Be sure to ask Logrk before taking Oggroth. They might have need of him. Go talk to Ugrokk.

>Examine new named npc? Y/N

Y! Y!

talk to lorgk to see if oggroth is in fact available, then ask minsgk if any powerful shaman are free, ideally jojo.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/03/04(Thu)21:02 No. 142280 ID: d1210a
File 12677653223.jpg - (349.72KB , 848x1240 , Promising Premen Warrior Ugrokk.jpg )

>>142122
>>142214
I make my way to Lorgk's abode, now midway converted into a wooden hut. I find Lorgk within, a steady stream of Premen bringing their concerns to him, all of whom make way for me. I barely have time to ask about Oggroth before Lorgk responds.

"Take Oggroth. Idolizes you. Do more with you, not here."

He makes no further comment to me as he goes back to addressing the Premen around him. I wonder whether I like or dislike his brusque, direct manner. After all, I find his take on life to be much more efficient than most fleshlings, parceling out his use of time in an orderly if gruff manner. I wonder still at why he was able to block direct blows from me, even damage me to some extent, frequently without anything but his own body to assist him. ...And that sword of his... something about it constantly catches my eye, the aged crimson metal it is forged out of completely alien to me in a manner I have never encountered before, though Lorgk himself knew naught more than that the blade was passed to him by the previous war chieftain, a badge of office with such age to it's practice that it's origins were lost.

>>142170
But enough pointless pondering. For now, I do not have the resources to learn more, and so I shall devote my time to more pertinent matters. This Ugrokk.... I find myself intrigued by how much his arrival was noted by many of the warriors of the village.

As I make my way to the cleared spaces where the warriors spar in their off time, I see Oggroth waving to me, surrounded by several other warriors all dwarfed by the weighty titan. There is a match already underway, with four warriors, two of them veterans, all facing a lone opponent.

While their foe is certainly not any thicker than them, he towers above them, at least half again as tall as they, his lengthy body held akimbo, both hands open as he faces his foes.

So, this is Uggrokk, I gather. Let us see how he fairs.

PERSPECTIVE SHIFT:
CHOOSE: 'THE TALL' [Ugrokk], OR 'THE GROUP' [Two Veterans, Two Warriors]

First one to three votes chosen.

>>142280
The underdog.

The Tall.

i vote the Tall

The Tall!

>>142285
snrk. The tall is not the underdog in this fight.

Lets be the mob!

>>142280
The tall of course. Ugrokk seems like an interesting warrior.

>>142285
>>142291
>>142316
>>142318
THE TALL CHOSEN

Ugrokk's Traits And Talents:
--Blood Of The Long-Bones:
Ugrokk's blood is thick with the blood of the Cromagg, an ancient rival of the Premen. This makes Ugrokk far taller than his contemporaries, and gives him a reach advantage when using any of his limbs.
--Adaptive Joints:
Born more flexible than most, Ugrokk's joints allow a wider range of motion, allowing for more unconventional movements. Further, this flexibility means Ugrokk is exceedingly difficult to grapple, and is adept at escaping holds.
--Mobile:
Ugrokk is faster and lighter on his feet than most of his size range could claim.
--The Axeman:
Ugrokk is most familiar and competent with axes, which he combines with his reach and irregular movements for deceptive, whipping hacks and chops, preferring to distract and hinder foes with rapid attacks before finding a chance to land a deeply biting strike.
--The Open Hand:
Ugrokk's unarmed combat style is oriented around redirection of force, rather than blunt trauma, to rely on the leverage his height provides. Ugrokk can flip, throw, or cause to stumble almost any foe he can get his hands on. As far as direct strikes go, he prefers to chop and stab with a stiffened hand, rather than with a closed fist.

.....................................................................................................................................
..

I stand against four of my new brothers, all watching me warily as they circle about, their minds clearly directed towards the problem of my reach. One of the older warriors is within range, if only just, for me to try striking or grabbing him. Both of the younger warriors are closer to me, one so close it would be child's play to manhandle him, the other occupying a place somewhere betwixt the two in term of proximity. So far, all four warriors are still in my field of vision, though the older ones seem to have a mind to circle about me.


What should I do? Who should I target first, the closer warrior, the middling one, or the veteran just barely in reach? Or should I try attacking multiple targets?

>>142392
Manhandle the closest one, and swing him into the next closest.

go after the one trying to circle around, we cannot let that happen. try to keep a constant eye out for sneaky moves of the others, also

>>142400
I grab one of the younger warriors that strayed far to deep into my area, my arms snaking about him as I wrench him from the ground, and use his struggling form as an impromptu club to batter the other younger warrior away, the impact quaking up my arm.

>>142427
I swing my living club about towards the one older warrior I can reach, attempting to prevent him from getting about my side. The time it took to assault the first two has given him ample time to prepare himself, and while the strike knocks him from his feet, he rips the younger fighter out of my grasp as he tumbles away, depriving me of my weapon.

....Hm. While the one I used as a club is now unconscious, or at least dazed enough he can't interfere for a time, the remaining warrior seems to have steadied himself, and the two veterans have managed to get themselves on opposing sides of me, each with one of the warriors near them.


What should I do? Which group should I assault, the one with an incapacitated member, or the one at full strength? Or should I wait for them to act, with some form of counter in mind?

wait for one to strike, then dodge and shove so he slams headlong into the other.

>>142508
When they close in, backflip and slam their heads together or double chop their necks, whichever fits the situation.

>>142511

I can see their thoughts, their hopes to catch me blind by attacking from two sides. But I know how they hunt me in this game, and I aim to capitalize on it.

I bide my time, trying to goad the warriors into making the first move. The veterans are reluctant, and the unconscious starts to stir as I wait. But finally my foes can bear this inaction no longer, and I hear pounding feet behind me a moment before I see the one before me charge, his body low to the ground as he dashes towards me. I act as the steps behind me pound ever closer.

I spin about, my arms blurring as I whip them around to assault the foe behind me. I am surprised to find it the younger warrior from before, rather than the veteran.... and I see the veteran running in the shadow of the younger warrior even as I slam him to the ground. I can hear the other veteran gaining proximity as well, and find myself faced with exactly that which I wished to avoid, a close range pincer attack by the veterans.

>>142536
Or at least, it would be, had I not anticipated some measure of failure to my initial response, and planned appropriate countermeasures. I leap from the ground, contorting my body in the air as I spin about, doing what I can do avoid the grasping hands of the two warriors, and lash my arms out once more, my hands coming to rest on the backs of their heads as I stay aloft a few scant moments longer. I see comprehension start to dawn on their faces as I wrench their heads inward, to meet each other with a resounding impact, and I feel tension slide out of their bodies as they slip into oblivion.

I hear Piece Chieftain Delro clap his hands, and know the match called. I help both of the younger warriors up, and assist them in dragging the still completely oblivious veterans away to recuperate.

.....And I see this Mordre, the metal warrior, was present. The simple heavy one, Oggroth, spoke highly of Mordre, and while I had my doubts, I must agree with his assessment: This Mordre is death and war made carnate, and any warrior worth their name would try to learn from this avatar of violence. I wonder, what can be learned from such....

PERSPECTIVE SHIFT:
MORDRE

And so the match concludes, and even through Oggroths disparaging remarks about his indirect methods, I find Ugrokk to demonstrate considerable skill. An image of the rejected suitors, led by the titanic Oggroth and towering Ugrokk, following Arkus and myself down into the warring nations. I have seen many life golems the inferior of both, and if I were able to procure armor to match the Premen's stature and strength, I would have rather formidable shock troops at my disposal.

I have seen the measure of Ugrokk, and found his talents exemplary. Arkus and Oggroth both have already fallen into step behind me whilst Ugrokk fought, and I find myself thinking of my trip to the warring nations more and more.


What should I do now?

>>142718
Lets go talk to Ugrokk, we should congratulate him and ask of his origin.

>>142718
We should see if Ugrokk would like to join us in our journey. He, like Oggroth, would be a great demonstration of our military power that may make others easier to sway to our cause. We also still need to talk to the suitors.

>>142762
>>142797

"A most deft handling of your opponents. I heard you arrived late to join this clan, Ugrokk. Tell me, from where do you hale?"

Ugrokk starts when I address him, clearly not anticipating the strange tones and cadences my iron throat makes, but recovers quickly, and responds promptly.

"From Drog Clan, beholden to Gorkin Clan. Left because Goran cares only about own tribe, sees others only as source of wealth and power. Drog clan weak, and small, days of glory gone for generations. Drazken Clan is growing, new power, old power brought back, doesn't matter. No one squeezes clan, no one hinders growth. Good clan to join."

His reasoning seems straightforward, and I admit to finding his origins, similar to Oggroths, amusing in light of the mild dislike Oggroth holds. I turn to see Oggroth begrudgingly nodding with respect to shared misery for having a similar past, but even that seems more than Oggroth would have preferred. I turn back to Ugrokk and continue asking questions.

"I plan to head south, into the human lands, To capitalize on the war and strife that runs thick through the land. I seek warriors to follow me, and I would see you among their number. What say you Ugrokk, newest of the Drazken Clan?"

There is no surprise in Ugrokk this time. Without hesitation he kneels before me, bowing his head deferentially.

"If Mordre would take Ugrokk on a journey where one's strength could be tested and tempered, then I could ask little more. Ugrokk will follow, wherever Mordre may lead, to learn of strength."

Excellent. Just like Oggroth, Ugrokk seems to place high value to strength, even more-so than most Premen do. I wonder if this has something to do with their shared origins.... and whether it says anything about Goran The Magic Eater, leader of the Gorkin Clan.

Ugrokk moves to gather his things, and a moment later Oggroth moves to do the same, though whether this is out of necessity or competitiveness, I cannot say. Shortly both have taken down their tents, and have made themselves ready for travel. While no less than six hatchets and axes are now strapped to Ugrokk, Oggroth The Mountain carries only a single weapon, a heavy chain of at least thirty feet in length, each link inches thick, one end wrapped about an arm, and the other....

Upon the other end of the chain is nothing more or less than a solid lump of metal, perhaps four feet in diameter, firmly anchored to the chain by massive bolts. I would guess the thing to weigh well over five hundred pounds, yet Oggroth carries it without any noticeable difficulty.

So, I have recruited both Oggroth The Mountain and Ugrokk, all that is left that I had already planned for is my attempt to sway the rejected suitors with a speech.


What kind of speech should I give to the rejected suitors, and what should be said? Or should I do something else?

>>142879
We should inspire them. Tell them that though they were rejected this time they still have an opportunity to earn power and position another way. By traveling with us they have a place in group of skilled warriors. They can power for the Drakzen clan, for themselves, and for the future empire we will create. If they are not swayed by ideals then we can also hint at the riches that can be taken as spoils of war.

Hey guys rather than going to the human nations we should conquer/unite the other Premen tribes. Think about it, we will build an empire either way, and the Premen tribes are more secluded, it will be less noticable.

>>142937
Conquering other tribes are beyong our ability at the moment. We simply don't have enough warriors to even defeat other clans, much less pacify them.
Diplomacy is unlikely to work either - Drazken Clan follows us because we helped them against Yeti. Others have no reason to do so.
Killing Goran can help us with later, but in either case we will need greater warfighting ability than we have now.

>>142956
This is true.
There's also the idea of incorporating multiple warring styles, that is to say, the barbaric power of the Premen, and the tactical knowledge of the humans.

Also, I think we may have forgotten about the frog-people altogether!

>>142937
[Part of why you are leaving is because the Premen need time to build unity with new clan members, as well as to see the mines restored to full operating capacity. That, and the mountains have fairly limited resources in terms of food, and any attempt to unify the mountains would have to deal with that as population density grows. Supply lines from the south could solve this.]

>>142963
While the rumors that the Froggrock tribes venerate golems pique my interest, the tribes are scattered throughout heavily forested swamplands to the south and west, and tracking down appreciable portions of their population could prove difficult without some means to magically track them. Perhaps such could be found in one of the warring lands?

>>142887
I choose to inspire the rejected suitors, filling their minds with dreams of wealth, glory, power. Army recruiters have used similar tactics again and again, I see no reason to doubt it's effectiveness.

I make my way outside of Mordreden, Arkus, Oggroth The Mountain and Ugrokk all in tow, and round up the remaining rejected suitors. I see eyes darting between myself, Ugrokk and Oggroth, all giants even by their standards... and I also note Arkus has shifted somewhat, obscuring his form behind my leg. I would seem he does not like public venues. Hmmph.

I put these thoughts out of my mind as I address the crowd before me.

"Though the Drazken Clan did not accept you here and now, I offer you another chance at glory, wealth, and power. I will travel to the south, seeking more allies for my cause, And I would take you with me, to share in the plunder and glory. You could come with me, make names for yourselves, and return champions, paragons of the path of the warrior. Or you could simply leave, and return to your old clans. The choice is yours."

Twenty pairs of eyes are glued to me as I speak, twenty pair of ears straining to hear my every word. And when I conclude my speech, twenty pairs of feet step forward, and just like that I have claimed the rejected suitors as part of my group.

As the rejected suitors turned soldiers mill about deconstructing their tents and stowing away their belongings, I consider our impending journey. I have taken advantage of my spare time after returning to Mordreden, and I have spoken with Arkus about the warring kingdoms, natons and principalities to the south. From how he described the many nations there, I could find almost any type of land there.


Originally, the plan was to find and claim a land somewhere within the warring nations, but what kind of location am I looking for?

How big of a nation should it be? [Tiny/small/medium/large/huge]
How populated should it be? [sparse/medium/dense]
How militarily active should it be? [Peaceful/standard/warring/constant state-of-war]
How much resources should it have? [minimal/average/bountiful]
How should it view magic? [BURN THEM/dislike/average/respected/major outlet of Mortal Coil]
Any other specifications?

>>142967
While we are growing in power and influence, I don't think we are strong enough to handle anything above a medium sized territory with medium population. We also always need soldiers, tacticians, and mages, so we should seize a warring town that has all of these already and currently in use. The warring town is also more likely to fall under our sway, with promises of increased strength a golem aiding them. The resources the town has should be enough to support them while also having enough spare that we can send the excess over to the Premen tribes so we need bounty. The most important thing we need from the town is respect for mages. We should still be using Arkus as a cover and it'd be much easier to ally with a town when they don't want to burn him at the stake.

even if we are vastly superior to any army on a per-person basis any army too large would be able to overwhelm us. so let's count it as we are worth 30 regulars, Oggroth and Ugrokk are worth 20 and the other premen are worth 5 it would put our strength at about 170 human regulars. very strong but not unbeatable by a powerful army.

the nation should most definitely be accepting of magic users, after all me must find five mages and take their skins to Kyorto. I'm thinking one that isn't all that militarily active so that we will have less of chance of going up against something we can't take on. Also because of that, the nation shouldn't be too populated, something in the middle for density and largeness sounds about right. Having high resources isn't staple, but will definitely help.
or >>143041 , that works too.

>>142967
If we could find a town that housed some of the mages that took part in the destruction of our home, we could sate our thirst for revenge and secure materials for Kyorto.

>>143188
A place with mages that attacked Mosmordre, and were part of the campaigns that led to it's eventual fall.....

>>143044
Our group strength as a military force is considerable at this juncture, but by no means of great importance just yet. I should be mindful of that as I choose.

>>143041
>>143179
Not too big, or too populated, but bountiful, many could meet this specification. After he became more accustomed to me, he admitted to having done some more traveling than I had previously been led to believe, and that he had actually traveled about the warring nations very extensively, and knew nearly every nation, duchy, kingdom, principality, republic, league or union there, as of a month and a half ago. Quite a surprising bit of knowledge.

Acceptive of magic users, even respectful.... that narrows it down a bit more. Arkus admitted to having been chased out of more than a fair number of towns traveling when the locals realized he could do magic, throughout his travels. Magic is collectively held in an overall positive light, but at least a third of the lands hold a dislike, sometimes all consuming hate, of magic users of any sort.

Militarily active, not militarily active.... actually, Arkus did mention a place that technically could be considered both. And it was one of the first nations to ally with Castiliathen against Mosmordre, at the very start of the war, well before my forging. Many of it's older mages had seen active duty against the Mosmordre Empire, and claimed the lives of citizens and soldiers alike. Not that we gave quarter to those we fought, either....

The reason I say military and non-military, is what purpose it has served to Castiliathen and it's war effort: It had become, over the many years of the war against Mosmordre as Castiliathen's allies grew, a military think-tank, a kingdom whose soldiers were seen as largely useless, but whose mages and their creative applications of magic were regarded highly, and slowly became optimized to this purpose, practically a cog of the Castiliathen war effort.

