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299486 No. 299486 ID: 3beb66

... It's dark, but that's nothing new...

Has been dark, for the past... I don't know how many years. Seems even my internal clock lost track after awhile. Doesn't really matter anymore. Never really cared for keeping track of all that anyway. All I know is that I am Hated. Have always been, never known anything else.

Maybe it's because things tend to die when they make me angry. Maybe it's because I am what I am. Who knows. Who cares. All I know, is that those five asses calling themselves the Children of Light drained me of all the sparks I'd gathered over the years, chained me to the floor under some crypt and left me here to rot next to some guardian beast with orders to kill me if I got too rowdy. So, I decided I'd be a good boy, not cause any trouble and wait till I got the chance to get out of here.

The chance has come. I don't know why, but some of my power is back. Not a lot, barely even a flicker compared to what I used to be. But it's enough to deal with this beasty standing over me, and to free myself from these chains. All that left is to do the deed.

Then it's time for revenge. Time to hunt down those five "heroes" and rip their hearts from their bodies. They want to make me the hated one. Fine. I'll be hated, and I'll hate right back.

((I'm saying this right off the bat, I can't draw anything with my abysmal skills, so this will primarily be text, unless I find an interesting picture that fits the situation))
Expand all images
>>
No. 299513 ID: f6360f

>>299486
Question time, since there's not a whole lot to do other than say "do it!" and I'm not inclined to start off the plot without some backstory first.

What exactly do your powers do- just make people spontaneously die? Anything more complex or subtle than that?

Who are the five heroes? What can they do, and how did they defeat you before?

What are sparks, and why were you gathering them?
>>
No. 299518 ID: 3beb66
File 130387134932.jpg - (126.46KB , 585x600 , Fate_RootGolem.jpg )
299518

Oh? That's new. Either I've gone insane, or there's someone else in my head... perhaps... nah, you don't even know what a spark is, you couldn't have... might have hitched a ride though.

Well, Mister Voice, or Miss Voice if you prefer(kinda hard to tell), since beasty here won't do anything as long as I be a good boy, I have all the time in the world to answer your questions. Quite literally.

Beginning with your first... actually, I'll start with the last. First relies on the last. "Sparks" are little bits and pieces of magic. Called sparks cause when you use them, the leave behind little trails of sparks, more of them you use, more powerful the magic, more sparks they leave behind. I was gathering them because I, as a pseudo-demonic being, can't make them in my own body. Have to steal them from someone else. Namely the more fleshy mortals, since they were so common when I wasn't chained to the floor. Hopefully there's still a bunch around once I get back up there.

Since it's also relevant, I'll say I can... how to explain it... I suppose it's something akin to "smelling" sparks. Yes, that seems to fit. Works like a dog I suppose.

Powers come in three flavors. The first is direct application to the body, for the purposes of physical enhancement. Strength, stamina, speed, anything to do with making physical abilities better. It's what I prefer, always nice to feel the crunch of bone, but I can do the other two as well.

Second, application to the mind. Reaction times, processing speed, telepathy, mind stuff. Enhancing talking is in this category as well, although I never understood why. I'm weakest in this application though.

Then its the warp reality magic. The thing most people actually view as magic. The whole summon fire and brimstone and all that fun stuff. Its the one that most mages use, especially the mortal ones. I'm decent with this sort of thing.

And yes, I could cause people to just die, but I don't have enough sparks for that. About five I think, which is more than enough for these restraints and the beasty here if I use them wisely. Which reminds me to mention this beasty has some sparks in him.

As for the five heroes. Let's see, where to begin. Well, to start off, I have to say that I'm not... good. There's a reason I'm called Hated by the mortals. Things ticked me off, they generally died. I also tended to kill mages on a regular basis, but how else was I supposed to get sparks? Anyway, eventually these heroes got together and decided I needed to be dealt with.

They were the most powerful mortals of the time, each from one of the five races. After fighting with me a few times, and almost losing each, they decided to petition the gods for aid. And gods, being oh so supportive of mortals, gave them an artifact that ripped the sparks from my body and left me weakened. Easy win for them after that. They decided I deserved eternal imprisonment instead of the release of death, and chained me up here. End of back story.

As for what each can do(maybe could do, they were still mortals and I have no idea how long I've been down here) I'll explain that when it's actually necessary. For now, let's get out of here...

Although, I suppose I should have a plan first, shouldn't I?

Well Voice, got any bright ideas?

I should probably give you what the beasty looks like, give you an idea of what I'm up against.
>>
No. 299520 ID: b84932

First off: there are an indefinate amount of voices here with you.

Second off: hi, nice to meet you.

Thirdly: That monster looks to be made almost entirely out of plants, use some of that fancy magic stuff to light it on fire and I think it'll go down pretty quickly.
>>
No. 299540 ID: 3beb66

Another one? So there are more of you... I don't understand how this is possible, to be truthful. Usually sticking multiple minds in a body ends very badly, but I've yet to experience any fractures in my personality... heh, of course, you could already be fractures due to me going stir crazy.

Whatever the case, setting fire does seem a sound strategy, assuming of course the thing doesn't kill as its burning. Perhaps I should set it on fire, than brute force my way out of these chains. That seems the easiest method, although depending on how fast beasty burns, I might have to miss the chance to get at its sparks.

A good plan, bu perhaps there's a way for me to kill it or restrain it without destroying the body? That would ensure I get the sparks out of it at least, although it might be risky restraining it.
>>
No. 299542 ID: f6360f

>>299540
>Another one? So there are more of you... I don't understand how this is possible, to be truthful.
Every explanation for our existence is shitty and contrived anyway. Ignore the why and just flow with it.

My personal suggestion would be to invest some of your sparks in a disease-spreading magic which could slowly rot away the wood forming its body. Wait a week or two, then bust loose when it's so weakened as to be trivially easy to overwhelm. No rush, after all, and that would get it under your control.
>>
No. 299548 ID: 3beb66

The first voice again. The one with the questions. I hope I answered them well enough for you. If you have anything else to ask, go ahead, since it seems we might be sticking around another week or two. Since it seems two plans are available, I shall go over both once again, this time with the spark costs for both, and allow you to voice(heh) your opinions once again. Perhaps any new voices will give input as well, since it was implied there might be more of you coming along soon.

Plan 1: Set fire to the thing, and with any luck it will be too busy dying to deal with me. Even if it isn't, using a spark to strengthen myself would easily allow me to break the chains binding me. This would cost me 4 sparks of the five I currently possess, 2 to create the fire, 1 to project it, and 1 to strengthen myself. I would likely be able to leave right now using this plan.

Plan 2: Use a plant consuming disease. This could be done one of two ways. Since it would be slow acting, it wouldn't cost me much, about the same as the fireball alone, but if I choose to make it airborne, I would have to spend more. Still assuming I have to break out in a similar fashion as the first, there are two costs.
The first variation, making the disease touched based and getting the beasty to touch me, would cost me only 3 sparks.
The second airborne version would cost me all 5 sparks I have in my possession.

Your judgment, voices?
>>
No. 299561 ID: f6360f

>>299548
Given that our objective is to depart here with as much power as possible, I would ask a few more questions before making this call.

If we invest sparks in something, do we keep that power? That is, if we spend sparks on making an airborne disease which slowly kills plants, will we be able to spread that plague wherever we go forever? If we spend sparks on fire, will we be able to throw fire whenever we want? If we strengthen ourselves, will we stay strong?

Sparks are expended when used, correct? That is, if we spend some strengthening ourselves, we can't later undo that and use them to learn how to shoot lightning or what have you.

How likely is it that some of the sparks in the guardian would be destroyed or otherwise rendered unavailable for your consumption if you take the first, more forceful option? It seems cheaper and quicker, if somewhat more risky, but if it would destroy the guardian's sparks than it's actually the more expensive option and should be avoided, since we'd leave this situation in a weaker position overall.
>>
No. 299570 ID: d4f98d

First, what do you look like?

Second, you need it's body intact? Dehydrate it. it's a plant, wither it to a husk, draw the water from it's body...slowly. A little bit at a time, so it doesn't notice. If it takes a day, or a week, who cares? Whats a little more time?
>>
No. 299606 ID: 3beb66

>>299570
I look like a mortal at the moment. It was the form I was in when I got shoved down here, thanks to the fact that I was traveling through mortal lands and didn't feel like dealing with all the arrows in my back. One of the human ones I think. My original form, if you wish to call it that, I've forgotten. Perhaps I'll endeavor to rediscover it. If I want to change what I look like at any time... well, I'd need sparks first, a lot more than I have on me at this time. Rearranging the entirety of your existence is understandably expensive. Why humans don't attempt to leave behind their squishy bodies is a mystery to me however.

>>299561
For permanent effects, more sparks would be needed. Once applied, they would show up as physical representations on my body, depending on what spell or ability I apply. Recycling already used sparks is impossible(at least to my knowledge), but I can overwrite things already made permanent on my body if necessary.
That is, if I applied a permanent strengthening to my body, and wanted to replace it later with something else, I could write over the strengthening, destroying the effect in favor of whatever else I wanted on me.
Making an effect permanent will cost 30 sparks, but after that sparks can be poured into the ability to slowly make it stronger. An example would be making the disease mention eat faster or eat more things, like metals.

In the case of making me able to permanently shoot fireballs, I'm fairly certain that the beasty here has enough sparks in it to make something permanent on me, perhaps a few things, depending on what we want to apply. Just need to get them from the thing. I feel I should mention though, that things applied onto me are generally weaker than one offs, until I pour more sparks into them. Something like gradually increasing power instead of going for a single shot of destruction.

I think that covers all of that. I may have forgotten something, but if I did I'm sure I'll remember it eventually, or is just insignificant and doesn't apply to me.

Now, the water plan. It would work, if I had the ability to do that without consuming sparks each time I did it. With only five, its currently impossible. I'll have to save the idea though. Wonder what would happen if you did it to a mortal..... hilarity, I'm sure. Plus lots of screaming.

As for the question regarding the first plan(I am assuming that the question is regarding the first plan). If I set the beasty on fire and act fast enough after that, I could most likely get to it in time to reap the reward, assuming it isn't moving when I do. I'm perfectly fine with burning myself to get those sparks, so if the body is still on fire it wouldn't matter. What I'm concerned with on this plan, however, is whether the thing will ignore me when its on fire. If it doesn't ignore me for at least a few seconds, I'm dead, or at least severely injured.
>>
No. 299635 ID: b84932

>>299606
Well, if the fire plan has a large chance to result in your injury you should go with the disease plan.

Getting injured is bad.
>>
No. 299675 ID: 3beb66

I should be able to set fire to the beasty with little danger to myself. Well, other than it deciding the action was hostile, came from me, and that I thus deserve to die. While you voices mull over the plans some more(I assume that's what your doing) I'm going to figure out where the beasty is. I'll need that information to do anything to it anyway. Over the years, I've noticed even moving seems to attract its attention, so here we go.

I shift a little, the chains around me rattling as they shift as well, and within seconds I can see four yellow orbs of glowing amber glaring back at me from across the room. They provide a decent amount of light, and for the first time in a long while I get a good look at where I am.

The crypt is fairly standard, two coffins sit to either side of me, and the beasty lays across from me, far enough away so that I can't reach out and touch it. Probably to prevent me from trying to get at its sparks. I can't see behind me, the chains positions won't really let me, but its probably only a wall. After staring back at me for awhile, the beast settles down, the light disappearing as it goes dormant again.

Well, at least I know hitting it won't be a problem.
>>
No. 299698 ID: 0bd0b0

Fire plan sounds the best. You'll have the benefit of strength to go with it, which will come in handy after your escape. Plus the extra spark.
Disease doesn't sound like something we want right now. We won't be able to kill things fast enough.
>>
No. 299723 ID: f6360f

>>299675
Go with disease. Less risk of getting yourself hurt, and it sounds like the beast has enough sparks that one more or less won't make any significant difference whereas being injured could seriously cramp our escape plans. You don't get to keep any of the powers anyway, so might as well take the low-risk route. You'll have to go with the airborne version since it won't touch you, but as long as you have enough power left to burst out of your chains you'll be able to get it.

Once you have its sparks, we can get a permanent version of some power or other, probably a strength or speed boost, which we'll be able to use in gathering more sparks.
>>
No. 299752 ID: 3beb66

Seems the general conclusion is to follow whatever plan puts me in the least amount of danger. As the disease seems to do this, we shall go with that. Airborne as well. I close my eyes, reaching for the sparks nestled within me, and shaping it into what I desire. I feel rather than see the guardian rouse itself again, but pay it no mind. With a little more effort, I have the disease ready, and open my eyes once more.

The beasty is staring at me, apparently sensing that something was happening. I wait for it to lie dormant once again, memorizing its location before the light from its eyes disappears. After the room grows dark, I silently release the magic towards its target, leaving myself a single spark within my body for the final part of the plan. Now all I can do is wait.

--------------------

Weeks have passed, and I have whittled away the hours day-dreaming about the things I could do once I return to the land of the living. Something new wakes me from my fantasies however. For a second, I though I could hear something creaking. Silence reigns for a moment, than the guardian wakes again, and the light from its eyes fills the room.

Thus I get to taste my triumph. The beasty no longer has large portions of its limbs, likely because my spell hit it there first, and I can almost see the magic eating away at the rest of it.

With a simple flexing of my will, the last spark within me surges into my limbs, and I rip my way free of my bonds. The beasty pitifully tries to pull itself to its feet, desperate to complete its task, but it no longer has the strength it did. With a kick I send it to the ground, and with a smile I shove my hand into the things "chest". There I find and extract my prize. Sparks cascade into my form, and the beasty shrieks as it dies. Standing once again, I glance around, the room dark once again.

The only difference is, I'm free.
Spark Count: 55

With the vestiges of my strength enhancement, I pull the door to the crypt open, and blink back tears as the harsh light of day meets my eyes. After a moment to adjust, I turn back to look over the room that was my home for countless years, and I wonder. Voices, is there anything else that needs doing here, or shall I take my first steps into world?
>>
No. 299755 ID: f6360f

>>299752
I doubt there's anything in the coffins, but you might as well check them. Aside from that, let's just leave; it's tempting to leave a taunting message, but your enemies don't deserve the effort.

I'm also tempted to immediately invest some of those sparks in a permanent boost of some kind that would be of aid in the outside world. I'd like to know how hard it will be to get more before doing that, though; thirty sparks is a very large investment.
>>
No. 299764 ID: 3beb66
File 130395769984.jpg - (32.23KB , 350x262 , 3e98d45b-7adf-4216-9f42-28ca529662fd.jpg )
299764

From what I remember before my imprisonment, there was usually at least one mage of decent power to safeguard a town, at least among the races that could use magic. It was a sound system of protection, so unless something changed drastically during the time I was trapped, the same practice should still be in affect. After I finish with the coffins, I'll see if I can't smell any sparks around.

I reenter the crypt, opening up both coffins with relative ease. Searching both, I find the expected skeleton within each, however the first has a gold ring on its finger, and the second a silver one. Both probably aren't worth a great deal, but the money would still come in handy, or we could apply spells to them first and then sell them. Magic items tend to be coveted by those incapable of casting.

Both skeletons clothes also seem to be intact, like my own. The pair were most likely mages, as only a mage would have the time and sparks to spare to ward their clothing against the effects of time. I take the clothing as well, although I should probably wash the stench of the dead from them before doing anything else with them.

With that out of the way, I return outside, and venture further out into the wilds. Closing my eyes again, I reach out, feeling for the tell-tale mark of what I seek. A few seconds pass, and I open my eyes once again, having found sources at least somewhat nearby.

Seven to be exact. Five are to the west, perhaps a mile or so. The last two are south. I can't get anymore specific without first getting closer to any of the sources. If I recall the location of the crypt correctly, than the town of Rivercross lies west, while south will lead me into the territory of barbarians tribes.
>>
No. 299773 ID: adfa55

How easily detected are you as a... hunter of sparks? Your first order of business is to avoid notice of those who imprisoned you before, their allies, and anybody who may be capable of using similarly effective means against you. Avoiding notice should be your primary responsibility in all situations where you don't specifically need it to pursue a short-term goal.
It seems that what was wrong with how you went about gathering sparks the last time is that it gained you enough enemies that the gods were moved to assault you. Taking sparks in a way that gets you friends amongst the lesser beings equivalent to or greater than the enemies generated through your actions seems required.

Can you harvest sparks in a renewable way--taking a portion from a mage as payment for a service rendered leaving them disposed to make a similar bargain later?
If you cannot take sparks non-destructively consider finding a sponsor who provides you with safe haven and support for your feeding from their list of enemies.
Pick your direction according to whether you could find better odds of allies and stealth in the barbarian territories or in the urban areas.
>>
No. 299786 ID: f6360f

>>299773
We're primarily driven by hate. I don't think that's particularly conducive to gaining allies; at most, we'd end up working with people that we hate slightly less against those we hate slightly more.

Not that it's a bad idea, I just don't know how realistic or sustainable it is.

Perhaps we could get a power that would help with hunting and evasion- some kind of invisibility magic? Or one which lets us move through a spirit/ethereal/shadow plane, if there is one here? Are those feasible? Hopefully we could use those to get the drop on those walking snacks and chow down.

If we can take on five mages one at a time and pass for normal enough in a crowd, I'm inclined to go west. Barbarians tend to be stronger and less sheeplike than townspeople anyway.
>>
No. 299793 ID: 3beb66

>>299773
Making FRIENDS with the mortals? Are you out of your mind? Why would I ever lower myself to being nice to them? I would rather drill holes through my own eyes... thinking back, I've done that, very unpleasant, wouldn't suggest it.

And to answer your question regarding taking simply a portion of sparks... its possible, I vaguely recall doing it way back in the beginning, when I first awoke. But I think it requires someone willingly giving it up, and I doubt any mortal mages would willingly give sparks to someone else, even one of their own.

As for being detected as a hunter of sparks, well, that's a rather unique ability that I've only seen in three other people, two of which were semi-immortals like myself. The most that could be detected about me is that I'm carrying sparks in me, but mages rarely use spells to check for that, as it is assumed all mages adhere to the worthless law regarding registration to their guild.

>>299786
There are a number of possible spells for evasion. I shall list those within my abilities.

-Ethereal(Body): I effectively become a ghost, only not dead. It lowers my visibility to the naked eye, and allows passage through thin barriers. It is easily warded against and detected by a mage however.
Costs 4 sparks to pop for 5 seconds, plus one per 5 seconds extra. 34 sparks total to apply to myself as an activate at will ability at weakest level.

-Shadow-Stepping(Warp Reality): Effectively, I could step between shadows that I am able to see. Like stepping across from one alley to the next without going through the street in between. That's mostly evasive.
8 sparks per 10ft jump, plus 4 sparks per 5ft extra. 38 sparks total to apply to myself as an at will ability at weakest level.

-Invisibility(Body-Magic): This is barely within my abilities, and I would consume large amounts of my sparks if I tried to apply this permanently. It would, however, make me impossible to see to the naked eye. Weak wards wouldn't affect me, although detections spells likely still would.
14 sparks per 10 seconds, plus 4 per 5 seconds extra. 44 sparks to apply to myself as the above.

Perhaps due to my appetite more than my desire for stealth or any sense of caution, I begin heading west. If I remember the distance correctly, it should take me about an hour to reach my destination, plenty of time to deliberate over potential powers to use. Personally, I'd prefer to brute force my way through the entire town, but I'm forced to acknowledge that it was that sort of thinking that got me chained down to begin with. It seems I will be relying largely on your help, voices, until I figure out how to be subtle.
>>
No. 299811 ID: f6360f

>>299793
I'm not a big fan of befriending people, but having patsies could be very useful. One key concept of stealth is the ability to blend in with the terrain- that often means crowds, which means learning a little social engineering, how to manipulate rather than murder. It's a good thing to know.

Anyway. Invisibility seems the best of those options; it's slightly more costly than the others but would still leave you a fair number of sparks for spot-burning, and even a few seconds of going unseen should be more than enough to let you escape from or get the drop on someone as necessary. We can upgrade that and maybe pick up ethereality and some kind of ability to punch through wards and hide from detection spells later to become a fearsome stealth killer. Plus physical enhancements, of course... so much growth to do, so few sparks...

Anyway, I'm thinking you should invest in invisibility. Unless someone else has significant objection...?

Also, if you find a stream or what have you on the way to town, stop and wash those clothes. You probably don't look terribly good; disguises are good and clothes are part of them.
>>
No. 299834 ID: afcd48

I say go for permanent shadow-step and hunt only during the night. It will give you exellelent dodging and evasive abilities, you will be able to make better ambushes and during battles it will serve you well even at weakest power level.

One thing you should do is to capture a mortal (preferably a mage of sorts) then bisect him and learn his anatomy, you might need to use some sparks for enchancing your mind: intelligence and perception. You need to do this so that you can learn what exactly in mortals body produces Sparks. Asfter you learn what it is, you could permanently apply it to yourself, as in craft an organ in yourself which generates sparks.
Sure, it will make little sparks at first (lets say 1/day) but it will be worthy.

Anyway, that beast... are there places in this world where you can find that manner of magical beasts?
>>
No. 299841 ID: 8b0de1

Very important question!

Are you a male or female?

This is critical stuff which will affect everything
I know that you said
>"So, I decided I'd be a good boy, not cause any trouble"
but maybe many years of solitude made your mind slip.
>>
No. 299842 ID: 0bd0b0

Having a permanent ability from the start has great benefits, more so if we specialize.

Ethereal? Will leave us plenty of sparks to upgrade it or other things. Being able to shift through walls is a great ability. We could get the jump on a mortal through a wall. But it doesn't decrease our visibility well enough.

Shadow Step? This would be most effective at night, which only aids our sneakiness. This does a great deal for transportation and quick evasion if there are shadows nearby. You might need to do something in the day which worries me about this ability. A clever mage could make this useless.

Invisibility? A powerful but taxing spell. We will not be able to go invisible for long periods of time until we put many sparks into it, so buying its permanence would require specialization. If you don't want to use invisibility all the time, it might be better just to avoid using it.

My personal choice is invisibility. Being able to go invisible is such a useful thing, and not having to spend sparks to use it every time is great. Combined with strength and speed you will be an undetectable killing machine. You will always have the jump and will be invisible while attacking, until it runs out. But then what are they going to do? They will probably already be dead.
Shadow Step is a good choice too, we could travel very fast in the night. But if our enemy is in the light this ability won't do much.
>>
No. 299843 ID: 3beb66

>>299841
Physically I'm male at the moment. My original gender I don't remember, and with enough sparks I can change it whenever I want anyway. I've been told I think like a male though, so I tend towards male forms.

>>299834
...What's a bisect?

Whatever, moving on, the beasty was a construct, created by one of the heroes. You don't just find them. Well, not around here anyway. The various magic institutes have lots of them.

Seems we have a vote for shadow stepping and a vote for invisibility. I think I'll just let you folks argue it out a little while, and I'll just keep walking. I'll keep a look out for a stream or river as well.
>>
No. 299846 ID: f6360f

>>299834
>One thing you should do is to capture a mortal (preferably a mage of sorts) then bisect him and learn his anatomy
...I think the word you're looking for is "vivisect", and given that magic is involved here that strikes me as unlikely to work unless we've invested in more magical sensory abilities. Not a bad thought overall, just not something that we can use right now in my opinion. After we've become an efficient hunter we can revisit the concept.

Anyway, while I do think that both ethereality and shadow-stepping would be useful, both of them are useful primarily in limited situations whereas invisibility is useful almost all the time- in any combat situation or ambush, it would be a huge help. That means to me that we should buy invisibility first, and fill in our breaking/entering and teleportation abilities later.

Also, as invisibility is the most expensive of the three, it would be a total waste to ever use it if we haven't bought it permanently; 14 sparks is a ridiculously high cost for ten seconds of power. But I could see us burning four sparks to jump through a wall if we really need to.

Yes, I already voted, just sharing my logic here.
>>
No. 299847 ID: 0bd0b0

>>299843
Looks like you missed my vote at >>299842
Score appears to be 2 for invisibility, 1 for shadow step.

>>299846
I completely agree.
>>
No. 299848 ID: 8b0de1

>>299843
>...What's a bisect?
>...I think the word you're looking for is "vivisect"
Yes... yes, that's what I meant.
Basically that means thoroughly examining the body by opening it up. Not gutting it with a rusted scythe or gruesomely shearing it into pieces with hands.
But carefully opening it with appropriate tools and such.

>Not a bad thought overall, just not something that we can use right now in my opinion. After we've become an efficient hunter we can revisit the concept.
Yeah, I thought about that too.
I'm pretty sure it will cost a lot. But still, food for thought.
Why can't Hated make his own sparks? Must be something missing in his biology. Hopefully it is not connected with soul or gods.


Shadow-stepping lets us instantly move around but invisibility is also cool.... but what would be the limitations of invisibility at the lowest level?

Anyway, I think we should postpone the upgrade till we get to the source of sparks.
>>
No. 299935 ID: 3beb66

>>299848
Ah, like torture.

While mulling over your advice voices, I have come to the conclusion that waiting a little before deciding should be best. Humans can't tell I'm a threat just by looking, so identifying each of the prey before doing anything won't harm us any. My vote goes neither way, as I've already given my preference for open destruction.

After another while of traveling, I spot Rivercross, one of the first towns humans set up after they gained the thought processes to do so. Or so they say anyway. A river runs directly through the center of the town, and it seems to be bustling with activity. A far cry from when I last saw it, up in flames from my last rampage through the place.

I make sure to head to the river outside of town first, washing the clothing I'd obtained as best I can. After a moment of thought, I also wash myself, as being stuck in a crypt does nothing for personal hygiene. Once that's done, I dress and make my way into town.

Upon arrival, the guards greet me cheerfully, as if I was nothing more than another mortal traveler. I ignore them, which does nothing to curb their joy, and enter the town, arriving swiftly at the town square. From here, I can smell the sparks strongly, and quickly close my eyes to get more exact locations and power levels.

The first lies not far from here, and seems weak. Likely little more than an apprentice, or someone who is just very unskilled.

Two more are almost overlapping, and it seems likely the two are together. From what I can tell, the both of them are at least full mages, trained to use the power they have as effectively as they can. But little more than apprentice level.

The fourth source lies... below me, and a little way off, perhaps a dungeon or jail of some sort. Its strong enough to be classified as a mid-power mage, likely in for crimes of some sort.

The final source is easily identified, and flairs almost enough to make my mouth water. Its strong, very strong, and I feel twinges of hunger at the thought of devouring the sheer amount of-

"Sir? Are you alright?"

"Hmm?"

I turn to find a young female human staring at me, concern written on her face. I glare back, hoping she'll just go away, but that just seems to encourage the mortal.

"Well, you seem alright. If there's anything you need help with, you can ask me. Your new in town after all, aren't you?" This seems more a statement of fact then a question. "I'm Lacy by the way. The local inn keepers daughter."

Humans: The last race to discover its own ability to wield magic, they have the smallest lifespans of the five races, but breed like rabbits to make up for this. They come in nearly every shape and size, and of the three races able to use magic, are the weakest.
>>
No. 299938 ID: 8b0de1

"Very nice! Very nice to meet you Lacy" Shake her hand vigorously "Thank you for your concern but, really, I am alright. I just haven't been in Rivercross for such a long time.
Anyway, I wont waste your time much longer."

Questions:
Do only mages have Sparks in them? Regular people don't have any?
How many Sparks do they usually have?
If we use permanent augmentations what is the range of the Shadow-step, how often in can be used in succession? How long will the invisibility last, can it be restarted immediately?

Anyway, I suggest going for the BIG prey. We are HUNGRY, if we plan this right, we will catch that fucker unawares and he wont be able to use any of his powers against us.


>Ah, like torture.
No
Not really, they have to be dead.... Unless you think you can learn more from vivisecting the person alive.
>>
No. 299949 ID: 0bd0b0

Whatever you must do to dismiss this girl, go ahead. But don't be too impolite and try not to identify yourself.

Going after the strongest one is tempting.. but with our current level of power there is no chance of defeating him, unless we surprise him. Even if we surprise him, we might still lose. Losing to him would mean death, imprisonment, or alert of our escape. None of this must happen. The safer option would be to target the weaker prey, spend the sparks, and then eliminate this threat. Make sure nobody sees you kill anyone, whatever order you choose. In any case, spend the sparks you have before attacking the strongest. And good luck. Is luck something you can upgrade? That would be cool.
>>
No. 299990 ID: 3beb66

>>299938
Mages are not technically the only things that have sparks in them. The beasty we killed back at the crypt was a good example. But among the five humanoid races, yes, mages are the only ones to have sparks. Otherwise I'd be hunting everything that walked on two legs.

A rough power range for mages is as follows:
Weak mages will have anywhere between 10-20 sparks.
Mid-level mages will have 50-80 sparks.
High powered mages will tend to have anywhere between 150-200 sparks.

The reason for the rather sharp increases is that mortals tend to take longer to understand things, but once they have the basics down, they tend to be very innovative, and for some reason, sparks are attracted to such things.
Coming up with inventive ways to deal with situations will result in rewards.

Consider the basic range of any spell applied to my body to be that of its weakest level. For shadow-step, that would be a 10ft range. The speed of movement for shadowstepping is how quickly I can step, after all that's really all it relies on. For invisibility, a small cooldown(half the time invisibility lasts, unless upgrading is specifically targeted towards cooldown) is necessary between each use.

>>299949
Increasing luck isn't so much increasing luck, as calculating and increasing the chance certain things will happen. I, unfortunately, can't do it at all, even when I was at full strength. Calculating that quickly is out of my mental capacity.

Now, to the girl. Since I've apparently been restrained from actually harming her(it would get her to go away), I resort to the first suggestion to see how that goes.

"Very nice! Very nice to meet you Lacy. Thank you for your concern but, really, I am alright. I just haven't been in Rivercross for such a long time. Anyway, I wont waste your time much longer." I make my voice sound cheerful, although it rasps slightly from disuse, as I grab the woman's hand. I pump said appendage in a handshake, likely harder than is normal, as the woman retracts her hand quickly after I let go.

"Um. Alright then... no, wait! You need a place to stay, right? I could help with that!" The girl seems extremely determined to help me, no matter what I say. Probably because...

"Look," I start, my voice shifting back to my normal voice, which by the fact that I wanted it the way is by nature low and menacing. "we both know you just want me to stay at your inn. I'll tell you what. You give me the name of this inn of yours, and leave me alone, than I'll sleep there for the night, alright?"

The mortal looks extremely confused, apparently not used to people being that blunt about what's really going on. But after a moment she nods, give me the name(The River Rest Inn) and leaves, throwing a thoughtful glance over her shoulder as she goes.
>>
No. 299998 ID: 8b0de1

Right,

now lets go and learn more about our preys.
I say we look into the most powerful one, if not him then at least the mid-ranged one.

We could get a look on them, ask around.

Also, try to figure out about the figure in the dungeons.

It seems to me that shadow-step could be great if we try to take out the guy in the dungeon (it is full of shadows).


Also, pawn off your rings...
wait
before you do that
You said something about infusing magic into them. How does that exactly work? How much sparks do we need to use? How powerful will the rings become and what kind of effects.


Also, word to the wise, do not shift your character so bluntly in future. It attracts unwanted attention. Not saying not to be unfriendly, if you started grumpy and ended grumpy then there would be nothing suspicious. But when you start conversation friendly and go total polar opposite in 10 seconds ... well, the worst is that people will assume you are insane.
>>
No. 300025 ID: f6360f

>>299938
>Not really, they have to be dead.... Unless you think you can learn more from vivisecting the person alive.
The word 'vivisect' implies that they are alive when you do it. If they're dead, it's 'dissect'. An important distinction!

But we'd have to use vivisection in this case since magic probably goes away if they're dead.

>>299935
>A river runs directly through the center of the town, and it seems to be bustling with activity.
How large is this town? Settlement size determines the amount of alarm that will result from killing people. A death in a population of a hundred will cause panic and chaos; a death in a population of a hundred thousand will cause a few minutes of gossip. This is an important consideration when hunting.

>The final source is easily identified, and flairs almost enough to make my mouth water. Its strong, very strong, and I feel twinges of hunger at the thought of devouring the sheer amount of-
Back to this. What did you easily identify this source of sparks as? Where is it?

>>299990
I would be inclined to target the mid-range mage first, but if they're imprisoned then they aren't going anywhere. Let's scout out the area, then start at the bottom and work our way up.

>my voice shifting back to my normal voice
As a general rule, try to maintain one persona at a time when interacting with others. Switching attitudes in mid-conversation is sometimes disconcerting enough to be a hostility trigger- bad for stealth. Making other people like you should generally be taken as a secondary objective in any conversation you're not planning to end with blood; people who like you (however foolishly) are more likely to bring you or be convinced to give you useful information or assistance. Cloak yourself in smiles and lies so that others remain helpful and unwary. Hide your power level and burning hate.

>>299998
>We could get a look on them, ask around.
Asking around strikes me as a bad idea given our current social skills. Better to do our initial recon in person, seeing as we can already sense our targets. Just play it cool and don't do anything overly suspicious or hostile. Will mages be able to sense the sparks inside you? What about any sparks you've sunk into permanent abilities?

>Also, pawn off your rings...
Good call. I'd say pawn one now for some immediate cash and keep one for potential enchanting later.
>>
No. 300029 ID: 8b0de1

>>300025
>The word 'vivisect' implies that they are alive when you do it. If they're dead, it's 'dissect'. An important distinction!

Ah, sorry. You're right.
English is not my first language.
>>
No. 300035 ID: 3beb66

I find a shop willing to take a ring off my hands, and sell the gold one for 30 gold. A substantial amount, given the prices I saw within the shop, and it should keep me for awhile. The other will be kept for later enchantment.

Actually enchanting will take time to perform anyway, so I'll explain it once we've settled for the night.

Any mage specifically searching for sparks(activated the required spells) would be able to sense my sparks. Those applied into permanent affects are not included in this unless an ability is active. As to the powerful source, it's either a very weak demigod or a powerful mage. We are NOT taking him in a head-on fight anytime soon.

Judging from simply looking at the town, there seems to be about fifty thousand within its walls. I'll also make sure to at least feign friendliness from now on. Honestly, it seems tiresome and pointless, but you haven't been wrong yet. Not that we've done much.

Following the advice to at least look around, I spend a few minutes wandering. For the most part, its the usual human way of building a town. Namely, they construct buildings with no sense of purpose or reason whatsoever, just deciding on day a building should go somewhere. Alleyways snake off into the spaces between buildings, and as I draw near to the weakest source, I feel a flicker, as it dims a little. It moment later a bunch of grimy human spawn come screaming out of the nearest alleyway, obviously frightened, a small ball of fire rocketing after them, the slowest just barely evading the bolt of fire.

I smile to myself. If the mage is weakened by such a small fireball, I could defeat it without any spells at all. I quickly slip down the alley, eager to claim even the smallest of snacks.

What I find is almost laughable. Another human child, leaning against a wall, glances up at me in fear as I stare down at him. It appears the first source isn't even an apprentice mage, but someone who has literally no training at all. The fireball, in light of this information, speaks volumes of the boy's magical talent. If he lived, he would likely become very powerful. Too bad, I've no plans to let him live.
>>
No. 300037 ID: 0bd0b0

>>300035
You have no qualm for the murder of children? A good trait for a demon to have. On an odd thought, we might actually better the people by killing this boy. He seems somewhat violent. But the other mages would have their way with him no doubt. Make sure nobody is nearby, and the murder does not seem suspicious in a way that a non human did it. Instant death magic would come in handy here.
>>
No. 300045 ID: f6360f

>>300035
>As to the powerful source, it's either a very weak demigod or a powerful mage. We are NOT taking him in a head-on fight anytime soon.
Given the presence of something like that in the city, my inclination is to lay low for a short while gathering information, then harvest the other four sources as rapidly as possible in quick succession and skip town.

>about fifty thousand within its walls
I'm going to call that "you can kill people, but not often and hide the bodies" numbers. But I'm a cautious guy.

>Honestly, it seems tiresome and pointless, but you haven't been wrong yet. Not that we've done much.
Not going to lie, it's a pain in the ass. All the more so if you end up in a situation where you need to keep it up for extended periods of time when what you really want is to tear the still-beating hearts from the people you're smiling at and laugh at the shocked look on their faces. Eventually we'll be able to drop the facade, but for now I just don't think that we have the power for it- and trying to be friendly is the safe path to having at least some social success, which can lead to power by proxy. Tell us if you're losing your patience with it, though.

>It appears the first source isn't even an apprentice mage, but someone who has literally no training at all. The fireball, in light of this information, speaks volumes of the boy's magical talent. If he lived, he would likely become very powerful. Too bad, I've no plans to let him live.
To be honest, my mind here immediately turns to the possibility of keeping this kid around and feeding off him in the long term as his talent develops- you mentioned that mages can willingly give up sparks, right? If this child is just that talented, you could potentially keep him around and harvest a hell of a lot of sparks out of him as he generates more. Most children are relatively easy to manipulate; you could probably get him to follow you with a few words taking advantage of his fear and snag a minion out of the deal. He's hardly more than a snack right now anyway; tell him that you sensed his talent and it brought you to him, then order him to stop looking like he's about to piss himself and come with you to get some food because he looks half starved. If he doesn't obey, just kill him; if he does, you can start working on him as a long term project to make him into a slave who you can regularly feed on and who will be useful in helping you snag more impressive meals.

But hey, if you don't have the patience for that and want his meager sparks THAT badly, not like I'm going to stop you. Just make sure you're not killing him with a dozen people who might see and call the guard/that archmage watching.
>>
No. 300049 ID: 75950c

>>300045
Seconding child-minion idea.
>>
No. 300055 ID: 3beb66

>>300045
Your sarcasm doesn't endear you to me at all, voice. Your logic, on the other hand, does. Raising the boy so that I could feed from him regularly seems worthwhile, although the act of raising him itself is likely going to be boring and annoying at the same time. Just so you know, I reserve the right to consume him if he gets on my nerves too much.

"Boy, you have potential, and that potential has attracted my attention. You'll follow me now, and do as I say. In exchange, I'll teach you some of what I know, give you food, and keep you safe from harm. Is this agreeable?"

The boy grows wide eyed at the mention of food, and he begins nodding like mad before I even finish. His lack of talking seems odd, so without any pretext I force his mouth open, even as the boy's eyes grow wide and he whimpers, probably thinking I'll harm him in some way.

It seems someones cut this boy's tongue out. A shame really, one less place to apply magic. Ah well, it shouldn't hinder him too much.

Turning away, I gesture for the boy to follow me, and I exit the alleyway. I'm rewarded with the sound of the boy's footsteps behind me. It seems he has chosen to obey for now. I purchase some food for my new follower, and as he consumes it I close my eyes again, confirming the location of the remaining spark sources. All are in almost exactly the same places, the larger sources having moved a little since last I checked.

Shall I hunt the next sources down, or is there something left to do with my new apprentice before I head out?
>>
No. 300061 ID: f6360f

>>300055
>Your sarcasm doesn't endear you to me at all, voice.
I actually wasn't being sarcastic. Your not having the patience for dealing with a child following you around strikes me as a perfectly reasonable possibility; children can be annoying as hell and you've been under a lot of stress recently. Not to mention that not everyone is fond of long-term planning in general.

But as you say, you can always eat him if he gets too annoying.

>Shall I hunt the next sources down, or is there something left to do with my new apprentice before I head out?
He probably looks like a grubby street urchin. That might make him somewhat conspicuous in certain areas of the city. Keep an eye on that if you're planning to go somewhere and look innocent; he'd need a quick wash and some clean and possibly repaired clothes before blending into most areas.

You should also tell him that what you're doing is dangerous, and that you expect his unhesitating obedience no matter what he sees you do, or you might as well throw him back onto the streets for a frightened mob to kill. Say that you've seen what happens to others like him without someone looking after them, and it's not pretty; that should hopefully bind him to you somewhat. Have him nod if he understands. The point of this is to make sure that he doesn't run away the first time he sees you rip out someone's throat or tear out a mage's sparks; he'll probably be terrified, but needs to keep working for you right through it.

Unless the next weakest sparks are in a very nice area of the city, you can head out for them after that.
>>
No. 300062 ID: 75950c

>>300053
Try to be gentle with the boy, he has obviously had a rough childhood so far.

Ask if the boy can read and write. If he can, tell him to write out his name so you don't have to keep referring to him as 'Boy'.
See if he can cast any other spell besides Fireball. Maybe give him a brief magic lesson, teach him about Sparks and etc.
Inform him that both of you will be staying at The River Rest Inn in case he gets lost or you wish to send him away while you hunt.

For our next course of action let's scout out the location of the two low-level mages. Try to get a layout of the surrounding streets before you enter the building/location they are in.

How much would it cost to cast or permanently gain regenerative healing powers? Or do you already posses that as an immortal being? 
>>
No. 300064 ID: 3beb66

>>300061
I reopen my eyes and glance down at the boy next to me. He's finished eating, and a content smile is plastered across his face. That's not going to last long.

"Boy, I'll say it now that what I do is dangerous, and not exactly legal. There will be things that frighten you, especially when we meet other mages like ourselves. No matter what happens, I expect you to do as I say. No hesitation. If you don't you can end up dead, or worse. Is this understood?"

The boy stares at me for a few minutes, obviously silent, than determination seems to enter his eyes, and he nods. I don't know if that will keep him with me through the more vicious things I tend to do, but for now it seems he's chosen to continue on his path no matter what. Let's hope he sticks to his dedication.

Any magic lessons will have to wait for later however. If it's discovered I'm an unregistered mage, or worse, that there are two of us, we could be killed or jailed on the spot. We'll hold on to those thoughts for when we return to the inn. AS to the question of regeneration, I naturally heal faster than a mortal, but not on the level of regeneration. I can activate a spell to do simulate such however, by increasing my metabolism. Or I could just outright heal myself.

"Hm. Good. You know where the River Rest Inn is?" Another nod from the boy. "Go there if we get separated. Wait outside if you have to. We'll be staying there till we leave the city." Again, another nod from the boy. "You got a name, boy?"

The boy frowns, then gets up and skips off towards a stall vendor. Almost instantly, he's shouted at and told to get lost, with said boy being referred to as "Tongues". Well, can't fault the boy for his ability to improvise.

Feeling like I've been nice enough for now, and the next two sources not far off anyway, I head off, Tongues in tow, making sure to amble about the area and memorize the layout so I can run if I need to. It seems this area is the poorer district, and nobody pays me or the boy much attention. After that's done, I make my way to the pair, and find what appears to be a warehouse of some sort. Upon going to the door, I smell one of the spark sources come up and open it slightly.

"Yoush comesh looking for shom... entshertaishnment? A littlesh femalesh companionship perhapsh?" The speaker smells of alcohol, and his responses are liking dulled because of it. It also slightly amazes me the man screws up nearly every other word except companionship. You'd think he would have screwed that one up as well.

It seems these two are involved in crime, so killing them shouldn't be a problem. In fact, judging from the way the road is completely clear for about a block, I would hazard a guess that I've wandered into the territory of some low level street gang. Shouldn't be any problems with me killing everyone I want inside.

So, voices, do I get to cut loose for once, or shall I try talking them to death as you all seem so fond of?
>>
No. 300085 ID: b84932

Go for the talking. Specifically, get him to open up the likely locked door before you kill him so you don't have to waste any sparks busting it down.
>>
No. 300086 ID: f6360f

>>300064
>So, voices, do I get to cut loose for once, or shall I try talking them to death as you all seem so fond of?
That hurts, man. Really, it does. It's definitely killin' time.

I'd say something in affirmation and move forward into the building. He seems drunk enough that it's unlikely he'll stop you. You want to get inside and locate the second source of sparks; it would be rather annoying if the second mage burned away a bunch of power trying to save themselves from you. Once you know where they both are, strike hard and fast; you may not need to burn any sparks on physical boosting for speed and strength here, but if you think it would be better to play it safe, go ahead. Take all their sparks and make sure that no witnesses escape to tell the tale.

We should probably get a weapon at some point. If they're involved in crime, you'll probably be able to grab one here, preferably something deadly but concealable.

Tongues might freak upon watching you slaughter everyone; if he does, tell him to calm down; remind him that you warned him and he said he'd be with you, so there's no backing out.

When all the sparks are yours, see about cleaning any blood off yourself (can't go wandering the streets with blood on you) and see if you can locate the final spark more precisely.
>>
No. 300087 ID: 75950c

>So, voices, do I get to cut loose for once, or shall I try talking them to death as you all seem so fond of?

I am always fond of talking people to death, but since you seem tense cut loose! But first make sure there are no witnesses inside the warehouse before killing both sources.

"Entertainment, yes. Companionship, no."

Tell Tongues to wait for you by the inn, you have 'business' to take care of. He doesn't need to see the dark deeds you do yet, perhaps when he has traveled with you a bit longer.

As to how you murder the Spark Sources, try using only your enhanced physique to handle them. Quickly
snapping  necks, breaking  spines, or smashing in heads are pretty quick and effective means, unless you wish for a more brutal approach. Also, if you wish to maximize the chance of them not wasting any sparks on defensive-spells, I would suggest you go along with their offer at first, then murder one of them when you are alone and then proceed to execute the remaining one.

Would it be possible to return Tongues' tongue with a healing spell? That would probably ensure his loyalty for life. Also, if you're in the mood for continuing a murderous rampage, ask Tongues who cut out his tongue and 'appropriately' handle them.
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No. 300111 ID: b96349
File 130408108403.gif - (9.84KB , 114x160 , th_1280723869291.gif )
300111

Talk to get in, than kill them all. Right, let's get on that, shall we?

"Entertainment is one way to put it, yes."

"Heh. Letsh me opensh thish door."

The door slams shut, then I hear locks being undone from the other side of it. I glance back over at my shoulder at the boy, and gesture for him to wait outside. No need for him to get caught in the crossfire. If there even is a crossfire to be caught in.

The door opens, and I enter, scanning the room for my prey. The first is literally a guy in a cloak and funny hat, as if he really didn't understand that the sterotype didn't need to be followed. A few room in however, the other seemed to get the picture.

The other man appears to be going for the dashing rogue look, but also seems to be failing horribly at it. He has a really nice hat though, one that I resolve to make mine as soon as possible. Four more thugs are also scattered about the building. Two are at the table with the rogue, the last two seem to be guarding a door near the back, probably where the "companionship" is kept.

The not-so-dashing rogue looks up from what he is doing(counting out a stack of money) and glares at the other mage next to me.

"Did you even check to see if he had any money?"

"Oh! Right... sho, yoush gotsh money?"

"Yes, I have money."

The man nods sagely, then nearly falls over and instead stumbles into a few crates in the corner. I pause for a moment, taking one last look around to make sure I'm not missing anything, and finding I haven't, I smile.

"But none of it's for you."

All the men in the building frown, right up until I slam my fist into the drunk mans face. He crumples to the floor, out before he reaches his destination. The other mage blinks, clearly confused as to what just happened. His hesitation ends him.

I shadow-step behind him, confusing everyone further, then grab him by the head, pump my strength and snap his head around, the crack as the movement is complete seeming to echo off the walls of the warehouse. As the mage falls, his hat flutters down in front of me, and I snatch it from the air and place it on my head, an almost child-like grin of joy spreading across my face. I really do like this hat.
Spark Count: 46

Then the supposed guards get their act together, and the two nearest the table charge me, drawing short-swords. Since the strength enhancement is still active a little longer, I simply pick up the table and us it to smash them into a wall, dropping them both but leaving them alive. One kindly dropped his sword for me, so I pick that up as I turn to the final pair.

The one to the right seems too scared to do anything, but the left one comes charging at me, roaring in rage and swinging a club. I find myself insulted by this, as how can his rage possibly match mine. I side-step his badly aimed attack, and then use my newly acquired shortsword to end his life, ramming the blade into his chest. The thug stumbles back, and just for good measure I kick him into the door he was just guarding. He slams into it, then slides comically to the floor, eyes staring at the blade in him, hands grasping feebly at the hilt.

The last thug starts panicking, rambling something about taking what I want, whatever I want. The gold, the women, whatever, just to please not kill him. I decide I find his groveling annoying, and pick up the club his friend dropped. The man starts crying and collapses to his knees, but I pay it no mind. Walking over, I pump another spark for increasing strength, than I use the club on the man's head twice, hearing the satisfying crunch of the man's skull breaking.
Spark Count: 45

Humming, I grab the short-sword still on the floor, make sure the two other guards are dead, then drain my targets of their sparks, yielding a rather decent haul from both.
Spark Count:80

I set about gathering the gold on the table, continuing with my happy humming, that is until I hear a voice coming from behind that door the thugs were guarding.

"Hello? Um, is everything alright out there?"

The voice is distinctly feminine, and listening more closely I can hear faint whispers coming from behind the door as well. I had forgotten about the supposed companionship. What shall I do, voices?
>>
No. 300126 ID: 0bd0b0

Ask them if they know where the gold is kept, take as much as you can, let the boy carry some. Then tell the ladies they are free(i am guessing they are slaves),give them some coin, and "Do try not to trip on any corpses on your way out." Hide the rogue hat and try for a new identity. You don't have anything against a dead man's clothes, do you?

As for the boy's tongue, will you ever let it be healed? Having a loyal apprentice who cannot be easily interrogated is cool, but having one that can actually speak to you sounds useful.
>>
No. 300127 ID: f6360f

>>300111
All right, burned ten sparks there, which isn't so great, but net +25 so it's all good. Still, that emphasizes the need for permanent powers to lessen expenditures in the long term. We should definitely invest in some after this.

Anyway, finish gathering the gold and check yourself for significant amounts of blood; things got pretty messy there and wandering the streets with obviously bloodstained clothing is usually a bad idea. You might need to swap out for some of the cleaner clothes on the dead men if you have significant amounts of residue on you, at least until you can wash out your magic shirt. You'll probably also want to take a scabbard from those thugs and clean off your sword; unless weapons laws are very strict in this city, there's little reason not to be armed now that you have the option and carrying around a naked sword is inconvenient.

Unless you really feel like killing a bunch of whores, should probably say something to keep them on the other side of that door. "Yes, everything's fine, now that everyone else out here is dead. Stay over there until I'm gone" ought to do it. Nice and straightforward. If they're dumb enough to open the door after that, kill them all unless there's some kind of apparent reason not to. Avoid using sparks unless necessary if it comes to that.
>>
No. 300128 ID: f6360f

>>300126
>talk to ladies
>be nice to them
There's a stack of money right out here and we don't need cash so badly as to require a thorough looting of this building. We also don't need to be kind to a bunch of whores, particularly as it would leave a bunch of people behind us who can give a description of us as the one who killed these mages. As long as they don't open that door and see us, we don't need to change anything about our appearance or actions.

If you really want to thoroughly loot the place, we can, but in that case I'd say kill everyone who saw us afterward. There's no benefit to leaving them alive unless we're trying to turn them into minions, and I don't think they would be terribly useful minions. Though that would admittedly be heavily dependent upon their individual personalities.

>the boy's tongue
He doesn't need a tongue that badly and healing it would take a whole bunch of sparks. He stays mute, at least until we have so much power that magnanimity seems easy. Which will probably be never.
>>
No. 300130 ID: d4f98d

>>300111
Nothing to be gained from them. Take the rogues cloak as well, I don't imagine your clothes look too nice themselves.

Also, nice hat.

Regarding the women...there's not really much to be gained from them, is there? Just break whatever locks there, and leave. No need for them to see you, after all, that would put you on some folk's radar, which we don't want until we've harvested what we can from this city/town whatever.
>>
No. 300174 ID: 8b0de1

>The not-so-dashing rogue looks up from what he is doing(counting out a stack of money)

DOSH!
grab it while you can, lads!

Okay, so we need to use up 1 spark for temporary attribute boosts, right? And we still have the strength boost.
So I suggest boosting our speed and looting everything of value from our hosts and this building.

Hmm... maybe there is no need to be so fast.
See if the door is locked or if it can be locked or barred. Do that, and then spend your time leisurely looting the place.
We need not make our face seen. I don't want to make unnecessary victims of those girls, so the best option is just not to be seen by them.

After this, I suggest we seek out the source of the sparks in the dungeon, reap it and then skip town. No need to go after the very powerful target just yet and if we stay here to kill more magic users, we will attract unwanted attention.


3rd plan. Loot everything and burn the warehouse down with everyone in it. Then it will be very hard to investigate what happened here. Though I suggest heavily against this.
>>
No. 300224 ID: b96349

I take the now deceased rogue's clothing, this time staying silent, hoping to keep the mortals in the next room in a state of confusion. The clothing seems a little brightly colored for my tastes, but it looks a lot more like something a normal traveler would wear. Might make me more likable as well. I grab the money on the table as well, making sure to avoid clinking the coins together too much.

Suddenly, I hear a gasp behind me, and without thinking I spin and dart forward, grabbing the female by the throat and slamming her into a wall. She is obviously in pain after that, but she remains awake. On the downside, she starts sobbing and pleading for her own miserable existence. Within seconds of me acting, another female enters.

"Hey! Put her down, right now! She hasn't done anything to you!"

I remain silent, not bothering to look at the other woman. Then an idea strikes me. Females among the mortals care for the young, don't they? And these women are used to enslavement. What's to stop me taking one of them and having her deal with Tongues for the most part? Or shall I kill them all, now that they know I'm here? Or maybe there's another alternative altogether?
>>
No. 300230 ID: 0bd0b0

>>300224
Your new appearance may make you easy to spot. And these females will spread the rumor of your murders surely. But killing the ladies will seem especially violent and attract the attention from the law and maybe that mage/mages. Simply killing these obvious criminals may not. Leave them safely, maybe even apologize, and ditch the disguise soon. It was nice to have but we can't just walk around like that with blood on our hands. You can buy different clothing with the gold you have just earned.
>>
No. 300233 ID: f6360f

>What's to stop me taking one of them and having her deal with Tongues for the most part?
Nothing is to stop you. This has the pro of disposing of a lot of annoyance resulting from the kid. It has the con, however, of providing Tongues with an adult around other than you. It will give him someone else to bond to emotionally, weakening your hold on him and potentially dividing his loyalties if the woman is ever killed or betrays you. As you're the primary authority figure and the one with magic, making you the nominal role model, the effect shouldn't be too drastic, though.

Really, I think Tongues is capable of mostly staying quiet and taking care of himself. He seems like the sort who will at least try to keep up and not disappoint you as things stand right now.

If you want a slave, choose which- the one you're currently grabbing seems to have curiosity (since she opened the door) and malleability. The one giving you orders seems to have courage (quite a bit, in fact) and loyalty. The former would probably be easier to make an obedient slave- the shock of watching you kill everyone else alone should keep her fearful enough to stay obediently in line- while the latter would likely be more difficult to enslave, take a little persuasion, but if you can actually get her working for you she'd almost certainly be more useful.

To get the whimpering one, drop her and tell her not to move or you'll kill her, then take your sword and kill all the rest of the whores quickly and brutally. Then tell her that she'll do exactly as you say, or you will make certain that she regrets her disobedience before she dies screaming.

To get the defiant one, tell her that you have no reason to leave anyone who has seen you alive. Then smile, and say that you'll kill everyone who has glimpsed you- unless she cares to guarantee their silence. She'll likely ask how, or say something horrified; you tell her that she comes with you and tells everyone else to keep quiet. If she serves you well, and no rumors of what you look like spread, then everyone stays alive. If she betrays you or you hear your description on the streets as the killer of these men, you'll first kill her and then hunt down everyone else here. This is because based upon my (rash and potentially inaccurate) judgment of her personality, simply killing everyone else and declaring her your slave would probably result in resistance, escape and/or murder attempts, and other such annoyances; offering her a way to protect them (from you, since you're already obviously very dangerous) will likely be more successful in making her serve you loyally. If it doesn't work, you can still kill her and get the other woman as a slave.


I would appreciate reviews of the above from others. It may contain flaws or points which I haven't thought through fully.

>>300230
>And these females will spread the rumor of your murders surely. But killing the ladies will seem especially violent and attract the attention from the law and maybe that mage/mages.
Considering that we won't be in town for more than another day or two and that killing everyone leaves no one who can give a description of us, I find myself entirely unconcerned about trouble with the law. As for the super-powerful spark, I daresay it likely has better things to worry about than a few slaughtered whores.
>>
No. 300238 ID: 8b0de1

tilt you bitching hat so that they don't see your face.

We could ask them what they are doing here, if they are slaves or just working girls.

Don't really see why we need a woman to care for Tongues. He can generally take care of himself, and we wouldn't want him to be attached to anyone else.
Nah, don't do it.

If we leave them alive, we will pretty much have to dump the hat and the robes.
So the choice is: keep these ladies alive or keep pimping hat?
>>
No. 300254 ID: b96349

>>300238
The choice is easy. The hat of course, its far too stylish to simply toss away, especially after just having retrieved it. The woman if front of me is sill sobbing, and since it seems the general consensus is that the boy can fend for himself, killing the woman remains my only task here.

"Now why would I listen to some whore from the street?" I tilt the hat on my head with my freehand, blocking my eyes from their view. A menacing smirk creeps across my face, and I can feel rather than see the woman in my grasp grow cold, fear putting an end to her sobbing. "I don't take orders from anyone, and since your annoying me, I feel its time for you to die."

The shortsword is put to work quickly, and I deftly sidestepped the spurt of blood coming from the woman's now slit throat. The other stumbles back in surprise, likely expecting a different response. Just goes to show how slow-witted humans can be after all.

Within minutes, the task is done. Twenty-two deaths in all within the building, and after searching everyone, I come up with more money. Not a bad hour of work, if I do say so myself. I even got a new hat out of it.

I return outside to find Tongues curled into a ball against the wall. Once he notices my presence, he's quick to rise to his feet, although he looks a little pale. The screaming from the woman probably didn't help his fear of me any, but he still seems determined to stick with me. Good.

I find an alleyway and change into my acquired set of clothing, the red and white colors making me feel exposed and not quite as menacing as I'd like to be. But I suppose that is the point. I suppose we'll also have to shift my appearance and voice to match as soon as we're able, but the act is still a little out of our reach, assuming we don't spend any more sparks. Doubtful, but still an objective.

For now, I feel getting into a dungeon will probably be easier at night, without so many people. Tongues trailing behind me, I head to the River Rest, where I purchase a room and some food for my apprentice and retire upstairs as soon as possible. Once there, I give Tongues the explanation of where his powers come from, the nature of sparks, and some mental exercises to perform whenever he has the time.

Once I've made sure the boy is performing the task I've set him correctly, I seat myself on the edge of the bed. Now then voices. Within the relative safety of the room, I can practice my own magics in peace, as well as answer any questions you might have.

So, ask away.
>>
No. 300284 ID: f6360f

>>300254
>Once he notices my presence, he's quick to rise to his feet, although he looks a little pale.
I like this kid. He'll turn out well. Feed and care for him while ignoring him most of the time, demand unquestioning obedience, and give occasional positive reinforcement when he displays competence or obedience in the face of difficulty, and based upon my (admittedly imperfect) understanding of child psychology he should become quite devoted over a matter of months.

>So, ask away.
Right.

-Enchanted items. How do they work? What can they do, in absolute terms and as compared to spells? How valuable/common are they? What is the crafting process, with an eye towards what would be required for you to make things?

-You. What are you overall goals here, aside from getting ever more sparks? Do you want to be a hunter-killer type in the long term, as we've been assuming- or do you have some kind of different vision or endgame? Empire, genocide, whatever? How easily can you be differentiated from a mortal mage by someone who knows what they're about?

-Mages. You mentioned that they mostly use reality warping- can they also use body and mind powers? Is there a reason that they generally do not, if they can? Can they get permanent powers, and do they? Is the apparent 1:50,000 ratio amongst the population that we're seeing here pretty much the standard? What about the power curve- how many apprentices are there as compared to mid-level mages as compared to powerful types? What are the organizations they make, the laws about them, and the public's view of them? How fast do they generally acquire sparks (presumably they use magic on a semi-regular basis, which would logically deplete their stock if they didn't have a fairly quick refresh rate, so I assume fairly quickly)?

That's all I've got for now. Maybe more later.
>>
No. 300285 ID: 0bd0b0

I am really liking your total disregard for human life. Killing everyone in sight makes for great entertainment.

So, how much gold do we have, exactly? Was there anything you told him but not us? That we would be interested in. And now is the best time for the discussion of spark investment.

Earlier, when you used shadow step, a significant amount of sparks were spent. If you keep using abilities without specializing, the inefficiency will become obvious. I strongly suggest we buy a permanent ability. Invisibility would have allowed us to escape those whores with ease, your identity a secret still. Murdering them all was fun though. And it would oh so certainly help with combat. And shadow step would have made us a terrifying close quarters opponent, without the fear of spark usage. Ethereal would not be as useful for killing all of them and stealing the gold, but if you knew exactly where the weak spark was you could assassinate him quick and clean.
>>
No. 300289 ID: f6360f

>>300285
It would also be reasonable to get a permanent strength boost, I think. We're going to be burning small numbers of sparks on that all the damn time if we don't.

Honestly, with 80 sparks I'm tempted to invest in two permanent abilities- but the second should really probably wait until after we've taken out the fourth snack and have its power to use.

Shadow step is very tempting to me because not only would it be a combat ability, it would also let us bypass obstacles AND travel extremely quickly overland- if we pour a few extra sparks into it, we could move at a dozen times the pace of a swift horse, as long as we're moving at night or in a shadowed area. (I hope we have some kind of darkvision.) It's very flexible. That would be my first choice, I think, then buying a strength boost second and invisibility third.
>>
No. 300296 ID: b84932

I think you should make Shadow Step and a Strength boost permanent, since those two seem to be the skills you are experienced with using in combat.

Especially the strength boost.
>>
No. 300320 ID: 4d8063

>>300284
Think of them as similar to directly applying things to my body, accept cheaper and impossible to redo. You also can't strengthen them after applying so decide how much power you want before deciding.

As for my goals. I want the heroes dead. Failing that due to them already being dead, I want any descendants they might have dead. I won't rest until the direct blood line of those heroes is wiped from existence. No exceptions, I am willing to take as long as it takes.

As to your last barrage of questions. I have no clue. I have just rejoined the world, as you should remember, and basically have no clue. I know that among humans, the general chance for a powerful mage is about 1 in every 1,000,000 people, at least before my imprisonment. The public view was generally good, at least for the registered ones. Registration with the Mage Guild(and attached Academy) was required, although I never joined myself, as it was a waste of time. Mages can generally replenish themselves to full power in one to two hours.

>>300285
I have about 67 gold, most of that in gold, but a few in silver coins. From what I can tell, silver is the generally used standard currency.
>>
No. 300330 ID: f6360f

>>300320
>similar to directly applying things to my body, accept cheaper and impossible to redo
How much cheaper? Let's say that we wanted to enchant that ring with a 5-spark strength boost right now. How long would it take you, and what would be the total spark cost?

>As to your last barrage of questions. I have no clue.
This applies to your knowledge of standard mages' magical mechanics re: non-warp reality and permanent spells as well as recent social dynamics? Just so we're clear.

>Mages can generally replenish themselves to full power in one to two hours.
Wow. We'll be able to get a very nice amount of sparks out of this kid, if he's generating even one spark on an hourly basis.

