To the Lightning!

Really, you have nothing to worry about with electricity, since you've got no heart to stop. I wonder if electromagnetism can work backwards?

>>156894
yes. that's how generators work. a magnet spins inside of a giant wire coil.
while an electric motor is energy flow causing a magnet to spin.

anyway, let's check the village along the way first before we worry about what is past it.

>>156884

We should definitely try and use derkin to try and infiltrate a nearby town and ask some general and discreet questions about the conflict here.

Things like. Who's winning? What are the insurgent's grievances? How many sides are there? Derkin can claim he's a traveler or something that wandered into this area...

>>156894
>>156900
I march onwards, towards the lightning. After all, I have no heart that need risk being stopped, no reason to fear a bolt of lightning as far as I can see. I lead Oggroth, clad in heavy plate with his ball and chain attached to a runed hammer to create his own personal weapon which he proves devastating with, riding atop his new war beast, and Ugrokk, the surprisingly stealthy Premen with a penchant for axes, both of them commanding ten Premen apiece, all armed and armored with equipment custom made for them by the renowned smith Del Rogo, in exchange for a wealth in rubies. Jojo, a Premen mage with strange powers, follows along with our group, supported by an unseen magic, fully mobile despite his emaciated and from appearances cripple body. Arkus, the mage in training I captured when I first woke to sapience, sits atop the disk of bronze i carry, perusing the sketching of several runes we have found during our time the the lands of Duras. Derkin, a recently freed bandit and our newest member, leads the two carts we now own, with the bag of 140 Duran marks, the worth of some forty seven, forty eight heads of prime steer, as well as a goodly supply of canvas, used to cover all the supplies that we pillaged from our war on the Duran bandits.

The day wears on as our group of twenty six continues to trek forward, the lighting flashing some dozen more times before ten minutes pass, before it finally stops. Most interesting. The rest of the day proves uneventful, but rain starts to threaten more heavily in the darkening clouds, and as night falls droplets begin to fall. I decide to maintain our march, and none argue as we continue to seek a place for shelter. We march on, late into the night, all grabbing what food we need as we march.

[DAY 59]

The rains continue unabatingly, but through the Premen's impressive stamina and my decision to simply transport the humans on my hand, we manage to reach a town by mid-day, the rain still unceasing, but the temperature has slowly climbed since the early morning, and the chill is not nearly as biting as it was earlier, and none complain. When we arrive in the town, I find some several dozen villagers huddled up defensively about an old man, awaiting out arrival. The old man calls out to me, in turns sounding fearful and angry.

"What do you want?!"


How should I respond? And what should I say?

a place for your men to rest. and ask if the bandits that plague them come from the direction you are going.

Respond in kind, but have a convincing tone of voice. Ask if they've seen the bandits and in which direction.

>>156908
>>156926

I'm against saying we're anti-bandit immediately. We're pretty close to bandit territory, so there is a chance this guy is one of their informants or something...

Hmm...even though I'm against immediately giving away our position...I can't really think of any better way of getting information/trust though...

>>156938
Placing my vote with the cessation of the bandit hunting for now. We have to get more info before we reveal ourselves as hostile.

Well, I guess its time to spread word of ourselves again, and it has occurred to me that we are likely to be hunted by people who want to know how we control the golem from afar... oh well comes with the territory.

"Greetings, I am Mage Modre. I seek refuge from the elements for my men"

>>156908
>>156938
>>157021
I trudge forward, slipping into my role of mage Mordre as I address the villagers while the rain starts to finally worsen, slowly becoming a deluge.

"Greetings, citizens of The Azelhaedran State! This golem you see before you is controlled by I, the mage Mordre, And I seek refuge from the elements for my apprentice and other followers. They have been awake and marching for quite some time, And they need some rest. I'll admit I could also use some more current news, Should you be willing to speak with me."

At first the villagers recoil as my words ring out, having been looking at Arkus previously, but as I make claim to being a mage commanding the golem, much the same as they had assumed was the case, they seem to settle down. Putting together my polite address and the relatively uniform appearance of my troops, despite their scale, the villagers seem to relax, releasing fears of being attacked or pillaged. But the village elder, as I presume the one they gather about must be, seems to remain skeptical

"For what reason would a mage with such resources come here?
I must know this before our village could welcome you,
We cannot afford to make enemies."

I consider the old man, and estimate there is a realistic possibility that they might feed information to local forces, be they insurgent, rogue, or state, and so decide to sum my cover, both to establish some credence, and to give a relatively neutral presented reason.

"I am here for several reasons, actually. I am here to gain field data on their performance, That is, the Alchemical warriors you see with me. I am also here to show some State magic to this one, My apprentice, Arkus. Of course, I have no intention of seeing civilians come to harm, So if you do not mind, I would very much like to get my fellows inside."

My persistent courtesy seems to be weighing heavily in my favor, as the established high esteem for mages I was told would be found here now surfaces, as villagers intent on ingratiating themselves to a mage now hound their elder, who finally relents.

"...Of course, my apologies, this is no time to bandy words. Please, bring your men this way, we have an old barn that should suffice to house all of them. My name is Velneth, and I am sorry if I have offended, but times have been harsh."

As Velneth finishes tottering over to the barn, and making sure the roof is holding soundly while my followers get under it's cover, he steps inside with us, the whole village now starting to gather about the barn. As the two carts, are brought in, I am thankful for the chill inside and the fact we placed a cloth over Verther's corpse, as that could have made this introduction go poorly. After we manage to get everything stowed away, I turn to find the elder and some half the village crowded into the barn, the elder looking irritated, the villagers filled with wonder.

"..Now, while I would prefer to ask you this in private, as you can see it has been some time since a mage has passed through our little town. So, if I may, sir mage, could you be more specific about why you are here? I mean, to do 'field tests' of your warriors, ah, you would need to fight someone, yes? Who are you planning to gain this 'field test' data from, as it were? I hate to be so intrusive, but there are certain sorts we can't afford to shelter, I am afraid to say."


How should I respond?

Depends. You've found that just walking around will have plenty of test subjects just throw themselves at you.

>>157206
"Lets be honest, this state is full of greedy fools hellbent upon seeking power through means they will never understand, causing massive collateral damage to villages such as your own. The governing powers will not intervene because they only give a damn about their own affairs. Tell me, would you beg and cry out for me to stop if the people of this village were suddenly freed of bandits and mercenaries ransacking their homes? Is that not a more favorable lifestyle than huddling in a terrified mass everytime a group of strangers comes within a hundred feet of your village?"

>>157213
Lol

>>157224
second

>>157213
Allow me to clarify. Say something along the lines of "Oh, whoever. Honestly, just walking around with my men tends to attract plenty of willing... Research Assistants."

>>157224
>>157227
>>157275
>>157224

"Oh, anyone, really, could serve to make field data. Tromping this golem about tends to attract plenty of that sort of attention, Without my need to seek out foes. I imagine someone will aggress our group, at which point I shall find my 'data'. But let me table these talks about my personal research, I am not very familiar with the state of... the State, So perhaps you could tell me more current news? As far as I know, rogue elements have claimed much of the state, Using the weapons they find in the stolen research outposts to run rampant, leaving many villages much like your own in lack of proper protection. The State is still a long ways away from offering relief to the more distant citizens, Is this not so? And I have heard tell of insurgents of some sort as well. Honestly, the situation here sounds hectic enough without me bumbling about, Unwittingly making things worse while I travel due to lack of knowledge. Perhaps you all could assist with that?"

Whatever the town elder may have been about to say, he is drowned out by a deluge of voices, the crowd about us now pithcing in their own bits of knowledge. It proves a chore to even pull specific bits of data from the flood of words. As people start to repeat data points paraphrased to their own mannerisms enough, I elect to afford some measure of reliability to the claim, and after a surprisingly short time of sifting through all they say, I find several points pop up several times:

-This village is called Trekel.
-Trekel has been mostly safe from harm, too far from any outpost to be targeted.
-Trekel views The Azelhaedran State positively.
-To the south a Mercenary group has gained claim to some three or four research facilities.
-To the north, a group of bandits has gained command of at least one facility
-Neither group has bothered Trekel, the Bandits are busy fighting someone north of them, the mercenaries busy building new fortifications with nearby villagers to provide labor.
-The Insurgents are/were citizens upset at the condition of the State.
-The Insurgents have claimed three research outposts in total, the nearest directly down the road that cuts through the village.
-Trekel has mixed sentiments towards the insurgents, as they have fought the bandits and those who hold research outposts, but they also forcibly conscript citizens, and seize goods from villagers.
-There are some five other villages nearby, but travel is rare considering the lawless state of the land, so their status is unknown.

It takes the Trekel elder some time, but finally he manages to quiet the villagers, once more addressing me.

"Well, if you manage to get rid of bandits and in general restore order to the State, I imagine only other vagabonds would find this disagreeable. I do request that you not engage any military force that identifies itself as part of the state.... not that one has been seen in these parts for some time. ...So, do you plan to stay long in Trekel, or do you plan to move on after the rains stop? You do have some rather.... large... followers, and if you stay for any prolonged period, food may become an issue. Several of our fields have been appropriated by some opportunistic raiders, and food has grown somewhat scarce, so we have little to offer, I am afraid."

It would seem I am no longer being questioned with such scrutiny, even the village elder now accepting my presence, at least for the moment. I have gained a great deal of information, and now I wonder, what shall I do with all the new-found data?


What should I say or do?

>>157520
Alrighty, it seems to me that we've got our work cut out for us. We should definitely go rub out those bandits in the north first, having our own base of operations will REALLY help us here. Methinks we should also make friends with the mercenary group in the south. The insurgents, as much as I would like to sympathize with them, must either be done away with or brought to justice in the towns they've plundered. It's one thing to fight for something you believe in; their cause IS a valid one given that the state is almost in shambles, but extorting the already slighted villagers? Hell, thats worse than not fighting at all. If we do manage to take out the bandits + the insurgents, thats four outposts under our control. The only thing that worries me is that we won't have enough forces to split between four outposts, but if they are small enough, I think a bit of Magnetomacy might solve our problem.


But that's just thinking ahead, what we need to right now is prove that we're not just going to mooch off of these people. Ask what we can do to make ourselves useful. In fact, tell the premen to go hunting and set up some traps around the perimeter of the village. We could cut down some trees as well, and fortify the crap out of this place.

I am also in favor of walking North and bashing the bandits against whoever they're fighting, if bandit hunting here would prove ineffectual. Ask the Elder which would be more effective, if possible. If the northern bandits are fighting the state, question the state about it's problems. If insurgents, question the insurgents about the problems they want to express, if nameless horrors the bandits unleashed from their research outpost, help bandits kill/tame the beasts and then kill the bandits until they get the message of cut that out and stop unleashing things from the great wheel, or the glass tubes, or the sphere or where ever said nameless horror crawled out from.

Also, ask where the other villages are so we can check in on them later, if we need to. If possible have Derkin and/or Arkus start a map of where we have been so we know the lay of our future empire.

Also, are Jojo and Arkus still trying to talk their magic language? Suggest that Arkus continue on that, and offer some of our own suggestions to the pile. Of course, this is a 'while we can' suggestion, not to be enacted right now, but whenever Arkus, Jojo, or ourselves has a chance to talk.

Question-note: Do we still have our bushbeard? Because we should totally still have our bushbeard and we should put it on and stroke it when we think.

Actually, we should try and adopt some mannerisms the next time we talk. Start stroking out 'beard' as we think. Something so we build up the eccentric character of a wise, of slightly foolish, mage who is the only one who can control a Soulgrave from a great distance. Other suggestion: Tea Breaks!

lets stay away from insurgents for now, we should get a better understanding of the situation before we get involved.

Lets find the nearest bandit-owned research facility and establish a base there, so arkus can continue his studies

>>157626

I agree with this. Let's kill the bandits first b/c they are on nobody's side. So by killing them we gain favor with everyone.

I also agree with avoiding the government vs insurgent struggle for now. We don't know which side has a more "legitimate" reasons. And even if one side has an extreme moral high ground, we may not want to ally with them b/c they are losing horribly.

I like the idea of the map and support the idea of taking out the bandits if possible. If possible we should scout them first though. I also think we do need to help with the magic language a bit more now that we know magic ourself.

>>157592
>>157603
>>157626
I decide that while the insurgents and the state both seem a bit too shallowly understood to interact with just yet, the bandits to the north sound like straightforward target. However, I feel that I should start working towards the creation of a better opinion of my group, by performing some sort of service for the town of Trekel while I stay here. I consider how the rain means nothing to me, and that I have shown myself capable of using my blade launcher to fell trees, coupled with the forests I have seen about the landscape. While certainly not as tall as the red trees of the Duran forest, these trees bear thick, massive trunks, all their branches and fruit growing from the very summit of the obelisk-like trunk that comprises the majority of the tree's bulk. I estimate such trees could very easily converted into thick enough logs to erect a sturdy wall about the village, and considering that I need not stop for rest or sleep, and could carry whole trees myself.

I turn to Arkus and Jojo both after taking a bite out of the bronze disk and setting it down, and explain my desire to see them resume working on the magic based language, and learning more of each of their languages. Jojo informs me that he only briefly heard of the language from the Drazken shamans, but that he shall endeavor to learn. Arkus agrees readily enough, admitting that by now he has read the few book we salvaged enough times to have memorized them, or near enough. I turn to the elder and townspeople of Trekel, and make an offer in a move to gain support.

"Well, I happen to need to run some mobility tests, To make sure I am attuning myself properly to the Soul Grave, of course. For this test, I imagine I shall be generating a large amount of lumber, And a need to drive it into the ground, testing strength capacities and such. Tell me: Could the village of Trekel do with a wall?"

I see smiles brighten faces at my proclamation, but the elder immediately calls out several names, and some two dozen residents step forth, looking a bit confused. The elder simply addresses them, while speaking to me betwixt his commands to the villagers, intent on seeing industrious use of time.

"Go grab your tools for gathering, and the largest sacks, follow this kind mage and check the canopies of the trees he fells, look for fruits, eggs, birds, anything worth salvaging. I want the rest of you to be ready at the warehouse with as many bags, baskets and barrels as we have, as much wood as a golem this size could fell should have a wealth of bounty in their branches. ..Ah, my apologies if I offended, but we must be diligent when resources appear, with our fields still controlled by bandits. If it is no obstruction to your... 'tests,' may we villagers follow along?"

"If the weather does not offend you, As you must endure it in person, Then by all means, follow me on my evaluations."

I briefly command my followers to stay and rest, and that should the rains stop before I finish my task, that they should start hunting and planning traps and earthworks that could be used to the benefit of Trekel. I march out into the rain with the majority of Trekel's population still running about to get ready, and march out into a patch of forest nearby, sending my blades whirling out with a firm grip on their paths through Magnetomancy. Trees fall in droves, and I simply grasp a trunk in my hand before it falls with the rest, lopping off the sprout of canopy on the top and cutting a point into one end with the Sable Executioner, before I start appraising the village's perimeter. In the time it took me to do this, little has happened in the village, eyes staring in wonder, before the elder starts yelling and action resumes. I plant the first part of the wall about the village of Trekel as the villagers start to swarm about, and resume my toil.

Night has fallen by the time the villagers stop following my progress, simply because they have packed all their containers full of edibles from the trees, and they won't have things packed away so the containers may be reused till sometime tomorrow, but the elder promises me there will be little sleep in the village, and none will complain. I continue to work, setting tree trunk after tree trunk as a slowly growing wall about the village proper, laboring unceasingly through the night.

[DAY 60] ONE MONTH HAS PASSED, -1 SOUL AS FUEL (total: 471)

Some time before dawn, when I have some third of the wall up, working with the same intensity I had the moment I started, I consider that all this effort is likely providing a wonderful charge to my Amaranthine Annihilator. Several hours later, as the wall approaches halfway done, with the sun climbing, the rain finally stops. The Premen exit the shed some time thereafter, still in their gear, though their weapons discreetly left within the barn, make their way out to the wall I have started, and begin making an earthwork ramp, an artificial hill to complement the new barricade and provide better protection. They have made considerable progress by the time the Trekel villagers finally start to emerge, but they set to their work with a much greater will, flooding into the mass of discarded tree tops to harvest more fruit and anything else of worth they can find. For some several hours after that everyone labors toward their own pursuits, all aware the others worked towards a similar goal, if along a different path, and I surmise that the fleshlings feel at least some form of empathy over this act. A useless sentiment, but one I should be aware of if I am to be a competent leader.

While the fleshlings, Premen and human alike all take a break to have a meal, one of the Premen brought over my bronze disk, and after I grabbed a few bites I set back to my work. The day is once more returned to communal work after the meal, and until night falls I labor alongside many, but the villagers retire with the sun, having salvaged all they could while the light remained. The Premen work alongside me much later into the night, slowly catching up to me with their earthwork modifications. They finally retire deep in the night, after having run out of room, at last having reached me. Oggroth and Ugrokk both nod at one another before they return to the barn with the rest of the Premen, and I once more labor alone.

[DAY 61]

As dawn finally arrives I drive the last stake into the ground, finishing a wall surrounding the village save for the road that passes through, with several trunks set aside at each entrance. I enter the barn after circling the village once to assess the overall wall, and ask the Premen to finish the earthworks, as the wall is up. They set to work without complaint, and I see the elder exiting his house, already asking a question.

"..So, what kind of defensive implement do you have planned for the road? I'll admit we don't have all that much rope, should that matter for whatever setup you think is best. No one has a horse either, and... well, we haven't had a trader or much of any visitors in a while, so I don't know how open the road really needs to be. What do you think, honorable mage Mordre?"


What type of defense should I suggest for a road some ten feet wide, with sheer tree trunks and relatively little rope to work with? And after I complete the final defenses, should we do anything more here before we travel north to seek a bandit controlled research outpost? Or should I do something else?

No idea about more defences, but ask the elder if there are any local bandit camps we can break up as we travel north. nd just where these five other villages are - map making, remember?

Definitely need to get to map making when we get a chance. What are the limbs and leaves like from the trees? Sometimes those can be formed to make crude ropes if of the proper material. Otherwise I think a series of logs stuck in the road like the walls or earthen barriers designed more as road blocks to keep people from rushing in at a straight line would work if there's no rope or chains available.

We could always build a gatehouses at both entrances. Have the things fitted with a couple of arrow slits, a murder hole or two, and a portcullis at the front with heavy doors at the actual entrances of the town. While we're working on that have the townspeople draw us a map, perhaps making known safe routes and areas of interest. The town and our crew should be fit for battle after all that and we could get a move onto more bandit slaying.

>>157766
That would require a bit more time and effort than we're likely able to provide with nothing more than tree trunks and a small amount of rope. Also, as far as I know we're not even an amateur carpenter- at best, we could run a few more "weapons tests" to slash the logs into generally desired shapes.

Anyway, any defenses are only as good as the people manning them, and making the town too bastion-like would only make them a tempting location for someone else to capture and fortify.

i would say a nice gate would do. use magnetomancy to make some nails to hold the trunks together.

Suggestion 2010/04/01(Thu)22:35 No. 157784 ID: 2aaaf1
File 127018653462.jpg - (47.42KB , 610x1167 , initial layout.jpg )

>>157742
If it would be possible, construct a medium sized tower in the middle of the village. Dig out the bottom first to make a floor of the tower underground, make this big enough to fit most of the residents plus their important crops/resources. The surface level segment of the tower will be the entry point, this level will have it's own walls for protection, adorn the ground inside the walls with any traps the premen can manange. The final floor, should be littered with tiny "windows" so that any villagers trained with bows can take pot-shots at any incoming raiders. The general idea of the tower is to give Trekel a place to fall back to in case of pillagers, because even with a wall, defending from two sides while everyone panics is NOT a winning combination. The tower gives these people a place that they can defend from without having to engage bloodthirsty gangs of bandits.
Stop me if I'm being too ambitious.