But when Mosmordre finally fell, when the Curse was used, and no one took credit, fingers were pointed, both to demand if they had been responsible, and to demand why they had not created such an idea, if they claimed to not be involved. Ultimately, this nation was discarded as useless, potentially treacherous.

For a time, this did not truly matter, as the nation and the mages it had come to respect so started to place their services for hire to the other nations and republics about, as tempers erupted and the alliance shattered back into the quagmire that it had been for centuries prior. Business was fairly profitable, and the nation thrived, in spite of it's irregular form. Several years of a peaceful existence profiting from the ever spreading wars without directly participating passed, and the populace grew ever more favorable towards mages, and strived to both honor and educate them so that they could better serve the land.

But less than a year ago, with no true day to be called the start of it, the nation fell under attack of a strangly focused sort: Their renown having spread enough from their profitable ventures with warring empires, their now completely atrophied armies were finally exploited, and many of the dozens of research installations and the mages within them were captured by profiteers, bandits, and mercenary armies who decided they should have more direct access to the research.

Due to the strong social trend to honor and respect mages, even while pushing them to serve the land, many of the mages either escaped to still unconquered lands, or died amidst the initial confusion. It was only a month or so ago that things resolved themselves.

This is The Azelhaedran State, a state that in theory controls an area more than ten thousand square kilometers, but in truth controls less than a quarter of that land. The wealth of the still unconquered think-tanks and most of the populace have been pooled to fund the acquisition, training and arming of a new army of the state, and this remnant force has since lost no further area to aggressors, though they have ceased offering their services to other lands for the time being. They are noted for having incredible equipment for their forces, the likes of which intrigue most lords and rulers that hear of their potency... though their actual martical and tactical skill is largely not rated nearly so highly. Arkus did, I must mention, note having heard of at least four, possibly five captains who are quite talented that serve the state, and have elite warriors, veterans one and all at their service.... though how such veterans could come from such a state, he can't be sure, but the locals' faith in the mages and the leadership they have been demonstrating leads none to question them, and the armies forces one and all are greeted warmly and respectfully by locals and are largely treated as heroes when they visit villagers living near occupied outposts.

The remaining land is.... a complete mess. Those that claimed the facilities have shown little care for the citizens, and the locals live in fear when the state army cannot reach them. And as time has passed, safety has grown scarce, in some areas vanished, with many bandits and thieves having moved in for easy pickings where the state army can't go.

In spite of the state of the land under their local rule, those that claimed these facilities have been exploiting their ample resources and capabilities, and wage war both on The Azelhaedran State, and on one another, their initial reasons for claiming these facilities lost in this prolonged quest, an endless hunger for more power, the stockpiles of past experiments making for haphazard yet potent implements for the new owners. Strange and sometimes exotic weapons and armor, even golems give away those who command occupied military research outposts when they travel about in their border disputes.


Does this land sound like a suitable place to travel to, and if so, which part should I head for, the lawless area, or the remaining Azelhaedran State?

>>143332
Sounds great.

Move through the lawless land, towards the State. Liberate as much as you can. Let your reputation precede you.

let's head to a lawless area first and see if we can get some interesting items for our group. a couple magic weapons and armour should help the group and if you find some rare metal then you can incorporate it into yourself. also we may find some mages as they would be needed to run the labs and stuff.

>>143332
Let's go to the lawless lands. There's plenty of loot and fights to be had there, and this will please our forces. It'll also strike a very pretty picture to the Azelhaedran state heads when word reaches them about a powerful mage commanding a legion of armed Premen and a imposing golem freeing their lands of bandit taint. This will help us considerably when we begin to take command of the state as we will have the trust of the people and the other mages. We just need to make the act realistic enough, have Arkus practice his acting, we need him to be play the part of the controller.

>>143343
>>143344
>>143378
I elect to travel to The Azelhaedran State amongst the warring nations, a journey I am told may take two weeks, with the distance and size of our party, though I wonder if Arkus underestimates the Premen because he so frequently gets to ride within my palm with his work.

In particular, the lawless lands sound most interesting to me. I could build on the reverence for mages as I build group cohesion, attain more souls and in general benefit from hunting down the bandits, rogues, and miscreants in the places the state army still cannot reach. I could gain the support of the people, which could prove quite useful should I attempt to claim some of the occupied military applied magic research outposts, and put their capabilities to my own use.

Indeed, if I were to build enough support amongst the villagers isolated from the remaining state, their trust of mages could lead to them willfully submitting to my rule, simply for the order and peace it could bring them with their state in such disrepair.

I set off with Arkus once more in my hand, his supplies and equipment carefully tied and tucked away about him on his bronze perch, the disk I carry to serve as my long-term rations. Oggroth The Mountain and Ugrokk both fall into line behind me, and the sui- no, I suppose they are now warriors, if they are to follow me- and the twenty warriors that the Drazken Clan did not take follow shortly behind the two enormous Premen. Without any particular fanfare as people attend to more utilitarian, practical matters, I set out to carve another part of my growing empire out of the land, this time in The Azelhaedran State. The sun sets on our party as we work our way down the mountain, and we make a late camp.

[DAY 46]

We continue south, when some warriors, accompanied by Ugrokk, leave to follow game tracks, and return to us after we have already set up camp, bringing several goats. A small form of celebration is had, at the glory and riches to come, with Ugrokk and Oggroth both speaking to the warriors about what it means to seek strength in oneself, bestowing upon their listeners their own views on the subject. Neither can agree with the other's method, though they are hard-pressed to explain why.

[DAY 47]

It could be my imagination, but as I take a bite out of the bronze disk in camp after another uneventful day traveling down the mountainside, but I believe the warriors are slowly separating into two groups, one about each of the two giant Premen. For some reason, the grouping does not alarm me, even though I could be worried about potential infighting. I shall ponder this.

[DAY 48]

I confer with Arkus as we travel to confirm my suspicions, a theory on why the split does not bother me having entered my train of thought while marching: The Premen are following the equivalent of avatars for speed and agility versus strength and durability. Those with Oggroth are thicker, heavier, and those with Ugrokk leaner, frequently taller. It seems more of a friendly rival, this separation, and the Premen become quite involved in newly instituted nightly sparring between the groups, though for now Ugrokk and Oggroth do not fight, even whilst they encourage their respective followers to perform.

[DAY 49]

Mid-day sees us leave the mountains, and by the late afternoon we have moved past the ruined city of Mosmordre and on. We exit the Cursed forest just as night begins to fall, several stomachs growling as supplies run thin after not resupplying in the tainted areas, but we keep marching until a goodly distance from the blighted lands before setting up camp. Sparring sees a lackluster second night's iteration.

[DAY 50]

Only a few remain marching with me for most of the day, the rest ranging to gather game. Light has not yet started to fade from the sky when the hunters return, a bountiful harvest of animals and plants alike now topping up the fleshling's food reserves. As if to contrast against last night, the sparring is both heated and jovial this night, as a feast of sorts is held with the extra food that can't be stored.

[DAY 51]

We finally hit a road today, and while it is in a mild state of disrepair, it is wide and straight, and is a sign we are getting close to the warring nations. Arkus suggests taking the path, as it will go along the border of an under-staffed and under-patrolled nation, and would mean getting to The Azelhaedran State still farther east in a day or so rather than a week or more.


What should I do, should I take the shortcut, or should I try to travel around?

>>143410
The shortcut sounds good. I see no reason to spend any extra time wandering about.

>>143410
First, be on your guard. We're a long way from home and our group is bound to attract some unwanted attention. Can we find the premen some sort of disguises or something? Our intentions are quite clear from the way we look and the weapons the premen carry. We also need to find a small base of operations before we make ourselves known as assailants of Azelhaedran's capital. When we get there we should show our good side by taking care of some bandits and trying to increase food production for the abandoned citizens(speaking of which, can arkus make stuff like crops grow faster/better?).

>>143413
>>143412
I decide to take the shorter path and follow the road, and we set off in that direction without further hesitation.

While we continue to march, I address Arkus, questions about what we plan flitting through my mind, and potential problems raising their illusory heads within my psyche.

"Arkus, where could we find some manner of disguise, Or some other implement to mask the Premen's true nature?"

Arkus spares a quick glance back to the Premen following us from my palm, as if to check that they have not surreptitiously surpassed the language barrier.

"...Yeah, they are bigger than normal people, true enough. But despite some size and proportioning differences, they still look more or less like bigger humans, with a bit more pronounced jawline on average. Really, if you said they were some form of alchemical warriors or some such, boosted to perform better, people would buy it, at least in Azelhaedran State. I know at least one of those captains I heard of uses boosted warriors of some sort, and the populace doesn't seem to mind.

...Though I guess you don't even need to lie. You could say they are from a mountain tribe known for producing large, hardy warriors, and that isolated as it is, they speak a language of their own devising. Mostly true, but ommiting their actual special difference could work just fine.

What I am most worried about is Oggroth and Ugrokk. Those two are huge, and the tribe story wouldn't cover them, their scale too different to be taken as any form of human. The best bet I can think of is to say they are Life Golems, all sorts of those exist, so they could pass for that easily with their irregular stature.

One thing I can think of that would most likely be universally helpful for this endeavor would be to re-equip the Premen. As is, I think the pelts and loincloths with what little armor they have covered in bones are not going to help our image. I suggest using the rubies you had me hold onto to buy new armor and if possible weapons for our followers. Obviously, what we do is up to you, but the more 'normal' we can look, the less attention we'll attract."

I do not have many memories associated with logistical costs of outfitting an army, but I imagine custom armor sized to fit my forces could cost a sizable amount, potentially requiring all the rubies I have. An even greater concern presents itself, in that I realize the time when our ruse begins is fast approaching, and I have been starting to wonder if my plan needs changing.

As it is, I plan to masquerade as Mordre, a mage who discovered a Soul Grave and a means to control it directly, and sent the golem with his apprentice, Arkus. The reason I am never seen 'in the flesh,' rather than 'controlling' a Soul Grave is because I am crippled, my body weak and fragile: I command from a distant location, keeping my weak form safe.

Alternatively, I could have Arkus play the part of our leader. Having a human face to attribute to the mage saving them would be useful, but it could be difficult to maintain a charade of Arkus controlling me, rather than me commanding him.

As I continue to ponder how this should be handled, I lead onward down the road, ever onward toward The Azelhaedran State.


Which type of cover should we use, as to the leadership of this party? And should I follow Arkus' advice, and attempt to outfit our forces with more conventional arms to attract less attention?

>>143450
Soul Grave and two Life golems seems like a bit too much for forces we have. Using "Powerful mage Mordre" as cover can explain it, but someone who can make and control two Life golems surely can afford more solders.

"Mountain tribe" cover will work nicely; Oggroth and Ugrokk can be explained as alchemicaly enchanced warriors from same tribe.
They are so big and strong because they started from above-average human and were able to survive greater enhancement than most.

Armor - again, I think it is matter of image: Mage who can afford several golems can afford better armor than what we have now.

armor would make our already potent army much more devastating, i think we should do it.
I think having arkus pose as out master would be the best way to handle perceived leadership. that way, no one gets freaked out by a soul grave that can think for itself.

The sparse premen armor never struck me as being terribly effective in the first place, we could probably abandon it altogether for the time being. In any case it was meant for blunt weapons, not the blades we are likely to find here.

We need not completely fit in here, only not attract scrutiny. We should look like what the people here expect of uncivilized human travelers. Barbarian clothing and armor. I understand this means pants and boots, perhaps a vest or the hint of a shirt, and minimal armor, mostly on the torso and shoulders. You can outfit them with better equipment later, once you have more resources to work with, and this will help them transition into the local customs gradually.

>>143456
>>143457
I think it would be best for us to use the ruse of Mordre being controlled by a powerful mage, in command of his apprentice. Having Arkus be in control would be easier, yes... If the ruse will work. As it is, Arkus seems fearful of public speaking, and there may come a time when we would have to discard the ruse of Arkus being our master if we had an emergency on our hands and had to directly take command. So, Mordre being in command is likely the safer option.

As for the armor, you might not even require it. If you can instead get ordinary clothes (Like perhaps a uniform) that can cover their unusual armor and replace their barbaric clothing, we would have a cheaper method of fitting in more effectively.

I find the 'Alchemic mountain tribe soldiers' idea for Oggroth and Ugrokk's cover plausable. I do not know if that is how it works in truth, but it sounds good enough to fool the common population. However, we are walking into what is effectively a country dedicated to magical research, so if this would not work in truth, there is certainly a chance that some people would know.

Hrmm... Speaking of research, here's an idea: Perhaps this is a test run. These are 'Great mage Mordre's' first alchemical soldiers (Or are forrays into life golems, possibly modified with new lore recently found or researched, if the life golem idea might work better), and he wishes to see how they will preform in the field. If he can do something useful with them during the test run, all the better.

>>143466
Another point - Are you sure that Oggroth and Ugrokk can believable pretend to be Life golems? Neither strike me as someone who all that good at it. I could be wrong - they survived under Goran's rule after all, but still.

On equipment: Soul Grave is rare and highly valuable. Mage with Soul Grave and twenty well/decently equiped solders send rather different message than same mage with Soul Grave and bunch of barbarians. Consider likely opinions and reactions in both cases.

Finaly: We should keep our cover consistent. If we go Life golem route, then armor isn't important. But if we use "Super-soldier" Space Marine which are likely rather expensive, then lack of equipment on our soldiers will look strange.

Hm, I think I get too much into details and don't explained myself well : ultimately, it doesn't really matter how well our cover story fit, unless we blunder too badly. What we need here is proper *IMAGE* of oursleves. Not "Lucky mage accidentaly found 'Grave and hired bunch of barbs. He says that he will help us, but he looks rather disreputable." but "Skilled and powerful mage with 'Grave and soldiers offering his help."

I believe the "I am a mage" ruse for Mordre is the best bet. As for our two big dudes, I don't think we should say they are golems, but rather people who have been experimented upon by yourself. This further puts you as a mage capable of great experimentation, something these folks seem to like.

As for our men, they don't seem to like armor anyway. What you want is a uniform, some sort of uniting fasion. Having them all wear leather armor would be just fine. Putting them all in heavy metal would be... a bad idea. It might hurt their effectiveness. As for the people themselves, just say they're from a clan you helped in the mountains, and they are repaying you by being a sort of bodygaurd.

Well, like half of them seem to be favoring light, agile combat. May as well make the squad differentiation official. Then that group can use little or no armor in their outfit and not seem too strange.

for now yes. the speed group will have little armour. but once we start getting up there then magic substitutes for armour. like bracers of armour and the like. while our heavy group wouldn't be hindered by heavy equipment because big slow and powerful is already what they are going for. so full plate and huge mauls would be good for them.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/03/07(Sun)19:37 No. 143562 ID: d1210a
File 126801945153.jpg - (100.96KB , 1024x768 , Hletwa Home Of Rogo And Sons.jpg )

>>142456
>>143457
>>143473
Thoughts of heavy warriors that dwarf the armies of men marching at my call, their arm too thick to be breached, their strength being brought to bear through powerful two hammers and war-picks, all of this flits across my mind. Oggroth in particular, I feel, could bear armor so heavy, so thick, that he would be nigh invulnerable to anything that couldn't hurt a Soul Grave.

>>143465
>>143466
>>143521
But thoughts of the Premen's quick and brutal power might be muted if they are weighed down, and that perhaps light armor and uniforms could be sufficient, sparing costs and preserving the Premen warriors' speed. Ugrokk in particular would likely be able to support a great deal of armor, but that could hinder his preferred fighting methods.

>>143540
>>143543
....Perhaps I don't need to choose. There are twenty Premen warriors, split into two groups of ten, following either Oggroth or Ugrokk. I could outfit Oggroth and the stockier, heavier warriors that follow him in plate, optimally steel, and leathers for tremendous defense. They could then be armed with gargantuan long handled war mauls, one end of the hammer instead lengthened into a spike to drive through armor.

Then, I could outfit Ugrokk and the taller, leaner warriors that follow him in leathers and some minimal metal armors, perhaps a cuirass, pauldrons and little more, preserving the swift and terrible speed of the Premen. Ugrokk could be given free rein in choosing how much plate or other armor would be added to the leather given to him, to let the one most familiar with his strengths choose what he bears.