>I have about 67 gold, most of that in gold, but a few in silver coins.
Any idea how expensive things generally are? Horses, clothing, meals, weapons, what have you. I know you've been out of it for a while, but wild guess based upon what you can remember from before adjusted for the cost of the food and inn, please?


And unrelated queries. What are the five races and their major features, both physically/magically and socially (from what you last recall)? How large an area are they spread over, and do they normally associate with one another much? This will be important for planning how we're going to go about hunting down the heroes, I think.
>>
No. 300342 ID: 4d8063

>>300330
Hmmm... using your example, about 15 sparks, and maybe an hour of work, if that. Silver is highly receptive to magic after all(most precious metals are, to some degree), so this should be fairly easy to enchant. The ring I mean.

Ah, they can use the other two, its just rare. Permanent spells are almost non-existent among human mages, elves use them sometimes, and orcs use them almost exclusively. As to current social standings, yeah, that I have no clue about.

The boy is weak, and has no knowledge at all of magic. It will be awhile before we can use him as a food source. If we want an immediate one, we'll have to find someone with some actual knowledge.

As for the cost of things, again, I have little to go off of. Inns and such seem cheap enough(a silver for a decent bed and food), so I would assume the amount of money I have is enough for awhile. Assuming I don't try to buy bridges or something equally stupid.

I will abstain from talking about the five races social norms for the moment, as I have ever known what the norms were for any of them other than the fact that they don't like me killing people, and the usual rules of don't steal bla bla bla. I'm assuming you know that sort of thing.

The humans... I'm assuming you know what a human is by now. Stand 5-6 feet tall on average. Generally multicolored. Pretty squishy. The usual stuff.

The elves. They are probably the most annoying things to walk this planet. The only reason they are still alive is that they have an aptitude for magic that probably outstrips the other races. They all care about two things only. That highly burnable forest of theirs, and their own appearance. I'm dead serious. Damn squeakers can't spend enough time doing their hair or some other such nonsense. I have met a few that break from the norm, and they were far less annoying. They ended up dead just the same. Oh yes, they are much weaker than humans physically(you can break one's nose by twisting it a little to hard), and are slim as heck. Magically, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM can use magic. The problem being that forest of theirs is so enchanted that getting in just doesn't happen. So I've had to wait till they come out, then hunt them down.

Orcs are hilariously warlike. I enjoy my spending my time among them the most, mostly because they really didn't care if I kill a bunch of them. Bulky, large, and perfect for close combat. I only left because I ended up eating all their mages at the time. Hope they have more when I go back.

Dwarves live in mountains. Their short, drunk, and have no mages. I ignored them for the most part, and as such, that's all I got.

I have less on goblins. They don't have mages either, and basically just charge towns until they all die or the village stops fighting back. Hated them, cause they usually made me waste sparks killing them.

Dwarves hate Goblins. Elves hate Orcs. Orcs just like killing things. Goblins hate everyone. And humans just like taking everyone elses stuff.

As for territory, I don't know. We should probably add finding a map to our list of goals.
>>
No. 300351 ID: 259738

Is there any way you could hide the fact that you contain sparks from a mage casting the spells to look for them? Because if so, making that a permanent spell on yourself should be a priority. Even in a direct confrontation that would be useful, because anyone who has cast those spells will think you are normal, right up until you do something magical.
>>
No. 300362 ID: 259738

If all elves have magic, and a greater aptitude for it than humans, they are obviously the best source of sparks. Which means we will have to find some way into that forest. Getting in by force obviously didn't work when you tried it, so next time try deception. Don't eat the next elf you run into, because you want to convince them to let you visit their forest, although right now you aren't powerful enough to attempt it.
>>
No. 300378 ID: f6360f

>>300342
>As for territory, I don't know. We should probably add finding a map to our list of goals.
Ask the innkeep or his daughter in the morning. They'll know where to get a good one; there should be at least one decent cartographer in a city this size.

>enchanting the ring
That seems quite cheap- what, 10+spark cost or thereabouts? It might be worth enchanting an item instead of buying a permanent ability, even; I doubt we'll ever need to use ethereality for more than a few seconds at a time, for example, so the inability to upgrade it wouldn't really matter and we'd save a whole pile on sparks. A ring that lets us walk through walls and be less noticed for a few seconds at a time could be very useful. Then we buy a permanent shadow step, and keep the rest of our sparks on hand for now.

Anyone object to this plan?
>>
No. 300407 ID: 0bd0b0

>>300378
For permanent buying with sparks, I will agree with shadow step or invisibility. They are both very useful. As for the strength, do we really need to enchant a ring? If it costs more to enchant a ring than grant ourselves with permanent strength then I fully object, otherwise I agree. The only advantage would be that we could sell it, and we don't need money right now. There is also the possibility of losing the ring.
>>
No. 300411 ID: 259738

>>300407
Rings cost fewer sparks than permanent spells.
>>
No. 300414 ID: b96349

>>300351
The spell to block the spotting of my magic completely would register as magical. It essentially means I'm blocking magic by trying shove magic in front of it. I should explain that better. Because the spell your suggesting would need to be active to hide my sparks, it would radiate magic, since it's active. It defeats the purpose of hiding magic. At most, it would hide my power level from the senses of others.

With the ring plan not receiving any objections, I set to work, closing my eyes to keep my attention where I need it. I shape the magic in my body, first, the spell taking form like a ball within my gut. Then, I let the magic seep into the ring, visualizing a funnel that directs the magic into the ring. I open my eyes to check my progress, and am satisfied to see the ring with glowing lines of power on it, as if something had burned those lines into the ring's surface. Taking a deep breath, I draw out the ten sparks necessary for finalizing the process, shaping them like a shell around the rings that contain and suspend the power within. This step is entirely visible, as a glowing shell literally forms around the ring, lighting up the room, before it slowly fades from visibility. The process takes me about a half-hour, and once done, I have myself a magic ring, containing a very weak ethereal spell inside it.
Spark Count: 69
Ring of Ethereal: Lasts 5 seconds, 2 second cooldown.


It's then I notice Tongues. He's stopped his exercises, staring at the ring laying on my palm, eyes filled with wonder. From what I can tell, he seems in awe at what just occurred, and I can see the desire to do what I just did in his eyes. I smirk at his interest, which seems to snap his attention back to reality. Tongues suddenly realizes he isn't doing what he should be doing, and he immediately closes his eyes again, throwing himself back into his task.

Well, voices, we now have our ring. Before I permanent something though, I want to make sure of what spell I'm doing it with. So far I've seen Shadow Step mentioned most often, but I just want to be certain.
>>
No. 300416 ID: adfa55

I have a non-standard idea that may be worth it, if it could work: A massive increase to intelligence actually, which you can put on the boy to speed up his training when you aren't making use of it yourself. This massive increase in intelligence would be very useful for helping you derive more worthwhile general information from simple observations.
If sharing the magic like that wouldn't work then just go with a speed and strength improvement which would allow you to throw battering rams and be quick and deft enough to physically catch and throw back arrows in flight. This should be sufficient physical empowerment for most purposes and those rare cases where it isn't you can spend temporary sparks I suppose.
>>
No. 300421 ID: 0bd0b0

Shadow step and invisibility are both great abilities. They each serve certain things better however. Shadow step with instant teleportation, allowing us to instantly flank or escape. Invisibility with total concealment, allowing us to kill many in an area with ease and hiding completely. Either one is acceptable.
>>
No. 300425 ID: 8b0de1

So wait,

a low-level magic user has about 20 sparks, right?
A mortal can regenerate their sparks in about 2 hours (or does that apply to powerful mages?)... either way, even a low-level should be able to regenerate their supply in about 12 hours.
For Hated to gain Sparks, he needs to collect them from a dead host ... or he can get them from a willing person.

So why don't we set up some kind of a symbiotic deal with Tongues? We teach him shit, make him better (meaning he'll get more sparks) and he willing provides us with... lets say, half of his Sparks?

Shouldn't this work?


About the mage in the dungeon.
Could we extract Sparks without killing him? Could we, say, use a sleep spell on him and drain his Sparks while he sleeps then come back later to repeat the process?

Infiltrating the dungeon should not be too hard.
First, we need to have permanent shadow-step (or invisibility, though I'm more in favour for the former).
Using that and Etheral spell would let us enter the dungeon unnoticed fairly easy.
>>
No. 300436 ID: b96349

>>300416
((Oh, close! Your close to some bonus sparks here, but its impossible to increase intelligence like that. One can not suddenly gain knowledge of things they had no clue about before. The closest you can get is increasing a persons mental speed, meaning they could think through a process that would normally take them hours in minutes. Keep going with the line of thinking though, you might get rewarded for it.))

>>300425
The person or being I'm extracting from does not necessarily have to be dead. They can, in fact, be alive. They just die after I'm done, because forcibly ripping magical sparks of energy out of people chests tends to do that. I actually prefer them alive, they tend to scream more. I can also retrieve them from someone who willingly gives them to me as well, which is why I'm even bothering with this kid in the first place. As for the source in the dungeon question, no, he would die after I'm done with him. Mostly because that's the way my "eating" works.
>>
No. 300437 ID: eba49f

I second the question about asking if there is magic that lets you drain sparks from mages. Also, are there ways to siphon the magic out of enchantments? That would be very useful for both eating and countering the mages you are bound to fight eventually.

Also, can you deactivate/reactivate permanent invisibility at will? (In case you want to gather information from people, for example)

Thirdly, how many enchanted rings can you wear at once without them interfering with either your finger movement or with each other?
>>
No. 300443 ID: b96349

>>300437
Enchantments, as with the spells applied to my body, are stuck that way. They are technically free-floating sparks anymore(which is what I hunt down and take), so I can't consume them, steal them, recycle them, however you want to put it. The difference between enchanting objects and people however, is that objects won't let you overwrite the spell once you apply it, while on people, you can overwrite as much as you want. I believe I explained this a little somewhere back when I first started hearing you lovely voices.

For invisibility, the simplest version(what I have to apply first) only lasts so long once I activate the ability. After that, it shuts off, goes through a little wait period as it recharges, then its ready for use again. I believe it's 10 seconds for the basic invisibility, with a 5 second wait in between uses.

As for the rings, I actually tested this once, by making someone else do it for me, with the promise they would live if they did it. They didn't live, mostly because they had 5 magical rings suddenly explode violently, removing most of his hands and sending shards of metal into his face. It was hilariously funny, so I think started forcing people I found to do it whenever I got my hands on enough magic rings. Anyway, based off of that experiment, I would say 4 rings is the max one wants to put on their fingers.
>>
No. 300444 ID: 0bd0b0

>>300443
That is just hilarious. I love your style.

Let us make this permanent ability decision soon, I agree with what appears to be the most desired choice, shadow step. Can't wait to teleport huge distances to stab somebody in the back.
>>
No. 300449 ID: eba49f

If having any more than four rings results in disaster, if we have exactly four rings are we vulnerable to being overloaded by something adding a bit more magic to our hands?

Say… What magical abilities do you know of that are related to observing/analyzing magical and/or biological systems? It occurs to me that we have a mage right here, and we should consider a spell to look at the workings of his brain or track the flow of sparks in him. The boy is too valuable an investment to do something lastingly nasty to, but if there are ways that won’t ruin him we should look into those. In the medium term, we may get a hint to what part of him we can enhance to improve his magic, and in the (probably very) long term studying how these mortals create sparks seems like a very good goal.
>>
No. 300458 ID: f6360f

>>300444
Our first permanent ability should be either shadow step or a strength boost. I would be content with either, and agree that we should take one now. In either case, I would be willing to apply up to 50 of our 69 current sparks to it, resulting in a 25-foot shadow step or a very substantial strength boost. No need to hold ourselves to the minimum.
>>
No. 300470 ID: b84932

>>300458
I agree completely.
>>
No. 300476 ID: b96349

>>300449
We shouldn't be especially vulnerable, as long as we don't decide to activate all four rings at once. As for the analyzing magic, that would fall under Mind magics, but as I've said, I'm weak in that... not much better than an apprentice to be truthful. I mean, why investigate things when I could demolish towns with impunity? Anyway, I think any such observation spells would be out of my capabilities, at least for now.

Now, since the general consensus has been reached, let's get to applying some spells to myself. While going all out has its perks, I'd prefer a little less on the range and more on the continued use. Especially since I don't think I'll be needing to jump 25ft anytime soon.

I interrupt Tongues practice, setting about on another lesson I'm sure you'd all be interested in as well.

"Alright then, I'm going to explain how permanent spells work. It's out of your range for the moment, Tongues, but it helps to be aware for when you are. Now, the basics are pretty simple. To make something permanent on your own body, 30 sparks are required. That's just for the permanent. The cost for the spell still needs to paid as well, just as if you were casting."

"Now, there are a few rules to the process, and you'd do well to memorize them at some point, although now I just want you to hear them.
1) The body can only handle a certain number of permanent effects before it begins to get overcharged. Overcharging is bad, and usually ends in bloody explosions.
2) For us humanoids, there are exactly eight places spells can be applied. They are as follows: Right Hand, Left Hand, Arms, Torso, Legs, Head, Eyes, Tongue."

"Spells are generally associated with certain body parts. That fireball you threw, for example, is associated with the hands. Doesn't matter which, but if you wanted to apply it, it would be placed on the hands. Other body areas would reject the magic."

"Now I'm going to apply magic to myself. You can watch if you want, but after this I want you to go to sleep. We'll likely have to leave in the morning."


Tongues nods, then grows silent as I begin. I focus, my long practice with application made more difficult by the relatively unfamiliar nuances of the spell area I'm trying to perform. As always, sparks are shaped to fit my desire, taking the form of the desired spell, then I imagine the spell forming tattoos along my legs, black tattoos, like shadows that seem to both connect and never touch. My legs tingle, and I glance down, black sparks suddenly exploding along my legs. The boy jumps back a little, surprised at event, but his fascination quickly overcomes his fear, and he leans forward to get a better view of what's occurring.

Within minutes, the work is done, and I know from experience that underneath my pants lie the magical runes plastered to my skin like ebon tattoos in the form I imagined.

Permanent Ability Gained:
Shadow-Step: Hated has applied the spell, but modified it slightly to his own tastes. The spell has a 15ft range, but has the chain tag applied once to it(as explained below).

Spark Count: 22

>>
No. 300477 ID: b96349

((An extra post, to help explain some of the rules that you should be aware of. Keep in mind, I'm refining the rules for magic almost daily at this point, and while some things may change, if they do I will inform you all the next chance I get, in big bold easily identified letters. The first of these revision is going in this post.

TAGS
Consider tags the labels that can be applied to spells. Things like chaining shadow-steps together instantly would require a tag, as shadow-step normally has a small cooldown time before reuse. I'll list out the tags that are you have all discovered, but feel free to come up with any number of things that can be applied to spells. I'll simply add them to the list as they come.

If anyone ever wants to see the entire list, inform me in a post and I'll have it up as soon as possible.

The two you've established at the moment, along with the costs to apply them to a spell, are:
Project: Allows spells to be hurled, like an arrow or a stone. Costs 2 sparks.
Chain: Allows multiple of the spell to be chained together. Costs 5 sparks.

That's all for now. If anyone has any suggestions for refining the magic system, don't hesitate to tell me. I enjoy constructive criticism.))
>>
No. 300482 ID: f6360f

>>300476
Classy, very classy. That should be extremely useful as you move around. How much will you be able to take with you when you use it- whatever you can carry?

How are you doing physically? Time for some rest, or feeling like heading out and hunting down that last spark tonight?
>>
No. 300487 ID: eba49f

((Maybe an [area] tag that makes the spell affect a larger area of effect than normal?))

I would suggest that we look into working on the mental powers, as things are easier to destroy if you know more about them.

Now that we can shadow step, do we know a spell that makes an effect like a smoke bomb? I think a ring that casts that would be handy for when there are few shadows. (Do you need a preexisting shadow as an entry point, or would the darkness under your feet work?)

With the ETHEREAL spell,
1. Can you chose to go through a floor, or just walls?
2. Can you grab someone else when using it to make them ethereal as well?
3. Does someone suffer a bloody fate if ethereal runs out while they are still in a solid object? (And if you hold an item [presumably your stuff goes ethereal when you do] in the same space as someone's body, what happens when you re-materialize)?
>>
No. 300513 ID: b96349

>>300487
((Area tag added: Increases area of effect for spells, or makes them area of effect spells if they aren't already. Costs 5 sparks per 1ft increase in radius. Also, thanks to your question regarding a smoke bomb, I've changed another thing. Basic spells are spells that can't be produced using another spell and tags together. This would be something like making fire, water, or smoke. I'm cataloging those as well, so if there isn't a spell already made that can produce the desired affect, whether alone or using tags, I'll add it into the basic spell list. An example would be your question about a smoke spell. Currently have no way to do that, so I'll add that as a basic spell for use.))

Spell Discovered!
Smoke: Produces a cloud of smoke around the caster, which obscures vision. Costs 1 spark to cast.


As for your question about using our own shadow as the starting point. As the shadow won't be there if I'm not there, and weird paradoxes happen, it's not suggested I or anyone else attempt it. So simply put, no I can't.

Ethereal makes me as close to a spirit/ghost as a living thing can get. I can freely decide if I want to travel through something or not, be it floor, wall, ceiling, other people.

As for including other people in the spell, that is possible, but costs more. Including other people in spell affects is difficult, since often times they themselves aren't magically inclined, and thus you have to force magic into their bodies.

Tag Discovered!
Buddy: Allows other people to be included in a friendly spells affects. Cost 10 sparks per person.


When ethereal ends, if anything is connected to me(like I'm going through a wall and I'm halfway through when it ends) I'll fuse with the wall. It's... not pleasant, and I'd rather not talk about why I know that... yeah.

>>300482
I believe it does include whatever I'm carrying, excepting other people and particularly heavy or large objects. As to the final source of energy this town has to offer that wouldn't get me completely killed, well, I'm still hungry after all. Let's be off.

I make sure the boy is properly in bed(with the threat of punishment should I found out he's left the room), and head back down stairs. Halfway to the exit, I'm accosted once again by the annoying mortal woman, an easy smile on her face.

"Didn't know you had a son, stranger. You don't look all that old. Hey, it skipped my mind earlier, but what's your name anyway? After all, I gave you my name, so its polite to offer yours in return."

The woman is eying me, and I once again get the strong urge to kill her. I allow myself the small fantasy of ripping her head off and putting it on a spike outside town, but quickly banish the thought. Well voices, what do I do now?
>>
No. 300515 ID: f6360f

>>300513
Sadly, killing in the very inn where you're staying the night would be unwise. A fake name and a reasonably friendly demeanor should let you give her the brush-off without any trouble as long as you keep moving.

"Gregor. Excuse me, I've people to see."

Then head off to get our hunt on.
>>
No. 300521 ID: eba49f

I think Harald would be a good name for us to take.

When making a magic item, can you put more sparks into it to improve the recharge? The item I am thinking about (for when we have the sparks to spare after our next meal) is a ring that can launch projectile smoke clouds quickly enough that there can be more than one cloud present at a given time, so we may shadow step between them. Any estimate on how many sparks that would take?
>>
No. 300523 ID: 0bd0b0

For your actual name, I think Hated suits you. But for the purpose of dealing with mortals, I suggest a powerful name. Like Vincent. Sounds like the name of a conqueror.
>>
No. 300525 ID: b96349

"Vincent. Excuse me, I have people to see."

I try pushing past her, but she steps in front of me again, this time an angry look on her face.

"Your going to leave your son alone in some inn filled with complete strangers like it's nothing? Dirty, I might add? Doesn't seem like your a good parent."

Now, I've never taken criticism well. Why I don't mind so much from you voices is odd, but I'm fine with that... which is also odd. But other people, mortals in particular, I can't stand ordering me around. Or even suggesting I do things the wrong way. So I snap a little at her comments.

"If your so knowledgeable in how to care for children, why don't you go take care of him. As I've said, I have people to see, and I don't have time to stand here talking to some girl who thinks she can criticize me just because she met me a few hours ago in a town square. NOW MOVE!"

The woman steps back in surprise, the volume of my command loud enough to silence everyone in the room. The quiet settles awkwardly, everyone waiting, expecting someone to do something. I settle the matter easily. I slip by the girl, who by now seems to be searching for something to say, and exit into the night air.

I head quietly towards my destination, and eventually find myself standing above a patch of the road. No way to get in here. A quick search of the area, however, reveals the entrance to the jails, where I assume the source to be. Now then, lets see how we're going to do this.

The front door is open, and two guards flank it, torches set up next to them providing light for them to see. Their shadows are casting back towards me, but the room beyond is dark. I don't even need advice for this one. I step across, one moment walking along the street, the next within the room, with the guards outside none the wiser.

This room seems to be a check in area for people visiting someone. A quick look around reveals the stairs down, and I quietly work my way down. I pause as I reach a corner, straining to hear any sounds. For a moment, nothing, but before I start forward, the sound of boots against stone starts to make its way closer from down the corridor. I hear similar coming from behind me.

Shadows are literally everywhere, including a jail cell across from me with a man in it who appears to be asleep. The source is, judging from the size of the cell I can see, four cells down. With two guards coming from either direction, I must ask.

What's my course of action, voices?
>>
No. 300530 ID: f6360f

>>300525
Keep unseen if you can. If you can't, kill those who see you rapidly, before they can sound any alarms.

I would suggest that you might be able to stay out of sight by shadow stepping into the cells and then back and forth between them, letting you move quickly while remaining outside the main corridor. Move fast, and hopefully even if the guards see you, it'll be as something uncertainly half-glimpsed in a cell and easily dismissed as nothing since you'll be gone by the time they get a good look. Get down to the target cell and tear out those sparks before the mage has the time to react or use any magic- although presumably they can't, or they'd be doing so already to escape.

Actually, I really wonder what the hell a mage is doing locked up and if we could somehow exploit their situation for more power than merely killing them and taking their sparks will give us, but whatever, it's easy just to rip and run.
>>
No. 300532 ID: 8b0de1

Heh, I like that girl, she's bold.

Shadow-step insode the cell with the man sleeping and stand still in the corner.
Wait till the guards pass (if they, for some reason, stop and start looking inside your cell, either activate your etheral ring or shadow-step into another cell)

Make your way down to the source.
If he is not heavily guarded (so that our specific attention is required) or doesn't have any magical wards you know what you must do.
Now, here's the important part, make sure that there is no sign of foul play. Make it seem like that man had a heart attack in his sleep and died quietly. We do not want to attract attention after all.

After this, I say we skip town (no more sparks left besides powerful mages, right?) and head towards next smell of sparks.
>>
No. 300539 ID: eba49f

Be cautious for anti-magic effects or traps in the cell where the source is. There is SOMETHING keeping him from breaking out with magic (and he still has his sparks in him). It might just be something harmless (to you) like magical shackles, but it might not be.

With your chain-shadowstep, is there enough time between steps to grab an item or attack once with a drawn weapon?
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No. 300540 ID: b96349
File 130421497151.jpg - (46.09KB , 219x164 , r43_219x164_1005_Myo_2d_illustration_character_arc.jpg )
300540

There is about a fourth of a second between jumps. I'd need to get faster before I could do something like jump, attack, then jump again. I'm assuming that was your plan.

I hop over into the other cell, just ahead of the footsteps coming from behind me. Even as I arrive on the other side, I crouch, willing the guard to keep walking. The mortal man pauses at the cell, staring into it, then, apparently satisfied all is well, continued on. I heave a small sigh, it doesn't look like I'd get to kill anyone on this little jaunt. Well, other than the target.

I use the ethereal ring to slip into the next cell, which is empty, and move quietly towards the opposite wall as the ring recharges itself.

"Hey Bill, how's teh imputant prisoner?"

Uneducated ass. It's important, important. Damn, humans are annoying. Our we sure we can't just kill them?

"She's fine, hasn't done anything but go on about how much pain we're gonna be in when she gets out. Long as they keep her all drugged up though, she won't be going anywhere."


Oh. Well, that explains why the mage hasn't done anything yet. Can't cast when your minds literally drowning, and is being forcibly unfocused. Wait, she?

"Hehe, she's a purty one though. Whatcha think ol' Marfolsa wants wit her?"

Marfolsa? The powerful mage perhaps. It seems he runs things around here. I slip into the next cell over, nearly running into its occupant, who startles awake and almost screams before I cover his mouth and snap his neck. Seems like I did get to kill someone.

"Why should I know, you uneducated buffoon?"

Here, here.

"We aren't paid to ask questions. We're paid to shut up, and put anyone the Marfolsa wants in here in here. Now get back to your rounds!"

I slip into the my targets cell, prepared to strike without mercy, when I pause, staring at the one imprisoned within. That can't be right. There's just... no, that can't be right.

"Righ, righ..."

The guard lumbers off, but the noise has woken the occupant of my cell, and her melodic voice immediately sets to groggily insulting the guards.

"Bashtardsh! I'sa gonna kills you! I'sa gonna kills you! Minute I'sa gets outta here, I'sa gonna kills yooooouuuuuu......."

"Yeah yeah, sweet thing. Shut up and go back to sleep."

The ELF slips back into unconsciousness, and I allow myself to lean against the wall. An elf. Why would a human mage capture an elf? From what I remember, elves and humans generally got along pretty well. Unless things had changed that drastically since my time... somehow I doubt it. I get back up again, moving to kill her quickly, when I suddenly recall one you voices having said I shouldn't do that. Something about using one to get into the forest. What shall I do then?
>>
No. 300542 ID: f6360f

>>300540
Well, as I see it, we currently have two options.

-Kill her, drain her delicious sparks, and leave pleased with a night's work.

-Kill the guards, take her away, and gamble that we'll get more out of talking to her than we would out of killing her.

The second option is more dangerous and gives us no immediate power, but has much greater potential rewards. I'd be wary about the super-powerful mage, apparently this "Marfolsa", tracking her magically, though. So we'd want to move quickly.
>>
No. 300543 ID: 77f3f5

>>300542
Well. I think at this juncture it would be best if you just killed her. You can probably hide your tracks by making it look like the guards overdosed the elf. Also, we need more information about this "Marfolsa" guy, but getting that information from one of his enemies will likely give you half-lies and propaganda.
>>
No. 300544 ID: eba49f

The mage will see her sparks leaving his dungeon one way or another. An issue to consider is what chances the two of you would have against this super mage. Letting her live runs a huge risk of her attacking and/or leaving, but if you can get her to help take down this Marfolsa that would be quite the net profit. If you do end up bringing her out of the prison, you might do so by lending her the ring (some risk of her running off, but you could probably track her down), having her walk through the wall of the jail, and then shadowstepping outside. Or you could just kill the guards.
>>
No. 300546 ID: b96349

>>300544
That could work, yes. Allow me to list out the possible courses of action so far.

1) We kill her and take her sparks. We might attract the notice of our mage friend running this place. Eventually, we will anyway.

2) We kill the guards and drag the elf out as she is. She might help us. Marfolsa will almost certainly notice this, and we'll be on the run.

3) We come up with some plan to get her out without bloodshed, and assume she'll follow the plan. We then get caught, I kill all the guards anyway, and I'll kill the elf simply because she got us caught, and that annoyed me.

My contribution. I think I like the idea of having another... what's the word you used... patsy, yes that was it. I like the idea of having another patsy around, especially one that could, quite possibly, do exactly what we're trying to train that kid to do, only she could do it right now.

As for our chances. We'd still lose against him most likely, but give me a few days of the above action(this elf giving me sparks, assuming she'll do that for us) and I could take him without any real problems.

I'd also like to point out, perhaps because you all missed or I didn't point it out clearly enough... I'm a body-user. I specialize in all things physical. Mostly beating things to death with my fists, but still.
>>
No. 300548 ID: f6360f

>>300546
If you want her, let's take her. Option two is go. Wait until the guards are out of one anothers' field of view, then shadow step right up in front of one and sword him to death before he has a chance to react. Repeat on the other, and on any other guards you see inside- leave none alive to quickly discover this and sound the alarm. Also kill any other prisoners who might have seen you, retrieve keys to the cell, and get the elf out. The guards outside should be taken out and their bodies put inside, then the building locked from the inside if possible- we want to have as much time as we can before anyone discovers that something has gone horribly wrong.

And try to avoid getting much blood on you. As has been previously observed, blood is conspicuous.

Once you're out, keep the elf to the alleys and otherwise largely out of sight- she'll be damned conspicuous in a human town. Hopefully she'll be coherent sooner rather than later; I don't know how easily we'll be able to get her into the inn, or if that's even wise to attempt.
>>
No. 300554 ID: 0bd0b0

>>300546
Feed off of her sparks willingly? That is what you have the boy for. Flatter yourself an entrance into homosexual fairy land? Too tedious, and I am sure the option will present itself later. Any choice that does not involve killing her now and stealing her sparks seems like a waste of time. Do try and be silent, however. Unwanted attention is still worth avoiding. Especially from the law.
>>
No. 300556 ID: b96349

>>300554
Tongues can't feed my anything. If what I smell on him is anything to go by, he barely has enough sparks to hurl a fireball, much less hand some off to me. It would take years feeding off of him at this level to actually do anything worthwhile. Besides, multiple feeding sources means that once can die and I'll still be fed, yes? Plus its an easy way to get into the elvish forest when I need to.

As for homosexual fairy land, I have no idea why you assume I'm remotely attracted to mortals, male or otherwise. That would be fruitless and gets me nothing. I've tried having children before, for the novelty of it, and I'm about as infertile as a rock. That and lasting relationships are impossible do to the mortal tendency to die of old age. And disease. And hitting them too hard. And various other easily identifiable ways to kill them. I'd be better off finding another immortal being if I wanted that, except that I killed all the ones remotely in my age group except for two, who are married to each other, last I checked.

Besides, unwanted attention will still be drawn anyway. It's just a matter if whether or not I want to go out with a bang or a whisper. I prefer the bang. It's what you people have praised me for last time I slaughtered random mooks.

First things first, however. I feel it necessary to introduce the little elven girl into the joys of detoxification, the hard way. I jab my forefinger into her stomach, then shift my magic into her, and shape it into my least used body spell.
Spell Discovered!
Purge: Purges the targets body of all harmful substances. The process, however, is very unpleasant. Costs 2 sparks.
Spark Count: 20


The elf starts awake, eyes wide for a moment. A look of confusion crosses her face as she spots me, than quite suddenly she's doubling over and hurling the contents of her stomach all over the floor. That'll take a few minutes to finish, so while she's doing that, let's just...

"Hey, elf, you all right? Hold on, I'm coming in." I hear the jingle of keys, and activate the ethereal ring just as the smarter guard opens the gate and steps inside. The combination of me being see through and the darkness of the cell manage to keep me out of sight. Not that the guard is looking for me anyway. "Hey, um, you all ri- hurk!" And now the guard is dead. Ooo! He has armor! Shall we steal that on our way out?

"Bill? Oy! Bill, you thar?"

I hear the other guard start coming back down the corridor. Well, have to see about grabbing the armor later. For now, I slip back into the 3 cell I'd passed through, it's occupants next broken thanks to my efforts, and I arrive just in time to see the guard pass by. A step later I'm behind the guard, following him step for step.

"Bill! Quit messin round! Bill!"

"Bill indisposed at the moment. Don't worry though, you'll be joining him soon." The guard spins to face me, already reaching for his blade, but he never makes it as I slam my hand into his throat. He drops to his knees, eyes watering as he chokes, while I go retrieve his friends sword(elf girl still retching all over the floor). I start humming again, a happy little tune as I swing the longsword in my hands in slow circles. The man is still on his knees when I return to him, and I pause before I kill him.

"Let me ask you a question. Can human heads really continue seeing a few seconds after their heads are lopped off? I'd like your help in answering this puzzle. If you can, blink after I kill you, if you would be so inclined." The man's eyes widen, then I send his head rolling to the floor. Sadly, nothing happens after that. Too bad.

I then go about enacting the shadow-step/stab to death plan, clearing the facility pretty quickly. It's wasn't too big, and the guards were half asleep anyways. I drag all the bodies in front of the elf's cell, pleased with my handiwork.

"Your a fucking bastard." That melodic voice again. Gods above, I hope she doesn't like to sing. Elves voices are way to high pitched for my tastes. Well, at least she isn't going on about her hair. I turn, and can only say that far from being anything remotely beautiful, the elf looks like... shit. There's really no polite way to put it. The smell of puke and grime don't help her image much either.

"Why do you say that?"

"You killed those people." Oh, she's one of those self-righteous ones. Well, I guess that means I am killing her. "I wanted to kill the fuckers." Never mind. "Now who the hell are you and why shouldn't I shatter your mind and leave you crying on the floor?"

"Oh... um..."

Little help, voices. I didn't think this far ahead.
>>
No. 300559 ID: f6360f

>>300556
Hrm. Difficult to tell if she's just being surly or is actually psycho, at this point; need to read her body language and expression better for that.

I would play this bold and fairly honest. "I'm going by Vincent these days, and that would be rather a waste of an opportunity. And ungrateful, if you're the type to care about repaying favors. Would you care to introduce yourself politely, or shall we go about this in a less friendly way? Either works."

I assume that if she does move to use magic against you, you'll be able to react in time to defend yourself against it and/or escape quickly.
>>
No. 300560 ID: 0bd0b0

Maybe you should change your mind about killing her? Just to be safe.
And I wasn't implying that you were homosexual earlier, ha. The elves.. well, it is hard not to wonder.
>>
No. 300568 ID: b96349

>>300560
I apologize for the misinterpretation. As for the elves... I honestly have no response to that. The male ones... yeah, there's just no way for them to defend themselves from that image short of killing every other race in existence... or them all dying I suppose. I can help them with that last option.

>>300559
I don't know if she looks more surely or psycho. I'm not real good at this whole interaction thing. I know she looks pissed. Whether its aimed at me or not I can't tell. Well, let's get this over with. Either I'll be eating her, or she'll be helping us out. Only two resolutions to this situation.

"I'm going by Vincent these days, and that would be rather a waste of an opportunity. And ungrateful, if you're the type to care about repaying favors. Would you care to introduce yourself politely, or shall we go about this in a less friendly way? Either works."

The elf glares at me for a few seconds, than sparks start coming from her arms. I tense, expectant and ready for the coming attack, which the elf notices. Instead of attacking however, the sparks travel up to her eyes, and they begin to glow softly. She seems to examine me for a moment, then smirks, obviously pleased about something.

"Hell, human. You aren't lying, at least not yet. You seen my bow around here?" I report that I have not, mostly because I haven't. The elf nods again, then begins stripping where she stands. "Names Melvaniel Galamyr. People call me Sticks, cause I use a bow. Hey, why're you laughing?"

"I'm... I'm sorry... really I... I am... but..." I manage to calm myself enough to get my thoughts across. "Your name, are you serious? Your name is actually Melvaniel?"

"Yeah! You got a problem with my name, you ass?" Her pauses in her actions to glare at me, more concerned with my actions than her own state of dress, or lack thereof.

"So your shortened name would be Melva? Which translates to... to Sqeaky?" I burst out laughing, unable to contain myself anymore. I couldn't believe it. Some idiot elf actually named their kid with a word in it that translates to squeaky. Squeaky being the commonly accepted and often used derogatory term for elves, thanks to their high pitched voices. Well, that and tree-shagger, which is noticeably less kid friendly.

"What the fucks wrong with my na- Wait a minute. How the fuck do you know that? We don't teach humans our language!" Melva's ire is quickly pushed aside in light of the fact that I actually know some elven.

Once I calm down enough to respond again I promptly do so. "I don't really. Just the words I can use to insult elves in their native tongue. Got an elf so piss drunk once he taught me a bunch of the insults. I think I got him stuck in jail as well."

She stares at me with her glowy eyes, than nods again. "Well, alright I suppose. Your still not lying. Just don't fucking tell anyone else what my name means, or I'll fucking kill you."

She finishes ditching the prison clothing, than strips one of the less bloody guards of his clothing and begins putting that on. Which reminds me.

I locate the corpse of Bill, and examine his armor. Sure enough, I find the breastplate is not only of near perfect quality, but silver-plated on top of that. Not a chance in hell I'm letting this prize go. I strip him of the item, then remember the now discarded longsword. Shall I take that as well? Perhaps trade my shortsword out for it? The elf also seems far less likely to kill me now, so perhaps I should start... befriending her, although I have no idea how the hell I'm supposed to do that.
>>
No. 300570 ID: 0bd0b0

I think you are doing okay with the getting along part. Besides insulting her about her name. She obviously does not care about formality. You two should get along if you don't try to be rude. It looks like she may be able to detect your lies, but she thinks you are actually human, which speaks the limits of her magical observation. Treat her somewhat equal, keep making jokes. Let us not forget her hopeful appreciation of our successful rescue attempt. If we make our desires clear she might just return the favor now.

Choice of blade, I say carry both. But I like the longsword more. You are certainly strong enough to swing a longsword like a shortsword, but shortswords are quicker to draw, which goes with shadow step.
>>
No. 300577 ID: f6360f

>>300568
She seems curiously opposed to lies. You should avoid using them around her. Which might not be too much of a problem, really; she seems like the sort who wouldn't really mind working with someone like you. Which is nice.

Sure, take the sword if you want it. I would not discard your shortsword, at least not here, because that would leave a bunch of evidence around. Obviously you can't carry an endless number of weapons, so once you get a minute later you should discard (or sell, after checking for markings) whichever is less comfortable for you to use. Given your current fast and brutal style I'd guess that the shortsword would be easier, but it's definitely your call.

Address the elf as Sticks, however hilarious her name is, since she said that's what people call her and you are part of people. You might ask what Marfolsa has against her, that he had her locked up and drugged. Hopefully you'll get some information about who she is, and perhaps equally importantly who Marfolsa is and what he's like.
>>
No. 300584 ID: 8b0de1

"So... what brings you here?"

After she answers why she got locked up up and how.

"Well, sorry for denying you the pleasure of killing these guards. But I suspect there's someone left you'd like to deal with, no? Namely, Marfolsa.
How about we deal with him together? What do you think of that? No, don't talk, we are going to kill him together."

But before charging in like idiots, we should get more information on the guy and plan how t o proceed.
>>
No. 300586 ID: c4753c

"So... what brings you to this lovely if slightly puke stained dungeon?"

Sticks glares at me. "Don't start with that. We both know that was your doing. At least the puke part." She goes silent for a moment, then continues. "I don't really recall that much. I remember coming into town with a caravan, getting myself drunk enough not to remember all my troubles, then waking up in jail with some wizard bastard standing over me. At least, I think it was a wizard... it was either that or a blue elephant with hair."

"Well, sorry for denying you the pleasure of killing these guards. But I suspect there's someone left you'd like to deal with, no? Namely, Marfolsa. How about we deal with him together? What do you think of that? No, don't talk, we are going to kill him together."

Sticks' head snaps around, eyes focusing on me completely. "You just lied, human. What about?"

Oh. Right, the lie detector thing she has going. Well, not like it hurts me to admit I enjoy killing people and I'm not really sorry about killer her captors for her.

"I'm not really sorry about killing your guards. Or anyone for that matter. Most people are annoying at best."

The elf stares a moment longer, then nods, seeming to accept that for the time being. "Right. I'll keep that in mind. Now... Marfolsa... Marfolsa... oh, him. Yeah. He's the local bigshot, right? So he's the one that locked me up here? Sure let's fuck over his day. Two mid-level mages who have a good plan could probably take him no problems. Well, except for the mass of guards he's got under his command. We'd waste a lot of sparks on them. How strong are you, anyway?"

Ah, shit. She had to go asking that question. No way out of it now. At least, until it occurs to me we're in the middle of a jail with a bunch of dead bodies around us. I doubt most people discuss these things in a place like this.
"Look, can we continue this conversation elsewhere? Like, out of the city elsewhere. I'm not strong enough yet to help you, and I'll explain why later, but for now, I think it's a sufficient fuck you to the guy that your missing from his jail. I'm planning to head south into the barbarian lands, and since no sane person would lead troops in there, we'll both be relatviely safe. Besides, I have something I need your help with on a more personal level, and I don't think it wise to discuss it here."

Sticks blinks at that last bit, then frown as she considers her options. After a minute or two, she nods slowly. "Alright, I go with you. For now anyway. But I better not wake up drugged or tied up or something like that."

"No worries about that. You couldn't feed me if you were drugged."

The elf chooses to ignore that, although I'm fairly certain she took that the wrong way, and finishes dressing. The clothes fit her loosely, but well enough that they won't fall of her form randomly. She turns to me now, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "So, you enjoy the show?"

"No."

Sticks blinks in surprise. She obviously didn't expect that, or the fact that I'm not lying. She frowns down at herself, then shrugs. "So, got a plan for getting out?"

"What's your focus?"

"Mind magic. Illusions and tracking specifically. Why?"

So voices, we now apparently have an elven mind mage at our disposal. What's the plan?
>>
No. 300592 ID: 0bd0b0

"Curiosity. It may help to know your strengths in the future."

Mind manipulation? That's cool. I guess you should pick up the boy if you wanted him to come with you. She may teach him some things or even start taking care of him. I sense she has something you do not, empathy.
>>
No. 300594 ID: eba49f

Since she can use illusions, you can probably just walk away from the prison while invisible. You can then pick up the kid and skip town. When you camp to explain things to Sticks and hopefully get sparks from her, ask if she can set wards or something to alert you if Marfolsa appears.

A good way to explain your abilities to her is to say that you don't really regenerate sparks but can store a large number of the (you can, right?). "Storing" a more positive way to put it than "eating" (and is thus more likely to get her to agree to it).
>>
No. 300607 ID: c4753c

Within a few minuets we're out, Sticks using some her magic to make it so easy to slip by the guards at the front door I'm almost tempted to slit their throats as we pass. Without any further delays, we make it back into the more merchant area. I send Sticks ahead to the inn, telling her to retrieve Tongues at meet me at the front gate to the town. With her sent off, I set about silently slipping into shops and simply taking what I want. With the limited time I have, I grab mostly essentials: backpacks, tents, some food, flint and steel. I also manage a few more silver rings as well as a bow and some arrows for the elf. With that done, I meet up with the others and we hightail it south, towards the two sources I sensed and the barbarian lands.

-------------------

((All right then. Simply because I'm rather amazed this quest got this far and I feel happy about that, I've decided to do two things.

A) I thank all of you who've put up with me so far, and ask that you continue putting up with me in the future.

B) I'll answer some questions regarding anything about the world I've made you want to know about. Questions about Hated, the heroes, whatever, I don't care. Some questions I won't answer, as that would give away story information, but I won't count it against the total if you ask and I say no. One question per person, three questions total.

After that's done, I'll continue with the actual story. So bring on the questions!))
>>
No. 300611 ID: 0bd0b0

>>300607
Love you too. What kind of powers in detail did Hated have at his most powerful, before he got fucked over by the gods?

And it would be cool to at least see an attempt of you drawing things for the story. A lot of text quests aren't interesting enough for me to follow, but this one is a sure exception.
>>
No. 300613 ID: 8b0de1

>>300607

I don't really have any questions ... .well perhaps this:

Can we influence Hateds character and attitude? It seems that no matter what we suggest his general nature is very angry and hostile. I understand that he has been like this probably for millennia and changing his views would be drastic.... But maybe over long time we can make him... umm... more friendly? Less blood-hungry?
>>
No. 300615 ID: 0bd0b0

>>300613
I like his bloodthirsty attitude personally, it is a breath of fresh air from the typical goody goody hero fluff.
>>
No. 300619 ID: c4753c

>>300611
Um, well first off... I could try, I guess, to draw something, but you really don't want me to. The reason I haven't is because I can't draw much better than stick figures, and I feel like I can't do the settings I create justice with stick figures.

Now to your question. Instead of giving you exacts(mostly because that's sort of general and I don't feel like pumping out a long list of possible spells and tags), I'll instead give things he did in the past that warrented the gods attention. The first and most influential one was the fact that he's killed two gods, one of which was the god of an entire race, dragons specifically. It's why dragons won't show up much in the game. That was accomplished by literally allowing himself to get eaten then simulating a supernova in the things stomach(not that Hated knows what a supernova is). It also helped the god was weakened somewhat before hand by another god.

He's also managed to kill a number of other immortal beings(I believe I mentioned it in the story), some of which were classified as true immortals and thus not supposed to be kill-able. Hated's response to that was basically "fuck the rules, I'm me", which quickly followed with the deaths of said immortals. Since I'm not sure if that answers your question, go ahead and ask me more specific questions about Hated's powers. I can't really tell you much without you giving me a little more direction.

>>300613
It is entirely possible to change Hated's personality. The reason it hasn't started shifting already is because generally you guys have actually been encouraging him to kill people violently when given half a chance. And he has changed in small ways. He's actually getting better about not openly slaughtering people, is learning, however slowly, that mortals can be manipulated to get what he wants out of them, and that he can actually use mortals as minions. Perhaps not as major as him suddenly falling in love with someone(not likely at the moment, for storyline reasons).

Oh, crap, I got sidetracked. Basically, yes, you could turn him into someone who actively wants to help people, assuming you went about it the right way and got the majority of the other voices to help you.
>>
No. 300630 ID: eba49f

{{Yes, I am also really liking this quest. I tend to play nice characters, and find it interesting to gradually try to convince Hated to be less blood-thirsty. The thing is to do it slowly so he doesn't just get angry. The first step on the path to not killing everyone is the concept of 'allies', which we are working towards.))
>>
No. 300649 ID: 8b0de1

>>300630
Yeah, I also generally like to play "nicer" people.
Not righteous, blind, imbeciles who can only do Good no matter the context, risk or place involved.
I like to take middle ground leaning towards "good"

I was just thinking since Hated can actively hear our suggestions as voices, opposed to how quests are generally run where characters thinks their actions are their own, he would not shift his way of thinking at all.
>>
No. 300653 ID: eba49f

That is why we convince him to do things rather than just commanding him to do them. So the shifting of actions happens, but it happens indirectly.
>>
No. 300654 ID: 0bd0b0

>ask me more specific questions
What were his most powerful spells? Shadow step, invisibility, fireball, raw strength, speed; a few examples. And how did he usually use them? What were his favorites?
>>
No. 300656 ID: c4753c

>>300654
His favorites were actually the simple ones. Speed, strength and durability being the most specific ones he enjoyed. Most of his more powerful versions of spells he never actively used unless he though it necessary to do so, or entertaining. Fire was probably another favorite of his, just because he could wreath his hands and body in the stuff and scare the living hell out of mortals.

The supernova one is a good example. He basically just took a fire spell, pumped it full of the Area tag, then let it go off as he cocooned himself. The amount he pumped it was unheard off before because most being don't need to spread that much fire over that large of any area, if they did, most don't have the excess power to do it. Most powerful spells are just pumped versions of the same thing a mage normally does after all.

His most powerful spell of the time, which was used twice in his life, was him effectively turning his entire body into a railgun round, pumping his durability and strength to rocket himself into and through large targets. Mostof his stuff wasn't all that impressive to look at, because Hated is a physical specialist(at the moment). All the flashy stuff, like calling down bolts of divine wrath, is found in the third category.

As for his strategy, it remains the same as it is now. He prefers physical fights over anything else, and almost always goes for that route when left to his own devices. It's why, instead of perhaps just incinerating the thugs in the warehouse with a single spell, the normal human mage response, he deliberately made it close combat. The main reason being he finds it more entertaining that way. There's another reason, but storyline stuff so I can't say it yet.

Any other questions about his specific powers, or is that it?

There's still a single question available for anyone who hasn't asked a question yet.
>>
No. 300669 ID: eba49f

I suppose Hated's original form has quite a bit of storyline importance.

Is changing your form a type of permanent enchantment like the shadow step enchantment we have now, and does anyone else use that (or body magic in general?)
>>
No. 300670 ID: f6360f

>>300630
>>300649
>>300653
Let's not go very far with this whole "nice" thing. I rather like him as lovably sociopathic. Just make him willing to make an exception or three in the name of logic and greater power, and more patient/reserved- less inclined to maul anyone who says two rude words to him right there, more inclined to wait for the appropriate time to kill them later.

>>300656
You might consider making a discussion thread for this sort of thing. There are only a few of us playing right now, but with more than a hundred posts in this thread I think you've still got more than enough interest to justify it. Discussion threads are very nice for author-player communication and interplayer speculation and decisions.

>There's still a single question available for anyone who hasn't asked a question yet.
Oh great authorial magic 8-ball, answer me this:
Why in the world would a creature of his power get locked up with one measly guardian beast watching over him? What the heck was going through the heads of the people who locked him up, that they left only such weak bonds on him? Wouldn't a creature as dangerous as he, even without sparks, been worth the investment of far more than the fifty-five sparks to ensure that he remained sealed forever?
>>
No. 300676 ID: eba49f

Hated would not have been able to free himself without the sparks, and as far as both him and his opponents knew, he was unable to generate sparks. I suspect that he actually can generate them at an immensely slow rate, but even if that is the case neither Hated nor his enemies knew that.
>>
No. 300678 ID: c4753c
File 130428505145.jpg - (88.22KB , 840x630 , God-of-Hellfire2-840x630.jpg )
300678

>>300669
Body magic is most commonly used by the orcs, although they use it more in line with how Hated uses it, namely smashing peoples faces in. As for the body changing spell itself, its a one off(100 spark cost, as your rewriting your own bodies makeup) that affects a permanent change(until you do it again).

Hated's original form, after thinking about it, isn't actually story relevant, or at least no enough to be worth anything to you with me just describing it. He's already said he's a pseudo-demon after all, so you already more or less have an idea of what he should, more or less, appear to be. The picture is how I imagine him to look, more or less, it's what inspired me originally to make him, although I won't say anything else as that IS story relevant.

>>300670
That is a good question. You'll just have to go find out, now won't you? Speculate all you want, you'll get nothing from me on that, not at the moment anyway.

I'll take you advice regarding the discussion thread though, and since you did suggest it, I might as well answer the question. Let's just hope someone actually uses it.

I think it's about time we got you guys back to Hated's head. That'll be in my next post though.
>>
No. 300680 ID: f6360f

>>300676
Doesn't matter. It's still shockingly careless. The more potentially dangerous something is, the more firmly you hold it. Pile layer upon layer upon layer of security, and either have someone there to monitor it constantly or at least check up on it regularly- some kind of remote alarm to let them know if he broke free, at least. Secure it against both outside and inside intrusion, using measures which the captive wouldn't be able to absorb- enchanted items instead of guardian beasts, for example.

>>300678
Right. Well. That non-answers that, I suppose.
>>
No. 300693 ID: c4753c

Spark Count: 1460

((Don't spend it all in one place folks! Oh, discussion thread is up as well, by the way.))

Timeskip!
------------------
Ah! The voices are back. You've been gone awhile, I'd wondered whether you were only meant to help me a little while. I'll bring you up to speed with what's been going on since you disappeared.

We've been traveling for six days, making slower progress than I would have liked, mostly because the boy couldn't travel as fast as us. But in the end it really doesn't matter. With length of time it took us to hunt down the barbarians campsite, I had effectively gorged myself on sparks.

After we set up camp that first night, I explained to Sticks my inability to produce sparks, pretending that it was due to magical backlash from attempting a spell beyond my reach. She accepted that pretty quickly, and even accepted the fact that this required I take the sparks from others. I didn't tell her they normally die after I'm done, but with her around I won't necessarily need to worry about it too much. She agreed to transfer sparks to me three times a day, which has resulted in my increased spark count. I don't think she's got any spark detection spells, or if she does she hasn't used them, otherwise she would have noticed I'm already way outside the normal range for what I appear to be.

Which brings me to the elf. As it turns out, elves and humans don't get along much anymore, especially because the humans keep trying to take wood from the elven forest. Sticks was one of a few elven spies, sent out to figure out what changed in the human lands. She didn't get far before she was caught. For the most part she's pleasant enough company, except that she's retained her races tendency to obsess over he appearance. She took that dress I'd found back in the crypt and by the end of the second day out she'd modified it to, in her words, "show off my divine beauty to the rest of the world". Because apparently hiding her looks is a crime against humanity. Sticks has taken to caring for Tongues, since she knows far more about mortal habits than I do.

Tongues progresses in his training well. I've already got him to the point where he can hurl three fireballs before needing rest, a rather fast improvement for six days work, and with a little coaxing, I even got him to start struggling through reading and writing. Oddly enough, at night he's taken to sleeping with his body next to mine. I'm not sure how to respond to that, so I've left it alone for now.

Another interesting thing our little band has discovered. Apparently, when I'm asleep I seem to flicker, like a flame just before it goes out. It was Sticks who discovered the trait, noticing the event while she was on watch duty that first night. From what we can tell it doesn't seem to cause any problems of any sort, and when I'm awake nothing at all seems to happen. Perhaps it's nothing, but I thought I'd mention it.

I've also learned a little about the world from Sticks. The five heroes are apparently long dead, having passed on about 4000 years ago(placing my imprisonment at about the same). The elven lands she refuses to speak about, claiming she doesn't trust me enough yet. She readily discusses what she knows about the humans though. The humans hold most of the northern and center parts of the continent. We are roughly on the border between the northern kingdom of Everfrost, and the Endless Plains, which is barbarian territory. The royal family of Everfrost are the descendants of the human hero, The Warrior, and so it seems I'll need to quite literally declare war on a kingdom if I'm to begin my hunt. There is also a third human kingdom, the Isles of Seven Shadows, far to the west of us.

Currently we are camped just south of a massive gathering of barbarians, who seem to have not noticed us. Furthermore, it seems there's some sort of festival or other large event going on, but from here I can't tell what. The twin sources I felt from this place are not twin sources, so much as two large groups of mages, about 30 mages in each group. They are all relatively weak, so I'm not terribly interested in snacking on them immediately, although the plan is still to do so at some point.

That's all I have to report, voices. What shall we do? Any questions to ask Sticks? Any preparations to be made?
>>
No. 300696 ID: cf65c1

>>300680
Seriously, either the author didn't come up with a good reason or it's plot-relevant. Guess according to the amount of respect/disrespect you think this author is worth. To find out for sure keep following and wait for it--the likely scenarios are some ass-pull propped into place for something that wasn't thought out, they thought keeping Hated hidden was even more important than secure, or (likely) someone wanted him to get loose. (Those three are not exclusive of each other BTW.)
>>
No. 300709 ID: bd2a40

>>300693
Perhaps asking Sticks if she is still planning on continuing her spying mission would be in order.
If she is still at it, then you might as well offer your grudging assistance by stating that you are in no real hurry to do anything. Such and offer and actually going through with it, would probably gain her trust enough to get you into the elf lands, somehow.

Tongues sleeping next to you is a sure sign of attachment and loyalty, which make him a better minion. No point in discouraging it.
>>
No. 300710 ID: 259738

>>300670
Hated doesn't have to be nice, but if he doesn't make an effort not to kill everything around him, he is going to die. He tried that last time, and it didn't work, but last time he had the advantage of surprise. Noone thought he could kill gods last time, but if he tries things the same way this time, they will be much better prepared. So we have to do this subtly, which has been working out really well so far. 1460 sparks is a hell of a lot more than that mage was worth. So our plan for now should really just be to keep the elf feeding us sparks. Go along with whatever her mission is here, help her spy on the humans, whatever it takes to continue feeding. As for what we should spend our new sparks on, Hated is a physical specialist and should probably play to his strengths. Like a permanent boost to strength. A big one.
>>
No. 300711 ID: f6360f

>>300693
>Spark Count: 1460
Good lord. Delicious sparks we must spend!

My inclination is to invest in permanent boosts in durability and strength. If we throw, say, three hundred sparks into a permanent durability boost we should be all but impossible to harm, correct? And we could also put a bunch of sparks into becoming resistant to any hostile magic (or any magic that we don't actively let touch us, really). Call those our torso and head slot, respectively. Then a permanent strength boost could go in our arms, and we'll pretty much be a crazy unstoppable badass.

Also boost your shadow step ability so that you can take two people with you (as you currently have two companions), and as long as you have the spare sparks throw some more into range and chaining. Basically I'm thinking that you can become able to use that to walk hundreds of miles in a night, eventually. Sure, that would take an absurd number of sparks to manage... but we're getting quite a few, so investing a bit at a time should work out quite well.

As long as we keep say five hundred sparks on hand, we should have more than enough to do some crazy things outside our permanent ability set should the situation call for it.

>Oddly enough, at night he's taken to sleeping with his body next to mine. I'm not sure how to respond to that, so I've left it alone for now.
It's a form of emotional bonding. His wanting to do that is a visible sign of how much he trusts you, which translates directly into how likely he is to obey you. It is therefore good, as long as you don't really mind it.

As for these barbarians- hunting and killing dozens of mages in the middle of a horde of them would be a huge mess. Which is not to say that we can't, but let's table that option for now. Maybe, if you've got to declare war on these Everfrost people, you'll be able to somehow urge the barbarians into serving as an army and doing that? Let's try to play this subtle and learn about their relations with the kingdom with an eye towards that.

Ask Sticks for any background she's got on these guys, and what her preferred move is- if they don't like elves it might be a bad idea for her to openly stroll up.
>>
No. 300717 ID: cf65c1

Questions for Sticks: What would constitute fulfilling her mission and what would the Elves be interested in or consider trading for? Also, what can she teach you of mentalist magic? Not being master of all types of magic that the mortals can do leaves you sub-mortal, this will not do.
Questions for Hated: How many sparks would it take to create, maintain and control autonomous servants and soldiers? If you intend to destroy the leadership of a kingdom an army that matches or exceeds theirs would be useful for drawing them out of their strongholds.
Further, when you have learned what you can of mental magic I suggest creating a ring that speeds thought and perhaps grants scrying, insight, the ability to record images and sounds, and various other thought and study enhancements. This would be very useful for speeding up the development of your younger mage and useful for yourself as well.
n - effect, vb - affect Apologies for nitpicking but I can't read Bob's quests because he often gets it's/its wrong.
>>
No. 300725 ID: 259738

>>300717
I don't think we can put more than one effect in a single ring. That ring as you described it would have at least four.
>>
No. 300745 ID: 0bd0b0

Spark count.. WWWWWHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUT

That is absurd. Simply absurd. Bringing the elf along was actually a fantastic idea. 1400 sparks out of nowhere(in our perspective).. It is like winning a humongous gamble. After some shelter is found we must spend these sparks. Hypothetically, if you were to spend all of your sparks on shadow step, would hopping from town to town be possible? I think shadow step should be upgraded but not that much.
>>
No. 300752 ID: 8b0de1
File 130429199074.jpg - (29.50KB , 615x407 , 1260438492512.jpg )
300752

>Spark Count: 1460
>mfw

Holy shit, that is amazing!

It's so many that I don't even know what to do! I think this would make our entire quest steer into completely different direction.
Seriously...
See, Hated? This is why being nice (read: manipulative) pays off.

Maybe we don't ever need to kill for getting sparks? There are numerous ways we could get sources, WILLING sources mind you, like Sticks here.
We already have Tongues. Time means NOTHING to us, so training him to become better mage for 15 years or so shouldn't bother us too much.

Anyway, I suggest we make some permanent upgrades.
Now, when we first learned about permanent upgrades, I was not really aware of the maximum amount that we were permitted to put on us. Well, actually, I understood the notion that we wouldn't be able to have unlimited permanent upgrades but did not think the limit would be 8 upgrades (body parts).
So, we must carefully think over which kind of permanent upgrades we will need the most and will be using more often. It would be a shame if we invested bunch of upgrades into a spell which we can only use under certain circumstances.

For now, I can think of 1 upgrade that I'm am absolutely sure will be useful forever.
I am going to go with >>300416 this guys idea:
>"The closest you can get is increasing a persons mental speed, meaning they could think through a process that would normally take them hours in minutes."
As long as Hated is alive, he will always need to think, so when this upgrade is once made, I'm fairly sure it will never need to be overwritten by something else.

So I suggest you go ahead and make this intelligence/calculation upgrade to your head (this is where it goes, right?)
Not only will this make Hated much more smarter and help him think things through faster but it is also very applicable in combat situations. Having this kind of upgrade means he will be able to calculate all the sensory input he gets much more faster, effectively he could slow down time from his perspective and react much faster than normal, making his reflexes much, much faster.

Actually, after you apply this spell, upgrade it one level so that it is not at it's "weakest" level.

When doing this, give Tongues another demonstration. As Sticks shown it is very profitable to have willing person to donate sparks. So keep building up trust and good relationship with him.

Hey, how much would it cost Spark-wise to regrow his tongue?

>Another interesting thing our little band has discovered. Apparently, when I'm asleep I seem to flicker, like a flame just before it goes out.
Tell them that you think it might be another consequence of the fact that you are unable to generate sparks anymore (technically we aren't lying because we do not know why it is happening and it is quiet likely that we flicker because of our nature, which is also the reason why we can't generate sparks. Also, that statement says "might", meaning that you will not be certain so it should not register as a lie)


Anyway,
Lets try to get better relationship with Sticks too, she is a great source of Sparks and it would do us good if she likes us more, hell if she falls in love with Hated things would be perfect (not sure how we are going to pull this one off though).
Tell her that you would like to help her with her mission. Or at least hint at it.
She might become suspicious that after 6 days of journey we suddenly changed our minds .... but it will be hard also hard to sell that we were planning to kill mages and harvest their sparks .... so we need a way to out of this mess without her becoming hostile.
You could make up a cover story, that since you cannot make your own sparks you seek out people who can and try to work out agreements with them so that they give up their sparks for you.... or something like that.

Unless she is perfectly fine with us killing a cabal of mages and harvesting their sparks.


Hmm... doing a quick calculation I found that she gives us 80 Sparks per transfer, right?
She wouldn't give up all of her sparks as it would make her vulnerable. If she were very cautious/paranoid she wouldn't give even 1/3.
So she has 160-240 Sparks at any given time, right?
She must be very powerful.


Hated, you said that "Mind" spell are your weakest point. But is there a way for you to train in that branch? Because affecting minds would be the best way to gain Sparks donations from willing hosts.
Maybe a permanent upgrade? On tongue or eyes? Could that work?
Or do you need to train like little Tongues here?
>>
No. 300758 ID: f6360f

>>300752
>You could make up a cover story
No lies! Lies are detectable and therefore bad. Do not speak of "what we do" in false generalities, just of what we want at the moment in certain truths.
>>
No. 300768 ID: c4753c

((Alright, before this get too amazingly broken, and we proceed to make fighting the only really necessary option, it's time to add some more restrictions. Specifically to permanent spells so that ID f6360f doesn't go hog wild and have us become untouchable, which, while anyone would love to have, isn't so much fun to narrate. I don't want Hated to become superman.

So, some more restrictions for the lot of you. A Permanent spell CAN NOT have more than 100 sparks worth of upgrades shoved into it. That should at least keep things from getting out of hand, and make magic items actually necessary to mages. So yes, Mister f6360f, you can't start turning yourself into the magical pseudo-demonic version of superman.))

>>300725
I grabbed multiple silver rings from that shop back in Rivercross, so no worries. Although I suppose we might want them for something else. I'll let you guys figure that out.

>>300717
((I apologize for screwing the two effects/affects up. I'll try to remember, but it's a little confusing for me.))

I ask Sticks her plans, and her response is quick and merciless.

"The fuck you askin me that for? Course I'm gonna keep spyin on you humans. The fuck you take me for, a fuckin orc?" Ah, I forgot to mention that. She seems to believe that the way she speaks is a proper disguise. I've tried getting her to stop, it hasn't worked.