>>157784
if you want to hang here for a month then sure we can do this. but we are not going to stand around that long, our premen want fights and while they understand a good defense these are warriors not builders.

I would suggest some elaborate DF class defensive system but we are on a schedule.
Voting for wooden gate held together with Magnet crafted nails. Fortified with holes to shoot arrows through.
You can make the holes with the Sable Executioner and the villagers can smooth and cover it. Fortifying the walls around it in like manner would be good too.
I just thought, If you can take the drill from the AGC out, you can use it to make holes for the fortifications.

>>157787
I just want to make these people self-sufficient, I don't wanna come back here and find their heads on pikes and the village burning.

Hey wait a minute-
>rope
>wood
>random sharp objects
Can't we just make these guys some cheapass flails and tell Oggroth to Mulan the crap out of Trekel?

>>157763
>>157766
>>157780
I ask the elder to construct a map of every known trail in the area, and where the nearby villages and research outposts are, as far as they know. He accepts my request with a bow, returning to his house immediately thereafter.

I work to drive several tree trunks into the ground as a screen forcing any attempting to pass to slow and make their way warily about, lest they crash. I then add a lip to the inside of the wall about each entrance, and cut out some arrow slits for the villagers, having noted at least some bore bows when foraging amongst the tree tops. Sadly, the wood's sturdiness, so useful as a wall, makes it's branches nonviable for using as any form of rope, so I abandon the treetops as I appraise the towns new defenses, the Premen finish expanding the earthworks the whole way about the village. While certainly not impregnable, this village now has a far more solid line of defense about their homes.... and I hope to find the elder awaiting me with a map. And besides, with the weight these branches represent, I doubt I could manufacture any form of hinge that could bear them, nor make a method for the villagers to manage such a heavy gate without excessive amounts of rope. So I feel pleased when I see the dense screen prevent issue when a Premen tries to pass it swiftly, his should catching and wrenching him to a standstill before he finally makes hi way through. Some simple pikes and spears could make trying to pass such a barrier a deathtrap, and with the arrow slits along the inner walls... well, I imagine the villagers can at least make use of this.

I reenter the town with the Premen, to find a feast to have been laid out while we completed our labor on giving the village a general fortification, and at the sight of how much Oggroth slavers as he unhinges his helmet to drool at the food, I cannot help but send the Premen on with orders to eat as if at a formal gathering, to prevent any clash of culture (I hope), after the elder assures me that with the food they gained while I built the walls, they could feed us a dozen times over to bursting and still have plenty for themselves. They seem to have nearly filled their warehouse with honey, fruits, some fungus, eggs, birds and a few snakes, their rations bountiful, and while they will do what they can to render some able to be stored for a long time, much of this will waste if not eaten. So I can reward the Premen without damaging my image as a considerate mage, excellent.

The elder shows me a roughly sketched map, with Trekel in the center.

-to the north, the woods stay intermittent, with some three villages interspersed throughout, before a general area is circled as having the bandit controlled research outpost they heard about somewhere within.
-farther north, a question mark has been drawn after some few more villages.
-to the east, the main road continues past another village before the research outpost marked as being along a river, labeled as belonging to the insurgents.
-farther east, some area is shown as belonging to the state, an outpost called Corthkota and several villages encircled and noted as safe. An arrow points farther east and simply says State.
-to the south, two villages are nearby, before some goodly distance below several more villages are drawn, clustered about several research outposts, all marked as under the control of the mercenaries mentioned earlier.

Interesting.... I hear the elder draw breath, and attend to his speech.

"This is as best we can tell accurate, though the more distant places might have out of date names, some news is old... anyway, I wanted to once more apologize for viewing you with such suspicion when you arrived, but with the food and defenses you provided us with, we can easily fend off at least roaming bandits, if not those armed from an outpost. Heh, but then, fighting someone warmed with magic weaponry like that would be a fools game for us. ...I have to ask though, even though you have helped us so much.... will you help us yet again? Our farm fields, to the south and north both, have been taken over by some vagabonds, and we cannot use our own fields. The food we gained now will only last so long, and without our fields, we could only prosper for so long...."


What should I say or do?

Sure, why the hell not, you probably have to anyways, to "acquire test data" and keep your cover. Inquire about the vagabonds. How many? Any known group affiliations? Are they scruffy looking nerf herders or gruff-looking professionals?

Gain allies + satisfy Premen war-lust? I say that equals win, though I am still wary from the 'warm welcome' the Yeti gave us.

>>157805
Clearing out the farms shouldn't be too much of a problem, it's protecting them from further assaults that disturbs me. Without further tools and knowlege, the most we could do for these people is make more wooden walls. Perhaps when we get to raiding that bandit controlled outpost, we'll find something to boost defensive capabilities.

getting the peoples fields back sounds like a good start, means we can get food from them at a later point. so head north first?

>>157809

Do this. Scout + Information gather...then we'll hit them like the goddamn 20 ton box of metal we are...

When we do ANYTHING regarding the bandits in their farm lands, do it at night. They will most likely torch the place the moment they see us, because fighting a giggantic metal man isn't worth the free meal ticket they have now.

>>157809
Note to everyone: Vagabonds =/= bandits. Let us find out about these people. Vagabonds could be a useful information network. If they are bandits, wipe them out.

Yes, yes, very social and not the warrior-like, but we're going to build an empire. We need to be a scalpel and not the battle ax. Sad, yes, but a truth we need to understand here.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)14:14 No. 158046 ID: d1210a
File 127024287059.jpg - (52.61KB , 700x454 , Northern Field House.jpg )

>>157809
>>157810
>>157828
>>157852
>>157900
>>157927
>>157941
I consider the northern field to be a likely target: If I claim the bandit-occupied research outpost to the north, then there should be little risk of new tenets to the field from that direction after I purge the bandits, and as the villagers have a much more defensible home now, they could at least fend off minor threats to the field, or so I hope. Besides, I imagine the Trekel elder labeled the occupants as vagabonds for a reason, perhaps they have a reason for their displacement I might find relevant. Finally, the northern field is along the way to the bandit-owned research outpost, or so the map implies. Not needing to deviate from my path aids my decision making process.

"Well, I do have tests to perform, true enough, But the northern field seems to be marked as along the way, To those venturing towards the bandit-occupied facility. Since it is right along the way, I see no reason to not stop in, And assess the situation. But I do need to be off, so once I have freed up your northern field, Keeping it safe, and the possible reclamation of the southern field, Will have to fall on your shoulders for now. I have to establish a legitimate base of operations here as soon as possible, Before I can start worrying about restoring order in it's totality. Between the food you gained, your new defenses and the northern fields, I imagine you shall fare a great deal better after my departure."

I glance about the area, noting that the feasting seems to be winding down, and give the Premen orders to clean themselves up and claim their gear, we shall be marching soon. As they make their way to the barn, I motion to the elder to show me the way to the northern fields, hoping to prevent him from trying once more to gain my assistance with the southern fields as well. His insistent requests that continue even as I provide significant aid has proven to be somewhat irritating, and I would rather simply move on for now, lest I break my cover. After mumbling to himself for a moment the elder starts tottering along, refusing the aid of a villager offering a cane, and slowly marches out of the village, heading to the north. I periodically take a step or two forward, keeping abreast of my aged guide, and after some time the Premen, Arkus and Derkin are all arrayed behind my, Oggroth having hung the bronze disk about his mount's neck as makeshift armor, while Derkin and Arkus both carry the many documents and journals Arkus carries. After a period where the entirety of our group slowly plods along behind the Trekel elder, he points out a set of plain fields, with a large building with a barn and silo beside it roughly in the middle.

"The vagrants holed up in there, and shoot arrows at us if we get too close. They haven't come out to attack us beyond that, but they haven't answered us when we tried addressing them beyond shooting at us. After Beloy got an arrow in the shoulder, we stopped trying to talk to them. Please, sir mage, anything you can do we appreciate."

I peer at the buildings more closely, and note that I can see planks nailed into most windows, leaving only a few slits through which arrows could fly, but otherwise, I see no movement about the buildings whatsoever. As the town elder starts to make his way back to town, I consider our options as my group and I stand several hundred feet away from the buildings in the center of Trelek's northern fields.


What should I do?

1) Fire Cannon into wall
2) Charge through new door
3) Feast on delicious souls nomnomnom

>>158062
Hush.

>>158046
Walk forward and bellow out from them to come out and talk. Ask them their grievances and what caused them to become to defend this house so fervently. Tell them that if they do not stop shooting arrows at you will break apart this house and rend them limb from limb and stem to stern and devour their souls - that is if the Elder is out of listening range at this point, of course. As we walk forward, and they haven't stopped shooting or answered, we ram our hand through the wall and pull out one of the vagabonds, still engaging them in polite conversation. This is of course staying true to the fact that they are just going to shower us with arrows - which we much magnetically direct toward ourselves and our least important parts.
If this is not the case and they start with stuff that can damage us, we just charge the wall and disable everyone - slice tendons, bash them just hard enough, etc, etc.

>>158062

I disagree with this. We should try and kill them without destroying the buildings...I'm not exactly sure about how best to go about it, but considering the level of threat they supply...I don't think it will be difficult...

>>158062
"Knock-knock."

>>158088
Yes, you're right, I guess we should talk a little. Stand a good deal away from the house and shout "Oi, what's all this then". If they don't answer, shout "Come on now, I haven't got all day." If they still don't answer, see >>158062

>>158088
I'm not advising collapsing the building, just putting in a new door. We could just board over it.

And actually now that I read the description of the building more closely, I doubt we will even have to fire the cannon. Just walk through the wall.

Or maybe we could send out ghosts.

Dude, guys, what is hard about this? Walk up to the building. What are they gonna do, shoot arrows at you? You are a giant scary golem, they are not going to ignore your requests to parley over the alternative of just dying like punks.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)15:53 No. 158103 ID: d1210a
File 127024881256.jpg - (59.60KB , 700x523 , Northern Field House Approached.jpg )

>>158086
I advance on the house, leaving my compatriots to stay out of range as I approach the house. As I trundle forward, an arrow sails out, and strikes my shoulder. It deflects off without causing any harm, but I note it has no arrow head, just a sharpened tip to the wooden shaft. Without any metal in the arrows, I cannot alter their paths, not that such pittances as this could harm me. I turn to look back, noting the elder is still walking, long out of hearing range, well on his way back to the village. I turn back to the mass of buildings as I near them, and address the occupants as a second arrow impacts my form with similarly negligible results.

"I would know your grievances, occupants of these houses, As the villagers of Trekel wish to regain their fields, And once more grow crops on the lands you have let become fallow. Perhaps I can convince you to leave peacefully?"

The arrows continue to come intermittently, and no voices respond. Indeed, I still have not been able to see any occupants, though the arrow slits are narrow enough that the interior is all but obscured in shadow. I continue to march forward, and as I draw nearer to the house call out once more as arrows continue to rain down on me to no effect.

>>158088
>>158092

"Now what kind of welcome is this for a mage? I know the golem I'm controlling is a bit imposing, But it must be obvious I am here to talk, not fight, And besides, I don't expect your arrows will do you any good. Now, I ask again, tell me why you have claimed this home, And refuse entry to the owners?"

Again, there is no response, and again, there is no change in the rate of arrows fired at my form, sneaking out of the cracks between the boarded windows whenever I look away. One more time I try addressing the house as I draw within some several dozen feet of it, letting irritation bleed into my voice.

"Now I have tried being polite, but this is not your home: Either parlay with me, or be ready to be forcibly ejected."

I make my way down the stone steps built into the ground about the boarded building, and as I draw near, taking the lack or response as a reason to simply break my way in and slaughter the inhabitants, I hear a voice, soft, broken, and raw..... and filled with fear.

"...R-rrr...R-ruun.... Run awaay..."

I pause, my fist still poised, ready to smash a hole in the wall, as I assess the voice. It continues to mumble in incoherent fear, over and over saying 'Run away,' the words broken and disjointed, before the voice simply fades away. I turn to my right as I hear a rock fall, noting that a stone dislodged from one of the retaining walls.... and that there seems to be a door around the corner, from the sound of squeaking hinges. The rain of arrows continues in the same sporadic rate evidenced since I got close enough to the house.


What should I do?

>>158103
"Fool, come speak with me. If you run, you die. I can pursue you for days if need be. I wish to see an end to this idiocy, as do the inhabitants of the village Trekel. NOW, WE WILL HAVE WORDS, OR WE WILL HAVE BLOODSHED. THE CHOICE IS YOURS."

Kids?

>>158121
What? How would that even be possible? We're being pelted by arrows right now. You're telling me a whole group of orphans aquired and learned how to use a bunch of bows, and then holed up here? Well in any case, lets go check that door and see just what we're dealing with.

>>158129
What your saying its not possible? Of course it is. That for one would explain why they don't answer. If people figure out that they are kids then they are in trouble.

But yea that was just an out-of-the-blue guess.

>>158103

We should be very cautious at this stage. Either that person was afraid of us or it is afraid of something else and was trying to warn us or something. Prudence dictates we be cautious in case the second scenario is true...

>>158131
Not saying it ISN'T possible, just unlikely. A bunch of kids running around shooting things with arrows in a place like this? I'm really suprised they've not been blown to smithereens, what with the bandits and such waving about powerful experimental magical weapons.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)16:43 No. 158146 ID: d1210a
File 12702518073.jpg - (81.05KB , 700x525 , Northern Field House Basement Door.jpg )

>>158121
>>158129
>>158132
I consider the possibility of the voice having belonged to a child, and but am unable to be sure with the words no longer audible. I decide that children are relatively unlikely.... but the strange response I am being met with intrigues me. For now, I decide to round the corner the rock dropped from, and appraise the door I believe I hear, hinges groaning harshly in the still day.

As I come about to the side of the house, I spy a door, set low, likely to a basement, closed but devoid of fortification. As I approach, I witness the door thump, the hinges crying out, but no damage is done, and the door remains shut. I observe the door shifting again and again, each time rattling as if something is trying to open it from the insider, yet despite the lack of visible locks, it is strange that whatever is testing the door does not, or cannot open it. As I come to a halt before the door, I make note of the cloud coverage having shifted, practically draining the light out of the landscape about me, the world tinged gray and lifeless. I address the inhabitants, still shooting arrows at me without any hesitation, their assault equally useless and unrelenting, hoping that someone will finally take the time to answer, and this can be resolved with some greater gain than simple souls of stubborn squatters.

"I believe I have been quite tolerant up till now, But my patience and time both wear thin at your response. Now someone, speak with me, or I shall tear this house down about you!"

The arrows continue, and the silence I am met with initially leads me to believe this attempt at communication to be fruitless. But soon enough I hear a quavering voice issuing forth from the door before me, which positively seems to vibrate in it's hinges while the voice slips by.

"Can you let me out? I'm not allowed to leave unless someone opens the door,
And everyone already left.... it's cold and dark down here, and I don't like it."

Oh? A response, finally? But the voice, while clearly that of a child, does not at all match the one I heard earlier, not even remotely. I consider the door before me in the colorless world, watching it jiggle and rattle as if in anticipation of my response.


What should I say or do?

>>158146
"What do you mean, -everyone left-? I'm still getting shot at out here." Whatever, open the door.

>>158146

we might want to force the barn door open, a near silent contionious arrow attack seems pretty odd after seing how it only annoys us. mabey its some sort of motion detecting magic?

open the door, of course

Am I really the only one getting the ghost story vibe here? Don't go doing just whatever any spooky voice tells you to.

>>158165
thats why i said open the barn door not the celler with the crepy voice

>>158165
Votan

Actually, im getting a reverse Vampire thing here. Needing permission to get out rather than in, funny.

>>158165
Agreed. This is most likely some sort of supernatural creature.
Try to use magnetomancy to sense metals inside. As was mentioned before, bodies contain trace amount of iron inside, so you probably can detect them.
Afterwards, interrogate elder. I think there are couple things he failed to mention.

>>158167
>>158168

Agreed. Let's bust a hole in the wall (non structurally damaging) and make our entrance from there. If it's a trap, we'll at least hold some kind of advantage. If it isn't, then no problem...the kid will be scared for a minute...but thats it...

>>158169
I'm kind of thinking the same thing. Can the spirits from your fist phase through walls and such? If so, summon some up and send them in. I wonder if they can report back to you with what they see, or only cut things.

Actually, fuck it, bust open the wall and eat souls.

i think we are starting to overthink this a bit, lets have a look at the archers and then open up the cellar. rebember were a 10-20 ton soul eating death machine, even if theres some sort of hidious monster in there we can probaly killit with one hand tied behind our back

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)18:12 No. 158208 ID: d1210a
File 127025713828.jpg - (47.79KB , 700x525 , Northern Field Fortified Barn.jpg )

>>158148
>>158162
I begin to reach for the door, the faded colors of the world dwindling even further into a simple gray-scale as my hand approaches the handle, sound fading into a simple drone...

>>158154
>>158165
>>158168
But I hesitate..... the door, no matter how I look at it, is not locked, the most feeble of fleshlings could manage this door so long as they can manage a latch.... so why does the child not open it themselves? And why would they say no one is present when I am still being bombarded with arrows? Something is not right.

>>158174
recalling what Ugrokk saw the presumed Magnetomancer in the woods of Duras do, I cast out my senses, seeking the iron in blood, seeking the inhabitants of the house. ....While I can discern the metals born on body and in blood by my companions still on the edge of the field, I cannot sense any.... wait... down, down below, some several dozen feet beneath the level on which I stand, I can feel the grainy texture of iron in blood, a massive reserve of it situated beneath my feet, but other than that, not a whisper of metal in this house, not even a single tool. Stranger and stranger still.

I activate the Spectral Gorging Anima, and place my hand near the stone walls about the door, and phase the ghostly skull full of teeth and hunger through the stone, before withdrawing my hand, and appraising the skull some time thereafter. It seems clear there was no flesh to be seen, as the skull still seems sluggish, inactive, but otherwise I can tell nothing about what may be within.

As yet another arrow bounces off my head, I decide that before I concern myself with the contents of the basement, that I should deal with the annoying arrows coming down upon my head. I return to the main structure's entrance, making note that color once more seems to return to the landscape, the entry still blocked off with pieces of wood and other obstructions, and prepare to smash down the door, after waiting long enough to be certain the pleading voice does not follow me away from the cellar. After satisfying myself in this respect, I couch my fist, and shatter the door with a swipe of my hand.

I stoop down and peer within the house, to be greeted with a strange scene. A bow floats above the ground, and as I stare orients on me, a simple arrow simply fading into view on the string, before it snaps off, yet another arrow striking my form to no effect. After firing upon me, the bow floats across the floor, occupying a place before a different window nailed mostly shut, and waits as another arrow fades into view. I duck out before the second arrow finds it's mark, but not before making note that before each boarded up window, I saw a charred outline of a body emblazoned on the ground. There may be more to see within the barn, but I would have to make a significantly larger hole to enter, considering my stature. As I ponder what all this could mean, I hear the door to the cellar rattle again, a plaintive cry reaching out to me. Out of curiosity, I once more seek out the iron that could be found in the blood of any human.... and find none near the cellar door, even as it continues to rattle.


What should I do?

just soulfire! we want whatever is in there to leave. soulfire will kill any humans caught, and will burn the shit out of anything potent enough to attempt to take us on

no, reverse that. perhaps it is incorporeal spirits, held together by the energy in the place.