I confer with Arkus on where we could find a blacksmith with enough resources and assistants to handle outfitting our force as swiftly as possible, and outline my ideas on what to give them. Arkus mulls over my request for a while, before responding, his words reluctant.

"...Well... I guess we could go to Hele-.... Hletwa, its the nearest city of Duras, that being the name of this nation we're currently skirting by right here, by the way, anyway we could go to Hleta... Hletwa, I know the have a pretty good blacksmith there, they have a mercenary outlet for.... I don't remember their names, some group with a fair number of members.

As I was saying, in.... Hletwa.... they have a giant set of forges, and around three dozen assistants, all working under the Founder, Del Roga, and his sons, Bhear, Jio, Del Jr. and Trogga. So, this place, Roga & Sons Smithing Est. 32 BF, yeah I know real original name..... ah, yeah, quick non sequitor, but Castiliathen changed the official calender, and reset the years on the day the Mosmordren Empire fell, since it was the first day of the first month of the year, BF stands for Before fall, and is backwards dating for events prior, and the current date is in AV, After Victory.

So yeah, this Roga & Sons Smithing, is a pretty well respected and extensive setup, and they DO have a good bit of experience custom outfitting personal troops and such for the mercenaries, and anyone else for that matter. The only problem is that they usually have a LONG wait list.... but I have heard you can bribe your way to the front of the list, either outright, or by piquing Head-smith Del Roga's interest, though he can be quite..... eccentric, I think is the term when one is wealthy. Damned gruff, belligerent asshole, in others.

But make no mistake, if Del Roga himself were to work on anything for us, we wouldn't care how much of an ass he may be, his work is masterful, and several lords and captains bear craftings of his.

...Ah, only problem, is that Duras has a bad bit of past with the Mosmordren Empire, and forbid entry of any Soul Graves into their lands, so unless you want to stir up trouble, I don't think you should stray near any local populations.

And herein lies the problem. If I go alone, I will be one sub-average mage carrying a rather exorbitant bit of wealth, and if I don't bring the gems, I wonder if I could even convince anyone at Rogo & Sons Smithing that I had the funds to buy such an order lacking proof. And I doubt bringing any of the Premen along would be a good idea either, for part of the reason you want them outfitted: They could cause a panic. And without you there to translate, I couldn't communicate with the Premen.

So.... there is a place nearby that could do what we want, and we even have enough wealth here, I think we have a shot at getting it done expeditiously. But the local and our parties composition create... difficulties.

I, ah, don't suppose you have any ideas on what to do about this? There isn't any blacksmith capable of what you want, not anywhere near to where we are, besides Rogo & Sons, since they drove most competing high end armorers out of business.


So... what should we do?"

>>143562
Hurm...

We should have the premen set up camp here. Arkus and Mordre will go in for the order with the rubies. Quick and easy, eh?

it would be, but he has stated that soul-graves are illegal in this place and getting an army on you, even with your considerable might, is a bad idea.

how about Ugrokk equiped with bits and peices of all the armour our premen have so he looks well armoured, matching the idea of an elite modded warrior. he may be less then optimal like that, but it would be impossible to pull off with Oggroth due to his large size.

also, how trustworthy are they? are they a don't ask don't tell sort of group. you give them money, they give you armour and no one gets reported or will they rat us out? if they are trustworthy then we can tell him how our force is so powerful looking that we did not want to frighten the populace, and Ugrokk is merely the tip of the tip of the iceberg.

>>143562
Arkus can be trusted to get this done and there doesn't appear to be any other alternatives so I say let him go. Have Arkus take some measurements and make notes on any specifications Ugrokk and Oggroth may have to ensure he gets everything right when he places his orders. Once he has all of his notes and the rubies packed up, make camp and await his return.

How about just setting up outside of Duras and sending Arkus in (without the gems, just in case) to have him invite Del Roga to come to the camp see Mordre's motley crew for himself? If the smith comes out there'll be plenty of time to negotiate, and without so much fuss.

>>143573
He's worried about getting mugged or something, as a single mage of not-so-impressive power traveling on his own. If I recall correctly, he's been developing some fairly impressive blasting capabilities, but if he's concerned about safety it's not unreasonable to think that he has good reason to be so.

Still, I don't know that we have anyone to send with him on escort duty, since he can't talk with the Premen and that might get... awkward. How about we go into Azelhaedran and attract at least a few more human followers who might be able to provide Arkus with protection as he moves? Then we can hold off on the bulk of our conquest until our forces are better equipped.

>>143573
this seems like the only viable option for the time being. once the premen are fully armored, we should figure out a way to put control of this place under arkus as a front for us

if you want that way then just aim for an assitant to come out and see us, have arkus explain that his master has a soulgrave but as they are not aloud in the land they are camping on the border. you have valuables their for him at the place but as he is but an assistant bringing them would most likely have resulted in being mugged. why you didn't bring any warriors to watch you is that they are large and frighting that is why he came to your armoury as they are the only ones able to make armour for such large warriors.

rolled 9 + 1 = 10

---

>>143571
>>143573
>>143580
>>143586
>>143593
>>143602

While it seems clear to me that Arkus should go, most likely with at least one Premen with him to act as an example of what is sought, I have some difficulty with deciding whether or not to send the rubies with him, after he voiced such concerns. I decide to hedge my bets, and send Arkus in with but a single ruby, as further proof without loading him with too much wealth.

As I send off Arkus with two Premen (one from both Oggroth and Ugrokk's camps, to give a general idea of what type of body each type of armor is destined for), I make sure to firmly communicate to the warriors that only in the case they themselves or Arkus are immediately threatened with harm, they are to take no overt actions, and to simply follow Arkus both as protection and example. The two warriors seem engrossed in what I ask of them, doing what they can to prove themselves worthy of having been chosen for this task, even though I chose them simply by dint of being the most average in each group.

While Arkus and his two escorts make their way off down a much smaller offshoot of the main road we are on, I move the rest of our forces off the trail several miles, and set up camp outside the lands of Duras while I wait for Arkus' return.

Late morning becomes noon, then afternoon as we await Arkus' return, only to find he has returned, with...

[rolling 1d10 to see how he did with a bonus of 1 for reasonable plans, 1/2 being terrible, 10/11 being awesome]

oh sweet, we got a 10.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/03/07(Sun)21:34 No. 143614 ID: d1210a
File 126802646691.jpg - (216.47KB , 800x1040 , Del Rogo.jpg )

>>143604
...To find an stocky, burly man with a brilliant gray beard fanning across his chest stocking after Arkus, gruffly yelling obscenity laced complaints as he uses a worn axe as a... cane...

"Now where the fehk is this high an' mighty, hoighty-toighty mage ya serve, eh!? Ya' came in jibba-jabberin' about some damned alchemical warriors, as well as more of these stupid giant tribals, so where the hell are they!? I swear upon my anvil, I will beat you to death here and now if you are wasting my time!"


Arkus cannot seem to find a chance to respond, even as he draws within a hundred feet of our camp, his companion perfectly happy to shout further insults at Arkus rather than pay attention to his surroundings.


What should I do?

>>143614
Roar at him.

"I AM THE MAGE YOU SEEK. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE VOLUME BUT SOMETIMES IT BECOMES HARD TO KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL IN THIS UTTERLY MASSIVE GOLEM. MY APOLOGIES."

approach the man with the rest of the Premen and tell him you are the mage, and you are using the soulgrave as an avatar.

>>143615
this. right now.

>>143615
Say this and gesture to the Premen to gather around us.

>>143615
>>143621
>>143634
>>143616

I command the Premen warriors to rise and form about me, and I find Ugrokk and Oggroth both taking point at the heads of their respective groups. Had I lips of flesh, they would have quirked in a smirk just now. Thankfully, I am made of superior iron, far less prone to breakage.

I decide to greet the cantankerous presumed smith with a polite rebuff to his suspicions, and hope that he tolerates having fun poked at him, should he be this Del Roga I have heard of. After all, his age and personality match what Arkus described, though his descriptions were hardly detailed.

I speak out with a thundering voice that causes some of the warriors near me and Arkus to flinch, still maintaining a pleasant tone of voice even at this incredible volume.

"I AM THE MAGE YOU SEEK. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE VOLUME, BUT SOMETIMES IT BECOMES HARD TO KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL, BEING IN CONTROL OF THIS UTTERLY MASSIVE GOLEM. MY APOLOGIES. ARE YOU A SMITH WHO COULD MAKE WHAT I SEEK?"

The grizzled old man doesn't even flutter an eyelid at the extreme volume, and leers back at me, revealing many shining metal teeth within his mouth.

"Bah, my hearin' went to shit years ago banging on metal all damn day, makes no fehkin' difference to me."

His leer widens as his gaze slips past me to the warriors behind me, Oggroth and Ugrokk both occupying much of his focus.

"Damned giant tribals. I haven't the slightest what kind of complex arcane workings you fehken' namby pamby mage types need to make 'em that big, but as a fellow craftsman, I gotta respect good work when I see it. Damned big ones, and that one with a fehken' face like shit and a lard ass looks like he could rip a damned castle apart bare-handed. Hell, never seen anything breathing get that big that wasn't a Life Golem. And these stupid looking tribal got good bones, heavy muscle, should make good warriors, would be interestin' to make shit fer 'em."

His leer slips back into a scowl as he continues his rant.

"Look, yer pipsqueek apprentice here said you had enough wealth to make your job my top priority. He showed me a ruby, fine and dandy, but that ain't diddly compared to what it costs to get top priority, outfit the two tenfold groups ah regular stupid tribals, not to mention custom making arms and armor for the two great lumbering bigguns. So prove you're worth my time before I get on with this pointless walk in the middle of the damned woods, and maybe beat the crap out of your apprentice for wasting my time."


How should I respond to this, and what action(s) should I take?

>>143657
Toss the bag-oh-RUBY at his feet.
"Time is no matter. I wish for greater quality and uniformity above all."

To the Premen: "Excuse the craftman's eccentricities, he is a valued creator of weaponry and armor."

>>143657
Call for the gems to be retrieved from where we stored them. Once we have the bag slowly pour several of them into our palms and tell him we're sure we can meet his price. Don't show him all the gems of course, he might get greedy and raise the price if he learns the full measure of our holdings.

>>143670
Changing vote to this.

>>143662
Its not like they know what he's saying.

>>143662
>>143670

I first speak a word of caution to the Premen, instructing them that this loud old one is a venerated elder craftsmen of great talent, who forges arms and armor, makes implements of war and death, and that his antics are to be tolerated.

I also ask them to bring the bag of rubies forward, and I lower my left hand to the ground so that the Premen can start to slowly pour rubies onto my palm as I speak, each gem glittering with the light of the sunset.

"How long the actual crafting of equipment takes is unimportant to me. The quality and uniformity of what is crafted is all I care for. I am sure I can meet your price, in some manner or other."

The old man I grow more convinced is Del Roga with every passing minute grumbles at me as he squints at the gems in my hand. He starts to pace back and forth as he grumbles and mutters for a time, occasionally growing quite vocal, before he finally stops and responds with a rather ugly grimace.

"...Yeah alright, fine. Fehk if I give a damn what The Steel Fists say, ya brought me a hell of an interestin' job, one that'll give me a couple problems to tackle, and ya got the coin ta warrant yer runty apprentice bugging me. Don't bother telling me what kind of crap yer lookin' for, heavy armor for the heavy ones, lighter armor for the skinny ones, I can do that no problem, make them similar, that's easy too, I've done a shit-ton of vanguard work over the years. ...Hmmph, the mauls these fat stupid primitives'll use should have an eight foot handle, steel core, wood and leather cover..... Meh, Wonder how I could tie that in with the biggest, fattest, dumbest looking one here... though that ball and chain he's give me some ideas.. Yeah, I got a good idea of how to approach this. Now make yer stupid tribals line up, I need each one ta cut themselves on my axe, need at least a bit of each one's blood."

Arkus cannot help himself, and blurt out a simple exclamation to the bearded man's demands.

"WHAT."

The old one rounds on Arkus, glaring at him as he thumps his Axe-turned walking cane in front of the young mage's face.

"Look here, mister sissypants 'lookatmeimgonnabeamageohjoy,' if ya payed any attention to yer lessons, ya could tell this axe got an interestin' an' potent spell in it. Any blood it tastes, it can recreate an image o' the bugger's whole body, what their physical abilities and weaknesses are, all that crap. Some crusty old mage gave it ta me when I made his son some armor and the little bastard failed to die due to his own stupidity. Been real helpful with the unusual requests, don't even need to measure, know exact size and such of each body I gotta make shit for. Now get those ignorant tribals movin' so I can get their blood, I'm too fehkin' old to just stand about dillydallying like this! Or if ya don't like it, to hell with the lot of ya!"


What should I do? Should I do as the old man says? Or should I do something else?

>>143716
Oh, awesome.

Hell yeah.
We should comply. This guy's a pro. and if someone strangely figures out our greatest points of weakness, then hey, we know who to talk to first.
Go with it.

>>143716
Exelent. And of couse, we will know whom to eviscerate if our trooper are attacked by blood magic...

I'm also gonna tentatively suggest that we put in a request for ourselves as well. Get some golem blueprints, or maybe some way to enhance the Sable Executioner,or even get some new metal to munch. Anything like that.

Also, translate for the Premen what's going on, if they don't understand the coarse human tongue. They are our warriors and should understand the problems and dangers about the ax and what kind of armor they're going to be receiving.

Okay. I know we need to do this, but one word of caution. It seems that we would be bumping The Steel Fists down with our request. They might not be too pleased with that, and if they are rich enough to afford top priority anyway, they might also be strong. Anyway, what im getting at is if they get pissed enough to want to kill us, they would know exactly who to look for by getting a hand on the axe. Heck, this little adventure could blow the whole ruse sky high. Though its unlikely its still possible, and we don't want too many people interested or even knowledgeable of us in our...underdeveloped state.

>>143788
We don't need a fancy armor crafter for our own improvements, just quality resources to work with. It might be worth asking if he has any extra-high quality metal lying around, but I suspect he would need it for his business, and we probably don't have the resources to pay for it right now.

>>143818
Just some creations or suggestions or blueprints. The Sable Executioner wasn't our own creation, but was the integration of several golem claws. If we can get any more golem equipment or upgrades or blueprints, we can hopefully upgrade ourselves. Just a suggestion, you know?

do what he says. fuck the steel fists, they can find a new armorer for all i care. if they come complaining to us, we'll give them the devastation of the amaranthine annihilator

>>143720
>>143779
>>143825
Del Roga is supposed to be a smith of some renown, and if his primary buyers are mercenaries, I doubt he would get far were he to share his client's information: That sort of thing usually brings business to a terminal conclusion, as I understand it.

And if these Steel Fists, whoever they are, must be made to wait so that I can avail myself of Del Roga's services, then so be it. Should they come seeking me to complain, I shall grind them to dust under my heel if need be. ....Though the name sounds oddly familiar, The Steel Fists....

I explain to the Premen the gist of what is happening, that an offering of blood on the crafter's axe would let him craft arms and armor forged specifically for each individual, and that they should form a line to individually step forward and contribute. Judging by their reactions, I think they will need no further coaxing, as they enter a brief but frantic period of jostling, all trying to get third place in line and down.... as Ugrokk and Oggroth stare at each-other for a moment, neither budging. Finally, Ugrokk inclines his head, and Oggroth takes first in line, presenting his hand to Del Roga, who pulls the axe across a giant thumb, blood welling onto the blade and seeping into the metal itself, bringing stark color to the runes festooning it.

"..Eh, I was right, lard ass here's got strength to spare. Alright, next, hurry up!"

And so Del Roga continues to spill small offerings of blood on his axe from each Premen, his eyes going vacant as he nods to himself after each spilling of blood. His cursing has subsided for the moment as he focuses intently on his task, his cantankerousness set aside for now. In very short order no one else is waiting to contribute, and the elderly man barks out a harsh exclamation, a gutteral disdain for using words, before he stomp over to me, and snatches the bag of rubies off my hand. He pauses for a second as he feels the full weight of the bag, before grunting and speaking out even while walking back towards town, his axe tapping out a slow beat on the ground.

"Feh, guess I'll call Morris, put some runes on some of your shit, if ya got that much dosh. Now piss of, I'll have your shit done in six days, send your runty apprentice and... ten of your stupid tribals to pick it up, Sunrise six days from now, don't be late."

Without any further farewells, the belligerent smith continues making his way back to town.

>>143788
I start to wonder if Del Roga could have blueprints or schematics for Soul Grave parts.... but considering how aversive Duras is to such beings as I, I doubt there would be any market for such, at least not one out in the open like that.