"Alright, alright. Don't get angry with me, just a question. Conincidently, I find myself not really having much to do. I could help you out, if you want me to."

Sticks blinks, then a smile spreads across her face. "You mean it?" I nod, not seeing why this is such a hard thing to believe. "Thanks! Ah, that makes things so much easier. Um, let's see, I need a cover story. I mean why else would I be traveling with you.... Um..."

"Isn't you owing me your life good enough?"

"Fuck no! That hardly does my beauty justice. Hmmm... alright then, I'll be your concubine. You humans have those all the time, right?"

Whoever taught her about humans needs to be found, dragged to the nearest tree and set hanged, preferably after he's been set on fire and his limbs have been removed. By that point, however, it's a lost cause. Sticks seems completely enamored with the idea however, mostly, I believe, because that requires I buy her clothes. Damn it. After another few minutes of arguing with her, I finally manage to at least convince her to hold off on telling anyone about her supposed role until I can prove to her humans do not generally run around with concubines. After that I also make sure to get her to promise to teach me some of her mental magic, which she agrees to readily enough, even as she starts scratching out sketches of various dresses in the dirt with a stick.

I interrupt her little dress making time, and ask her about what she knows regarding barbarians. Her response is annoyingly vague.

"No fucking clue. Know they aren't the ones chopping down our trees. Hell, we elves even trade with em occasionally. Shouldn't be a problem for me to just waltz in there. Might even make things better."

>How many sparks would it take to create, maintain and control autonomous servants and soldiers?

What, like make golems? With enough metal for the bodies, its actually not that hard. It's like the beasty back at the crypt. Once you shove some sparks in them, they just keep right on working. Golems are unique in that they think for themselves(well, sorta, they still take orders), and they can be enchanted with multiple spell effects, instead of just once like most magic items.

>>300752
((Before you go crazy on the abilities, make sure to check the top, I put a restriction down so you all wouldn't break the quest.))

I do need to train to better myself in spells. I am after all still a thinking individual, and thus not automatically competent in everything.

And since I hear a lot of different suggestions for permanent abilities, I think I'll wait until all of you can agree on at least some spells before starting.

>hell if she falls in love with Hated things would be perfect (not sure how we are going to pull this one off though).

Wait, you want me to make her fall in love with me? I'm I hearing that correctly?

Regenerating Tongues... tongue? Hmm... well, regeneration is technically recreating a body part... if I could get a better look...

I stride over to Sticks, who ignores me right up until I grab her, drag her to her feat and force her mouth open to get a look at her tongue. Not quite the same as a human one, but if I resize it to fit the boy mou-hurk!

I collapse, Sticks' knee having just connected with my groin. "What the fuck you doing to me you perverted bastard? Don't go sticking your fucking fingers into other people fucking mouths!"

I hear Tongues off to the side, who seems to be making a weird barking cough like sound. I quickly realize he's laughing, ungrateful prick.

Well... urgh... that could have gone better... Little help voices, she seems pissed, but I really need to see her mouth to do anything for Tongues.

Spell Discovered!
Reconstruct(Body): Allows the caster to regenerate, reform, or recreate a physical body part on his own body. Costs 50 sparks.

Tag Discovered!
Transfer: Allows a spell that would normally target the caster only to be targeted at someone else. Costs 20 sparks.

>>
No. 300769 ID: 0bd0b0

If we invest much in mind, we may learn how to bypass her lie detector. I am very open to permanent mind enhancement.
>>
No. 300772 ID: 259738

>>300768
Do magic items have the same limitations on sparks?
>>
No. 300773 ID: 46c430

>>300768
Just tell her you need to see her mouth so you can regenerate the kid's tongue? Why make it complicated?
>>
No. 300774 ID: bd2a40

>>300768
Simply apologize stating that you are a bit rusty in regards to social interaction.

Afterwards, simply state what you wanted to do. It is not like you need to hide it. Then ask if you can proceed, again. No point in pissing her off, since she is a good source of sparks and will probably have further uses down the road.
>>
No. 300779 ID: 8b0de1

Hey! Why the hell did you do that to Sticks? Nothing in my suggestion hinted even remotely on that course of action.

"I just needed to check something. Don't be so angry...
Tongues, come here!"

Then regrow Tongues tongue.


>Whoever taught her about humans needs to be found, dragged to the nearest tree and set hanged, preferably after he's been set on fire and his limbs have been removed

You know... I am starting to think that whoever sent her wanted to get rid of her. She seems too fucking incompetent for a spy.
Yeah, definitely sent off to die and never return.
Ask her about the events that lead her to be chosen to spy on human lands.

>Wait, you want me to make her fall in love with me? I'm I hearing that correctly?
Yeah. Why not?
Pretty much would ensure that she will be donating you Sparks for years to come.
Also, I don't really want her to fall in love with you. Just saying that it would be a positive development.

>I do need to train to better myself in spells. I am after all still a thinking individual, and thus not automatically competent in everything.

I am going to stick on what I had suggested and go with intelligence/calculation upgrade
>>300769
I am going to second that...

If 100 sparks is the maximum, I don't see why we shouldn't put in everything we got right now?
Make a 100 spark intelligence boost.


Does the magical gear have the advantage of being usable by everyone and not just mages?
For example, could a non magical human use a fireball ring?
>>
No. 300785 ID: 8b0de1

>>300774
>Simply apologize

Don't say something like "I'm sorry" because you aren't and that would be a lie.
Say "I apologize" because that is truth, you are apologizing, you don't actually say you feel apologetic you just state the fact that you have apologized.
>>
No. 300790 ID: f6360f

>Wait, you want me to make her fall in love with me? I'm I hearing that correctly?
Love is a very useful emotion. It can bind someone to you very tightly, make them do all kinds of things to gain your approval and affection. Having someone fall in love with you is one of the most effective means of long-term manipulation and control.

That said, I frankly don't think you have the social skills to pull it off so even bothering to try is a bad idea at the moment. Trying and failing would likely have terrible results.

>Little help voices, she seems pissed, but I really need to see her mouth to do anything for Tongues.
"I apologize. It occurred to me that at this point I should have enough energy to regenerate Tongues' tongue- stop laughing, you- but I need to see one to fix it, and you were available. Do you mind?"

There. No technical lies, explains the situation.

>And since I hear a lot of different suggestions for permanent abilities, I think I'll wait until all of you can agree on at least some spells before starting.
I really, really think that we should max out a durability enhancement. It's just foolish to risk physical harm if we don't have to when we have the means to easily prevent it. That groin kick, for example, need not have done so much as make us flinch. Why put up with that kind of thing?
>>
No. 300794 ID: eba49f

@ Ring/nonmage: I think Hated said magic items are coveted by nonmages for just that reason.

I propose that instead of spending points on strength, we would be much better off enchanting out arms with 100 sparks of speed. Speed is much more versatile, and we could combine it with chain shadow step to step-stab-step, allowing us to take on much larger groups of enemies.

Now that we have the time on our hands for enchanting, I again propose the ring of fast recharging projectile smoke, so we can manufacture our own shadows for stepping in/out of. (If we make it a ring of chain smoke projectile, can we have it running at the same time as shadow step so we can smoke-step-smoke-step-etc ?
>>
No. 300799 ID: 8b0de1

>>300790
I agree with maximum durability. I think it would be body enchantment.
Hated said that we can't have a magic protection against magic because it cease to be so when casted (fireball becomes fire when cast, thunder becomes electricity, etc...).
So it doesn't only mean that we can't have universal magic protection, but it also means that regular physical protection will protect against magic too.
If we make our skin as strong and durable as steel (for example) fire would do much less damage to us.

>>300794
The shadow ring seems to be good idea, we should invest about 50 sparks (I think) to make it good enough.

As for arm-speed .... eh, I dunno, I would suggest we go for strength boost if we make "Body" enchantments.
>>
No. 300805 ID: c4753c

After a few minutes of pain, I pull myself to my feet, glad that elves are physically weak. My gut reaction is to rip Sticks' throat out and laugh as she chokes on her own blood, but instead I apologize.

"I apologize. It occurred to me that at this point I should have enough energy to regenerate Tongues' tongue- stop laughing, you- but I need to see one to fix it, and you were available. Do you mind?"

I copy word for word the one that seems the most likely to work, and sounds the most apologetic. I also try to model my voice into a softer tone, so as to not sound like I'm threatening her life at the same time. Unfortunately, the boy simply starts laughing harder at my order, clearly not believing I'll actually do something to him.

Sticks glares at me for a moment, then, muttering something about saying so before doing anything, she walks back over to me and opens her jaw for me. I examine what I need to, then turn and gesture for Tongues to come join us. He seems a little... afraid, as if what I'm about to do might cost him something. While it might not cost him anything, its certainly costing me. I focus a moment, eyes closed as I haven't done this in close to 4000 years, and then I hear a gasp come from behind me. I open my eyes to see a tongue literally growing to replace the one Tongues lost, and within minutes the job is complete.

Spark Count: 1390

For a moment, everyone is silent, then Tongues takes his first tentative steps into having a mouth again. "Sssssooooo... are we just gonna stand round gawkin, or we gonna do something today?"

I smile, pleased with myself. The smile is quickly wiped away when I feel a blade at my throat. Tongues eyes go wide, and he stumbles backwards, stuttering with confusion.

"How the fuck did you do that? Only mages I know that can do that sort of thing are in those really old, powerful mages, and I know for a fact you aren't from any old geezer. So tell me, Vincent, how does some human mage barely past his 23rd spring know how to regenerate fucking limbs?"

I take a small breath, then try my hand at the apologizing thing. Nothing but the truth, nothing but the truth. "Learned it by accident after my hand got cut off by a rather angry knight. It amazed the heck out of me as well, trust me on that."

There's no response for a moment, then Sticks pulls away. I turn to face her, expecting her usual expression of disdain or annoyance. Instead I'm favored with one that looks slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I... uh, I over... reacted... so... yeah."

I brush the issue aside. It's not an issue for me, as long as she doesn't pry too much. With my apprentice now at full functioning capacity, I push him to begin his practice again. He grumbles a little, but sets to the task diligently.

>>300772
Not that I'm aware of. Various metals however, do have certain amounts they can take in. Silver, for example, can take in about 200 sparks of magic total before it rejects anything else.

As for possible permanent abilities, I have listed them here as they were mentioned by you voices.

Mental Speed/Calculation: 100 Sparks
Durability: 100 Sparks

Currently we have:
Shadow-Step: With 17/100 Sparks in it.

Simply telling me that you want one hundred sparks in something doesn't help me at all though. Do you simply want me to shove one hundred sparks to enhance it's base effect? Or do you want me to be able to share it with other? Transfer it to someone else? Give me how specifically you want to spend those 100 sparks.
>>
No. 300808 ID: 8b0de1

>>300805
Ho boy,

I actually did account that Sticks would become suspicious if we show too much power though not concerning the regeneration but spending too much Sparks on enchantments.

So we used 70 sparks now we are thinking of using 200 sparks.
Will she be able to see how much we used up, will she know that we can store infinite amount of sparks in ourself?

Could we do this while she sleeps? We should take the next shift or wait till she is gone and busy with something else.

>Do you simply want me to shove one hundred sparks to enhance it's base effect? Or do you want me to be able to share it with other? Transfer it to someone else?
For mental speed and Durability definitely not going to share or transfer it to anybody. Don't see any use in "Area" tag either.
So yeah, put them in base effects..
>>
No. 300811 ID: 259738

>>300805
Base effect. Any of the tags we know applied to those really just reduce the value on them. Since silver holds 200 sparks, presumably gold would hold more? What about gemstones? Are there any other valuable metals available to humans? I think this may possibly be the best reason to visit the dwarves at some point. They spend all their time underground, so they would be better able to provide rare materials for really really good items.
>>
No. 300827 ID: f6360f

>>300805
>Durability: 100 Sparks
This should be crafted to be as effective as possible on you and you alone. I believe that calls for it to have its base effect maximized, but if there are other ways to tweak that which might prove more effective in the overall goal of keeping your skin fully intact, feel free to bring them up.

>Shadow-Step: With 17/100 Sparks in it.
This has range and chain upgrades on it right now, correct? We want it to have Buddy x2 so that you can bring others along (28/100), chain x4 so that you can use it five times in quick succession (48/100), and range x13 with the rest of the points for a 75-foot total jump distance (100/100). That should make it viable as both a combat technique and as a fast-travel skill. Extremely powerful.

>Mental Speed/Calculation: 100 Sparks
Honestly I'm more concerned about defending about mental magics than gaining this, which I assume would also require the head enchantment slot, but I'm not going to argue too much- we can throw a defensive enchantment in a ring, I suppose. I just don't like having that elf able to look at us and crush our mind with magic while we have no standing defenses. There's much less risk in working with people if we're well armored against their potentially trying to hurt us first.

>Unfortunately, the boy simply starts laughing harder at my order, clearly not believing I'll actually do something to him.
That's bad. When we give an order, he should damn well follow it, even if it's something like this. Inform him that now that we have demonstrated our ability to repair his wounds, if he disobeys an order again we will not hesitate to inflict a few in order to encourage his obedience. He swore to do as we said with no hesitation; that applies at all times. You don't have to be overly menacing when saying this, just state it as fact- there will be serious consequences which he does not like for disregarding what we say.
>>
No. 300829 ID: 8b0de1

>>300827
>Honestly I'm more concerned about defending about mental magics than gaining this, which I assume would also require the head enchantment slot, but I'm not going to argue too much-

I say we make some kind of enchanted silver headband or necklace or ear-rings. I want to say tiara but that is just plain silly.

>That's bad. When we give an order, he should damn well follow it, even if it's something like this.
Oh, don't be so droll.
We might need to warn him but please, don't be psychotic about it, Hated.
He wasn't really disobeying the order, more like he was caught in the mood.
But if in different circumstance he decides disobey or talk back we might need to do something (nothing too drastic of course)
>>
No. 300830 ID: c4753c

Spell Discovered!
Armor: Toughens the casters skin into armor, reducing damage taken due to psychical trauma. Costs 10 sparks, + 10 sparks per increase to the armors strength.



I wouldn't worry too much about Sticks noticing, at least not in regards to enchanting my own body. All she'll see, if that, is the tattoos for the spells forming on my skin.

Since I've received multiple affirmation for the defensive boost provided by endurance, I set to work, closing my eyes again to focus on the patters I desire. I envision scales like a dragons, hard as diamonds and thousands of times more flexible. I feel the sparks form within my body, exactly a hundred gathering to my call. Then I coax the 30 sparks required to the task I have for them, the magic within me sending sparks whirling along my torso as the settle into the new form I've decided for them. I also took the time to upgrade the shadow-jump as suggested, so we should be able to jump long distances, assuming I can see the shadows I'm jumping to. Might want to invest in a spyglass at some point. I pull up my shirt and smile with satisfaction as the spell completes itself, my skin now having scale-like marking all over my chest, stomach and back. Sticks glances up from what's she's doing(making more drawings in the dirt) just in time to see the new markings, and she turns her head in interest.

"Whats spells that one? Body magic?"

"Mmm. Spell that turns my skin hard, like armor. With this is should be harder for me to die. It's a fairly basic spell, if find it hard to believe you don't know it."

"Fuck off. I've already told you, I'm a Mind mage. I'm pretty young too, so I haven't started branching out yet."

I simply smile, then proceed to begin packing my things into one of the bags. I set Tongues to work, as well as informing him off the possible consequences regarding disobeying orders, like when I told him to stop laughing. He apologizes profusely, even going so far as to place his head on the ground, which just gives me thoughts of slamming my boot down on his head hard enough to squash it like a melon. Sticks finishes up her latest drawing, then starts to help out as well. We're going to the barbarian camp at some point, as I refuse to spend all day toying with possible spells to enchant myself with. If you want me to do another, say so now before I head into that camp.
>>
No. 300832 ID: 8b0de1

>>300830
YES!
Do the mind enchanting permanent spell!

Why didn't you do it eight away?
>>
No. 300839 ID: f6360f

>>300830
>Might want to invest in a spyglass at some point.
I don't think 75 feet is long enough to need a spyglass. Even the 525 that we can manage with a full five-step chain is pretty much within standard visual distance. Anyway, there are presumably relatively cheap spells that would let us see more acutely and/or grant us perfect vision in the dark, yes? That seems more our style than bulky accessories. Actually, seeing through objects would be good, too, since it would let us see shadows on the other side of walls.

>He apologizes profusely, even going so far as to place his head on the ground, which just gives me thoughts of slamming my boot down on his head hard enough to squash it like a melon.
Minions genuflecting in obedience: Always good. Head-squashing: Potentially hilarious but utterly wasteful; glad you restrained yourself there. Seems that worked out well.

>We're going to the barbarian camp at some point
Before going there, you should decide on a story as to why the three of you are out there traveling around. Although, honestly, I suppose that "We're travelers, looking to learn more about these lands" is actually true. You're all traveling, you want to learn more so that you can kill certain people better, she wants to learn more because she's a spy. And if the barbarians don't like you killing is always a viable backup plan.
>>
No. 300850 ID: f6360f

>>300839
(Erm, not 525. 375. Because math. Excuse my brief silliness.)
>>
No. 300869 ID: c4753c
File 130431115891.jpg - (27.54KB , 305x576 , Barbarian.jpg )
300869

I close my eyes mid packing, shaping more sparks into the desired affect. I envisioned a thought, or what I though a thought would look like, words floating in my mind. Then I saw those thoughts appear faster, disappear faster, all whirling around faster. I felt the tingle of sparks touching my face, roaringalongsettingmymindblazingwiththoughtsandfeelingsandactionsand-

Spark Count: 1130

...I'm so glad I thought to make that an off/on spell. I don't want to be thinking that quickly all the time. I finish packing and storing my things, then pull the backpack onto my shoulders. The other two are quick to follow suit, and before finally heading off I turn to my apprentice.

"Tongues, what's the tattoo on my face look like?"

The boy stares at me for a moment, seeming to be trying to read something, then shrugs. "Dun know, master. It looks like words, but they're moving to fast for me to see them properly. It's like someone constantly flipping a page on a book, only so fast you don't have time to read even a word on each page."

"Hm. Interesting. Sticks, do all mind enchantments have weird pictures like this?"

"Yeah. Half the time the spells depiction makes no sense. Makes it hard to identify magical items that have mind enchantments as well, cause the effects are usually really odd."

"Hm."

With that done, I lead the way down towards the camp of barbarians. It takes us a few minutes to reach our destination, and I notice that as soon as we do, all eyes within the camp are on us. Now that I'm closer, I can see the markings on the tent, a bear paw, and the mood in the camp seems very... tense. As if they were expecting something. After walking a small way, I feel something tug on my shirt sleeve and glance down to find Tongues holding on to it, looking nervous and uncertain. Sticks seems oblivious to the lot, eying everything as if searching for something.

It's when we reach the center, where the biggest tent stands, that something interesting happens. We're suddenly surrounded by warriors, all holding spears in hand. Sticks readies her bow, finally noticing the situation we are in. The tent in front of us opens, and what I'd presume to be the chieftain comes stomping out, eyes examining all of us. "What you come here for, city-dweller? You come to kill us? Come to take our land from us like you did our ancestors? Come to scatter Clan Bearclaw? Speak now, or die." The spears all around us level towards us, the intent clear.

Well, voices. I know you advised me to come up with a reason for being here, but the only thing I could think of was that I was passing through, which isn't true, since I want to stick around awhile... that and I want that belt the chieftain is wearing, because seriously, who doesn't want a belt with a skull for the buckle?
>>
No. 300873 ID: cf65c1

Now is not the time for lies and courtly manners, now is the time for mas machismo.
"Two things actually. First, I come seeking allies against one of the nations of the city people and I thought a good place to start would be asking the people who hate them the most. Second, that's a really nice belt, I wanna fight you for it."
>>
No. 300874 ID: 259738

>>300869
You've come to help, and if they don't want help, you've come to trade. Given their apparent hatred for city-dwellers, they are no friends of the Warrior's descendants. In a way that makes them friends of yourself. By helping them you may set them up to ruin that kingdom without needing to do much of anything yourself, and if they have no intention to do that, well, you can always make some money selling enchanted trinkets. Money you can use to acquire better materials to hold the kind of power you need if you intend to take on an entire kingdom.
>>
No. 300877 ID: f6360f

>>300869
>Speak now, or die.
"I have no interest at all in your land, nor am I much of a city dweller. In fact, I don't have a single friend living there. My companions and I-" gesture to the others- "were interested in staying amongst people who wouldn't mind our presence for a while, maybe learning a few things, then going back to kill a certain mage in Rivercross. Also, I like your belt a lot."
>>
No. 300879 ID: 46c430

Hrmm... Wanderlust? You tired of the city so you left? Trade, with offerings of magic rings? Couple ideas.

And point out that if we were here to kill them we'd have brought soldiers and not come just the three of us, one a child no less (We could of course level their entire village ourselves, but they don't know that.)

I imagine he likes the belt too, and it might have more importance beyond personal dislike, so don't go after it unless we want to piss everyone off (While we could, again, kill everyone, we're gonna need help to take on the kingdom)
>>
No. 300893 ID: b84932

Compliment his swanky belt.
>>
No. 300939 ID: c4753c

"I have no interest at all in your land, nor am I much of a city dweller. In fact, I don't have a single friend living there. Besides, if I'd come to kill you, you'd think I'd bring an army, wouldn't you? My companions and I-" gesture to the others- "were interested in staying amongst people who wouldn't mind our presence for a while, maybe learning a few things, then going back to kill a certain mage in Rivercross. Also, I like your belt a lot, very nice, the human skull really sets the mood, I feel intimidated, really I do...um, what else..."

"Get to the fucking point, Vincent."

"Oh! Right, the point. Thank you Sticks."

The Chieftain takes a step back in surprise, clearly not expecting me to be quite so forward, especially because I'm one of these city-dwellers in his eyes. Even all the warriors seem uncertain how to deal with me now that I'm just coming right out and complementing his belt, which I really think I should just take.

>>300873

"So I suppose I came for two reasons. First, I come seeking allies against one of the nations of the city people and I thought a good place to start would be asking the people who hate them the most. Second, that's a really nice belt, I wanna fight you for it."

I'm fairly certain that the man wasn't quite sure what to make of me until I said I wanted to fight him. Then he seemed to get back into his character, happily roaring into the air.

"You dare challenge me?! Urthan, Cheiftan of Clan Bearclaw?! You think you can fight the one who fought an entire tribe on his own?!"

The warriors start up some rhythmic chant that I'd assume was for impressing other tribes, as well as scaring potential challengers to this guy. For us, the only one scared is Tongues, and I think that's more because of all the stories he's heard about these guys. For me, it just serves to annoy.

"No one has bested me in single combat, ever! You will fall, just like the rest, before my might, crushed under the sheer weight of my-"

"Yeah, I get it already. Look, do I get your belt if I beat you at this 'single-combat' thing?"

"Um... yes?"

"Alright then. Let's get this over with."

Okay, question voices. What's single-combat? Do I have to fight the tribe by myself? Fight each guy one at a time? Hunt people down one by one? Oh, I know! I have to use a single weapon to kill every warrior in the camp, am I right?
>>
No. 300944 ID: f6360f

>>300939
The phrase "single combat" indicates that there is a single fighter on each side. That probably means it's just you and him, in this case.

Barbarian people in general are usually highly responsive to an "honorable warrior" type of persona. Therefore, you should endeavor to 'fight fair', which is to say, don't use any capability you haven't warned him about in advance, don't hit him in the back at any point, and don't simply blast him with magic for a quick win. You should also aim to incapacitate or pin him rather than killing, if possible. I know, it's a lot of rules- but doing well in a public fight against their chief could be a quick way to buy you much better status than "random city-dweller" in their collective eyes, netting you not only the belt but also an in as far as getting them to do whatever else you want. Like feeding you tons of sparks or invading nations on your behalf, though mentioning either right now would likely be a poor move.

I would recommend declaring that you're no common warrior, and removing your shirt. Anyone who knows the basics of magic will immediately grasp that you're enchanted with a defensive spell and probably capable of using other magics, which is good to let them know in this case because it means you're not effectively sucker punching him with your durability and even your shadow stepping can be arguably called expected. Once that's done, follow their lead in how they set this up- my guess is that they'll take you to a fairly large, clear area, gather around its edges, and have the two of you fight in the middle. That's speculation on my part, though; there are almost certainly a few particulars I don't know. Just do roughly what the chief does (unless something seems particularly unusual) and don't attack him before he attacks you, and you'll probably be mostly fine.
>>
No. 300945 ID: c26f5d

>>300939
I believe it is a fight between just you and him. Probably be best to rely on strength enhancements and speed, as opposed to more obvious spells like shadow step or fire(etc.).

When you beat him using physical powers, it will probably have a better effect on the warriors(a step towards gaining an army) than if you just toast him with fire.

Also, I am not sure if it would be better to kill him at the end of the fight or, ugh, spare him. In the manipulative sense, I mean.

Anyway, I know you want to kill everybody here and I am sure it would be fun, but revenge comes first, then comes fun. For revenge, you need allies/minions/an army and gaining the respect of the barbarians is a step in that direction. Nothing will stop you from killing absolutely everything once you have gotten your revenge.
>>
No. 300961 ID: 8b0de1

Now listen Hated, I know this is a new and alien concept to you but please don't kill this guy.
Yeah, you probably never have fought anyone without killing them when you won, I get that, but who knows what will happen if you kill him. Maybe they'll freak out?

Anyway, ask what the rules are (if any). I suppose there aren't any rules and that you can use magic as you like.
So this is great opportunity to try out your enchantments.
Turn on your mind spell. I don't know why it would make you uncomfortable, fast thinking does not equal not being able to keep up with your thoughts. From your perspective you should feel fine as with fast calculating comes appropriate "digestion" of information. The only side effect could be that the world seems to move slower but with practice you will be able to adjust that too.
With that on, you will be able to react much faster.

I suppose your durability enchantment is always on? If not turn it on. And why isn't it alway on?

Use your shadow-step ability to gain advantage, even if it is day there should be a lot of shadows (like, chieftains shadow for example)

And then fight till you beat him, I don't think that should be a lot of problem to you, would it?


And hey, maybe it is their custom that when someone beats the chief, he becomes the new chief? Wouldn't that be great?
>>
No. 300982 ID: 8c2f6c

Idea: Shadowstep into his shadow, kick between legs for opening salvo. Then try and figure out what this guy can do. Avoid a couple of blows, get him to punch the ground or a tent, see what he can pull off.
>>
No. 300993 ID: eba49f

Single combat implies that you both agree the fight has started before either of you takes a hostile action, so teleporting behind him BEFORE the fight starts is a no. I also second taking off your shirt to declare that you are a mage (and to show your MANLY PHYSIQUE). The 'asking about the rules' thing is good too.

I would say now is NOT the time to try out a mind affecting spell that you are not used to yet. You should get the hang of that when you are not in a situation where a distraction would get you face-punched.
>>
No. 301015 ID: c4753c

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Sticks? I thought it was obvious. I'm fighting the big man for his belt. Mostly because I want it."

Sticks gives me a look that clearly states her negative opinion on this course of action, and even Tongues looks a little doubtful as to the merit of my declarations. Well, too bad for them, I'm leader of this little band. I turn away to find someone to explain the rules of this single combat thing to me. Seriously, I don't see why anyone would just fight someone else one against one when he's clearly got me surrounded. Is honor really that important a thing to risk your life for? This Urthan has all these minion, why not use them to soften me up first?

As I'm pondering this one of the shamans(light snacks) comes up to me to explain the rules. There are fairly simple, and are as follows:
1) One can not use magic not already placed on your body, your weapon, your armor, or some other magical item.(They specifically mentioned they already knew I was a mage)
2) Each combatant is allowed a single weapon to take with them into the arena(although it's perfectly legal to steal your opponents weapon)
3) The contest continues until one of the combatants is dead, unable to fight, or yields

That's it. Hells, you voices gave me more restrictions than that. You sure I can't just kill this guy? Either way, I'm separated from my companions, who are led off some other way, and taken to a field outside the encampment, where I can see a loose circle has formed. Urthan isn't around yet, probably preparing for the fight himself.

I'm left where I stand, at one end of the field, and told that I have about 5 minutes to prepare anything I want to before I'm examined for spells and then start fighting. That leaves me enough time for a single enchantment. Do I need anything else, or am I good with what I have? And which weapon should I take with me, the shortsword or the longsword? Or should I leave the weapons behind and fight with my fists? Any further advice you want to give before we get started with this... "single-combat" thing.
>>
No. 301021 ID: 0bd0b0

Fight with just your fists? That is silly. What are you personally more comfortable with? A dagger would be best for shadow step and fast attacks, but with a long sword we could end his life in one swipe if we give ourselves a strength enchantment.
>>
No. 301024 ID: c78483

If they the rules state that you can kill your opponent, I don't see why not. That would put you in much greater position of influence (whatever our further plans may be)

Take the longsword.

As for enchantments.... I dunno... Do we need any? I think it is clear that the chief is going to have body spells and/or magical equipment.
Lowest level (so that if we decide in future for something better we wouldn't have wasted too much sparks) of strenght enchantment on your arm perhaps?


as for the fight .... just go with suggestions we had provided before as long as they are within the rules.
>>
No. 301025 ID: e911d6

Speed boost would be nice. The Shamans are probably preparing something nasty to put on him. It'd get rid of our shadow steps though....

I say take the fists. You can probably use him to manipulate the tribe if you win. Free army is nice.

And of course, you could pretend this was your plan all along.

.....Can you enchant your eyes with eye lasers?
>>
No. 301032 ID: f6360f

>>301015
I'd throw a maxed out strength enchantment on your arms. Strength and durability boosts aren't very creative, but between the two of them and our shadow step for mobility we should have the power to oppose a whole slew of any more complex tricks that the chief might deploy.

I'd take the shortsword. With boosted strength, you won't need the extra distance that the longsword gives you and the shortsword would be less unwieldy in close quarters if you get right next to him thanks to, say, stepping into his shadow. That said, either sword should be fine.

I would still say try not to kill him, even if that's within the rules. Killing people leaves hostility in its wake, and manipulating people who hate you is much harder.

>Is honor really that important a thing to risk your life for?
Oh, yes. Honor is a powerful social construct in many societies. Someone seen as honorable gets more respect even if they can't necessarily deploy as much force as anyone else. Someone seen as dishonorable gets less respect even if they're powerful enough to be very dangerous. Thus the honorable people tend to get more rank, give orders, have favors done for them by others, and get better mates. This might not make sense standing on its own, but in societal terms it's a self-perpetuating system because it means that those who are honorable will tend to gang up on and kill or exile those who are dishonorable and thereby surround themselves with only people who follow their own set of rules. It helps that part of those rules tends to include a way of retaining respect and power even if something bad should happen to them, or when they grow old and weak- it's a social safety net.

They don't think of it in those terms, of course. They think of honor as something good in and of itself, instead of as an artificial concept which is used to perpetuate their way of life. But it hardly matters- the upshot is that honor is something worth dying for, from the perspective of someone within a society where honor is important.
>>
No. 301033 ID: c91ab3

>>301032
Dont forget that we can put seperate enchantments on each arm.
Not sure if we put strenght on right arm and it will give overall boost or only for the arm, I suspect it is the former.
>>
No. 301056 ID: c4753c

>>301033
((That's actually the hands. The arms are one piece in and of themselves.))

Dragging out some more sparks, I place a strength enchantment on my arms, picturing the talons and strength of an ogre, a giant, a dragon. Sparks slither down my arms just as a group of shamans walks up, and they are greeted with a cascade of tattoos slithering down my arms to settle themselves. Already I feel the pulse of strength within me, and I recall that I'll have to relearn how to restrain myself. The shamans order me to strip, and I do so without hesitation, noticing curiously that there are a number of young woman watching me intently. The shamans go about there business, and once done, leave me as they move off to examine Urthan.

I pull on only my boots, pants and hat, so as to show off, and I quote, my MANLY PHYSIQUE, although I'm not sure who I'm supposed to be showing off to. I reject taking a weapon, I used to fight with my fists to feel the crunch of bone under my hands. I'll take the chance to do so again before I have to set up an image for myself. Which reminds me to talk to you voices about that later. Doesn't really matter, the wind feels good on my bare skin, and I'm quite certain the blood from the chieftain will feel just as good. We both take our respective, positions on either end of the makeshift arena, with a shaman breaking into a speech about something or other, which promptly bores me enough to start me daydreaming...

So it comes as somewhat of a surprise when I find my opponents mace smashes into my body, a cheer go up around me from his clansman, and myself slamming into the dirt with enough force to go send shards of rock flying everywhere. I get up onto my feet again, my armor skin taking the brunt of the blow, while the man roars into the air. I see my hat float gently to the ground a few feet away.

This man has some punch, doesn't he?
>>
No. 301058 ID: 0bd0b0

Indeed. But nowhere near as much as you.
>>
No. 301059 ID: f6360f

>>301056
>noticing curiously that there are a number of young woman watching me intently
This isn't that curious. You look human, young, male, and physically fairly powerful. Their instinct is to assess your viability as a mate.

>This man has some punch, doesn't he?
Seems like it. Look at him and speed your thoughts for a moment- long enough to notice details, like what enchantments are visible on him if any, and if that mace is magical or if he's the one with the magic in him. Also, if he's got some kind of speed enhancement your mental boost power should let you at least keep good track of what he's doing, even if you can't counter it fully without matching his speed.

My personal recommendation here would be to try to use your strength to send him flying in the air, then repeatedly shadow step underneath him (he should cast a shadow as he falls) and punch him back into the sky. Continue until he's unconscious/dead or it ceases to be hilarious. This is a viable tactic mostly because if he's got a strength boost, putting him in the air will render it mostly useless since he won't be able to brace against anything.

But maybe I'm overthinking this and you should just hit him a few times.
>>
No. 301062 ID: eba49f

Been playing Super Smash Brothers much, f6360f?
But yes, I agree with f6360f's plan. (Subject to change of course if we see a tricky enchantment on the chieftain)
>>
No. 301075 ID: c4753c

((Forgot to do this last post. I also posted a picture in the discussion thread that I drew. I remember someone ask for one, but can't recall who.))
Spark Count: 1060

I activate my Mind Speed enchantment, the world slowing around me to a crawl. I notice dozens of things at once, mind catching much more than it normally would. The way the wind moves the grass at our feet. The beat of a bugs wings that just happens to fly by. The shape of every single cloud in the sky. Each individual look of surprise on every single person's face as they realize I'm not quite dead. The sound of Tongues as he let's out his own cheer of joy. Sticks hilariously shocked face as she stares in disbelief. All that within a second of activation.

Urthan has a number of tattoos across his body similar to mine, although his would be considered second rate compared to mine. From what I can see, he has a strength, armor and speed enhancement. And that's it. His weapon doesn't look remarkable, but that's not saying much. It could have properties that I can't detect just looking at it.

I switch the spell off, the world returning to its normal speed as I shadow-step behind the man. Get him into the air, was it? Well, let's pay him back for that sucker punch at the same time.

"You really should warn someone before you start swinging at them. It's the polite thing to do."

The barbarian turns in surprise, but it's too late for him to stop my swift kick to his nether regions. I can almost hear the man let out a little squeal of pain, and the force of the kick lifts him into the air. I jump in front of him, kicking upwards again and sending him higher. I attempt it again, but he's recovered now, and with his speed grabs me by the leg and throws me towards the ground under him. I simply smile as I go down and jump again, this time over next to my hat. I retrieve the item, and replace it on my head, my smile only widening, as I watch the bigger man slam into the ground, buying me another few seconds to think as the world slows to a crawl again.

What's next, voices?
>>
No. 301088 ID: f6360f

>>301075
Well, he's faster than you and shadow step won't catch him off guard again. My instinct here would be to go for a grapple- your strength enhancements are better than his, you say, so you should have a fairly decisive advantage as long as you maintain a grip on him to stop him from using his speed. Grabbing his weapon and chucking it away (you can probably get a couple hundred yards of distance; do not hit anyone else with it) would probably help with forcing him into that kind of situation.

You should be able to flicker your mind enhancement on and off to gain plenty of time to consider exactly what is going on; it'll be like everything moving in slow motion. You should be able to see exactly what he's trying with plenty of time to begin your own reaction, hopefully even with his boosted speed.

Get him in a pin and demand that he yield. If he doesn't, you should be in an excellent position to break one or more of his limbs, which should effectively end the fight in your favor.
>>
No. 301089 ID: 489566

>>301088

This is a pretty good idea considering you don't have Speed enhancements yet, and doing them in full view of everyone would be a bit obvious.

Be careful with that mace before you mange to grapple him, and remember that keeping him alive is currently a goal.
>>
No. 301128 ID: 259738

>>301088
Go with this.
>>
No. 301133 ID: cf65c1

>>301088
Disarming the opponent and making them submit to you is preferred because we want more than his belt, we want his tribe to do as we say.
I support this plan.
>>
No. 301173 ID: c4753c

The world returns once again to normal speed, and I start forward as Urthan gets up, clearly having taken that pretty hard. Well, sucks for him, I'm not letting up yet. As he bends down to retrieve his mace again, I step up to him, knee rising to smash into his face, jaw breaking and sending the man stumbling backwards. Then I get to bend down and lift the discarded weapon and, following popular suggestion, I hurl said object off somewhere. I don't get the chance to see where it lands, however, as Urthan starts throwing punches at me and I'm forced back a step trying to defend.

We go into a slug-fest, both of us beating on each other without bothering to dodge or even block. Until Urthan suddenly realizes I'm not going down, and his torso is starting to sport a lot more bruises than mine. Then the dodging starts, mostly by him, as he tries not to get hit while still smashing his fists into my torso. Feeling like I'm getting nowhere, and already having your suggested plans, I wait for another blow to come my way, then grab the offending extremity and flip the man over my shoulder, slamming Urthan into the ground and sending more rock shards everywhere, most notably Urthan's skin. I pin the man to the floor, or try to. As I reach for his arms, the barbarian kicks me in the face, sending me literally spinning away. I find myself on the ground again, and I decide that I should probably have gotten the man onto his back before trying that... yeah, failure on my part, apologies voices.

Both of us scramble to our feet, and both of us look a little worse for wear. It's mostly just scratches and bruises, and Urthan's got more than I do, but even I am sporting some.

Then once again the world slows to a crawl around me. Suggestions, voices?
>>
No. 301178 ID: 259738

>>301173
Try again. As soon as you have grabbed him he shouldn't easily be able to escape, since you are stronger. You spent all your time fighting last you were free, you shouldn't need detailed advice on how to grapple someone.
>>
No. 301182 ID: f6360f

>>301178
Yeah, pretty much this. You'll have the advantage in very close quarters. I doubt his pride will let him spend too much time on the defensive, so he'll have to engage at a range you can grab him eventually since you're both unarmed. When that happens, apply some skill to the situation and get him in a pin. If he's good enough to avoid your managing that, breaking more limbs is a decent secondary objective; as long as he keeps taking more damage than you he'll eventually either yield or be unable to continue.

As long as your mind is moving at super-speed, take a decent glance at the spectators, too. Note what kind of looks they have on their faces- it's not important to the resolution of the fight, but it matters somewhat insofar as how you'll be able to manipulate them later. It's useful to know what's going on in their heads before trying to urge it in the direction you want, most of the time.
>>
No. 301194 ID: 925c43

Not sure if I agree with others.
Even though I am more inclined towarda more peaceful approaches, I think it wouldn't be bad if we kill him.
Though we dont know their customs, I'm sure we will gain much respect if we beat him, meaning they will listen to us (I mean, we just killed someone who claims to have defeated entire tribes alone, they would be fools to not respect us).
If we keep him alive however, he will definately be angry towards us and could play a vital role against our further plans here.
>>
No. 301203 ID: c4753c

I take a glance at the crowd, noticing that instead of seeming like they were rooting only for the big man, and not doing anything else, they were actually starting to take sides. Quite a few seem to be betting on the outcome, a few more were actually verbally supporting me, and more still seemed to at least be interested in whether or not I would win, instead of just survive. Sticks seems to have gotten into an argument with some of the women, about what I can't tell from here. Tongues, on the other hand, seem to be happily cheering his throat hoarse, which is all well and good except that I can't hear him over the roaring of the crowd.

I switch spell off as I move forward again, going for the grapple again. Urthan seems to guess my intentions, but his attack pattern doesn't change. All he does is charge recklessly forward and keep swinging, I guess confident that enough damage would eventually bring me down. It would, but he'd never be able to get that far. I manage to grab his arm again, but this time, instead of simply flipping him, I straighten his arm for him. That done, my other fist comes down on it, and the entire area goes silent as we all hear the snap of his bone breaking. Urthan roars in pain and starts beating on me even harder, aiming almost exclusively for the head. I refuse to let go however, and instead grab hold of his torso and flip him again, making sure to have him land on his broken arm.

Another roar of pain, but as Urthan tries to get back onto his feet, I ram my foot into his other arm, breaking that one as well. He flails about helplessly on the ground, but apparently that isn't considered to be unable to continue. The crowd around me seems to grow quiet at the spectacle, the end already clearly in sight for them. All that remains is the action.

I don't even bother increasing my thought speed for this. Well then voices, you seem a little fractured in your opinions. Shall I kill the man, or let him live?
>>
No. 301205 ID: 259738

>>301203
Don't deliberately kill him. If he won't stop after you continue to break things, though, you may have to. As long as he gives up at some point, though, he can probably be fixed. Probably not by us, unless we decide to put together a healing ring, which could be useful.
>>
No. 301206 ID: 8b0de1

>>301203
Well, I wouldn't suggest killing heavily incapacitated man.
If you were to kill him, it should have been during heavy fight which would make the death look at dignified. As it stands, you might be killing a helpless puppy (not that I would be surprised if you have done things like that)

Anyway,
first ask him to yield.
If he refuses, wait till he attacks.
Then inflict more injuries or pin him down. If he keeps refusing to yield even when it is fairly obvious that you have won ... then maybe it would be justified killing him.
>>
No. 301208 ID: 8c2f6c

Let him live. Smash another limb or two, but he'll be valuable in dealing with the tribe for whatever you need.

Also, you can then get sticks to stop yelling at you by claiming that manipulating him like this was your plan all along and that the belt was just a bonus.
>>
No. 301227 ID: eba49f

Seconding demanding he yeild. He is unlikely to claim it is just a flesh wound, with the flailing and all.
>>
No. 301231 ID: c4753c

((Alright, there's some questions I need answers to, or at least opinion on, from anyone who would care to give them. Those are going to be in the discussion thread, and they are kinda important, so if you have the time it would be much appreciated if you'd give your thoughts on the matters. Thanks for your time!))

Alright. Leave him alive if possible, but kill him if it becomes necessary.

I stride over to Urthan, who is still flailing around on the ground, and crouch down in front of his face. "Well, Chieftain, it seems your not going anywhere any time soon. While personally, I see no point in letting you live, there's some people who've advised me to keep you around awhile. So, I'd like it if you'd yield for me, so that I don't have to cause further harm."

All I get for my troubles is some more roaring, but that's fine by me. I stand again and sigh, position myself next to one of his legs and stomp down hard on it, the satisfying snap of bone greeting me. The crowd let's out a collective gasp, but I ignore them, still focused on my task. "Urthan, my fellow warrior, we both know your not in any position to keep fighting, and it's going to take you long enough to heal from this. I don't really care, but I'm sure you'd rather be alive to help defend your tribe, right?" I get no response until I move to break his other leg, which prompts him to growl out a question.

"IF I yield, you promise to care for the tribe, as I would?"

I'm confused by that, why would I need to care for some tribe, but I hesitantly give my word.

"Fine then. I, Urthan Bearclaw, yield to this man."

For a moment the crowd is silent, everyone completely disbelieving what just happened. Then there's a whoop of joy, Tongues happily rushing forward to hug me, to which I immediately respond by shoving him off. I don't want any mortals touchy-feely nonsense, and just as a warning I smack the back of his head lightly. Tongues seem to get the picture, but the reprimand doesn't remove the smile from his face. Almost as if Tongues joy is a trigger, a massive cheer goes up all from the barbarian crowd, probably an ingrained response to the victors in this sort of thing. I notice the women of the tribe disappearing back towards the tents however, which seems odd considering the rest of the tribe is cheering like mad.

A number of shamans come and carefully drag Urthan away, and I notice that even injured as he is, he give me a smile that seems almost as if he's gloating. Now why would he be gloa-

I find myself suddenly pitching forward into the dirt, and find myself thinking just before I black out that dirt is surprisingly comfortable under the right conditions...
>>
No. 301237 ID: a6ba65

Suggestion 2011/05/03(Tue)13:48 No. 301235 ID: a6ba65 >>299793
>I would rather drill holes through my own eyes... thinking back, I've done that, very unpleasant, wouldn't suggest it.
So, was that a drunken bet, or what?

>>300513
>When ethereal ends, if anything is connected to me(like I'm going through a wall and I'm halfway through when it ends) I'll fuse with the wall. It's... not pleasant, and I'd rather not talk about why I know that... yeah.
You've lived an interesting life, Hated.

>Wait, you want me to make her fall in love with me? I'm I hearing that correctly?
I gather from previous comments that Hated could fuck her, but that he doesn't get anything out of it and mortals aren't interesting to him anyway. So why bother?

>>301015
> "Sticks? I thought it was obvious. I'm fighting the big man for his belt. Mostly because I want it."
Ah, Hated. Such a fine line between demonic monster and covetous magpie.

Still, being a badass demon means not having to restrain yourself if you see a thing you want.

>>301203
> Well then voices, you seem a little fractured in your opinions. Shall I kill the man, or let him live?
Start kicking him and wait for the ref to call it. He'll either become unable to continue, or we'll kill him eventually.

If this single challenge nonsense does give you control of the tribe, Urthan would be a pretty good underling and interim chief while you go do whatever the hell you feel like.

I guess you could go around physically beating down the chiefs of all the tribes in the area, mold them together into a single barbarian horde and then point it at the kingdom your enemy's descendants inhabit... you know, if you felt like it.

Or we could just go kill that powerful mage, now that we've got a ready supply of sparks. One mid-level mage donating sparks is equivalent to killing and eating around 7 powerful mages in 6 days. Frankly, it's a little ridiculous.

Donation > Killing, obviously.
>>
No. 301239 ID: 8b0de1

>I find myself suddenly pitching forward into the dirt, and find myself thinking just before I black out that dirt is surprisingly comfortable under the right conditions...

Did they pile-dive you?
I think they did.

Don't freak out and kill everyone please.


Also, did we just become leader of the tribe?
Maaan, that is pretty sweet (depending on perspective)


That means we are leader of that group of 30 mages? Now it is time to set up the same deal like we did with Sticks, they must donate their sparks to us. And hey, even if they arent that strong, each of them should be able to give 10-20 sparks per transaction, so we would get 300-600 per donation. I don't see why you can't use them to fix up ex-chief.... so yeah, go and heal him up.

Also, put on that wicked belt.
>>
No. 301243 ID: 8b0de1

Ah, right, get bearing of the tribe now.

How many people there are, how many warriors, etc

Is this a nomadic tribe or do they have permanent village/small town?

What is the main trade of the village? Do people sell/trade anything?

What are the major woes?
>>
No. 301254 ID: 8c2f6c

Plan of Action:
1) Figure out what's going on

2) Apoint deputies/delegate

3) Procure DOOMBELT!

4) Go to previous town, loot boss-mages sparks. Make new clan prosperous in order to lead war against enemies.
>>
No. 301258 ID: 6868bc

I will bet that the women of the tribe intend to help Hated 'celebrate' his victory. He may be in a strange situation when he awakens.
>>
No. 301262 ID: a6ba65

>>301239
If this is some kind of double-cross, on the other hand... screw it. Then we get to try the other kind of single combat; the kind where we murder them all by ourselves.

Go for the high score; warriors count for 1 point, shamen for 2, women and children for 1/2.
>>
No. 301264 ID: 7ce4e0

>>301262
Whoa, whoa

Dont give Hated bad ideas, you know how impressionate he is.


As for women .... eeeh, that's touchy subject. If Hated has no sexual drive and desire, I dont see why he should play along.
>>
No. 301266 ID: cf65c1

Oh I get it, he had to prove himself by fighting off the tribe, they won't accept you as a chief or shaman without a similar test against most of the tribe.
Disarm them and breathe a blast of fire in the air like you're a dragon. If that doesn't work set yourself in a globe of fire and cackle threateningly. We must be flashy.
>>
No. 301273 ID: 7ce4e0

>>301266
Come on
lets asses the situation first before doing anything rash
>>
No. 301275 ID: c4753c

I awaken to find myself in what appears to be a rather large tent, laying on what appears to be a cot raised slightly off the ground. I stay where I am for a moment, trying to remember what had happened previously. I get up to the point where I black out, then nothing. I'm assuming I was dragged in here by somebody. I pull myself to a sitting position and a lance of pain goes shooting through my head. I faintly register that Sticks and Tongues are both suddenly next to me, asking me how I'm feeling. The sound does little to aid my headache, as such my answer is anything but joyful.

i"I feel like my head is being slowly ground into dust by a Malvorg! Now shut up and use those mind powers of yours to block the pain so I can actually do something!" There's a brief pause, then the pain simply disappears. I'll have to check myself over later, for now, I need to find out what's going on. "Much better. What happened?"

Tongues jumps in to answer that. "Um, let's see. You passed out after the fight, which the shamans figured out was caused by you getting your head pounded on by that Urthan guy. Oh, he's okay by the way, said it'll take him a week to get up to his full strength again, but other than that, perfectly fine. Uh, I'm not really sure how to explain the rest, Master. Anyway, what's a Malvorg?"

"Type of greater demon. Alright, Sticks, anything else to add?"

"Not really, other than... WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?! Seriously, you fucking bastard. All that over a belt? A heaven's damned belt? Come on, Vincent! It's not even that great of a belt! It's a fucking SKULL attached to a piece of leather! What the fuck kind of person goes and fights a barbarian for tha-"

I tune her out, figuring she'll be going for quite awhile. Instead I inspect my surrounding more thoroughly. For the most part, there's what you'd expect of a barbarian community. A table made of bone, some stools, a few trinkets and stolen loot piled in a corner. I take not that all of my clothes(except the pants I'm wearing) are folded neatly on the table, along with my hat and my new belt. Which I suddenly realize is much too large for the current size of my body. Perhaps I should have thought of that better. I'll have to see about shrinking it if I intend to wear it at all. Shouldn't be too difficult though. Might even have Tongues do it as part of his practice.

I stand slowly, my body obviously not liking that course of action. But I have things to do an people to see. I find, among the clothes on the table, a set of furs, much like the barbarians wear, although its been tailored down to fit my smaller frame. I decide to go with that for now, as its probably the most intimidating set of clothing I have on me at the moment. As I pull said furs on, Sticks winds down on her monologue(I really should try one sometime, it looks very therapeutic).

"-s. And one more thing! You humans do have concubines! All the time! I talked to the women during your little slugfest and have been told that it's not uncommon for a man to have four to five different lovers! So fuck you, and fuck your arguments to! I win!" I must admit, Sticks looks very pleased with herself. I, on the other hand, find myself wishing that whoever told her that would be found and burned at the stake. To think, all that effort into convincing her not to call herself my concubine, destroyed by some barbarian woman out here in the middle of the Endless Plains. That's just great.

Well, is there anything else I need to talk to Tongues or Sticks about, or shall I head outside and see what's going on?
>>
No. 301278 ID: 7ce4e0

Use some spark to heal yourself to pristine form.

Damn Sticks, what's with her and her obsession with taking such submissive role? And could go and write a paragraph to prove her wrong again but I wont, besides, it might give Hated headache again.

Like it was said in a previous post, go around and familirize yourself with the place.
Then, later call the shamen and set up the spark donation routine, we could give the same cover story as we did to Sticks.


Have someone in the tribe fix that belt to suit ASAP. Also, muse over possible enchantments we can lay on that belt
>>
No. 301281 ID: a6ba65

>>301275
"... I like skulls."

I recommend imbuing the skull with the ability to shoot fire. Because there is nothing that is not cool about shooting a fireball from your hips.

I think Sticks just wants to win the argument. "Whatever, fine. Be my concubine, I don't care. Just stop talking about it!"

And yes, that guess that Hated just acquired a six-pack of wives is sounding more likely, if the barbarians do the concubine thing.
>>
No. 301283 ID: 20a66f

>>301281

Ha, yes
let her win the argument but in such a way that she wishes she didn't.
We should say that now that we agree about her role, she should do her concuibine duties to keep us the ruse. Meaning that she will have to do what we tell her to do and might need to "satisfy" us in special areas, if she knows what we mean.

Of course we just say that to make her feel misearble. Not that I expect her to go along or that Hated actually does what was suggested
>>
No. 301290 ID: 0bd0b0

Please do not ever engage in sexual activity with Sticks. That is all. Oh, and try to heal your head. You probably got hit in the back of the head right before you passed out. Ask one of your followers to look at it closer.
>>
No. 301291 ID: c4753c

"...I like skulls..." I intentionally say this as if I was Tongues after he's just gotten chewed out by me or Sticks, mostly because it seems hilarious to see her reaction to a me that doesn't act like the confident, homicidal, kill everything me. Not that she knows about the homicidal, kill everything side of me, but she does know the confident side, so it should be interesting. I'm rewarded with a look of complete and utter disbelief, with just a hint of controlled sarcasm that seems to tell me that she know I'm up to something. Well, I have to give that to her as well, she learns fast. Now, to the concubine thing..."Fine. Whatever. Be my concubine. I don't care. Just be aware that we might have to prove the act in front of others, keep up the ruse, so to speak. I hope your prepared."

I wink playfully at Sticks as I leave, her face white as a sheet as she realizes what she's gotten herself in to. I begin laughing hysterically as just as the tent flap closes, I hear Tongues ask Sticks what a concubine is. My mirth grows cold, however, as something one of you voices said finally registers in my mind.

>And yes, that guess that Hated just acquired a six-pack of wives is sounding more likely, if the barbarians do the concubine thing.

Wait, what?

Suddenly, a stampede of shamans charges me out of nowhere, grab hold of me and drags me along, heading for gods know where. I hear the calls of various warriors, praising me for my fighting ability and wishing me well as the new chieftain. Most of them seem to be holding back laughter, and all of them have noticeably mischievous looks about them. "YOU BETTER CHOOSE ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS, CHIEFTAIN, OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!" This is followed by booming laughter that echoes across the camp, and I manage to turn my head just in time to catch a glimpse of Urthan, being tended to by the shamans.

Wait, what?

The stampede continues along, crowds of people parting to let us pass. Before long I see a pile of bear pelts stacked one atop the other, and on top of that a throne literally carved from the skeletons of the mammals that lend their name to this tribe. It's in this chair I'm finally deposited, and almost before I'm on my seat a bear-pelt cloak is thrown over my shoulder. One of the shamans, wearing a big fancy headdress, steps forward, addressing the crowd of people that have gathered in front of me, numbering more than I can count.

"HEAR US NOW, PEOPLE OF THE BEARCLAW TRIBE! OUR CHIEFTAIN WAS DEFEATED, AND BY THE OLD LAWS OF THE PLAINS, WE TAKE THE VICTOR AS OUR NEW LEADER!" A cheer explodes from the crowd, filling the night air. To my right and left, two drummers begin beating out a slow rhythm, to which the shamans surrounding me begin a low chant. "YET THE VICTOR WAS NOT ONE OF OUR TRIBE! SO WE MUST MAKE HIM THUS! BY THE OLD LAWS, AN OUTSIDER BECOMES ONE OF THE TRIBE IN ONLY ONE WAY! OUR NEW CHIEFTAIN MUST MARRY ONE OF THE MAIDENS OF THE TRIBE! YET ONLY THE GREATEST OF OUR WOMEN MAY LAY WITH OUR CHIEFTAIN! TODAY, WE HAVE FOUND THREE THAT ARE DEEMED WORTHY BY OUR BLESSED GOD, TIRFULDIN! MAIDENS OF CLAN BEARCLAW, COME FORTH AND PRESENT YOURSELVES TO OUR CHIEFTAIN!"

A roar of noise breaks out from the crowd, so loud that I'm deafened before the cacophony. The rhythm of the drums increases in speed, and the chanting of the shamans pick up as well. I close my eyes and start massaging my head, already feeling my headache returning.

You know, I hate you voices sometimes. This is all your fault. "Fight him for it" you said. "If you want it, get it" you said. I bet you knew this was going to happen. I bet you knew.
>>
No. 301293 ID: f6360f

>>301291
>I bet you knew this was going to happen. I bet you knew.
You know what you're getting here, pal? An entire barbarian tribe willing to do your bidding. Including a large pile of mages who will be able and probably willing to give you sparks all the time, giving you that much more power to accomplish your ultimate goal. Hell, if you swing this right you might be able to get a huge barbarian horde willing to go to war with whomever you want at your command- how's THAT for an effective way of exterminating a few 4000-year-old bloodlines?

So yes, I had a bit of a suspicion that ritual combat with the chief might lead to more than your getting a belt. And I am quite pleased with this result. You should be, too.

>I close my eyes and start massaging my head, already feeling my headache returning.
You should have more than enough sparks to heal yourself relentlessly of whatever injury is causing you pain, assuming that it's not sheer annoyance of some kind. Why not do that?

Anyway. Go along with this, become a barbarian chief. If you've got to marry some woman over it, so what? It's not like their marriage laws are somehow binding upon you if you decide they don't have to be.
>>
No. 301296 ID: cf65c1

It is pretty traditional, but if you get enough horses and compound short-bows together you could turn this into a raider tribe and then the wives would ride into battle with the husbands, if you were capable of fertility over time this would be a good thing since that would be more soldiers as well.
Perhaps we should explain to Sticks that concubines are kept trapped in a special section of a palace where their master and owner is the only man allowed in and the concubines are not allowed out. Perhaps once she understands this she might be more willing to take the role of wife, or even better as personal seer or mercenary.
>>
No. 301302 ID: a6ba65

> This is all your fault. "Fight him for it" you said. "If you want it, get it" you said. I bet you knew this was going to happen. I bet you knew.
That's not the way I choose to remember it.

Well, I guess you could try and claim the position is already filled (heh) by Sticks, but you know they're okay with a guy having 4-5 wives. Well, if you want to rule the tribe so you can throw them against that one kingdom, I guess you'll have to put up with a few indignities. And then they'll probably want you to have sex with them! Mortal sex is mildly ridiculous at the best of times.

Or you could kill them all, I guess, but talk about a waste of resources.
>>
No. 301306 ID: 259738

>>301291
I didn't know. But hey, you just got a bunch of shamans who can give you sparks! Put up with whatever nonsense they require, because you are going to have a lot more power to draw on soon.
>>
No. 301307 ID: c4753c

I open my eyes again, resigned to the fact that you all aren't going to help me get out of this. Just so you know, if you had physical bodies, I'd be ripping out you spines and beating you to death with them. Just thought I'd get that out there.

For now, I focus on the 5 women paraded in front of me. They all are rather young, the oldest couldn't be more than twenty-one or twenty-two. As they arrive, I notice that three of them are staying together, while the other two are separate from both each other and the group of three. All the females would, by mortal standards, be considered quite beautiful, one even managing to look slightly more beautiful than the others. A mixed blood perhaps? I continue watching, and some of the warriors drag various piles of things into the area directly in front of me. I stay silent, eying each one and trying not to let my displeasure show too openly. That would go against the whole diplomacy bit you people keep trying to shove me into.

"MAIDENS OF THE BEARCLAW! YOU OFFER THIS DAY YOURSELVES AS BRIDES, BUT NO BRIDE CAN BE A BRIDE BY MERE VIRTUE OF YOUR APPEARANCE! STATE THE GIFTS YOU OFFER THE THE CHIEFTAIN!"

For a moment nothing happens, then one of the girls from the group of three steps forward. She has raven black hair, and stands a little taller than me. She seems the oldest of the group, and I don't think she actually seems as interested in being here as the others.

"I am called Amalda, first daughter of Urthan. I bring an offering of my father's five finest horses, to be yours if you should select me."

Amalda steps back, and another from her group steps forward. This one looks very similar to the first, except she has sandy-blond hair, like her heads been dusted with fine grains of the stuff. Her smile seems to ooze confidence, and she speaks with an almost arrogant tone.

"I am Valerie, second daughter of Urthan. I bring an offering of my father's great treasures, a suit of armor that even my father can not break."

Valerie steps back, but instead of the last of Urthan's daughter(or so I assume her to be) stepping forward, another of the woman comes forth. This one has brown hair, and seems just as confident as the last, if not more so.

"I am Kailia, daughter of the Head Shaman, I bring an offering of magical knowledge, of our traditions and of the ancients."

Kailia returns to her position, and the next steps forward, clearly not liking the position she is in. She has brown hair as the one before, but I notice that at her belt she wears an axe openly, something I've noticed few females do within the camp.

"I'm Enras, daughter of Kigstad. I bring an offer a weapon, taken from the chief of another tribe during war."

Enras returns as well, and the last steps hesitantly forward. She wrings her hands together, and seems very uncertain of herself. She follows the appearance of her eldest sister, with raven black hair, but unlike either of the two, doesn't seem as confident.

"I...I am Nina, third daughter of Urthan... I offer this... a book with strange runes in it..."

She steps back quickly, and all eyes turn to me. So far all but the first offering have magic within them. For a moment I don't understand why they're all staring at me, then one of the shamans whispers in my ear.

"Pick one, Chieftain. Whichever you select will be your bride. But only one, as the others must be used by their families to forge bonds with others. Be wary, your decision will affect how you are viewed by the many circles within the tribe. If you would like, you may ask questions of the maidens."
>>
No. 301310 ID: 259738

>>301307
Shit, is that a book? Are they allowed to do that? That doesn't seem fair, offering a book. Do they know how much I love books?

Stall. Ask Kailia about the magical practices of the tribe, and what their expertise is. Ask Enras why she wears a weapon. Ask Nina if you can see a page of that book, you might be able to recognize what it is. Ask Amalda why you would want a horse. Ask Valerie how strong her father was compared to the other warriors of the tribe.
>>
No. 301314 ID: 259738

>>301310
Oh, and ask them all if any of them have magical ability. If they do, tell them to demonstrate.
>>
No. 301318 ID: 6e87fe

>>301307
I say take a look at the runed book, if you can.
>>
No. 301320 ID: e911d6

Books! I love books! This is practically cheating. We don't bother with horses, we know enough about magic and we don't need a weapon, but books? Books can have anything! Ask questions about each gift though. Specifics on the knowledge, breeds of the horses, type of weapon, contents of the book. See if you can ask sticks if she can read what's in the book.
>>
No. 301326 ID: f6360f

>>301307
>Just so you know, if you had physical bodies, I'd be ripping out you spines and beating you to death with them. Just thought I'd get that out there.
I count myself fortunate to be spineless.

(I also count myself fortunate to think puns are hilarious.)


Anyway. I am going to do something horribly tedious here and recommend that you take some time to fully examine the situation and each of the girls instead of making a snap decision. Not only will your decision likely influence the tribe as the shaman says, it will also get you a woman who is bound to you in her own eyes and those of her people- which means that she's basically your extremely loyal minion forever if you handle her right. Being married isn't all about sex, however many mortals seem to think that; you need to choose whichever one has a personality that will create the most useful servant in the medium to long term.

