like.
>I should talk about some things I like. Something ordinary. Something human.
>I'm not a people's person, although I strive to be better.

Regarding my homeland...
>It's a beautiful, magical place. There's nothing quite like it in the world.
>I'm optimistic. Our greatest enemies are dead, and we're on the road to recovery. There are still issues, but there will always be issues.
>Scars we were dealt, I don't think we will ever recover from them, no matter how many generations pass.
>A lot has changed in the last years, and things keep changing. Things that were acceptable and even praiseworthy yesterday, are vile now. Life used to be slower.
>Pander to the audience by intentionally drawing a parallel between my homeland and Alterac.
>Regarding strange bedfellows - why does this thought keep coming back to me? - I don't think my people's alliance to the Horde was a good idea.
>My people and I are separated. It's a topic I'm bitter about.
>Let me tell you a story about prince Kael'Thas Sunstrider...

There's something else...
>Write-in

Multiple choices, and write-ins, are appropriate here.

>>4825229
>I recall thinking about the words "strange bedfellows". I'd still like to say it, it's a very accurate description of everything I've seen.
>Truth be told, I'm excited to be here. If this succeeds, I will be a part of history.

>Tell him about my origins, and my childhood. Someone as young as him should be able to relate.
>Sir Mercer is a special case, but I don't sense a lot of trust in my craft from this boy lord either. Tell him how I came to be a warlock. It's exciting and educational.

>I'm optimistic. Our greatest enemies are dead, and we're on the road to recovery. There are still issues, but there will always be issues.
>A lot has changed in the last years, and things keep changing. Things that were acceptable and even praiseworthy yesterday, are vile now. Life used to be slower.
>Let me tell you a story about prince Kael'Thas Sunstrider...

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>>4825229
>I recall thinking about the words "strange bedfellows". I'd still like to say it, it's a very accurate description of everything I've seen.
>Truth be told, I'm excited to be here. If this succeeds, I will be a part of history.

>Tell him about my origins, and my childhood. Someone as young as him should be able to relate.
>Sir Mercer is a special case, but I don't sense a lot of trust in my craft from this boy lord either. Tell him how I came to be a warlock. It's exciting and educational.

>It's a beautiful, magical place. There's nothing quite like it in the world.
>Scars we were dealt, I don't think we will ever recover from them, no matter how many generations pass.
>A lot has changed in the last years, and things keep changing. Things that were acceptable and even praiseworthy yesterday, are vile now. Life used to be slower.

If I think of a write-in I may write it later, but there's already a lot to choose from and inputting a write-in may just add more to what you have to write already.

Clearly the duke is fascinated by us, I think we should maybe play into our perceived exoticness and mysteriousness by giving some conversation to entice him but don't just choose all the dialogue options, we want to leave more for him to ask about us at a later date, depending on how things develop, this little duke could be an important long term contact or perhaps a friend despite our generational age gap.

For now I think it best to avoid too much of the stuff that would involve mentioning our warcrimes or anything that would involve having to explain something awkward. If The Spire ever comes knocking I don't want them catching on that the mysterious elven warlock that was chatting at dinner with the duke was in fact a sunhawk who got away, we still do not know how permanent a ally we'll be with these people.

As for Quel'Thalas, it's a beautiful place, and that beauty deserves to be mentioned, I'm sure he'll enjoy our description of The Land of Eternal Spring. That being said, I don't care if the Blood Elves magic addiction has been cured by them now using arcane and holy magic to feed themselves or if there is a new Sunwell or whatever happened, fucking 90% of the ENTIRE population of what were then the High Elves got fucking genocided, it doesn't matter if our greatest enemies are dead and things are looking up on the short term, those are scars that will be felt for generations, for hundreds if not thousands of years, there's nothing to be happy about and everything to be depressed about, especially since our Prince is dead and a permanent regent is on the throne, honestly with our demographic apocalypse a mild fart could roll us over.

When (if) we get to know these folks better and trust is established, perhaps then we can tell them about Kael'thas Sunstrider and the Sunhawks, we don't want to stroll up one moment on the day we want their support to murder the Scryers or something and finally tell them what we want from them.

>>4825229
>>4825266
I'll switch soon in 5 or 6 hours if no one else votes.

I'm going to ask the question that's been on my mind for a while - why isn't the thread bumping?

>>4827002
Threads permasage after 3 days. Everyone here uses sort by: last reply.

>>4825229

alterac
>>I didn't know the line of Perenolde still lives. Is he going to be the new king?
>>I've heard the Syndicate is nothing but brigands and lowlives, but that's clearly not true.

self
>Go over my biography, briefly, with no unnecessary focus on the unseemly parts.
> should focus on my time in the Outland, fighting for the future of my people. Nobody here can even remotely imagine what the Outland is like.

homeland
>It was and in many ways still is a beautiful, magical place.
>It is struck low now, and locked in strange alliances.
>I have not yet made up my mind on how to approach its possible futures.

>>4827002
yeah I don't think anyone pays much attention to the bump order. Thread can stay up for weeks to months and unless it explodes in traffic into four digit post counts it's not worth making a new one before it drops to page 10.