>>158190
as i said, whatever it is we can probaly take it out. open up the barn a bit more and get a proper look inside. see if we can deactivate the magic bow. then see whats in the cellar

>>158222
Spirits and ghosts arn't the same ans soldiers. While we're powerful in the physical realm, it's possible we are vulnerable in the spiritual realm. Our great number of souls is likely a help, and IG's power to create soul soldiers might be of use here, but at the very least, we have less knowledge of fighting incorpreal enemies. We should be cautious.

>>158222
I agree with this. In the beginning, I wanted to keep the barn intact so that the villagers would be happy, but our safety comes first...we need to break this barn open...Let us shape the playing field and gain the advantage...rather than playing on someone elses home ground...

There is a spirit doing all of this. Suck it in.

Leave the barn intact.

>>158235
This idea has merit. Let's see if consuming whatever ghost is haunting this place is possible.

Wait a tic. Is the iron in the blood in the 'Massive reserve' you sense moving? Because generally... If blood isn't moving around, that means it isn't in a living body with a working heart, so that means whatever owns it is dead. Or worse.

>>158208
Pull that iron up from the earth, see what follows.

...Fuck. Lets walk back and talk to our mages. We're kinda out of our depth with winning with spirits.

As for suggestions, I'm kinda in favor of talking. Asking what wants out, who bound it, and what happened. However, before soul sucking the thing out, I want to suggest talking to our mages - they might have some suggestions like, I don't know, a malevolent spirit bound to a soulgrave makes it go stupid-crazy.

As a note to everyone: massive reserve. Massive from a think that is giant in and of itself. Of Iron in blood, of which there is only a trace amount of anyway. That's a lot of blood.

>>158208
The whole setup looks rather strange.
Why villagers didn't even try to take the barn by themselves? Yes, they are peasants not warriors but even peasants will fight when pushed far enough, any likely starvation certainly will be such a push. Even crude tower shield made of branches/planks will stop these wooden arrow cold, unless they are enchanted (and if they ARE magical, why elder didn't warned us?)
There are something strange going on with a barn itself, where did that reservoir of the blood came from? Again, why elder didn't said anything about whatever inhabit it? He *had* to knew *something*.

>>158353
The villagers couldn't even get close, they stopped once one of their guys got shot. There is something fishy going on here, but I doubt it's the villagers who did it. At any rate, we need to stop dicking around outside and smash our way into that cellar.

they also weren't near starvation, they still had some food stored so they would likely last at least another week. after that they may have tried to rush the place, but not while food was still easy to get.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)21:12 No. 158371 ID: d1210a
File 127026796424.jpg - (221.02KB , 1000x754 , Northern Field Celler Entity.jpg )

>>158222
>>158229
>>158230
I appraise the barn once more, ignoring the arrows that periodically fly my way, as I look for a place to seek entry through. At this proximity, I can see the minor shuffle of movement of the bow within floating near to a boarded window beside me, and I act decisively, smashing my hand through the wall to grasp at the floating bow. I wrap my fingers about the aged and worn wood before it can slip away, and find the bow vibrating in my grasp, constantly seeking some method of release. It's frantic struggling eventually ignites the wood through sheer dint of friction against my implacable grip, whispery wails exuding from the wood as it shrivels and chars. Ash stains my hand heavily by the time I finally feel the wood struggle no longer in my grasp, and a black powder flows away from my hand as I tentatively open it, dispersing in the air under the command of the idle winds flitting about. I stand motionless for a time, awaiting further action from the house I have now broken two holes into, through window and door both, waiting for some form of response.

....After enough time has passed some half dozen arrows would have struck me had I not dealt with the bow with no further action from the house, I deduce that whatever magic or spirits may have animated the bow dispersed when it was destroyed. The sudden rattling and groaning of the cellar door once more draws my attention, and as my mind turns to it, a bit of color fades out of the land. I peer into the house before me through both openings again, looking for anything noteworthy that I may have missed, and see nothing that piques my interest.

I step back from the building, and glance at the grain silo, which has presented no form of issue the whole of my time in this field, before dismissing it, noting that it's door stands somewhat ajar, revealing it's barren interior.

>>158270
I reach out once more with Magnetomancy, seeking further data on the mass of grainy iron like that in blood I felt below, checking for movement.... to find the massive reservoir not flowing, but.... throbbing as if in time with some massive heart, simply expanding and contracting with a rhythmic beat.

>>158235
>>158236
Thus far, I feel confident that no mass of spirits can be found in the main building of the silo, leaving only the cellar where noises still emanate as a possible source for what I now feel confident is some form of haunting, the displaced spirits of the dead responsible for what has been witnessed. I sidle up to the door, noting that the vibrant colors of the area once more fall under a pall of gray as I near the door, and simply breath in, attempting to gather up any soul that could be present here. The door rumbles as if in protestation as the voice within pleads with me.

"Stop it it hurts, don't do that. Please, open the door, let me out."

The voice still sounds scared, pitiful.... and abruptly, the voice shifts into surprise.

"..Oh?"

The door bleeds through, it's wood staining black as the knots and swirls in the wood twist and turn. A face pulls into focus, a stark collection of outlines in the colorless realm I see.

"Please, let me out, I don't want to be down here anymore, I am so hungry...."

Again, the voice of a child pull through the wood, echoing from lungs that do not exist. Does this entity know no other method of deception than to sound like a child? But still.... what is it?

>>158318
I wonder what I could learn from Jojo and Arkus on this subject, as I find myself somewhat out of my depth, hauntings and... whatever this may be are not something I have memories pertaining to, sadly enough. I decide to walk away from the door, even as it continues to rattle, the occupant calling out with it's newly formed face mewling at me from the door. I turn the corner, and as I march up the stairs along the side of the house towards the fields, I slowly hear the door cease it's groaning, the voice fading away as I leave the area. I am still unassailed by arrows even as I return, and draw Arkus and Jojo forward to converse, with myself playing the interpreter if need be between them, to see what they can offer me on this find. I explain all that I have observed, noting the fade of color in particular that occurred every time I neared the door, and I see both Jojo and Arkus pale, with Jojo speaking first, Arkus still stunned.

"...If the colors of life fled the land, and it cannot leave on it's own, little else this could be but World Nightmare. Bad thoughts, things of planet, seeking entry to surface, to destroy, to rend asunder. Door must NOT be opened, World Nightmares like avalanche, cannot be fought, might too great. All die if door open. ....But wood door? What to do about when wood rots......"

Arkus finally speaks, his voice abruptly cracking with as much fear as I heard when I first disobeyed his attempts to control me when I first awoke.

"...Hah...haha... that, uh, well.... that sounds exactly like you are describing a Core Being, which, uh, is really bad. Because, if that IS a Core Being, then one of the.... things.... that live way, way down, beneath mountains and miles of stone, closer to the planet's core? Uh, well, some of them have destroyed entire cities when released. And, once one has gotten this close to the surface, it.... ah, it will just wait until the door that blocks it wears away. They do not grow impatient, or leave.... at least, not that I have ever heard. And once they get loose, they.... they rampage about for a week or so, before they... run out of steam, I guess. Usually someone cuts them down once they start getting too weak, but the weird thing is, the ones that die on their own fade away, and the ones that get killed leave nearly static remains, practically untouched by time I am babbling again I am sorry but I would really like to get away from where a Core Being may be.... ah, if, that is, we are actually dealing with a Core Being. It could.... be something else, maybe...."

Interesting....
I see the Premen looking over in interest, Derkin keeping himself out of earshot as he tends to the carts and oxen, clearly trying to stay uninvolved with whatever necessitated all three magic users to converse.


What should I do?

>>158371
Could we consult Lenryt about this? Seems to me that this is another "caged one" and Lenryt made short work of that other one.

>>158383
this sounds like a good idea

what if it is both? a young core being.

well not that we know what it is we can ask it different questions. such as what it eats, and if we could get food for it. or ask what it will do if it get's out.

>>158383
>>158384
[How would you contact Lenryt? You do not know where she is, nor did she leave a means of contact. She said SHE might contact YOU, if the need arises.]

>>158389
Well then, ask Arkus what would happen if we ate it whole. It was clearly affected by us merely breathing in, and besides, I'm anxious to see what powers we get from the soul of a core being.

Attempting to ingest souls was painful for it? maybe this could be a weapon, or maybe we were pulling it forcefully through the door, and if we keep it up it will escape anyway. Really need further consultation on this.

Build a better door in the meantime. The bow was clearly there to keep people away, and now we have left a powerful engine of destruction defended from the local countryside only by a person's ability to decide when not to open a door. I recomend piling rocks in front of the door while we decide what to do. If rocks are scarce, hey, there is a silo handy.

>>158371
I would like to point out that the bow being there makes no sense if the Core Being wanted to escape. It wants people to open the door, and the bow prevented that.

We just took out the prison warden. This is bad. We need to make sure nobody opens that door, EVER. Unless it's actually a weak Core Being? Ask how we could gauge its strength.

Also, check out the silo. Maybe the person responsible for the bow is in there.

Guys, I just realized something. The villagers lost control of their fields in the north AND south. I think we may be dealing with more than one eldritch abomination here.

Guys, we also need to get word back to the town that the door needs to not be openned. Maybe send Derkin back, since he's not doing anything right now. We can try building some sort of wall or cover for the door with what we have at hand, and try telling Lenryt or somebody else about this first chance we get so they can take more permanent measures.

>>158398
...Ohhhh, crap. Ok, as much as I hate abandoning our current mission towards gaining power, keeping massively powerful destructive entities trapped is more important. We should check the southern field as well just to be safe, and make sure that the villagers don't mess things up and dig up something best left alone.

First off, Ask about the "static remains". Then ask if barricading the door or burying it will have any effect. It can't be too... strong? Maneuverable? I mean, maybe just burying it in dirt of logs or something could keep in in place for something more permanent. Could it slip through like spaces between the logs? Also, get Derkin to go back and tell the villagers not to open the goddamn door and to make a sign that says "Don't fucking open this door". Also have him ask about the layout of the building, is there any way to get to the cellar from the inside of the building.

Then go up to the door and start talking to it. Question it about its nature and what it will do if you open the door.

I'm thinking we wall it off for now and eventually make a concrete sarcophagus.

>>158371
Oh, well, so much for my paranoia. :)
I was so certain that it was some sort of trap or result of runaway magic by villagers (remebering yetis).

Lets see... The mass your magnetomancy detected are presumably body of "Core Being"/"World Nightmare" ("Core Nightmare"?)
Check barn carefuly, see if there are some runes that may be rosponsible for containment of creature - most likely people who taken it either did it to restrain CN (unlikely, otherwise they would have warned villagers) or detected it afterwards and managed to cobble warning (and possibly containing) magic.

DON'T try to suck again. Before, it wasn't able to get past door, now it can manipulate it.

Ask Arkus and Jojo everything they know about such entities.

resorting to my previous post. soulfire the fuck out of that shit

>>158436
This seems like an incredibly bad idea!

>>158436
...

>>158452
Agreed.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)23:48 No. 158471 ID: d1210a
File 127027728616.jpg - (165.09KB , 600x487 , Crawling Monster.jpg )

>>158394
>>158395
>>158401
>>158412
I ask Arkus and Jojo both, about what could be done to seal this creature, and prevent it from being released by idle curiosity. I mention simple earthworks, with a stone or wood barrier about the door to keep it safe. Both agree that the door must be buried, as at the very least, it marks the location of the threat, a sufficient amount of burying makes it unfeasible someone not actively seeking it will ever reach the door, and it allows some measure of safety while the threat is still present. Perhaps a solution can be found afterward, but they agree a stopgap measure is crucial. I call out to Derkin, and tell him to travel back to Trelek, and tell them something dangerous was found on the farmland, and that an earthen bunker is being erected about it. For now, they should NOT try to dig in or directly interact with the bunker, for any reason.

I order the Premen to gather stones while I set to disassembling the building above, salvaging timber as I can, seeking only well-aged, un-rotted lumber. As I bob in and out of proximity to the cellar door, I see color flashing as it writhes in and out of my vision, but I pay it no mind, and shortly I have a healthy selection of suitable planks of wood, and the Premen have returned with a wealth of stones. We set to creating a solid, well braced and snug barrier about the door, ignoring the face and the pleading it offers us. After we seal the edges up as best we can, we keep the crude walls braced as we slowly mound up more and more dirt, burying the door under meters of earth before we stop. Several tons of earth now bury the door, and they seem to ablate whatever force it contains enough that even standing above it the full spectrum is visible. Still, it took us until midway into the night to finish, and now that we have rendered the issue somewhat contained, we retire to a temporary camp...

>>158398
>>158403
...Until I realize the village has some TWO fields, BOTH with issues of vagrants having claimed tenancy. In case the two were claimed by similar groups, I decide I need to check the other field post haste, this is not a potential threat I want to leave lying around without at least identifying it. I turn to my men, and order them to march: Another possible extreme threat could be on the south field, and we aim to check it immediately, due to how dangerous it potentially could be. And when I tell them, that Jojo fears we may have found a World Nightmare, they offer no complaints to continuing the march.

It is some time just shy of midnight, the sky obscured with a pall of clouds, yet the Premen offer no complaint, the ambient light I produce from my eyes and mouth seem to provide plenty for them to navigate by. We have finally reached the south Field, some few hours after having finished entombing the northern farm's cellar, and I once more halt my troops some distance away from the structures, as this time I see some lights dimly glowing in some windows.... and I can hear screams. I march forward, intent on finding out what is going on, when a massive shape simply bursts through the roof, leaping free to land upon the earth again some fair distance away.... and I recognize it. The creature that stalked me upon the Premen mountains a month ago, covered in blood and viscera, turns to regard me for a critical second, before it bounds off into the woods at impressive speeds.

In the creature's absence, I neither see nor hear further movement from within the house, but some light still spills forth. I am halfway across the fields to the buildings, with my followers still on the outside edge of the field.


What should I say or do?

SON OF A BITCH! has it been following us the whole time?!

>>158471
Check if anything is still alive in there, quickly. DO NOT SEND OUR MEN TO PURSUE THIS THING, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT CAN DO. IF WE MUST CHASE IT, THEN WE DO IT IN A GROUP.

>>158476
agreed, we must capture this thing, and in some way attempt to communicate with it. For now, i propose shooting blades at it, aiming to disable, not kill the beast. Then run up close to it and headlock it!

>>158477
IDEA: Tell Oggroth to hogtie this sucker with his new UBER CHAIN.

[herpderp wasn't reading carefully, thought it was still there]

Well, I doubt you can catch up with the creature who appears to have a huge crush on you, so go check out the house.

Also, the impressive speeds implies that it cannot be chased. We have to get it to come to us. So, let's check on the house if we can't chase it.

>>158471
I doubt that it's a threat now that it has fled, but if it is still visible, try to hamstring it using the mortars' blades.

Using magnetomancy, check for people inside the building, then send Ugrokk's Premen in. Have Oggroth's set up a perimeter around the building for anything that comes out, and another around that to watch for the beast.

>>158471
>>158473
As far as I understand explnation, this creature is a human body that lost it's soul and was mutated by Curse. So, it probably chase us because we have lots of souls inside.

Epileptic Tree : One of our souls are in fact this creature's soul, attracted by magic of Soul Grave. Try to remember how much souls you had before you was deactivate, how much souls were consumed and gained and then compare to what you actually have. If there are extras...

>>157603
>> If the northern bandits are fighting...nameless horrors the bandits unleashed from their research outpost, help bandits kill/tame the beasts and then kill the bandits until they get the message of cut that out and stop unleashing things from the great wheel, or the glass tubes, or the sphere or where ever said nameless horror crawled out from.

You know what, I need to stop posting ideas. Anyway, walk around the house - heck, lets even soulsuck if the dead are fresh and look human. Check the celler door while some of Ugrokk men check out inside the hut, along with Jojo and Arkus.

Ask Arkus what would happen if we did eat the soul of a hostile spirit.

>>158650
Agreed.


I am getting a very bad vibe from all of this....
This feels like a repeat of the Yeti syndrome, people trying to trick us into dealing with their problems...

TELL THE MAGES ABOUT THE PULSING ORGAN you felt underground. (Effing Zerg creep) We are missing many peoces to this puzzle, we must figure it out.

>>158712
[As a reminder, the fragment of Thomro's soul consumed early on was hostile, and had to be disrupted to such an extent it could be consumed. So sufficiently powerful hostile souls can resist being eaten, and this resistance can be overcome.]

>>158473
I cannot be sure, but the fact the creature was already present at the southern field when I arrived seems to suggest it has indeed been tracking me.

>>158476
>>158496
>>158504
>>158560
I assess the creature’s speed to be too great to make catching it a feasible option, and turn my attention back to the building it wrenched a hole through before fleeing. I call my companions over, and order Oggroth and his men to stand guard about the house, while Uggrok and his men accompany me into the buildings. Arkus stays with the remaining cart bearing Verther’s corpse and much of the Premen’s less savory supplies, Derkin visible in the distance bringing the cart he took to Trekel back with him as he approaches Arkus, keeping wide of the field and houses on it.

My escorts and I enter the house cautiously, weapons at the ready, after a sweep of Magnetomancy tells me that while I can feel metal in several locations, anything resembling a weapon now lies on the ground, where most of the grainy iron found in blood also feels like it resides. As I poke my head inside, I confirm that all that is to be found in the wake of that creature is death, disemboweled bodies everywhere, weapons still clutched in some outstretched hands. I note that while under the stains and gore now covering them, the dead wear largely similar clothes, and several documents seem to be scattered about the floor, though blood has ruined most of them. I see one piece of parchment still upon a bare table, unmarred by blood, and appraise it as the Premen sweep the rest of the buildings about. Each chunk of text seems to be a personal note, transcribed at different times.

We were able to make off with some of master Weinsho’s papers, the ones he does not let any who follow him see, not even the apprentices he gives authority to. Still don’t know what they all are about, but Jot went to the houses to the north of here, should hear back soon about whether her hypothesis about what these spells and rituals are for pans out.

…Getting a bit worried. Haven’t heard from Jot and the others in a week. Dielva went to check on them, said someone shot arrows at him and no one spoke at the house. So bandits managed to oust them, I imagine. Hopefully we can salvage something from this debacle.

After writing off Jot’s crew and the papers they had as a lost cause, I have been having trouble convincing the others to perform the ritual we have yet been able to decode. Dielva keeps filling everyone elses head with nonsense, saying Jot and the others release some ‘terrible evil.’ So some arrows flying out of an old house are a ‘terrible evil’ now? Still, it will take me some time to shore up their courage.

Finally able to convince the others to go ahead with the spell, after I told them we could gain power through it’s function. Hopefully, my claim will not turn out to be a falsehood. We begin the ceremony at midnight.

No more words are to be found on the piece of paper, and as I peer about, I see Ugrokk and two of the Premen with him return to this main room, telling me no survivors could be found. I glance about the many papers still in this room, and wonder what they could have been about, prior to the destruction of the knowledge they contain.

>>158713
I spy Jojo peering about, hovering above the ground as he wanders about, and tell him about the pulsing mass of what felt to be blood beneath the other house, and ask if such knowledge means anything to him.

“…Not sure. Could be blood of those that called the World Nightmare, drained and used as food by the creature. Could be part of creature. Difficult to say without seeing it. World Nightmares are old, and rare dangers, Premen lore is not as detailed on them as it could be.”


What should I do?

ask jojo if he knows any ways to remove or kill these world nightmare things. a little info never hurt, right?