In fact, if you can imitate Sticks' truth-detection spell, I'm going to say that it would be worth using during the questioning. There's always something to be gained from being able to ask pointed questions and get meaningful answers. I'd be tempted to call Sticks here and have her truthsense for you, but that would probably weaken your standing in the tribe's eyes. Anyway, if at any point any of them lie to you tell them to answer again more truthfully. It'll take a bunch of sparks to manage this but at this point you'll be able to get more easily, so no matter.

As you question the girls, use moments of sped up thought to assess the reactions of both each of them and the various tribespeople gathered about to each of your queries. Try to pick up on their thoughts and feelings. I assume that none of them have magic or you'd have sensed and mentioned it; a pity.

So, questions. Bear in mind that the point of all questions is to watch reactions and learn about the girls and the tribe, so if some of them seem odd, it's not a big deal. Some of them won't work if they can lie, and some of them are downright dickish... but I'm interested in the answers. You might even find some discomfort amusing.

>Amalda
"I can run fast as a diving hawk from dusk until dawn and step from shadow to shadow in the blink of an eye. What need have I of horses?"
"You don't look as eager to be here as the others. Why not?"

>Valerie
"Tell me, if your father had been wearing that armor in our fight, would he have won?"
"You seem so certain of yourself. Your gift aside, why are you a better choice than your sisters?"

>Kailia
"Knowledge is a precious thing, but not often kept alone. Who else already possesses your gift to me?"
"A head shaman must be a wise man, who doubtless gives sage and unbiased advice. Does his daughter? Who amongst you five would be the most beneficial marriage for me and why?"

>Enras
"A weapon is a fine gift, but you offer yourself as well. What quality do you have that none of these other brides can claim?"
"Do you not wish to be here? What would you rather be doing?"

>Nina
"Strange runes? Do you offer me nothing more than a mystery?"
"You stand no farther from me than any of the others here. Why do you hesitate?"
>>
No. 301332 ID: 0bd0b0

What do you think the possibility of you killing everyone in the village without dying is? If say, you had a large blade..
>>
No. 301333 ID: f6360f

>>301332
Something close to certain, but we're not going to do that. We already tried the total berserker thing four thousand years ago, and it ended quite poorly, recall?
>>
No. 301337 ID: c4753c

>Amalda ((Fairly Good reaction from All))
>"I can run fast as a diving hawk from dusk until dawn and step from shadow to shadow in the blink of an eye. What need have I of horses?"
>"You don't look as eager to be here as the others. Why not?"

“You were truthfully uninteresting. While besting father is no small feat, I have heard there are others that could easily do the same. You say, however, that you have no need for horses. Perhaps not, but wouldn’t your companions require them to keep up? And keep up they would, Chieftain, we stole them from the Horsehoof tribe only months ago. You answer might make you... interesting." The woman already appears to be focusing more of her attention on me, eyes narrowing slightly as she considers me, although what she's searching for, I can't say.

>Valerie ((Woman seem spiteful))
>"Tell me, if your father had been wearing that armor in our fight, would he have won?"
>"You seem so certain of yourself. Your gift aside, why are you a better choice than your sisters?"
>“How strong is your father, compared to the rest of the warriors here?”

“I do not know, Chieftain. While my father is the strongest among us, I have doubts as to whether he could truly defeat one as strong as you. Perhaps I shall get to test your strength for myself, somewhere more... private. As you will test me, I’m certain, and find me more than adequate for yourself, unlike my sisters.” This one seems almost intent on the thought of using whatever sex appeal she has to her advantage. I ignore her for the most part, although she doesn't seem to notice.

>Kailia ((Good Reaction from All))
>"Knowledge is a precious thing, but not often kept alone. Who else already possesses your gift to me?"
>"A head shaman must be a wise man, who doubtless gives sage and unbiased advice. Does his daughter? Who amongst you five would be the most beneficial marriage for me and why?"
>"What is the knowledge you possess?"
“Many of our shamans posses my gift to you, but to learn requires the aid of someone who can teach. Only my father can teach within the tribe. Our magic is of... something else. You city-dwellers practice magic of the Soul? Then let us say we practice magic of the Tribe, or the whole. As to the marriage... I am tempted to say myself, but... I do not know. It would depend on your goals and the direction you desire to lead the tribe in. Towards war, or so I’ve heard, but how will you fight your war? That is the question.” Kailia seems to be judging me just as much as I'm judging her. I think it might be more to judge my worth as a leader than a husband though.

>Enras ((Males seem angry or distrustful))
>"A weapon is a fine gift, but you offer yourself as well. What quality do you have that none of these other brides can claim?"
>"Do you not wish to be here? What would you rather be doing?"

“It’s true I offer myself, but even I am little more than a weapon. Unlike these other girls, I have learned to fight instead of cook, kill instead of raise, and I intend to fight in this coming war of yours. And no, I do not wish to be here. Marrying you will mean it is expected that I lay my axe to the side and give you children, a thought I despise.” This one remains the same as she was before, spiteful and distrustful. I don't know how I'm supposed to react to that without having her blood on spilled on the floor.

>Nina ((No Major Reaction))
>"Strange runes? Do you offer me nothing more than a mystery?"
>"You stand no farther from me than any of the others here. Why do you hesitate?"

“I...I do not know, Ch-Chieftain. I’m not... strong... like the other women, not able to offer as much. I-I can cook, and clean, and weave, a-a-and g-g-give you ch-ch-children. B-but I have little e-else to offer you. F-forgive me, Chieftain. I-I just don’t f-feel as c-confident as everyone else. Th-the shamans say the b-book is filled with r-rituals of some kind, b-but no one has been able to read it. The sh-shamans won’t say w-why.” She remains hesitant and without confidence. She still seems very uncertain of herself, and seems especially uncertain when her sisters are speaking.

Most of the crowd simply watches, although I can see many of them whispering and holding conversation amongst themselves. I can't catch any of it though, so I can only tell the rough reaction to each. ((Said crowd reactions are placed next the name of each candidate))

>>301332
I could likely slaughter the entire tribe. I wouldn't want to though, already prepared to take one of these five as my wife(however unwilling) and already convinced that I should use them for attacking Everfrost, as I am.
>>
No. 301343 ID: 5b7ffd

Everfrost?
Why are we attacking it?
Werent we just planning to kill the powerful mage?

Anyway as for wives
I say the shaman daughter because of the magic or the shy girl because MYSTERY!
>>
No. 301345 ID: e911d6

>>301343

Pretty much this. Coin flip says shy girl.
>>
No. 301347 ID: 259738

>>301337
It seems like the only real choice here is between Kailia and Nina. Amalda has a good reaction from the tribe, but she also seems like she would get annoying pretty quickly, and her gift is stupid. If you need horses you can just find some average horses and magic them up, since pretty soon you will have plenty of sparks to spare. Or steal some good horses from someone with good horses, that works too. Valerie thinks she can manipulate you with sex appeal, and the women don't like her. No need to alienate the tribe for a set of armor. Enras outright said she doesn't want to marry you, she wants to fight. And if she wants to fight, who are these assholes to tell her she can't? So really it just comes down to the other two. Kailia has a good reaction from the tribe, and seems like she could become a useful source of advice on how to maneuver in this culture. But on the other hand, she also seems fairly self-confident, which might make her a lot harder to manipulate if we intend to do things that aren't quite the best for the tribe for our own benefit. You could probably learn something about magic from her gift, but 'magic of the Tribe' sounds sort of useless. You are more of a solo caster.

Then there is Nina. Nina is offering a book full of rituals. Nina appears to be severely lacking in self-confidence. To me that says easily manipulated. She is offering us a book. It also says that she is likely to be underestimated by both the people of the tribe and by others, if we put some effort into building her into something useful. Unlike Kailia, she isn't likely to pull any of Tongues' devotion away from us. She is offering a book full of magic rituals. Choosing Kailia would likely imply that we are taking a certain direction in the way we handle the tribe, possibly a certain traditional one given her offer, but the lack of reaction to Nina suggests that we are taking our own direction.

GET THE BOOK.
>>
No. 301349 ID: 3b3043

Can't we get both Kailia and Nina. I mean this is a barbarian tribe. Polygamy is A-OK.
>>
No. 301354 ID: f6360f

>>301337
Hmm.

Amalda has a shitty gift, but seems confident and intelligent, plus was the former chieftain's daughter so political bonus there. I think she would make an excellent servant without a great deal of work on our part. Not great, but maybe.

Valerie is arrogant enough to be a terrible servant and seems generally useless. No.

Kailia offers the tribe's magic, which could be potentially quite useful; it sounds interesting and seeing as we're looking at drawing massive amounts of magic from other people habitually, any kind of mass-based magic would probably have useful applications. Also, she seems personally rather savvy, though her answer was uselessly evasive. She would probably be a useful servant, but... hrm. I don't think I like her as a choice.

Enras I find interesting- because as we are infertile, we could just leave her to fighting all the time just like she wants. She'd never get pregnant or have to raise children, so she'd almost certainly become exceptionally loyal because we'd be effectively protecting her from ever having to give up the warrior's life. And none of the others can fight; they'd be useful politically only... though honestly, if the men of the tribe don't like her she might be a political liability. We could probably get her as our servant just as easily by throwing a couple battle enchantments on her in exchange for her loyalty.

Nina... argh. Her book could be useful, but molding her into a useful minion will take a LOT of work. She'll be obedient, but our minions need to be able to go out and destroy others according to our will, not just cower at home! Still, she's the old chieftain's daughter. I'll call her a maybe, but honestly, I'd go for Amalda over her. We don't need weak-willed servants that badly and odds are we'll be able to get the book one way or another anyway once we're in charge.
>>
No. 301355 ID: 5b7ffd

>>301349
I suppose the custom is to have one official wife and bunch of concubines if you
>>
No. 301360 ID: f6360f

>>301349
They did explicitly say:
>But only one, as the others must be used by their families to forge bonds with others.
>>
No. 301363 ID: ad4f44

"alright, show me the book first"
we are confident, strong, bold
we should be able to pull this off.
She said that no one knows what it is and cannot read it, would be better to see if we can see fo our self what it is. With our origin and age it is possible that we can read it and it might contain amazing secrets.... or it is a piece of junk.
>>
No. 301384 ID: 8b0de1
File 130449958188.jpg - (23.45KB , 386x279 , 1172216410710.jpg )
301384

>You know, I hate you voices sometimes. This is all your fault. "Fight him for it" you said. "If you want it, get it" you said. I bet you knew this was going to happen. I bet you knew.

Can't say that I am entirely surprised with this turn of events... he-heh-hehe, hehehe, hhehehaha-HAHAHA MWAHAHA-
*Harumph*


Anyway...


Since OP hinted that we are going to have another time-skip:
>And since your almost to another quest checkpoint anyway(joy fun for everyone)
Who knows how long? Week? Several weeks? Months?

I thought to post some pointers which we should do during that time (if the next post is not the skip, then use this when you are eventually going to do it):

-Instead of marching to Everfrost, I have much better idea how to occupy us. We should start integrating other tribes and grow bigger and bigger. I suppose this can be done different ways: you could go and fight their chiefs like you did here, you could try to settle peacefully and diplomatically (leave this job for your shamen) or maybe some traditional war of conquest (though I am leaning towards former two, always go for the path of least bloodshed)

-I did not really get if this is a permanent settlement or nomadic one, either way, we must start searching for a place for a good permanent settlement which can grow into a bustling city in future.
Use you sparks to search for significant mineral deposits such as gold, silver or high quality iron. Or valuable gems. When you find good locations, make relocate your settlement where the deposit is, or if you find several good spots set it somewhere in between. A good source of stone would be also good. (do all of this with the help of other people as, frankly, settlement and prospecting is not your strongest forte)

-If the previous point works, we are going to have a supply of metal and/or gems. Have our artisans work on making rings, amulets, bracelets, etc so that we can enchantment them as needed.
And work on that bitching belt of yours, we need it custom fit. Pimped if you will. Some awesome silver/gold work on it, put red rubies in its eye-holes, etc. We might enchant it somehow too.

-As we are going to get a lot of sparks from all of the magical inclined people from the tribe (plus Sticks) I suggest to invest them into these people.
Put permanent enchantments on your warriors to make them much stronger than they otherwise would be. Of course don't make them as strong as you are or someone might get uppity or something. I suggest doing general Durability, Speed and Strength enchantments, each worth 70 sparks and mind enchantment 30-40 sparks worth.
Enchanting equipment might not be that bad of idea either.
Heck, put speed enchantments on the horses so that they can run as fast as thunder.
We are going to have some pretty fucking powerful army, even if it will be a little small.

-We are going to start the slow process of uniting all of the tribes into one powerful nation and make all of this barbaric territory into it.

-Keep tutoring Tongues but also have your Shamen teach him too.

-Try to experiment with something. Maybe you can apply permanent spells on your Shamen so that they can generate more Sparks, or regenerate them faster. Or put intelligence enchantments for them too, so that they can learn faster and progress faster so that you can have more sparks out of them.
Actually, do the mind enchantment on Tongues so that he can learn faster

-Use you spark sniffing ability to determine if there are more magical capable people in the tribe who aren't with shamen or are too young to know it.

Also, can you use a special "fertility" spell on women so that their children have higher chance of being magic users?


>Powerful person
>Starts to lead barbaric people to unite them
>makes them prosper and powerful
>in exchange gets a steady stream of willing mages who give him Sparks to feed his endless hunger
>Implying Hated is not pic related
>>
No. 301385 ID: 259738

If we are going to have another time skip, Hated better practice his magic.
>>
No. 301392 ID: c4753c

((Alright, I'm fairly certain all this discussion is supposed to go in the *shock* discussion thread! Who'da thunk it. But truthfully I don't care enough for it to matter too much. Just try to keep it over in the other thread. Said other thread is lonely.))

>>301349
No. Just no. I'm not living with more than one of these mortals, I don't care what you say. Just... just no.

>>301343
You voices seem very forgetful. Rivercross is part of the Everfrost kingdom, and more importantly to me, the Everfrost royal family has a direct bloodline to the first of the five heroes. I'm going to be killing them all. Easy to connect the dots. We'll eat the mage on our way through though.

>>301363
I try getting a look at the book, but I'm quickly stopped, mostly because it seems I'm not supposed to look at it without first taking the woman carrying it as my wife. Shit. Well, that screws over that plan. Was kinda hoping they wouldn't be so difficult about this.

Votes so far:
2 for Nina
>>
No. 301407 ID: 8b0de1

That mystery book is too much for me!

I still hold my vote for Nina or shaman daughter, mildly leaning towards Nina.

Eh, and as added bonus she will be easy to deal with.
Probably wouldn't mind if we don't bed her .... though the tribe will get a hold of that and might start asking questions.
Hmm... can you use so sparks on yourself to start your sexual drive just for the occasion? .... Actually, I don't know if it is a good idea to do that among people even if you could, if you don't be careful the sudden influx of before unknown emotions and desires mind cloud your mind and make you act against your better judgment. To experiment this, I suggest going away into woods and using a very small amount of sparks to see if it works (hopefully, you wont start humping random animals)

Also, another reason where bedding someone might not be a great idea is "what if they actually do become pregnant?". Do we really want to find out what will come out?
If it looks like a human, then great! But what if it resembles Hateds original demonic form? ... That would be awkward.
>>
No. 301434 ID: d016e3

Have to vote for Kalia. Her knowledge of magic seems kinda useless but her political knowledge more than makes up for it. Furthermore knowledge of magic implies ability to use magic. I suppose you could ask if any of them could use magic but it seems Kalia would be the only one if any.

Ultimately what hated needs more than is a political advisor. I just happen to think he needs it more than some mystery book.
>>
No. 301439 ID: f6360f

>>301434
>Ultimately what hated needs more than is a political advisor.
I agree. That means either Amalda or Kailia, in my opinion, and I think Kailia was annoyingly evasive with her answer and will spend way too much time looking after the tribe's interest rather than Hated's. I don't want someone inclined to prevaricate rather than give answers.

Voting for Amalda at this point. She seems both well liked and intelligent enough to give us advice on what the tribe is about, and not overly difficult to mold into what we want instead of what she expects to be. Heck, she'd probably consider that 'interesting'. And as the daughter of the former chief she comes with inbuilt political connections to most of the tribe, that the head shaman's daughter won't match- her effective pull is more specialized amongst the magic-users.

>I suppose you could ask if any of them could use magic but it seems Kalia would be the only one if any.
None of them have magic. He would have been able to sense the sparks immediately and mentioned it already.

>>301407
>sexual drive
Hated made it clear that he has in the past tested this extensively enough to determine to his own satisfaction that he is infertile; he obviously won't have problems.
>>
No. 301468 ID: cf65c1

We are forgetting something. Hated is not just a warrior. Hated is not just a leader. Hated's most threatening enemies are not mere mortals, they are wizards, spirits, heroes and deities. Mundane support is useful against mundane opponents but no mundane opponent can stand against us and a mundane army is mostly for a distraction anyway. We need magic, and we need to be seen to promote magic.
Because of this the shaman's daughter must be chosen even if she may be an evasive bitch that tries to manipulate us. With Sticks' help, if not all by ourself, we should be able to reforge her will to follow our own once we're satisfied she has nothing left to give as a self-willed being.
>>
No. 301473 ID: eba49f

@ cf65c1
Isn't the book of mysterious rituals also useful for potential advancement of our magic?
>>
No. 301474 ID: cf65c1

>>301473
Have you forgotten we can shadowstep, and do not sleep? It is a thing, things are easily obtained from weak and blind mortals--as all are when asleep.
>>
No. 301486 ID: cf65c1

Waaaaaait... we need to research. Can this be put off a day? We need to find out if the st-st-stut-tut-tutterer is some unusual kind of magic user or otherwise is connected to one besides being the chief's daughter. If she is that may be the path to a type of magic more interesting than tribe magic.
>>
No. 301487 ID: d016e3

It seemed that the reaction to Kalia was more favorable than the reaction to Amalda, but really the political repercussions are a matter of speculation on our part. An outside source may be helpful but we don't know any so. At any rate those two seem like the best possible choices.

As to drawbacks of each I fear Amalda may be predisposed against us. Wrecking her father and picking her despite her apparent disinterest, would seemingly do that. Additionally its hard to say how Urthan will react to are choice and how much of a threat or help he could be. Would he see it as an offense to steal one of his daughters or to not pick them.

As for Kalia its seems she would most likely be more interested in the village's interest over ours. Which really makes it a question of whether our interest follows the interest of the village or not. If it doesn't then she's obviously the least helpful, but if it does she would potentially be more willing to help than the others.As they would be more self interested. As for being evasive, she answered the questions vaguely, only someone blunt or arrogant would've done otherwise. Still savy and most likely harder to manipulate but its hard to tell to what degree.

It seems to be a tough decision indeed also I can't help but feel I'm forgetting something.
>>
No. 301491 ID: c4753c

>>301474
((Hated does sleep. You wouldn't have found out about his flickering without him going to sleep. Besides, I wouldn't suggest going into Urthan's tent to go hunting for a book, especially if you reject the daughter of his who offered it to you. ))

Vote Tally:
2.5 for Nina
2.5 for Kailia
1 for Amalda


((Alright, since we can't have this going on forever, make your choices soon. The next update is the deadline, and I just want to mention that you can use questions to find out about things. Gift like things, I might add.))
>>
No. 301492 ID: 0bd0b0

Nina. Dat spellbook.
>>
No. 301495 ID: 02cb05

I dont see why everyone is so concerned about social and political ramifications.

We do what we want and we dont care what others think about us. Choosing a wife solely because she can help you socially is stupid. Besides, it is not like we are getting claim of giant nation with millenia of history, this is just a small tribe out in barbaric lands

>>301491
If we dony have consensus by then just flip a coin
>>
No. 301505 ID: d016e3

Wait if we can read the book wouldn't being able to read it be amazingly suspicious?

Nina is useless we should be getting a half decent minion out of this. She just seems annoying to deal with.
>>
No. 301509 ID: 02cb05

>>301505


What? Quite the opposite, she seems to be the easiest to deal with. Probably will sit quiet and not bother us with anything unless we tell her. Heck, she might be the best for Hatred as he wont have to deal with her.

Again, who cares if we can read the book and it is suspicious? What will they do exactly? We have already shown to be powerful mage and warrior, why would it be so surprising if we can read some book that bunch of barbarians cant? We are outsider after all
>>
No. 301510 ID: f6360f

>>301491
((As I see it, Hated is capable of hearing our reasoning and making his own decision based upon it as well as upon our votes. So consensus is handy but not strictly necessary.))

>>301495
It's not like the ramifications of the gift are particularly vital, either. Nothing being offered to us is completely priceless or impossible to acquire by other means once we're in charge for a while.

Also, as far as I know Hated has never led a nation/tribe, however small, before this. Starting him off with someone who can give useful cultural advice and help out significantly would be a good thing for helping him gradually turn into a decent warlord. That's a skillset that requires serious development time.

So yes, I'm mostly making my choice based upon three factors:
-Usefulness of the wife in helping him understand what he needs to do to effectively rule the tribe and acquire more tribes which he can also rule
-Future loyalty of the wife as a personal minion who will look out for Hated's interests
-Competence of the wife as an agent in the social arena, who will help continually keep Hated aware and in control of his people's state

I don't think it's an unreasonable way to look at the problem. The gifts are nice, but we've already got the personal power we need to kick ass, we can absorb tons of sparks for even more power, and we'll be able to buy, trade, or seize almost anything else we want in the future. We'll be stuck with our wife for as long as we want the tribe to be loyal, probably, so we might as well pick a good one.

>>301487
>Would he see it as an offense to steal one of his daughters or to not pick them.
He explicitly told us to pick one of his daughters. He wants a blood tie to the new chief; his daughters are presumably with him on this and will not resent either us or their role.

>>301468
>We need magic, and we need to be seen to promote magic.
We can do that without marrying the shaman's daughter. When we start giving the tribe's warriors super-powerful enchantments as long as the shamans feed us a huge number of sparks, it'll be an obvious "we favor serious magic" step.


So yeah, still arguing for Amalda over any of the others here.
>>
No. 301512 ID: 259738

>>301510
My biggest issue with Amalda and Kailia as choices is that they could cause a lot of trouble for us if Hated's interests don't really match up with those of the tribe, and I wouldn't really count on his ability in a social area-specifically, getting independent people like Amalda and Kailia to actually do what he wants. And a spellbook is way better than a horse. If we really need horses we can BUILD horses. Horse golems.

Nina might not initially be of much use, but she sure as hell won't get in our way. And really, that is the most useful attribute of all.
>>
No. 301520 ID: eba49f

I also vote Nina. Preciousss spellbook...
>>
No. 301527 ID: 0bd0b0

Wait.. how is the tribe going to react when Hated can't father any children? This situation does not sound as good with the future in mind.
>>
No. 301533 ID: c4753c

I sigh as the rather large and crazy voices in my head do all but go to war over whether I should pick one girl over another. Ah well, I suppose I should be getting used to it by now. You've all been helpful(if a bit distract-able), even if you have gotten me into this detestable situation. With that said(thought?), I stand, all eyes jumping to me in an instant, conversations dying, and the drums and chanting pick up even further. I descend among the women and make my way before the one you lot have selected. Let's just hope you chose right. The woman stares at me as I extend my hand, obviously not understanding what's going on.

"I picked you. That means I get your book, right?"

Nina starts, and then practically shoves the book into my hands, as though if she didn't I might change my mind in the half-second between the book exchanging owners. A hush of disbelief fill the air, even the drums and chanting have ceased as everyone around me just gapes. A single shaman, the one with the fancy headdress, steps forward a little, and hesitantly breaks the silence.

"If I may ask, Chieftain... why her?"

I glance up from the book, already open in my hands, and mull over my answer for a moment, knowing all the reasons why you selected her, and finding that I still really don't care. "The book mostly, I suppose. That and she seemed quiet, the least likely to second guess me every five minutes. Helps when you plan on uniting a the Endless Plains under one banner."

Everyone just keeps right on staring, shocked into complete silence, and even fancy hat man(my hat is better) can't seem to come up with a response. Nina herself, oddly enough, doesn't seem to be paying attention to anything around her, instead mumbling to herself, something roughly sounding like "I can't believe it" over and over again. The silence continues, and it begins to annoy me, so I start humming softly to myself. The sound seems to break the state everyone is in, and the shaman gets back into his duties.

"THE CHIEFTAIN HAS SPOKEN! HIS BRIDE HAS BEEN CHOSEN! NINA, DAUGHTER OF URTHAN! LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN!"

Another roaring cheer breaks out from the crowd, and music begins to play. It seems to me like any other festival the mortals have, although there seems to be far less drinking and far more friendly games of combat going on. I take a look at the other potentials, and am greeted with the satisfying sight of Valerie in complete shock. The warrior one just seems relieved, but Kailia is watching me, as if she were still trying to judge me. Amalda comes forward to congratulate her sister however, who finally snaps out of her thoughts, but the eldest daughter also comes to me.

"You care for my sister properly, all right? She's doesn't have a lot of confidence in herself, but she's smart in her own way."

I simply nod, already paying more attention to the book than to anyone else, but I'm dragged out of my thoughts by the Head Shaman and another man, who I find out is the leader of the hunting parties. I also notice Nina getting dragged off, although her draggers seem to be of the more feminine persuasion, all older than her. I'm informed after I ask about this that she is being taken to be "prepared". Joy. Both of the men present me with a large amount of information, and both have outlined a few other things as well.

-There are seven other tribe out in the plains. Bearclaw is the smallest of the eight, but it's also the most skilled in magic. The other tribes can be subjugated through open war or through single-combat with the other tribe chieftains.

-There are countless rumors of an ancient treasure hidden away in a burial chamber somewhere to the south. They doubt I could retrieve it myself, but I could send some of my men to do so, if it pleases me.

-While I am married, it's entirely possible to take on concubines as well, and indeed, almost expected.

-Any war with the kingdom of Everfrost will have to happen before the winter snows. I inquire as to the current season, and am told that we are currently about five months away from the first touch of winter.

There's much more, but it's mostly where such and such an animal can be found, who's got the most potential for such and such, bla bla. I expertly tune them out, focusing on the book again. It seems its definitely a book on magic, but it's in a language not spoken anymore, mostly because the kingdom was overrun by orcs some 6000 years ago. I don't recall the language right away, so it will take some time to translate. Perhaps a month at most.

>>301384
All these suggestions could also be done. I'll leave it up to you as I start the translation for the title at least. Now was that symbol for a or z...

((All right, another long post, and one more post after this one before the time skip. Take the time to lay down any suggestions for Hated before the skip, as anything not addressed I'll leave up to Hated and his own devices. With that done, off you go, debate and decide! But try to get the debating over into the discussion thread, it would be nice to not have a long post full of nothing but arguments here. Thank you kindly.))
>>
No. 301546 ID: 259738

>>301533
First, get the shamans donating sparks. Something like how the thing with Sticks was working would be fine, 3 times a day? With the extra sparks, it shouldn't cost much to throw strength enchantments on both our hands to match the one on our arms, which I recommend, since with the amount of sparks we will have we can always rewrite them later, and we want more permanent enhancements for the next part of our plan.

Single combat with the chieftains of the other seven tribes. While we could certainly defeat them in open war if we chose to do so, it will cost lives on both sides. And since the goal is to unite them, that means we lose soldiers and sources of sparks. In contrast, single combat loses at most seven people, and gives us an impressive reputation without making us look like a warmonger. We will probably want a weapon for this, though, so I recommend we find a good sword, either a longsword or something larger, good quality, and enchant it. Probably something straightforward like durability, sharpness, ability to hold an edge. The best we can manage with the material. If we can get a sword forged of something that will hold magic better than steel, do that. Then, we only ever draw the sword for single combat. The idea behind this is to produce an artifact that is also a symbol of our position as Chieftain. We use it to defeat the leaders of the other tribes, and to put down upstarts who try to usurp our position, and it becomes a force that aids us in single combat, where we can't use sparks on the fly. In actual war, we don't need a sword, because we can just throw fireballs, or pump our physical abilities.

Anyways, we tie our position to the sword that united the Endless Plains, and make it impossible to depose us.

We probably want to wait on going to war with the Everfrost kingdom until we solidify our position here, or at least until Hated deciphers that book. We don't want to give away that Hated has escaped from his prison too soon, and blasting your way through an entire army will get a lot of attention. Uniting the tribes will get less, or at least less of the kind we don't want.
>>
No. 301552 ID: 489566

>>301546

Go with that silver sword you looted, you'll probably be able to rush through a few tribes before they hear how stupidly strong you are, so expect some of the later ones to try cheating in the duel or do something stupid.
For the most part try to not kill the chieftains, at least the competent and sane ones, the stupid and confrontational ones you can off.
>>
No. 301554 ID: f6360f

>>301533
Plan time. To recap, we will:

-Kill the descendants of our enemies, by
-Invading their kingdom with a barbarian horde, formed by
-Uniting the tribes, using their silly rule that
-Single combat lets you take charge of them quickly and efficiently.

Seems simple enough. Most of the rest is just details. Still, details are important. Topics to worry about:

-Magic.
You want to get a huge supply of sparks by the time you invade Everfrost- aim for a hundred thousand minimum. At least twice a day, all mages/shamans/whatever under your command give you sparks. It will likely be easier to convince them to do this if you demonstrate willingness to enchant your followers with the kind of powerful boosts that you put on yourself; fortunately you actually want to do this, because having competent minions means that you can get a hell of a lot more done without worrying about it yourself.

I would recommend giving all warriors durability and strength boosts; more than that probably isn't needed. You might consider giving some of them a different set- ethereality and speed enchantments could make for exceptionally skilled scouts/assassins. Shamans can get durability boosts and ranged attack spells; throwing fire or lightning at will is traditional. You will need to give yourself further augmentation so that none of the warriors you enchant become able to defeat you in single combat thereby; giving them deliberately weaker enchantments to avoid that is possible but a less optimal route than merely strengthening yourself ever more.

Enchanting a sword for yourself as suggested in >>301546 is also a good idea. Consider looking for sources of precious metals and gems, and provide enchanted items to those who please you with their service. Your rule is ultimately founded upon your own massive magical potential and you should make the most of it in whatever ways are possible.


-Conquering the other tribes.
Find out if it's possible to just ride in and declare single conquest with ownership of tribes as the stakes. If it is, spend no more than a couple weeks absorbing sparks and gaining strength before moving out to conquer another tribe. You'll have to move relatively fast, but don't go for more than one tribe a week, I think. Integration takes time.

Start with tribes that your own tribe is not traditionally opposed to. It will be difficult to integrate with traditional enemies right off, but once your super-tribe starts including just about everyone it should be much easier. After you've got all the tribes integrated, it should only take another couple weeks to get everyone ready for invasion.


-Personal relations with:
--Tongues
This kid isn't overly special, but he's still the first follower you had and he will grow into someone powerful and potentially super-loyal eventually. Let him stay close, teach him as you go- getting him to learn some of that ancient language as you translate the book would be good. He studies with you and with the shamans. Enchant him with mental speed so that he learns faster. I would also recommend enchanting one of his hands with a flexible telekinesis spell; it would be useful for him to have a tool/weapon available even beyond his meager spark supply, and would be a visible sign of your favor since no other children get enchantments from you. Make sure you do not waver in teaching him to obey you at all times; no matter what you command, he should do it without hesitation. As long as he does, give him some minimal measure of respect.
--Sticks
Keep her around, if she's willing to stay. If the elves are enemies of the human nation, then they'd logically get a huge kick out of you pillaging your way through their kingdom. She claimed to be your concubine, so that's the position she gets; lucky her. If you can, get her to teach you elven and more about mind magic; offer what you know of body magic and that ancient tongue in exchange if she's reluctant. Not to mention that you'll be getting terrifyingly powerful terrifyingly quickly, so hopefully she'll move from "superior-feeling elf" to "awed unusual minion" over the next couple months.
--Nina
Well, she's your wife. Plan to make her as close a servant as Tongues. Treat her relatively nicely, but at the same time she is also expected to obey you completely and be loyal to you above all else. If you have a question about how the tribes' culture works, or humans in general, she is the one to ask rather than revealing your ignorance to the tribe at large- it won't help you appear strong to look like you don't know things. Answer questions that she asks truthfully, and tell her that she's expected to grow a spine and deploy it on your behalf sooner rather than later. That includes bringing up things to you that you might want to know and providing you with such insight as she can. Really, you chose her over any of the others, and she's now the chieftain's wife- so she should act it. If you ever see her get intimidated or quickly back down to anyone socially, particularly another female, it means that she's acting weaker than she should. Enchanting her with speed and mental speed would make her much better able to do your bidding, so I'd recommend it.
--Urthan
This guy was the former chief, and as such almost certainly knows the tribe very well. You just married his daughter, so he should be reasonably well disposed towards you. You can probably count on him for reliable and accurate advice when it comes to many aspects of the tribe, and he'd be a relatively useful man to call friend. Work on that.
--Shamans
You need them to feed you magic. That is very important. Make sure that happens, and aside from it also see about learning some of their magical tricks- they won't give them to you since you refused the head shaman's daughter, but they might well be willing to share them in exchange for your own magical knowledge. Anyway, they probably deserve about as much respect as the tribe's warriors, collectively.
>>
No. 301559 ID: f6360f

>>301554
Oh, and before you challenge the next chief, declare that you should probably take on an appearance more fitting to your new role, and grow into the "barbarian demigod" body described in >>/questdis/345882.
>>
No. 301579 ID: ff4f05

About translating the book
you have mind enchantment, dont you?
Use that when translating for faster and better result
>>
No. 301656 ID: c4753c

Alright. I'll be sure to get as much of everything suggested done. Well, to the best of my abilities anyway. You'd better be around to help though, or I will find a way to give you bodies and then kill you. Or maybe learn some mind magic and shatter your minds... damn, that won't work, your all already shattered and broken up anyway. Why'd I get stuck with you lot anyway. I dismiss the two men, letting them go do whatever it is they do, while I keep sifting through the book, trying to at least get the title done before I move on to other things.

Half an hour later, and I think I have it. Siege Rituals is the rough translation, from what I can tell its some sort of special magic allowing mages to join together to become siege weapons. The specifics are still untranslated, but for now this is good enough. I look around once more, before I head for the big tent which seems to be my dwelling. Upon arrival, I discover my new wife, practically vibrating in place thanks to her nervousness. I should probably start on that whole build her confidence thing as early as possible, right?

"M-m-m-m-my h-h-h-husband. A-a-a-are y-y-y-y-"

"Okay, stop. Your married to me now, the Chieftain, so have a bit more confidence, alright? There is no one in the village that can say no to you, except for me. And I'll need your help from now on, since I don't know much about the society. If anyone does give you a hard time..." Nina leans forward a little, hanging off my words, waiting with baited breath for what I would do. "I'll kill em for you."

She blinks in surprise, silent for a moment, then she takes a deep breath, seemingly to gather her confidence, or what little there is of it. "That. Y-you can't do that. As Chieftain, the best punishment you could give would be disallowing a person from joining in on a raid."

"So you do know things. Why don't you explain all the basics to me? It would be helpful."

And with that, I successfully evade having to sleep with a mortal for the night. By the time she's finished, Nina is practically asleep, and effectively tumbles into bed. I simply let her. I would much rather work on translating this book, and I'll have time for sleep later. Much later...

Time Skip!
----------------------
((But first, we interrupt to foreshadow the arrival of... other... forces in the world...))

"So... he has been freed. What say you, Thrugol?"

"I can only state that his actions seem... different from when he was walking the surface before, master. His violent tendencies seem to be held in check by something, although he has killed a number of the mortals."

"It would seem that way. I am limited in my actions at the moment. That damned woman has been very thorough in hunting my agents, even after all this time. No doubt she will begin to move as well... but no matter, even she has missed a few. Have Alldrassia ready to move. If he acts as I suspect, then we will have to take steps to bring him further to our side."

"And if he does not act the way you expect?"

"Then he is a liability we can ill afford. Have him killed."

"It shall be done. Glory to the Lords of Chaos."

----------------------

"My lady, you called?"

"Yes. You will have to take over my duties as leader of the hunt."

"But my lady! Why should I need to? You lead us well enough."

"I have something that must be done. Things that need looking into. Please, don't question me further. I can't hope to explain it properly, not now, and it pains me enough to think of what might need to be done. But it is my duty to carry it out, if need be. I rejected my responsibility before, not again."

"I understand, my lady. May the strength of Order protect you."

"You as well, captain, you as well."
>>
No. 301667 ID: 18ee4d

ummm are we supposed to suggest somethingor what?

Waiting for the timeskip still
>>
No. 301670 ID: b84932

>>301656
Oooh, forshadowing!
>>
No. 301672 ID: c4753c

((Was still working out a few details. Rolling some dice. That sort of thing. Background stuff you don't get to see. To the post!))

Week 1, Day 4:
I awaken to find not one, but two bodies pressed into my side. It's been like this everyday since I got married, Tongues sticking to one side, Nina the other. Thankfully, I've managed to conveniently have things to do every single night, and therefor have avoided having to do anything with the woman. Getting back on topic, I slide carefully out from between them, and dress quietly. I have assumed the suggested barbarian demigod/king appearance, and although I'm not quite used to the body yet(frequently tripping over myself as my mind adjusts) I should be ready to fight by the end of the week. I've gotten around to enchanting Tongues and Nina as well, both with the suggested spells. The shamans, on the other hand, are relunctant to provide me with my desired food. Asking Nina about this produced the fact that magic wielding chieftains don't happen often, and shamans feel threatened when their is one. The skull-belt has also been enchanted to spew fire at will, and I've even rigged it to open and close it's mouth when it does so.

Moving on, I exit the tent and am immediately greeted with today's business. There's three reports today, two from the Head Shaman and one from Sticks.

-The first from the shaman, is that I have a fellow Chieftain arriving sometime today, asking for single-combat. They aren't enemies of our tribe, but it seems the man wants to take control away from me. Either way, the Hawkeye tribe will be arriving sometime in the afternoon.

- The search for mineral rich areas for building a city has yielded two results. The Head Shaman advises me to look into both as soon as I'm able, but that it isn't as important as the other things I might have to deal with.

-Sticks has requested she be allowed to return to the elven forest. She's well aware that for out invasion to work we need information, and she believes that she could negotiate a trade of some sort. She leaves the decision up to me, however, as perhaps I want her here for something else.

Spark Count:2913
>>
No. 301686 ID: 5a8b2f

>>301672
>Sticks has requested she be allowed to return to the elven forest. She's well aware that for out invasion to work we need information, and she believes that she could negotiate a trade of some sort. She leaves the decision up to me, however, as perhaps I want her here for something else.

Let her. We can tap our shamans for sparks, IF we have to. Trade and ,maybe later, potential allies are always useful. Especially if that gives us reasons to visit the woods ourselves. One of our targets are elven, afterall.
>>
No. 301693 ID: bd2a40

>>301672
I am inclined to believe letting her go for a bit would be a good step.

Still, it would be best if you get her to come back once what ever she intends to do in the elven lands is done. She is a valuable asset/ally/minion. Besides, saying you require her direct assistance would probably help get her to trust you even more.
>>
No. 301696 ID: 8b0de1
File 130463167897.jpg - (44.98KB , 450x352 , this-is-an-outrage.jpg )
301696

>The shamans, on the other hand, are relunctant to provide me with my desired food.

What!?
This was pretty much the main reason why we made Hated to put up with this shit!
Arghh, we need to convince them one way or another to give up their gorshdanned sparks. We NEED them. We THRIVE on them.
Sparks must flow
Unfortunately, I don't think I can come up with good dialog for you to convince them.

But I do have an idea how to make you diplomatic and social ventures much, much easier.
You said that the tongue can also be enchanted, right? As the general feel of this quest shows, we are going to use our tongue to talk out of situations much more often.
So I wanted to suggest for you to enchant (100 sparks worth) it for passive permanent spell which can boost up your "charisma" and "diplomacy" (whatever the equivalent skill or spell for this setting is).
Now, since Hated is not as great at Mind spell he might not know the spell (or he knows some but not the most appropriate). Good thing that we have Sticks here, the Mind specialist. Confer with her and ask her to help you with this, she might outline you the best spell equitation which is the optimal for you.
If she doesn't agree ... well, do whatever spell you know then.

After that, we will have much better chance convincing them (without resorting to threats and bodily harm) to work with us.
I can give you some general pointers,
Appeal to them to their duty for the tribe, tell them that with their help you will be able to make it prosper much more easier. It must be already obvious to them that your skill and spells at Body spells dwarfs their own, so it is the most optimal to let you put permanent spells on others and equipment.
Tell them, that as a chief, you expect them work with you. That you cannot succeed with your plans and help the tribe if they are unwilling cooperate fully with you.
Actually, put everything on hold till you get the supply of sparks going. Do not settle for anything less than the best deal (something like you and Sticks had, 3 times a day donation)

>I've gotten around to enchanting Tongues and Nina as well, both with the suggested spells.
Don't mean to be rude, but could you in the future not leave information hanging. I have no idea what spells you have put on them since I haven't read all of the suggestion. But even then, it is a common flaw with DMing Quests, that DM assumes everyone knows what he is talking about.
For example: players come up with a tactical plan to attack an army and need to share it with our generals. DM writes something like this "you outline your plan with the generals. They agree with you"
Now, this kind of thing is very bothersome for newcomers and people who were absent during the discussion. Speaking of personal experience, when catching up with a new quest, I never or seldom read player posts. I just skip to DM posts since I expect all of the concerned information to be held in there. (Bob from Golem Quest does this superbly. Never do you need to read players posts to see what is happening)

>I have a fellow Chieftain arriving sometime today, asking for single-combat.
Does that mean if we win the fight we can claim their tribe? Agree to fight if this is the case.

>I have assumed the suggested barbarian demigod/king appearance
....
Sooo, what were the reactions?
I assume the change is visible? Also, I hope when you did it, you warned others and hopefully did it in a flashy, ritualistic manner to further awe these people.

>- The search for mineral rich areas for building a city has yielded two results.
So what have we found?
Hmm... no one is topping us from exploiting both locations.
We can start building settlement in better location and the other will be a small mining operation with small town.

>-Sticks has requested she be allowed to return to the elven forest.
Don't really know why she is asking our permission actually. She seemed to be very independent and strong-willed woman who generally does what she wants. What changed in between? Or did I read her character wrong?
To be honest, I don't want her to go before we settle with our shamen with the spark thing. You could tell her that (it will give her motivation to help you out with that charisma spell)
Other than that, I don't see why we must make her stay.
Though you could joke around with the concubine thing. "But how can I let my concubine just go off like that? This will make me look bad as a chieftain!" .. or something like that.


How does the book translation go?
Have you started with enchanting your warriors, equipment and horses?
How is Tongues tutelage going?
How is Nina doing? Have we been continuing on building her courage and stuff?
>>
No. 301697 ID: eba49f

The challenger might be a problem, as we are not yet used to our new body. Perhaps we could use the processing enchant combined with some exercise to get ready to fight by the time we need to deal with the challenger? It it will take longer than that to get in fighting condition, we can ask Nina whether we can delay the challenger for a day or two while we get ready. If there is still not enough time, would switching back to our old body work?

About the shamans, we should ask Nina whether they would like us offering them some of our magical knowledge or be offended by it.

For a weapon for us to enchant, I am in favor of a metal gauntlet. Our fighting style already seems to involve pummeling things with our fists, and for inter-clan duels beating someone up without having to chop their arms off is useful. (Is there an enchantment to let us project our punches across a distance? [and would such an enchant benefit from increased strength?])
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No. 301705 ID: cf65c1

We need to convince the shamans that they should cooperate with us. Begin translating the book to them later and perhaps instructing them in the finer points of body magic; if you empower them it will help to convince them you are not planning to destroy them.
Make sure to put a quickness enchant on yourself somewhere before this combat, the fact that you collapsed after combat with a chief whose own daughter admits he could be defeated by other chiefs means you must increase your ability to combat as well.
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No. 301706 ID: 8b0de1
File 130463448928.jpg - (410.73KB , 1282x609 , 1297062205101.jpg )
301706

>>301705
Yeah, I agree with more enchanting part.
This time put on your gear also and maybe enchant it too. And don't go daydreaming again.

And war-gauntlets as a weapon is also a good idea.
>>
No. 301709 ID: eba49f

I think we should ask Nina about how best to approach the shamans before going to them because they might be resentful about us just showing up and flaunting our greater magical knowledge (when they are used to being the best mages around).

For an enchanted gauntlet, I think projecting physical force is the desirable option as it plays to our strength at pummeling people while decreasing hand to hand combat's major weakness of being terribly short ranged (less than a sword or even a dagger, not to mention a fireball). Also, being able to Vader-choke people would be pretty awesome.
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No. 301713 ID: c4753c

>Don't mean to be rude, but could you in the future not leave information hanging. I have no idea what spells you have put on them since I haven't read all of the suggestion. But even then, it is a common flaw with DMing Quests, that DM assumes everyone knows what he is talking about.
((No, I'm sorry. Guess I'll try to get all the information down in my posts. Or at least the basics. In this case, they were mind speed enhancements for both, a speed enhancement for Nina and a ring of telekinetics for Tongues. If you need anything else, swing a big stick at my head.))

>Does that mean if we win the fight we can claim their tribe? Agree to fight if this is the case.
This does seem to be the case. I actually thought I would have to go out and hunt them down, but they must have heard I was small or something.

>Sooo, what were the reactions?
They didn't actually seem all that surprised. It's why I felt I didn't need to mention it. I think mostly it was Tongues and Sticks who had anything to say about it, and all they said were roughly "The master is awesome" and "Figures" respectively. The non-shamans assumed the shamans did it to me, while the shamans just glossed over it like it never happened. Given, they don't seem to like me, but whatever. I... didn't think about making a spectacle out of it... I just did it.

>So what have we found?
Questioning on the mineral locations yields the following:
-The first is rich in gold, which is very close to the surface, but lies close to the borders between Everfrost, the elven forest and the Endless Plains. A large town would almost certainly be noticed at this location however, and the sudden abundance of gold be dragged out of the earth by miners would likely draw attacks from Everfrost or bandit groups.
-The second isn't quite as rich as the first, but has a good supply of iron available. It's also much deeper away from prying eyes, and won't be as easily discovered. It's also much closer to the river that runs straight down the middle of the continent.

>Don't really know why she is asking our permission actually. She seemed to be very independent and strong-willed woman who generally does what she wants. What changed in between? Or did I read her character wrong?
Actually, I think it's because of the concubine thing that she came to request leave. Don't concubines need their master's say so before they do things? Or is that a completely stupid idea?

Anyway, after consulting with Sticks on the need for sparks and a spell that could help with my lack of speaking abilities, she provides one. It's a rather vague spell she found lying around in her grandfather's library. Effectively, it allows the user to slowly increase the effect a speech has on a crowd or a person. The longer the speech lasts, the more effect it has. Since I'm not the kind to sit around and give speeches, I ask if she has anything else, but I receive a negative answer. That's all she's got for us at the moment, although she promises to check in the libraries back home when she gets there. She also seems inclined to come back, muttering something about liking not having to prance around in skimpy clothes... Do elves really do that?

>How does the book translation go?
I've made it through roughly a quarter of the first chapter, out of about twelve. While normally I would skip over the introduction, I've never heard of rituals before, and don't really want to miss out on any information I could get from this thing.

>Have you started with enchanting your warriors, equipment and horses?
I haven't gotten around to any of these yet, mostly because I've been settling in, and focusing my enchanting efforts on those closest to me first. Don't exactly want people I've already invested time in dying on me.

>How is Tongues tutelage going?
In four days he hasn't learned much. I think this is more due to the fact that he's noticed some of the young females, who are paying him large amounts of attention he doesn't deserve. I wasn't sure how to deal with the situation, so I felt I'd leave it till you voices came back.

>How is Nina doing? Have we been continuing on building her courage and stuff?
While she's still very uncertain of herself, I've gotten her to the point where she's comfortable around me and Tongues. She seems to consider the boy my son, and therefore her son, and she pays a great deal of attention to him. Around us, she has ceased stuttering like mad(unless embarrassing topics pop up). The minute another person comes in, she degrades heavily. Any advice would be appreciated.

Oh! And before I forget, I've been told the population of our little tribe.
[b]Clan Bearclaw Total Population: 3,247
Men(Warriors/Hunters): 1,022
Women/Non-combatants: 2,225

I'll be sure to get someone to make me a gauntlet, as soon as these barbarians figure out what blacksmithing is. They survive mostly off the land and the occasional raid against Everfrost. They don't really produce much on their own. So unless anyone has bright ideas on where I might find a gauntlet big enough to fit my new arm, I don't think I'll be... What's a Vader, and why would he hold people?
>>
No. 301718 ID: 856690

You want the Iron mines, they are far more useful than the gold...

As for tongues, I can't think of much else other than reminding him who he is; your apprentice and give him so much to study that he doesn't have time for his eyes to go walkabout.
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No. 301719 ID: cf65c1

Someone who invisibly strangled people at a distance as a means of inducing terror in underlings and enemies alike: A violent application of forceful, remote manipulation we're mildly surprised you have not done yet in our presence.
This tribe seems to have few women and children, why are they so poor?
Bid Sticks to enact her plan and grant her a budget for supplies. Make sure to give her an enchantment or two if she wishes as well; away from our protection she may be sufficiently associated with us to attract the notice of our enemies.
With Tongues it's pretty obvious he could use strength and discipline training as well as magical, try asking the shamans to discipline him and train him? If this seems like a poor idea we can always assign push-ups and running laps around the camp as punishment for faltering attention.
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No. 301720 ID: eba49f

Vader was a mage in a legend who was known for using telekinesis to lift enemies into the air and choke them. Seems like a useful ability to have.

Was suit of armor that Valerie offered the product of a raid on Everfrost? The armor itself probably won't fit us now, but it might be useful to know where it came from. We could use magic to reshape metal, but since we don't know smiting either it would be a pretty cruddy gauntlet.
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No. 301721 ID: eba49f

Another thought on iron/gold: How good is gold for making magic items? A good supply of enchanted things might be more useful than steel.
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No. 301726 ID: 4f921f

Use the spell Sticks gave.
Apply it to our tongue, make emphasis on the strenght of the spell (so that the effect kicks in earlirler and has greater potency)

the go talk with shamen, I already gave you few pointers on which subjects to address and how to proceed.
Now, when talking try to say a lot of stuff. Just talk and talk. Instead of quickly getting to the point, go roundabays, put in stuff which has bearly anything to do with the subject.
Basically, talk their head off.

Could someone come up with a long complicated dialogue? Or at least give some swntences and pieces he can use?
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No. 301728 ID: eba49f

I think trying to use a charm spell to win over the shamans seems like a rather risky idea as they are probably magical enough to notice you using magic on them. Then it will be really hard to get them not to resent you.
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No. 301734 ID: 4f921f

>>301728

I think those shamen are scrubs compared to our power level. They just have those delicious sparks!
Besides, I think the enchantment works on us, as in, it makes our speech better.

But if this worries us too much, we could use some kind of spell to hide the other spell
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No. 301738 ID: f6360f

>I have a fellow Chieftain arriving sometime today, asking for single-combat.
How convenient. If you're not fully confident in your powerful new form yet, will you be able to use your boosted mental speed to make up for it during combat? That is, think faster and thereby be able to step more carefully and/or catch yourself if you trip. Perhaps thinking at maybe 300% speed all the time instead of 10000% (or whatever the heck you have at maximum) would help.

>Sticks has requested she be allowed to return to the elven forest.
The fact that she requested permission pleases me. Even if she's willful, she clearly knows that in some capacities at least we're the boss. Excellent.
>Don't concubines need their master's say so before they do things? Or is that a completely stupid idea?
Even if it's stupid, don't disabuse her of the notion. She can go, as long as you've got the shamans feeding you at least some sparks. Ask her to bring back some useful magical knowledge if she can.
>Do elves really do that?
Hell if I know.

>Shamans
>are relunctant to provide me with my desired food. ...shamans feel threatened
This requires some kind of frank talking and cutting a deal with them, I suspect. The role of the shamans in the tribe is inevitably going to get shaken up by your crazy cosmic power, yes. But you're certainly not going to somehow shove them completely aside for it. Talk for a while with Nina about the roles and responsibilities of the shamans in the tribe- you'll want to come up with some solid points to make about the parts of their job that you have no intention of messing with. Fact is, you if anything consider the shamans more valuable than any other part of the tribe, because they're the fuel which can boost you to ultimate power. They need to accept that role one way or another, and embrace the idea that it is upon their shoulders which rests the responsibility for driving you to godhood- and taking the rest of their people along with you.

>They didn't actually seem all that surprised.
That is... surprising. Hmm. Ask Nina if the shamans change others' shape often.

>mineral locations
Gold is highly enchantable, correct? You'll want it. Iron is very useful, but it needs a lot of forging in order to become useful weapons- unless can you substitute your magic for their know-how and just warp iron ore into usable arms and armor?

Regarding the gold's location: The elves are nominally on your side for now, and bandits/raiders will probably not hear about any operation you start for some weeks; long enough to have enchanted a lot of barbarian warriors. I would move to mine there, and be ready for attacks but not worry too much about them.


>Tongues
>In four days he hasn't learned much. I think this is more due to the fact that he's noticed some of the young females, who are paying him large amounts of attention he doesn't deserve.
Growing distracted over women is ridiculous, particularly at his age. He needs to focus. Tell him that you've noticed his pace of advancement slowing down and that is completely unacceptable; given that you've now enhanced his mental capacity, he should if anything be learning at several times the pace of previously. If he does not show prompt and remarkable improvement you will take steps to remove distractions from his life. He will not like those steps. (You don't have to specify what you'll actually do.) Emphasize that he needs to learn to get whatever needs to be done finished before worrying about anything else- and what needs to be done is whatever the hell you say, in this case learning a lot of magic. He can take some time for himself, but does he really want to grow up weak and idle?

>Nina
>The minute another person comes in, she degrades heavily. Any advice would be appreciated.
She now has absurdly boosted mental speed. She should be able to use it to carefully compose anything that she's about to say in her mind before she says it, and then say whatever she planned smoothly and without hesitation. All she has to do is constantly pause her life, make a plan for what to do, and execute the plan. It should not be overly difficult.


>Other stuff
Who within the clan would you say apparently likes you? If the shamans dislike you, then who are your supporters, if any? What is the overall attitude of the clan towards you so far? What have you been expected to do as chief, if anything? Has anyone approached you with suggested courses of action?

I would advise that you learn to recognize every person under your rule on sight, and sooner rather than later. Know their names, their professions, and anything interesting about them if possible- are they talented, do they hold some kind of strong opinion, are they related to anyone important, and so forth. Use Nina and frequent use of your mental speed alteration to help you learn all this. Once you're confident that you know who people are, start greeting them by name when they address you. Eventually you'll want to move up to asking after their preferred pursuits or mentioning other things that they are doing, because showing that you know a lot about every person in the tribe will build loyalty, impress people, and generally make you be seen as a better leader.
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No. 301740 ID: f6360f

>>301726
>Now, when talking try to say a lot of stuff. Just talk and talk. Instead of quickly getting to the point, go roundabays, put in stuff which has bearly anything to do with the subject.
Basically, talk their head off.
This is a terrible way to try and win the shamans over. Really, really terrible. It has a huge risk of backfiring. Enchanting his tongue to be more persuasive is a great start, but he needs an actual argument, too. Finding out a little bit of background information from Nina, gaining some more general face with the tribe, and moving from there to a persuasive meeting with the shamans when he's more able to actually come up with reasons that they do not need to be concerned is the way to go about this.

If the shamans decide that he was essentially trying to sorcerously mind-control them into obedience in a round-about way and fucked it up, he may well lose their support forever.
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No. 301742 ID: 259738

Even if the mines do get attacked, if they get attacked by Everfrost that would actually be a good thing. It gives us a reason for war, and even a flimsy reason is much much better than no reason.

As for the shamans, why should they be threatened by you? You have no intention of removing them from power, and they will always be important as a source of power, even if you don't need other mages to use those siege rituals. And you probably do need other mages, so really the shamans are the most valuable part of the tribe right now.
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No. 301743 ID: 4f921f

>>301740

Alright, I suppose you are right.
Instead of talkig about nothing, I suggest making your legimate points long, articulate and detailed. And gather a lot of arguments and work on a great speech, so great that even without the enchantment it would be still very convincing. Use your mind enchantment when composing it and sometimrs during the speech itself so that you can analuze the reactions and general attitude in mid-speech so that you cab adjust accordingly.
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No. 301745 ID: 7cbb0b

>Elves
>live for, like, million years

Suddenly I'm feeling distressed. While humanity and other races have forgotten about Hated and his atrocities of global genocide, elves live long enough so that for them we existed only couple generations ago.
While Hated didn't wreck havoc on elfs due to their magic forest, they probably still held some record.

Now Sticks is going back there and will give a report, she might mention us and upon further questioning give up more details about us. Then using that info they might determine Hateds identity.
I dont think that's a good thing.

If we are letting her go, give explicit orders to not mention us at all, have her come up with something else or just omit us and other details
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No. 301747 ID: c4753c

>Vader was a mage in a legend who was known for using telekinesis to lift enemies into the air and choke them. Seems like a useful ability to have.
I like this guy already. Course, I'd want to kill him as soon as I met him, but I think I'd congratulate him for his style while I'm doing it.

>Was suit of armor that Valerie offered the product of a raid on Everfrost?
I believe so, and I ask a few more questions of the Head Shaman and get that confirmed. It seems almost everything they have that is metal was taken during raids. Anything else they have that is metal is taken as prizes from inter-tribal wars.

>How good is gold for making magic items?
>Gold is highly enchantable, correct?
About a hundred-fifty sparks worth, I think. It's actually not as precious to the magic community as silver is, which can hold more, but gold is used as the basis for currency(in terms of determining coin values). The barbarians however, tend to work off of a barter system whenever trade is done at all.

>Who within the clan would you say apparently likes you?
Mostly the warriors, it seems. Urthan seems to represent them most of the time, and they generally like me, probably because they value simple brute strength over anything else. That's just my thoughts though.

>What is the overall attitude of the clan towards you so far?
They remain mostly divided. The warriors almost all openly support me, as it seems my intentions to lead the clan into war has circulated around the camp.

>What have you been expected to do as chief, if anything?
I'm expected to lead. That's it. I'm to give direction to the clan. When I decide it's time to move, we move. Where I decide to go, the clan follows. The only real responsibility is that I listen to the advice of the shamans(who are apparently conduits to their god), and that I keep the clan fed and as healthy as possible. Other than that, everything is up to me.

>Has anyone approached you with suggested courses of action?
No. I think the shamans would like to, but they still seem to be trying to figure out what to make of me, and are wary. The warriors all seem to assume I know what I'm doing. I can only hope you voices know what your doing.

>Elves live for, like, million years
((I don't remember this ever getting said, at least not by me... if I did say it, someone remind me where. If not, well then I remain happy, as well as refusing to tell you how long they actually live. Either way, they do live a long time.))

I'll be sure to keep all your suggestions as to what to ask Nina and how to deal with the my wife and apprentice for when they awaken. You might want to remind me next we see them though, I might forget do to other things piling up.

As for Sticks, I give her permission to head out when she ready, and ask her if she needs any enchantments on her body. She quickly refuses, explaining that enchanting another person is considered an extremely intimate act among the elves, as your effectively marking someone with your own magic. She then leaves to prepare for the journey, not even bothering to thank me for the offer. Well, whatever, can't say I ever thanked her for the spell she told me about.
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No. 301748 ID: eba49f

We should NOT tell her not to mention us. She seems to like us, but at the moment she is still likely more loyal to the people she grew up with. Telling her not to mention us would tell her we have something to hide.
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No. 301753 ID: cf65c1

Well, if the shamans are trying to figure out what to make of you then you must speak to them and ask them what you need to know about the tribe and the neighbouring tribes. Ask them about becoming inducted as a standing shaman yourself perhaps, this might help them see you as one of their kind instead of an interloper threatening their monopoly on magic. Such illusions are what loyalty is made from.
Medium term goal: We know of a great warrior to emulate named Ghengis Khan. He was only a man but his usage of horses and archery against the static and inflexible defenses of cities in his world was... very effective. To pursue this notion you need to work on making sure every member of the tribe is mounted and skilled in the composite riding bow; do these people have stirrups--straps enabling them to stand up in the saddle and fire--in their technique of equestrianism?
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No. 301754 ID: cf65c1

And make no special instructions about secrecy to Sticks except by asking, "What would your people want to know about me as an ally? I am willing to affirm that (X royal family) is definitely amongst them and I intend to ruin them. I will swear oaths to this effect if they like." If her people have managed to grasp the concept of discretion this may be most of what they want to know, and mentioning secrecy would be a red flag.
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No. 301763 ID: f6360f

>Well, if the shamans are trying to figure out what to make of you then you must speak to them
First get more information on them, then speak to them. A conversation like that is not something to enter into unprepared.
>Ask them about becoming inducted as a standing shaman yourself
A question like this is REALLY something that you should not ask without background information on the exact role and responsibilities of a shaman. And what is required to become one. Know what you're getting into; it may not be something you want.

>He was only a man but his usage of horses and archery against the static and inflexible defenses of cities in his world was... very effective.
The mongols extensively used siege engineers, you know. They used their horse-and-bow tactics against other armies in the field, but when it came to cities they were well aware that cavalry are not the key to winning.

That said, we can just enchant our horses to be able to run through walls and bring their riders. Shit will be hilarious.


>>301747
>The only real responsibility is that I listen to the advice of the shamans(who are apparently conduits to their god)
Get briefed on this god as soon as you get the chance. Actually, get details on all this. Religion is rather important to most cultures, and if their god is actually active and around here somewhere it'd be nice to know about it.

>Urthan
When you get the chance, you should have him go over what he knows about the portions of Everfrost that are nearby with you. Geography, military status, past events involving it; he probably knows a fair bit, and all of it will be important when it's time to actually launch your attack. Try to determine what significant defenses and military assets the kingdom will be able to deploy against you. Also, by asking him for this it will confirm your plans for the warriors, and that you respect their knowledge and advice; hopefully that will aid in further cementing their loyalty.
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No. 301826 ID: c4753c

I dismiss the Head Shaman(should probably learn his name, but don't feel like it right now) and return to my tent. Nina is already up and dressed, cooking. She glances up quickly when I enter, but relaxes as soon as she realizes it's me. Since the boy is still lazing around in my bed, I decide it's and kick the side of the bed, tipping the thing over and dumping him onto the floor. He wakes up cursing, but quiets as I crouch down next to him.

"I have something to say to you. It's fairly simple. The reason I picked you up is because you have potential. A lot of it. I even enchanted you to make the process faster. I've noticed recently that you haven't been practicing as you should. Now, I can't help thinking this might be simply bad teaching on my part. Except it's not, because your running off spending time showing off to little girls with barely any intelligence in between their ears. I'm not saying you shouldn't show off. It's part of being a mage really. But your job isn't to show off to little girls. Your job is to learn. You don't like it, too bad. If this keeps up, I'll damn well make sure that you don't have those girls as a distraction anymore. Now take this ring, and I want you to have it enchanted in three... no, two weeks. If you put that enchantment to good use, that should be easy. Now get started."