I find myself considering our current status, and realize that if we stay in this area rather than traveling for a time, we will have a great deal more time to spend on other activities.


So what would I prefer Arkus and the Premen to spend their time on, during this period? Should I try to help Arkus teach some rudimentary common tongue to the Premen, or perhaps try to help the Premen teach Arkus their language, so that Arkus can communicate with our forces more ably in my possible absence? Or should our time be spent on something else?

>>143839
Language during the day, sparring during the night.

Also, send a few out to scout. If there are any bandits around here, we can make some quick money, souls, maybe mages, and clear the path back and forth.

>>143839
Arkus briefly mentioned the Steel Fists shortly after awakened. They are one of the mercenary groups that claimed one or two the remaining Soul Graves from our home...
IDEA: In the six days we have to prepare, we should work on getting Arkus and the premen to scout out the town. We should also look for a way to secure more wealth. After we get the armor we should stay in town a little longer. The Steel Fists will no doubt be angry about their order being delayed and will most likely send someone down here to see whats up, someone we should "have words" with.
Barring that, we should have someone spy on whomever the Steel Fists send to Duras.

>>143839
I doubt that asking him will bring any problems. Say "I salvaged some equpment along with this Soul Grave, but it was rather limited. Do you have anything that can improve golem's capabilities? I am particulary interested in ranged weapon upgrade." Make sure you are talking in third person.

>>143842
While chance of eating or capturing another Soul Grave is great, we are not strong enough to deal with it AND mercenary soldiers together. However, investigating sounds like a good idea and perhaps we will be able to develop something with more data.

>>143841
>>143842
Word of caution: If/when the Steel Fists found out about us (Specifically that there's another Soul Golem tromping around), they might feel threatened. I'm not saying this is a bad idea, but we should be careful.

And I agree, start sending out scouts to see if we can find some bandits to squash, or even better, one of the research labs.

Arkus seems to be one of our biggest resources at the moment, considering he's the only one who can communicate with the people in this area (Asides from us, but it's already established that going to Duras ourselves would be a bad idea). I think we should teach the Premen some of the common tongue, so as to try and lessen this problem.

>>143842
Note: The reason we wanted the armor in the first place was so that we would be more inconspicuous, seeming more like super soldiers that anything else, so I don't think the Premen should do any scouting in the town.

I also vote for language by day, sparring by night but add the scouting for bandits part somewhere in there. Maybe one or two Premen can scout instead of going to Modrean(language name) classes. Just rotate it so that everyone gets to learn.

>>143847
Include this next time we speak with the old smith. The part about Golem parts, I mean. And not just Ranged. How to augment the rest of ourselves. Infuse our powers with gems, or such.

>>143842
I like this idea.
we should work on teaching arkus the premen language, because teaching and entire army a new language would be time consuming and not very fruitful.

I don't see why we can't have both Arkus and the Premen learn the others language. The more pressing matter is the possibility of encountering the Steel Fists. They not only have their own golem, but presumably an effective mercenary fighting force.Having an ear to the ground and being prepared to engage them would be wise. Between the language lessons we should have Arkus tell us anything else he knows about the group.

[Just to Clarify: Currently, Mordre and company are just outside the borders of the Nation of Duras, which has a city, Hletwa, where Del Roga works. The Azelhaedran State, the place you are traveling to, with the bandits, rogues, and captured research outposts, is on the far side of the nation of Duras. As is, after getting the Premen armaments, the plan was to take the old trade road that passes through Duras to get to The Azelhaedran State, since contact with locals is relatively unlikely if they stay on the old trail]

>>143847
>>143864
I make a mental note to instruct Arkus to ask after anything that could be adapted to use on my form without being outright Soul Grave schematics. Things like improved firing mechanisms for cannons, or some such. I would be loathe to pass on a chance to further evolve myself.

>>143840
>>143841
>>143848
>>143852
I decide that work on language exchange should happen during the day, and sparring should happen at night. Further, I decide to start a rotating series of area scouting with the Premen, seeking any bandits or other vagabonds that could provide souls without incurring issues with the local government for murder. I inform my companions of our proposed plan, and have trouble selecting the initial scouts, as everyone volunteers. Eventually I simply pick the two smallest Premen present, in some vague hope that they will look at least somewhat less unusual than their even larger brethren. They set out to scout our immediate area, more accustomed to unlit patrols at night than those with ample stock of wood, so I have little concern for their safety. They have orders to return if they encounter foes, rather than engage, so that all may share in the glory... and to prevent any young fool from pointlessly dying in a mad attempt to prove their capabilities.

Sparring takes place upon a bare patch of dirt carefully cleared of debris, with non-participants forming the outline of a rough circle where combatants fight. Anticipation of getting to fight such tiny warriors has put an edge of predatory hunger into these warriors, and the sparring is noticeably more vicious than normal, though none complain, or are maimed, so I make no objection. After all, aggression is a potent tool for a warrior. Eventually the sparring ends, and the now exhausted warriors stumble to their tents.

[DAY 52]


[Roll a 1d10 to see what the Premen scouts encountered]

rolled 1 = 1

---

>>143879
hope this goes well...

rolled 4 = 4

---

>>143879
Oh boy, here we go.

rolled 5 = 5

---

Hoping for a higher roll if only for variety. I don't even know if low rolls are bad or whatever soo...

rolled 2 = 2

---

>>143879
I'll give it a shot.

rolled 2 = 2

---

>>143905
>Shot
why not

Wow the dice don't seem to want to give upper half rolls today.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/03/08(Mon)18:20 No. 143932 ID: d1210a
File 126810124032.jpg - (392.17KB , 800x999 , Steel Fists Soul Grave.jpg )

>>143881
[1]

The Premen return to camp in the early hours before the sun has fully risen, held at sword-point by heavily armed and armored soldiers, bearing the sigil of a burning silver fist grasping at the moon on their heraldry. They number in the scores, and all bear lethal looking lances and are mounted on equally heavily armored horses, enormous beasts bred for strength above all else, by the look for their thickened limbs, wider shoulders, and more pronounced musculature. Their faces are likewise thickened, shortened, and encased in plate helmets with a gap for the stocky horses to see. The riders themselves are so completely encased in heavy armor I cannot tell anything about them but that they seem quite enormous.....

One in armor more ornate than the rest that glitters with gems socketed into it's metal points a finger towards our camp, still trying to discern outlines within our camp. He yells out an enraged bit of dialogue as he continues to squint at the darkness.

"Now where the bloody hell are you, you stupid grubby little upstart! I know these giants are with you, now come out here! You got my commission delay by another week because of you! I am going to..."

....The Steel Fists caught our scouts and have come directly to us with heavy cavalry in numbers exceeding ours by at least four to one (it is difficult to be certain in the gloom), and threaten Arkus' life.

>>143883
[4]

Oggroth and Ugrokk both rise quickly as they grasp their weapons, the Premen grouped about them following suit swiftly. I rise from my crouch, coming to tower even higher than the two super-sized Premen, and I see the Steel Fist captain's word's dying on his tongue.

>>143892
[5]

"....Ah. That would explain the funds to get Del to change his schedule. So, managed to recover an actual Soul Grave, huh? Nice find, especially this many years after the fact. I'm guessing what, you plundered some ruins, found the golem, enough loot to pay Del, picked up some muscle on the way, want to outfit them, make some real money thereafter, huh?

Don't worry kid, I can understand the sentiment....."

>>143905
>>143906
[DOUBLE 2]

The man's voice hardens as he continues.

"......But you do NOT get to just do as you please, just because you got lucky."

A form rises behind the mass of cavalry, towering even higher than my own form, and as the sun finally crests the hill it starkly illuminates a golem, a titan of steel standing beside the Steel Fists, their symbol engraved in it's chest, No claw to be seen, but two siege fists, both massive hands covered in runes.

"Now is when you get to beg for your life, and give me a reason I shouldn't squash you like a bug for the insult you offered me."


What should I do, and what orders should I give my companions?

>>143932
Alright. The Roar time.

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN THE LIFE OF MY ESTEEMED COLLEAGUE! I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I AM MORDRE, MASTER OF WORLD MAGIC, AND THIS IS MY APPRENTICE! WE SEEK NO QUALM WITH YOU, STEEL FISTS, AND WISH ONLY TO OUTFIT OUR MERCENARIES IN A TIMELY FASHION SO WE MAY CONTINUE ON OUR TREK."

>>143932
...Oh. Well. ...Shit. Ok, to be perfectly honest, here, if this comes to a battle, we're -dead-. We might be able to take some of them with us, or even eliminate their soul golem or leader if we get -really- lucky, but we can't win if this becomes a brawl. Heavy cavalry is basically the medieval tank, and they've got a soul golem of their own. Survival is our goal here. About the best outcome I can see here is convincing this guy that fighting us would be too costly to be worth it, or negotiating some sort of duel.

>>143932
Now is the time to have a little chat with our resident. "Spirit, I promised you my life should I fall and I've no intention of betraying you. But tell me true, are you not tired of being merely an audience member? You were a part of Zakrath once, you cannot tell me the destruction of the leylines in Mosmordre did not hurt the world and yourself by proxy even if you were not an individual before I found you. Here is the perfect opportunity to make an impact in this world. Can you enter the body of that golem and control it? Or is your control limited to Soul Graves on the verge of certain destruction? I shall try to defuse the situation while getting into an desirable vantage point should this conversation turn bloody. The choice is yours, remain in the peanut gallery or seek revenge with me."

Addition: Tell our guys to form up, prepare for possible battle and glorious death. Give them a quick sketch of how much the odds are against us. Again, if this comes to a battle, about all we can do is cause as much damage and cause as possible before we all die or one side or the other retreats.

Also... Looking at their soul golem, what kind of combat is it outfitted for, Mordre? Do you think we're faster than it is, might be able to avoid those fits of it? What would your weapons do against it?

Anyway, step forward, Mordre, and greet the commander. Be cautious to not act threatening, arrogant, or otherwise insulting of him, as percieved insult is what got us in this mess in the first place. I for one am seriously glad we decided to go with the 'Great mage Mordre' ruse now. This is exactly the sort of crisis that requires our delicate touch to avoid dire consequences.

>>143952
Ooo, I just remembered our Pristine Soul store. What say we use one of them to diffuse this, guys? We should at least keep that option in mind.

>>143948
THIS WITH A PRISTINE SOUL TO DICTATION AND POLITENESS

>>143950
We don't want a duel- if it comes to that, it'll be a Soul Grave contest or a duel of champions, and either pairing doesn't end well for us. We must resolve this peacefully- that's the actual fact as it stands.

However, revealing our cover story- that we're operating the Soul Grave by remote, and are in no personal danger ourselves- would likely make them much more likely to believe that we'd be willing to throw away the entirety of the force we've gathered here rather than fold, if they press the issue. Our negotiating position is much stronger for the bluff that all we'd lose is a golem, albeit a very valuable one, and an expendable unit of servants.

So. Explain that we have no quarrel with them, and have offered no insult by intention. Depending upon the size of their order, we could delay our own order by a matter of a few days to avoid conflict here; no skin off our nose. Alternately, we could retain our position at the front of the queue and compensate them for the delay by means of a few gems. But we have no need to beg for our life when we are safely removed from this conflict, and are confident that any attempt by him to squash us like a bug would result in more deaths of his own than any petty insult is worth, though we would undoubtedly lose.

>>143952
This sounds like it might have some merit.

>>143958
Not quite. From what I'm seeing, their Soul Golem might be specialized to topple fortifications. We, on the other hand, have our anti-golem cannon, our magical and ranged attacks, and hopefully speed on our side. Likewise, I'm -moderately- certain combat by mortal champion might work in our favor, though I admit myself less sure in this regard. Peaceful means would be best, I agree, but dueling is less risky than a general melee, keep in mind.

Don't forget we have the ANTI-GOLEM CANNON.

If we can arrange a duel between us and the golem they have, we can use the cannon for good effect.

especially if we fire the cannon with a pristine soul. bet we would blow one of it's arms clean off or something if we do that.

use one pristine soul for diplomacy, trying to convince them that all is well. wave your hand in front of yourself, palm out to the main dude, and say "you will not fight us". Jedi mind trick time!

>>143971
no

>>143971
...Seriously? Dude, I don't think it works that way.

>>143973
>>143976
Are you saying no to using a pristine soul or saying no to doing the whole jedi mind trick spiel?

AAAHAHAHAHA! PUNY WARRIORS, BELIEVING THEY CAN HIDE BEHIND THEIR ARMOR.

Yell at them for daring to harm your servants over the actions of a blacksmith. Begin dirge. Give the little premen a moment to duck out of the way, then release several weeks worth of stored kinetic energy into the center of their formation even as you lob an anti-golem shell into the enemy soul grave. Proceed to lay about with armor ignoring flesh devouring attacks.

>>143985
Even if we wanted to kill them all- which we might not, since there is still the possibility of salvaging positive relations from this- entering into a pitched melee with them is a quick way to get all our premen killed. Whatever happens here, we want to get out of it with no net losses of resources.

oh shit, i forgot all about the annihilator. use it on the leader! let's see what all this hiking does to something.

Can you tell if that Golem is a Soul Grave? If so, Annihilate it. Then say "It would be hard to squish me like a bug without your golem" or something similar, you know how to phrase these things.

Suggestion 2010/03/08(Mon)20:50 No. 144015 ID: 2aaaf1
File InstantCSI.swf - (180.68KB , 100x100 )

>>143985
>>143988
>>143989
>>143996
Well if the first few ideas posted don't work when i suggest this:
1. Walk up to leader.
2. Shake his hand.
3. Activate accelerator power in our soul nexus.
4. Throw him at the large golem.
5. Fire a Pristine Soul powered Amaranthine Annihilator shot(make sure it hits the leader dead center and lances through the golem as the body impacts it for dramatic effect)
6. "ICE TO MEET YOU"
7. file related

>>143952
>>143960

I try to force my thoughts upon the fragment of spirit housed within me, that it should aid me.

For once, I get a response.

"Have learned since first reaching the surface,
If Mordre destroyed, body could still be controlled,
Only pieces are needed, truly.
So why would Mordre's end be negative?
Control of the form inhabited would finally be mine.
Mordre must present a true reason to offer aid,
Not such as this."

...Well, at least it will respond to me sometimes, then.

>>143948
>>143958

"Stop wasting time treating my apprentice like he acted on his own! I, The Mage Mordre, commanded this apprentice to purchase some goods. I have just ironed out the kinks in long-range golem manipulation, And I admit to being anxious to try it out against some suitable riff raff. I apologize if my urge for haste has led to trouble, It can be difficult to still pick up social cues through this golem."

The heavy atmosphere completely breaks as shock visibly spreads through the Steel Fist Mercenaries as they hear me speak. I finish speaking to find an awkward silence, and start to wonder if my ruse was not sufficiently plausible. I decide to further enforce it, in the hopes of making them accept it as truth. I lean forward slightly as I speak out again.

"I say, did I lose sound again? Really, does this need to happen now? Ah, hold on, let me just....."

I trail off with my speech, and instead proceed to make noises akin to books and glassware shifting about, throwing out an occasional footstep, as if this mage Mordre had some form of captain's chair that he had stepped away from.

I see uncertainty start to replace the tension and shock pervading the mercenaries, and I begin to feel my gambit could pay off. I stay motionless as I continue to produce noises for a few more seconds, only speaking when I hear the apparent leader of the Steal First group before us inhale to speak.

"-kay that should do it I imagine. Now, I would prefer that this situation be resolved peaceably, I need these test subjects... and my apprentice, yes, I need them for practical field tests of several magical theories I have. 'Twould be most sad if I had to go round up more, it would take quite a bit of time."

The hostility that had filled the speaker for the Steel Fist's voice had vanished, a strangely monotone, nonplussed air pervaded his words now, as if he was still trying to adjust to some radical concept.

"....Right, my mistake, I'll accept the apprentice is not at fault. Now.... Mage Mordre, was it? Look, I don't care how important you think your research is, but you can't go doing something like that. Rogo & Sons Smithing makes good stuff, and their name has weight. Hell, the waiting list for getting Del to personally craft things is years long and a list that carries great impact on one's credibility. If I let you get off easy after you show me up like that, making Del just drop my commission like that, the Steel Fists would suffer, and if things go south for this chapter house, as far as the owners of the Steel Fists are concerned it's on my head. So I can't just let you off."