Okay, tis as I expected. They summoned it. The two groups of bandits were working together, the first group did much the same this group did and tried something that they didn't know about and got themselves disemboweled, etc, etc.

There are only a few pieces left (hopefully)

- Who did the bow spell? If someone set it up as something to keep people from opening the door, then it happened after the creature came, so who did it?

-Whats up with the crimson outlines on the floor? If those belong to the bandits that says that that's where the creature got em, and if so, how did it end up sealed in the cellar?

I have tons of theories but they are to spotty... I guess there I more peices than I thought.

Looks like the mercs might be up to something. I guess this means we need to get down there and tell them to stop fucking around.

As a mental note, we should try to figure out a spell that can allow us to recover documents ruined by blood. This isn't the first time we've encountered this problem, and it won't be the last.

Anyway, it appears an apprentice or some thieves or such got their hands on the 'forbidden' notes of a mage, and, not unexpectedly, massively screwed up using them. We might want to talk around about 'Master Weinsho' see if Arkus or Derkin or even the villagers know anything about him, he sounds like a mage of some skill. In any case, though, it appears these guys were killed just in time, before they could summon or cause something dangerous to themselves and everyone within a few (Hundred?) miles.

Are their any souls? Because if so, lets take a snack. Some of them might know magic, and maybe we can use their last memories to peirce togeather what happened.

>>158936
Acutally, this is a good idea: Ask if Jojo or Arkus knows any simple cleaning spells.

>>158936

I agree that we should ask around about this weisho guy...If he was smart enough to know that this ritual was dangerous (and forbid his apprentices from learning it)...he may know how to stop it...

>>158899
Now this might not help at all, but what if we used magnetomancy to latch onto the iron in the blood covering the ruined documents... and pulled at it? Would it simply tear the documents that have dried blood on them, would it pull the blood out and off, would it just pull the iron out and mess with the blood's composition?

Best-case scenario, we somehow magically fix them. Worst-case scenario, we rip them to pieces.

Either way we'll be testing more of our magnetomancy boundaries, and we might just get a little bit of metal to munch on in the process.

>>158914
I confer with Jojo further, querying him on any methods of removing, banishing or otherwise dealing with these ‘World Nightmares’ that sounds roughly like an analog of the Core Being description Arkus gave me. Sadly, he offers me no more than Arkus did, non-permanent containment and eventually killing the creature when it grows weak enough from walking the surface. Neither option seems particularly palatable.

>>158924
>>158936
>>158944
>>158947
>>158975
I venture about the buildings myself as the Premen continue to thoroughly check it, gathering up every soul I can find. A few times, as I feast on a soul I gain some glimmer of knowledge on how to access Leylines, so at least some of the dead were familiar with World magic…. A pity none could ever hope to have unbroken skins. Still, I imagine that should I find a Leyline (and hopefully more knowledge on how to interact with them), that I may find interesting options available to me.

[Mordre has gained knowledge of Leyline tapping for World magic]

I finish touring the grounds, and find nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that does not further confirm my suspicions that these were some thieves or rogue apprentices that meddled with magic far beyond their ken. I do find it somewhat strange that only loose pieces of paper are to be found, not a single book or tome to be found amongst the deceased party. Since it seems rather clear that they had not performed their ritual yet, as midnight is still a short ways off, I motion over Arkus and Derkin, and as they approach I address the two.

“It would seem that fortune was on our side, As these individuals intended another ill attempt at magic. Well, the south field is cleared, which I imagine will please the villagers, But I am more concerned about the name attached to these documents: It seems the ritual in question, the one put in action on the north field and halted here, Was from the private notes and journals of a mage by the name of Weinsho. Does this name sound familiar to either of you?”

Arkus responds first, as if by rote.

“There is an author of several books on magical theory by the name of Weinsho, so if you are talking about the mage Albert Weinsho, then yes, I am at least familiar with his existence. I haven’t been able to actually read any of his books, as the Mortal Coil keeps prices pretty high and copies hard to find, but as far as I can tell he is pretty well-versed in most forms of magic, and has a bunch of books spanning a wide range of magical subsets. That is about all I can say, until I have actually read any of his books. But that is the only Weinsho I have ever heard of.”

Derkin glances sidelong at Arkus before he cobbles together his own commentary.

“Well, I’ve known a few people to offer some rather large sums for books by Albert Weinsho, some research specialist mage, and if you say the name weinsho is mentioned for this, I’d have to lay money that we are thinking of the same guy. So now the question is, what are some busybody thieves, apprentices, whatever they were all the way out here with some of his writings? This is deep in the lawless territory for the State, and last I heard that guy Albert is way far away, out in Castiliathen. And he never releases anything but books in his name, so if there are loose documents I have to bet these came from him….. so why are they out here?”

As Derkin mulls over this line of thought, I ask Arkus and Jojo both if they know some method of removing blood from parchment, or otherwise restoring the text upon the paper. Sadly, neither have anything to offer me, noting that blood in particular is known for having extra metaphysical weight when trying to magically interact with it, and the same applies when trying to remove bloodstains, as they tell me.

[b[DAY 62][/b]

As midnight finally arrives and passes, I ponder what to do. It would seem the south field is safe, as nothing seems to be irregular with it to the perceptions of all our party, so I imagine the villagers can use it again. And while the potential Core Being at the northern field is certainly not dealt with, there is little more that we can do right now, and so long as the earthworks are not undone the door should be well warded from anyone opening it. I also note that my troops look quite fatigued.


What should I do?

>>159098

let our men redt and fully explain the danger to the villagers.

>>159098
The heck man, we can't ask magic questions around Derkin!! Would it not be strange for a master mage (especially one that can control a golem from long range) to be asking his apprentice for spell advice?!?!

The info about the mage can be passed off as Arkus traveling more than you do but questions about spells have got to be private.

>>159098

Quick Question. How many souls are we at now that we've eaten these bandits?

I think that we need to let the villagers know about the evil thing and bail. We can't really do anything here right now...so let's go take over that bandit research outpost and hopefully we'll get a weapon or something that can help...

>>159140
/These are the bastards that unleased it.

Anyway, I would like to try >>158984 before we move on - it could work with the metal in the blood, or at least move it around and, depending on the kind of ink used, there is a high chance that the ink might have enough trace metals in it to be able to tell what was written under the blood - some inks are iron based, after all.

Anyway, tell the village we cleared out the southern field, but tell them that if anything goes 'weird', to book it away from that field and try and contact us. March onto the Bandit Research Post.

Listen to >>159129 and
STOP BREAKING CHARACTER!
geeeze! Phrase questions like we're quizzing them, if we have to ask. Not like we don't know it, like it's a god damn pop quiz.

>>159202

I really don't think it's that much of a problem. Yes we're a mage...but that doesn't mean we're supposed to be all knowing. I kinda envisioned "mage" modre as quite skilled in magnetomancy and is learning about golemcraft (which is why he is doing all these tests) and has only basic knowledge on all other magic.

Unless we're supposed to be pretending to be an all powerful master mage, it is fine to have "gaps" in our apparent knowledge...

>>159213
Yes but not so much that we have to be asking our APPRENTICE about magic-world stuff

I totally agree with Falcon, if anything someone should've spotted it by now. Mordre needs to keep info to itself and only ask for info in private one-on-one convos.

>>159221
>>159224

I am gonna put my 'Pop Quiz' idea forward again. It makes sense and fits in with the hammy genius.
Someone remember this next time we talk in character! HAMMY GENIUS.

>>159231
I like this idea, especially if we don't tell Arkus first. It would be hilarious to see him in an actual pop quiz scenario, and it would make the act better.

In fact I vote we do it now, so Derkin doesn't get the idea fixed in his head.
"Arkus, quickly! What are the basic principles of Magnetomancy! 5 seconds!"

>>159242
Then act mildly displeased if he doesn't get it right. If he does, complain about his speed of recollections. If he gets everything right, commend him on his memory but tell him not to get lax.

>>159140
I cast my memories and senses both to seeking the answer: how many souls did I gain in feasting on the freshly dead here? And the only answer I come to, no matter how I approach it, is simply that I gained not a single soul. Clearly this is impossible, as I recall feasting on separate souls, but I still have the four hundred and seventy one souls worth of fuel, I do not understand… ah. Perhaps, if all the souls I fed on were oriented about magic, that the souls of mages are treated in some similar manner to the souls of heroes, removed from my fuel and somehow grafted to me. A thought to consider.

>>159213
>>159221
>>159224
>>159231
I elect to cover for my questioning Arkus and Jojo on magic (Arkus in particular as he and Derkin speak the same language), by putting a question to Arkus in the form of a quiz. Hopefully, such will make the posing of my prior question look like a test. Even though Derkin seems to have been occupied in his thoughts, I do not wish to leave him hints as to my true nature.

“So you know no method of removing blood from paper? I was sure I taught you such, but perhaps I am mis-recalling it…. ..Well, in the case of no clear answer whether I taught you such or not… QUICKLY, what are the basic principles of Magnetomancy! TEN SECONDS!”

Arkus stare at me, his jaw agape for a moment, before he starts spluttering, throwing out words as swiftly as he can.

“Uh attraction and repulsion are the two primary methods of commanding metal, requires a point to base such reactions off of, ownership and proximity factor into the ease of manipulating any metal, as does it’s mass, ah..”

”-YES well… that was significantly more than ten seconds, But at least you have been paying attention during SOME lessons.”

Arkus looks at me strangely for a time before he seems to grasp I am trying to maintain my cover in front of Derkin, and says no more.

>>159111
>>159202
I make my way back into the buildings as I give my followers the order to rest and make camp. Thankful to be far away from the dangers of the north field, none complain at the proximity of corpses. Once I stick my head back into the main structure, appraising the documents soiled with blood littering the floor, I decide to try my hand at Magnetomancy. I direct my focus to the grainy Iron in the blood, and seeking out the metal that could be in the ink on the pages, and find…..

…The ink has no metal to be detected in it’s composition, but the blood… as I reach out and tug at the iron saturating the bloody stains on the paper, I feel some form of… weight, clinging to the iron as I wrench it free. The process shreds the paper, and I feel my will draining rapidly from focusing so finely to sift free iron from even a few splashes of blood, but I can sense something, if only-

My Will slips and crumbles, the cloud of gray iron starting to form before me now dissipating in the air. Manipulating blood seems to be a daunting task, from the perspective of the Magnetomancer. An interesting finding to note.

I decide to wait for morning, allowing my troops to rest before the sun rises and we once more begin to move. I bring our group back to Trekel, telling the village elder of the states of both fields, and my recommendations to stay clear of the northern field until the situation is dealt with. While several villagers look frightened, the elder simply nods, and thanks me for returning the southern field to the village, and for at least checking on the northern field. I spend little time further in the village, before I move on, marching north, seeking the bandit controlled outpost I have heard is to be found. The day slowly wears on, and as we make camp I speculatively munch on the bronze disk that now serves as makeshift armor for Oggroth’s mount.

[DAY 63]

We start marching early again, thankful that our small troop size means camp can be made and taken down swiftly, and sometime before mid-day, stumble upon a vast open field, no trees to be seen…… and some three clusters of structures visible on the horizon, one to each side, and the third and final straight ahead, all too distant for specifics to be discerned about these collections of buildings.


What should I do? Toward which group of structures should I venture, or send scouts? Or should I do something else?

Try using Magnetomancy to remove the blood from the paper. After all, it contains iron.

>>159278

Voting that we scout them all out...Tell the premen to just observe and report...Don't touch anything, b/c we don't want them to accidentally open pandora's box like with the other barn...

take the left one for now, but be wary of anything. keep your senses constantly looking for metal that is not part of your group.

>>159278
Question: Are these where the Research Outpost should be? Because it seems almost too quiet. Other then that, yes, scouts, but send them to the building that is closest to us first and just observe.

>>159471
The sets of buildings are all distant enough that people could be teeming about them and I would not be able to tell. The only reason I can see them now is because this massive plain we have stumbled upon has almost no contours and nothing taller than some shrubs, the buildings stand out like giants.

>>159450
>>159458
I order the Premen to split into two bands and do some general scouting towards the buildings straight before us, and to the right, while Arkus, Derkin and I investigate the left set of buildings. Our goal for now is just determining which, if any of these collections of structures is the bandit controlled research outpost, and determining rough population estimates. Based off this, I will then make a more informed decision on where we are to travel.

We separate, Oggroth (I see Jojo tagging along with him) and Ugrokk both commanding combined forces of Premen heavy scouts and heavy warriors as they head off to their destination, Arkus and Derkin both commanding a cart apiece. As we travel, I hear Derkin ask Arkus about the quiz questioning he received. I find myself pleased to hear Arkus respond with commiseration that I am an eccentric teacher, but that considering his own background, he can’t complain. The story roughly enough matches the truth that he should not have much issue recalling it, and the answer seems to be agreeable to Derkin, who laughs as he gives Arkus his condolences. Perhaps an hour later, conversation has died away, as we start to near out scouting target and start trying to glean information from it.

…Hm. On the subject of the left collection of buildings, we find:

-Most of the buildings are two stories or less in height, with some thirteen total buildings.
-A building in the middle of the town is significantly larger, and has three stories.
-Villagers are actively tilling nearby fields. Unknown number of total villagers.
-There are armed guards wearing irregular armor standing watch, some twenty three visible.
-The villagers and guards have both not yet spotted us.

I motion to Arkus and Derkin to withdraw, and after another hour of marching I am meeting with my troops near where we split company to investigate all three sets of buildings. They deliver reports to me on what they found.

The right collection of buildings:
-Are relatively well-fortified, the walls thick and buildings only bearing minimal entry-points.
-The village is atop an artificial hill
-There is a fort in the middle of the town, with guards standing watch.
-Scouts could learn no more without being spotted.

The middle collection of buildings:
-Are burned out wrecks, largely demolished.
-Have some people inhabiting the ruins.

…It sounds like we may not have reached the bandit-controlled outpost yet. I did note that the forests the Trekel elder drew on the map betwixt the outpost and their village seem to have not yet been reached, as we are only now seeing some other villages.


To which collection of buildings should I lead my group, the left, middle, or right collection?

>>159512
Left. Have scouts move in till they can identify if the heavily armed guards are guarding the villages or are slave drivers and what the relationship between the Villagers and the Guards are.

If hostile slavers, Scouts get to stealth kill. If anything else, lets go and introduce ourselves.

Let's go towards the middle collection of buildings. The right and left sections of this village seem to pose a greater risk of detection. The other two sides risk being spotted by either the guards or villagers whereas we only need to avoid the inhabitants of the destroyed buildings.

>>159512
Well, this tells us one thing. Derkin lives up to his bandit roots and eavesdrops on us. We will have to begin holding private council.

>>159512
Voting we approach a person from the middle destroyed village and try and get some info on what's going on here...

I agree with 159606. We also might find papers or items left over in the middle destroyed buildings.

>>159544
>>159598
>>159606
>>159649
I elect to travel to the middle collection of buildings first, as likely refugees hiding in the burned out husks of buildings should not be over-concerned about the appearance of a Soul Grave and those that follow me if I do not attack them. Of course, this is purely conjecture, but the theory is sound.

I lead our reunited group forward, trekking across the open plains at a steady speed. Derkin spends some more time talking with Arkus, telling improbable stories that seem to all focus about himself, laughing all the while. Finally Arkus responds with a tale of slitting a yeti's throat with a shard of rock, and beating another Yetis skull in with a larger piece or rock in the process of escaping their clutches. In his flight, he drinks yeti blood and tries to perform some of their magic, to keep the biting cold of the mountains from claiming his life after he escapes. Alas, the spell misfires, and he becomes one with the mountain. When Derkin presses Arkus on how he survived, he simply responds 'Well, my Master Mordre showed up, and he has a tendency to fix problems rather forcibly. So here I am.' Derkin takes a moment before roaring with laughter, the Premen warrior talking amongst themselves as they march as well.

The sun is well past it's zenith when we draw close to the burned out town. At this distance, we are finally spotted, but while many run to huddle inside the few bits of structures still standing, many more simply stay where they are, as if quietly demanding that they need run no longer. But as my group continues to advance at a steady gait, weapons still lax, curiosity starts to get the better of the more cautious ones, and they poke out their heads to investigate, a scattered see of confused faces directed at us.

I call a halt once we are within the ruined village, and sweep my gaze about. As my ruby eyes track across the area, people flee from my gaze, cowering in fear and anticipation. I wonder at how responsive these people will be.


What should I do? If I mean to question the inhabitants, what actions and words should I use to elicit a response?

>>159758
"Greetings from Mage Mordre. Don't mind the golem. It seems you fellows have run into a spot of trouble. Why not tell this inquisitive old man about how you got in such a situation?"

>>159810
Yeah, I can't think of anything other then this. Question: How close are the other two collections of buildings to this burnt out husk?

>>159810
do this, and hopefully try not to scare the shit out of these weaklings.

>>159989
The other sets of buildings are some five to seven miles away, it is difficult to be precise with so few notable landmarks.

>>159810
>>160004

"Greetings from mage Mordre. Don't mind the golem. It seems you fellows have, well, Run into a spot of trouble. Why not tell this inquisitive old man here, All about how you got in such a situation?"

I appeal to the residents of the burned out husks through the visage of a kindly mage, trying to build on my persona while encouraging the residents to talk. For a moment no one speaks and I wonder if more extreme measures might be called for against these meat-bags, but finally I hear someone speak up.

"...Well, uhm, yer mageship, we're refugees. From Gretath, Breskin, Curonga, all over. This was Hashwood village, but since they stood up to some bandits, the place got razed, burned down. But ever since, no one ever comes here, so we just.... make do. ....Are... are you here to bring back the peace, sir, mage, eh, sir-mage Mordre?"

At this query, I see dozens more faces appear, abruptly paying very close attention to what I say. It would seem a sizable population exists here, perhaps some four or five score individuals. And all had their attention drawn by the simple mention of possible order, of the return to less troubled times. While I find their pathetic inability to resist the forces at work around them laughable, I make allowances for them being nothing more than lumps of flesh on some pieces of calcium. Besides, I imagine they could be useful for establishing supply production here in the Azelhaedran State, should I get them under my sway. Of course, I would still need to find some place for them to labor, and some form of jobs to perform. But in the interim, now that I have their attention, I imagine I can ask any questions I want, and if someone knows, they will be liable to answer.


What kind of questions should I ask, and what response should I give about my purpose? How should I choose to direct my persona here in the state, purely here for research, here to help the people, uncaring, or something else? Or should I leave the burned down village and do something else?

>>160015
"If it isn't one thing- I mean YES. I will help you. I'm just flustered be the extent of the damages caused by ALL these bandits. Everywhere I go: "BANDITS HAVE BURNED AND RAZED ANOTHER TOWN! BANDITS ARE TOYING WITH FORCES BEYOND THEIR FEEBLE COMPREHENSION! BANDITS STOLE OUR FARM! BANDITS KICKED MY DOG!" I've had enough of these games-"I'm getting too old for this" doesn't even BEGIN to describe how irritating this business is. Can you tell me which way your aggressors have gone? I will try my damned hardest to aid you."

>>160019
This. Because it's funny. ...And, well, it is actually the truth, to be perfectly honest. Really, how many damn bandits are we going to have the kick the crap out of before they all start to figure out the life of an outlaw is the (Rather short) life of an idiot?

Anyway, that might be a -little- too caring for us. I think it might be better to suggest that the reson we came here in the first place is for the research, but that we're willing to at least try and help out with any problems we run across. We're not a roaming knight-errant, seeking wrongs to right, we have our own self-serving goals and plans, but that we're not so callous and uncaring as to ignore the plights of the oppressed.

>>160019
...second.