Tongues is up and moving the moment I'm finished, grabbing the ring out of my hand and heading over to a corner of the tent to get a little privacy. Satisfied that he won't be slacking anytime soon, I turn my attention to Nina and explain what information I need from her. She considers things a moment, then begins her explanation.

"The shamans are... well, they are advisers and links to our god. Most people in this tribe only really give lip service, so the shamans really do not do much for us. They are also supposed to grant magics to those Tirfuldin finds worthy. Tirfuldin is our god by the way. The shamans can change peoples form, but it's usually used as a curse, and only when our god says someone is deserving of it. Most likely, the warriors assumed that the god decided your form was not in line with his desires and demanded it be changed."

Nina pauses a moment, stirring a pot of something here, adding some spices there. I wait patiently, having learned the woman doesn't like to be rushed. While she has the speed enchantment, I've seen her use it once, at that was when Tongues had tried to get a taste of the food before she said it was ready. I'm fairly certain Tongues still has the bruise.

"The shamans otherwise act as support for our warriors in combat and raids, or they work as healers. They have this... thing... they do, it seems to make our warriors stronger. They do not really explain it to us, saying we need knowledge of the gods to understand. You have knowledge of the gods though, so maybe they will explain it to you. As for why they might feel threatened by you... you are a chieftain, but you are also a wielder of the power of the gods. I believe they would not enjoy the threat to their power, as you could easily say that you were going to usurp the position they hold as easily as you did that of my fa-... the previous chieftain."

She goes silent again, apparently done with her explanations for now. I ponder this for a moment, or at least pretend to, because I really don't understand how I'm supposed to do deal with these people. They don't like me, so what? There's a reason my name is Hated. Anyway, I'll visit with Urthan later to go over the military things. For now, we still have to select a place to move to and set up this town of yours. To tell you the truth, I don't know how well that's going to go over. Only the shamans know I'm looking for mineral deposits, but they don't know why. They might declare it heresy or something. You can never tell with some of these religious zealots. Of course, judging from what Nina has said, they might not be the worst I'm going to have to deal with.

Now before anyone even bothers asking me, no I don't know any Tirfuldin. I've never been to the Palace of Gods, they don't let things from the mortal world go up there. Something about tainting he place. If you want, I'll ask Nina here.
>>
No. 301835 ID: 8b0de1

>Now before anyone even bothers asking me, no I don't know any Tirfuldin.

I don't care and you shouldn't either. Their stupid pagan belief are of no concern to us.

Still, use the Spell Sparks provided and go talk with them (confer to the previous suggestions on how to proceed)

If even after that they are reluctant, I have another idea how to remove their confidence and monopoly (arguably) on magic shit.
Just go and absorb other tribes. Each tribe should have their own cabal of mages, probably with their own customs and maybe even with another god.
So, the more shamen we have around, less influence our group has. But we, of course, must see to it that other groups of shamen don't just get absorbed by our group.
No, we must come up with some kind of plan. Maybe prohibiting them from fusing and keeping them seperate. Setting up some kind of favour program so that shamen groups must compete for our affection to gain perks and advantages.
In other words, we will reward good shamen (who do what we ask) and give them better positions/wealth/women/horses/whatever.
We might even have a cause to appoint someone else as a head shaman. After that we could let the groups fuse so that we have less shit to deal with.

You say that there are no blacksmiths and such in the tribe? I guess there aren't any other specialists as well.
Well, having them train from zero would be bothersome. Do you know any kind of spells that can give knowledge? We could find someone with an aptitude and willingness, and pour the necessary skills and knowledge into him (or them).
If you don't know any .... good thing Sparks is still here. Ask her if she knows anything, if not, ask her to look it up back at home.


Tell Nina to make use of your gifts more. I mean, why would we bother otherwise?
Acdtually, you should too. Get more used to you mind enchantment so that you can use it all the time if you wish to.


Since gold isn't that great for making magical equipment, I vote for iron deposit. That place also has river nearby, which is good.
'course, we will need people who can work with iron.
If aforementioned plan does not work, we can always hire someone from another place .... or kidnap and make them teach our people.


Which hand is your dominant? I guess it is right one.
Put a telekenesis enchantment on your left hand. Throwing shit around will be very useful in close combat.

Go deal with that Chieftain, I don't think we need to guide you there. I'm sure you will do just fine. Try not to kill him .... though I don't really care.
>>
No. 301856 ID: f6360f

>>301826
You might consider asking Nina if she wants to ask you anything. She probably is wondering quite a bit about you- you're certainly nothing like the husband that she expected to get, and after three days she's probably gotten a little used to you. Hopefully this will build her loyalty a bit.

>should probably learn his name, but don't feel like it right now
Make sure you learn his name, and the name of everyone else in a position of significant authority in the tribe, within the next day or so. Learning who mooks are can wait, but you need to know the tier of leaders just below you. I would recommend asking Nina to identify key persons.

>I ponder this for a moment, or at least pretend to, because I really don't understand how I'm supposed to do deal with these people. They don't like me, so what? There's a reason my name is Hated.
As a general rule, if your minions dislike you then you have to worry about betrayal and quiet disruption of whatever you want to do, plus generally lower morale amongst your servants. Supportive servants tend to take the initiative to accomplish things on your behalf and follow orders better. So yes, you don't actually need them to approve of you, but it will make you better off if they do.

>Anyway, I'll visit with Urthan later to go over the military things.
If this talk goes well, I'm thinking that it might be wise to explain your broad plan as a whole to him- mass acquisition of sparks from the shamans, super-enchanting masses of warriors, using mineral deposits to get gold and/or iron to make enchanted goods and/or weaponry, and then doing a far more devastating assault than ever before- the loot from their raids so far will be as nothing before what they'll get from this. From what I know of his personality, he'll probably be all in favor as long as you present it in a way that doesn't make it sound like the barbarians will end up dying all over the place. And if he's in favor, then he'll probably be able to help you handle the shamans and give advice on how to best approach the situation.

Basically, hopefully you can make use of the support that you already have within the tribe to acquire the support that you don't have. And Urthan will probably be able to tell you if asking the tribe to mine will go over poorly; if so, you could frankly probably drop that part of the plan. It would be useful, but you can enchant them to throw fireballs, so it's not like great new gear is essential; also you'll be able to seize all kinds of goods from your conquests once things get rolling.

>>301835
>Sparks
I think you mean "Sticks".

>Since gold isn't that great for making magical equipment, I vote for iron deposit.
Unless we can use magic to forge weapons or get the tribe the knowledge and equipment of how to do so on their own very quickly (unlikely), the iron deposit is pointless. Gold is enchantable, so we know how to exploit it. Admittedly, it would draw on the same spark supply that we're using for enchanting people's bodies, so it's not utterly essential at this point... but it's still more useful than iron ore that we can't forge.

>Each tribe should have their own cabal of mages, probably with their own customs and maybe even with another god.
Ask Nina how different the tribes are from one another, both culturally and religiously. This can help you plan this out.
>>
No. 301880 ID: cf65c1

Here's a question worth considering: Is their god real or just a fiction used ineffectively to keep the tribe obedient to the shamans?
If it's real that's a different game but if it's just a fraud we let them bring us in as one of the con-partners and make with the wavey-wavey and shakey-shakey to pretend the religion is real. These are barbarians, a little ignorance and superstition is expected right?
>>
No. 301944 ID: eba49f

Some thoughts:

* We should certainly try to find out whether this Tirfuldin is an active being or not. However, even if Tirfuldin does not do anything or does not exist, we should NOT assume that means the shamans don't believe in him. People can get rather irrational about their deities.

* We should think up a long term plan to dissociate magic from religion, as being linked to religion will likely get in the way of research and mass production. (Alternately, if Tirfuldin is an active being, we might be able to negotiate with him.)

* If we can get people to agree to it, we should start planning to mass produce inexpensive magical items to act as tools/weapons. An example of what we should aim for with this is staffs of stone control (useful for construction/mining as well as flinging shards of stone in combat).

* The iron deposit is fairly deep in our territory, so if we set up our town at the gold deposit a mining camp at the iron should still be relatively safe. The river is a large plus for the iron site, but gold is very useful for our plans.
>>
No. 302031 ID: c4753c

So, am I moving the tribe to the gold or the iron? Just want to be sure right now, so that I can start the move.

>Ask Nina how different the tribes are from one another, both culturally and religiously. This can help you plan this out.

I do so, but before I even finish the question she's shaking her head.

"I am sorry, my husband. I do not have any knowledge of most of the other tribes, because most of the time we come in contact with another tribe the women are required to hide so that we don't get in the way of the men fighting. I am sorry I could not be of more service."

>Make sure you learn his name, and the name of everyone else in a position of significant authority in the tribe
I ask Nina, and she easily rattles off two names. One is Urthan, who represents the warriors, while the other is Vodthag, the Head Shaman and apparently(according to rumors her sisters have told her) he doesn't seem to like me at all. I couldn't tell from talking to him over the past few days, which mean he's probably very good at the smoke and mirrors thing.

>You might consider asking Nina if she wants to ask you anything.
I hate the thought of dredging up old memories that do nothing for me, but it seems like a good idea for the most part. "It occurs to me, I'm asking you everything about the tribe, but you don't know anything about me. Got any questions you want to ask?"

"Oh! Um... well, I wanted to know a little bit about... about your family... since they are my family now..."

I sigh. That far back I barely even recall. Well, here goes. "I don't remember much of my family, actually. My father I never met, but he seemed to scare my mother. A lot. We were almost always moving because of it. My mother... she didn't like me. Something about me made her hate my existence. She never said it to my face, but I overheard her talking with others. I was a mistake to her, something that should never have happened... but that matters little now. I left as soon as I could support myself, and I haven't seen my mother since. Anything else you'd like to know?"

"Ummmm... perhaps, if I might ask... why do you want war with Everfrost so badly?"

"Let's just say the royal family and I have a blood feud, and leave it at that."

"One more question for now then. Why have you not slept with me? A-a-as a m-man s-sleeps with a w-woman?"

I hate this. I knew this was going to happen eventually, but I don't want to deal with it, not now or ever. It was inevitable though, the amount of pressure they place on having children is pretty big. I don't know how she's going to take the truth. Out of the corner of my eye I see Tongues leaning towards us, obviously interested in the conversation. I immediately dissuade him from eavesdropping by pegging him in the head with a coin conveniently on the table.

How shall I respond? I'd prefer to avoid the matter altogether, but something tells me I'll have to deal with it sooner or later.
>>
No. 302038 ID: 259738

>>302031
The gold. Apparently the tribe doesn't really make stuff out of metal so much as steal it.
What happened with that other chieftain who was challenging you? Is he going to be here later?
>>
No. 302039 ID: 252e1b

>>302031
>How shall I respond? I'd prefer to avoid the matter altogether, but something tells me I'll have to deal with it sooner or later.

The truth will do here. It's hard for you to form connections to people, to allow yourself to trust them. Your family never wanted you, you've had more enemies than allies, and hardly ever have had a friend. To lie with a woman like that is to trust her completely, and that's something you're not yet ready for. It will happen when it happens. And you will be more than merely man and wife, but the deepest of friends, when it does.
>>
No. 302040 ID: 259738

>>302039
That...doesn't sound remotely like the truth. Perhaps what you should have said was 'Lie your ass off'. Hated isn't human. He isn't interested in humans.
>>
No. 302070 ID: f6360f

>>302039
That's both a complete lie and come kind of ridiculous romantic sappiness. No.

>>302031
>How shall I respond? I'd prefer to avoid the matter altogether, but something tells me I'll have to deal with it sooner or later.
Yeah, you need to get this out of the way. It's pretty much going to bother her forever, but if you don't tell her she'll probably decide it's some kind of horrible failing on her part and get all kinds of emotional problems. Also people are going to bug you about it.

I'd say something like this: "There would be little point. As you may have noticed already, I am much unlike other men in many ways. One of those is that I could neither enjoy the act nor get you with child."

She will probably be more than a bit dismayed by this. I would anticipate three likely events:

She'll ask who Tongues is, if not your son; you can explain that he's a child with a great deal of potential and you weren't going to leave him to be beaten to death for his powers; that would have been a tragic waste. It isn't like he has anyone else, so others can call him your son if they wish; you're not going to stop them.

She'll likely ask why you had a concubine if you don't enjoy women; explain that Sticks is a silly elf with little idea of what human culture is like, and she made such an argument about it when you told her it was a bad position to claim that it was easier just to let her say what she wanted. It wasn't hurting you, after all.

Finally, she'll probably get sad, hurt, or otherwise depressed. Something vaguely reassuring would be appropriate in response. Potentially: "Life rarely goes entirely how we expect; I know this must be a shock. If it is any comfort, you're still the one I chose. Someone I hoped could be loyal and grow to trust me and be trusted in turn. To be strong and intelligent at my side. I have never had someone to rely on in my life before."


That's the best spin on things that I've got. Hopefully it will work. If not, we'll advise with damage control, I guess.
>>
No. 302091 ID: 252e1b

>>302070
>That's both a complete lie and come kind of ridiculous romantic sappiness. No.

No way, it's the truth! I believe in you Hated!
>>
No. 302137 ID: 153de0

>>302091
I think it's: A little from column A, A little from column B
But thats just my two cents
>>
No. 302236 ID: 723711

I sigh. This is going to be annoying. "I'm not exactly normal, if you hadn't noticed. One of the problems of being not normal is that I wouldn't enjoy the act, nor would I ever be able to provide you a child. Furthermore, I don't form connections with people easily, mostly because most wanted me dead. It's a novelty really, not having everyone trying to kill me."

Nina goes silent, thinking on the issue. I can't really see her reaction, since her back is turned to me, so I wait patiently, letting her take however much time she wants. After a few minutes, she finally turns to face me. Her eyes hold a sort of determination, unlike what I expected, which was complete depression.

"It is not my place to question my husband. It is not my place to command my husband, or to hate him for being unable or unwilling to bed me. I will not question the fact that you have a concubine. I will not question why you have Tongues with you." Nina visibly flinches at this, clearly it hurts her more than she is willing to admit. "But I wish to make a request of you. You say you can not give me a child. I do not believe so. You wield magic. Magic can do anything. So I ask this of you. Please, I don't care how long it takes... please, use your magic to give me a child. I want to feel a life growing inside me. So, please..." Now Nina starts crying, her facade of bravery vanishing. She collapses on the floor, tears flowing freely down her face. Tongues glances back over his shoulder, uncertain of what to do.

HE isn't the only one. What am I supposed to do in this situation?
>>
No. 302238 ID: 8b0de1

Magically impregnating someone?

I can't really say it is a good idea.... but that calls for research.
Maybe after we deal with Everfrost, we will collect library on magical stuff and research, and find out how feasible it is.

For now tell her you will look into it and ask her to stop crying.
>>
No. 302239 ID: 259738

>>302236
Maybe that would actually be an option if the shamans would provide some magic. Still, the creation of life, huh? That seems to fall into your area of expertise. That could be interesting to look into at least. You don't have to actually go through with it, though, and it probably won't be an option anyways unless you start getting a lot more out of the shamans.
>>
No. 302240 ID: 0bd0b0

Your 'wife' is connected to the tribe and may very well tell someone else about it, which will soon grow to the whole tribe knowing. I do not think the will be happy about that. If must tell her, make her swear on her life/love/honor or whatever she values greatly not to tell.
>>
No. 302241 ID: f6360f

>>302236
Gentle physical contact is usually beneficial in providing comfort, which might help to salvage at least some of this situation. That means go over and hug her, even if it's awkward, and let her cry on you as you hold her until she stops. Hopefully the strengthened emotional bond you get out of it will be worth the effort.

You might also tell her that you'll look into her request, but that you've never tried anything like that before (I presume you haven't, at least) and that it will be difficult at best. But as long as she knows her request was heard and you're not saying no, hopefully that will be emotionally stabilizing.

When you're done with this bit, you'll probably want to tell Tongues to explain his and Sticks' actual relationship to you to Nina. It will be easier than if she hears it from you, I think.


Magically impregnating her is... a concept. You are a body specialist, I suppose, so you might be able to pull it off with a bit of research. Certainly magically crossbreeding yourself with her would probably be ridiculously difficult, but if you just give her some random child instead of yours... but on the other hand, if you're going to do that you could just have someone else screw her a few times. (Note: Mentioning that as a possibility would be a poor move.) Anyway, this is not for the immediate future; you have other things to worry about right now. If you have any inkling of the magical challenges involved in that sort of thing, I'd be interested in hearing of them, though.
>>
No. 302242 ID: eba49f

Are you posting from a new computer? You have a different ID number from usual.

We should tell her that we will find out if it can be done, but we don't want to do it without being certain because we wouldn't want her to be harmed if something goes wrong.
>>
No. 302245 ID: 723711

I'm at a cousin house for the weekend. That's why I have the new ID.

I move over to Nina and awkwardly hug her, to which she responds by clinging to me and and burying her face against my chest. That just makes things more awkward for me. Tongues silently leaves the tent, probably out of some desire to give us privacy. We stay like that for awhile, me glancing around the tent waiting for her to stop crying, she crying her eyes out.

She finally quiets after nearly ten minutes, and I decide to at least make sure she won't tell everyone in the camp, as suggested. "I'll try. I don't know if I can succeed, I have never tried to make new life, but I will look into it, and try to see if I can't figure something out. But you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone about this. You have to swear it, on the thing you hold most dear. You understand?"

Nina, rubbing her eyes, nods. "I understand. I swear by you, my husband. You... because I want to believe you, and because you chose me above the others, who were much more deserving than I. I understand if you can not do it, but I am satisfied that you are at least willing to try." Nina kisses me, the first time ever in our marriage of four days, then gets up and goes back to her preparations.

Okay... that was odd. Well, whatever, we have things to do. I leave the tent as well, finding Tongues outside, still practicing. Good. I don't bother him, instead making my way into the camp, searching for Urthan's tent. Should be around here somewhere.

In the meantime, I'll go over what I know of making life. Or at least repairing life, which seems similar. All things, magically speaking, require the body, mind and soul. There is no way to get around thing. I can make a new body. It's difficult, but I've done it once or twice, mostly to use it for scaring local populations. The mind and soul, however, I have never replicated. If we intend to make a new life from nothing, I'll need more experience with constructing the two pieces I'm missing. That will require more time. I can devote myself to the tasks, but that would remove time from other things. I have to agree with the voice that says we should do this after the we deal with Everfrost. The libraries they have are most likely have information regarding this. I might try asking Sticks as well, although elves tend to revere life, so artificially making one probably won't go over well with her.
>>
No. 302248 ID: 8b0de1

no reason to not use your name-tag. Just saying

>>302245
Yeah, better to lay this off till after the Everfrost.
But I think the best course would be some kind of a fusion between "traditional" birth and artificial, meaning that your "project" will have to be incubated in Nina like a regular fetus... or something like that, whatever, we don't really have time for this, we have other worries.

We have talked a lot on how to proceed since time-skip, the only thing we must decide is if what site for construction to take.

I say go for iron.
Making our "capital" right next to a border is ridiculous, it being deep inside the barbarian lands as good for defence.
Next, making jewelry our of precious metals and enchanting them is good and all, but you have t remember that equipment is much, much better for this (see discussion thread). Not only we can we enchant with more power (sparks) but also they can grow into full fledged artifacts.
Besides, having better equipment will be a bigger plus in coming war or future wars.
Barbarians use barter system still, so gold wont be as valuable as in other regions.
Of course, we have a problem of not having trained blacksmiths .... but we also don't have any trained jewelers (which I think is harder job than blacksmithing ... but what do I know?)
We could find specialists or people who have at least some knowledge in processing metal ores from other tribes.
Lastly we can enchant various tools and equipment like >>301944 suggested to make the process easier. Not to mention putting some weak mind enchantments and ordering people (who already exhibit some aptitude towards these professions) to train more/faster .... we could put endurance enchantments so that they squeeze out more training than before.
>>
No. 302262 ID: eba49f

When you have magic, gold is good for more than just jewelry. You should be able to attach some gold to a pole, enchant it, and have a boomstick (or some other type of staff), yes? Much less metalworking expertise needed that for something like crafting a sword. (And you can't enchant un-enhanced iron/steel, right?)

When we have annexed a tribe or two, we would likely have enough people to build a city at the iron site (the river would help support a population) and have some people establish a fort / mining camp at the gold site.

About annexing other clans, we should not forget our appointment to beat up that clan leader who came to challenge us. (If we are combat ready by now.)
>>
No. 302264 ID: 8b0de1

>>302262
That's what I am talking about!
Having the city be at iron deposit (which will be more of use for expansion than gold) and near river is better.
Later will have mining camp at gold site.

>(And you can't enchant un-enhanced iron/steel, right?)
You can definitely enchant weapons and armor. Heck, we enchanted our skull-belt and it didn't have any valuable metals on it as far as I know.
>>
No. 302265 ID: f6360f

>>302262
>About annexing other clans, we should not forget our appointment to beat up that clan leader who came to challenge us. (If we are combat ready by now.)
I don't think that's the kind of thing we'll be able to miss. His tribe hasn't shown up yet.

>>302245
>You have to swear it, on the thing you hold most dear.
>I swear by you, my husband.
>Nina kisses me
That didn't go perfectly, but given this pattern of events I would call it a success overall. Nina considering you the most important thing in her life and kissing you is hopefully a sign that she is forming a lasting positive emotional bond in spite of what you just told her being not what she wanted. She is on the path to being what you want her to be- someone who will serve you loyally and without hesitation even knowing your nature and history. It will be some time before you can reveal much more to her, I think, but the way things are going is good enough for now.

On to talk to Urthan now, I suppose. Military matters first, as discussed previously >>301763. If that goes well consider a segue into further topics, like the approaching chief of another tribe and how to best kick his ass and absorb his people. Urthan might be able to tell you about the cultural differences that Nina could not. If both of those are done and you still have time, bringing up your actual immediate plans for moving the tribe into badasshood and the matter of the shamans might be a next move.
>>
No. 302280 ID: 8b0de1

Enchantments proposition for warriors (among other we discussed)

-Shadow-step on legs
-Speed on boots
-Night-vision on eyes

Imagine, we will be able to do attacks during the darkest of nights and have no problem with vision. Besides that, the entire force will be shadow-stepping like crazy. The mobility of our army will be through the roof. The city-walls will not hold us as our warriors will be able to just shadow-step right on top of them, then will have insane speed to quickly dispatch anyone near and keep stepping behind enemies and shit.
Plus the general strength, endurance and mind enchantments.
Our guys will have massive advantage over any other army (well, maybe except elves. I bet they all have some enchantments or other)
Obviously, don't make anyones enchantments as strong as yours (strength, endurance and speed at 70-80 sparks, mind at 30-40, shadowstep and night vision at 100)

>>302265
>On to talk to Urthan now
Yeah do that.
And talk about the difficulties that shamen are presenting you. Tell him that our plans will not be able to go through if they do not fully cooperate.

Hmm, you might show your warriors your plans by enchanting someone with something (like shadow-step) so that they know you are not all words, no action.
And also, tell them that the body change was your idea and shamen had nothing to do with it.
>>
No. 302293 ID: eba49f

Enchanting troops seems good if we don't get too much trouble about it from the shamans. We should also have a bunch of enchantable staffs made, to eventually training a troop of Earthshapers (soldiers with staffs enchanted to reshape stone who could provide ranged support, quick trenches, and undermining of walls).

We should also ask what the tribe has seen so far from Everfrost (in particular, how common are mages or enchant users in their military?)
>>
No. 302296 ID: f6360f

>>302293
>Enchanting troops seems good if we don't get too much trouble about it from the shamans.
Mass enchanting troops is quite literally the thing that we expect to give us the edge in our planned invasion. No matter how much shit the shamans give us about it, on this point they must bend or our attack will fail.

And, honestly, I would rather enchant our troops with any given ability than give them items to do the same. Items can be looted by the enemy, are much less personal (in terms of being a gift given from us, their divinely touched ruler), and require an actual item to make instead of just us, sparks, the person in question, and some time.

>>302280
>Obviously, don't make anyones enchantments as strong as yours
This strikes me as a paranoid waste. There is a 30-spark tax for putting an enchantment on a person already; the more sparks that are poured into the enchantment beyond that, the more efficient it effectively is. Considering that we've got all our other sparks to draw upon and won't be giving anyone else more than two or three enchantments, while I would be willing to bet that we will have all eight of our slots filled before too long and further have our current physical body, which is massively powerful... underpowering our minions is pointless.

Anyway, as far as enchantment design goes, we'll have something like ten thousand warriors to enchant. We can only pile so many enchantments on each of them in a feasible timeframe, unless we want to forego attacking this year and wait until the next for our assault, enchanting the army throughout the winter so that it will be as powerful as possible in our eventual assault.
>>
No. 302298 ID: eba49f

Hm... That is a good point. We might instead just give a bunch of people enchantments of their hands and avoid needing staffs entirely (unless each one costs more than 100 sparks, which seems unlikely).
>>
No. 302299 ID: 8b0de1

>>302296
> unless we want to forego attacking this year and wait until the next for our assault, enchanting the army throughout the winter so that it will be as powerful as possible in our eventual assault.

I don't mind this actually.
We have all the time in the world since Hated is immortal.

>No matter how much shit the shamans give us about it, on this point they must bend or our attack will fail.
Seriously, there is no other way around it. The shamen must submit to our rule.
Fuck, if the keep that shit out we will call head shaman for God damned single-combat thing and keep killing them one by one before they fucking relent. Aw shit, we can't go around publicly killing them can we?

How about we get to the head-shaman and transfer some of our memories. You know, the memories of countless ages of carnage and destruction... oh, and make sure to highlight how you killed a god and those immortals. That ought to shake him up.
After that tell him you are at the end of your patience.
...Ah, this is last resort plan though.
>>
No. 302304 ID: eba49f

Killing them would be a dreadful waste! Spark generators don't grow on trees you know.
>>
No. 302306 ID: f6360f

>>302299
>...Ah, this is last resort plan though.
Really, it's been a few days. I'm willing to give ourselves some time to get over our initial takeover difficulties through simple talking things out and cutting deals as to how things are going to be. If in two weeks we haven't made progress on solving things... then it'll be time to take more significant steps. But until we've at least tried to get them on our side through less forceful methods let's not do anything which will lock them into obeying only through fear.
>>
No. 302309 ID: 723711

I apologize. I didn't notice the name was missing.

>incubated in Nina like a regular fetus
What's a fetus?

>build a city at the iron site
This seems the idea most rooted for. We can get the gold at the mining camp once we've absorbed the other tribes. I flag down a passing warrior and get him to spread the word that the tribe would be moving. From the descriptions it isn't too far from our current location, we'll be there in a few days. For now, I wander a bit more before finally managing to find my current destination. Entering, I'm greeted rather loudly.

"Chieftain! A pleasure to see you! My daughters tell me Nina is doing well, although I hope your doing alright as well! But something tells me you aren't here for that. What can I do for you?" Urthan is still bed ridden, at least according to his wife. He, on the other hand, seems to have different opinions, and is sitting at a table within.

"I came to discuss some plans. Mostly to ask you about Everfrost. Everything you can tell me."

"Of course, Chieftain. Everfrost is almost constantly covered in frost and snow. Thus the name. I'm not really aware of what they have in the way of troops though. We mostly just raid the outlying villages and occasionally Rivercross, but that's just the town guard. It's fairly flat, except when you get up towards the mountains. Most recently they have been moving into the Endless Plains, so our relationship with them is... hostile. You'll likely get large amounts of support from all the tribes."
>>
No. 302352 ID: c0adcc

(Umm, this doesn't seem to be a good place to end the update. Feels like it stopped right in the middle. Hardly any suggestions were touched ... so yeah, use previous suggestions, I guess)
>>
No. 302353 ID: f6360f

>>302309
>What's a fetus?
It is the term used to refer to the embryonic stage of an animal. That is, one which has not yet been born.

>Talk with Urthan
If they've been moving into the Endless Plains- what have they been moving in with? Troops of some kind, settlers, something else? How are their troops (or guards) normally armed and armored? Any magic of significance? What do the warriors think of Everfrost's troops, in terms of how competent and dangerous they are?

If he knows, what are Everfrost's major cities? What are their populations? Rivercross seemed to have about fifty thousand people- a solid fifteen times the size of the Bearclaw Tribe, and that's just one city. If we're attacking their nation seriously, we'll need our every warrior to be as fifty of theirs in a very literal sense. What significant fortresses or fortified cities would stand in our way if we decided to really strike deeper into Everfrost than Rivercross?

What is their governing structure- they have royalty, but do they have centralized monarchical authority- that is, the king is actually in charge of everything- or feudalism, with lesser nobles mostly running things on their own and only paying the king tribute and marching to war at his order? How are magic-users recognized in their society? Are they numerous or powerful?


I know that he may not be able to answer many of these questions, but hopefully you'll be able to get at least a fair bit of information. From there, you'll be able to move on to what your specific plans are... and perhaps get advice about this incoming rival chief. You would probably be able to power through without any, but forewarned is forearmed and Urthan would probably appreciate your showing respect for his judgment.
>>
No. 302380 ID: 723711

((Sorry about the last post. Got dragged away to do something, so I figured I'd post what I already had.))

>difficulties that shamen are presenting you
"I can't help you with that, Chieftain. They have always been difficult to deal with, and you wielding magic yourself just seems to set them more on edge. I never dealt with them too much, as I generally let them do what they wanted as long as they didn't get in my way."

>cultural differences
"The Hawkeye, their the ones coming by the way, they aren't very religious either. They are much larger than us. They specialize in archery, going off the belief that pelting you with arrows from afar is the best form of attack. They don't care much for our... more straight forward style of bashing till it stops moving, but they absolutely hate the Wolf-fangs. We haven't seen them in a few years now, the Wolf-fangs tend to keep to themselves."

Urthan can't really offer me much more than that in the way of information, at least regarding Everfrost. They don't push into it much, and interaction between the two societies is limited to the two sides killing each other. It seems I'll have to find some other way to gather the needed information. Perhaps I can catch Sticks before she leaves and give her a list of what we want to know.

Since I'm here, I ask Urthan about the other tribes traveling the plains. He happily complies, and talks my ear off for nearly two hours. The only things that stops him is his wife coming in and starting to scream at him. I beat a hasty retreat, assuming he's going to be held up for awhile. I'll summarize it for you voices as I make my way over to Sticks' tent, as I don't think I even remember everything he said.

There our six main tribes, and taking control of these tribes will likely unite all the lesser tribes under me without any real effort.
-The Bearclaw
The tribe I'm currently in control of. They specialize in magical enhancement. Judging from what Urthan said, they are effectively few in number, but very good at close-combat.

-The Hawkeye
Archery experts, they absolutely despise the Wolf-Fang, although they have a passable relationship with the Bearclaw. They are also more numerous than the Bearclaw, but all the other major tribes are.

-The Wolf-fang
The most numerous of the tribes. They have the most numbers, and seem to go by the theory of simple swarm tactics. They are at odds with the Hawkeye. The tribe is also the most religiously fanatic about following Tirfuldin, and so don't get along with the Horsehood either.

-The Horsehoof
Cavalry experts. Their horses are unrivaled, at least among the tribes, and they are the second most numerous. They are the only tribe separate in their religious beliefs from the other tribes, instead following some horse god. They hate the Bearclaw, and the feeling is mutual. Apparently someone killed some other persons uncle.

-The Bisonhorn
A rarely moving tribe. They seem to be the only tribe that uses metals regularly. Urthan thinks they might have some access to metal weapons and armor, but he can't be sure, the Bearclaw haven't come in contact with this tribe a lot.

-The Snaketongue
The tribe that the Bearclaw come into contact with the most. They are... different, apparently. They don't use tactics that other barbarians use, preferring to lure their targets into ambushes and backstabbing whenever possible. The Bearclaw have little issues with them, however, and actually frequently trade with them. Trade season has ended, so we won't be seeing them for that unless we wait till spring next year.

I also managed to get some information about Tirfuldin, just by listening to Urthan. The god is apparently a manifestation of the barbarian spirit, always attacking his enemies head on and rarely masking his intentions. The god apparently made the first six tribes based off of animals found within the plains, but I don't think a god would get that involved with the mortal world. Most gods aren't. Even if the god isn't real, Urthan at least believes he exists.
>>
No. 302398 ID: f6360f

>>302380
>The only things that stops him is his wife coming in and starting to scream at him.
Man, I am so glad we picked a wife that will never do that to us. Even the crying and long pauses before she talks are pleasant in comparison.

>Hawkeye
All right, we should expect this upcoming fight to involve a man with a bow, I guess. Shouldn't be too tough- with our enhancements we could probably laugh off a crossbow bolt to the face.

>the other tribes
All right, it looks like the Wolf-fangs and Horsehoof will be the most trouble by a significant margin. And the Bisonhorn may well already be mining iron, like we were planning to; perhaps when we move the tribe, we can go and absorb them instead of trying to kickstart an industry from scratch ourselves? The Snaketongue sound like very useful people to have around but like absorbing them could prove a bit of a problem. I'd go for them third.

Anyway, it sounds like you learned some key information, and Urthan obviously likes you, which is good. So we'll call that a success.


Sticks... ask her to get the information you'll need to invade Everfrost, and to get any information she can bring you to shore up your knowledge of mind or soul magic. Plus anything else that she thinks might be helpful. Confirm that the elves would approve of your plans to launch a significant attack. Ask her to return when she can, as you have appreciated her company. (She -has- been useful, even if she'll likely take that in a more positive way than the literally true.) And finally, ask her if there's anything she wants before she sets off. I doubt she'll have anything, but it's good to make the gesture and we might learn something interesting by her response.
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No. 302404 ID: f0e3ae

Voting for iron as well for capital. Gold will be settled later on. And we can get slaves from conquest to mine it for us. Bisonhorn would be the next best tribe to get control of, to help build our iron capital and producing weapons and armor as needed.

It seems obvious to me why the shamans don't like us. First thing, learn some names, memorize them, it is important!

Sticks has given you thousands of spars in mere days... yet had you killed her you would have gotten mere dozens. While revenge is a fine short term goal, this present an excellent long term goal. Conquer everything. Set yourself up as the ruler of the entire world, get your followers worshiping you and supplying you with an endless stream of sparks. Some because they worship you, some because they are indebted to you, some you can simply afford to pay from the taxes you collect from your mortal minions.

This means that you cannot be careless about who you slaughter. If you kill indiscriminately the mortals will hate you and gang up on you, maybe with the help of their gods again. One of your most important assets now is your image. Also, don't be cold to your "family", get used to hugging and giving out words of encouragement, it will help tremendously.

Back to the Shamans, when choosing a wife you did not choose the shaman's daughter (as the shaman told him to) and when asked to explain his choice callously said "for the book"...

They are concerned for the tribe and that you are too impulsive; they worry for their position because of your power; they worry because of many things. I think you need to speak to the lead shaman, say something like (forgive wall of text):

"I have to admit that when I challenged the previous chieftain for his belt I did not expect to take his place. I was somewhat overwhelmed and in a fit of rashness dismissed your question about why I chose Nina as a bride. Your question was sound, you wished to test my wisdom to see whether I will be good for the tribe. I now lead the tribe and have responsibilities, both to my followers and to my new family. I wish for the guidance of the shamans, I will start by answering that question truthfully. Enras is a proud warrior, she does not wish to become a wife and would resent me for choosing her; it also appeared that choosing her would have cause the men to lose their confidence in me as their did not seem to approve of her. Valerie was playing up her appearance, much to the disdain of the women of the tribe, she seemed far too full of herself and would have made a bad bride. Amalda seemed like a good candidate, well liked by all in the tribe, but seemed uninterested in me, and her offer focused on the mundane which I must admit made her less interesting to me as well. Kailia seemed as an excellent choice for several reasons, she offered her wisdom and knowledge which is an appealing prospect, the village approved of her, and as your daughter the political connections would have been excellent. Nina is the daughter of the previous chieftain, which seemed highly advantageous, and unlike her sisters she actually interested me. She offered knowledge and a mystery, the tribe seemed neutral about her. My prospects were really split between Kailia and Nina, logically Kailia seemed the better choice. But sometimes more then just cold logic is required, my intuition strongly suggested that Nina would be more compatible with me, and that Kailia wouldn't. I would rather have a happy marriage, and I am sure you wouldn't want your daughter to be with a man she couldn't get along with, so in the end I chose Nina"

As for my request for magic sparks, I am very good at creating enchantments, but those are costly. I wish to provide enchantments to our warriors and with your assistance I could.

PS. you definitely need to get an enchantment that prevents anyone from sensing how many sparks you have. sure, it wouldn't hide the fact that you have magic... but it will hide how many sparks you have in you. Probably want to use a ring for that since body slots are precious.
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No. 302408 ID: f0e3ae

A few things I forgot, find out if there are tribesmen missing limbs/organs, you can heal that for a massive boost in popularity and loyalty of the tride, and it puts pressure / is another justification for the shamans to provide you with sparks.

Get the magic veiling enchantment first (and in retrospect, make it a body one) and admit to the shamans you cannot generate sparks yourself anymore due to an unfortunate accident. There doesn't seem to be a point hiding it.

Also, lets actually run some numbers. In 6 days a middling mage gave you about 1400 sparks. That is more then you would have gotten from consuming a powerful master mage/low level demigod a day, every day. Even if you could sustain such a consumption rate with uniting the gods against you again, by having followers you can have more then one single middling mage providing you with sparks concurrently.
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No. 302409 ID: f6360f

>>302401
Personally I think that backtracking and justifying our actions in detail would not be to our benefit. We did what we did- we're the chief now and don't have to justify it. Focusing on the present and future is the way to go with the shamans.

>admit to the shamans you cannot generate sparks yourself anymore due to an unfortunate accident.
This is something to bring up, but let's not lie about accidents and crap. We've never been able to regularly generate sparks, like they can. If they want to bring their position into it, there it is- we may have the ability to use magic like no other, but they have an irreplaceable spot in the tribe that we would not contest.

Honestly, I'd say that we should be direct. Mucking about with reasons and motivations is important for making decisions and understanding others- but we're not looking to make them understand us, just work with us well. The opener for our meeting is just sitting down with the head shaman and saying something to the effect of "Vodthag, it has been days now since I became chief and while you have done admirably in those tasks I have asked of you, it is unmistakable that you dislike me. Why? Animosity is of no benefit to you, me, or the tribe. I would be a leader that all can respect and approve of. If you have concerns, state them and I will do my best to answer."
>>
No. 302437 ID: 723711

>Conquer everything
I can get behind this. I like this idea. All the sparks I can eat, people doing what I want them to. Sounds good to me. Does that me we'll take control of Everfrost once we're done killing its royal family?

I make it to where Sticks has been staying, and enter to find her packing a bag full of... dresses. Admittedly, I'm not sure why I'd expect something more appropriate. I convey exactly what I want from her, namely as much information about Everfrost's military, it's cities, any maps she can dig up, and any magic books/scrolls/anything that deals with Mind or Soul magic. I also mention that I want something to do with repairing/reconstructing the aforementioned Mind or Soul, but Sticks just grunts at the last, then muttering something about demanding way too much of her. I think she still isn't completely sure about me, but I still ask her to come back. A bunch of you said I should, and she glares at me before assuring me she would try her best. If not her, she would send someone at least.

Anything else I should question her about before she leaves?
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No. 302445 ID: f6360f

>>302437
Conquering everything is usually a good default plan. It's rarely a bad move to get more power. As far as taking control of Everfrost goes, we'll see how things shake out- but certainly you'll probably want to at least be spending a few months there, looking through their libraries and other records to try and track down the other bloodlines you need to kill and learning more about their magics. Might as well be in charge of the place while you're there.

>Anything else I should question her about before she leaves?
Probably, but whatever it is doesn't occur to me, so unless someone else has anything we're good. Wish her a safe and swift journey home and tell her you appreciate her help and counsel so far.


You can probably go eat something (wasn't Nina cooking?) and then either seek out the head shaman for a talk or, if the other tribe has gotten around to arriving by the time you're done, meet their challenge. Honestly it would probably be better to have talked with your head shaman before fighting them so that you can have your first tribe sorted before moving on to the second, but you can probably make it work either way.
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No. 302473 ID: f0e3ae

whether they should be conquered after the royal family's death, or exterminated, depends on how things pan out with them and the tribesmen really. Mortals breed quickly enough to replenish, but you don't want to scare them away by ordering too much death, nor appear too weak... you have to learn both cultures and make a decision based on the specifics.

I just had a delicious idea, assassinate the royal family, then change shape into that of the king, start abusing the locals... then have your armies take "him" out as a conquering hero... probably too complicated right now, but a fun strategy to use at some point in the future.

I would tell sticks not to worry about it if she can't get everything, just whatever is reasonable, and thank her.
>>
No. 302488 ID: 8b0de1

>-The Bisonhorn

Sweet, after we deal with the coming chieftain next should be these guys, so that we can start mining operations and making equipment.

>-The Horsehoof
Then these guys
The reason being that since they have different religion that would mean with their addition we will disrupt the stability of our shamen order.
Having two camps with different beliefs they will be forced to compete for our attention or something like that.

>-The Snaketongue
These guys will be very useful indeed.
We can't always have dumb, strong brutes. We will need people with brains, who can use subterfuge, tactics and other shit like that.


All of the tribes seem great. When we finally unite them all under one banner they could transform into different Houses:
-Bearclaw:
Warrior House. Provide with best soldiers
-The Hawkeye:
Archer House. Provide with best ranged units
-The Bisonhorn:
Forger House. Master craftsmen who make best weapons and shit
-Horsehoof
Cavalry units and horses
-Snaketongue
Spies, assassins, dipllomats.

Also one thing we should consider:
We should not absorb other tribes but fuse with them. The difference being that in the former, this will just make Bearclaw grow and make the dominant force in over-tribe, which will grow resentment.
In the latter, we will transform these tribes into something completely different, a new identity, a new tribe. Maybe even a new country.
We should start coming up with a name too.

Make sure to tell your people that.
The old days are over and this is a start of new beginning, that you will not tolerate ancient feuds and quarrels which will hamper our progress.
This will be a new age. Gone are the days of mindless roaming and pillage. We will make the world feel our might, we will not be considered "barbaric" no-lifes anymore!

(seriously, don't let people fight among each other over past history)

>>302437
Ask her when she will be back.

Then time-skip till she returns, I guess (if it is not longer than 3 weeks). We are dawdling too much.
>>
No. 302489 ID: 259738

>>302437
We need to talk to the head shaman and get this worked out. Whether they are going to give us power or not is not negotiable. Everything else is. What do they want in exchange? Knowledge? Magical items? Enchantments? Do they want us to defeat a particularly hated tribe? It doesn't have to be as frequent as the deal with Sticks, as long as they provide power every day. But something has to be worked out with the shamans, or you will have to replace them. We don't want it to come to that, because it would be very wasteful. And anyways, you are no threat to their position unless they continue to refuse power-in which case you are the biggest threat to their position ever. You will consult with them about the will of their god. I mean, if he is real, we don't want to piss him off, and last time you got screwed over because you pissed off a bunch of gods and didn't have any on your side. A friendly god could help.
>>
No. 302490 ID: 8b0de1

>>302404
Before doing speeches like that be sure to use the spell that Sticks gave you.
Long ass speeches are perfect for that.
>>
No. 302492 ID: 8b0de1

>>302489
>I mean, if he is real, we don't want to piss him off

To tell ya the truth. We shouldn't give a fuck.
Considering the last time the only thing the gods (godS, as in multiple gods) did was to provide bunch of epic-level heroes with an artifact.
And they did that after countless of years of carnage and destruction and only because Hated started to become a thread to them personally (killed a god and stuff)

So no,
I don't think we should be afraid of divine wrath of any kind.
>>
No. 302494 ID: 723711

I wish Sticks well on her journey, and ask her to bring only what she things would be useful. She waves me off, intent on trying to get yet another dress into her bag as I leave. I decide returning to my own tent would be wise, at least until the Hawkeye get here. Upon arriving, I discover Tongues already eating, and Nina waiting patiently for my arrival. She quickly directs me to sit as she readies a plate of food for me as well as herself. We eat in silence, having nothing really to say to each other. Afterward, I return to the ritual book, wanting to work on it at least somewhat.

I'm interrupted by the Head Shaman, who comes in to report that the Hawkeye have arrived. I head out to me them, warriors from both sides forming the ring that we are to fight in. The rest of the populations of both tribes assemble behind the circle, letting out cheers for their own Chieftains. The opposing chieftain does end up having a bow, made up of bone. He faces me, and starts to go through the formalities. At least, I think they are the formalities.

"CHIEFTAIN OF THE BEARCLAW! I CHALLENGE YOU FOR CONTROL OF YOUR TRIBE! I WAGER THE CONTROL OF MY OWN! WHAT SAY YOU?!"

"Thanks for your tribe."

The man snarls, then retreats as close to the edge of the circle as he can get, trying to put distance between us before the fight starts. A shaman does the challenge speech, then starts the fight. I take an arrow to the chest, then the fight is over. The man didn't have any protective spells on him, so simply stepping behind him and bashing him in the skull knocks him out instantly. The fight was unsatisfying, and I'm almost tempted to kill him, but your advice was to leave him alive. I simply turn and leave, ordering the two tribes to keep apart until I can deal with what I intend to do with them.

Or you figure out what you want me to do with them. What am I doing voices? We have a few hours till nightfall, and we will start moving to the iron site tomorrow. So do I deal with the shamans now? Or should I do something else?
>>
No. 302510 ID: 0bd0b0

>I take an arrow to the chest, then the fight is over.
... Very bad phrasing.

Leave him alive, we already have his tribe. If you start killing all the chieftains that challenge us the others may be afraid.
>>
No. 302515 ID: f6360f

>>302494
>your advice was to leave him alive
Yeah, while it might be tempting to kill him hopefully he'll be helpful in integrating his tribe with your current one. You'll want to speak with him... this evening, probably.

>we will start moving to the iron site tomorrow
Honestly, I would recommend moving to absorb the Bisonhorn instead of going to the iron site. It sounds like they already have an iron site of their own, and potentially at least some of the infrastructure to exploit it already in place; given that, having your current tribes redo their work might well be a waste of time when you can just defeat their chieftain and make all their stuff yours.

>So do I deal with the shamans now?
Yeah, I think so. Having internal divisions still extant amongst your first tribe when you're trying to absorb a second one could compound any problems likely to emerge, so at least making an effort to get them sorted out would be appropriate. I would recommend meeting with Vodthag and using the bit in >>302409, then seeing what he says and going from there.

After you get done with that conversation we'll need to figure out how to go about effectively integrating these tribes. There must be some kind of standard procedure for this, given that these chiefs seem to challenge one another on a fairly casual basis.
>>
No. 302519 ID: 8b0de1

Yeah, leave him alive just like Urthan is the leader of warriors, this one will be the leader of the archers.

Well, formally fuse tribes.
We need to meet the shamen of this group and talk with them.

And then time-skip, I guess.

Relocate to the new site. Have the new tribe come also ....

During the skip take control of Bisonhorn and Horsehoof.
>>
No. 302530 ID: f0e3ae

Think about it this way, if you kill the chieftain of a tribe you lose their best warrior, which is now your warrior. They are practically volunteering to become your servants here.

I second the idea of warrior houses as well rather then subsuming the identity of new tribes, phrasing is important here... luckily we have the speechifying spell now.

Different warrior houses from different tribes, refer to this as the beginning of the great unified nation of the <name> people (gotta find out what they call themselves); that destiny has come, that the people shall unite an sweep across the weak city-landers like an unstoppable wave.

For now, have them living intermixed but keep their tribes names as "houses" in the unified people. You can make mortals do whatever you want as long as it happens in small steps. So in a few years we can shift it so that the house names is only for the warriors, that the non-combatants are unified, and later still make it so that the warrior house name is a choice based on fighting style... but those are long term goals, too much change too quickly will have negative results. The most important aspect of unifying mortals is to unify their mating rituals. Ask Nina about any festivals where the men compete for the attention of women, ask the leaders of the new tribe if they have that as well, and ensure it is unified.

I am not sure if we should start unification right away or keep them separate until we absorb at least another tribe.
>>
No. 302574 ID: c4753c

I quickly start my search for Vodthag, hoping to catch him before everyone heads off to sleep or something similar. After asking around a bit, I manage to find out that he's talking things out with the Head Shaman from the Hawkeye tribe. As I make my way towards the location pointed out to me, I pause to place the speech enchantment on my tongue, imagining cheering crowds and unifying emotions. The crackle of sparks leaves a tingly sensation in my mouth, but I ignore it and continue on. By the time I get to where the two are at, it sounds significantly less like a conversation and more like a simple shouting match. I grab a nearby shaman and find out that the two are apparently arguing over who should be the Head Shaman, now that the two tribes are ruled by a single Chieftain. It seems that this is a normal thing, but judging from the sheer ferocity that the two seem to be exuding, I don't think it's going to end peacefully. So I decide to intervene.

I push through the small crowd of people just as the two start crackling with sparks, apparently both set on ending it with a single powerful spell instead of a few simple ones. Let's show them the error in that. Stealing that choke holding idea thing from... Vader, was it? Stealing that, I reach out with both hands and the two men immediately start choking, the spells they'd been readying fizzling out.

"Both of you are idiots. That simple. Did you think I wouldn't notice? Did you somehow think that throwing around spells wouldn't get you into trouble? I need sparks. I can't make them on my own. Hell, I don't even know why. Doesn't matter. You two are what's going to get me what I want. Sparks. Now, from what I understand, not only do you two have problems with each other, but you have problems with me. I don't care, to tell you the truth. I just want my sparks. But since you do have issues, we have to come up with solutions to those issues, because otherwise I have to kill you, and then you'd be dead and I wouldn't have any sparks. Both of us lose. So when I let you go, I want you both to sit down, shut up, and pay attention."

I drop the two, who start gasping and coughing as air floods back into their lungs. I turn sharply around to glare at the rest of the shaman population present, mostly because I'm a little ticked and want to get this over with, now.

"That goes for the rest of you as well! Every shaman here is going to sit down, shut up, and pay attention! I have things to say, and I'm going to make damn sure that every single one of you hears it! Then, and only then, will I ask for your opinions. Is this understood?"

Every shaman there is already sitting down, and a murmur of agreement rises from the ground. I nod, satisfied so far with the results. The speech magic is already building, I can feel it on my tongue as it works. But then I suddenly realize... I hadn't thought about what I was going to say... well, voices, got any good speeches I could use?
>>
No. 302610 ID: 8b0de1

Aw, mang,
but we had given you a lot of pointers on how to talk with these guys since the time-skip.

I'm trying to come up with a direct dialog but can't seem to. (actually, my attention is divided too much. Maybe I'll be able to do something later)
>>
No. 302628 ID: eba49f

Some points to bring up:

* As I am sure you know, the kingdom of Everfrost has been encroaching on our territory. Do you know why this is? They see Vulnerability.
* This vulnerability is brought about by Division. Even today, two of our most important spellcasters nearly killed each-other over a petty squabble.
* Such wastefulness squanders our Strength, which our enemies such as Everfrost watch eagerly. Their encroachments may be limited now, but if we do not stop them their intrusions will only multiply.
* You may think that your individual strength will protect you from this, but even the mightiest of warriors can only last so long against the numbers of a nation. We must Unify our Strength, unify these plains as one nation, for if we don't, bit by bit, mile by mile, Everfrost will.
>>
No. 302647 ID: 8b0de1

Aww, shit, I really can't come up with anything.
I'll just compile a list of things we had suggested before and hope you will be bale to turn it into a grand speech:

>Appeal to them to their duty for the tribe, tell them that with their help you will be able to make it prosper much more easier. It must be already obvious to them that your skill and spells at Body spells dwarfs their own, so it is the most optimal to let you put permanent spells on others and equipment.
>Tell them, that as a chief, you expect them work with you. That you cannot succeed with your plans and help the tribe if they are unwilling cooperate fully with you.

>We need to convince the shamans that they should cooperate with us. Begin translating the book to them later and perhaps instructing them in the finer points of body magic; if you empower them it will help to convince them you are not planning to destroy them.

>This requires some kind of frank talking and cutting a deal with them, I suspect. The role of the shamans in the tribe is inevitably going to get shaken up by your crazy cosmic power, yes. But you're certainly not going to somehow shove them completely aside for it. - you'll want to come up with some solid points to make about the parts of their job that you have no intention of messing with. Fact is, you if anything consider the shamans more valuable than any other part of the tribe, because they're the fuel which can boost you to ultimate power. They need to accept that role one way or another, and embrace the idea that it is upon their shoulders which rests the responsibility for driving you to godhood- and taking the rest of their people along with you.

>Instead of talkig about nothing, I suggest making your legimate points long, articulate and detailed. And gather a lot of arguments and work on a great speech, so great that even without the enchantment it would be still very convincing. Use your mind enchantment when composing it and sometimrs during the speech itself so that you can analuze the reactions and general attitude in mid-speech so that you cab adjust accordingly.

>admit to the shamans you cannot generate sparks yourself anymore due to an unfortunate accident.
>This is something to bring up, but let's not lie about accidents and crap. We've never been able to regularly generate sparks, like they can. If they want to bring their position into it, there it is- we may have the ability to use magic like no other, but they have an irreplaceable spot in the tribe that we would not contest.

Also, in case they wonder how come we are so awesome at magic when we cannot generate sparks casually toss this in:
"Oh and I can forcefully take them from dead bodies... Just getting this out there"
>>
No. 302665 ID: eba49f

Some stuff to add to the stuff to bring up in the speech:

Before the other stuff I wrote:
*While many of our interests may be different, I know we have two that are exactly the same. First, we want to become even stronger, so that none may deny us our place in the world. Second, we share a hatred for the fools who rule Everfrost and have lain their eyes on the plains.

And after the other stuff I wrote:
*So in years to come, which tale would you rather tell your descendants? Do you wish to tell story of how the kingdom of Everfrost scraped the plains until they were a shadow? Or would you tell the story of how YOU helped forge the strongest tribe these lands have ever known, a tribe free of the quarrels that burden us; a tribe free of the incursions of Everfrost?
>>
No. 302760 ID: f6360f

>>302574
Okay. First thing to remember, since you have magically enhanced speech which grows with duration, do not be afraid to be long-winded and do not let anyone interrupt you for more than a phrase, or it might disrupt the magic. Just keep talking until you feel you've run out of things to say.

Anyway, as long as you're making public speeches and it's to your benefit to be longwinded, may as well lay out the whole plan. No compromise on this one, at least when you set it out- you're in a position of demonstrated strength here, you can hopefully ride that momentum to power through any mental objections on their part.

Now, a proposed speech. A bit winding, but hell, as long as you keep talking the magic keeps building. If you can put emotion and enthusiasm into your words, it might help a bit.

"Here's how this is going to work. I'm chief of both tribes now, and it's not going to stop there. We are going to go after the other tribes, one after another, and I am going to kick their chieftains into the dust. When I have every single person of the Endless Plains calling me chief, we're going to go and invade Everfrost. That's right, invade; none of that raiding stuff that you've done so far. We aren't going to stop until we've pillaged half their cities and rubbed out every member of their royal line, who have mortally and personally offended me. When we are done, the tribes are going to be richer and more powerful than we've ever been in our entire history, and will have the pick of all the best that Everfrost has ever produced for our own.

"Why is this going to work? Because I'm going to make it work, and every last one of you is going to help me. I can't make sparks on my own but I can hold as many as people are willing to give me or I can tear from their corpses. So you shamans are going to give me all you've got all the damn time, and I'm going to push that power right back into the tribes, until every decent warrior can laugh off arrows like I just did and the armies of Everfrost won't be able to do anything but stare stupidly as we smash effortlessly through them. And it doesn't stop there; you shamans get to fling fire left and right, blast through walls with a wave of your hand- those little toys you were conjuring up before I stopped you will be as nothing before the tricks you're going to pull, after I'm done with you. And I- I'm going to be so full of your sparks that I will literally tear down cities with a wave of my hand should I need to. With that kind of power, what exactly could possibly stand in our way?

"And it doesn't even end there. A little more work, and that book which no one was able to read- it's a bitch, but I'm managing to get through it, and there is power in there. Power that you lot can help me to use, to make bigger and better things than ever before, maybe even to make you able to do some of this crazy stuff without me there to get empowered and do all the heavy lifting. I can teach you that, and tricks with body magic you've never heard of- I've seen your enchantments, and they're good but no one has body enchantments to match mine- and you can show me whatever you know and we will do some bloody amazing things that will make every other people on the planet gape at us in slack-jawed envy because they're just not that good. It will be great and we'll all be written into the history books.

"But that's not going to happen if you shamans don't get on board with this plan! You keep bickering and throwing sparks at one another like that's what they're meant for and quietly thinking that I'm somehow working against you or planning to usurp your positions, and none of this gets done. Instead, all the tribes get to piddle about on these plains forever while Everfrost encroaches on our territory and we get wrapped up in feuds with one another instead of uniting to kick the ever-living shit out of anyone we want. If you're just willing to work together, throw your all into this, and get some passion, some purpose, some vision into your lives, we can take what we have now and push until it turns into something that no one will forget for a thousand years!

"I cannot do this alone. I'm the best at a lot of things, but one man is never enough. Every last scrap of talent needs to be pushing this forward, not dragging it back, or nothing will happen and this will all dissolve like a dream. So that means that you lot are going to stop fighting me and each other and start thinking about how you can benefit the tribe. The one really big tribe, now that I'm in charge of it all. You're a vital part of this plan; it cannot move forward without you doing your part. The head shaman, whoever it ends up as, had better be someone more than willing to put all their energy into making this happen- giving me sparks, enchanting everyone and everything, learning and teaching magical skills to and from me and anyone else we can. If they're not, then we will have a problem, and it will be dealt with.

"And that is how things are going to be. You may now offer comments."
>>
No. 302776 ID: c4753c

I take a deep breath, steadying myself and activating the thought spells to get all these things whirling around in my head in order. A few more moments of organization, and I think I have something. I don't know how good it will be, but here we go.

"While many of our interests may be different, I know we have two that are exactly the same. First, we want to become even stronger, so that none may deny us our place in the world. Second, we share a hatred for the fools who rule Everfrost and have lain their eyes on the plains. As I am sure you know, the kingdom of Everfrost has been encroaching on our territory. Do you know why this is? They see Vulnerability. This Vulnerability is brought about by Division. Even today, two of our most important spellcasters nearly killed each-other over a petty squabble. Such wastefulness squanders our Strength, which our enemies such as Everfrost watch eagerly. Their encroachments may be limited now, but if we do not stop them their intrusions will only multiply. You may think that your individual strength will protect you from this, but even the mightiest of warriors can only last so long against the numbers of a nation. We must Unify our Strength, unify these plains as one nation, for if we don't, bit by bit, mile by mile, Everfrost will. So in years to come, which tale would you rather tell your descendants? Do you wish to tell story of how the kingdom of Everfrost scraped the plains until they were a shadow? Or would you tell the story of how YOU helped forge the strongest tribe these lands have ever known, a tribe free of the quarrels that burden us; a tribe free of the incursions of Everfrost?"

"Here's how this is going to work. I'm chief of both tribes now, and it's not going to stop there. We are going to go after the other tribes, one after another, and I am going to kick their chieftains into the dust. When I have every single person of the Endless Plains calling me chief, we're going to go and invade Everfrost. That's right, invade; none of that raiding stuff that you've done so far. We aren't going to stop until we've pillaged half their cities and rubbed out every member of their royal line, who have mortally and personally offended me. When we are done, the tribes are going to be richer and more powerful than we've ever been in our entire history, and will have the pick of all the best that Everfrost has ever produced for our own. "

"Why is this going to work? Because I'm going to make it work, and every last one of you is going to help me. I can't make sparks on my own but I can hold as many as people are willing to give me or I can tear from their corpses. So you shamans are going to give me all you've got all the damn time, and I'm going to push that power right back into the tribes, until every decent warrior can laugh off arrows like I just did and the armies of Everfrost won't be able to do anything but stare stupidly as we smash effortlessly through them. And it doesn't stop there; you shamans get to fling fire left and right, blast through walls with a wave of your hand- those little toys you were conjuring up before I stopped you will be as nothing before the tricks you're going to pull, after I'm done with you. And I- I'm going to be so full of your sparks that I will literally tear down cities with a wave of my hand should I need to. With that kind of power, what exactly could possibly stand in our way?"

"Help me, and I can grant you power and strength beyond anything you've seen before. I am better then you. I know it. You know it. There are no doubts in my mind about that. But you have something I do not, and can not, perform. These rituals, they require many mages, and I am only the one. And it doesn't even end there. A little more work, and that book which no one was able to read- it's a bitch, but I'm managing to get through it, and there is power in there. Power that you lot can help me to use, to make bigger and better things than ever before, maybe even to make you able to do some of this crazy stuff without me there to get empowered and do all the heavy lifting. I can teach you that, and tricks with body magic you've never heard of- I've seen your enchantments, and they're good but no one has body enchantments to match mine- and you can show me whatever you know and we will do some bloody amazing things that will make every other people on the planet gape at us in slack-jawed envy because they're just not that good. It will be great and we'll all be written into the history books. "

"Now you two. Figure out who's the Head Shaman without killing yourselves, or I swear to this god of yours I'll kill you both. Disunity gets us nowhere. Whoever ends up being the Head, meet me in my tent, we have things to discuss. The rest of you. Whatever those two decide, you will abide by it, or your deaths will be swift and unmerciful."


It's only after the speech that I notice that a small crowd of barbarians has gathered, and that almost all the faces around me are staring at me in awe. I even see a few of the wife candidates in the crowd, most notably that lewd-girl and the shaman's daughter, both staring at me rather intently. I ignore them for now. There are a few shamans who are still clearly skeptical of whatever is going on, but for the most part is seems to have gone well. I hope.

I make my way out of the crowd and return to my tent, Nina inside humming softly to herself, but still glancing up sharply to make sure it's me or Tongues. Tongues is nowhere in sight, and when I ask Nina about him, she simply says that he said he was going to fling fireballs at stones. Well, as long as he doesn't set the plains on fire, it should be fine.
>>
No. 302782 ID: f6360f

>>302776
That went well. I think. Faces staring in awe is usually a good thing, and between your impressive appearance in your current form and the display of magic they'll probably be more inclined to buy that even a vision that far beyond their usual experience is achievable.

Might as well wait for your new head shaman to show up, I suppose.
>>
No. 302783 ID: 8b0de1

I don't know about head shaman thing.

We are going to have at least 5 more groups, meaning 5 more head shamen from their tribes.

I think it would be better to set up a council of elder shamen where about 7 of them decide between then stuff concerned with magic and shamanism
>>
No. 302809 ID: 8b0de1

I think we've done good for now. We pretty much convinced the shamans... I think.

Lets have a time-skip?
>>
No. 302811 ID: f6360f

Giving it some further thought, that speech is probably going to spread through the tribes like wildfire. There will be a significant amount of fallout from it, one way or another; you could end up with huge amounts of support, but it's likely that you'll also get some serious opposition from at least a small segment of the population. Depending upon how large those who don't back you is, you might need to take steps or you might be able to ignore them as long as they don't cause trouble and still do what you say, if grudgingly. Regardless, there's no way that anyone is going to be looking at you as just another chief after that. You'll be seen as special and powerful, which is almost inevitably polarizing.