Well, I certainly leeched most of the anger out of the situation, but even if they seem to rather firmly buy my cover, and even view it as cause for concern, such as being an indication I wouldn't truly care if all my men were slain, making this harder for them when violence starts, they still value their reputation too highly to be able to just let this go like that. Hmm....

>>143950
>>143965
.....Perhaps I can get us out of this mess more directly. I maintain my persona as I address the Steel Fists again.

"Ah, one of those honor things then, is it? Well, dueling is considered quite honorable, is it not? Perhaps we could have a duel between our golems? If I lose, you will damage one of my most valuable resources, And I will await a more convenient time to get my goods, Even if my research is time sensitive. But if I were to win, then you let me keep my order, Release my samples, and aggress us no further. We could avoid unnecessary mess this way, yes?"

I try to come off as having a cavalier attitude about all of this, as I imagine one completely isolated from the ramifications of their acts might be, and hope my gamble on the personality of the Steel Fist leader is accurate.... but if this is about honor and this company is based off a military organization......

"That could be acceptable. But be warned, if I think you are using your magic to do anything more than just control your Soul Grave, I will not hesitate to kill everyone with you in retribution. Excuse me, I need to see to some preparations if we are to do this."

The ornately armored leader pulls his reins about and gallops to the base of the Soul Grave, conferring with some individuals in somewhat different armor near it.

Well, at least I found a potential way out, but....

Where I am fifteen feet tall, their golem is 24 feet tall, and likely thrice my weight, it's frame far heavier. While I am in all likelihood going to have a significant speed advantage, their golem is even more heavily armored than I, and it's arms likely can be swung with more force than my own. It is forged completely of steel, whereas I am largely Iron, with a steel fist and a Black Steel Claw. Where I have but a single mortar per shoulder, it has two barrels above each shoulder, their make foreign to me. I may have speed on my potential opponent, but I lose out on durability for certain, likely strength as well, potentially even in firepower. Only my Sable Executioner can give me a reasonable chance at having the same reach as my foe, and those runed fists make me wonder if melee with their Soul Grave might be a bad idea.


>>143956
>>143957
>>143971
I try to come up with a plan to avoid this fight..... and cannot think of anything.

But something can.

I feel a soul quaking within me, I can feel it's urge to be used. But I can also feel it's fragility, and that I would see such souls as these only rarely. I ponder if I should attempt to tap the soul, and see if it can help me out of this predicament.....


What should I do? Should I go ahead with the Soul Grave duel? Or should I use a Pristine Soul? Or should I do something else?

>>144029
Go ahead with it.

As soon as the duel starts, AA the arm at the elbow, using a Pristine for additional power and aim. Focus on tearing apart his leg with the Sable.

>>144029
Tap the soul. I am worried far too much about those shoulder-mounted weapons.

Tap that soul. It's what it's there for, and we will NOT be caught by the Too Awesome To Use trope.

>>144036
Before the duel, warn your opponents that you have enhanced the golem with several magical capabilities which require no effort to use on your part and must be classed as its abilities, no yours. He's made it clear that he might consider the result of the duel invalid if he thinks we're cheating by drawing on magic, and we can't afford that.

If we're going to use a Pristine Soul, we should use it to avoid a fight, not to win the fight itself. And... Hrmm... He needs to not let us off easy, hm? Perhaps we could arrange some sort of 'Fall' or 'Payment' on our part to ensure their reputation is maintained?

>>144029
Firstly, to the spirit's response: "I ask you for little aid spirit, only hindrance to my foe. If you can stop its movements, then that is all that is needed. I apologize if my request reached you as an attempt to undermine you, I meant no such insult."

Secondly, there IS an easy way to bring an end to this fight rather quickly... But it involves getting really close. But avoiding this fight would be a much better outcome. So tap that soul.

tap the soul, see what it can do. if it seems likely to tip the scales in our favor in this fight, use it. if it isnt something that can make this fight go well for us, blast the other soul grave with the AA, preferably amplified with a pristine soul.
We should have used the pristine soul to avoid a fight altogether, but this is the next best way to use it, and i believe the only way we can get out of this with minimal injury is by using a pristine soul.

Guys, the duel hasn't started yet, we've still got a chance to do something to try and avoid combat.

>>144072
Well, it's not like the Pristine Soul will suddenly teleport us out of this awkward situation. We should probably have a decent handle on whatever conversation tack we're going to try before using it and thinking that it'll make diplomacy magically work.

yes, we already agreed to a grave vs grave battle. using it to get out of the fight is just nonsensical.

>>144029
What is this foolishness? You seem to have forgotten we have a particularly potent secret weapon. The Amaranthine Annihilator, with several weeks worth of charge. Steel construction does not provide any real defense against being flash-cooled to the point where the sheer stress of the transfer of heat causes your material structure to detonate. ESPECIALLY if followed up by an Anti-Golem cannon shot. There won't be anything left, if its construction is truly simple steel. Synergies, man, Synergies.

that plan is PERFECT! make sure you inform them of the fact that 'your golem' has an eyebeam enchantment so they know you are not castings spells through it.

Wait.

Why don't we just talk to the Soul Grave itself? If we can make it self-aware it might join us and SLAUGHTER our enemies.

>>144104
Just talking to it won't make it self-aware, anymore than we could awaken the Small Tomb. We'd need some sort of specialized spell for that, which we don't have.

To expand, lets look at it this way: Assuming a 1500 m/s velocity*, the AG cannons 14 kilogram projectile will impact with a kinetic energy of about 15 Megajoules, which is more than sufficient to core through DU reinforced Steel armor, without factoring in the effects of rifling.

Compounding this, is the fact that low-carbon steel becomes incredibly brittle when rapidly cooled to sub-zero temperatures, as I recall. Really, when it comes to breaking down large, armored opponents, the Amaranthine Annihilator couldn't have been a more perfect weapon than a lightspeed freezeray.

OOC: This is the velocity of an M1's smoothbore cannon

>>144085
I would hope that the glowing ruby eyes surrounded by runes might be a tip off on that one. I dunno though. I suppose they might think those just allow the mage controlling you to see.

Actually, that might be a worthwhile addition to our ruse at some point. If somebody who can read runes reads stuff about sight and distance around our face, it lends weight to the story.

>>144036
>>144051
>>144081
>>144083
>>144085
....No, I have been around fleshlings too long, and I have started to think in a cowardly fashion like them, if I doubt myself so. I will not wrest my way out of this with a silvered tongue, or some sort of tribute to this pathetic bag of flesh! I care not if he commands hundreds more, in the end they are all just weak sacks of meat, so easily destroyed. While I acknowledge the need for maintaining a cover to avoid a worst-case-scenario of people discovering I can think of r myself, I see no reason to defy my nature, and resist conquering this obstacle before me as I would any other: with brutal and overwhelming force.

...And as I think this, I feel a different soul call out to me, with a call much more to my liking. It whispers of power untold held within my eyes, enough to crush this foe.... but the enchantments are simply to crude to handle such output. The soul then urges it's invocation, and I feel it's thirst for violence mirroring my own current mood, and I reach out and grasp the power offered.

[-1 PRISTINE SOUL TOTAL REMAINING: 01]
[-1 soul Total remaining: 93]

I feel the feeble runes inscribed in my visage flood with power, Soulfire etching improvements into their form.... and as the runes are augmented, I feel the power the soul promised, waiting to be released. The blast I mustered before on the yeti shaman paled compared to this force, a vast see of power. I feel the soul that singled itself out so burning away as it gives it's everything to the enchantment about my Amaranthine Annihilator, yet I feel..... contentment drifting from the soul even as it fades.

I turn to face the Soul Grave of the Steel Fists, as their leader returns. He starts to speak, his are of pompousness returned.

"Fine, Let us begin this duel yo-"

AMARANTHINE ANNIHILATOR

Power explodes from my eyes as a great lance of baleful magic, hurtling across the open air to hit the Steel Fist Golem. For the barest fraction of a second, the entire steel golem glows cherry red, as heat is forcibly expelled from it's body. A wall of flame explodes outwards, and several of the mercenaries fall of startled horses.

But as the wall of fire spreads at blinding speeds, it takes with it the incredible heat that moments ago was in the golem. Tremendous, resounding creaks and groans, the squeals of tortured metal assault the area, the golem's form starting to warp and chip as it is covered with an icy sheen. The power of the blast was intense, but not enough to break my foe as I had the yeti shaman.

Thankfully, I have a cannon for that.

With a roaring boom loud enough to drown out the sound of warping metal, I fire a thirty plus pound anti-golem drill shell, designed exactly for this sort of situation.

The golem's left shoulder and upper left chest simply shatter, showering those nearby with a rain of cooled steel slivers and shards, several of the mercenaries crying out in pain. The golem's left arm starts to fall with nothing left to hold it up any longer. Cracks spasm through the metal from the gaping wound, tracing along the golem's left leg, whole chest and head. Soulfire starts to billow from the gash, as the steel golem falls to it's knees, and slowly pitches forward.

"I seem to have won. Now leave."

The Steel Firsts commander looks at me, his helmet gone in the confusion, his mouth agape.

And the Steel Fists go, the two Premen hostages released.


What should I do now? It's still early morning, the sun having just dawned.

>>144120
IT IS DELICIOUS STEEL. YOU MUST EAT IT.

FUCK YEAH!!!!

>>144120
Haha, Mordre. You rock. KA-BEWM! hahaaha

Now turn to the premen, and let out a cry of victory!

Then ask Arkus if we're in deep shit for doing something so bloody obvious this close to the border.

if it is still active but near broken try to drain the rest of the souls out of it then reset it.

>>144120
We should probably make sure to keep moving enough that we build up a new charge rather quickly. We might have to replicate that feat, if we gain a reputation for it.

Is the effect of the pristine soul on our Annihilator permanent, or was that a one-time thing? The reference to augmented runes implies a lasting effect to me.

I would be rather interested in seeing the reactions of our followers. I don't think anyone expected you to end it that fast.

Also, ask Arkus to inspect the runes around the golem's undamaged arm. I'm rather curious about what those would do, and if they can be used to enhance our own siege arm.

Finally, be sure to consume whatever souls the fallen Soul Grave leaves behind. You mind find something worthwhile among the dregs.

>>144120
Eat remaining souls, salvage that arm. If at all possible, contact Del Rogo and have him use some of the spare metals from this soul grave in the premen armor. Granted he'll probably yell at us for interrupting his work... But hey, at least he has one less fehk'n order to fill.

But more importantly: WE NEED TO GET CONQUERING AZELHAEDRAN ASAP. I'm damn sure the chapter house we just sent packing won't tell their leaders what happened out of shame, but in the event that they DO, we need to prepare for them marching on down to our location.

>>144186
Why would we want to do that? It provides no real benefit and will only serve to piss off Del Rogo

>>144208
Rogo has all the steel he needs, he has his own forge workshop. if anything we can eat it and change from iron to steel.

>>144214
ack, was replying to the guy above you.

>>144208
We only need so much metal to convert our body to steel, I don't think it'd be prudent to lug around a few thousand pounds of the stuff in the middle of staging a hostile invasion and takeover of one of the states that attributed to the downfall of our home. Unless we've got somewhere to store it all, or we feel generous and just DONATE the metal we don't plan on using, we might as well have Del Roga make something good with it.

>>144217
My point is, I highly doubt he wants it. Telling him to "make the armor out of this scrap" is akin to telling him how to do his job, which given his depicted personality, is just going to piss him off to no real gain. If you really want him to make use of it, once we're done you can just point out the location of the remains if, at some point, he wishes to retrieve them.

>>144217
yes, but we don't interrupt the man. when we get our armour just say we had a run in with the fists and he can have what's left. this is assuming the golem is not just incapacitated. and some repairs will get it active again.

>>144219
>>144220
Good point, but we really should do SOMETHING with this metal in the mean time. I don't think we're going to encounter another Soul Grave of this scale that is this easy to deal with, we need to store this somewhere where people can't find it. For one thing, if bandits or normal people find this big wreckage sitting here, they're going to figure out something is going on. Also, if the steel fists return to find no wreckage and we succeed in making ourselves scarce til the armors are complete, the group that challenged is will most likely be punished for incompetence while we walk away scott free with our shiny new stuff.

>>144239
Can't we just eat it all, get a steel body and maybe grow bigger?

For the steel let's eat whatever is needed to fully transition all of our bodies metals into it. For whatever is left over we can give a good portion of it to Roga as a gift, and ask if he can store some of it for us in shop so we can take the rest of it back to Modreden and further improve the place. Before we do any of this we need to examine the runes on the arms of the defeated golem and have Arkus take notes of them so that we may incorperate them into our form at a later time.

oh, another idea is ask if the spirit could use the downed body, instead of taking over you when you go down, it can take over that one's husk.

>>144274
I thought we were going to offer it the Small Tomb once we delivered the five mage skins to Kyorto and he gave control of it over to us. I mean we could give him this one if it can take it over in it's state, but it has a lot of resources we could use at the moment.

I'm gonna laugh if Bob clarifies "oh, they took their wrecked golem with them."

>>144138
[Permanent. The runes involving the A.A. have been strengthened and given greater complexity, they permanently can discharge more power and store more total, though the method of absorbing power remains the same.]

>>144340
START LAUGHING THEN

>>144121
>>144126
>>144186
While thoughts of converting the fallen Soul Grave to my cause, feasting upon it, and offering it to the spirit within me all appeal to me in their own ways, the Steel Fists DID bring their golem with them, pulling it along behind their mounts with a multitude of ropes, dragging their weapon away. Likewise the Steel Fist numbers may have some wounded now, but none of their number fell, even when they were faced with an explosion of steel slivers and spikes within their own camp.

....They did leave behind the steel left arm, the runes on the fist still undamaged. The arm represents several thousand pounds of steel in an of itself, enough to convert my head and torso to steel if I choose, leaving only my arms and legs still iron, and is (relatively) small enough I could carry it with no difficulty. I may not have been able to claim the entirety of the opposed Soul Grave during this first encounter, but I nonetheless have claimed considerable spoils from this encounter.

>>144124
I turn back to the Premen, still standing behind me with weapons held ready, to find outright awe and admiration on several faces, respect for violence and destruction plain to see amongst my followers. I let out a roar of victory, and the Premen likewise explode into cheering, the two freed scouts cheering the loudest.

Now that the Steel Fists have departed, and I find my urges to crush the arrogant cretins that bothered us abating, I turn to Arkus, a question occurring to me.

"Do you have a firm sense of what shall come as a result of this act? I know Duras forbids Soul Graves, and we are currently right at the edge of their border. Would they come to seek retribution against a vilified Soul Grave if they were informed?"

Arkus continues to stare at the broken arm still resting upon the ground, his mouth slightly agape, before belatedly responding.

"...Well, The Steel Fists are pretty well known for never failing to fulfill a contract, and have a good reputation.... On the other hand, you kicked the crap out of their best weapon, even if it was a bit of a sucker punch. So, I have no idea. They might complain to the authorities after they get their own Soul Grave stored.... wherever the hell it is they keep it since Duras won't allow them, maybe bring the army down on us. That, uh, that would be a worst case scenario. They could end up just resting on their bloody nose, since until or even if they can repair their Soul Grave, they don't have much that can stand up to you other than cannons.

But I figure they are going to take some sort of action, the Steel Fists is a pretty big mercenary company, and they can't afford a bad rep. ....Though no one but our two groups were here to witness it... Honestly, I have no idea, it would be completely unfounded conjecture."

Hm, while I do not regret my actions in the slightest, the act of putting the fleshlings in their place quite cathartic, I wonder if we should relocate. After all, Del Roga will have the goods ready at Hletwa in five days at dawn, until then we don't need to be here. Why wait when trouble, potentially more of it than we could realistically handle, could be coming for us?


But where should we go? And what should we do? There are dense forests to the south that would likely present some difficult to my bulky form to navigate, but would provide excellent shelter, veiling us from all but the most astute seekers. Back to the west are flat-lands and eventually the cursed forest. To the north, the terrain slowly converts into a series of arid steppes, with no lord laying claim to the land. And to the east, the warring nations.... on the other side of Duras. I know I considered hunting bandits in this interim period, but where would be a good place to look for them?

>>144342
Runes on arm? Score! Get Arkus to study them and to figure what they do. Also, start studying runes youself. Seriously, letting someone do magic on your body without even basic understanding of how it works?

Traditionaly, bandits live in the forests, as it provide cover, ready supply of wood for fires and shelter and animals and plants for food.
So, I vote south.