>>160019
>>160039
>>160040

"Eh, If it isn't one thing- I mean YES. I will help you. I'm just flustered be the extent of the damages caused by ALL these bandits. Everywhere I go: 'BANDITS HAVE BURNED AND RAZED ANOTHER TOWN! BANDITS ARE TOYING WITH FORCES BEYOND THEIR FEEBLE COMPREHENSION! BANDITS STOLE OUR FARM! BANDITS KICKED MY DOG AND DEFECATED IN THE WELL!' I've had enough of these games- "I'm getting too old for this" doesn't even BEGIN to describe how irritating this business is. Can you tell me which way your aggressors have gone, or where they are? I have several goals in the State, and helping the populace is admittedly one of them. Now be quick about it, I have data to collect!"

My insistent, irritated yet clearly benign persona seems to be exactly what is needed. The refugees seem to find it second nature to trust a wandering mage, and I am bombarded with a tumult of voices. But all bear largely the same message: The north, that is where they came from, where their homes are, where their aggressors still lay. This whole community seems to be composed of villagers that fled the bandits controlling the State research outpost to the North of here. Some few mention having tried to flee to Droba, the village to the east of here, the rightmost village as we approached from the south, but that in addition to the formidable fortifications the town seems to have gained, someone who calls himself 'Sir Keddic Harksburton the 4th" now heads up their militia, and has since stopped anyone from entering. Something about 'the riff-raff needing to use their own boot-straps, rather than mewling at someone else for help.' Several comment on this Keddic individual, noting his large size and golden beard to be most distinctive, and that no one happens to know where he came from. They also note that after he arrived and started fortifying the Droba, the village started to go by the moniker 'The Republic of Trepany.' Most express confusion as to what could be going on with the village formerly known as Droba.

Mention is made of the other nearby village, Glenston. Some refugees have ventured over, but none have come back, all being seen working on the fields under the watch of the soldiers present. Since no one has ever come back from going to investigate, no one knows just who the soldiers are. The refugees also note that another day or two of traveling north would bring us through a patch of forest, and to the bandit-controlled outpost they fled from.


What should I do? Should I ask any more questions, or tell the refugees anything? Or should I go to any of the locations the refugees have given me data on? Or should I do something else?

>>160052
Ask them about the size/composition/leader of the bandit forces that chased them out...

Also might send out some scouts secretly while you wait on them. I would assume the village to the West is true military outpost, so for now our questions should stick to the East and how many are in it as well as the number of bandits that attacked them from the North.

You could advise them that there is another town a fair distance south, which currently has its own budding fortifications and a temporary surplus of food they might be willing to share if you agreed to help them defend the place and get the village back on its feet. Would be a damn sight better than living in this burned wreckage in any event. Meanwhile, WE are going to check out the village to the west, see if we need to be freeing any repressed workers.

I wanna know more about Glenston.

>>160058
The estimates the refugees give me on the size of the bandit force that occupies a research outpost and drove most of them from their homes ranges between less than a hundred and some six hundred. I do not imagine I shall find accurate scouting intel amongst peasants.

>>160151
>>160235
I decide that as interesting as this newly renamed 'Principality of Trepany' certainly sounds intriguing, Glenston, the village to the west, sounds more in need of immediate attention. The fact no refugee has returned from going to investigate Glenston leads me to believe the place could be a forced labor camp, and if such is the case it could be a perfect place to freely gain more souls whilst not overly upsetting the residents whose opinions I actually concern myself with. As I depart, I take a moment to lay a last bit of commentary before the refugees.

"While I will not say life is completely without worry, The town of Trekel to the south has food and relative safety, As well as a need for hands to help restore fallow fields. If one were to say the mage Mordre sent them, then the village would likely welcome them with open arms. But be warned it will be work, to live in Trekel, So take this option only if you are willing."

While I march out to Glenstone, I observe some half of the refugee population simply getting up and marching south without any hesitation, grabbing what few possessions they still have and acting solely on the word of what (they presumed) is a respectable mage. That, and the promise of some measure of safety seems to draw the attention of many. By the time the burned out village is fading behind me, some two thirds have already packed their remaining belongings away and begun the march south to Trekel.

Dusk is beginning to fall as we approach the western town of Glenston. With the poor lighting it takes some time for our group to be spotted, but it finally happens, and after some frantic orders are given, a resounding boom echoes about, and I feel a magnetic field approaching at tremendous speeds. But thanks both to the experience I gained fighting Verther and the power I gained feasting on his soul, I find stopping the cannonball easy, bringing it to a floating halt before my left hand. I flick the cannonball away, activating Accelerator as I do, while taking hold of the munition's magnetic field to fling it with every bit of force I can.

The cannonball slams into the cannon from which it originated with such force the barrel splits and the woods assembly it was set upon shatters, several soldiers nearby crying out as shards of wood bombard their forms.

And just like that, what little fight the soldiers may have had in them flees their souls, and before I ever get into Glenston, the soldiers guarding it flee my approach, scattering into the woods. The villagers likewise scatter, but they look confused by, barring the returned cannonball, our lack of hostilities as we approach. Shortly we are in the village proper of Glenstone, and after once more introducing myself as the mage Mordre and asking who those soldiers were, and why they attacked me, I am reluctantly given some response.

"Well, those were some of Lord Barcho's army, least that's what they call themselves. The bandits to the north? Leader calls himself Lord Barcho. They make us grow food for them, or we end up like the village over yonder, burned to the ground. ....So, what is a mage, one with a Soul Grave no less doing out here? Begging your pardon, but there isn't all that much to be found for.... 'intellectual types' out here."


What further questions should I ask? What should I say? Or should I do something else?

>>160270
"That's what you think, my good man. What these bandits have gotten their grubby hands on; the magical research facilities, they are more valuable and dangerous than those power hungry fools will ever realize. I'm going to stop these bandits before they kill everyone with their lack of common sense. Then I'm going to put these facilities to good use, because I can help people, I'm not a mage for nothing you know. This world needs magic to survive, when some half-wit tries to abuse the power of magic, the world suffers for it. You'd think people would understand this by now, but no. All I see are overgrown children running about with their deathtrap toys, playing a country-wide game of cowboys and indians. I'll tell you what- Being a mage is the worst job you could ever have sonny. But when the world is plagued and overrun by these insolent babies, it takes an "Intellectual type" like me to bend them over my knee and give them the cane that they deserve. Now, I scratch your back, you scratch mine, got it? That town that the bandits burned back over yonder, I helped a good lot of them relocate to the village Trekel. You ain't gotta make food or take flak from that son of an ass Barcho anymore. Instead, I want you to help yourselves, and help those remaining refugees get back on their feet. Then, make contact with Trekel and see if you can't make some kind of trading route work. Those people aren't doing too well with their farms because of the same bandits that were working you folks like dogs, and they would sure appreciate the help. And lastly, DON'T go fooling around with magic like these self-important bandits. I don't care if you wanna learn magic, find a mage to teach you- Not me though, I'm on a schedule, and I'm busy helping the victims of these debacle as best I can. But DO NOT try to half-ass magic cause it looks neat or you're lookin for a easy way ta earn yerself some coin. What you find when you don't do magic proper, it AIN'T gonna be pretty."

yea.... wall of text, cant bother.
What he said.

>>160283
Ham this up a bit more, be exasperated and old man tired. Grumble about kids today and their inability to not screw around with creatures that claw at the nightmare void between life and dead, the universe and the world.

Ask the villagers what else we can do other then freeing them from the tyrannical yoke of oppression because if nothing important requires our attention right now, we are going to go bash Lord Bark's front teeth in, that magic dabbling pompous git.
Pause and say that anything kinda out of the ordinary should be considered important, as the last time something minor was brought up, it turned out it was some damn fool kids calling forth a world nightmare and we're still kinda cheesed off about that.

Ask how many bandits Lord Barcho has - try and correlate with the previous village. And ask how far away Lord Barcho's forces/research facility is from here. It might be a good idea to scout first before we actually leave, because asking the Principality of Trepany for some men might be a good idea. Or at least a not completely pointless idea, anyway.

>>160283
>>160302

"That's what you think, my good man. What these bandits have gotten their grubby hands on; Those State magic research facilities, they are more valuable and dangerous than those power hungry fools will ever realize. I'm going to stop these bandits before they kill everyone with their lack of common sense. Then I'm going to put these facilities to good use, To both facilitate my own research and restore some order: I'm not a mage for nothing, and it grieves me to see magic misused so. This world needs magic to survive, for anything to keep living, And when some half-wit tries to abuse the power of magic, The world suffers for it. ...You'd think people would understand this by now, but no. Apparently the ramifications of The Curse lain upon Mosmordre, All of that has taught people nothing. All I have seen are overgrown children running about, Playing with tools and powers they do not fully comprehend. ...Really, the gross incompetence I have seen is most deplorable. Is it really that hard to exercise some degree of caution and restraint? ...Well, moving past that, I need any data you may have on this 'Barcho.' The guards he had stationed here, do you know where they shall flee? Further, any troop estimates you can offer about Barcho would be useful. Ah, and the southern village of Trekel is doing well, They have freshly erected fortifications, a reasonable food supply, And they have reclaimed their fields for farming. Perhaps some communication and trade could be established between you? Well now, speak up if you have answers, the day is fading, and I have much to do."

The torrent of information I have now dispensed to the inhabitants of Glenston halts their speech for a time as they mull over what I have said, before answers start to filter back to me.

"Uh, not really sure where the guards would flee..."
"Don't be stupid, they had to flee back to the outpost!"
"Makes sense, not much else between here and there besides forest."
"Well, they're bandits, right? Wouldn't the forest-"
"Just because they are bandits does not mean they always shack up ion the woods."
"Yeah, but it's not like they'd need to stay there for long.."
"Either way, they have to ultimately head north, right?"
"Yeah.... or come back here the moment the mage leaves...."
"Maybe with more arms, too! That Lord Barcho has a mess of men serving him!"
"Ah, he can't have more than some three hundred men tops."
"No way! He has damn near a thousand!"
"I thought they had five hundred....."

As I come to realize the Glenston peasants may not be able to offer me any more precise information than this, I hold up my hand to silence their babble and address them once more.

>>160307

"Now, barring the stereotypical tyrannical yoke of oppression, Is there anything else I can do while here to restore order for this village? I plan to aggress this 'Lord Barcho' myself in the near future, And I would know if there is anything else to be dealt with. ...Oh yes, that includes anything minor but still strange you may have noticed. So, anything come to mind?"

Again, the villagers pause, many scrunching up their faces in concentration as they reflect on this, before one finally speaks first, her voice hesitant.

"...Well, we used to trade with Droba, before they became the Principality of.... Trepanation?
"Trepany. Yeah, if we could get some trade going with them again..."
"Pfft, that, plus Trekel to the south, and we would have no worries over food."
"If Lord Barcho falls, I think that is the most important thing, not many people around here not directly under his control.
"Yeah, we dealt with the odd bandit group before all this just fine, it's just when the groups get that big and well armed...."
".....Hey, uh-"
"Shut up Joshich."
"But some of the bandits dropped their weapons when they ran...."
"..Wow, Joshich ain't kidding. ....Five.... seven.... hey, how many over there?"
"We got six over here!"
"Another three over here!"
"..Okay then. All said and done, that's.... eighteen weapons, yeah?"
"Looks like it."
"Well, that's a start."

I leave the Glenston residents to their banter and the organization of their own militia while I march our forces east, heading towards the Principality of Trepany. I considered sending another batch of scouts out first, but considering the language barrier, I decide to simply use traditional scouts about our party as we travel, and simply speak with whatever residents I can find when I arrive.

By the time we pass by the burned ruins betwixt the two towns, the shroud of night has fallen completely, stars twinkling in the sky above. I note that only a scant few refugees still linger, mostly those too old or infirm to travel, bereft of family to aid them in their journey. I continue marching by, onwards towards my destination.

Deep in the night, near to the border that straddles late night and early morning, I bring our march to a halt some several hundred feet distant from the Principality Of Trepany, outside of the ring of light their torches create. Now I consider how I should approach them:


Should I simply step forth now and begin a dialogue immediately in the interest of saving time? Or should I wait until the morning comes, to let the meatbags within have time to awaken? Or should I do something else?

lets just march up to the village and introduced ourselves, i guess. its not like it hasn't worked in the past

>>160341

Voting we wait for them to wake up. Use the time to rest your troops...

>>160345
Hush.

>>160341
Let us wait until morning. Break camp - Premen train in friendly combat, Arkus and Jojo continue language construction. Our tasks will be to feel the magnetic layout of the town - how many people live within it, how many would be fully equipted with weapons, and if there are any surprises inside, i.e. a SoulGrave, a powerful wizard if we can sense that with the powers we have now, or how many hero souls that might be inside. We will then alternate between training Jojo in Magnetomacy and asking Derkin if he knows this Lord Barcho and what things Derkin could teach us, after all one must be a life long learning, eh what?

Anyway, when the sun comes up and guards start circulating, get viable - keep half the Premen scouts as hidden as they possibly can - and then introduce ourselves.

"Greetings, Well Walled Republic of Trepany! It is I, The Mage Mordre! If you are not bandits and you are well armed, well thinking, and wish do well in the eyes of your fellow men, I will speak with you Keddic Harksburton!
I am here to find your magical ills, for fear they are the spawn of some great evil unleashed by half-thinking, bloody stupid, totally idiotic man-child - ahem! - bandits!
And if you do wish to help your fellow men, then I am also here to request your assistance in demolishing the bandit hoards who are completely in capable of thinking for themselves and not releasing world nightmares onto unsuspecting farm land just because they think it could be a good idea, the ignorant children! Just to think a few years ago, I would pull my sleeves up and fireball the whole lot of them - Ahem!
Anyway, I am here to request your assistance and offer my assistance, if your Keddic Harksburton would see fit to offer it!
And yes, the think that is speaking is a SoulGrave! You should be suitably impressed because I don't know another mage fully capable of such an impressive feat as I, The Mage Mordre, and capable of doing with such ridiculous ease!
Now, really, please go ask your master if we can speak with him, we've been out here for the whole ruddy night and me and my experiments could murder a cuppa!
Damn, if I don't need some tea myself! Joanna! My morning meal!"

>>160399
Excellent.
*gendo pose*
Development of Mordre the Mage is wonderful.

>>160341
Wouldn't it maybe make sense to get the old and infirm who cannot travel connected with Glenston before they all starve to death?

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/06(Tue)19:26 No. 160601 ID: d1210a
File 127060721842.jpg - (223.38KB , 1000x1390 , Another Traveller.jpg )

[Pretend I said 'Republic Of Trepany' rather than 'Principality Of Trepany' last post.]

>>160386
>>160399
>>160405
>>160576
I decide to wait until morning, paying some measure of respect to this village, in the hopes it will make negotiations thereafter easier. I order my troops to set up a highly visible camp, so that any guards will see us easily, and to fit in some more sparring before sleep. I also order them to move under the cover of one of the few small collections of trees on these planes, as the stars are vanishing rather swiftly under a cover of clouds. I recall that I have not had my troops spar for some time, since prior to reaching Duras. I am curious to see how they have improved since. While our forces are setting up to spar, I consider the old, the infirm I saw still residing in the burned out town, and consider what use they could have.

On the one hand, the elders among any community of organics seem to serve as resevoirs for communal knowledge and lore very frequently, so there is a possibility these particular refugees may possess some number with highly useful information. Further, taking the time to insure their survival could further solidify my image as a kindly mage. Clearly, there are reasons to aid them.

In counterpoint to the reasons to help them, are several issues. As they are by and large incapable of work, they would be a drain on resources, and considering resources were one of my biggest concerns when coming here, anything that could damage that is suspect in my view. Further, attempting to help the remaining refugees could actually negatively impact my image. What if the villagers start to resent the extra refugees and through them the 'mage' that sent them? I certainly see no point in putting in effort to preserve decaying lumps of flesh already partway dead if they cannot be of more use than inconvenience to me.

I snap out of my deliberation on this subject, while I appraise the fights. I note that, in absence of their armor, most of the Premen have gained several pounds of muscle, their bodies now more heavily adorned with ropey muscle, and almost all bearing several new scars, offering no complaint after Jojo's ministrations. The fighting is hectic, and it quickly divides into a conflict between Oggroth and Ugrokk's followers, Jojo grumbling about 'over-zealous youngsters' as he sees to his tent, erecting it with the same unseen force that keeps him aloft and places irregular tracks in the ground as he walks. I take a moment to ask Jojo and Arkus both to spend their time this evening working on the magic language once more, and find them swiftly deep in halting conversation. I call Derkin to my side as I continue to pay some attention to the sparring, noting that currently Oggroth's followers are starting to take the lead, much to Ugrokk's followers' woe.

"As you may have inferred from prior comments, I do not normally pay much attention to public affairs, Having spent most of my recent years working on, well, The spells that let me control this golem. Should I have heard of this 'Lord Barcho'? Perhaps you have heard of him through your own connections?"

Derkin scratches his chin thoughtfully as he considers his impending response, as I cast out my sense of magnetomancy, feeling what I can about the village. Around the time Derkin starts to respond, rain starts to fall, and the possibly reformed bandit beside me grumbles as he pulls up his collar, sheltering himself as he can.

"Ah, well, I've known several Barcho's actually. ....I think seven in all? Not really sure if this is one of the Barcho's I know, but I can run through the ones I know. There's Barcho 'Ironjaw' out in the Golden League, Barcho The Breaker, bodyguard for one of the disciples of Domintus, last I heard, and...."

I stop tracking what Derkin is saying as I notice something strange: While I can perceive the iron in the blood of many moving bodies, most of which bear arms likewise visible to my senses, there is one form that is neither within the Republic Of Trepany or in my own group. I turn about, seeking it's source, and spy a man walking through the woods, an animal of stark coloring beside him, bearing but a single piece of metal, as far as I can tell. The moment my gaze falls on this individual I note he is already staring at me. His beast starts to growl, but he quiets it with a gentle hand, before offering me a polite bow.

"Honored traveler, this one is seeking a location:
Is this place the one called Droba?
Or perhaps the Republic Of Trepany?"

Before I can say anything, Derkin switches gears, shifting from his continued explanation of the Barchos he has met to answering the wanderer's question.

"Yeah, this is the place."

The traveler bows again, a simple smile on his face. Without another word, he clips a collar about his beast, and makes his way towards the village proper. As he nears the walls, the nearby torches dim and falter, and in the murky shadow I see the traveler leap some thirty feet to simply vault beyond the earthworks and other fortifications about the town.

I feel some of the grainy Iron moving about within the town near this newcomer, the song of the sword he carries distinguishing it from all the other metal to be detected. I feel some sort of.... weight... building in the weapon the newcomer bears.


What should I do?

>>160601

I'd say follow him at a discreet distance and see what's up...

>>160601
RIP THE BLOOD FROM HIS PUNY MORTAL SACK OF FLESH

>>160625
...can't. He jumped over the wall there.

I say walk closer, to get magnetomancy range easier and make part two simpler, and wait till the fight which is sure to erupt has a pause in it. Then tug his weapon closer. In a perfect world, he will be the sort who would follow it, or hold on to it tightly enough to be dragged with it, over the wall if necessary, back to where you can speak with him.

Look at him quizzically. "Excuse me, I cannot help but notice the drama of what you are doing there, and I am curious as to your reasons. I wish to know if I should be stopping you or aiding you."

>>160625
>>160629
Unsure we can do that, as he just vaulted into the town.

As for suggestions, lets slowly make our way to the walls, while we track the old man with our Magnetomacy. Bring our reformed bandit with us, telling him to continue talking and ask just who the heck was the old man with the leaping stick.