It's also likely that rumors will spread to the other tribes that you have yet to conquer. Who knows what their reactions will be.

>>302783
Councils are really not ideal for getting things done quickly and efficiently. Particularly councils on which several members are going to be having historical feuds with the others. Nor do we particularly care about each tribe being able to have a voice in governing matters; our priority here is to be able to give an order and have someone see it done, which generally means a minimalist command structure. Aside from that, we're already making some radical declarations in how we're planning to change their society; let's not completely upend everything if we don't have to. Particularly when Hated is still growing his social skills out of nothing.
>>
No. 302812 ID: f6360f

>>302809
>Lets have a time-skip?
>>/questdis/345761 is probably the place to bring that up, as well as how long it should be. Personally, I think we could roll through another day or two here before running out of potentially serious problems Hated needs to beat into the ground or evade and am finding it fairly interesting to go through this in detail, but there are obviously other views on the matter.
>>
No. 302815 ID: b84932

Well done Hated, or should we just refer to you as Vincent now? Hated is a rather bad name for a legendary babarian leader in my opinion...

Wonder what your title will be? Vincent the Undefeatable? Vincent the Body-Shaper? Vincent the Invincible? Whatever, you know you're gonna get a title like that sooner or later if you keep this up.
We are going to rule the entire world. Awesome.

Um, what I was saying before I got sidetracked: Good job on the speech, people staring in awe means your speech worked perfectly.
>>
No. 302823 ID: eba49f

If we do end up taking a title, I would vote against 'undefeatable' or 'invincible'. A title like that means your troops take an extra morale hit the first time you loose a battle.
>>
No. 302828 ID: f44518

The new Head Shaman arrives a few minutes later, and I find myself unsurprised to see it is the same as the old one. Vodthag enters, and simply bows to me before beginning.

"I do not like this. You claim you can lead us to victory, but we have always survived with simple raids and the ability to always continue moving. I can not see you as someone skilled enough to lead men to victory. I oppose everything you are doing, and I will rally those that feel the same. That is all I have to say on the matter. For now, what is it you wish of me?"

I stare at him for a few moments, then take a deep, steadying breath. "I want sparks, first of all. I need to gain strength if I'm to lead anyone. To do that, I need your shamans, new and old, giving them up. How many do you have?"

"My current count is at about 90, all relatively weak to yo-, the city-dweller mages. I can have them contributing to your power starting tomorrow, but how long would the process take to have all give you sparks?"

I hadn't thought of that. A quick calculation, at roughly 3 minutes per person for the transfer, comes out to 270 minutes, or 4 and half hours. Getting fed twice a day takes up about 9 hours of a day. I... I don't think that's a good thing, spending 9 hours a day eating. I have other things I need to take care of. What to do... anyway, I think if he's going to be opposing me(and outright saying it as well), I'll need some way to convince him. Or off him and be done with it. I prefer the last option, and he's pretty old... I could kill him now easily.
>>
No. 302847 ID: eba49f

To ask the head shaman:
"I thank you for being honest about your intent, but I must ask you: If you were in charge, what would you have the tribe do about Everfrost? I have heard from Urthan how the plains are being settled in increasing numbers. Do you believe that small raids will be enough to drive them back, or do you intend to allow the settlers to expand their hold until there is nowhere left to 'keep moving' to? If you do wish to stop their expansion, I do not see what the point of contention is."

Two questions for you about the sparks:
First, do mages need to be near you to give sparks, and is your attention required for it?

Second, if a mage is under their maximum spark number, can other mages give sparks to that mage?
>>
No. 302848 ID: 259738

>>302828
It takes more than a couple of seconds to transfer sparks? And you can't do more than one person at a time? And you didn't bother to mention either part? Well, damnit. Maybe there is some way to get around this, but it looks like the only way you are going to increase your spark gains is by getting your hands on more powerful mages. How exactly did you get your hands on enough sparks to kill immortals, again?
>>
No. 302850 ID: eba49f

Another note: we should avoid killing this guy if we can. He is (as far as we have seen so far) one of the best kinds of enemies to have: one who tells you what he is going to do. If we do away with him, the one who replaces him as head of the opposition will likely be more slippery.
>>
No. 302859 ID: f6360f

>>302828
It would be a bad idea to kill him right now in your tent. Firstly, since you're now in charge when you execute someone for impeding your will it should be done publicly, preferably with a declaration of why you're doing it to discourage others from pissing you off in the same way. Secondly, it's not always bad to have a loyal opposition- as long as they are a loyal opposition. Give me a resentful servant that will look me in the eye and tell me that they hate me even as they obey orders over one who will claim to be loyal while plotting against me any day of the week. As long as he keeps to that opinion and does so publicly, anyone else who opposes you will be drawn to his side- where you can keep an eye on them. Or rather your agents can keep an eye on them, since personally keeping an eye on everyone is obviously impossible. Thirdly, he's obviously old and respected, and if you off him just for saying what he actually thinks then you'll go from "demigod hero" to "demigod tyrant" in an instant in the mind of the tribespeople. Your reputation is still fragile until you've cemented it through starting to follow up on your claims.

>at roughly 3 minutes per person for the transfer
Three minutes? Damn, that's way longer than I thought it would take... hrm. Is there any way that you can think to:
-Speed that figure up
-Accept transfers from more than one person at a time
-Have the shamans collectively pour sparks into a single person and/or object from which you can subsequently eat more quickly

If not, then you should just have the ten or so strongest mages provide you with sparks three times a day for now while you work on those problems- that's still a solid six hundred sparks a day for an hour and a half; it should be enough for now. At a guess, that book may contain some hints if you try to look at its contents from a theoretical rather than rote point of view; it's all about stronger mages combining their strength to achieve an effect, right, so perhaps that effect can be adapted from "become a super-powerful blasting weapon" to "pour tons of sparks into the boss". But that's a long-term solution requiring research. Another long-term solution would be to try and teach the mages more collectively; as they learn more magic they will become stronger individually, and thus be able to provide you with more sparks in less time. You can teach and learn from them during the hour and a half or so that you'll be spending with them every day getting sparks.

>You claim you can lead us to victory, but we have always survived with simple raids and the ability to always continue moving.
"Is survival your highest ambition, Vodthag? Don't you want to grow, to leave something behind better than what was there before, to make your mark upon the world? You may be right in that I am not the most skilled leader- but I am the most powerful. And there is no lack of potential skilled advisers in the tribes- if they are willing to bend their minds and efforts to making my plans work, instead of fighting it off."
>>
No. 302867 ID: f44518

>>302848
I've been around awhile. It may have taken longer, but it wasn't like I was pressed for time or something. Patience was all that was needed. Or at least, enough to hunt down and kill anyone I could get my hands on that had sparks. As to the not mentioning the time it took, well I didn't really think about it I guess. Didn't seem important when I only had one person I had to take from. Now that there's more, I suppose I'll just have to manage.

>>302847
They have to effectively be within range of my eating. So they have to be touching me. More or less. As for the second question, I don't know. Probably, if the transfer was done right. I can do it so easily simply because I'm used to doing it.

I turn my attention back to Vodthag, letting him know that for now, he need only send his ten strongest. Six-hundred sparks a day should be good enough, at least for now. I hope that Sticks comes back sooner rather than later. She had plenty of sparks for me. Damn, I can't believe I'm actually going to miss the presence of a mortal.

"I thank you for being honest about your intent, but I must ask you: If you were in charge, what would you have the tribe do about Everfrost? Is survival your highest ambition, Vodthag? Don't you want to grow, to leave something behind better than what was there before, to make your mark upon the world? I have heard from Urthan how the plains are being settled in increasing numbers. Do you believe that small raids will be enough to drive them back, or do you intend to allow the settlers to expand their hold until there is nowhere left to 'keep moving' to? If you do wish to stop their expansion, I do not see what the point of contention is. You may be right in that I am not the most skilled leader- but I am the most powerful. And there is no lack of potential skilled advisers in the tribes- if they are willing to bend their minds and efforts to making my plans work, instead of fighting it off."

Vodthag considers what I've just said, but in the end still shakes his head. "I have no use for glory. I'm old. Old enough to realize what you propose is near suicide for the tribes if we fail. I can not see the future, or what it hold. All I can do is try to convince you to put our survival above all else. I realize the threat from the city-dwellers. They will come. But we will survive. We always have, we always will. I will still oppose your plans, but I will still follow your orders. You are the chieftain, until someone stronger appears to take control away from you. But it gets late, I must rest. I will send the ten strongest in the morning. Good night and rest well, Chieftain."

Vodthag leaves without another word, and I find myself growing tired of words and the games of these men play. The fight earlier today was nothing compared to what I'm used to, all it did was leave me thirsting for more. But I try to suppress the feelings. A little more time, and I would be able to sate my desire for destruction as much as I want. All I have to do is follow your plans, voices. Nina watches me a moment, perhaps sensing that something is off. She rises from where she is and gently kisses me again, then disappears from the tent. I find myself not caring where she goes, and instead turn to the book again, diving back into my work.

-------------------------------
((Alright, time skip time. Everyone can simply put what event or how many day they'd like to skip over. Either one is fine. I'll figure out how far we're jumping based off of the responses.))
>>
No. 302872 ID: f0e3ae

They can generate sparks, but not hold more then a certain amount at once... the solution is simple. its 3 minutes per transfer. But they can transfer them to each other as well as to you. Set up a pyramid where you only take from the top few shaman which you cycle, while they replenish on weaker shamans, while they replenish on even weaker shaman.

Lets call a 3 minute session of transfer a "turn". Make it into cycles, each cycle is 3 turns during which you receive sparks 3 times, while every shaman under you receives sparks 2 times and gives one time. By setting up a chain where every who has given sparks in now receiving them from those lower on the spark count you can ensure that each time you get sparks its the max count, since those 3 giving to you only take from those with at least half their spark count (getting them to full) while those who have given are each also getting their max per cycle and so on. The rate at which you receive will thus be the sum of the spark count of the three most powerful shaman every 9 minutes up until you got the majority of the sparks in the entire population. Whatever you do, limit it to no more then 1 hour per infusion, 3 times a day. (stop calling it meal, you might say it out loud and scare a mortal... from now on refer to it as "infusion")

An hour gives you 20 infusions, 6 cycles and 2 turns; and that is from the 3 strongest shaman.
There are 90 shaman but a really powerful mage is close to 200 sparks while a trained low lowbie about 20. so at least for now it shouldn't be a problem to get them all. And besides, even if it is you are only missing out on the dregs. This totals up to 3 hours max a day of infusing.

Now, use up half the sparks you get this way to boost the tribe. I suggest you start up some friendly competitions between the warriors and different ones between the shaman, and sit and judge on those. Refer to those boosts as "magic tattoos". Have some artisans craft some tokens (say, a dyed feather or wooden ring) and have the shamans keep track of those (to prevent cheating and allow trade). Tattoos should be named based on spark strength, say:
Minor (lvl1) = 25 spark
Regular (lvl2) = 50 spark
Strong (lvl3) = 75 spark
Supreme (lvl4) = 100 spark

(just so I am sure, a 100 spark tattoo costs 130 sparks to make, right?)

Awards:
2 tokens = Get a 25 spark magic tattoo if you have none or just 1 tattoo.
2 tokens = Remove an existing tattoo of any strength to replace it with a 25 token one,, or have an existing tattoo of any strength removed and replaced with a 25 spark one.
1 token = add 25 sparks to a magic tattoo you already have.

The tournaments should come in several flavors, my suggestions:
1. Open only to those who have no magic tattoos yet. Reward is a token.
2. Open to those who have no more than 2 lvls worth of tatoos. Reward is a token.
3. Open to those who have no more than 4 lvls worth of tatoos. Reward is a token.
4. Open to those who have no more than 6 lvls worth of tatoos. Reward is a token.
5. Open to those who have no more than 8 lvls worth of tatoos. Reward is a token.
6. Open to anyone. Reward is a token.
7. Open to those who have only 1 tattoo, award is a second tattoo (minor)
8. Open to those who have 1 or 2 tattoos, award is an additional tattoo (minor).

In addition to that feel free to award extra tattoos to those you deem loyal or awesome.

In regards to the council of elder shamans, yes that makes them less decisive... but that is a GOOD thing. Making them more unified lowers your political power. I am thinking of you as an over chief, under you there are 3 councils. The council of war leaders. Comprised of the best strategists of each house of warriors, have them compete in strategic mock battles for the honor.
The council of makers, comprised of the leaders of various "guilds" of artisans (hunters, wood workers, metal workers, etc).
The council of shaman, comprised of the shaman deemed wisest by the others.
You the over-chief or each of the councils may call a session of all councils to deliberate various issues. Where you will hear their advice. Alternatively, let the shaman's remain as is and find a way to tweak it to so that someone who likes and supports you takes over as lead shaman.
>>
No. 302873 ID: f0e3ae

gah, it took me so long to write that last post that I missed out on the update :P
>>
No. 302887 ID: eba49f

A general thought about training:
It might be useful to have some magic items enchanted with various spells around for training purposes. For example, some gloves or wands with a very simple fireball enchantment for training at projectile spells and testing for aptitude at them (offensive enchantments, like any other weapon, presumably have some skill involved in their use).
>>
No. 302890 ID: f0e3ae

a few more things:
The councils are not strictly speaking the "rulers", but your advisers; there is no voting.

Spend some time teaching the shaman group rituals, with them try and figure out a ritual magic that allows them all to give you their sparks at once.

When doing the spark giving cycle I suggested, you can sit in a circle in a fractal pattern just for the cool factor.

Not every tournament type needs to happen every day, and you don't have to personally preside every one, just oversee them.

Not every tournament should be "two guys bashing each other over the head". Having archery sharpshooting competitions. Or a competition for who can use magic to raise the most earthen walls / blow them up the quickest, etc.

Since we don't want to be displaced from the top, maybe limit the tattoos we award to 50 sparks (beyond the basic 30 cost) and simply the tournaments to be:
1. from 0 to 1 tattoo
2. from 1 to 2 tattoos
3. from 2 to 3 tattoos

Where all tattoos are equal strength. Alternatively we can limit ourselves on the types of tattoos, for example don't give anyone the "quickness of thought" tattoo, would that be good enough to prevent a coup?
>>
No. 302891 ID: f0e3ae

>>302887
good idea, and maybe some rings of regeneration for healthcare.
Also, recreate any missing organs of anyone in the tribe the same way you recreated the tongue (assuming the shamans can't do it and haven't already made sure there are no cripples in the village).

I suggest that the budget for all the above investments in the village is half your daily power income, divided up between the various things we want to do.
>>
No. 302898 ID: f6360f

>>302872
>But they can transfer them to each other as well as to you.
Is this actually true? I don't think so. Because if it were, every mage ever would be drawing personal power off every apprentice they can get their hands on in order to shove themselves to the dizzying heights of power that we're aspiring to here. What we're proposing would be old hat, something that every mage would have been doing for thousands of years.

We're the only one who can get sparks from others this way. Anything else is wildly illogical.

>Making them more unified lowers your political power.
But making them less unified lowers his actual power due to efficiency losses, which is significantly worse unless he's expecting them to be able to actually oppose him with any hope of success, which he isn't. Further, if a council ever actually manages to agree on anything they are much more difficult to oppose than an individual, so it's harder to reassert authority if you ever lose it. A minimalist command structure is the way to go.

>>302867
>Alright, time skip time.
Please skip for two weeks, or until we have absorbed the Bisonhorn (which is our next targeted tribe, to be moved to immediately in lieu of trying to make our own mine) and gotten a sense for what capabilities that brings us, or until we have encountered significant unexpected events or problems, whichever happens first.

During that time, Hated should focus on:

-Learning to recognize by face and name all the significant people under his rule, and as many others as he can. Learning even hundreds of names within a couple weeks should be easy for someone with his mental capacity, so it's just a matter of convincing himself to bother doing it.

-Learning more about the tribes' culture, history, and laws. Ultimately, a big part of leading is understanding your followers, so even if we don't actually care about them we should know how they think and what buttons to push to make them do things. Nina can probably help a lot here.

-Deciphering that book. This should not eat all his time, because he's got a lot else to do, but try to make steady progress on it.

-Teaching and learning more magic. Talk about magical techniques and methods with the shamans every day while being given their sparks; hopefully both sides will learn something and come away with better techniques because of it. And if you can get any of the strongest shamans to learn new things, they might start attracting more sparks, which is all to the good. Tongues can listen in and learn, too. Actually, he should be learning as much magic as he can from every available source at the fastest speed his magically enhanced mind can support.

-Enchanting tribespeople. At only six hundred sparks a day, it will take a LONG time to enchant everyone- 130 sparks/enchantment for maximum enchanting efficiency means that you'll be hardly gaining any ground at four enchantments per day. Still, make the most of it; enchant the best warriors, starting with those who both seem to be leaders amongst their people and who support you/your ambitious invasion plan. A simple and easy way to marginalize your enemies is to focus your strengthening efforts on your supporters first, so that they can easily kick the collective ass of those who oppose you without you even needing to worry about it. Focus on durability enchantments on the warriors for now, because they're pretty baseline; you can worry about more specialized enchantments later. Also, as long as the only enchantments you're giving out are durability you'll be able to easily slap down any silly challengers.

-Integrating the tribes. Make some efforts to show that the whole tribe is one tribe now, and while you'll respect the divided fighting styles, friendships, and methods amongst your people they are not to keep up lasting divisions. Try to encourage them to train and talk and what have you together, and as you locate supporters ensure that they are drawn from both tribes that you control. Hopefully this will reduce fracturing along tribal lines... at least for now.

-Minor project, try to understand Nina better, tie her loyalty more tightly to you, and make her into a more confident, competent minion. Do not hesitate to talk to her relatively freely and teach her things or learn things from her, and inquire after what she's doing with her time. Builds emotional bonds, which is the primary thing which is supposed to hold your wife to you. Find out how closely she's maintaining relationships with her sisters and father, by the way; that's a potentially useful set of connections that will be yours forever- the more Nina is willingly yours, the more she can probably keep her family liking you, including her father who has substantial influence and authority even that you're now the chief and can help you monitor and control the warriors without relying upon constantly interacting with them yourself.
>>
No. 302915 ID: 6d2a2a

Till Sticks returns or 3 weeks maximum.


Put a permanent spell on your hand with "absorb" effect, have it be an area spell of about 10ft around you and a focus with the "speed" of absorbing. Restrict it to only consume sparks and only those which are being given freely.

Should fix our problem
>>
No. 302925 ID: 8b0de1

>>302915

Or figure out how to make some kind of an item or artifact which stores Sparks of people and after it is filled up you can drain them at your leisure.

Or when Sticks comes back, we'll ask her to help us out

>The fight earlier today was nothing compared to what I'm used to, all it did was leave me thirsting for more
Easy man, you have been in prison for more than 4000 years, doing absolutely nothing. It is amazing that you haven't gone completely insane (if you ignore us voices).
Have more patience we need to prepare heavily even if it takes a year, you'll get your due. You must understand that as soon as we attack we will lose the element of surprise and our enemies will be more ready in future. So we must plan to blitzkrieg them and steamroll through the country before they even know what hit them.

For time-skip.... Well, at least till you have absorbed a few more tribes.
>>
No. 302931 ID: f0e3ae

[quote]Is this actually true? I don't think so. Because if it were, every mage ever would be drawing personal power off every apprentice they can get their hands on in order to shove themselves to the dizzying heights of power that we're aspiring to here. What we're proposing would be old hat, something that every mage would have been doing for thousands of years.[/quote]

As I understand it:
1. every mage can transfer sparks to other mages.
2. it takes about 2 hours for a mage to fully regenerate all their sparks.
3. A mage cannot hold more then a certain maximum of sparks.

So there is little point to having apprentices "feed" you as a mortal mage. unlike a mortal mage vincent can store a limitless amount of sparks, but cannot generate them. This actually works in reverse, if a mortal mage under you has a unique spell or capability you don't know how to duplicate yet you could actually feed him sparks to get things done faster.
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No. 302956 ID: e147cc

Wait
I have a an idea, how about you use that routine of 10 mages giving sparks each day AND spend ONE day each week to gain more (like spending entire day or half of the day or thrid)?
>>
No. 302968 ID: f0e3ae

>>302956
Just use the fractal share thing I came up with... you can get it all in a quick period of time
>>
No. 303217 ID: 1f3ade

Week 3, Day 2
Spark Count:3209


It's been a long road getting through the past few days without killing people out of annoyance. For now, I've managed to gather a few of the lesser tribes to my banner, even as I set about building this city of yours. The site works well enough, but its taken some getting used to for the barbarians. The two tribes are still very much divided, but hostility is nonexistent, and most of the issues that arise are which fighting style is better. I've happily provided them the means to figure this out.

I liked the competition idea(fight for my amusement, mortals!) and thus implemented it as soon as possible. The barbarians took to it quickly, especially after I enchanted the first winner myself. Turned out to be a Hawkeye, who got the shadow-stepping from me so that he could get into more favorable positions faster. I heard he's been doing well. Think his name was Kindis. Can't remember well.

Moving on. With the building going more or less alright, I was planning to head off on my own to find the Bisonhorn, since I could likely get it done a lot faster than if I dragged the whole group with me. I figured I'd leave Urthan in charge, with Milso(he's the ex-chieftain of the Hawkeye) second in command. Vodthag has already managed to scrape together some followers, but they seem content to bide their time for now. Openly opposing me to the point of armed conflict doesn't seem to be something Vodthag wants to do, even though I'd prefer it if he did. At least then there would be more violence.

As for the magical aspects. The promised ten have been feeding me daily, three times per day as suggested. Most of that has gone to enchanting my warriors in preparation for killing Everfrost soldiers. The men have actually taken that up as a sort of battle chant, happily repeating it over and over again as they beat the living hell out of each other. The ritual book has been almost fully translated, as I've had more time then I meant to after the building got underway and didn't need my supervision as much. There was mostly just basic theory behind rituals, blah blah blah, some crap about the great divines blessing the mortals with magic, blah blah blah. The interesting bit was the actual ritual I found. It's apparently used as a sort of magical catapult, lobbing whatever magic you want through the air. Fireballs are apparently very common, as are large rocks. I personally wonder if you could lob a person, namely me. You could even modify it to work more like a ballista, for plowing though infantry. Fun for the whole family. I handed off the information to the shamans, and they've set to work trying to perfect the process. Tongues has even joined in, and has shown an aptitude for figuring out rituals. He's grown considerably over the past week or so, and has almost managed to lay an enchantment on the ring I gave him. Which reminds me, I have no more rings on me, as to speed up the healing process I enchanted them with healing magic.

Nina has been most helpful in describing the local customs, rules, and general things. Most of it is pretty similar to the normal stuff. Stealing is bad, don't kill people randomly, no setting fire to random things. There are a few differences however. Killing someone in an official duel is completely fine, but by custom your expected to marry/care for the dead man's wife and family. Honor the death of the man you kill. That sort of honor bullshit that really doesn't help anyone in my experience, especially when their fighting a demon who's trying to eat their face. I've seen it, and it didn't end well for the honor guy, regardless of the dozens of friends he supposedly had. Nina has also talked to her father, and apparently there is a tomb someone around here for some barbarian king. Furthermore, whoever brings back some ancient barbarian artifact would probably be viewed favorably by the shamans, as said king was well loved by Tirfuldin. Maybe I should look into that. There's also only one festival universal to all the tribes, and that's a massive get together that happens every spring, wherein the young men try to impress the young women by beating each other half to death, which is followed by drinking, singing and everyone hooking up with members of the opposite gender. I personally can't wait to see that, if for nothing more than to laugh myself into a coma.

On a more personal note, Nina has taken to spending her time either working around our tent, visiting with her mother, or learning to read and write. She apparently decided she wanted to learn after she discovered that the city-dwellers had written books on various types of foods, and that a number of my preferred foods were among these. I've taken the task onto myself, mostly because it gives us bonding time, and we spend about an hour a day on it. Nina has also taken to kicking Tongues out of our bed, mostly it seems because she knows he's not my son, and thus feels he should be sleeping in at least a different bed. I find the change entertaining, especially once Tongues started arguing with her about being able to sleep wherever he wanted, as well as the fact that I'd never objected. He usually wins those fights, but occasionally she manages to keep him out.

That's all I have to update right now I think. I've heard form the scouts that some elves were seen coming towards our makeshift town, and they should arrive soon. Which reminds me, this place needs a name, such as it is, so if you voices have any suggestions, let me know. Otherwise, I get to name it.
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No. 303254 ID: f0e3ae

What name did you think for it? it might be a really good name.

I don't see a reason to choose between those three objectives... get all of them, the more power the better. Your objectives (not in order):
1. Meet the elf delegation
2. Fight each major clan chief for rulership.
3. Get the artifacts from the old king's site because the foolish mortals will think that means their (probably imaginary) god supports you.

Does "arrive soon" mean "a few minutes" or "a few days"?
Have your scouts be more specific and send out scouts to try and locate all the other tribes.

Send runners to the chieftains of the other tribes (except those with bad relationships, the Wolf-fangs and Horsehoof; you will approach those yourself later when the other objectives are complete. we don't want to risk a dead runner) telling them that you intend to unify all the tribes and that any chieftain who is man enough to fight you for it will find you waiting for them at <location of new city>. Or they can choose to hide, forcing you to search for them. This is bound to make them come to you.

Set out the word you would like to purchase some precious metal rings from those in the tribe who have some and are willing to sell. Offer enchantments for them. This is a long-shot but might get you some more rings

Using sparks to accelerate your speed and stamina you should be able to run to the ruins, loot them, and get back within less then a day. I recommend you do this as soon as possible, if the elves will be arriving today, then do it after meeting with them. If the elves will arrive later then that, then go to the ruins today. Either way, the other tribes can wait until after you finish with the ruins.
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No. 303265 ID: 259738

>>303217
Definitely retrieve those artifacts as soon as you have the time. Consider purchasing a horse from someone in the tribe and slapping really good permanent enchantments on it rather than just burning sparks to get places fast.
>>
No. 303280 ID: 8b0de1

You could have tried those alternative methods for Spark donation we had talked about, at least to see how feasible they are... especially one proposed by MrTT.

Right, you should tell us how many of the troops you have enchanted and how much.

Get more information on that tomb and get that Barbarian King artifact.

Get yourself a horse, enchant it for speed (which only activates when the rider decides it, not the horse. Otherwise it would be a disaster) and endurance.

Go to personally challenge Bisonhoof tribe.
>>
No. 303290 ID: f6360f

>Using sparks to accelerate your speed and stamina you should be able to run to the ruins, loot them, and get back within less then a day.
He might have thousands of sparks, but that's no reason to spend them if he doesn't have good reason. Considering that his personal shadow step enchantment lets him move at 375 feet per five steps at night time... he's already moving a mile every fourteen seconds. Or thereabouts. He does not need anything else at all to boost his movement speed.

Really, he should be able to get anywhere in the Endless Plains in an hour, tops. Even if he gets lost once or twice on the way.

>Get yourself a horse, enchant it for speed (which only activates when the rider decides it, not the horse. Otherwise it would be a disaster) and endurance.
This is likewise totally unnecessary. He can just shadow walk to any and all objectives.

>I figured I'd leave Urthan in charge, with Milso(he's the ex-chieftain of the Hawkeye) second in command.
This seems reasonable- I assume they're getting along well enough, like the rest of the tribes? Both of them support your vision, as presented to the tribe at large? From what you've said, it seems like the warriors are generally fairly enthusiastic about your plans; how are you normally treated? How do your people react to your presence?

>Vodthag has already managed to scrape together some followers
How many is some, proportionally to the whole tribe? Important to know how large the opposition faction is.

>Honor the death of the man you kill. That sort of honor bullshit that really doesn't help anyone in my experience, especially when their fighting a demon who's trying to eat their face. I've seen it, and it didn't end well for the honor guy, regardless of the dozens of friends he supposedly had.
That kind of honor is mostly meant as a social safety net for that guy's family, rather than him personally. It also makes him more willing to go forth and blindly die for whatever cause appeals to him, if he knows that his family will be well cared for. The system kind of falls apart when you bring killer outsider demons into it.

>Nina has also taken to kicking Tongues out of our bed
Well, that sounds fairly hilarious. At least Nina is willing to fight with someone over something.

>Nina has taken to ... learning to read and write.
How smart is she, as humans go? I assume that with her mental enchantment she's learning at a pace which would astonish most human teachers, but even given that?

>Otherwise, I get to name it.
I'm sure your name will be both hilarious and horrifyingly inappropriate. Don't pick any name that would make the average barbarian react with "Why the hell would they name a town that?" Nina can probably sanity check for you. Aside from that, go crazy.

>The interesting bit was the actual ritual I found.
How well do you understand this? Can you modify its principles to do something other than create and/or throw large things using mages' combined power? That would open up a whole slew of new possibilities.

>Send runners to the chieftains of the other tribes and challenge them
Well, it'll probably work for everyone except the Snaketongue. They could probably use a more subtle touch, but I suppose we can wait for this plan to fail before worrying about that.

>I've heard form the scouts that some elves were seen coming towards our makeshift town, and they should arrive soon.
Important to meet with them and make sure that things go well. Be ready for that; it's not at all certain how much they'll have been told of you, or how much they'll know about your history.


Other topics.

You relocated to this site for the sake of mining and utilizing its metals- what progress has been made on that?

Have you learned anything about the magics that the tribes use?
>>
No. 303294 ID: f0e3ae

>>303290
I wholly approve of your idea of using shadow jump at night to travel at get there and back. Do it tonight.
Also, if he takes 14 seconds to travel a mile it means he is going at 257.142857 miles / hour
Kickass speed! Yea, no need to use any more sparks since his base speeds with his perm enchantment is already super awesome.

I was going to suggest he come up with some names and we sanity check them. Those that we sanity check and get sanity checked by nina (we don't want to horrify her either :P)
>>
No. 303330 ID: 1f3ade

My names? I was going to call it the City of Everything Burns, but somehow I doubt that's appropriate. So my next idea was the Fireplains, mostly because I wanted to test if I could somehow set the plains around the town on fire perpetually, and maybe contain that fire to be just around the town, unless I tell it to stop. I guess I just like the idea of an almost literally burning city.

>You could have tried those alternative methods for Spark donation we had talked about, at least to see how feasible they are... especially one proposed by MrTT.
I was a bit preoccupied... well, no, not really, I wasn't actually doing much other than watching barbarians beat each other, but that was very entertaining. But I'll, uh, get on this, as soon as I can.

>Have you learned anything about the magics that the tribes use?
No. Vodthag says that it wouldn't help me anyway, as I fight alone, not in the presence of others... I don't know what that is supposed to imply, but there it is.

>How smart is she, as humans go?
I don't know. How smart are most humans? Nina is about average, I guess. Haven't really been paying attention.

>I assume they're getting along well enough, like the rest of the tribes? Both of them support your vision, as presented to the tribe at large?
For the most part. They get into minor fights about how one should go about killing someone, but they get along besides that. It's like a summarized version of the things going on between the troops, really. They seem to support me, and the warriors all feel pretty much the same way... I think.

((I'll finish up the other things you guys asked questions for/ wanted later. Have to leave now.))
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No. 303344 ID: 8b0de1

Fireplanes? Huh, that sounds pretty awesome name ... just don't actually set fire to anything.

If we set up our mining and metal working operation in full swing, with several smithies and ore smelters working at full time this name could actually appropriate. Maybe the smoke from these ventures will make it look like there is a constant fire if you look from afar
>>
No. 303346 ID: f6360f

>I wanted to test if I could somehow set the plains around the town on fire perpetually
I would strongly recommend testing this elsewhere first, and preferably on a smaller scale. Because if you screw it up when you try it for real, there will be big problems. Very big problems.

>No. Vodthag says that it wouldn't help me anyway, as I fight alone, not in the presence of others...
That's crap. More knowledge is more power, and you can always use more power. Also, not at least going through what the shamans can do and how they do it in some detail leaves you ignorant of the capabilities of your own forces; when considering going into a major war, knowing exactly what your troops can and cannot do is essential. Learn their magic, and if that's too time-consuming or too much of a bother, at least learn about it. Do not allow yourself to be ignorant in this, nor allow anyone else to keep you that way.

>How smart are most humans? Haven't really been paying attention.
Argh. You need to learn how to effectively evaluate minions. Level of intelligence is right up there with level of personal power and level of social influence as a vital factor in establishing their worth and growth potential.

As a general rule, most humans will have to be taught the same thing at least three times before it really sticks. Exceptionally smart humans need to be told only once, and exceptionally dumb humans might take ten or more times. If you're teaching Nina to read, you should have a very accurate sense of how intelligent she is simply based upon how often she needs you to remind her of facts you've already told her. Admittedly, the mental speed upgrade skews things a little, but the general principle should still apply.
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No. 303420 ID: eba49f

Having the city surrounded by plains of fire would somewhat limit outwards expansion (which cities tend to want to do). If we have huge fires around, we should put them on top of towers. (That way they look impressive while also providing light during the night and possibly providing a source of large fireballs for flinging if we need to defend the city at some point).

I think we should bring some way to detect magical traps with us when we go to raid the tomb. People who leave artifacts in holes in the ground tend to love their elaborate death traps and curses.

@ "Exceptionally smart humans need to be told only once"

Memory is only one part of inteligence. There is also creativity, cunning, etc.
>>
No. 303443 ID: f6360f

>>303420
>Memory is only one part of inteligence. There is also creativity, cunning, etc.
I'm not just talking about memory; the principle applies to acquiring and using new skills of all types, and to realizing the generalization of skills based upon specific examples- more intelligent people will quickly attempt to generalize and apply a principle where less intelligent people will need to see many examples first and often still need to be nudged into realization of nonspecificity. Creativity is usually apparent during this latter process since it encourages the combination of existing knowledge in heretofore unused ways. Cunning is something that is generally trained rather than inherent; it emerges naturally from native intelligence and experience in attempting to apply deception.

But we're not trying to give Hated a psychology of thought course here, just give him a quick benchmark to tell how smart someone is. "Smarter people need to be taught the same lesson less times when teaching them" is a decent measure, if not a perfect one.
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No. 303464 ID: f0e3ae

>>303346
Agreed about the vorthag issue. I would tell him that "it is imperative I know exactly what it is and how it works to effectively plan battle strategies, to preserve the lives of my warriors"
>>
No. 303479 ID: eba49f

I vote we enchanting our left hand with a telepathy spell with enough strength to lift a human slowly and the rest of the sparks put into long range. (This is separate from the gauntlet we have planned in that this enchantment is on the other hand and focused on reaching a long distance rather than pure lifting/crushing strength, and serves a different purpose {anti mage/archer, rather than the anti-melee of a stronger, shorter ranged telekinesis} ).
>>
No. 303485 ID: f6360f

>>303479
I would really want to see the exact characteristics of the telekinesis spell (which I assume you mean rather than telepathy, which not only could not lift someone but which would also logically go on the head or tongue) before deciding how to distribute sparks around it.

Speaking of spark distribution, when the shadow step spell was introduced it was said that it can be used as quickly as Hated can step, with no cooldown as such. Given that, what the heck is the chain upgrade doing for him?
>>
No. 303495 ID: 1f3ade

The elves should be here within the hour, my scouts don't go out very far yet. So hanging around would be best if I want to meet with them. And I got the whole "keep a low profile thing", but it shouldn't be too much of a problem, right? I'm not using my real name. They shouldn't realize its me.

The mining has... well, we haven't started, as we aren't exactly sure what we have to do in order to build a mine to begin with. I planned on leading some raids to capture some people who knew how to do it, but if you voices know, that works as well.

As for the minion rating thing... maybe you should make a list of things I should be looking for or something. Add little number columns I need to fill out to meet your satisfaction. I'm doing my best here, and unfortunately, my best isn't all that great.

As for Vodthag and the barbarian magic... let's go talk to him now. Seems a good idea, and if I enter unannounced maybe we can catch him doing something he shouldn't be. Then I can kill him.
>>
No. 303499 ID: 259738

>>303290
Shadow step is only reliable at night. An enchanted horse is a good backup, and can be loaned out to others when we need to send them places.

So about the rituals, do you have any ideas on how the basic principles can be used to do other things than throw things?
>>
No. 303500 ID: eba49f

Yeah, telekinesis was what I meant. I keep getting those names confused. So yes, seeing the specifics of that would be nice (for example whether it is linked to arm motion or not)

For mining, we should make some enchanted items to do the 'ore sensing' thing we did to find this site and some to manipulate the ground. (I think it should items rather than tatoos so workers can work in shifts with a fewer number of total enchantments spent). They should then extract the ore while on the surface if they can reach that far down, and tunnel down as needed, making sure to reinforce the runnels with columns to prevent cave-ins.
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No. 303503 ID: f0e3ae

Telekinesis is a possibility... not sure if we should really go for it. Need to compare it to other offensive spells first.

I doubt you will catch him doing something he shouldn't, but if you do don't just kill him on the spot. Depending on what it is you could blackmail him, if its really bad then most cultures prefer some sort of a trial or another. It could be trial by combat, it could be a court where evidence is presented to a judge (you)... so if someone is misbehaving, have your warriors "detain/arrest/whatever" him, only kill him if he fights them and endangers them.

Ok, so schedule is right now:
1. Go talk to shaman right now
2. in an hour, talk to elves.
3. tonight, loot artifacts
4. Tomorrow, go after other tribes.

How often do you sleep? is traveling at night via rapid shadow stepping going to fatigue you?
>>
No. 303517 ID: eba49f

@"Shadow step is only reliable at night."

Not if we can make our own shadows through generating smoke or fog.

I like telekinesis as an ability because it has a nice combination of offense (with variable lethality) and some defense and a lot of utility. I suppose having a list of offensive abilities we know wouldn't hurt, and we might find something better.
>>
No. 303556 ID: 1f3ade

Offensive abilities known(or at least a few of them, I'm not listing everything he could possibly know)

Fire
Lightning
Ice
Telekinesis
Explode
That one eating disease we made
Acid
Rocks
Golem-Crafting
Bone shaping
Blood shifting

That's all I got at the moment, at least that I can think of right now... I'm sure you lot could come up with a bunch more that I just can't be bothered to think up.

>do you have any ideas on how the basic principles can be used to do other things than throw things
Nope. Don't have any experience with rituals, mostly because they require friends to help you do them, and I never had those. I'm sure with more information on the subject I could come up with something that you might want. The most I got out of the rituals is that the more people there are, the more things you can do. Most rituals have limits, like the throwing rocks one has such an exact amount of people to use. I find that to be an open invitation to test for possible head explosions. I'd get a laugh out of that, especially if said explosions were synchronized. But seriously, going above certain numbers is continually said to be a generally bad idea. Something about magical backlash.

>How often do you sleep? is traveling at night via rapid shadow stepping going to fatigue you?
Usually about the same amount as a mortal does, mostly because I've gotten used to sleeping in that pattern. Going without sleep for a night shouldn't fatigue me too badly, my reaction times will be slowed slightly but that's about it. Might be a little more prone to killing things without question as well, I get mean when I get tired.

>>303500
This mining idea should work... it's actually a lot easier than having to dig it out of the ground. I'll see about getting some rods and such, then getting this started. I still don't really know what to do with the ore after we get it, but we'll figure something out.

As for telekinesis, from what I experienced, it basically allow me to push, pull, lift, and grip objects and people. I know that's all I've managed to get it to do. Maybe there are more applications for it.

Also, because I forgot to mention this earlier, we have about 7,000 people here... more or less. 3,000 of those are warriors, 90 are shamans, and everyone else is a non-combatant. That ca be divided into roughly two factions. Vodthag, with roughly a hundred followers, and mine, everyone else. The warriors can be divided into close combat, about 1,000, and all the others, which are archers. Pretty much all the warriors follow me. About half the shamans follow me as well.

Another thing I feel I must mention, even as I walk into the little section of our city that the shamans have claimed as their own, is that the shaman girl I could have picked as my wife and didn't has been hanging around me a lot. I'm not really sure how to take that, mostly because she seems to be trying very hard to appear as close to that sister of Nina's, the one that had no inhibitions. It's a little scary in it's own way, so perhaps you have ideas on how I might get her to stop without me killing her... Gods, that sounded weird coming from me. I need to kill something soon.
>>
No. 303561 ID: 259738

>>303556
Are you ever going to enchant a sword, or are you waiting to find a good one?
>>
No. 303590 ID: f6360f

>Offensive abilities known
Of those, telekinesis seems by far the most versatile and thus the most desirable. It can let you attack either directly through telekinetic crushing/smashing/pushing or by flinging objects either small and fast enough to penetrate or large enough to crush, defend against some attacks, and also has a myriad of utility purposes. Unless you can only manage a fairly weak telekinesis power with 100 sparks (yeah, right), I'd strongly consider putting one on one of your hands so that you can use it casually. Relatively high precision, speed, and force are all desirable; range is good, too, obviously. We can tweak the balance for you if you want us to, or you can make the call.

>I'm sure with more information on the subject I could come up with something that you might want.
Another thing for the list, I guess. We really need to be designing our own spells soonish, not cribbing off some ancient moron's dogmatically rigid schematics. You're definitely smart enough for it.

>I still don't really know what to do with the ore after we get it, but we'll figure something out.
Typically you melt down the ore to get the desirable bits (iron) out, then shape that into whatever you want. I would recommend levitating and churning the ore with telekinesis while simultaneously superheating it with either a constant stream of fire or simply a direct heating spell which provides a constant high temperature. Gradually drop out anything that's not iron as you go. That should let you oxidize the heck out of the ore and the resulting iron, hopefully resulting in a magical version of the Bessemer process and giving you industrial-grade steel, although you'll need to find some kind of carbon-bearing substance to add to the ore and figure out how to tweak the ratios in order to achieve the desired characteristics of the final metal- it can vary quite a bit. Metallurgy is not my strong suit, so I'm sorry if I can't give you more detailed advice here.

Once you've got the steel you'll still need to actually forge it into things, which should also be possible telekinetically, but there's really no substitute for a skilled smith.

>the shaman girl I could have picked as my wife and didn't has been hanging around me a lot. I'm not really sure how to take that, mostly because she seems to be trying very hard to appear as close to that sister of Nina's, the one that had no inhibitions.
Mention this to Nina, making it clear that you are annoyed by it and wish for it to stop. Hopefully that will trigger a defensive reaction on her part and she will act to eliminate the problem. At a guess, that will involve her asking Amalda for help on the social end of things, but that's ultimately speculation on my part and hopefully it won't matter too much. Point is, acting to stop other women from trying to seduce you should be part of your wife's job description if it isn't already. If all else fails, you've enchanted Nina heavily enough that she should be able to beat the ever-loving crap out of just about any other woman in the camp at super-speed, not that I think she actually would.

>I need to kill something soon.
I suspect that at least one of the tribes that your current tribes are feuding with will be more than happy to resist your rule and warrant a little bit of slaughter.

>Vodthag, with roughly a hundred followers
Out of seven thousand? He might have half the shamans, but that's still not too many to worry about. If that's your greatest opposition, you're sitting pretty comfortable.
>>
No. 303594 ID: 36ab15

>I need to kill something soon. 
Hmm... Does the new city have a rodent/vermin problem? If so, I would recommend a lovely Exploding spell spree on the little bastards. You may want to hold off on this plan until the tree-hugging elves are gone.

Also, try to get everyone to straighten up a bit before the elves arrive, first impressions are very important.

>Vodthag, with roughly a hundred followers...
Keep a close eye on their numbers, you don't want a schism on your hands. Otherwise, I would suggest you try to slowly bring more of them over to your side through logical reasoning and examplifying competent leadership.

>Shaman girl has been hanging around me a lot.
 How recently did this start? Her name is Kailia and, honestly, I think you should see where this goes, mostly because I am curious as to what her motivations are. Just keep an eye open and wait for her to do something. She might be trying to gain your affection after seeing how awesome a chieftain you are, or she could be spying on you for her father, or she could be doing some other third reason I couldn't think at the moment.

Have you ever tried pulling someone part using telekinesis?
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No. 303625 ID: f0e3ae

Telekinesis would be awesome if sufficiently powerful... Could you make a [flexible] tag that gives you reduced strength but ability to switch exact allocations (range, frequency, power, etc) on the fly?

And what about perception? Could you use telekinesis to sever a single artery inside the brain of an enemy? Or sever their optic nerve to render them blind? "I curse you with blindness and deafness" and then severing the proper nerves. Hilarious! And I would love to see people trying to "dispel" such a "hex". Although they could use magic to regenerate if they were good enough body mages.

Don't kill off the wrong people. I wouldn't stoop to exterminating vermin... but what about asking around about what the largest monster / apex predator around is and going on a little hunting trip? Or... maybe there will be guardians in the tomb... yes, that is a plan.

Delay your talk with vorthig until tomorrow; he will just further annoy you as is...
Just entertain yourself for the hour until the elves arrive by having a making the mortals compete some more. When the elves arrive we will deal with them calm and collected. Then get the relics, those should make the shaman more... amiable to obeying you, hopefully you get to kill some guardians to relieve stress too. And have your talk with vortheg tomorrow.
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No. 303641 ID: eba49f

Yes, a hunting trip would be some nice funs and target practice.

I would thing that in a world with relatively common magic any complex creature (such as humans) should have some defenses against direct manipulation (directly using magic to reshape their innards), or else any critter with a bit of water manipulation could kill any organic instantly via head explosion (water in blood expands when freezing, bone is skull doesn't).

With the Telekineses, as I see it it does have one major rival in the feild of versitility: Stone shaping. Stone shaping can do stuff like raise wall that stay raised, grab people's feet, maybe swallow the rest of them, travel through or over walls with ease.
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No. 303642 ID: eba49f

Now that I think about it a bit more, stone-shaping also has some combo ability with shadow-stepping. We could do things like raise a dust cloud to cast a shadow for a single jump, or make a small stone overhang to provide as an anchor for multiple jumps. Telekinesis is still much more efficient at things like choking people (which is great for interrupting mages and such as we have seen) and for such stuff as grabbing loot out of a trap, but I am starting to like the stone-shaping option. Of course, we could have one as a hand enchant and then make one an enchant for our gauntlet when we get it.
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No. 303648 ID: f6360f

>>303641
>With the Telekineses, as I see it it does have one major rival in the feild of versitility: Stone shaping.
Stone shaping doesn't even begin to rival telekinesis in versatility. Most ground is not made of stone, except in mountainous areas; that means that someone with stone shaping would often be forced to call up bedrock in order to do anything with existing stone, or to simply create stone for whatever they want which can't be cheap in terms of power. Nor are most buildings made of stone; again, that's only in mountainous areas and/or in places where a nation can afford to cart massive quantities of rock from the nearest quarry to build their stuff. Stone shaping might be a lot more likely to be applicable in any given situation than, say, ice shaping, but it's certainly up there with telekinesis for utility and power.

The real benefit to any kind of [substance] shaping power over telekinesis is that [substance] may have useful inherent properties (i.e. lava, acid, etc.) or that its effects may be persistent after the magic stops (stone, ice, wood, etc.).

>Also, try to get everyone to straighten up a bit before the elves arrive, first impressions are very important.
He's not going to be able to accomplish a lot towards this, and somehow I don't think that a barbarian horde trying to look good is going to be a hell of a lot different from a barbarian horde doing their usual thing in elven eyes. So why bother? Just make sure he doesn't look terrible and that the elves are guided to meet with him without negative incident, and that should be good enough.
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No. 303653 ID: 22b452

Regarding the city name. It would probably be popular naming it after that barbarian god Tirfuldin. Maybe you could give it an ironic twist and name it Tirburn or Tirheart. it sounds nice, but it is actually your little joke since you might well end up tearing out Tirfuldin's heart and/or setting him on fire at some point.
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No. 303664 ID: f0e3ae

>>303653
How about "Flame of Tirfuldin" in their native tongue? it sounds like homage to their god and their people while still referencing your in joke of wanting to literally set it on fire. It will be belching lots of smoke once we make it into a center of smithing, and have a wall with a defensive moat filled with ever-burning magical flame...
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No. 303708 ID: eba49f

Yes, I suppose the usefulness of stone/earth shaping does depend rather heavily on whether soil and / or metals also count as stone. Do either or both of those count?
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No. 303711 ID: 8b0de1

How many warriors have you enchanted already?

>the shaman girl I could have picked as my wife and didn't has been hanging around me a lot
Talk to Nina and ask her to find out what she wants. Tell her to try to be subtle about it though.

>Hmm... Does the new city have a rodent/vermin problem? If so, I would recommend a lovely Exploding spell spree on the little bastards.
That's.... kind of low for Hated, isn't it?
He would fare better against the most dangerous predators in the region, which he'll wrestle unarmed or something.


Anyway, we gots to see what elves are about. Hopefully those were sent by Sticks if she isn't coming back to replace her.
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No. 303716 ID: 36ab15

>>303711
>That's.... kind of low for Hated, isn't it?
I figured he would be fighting something big soon enough and, given his current disposition, I thought he would get a quick laugh out of seeing dozens of rodents exploding...
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No. 303745 ID: 1f3ade

>Are you ever going to enchant a sword, or are you waiting to find a good one?
I was supposed to? I don't remember that. I'll do it if you want.

I'll go hunting then. Eventually. I think the biggest thing around here is a wolf thing... think it's called a warg? Either way, they're pretty big, and travel in groups, so they might provide at least a small amount of satisfaction when I kill them. We'll have to get to that later though.

The elves have arrived it seems, and Sticks is with them, although she looks less than pleased. After a bunch of introductions(there are three elves total now, Sticks, Erfil, whose apparently a diplomat, and Orlis, a lorekeeper, whatever that mean) I'm presented a map of Everfrost, a map of this section of the Endless Plains and offered a deal. I can keep the maps, as well as gain access to any information on Everfrost that the elves have, as long as I promise to deal with the human loggers cutting down the forest, as well as promise that my growing city/nation signs a peace agreement with the Elves effective for at least 10 years. The agreement would be magically binding, and would thus be unbreakable. The elves want my answer now, otherwise they intend to return to the forest, Sticks included.

>Do either or both of those count?
Metal counts I think... soil is to loose though, so I can't really use it as stone. Maybe if I wanted to make a dirt spell or something, but I can't really see the usefulness of that.

>Stone shaping
Who said anything about simply shaping? The spell drags the substance out of thin air(although in actuality it summons the substance from somewhere else, no one is really sure where) and also allows me to shape stuff. Once the put of a spell if you can't use it anywhere after all.

>Have you ever tried pulling someone part using telekinesis?
...Hehehehehe.... That... that is a WONDERFUL idea... I should save that for the royal bastards I'm hunting. Maybe pull apart the father in front of his family. I now proclaim the voice that said this to be my new best friend. Don't get cocky with that, new best friend.

>How many warriors have you enchanted already?
About 50 I think. I'm fairly certain that's right, as that's how many people have won the tournaments I've been holding. I can ignore the tournaments and just start enchanting people, though that will be incredibly draining on my spark resources.

As for the name, you guys come up with something solid, I'll consider it. I like the flame motif we have going though. Keep that up.
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No. 303753 ID: eba49f

I think we should say yes to the elves (we likely want to try to negotiate for a slightly better deal, but I can't think of anything to try and get at the moment)

Some further discussion of metal magic in the discussion thread
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No. 303768 ID: f6360f

>>303745
>I can keep the maps, as well as gain access to any information on Everfrost that the elves have, as long as I promise to deal with the human loggers cutting down the forest, as well as promise that my growing city/nation signs a peace agreement with the Elves effective for at least 10 years. The agreement would be magically binding, and would thus be unbreakable.
Considering how incredibly terrible Sticks was as a spy, the elves don't know shit about Everfrost aside from its geography. You should therefore be able to bargain for more than they've offered, since you're essentially planning to take care of a large problem for them here. You stop the loggers and in exchange they not only give you information on their enemies- which they want you to have anyway so that you're more effective- but also other knowledge; books on magic, metallurgy, history, all kinds of stuff that's not included in the tribes' traditions at the moment. Your subjects need information that they don't have, and the elves are almost certainly a great place to get it. You personally could make good use of that sort of thing, too. A peace agreement is fine, since you're still leaving the elves for later.

I don't see any problem with making the agreement in principle, as you probably gathered. To clarify why: Not only is ten years a relatively short amount of time to you, you have no lack of non-elven targets and if all else REALLY fails, you can declare yourself no longer a part of your own nation and thereby wriggle out of the magical binding.
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No. 303778 ID: 252e1b

>>303768

Find out if teaching the loggers sustainable methods of logging which will not cause permanent damage to the forest is an acceptable solution.
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No. 303780 ID: eba49f

Do we actually need wood for anything? What would we do with wood that we couldn't do better with metal and / or magic?

I agree that we should negotiate for more knowledge of things such as magic, metallurgy (if elves have that), and masonry (very important for going from nomadic tribes to having a large city). It costs them little to give (especially with the whole peace treaty thing), and can contribute a great deal to getting rid of those pesky loggers.
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No. 303787 ID: cf65c1

Wood is one of the easiest types of chemical fuel to harvest and use, and it is also a very useful material for much construction and manufacture. We need help with setting up orcharding and arborculture--growing trees for fun and profit--so that we never have to chop down the elven forests (unless we end up in all-out war with them). Surely they can appreciate that since you're leading people far less magical than elves you will have to use some human martial-economic innovations unless they can somehow supply superior substitutes.
Also, economic, technological and magical aid seems like a useful thing to ask for and you can sell it by saying it would help you get your army ready faster, which would lessen the amount of time the human nation has left to continue its offenses before you end them. We are particularly interested in acquiring transport technologies, any forms of automation (to maximize the utility of your workforce), and telecommunications abilities.
Ask them what resources and manufactured products they would be willing to trade for and what they might offer in trade. Just because you're allies doesn't mean you should be trying to demand everything without giving nothing, and proper trade leaves both participants richer after having made use of the best the other party has to offer.
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No. 303788 ID: f0e3ae

[enable quick thought enchantment] - do it now, quickly!
1. Sword - neat idea...

2. Stonebending - wait, it lets you shape stone that is there... OR summon new stone out of elsewhere? Does summoned stone remain there when you are done with the spell? Can you do the same with metal? Because crushing people with their own armor, forcing one guy to stab his commander and a few others do it too and watching them fight each other, summoning useful materials for trade and crafting... creating small makeshift daggers on the fly... the list of its uses is awesome and endless!

3. Telekinesus - so you CAN do that? MWHAHAHAHAHA. Oh awesome... and now we know how we are going to execute the royal family.... Although I suggest you practice a bit before then so you make sure you do it proper... mmm, you can also humiliate someone... make them pee themselves by squeezing their bladder, then make them "pass out" by gently constricting the veins to their brains for ~3 seconds. Perhaps when you meet their king you can test that he isn't protected from it by tweaking his appendix a bit... and if he isn't challenge him to "single combat"... then make him pee himself and pass out... make some snide remarks, have your men take him away to the dungeons to be executed... then do so alone (mortals can be squeamish).

4. Enchantment - I say continue as is. Although if someone deserves a reward outside of the competitions, you can give an enchantment as one. Encourages people to do well for such a generous bonus.

5. Elves - Do they have any active spells you can see? like sticks truth sensing enchantment? or what about mind reading? I enabled the quick thought because I think that should foil mind readers, just because they wouldn't be able to follow your thoughts being so fast.
Anyways, as annoying as elves are, sticks gives up a tons of sparks and you want to keep that up. While their offer is not terribly useful, it is entirely generous. They consider logging in their forest an act of war against them, those hippies are willing to support you in war on other mortals just for that. All they ask for their aid is that you sign a magic contract not to attack them (and only for 10 years?) and that you don't perform the same act of war against them (logging in their forest). Keep in mind that to refuse suggests you INTEND to perform those 2 acts against them, and that means you are openly declaring war on them today, with your previous plan was to do so the day you finish conquering their neighbor who they are at war with... and you don't even have the means to enter their forest yet!
Also they know you are yourself at war with that same enemy of theirs so demanding payment for fighting your own war makes no sense. all in all there is absolutely no reason to not agree... It makes absolutely no sense for any of your plans or goals. You should phrase your response right... I am thinking:

I gladly agree to those terms, logging in your sacred forests is a blatant act of war against the elves. Moreover, harvesting anything from another kingdom's territory against their permissions is an act of war. The kingdom of everfrost have no respect to their neighbors, encroaching on their lands and simply taking what they want. They have wronged me personally, they have wronged <sticks name in elvish> personally, they have wronged the elves as a whole, they have wronged the people of the planes, and I am sure they have wronged many others. We are at war, not because we are declaring war on them, but because they have brought war on us all.

As for what is a lorekeeper is... it sounds like a historian. Although it is possible it might also be a mage, perhaps one here to teach you some of their mind magic?
[disable qucikthough enchantment]
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No. 303977 ID: eba49f

> Sword
I prefer an enchanted gauntlet to an enchanted sword because the gauntlet allows for finger movement to help control whatever magic you are using it for. A gauntlet is also a lot harder to disarm you from than a sword.

> Stonebending
Talked about some in the Disc thread. Basically, yes it can work with metal (metal costs more sparks / mass); yes it can both summon and shape preexisting (but summoned material dissolves quickly). So you can't use it to generate resources, but you can craft stuff (you still need to know how to craft to craft high quality stuff)
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No. 303991 ID: 259738

>>303977
The proposed idea for the sword didn't really involve projectile magic. It was mostly 'enchant the sword to be a better sword, then encourage it to become an artifact, but not the kind of artifact that urges us to kill people all the time.' The idea was to only draw it in single combat, or other...honorable kinds of battle, and always fight at least sort of fair with it. Never break stated rules, anyways. Defeat the other chieftains with it, defend ourselves in single combat against anyone who challenges our rule, make it a symbol of our rulership. Anyways who puts projectile magic on swords? Other than say, 'sword wave' type stuff. Save that for other kinds of items. And we should be really careful what we use any magic item bigger than a ring for. Because we don't want to accidentally create murder artifacts. Deliberately, maybe, but not unintentionally.

Negotiate for better terms because they are totally trying to rip you off. Let them know you know that. They hide in the damn forest all the time, they don't know crap about what goes on out here.
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No. 303995 ID: eba49f

I suppose the sword with a melee enchant or glove with a ranged enchant depends on what kind of enemy is the largest threat to us. If it is powerful and heavily armored warrior-mages, then a sword or mace with a melee enchant makes a lot of sense, but if it is robe/staff mages (or armies) then we want things that can work over a distance (even with shadow steps, they likely have ways to avoid us getting to close).
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No. 304013 ID: 9ec6bf
File 130533162549.jpg - (125.11KB , 876x637 , Everfrost Map.jpg )
304013

((I would simply like to point out that I am laughing right now, as you've all assumed that Sticks was the only spy... well, one must accept the consequences for their suggestions.))

"I agree to those terms, logging in your sacred forests is a blatant act of war against the elves. Moreover, harvesting anything from another kingdom's territory against their permissions is an act of war. The kingdom of everfrost have no respect to their neighbors, encroaching on their lands and simply taking what they want. They have wronged me personally, they have wronged an elven woman personally, they have wronged the elves as a whole, they have wronged the people of the planes, and I am sure they have wronged many others. We are at war, not because we are declaring war on them, but because they have brought war on us all.

But in order to bring about what needs to be done, I need assistance. Knowledge, specifically, would be nice, in regards to Masonry, Crafting and Mind Magic. And really, how much could you possibly know about Everfrost? All you do is hang around inside that forest of yours."


The one called Erfil steps forwards, looking a little angry. "Then it is my... pleasure... to greet you as an ally of the elven people. Orlis here will handle any questions you have of knowledge, to the best of his abilities, while I will handle the information regarding Everfrost. Of which we elves know plenty. We may seem to hide within our forest, Chieftain Vincent, but we like to keep up the illusion of our disinterest. It helps when we do decide to engage in full war. I hope you never get targeted as an enemy." I can tell the man is annoyed at me, although his friend steps forward to stop him from taking things to personally.

"I am Orlis, at your service. I understand that I will be working with you personally in regards to Mind Magic, and I will endeavor to teach you what I can. As for the other information you requested access to. Masonry is not among the elves skills, we use rituals to bend the trees around us if we truly desire shelter, but not many of us do. Crafting... well, we craft what we desire from the trees as well, mostly because we don't have ready access to metals. We prefer bows and spears of wood to metal weapons, an exception being Sticks here, who has never really... gotten along with the rest of us."

"Damn straight. Prancing around fucking half naked isn't my idea of a good way to spend ones time. And don't even start me on the fucking singing. By the gods above, half the population spends its time singing-"

Both of the elves roll their eyes and turn to me, obviously skilled at ignoring Sticks as she goes into another rant, this one about the various things she can't believe elves do with their time. While at first I listen intently, trying to see if I can catch anything about the elven homelands I can use, I begin noticing that Sticks isn't even brushing on such topics, always clearly steering her rant to other areas of the elven lifestyle.

Orlis leaves fairly soon after, heading out to teach some of my warriors how to craft bows and arrows from wood, even if there really isn't all that much of it around here. Erfil mentions that they'll happily bring wood for me to use, in exchange, perhaps we could be persuaded to part with some of the metal we extract from the earth? I say I'll think about it, just as Sticks finishes her rant.

"-things they do with animals, it's just... urgh! Seriously, who would sleep with a fucking were-wolf? There's a word for people like that, it's called a fucking pervert."

Erfil coughs, his embarrassment plain to see. I decide I really don't want to know what's going on there. Instead, I grab Sticks and move away from the diplomat a little.

"So, how are you going to act?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"You stil pretending to be my consort? Or are you something new now?"

"Oh! Yes, I'm still your consort. The other two already know. So now worries, I'll just commandeer a tent for me and my companions. We'll talk more later." I nod as she strides off, grabbing a passing warrior and berating him with commands. He seems a bit confused for a moment, and I realize that he's from the Hawkeye, who didn't really get any chance at all to learn to deal with the elf woman. He quickly gets the picture though, and is doing as she says within minutes.

I return to Erfil, who has taken the opportunity to spread the first map out on what appears to be thin air, but which I quickly realize is the air made to solidify into the equivalent of a table. I suddenly remember that I hadn't checked them, and upon doing so am hit by the light of two very powerful mages. It's obvious that they dwarf my shamans easily, and that suggests that in their chosen field(mind magic) they likely surpass my abilities. This will have to be changed. For now, I take a look at the map.
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No. 304020 ID: f0e3ae

>>((I would simply like to point out that I am laughing right now, as you've all assumed that Sticks was the only spy... well, one must accept the consequences for their suggestions.))

We did? I wasn't assuming that... but I assumed that all of them were only recently sent out because that would explain why she is even more clueless than vincent about humans... Seems that isn't the case, she is just antisocial.
Or was there something else that we said that suggested that?

>Erfil mentions that they'll happily bring wood for me to use, in exchange, perhaps we could be persuaded to part with some of the metal we extract from the earth?

Don't see anything wrong with that. You got iron, they got wood, you trade. Later on you trade it with others for other things they have and you don't. They will certainly bring more wood for a longer time if you actually trade for it. Of course, you find need to get people who know how to mine.

>I hadn't checked them, and upon doing so am hit by the light of two very powerful mages.