>>144342
Whatever we decide to do with the arm, tell Arkus to copy the runes for future use. Head south, it looks like the best shelter we'll be getting for a while. If the trees are that much trouble, cut them down with your blade launcher.

Get Arkus to study the runes, and copy them. Attempt to learn the theories of magic, and learn the universal magic language they're putting together. You might not have enough mage souls to actually cast, but surely you can learn about it.

After (or while) studying the arm, we should definitely consume as much of it as possible. Having a steel body would be far superior to our current iron one.

Let's relocate to the forest. There's no sense leaving ourselves exposed when the Steel Fists might try something, and if there's one thing that bandits like it's being able to hide.

I say either hide in the forest, look for bandits and/or mages, and wait until the armor is ready, or go to the steppes, hunt more bandits and/or mages, possibly run in to more steel fists, and wait for the armor.

Could you just take the arm and graft it onto yourself instead of consuming it? Failing that, just analyze said runes.

>>144425
Its too big. He'd need to resize his whole body first.

>>144344
Dang, beat me to it.
Seconding though.

Oh yea. Remember that if you decide to get the new tattoo you should make sure that it wont mess with your current enchantments and soul boosts. I would hate to see the DRAGON OF THE END soul Nexus ruined.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/03/09(Tue)16:48 No. 144482 ID: d1210a
File 126818210512.jpg - (267.74KB , 750x600 , The Forest.jpg )

>>144344
>>144349
>>144413
>>144414
I order Arkus to make etchings, notes, and copies as necessary so that he has as close to a perfect sample of this enchantment's structure as he can get, and I wait patiently while he works. After scribbling upon dozens of sheefs of paper, many of them already bearing writing on the other side, Arkus steps away from the arm, his task complete.

"Well, as near as I can figure, the runes involve decay AND empowerment, but while both types of runes are present, they don't seem to interact with each-other much. Maybe.... a dual enchantment of some sort, that causes multiple effects simultaneously? But then, I don't even have a clue what these runes over here even do, so who knows, this enchantment could even have a tertiary layer, and that would be complex as all hell. ...Really, this is still new ground to me, if you want me to be able to tell you more about magic, I'll need a lot more tombs on magic and time to study them, or better yet a teacher who understands them. But then, you could just ask them, I imagine.

Bottom line, I have no idea about much of the mechanics behind this rune, it's simply too complex for me to decode with how little I yet know about runes myself. So I can't replicate it, not unless I can find some reference texts to help me with this. ....Well, that's not entirely true. I saw something......" Arkus begins rummaging through the many pouches about his cloak, before gently pulling forth one of the books from the Mosmordren ruins.

"...Yeah, there is a way to try and put these runes on you we could use. I don't need to know or understand the magic involved with the spells bound in these runes, if we have a sample of it on another Soul Grave. Alright, so Soul Graves were designed so that, in the event that an existing, heavily enchanted Soul Grave got destroyed, any parts with still unbroken runes upon them could be fed to a new Soul Grave, and none of the magic would get wasted, since it would bond to the similar spell matrices of the new golem.

Ah... there is a bit of a hitch to it, though. To make it work, I need to inscribe a couple runes of Chaos on your hand, break up the order bound in it's form. I would do that so it is mutable enough that when you eat the arm, the enchantment can migrate to you, and after a gestation period as it bonds to you, presto, enchantment transfer. The problem is, because I make your arm more inclined to chaos, AND there are variations between spell matrices, the existing enchantment doesn't so much harmonize with you as it does be forcibly mutated until it matches your own magic. None of the power is lost, but..... the book makes note that the results can be unpredictable, though it doesn't really say anything about it being dangerous.

Anyway, uh, something occurred to me while I was looking over the arm. I imagine you plan to, ah, eat the arm to convert more of your form to steel, yes? Well, some of the manuals I've been looking through make mention of Soul Graves being able to blend metals together within themselves. Since you are already made of iron, and steel is pretty much iron anyway.... I think you could just use the steel here to universally enhance the iron parts of your body, rather than just converting parts of it to full steel like your fist."

I nod to Arkus as he concludes his findings and observations report, and pluck the steel arm from the ground, still covered in a sheen of frost, taking it with me as I lead the now fully packed Premen to the south, into the dense forests there, both in search of bandits while I wait for Del Roga to craft our goods, and to avoid being easily found should the Steel Fists come looking again. As well as our last encounter may have gone, they still have their Soul Grave, and far more numbers than I can claim.

The sun reaches it's zenith as we enter the woods, brilliantly shining down a flood of light.... that is snuffed, strangled to a thin whisper of light amidst the dense canopy of trees. We continue on, the light almost gone as we finally come upon something of a clearing beneath a massive tree, the first reasonably large open area we have seen since entering the forest. Camp is set up shortly, and two fire-pits assembled with nearby stones spring into existence shortly thereafter. We have reached the forest. I send out some scouts, six of them this time, to seek out bandits or anything else of note in the vicinity of our camp over the course of the night, as I ponder what to do with the steel arm I carry.



What should I do? Should I ask Arkus to go ahead with the necessary steps for the enchantment transfer, or should I pass on the option? When I eat the steel arm, should I convert my head and torso to full steel, or should I enhance all of the iron in me equally?
[when posting what Mordre should do, roll a 1d20 (yes, twenty) for how the scouts fair. They get a +1 bonus from caution instilled by recent events and how the last set of scouts performed.]

rolled 15 + 1 = 16

---

>>144482
Okay, so I say we should get the chaos runes and eat the arm. I'm fully expecting it to be awesome.

rolled 11 = 11

---

>>144482
I think we should forego the transfer process, we shouldn't risk blowing up our arm on an outcome we have no real control over. We should still eat the arm and strengthen the parts already integrated equally. As long as Arkus copied most of the runes, we can find someone who is better at runecrafting to decipher them and teach Arkus how to use the recovered runes better.

rolled 7 + 1 = 8

---

if it wont destroy the nexus then it would be a good idea to integrate the spell. if it has a higher then 10% chance of destruction then don't.

rolled 14 + 1 = 15

---

>>144482
I don't want to go ahead with enchantment when we don't know what it does and it might disrupt our existing enchantments. Arkus' notes should be sufficient for making use of the designs at a later date, when we can have them fully analyzed- either by him when he has more references available or by Kyorto.

Eat the arm and distribute the improvement throughout those portions of our body that can benefit from it.

People have already rolled so I'm forgoing that step.

I vote to inscribe the chaos runes and get new powarz. I mean, what could go wrong? (metagaming) If Bob wants us to do it, he's not going to just say "lol ur hand explodez haha u fail" so we at least have a reasonable chance of success.

And I want new powers. >:D

>>144485
[First roll of 16 for scouts stored]
>>144497
>>144516
I have made it this far by being decisive, by taking aggressive actions. If I can find more power through this method Arkus mentions, than I shall not reject it. I have Arkus inscribe the runes of chaos upon my own steel fist, and feast upon the arm I still carry.

As I rip and rend my way through the metal, feasting upon the steel, I spread what I eat widely, letting it permeate every bit of iron in me. As I continue to consume the steel, I feel my form shifting, the iron slowly being laced with carbon, bit by bit. The process will be time consuming, but I have no qualms with waiting, I need not sleep, and the whole night is ripe for exploitation.

Far more-so than the change in my metal, though, is the change I feel in my hand I feel the Soul Nexus within my hand trembling at the swirling mass of chaos that pulls the enchantments from the metal I eat into it's mass, growing as I feed.

I can feel the churning mass of disorder and power maturing, and I reach out to it, trying to snare it, to grasp what is forming. I can feel the spells within resist my influence, still attuned to a different golem, but the chaos that surrounds it quickly responds to my call, latching itself to my hand physically as well as magically. Runes start to simply form upon my hand, it's metal flowing as inscriptions and formulas start to manifest embossed on my fist.

[DAY 53]

The day dawns as I finish my feast, my body now tinged a dark gray-blue, the spell now anchored to my fist still being warped by the runes of chaos to accept me as it's new master. As the camp fully awakens, the scouts return, bringing word that they found two groups of armed humans without any uniforms (I had trouble explaining the concept of bandits to the Premen, as most have burned, raided and pillaged other clans themselves at some time) traveling through the forest, in opposed directions. One group has thirteen members, the other twenty six. The two groups are in almost completely opposed directions. Neither group noticed the Premen scouts.


Well, what should I do?

>>144521
What exactly is our objective with these bandits? To kill them for practice and amusement? To recruit them as additional minions? Something else?

I lean towards minionizing them, personally. Sure, they're bandits, but bandits are worth no more or less than any other armed human, when one comes down to it. They've got history, motivations, and ambitions for the future. Some of them might jump at the chance to serve someone with a massive golem and twenty gigantic barbarian warriors. Until we actually get into our target nation we don't need to worry about reputation-building, and we'll need more numerous minions than the Premen anyway- why not start building up an army now?

>>144521
Split our forces and create two groups, one headed by Ugrokk and the other headed by Oggroth. Ugrokk attacks the smaller group, aiming to kill them and capture any bandit that looks relatively important. Oggroth's will attack the main force and also aim to capture anyone of interest. We will keep an eye on both groups and have them send out a call to us should there be any trouble, I recommend they try to imitate our dirge or use a traditional yell.

have a forward force follow the larger group while the bulk of our force hangs back. the group should have a base of some kind with stuff to take.

>>144525
>>144526
I believe the point of hunting bandits was "for food." And don't split the party, especially if a subset of the party has trouble differentiating between okay and not okay to attack.

Next time you get some down time, have Arkus look at the modified enchantment around your eyes. He drew the basis himself, he should have an easier time understanding the changes which have improved upon it than he did the unknown golem arm. Hopefully he can learn from it.

>>144541
Oh. We just want more souls? I suppose that works, although it's not like we're running short. I suppose it can't hurt to get a bigger stock, though.

Don't split the party. Have everyone go after the larger group, since they're likely to be better off and will provide more souls in any case. Have scouts get intelligence while everyone else comes up, then attack as dusk falls, when visibility will be poor. Use Oggroth's men as the main assault force and have Ugrokk's prepared to take down any who try to flee or attempt to fall back and regroup.

If we attack the bandits, we need to somehow surround a group so that it cannot retreat, then Mordre can feast on their souls.

lets go after the smaller group alone, and send everyone else after the bigger group. kill them all, suck their souls, send them to eternal damnation!

>>144633
If we're not present when they die, their souls will be gone long before we have a chance to devour them.

i think follow and raid their base would be best, we not only kill guys, but get any neat stuff they may have.

>>144557
>>144623
>>144537
I decide to led our forces against the larger group of bandits, follow them from a distance with the help of our scouts, and strike when they either return to their base, should they have one, or dusk falls, to exploit poor visibility to enhance our ambush, whichever comes first.

Arkus mumbles a few words as he focuses on the giant ruby atop his appropriated staff, a rippling string of light writhing within the gem, and taps the staff against the ground. All of our supplies and equipment abruptly become..... less noticeable. Had I not known to look for them, my gaze would have simply tracked past them, their features somehow difficult to register.

"...That worked a great deal better with a gem. Wow. Good to know. ...Wonder if the duration is still as crappy.... Anyway, put a spell on our stuff, makes it hard to notice, should be good to leave it here, practically impossible to find unless you already know it is there. ....So, I guess we are going bandit hunting then? ...Ah, shou.. should I fight too?"

As the Premen form up around Oggroth and Ugrokk, I consider Arkus' state. He looks.... afraid, I can feel his fear of mortality seeping through his flesh, the source of his hesitance. I still do not understand this feeling of fear of death, I have not yet felt it, so I cannot relate. So long as I can feast upon metal and souls, I can endure..... forever.


But what should I say to Arkus? Should he come fight with us, or stay with the tent and continue to study the rune etchings and notes he took? Or should he do something else?

>>144706
"Remain and study, Arkus."

>>144706
"You may remain here Arkus. Your powers are capable enough for battle, but your time would be better spent in study. Be wary Arkus, should anything happen here in our absence you should signal for our return."

>>144706
"Arkus, was your first wish not to become a mage of note? Now is your chance to take another step on that path, one does not reach greatness by sitting idle. I can see a future where stand at the front of my armies, the most powerful mage alive, but it is up to you to make it so."

If that doesn't work then have him breath and use his Adaptable Analytical Psyche to get him calm.

>>144758
agreeing with this one.
also, what does he have to fear of bandits? he has the mightiest warriors in the land with him.

>>144763
>>144758
Uh...
Not all mages are warmages.

>>144769
That's true, he could also become a master at runes and attempt to learn soul magic from Kyorto and the salvaged books he can translate, or anything he damn well pleases.Any direction we go with Arkus he needs to get over his fears of battle. There will be many more fights to come and he's bound to get caught up in them, in fact he already has when we dealt with the Yeti. We're fighting the weakest enemies we can right now without them being pushovers. There's no time like this one to help Arkus work through his nerves and fears. Let him go scuttle off into the backround every time there's a fight will only hurt him in the long run.

>>144795
Then have him ride on our back while he shoots shit, then.

Erm...does he know any combative magic? Also, suggest that he could try to adapt that spell he just used to allow himself to participate in the battle unnoticed, a form of cloaking, if you will.

>>144804
pretty sure he learned how to shoot fire and lighting from his magic-stick by talking to the preman shamans.

>>144801
The front of the army spiel is to get him psyched up and calm his nerves. We can put him in the back lines or on our shoulder or whatever location would be deemed safe.

>>144801
Yes.

You are a great mage, or so you wish to be. You will be a warmage of the highest order, a runecrafter without peer, but you must overcome the petty failings of the flesh. Come! Stride across my back and let us roar into battle!

leave arkus, hes to important to let be killed by simple bandits. Have him do exactly what we have him here for, studying rune magics.

Yes, Arkus is too valuable to lose, but he need more confidence. Killing few bandits within controlled enviroment would be great. This way, he get taste of what battle is like, meaning that he wouldn't freeze in combat situation if he had to fight in future.

>>144708
>>144748
>>144997
I contemplate leaving Arkus behind to watch the camp and pursue more scholarly ventures while Oggroth, Ugrokk and the rest of the Premen come with me to stalk the bandits....

>>144758
>>144763
>>144993
>>144999
...But I decide that he should come with me to get a taste of battle, of bloodshed that he takes part in.

"Arkus, you shall go into battle astride my shoulders, Where you shall rain death upon our foes from above. I foresee you leading armies, a warmage of the highest caliber, And this shall be but the first step upon your path to glory. And if you fear for thine safety in this upcoming sortie, Then perhaps you could adapt this spell about the camp to affect you. Now, let us be off!"

As I reach down for Arkus, he dances away from my hand, spouting off a frantic explanation.

"HeyuhlookholdonIthinkyoushouldknowsometingfirst!"

I stop my hand for a moment, Arkus takes a deep breath before beginning a deluge of words aimed at me.

"First, because there is active Chaos-based power in your hand, I would REALLY like to not be touched with it. All sorts of crazy things happen when living flesh touches an incubating mass of chaos, and it is rarely good. So, if I must come with you, please kneel, I'll make my way up on my own. But before I do, there were a couple other things I wanted to clarify first, because you seem to have a mistaken view of me.

Second, The original spell that I modified to exploit the ruby had a duration in the dozens of minutes, and dusk is a LONG way off, so if the duration didn't get magnified as much as the effective range did, our gear would be fully visible well before we got back.... unless some stayed to actively re-cast the spell as needed. If you thought me scared, it was likely because I was concerned about all those documents we salvaged potentially getting stolen if the spell wore off before we returned.

Third, I do not like fighting. Sure, I might learn some war magic, or maybe even combat magic if I get the time and a good teacher, but it would only be for the purpose of furthering my own knowledge of the workings of magic, and gaining greater mastery with magic in general. I prefer to study, observe, theorize, and test magic, spend my time questing to learn as much about it's mechanics and intricacies as I can, not spend my time slinging around the same few spells because I have grown used to them being the most useful in the fights I get into.

So, if it is alright with you, I would prefer, for the previously mentioned reasons, to stay and watch the camp while I keep looking at the rune etchings I have. If you still prefer I go with you, just say so and I'll come along though, I just wanted to get my reasoning on the table."


Should I kneel down and ask Arkus to accompany us on the planned attack on the bandits, or should I leave him here?

>>145005
leave him

>>145005
"Haha, Well put, Arkus. Well put. If you've genuinely thought out the path you wish to take this far, then I see no reason to try to force you from it, especially with such a firm grasp on the true benefit of your talents. You'll make a real mage yet."