If deemed necessary, alert guards.

Save >>160399 speech for later use, possibly morning greeting if nothing dangerous happens at night.

Well, this is indeed interesting. He has a magic weapon, the 'weight' you feel is likely the gathering of energy or maybe something even more potent.

Seeing as we cannot follow without getting ourselves into this I suggest we do one of two things(or perhaps both if we can manage)

1) Second sight - Spread your energy about the village/city/whatever and view the battle and everything else via the positioning of metal and a bit of common sense. If you cant handle all the input due to your lack of a naturally omnipresent-style thought patterns then focus your mind on the area around him, hopefully encompassing a few buildings so we can see if he has any long range energy attacks.

2) Eagle's Eye - Anchor yourself to something big and hard to move using magnetomancy(I am at a lack of things to suggest as the Earth itself didn't seem to be useful) and simply float upwards until you can view it from a higher vantage. This option will likely be more difficult to pursue but it would allow you to view the conflict with your own eyes.

Let's talk to this dude, he seems pretty badass. Ask him why he is interested in those two villages, and if he would consider working with us to eradicate bandits.

>>160644
how are you so certain he intends to attack us? Besides his mount growling (probably at the 15', 2500 lb hunk of magic metal in front of it), and the torches dimming as he approached, I see no other cause for alarm at his entrance.

>I see no other cause for alarm at his entrance.

Maybe the fact he jumped 30 feet over the goddamn wall with his magic fucking sword and giant beast.

But really, I don't think he'll be any trouble to us, but to the Republic, and probably our image.

>>160625
>>160629
>>160644
I attempt to follow this strange individual's trail, trundling up the artificial hillside leading to the town while Derkin runs alongside me, clearly also intrigued. I can here some confusion in the camp behind us, but Oggroth and Ugrokk both quiet the questions, content to continue their sparring until specifically called on, as I have left unannounced before.

The sense of building density I detect through magnetomancy rises to a resounding crescendo, the piece of metal now shining as brilliantly to my senses as several tons of iron, it's magnetic field swelling to radical immensity as it's potency grows. The stranger's blood vibrates in time with the metal of his keen blade, and I feel a flood of activity, as the stranger leaps the remaining distance betwixt them. With my attention already so closely focused on this exchange, and with the now immense magnetic field of the stranger's weapon, I make a snap judgment, now looking to wrest control of the traveler's sword from him through magnetomancy. For a brief instant the weapon resists, it's bond to it's bearer giving me some difficulty, before I halt the previously terminally accelerating blade before it comes in contact with the citizen of Trepany. As both parties react to how events have played out thanks to my intervention, I finally reach the gates of Trepany. Derkin has managed to keep pace with my full speed without suffering for it, and shouts at the guardhouses above the gate.

"Hey, someone jumped over your wall where those torches dimmed!"

As I hear cries being raised even before Derkin finishes speaking, I feel the traveler and likely assassin leap into motion, flying into close contact with the guard near him.... I believe they are fighting unarmed? In short order, the guard's blood is slowing and cooling as the traveler does.... something and reaches for his sword again. It is at this moment Derkin finishes warning the guards. Even as I try to forcibly attract the sword to me, away from the traveler, he manages to grasp his blade and I lose command of it's field, some form of warding now about it. I regret I could not prevent him regaining his weapon, but now that I have observed how fast he can leap twice while paying attention to the iron in his blood, I feel I have a better sense of how swiftly he can move.

I have not yet spoken in presence of the now mobilizing militia, and with the number of eyes now directing towards my own form, I wonder if I should even bother speaking, as explaining now why a golem speaks could wast valuable time. On the other hand, only Derkin is yet beside me, the rest of my forces still at camp some several hundred feet away, and he hardly looks a presentable character with his salvaged arms and armor. But the longer it takes to get this gate open, the less chance I can track down the traveler before he escapes or does whatever he came here to do, and I'd rather assuage my curiosity before the chance eludes me.


What should I do?

>>161058
Can't we just jump over the wall too?

>>161064
[Mordre weighs in excess of ten tons, and as of yet has detected no sufficiently stabilized mass with a controllable magnetic field to aid in movement. Mordre is currently unable of leaping over the wall given these limitations.]

Whisper to Derkin that he should bugger off and get back to camp.

Maybe you can unlock the gates via magnetomancy, while going
"Hey, let my golem in, I mean to assist and satisfy my curiosity as to what the intruder's nature is!"

If they refuse, then ask if they'll let Derkin in. Tell him to observe from a distance and see what the intruder is doing. Then perhaps you could lift him over the wall via magnetomancy.

we should explain, quickly, to the militia we mean to help them. Then yell out to the town to open their gates so we can run in and find this dude. Alternatively, we could send derkin in to follow the dude while we circle around the city, trying to see if the dude jumps over the wall again.

Mordre has wonderful scouts with invisible armor for this shit, so why is he going in all 10 tons of armor clanging around? Send scouts to follow the intruder and don't alert the village you're there unless you have to. It's a safe bet they're baddies, so why mess with them until you know numbers and equipment?

>>161096
Only Ugrokk has the stealth field.

>>161073
>>161080
>>161095
I command Derkin to retreat to our camp, in the hopes I can use my magely persona and my command of Magnetomancy to clear this situation with some relative speed. Beside, I can modulate my voice rather ably, I plan to start my voice similar to Derkin's and slowly fade it to my normal tonalities. I reach out to the gate before me, and sure enough I can feel heavy nails and large hinges built into it's form.... as well as two metal densities on the opposing side of the gate I must presume are to hold a bar across the door. Thankfully, even this has been capped in metal, so as I begin hailing the guards in a voice blending my own and Derkin's enough I should have no issue claiming ownership of the initial warning, I start pulling metal about to render the gate open before me.

"I say, do let my golem here in, I simply must satisfy my curiosity about that fellow: Whoever it was that simply jumped over your wall. Oh, my apologies, introductions are in order: I am the Mage Mordre, commanding this Soul Grave before you. Well, I believe I may be able to track the intruder, so if you wish to follow..."

I choose to rely upon the image mages have here in the State, hoping to simply brush through the gate that finishes opening as my speech trails off and I begin marching into Trepany, many confused faces looking at me, weapons held at the ready but not being employed. I orient myself on the blood and weapon of the traveler, and march through the town, finding myself making headway towards the large, fortified structure in the middle of town. Some of the guards are already following me at an appreciable distance, and I see others still running about from the initial call of intruder, but thus far there does not seem to be a concerted effort to hunt down this intruder, who stays to the back alleys.... at the cost of speed. As he ducks out of one back passageway, I abruptly loom up before him some dozen or so guards nearby now starting to spot the traveler, momentarily distracted by my presence. For the bare moment, I have the drop on him.


What should I do? Should I try asking him anything, or should I simply leap straight into some sort of action? Or should I do something else?

ask him what hes doing here, and if he needs any help. find out if he is working for or against the bandits, and if he'd consider working for us

>>161154

grab him, otherwise he will do that super jump like before and escape. try to seperate him from his weapon with Magnetomancy.

Why the heck are we chasing him anyway?
Kill him?
Observe him?
Stop him?
Talk to him?
What?

If its talking to him I really think we chose a bad time as he may not be open to discussion after he realizes that we led the guards here.

Grab him. Break an arm and magic away his weapon, if possible. Say: "We are helping these people. It is hard enough as is without killing them. Tell me why and if I like the answer, I won't kill you."

>>161220

I agree. This situation is getting less clear by the minute. Who is this guy? Is he a guy we should ally with? What about these fort dudes? All we know about them is that they decided to build a fort and call it a principality. Are the fort guys good/bad/neutral?

Frankly, I think we've screwed up the situation completely. Before we could have had two potential allies...or at least one potential ally. But by inserting ourselves between both sides, we have probably angered both...Not sure how we can resolve things to our favor unless we just immediately choose a side...

Fine. Since we came to observe in the first place, I suggest we leave him be. Just stare him down, see what he does. Try to see if he has any runes on his weapon or himself and burn them into your memory.

If you get the chance you can ask him why he's here. If he asks why you want to know or something to that effect simply say that you have a vested interest in what happens around here.

>>161199
>>161223
>>161220
Something about this traveler, and more specifically the sword he bears, piques my interest, and in the moment of inaction as the traveler adjusts to having run into me, I reach out my left hand to grab him. I do not wish this one to simply leap away again and avoid my inspection. My hand draws ever closer to his form, and for a brief moment I think it will be that simple, even as I hear the pounding of more feet as the guards that followed me hail more of their brethren.

With a thin flash of light, I feel the sense of weight gathering in the traveler's sword abruptly plummet, as it slices through my index finger, the steel digit falling to the ground as it is severed from my body. Even as my fist closes, he leaps through the newly created opening in my grasp, once more traversing a surprising amount of space with a single leap, alighting on the roof of a nearby building, only taking a moment further to glance at me before his gaze sweeps to the encroaching guards.

>>161246
Thankfully, I payed close attention to the traveler, and note something quite odd: Unless some runes are hidden on the hilt, beneath his hands, his sword is completely unadorned, as are his clothes and body. So then, what is the trick his sword can perform, if not runically based? I find my curiosity well-invested. It is at this time I finally hear some of the town guards start achieving some measure of order.

"Hey, Jorge's dead!"
"What?!"
"Someone broke his neck!"
"We watched the mage's golem the whole time since it entered, couldn't of done it!"
"So that intruder got upgraded to killer then..."
"Quit yammering and catch him!"
"Yes sir!"
"And someone go get Sir Harksburton!"
"On it!"

Well, at least the town seems to be slowly siding with me for my actions. Troops pound past me, my presence clearly no longer as questionable as the traveler turned murderer, streaming into the building the traveler now perches atop. I pick up my fallen finger, considering the cut, the edges surprisingly smooth, but an odd spiral pattern now etched into the injuries surface on both sides draws my attention even as I assure myself that the building before me is far too diminutive for my personage, and that I cannot follow after the guards. I step back to get a clearer view of the traveler, and finally see some of the Trepanese troops have made it to the roof, now approaching the wanderer. Once more I can feel some form of weight, density, or perhaps intensity gathering in his sword as it's magnetic field swells once more, still protected from my grasp. ....Interesting, he has been avoiding static conflict thus far, why would the traveler/killer stand and fight now?


What should I do?

he appears to be some sort of assassian. the combat skills, magic weapon and superjump and trying to sneak in seem to support.

i would say some bandits dislike the new Principality and sent this assassin to kill their leader. so far we have alerted the guards and led them to this killer, i would bet he is feeling very unhappy with us.

the best course of action for us would be to capture him so we can get a good impression with sir keddik and probally get some info out of the assassin.

i think sir keddic had a similar idea to our own, that being to takeover some of the bandit overrun area and start his own country. this is likely the bandits would send an assassin.

>>161253
That was before he attacked, I was trying to avoid the appearance that we were on any side of the conflict so that we could claim to be on either or none later.
Now it appears that we have been drafted to the side of the people. I agree that he is likely an assassin, one that very likely comes at a high price.

I wonder if he's a magnetomancer or if there is another party involved...intriguing.
It seems that the price we would pay to capture such a man would be a high one.

While you pursue your quarry, try to reattach your finger using magnetomancy, if it resists your power...

>>161252

It is interesting that this traveler has brought such a sword into his possession. He seems to wield it with some philosophy of his. Maybe he is not that chaotic at all! If his warrior code could be revealed, what an investment he would be as an ally! I don't know yet, if we should help him escape, that would be against our own standing and risk the ground under our choises, and risk the earth in our decision and the serenity of our presence, at least for a while so that we might become into bad waters both with the stranger and the townfolk. Our duty is to stand on the side of the people, if this wanderer is some sort of criminal, but to aid our own ultimate agenda, we should find possible middle ground between this wanderer's agenda and the will of the people. I suggest that if the wanderer doesn't slaughter all the guards and escape, but instead surrenders to the will of the people, we should convince him that there's an atonement. If that atonement isn't possible, I think the best option would be to help the stranger escape with as little noise from our behalf as possible.

But the least we want this person as our opponent later times. If he seems at all disaligned with our intentions we should crush him now that we have a chance. But then if we attack him, he might be able cause severe harm and prevent us from achieving the full power. Then again, he might also show be the key ally in future times.

Something says to me that the wanderer might eventually stubbornly oppose our cause. What is the metaphysical meaning of index finger again? Could the wanderer have cut more fingers than just one or did he by some divine whim specifically just cut the index finger? He might have hacked the thumb, that would have meaned a potential ally.

Nah... Leadership and power. Lack of it, defacing of it. Loosing the grip of power. There is no retreat. We must crush this man.

Help the guard.

>>161256
we are a criminal, what are you talking about justice for!?

this guy is definitely an assassin, lets just follow him and see where he goes/who he kills. Lets try not to get involved in the situation more then we already are. A little more information is needed about this guy before we act.

lets see how the guards fair, after they enevitably fail throw a hand full of dirt at him with the throwing magic active(cant remember name)
like with the bandit king we want to capture him for his magic. if only to find out just how much those bandits have

>>161296
were not a member of any nation or country. therefore we cannot break their laws as we are nither bound or protected by them.

also, why should we wait and watch a bandit assassin kill a possible allie? if we capture or kill him we can learn of more of his magic than by just watching him.

If you think he can hear you, shout something about how you just wanted to ask him about his sword and then go sit down somewhere.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/08(Thu)13:47 No. 161351 ID: d1210a
File 127075963365.jpg - (244.96KB , 900x1165 , Keddic Harksburton Headhunting.jpg )

[DAY 64]

>>161254
>>161255
>>161256
As the day transitions from late night to early morning, I decide that there is no other rational explanation for this traveler's behavior than that they are an assassin. Coupled with the bandit presence that hangs so heavily over this area, and the radical change in this town apparently having taken place since this Sir Keddic Harksburton the 4th arrived. Combining this data, it seems logical to assume the assassin is here for Keddic's head. And if Sir Harksburton has been laboring to restore order to this land as I surmise, then I could likely use him. I decide that I shall continue assisting the guards. While doing so, I replace my severed finger and hold it in place with Magnetomancy as I begin repairing the breach. Thankfully the spirals on both sides of the injury match up, and all I have to do is reseal the surfaces and my hand is whole.

I feel the weight building in the assassin's sword reach it's peak again, and recollecting what had happened before, I act assertively, taking hold of every bit of magnetic field I can sense about the guards, and yanking them back, out of the swords path before it is swung, tugging them with arms and armor both. The sword slashes through empty air, meeting none of the opposition it's owner was anticipating, the guards spared. Yet the path the blade flashed through now is adorned with a plethora of twisters and cyclones, all growing taller and spinning more violently as the contract, kicking up a large amount of thatching from the roof's surface. In this moment of confusion, when combat is disengaged for the moment, I see the assassin once more perform one of his astounding leaps, sailing through the air to another roof top, something about his travel through the air odd, though I still could not say how. I can hear mutters and shouts from the roof above, and know the guards present their to have suffered no ill effect from my rough handling. I address the guards still on ground level about me, trying to dispel the confusion that still slows them as I track the killer, still working his way towards the large building in the center of town.

"I surmise this intruder is an assassin, Here on contract, possibly by the bandits about. Tell me, is there anyone of note in this village? Someone that a contracted killer could be sent after?"

I ask my questions as I continue trundling after the assassin, once more darting about on foot, while the guards still swarm about. My questions attract more attention to me, and I find myself becoming something of a focal point for the guards, as they follow me following the assassin.

"Uh, well, I'm not sure if-"
"We got the three council members of the Republic, Drenath, Lierio, Yu-"
"They were just regular villagers before, really."
"The council members are in the large building at the center of town."
"But they've been council members for what, six months?"
"Haven't really done much yet, just finished last bits of fortification."
"For now. Just you wait, Yurkaht will say we need even MORE defenses-"
"Quite yer belly-achin'!"
"Yes sir!"

Once more, the assassin takes a tremendous leap, and I lumber forward in a bid to catch up, but I see the assassin slash his sword at the large doors before him as he nimbly lands on the ground with a roll that ends with him running, weight building in his sword once more. I see a large shape rising to stop him within the fort, and I cannot grasp hold of the equipment about his body, as with his weapon still on his back, I could hardly think him read to face such as this. As the sword's density, it's gathering of potency peaks and it flashes forth, I regret I can do nothing for-

The sword comes into contact with the large figure's side, and I feel some blood with unusually large amounts of iron shift from the impact in the large figure's body, but the blade is halted, and the blood seethes about the wound, and I here a confident, deep-bellied laugh ring out.

"AH HAH, and that is all? I'd hoped for some spirit from you for gallivanting about Trepany like some scoundrel, but this? An attack lacking heart, lacking the weight of your soul will never fell a scion of the esteemed Harksburton lineage!"

An arm rises and strangely the sword on the figure's back is not drawn, the arm is simply tensed while the assassin struggles to pull his blade away, only to find the blood binding it in place, holding it firm in it's implacable grip.

"NOW, THIS IS HOW YOU PUT YOUR LIFE BEHIND AN ATTACK!"

I feel something vaguely similar to the weight and potency I felt in the assassin's sword burst into existence, gathering about the large figure that the assassin assaulted, the energies circulating about the form for a bare instant before surging into the arm as it whips about, the power condensing in the clenched fist hurtling onward. The assassin releases his blade and leaps back as he raises his arms, attempting to ablate as much of the impact as possible.

The fist tears through the assassin's flesh and bone like paper, blasting a gory trail straight through the assassin's upper torso. His head detaches as the fist passes underneath it, tumbling through the air before slapping onto the ground with a soft finality. The large figure takes a moment to rummage about some pockets on his form, and start to pack an old wood pipe with some dried material. The figure gathers a glimmer of the weight about itself it did a moment past, letting this power gather deep in it's belly as it breathes in. The power shifts and writhes as the figure exhales, and a tiny plume of fire puffs from it's mouth, falling upon the bowl and it's contents.

The figure leans down to grasp the assassin's head beside it's foot as it walks forth, busily puffing away at it's pipe. As the figure walks into the light, I see a shock of golden hair and a well-groomed beard atop an eight foot tall, heavily muscled man, some blood staining his side.... and I note the sword still gripped in his blood. Interesting.

The man addresses the guards in general gathered about me.

"All right, what's all this then? Can you blighters not manage to catch one measly intruder? Ah, and here I was hoping for a good bit of sport.... On that note, what is a Soul Grave doing here? Come now, do speak up, there's a good fellow!"
"Ah, Sir Harksburton, this is.... ah, well...."
"'E said that he's a 'Mage Mordre.' Shouted a warning to the guard about the intruder..."
"And opened our gates!"
"To follow the assassin, obviously."
"Good thing, Chalrick woulda been toast on his own roof back there!"
"Yeah, he can do magic-"
"Well obviously, he said he's a mage didn't he?"
"But why is it just a golem then? Where is he?"

Keddic seems to have heard enough, and silences the rabble with a tremendous clearing of his throat.

"AHEM, allow me to introduce myself. I am Sir Keddic Harksburton The Fourth, heir to the Harksburton estates, and it would seem you came to my aid. I could hardly sleep with the ruckus being made, so I had no issue awaking, ah-hah, yes......."

...Keddic seems to be waiting for me to introduce myself, as any proper gentleman would.


What should I say?

>>161351

introduce yourself as per usual. Mention your plans in passing.

Finish with a semi-serious offer to shake his hand.

>>161358
This and magnet draw the assassins sword to yourself.

If there are truly no runes on it then I think that he and Keddic are elemental magic users... of a sort. The assassin wind and Keddic fire. In any case this is just a guess.