I thought that was a passive always on ability you have... could they have used mind magic to make you "miss" them? could they have been reading your thoughts? that would explain why that one guy was pissed at you.
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No. 304027 ID: cf65c1

Instrumentality, they intend to use you and try to destroy you the moment they think the cost of your continued existence and support outweighs the benefit. Such an excellent ally we have gained here, blah. I'd be offended if we weren't planning similar likewise.
That all said, it's worth asking about orcharding and arborculture since transporting wood further than it has to go will be a drain on both your economies.
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No. 304030 ID: f0e3ae

>>304027
They might also be trying to make you afraid of attacking them by a show of power. And to use those 10 years to "judge" you.

good point about excessive transport costs... maybe teach the shamans some of the wood harvesting (without killing the tree I assume) spells they use, and wood growing and wood twisting... Could produce your own woods that way... although there really aren't enough of them, but it can be used for special woods at least; and knowledge is knowledge. Its worth knowing how even if you don't intend to do it.
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No. 304033 ID: eba49f

We should say that obviously their spies do more than we had thought, and we will avoid underestimating them again.
We should also ask what the elves intend to do with the metal they want in trade, if they prefer to make things from wood.

We still probably want some masonry for developing our city, as wood buildings are not such a great idea if you plan on keeping magical fires around. (Are there any dwarven settlements or communities near where we are (and not in Everfrost)? A dwarf seems like precisely the kind of person we want to hire for masonry / smithing)
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No. 304045 ID: f6360f

>We should say that obviously their spies do more than we had thought, and we will avoid underestimating them again.
It's not actually obvious that their spies do more than we thought. One competent person with a decent invisibility trick and a couple years to travel around Everfrost could easily provide a map of this quality.

I'll be impressed if they can give us a complete rundown of Everfrost's command structure both militarily and politically, the numbers and locations of their armed forces, and personality profiles and personal histories on their half-dozen most prominent figures. That would be "plenty". See how much of it he can give you, and if the answer is "all" or "most", only then would it be reasonably truthful to admit error.
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No. 304085 ID: 259738

>>304013
Even if the majority of their spies aren't incompetent, whoever is in charge of sending them out absolutely is. Sticks is a disaster. I am surprised she hasn't gotten a dozen other pointy-eared spies killed. And given what she knew about her own job, I really doubt they are that competent. She had no idea what she was looking for.
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No. 304092 ID: eba49f

> Sticks is a disaster.
This is assuming they actually intended to have her do any spying. They likely just send her out to get rid of her and maybe act as a decoy for the actual spies. (Maybe we should mention this to her at some point.)
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No. 304096 ID: 259738

>>304092
If that IS the case, they are actually a lot less competent than I was giving them credit for. Sticks may be a bad spy, but she also knows all kinds of arcane elf crap they don't want anyone else to know, and would probably be pretty pissed if she found out something like that. Maybe even pissed enough to tell us some of that arcane elf crap- like maybe how they get into that forest?
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No. 304320 ID: 9ec6bf

As I finish looking over the map, Erfil begins sharing his information. He personally vouches for the accuracy, although he does say that they haven't been able to get into the capital.

The royal family consists of four members at the moment. King Jonathan Kovak and Queen Paula Kovak. They have two children, the eldest a girl, Willow, and a son, Mathew. Willow was apparently a very outgoing young woman, but she is rumored to have changed recently, refusing to leave her rooms in the castle. Mathew has just come of age, and has been given command over one of the two armies in Everfrost. The entire royal family has apparently fallen from the heroic mentality of their predecessor, and are extremely corrupt and debauched. They are still generally well liked by those in the major cities, while the small agricultural towns hate them. This seems to be because the major cities get all the tax money put into them. Why, no one is really sure.

There are two major armies in Everfrost. The first is commanded by an experienced general, one Marcus Ristock. He's apparently what's actually keeping Everfrost from collapsing completely, as the royals can't be bothered to do it and Mathew is doing little more than playing at being a soldier. The army commanded by General Marcus has the elite troops, while Mathew's was made simply to let him do what he wants with it. Marcus spends most of his time trying to keep the peasants in line, as he is fiercely loyal to the King. Each army contains about 10000 infantry, 5000 archers, 5000 cavalry and at least 100 mages as a base. More soldiers can quickly be called up from the local populations as militia, estimates by the elves roughly number about 40000 militiamen. Marcus' army is currently dealing with raids from the Islands of Seven Shadows(another kingdom on the islands to the east), while the Prince's army is currently at the western training grounds.

The most prominent members of society are the mages that guard each town or city. Unfortunately, they seem to be just as corrupt as their king, and often utilize the resources of the towns they protect for their own purposes. This was believed to be what is happening in Rivercross. Marfolsa, Raditch, Carfin, Lorbras, Hectil, these are a few of the mage-guards, supposed to defend their cities from threats. They all don't really do so much. They are all powerful mages as well, which is quite good, since that means food for me after I kill them.

Other things to note. Apparently, there are rumors of immortals walking the world. Stories of immortals have apparently been scarce since the demon Hated(heh, the irony) killed most of the immortal population. The stories have been growing, however, and two sets of these stories come from Everfrost. The first the elves actually have experience with. A very young(relatively) immortal calling itself Murderer has been going on a killing spree across Everfrost, apparently for the simple pleasure of killing everyone said immortal desires. The elves believe the immortal is one of their own, one Kiliana Moontouched. Her birth as an immortal being was foretold, and she was born, but she was off somehow. As she grew older, she became convinced humans were inferior to elves in every way, and that they should be wiped from the earth. When the elves tried to stop her, she killed them as well, coming to the conclusion that elves were too weak willed to do what must be done. Her killing spree started there, and has been going on close to 1000 years now. The elves ask that if I can, they would like her captured and returned to them. If not, I'm allowed to put her down.

The other set the elves have only rumors, a human male that apparently seduces women everywhere. The women he seduces don't apparently remember ever having met him, no matter how well they are interrogated. The stories most often told are of various women being swept out of their dull lives for a night filled with passion, only to wake with no memories of the event except for a single rose. Most of these stories are told by housewives and other women bored with their lives.
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No. 304325 ID: cf65c1

What I don't even...
There's plot threads about immortals here supposedly and I hate that. New secondary targets acquired: Murder, dominate or ally with those immortals, if they really exist.
This force disposition information seems interesting but we need our own source of real-time updated intel eventually if we want to win decisively in some sort of conventional mass-campaign. Alternatively, we could kill or engineer the removal of this Marcus and watch the kingdom collapse into civil war: The mage-governors of rural towns are likely to assert their independence from the central taxation if they no longer feared his reprisal I'd imagine. Bring up this notion, ask the elves about the difficulties and if they have tried this yet.
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No. 304332 ID: f6360f

>>304320
All right, you might as well concede to Erfil that it was obviously a mistake to judge any aspect of the elves' abilities by Sticks.

Is that the complete extent of the royal family? That is, there are no other noble families with a claim to being part of the royal line, no lesser branches, no cousins or other relations? It seems almost inconceivable that after four thousand years the royal line would have remained contained to just four targets. I might guy that for a longer-lived race known for its infertility, but humans? I'd have expected half the kingdom's nobility to be descended from that hero guy, and a quarter of the kingdom the fruit of corrupt royals' tendency to father dozens upon dozens of bastards over the centuries. This bit of vengeance is sounding much too easy.

>Marcus spends most of his time trying to keep the peasants in line, as he is fiercely loyal to the King.
Why is this guy loyal to the King, if the royal family is so worthless?

>They are still generally well liked by those in the major cities, while the small agricultural towns hate them.
This implies to me that our invasion should focus on sacking the major cities and mostly ignoring the lesser targets, so that when the royal family is dead and you declare yourself to be in charge, the populace will be less inclined to hate you over it.

>Marcus' army is currently dealing with raids from the Islands of Seven Shadows
Let's hear about this kingdom and their raids. Is this conflict a recent thing? How big of a military problem is it, that it requires twenty thousand troops and a hundred mages to deal with it?

>Her killing spree started there, and has been going on close to 1000 years now. The elves ask that if I can, they would like her captured and returned to them. If not, I'm allowed to put her down.
She seems like someone worth dealing with if she starts killing our minions, but otherwise... What's a few mortals one way or another? And hunting immortals certainly wasn't part of our bargain with the elves. Not that you should mention that; it would be impolitic.

>a human male that apparently seduces women everywhere.
...seriously? Seriously?

Even if it's true, that guy is obviously a total joke and no real threat.

>The most prominent members of society are the mages that guard each town or city.
What keeps these mages loyal to the crown? Given how powerful Marfolsa was, it seems doubtful that the king would be able to hold onto them if they decided to break off, particularly since they control their cities' resources and thus could raise substantial armies. Heck, they're probably stuck footing the bill for most of the standing armies anyway.
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No. 304335 ID: e05a2c

Threat assessment:

-The armies:

--The General's Great Threat
----His army is about 20 times yours. do not engage intill you have a least 1/10 ( I would prefer 1/5) his, Even if we use hit and run tactics (powered by Endurance/Shadow Step) we would need to be very careful to take him down.

--The Prince's Large Threat
----While his army is just as large as the general's, It is unlikely to be as well disciplined and less likely to take to the field, an raiding force would work well against this army (inferred from the unlikelihood of good leadership and the strain on the baggage train "Of course I need my pleasure pavilion at every battle").

-Local Defenders

--The Militiamen Large Threat
----Over 40 times the number of warriors you have (though dispersed) the shear number of them proves a great threat by the ability to encircle you, among other tactics. What needs to be done is find some way to incite them into rebellion or slaughter them individually.

--The Mage-Guards Moderate Threat
----Though they will be a great threat to your men, they are a small threat to you. You may be able to kill them before they do to much damage because they are so few individuals that can do great harm, making it practical for you to visit each of them individually. (also you get yummy sparks)

-The Immortals

--Murder Small Threat
----He kind of reminds me of you, before the being trapped thing. You would probably find it easy to "get into his head" as the saying goes, and if he's killing everything he's probably not playing smart enough to get/use allies.

--Kiliana Moontouched Large Threat
---- 1000 years is a long time to go with out some one trying to kill you especially some one competent (also time enough time to build up quite a reservoir of sparks).

-- The Seducer Small Threat
---What your doing is unlikely to interup him for his "journey of love" or what ever he's doing, aslong as you don't start killing all the ladys (or something like that).



Enchantments
Your Greatest Asset in this war will be maneuverability. In that vain it would be wise to focus your enchantments like so.
Shadow Step - self evident (at high power you could cross other wise impassable terrain).
Endurance - very useful in a strait fight and if you need to run through the night to bypass an army in ambush or go three days with out food.
Regeneration/healing - because we have fewer warriors (and I don't see that changing in the near future) we need some way to get any wounded back into fighting condition as fast as possible.
Sight - For scouting (very important if your going to out maneuver somebody) and for archers to pic out targets.

Useful but low priority
Illusion - to hide our troops or spread missinformation (perhaps sticks could help you with that one)
Speed - Self evident
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No. 304339 ID: 259738

Okay, Everfrost's army is big. A lot bigger than ours. Attacking them right now is not a good idea. We aren't anywhere near prepared enough for it. So first things first-unite the remaining tribes, using an enchanted sword if possible, and probably grab any barbarian artifacts.

Immortals don't seem to be an immediate threat, but could probably get in our way. Even the one seducing women could be a problem-he is still immortal, and we know nothing about his motivations. If we come across the elf, we should probably try to capture her, since the elves might be willing to pay us in some way for retrieving her.

>>304335
Attacking a force that outnumbers us 10 to 1 would be pretty much completely suicidal at this point. Even if our forces were vastly superior to theirs, and at this point they aren't, and may actually be inferior, being outnumbered 10 to 1 is a huge deal. Right now we are outnumbered 80 to 1. Starting a war now would be incredibly stupid. I'm starting to see why Vodthag doesn't agree with us. If Hated could deal with his eating issue, it might not be impossible, but right now it isn't looking like we are ready for war.
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No. 304350 ID: f0e3ae

We only have 2 of the major tribes... we are not attacking yet. First we must unite all tribes, which should skew the equation heavily...

Marcus Ristock seems to be the biggest threat, we need more intel on him and his loyalty, if it is genuine we need to assassinate him,
The other immortals? if they cross you, kill them, otherwise ignore them for duration of war.

those things are all for the future, now you should still be uniting the tribes and getting those relics from the tomb
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No. 304359 ID: eba49f

An advantage we should work on developing (it will take time, but we need time anyways for uniting and developing the tribes) is ultra-mobile artillery. Apparently enchant users can cast rituals if they have the right enchants, so some siege Spellhands (equipped with an artillery ritual, shadow step,) and some sort of far-sight spell could conceivably attack from quite a long distance away before retreating at shadow-speed. (Though we should have something with them to keep enemy mages from trapping them by killing their shadows with a flare. Perhaps a few of their guards should bring smoke spells.)

Some questions for elf guy:
* What is keeping your agents out of the capital? Is it just heavily guarded, or do they have some sort of magical security system that you know of?

* Do Everfrost's non-mages rely mostly (or entirely) on physical weapons and armor, or have their mages been enhancing them?
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No. 304368 ID: 9ec6bf

>Is that the complete extent of the royal family?
((You only reported to the elves was that you were hunting the members of the royal family, not the descendants of hero. Two different things. The elves are working under the assumption that your going for the actual royalty.))

>Why is this guy loyal to the King, if the royal family is so worthless?
I ask and am rewarded with "He's bound by codes of honor, and as he was knighted by the previous king, feels his loyalties should always remain with the crown, even if he doesn't agree with the policies of the crown." So basically, he's full to the brim with that honor crap.

>Let's hear about this kingdom and their raids. Is this conflict a recent thing? How big of a military problem is it, that it requires twenty thousand troops and a hundred mages to deal with it?
"The Islands of Seven Shadows is a recent kingdom, in the big picture. They have been around for a little less than 400 years, and while they are young, they have surprising amounts of nationality among the citizens. They are, however, relatively weak militarily, and instead choose to use lightning raids to harass Everfrost. The raids are apparently frequent enough and devastating enough that the army had to be sent in. From what we elves have heard, the Islands even managed to set fire to one of the towns. Felport I think. Other than that, we know little of them, as they lie on the opposite side of Everfrost and thus we don't need to deal with them at all."

>What keeps these mages loyal to the crown?
"The specifics are unknown. It is known that all of the mage-guards have been to the capitol, specifically the castle, but what happens inside is lost to us. We assume that they are bound magically to an oath of some sort, much like you will be when we get the chance to finalize our peace agreement. The king is the descendant of a hero after all, so we can assume that he's got at least some magical power. If he doesn't, good for us. The human hero was known for making golems frequently."

>What is keeping your agents out of the capital? Is it just heavily guarded, or do they have some sort of magical security system that you know of?
"Both. The city is literally built into the side of the mountain, so it has natural protection against invading armies. The walls they did have to build are at least 20 feet up, and there are guards patrolling every inch of the place. The magical alarm system detects almost exclusively for magical beings trying to enter the capitol, and alerts the guards, as well as a number of mages stationed in the capitol, to the presence of the intruder. We've lost a handful of elves already trying various ways to get in, but no luck for now."

>Do Everfrost's non-mages rely mostly (or entirely) on physical weapons and armor, or have their mages been enhancing them?
The standard soldiers do not get enhancements from the military. They can still buy them from mages, but this isn't really done, mostly because the soldiers would rather spend their money on beer and women than spells. Officers, however, tend to get basic enchantments placed on them, strength and endurance are the ones offered to these officers.

As for possibly assassinating Marcus. The elves feel like it could be done, but it would probably cost them lives, and there would be no guarantee they would succeed. If I want, I can suggest some kind of plan for this assassination, and perhaps that would help their chances of success.
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No. 304370 ID: f6360f

>>304368
>((You only reported to the elves was that you were hunting the members of the royal family, not the descendants of hero. Two different things. The elves are working under the assumption that your going for the actual royalty.))
That doesn't matter that much. "The royal family" doesn't have to refer to just the immediate royal family; it can mean everyone who could feasibly claim the throne. We might not be able to get a complete rundown of bastards and ancient long-lost branches, but asking after anyone who claims direct descent from the royal line shouldn't raise any suspicion. There are very solid strategic reasons to care about that.

>It is known that all of the mage-guards have been to the capitol, specifically the castle, but what happens inside is lost to us.
This makes me want to capture and interrogate one of the big mages rather than merely killing them all, although unfortunately doing so might be very difficult to accomplish safely. Still, worth thinking about- if you can get one into your hands, I assume you've got ways of stopping him from using all his sparks on you? Or the elves do?

>The city is literally built into the side of the mountain, so it has natural protection against invading armies.
My initial reaction to this is "maybe we should just collapse the mountain on it". That would take a lot of sparks and lose most of the loot, though. A problem for later, I suppose; we don't have to go after the capital for a while.

>The elves feel like it could be done, but it would probably cost them lives, and there would be no guarantee they would succeed. If I want, I can suggest some kind of plan for this assassination, and perhaps that would help their chances of success.
Yourself at the head of an elven kill-team, particularly one feeding you enough sparks to burn a few thousand in pursuit of the objective, could probably accomplish this relatively flawlessly. Could even snatch and interrogate him, which might be useful; the elves are mind magic specialists, right? So they can probably mind probe him to learn whatever he knows even if he's all honor-bound to not give into interrogation.

>>304339
>Okay, Everfrost's army is big. A lot bigger than ours. Attacking them right now is not a good idea.
Agreed. Honestly, looking at these numbers, I'm inclined to wait at least a year or so to build up power before launching any kind of serious assault. Everfrost's capabilities seem fairly static, whereas we have all kinds of things that we can do to grow much stronger as we wait.
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No. 304374 ID: eba49f

>Yourself at the head of an elven kill-team, particularly one feeding you enough sparks to burn a few thousand in pursuit of the objective
We should avoid mentioning our capabilities until after we have our peace treaty (and maybe avoid the subject even then). We shouldn't actively deny that we have unusual capabilities if they bring it up, but we don't want them getting too good of an idea of our true nature.

More stuff to ask the elf guy:
* You said that if I find this Kiliana Moontouched, I should bring her back to you. How do you propose I do this without her trying to shoot me in the back with a thunderbolt?
(What we shouldn't tell him is that we probably want to kill her if we can {we can get her sparks, we don't want her escaping the elves for revenge, and we would really be doing everyone a favor by ending her}, but the same methods might be useful for capturing one of the city mages)
*Inquire about any scouting spells they know we might use in our efforts against Everfrost. When fighting a larger army, reconnaissance and mobility are key.
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No. 304377 ID: 8b0de1

>>304339
You seem to think that we are planning to attack right now, right here and that we will attack in oped field during daylight, make it an honorable battle between two armies .. heck maybe even have a cup of tea with the commander of opposing army.
Just so you know, the answer to all of this is no.

We don't have to start the war now, not in a month, or even in the year. Hated was imprisoned for 4000 years, he should be able to exercise patience when needed.
There are a lot of shit that must be done before we start the invasion. First of all the unification of all the tribes, we will have at least 3000-4000 warriors after that, making the difference 1 to 3.
We also need to figure out alternative methods of transferring sparks. MrTT's suggested method is most likely to work, but there were several other suggestion including the phantom limb idea in discussion thread.
After we figure that out, we will be able to enchant our warriors. One of the best enchant combos would be this: night-vision on eyes + shadow-walk on legs. We would raid the ever-living shot out of Everfrost during the darkest of the nights. They will be completely helpless against us.
We also need to set up smithies and start equipping our army with better weapons and armor (maybe even enchant them)

Really, we aren't going just to charge in with no plan here.

Also, Hated is (was) powerful enough to level cities by himself. Him entering the picture would be like an angry god smiting the Everfrost.
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No. 304378 ID: eba49f

If most soldiers in Everfrost don't get enchants, if we put invisibility spells on the raiders it would probably take the guards a while to figure out what is happening and get a defense to it.
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No. 304380 ID: cf65c1

About the descendants of the hero, "Yes, our going after the royals but also all descendants of the hero. They all have claim to the throne because of their ancestry and our vendetta calls for the full and certain ending of their line."

Ask about intercepting communications and/or planting forgeries; it may be possible to manipulate Marcus into entering a prepared ambush or at least to figure out his schedule and to set up an ambush along his intended path.
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No. 304381 ID: f6360f

>"Yes, our going after the royals but also all descendants of the hero. They all have claim to the throne because of their ancestry and our vendetta calls for the full and certain ending of their line."
This is a lot to admit. Don't. We will have years to track down any lesser descendants, and it's early in the game to tip our full objective to the elves.
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No. 304385 ID: cf65c1

>>304381
Point. Retrying, "The only way to be certain that our conquest and assertion of dominance goes smoothly is to remove all the other descendants of the hero--their claim to rule rests on that lineage. It is very likely that if we do trigger a civil-war by removing Marcus that some of these bastard lines will be amongst the rebel leadership. Even if we don't engineer such a civil war we need to secure the bastards' loyalty and eliminate any opposed."
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No. 304387 ID: f6360f

>>304385
>bastard lines
This means something specific that we do not mean. It is far more likely that there are people who can claim legitimate descent than that there are well-known illegitimate lines.

And it seems clear that there is at least some magically enforced loyalty going on, so civil war will be difficult. All the more so, when we appear as an external enemy.

Anyway, emphasizing that anyone with a claim of any royalty or being the next rightful heir represents a potential later problem and rallying point for after the immediate royal family is taken out is quite reasonable. Tying it back to the hero is probably an overly revealing way to put it- let's not even mention the hero to the elves unless we absolutely must.
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No. 304414 ID: 9ec6bf

>I assume you've got ways of stopping him from using all his sparks on you? Or the elves do?
Kill him, or drug him up like Marfolsa or whatever his name was did to Sticks. The elves probably have some weird mind screw magic they can do as well. I ask about the mind screw spell, just to be sure, and the ambassador confirms that they do have something that can be used to prevent someone from using magic, or at least, from easily using magic. It basically disrupts peoples ability to concentrate. I also ask about any scouting spells the elves might be willing to share, Erfil suggest a sort of mind linking thing with a trained bird. The elves apparently train falcons and such to fly above the ground and scout out areas, while the elf sits safely somewhere else and does the spell, which allows him to see through the eyes of the bird. Erfil also suggests I try talking to the lorekeeper if I want more options, since his knowledge is limited more to conversation type spells and such.

I ask about possibly intercepting Everfrost documents and messages, but Erfil is shaking his head before I even finish. Everfrost uses some form of magical communication, and the elves haven't been able to puzzle out how it works, or a way to intercept the messages being sent.

"The only way to be certain that our conquest and assertion of dominance goes smoothly is to remove all the other descendants of the hero--their claim to rule rests on that lineage. It is very likely that if we do take control, some people aren't going to like it. They will most likely find any descendants and use them to help inspire a rebellion of resistance movement. We can't have that, it would be too much of a hassle to deal with after I make Everfrost mine."

There's a long silence from Erfil, then he turns to me. "You plan to take control of Everfrost? You plan to not simply ravage its lands and its royalty, but to assume the throne on top of that? You plan to effectively unite the Endless Plains with Everfrost, and make the single largest kingdom this continent has seen for 8000 years?"

I pause to think about that for a moment, then give the elf a beautifully insane smile. "That about sums it up, yeah. Hope that's not an issue with you."

Erfil sighs, then turns back to the map. "I will relay your desire for any others with claim to the throne be found. I must admit to some unease with your chosen course, but we elves swore we would not intrude on the affairs of humans, unless it affects us or our forest home. Tell me, do you want any legitimate heirs to be killed once they are found? Captured and brought to you? Or perhaps simply observed?"

That is a good question. What do we want our elven allies to do with any descendants they find?
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No. 304415 ID: f6360f

>>304414
>What do we want our elven allies to do with any descendants they find?
"Killing them as we find them would probably be premature- we haven't truly gone to war with Everfrost yet, and flashing our ability to murder specific people within their kingdom would tip our hand more than we need to. For now, we just need to find them all- anyone who either could claim descent, or could be forced into it by someone who wants to revolt and wants a puppet with a solid claim as a rallying point- and know where they are. Chart them all out, and once the invasion begins we can deal with them. There might be better plans for some than simple death, depending."
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No. 304420 ID: 259738

>>304377
You cannot count. The total forces of Everfrost are about 80000 soldiers. 4000 to 80000 is not 1 to 3. Also, I said nothing about fighting honorably. Even if we fight one of the most efficient wars in history, their numerical advantage is enormous, and we don't have the necessary preparation to handle it. I just don't want anyone to encourage Hated to fight now, because that will end poorly. Uniting the tribes and enchanting all the warriors still probably wouldn't be enough. Hated would probably come out of it okay, but I doubt whether any of the barbarians would. We need to come up with more than we have right now before we are ready-I'm inclined to look into golems, maybe even making a deal with the Dwarves to get them made. Are there any dwarves nearby the Endless Plains?

>>304414
Honestly, probably just inform us about them and their location. We don't want to tip anyone off about our war with Everfrost, because right now they would squash us, and we have put a lot of effort into these barbarians, so that would be pretty annoying.
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No. 304421 ID: f6360f

>>304420
>Uniting the tribes and enchanting all the warriors still probably wouldn't be enough.
That's true if we met them in a straight fight, but really, considering that it sounds like half the nation hates their leaders and they've only got a few competent military leaders... we can make this work. A string of assassinations and fast strikes to weaken their military machine, maybe a cleverly-crafted plague to ravage the nation further, and we should be able to manage to not fight the vast majority of those troops.
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No. 304423 ID: 259738

>>304421
It could work, but I'd like to be a little better prepared first. Also, releasing plagues doesn't sound like a great plan. It would be pretty difficult to make something that would hit Everfrost but not our people. It might not even be possible. Probably a better plan to save for fighting elves or something.
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No. 304433 ID: cf65c1

"For now identifying and low-visibility tracking of all of them is probably best since the only targeted assassination that is likely to be more useful than risky, if it works, is to kill Marcus. Killing off all the lineage that's easy to get to this early would spook the royals.
"I understand the elves could be justifiably worried about about helping someone to acquire such a vast nation, after having problems with a kingdom smaller than that amongst the humans. I propose that the proper responses to this concern is first for us to gift you with some of that land and second to set up broad trade ties that would be injuriously disrupted by hostilities. The reasoning being that if our prosperity relies upon each other's safety our nations will be less rash in going to war. Mind magic is all well and good but simple expediency is more proof against treachery, no?"
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No. 304436 ID: f6360f

>>304433
>the proper responses to this concern is first for us to gift you with some of that land and second to set up broad trade ties that would be injuriously disrupted by hostilities
The elves aren't going to turn on us until after we've taken out Everfrost. Save all plans to give or promise them more presents for then.

>>304423
I was rather hoping that as Hated is a master of body magics, he could develop a plague which someone with a curative touch enchantment designed by him could fix without difficulty. Thus, we wouldn't have to worry about the bioweapon hitting our own people.

But it's just an idea, and we do agree, I think, that it will be a solid year minimum before we can seriously consider assaulting Everfrost.
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No. 304451 ID: cf65c1

Problem: If it's a human specific plague that we have the remedy to this will by itself tip the enemy to the fact we are their enemy.
Modification: If this is doable, we spread it shortly before we are ready to do full conventional invasion.
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No. 304463 ID: 9ec6bf

"Killing them as we find them would probably be premature- we haven't truly gone to war with Everfrost yet, and flashing our ability to murder specific people within their kingdom would tip our hand more than we need to. For now, we just need to find them all- anyone who either could claim descent, or could be forced into it by someone who wants to revolt and wants a puppet with a solid claim as a rallying point- and know where they are. Chart them all out, and once the invasion begins we can deal with them. There might be better plans for some than simple death, depending."

Erfil nods, then rolls up the map and hands it to me. "The map is yours now, along with the one for the Endless Plains, or at least this section of the plains. I need to see about aiding the lorekeeper, as well as making sure Sticks doesn't get into too much trouble. To be honest, we were hoping she would die, embarrassment that she is to the elves. Please don't repeat that."

"Oh, I assure you I won't." Until such a time as I feel I can get something out of it. Preferably something like a way into the forest, so that I can raise said forest to the ground around your pointy ears.

Erfil leaves, and I focus on some of your questions. Dwarves live south-east of here, far across the plains, even for me it would take a week, minimum. The race(last I knew) were quite stand-offish, and literally only had two cities total. No one has actually seen the main capital, but trade is still conducted through the secondary city, Stonewall. The city is quite large, although if you believe the stories the capital city is even larger. Anyway, if we are to try to recruit some dwarves, Stonewall is the place to go, but we'd need to have something substantial that they would want in trade.

Moving on! Is there anything specific you'd like me to do for the rest of the day, or shall I just go about my business until nightfall and head for that crypt?
((Basically, anything else you want to ask/do, or do we time skip to nightfall?))
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No. 304466 ID: f6360f

>Is there anything specific you'd like me to do for the rest of the day
I believe that speaking with Vodthag regarding his stance on telling you about barbarian magic, as outlined in >>303346, was on the agenda.

If we wanted to mention Kailia to Nina to hopefully get rid of her clumsy seduction attempts, that should happen too.

And going out to hunt something nasty and killing it with your bare hands to burn off some frustration was also in our plans, if you still are in the mood.
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No. 304488 ID: 31f32d

mmm, where are the local orcs? the orcs, from what you previously said, can be conquered the exact same way the plain's people could... Although doing that now might cause concern to the elves.

Or, maybe we should avoid the army for the most part. Spend the winter enchanting a crack team of tribal, then them and you can perform surgical strikes on the command structure.

Wanting to conquer does mean minimizing the damage. Although there should be at least a few fights to sate the tribals.
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No. 304579 ID: cf65c1

>>304466
Yes, and when we speak to Vodthag we should tell him that we guarantee not to attempt to wage war on Everfrost for a minimum of a year and probably longer. Ask him if he can put together ideas on how to trick Marcus into killing himself--the Everfrost nation will become much weaker and less threatening with his leadership absent and so this absolutely makes Marcus his enemy as well.
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No. 304586 ID: eba49f

At this point, is the treaty with the elves signed?

Also, a general issue we will want to decide on:
If we get the opportunity to greatly advance military technology, how much should we do so? Such technology will eventually be copied and used against us if we use it extensively, and better weapons in the hands of mortals makes them a much larger threat to Hated.
>>
No. 304697 ID: 9ec6bf

The treaty isn't signed yet. Elves didn't seem to concerned with getting it done right off the bat, after all, they seem to think they have all the time in the world with their longer lifespans. They can take all the time they want, for all I care. Let them screw themselves over as much as they want.

As for any orcs, they are... if I remember correctly, they are east of the endless plains, on this island they call the Land of War. There's cities all over the edges of it, since those are declared neutral zones, but everywhere in the center of the island is a nonstop war zone. I don't even think most of the orcs really know what they are fighting over anymore, and I don't think they care much either.

Alright then, off to deal with Vodthag. I start off towards his area, and since I pass by it anyway, duck into my tent to drop off the maps and talk to Nina. I'm surprised to discover that Nina isn't here, which is something that hasn't happened before. Well, let's hope that wherever she is, she isn't getting into any trouble. Tongues isn't in either, but that's expected as well, as he tends to spend his time outside the camp/city walls, practicing with his fireballs.

I leave again and make my way to Vodthag, who seems less than pleased to see me. Grand for him, I don't care. "Alright, Vodthag. I know you said you didn't think I needed to learn about this mystic ritual of yours, but I want it anyway. Knowledge is power and all that. So, cough it up, or I'll find a way to get it that doesn't require your consent."

Vodthag sighs. I think he's getting used to dealing with me, or at least my tendency to threaten everyone that annoys me. Which is almost everyone at some point or another. "I'm afraid I don't see the point of you learning our magic, even if the knowledge would be helpful. You could not gain anything from it, after all. I refuse to give you any of our clans magical secrets, unless you can come up with a better reason than simply because you want to know, or that it would be helpful to know."

Well... that sucks. I need something ti convince the man to give me what I want. Preferably a violent way, but whatever you have works.
>>
No. 304711 ID: 53bbbe

>>304697
Teach them some of your techniques in return?
Something simple but useful.

Some Idea of what to trade
Reconstruct (hard to do but damn useful)
Fire (very fun)
strength (so many ways to use this)
>>
No. 304716 ID: b84932

Tell him that you need to know how his fancy magic stuff works so that you can better use it in the big battles/horrific ambushes against Everfrost.
>>
No. 304722 ID: f6360f

>>304711
We're going to teach them whatever the heck we want anyway.

That be worth pointing out. We're going to teach- hell, ARE teaching- all kinds of handy magic shit. Where does Vodthag get the idea that this is meant to be a one-way street? Everyone with sparks is supposed to be learning all the magic, so that the tribes as a whole have the strongest possible magic-users available, ones who can do anything for them. Keeping secrets is detrimental to the progress of the tribe as a whole, and by failing to tell you Vodthag is standing in the way of the tribe growing stronger.

And if he thinks it'll be so damned useless to you, then he should bloody well teach you just enough of it that you agree it's useless and go on to something more constructive instead of being all coy. Hell, if nothing else he has to teach you about it, because not knowing what your own shamans can and cannot do as a war leader is the sort of thing that leads to suicidally stupid mistakes. Refusal to do at least that much is an open declaration that he thinks withholding critical information that might get part of the tribe killed from his chief is a proper thing to do, in which case he is a bad head shaman- in fact, a bad member of the tribe as a whole- and steps will have to be taken to eliminate the problem.

>>304697
>I refuse to give you any of our clans magical secrets
>our clans magical secrets
>our clans
Hrm. I wonder if the different tribes have different magical secrets? And if so, wouldn't Vodthag only know some of them?
>>
No. 304809 ID: 31f32d

You really shouldn't threaten everyone so often. it loses its bite if you do. And this time you were bluffing (I hope, don't follow up on it).

You could say: Look, even if I can't cast it myself, knowing the exact methods and capabilities will allow me to better deploy it in battle and save the lives of our tribesmen.

But screw it, just go get the relics, this would put you in a better position. If he still doesn't cooperate after you get them and have tried reasoning then do NOT kill him (I know, it is trying our patience, but the other shamans will not like it). Instead you can challange him to a mage dual for position of head shaman (remember this is LATER) and then have him and the other elders be a council of elders, aka your advisors (to weaken them individually), integrate the shamans from the other tribes into said council as you conquer them, and then find individuals within the council who support you and learn from them.
>>
No. 304875 ID: cf65c1

"Look, if I don't know what the shamans can and can't do very, very well I can't properly value what you can do. If that happens I am likely to ask things that you can't do or try to do things the hard way that you could make easy, which will make all of the tribes poorer.
"If the shamans are as useful as I'm hoping this will be very important to reclaiming the plains, but I could be overestimating you and expecting the impossible. If you'd rather I believed you were all useless I'd just have to find something that I know you can do, like women's work. So your choices are to try to keep me ignorant, which ends in ruin and poverty, or teach me, which will likely mean me acquiring things shamans would find useful that are either scarce or even that you've never had before."
>>
No. 304901 ID: 9ec6bf

"Look, if I don't know what the shamans can and can't do very, very well I can't properly value what you can do. If that happens I am likely to ask things that you can't do or try to do things the hard way that you could make easy, which will make all of the tribes poorer. If the shamans are as useful as I'm hoping this will be very important to reclaiming the plains, but I could be overestimating you and expecting the impossible. If you'd rather I believed you were all useless I'd just have to find something that I know you can do, like women's work. So your choices are to try to keep me ignorant, which ends in ruin and poverty, or teach me, which will likely mean me acquiring things shamans would find useful that are either scarce or even that you've never had before.

In short, tell me about this magic of yours, so I can help make us stronger than we currently are."


Vodthag watches me, eyes intently studying me, then he sighs. "Seems I have little choice in the matter. Your own supporters among the shamans have been pressuring me as well, and if you say this is for the sake of the tribe, then I can't do much to oppose you. Alright, I'll tell you. But I say this only once, I won't repeat myself."

"The magic we use is often called the Ritual of the Tribe. It's a very simple ritual really, but it allows us to make all the warriors around us stronger and more durable. The increase is directly proportional to the number of warriors currently within the group. So five shamans could gather to start the ritual, and if there are a hundred warriors in the group, the increase in strength and durability would grow according to that. It does take five shamans to prepare and maintain the ritual, by the way. For the most part, the ritual can't do as much as true enchantments, but it's useful to give small boosts to large numbers."

Another ritual... I clearly need to find more specific information on these things. If these barbarians have one, than others should have them as well, which is going to be annoying. Hell, the heroes might have used a ritual on me to seal me down below. Well, that and the artifact the gods gave them... piece of godly junk. I wish I knew where it was so I could smash it.
>>
No. 304913 ID: 57e809

Ask him if that is the only ritual they do.
What other magicks do they aslo practice.

Also tell him that the book you toom is about rituals too
>>
No. 304914 ID: cf65c1

"Thank you, that is nearly as much as I need to know about it, and certainly enough for now.
"I am speaking to the elves about getting them to teach us some of their magic, and negotiating trade. What of their magic would we find particularly valuable or useful? Also, as an enchanter I find silver to be particularly useful, what resources can the shamans make use of?"
>>
No. 304919 ID: f6360f

>>304901
Questions on this.
-Five shamans are the limit of benefit? You can't have ten shamans use the ritual twice simultaneously on the same set of warriors for double the boost?
-What determines who is part of the group? Do all the warriors have to be gathered near the shamans when the ritual starts, or is it based upon the shamans' collective intent, or what?
-How long can the shamans keep the ritual going?
-What is the range of the ritual while it's running? That is, how far from the shamans can the warriors get and still receive the boost?
-How much focus does the ritual require to maintain? Can the shamans move around or do other things while holding it?
-Can they use the ritual to boost aspects of their warriors other than strength and durability- speed, for example, or endurance? Could be very useful for long-distance travel if they can.
-Is there any known limit to the number of warriors who can be involved?
-Does the strength of the involved shamans matter at all? Is there a minimum strength required to participate in the ritual?
-Any other rituals they normally use?


>Well, that and the artifact the gods gave them... piece of godly junk. I wish I knew where it was so I could smash it.
There are probably legends about where it is. Keep an ear open, maybe ask after it once you're more secure in your power.

>If these barbarians have one, than others should have them as well, which is going to be annoying.
Agreed. On a more positive note, someone must have designed all the rituals in the first place- there must be principles behind what makes them work. If you can learn enough ritual magic, and begin to reverse engineer them to those principles... you could start inventing awesome rituals of your own, and having all your minion mages use them to accomplish super-powerful things. Could be great.
>>
No. 304927 ID: 856690

The increase is directly proportional to the number of warriors currently within the group

Uniting the tribes just got better, imagine how much the increase would be with all the warriors beneath our heel!
>>
No. 304942 ID: 9ec6bf

>>304914
"Elves. We trade with them, yes, but I have no need for any magic of theirs. Most of it only works in forested areas anyway. We live on the plains. Although, some way to conjure animals would be nice, I suppose. We could use them as further troops in this war of yours. As for enchanting, we do not believe in enchanting mere objects. Only a man should control magic, not by proxy of some object. If an object is necessary, we steal whatever we think will work from the city-dwellers during a raid."

>>304919
"No, the rituals do not seem to build upon each other. We have tried this before, or more accurately, our ancestors have. They were unsuccessful in getting anything to happen. Whoever the magic recognizes as part of the group is effected by the magic. This means that others can join the group later and be added into the ritual's effects. How the magic recognizes things as part of the group, we do not know. The ritual lasts as long as the shamans maintain concentration on it. This effectively means as long as they are awake and not doing anything too complicated. Simple tasks like moving about and talking are fine, as well as anything of similar levels focus.

As for boosting other aspects, no. We do not know how to modify the ritual to do that, nor do we even know if modifying a ritual is possible. I personally think doing so would be an insult to the ancestors, but I doubt you care about that anyway. The number of warriors does not seem to matter in the ritual itself, but our shamans must be part of the group in order for the ritual to work. We do not know if there is a limit to the group size, as we have never had that many warriors to test it with. We have no other rituals. I suggest checking with the Hawkeye though, they might have something. I do not believe they do, however, otherwise they would have used it in previous conflicts with them against us.

Any shaman who at least has basic knowledge of magic can participate in the ritual. They of course, have to know the ritual in order to make it work, but that's easy enough to teach."
>>
No. 304990 ID: 77c458

>>304901
>Your own supporters among the shamans have been pressuring me as well, and if you say this is for the sake of the tribe, then I can't do much to oppose you.
That was surprisingly easy... It seems he isn't opposed to you at any cost. He says "because you are being selfish" and you just need to retort with "no, it is for the tribe" and his resistance crumbles. Certainly more effective then killing him. You are learning the subtle yet awesome skill of manipulation, turning mortals to your whim with a few well placed words.
>>
No. 305063 ID: cf65c1

"So no pigments, writing tools, writing mediums, particular gems, particular materials, special foods or drugs, particular animals or plants, all forms of tools... none of that is useful? You know all that the Everfrost, dwarven and elven peoples have to offer and find none of it any use at all? Interesting.
"In the meanwhile I have been making progress in understanding the magic in that book, it seems to be another group ritual spell--likely it is for attacking directly with magic. I thought you would like to know that, and I will teach this when I have finished translating enough."
>>
No. 305151 ID: 9ec6bf

>You are learning the subtle yet awesome skill of manipulation, turning mortals to your whim with a few well placed words.
I just repeated what that other voice said. It sounded like it would work, so I said it.

"So no pigments, writing tools, writing mediums, particular gems, particular materials, special foods or drugs, particular animals or plants, all forms of tools... none of that is useful? You know all that the Everfrost, dwarven and elven peoples have to offer and find none of it any use at all? Interesting. In the meanwhile I have been making progress in understanding the magic in that book, it seems to be another group ritual spell--likely it is for attacking directly with magic. I thought you would like to know that, and I will teach this when I have finished translating enough."

Vodthag looks a little insulted at my comments about not having interest in outside goods. "Our people have survived and flourished thousands of years without all these goods you speak of. And we will continue to do so, even without them. As to this ritual of yours... while I relish the idea of learning more magic, I can not say I enjoy the purpose of this ritual of yours. In the end it's just another tool for you to use in your war. Now, I have things to do, and I doubt you don't have things you need to do. So I take my leave of you, Chieftain."

Vodthag leaves, and since I have other things to do, I do as well. Since I couldn't find Nina before, I figure I could go out and do some of that hunting we had planned. As I'm making my way towards the open plains, however, I notice some shouting, cheers and general commotion. Normally I would pay this no mind, but it's coming from the riverside, which is where the women generally gather to wash clothing and gossip about things. I pause, just at the edge of the small town, and debate whether I should head for the commotion or continue on my way. I personally don't see what the women could possibly be doing that would interest me, but...
>>
No. 305153 ID: 259738

>>305151
Go check it out.
>>
No. 305156 ID: f6360f

>>305151
Might as well go check it out. Not like a ton else interesting is going on around here.

Are any other people being attracted by the noise and going over to investigate?
>>
No. 305177 ID: 77c458

>>305151
Ah, but you chose that over ripping his spine out... and besides, such exposure still allows you to learn. It could be fun, cathartic even... you have the mortals fight for your amusement, this is even better as they do not even realize they are doing so at your whim.
>>
No. 305192 ID: 9ec6bf

Doesn't seem like it. No wait, a bunch of women seem to be going over to observe... or maybe there just going to wash things. i can't really tell. Well, let's go investigate then.

I stride over and find a very entertaining situation. Namely, I find Nina's sister(the oldest one... I think) battling it out with the head shamans daughter. Which is an overstatement really, because it's more of a beating. Shaman's daughter can barely fend off half the blows, and she's already got a number of bruises along her arms and face. I spot Nina to the side, obviously unsure of how to deal with the situation. During all of this, Nina's sister is shouting at the other girl, most of which seems to be a long string of profanities with a few actual words thrown in.

After a few minutes, I manage to get most of the story together, and can guess at the rest.

It seems that the shaman girls advances on me hadn't gone unnoticed by the other women. At first they didn't really know what to do with that information, but after watching me ignore her, they came to the conclusion that I wasn't interested. Points to them for guessing that correctly. Anyway, they apparently brought the problem to the attention of my wife, who didn't really know what to do about it.

Now here's where the guessing comes in. My guess is that Nina went to her older sister for advice, only instead of advice she got a champion, who was now currently beating on the problem. Personally, I can agree with the method, but the execution, horrendous. She should at least be willing to break her opponents limbs.
>>
No. 305198 ID: 36bede

Yes yes
mortals beatimg each other is fun and all but you can enjoy that kind of thing during the tournaments.
THIS however, will not do! Break up the fight, express your disappointment, help shamans daughter (whatever her name was). Heck, maybe use some sparks for rudementary healing.
If you do this right, you could improve your relation with the head shaman, which is good.

After that go to the tomb, hopefully there will be something strong to fight there. Dealing with these mortals is becoming very bothersome, so you should do something to let off some steam
>>
No. 305202 ID: f6360f

>>305192
Well. That's mostly what we predicted would happen if Nina were alerted to the issue (>>303590), though I have to admit that I didn't really expect such a... physical method of resolving the problem to emerge. Still, it'll probably work- and you got to watch, which is more entertaining than most of your afternoons, at a guess. I'm calling this one a win.

Kind of disappointing that Nina didn't have the gumption to go after the other girl herself. She's got enough power to beat the shit out of just about any other woman in the camp thanks to her magical enhancements, so it's not an issue of power- she's just so indecisive that she lets Amalda do her beatings for her while worrying about if the smackdowns are even appropriate, which isn't a good thing. At least she's got someone who has her back and is willing to attack problems that she won't, though. We can talk to her about that later, give her some critique and advice on how she should be handling issues. For now, let's just watch. This is our wife's problem, hers to resolve, and even if she chose to do so by handing off the entire matter to her sister I'm still interested to see the conclusion. Make sure you catch all their dialogue, Hated, but don't bring so much attention to yourself while doing so that you disrupt the natural flow of events.

>>305198
...no. We're not going to break up the fight, and definitely not in order to help the head shaman's daughter, who is not discerning enough to successfully attract our notice in a positive fashion, not subtle enough to avoid drawing the attention of the other women in the camp, and not strong enough to stand up against the ire of our wife's sister. Vodthag is not going to suddenly like us because we stopped Amalda from beating the shit out of Kailia, and it would be an ill thing to come in on what is nominally the opposite side of the issue from Nina anyway. And we certainly don't need to offer any healing, because Amalda seems to be doing this to cause pain and assert dominance more than to inflict actual damage- otherwise she'd be breaking bones and such, as Hated noted.

Also, if anything this is more amusing than the tournaments, because while the tournaments might be fierce competition, they're highly structured and relatively formalized. This is much more genuine and thus that much more fun to watch, relatively limited brutality aside. Watching one heartfelt grudge come to violence is worth three tournaments in entertainment value.
>>
No. 305203 ID: 36bede

>>305202
Why not?
Besides, standing there and watching this debacle unfold will draw a bad image of us.
Maybe we shouldt heal, or exress any disapointment but do break it up saying that she had enough and then without saying anything more go about your business
>>
No. 305290 ID: 6a8913

Yah
we should break up the fight if only to get over this quickly and get around with our tasks
>>
No. 305338 ID: 9ec6bf

Guess I should at least stop the beating then. I push through the crowd, garnering a few angry looks before the group realizes who I am and parts for me. Amalda seems too preoccupied to notice me, Kailia is a bit preoccupied as well, what with getting her face bashed in. Nina notices me, however, and moves to join me quickly.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean for my sister to do this... P-please don't punish her too much, it's my fault really... I don't want my sister to be punished, so I'll take it, whatever you were going to do to her, so please just forgive her." Huh, it seems when she's worried about something, Nina gets a lot more talkative. Let's hope that transfers to the rest of the time soon. Except that Nina seems to not be able to wield her authority at all. Which isn't much, now that I think about it, but she should have at least been able to get them to stop. Whatever.

I activate another two dose of telekinesis and pull Amalda off, sending her tumbling to the grass a few feet away. The woman is almost instantly back on her feet, shouting curses at me now, up until she notices who I am, which she responds to by promptly loosing her voice. Kailia, on the other hand, looks like one would expect someone to look after being beat on. I examine my interests for the moment, and find that I really don't care about her enough to heal her. She can't protect herself, then she deserved it.

"Now, much as I love seeing people beat on each other, I'm fairly certain the shaman's daughter showing up at home beat half to death wouldn't be a good thing. Even though what she was doing was a bad thing, she seems to have had enough. Amalda, head home. There won't be any punishment for you."

The woman frowns, glares at Kailia one last time, then leaves, the crowd that had now reformed around us splitting to let her through.

"Kailia, I won't protect you like this again. You overstepped your bounds, and I have no interest in you. Furthermore, I'll add my own threat.

I grab the girl by the throat and drag her into the air. My voice drops to a low whisper, low enough so that only she would be able to hear me. "If I ever see you trying to catch my attention again for reason that aren't in service the tribe, I'll personally make it impossible for you to ever have children. Do you understand me?"

The girl nods, the fear in her eyes satisfying, to say the least. I drop her and turn to Nina, who seems a little frightened herself. A quick look around shows the same response on every face around me. I still find that I don't care.

[i]"Nina, tell your father I'll be going out till tomorrow, and that he's to make sure everything goes smoothly. Make sure Tongues continues with his studies as well. Don't worry about making dinner for me tonight, although I suppose that should be obvious. Understand?"

Nina bows slightly to me and, blushing slightly, kisses me in front of the entire crowd. The buzz of conversation erupts immediately, but I ignore it and head off again as soon as Nina is finished with her kiss, finally leaving the town behind me.

Well, how was that for "diplomacy"? I doubt it was quite as nice as it was supposed to be, but I don't have much practice. Also, shall I simply head for the tomb now, or shall I get a bit of hunting in first? I'm pretty sure I could find something suitable to kill in an hour, maximum. You know what? Screw it, hunting it is.

I've got a few things I can look for. Wargs are like wolves, only bigger and meaner. They still travel in packs though, so they should provide a little entertainment. There's also a few larger bison. They aren't too smart though, and aren't all that dangerous. They tend to gather in large groups, so we could hunt a bunch of them all at once. The last things we could hunt for is a plains wyvern. They used to be pretty numerous, but from asking around, they aren't all that many of them anymore. Probably because I killed their god. But I'm pretty sure I could find one if I looked hard enough.
>>
No. 305345 ID: 7dbc01

Nah
you did decent
I will admit that even being the one always advocating the diplomatic and friendly approaches since your escape, I am starting to really get annoyed with these mortals. Mostly due to the head shaman being a stubborn fool and that spark donation is not going as we intended (you really need to look into alternative methods, maybe devise a ritual of sorts?), and also how things arent going as planned.
It is understandable if you become irritated by everything.
BUT I think you shouldnt have cut your ties with shaman daughter so harshly as you did, she could have been useful.... meh, if need be we can always take back our words...

Anyway, I suggest hunting something dangerous ... well most dangerous
>>
No. 305348 ID: eba49f

You did well there by putting in the part about 'in service of the tribe'. That leaves an opening for if we do want her without us having to take anything back.
>>
No. 305368 ID: 259738

>>305338
Eh, just go for the Wargs.
>>
No. 305448 ID: 43a0c4

>>305338

Nice going with your diplomatic aproach. Got your message across clearly and established your strength in the eyes of the tribe as well as helpt focus all that energy towards more fruitfull things.

For hunting, well just killing is a bit wastefull. If you kill make use of what is left. Challenge yourself more by restrickting yourself a bit. Try to be very fast or something like that.

Take the flesh/fangs/pelts/whatever and bring it to the tribe and spin some yarn that you did it for the tribe. If you find young Wargs or wyvern: can they be domesticated/tamed? Could be usefull to have some beasts for guarding or attacking.
>>
No. 305602 ID: 9ec6bf

I don't know if I can tame one. I don't even know how I would go about doing it. I suppose I could look into it upon getting back to the city though. For now, I set my sights on the most viable targets I can find. Wargs.

It takes me about a half hour to find a pack of them. There's seven of them, all of which are gathered around a carcass I can only assume they have just hunted down. Said carcass is being stripped of meat quickly, as each animal rips chunks of the things with reckless abandon. Perfect for my purposes I think. I doubt they'll be much of a challenge, but it should help me blow of some of my blood-lust at least.

So now that I have them in my sights. I don't bother waiting. There's no one around that should care how I deal with these animals, and I think my enchantments are enough. I step under the smallest of the pack, and without any sort of warning plunge my hand into its chest, ending it's miserable existence instantly. The warg doesn't even make a sound. The others, however, react almost instantly, darting away to form a circle around my location. I shove the animal to the side and smirk at the blood coating my entire forearm. The wargs are noticeably frightened at this, but it seems that the intent to fight is still there. Good...

A few minutes later, and the rest of the pack is little more than piles of fur. I suppose I could take these bodies back to the tribe, but I find I really don't feel like dragging these into the tomb with me. Wargs aren't that impressive anyway, and I'm not sure how their teeth, fur or meat is supposed to help anyone accomplish anything. So I'm heading to the tomb. Maybe I'll hunt some more on the way back and take that to the city instead.

The trip takes awhile, and I reach the tomb well after nightfall. The door to the place is... a little anti-climactic actually. You'd think some king would be able to afford more of a door than a bunch of furs. Guess it doesn't matter to me though, just makes it easier to get in. I start forward, only to stop again as a voice pops into my head.

"So your the new chieftain of the Bearclaw and Hawkeye... You don't seem like much. I've had a giant try to take the tests and he didn't even make it past the first. I suppose I should let you enter the tomb, but I'm not even sure your worth allowing in. So, Vincent, explain to me why I should even let you, a city-dweller even in that form, try my tests?"

The voice seems to come from nowhere, simply appearing in my head. The only conclusion I can reach given that bit of information, and the rather disdainful attitude, is that this voice is Tirfuldin. It also seems he doesn't really seem interested in letting me just take the artifact. Shame, that would have made this simple.
>>
No. 305605 ID: 0bd0b0

"Come at me bro."
>>
No. 305632 ID: 259738

>>305602
Comparing you to a giant is really underestimating you. If he lets you attempt the tests, he will understand that. And you aren't a city dweller.
>>
No. 305652 ID: cf65c1

"You should let me because if I fail these tests my agenda to bring war against the aggressors from the river kingdoms will die with me, and if I win I could use whatever I win from the tests to make it work. Win/win for you pal, and can you really say you want to pass up the entertainment of me trying?"
>>
No. 305690 ID: eba49f

"I cam to rule those tribes by their own laws, and I am their best chance of avoiding colonization from Everfrost. If after that I am still unqualified, isn't that what your 'tests' are for?"
>>
No. 305700 ID: f0e3ae

"because I shall actually succeed in passing your trials"
>>
No. 305701 ID: 8b0de1

lol, some god that is
can't even determine that we are not who we tel we are
I have a fleeting suspicion that maybe it is not their god speaking but that the shaman has orchestrated some bullshit here.
>>
No. 305764 ID: 9ec6bf

>>305605
I don't even want to know what your thinking trying to get me to say this. I'm pretty sure the god would take this as a challenge, and then I would be dead, because there is no way I'm possibly fighting a god in my present condition.

>>305701
Gods are not omni-potent, nor do they automatically have the power to figure out who a person is. It might be harder to lie to them, but it can still be done. Besides, it's not like he can check my race, Tirfuldin doesn't seem like a major god.

"Because I will actually succeed in passing your trials. I came to rule those tribes by their own laws, and I am their best chance of avoiding colonization from Everfrost. If after that I am still unqualified, isn't that what your 'tests' are for?"

There was a long silence, then the voice returns. "You speak confidently, and without hesitation. We shall see, city-dweller, if you are truly worthy. There are three tasks, and while they can all be passed using various methods, the only way to fail is to die. Enter, so that you may be judged."

What is it with the number three? Gods seem obsessed with it. Why can't there be one trial? Or seven trials? No, it has to always be three. Hell, I wouldn't mind doing twelve, just for the novelty of it...

I descend into the tomb, finding a tunnel going down within. The walls are lined with torches, illuminating the path before me, and I begin walking down into it's depths. After a few minutes, I reach a door, an enscription emblazoned upon it.

The first trial is one of combat. Test yourself against the opponent, and once the battle is won, decide the fate of your opponent...

At least Tirfuldin isn't the kind to hide how to win. I suppose I should take this chance to ready myself. Is there any preparations you voices think necessary, or shall I go in and begin?
>>
No. 305765 ID: 8b0de1

>>305764
We don't even know what we are fighting. So I have no idea how we are going to prepare.
Maybe some extra enchantments? .. Nah, we have the best combo already.

Actually this:
>decide the fate of your opponent...
might be the test proper. So don't go killing your opponent before we give it a thought.
>>
No. 305775 ID: cf65c1

Yeah, some scrying magic to look ahead would be nice but whatever, this isn't the real test.
>>
No. 305794 ID: 0bd0b0

I am not saying do this now, as it would take some time, but in the future remember to have a badass sword forged for yourself. One so grand you could bisect an average house with one swing. Or something.
>>
No. 305810 ID: f0e3ae

>>305765
agreed, decision on whether to kill or spare your defeated opponent should depend on how things go and what you face.
I would activate your quickness of thought before entering, so that you may quickly react to any threat
>>
No. 305821 ID: 259738

>>305765
We still don't have any enchantments on our hands. We really need to figure out what we want for that.
>>
No. 305827 ID: cf65c1

>>305821
Invisible telekinesis that lets us Darth Vader choke--or just pick up stuff at range and mess around--for one. Ability to chuck lightning with the other.
This is not complicated or subject to much disagreement, is it?
>>
No. 305850 ID: eba49f

Can we shoot lightning from a hand that is also holding a metal item? Because we will want enchanted gauntlets and/or weapons, and want to have enchantments that will still be useful at that point.
>>
No. 305852 ID: 9ec6bf

>>305850
((Yes you can.))
>>
No. 306027 ID: d429c4

Can a hand enhancement improve our skill with weapons?
>>
No. 306042 ID: 9ec6bf

>>306027
((No. That's a matter of training muscles to react certain ways, and simply knowing how a weapon can be used. You could improve your ability to retain that information, but not immediately gain knowledge of how a weapon works or is used for killing. Essentially, nothing beats simple practice with a given weapon.))
>>
No. 306154 ID: d429c4

>>306042
OK then. I advocate that the hand enchantment in our dominant hand is an improvement in our "muscle memory".

That's for the long run. More immediately, upgrade your lost hand with telekinesis, and do whatever it is you do to scan for sparks. There may be golems in here, and it would be nice to know.

A side thought, rather than just upgrading champion, wouldn't it be more efficient to upgrade banners with area effect buffs?
>>
No. 306186 ID: f0e3ae

There is no time to cast an enchantment.

There is no point in preemptively wasting sparks on a spell we might not need. IF we need a spell for this battle, then we cast it on the fly.

Simply activate your existing enchantments and walk in, be alert and ready for immediate attack.

"Muscle memory" upgrade is an option, not necessarily better than the other potential upgrades discussed, but would be pretty cool to quickly become a sword-master... if he isn't already. Problem is that the name is misleading... its a brain enchantment because that is where the learning of such skills occur. Aside from being Vincent's weakest spells, his head is already a home for a useful enchantment (speed of thought).
>>
No. 306549 ID: 9ec6bf

>>305775
Some scrying to start things off then. I crouch, pressing my hands to the floor and closing my eyes to reduce the amount of information coming in. Thankfully, the tomb is silent for the moment, so I don't have to worry about trying to filter out that input as well. I take a deep breath, then let the sparks in me shift into the form of feelers and spread them out, reaching out to try and feel what might be around. I'm not surprised to note large amounts of dirt in every direction, but I ignore it as I move out further. The other room seems to be circular, as the absence of dirt seems to telegraph. For a moment there really isn't anything else to detect, then the feel of sparks comes around. Not unshaped sparks, like a mage might have, but rather, those of an enchantment, ever present but otherwise unspectacular. The strength of the feeling I have suggests either good number of powerful enchantments, but I can't otherwise get any other useful information. There are also numerous other spark-sources, but they are all too weak to really tell anything about.

I cut the spell short and stand again, taking another deep breath. Time to see what this god has in store for me. With that thought, I enter the chamber and get my first real look at this place.

It's a dome, maybe reaching up a few hundred feet. While normally this wouldn't be possible, especially judging the distance I actually descended, it's not all that unexpected given the fact that we are dealing with a god. They would have the sparks to spare on transporting someone to a different location entirely. The area itself is littered with weapons of all kinds. They do seem to be organized in some manner though, as swords seemed to be separated from axes, and so on. Some of them smell of some weak magic, while others seem to smell of none at all. I ignore all of them for the most part, nothing there that could truly catch my interest. Instead, I find my eyes finally drawn to the figure standing directly in the center.

The man is big, larger even than my new form, and is a good distance away to begin with. Even from here I can see the tattoos marking his enchantments, and I count four visible ones alone, not including those too small for me to see from where I am. The man doesn't seem to react to me at all, at least until I step behind him to attempt an easy victory, only to find myself in a wall about a dozen feet away and the man striding towards me, a noticeably more powerful magical axe in his hands.

All I can think is that I should have seen that coming.
>>
No. 306551 ID: cf65c1

Can you oil up the handle of that axe and set it on fire? If you gave it a slippery and burning gripping surface this may disarm him, and then we can proceed to un-arm him.
>>
No. 306563 ID: 234c26

>>306549
He obviously has speed boosts, or he wouldn't be able to strike as fast as you can think. Boost our own speed to more than match, and use our mental speed enchantment near-constantly to let us make best use of it. That should buy us more than enough subjective time to get a good look at this guy and try to identify what his enchantments are, as well as getting a better look at what kind of armor he's wearing and noticing any other significant features about him. Speed and mental speed should also let us use magic fast enough to pull off a lot of tricks before he can respond.

A cheap but highly effective trick would be to use just enough telekinesis to lift him a few inches off the ground. Without anything to brace himself against, he will be unable to effectively move and his swings will be forced to be wild and much weaker than they would otherwise be. Not to mention that you'd be able to easily walk around behind him and he couldn't even turn to face you like before.

If that works, just hold him in the air and magic yourself up some powerful paralytic poison. Stick him with it (use a much, much larger dose than you would for a normal person) and keep him held by telekinesis until you're sure that it worked. If that wins you the battle, since the god said that you can determine the fate of your opponent, choose for him to serve you until your death. You could use an awesome warrior-champion.
>>
No. 306566 ID: eba49f

He can probably shadowstep or otherwise short distance teleport, so you should keel the mind enchant ready so you will have time to react if he does.
>>
No. 306614 ID: eba49f

Do enchanted items automatically get resistance to direct damage from spells (such as a metal spell making its handle sprout spikes and becoming unusable)?

If that won't work, my suggested plan of action is to telekinetically fling a nearby dagger or short sword (or two from different directions if you can manage it being less accurate) at him, then while he dodges or block you telekinetically yank his axe away while he is occupied.
>>
No. 306616 ID: f0e3ae

>>306563
I like this plan.
>>
No. 306629 ID: 9ec6bf

>>306551
Let's give it a try. Can't be sure I can do it until I do. Let's see... I speed my thoughts up, giving myself some time to think. To oil his weapon up, that would be pretty simple, but if we're oiling up his weapon, might as well do the rest of him while we're at it. Then we can set the lot on fire. Works for me. I gather sparks in my body, first firing off a speed spell on myself to help me keep up. I find myself moving as if I was walking whenever I have my thought enchant active.