Combat magics are overrated anyway. Supportive and logistical applications of magic are where the real benefits are at, anyways. Mosmordre wasn't felled by fireballs and lightning, after all.

>>145012
True. We can leave Arkus, if that's what he really wants. A pity, though... while theory is all well and good, application is important as well. But I suppose cloaking our camp is as reasonable an application as any.

>>145005
"You may stay this time Arkus, I'll not force you. However, I must warn you of the hard times to come. Your dislike for battle is understandable considering your mortality, you are worth more alive than dead. Necessity demands that you learn to kill or be killed, this is a universal truth accepted by man machine and nature. I harbor no ill intent towards you, I'm trying to protect you the only way I know of. Even if I were to let you go back to whatever you call home, your safety has already been breached by association with myself. Should the Steel Fists or any other number of toes we've trampled recognize you, they'll not hesitate to destroy you. For both of our sakes, I hope your studies will yield a way for you to stand against our foes when I am too far away to defend you."

Stirring speeches asside, I only thought bringing him along would be a good idea just to get him used to fighting, because he comes off as a little squeamish, and not so he could be a battlemage. And furthermore, being a squishy weak thing on top of the huge bullseye that takes siege weapons to hurt is not a good way to stay alive or in one piece. So I liked nothing about the execution of the old plan. His current reasons are valid, and I wish I could think of a way to vocalize that without sounding like a completely out of character reversal of the previous conversation.

>>145024
>>145009
>>145012
>>145013
>>145015

"Your reasons seem sound, little mage, And your preference to study has been of use to me. Very well, you may stay with the camp, But know that for siding with me, You may need to fight, no matter what you wish."

"Which is why I want to learn enough that I never need fight those who would threaten me so. Thank you for your consideration, Lord Mordre."

Arkus seems oddly formal, but I pay it no mind, this decision made, and my company ready to travel, to track down the bandits. I order Oggroth and Ugrokk both to stay to the rear of the group with me, while the comparatively smaller and less easily spotted Premen take the lead, the scouts that found the bandits at the forefront, leading us to our targets. It takes nearly two hours to reach the bandits' location deeper in the woods. Currently, we are several hundred feet distant behind several clumps of trees that have slowly merged as their growth brought them into contact, Oggroth and myself farther back, hidden behind some fallen timber, at the back of our party.

From this distance, I can make out the following:
--There are twenty five bandits scattered about the camp, all armed. I cannot discern much more about them at this distance.
--There are several horses tied to a stake in the middle of camp. Either seven or eight, difficult to be certain at this distance.
--They are talking about something, a large portion of the camp involved.

If I want to learn more, someone would need to get closer. But the Premen cannot understand the common tongue yet, so I would have to gain proximity myself. I imagine I would not need to move much farther forward to hear, perhaps a few dozen feet.


What should I do? Should I try to get closer so I can learn more about the bandits? Or should we wait, and see if the bandits break camp soon? Or should we begin our ambush now, rather than wait to see if they have a base? Or should I do something else?

>>145024
The previous statement was just a way to get Arkus to stop being squeamish, because that was what Mordre thought the problem was.

Arkus, in his own words, realized this. So its not a reversal, its just both of us realizing the truth of the matter.

Fire the mortars. Tell the Premen to try to take at least one alive, for information.

Also I wonder if Arkus can apply a similar spell to the one he used to hide the gear to himself, so he doesn't get robbed or anything, since we didn't leave a guard for him.

I'm sure he'll be fine. Shoot those mortars!

lets blow them to smithereens! launch the golem cannon into the middle of the group, killing and scaring as many as possible. after, find the largest group of bandits and blade them in half. then run in and slice the rest in half with the sable executioner. Or we can test our new chaos fist on them, whatever exposes their soul works.

>>145040
While a first strike is good and all, we've gotten this far by being a step ahead of everyone else. Lets try to hear what they're talking about. More information never hurts.

The only issue with that is that I can't imagine you'll be terribly hard to notice, since I highly doubt you can move stealthily. You'll need to cover your eyes so that the ruby-red glow doesn't give you away, and you'll need to produce some sort of sound to mask your steps. Perhaps if you imitated a strong wind rustling the trees, or the keening of some manner of insect. Something to blend in with the environment.

ALso, be wary of scouts. They may be bandits, but they're large enough to imply organization, and you don't get to that point without being competent enough to have scouts watching your treeline.

>>145053
In fact, now that I think of it: Have some premen scout out the perimeter of the group. If they did put out a watch, your premen may have been noticed earlier, and that may be what they're talking about.

OTherwise, they're likely preparing to march, considering its still seems to be late morning. I want to know where they're marching to, if thats the case.

>>145025
One thing : Where are 26th bandit?

>>145030
>>145040
I brace my hand against the ground as I steady the anti-golem cannon, and look for suitable clumps of targets to launch the six bladed discs I carry at. After sighting my foes, I fire everything I have as I give the order to charge.

With a tremendous boom, the anti-golem cannon fires, and the cluster of horses explodes in a sea of red, only two of their number even still in one piece, shrieking and bucking as they try to escape the death around them. Simultaneous to the attack on the horses, six blades whirl into the camp at waist level, whizzing past in the blink of an eye, bisected bodies and gore in their wake. Before the bandits are even aware they are under attack, thirteen of their number lay slain, butchered on the ground. I can see the shock and horror about their faces, the level of brutality they are being subjected to far greater than any they have seen before. I see some rush to the horses, but cannot calm the frantic beasts still alive.

And as the full weight of the sudden loss of half their numbers sinks in, the Premen charge reaches them, pouring into their camp. Some of the bandits are simply overwhelmed by this tide of bodies, and fall beneath them to be ground into dust. But some offer more resistance, grouping together to make a valiant last stand.

A giant sphere of iron plunges from the sky, a chain trailing behind the hurtling projectile. The massive lump of metal slams down into the group, outright crushing two of the warriors and maiming another, the sheer force of the impact knocking the few remaining bandits' balance off.

And that is all it takes. The Premen warriors about them exploit this moment of weakness, and the last bandits fall. The entire bandit group has been slain in the initial moment of combat. Perhaps I can work with the Premen on the concept of capturing opponents for interrogation, but for now I must accept that I have no one to question from this group, all have been slain.

>>145081
...Or perhaps not ALL of them. The scouts mentioned 26 bandits, so where is the last one? Something to ponder.


What should I do?

>>145175
Send out the fastest Premen as scouts of the surrounding forest. He needs to be found, lest he escape to tell tales of what happened here.

Also, souls.

Also mk2, Examine the bodies and the campsite for anything of note. A map would be most useful, as it would likely have orders or markings that we can use to puzzle out what they were doing.

>>145180
Seconding this.

>>145180
try to find anything that could be of any importance to us.
congratulate the premen on a perfectly-executed massacre

>>145175
DELICIOUS SOULS YOU MUST EAT THEM.

Also send some premen back to Arkus while the rest scavange. Can't let good weaponry go to waste, eh?

...Wait, there's one bandit missing, and we left Arkus alone? Send somebody (Or a few somebodies) back to make sure he's alright.

>>145175
How much daylight is left? I say we salvage what we can from this camp and begin hunting the other bandit group. The missing bandit from this camp might've just witnessed us destroy his comrades and went to tip the others off about our presence in the forest.

>>145180
>>145190
>>145202
>>145210
>>145215

"One of their number has fled! Run them down, bring them back alive! The fastest of you, go!"

I yell out this command before the Premen have even begun celebrating, and the harshness of my words makes Ugrokk snap to attention, and call out seven names, and dash off into the woods, his long legs eating up the ground at absurd speeds as seven Premen dash off into the woods as fast as they can, already fanning out.

"Alright, two warriors head back to camp, Make sure it and Arkus are unharmed, And that the fleeing bandit did not travel that way."

Another two Premen pull themselves from the crowd as Oggroth looks at them, still reeling his chain back in from the devastating overhand swing he performed. The rest of the Premen look to me expectantly, after my prior two commands, their respect for my leadership evident.

"All else, start salvaging what you can, Claim arms and armor that you can use, And any food they have. Plunder everything they have, And save some for your brethren!"

With a guttural roar of approval the remaining Premen begin looting, and rifling through the pouches and bags scattered about the fire. Food is confiscated in abundance, and many look at some of the swords the bandits held, mostly broadswords, with speculation. Even Oggroth lumbers up, plucking up a large haunch of one of the dead horses, and crunching on it with a content look about his face as he snaps through ribs with little difficulty. Some of the Premen even begin butchering the dead bandits, preparing what can be salvaged for curing and drying along with the rest of the food.

Shortly every Premen has a broadsword and sheath for it attached to their pelts either by rope or with a salvaged belt. Even more, the bits of armor the bandits bore that was salvaged have been re-appropriated, all the Premen sporting at least one piece of armor fastened to themselves, usually a leg plate to cover a forearm or a chest plate to cover a leg. All, that is, except for Oggroth, simply too big to use any of this. Enough has been saved for the rest of the Premen already given tasks to be outfitted when they reunite with us. But while a large piece of parchment that may have been a map is found, blood has soaked into it far too heavily for anything to be discerned, so whatever knowledge it may have held is lost.

I did not sit idly by while the Premen looted, and wandered about the carnage of the battlefield, feasting on the souls I found. I feel some greater feeling of familiarity with the forest start to seep into me as I feast, but I cannot wrest any paths or locations from the souls as they are added to my furnace. A shame they could not serve me better, but their souls must suffice as their sole contribution to me. ....Hm...

[+25 Souls (Human) Total Remaining: 118]

>>145229
..Ah... This this whole venture took relatively little time at all, as it were. And Oggroth The Mountain, along with eleven other Premen Warriors, still stand with me. And they seem to be concluding packing up all they deemed worthy of salvage, both within their own packs and the bags the bandits used, and the butchered meats have been stacked together atop skins taken from the dead horses.... I think we could hunt down the remaining bandit force, the one with thirteen members, without losing all that much daylight: After all, it is still late morning. And who knows, the bandit that has thus far eluded us could well have fled to them, so it would pay to check.


Should I go after the other bandit group, and if so, how many Premen should I leave behind to watch our spoils and await the others?

>>145274
Take five premen, and the mountain, with you. Second verse same as the first.

>>145278
that might be a little light on forces, as the first verse involved expelling most of our artillery store.

>>145305
By the time we locate the other bandit group, we'll likely have created more ammunition. They were some distance away, after all.

>>145278
That seems... reasonable. It leaves the group here quite small, but we can expect that the scouts will be returning to reinforce their numbers soon enough, and Ugrokk will come back to take command. Also, based upon the last known location of the other bandits our vector should take us right through our camp where we left Arkus, which might let us pick up two more warriors on the way. And check on our mage, for whom I find myself concerned.

lets just go to the bandit camp alone. we can take them by ourselves for sure. let the premen stay at camp

>>145313
For a moment I consider traveling to the location of the other bandits alone, to lay waste to them myself...

>>145278
>>145311
...But I am here for more than just my own amusement, and part of it is getting this group of warriors, once rejected by the Drazken clan, trained into a truly competent force. And part of that is experience, so I must get them more attuned to working together, to build their group coordination.

I leave six of the Premen warriors at the camp to watch the supplies and enjoy a rest and as much food as they can eat, as Oggroth leads the remainder to aid me in hunting down the remaining bandits for more carnage, plunder and glory. It is difficult to tell which grou feels happiest with their state, hunger for battle burning in the eyes of those with Oggroth, and just plain hunger in those remaining.

We set out to track down the other group of bandits, backtracking to the camp first. We run into Arkus and the two Premen that traveled to check the camp all unharmed and unagressed, though Arkus noted that the disinterest spell didn't get it's duration boosted along with its effect, so he has had to reapply it twice in our absence.

The sun is only now hitting it's zenith, from what little light flits through the forest canopy, and we now set off to track down the thirteen bandit strong group found earlier.


Should I bring either of the Premen guarding the camp with Arkus with me? And how fast should we attempt to pursue the other group of bandits, now that they have potentially a large lead on us.
[In your post, roll a 1d10 to see how far away the bandits are (1 is very far, 10 is very close)]

rolled 5 = 5

---

lets leave the two premen with arkus there, and continue towards the bandits at a medium pace, we want to catch them near their hideout, if they have one.

rolled 8 = 8

---

>>145321
Leave Arkus and one premen, just in case. Then we march!

>>145327
Seconding this.

>>145327
[5, mid-distance, with a medium speed march: SYNCHRONIZATION BONUS]

I leave the two Premen with Arkus, in case anything should threaten the camp.

We plunge through the overgrowth of the forest, the Premen still complaining about all the trees crowding them, even as they flit through paths that even I can use safely. I imagine they do it to pass the time, though after a few hours of their periodic mutterings, I wonder if they have made some sort of game out of acting terrified of trees.

"This tree so big, feel like little child."
"Goff is little child!"

Such is the extent of their attempts at humor. I am grateful when I finally see the forward scout signal that he has seen something, and I quiet the party, as we start to approach with more caution. Good, we practically knew how fast to march to get here and still have the Premen be fighting fit, I must admire the serendipity of the moment.

We make our way to the crest of the hill, ferns providing us with cover as we sight our prey: thirteen bandits, marching along an old game trail just shy of a thousand feet away. They seem to have equipment comparable to the other group.

My ammunition has finished regenerating, so both my cannon and blade launcher are restocked, so I could likely handle this myself.... but I would need to eat a substantially larger than normal amount of metal before the day is out, were I to have to regenerate two loads of ammunition.

Alternatively, Oggroth and the five Premen with him look positively hungry for blood. Perhaps I should see what they can do.


So, what should I do?

>>145405
Call the cry of battle and charge in with them. They should like that.

>>145405
Let the Premen sate their bloodlust and have them attack. We can provide support by cutting stray bandits down with the sable executioner, but we should really focus on scooping one or two within our palms for later questioning. Our forces don't have much restraint so actually plucking one or two from battle and restraing them in our palms is a decent work around.

>>145468
out palm is sorta made of metal and chaos right now. touching a guy with it would likely cause him to explode.

>>145405
Have Oggroth and his men circle around to the front and cut the bandits off. Approach from behind with the Spectral Gorging Anima baring its many fangs. "Normally I'd just tell my men to tear you to pieces, but I require information. Let's hope you're more talkative than your other comrades."

>>145471
i also do not think turning on the nexus while our hand is made of magic-chaos is a good idea.

>>145470
It's not like we have a shortage of bandits. If the chaos ends up killing every single one we grab then we can just crush one of the bandits legs and question that one instead.

>>145474
I'd rather find out what it does to our soul nexus now rather than when we get into a bigger more decisive battle that requires us at maximum operating power. At least here we can use that other pristine soul to shield the nexus if our fist goes boom, and we'll have the equipment from the bandits to repair ourselves.

>>145411

Let's get a bit closer first. 1000 ft is pretty far. So let's sneak up a bit then attack with our premen party. Save the cannon/artillery as a backup if things somehow get hairy...

>>145487
ummm. our hand is undergoing magic reshaping. after it's shaped then the nexus will be fine.

Actually, I believe this is a prime opportunity to test Oggroth's skills at leadership. Inform him that he and the Premen may devise a plan of attack and handle this, while you yourself hang back and provide support if necessary.

Remember, we won't always be there to personally lead the troops. The more experience at planning and leadership our lieutenants have, the better they will function as generals in the long run.

Lets see what they can do.

And yes, make sure to tell Oggroth to try to capture one or two alive, so that we may learn what we can.

And don't use the Seige arm when its being warped by chaos magic. Really, that just has "bad idea" etched all over it.

>>145487
We can do that in camp sometime, just tossing rocks. Let's not use it.

Let's take one shot with the blades and then charge in. Try not to blow all your ammo. Unless you have to fire them all at once, then skip it. Also, try not to touch anything with your fist.

could use soulfire if you are looking to soften them up a bit. We are here to collect more ammunition after all.

>>145405
Get closer, have the premen flank, then strike. Don't bother using your ranged weapons; just yourself and the premen would be fine.

I'm surprised that quantity of metal available for consumption is a concern so soon after we ate thousands of pounds of steel. One would think that we could be good on that for a while.

>>145710
[A MINIMUM of five pounds must currently be consumed each day. Anything beyond that amout is helpful, but does not contribute to future needs for metal. Hope that clears that up]

>>145468
>>145471
>>145498
>>145677

"Oggroth, handle the bandits as you will, But be mindful to keep at least one alive. Show me how you lead, I shall provide support."