>>161360
Isn't the assassin's sword still stuck with blood to Keddick's torso? Ripping it out with Magnetomancy might not be... well, it probably wouldn't be very smart, I think.

...Anyway, there's got to be something we can say or do to get the assassin's soul without scaring everyone else around here. I bet it has all sorts of useful and delicious information.

>>161361
Oh right, it's in his side. My bad.

Well, I'm not exactly an eloquent speaker, so listen to someone else.

But make sure to hold out your siege fist as though to shake hands.

Yes, I agree we should ask for permission to claim the assassin's soul.

>>161358
>>161361

Voting these.

>>161351
"Well met, Sir Harksburton. I offered only a brief explanation to the guards in my haste, so let me clear things up now! I'm controlling this Soul Grave via a form of long-distance magical control. I won't go into much more detail than that though! I've yet to publish my results, after all, and I'd still like to try a few modifications to my setup here. The instruments take up almost all the space in my room! It's just too inefficient to publish now. Why, some upstart novice would surely improve the efficiency within weeks, as it stands now. Perhaps, if I tweaked this or... no, maybe... AH, but I digress.

I can't help but have noticed that the assassin had some magical affinity. With your permission, might I add his soul to the golem to augment its abilities?"

Didn't the guy have an animal with him? Where is it?

grab that sword the assassin dropped.

>>161419
I was wondering this some time ago as well. He put a collar on it then.. what, left it standing there while he jumped the wall?

>>161361
After introducing yourself, ask permission to see the sword and the assassin's corpse, to sate your scientific magical curiosity.

>>161358
>>161360
>>161361
>>161365
>>161366
>>161402
>>161414
>>161434
>>161486
I extend my open left hand to Keddic as I begin speaking, and find him vigorously shaking it almost reflexively..... though I note a sense of passive weight in his hand: I doubt he simply leaves himself undefended.

"Well met, Sir Harksburton, I am the Mage Mordre. I offered only a brief explanation to the guards in my haste, So let me clear things up now! I'm controlling this Soul Grave, you see, Via a form of long-distance magical control. I won't go into much more detail than that though! I've yet to publish my results, after all, and I can still improve it further, So I labor onwards, until this is a bit more manageable system. The instruments take up almost all the space in my chambers! And sometimes the harmonization of the sensory input can be off.... ..Hm, perhaps, if I tweaked the... no, maybe with... AH, but I digress. Now, I can't help but have noticed that the assassin had some magical affinity. With your permission, might I add his soul to the golem to augment its abilities? It is a bit hard to conduct experiments without fully suitable magical capacities, In terms of what the golem itself can do. Oh, and if I could inspect the sword, I would appreciate that as well. So, would you mind, Sir Harksburton?"

Another belly laugh greets my response as Keddic speaks with far more informality in his voice.

"Ah, finally another student of the arts.... well, I approach it from the Combat Magic side, though I have learned a trick or two in the Arcane field. But still, a means of controlling a golem? Most astounding, it seems quite responsive, and the safety this offers... ah, forgive an enthusiast's ramblings, I imagine you know how important your research could be. Ah, would be most invigorating to go back to my post, and see how war changes after you submit your findings, eh? Ah, but I digress, please, feel free to help yourself to that scoundrel's soul, I would not begrudge a resource that does me no good. And here, you may inspect the sword, but know I fully intend to keep it as a trophy, it looks to be from the Land of Dragons to the south, unless I mistake it, should be a wonderful piece to reminisce about later in life!"

And with that he releases my hand and steps aside, plucking the sword from his blood's grasp to toss into my now empty hand, and I intrude far enough to reach the soul still lingering about it's body. I can see it gathering itself together ever so slowly, perhaps it would eventually become whole and potentially dangerous or resist my attempts to consume it. I choose to leave inspecting the blade for later, to assure it will not have that time. I inhale the pieces of the soul, ensnaring them as my own.

+1 HERO SOUL (HUMAN): LUO OF THE WINDING PATH


CHOOSE SOUL'S EFFECT:

--Soul travels to right shoulder, for an augmentation of the blade launcher and munitions
--Soul travels to right claw, for some augmentation of the Sable Executioner
--Soul travels to torso, for some augmentation of Dulu's copied runes and their bindings
[YOU CAN ONLY CHOOSE ONE]

>>161503
Torso!

>>161503
Wait, what sort of Heros we got? It might be best to spread them as much as possible.

>>161524
[Fang-Taker and the fragment of Thomro the Strong's soul are in the left hand, as a Soul Nexus. Ozmand The Hammer's soul is in the left shoulder, in the anti-golem cannon. Merrack the Swift's soul is diffused through the body for general enhanced alacrity and rate of movement.]

>>161527
Then Sable Executioner.

>>161503
Which runes are we talking about w/ the torso?

>>161547
[The only runes actually on the torso, those Arkus copied onto your form from your recollection of the runes on Dulu's eight-sided staff, the form his weapon took when annulled of magic. Thus far the only use you have been able to elicit is one rune with an activated shield about your own magnetic field, though whether this is due to a mismatch of the other runes to your body or due to a lack of appropriate triggers is unknown, the runes are beyond the ken of those you have asked.]

So basically guys if we enhance the blades or the executioner, we know that we'll get some extra offensive 'spiral' effect. Remember the tornadoes and spiral cut pattern?

However, he also had the ability to cut off his weapon from our magnetic pull. If we enhance the torso runes, we'd get a better magnetism-related ability.

I totally agree with the idea to add them to our torso and maybe gain more control over the runes that we do not know much.

I also vote Torso.

Adding it to our hand would improve our burgeoning soul nexus though, probably improving our ability to multicast spells in addition to cool weapon special effects.

Sable Executioner.

>>161610
We can't put it into that hand.

my vote: blade launchers. seriously, if we get those suped up enough, nothing could stop them!
I'm thinking siege blades...

>>161503
Voting for the Sable Executioner. That guy's little trick managed to slice off one of our digits and if we plan on taking on other golems then it'd be a helpful trick to pull out of our hats. I mean we're not made of the strongest metal possible, but it's still an impressive feat all the same.

Right shoulder. Probably get some spiral stuff on our blades. Less of a chance to lose the shoulder than the hand, too. Well, maybe, different materials and all. It's very reusable, especially since we can magic the blades back. In addition, I think we can change the mortar on the shoulder without damaging the soul, though it'll take longer.

>>161638
Well, maybe we will be able to do that with our blades, at a distance!

probably not

Suggestion 2010/04/08(Thu)21:01 No. 161654 ID: 445c48
File 127078566659.jpg - (6.31KB , 160x176 , Cdno021.jpg )

Also, all this talk of spirals and such makes me wonder if putting it in our chest will let us do a Top Spin.


Also if we ever get a drill arm this soul would be awesome

>>161503
Sable Executioner. We've spent so much time upgrading all our new stuff that we've completely neglected our original weapon. Sable Executioner is the very symbol of our home, give it some love.

First! Let us try and read this soul's last few thoughts, discover just what it was trying to do when it failed here.

Next! Sable Executioner - Everything else is more temporary, while the Sable is just going to be improved upon and, honestly, we need to up our cutting arm. We have two souls in one hand, and none in the other. That's just not kosher!

Third! We need to walk and talk with Sir Keddic Harksburton The Fourth, heir to the Harksburton estates. Profess a interest in the combat side of magic!
'As a researcher, I can say that the joys of combat magic have always been lost to me, however with this spell, hehehe, I can really enjoy the power you experience! Combat is so invigeroating, isn't it? You took his head clean off! pow! Zing! One hit! My good Aunt Mary, you must show me how you did that.'
Tell him we have a small band of warriors assisting us on our tests and if they would be welcome in town. Ask if we can help - we did rouse him from his sleep, after all, and a gentleman should help a gentleman!

>>161654
>>161654
Also: Our's is the claw that will drill the heavens.

>>161658
Just wanted to say:

Claw arm is the first thing we upgraded.

>>161530
>>161620
>>161638
>>161658
>>161662
The soul comes to rest inside Sable Executioner.... no, not just the claw, but the arm as well, it anchors itself widely.... strange that I can sense it so much more clearly now then the last time I gained a heroic soul. I try to grasp some thoughts from the soul as it settles in, and find some vague thoughts of a place called the Land of Dragons from far to the south, and some sort of contract on Keddic's life this one accepted. Beyond that, I can glean nothing at the moment. The soul of Luo of the Winding Path brings to my claw.... a sense of being hinged, like a new method of flexing. The connection between my claw and the rest of my arm, made of the same black steel as the blades of Sable Executioner, now has a decided spiral pattern to it, that runs the whole way up to the claws. I can feel the soul striving to apply it further up the arm, but it cannot seem to breach the border between Black Steel and the poor man's equivalent to steel, a mass of iron with a very low carbon concentration.

I attempt to manipulate this newfound degree of.... sensation in Sable Executioner, and find the spiraled connection between arm and claw unwinding, three Black Steel ribbons sprouting from my arm, each adorned with a blade of Sable Executioner. I find the entire length of metal ribbon to be finely saw toothed and lightly scalpelized the same as the Sable Executioner, and realize the blades have grown some several feet. While my original reach with my blades has grown by some seven, possibly eight feet, pushing the total reach I have with my right arm (with Sable Executioner 'unfurled') somewhere in excess of twenty feet. And with each length of blade malleable, flexible, I could likely engage more simultaneous targets. I wonder if I found enough Black Steel that I could convert my entire right arm into it, if the soul's..... roots, I suppose, would allow this effect it's had to spread even further..... a thought to consider. I see Keddic glancing appreciatively at Sable Executioner's new form, and.. re-furl, I suppose, the blades into its passive, compact state, the three blades once more parallel upon the end of my arm. Though as I tense the tips of the Sable Executioner, I see them bend this way and that, and know I could likely fold them into some limited measure of other arrangements.... though with each ribbon-blade of Sable Executioner coming out of my arm at points of an equiangular triangle, I am confined in my choices.

I turn my attention to the sword of the assassin from the south, from the Land of Dragons, both appraising it's form and it's magnetic fields now that I bear the soul of it's master and it is no longer warded from me. I see no runes on the blade, no matter where I look, and the hilt is similarly bare of visible enchantment. But I can still feel a great deal more.... not quite weight, or potency, but whatever the blade built up when the assassin prepared to strike, some of it still remains passively in the blade. And this irregularity draws my interest, as there is absolutely no evidence of decay in it's perceived 'weight' to my senses. But beyond that I can tell nothing more. I turn back to Keddic, returning his trophy, as he now calls the sword, as I attempt to move beyond this recent gain, and capitalize on my positive entrance into Trepany.

"Ah, most excellent, and thank you for letting me appraise your trophy, 'Twas most kind of you to let a stranger so handle it, especially in this form:"

"Ah, think nothing of it mage Mordre, I would always indulge a healthy bit of curiosity, it keeps the blood pumping, I'll tell you that! And might I say, those.... tentacle-inclined moving ribbon blades of yours look quite astounding, and most impressive. I imagine they are quite a gruesome weapon of war, capable of some real destruction. I'll tell you, it was a sad day when the Mosmordren Empire fell, the best foes anyone could hope for dried up, and the Soul Graves got snatched up and most of them horded away. What point is there to a functioning weapon of war, of that caliber, mind you, that isn't being used? I can understand a sword, suits of armor, but a weapon as potent as any of the Soul Graves are deserve to be used, and replicated! Why, imagine the incredible battlefield it would be, with deathly metal golems all about, bringing war to such a height that I could continue to hone the Harksburton way of fighting. Has been passed down the family since it's founding, every generation encouraged to improve it, for the betterment of the family, and it has become quite a respectable art, if I may boast about my own family, ah-hah! Well my dear fellow, I do believe I note there being some several other individuals lurking about outside the Republic of Trepany, could they perhaps be friends of yours?"

"Ah, you likely refer to the twenty five I have with me, A collection of northerners I have in my service, my apprentice, Two Alchemical Warriors I test, an assistant, oh, and one more: One of the northern barbarians, but well-versed in a strange magic, I have been finding his council from a differing approach insightful. Now, do you suppose there is room for my group in this town, At least for the night? I warn you many of them are large."

"Some Alchemical warriors, and a tribal perspective on magic, fascinating! And good to see you brought your apprentice along, can't learn all that well stuck in some lab or tower all day can they? Yes, of course there is room, beyond fortifications, the Republic of Trepany here has had a great deal of success building several tunnels and catacombs beneath the town, and have set a wonderful collection of mushrooms, potatoes, garlic and kweah-seah, an edible moss that glows in the dark I found in an earlier venture down south, quite extraordinary really. Anyway, the tunnels are all braced, and the Republic has enough food that beyond being self sufficient, proper hospitality can be offered to visitors, as any place a gentleman calls home should! Now!"

He addresses the guards still milling about, who hinge upon his words.

"Now be good sports and clear up some space for mage Mordre's, eh?"
"Ah, yeah, right on that!"
"Yes sir, ah, sir Harksburton!"
"On it!"

Keddic yawns, and motions at the house he resided in.

"Well, it is quite late, and if you don't mind, I'd rather continue introductions in the morning. I'd rather get some sleep, you understand."

As Keddic excuses himself, I meet with my troops as they enter Trepany, and find Arkus giving me a strange report of the beast the assassin was accompanied by having left some time before the shouting stopped, and the republic started to quiet down. The beast simple loped off to the south, disappearing into the distance. My group is gratefully led into a large warehouse, with a trapdoor at the end, likely to the tunnels Keddic mentioned, where my followers gratefully start to rest. I currently stand within the shed with them.


What should I do? Should I wait until dawn, or wait for Keddic to call on me, or should I wait for some other event? Or should I go do something else?

ask derkin or arkus if they know anything about the blade luo had, perhaps?
Lets wait til morning, then see what this Keddic can offer us in terms of help for fighting the bandit king.

Who came out on top in the sparring? It's interesting to see how everyone is developing. I suggest we let them all rest until dawn(or a few hours after that) unless they want to do otherwise.

>>161854
>>161855
I reflect on the sparring I saw earlier, noting that while Oggroth's followers started strong, taunts and heated matches made their movements sloppy, so they lost headway in later fights. Ugrokk's followers were able to be patient, but had difficulty dealing with the brutal, unflinching charges Oggroth's followers are sometimes wont to do. I suppose if I could suggest some manner to solve these problems, they could evidence improvement. I consider possible means of honing the skill of my followers outside of actual combat as the sun slowly rises, and Trepany awakens properly at last. I see bustle, activity and industry about the village, easily several hundred people visible about the walled enclosure of houses. I see several opening doors in the ground and marching down ladders, I assume to work on the crops in the catacombs. I recognize Keddic in charge of several dozen guards, leading them in some drills and practice, badgering them with good nature as he puffs upon his pipe. He sees me exiting the storehouse and hails me over, ordering the trainees to 'muck about on their own for a bit, see if they can't knock some sense into one another's skulls' before he addresses me.

"And good morning to you old bean, I see your late night venture did not lead to oversleeping, ah-hah, yes. Well now, since we took care of our introductions earlier today, as it were, let us get straight to the point: What has brought you to the Republic of Trepany?"

"Well, I happen to have aims on this 'Lord Barcho' character. I intend to reclaim the State research outpost he has lain claim to, And use it as a proper base for all my endeavors here. Be it gathering research data, or restoring some civility to the land, I imagine both will be easier with such resources. And on that note, I wonder if perhaps Trepany would be willing to aid me, and if a certain esteemed member of the Harksburton line might join me?"

"Ah-hah! Yes, quite interesting! Well, it would seem our purposes align rather well indeed on some critical issues, namely, on Lord Barcho. As far as I have been able to tell, the upstart ruffian controls a fair bit of the criminal activity about this area, and he has made his base a rather convenient gathering place for any would-be group of opportunists. As it is, we have to deal with at least one bandit raid a week, though the lads have fared quite well in our recent bouts, now isn't that right!"

A loud cheer goes up from the trainees before Keddic shushes them, and continues speaking to me.

"Now, the only issue here that I see, is the specifics about actually attacking that scoundrel Barcho. While he doesn't have an unlimited supply of them, I have noted some of his troops bearing tiny trinkets that could become weapons of considerable size at a touch, and some form of man-size artillery, A hand-cannon, as it were. Blasted things are a mess to deal with. And because he keeps patrols armed with such special arms as those near the outpost he claimed, I have not yet had the time to lead an expedition for some solid reconnaissance on his position.

I could hardly call the Trepanese militia here up to snuff by my standards, I'd rather not see them go into battle without a firmer grasp of what they shall face. They've just had to deal with some scuffles with small groups of bandits, a well-armed, larger force like that could really give them some trouble. 'Twould be a shame to see all this effort teaching them how to fight properly go to waste. So as much as I would like to simply hare off and march against the bandits with you, I shall stay here in Trepany, and try to expedite their preparations.

But if you DO find out some worthwhile details about this Barcho's forces, well, I would be simply pleased to wage a jolly enjoyable war against the bandits alongside you, and I imagine that the Trepanese militia would be happy to have some help gaining safety in their surroundings."

A rejection, but not a complete one: I simply need a better position from which to request aid, from an intelligence standpoint concerning Lord Barcho. That should be a straightforward solution, or so I hope. Keddic glances past my form at the Premen in the warehouse speculatively, before addressing me once more.

"You know, an idea has occurred to me. Considering how large your tribals and those two Alchemics of yours are, I was wondering if I could borrow them for a while, to expedite my training of the militia here? Would make wonderful practice partners to teach how to use teamwork against larger, stronger foes, a rather useful trick for armed forces to know, if I do say so myself. I would be grateful for the assistance if you can spare them."


What should I say or do?

A splendid idea, I was just wondering how we could get to stay here longer.

I would like for all the Premen to learn English (or whatever the common language is) and for the mages to finish up that special language.

If our scouts learn common then they could get better info from scouting and for Oggroth and his guys it would be good mental training, you know master of the pen and sword, yadda, yadda, yadda.

>>161934
Oh yea I was thinking on a time scale of around two weeks here. Not too long not too short.

>>161937
you know, learning a completely new language is a very, very time consuming process. At the very least we would be looking at a 6 month plan here. Although, who says they have to remain stationary to learn the language? Arkus and Derkin could attempt to teach them, and we could help with some of the translations when necessary...interesting.

In the meantime, lets send Ugrokk and two premen on a spy mission to find barcho's camp, and find a more detailed number of men barcho commands

>>161937

Don't forget we have a time limit on how long Verther's mage skin will stay usable...we only have approximately a month IIRC...if we add in travel times and such...we only can wait around here like 2.5 weeks max I think...

>>161956
>>161966
Which is why I said two weeks. Get them started on the new language without waiting too long. I don't expect them to learn the language so quickly, especially if it is English which is apparently one of the most difficult languages to learn in the world.

Two weeks is probably a bit long. There is other stuff we may want to accomplish before we absolutely must head back. Learning the language can and should be a gradual process in any case, we needn't worry too much about getting it all done now. I wouldn't want to stay here longer than a week. In that time, the premen can learn some basics of the language as part of helping train the guards. Start with simple commands like "begin" and "stop" and "ohgodohgodpleasestopIsurrender" They would certainly benefit from further training against opponents the size they are likely to face on a daily basis. Most of their experience is against Yeti and eachother.

See if you can arrange a place to store the mage skin in the catecombs while you are here. They seem more suited to long term storage than any place we have yet encountered.

Ugrokk has that stealth field he can use... this will allow us to gather intel easily.

Perhaps we can follow him at a distance to lend aid with magnetomancy, in case he is discovered?