Oggroth snaps his head about to face me, and seems on the verge of saying something, before he shakes his head about, and turns back to the rest of the Premen, doing his best to whisper out orders to them. Shortly he departs with the Premen, traveling swiftly to try and outpace the bandits and lay in wait for them farther down the road.

While the Premen relocate, I start making my way closer to the bandits, trying to reduce the distance between is prior to Oggroth's assault. I come to a stop behind a particularly old tree, it's trunk nearly as wide as I, a scant hundred feet from the bandits.... but from here, I am not sure how I could get closer without some form of distraction.... where are the Premen, anyway? This should take that lon-

Oggroth and the rest of the Premen bound onto the trail, weapons brandished as they begin to charge the bandits. I see feat and surprise spread through the humans, but one with somewhat better cared for equipment lets out a shout, and the rest of them calm themselves, and draw their own weapons.

Currently, Oggroth The Mountain and the five Premen warriors with him are charging down the road at the bandits, some eighty feet distant. I am to the left and behind the bandits, off the trail behind a large tree. I can see the bandits preparing themselves to face their aggressors, and I see several near the back reaching for bows.


What should I do? Should I let Oggroth handle this? Or should I step in to assist? And if I do step in, how should I make my entrance?

>>145715
Oggroth will be fine.
It's the other dudes I'm worried about.
Circle around to flank the bandits entirely and begin walking forward.

if he hasn't made a plan more eleborate then (charge them) i will be disappointed. their must be something else. most likely the main charge is a distraction and a second group will burst out of somewhere.

>>145720
This is Oggroth we're talking about. He's about as subtle as a 2 ton ball of metal to the face.

>>145715
Let Oggroth have his chance impress us. If his plan doesn't look like it's working before those archers get their bows drawn, vocalize the sound of a branch snapping behind the group. Don't enter the frey until one of the premen look like they are being overpowered.

shoot one blade at the humans reaching for their bows, just to give the premen a tiny edge over. if things start getting bad, step in and exterminate.

sneak up on the archers AND SUCK OUT THEIR SOULS

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/03/11(Thu)12:20 No. 145741 ID: d1210a
File 126833884847.jpg - (27.11KB , 304x672 , Bandit Surrender.jpg )

>>145717
>>145723
I begin to make my way forward, working my way to the bandit's flank as Oggroth does a commendable job of demanding all their attention with his charge, yet while I see weapons brandished in the hands of the Premen with him Oggroth is simply dragging his weapon after him, the chain wrapped about a shoulder.

>>145720
>>145721
...I do not yet see any degree of strategy in Oggroth's acts, only a simple charge. I continue to give him leeway, at least until I determine the archers will present issue. Seeing them readying their bows before Oggroth as managed to finish closing the distance, I snap a dry branch beneath my foot, and I see heads whip about, seeking the source.

But Oggroth capitalizes on this moment of indecision. He kneels down, and holds out his arms, two Premen climbing onto each of his massive arms, their weapons once more stowed as they brace themselves. With a might heave and a grunt of effort, Oggroth hurls the Premen skyward, and all eyes turn to watch them as they soar through the air, sailing past the bandits to hit the ground just behind their archers, the Premen already scrambling to their feet. Some of the bandits turn to face their relocated aggressors.... only for Oggroth's mighty iron ball to hurtle through the mass of bandits knocking them about like leaves before a storm, shortly followed by Oggroth's charge.

Whatever semblance of order the bandits once laid claim to is now lost, as they break beneath the onslaught. I see the one that appears to be their leader, shaking his head as he escapes the melee, running swiftly into the forest.

>>145734
His flight halts rather abruptly as one of my Anti Cavalry blades whizzes by mere feet in front of his face, embedding itself into one of the nearby trees, the metal still quivering from it's energetic flight. The bandit turns about to track the blade back to it's source, and his jaw drops as he sees me. I see the whirling thoughts of escape and the frantic energy to make those plans real leak out of the bandit, as he kneels on the ground with his hands behind his head. I walk closer to him as I check on Oggroth and the other Premen again, finding them still enthused with butchering the bandits, though Oggroth has simply grabbed one and holds him in an upraised arm, the man screaming as he is swung about. The bandit speaks out, resignation heavy in his voice.

"I really, really hope whoever controls this is near enough to see I surrendered... Uh, any chance you are taking prisoners? I, ah, would REALLY like to not have my soul eaten, if that is at all possible."


What should I do? Should I begin questioning this bandit? Or should I move to aid Oggroth in mopping up the last bandits? Or should I do something else?

interrogate the mouthy bandit. try to find the hidout, if they have one, who runs the hidout, and their current location. I'm feeling particularly bloodthirsty...
suck souls.

>>145741
Ooh, a smart one. Interrogate him, promise to spare if he talk and maybe let him go if his information is interesting. You can also try to reqruit him.
Do remember that you are "Mage Mordre", not "self-willed golem Mordre".

Oggroth may not be tactical genius, but he can get job done, so let him finish on his own.

>>145741
"You can start by telling me how many of you are in this forest and where your base of operations is. I'm here to do a small civil service for the people of this humble state, clearing out scavengers such as yourself." Lead the bandit leader back into the clearing and congratulate Oggroth. Salvage all equipment and return to Arkus. Prepare for interrogations.

"You do have some luck my small quarry, because I see through the eyes of this shell."

Retrieve your blade, have the premen hold him for a minute, instructing them not to harm him. Feel free to collect the fallens' souls.

>>145743
>>145744
>>145745
>>145750
>>145755

"Then you are in luck, for I have the means to see through this Soul Grave's eyes. You kneel before the mage Mordre, so pick your words carefully. I came to these woods to test modifications I made to this golem, As well as to perform a civil service. I seek out other profiteers and highwaymen such as yourself. Perhaps if you can tell me enough, I shall spare you."

The bandit seems shocked as I start speaking, but he seems to recover before I finish my first sentence, and he begins speaking the moment I finish.

"The name's Derkin. I am, or I was, a free bandit, something a bit rarer now then before. I have no base as of three days ago, when Verther's forces swept through, and we had to abandon everything that wasn't already loaded up. There were no others with me, as those that couldn't escape got drafted or killed in the raid. We were traveling to find a new place to set up camp, away from all of the trouble this forest has been attracting. This Verther has been going around calling themselves the Bandit King, and has been forcibly recruiting other bandit groups, though I still don't know why. I'm not sure how many serve 'im now, but I ran into one of their scouts a while ago, with what look like directions to the presumed camp of Verther and all the bandits that serve him. I, uh, don't suppose that is worth anything to you, like, oh, not killing me? I mean, in fairness, it's not like any of mine felled yours....."

I look over at Oggroth and the other Premen, to find the bandit to be telling the truth: the rest of the bandits have been slaughtered, the one held in Oggroth's fist now swinging limply, his neck sagging at an odd angle. .....I should have mentioned that humans are more fragile then Premens, proportionately speaking. So, this is my only captive then. I hear the last bandit continue.

"...And, ah, it's not like I was attached to them, most of them were bloody bastards anyway, so, since you don't have a reason to be mad at me, and I don't have a reason to be mad at you, what do you say you.... don't kill me?"

I dislodge the blade from the tree-trunk and replace it in my shoulder, before I signal two Premen to watch the lone captive, and move to consume the souls released in the slaughter.

[+12 Souls (Human) Total Remaining 130]

Oggroth looks crestfallen when he realizes the bandit he grabbed expired, but otherwise the Premen couldn't be happier with how the battle went, and have packed up most of their spoils. I make my way back over towards the captive bandit, still awaiting my deliberation or further questioning.


What should I do? Should I ask Derkin more questions? Or should I decide on how to judge him here and now? Or should I do something else?

>>145768
I'm not sure what this guy can offer to us as a recruit, unless...

Hurm.

I wonder...
Let's say we need to have this 'Mage Mordre' come out in public, for whatever reason. To gain trust, or whatever. Arkus isn't all that great at public speaking, as far as we know. However, this guy looked like he was in charge of this group.

Stick him in a robe, have Arkus slowly teach him some magic, instant puppet leader.

lets find this bandit king. anyone who wants to be the king of a pile of filth, like bandits, deserves to be eternally slaved to us, forced to power our unending destruction!

>>145771
Not to mention delicious Heroic Soul. Mmmmmm....

>>145768
"Verther you say? Very well, if you can lead me to this man's base of operation and help me lead an attack on it, your life will be spared. Depending on your performance, you'll have a choice between freedom and working for us. However, I highly doubt anyone in these towns will be pleased to see you, save whatever passes for a local authority."

>>145768
Interesting.

I, for one, do not think we should just recruit him right away. He doesn't seem very loyal or particularly brave.

"You're information will be useful, indeed. As agreed, I will spare your life. However, I'm afraid I can't exactly risk you going out and telling this "Verther" about me until I'm already smashing down his gates, so to speak. So consider yourself a captive until then."

>>145770
This guys not exactly a great public speaker either.

>>145777
i agree with this one.

Regarding Further Questioning:

We need to know about Verthers force composition: How many, what kinds of armaments, etc. Milk him for every last bit of information.

Also, what else does he know about Verther's current operations? What has he been using his bandits for, aside from raiding other bandits? Is there a notable price on his head? If so, by whom? Remember, we just dumped a large percentage of our funds with Del Roga. Money WILL become an issue eventually.

>>145789
If he doesn't have the answers to these questions, is there anyone in these woods who would? Other free bandits?

OH, does he know of any bandit organizations who are RESISTING Verther in force? THERES a potential ally, if so.

>>145775
>>145777
>>145780
>>145789
>>145791

"I have decided that you shall have the chance to keep your life. You shall tell me all you can surmise about the bandit king's forces, From your knowledge of these woods and their inhabitants. Further, you shall tell me of any groups resisting the bandit king, that could be exploited to aid in the bandit king's downfall. And if you have heard of bounties on this Verther's head, all the better. Lastly, until it I have dealt with the bandit king, you shall remain my captive, lest you reveal my hand. And be aware that you shall have to fight alongside my forces against Verther, to win your freedom of me, else I will not be able to trust your word."

"...Ok, that's still a way to keep breathing, fine. Let me see.....

Well for what Verther could have, worst case scenario, he could have seven hundred bandits at his disposal, max. Realistically, he probably has somewhere around three hundred to five hundred, from what few bits of news I could verify as Verther popped up and started all this. As to their armaments, well, that I have bad news on: I consistently have been told he has plenty of cannons, both personal and artillery. Not sure where he gets them, but I have seen a couple places his forces have hit afterward, and Verther definitely has some artillery of some sort to his name. Most likely why the bastard has been spreading so fast. Other than that, I haven't heard much of note about them, so I figure they are otherwise your average mooks. A couple notable bandit gangs DID live here, but the buggered off the moment Verther announced himself, so I know they don't work for him.

Hrm, not much in the way of good news for resisting the bandit king with allies. Most bandit groups that didn't want to join already left. I suppose it's possible there are still hardball cases about who just don't want to have anything to do with Verther, but if they are, they've done a damn good job hiding. Ah, as to the bounty thing, but you'll have to forgive a bandit for not going into town to look at the bounty board on the side of the army outpost to check.

As to the captive thing, that's totally fine, I am at yer mercy after all. Ditto the attacking the bandit king, though you will forgive me if I find myself the last alive and decide to surrender. I would prefer to stay alive, and though I am now bound to help you as your captive, if you all perish I will ignore any prior obligations. That said, if you plan to attack the bandit king, I have a couple ideas, considering you have a Soul Grave.

If you could purposefully get spotted near Hletwa, then they would send the army out in full force after you. If we could get the army to run into the bandit camp while pursuing you, they would do most of our job for us. Though, if you are hell-bent on doing this yourself, you might want to seek out Ozmand, though good luck finding that one, wanders all over the place. But Ozmand would help you against the bandit king, that much I feel certain of."


Hmm. What more should I ask Derkin? Or should I do something else?

ask about who this ozmand is. if he his a mage, or has some sort of magical knowledge or something, we should seek him out, and see how he can help our bloodthirsty cause

>>145807
Return to camp while questioning him about Ozmand.

Needless to say, the "Lure one army into another" plan is right out. It defeats the purpose of what we're doing here, and it'd be all too easy for THAT particular course of action to go completely FUBAR, quick.

Regarding Ozmand, I'd like to know chiefly why he's so confident Ozmand would be willing to help us destroy Verther and his forces.

Always err on the side of caution. We will operate on the assumption that Verther has 700 men at his disposal, with cannon and artillery support.

We have 25 Premen, Oggroth and Ugrokk, Arkus, and ourselves, with only the most basic of arms and equipment.

As it stands, we haven't got a chance in hell in a frontal assault. We'd get shelled to oblivion, and however good our Premen are, they won't win 28:1 odds, even with heavy hitters like Ug and Og and ourselves.

Ozmand seems like a choice lead. We need to learn more about him.

No. We shall assume that he has 700 men, cannons and a golem of some sort, likely a soul grave. I have a feeling that a bandit, badass or not, wouldn't have the resources to restock all that artillery without anyone catching on and because our friend here hasn't indicated that he seemed to be attacking areas with stuff he could restock with, I'm leaning towards the golem theory. If he had a Soul Grave he would have greater flexibility on how the attack-restock procedure works, especially if he had better mortars than we currently know about.

>>145846
Hmm...It would also explain how this guy managed to obtain enough power to subjugate all these bandits so rapidly. A golem would certainly be a significant force multiplier against simple bandits.

>>145815
>>145827
>>145831
>>145832

"Tell me more of this Ozmand, And why you are so confidant in his aid."

"Well, Ozmand used to be part of the Duran army, made a name for himself in a couple battles, hit captain. Then he quit, or got fired, not sure, but then he pops up at the Steel Fists, serves with their corpse for a while, same shpiel, makes a name for himself, and leaves or gets thrown out, depending on who you ask. Anyway, then he goes off for a few years, and comes back sporting some crazy huge hammer, and starts looking for fights. And he is GOOD, near as anyone can figure he picked up some real effective combat magics or some such, a good number of them built around using that ridiculous hammer he has. Anyway, if you told him you planned to attack Verther, hell I bet he would come along just so you don't get to hog the whole fight to yourself.

Well anyway, he usually wanders about the forest, looking for fights, and usually has at least some thugs with him that got it in their heads that since he beat them, is strong, etc., that they want to learn from him, and Ozmand's got enough of an ego that they get to tag along. Nonetheless, he actually does teach them some combat magic, from what I hear, so who knows, maybe you could snag some extra bodies there for attacking Verther. ....Actually, if he is still in the same area as he was last time, I bet he wouldn't be that hard to find, though no guarantees he hasn't already moved...."

I consider Derkin's observations as I order Oggroth and the rest of the Premen to pack up their spoils, leading the way back to our camp, our prisoner in tow. The light that gets past the canopy above is starting to dim as we return to find Ugrokk and the rest of the Premen already here, the plunder from the other bandits already transported here. However, Ugrokk informs me that the one bandit they sought out escaped them, having the advantage of a mount to speed his escape. They noted the bandit fled down a game trail deeper into the forest, from what they could tell of the tracks they found.

So, night will be falling soon, and the twenty Premen warriors with us have been equipped with the stolen arms and armor of the two fallen groups of bandits, providing limited but significant protection as well as further weapons. Oggroth and Ugrokk both have not benefited, too large to use what has been salvaged. Arkus seems curious about the prisoner, but says nothing, and I doubt Derkin will say or do anything without me telling him to do it, considering how submissive he has been. Though I detect no fear in him, which seems out of place with the carnage shown to him and his cooperative response. Hm....


What should I do? Should I question Derkin, or speak with Arkus? Or should we try to track down Ozmand with Derkin's lead? Or should we do something else?

>>145869
Speak with Arkus first, and then question Derkin. We can look for Ozmand in the morning.

lets just go out and find ozmand, enough questioning and re-questioning!

>>145874

"Arkus, you've travelled these areas before, have you not? Did you ever hear of an individual known as Verther? Some manner of Bandit lord or somesuch? Or perhaps Ozmand?"

>>145869

Talk w/ arkus first, see what he's been up to here. Then ask derkin if the trail that escaped bandit fled down leads toward this bandit king dude. If it does lead towards him, it's likely that the bandit king will be alerted to our presence.

If it the bandit king is alerted, I think it would be wise to move the camp a bit and set up more sentries to prevent a sneak attack.

After that lets find this oz guy see if he's up for a battle.

Also, how many more days until our armor is done? If this whole battle will take too long, we might want to wait here and train until we get the armor, then go attack...or possibly we could just skip over this bandit king dude...