>>161967

I don't agree with this. I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but I think your plan is either to...

1) Spend all of two weeks teaching them (days,nights, etc)

I disagree with this b/c we only 3 weeks maximum to have our forces here before we need to send someone back with the skin...We need every warrior fighting.

2) Teach them in the evenings/spare time during the two weeks.

If this is what you meant, I just don't see how it would be worthwhile. In two weeks the best mastery you could hope for would be the ABC's and some simple words. We might as well use that time to scout, train, or launch attacks....

Moving quickly on this is important... we must acquire four additional mage skins in the next three weeks. While sitting around and training is great and all, it doesn't do anything to forward that goal, and so must be abandoned. A day or two can be spent on it at most.

I was thinking more about future benefits where the language thing was concerned but I agree that the mage thing takes priority. Really wouldn't want all that Verther stuff to go to waste.
I was assuming that Kyorto would have her own methods of preservation that far surpassed what she taught Arkus but I could be wrong and that would be most unfortunate. But if there is no super preservation spell then the acquiring five skins before one rots is nigh impossible unless we found some gathering of mages that were not too strong (but not too weak) and close enough to get back in time.

>>161914

we should probaly mention that creature we encountered. deffinately the sort of thing you would want a warning about.

rolled 2 = 2

---

>>161934
>>161956
>>161966
>>161974

"I accept your offer, Sir Harksburton. But I have a request of my own, if I may: I wish your men to attempt to communicate with my followers, I have been finding the language barrier they possess most irksome, And I would appreciate it if in your bouts that could be worked on. I am not expecting miracles here, I hope you understand. hah! But things like 'begin,' 'stop,' 'ohgoddontkillme,' you know: The important things for an armed force to know, right?

"HAH, a good sense of humor that! Of course, I wouldn't dream of not being amenable when asking a favor! Now, if you could be so kind as to ask your tribals to come out? They won't need their weapons for now, or their armor, as I expect they have quite thick hides of their own, eh?"

I take a moment to comply with Keddic's request, while sending Ugrokk and two of the scout Premen to seek out some data on Lord Barcho's forces so that I might sway Keddic and Trepany to my side. I turn back to Sir Harksburton as concern for the long term viability of Verther's skin rises in my thoughts.

"Say, would you mind if we store our supplies underground? I imagine it is a might cooler down there, yes? Oh, and I do eventually have an appointment to the West, So I do hope to see a resolution to the 'Lord Barcho' issue soon, And as such I hope I will be able to count on your support."

"Ah, please, feel free to move your things into the tunnels, we have several that aren't being used for crops yet, plenty dark and cold. And as to the time constraints, I understand completely, sometimes things happen. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to see to organizing this bit of joint training, now don't I?"

We part ways and set to our individual tasks, and shortly the Premen are engaging groups of militia in sparring matches, and the sounds of their collective exertions assail the area as I order Arkus and Jojo to continue work on their magic language and learning more of each others' language. Finally, I aid Derkin in transporting our supplies (Verther's body included, carefully wrapped in cloth) into one of the tunnels where no plants yet grow. Once I finish, I spend the rest of my time this day working as a translator between Arkus and Jojo, trying to use my knowledge to expedite their communal learning. By the time Keddic sends the Premen warriors back, night has fallen, and all look completely exhausted. They explain that apparently, all the inhabitants of this town eventually got to give a try at engaging each of them as groups, and that after all that, they are quite exhausted. Oggroth in particular mutters about wanting to have a chance to fight Keddic directly, and pouts about not having had the chance after all that to do so yet. I go over what the Premen learned of the common tongue with Jojo and Arkus assisting me for a brief period, refusing to let them rest until I am sure they understand some bare bones basics, at least enough to recognize someone asking to surrender, and a few other important concepts. After I satisfy myself that the warriors simply are too tired to learn anymore, I return to Arkus and Jojo, to find them similarly drained. A quick check outside the warehouse shows the night much later now than I thought, and I leave my followers to their devices as I decide to stroll about Trepany, and familiarize myself with it's layout.

[DAY 65]

I continue marching about the town well into the night and into the next morning, and.....

>>162037
As the sun rises, I still have not heard anything from my scouts, though as the outpost I seek is some distance away and it's exact location not known, I find myself unconcerned as of yet. The town fills with activity again, and shortly a runner is addressing me, asking if my warriors are available for more sparring practice, as asked by Sir Harksburton.


What should my decision be? And beyond that, what should I do with this day?

>>162042
Let's go out to a wooded area and try messing with Immortal Genocide a bit. It wants to feed, how about we actually feed it a physical object instead of having it leech life? Or punch a tree with it.

>>162042
Oh and yeah, let them spar some more.

To the Runner:
"Oggroth, my Mountain of Strength, wishes to duel with Sir Keddic Harksburton The Fourth. He has been instant and will have no other way, I'm afraid! With his ponderous strength he feels up to the task, ha-ha! I would sorely wish to watch such a duel, I must admit - I have to say that the joys of combat have always been lost to me, however with this spell, hehehe, I can really enjoy the experience! Combat is so invigorating, isn't it? Mhhm. Yes, yes, that would be interesting, and it would give me some interesting data to run. Tell me, would You like to duel?" "No? Hah! I wouldn't tell Sir Keddic Harksburton The Fourth about that weakness, lad! Strength your back bone, stand tall! You're a stapling lad, put some effort into it! But then tell Sir Keddic Harksburton The Fourth that if he bests my strength, then I would like to show him what this body can do! Maybe even some magic tricks I can use, what say you lad? How do you think would win, eh?"
"Well then! If that's all, boy, what may be done about this Well Walled city that I! The Mage Mordre! May do? Is there another assassin lurking about, for that was great fun!"
"Yes, I am sorry for your loss...that reminds me, have you noticed any odd goings on or unusual events? Bandits have a habit of unleashing the unknowable horrors of the world onto villages in this part of the world, and I would rather like to deal with such problems as they arise."

If there are no problems for us to deal with, I'm gonna suggest walking outside the village for now and testing our weapons on local trees and shrubbery. Tell the runner where we've gone, if we're needed.

As for a break down on our testing:
Two hours reacquainting ourselves with the Sable Executioner, finding the extent out this new hero soul. Try everything we saw the Assassin do, and focus on the blade.
An hour and a half with the Immortal Genocide, practicing with the sucking and the punching and wielding it for longer and longer, just trying to get a feel for it.
An hour using and focusing on our runes, trying to make the process instantaneous and trying to use our magic while it's deactivated.
And a half-an-hour on just pure combat - while yes, we are a weapon of pure war and capable of destroying any army almost single handedly, we should not forget the use of practice to become better.
Half an hour on magic - we may need to do this last, after going to get Arkus and Jojo and training with them.
If we can damage ourselves with our Magnetomacy or something not permanent, fifteen minutes training under heavy damage.

>>162236
Seconding the second half of this because the first is just terrible. Ugh.

>>162305
Oh, fine. In less ham-filled terms:
Oggroth wants to fight Sir Keddic.
We want to fight Sir Keddic.
Can we do something around town while we wait.
Have you lot gotten eldritch abominations too? Because those bastards are everywhere.

rolled 8 = 8

---

>>162059
>>162060
>>162236
>>162305

"Certainly, he is welcome to their use once again: But I must note that Oggroth, that large one over there, Well, he is simply adamant about wanting to have a go, At none other than Sir Harksburton himself! Perhaps you could ask him if he would accept? I can understand if he would refuse, he seems quite busy, But Oggroth there is a rather vocal Alchemic, And I must admit he is prone to sulking."

The runner who at first looked at Oggroth with trepidation, likely due to his sheer size, my comments seem to have settled whatever wariness the runner might have had, and with a sharp salute he motions for the Premen to follow him. I make my own departure at this point, asking Jojo and Arkus to continue their collective language endeavors, and march off into the woods, looking to test several things. After marching far enough that I have reached some of the northern woods betwixt the Republic of Trepany and Lord Barcho's base, I appraise the newly altered Sable Executioner. I unfurl the three saw-toothed ribbons of metal, reminding me vaguely of some tentacle-adorned Life golem that I was used against during the war, and I set to testing their abilities. I first try to reach out to the Black Steel's magnetic field, but my Will based Magnetomancy cannot pierce the magic disrupting effect the Black Steel bears. I set to testing my new right arm.

In relatively short order, I have a fairly solid grasp of what this new arm is capable of, after having used it quite liberally, shredding several trees and shattered several stones in the process of gaining this familiarity. The blade-ribbons can roll up easily enough, and are incredibly flexible, but I note that bending them side to side and attempting to twist the blades are significantly more challenging endeavors. Still, the end result is that I now have three independently targeted, magic dispelling, saw-toothed blades, each with greater reach and maneuverability than their prior form, though I note that while unfurled, I cannot put as much weight behind a blow from any individual length of blade.

After satisfying my curiosity to the workings of Sable Executioner, I start testing Immortal Genocide again, finding drawing energy in in small amounts outside of battle far easier now that I have tried it several times, and begin methodically testing the weapon in search of it's primary function. I try punching anything I can find after storing a small charge in my fist, and while I assure myself that no tree or stone can stand before my might, I do not discover the ability I seek. I consider using some live test subjects, but the few types of game I have seen thus far are all smaller than my hand, and will be pulped simply by a regular blow from me. I do come out of this with a rather firm sense that the primary function of Immortal Genocide does involve at least two triggers, one of which is storing power in the Immortal Genocide without releasing it as a dispel, as I could feel some sort of readiness in my hand with power held within, each time I raised my fist. Perhaps there is an issue in what I am using as targets....

I spend some time thereafter trying to get more used to applying Magnetomancy to myself, as a means of improving combat performance. I rather swiftly realize that if I devote one of my two sources of magic to manipulating my own magnetic fields, I can move with significantly increased speed. Further, if I devote both of my sources of magic, self and Soul Nexus each, to controlling my own magnetic fields, I can move with greatly increased alacrity, and in general make my body handle far more responsively than it's bulk and weight would normally imply. This would mean I could not use the Soul Nexus in my left hand while so empowered, but my shoulder implements, Sable Executioner and Immortal Genocide would all still be readily available, as would the Amaranthine Annihilator and Soulfire.

By the time I have concluded my string of tests, night has fallen, and I return to Trepany, wiser for the venture. Upon my return a surprisingly cheerful Oggroth tells me that he could not best the 'Sun-Maned One' through a heavily bruised face, holding his side as he reclines against a wall, Jojo speculatively hovering about Oggroth's massive frame as he works some sort of energy he gathers into Oggroth, tending to his injuries. According to the other Premen, the fight lasted some six hours, with Oggroth finally unable to rise anymore. As I assess the status of my followers, I wonder, what have my scouts learned....

rolled 9 = 9

---

>>162309
...And still I have heard nothing. I wonder how long it must take to make their way through foreign terrain and locate a structure never seen before by their eyes.

As the evening wears on I finally bid Arkus and Jojo goodnight as I conclude our language lessons with my assistance: They seem to be making steady progress at learning one another's tongues.

[DAY 66]

When a runner shows up once more bearing a request from Keddic to borrow the Premen, several groan in exhaustion, though Oggroth, still somewhat abused looking, seems eager for the opportunity.


What should I say or do? And what should I do with my day?

"Ha! Well, the Mountain put up such a fight. Some data on a proper fight would be useful, don't you think boy?" Pick the lad up, and walk towards where we think Sir Harksburton would be. A firm command to get the Premen to follow - guilt them.

"Warriors, do you think that you should cease while your leaders still bravely fight? Rise up and fight!"

Lets go kick ass and train our warriors and ourselves!

Dang it, is everyone out to get us or something. I'm yet to find people other than the Premen that I do not think has ulterior motives.

Tempted to say no, but I think we should say yes. I wish to see the tactics of these men first hand.

>>162326
Why are we thinking they're out to get us?

>>162310
We have spent enough time here. The failure of our scouts to return is concerning at best; if Ugrokk and the others have not returned by day's end it might be time for reconnaissance in force. By which I mean marching after them and killing anything that threatens us. Make our plans for the day with that in mind, as we'll need our Premen in a fit state to press themselves physically on the morrow.

Allow Kerrick to borrow only those who are up to the challenge. I suspect about half of our troops would still be in fighting form? I'm not sure about Oggroth.

Also, let's try to use the Immortal Genocide's stored charge... targeting OURSELVES.

As for how we should respond, let it be with barely audible snores and mumbles about "Leana" (who is Mordre's chef in my mind) and maple syrup. Upon awakening, there should be an audible thump and a groan, then a groggy and grumpy Mage answering the Runner.

>>162347
Yes. Well, not the Immortal Genocide, at least not in the city and not if we go training.

Anyway, yes, Premen that haven't died on us, Oggroth, and ourselves should go get some training. Wake with mumbles and a love of pancakes. If we have been walking, continue to do so. Act confused as to why people said the SoulGrave as been walking without us.

>>162354
Not -until- we go training, sorry.

Oh wait I think I might need to write a little more than that.

"zzzz... yes, more syrup thank you Leana..."
(Runner speaks up)
"*THUMP* AGH! YES. WHAT."
(runner repeating the request)
"What, MORE sparring? Ugh, yes fine let's see... Hm, not all of them seem to be up for more, so how about half? Yes, Oggroth seems up for more abuse too, how about *yawn* that. (mumble 'I feel like pancakes for breakfast today for some reason')"

>>162360
Mind if I try to ham it up a bit?

We'll wait for the runner to talk a while as he tries to 'wake' us. After the first or second attempt:
"zzzz... yes, more syrup...*snore-snort*zzz...Leana..."
(Runner speaks up)
"*THUMP!* *Loud crashing, as if several books are thrown everywhere.* *Cat hissing, angry and loud. Our body start to spasm in such a way to twist and turn, without hurting anyone nearby. Loud curses and swears* AGH! YES. WHAT? BLOODY CAT! GAH, WHERE AM I?! GAH! Wah...yes, blast it where are my glasses! Yes, you...bloody hell boy where am...YES! Right! Trepany! Er...what was it you said?"
(runner repeating the request)
"What, MORE sparring? Ugh, yes fine let's see... Hm, not all of them seem to be up for more, so how about half?" Turn to Premen. "How does that sound boys? Yes, Oggroth seems up for more abuse too, how about *yawn* that. *mumble 'I feel like pancakes today'* *Loud popping sounds of an old man stretching* Ooh, there's me back. Not as young as I was...mah. *Lip smack* *Another loud pop as if stretching* Damn it, where did Weinsho go? Here puss puss puss...Blasted cat. Shows me what good it is staying up all hours..."

>>162365
Very nice.

>>162367
Thank you. I am suggesting we watch the sparring this time, but I don't know how we add that hammily.

>>162310

I think the reason some of us are wary of this guy is cause we know very little about him besides his name and that he wants to kill barco...

I vote to allow the sparring but while that's happening we have a talk with Harksburton...

I mean, cmon, the dude has the name of Harksburton the 4th...gotta be some interesting story there...Who is he? Where did he hail from? Why did he come here creating Trepany? What are his goals?

I'm not looking for an interrogation or anything, mind you...Just kinda curious...

Our men should get SOME rest, half of them for training might work. You never know when they will be called on to fight on short notice though.

So we send some Pmen to spar while we watch and talk to whatever his name is and send some Pmen to find out what happened to the scouts after about half a days rest?

>>162460
No, we let some of the Premen rest, we go off to watch, talk, and train with the Premen, as well as talk, watch and train with Sir Keddic Harksburton The Fourth and then, if we have heard nothing, we take a handful of scouts and Derkin and go looking ourselves.

rolled 8 = 8

---

>>162316
>>162326
>>162340
>>162347
>>162360
>>162365
>>162455

"zzzzz.....zzzzgk....zzzz.....yes....... More syrup.... zzzz.... Leana, be a dear...."

"Ah.... sir?"

"...*THUMP* *topple* *Hissing cat sounds*..

I jerk an arm upright at an awkward angle and twitch my body about as I continue my charade. I fade in the Mage Mordre's voice as if he regains his position before a transmitter while speaking to someone else amidst the sounds of a turbulent lab.

"-ND YOU KEEP THAT CAT OUT OF.... right, the golem. ...Uh, lets see, fell asleep in the lab, golem in Trepany.... ok..... ...You there, would you mind repeating the question?"

".......A... ..uh, well, ah-hah, Sir Keddic Harksburton The Fourth asks to borrow your troops again, for training. He thinks they have been a big help in getting the Trepanese militia trained, and that-"

"RIGHT, THE SPARRING.... what, more of it? Ugh, fine, let me see...... *yawn*..... Well, Several of my followers seem rather fatigued, So for now why not only take some half of them, And Oggroth as well, as he rather clearly wants more. Tell you what, I'll come along, I have some questions for Keddic anyway."

The Runner salutes crisply before I point out the fresher looking Premen to participate in training, and marches out along with them as I consider what to say to Keddic. I note the runner sparing sidelong glances back at me, and I see him mouth the word 'syrup' with a mirthful chuckle. It would seem my ruse went over smashingly.

[+6 HAM points TOTAL HAM points: 18 NEXT REWARD: 25]

As the Premen make their way into a large group of training militia that Keddic heads up, I see the burly gentleman arranging the fighters into groups, some three or four militia per each Premen, with Oggroth facing Keddic with an eager look on his face. As the fights begin, I note that the Premen demonstrate a marked improvement in their spatial awareness in combat, and do a better job keeping track of multiple foes. This intensive training they undergo as they repeat this training with what seems to be the whole of the Republic's population seems to have significant benefit. I find myself surprised by Oggroth and Keddic's fight, as Oggroth seems to be faring very poorly, unable to stop the smaller and faster Keddic from slipping past his guard for devastating blows, yet no matter how many times he may drop, Oggroth climbs to his feet with seemingly inexhaustible determination. And while he does not manage to ever lay hands on his foe during the time I observe him, it is not for lack of effort: Keddic simply seems to have a knack for not being entrapped. When a rest period begins I address Keddic, hoping to learn more about him.

"If you don't mind me asking, why this? Why the Republic of Trepany? It seems there would be other ways to effect change, To use the power you have."

"True enough, I could just go haring off on my own and give that Lord Barcho a tremendous thumping for his troubles. But what about when a sense of wanderlust takes me? Or if I must leave before restoring order? What should happen to the people then? That is why I find it worthwhile to teach them what they must know to fend for themselves. Although I will admit, teaching farmers how to be soldiers can be a mite hard, many just don't want to kill, be it personal inclination or societal impetus. The hardest part about training a militia, I find, is making sure they can actually apply what they learn when the time comes, and other than a few butchers and hunters, none here have much experience with killing. But I can tell your followers have seen a scrap or two, and a bit of their approach to violence is starting to rub off on the militia, which I think is a wonderful bit of news. Might make the blasted buggers a bit more capable, eh?

As to why it's Trepany, that is simple enough, when I asked they said the town's founder was named Trepany, and so there it is, a simple homage to what started this settlement. I have to say though, the place seems to be pulling together very well, though the amount of questions I have to answer for the citizens can be a bit exhausting. Still, anyone of fine breeding would put up with it, eh? Ah, I must admit, I miss the simplicity of my military days, especially before I became an officer. Honestly, how they expect..."

Keddic continues on with a string of war-based anecdotes and stories as I wonder at the location and state of my scouts. I appraise the horizon one more time as everyone begins to move back in place for the second half of sparring for today, to find.......

rolled 6 = 6

---

>>162564
[2+8+9+8=27 (>20), (>25), 4 rolls]

..Two distant shapes visible on the horizon, though with the distances involved, I can discern no further details at this juncture. No one else seems to have noticed them yet.


What should I say or do?