I then launch a spray of oil, summoning it up with from thin air. The man doesn't even bother dodging it, perhaps seeing it as completely harmless to himself. Well, then, let's see how he likes the next step. I snap my fingers, and a jet of flame springs forth, igniting the oil even as my opponent tries to dodge. For a moment he keeps right on burning, but then the flames simply snuff out, and I see an enchantment on the mans right palm that seems to be active. I don't know what it is, but it seems able to end fires at least. He's dropped the axe at least, but the moment it left his hands the magic in said axe lessened considerably.

>>306563
I try lifting him off the ground with telekinesis, just like you suggested. For a moment, he looks confused as to why he can't maneuver himself, and within that time I get a punch in which send him into a wall the same way he did to me not moments before. When I try the same trick again though, holding him into the wall with telekinesis, he manages to block my attack, then grab me and slam my form into the wall next to him, which breaks my focus on the spell.

When I manage to turn and refocus on my opponent, he has already moved away and retrieved another weapon, this one a spear. I can feel the same level of magic coming from the spear as the axe had before, so perhaps he is somehow managing to perform some sort of temporary enchantment? Or maybe simply pumping magic into the item. I don't really know. Either way, I don't want to get hit by it and find out what kind of damage it could cause.

>>306614
Directly affecting a magic weapon is possible, but costs great amounts as the magic resists being tampered with. The second idea, however, works well for keeping him distracted. I grab two of the weapons with two separate spells, then hurl them at him. The man blocks them, and begin advancing on me. I grab another two, making sure these are larger weapons, and hurl those at him as well. His response is to halt his advance as he focuses on blocking these two weapons, and in the pause I start up a nice barrage of weapons, aiming to hold him in place while I come up with something to do.
>>
No. 306654 ID: 234c26

>>306629
Can't you recognize what his enchantments are from their tattoo patterns? Or at least most of them? Identifying them exactly for us would be a good thing.

>within that time I get a punch in which send him into a wall the same way he did to me not moments before
...

The whole point of telekinetically hold someone else in the air is to keep them from having any surfaces at all to brace themselves on. As long as they are held off the ground, the only motion available to them is twisting around. If you're going to give him a wall to brace himself against and thus be able to move around, you might as well just have left him on the floor and not wasted your time. And attacking him with anything that wouldn't be a one-shot win seems foolish- if he was in your power, it would be better to seal your victory than to risk giving him even the slightest opportunity to make a comeback.

Anyway. It seems obvious here that this guy is going to be extremely resilient to sheer physical trauma. You should therefore be attacking with methods that cannot be defended against with sheer toughness or battle skill. Stop assaulting his strengths, and instead look for a weakness. Ideas for this:
-Use a very strong poison as was suggested previously, preferably in some kind of spray form which can be absorbed through the skin so that he can't block it. Failing that, a fast-moving blast of poisoned shards should suffice. I suggest poison as the first option because I would rather assume that as a body magic specialist you would be rather good with it; poison is, after all, essentially a product of one body specialized to act upon another body.
-Magically tie a thick cloud of choking smoke to the area around his head, so that he can't see you and will end up coughing and going unconscious from the bad air. You could use a globe of water (or, hell, almost anything; conjure a ball of shit around his head if you want) to accomplish the same thing. Hold it until he does; I seriously doubt that he's got some kind of "no need to breathe" enchantment on him.
-Use some kind of mind blast attack to simply take him out directly, which should work unless he's got mental shielding.
-If this dome is lit by torches or windows, put them out or conjure up very thick smoke clouds to eliminate the light source. You can fight quite well in the dark- seeing in it and using your shadow step constantly- but he may not be able to.
-Coat the floor with ice as smooth and slick as you can make it, since you'll be able to compensate using further magics and he won't unless he's got some appropriate enchantment already on him. This should be particularly effective in combination with darkness idea above.


If none of that works, pump five hundred sparks into a lightning bolt and blast him into a smear on the ground. If THAT doesn't work, you've got problems.
>>
No. 306661 ID: eba49f

Instead of water, we could use a metal spell on some of the non-enchanted weapons lying around to encase his head in metal. It would be more expensive to cast, but we wouldn't need to maintain it once we get it on him, and he would have a hard time bashing it off because of his head being right under the metal.

And keep in mind he is likely going to throw that spear.
>>
No. 306729 ID: f0e3ae

cast a spell to let your eyes see through his body. Use your telekinesis (or if it ran out, get new TK) to sever his tendons. You could sever nerves but that might be too difficult to reverse, or flat out sever a blood vessel in his heart or brain but that would be deadly. And we do wish to "judge" him to serving you forever.
>>
No. 306749 ID: 9ec6bf

>The whole point of telekinetically hold someone else in the air is to keep them from having any surfaces at all to brace themselves on
...Oh... whoops. Well, it works out I guess. We'll just deal with him some other way.

>Identifying them exactly for us would be a good thing
I can take a guess at what they might be. Enchantments aren't universal after all. Everyone has a different way one sees the spell. I happen to see armor as being something like the scales of a dragon, for example. That's the way I invision the spell takes form, so it makes a tattoo of that. But yes, I can guess at what spells they contain. If I don't have any idea, then I'll simply describe the tattoo to you and let you voices decide. The four I can see, plus the one in his eyes that I got a glimpse of.
- A solid tattoo of black across his torso, like someone poured paint onto him. Probably an armor spell similar to mine.
- Swirls along his legs... I would have to say this is the speed enchantment. Not much else it would be.
- Pictures of bear paw-prints adorn his arms. Almost undoubtedly strengthening.
- His face has the picture of shield on his head. This might be a mind-shield(it would be pretty straightforward if it was) but it could mean something else.
- His right eye has the tattoo of an eye in it. I don't have any clues as to what that is.
That leaves the tongue and two hands possibly enchanted, but currently I can't tell.

I sweep my hand in front of me, metal weapons springing forward and suddenly becoming malleable in my hand. I make a flicking motion, and the metal shoots out, the man unable to do anything due to the numerous other weapons still flying at him, and said metal proceeds to wrap around his face. I stylize it like a mask, just for the fun of it, then watch as he drops the spear and starts trying to dig his fingers into the metal. For now, I turn my attention to this poison you wanted.

The steps I perform are fairly simple. The first is to use my telekinesis to drag a spear over to me so that I can use it to actually apply the poison without paralyzing myself. Then it's just a simple matter of coating the metal end of it with some Thurgal-spit/venom, and walk up and jab him with it-

Shit! I step out of the way just as the magic spear passes through the space I was standing in before. Taking quick stock of the situation, I discover that the man apparently did not care about the fact that the metal was covering his own skull. I can see numerous metal shards literally protruding from the mans skull, and he's breathing heavily, but he looks far from dead. Instead, he seems to be saying something, but it's garbled thanks to all the blood pouring from his mouth. I decide to follow another of those plans of yours, snapping my fingers again and snuffing out all the torches in the area. I cast another spell to grant me some ability to see in the dark, and I stay perfectly still as I watch the man, him still trying to say something, and me still unable to make it out and armed with a poison-coated spear.
>>
No. 306761 ID: f3570c

Wait, don't kill him yet. The "God" did say you could decide his fate, right? He seems capable...let's add him to the group. Say something like "If you yield, kneel before me, for from now on I am your master. If not, then I shall end your life here."
>>
No. 306763 ID: eba49f

Hrm, it seems he is tougher than he is strong, if we can punch the metal off his dead with only moderate damage to himself.

Do you know of any rituals that one caster can use? We might want to get a minor hearing buff so we can hear him.

Also, you mentioned that as you are now Tirfuldin could kill you easily. What defenses or countermeasures did you have in your god-killing days that let you fight gods without being splattered?
>>
No. 306792 ID: 9ec6bf

"If you yield, kneel before me, for from now on I am your master. If not, then I shall end your life here."

All I get for my trouble is a rain of sharp metallic objects and more of that gurgle speech thing he keeps trying to do. I step over to the opposite side of him though, so I'm still perfectly safe. Besides, technically this spear wouldn't kill him unless I shoved it into his head or some other important organ. The poison on said spear should paralyze him though.

>>306763
To your first question, no. The first time I'd ever even heard of rituals was at that wedding thing the tribe had me do, when we were questioning shaman girl. I can, however, boost my hearing, which I proceed to do for the sake of hearing what this guy might be saying, or at least attempting to say.

"Tirfuldin, grant me the strength to carry on against all those who stand before me."

At least, that's what he's saying over and over again. I piece it together by listening to it multiple times, but in reality most of it's a garbled mess due to him pausing every few seconds to cough up more of his own blood. Not pretty, to say the least.

As for the god thing. I've fought two gods total. One was only the minor god that didn't have much strength anyways. The other was the god of all dragonkind, and it I fought after said god had already fought off another god it was in a feud with. I effectively ambushed it after it had already been weakened. Even then, it was the 20,000 sparks I had to my name at the time and a prepared magical item that let me regenerate lost limbs within a matter of seconds, which I had stolen from another god. Not to mention a few other magic items specifically made to allow me to survive getting constantly blasted with dragon's fire and whatever other magic it decided to throw at me. And the fact that it decided to eat me, and then I blew it's stomach open from the inside. Fighting gods is not easy, even when I was at full strength. I don't suggest doing it openly either, as it tends to anger other gods.
>>
No. 306793 ID: 234c26

>>306761
The poison is a paralytic. It won't kill him.

>>306749
With the room darkened, you should be able to move very freely with shadow step. I would recommend moving somewhat away and informing him that you can't hear his words clearly; if he means to surrender, he will have to make that clear through his actions. Otherwise, you will continue until he is disabled.

Be prepared to dodge an attack as you say this, just in case. If he doesn't drop to his knees, drop his weapon, or otherwise demonstrate that he gives up with his actions in response, then hit him with the poison. He might be strong and fast, but all you need is a single cut. Stay careful and precise, and it should be almost impossible for him to defend against you getting at least that much.

Don't get careless when fighting. Since he's taken significant damage and you have not, time favors you as long as you're not foolish enough to take a significant injury. With his injuries he's sure to slip up and give you an opening you can use to stab him, probably sooner rather than later.
>>
No. 306862 ID: f3570c

>>306792
Damned bastard. Shadow step to his left side behind, cut his back with the tip.
>>
No. 306863 ID: eba49f

He knows we will shadowstep, which is why we should use a feint. Run towards him, shadowstep to his right (and slightly above him if you can do that and then shadowstep again) slightly out of his reach, then immediately shadowstep to the other side of him before he has a chance to strike you. Attack immediately while he is still turning and aim for his lower torso or legs, as that is the farthest point from where you last teleported.
>>
No. 306866 ID: f0e3ae

>>306793
That, but don't ASK him to surrender... His GOD said that IF you win his fate is your to decide. Win, that is, paralyze him with the poison. At that point say "You have cannot move, you have lost. Your God Tirfuldin said that I get to decide your fate if I win. I decide that you shall serve me and through me your God. Be my warrior on the field of battle to bring glory to Tirfuldin."
>>
No. 306885 ID: 9ec6bf

I step again, this time just behind him, then step again to the side of him, just as his arm comes around to snap at where I was before. The spear in my hand is jabbed forward, and I only nick him with the tip as he dodges to the side. The return attack is way to late for him to actually hit me, as I step again back to safety. After that, I play the waiting game. At first, nothing happens, and the man just stands where he is, waiting for me to do something. Within a few seconds he starts feeling the effects though, and his response is to start hurling weapons around randomly, hoping at a lucky hit. I just keep stepping out of the way whenever one of the weapons gets close, and continue my wait. After a about a minute, the attacks stop, and the man drops to the floor. I step forward to stand over him, and smile. Leave this man alive then, as a warrior to serve me.

"You have cannot move, you have lost. Your God Tirfuldin said that I get to decide your fate if I win. I decide that you shall serve me and through me your God. Be my warrior on the field of battle to bring glory to Tirfuldin."

The moment the words leave my mouth, the scene around me changes and warps. I find myself standing over a large map, a note in my hand and the warrior from before standing next to me, his body completely healed.

A glance at the note yields the following.
The first test has been completed, you showing mercy to your foe and thus gaining an ally. The second task stands before you, make a decision, and lead your warriors to victory. Death is the only failure...

I discard the not, seeing as it has no further uses, and as I do so another man walks up, bowing before beginning to speak.

"My Chieftain, our warriors are ready to move out, they number one hundred men total. Scouts have reported that the town of Farshore is unguarded, we could easily raid it for the supplies we need to continue crafting weapons for your army. However, we have received reports that one of our camps has a high potential for being raided by an enemy tribe. We could go and aid them, but the window of time for the raid on Farshore would be lost. Your orders?"
>>
No. 306889 ID: 2afb5a

>>306885
Split your men to two groups. 65 men will go to the camp to deter the enemy tribe from attacking. You and 35 men will raid Farshore.
>>
No. 306917 ID: eba49f

>>306889
We should do this, and leave the champion (we might want to get his name) with the group to guard the camp. I suspect Fareshore will have some surprises lurking there, but we should be able to take them out. Still, we should run a scan for magic traps or mages before sending our infantry in.
>>
No. 306924 ID: f3570c

>>306889
This isn't real. From the Bearclaw tribe only, we've got about 1,000 warriors. This guy here said 100. Even if we needed to divide a group to stay and protect the tribe, sending 100 on a raid/reinforcing is too few. Our knowledge in tactics are being tested. But still, we're forced to play along with these "100". He said that one of our camps has a high chance of being raided, but that's not a 100%. Tell him to report back to the camp, do some recon missions on the enemy tribe, determine position, size and possible intention. Break 56 men off to be sent as reinforcements, but to move at different speeds, a group of the fastest warriors(let's say, 8) to reach as quick as possible to confirm threat, once scouts return with info, decide if they're gonna stand or not. If the enemy has a good chance of winning, inform about the rest of warriors(48) on their way. Even they have no intention in raiding our camp, leave 37 there, just in case(This will be accomplished by having at least 2 of the 8 fast runners to locate the "48" group, and tell them to further divide). The other 19 will have to travel all the way back and to Farshore(as reinforcements), though I doubt our (44+Us+Warrior[Ask for his name!]) raid on Farshore will take that long.
>>
No. 306986 ID: 234c26

>>306924
...why all the bizarrely specific numbers? Anyway, simple divisions of force are best. Complex orders have a high chance of failure, and having tiny groups of men running around is generally not optimal anyway.

>>306885
I'm pretty much with the others on this one. You have two objectives; neither can be neglected. Most of the warriors go to defend the camp under our second, with orders to make the enemy pay dearly if they attack. Hopefully their presence will be enough to deter enemy raids, and if it isn't perhaps they'll have the numbers to defeat or blunt them.

We lead a smaller force in a raid on the town; our personal strength should be enough to punch through any problems. While bringing less men will mean being able to seize less plunder, we can try to steal any horses or what have you in the town to make up for it. Or just enslave the healthiest townies and make them carry our loot. Whatever, we'll make it work.
>>
No. 306992 ID: f3570c

>>306986
Ah, the numbers were just an example, so you'd get the idea, and approximation.
>>
No. 307008 ID: eba49f

>>306924
It makes sense that this one isn't physically happening. Tirfuldin might keep one mortal around for guarding, but keeping 100 (plus however many opponents there will be) mortals around just waiting to run a test is a bit much.
>>
No. 307049 ID: 9ec6bf

So we're to split up then? Alright, that makes some sense I guess. Shame bout the loot, not getting as much of it I mean, but you all seem quite certain we should send somebody to guard that camp. Figuring in my own abilities, and the desire to drag as much stuff out of that town as possible, I decide to divide it so that 30 are coming with me, and the other 70 are going with Barvolsic(the big man). I instruct him to take his group and provide aid to the campsite, and push any attackers out. With that said, Barvolsic takes his men and heads out at once. That should help in holding off the enemy tribe.

As for my group of raiders, I lead them to this town, Farshore, and have everyone halt once we are in sight of it. I bend down to touch the ground, and release my feelers, probing for anything unexpected. A few minutes of searching reveals nothing amiss, no sparks to speak of in any form and nothing that feels remotely dangerous.

With that done, I personally move closer to get a better look at this place. All of the buildings are wooden, with thatched roofs. This place could easily be burned to the ground, although that would likely destroy large portions of the loot. There is no wall around the outside of it, typical for smaller towns like this one. The town itself, while certainly not bustling with activity like Rivercross, has a number of people moving about inside of it.

I look over my troops once I've finished my scouting. I have 15 men armed with axes and shields, 10 with bows, and 5 with larger two-handed axes. I tried to balance out the types of men at my(our) disposal, hopefully you all have some clue what to do with them all, because I've never had to lead anyone before. Ever.
>>
No. 307060 ID: cf65c1

Arrrgh, dangit. We should've taken the third option and recruited the other tribe, they're also followers of Turducken right? I mean really, true victory is not defeating your opponent, it is setting them to work on achieving your goals.
>>
No. 307071 ID: 234c26

>>307049
>Shame bout the loot, not getting as much of it I mean
You can still get plenty of it, probably. Will just require a bit more finesse.

>hopefully you all have some clue what to do
Okay, there are basically three approaches that I see here. Pick whichever you like best.

1. Mass destruction. Throw some fireballs and light the town on fire. While it's burning and chaos reigns, have your archers cover an assault by everyone else on whatever buildings look most likely to contain the best loot, killing anyone who gets in your way. Your men grab as much as they can carry or put on their mounts while you stop the flames from consuming your assault party. This option gives you the least stuff, has the least risk, and causes the most destruction.

2. Raid to maximize loot. Identify whichever buildings are likely to contain horses, and whichever buildings are likely to contain loot. Send five archers, ten axe/shield men, and three axemen to the former and send the rest of your men to the latter. The stable team's objective is to seize as many mounts and possibly carts and such as possible and bring them to the loot team to maximize the amount of plunder you can transport. The loot team's objective is to identify and extract plunder from the town. Your personal role in this is to lead the brutal crushing of any resistance. This option gives you a middling amount of stuff, has middling risk, and probably causes only a little destruction.

3. Conquer the town and at least some of its inhabitants. This one is ambitious, but you might be able to make it work- march in and personally do something to display your massive power, shock and awe the townspeople. Then demand their immediate obedience upon pain of death, and make a couple casually brutal examples of those who resist or try to flee in order to cow the rest. Your troops in this scenario will be required to prevent townies from fleeing, so you'd want to keep a small escort and split the rest into two roughly even groups with orders to engage anyone who leaves the town. Once the townspeople are intimidated into obedience, have your warriors systematically loot the town building by building, force the villagers to turn over every cart and animal that could pull one, and take all of it away with you. And also take any villagers who catch your eye as slaves. This option has fairly significant risks, but the rewards are obviously the greatest as well and the level of destruction is probably fairly middling. It would also probably cost a lot of sparks to pull off.


Personally I favor option 3 if we think we have the brass for it and no one else has a serious objection. There's nothing quite like aiming high. If that fails, option 2 should work, with option 1 remaining a last resort if we absolutely must burn something.
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No. 307111 ID: eba49f

>>307071
Slaves are a bit annoying to keep around, but otherwise I also favor option three. I think we should avoid setting stuff on fire before we loot, as walking into a burning building is not a good idea.
On that note, it seems likely someone will try to light the town on fire when your forces enter it. This test seems like it needs some kind of trap in it (unless it is another test of what precautions we take).
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No. 307270 ID: 9ec6bf

So we waltz in and take over the place, then loot it for all its worth using it's citizens as labor, all while keeping an eye out for possible attacks/traps. Once we've loaded up everything, we take said loot, using the civilians as continued labor, and haul it all back to the camp, where we wait for word from what happened at the other campsite, which has hopefully been defended from attack. Works for me.

I lead my group towards the town, and we reach Farshore within minutes. There is a token resistance from some sort of militia, but my men cut them down easily, and I direct them to round up everyone in town that could be of use in getting what I want. Just because I can, and because I'm supposed to show off some of my power to impress the locals, or at least frighten them, I hurl a fireball into an empty house and watch it ignite the entire building, leaving me with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It takes about ten minutes, but soon about 30 men have been gathered in front of me. Excuse me if I do this myself, I think I can portray the violent uncaring barbarian chieftain pretty well. Just to add some more power to the coming speech, I activate my tongue enchantment as well.

"Congratulations, you lot. You've been volunteered to help me gather up anything I could possibly use to in this little piece of shit town. Personally, I would love to see this place go up in flames, and just between you and me, it could still very well go up in flames. Whether it does or not is completely in your hands. If you gather up all the weapons, valuables, and foodstuffs, then put them in carts attached to some horses, I might decide to leave the town as it is, without any major damage.

Of course, you could decide to not help me. But then I'll be forced to go through your homes one by one, tearing them apart to find every last things I desire. Taking the time to do that would annoy me, and to relieve that annoyance, I'd need to set your homes ablaze after I was done with them, likely with your families still inside. I'm sure we'd all prefer to avoid that, especially because that would likely mean less loot for me. So... I leave the decision up to you, my friends. Let's hope you make the smart choice."


The men almost instantly start moving, the magic affecting them just as much as the threat of my words. I direct my men to form a perimeter around the town, with orders, stated loudly enough to let everyone around me hear it, to cut down anyone who tries to leave. The mood of the town seems to drop even further from the feeling of gloom that pervades the place now that I've moved in, but I cheerily ignore it. Glancing at the collection of goods, we have at least three carts worth already, but the pile seems to continue to be growing.

That's when I notice some mortal child. A girl it seems, she seems far too nervous about something to be simply afraid. The girl walks up to me, a jug in her hand, which she offers without another word. I take it, seeing no reason not to, and she bows a little while backing up. A quick taste reveals no poisons, which makes little sense, you'd think they would have at least tried to-

The next moment, I feel a knife slide into my stomach. That... I admit, that was careless of me, you even warned me to be wary of traps. I... I didn't take the girl seriously enough it seems. Mortal children always seem incapable of doing anything worthwhile. The knife, however, doesn't cause any major damage, it's wielder clearly unskilled in the art of killing, having missed any of the organs in my body. I pull the knife out and cast a quick spell to heal myself as I turn to the would be assassin. The fear is clear in her eyes, but that's not going to get her out of being punished for the attempt.
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No. 307274 ID: 639485

Choke her, Vader style. Then bitch-slap her while she's asphyxiating in the air just for the hell of it. Goddamned mortals, always a pain in the ass. Then, for some delicious irony, stab her with the knife she used, and laugh at her. The "cold-hearted brutish bastard" image is sure to remain in the citizens' mind now. "The hell are you looking at?(for extra trauma points, throw the body on the ground) Fucking move already!"
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No. 307278 ID: 0bd0b0

Ask her if she wants to try again, nonchalant. And after she silently refuses, say "Very well. I will show you how to truly murder someone." If she runs away, shadow step backstab her, then throw her extremely high into the air. Use your mind enchantment to accurately predict her arc so she lands on that little girl that got you stabbed. Twisted justice served hilariously. Continue the calm attitude, maybe drop a one-liner.
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No. 307296 ID: eba49f

While her clever attempt (if foolish in the larger picture; even if she had succeeded your men would then torch the town) amuses me, I suppose letting people who stab you get away with it just encourages them to do so more often. And people who already hate you are practically never grateful for you letting them live.
When we do kill her, however, we should do so quickly and professionally. Acting too bloodthirsty would make the villagers get desperate and do inconvenient things. Afterward we should say something like "Maybe I need to state things more simply. Do what you are told, you don't get killed. Do stupid things and there will be consequences. Does anyone still fail to understand?"
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No. 307316 ID: 856690

Why bother killing the girl, it'll be far more demoralizing to just laugh the wound off, if you kill her there is the danger of martyr, oh and you might want to get back quickly, It's likely your boys aren't doing well, considering that these ones were so easy. Just like Tirfuldin to make his own the bigger threat!
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No. 307323 ID: d429c4

Don't kill her. Tell her that she has challenged you and lost, and that she now owes you a life. The life you choose is yours, and just as her people will have to learn to serve their new conquerors, so will she have to learn to serve you, as a symbol of their submission.

We've started going down the constructive path by taking the warrior we fought as our Champion, now we should do the same and continue growing our stable of servants.
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No. 307335 ID: 259738

Do not brutally murder children in the middle of a test. Even if that doesn't cause you to fail, it is unlikely to make you look good. And that is the entire point of what we are doing right now. That doesn't mean don't deal with assassination attempts, but don't murder little girls in excessively brutal ways. Bury her in the ground to the neck or something. Noone without magic can dig themselves out of that, and you can hold her hostage for the good behavior of the town.
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No. 307359 ID: 234c26

>>307335
>Even if that doesn't cause you to fail
>Death is the only failure...
No worries about that. We can do whatever we want.

>>307270
>The fear is clear in her eyes, but that's not going to get her out of being punished for the attempt.
Two potential courses of action that I would back: One, say "that was stupid of your" or something to that effect, use your Explode spell on her. Boom. Then glare at the villagers and shout about how they should be working, not resisting, or you'll make them dream of what the little assassin got.

Second option is to enslave her for it: laugh, grab her, and declare that she's make a mistake; seem weapons go on the carts. Since she seems so eager to help you and bring you things, you'll keep her to serve you until you get bored of her. Than knock her out and throw her on the carts with the rest of the loot. Remove her far enough from her town and family and abuse her a bit, and she's young enough that she'll break and become a reliable servant in relatively short order.
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No. 307360 ID: 9ec6bf

>constructive path
((This is important. Pay attention to it.))

"You aren't very good at the killing thing, are you, little one? Perhaps you'd like to try again?" The girl, obviously, just stares at me with continued fear, which just seems to get larger after my rather nonchalant response to the attempted assassination. Since there is no reply from her, I continue. "Well then, let me demonstrate how one properly inflicts pain."

Using telekinesis, I slam her body into a wall, hard enough to inflict a great deal of pain, but not hard enough to deal a lethal blow. The girl does however, give off a scream of pain and fear, and almost instantly in response to this, a woman darts out from a nearby building, running towards the girl. I let her at this point, dropping the girl as I have seemed to make my point clear. I turn to the now frozen group of men, a slight smile on my face.

"Maybe I need to state things more simply. Do what you are told, you don't get killed. Do stupid things and there will be consequences. Does anyone still fail to understand? Perhaps another demonstration is needed?"

Every single person immediately gets back to work, moving faster than they were before. I glance back at the girl and who I presume to be her mother, they're already disappearing inside another house. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but we'll just have to wait and see. A quick check on the gathered goods shows it to be about 16 carts worth. That seems to be pretty much it, it is a relatively small town.

One of my warriors also comes up, telling me that they've heard what sounds like the city's guards returning from wherever they had been dragged off to. Said guard would make it here in about ten minutes, but the goods need at least 15 minutes to load into carts and ready said carts for departure. That means that if we want everything, we'll need to do some defending, likely against a larger group. Furthermore, that voice is right about Tirfuldin likely making his own attacking tribe the major problem, not to mention that the big man and his forces are likely facing off against a larger force. They probably need help, if they are being attacked.
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No. 307364 ID: 234c26

>>307360
>Said guard would make it here in about ten minutes, but the goods need at least 15 minutes to load into carts and ready said carts for departure.
Order your warriors to oversee and/or aid in finishing loading the carts as fast as they can, then get them moving. You personally will take care of these wretched guards so that the evacuation goes smoothly.

Use your shadow step, possibly in combination with other abilities, to move as quickly as possible towards where your warriors say that the city guards are. It shouldn't take more than thirty seconds or so if they're that close. Being a ridiculously awesome warrior with magic powers, it should be relatively simple for you to smash into their group like a wrecking ball and do enough damage to throw them completely into chaos, no matter how many they are. This should also intimidate them enough that, once you've left the town behind you, they will not be inclined to engage. When you're confident that they won't be able to mount a successful pursuit of the carts, return to town and make sure that your warriors depart successfully with the booty.

>They probably need help, if they are being attacked.
Almost certainly. Once the loot gets moving, shadow step as fast as you can to the town that was under threat. Hopefully you'll arrive in time to turn the tide of battle.
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No. 307495 ID: f0e3ae

There are several ways to go from here depending on how many guards there are coming.

1. If a small enough force then you and your men could kill or cow them. (maybe using townspeople as hostages, maybe blasting them with fireballs, etc).

2. If its a LOT of them, then you should scoot.

3. If it is an entire army then you need to move NOW and maybe set the village on fire to distract the guards. (allows you to escape with loot... but they will send the whole army for you in a day or two as there is nothing for it to remain to guard).

I seriously doubt that it is 3, and 1 will actually allow you to loot the town completely AND bring the townspeople as slaves. (including said assassin girl, she will make an excellent barbarian when she grows up). If #1 then some guards might actually surrender allowing you to loot the arms and armor of the surrendered and the killed. If 2 or 3 then you should take some villagers hostage informing them that they WILL be released unharmed if the guards do not pursue you, but killed if pursued.

Oh, and DO order the town to make sure they KEEP their food, you want valuables and you don't want them to starve (so you could perhaps pillage them again in the future; or even set up a situation where they pay you yearly tribute to stave off attacks).

So anyways, your first order of business is to ask "how many are coming". If they don't know then shadow step to the end of town and see for yourself.
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No. 307498 ID: 099797

A tactic that is fairly effective and quite fun for taking on crowds is to telekineticly lift an enemy and they use them to bludgeon other enemies. (Or you could just punch them with your enhanced strength. That works too.) Also, how are we doing in spark count? We want to keep track of the general amount so we don't run out at an awkward moment.
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No. 307506 ID: 234c26

>>307498
Really, it would probably be more efficient just to use a spell with massively boosted radius, if we want to use magic to take them out. But depending upon their numbers, we may very well be able to rely upon our base enhancements to beat the crap out of them; shadow step+strength is crazy brilliant for rapidly stepping between opponents and getting in quick, decisive hits.
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No. 307513 ID: 099797

If there are too many guards for you to take out, you should cast some wallish spell to delay them. About how long would a wall of summoned stone spiked last?

I support the tribute idea (though that only works if you can beat the guards in a fight), bur I think taking slaves is really more trouble than it is worth when you have magic to do your heavy lifting.
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No. 307521 ID: cf65c1

Pillage, then burn.
If the guards are too busy trying to salvage who and what they can from a burning village they are much less likely to come after you before you get home and can move the main tribal camp.
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No. 307522 ID: 099797

>>307521
I would counter-argue with another classic quote.
"If you hit a man too hard, you can rob him once. If you hit a man just hard enough, you can rob him every month of the year."
We should avoid burning the village if we can avoid it, so the village will have more stuff to take as loot or tribute in the future.
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No. 307526 ID: 099797

Forgot to mention:
Also, burning them at this point is a bad idea because a vital part of gaining cooperation from victims (or subjects for that matter) is to be known for keeping your promises as well as your threats. The villagers as a group have not caused much trouble yet, and we said we would not burn them down if they cooperate.
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No. 307562 ID: f0e3ae

>>307526
that is a good point... even if we set fire to the village a large enough force could split into pursuers and those assisting with the fire.

It is far more sensible to hold hostages... in fact you can hold hostages in front of the oncoming force and just tell them to stay out of town and that you will leave without killing anyone.
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No. 307599 ID: 9ec6bf

>>307498
Spark Count: 2865

I set my men to helping the villagers in loading the carts. That way, it will go a little faster, and we can get out of here. I also instruct my men to get the carts moving as soon as we are ready to go. No use in them waiting for me, especially since I'll be headed out to deal with the guards coming. I also tell them to drag only a few of the villagers with us, and to avoid setting fire to the place. I can decide whether I should do that on my way back through here to the other campsite. My men are also instructed to leave most of the food behind. We might come back and raid them again after all, and we want them to be around when we do. I snap a quick telekinesis again, grabbing a few of the villagers with it and dragging them along as I start stepping off towards the incoming guards, within a few minutes, I'm there, and I deposit the random civilians in front of me. The first few guards pause in what they were doing, clearly confused as to what to do, but given a few minutes, they form into a rough formation as their captain steps forward.

"Who are you? Why do you have those citizens there? Wait... your a barbarian! Release them at once, cur, before I cut out you stomach and-"

"Please, sit down and shut up." He proceeds to do as I say, mostly because I hit him with the telekinesis, forcing him to sit. It produces the same results among his men though. They all start to get a little restless, as they just saw their leader obey me. Good. Keep em on edge and all that. "Now, let me explain the situation to you. You all are supposed to guard the village back there. I can understand that... mostly. Anyway, I want the resources inside said town. Seeing how I got to it first, the stuff inside it should be mine. Therefore, I offer you a deal. Stay away from the town for awhile. 20 minutes should be enough. If you do, none of the villagers, or rather, no more villagers have to die. If you don't, the town and everyone in it are going to be set on fire. The decisions is yours, Captain. Hell, I'll even give you these people if you agree, sort of a good will gesture. But I don't have all day, so hurry up with your decision."

"WE don't deal with barbarian scumbags! Men, prepare to-"

I snap one of the villagers necks, forcing all of the soldiers, who'd begun drawing weapons and readying to charge, to freeze in place. The captain simply stares in disbelief, either he's new, or the previous chieftain in the area wasn't a ruthless bastard like me. I don't care which, personally, I just don't want them to keep going.

"Last chance, Captain, otherwise I'll be forced to fight, and you don't want that. Not you, not the villagers, and certainly not the men following you. And to tell you the truth, I'd simply love it if you continued on the path your on. Go on, order your men to charge. It would be a pleasure sending your men to the afterlife and into the hands of whatever gods they follow."

The captain hesitates, clearly divided between his choices. Finally, after a minute, his shoulders sag in defeat, and he mumbles his agreement. I simply leave after that, leaving the hostages where they are. I have the entire rest of the town a hostage, don't really need to be dragging them around with me. As I step back to the village, I'm pleased to discover that my men are about ready to leave. The villagers all seem surprised that we are leaving the food behind, great for them I suppose. All that's left is to head on over to the other camp. As I start my journey, I find myself going over possible ways to tackle the coming problem. Defending a camp from likely far superior numbers... this is going to take some thought, especially because I'm assuming we actually care about the camp and the people in it.
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No. 307603 ID: f0e3ae

Beautifully done vincent. Effective, ruthless, and not pointlessly malicious. You maximized your gain rather then carelessly destroying and killing.

>I'm assuming we actually care about the camp and the people in it.
Maybe I am confused here, but isn't the camp we are going back to composed of your subordinates?

mmm. An option, the warriors with you, with the loot, can easily go back to camp on their own and bring the loot. You can then rush ahead to reinforce the defenders. This should work assuming the town guards do not pursue you.
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No. 307604 ID: 234c26

>>307599
Firstly, you should take off alone to reach the camp as fast as possible. Your men can handle moving the loot, and that won't be quick; plus there's no way that the guards will chase your raiding party after the way you cowed them so they should be clear to travel home safely. Since you personally are the greatest weapon that your tribe has, you're all that needs to respond to the attack out of your group- and you should do it as fast as possible.

Tactics:
-Large area spells on any groups of them outside of town. Avoid anything that spreads easily, like fire; something more focused is needed. The earth exploding beneath their feet, perhaps.
-Find the leaders and kill them in a loud, messy, flashy fashion. Draw the lesser troops' attention to the fact that you are doing so. Destroy anything which looks like a banner or a rallying point. These should demoralize the enemy and make them individually more likely to flee.
-Since you have a substantial number of troops in town, there should be at least some defensive holdouts. Locate these and smash any enemies assaulting them into disarray so that your men can make a comeback without you; you can't be everywhere, after all, and that means that you need mooks.
-Use precision tactics in combat when in a friendly town. Any kind of forceful projectile attack that might miss or carry through an enemy to hit something on the other side is bad. Melee attacks which don't end with the other party flying through the air are usually pretty good, and with your shadow step enhancement and huge strength are probably the go-to strategy for rapidly decimating opponents.
-If enemies are harming your civilians or beating your soldiers badly, attack them and get them focused on fighting you rather than harming your people. Since they're basically incapable of killing you, focusing on you means that they'll be doing less total damage.
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No. 307621 ID: f0e3ae

wait wait wait... the raiders are ALSO followers of tifuldin...
Just rush there and challenge their leader to single combat for control of his tribe. :P
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No. 307624 ID: 099797

When we get back to our actual tribe (as opposed to the simulation here) we should enchant some items to allow for long distance communication.

I also second challenging their leader to single combat. If he refuses we should take him out if we can do so quickly, but we shouldn't spend too much time on him if the rest of his forces are causing trouble and won't necessarily be stopped by his defeat.
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No. 307625 ID: f0e3ae

ask you warrior what is the name of this tribe, the name of their enemy tribe, the date, and the name of the town you just attacked... maybe turfuldin simply held you in stasis overnight then teleported you somewhere in the morning and ordered one of the minor tribes to work under your command. When we get back we can look it up and see if this was the case.
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No. 307738 ID: 0ba7d0

>>307625
I'll do this as soon as I get the chance to. I'm already on my way to help the defenders already, so after that's done we can get to your questions about where/when we are.

I step the last few meters to find that the village is actually relatively untouched. This is probably due to the defenders having set up walls of a sort against the attackers. The enemy clearly outnumbers my men, but the walls and advantageous position keeps them out. There are piles of bodies serving as another barrier to the group, but it's clear the defenders are tiring. Time to relieve them a little.

I step into the middle of the enemy and begin tearing my way through them, roaring a challenge to the enemy chieftain. Let him come, let him die. He never comes. The enemy eventually parts before me, the pressure on my defenders disappears. The other group retreats a little, probably wanting to regroup and figure out what just happened to them.

I enter the camp I had helped defend, and take in the damage. The non-combatants don't have much damage, a stray arrow here and there hitting a few of them. The actual defenders fair a worse. Of the 65 sent, only 40 remain. The big man survived as well, but he's taken considerable damage as well. It seems I made it just in time. With the few minutes of rest, there are a few things I could do. What will I focus my efforts on?
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No. 307749 ID: f0e3ae

About how many sparks would it take to heal the wounded? we shouldn't overspend, but if warriors can be gotten back on their feet cheaply it might be worthwhile.
A mass rejuvenation spell that restores fatigue for your 40 remaining warriors would also be good.
You are now here, your remaining warriors will arrive soon. Things are going well.
Are you spending sparks on telekinesis or did you end up making it into a permanent enchantment on your hand? I forgot. Perhaps a spell to make you see organs as you wish at a great distance (allowing you to accurately cut blood vessels, tendons, nerves, etc with telekinesis with minimal force expense) is in order. A great enchantment combo is a very long range telekinesis enchantment and the above mentioned eye enchantment... Problem is, you lose out on illusion piercing enchantment by filling up your eye slot.

Perhaps boost your voice and activate voice charm and give a speech about how the enemy leader is a coward for refusing to face you in single combat, and how any who follows a coward does not deserve the grace of tirfuldin. How your forces shall prevail. And that those who stand against you will either fall, surrender, or come to see you as a true leader of the people of the plains and follow you instead.

It should be great for our morale, bad for theirs, and MIGHT cause their leader to come forward or cause some of them to surrender or defect as the battle progresses.
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No. 307753 ID: 234c26

>>307749
>heal the wounded
>mass rejuvenation spell that restores fatigue
This could actually work out great... gather your warriors and wounded to you, then mod a single awesome healing/rejuv spell for high intensity and a large enough radius to catch them all. Pump your forces back towards full fighting trim- your men will love you for it and it will make your side much stronger.

Once that is done, you can put them back on defense and personally take the attack; you're a total badass and the enemy obviously has no answer to your personal capabilities. Beat them down (not necessarily all lethally) while shouting out challenges and declarations of their leader's cowardice and yourself as the true king of them all and they should be bowing before you instead of fighting like impotent little shits continuously; your enchantment will make your words increasingly compelling and your inability to be stopped by anyone will demoralize them as well and reinforce your claims. As long as you keep going, after five or ten minutes- which should be more than enough for you to beat down hundreds of men, really, given how badass you are- the enchantment should be strong enough that practically whatever you say will sound like fact.
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No. 307754 ID: 099797

If the enemy forms a large wave or cluster (now that they are safely away from your troops) you could do quite a bit of damage with a large area fireball.
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No. 307831 ID: d429c4

To build your legend, imbuing one of your hands with a healing touch spell (that can be combined with telekinetic touches, perhaps), would be useful.
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No. 307865 ID: 234c26

>>307831
Pah, we don't want to be healing people constantly. We can give some of our shamans healing touches to use them as support troops.
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No. 307905 ID: eba49f

>>307753
I support this, but with less megalomania and declaration of your greatness, and more emphasis on how their leader is weak to be willing to send them against you without being willing to fight you himself.
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No. 307945 ID: f0e3ae

I would like to remind everyone that our actual tribe has rings of regenerations we enchanted which are passed around between the wounded.
That being said, it is more impressive if it is you directly doing the healing...

Mmmm... what about biomancy instead of healing? It can be used to "manually" heal wounds, or create them, detoxify poison, create poison, create drugs, reflow flesh, cause wounds, seal shut a mouth (like neo in the matrix), etc... not sure though if that is valid since its so versatile it might not be a single spell...

mmm, or how about just working with the raw forces of creation, and I do not mean FIRE. You have telekinesis, make it finely controller. Telekinesis is motion, it can create frost by holding atoms still, it can create fire by performing a "blender" like motion causing lots of friction. It can shape earth, lava, stone, steel, etc... So that is for one hand... and the other hand can be magnetism, but again have fine control. Electricity, repulsion, attraction, ionic interactions, chemical bonds... mmm, although you probably will have to pump so many sparks into fine control to get this level of flexibility that the power aspect will suck... so actually forget about it. Better one cannon then ten pea shooters.
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No. 307947 ID: eba49f

>>307945
If biomancy is a spell, you would probably need some way of observing the sub-surface parts of the semi-healed wound as well as quite a bit of anatomical knowledge to manually fix a wound.
I would imagine that spells for dealing with specific thing would be more efficient at those things as you would be able to automate more. (Such as for the fire spell, automatically applying the specific changes to the molecules rather than needing to specify the countless movements.)
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No. 307953 ID: f0e3ae

>>307947
true, but you have the knowledge and skill to do it manually for greater power.
With fire you don't need to manually move every atom in a random direction. You just grab something (air or water is something) and spin it really fast, friction will cause it to turn into fire.
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No. 307962 ID: eba49f

>>307953
Reply in /Disc/ (we don't want to clog the main thread up with magic/physics theory)
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No. 308906 ID: e20e68

Healing... I suppose I could do it, although healing others has never been my forte. Let's get this over with then. I drag a bunch of sparks from myself, shape them into what I think I want, then hurl them out with myself as the center. All the defenders around me feel the effects the moment I release the spell, their wounds visibly knitting together and fatigue seeming to vanish. The few cuts and bruises I had sustained also vanished, as well as my own fatigue. With that done, I turn to the next task.

The defenders took their positions as I strode out towards the enemy, who have reorganized and begun to start up some sort of war chant. Little good it will do them, whatever it does. I'm going to end them all if I have to. But I take a deep breath activate my enchantment, starting up with my speech, which without anymore than five minutes to prepare, really isn't going to be more than insults and challenges. Which I suppose is all that's really needed.

"You come again, to die before me like the others who have. Well then. Let us begin. Come at me. Come with your weapons and your chant. I'll be sure to give my regards to your families back home. Surely they will want your heads back, at least, to perform whatever burial rights your kind observe."

To their credit, the opposing warriors don't falter for even a second in their chanting. There are no signs of fear or doubt. They would come, and they would fight. Good. I would expect no less from my own warriors. The chant picks up in volume, and just as it reaches its crescendo the enemy rushes forward, like a tidal wave bearing the instruments of death. And I simply let a crazed smile spread across my face. Yes, bunch up like that. Become a wave, so that my fires may burn you all.

As they come, I close my eyes for a second, drawing on the sparks within me. I form them into the same form as a crashing wave. I pour more sparks into the spell, then release it as my eyes open. Nothing happens for a moments, then a roar of fire as my own tidal wave of flame rushes to meet the oncoming horde. Men are set aflame, and screams begin almost as soon as I let it go. I start towards them, intending to cut through anyone left and find this leader of theirs.

"That's right. Burn. Burn before me, as all those who call themselves my enemies should. You have chosen the wrong tribe to attack, and for that you will pay the costs with you own flesh and blood. I will take it all from you, and then I shall find your homes and raise those to the ground as well."

Men are burning all around me, but only the first mass of men seems to have been affected by it. Another wave of them surges forward to meet me, charging through the smoke and screams of their fellows. I become a storm of death, cutting a path of destruction through them to reach further back into their ranks. I will find their leader. I will have his head for on a spear by the end of the day.

"Come, leader of this tribe. Or do you fear me? Do you fear that I might win, and leave you dead on the ground with nothing? If you do fear me, and refuse to place yourself before me, then you and all you follow you don't deserve the grace of Tirfuldin. You only deserve the grace of dying, like the weak should."

I get no reaction, at least not from whoever the chieftain is. His warriors, however, seems to redouble their efforts to bring me down, their eyes feeling with rage at my words. Well, good for them, I don't care about them for any longer than it takes me to kill them and toss aside their bodies. Where the hell is that bastard? Well, I'll find him eventually. In the meantime, let's continue with my speech/challenge.

"So you are a coward. Well then, I shall personally see to it that every warrior here will die, have their heads severed from their shoulders and placed on spears before my camps as warning to you and all who come to attack what is mine. I'll burn your camps, your women and children will be taken from you. All that is yours will be mine."

Still nothing, although the warriors keep getting more rage filled at my every word. Damn, was kinda hoping that would work. Well, any ideas voices? And what do I say for this continued speech/challenge, I'm running out of ideas myself.
>>
No. 309313 ID: 81f32a

[huh... it's quiet suddenly]

Well, if the cowardly dog doesn't want to come out, better for you. You can finally rampage to your hearts content.
So continue killing people till you find the leader.
>>
No. 309316 ID: 856690

Hurr Durr, maybe the leader isn't present?

Oh well, wipe them out.
>>
No. 309368 ID: 234c26

>>309313
(I actually completely missed this update somehow.)

>>309316
Wiping them all out is quite possible but really a suboptimal solution, I think. Capture or conversion is superior to simple slaughter, since that leaves you with more assets. We can kill any who don't seem inclined to facilitate that, though.

>>308906
As long as your enchantment is building, your words are growing more convincing. So keep talking... pretending to address the leader, but relying upon your enchantment to make the words reach the minds of his warriors. Shift their emotion from anger to fear and despair; you don't need them angry at you, you need them fleeing and surrendering. They'll do less damage that way.

"Do you hear me, you worthless, wretched coward? You're not fit to lead your warriors, or any warriors. Look at them throwing themselves hopelessly upon me- a sniveling wretch such as yourself doesn't deserve such loyalty! They'll never be able to overcome me like this; their only choices are to die knowing that they're condemning their women and children to my tender mercy, to flee and hope that I have something better to do than run them down, or to throw down their weapons and trust in my lenience to leave them alive.

"That's not a very good set of choices, is it? And just think, you could have saved them from needing to make it if you were any sort of leader. Your men deserve better than you. Someone bold and outspoken and mighty, a peerless warrior. A pity that if they all die today, they'll never get it. Instead, they'll rot in the ground and their heads rot on spears, and as the years pass even their women will forget their names and deeds.

"A sad end for a strong clan, to be rubbed out except as a footnote to my rise to power. An end that can be avoided even now if you but stand before me and kneel."

On the last line make it clear that you're talking to the audience as well as their theoretical leader. Hopefully that will at least make them waver, if not break. No promises, though; I'm no master speechwriter.
>>
No. 310579 ID: c4468a

"Do you hear me, you worthless, wretched coward? You're not fit to lead your warriors, or any warriors. Look at them throwing themselves hopelessly upon me- a sniveling wretch such as yourself doesn't deserve such loyalty! They'll never be able to overcome me like this; their only choices are to die knowing that they're condemning their women and children to my tender mercy, to flee and hope that I have something better to do than run them down, or to throw down their weapons and trust in my lenience to leave them alive.

"That's not a very good set of choices, is it? And just think, you could have saved them from needing to make it if you were any sort of leader. Your men deserve better than you. Someone bold and outspoken and mighty, a peerless warrior. A pity that if they all die today, they'll never get it. Instead, they'll rot in the ground and their heads rot on spears, and as the years pass even their women will forget their names and deeds.

"A sad end for a strong clan, to be rubbed out except as a footnote to my rise to power. An end that can be avoided even now if you but stand before me and kneel."


The entire time I'm still killing everyone in my path. I note, however, that the warriors around me are beginning to waver, uncertainty and my words eating away at their resolve to continue. I even catch a few almost dropping to their knees at my suggestion to do so, but they struggle back up again. It's then I hear the sound of a horn coming from further back in the group, and the men start to fall back.

I'm not done though. The horn is probably signaling the retreat, and that means someone had to order that retreat. Even if the chieftain isn't there, the leader of this little band will be, and he will die.

I force my way through another seven lines of men and find myself in front of a very scared looking boy holding a horn. A little farther away is what appear to be a leader-type, whether he's the chieftain remains to be seen. The man turns to face me, surprise on his face, but the look is quickly wiped away as he draws his weapon, a simple hand axe, and roars a challenge, which I manage to interpret as "I'd rather die before failing my chieftain". Well, scratch him being the chieftain. Now where the hell is said glorious leader?
>>
No. 310656 ID: eba49f

We should question this lieutenant guy, but first check to see the rest of his troops are not surrounding us (though I suppose we could likely beat them if they did). We should also run a quick spell for spellcasting to make sure this retreat is just a reaction to us rather than a preparation for a spell bombardment on the camp.
>>
No. 310671 ID: f0e3ae

>>310579
could the child be the son of the chief? placed in charge of the operation? That would explain some things... or maybe the guy with the axe charging you is in charge but the the cheiftain... Well, kill the guy with the axe
>>
No. 310722 ID: eba49f

If we kill axe guy right away we can't question him. We want to find out who the chieftain is, and why the tribe is so loyal to him when he has shown neither the strength to confront you nor the wisdom to avoid attacking sending his men to be slaughtered.
>>
No. 310725 ID: 856690

The Child is the cheif.

Stop short and laugh loudly, offer to dual with a replacement or when he is older.
>>
No. 310727 ID: 856690

Urg, didn't read carefully. Ignore the second in command or whatever he is, go after the leader looking guy
>>
No. 310747 ID: 234c26

>>310725
>>310671
The child is more than likely just some random kid assigned to blow the horn.

>>310579
Effortlessly disarm the lieutenant, gut-punch him a time or two so that he's unable to effectively fight back, and then lift him up in the air (you're pretty huge, so you should be able to hold him off the ground by the neck with one arm while he can't reach you) and demand to know where his worthless coward of a chief is.
>>
No. 310863 ID: 0bd0b0

>>310747
Let us not forget the crowd of people around us that despite being very afraid probably still want to kill Hated.
>>
No. 311091 ID: c4468a

Most of the warriors around me keep retreating, although there are quite a few that have notice my presence among them and are beginning to form a rough circle around me. The boy scrambles away, clearly having not intention of getting in my path. I ignore the lot of them, focusing my attention on the challenger. He seems content to hang back, so I happily go to him. He waits till I'm an arms length away and takes a swing at me, which I respond to by breaking his arm, grabbing him by the throat and dragging him into the air.

"I'm going to make this simple. I want to know where your spineless chieftain is, and your going to tell me, or I'm going to slowly rip you into tiny pieces and make sure to keep you alive for the entire process."

The man struggles against my grip, those limbs he can control flailing against my body uselessly. The men circling me all continue to do so, but they look hesitant to actually approach. The man in my hand doesn't seem likely to talk, not yet anyway, and if I don't keep up with my speech then the magic will fade. So, do I have anything to say to the people gathered around me? Or do I just kill them all and be done with it? We won't likely ever have to actually deal with the enemy chieftain after all, this is just a test. Once we're finished here, we get dropped somewhere else for the next one, at least, that seems to be the general idea.
>>
No. 311156 ID: 054606

Since their cowardly leader wont show himself direct your verbal attack to the warriors, telling them what a worthless sonuvabitch their chiefatin is and how painfuly obvious is that he have left them to their fate to save his own hide.
Make them surrender and turn on their chief, if you are not going to get his tribe by defeating him then you are going to get it by making his warrior go to mutiny
>>
No. 312279 ID: c4468a

Convince them all to side with me then. Well, in my experience, fear is always a good motivator. I calmly rip the head off the man in my hands, then turn my attention to the circle of men around me.

"I wouldn't suggest doing that. I rather enjoy slaughtering people, but my blood lust has been sated... no, that was a lie. I would really love to kill your all and feel your blood trickle down my arms. But alas, your more useful to me alive then dead."

I slowly start to pace as I start coming up with random things to spout, just to keep the magic going.

"As for why warriors like yourselves should even consider following me, well just look at your current leader. Hardly glorious in any way. Instead of leading you all himself, he sends some, some... nobody, that can't even put up a good fight and isn't gifted with magic to make him a worthy opponent to anyone. I would lead. I wouldn't send you all to follow some man, when you should be following the chieftain. I would take lead you all from the front, killing men myself instead of making you all do it. By the grand hell, I'm very well killing you all by myself! And I plan to keep right on doing just that if you don't join me. So I'm saying this now. Kneel before me, swear your loyalty to me, and spread the word among your fellows. Otherwise I end your lives, and the lives of everyone here, and then I hunt down your families, and I end there lives as well. And believe me, I will personally kill each and every one of them. And believe me, I do so enjoy the death of others..."

The men around me hesitate, my threats and their belief in honor and loyalty conflicting, word seems to spread through the entire group as the men pass the word back, trying to decide as a whole how they should react to this. The process seems really slow, especially because large groups of them are still retreating, and I quickly grow bored of waiting. So, why not get some more entertainment out of this?

"Your indecision is boring me. So let me stir the pot. The first 1,000 men to come back to me at the camp may live along with their families as well as have first pick of the loot I took from a nearby town. The rest will die, regardless of whether or not they make it to me." I head back to the village the same way I came, the tribesman around me turning on their brethren as they fight to make it back to the camp. The sounds of battle erupt around me again, but this time, it doesn't include me at it's center, nor does it include my camp. That's good, that was the whole point of this anyway. Hopefully that's all that was nee-

The world shifts again, and I find myself standing in what looks to be a temple, with two altars on either side of me. One is surrounded by skulls, weapons and various other signs of war. The other is surrounded by flowers, wood carvings, tents and other things suggesting... peace. Both smell strongly of sparks, like someone has put a sun inside each one. My spark-sense is going nuts just being near them.

A leader must lead. But he must lead for some purpose. Choose the purpose you will ultimately lead towards, and justify yourself before the defender of that purpose.
>>
No. 312317 ID: c2d0f1

This is merely a practical matter. You have learned that it is vastly more efficient to be given sparks than to take them. Imagine the heights you can reach if you manage to build an empire based around spark donation.

Sure, you need to upgrade your capacity to absorb donated sparks, but that will come in time. Of course, the best guarantor of peace if to prepare for war, and the wealth you will build we bring plenty of challengers who try to take what is yours, so the path of peace will give you the best of both worlds.
>>
No. 312324 ID: 0bd0b0

If you control everything, there will be no need for war. You could easily get a vast amount of sparks from your followers. But that is boring. Hated doesn't seem like the type to 'settle down'. My vote is for violence.
>>
No. 312325 ID: e13d16

>>312317
Peace, as a lure to entice enemies, I like it.
>>
No. 312370 ID: c4468a

The lure of sparks is strong, and peace seems to lead towards those sparks. Mages not spending sparks or time on other things, like killing people, leads to me getting their sparks and them coming up with better ways to get me those sparks. The world would also have no reason to attack me, as I keep everything and everyone in a state of peace, unified under one banner, with no wars killing everyone off. With the number of sparks I'd consume, I could rival gods in power.

But that's the catch, isn't it? What would I have to do in a world filled with peace? What would me obtaining those sparks accomplish, with nothing to do? Boredom is the only true death to an immortal. Even death itself is in the end just a continued path along the journey all things must eventually submit to. Perhaps an immortal like me will never make that journey to the after-life, but such is the will of fate. But boredom... that haunts immortals constantly. I find entertainment in the death and carnage of war. I crave it. Perhaps it's the demon in me that makes the screams of the dying into a symphony sweeter than any other. But only war truly alleviates my boredom. Peace may bring those who choose to challenge me, but is it not another of my goals to eventually rule this world, make all who live in it submit to my will? Where would the challengers come from then?

So in the end, I must make a choice. What is my goal in becoming King of the Endless Plains? What world would I prefer to live in?

A world where my endless hunger is fed forever, in exchange for my eternal boredom?

or...

A world where I am never bored, but my hunger is sated rarely by those I hunt myself?
>>
No. 312377 ID: 46c430

>>312370
Is war the only entertainment there is for you? Is it not possible you could find something else to stave off boredom? There will ALWAYS be more challenges to face, even if they don't lie in the direction of battle. And nothing lasts forever... Perhaps even someday your empire will fracture and crumble (May the day be long in coming), and you will be forced to recreate it. Therefor, I say the downside of peace, boredome, is not as absolute and complete as you believe it is, and say you should choose peace.
>>
No. 312380 ID: 234c26

>>312370
Pah. This is a false choice; even if you strive to fight everything there will be long stretches of boredom in between the entertainment, and even if you strive to rule everything there will always be outside enemies and internal dissent to crush. There's always someone stronger to fight; the question is if you're strong enough to face them.

The only real difference between these two choices is the amount of power you get out of them and how people see you, and for that peace is the proper path to "choose".
>>
No. 312468 ID: f0e3ae

I also say this is a false choice.
Peace and war are intertwined. There can be no peace without war, as peace only exists if there is an absolute conqueror at the top unifying the whole world. Even then there are rebels and other things to fight.

And war purely for the sake of killing and destruction leaves you weakened and defeated. Unifying the world and the gods themselves against you, leaving you with no minions to call on, leaving you devoid of sparks to achieve your amibitions.

It is peace for the families at home supporting the war, peace for the loyal subjects and servants, and war on any who will not submit. And if truly the whole world submits and falls before you, even then boredom is not necessary.

You could betray the promise of peace to your loyal subjects, dividing the empire and starting anew. But you don't need to, you can instead move on to fighting other more exciting enemies. Create or summon monsterous demons from beyond reality to fight. Spar with but do not slay the gods. Have an army of mages dedicate themselves to finding access to new worlds, or creating monsters for you to entertain yourself fighting.

Touch both for it is not an either or.
>>
No. 312480 ID: 856690

Touch both, you will have your conflict from trying to make peace, there will always be those who oppose you.

Not even Immortals last forever, they can be killed.
>>
No. 312487 ID: 81f32a

Psshh
do you realize how much war you will have to wage to get peace?
Even then, depending on the policies, there will never be eternal peace.

But if you really have to choose between the two, go for peace. Personal power hoarding and then waging wars on others
>>
No. 312548 ID: eba49f

There will always be more people left to fight, even if you choose peace. (Unless you destroy the world, of course.) Why, premonitions tell us that even now immortals are actively plotting your destruction. I second the 'both are connected' option if we can get away with that though.
>>
No. 312550 ID: f0e3ae

>>312548
the problem is in the phrasing of the choice.
Peace implies that you stop fighting... this is the most surefire way to have less peace. You will grow weak and others will covet what you have and attack you.

War implies that you fight everyone and destroy everything. Build a throne of skulls, kill your own followers for their sparks, be a singular force of individual destruction. This is the most surefire way to have less war, as you will be too weak and too outnumbered to fight for long. Eventually you will fall.
>>
No. 312566 ID: eba49f

>>312550
True. A possible way we could spin that argument:
"The purpose I will lead towards is Strength. Both peace and war are necessary tools for a nation to grow mighty, and each on its own is insufficient for a nation's needs. Peace as the only goal leads to vulnerability, while war as a sole objective leads to waste."
>>
No. 312579 ID: c4468a

Both? Well, now isn't that an interesting concept... to lead, but always search for more challenges. To have more challenges always be somewhere, and always be ready to face them. At the same time, I consume the sparks offered me by those who serve under me...

Let's do that then, shall we? I don't know if we can, but that seems the one where I get everything I want. I reach out and touch both altars at the same time and wait for something to happen. After a few minutes of nothing, I get fed up and decide to vocalize my answer.

"In case whatever judge doesn't get it, I choose both paths."

Only then does something start happening. Both sources of sparks begin to rise out of the altars, and it's only once they've begun to take a definite shape that I realize what it is they are.

Angels.

Servants to the gods and avatars of said gods will, they do what must be done to ensure their deity stays in power. Angels are utterly devoted to their gods, and I have yet to see one that has voluntarily defected. The gods themselves treat them as one might treat a pet, trading them as commodities amongst themselves when they see fit to do so. As for what this means in my situation... well, I won't be fighting my way out of this one if everything goes sour. The amount of sparks these two wield is beyond anything I've ever had myself. Their god is obviously more powerful than the dragon god I killed.

Well, Gilrenthal, I am not sure what we are supposed to do in this situation.

I agree, Ithaniell, we were not given instructions on what to do in this case.

The two finish taking a solid form, or as solid as they can get in the human world. They seem to have assumed forms consisting of nothing but pure sparks and their souls, the sparks acting as a cage so they don't pass on. Neither has a host body to take control of, so their voices seem to come from nothing. All of the above catches me off guard, I have never seen an angel without a physical form before. This is... interesting, to say the least.

Then I suppose we must use what instructions we have been given to deal with this situation.

I must agree.


Both pause for a moment, then I feel rather than see them turn their attention to me.

You have chosen both altars, and in doing so, both paths and both purposes.

Present your argument to us. Why should both paths, so clearly opposite the other, be able to both be followed?


"One can not have war without peace following. To achieve peace, one must wage war to unify the people, and ensure that no one will attack those people for what they have. If one simply tries to eschew war, then one will simply be slaughtered as another takes what one has. But if one follows nothing but war, then eventually all those who follow you will abandon you, and you will fight alone, die alone. And if you do manage to win over everyone else, conquer everything around you, eliminate all dissenters... what can remain but peace? They may clearly be opposites, but is that not how all opposites are? You can not have hot without cold, soft without hard, angels without demons, war without peace. It is impossible.

So I choose to lead down another path. Strength. Both peace and war will be used to make a nation of barbarians, and then used again to make that nation grow powerful."


...You argument is sound. But it has its flaws.

Yes, it has flaws. The choice you are making is not about the means with which you achieve your goal, but the purpose you are aiming to achieve in your small lifespan.

Your world may be finite, but their are an infinite number of worlds other than yours. The realm of gods for example. War could and would always be waged, and your barbarians would follow you always, for that is their way.

Conversely, peace could be achieved. Unifying those in the realm of mortals, then cutting off all other worlds would achieve this. None could enter as an aggressor, and all would be well. The realm of mortals would be troubled no longer.

So then, we make our own argument. This is not a rule, only an argument, which you must argue against to continue along your path.

Only one path can be chosen. The path of war leads to conquest, glorious battle, the screams of the dying, lives lost at the end of an ax. It is the ancient way of the barbarians, and all among the tribe feel the thrill that comes with the drums of war and the promise of blood. Men, women, children, to them it is the grandest undertaking that could ever be done.

Only one path can be chosen. The path of peace leads to safety, understanding, growth, settlement, life, and diplomacy. The new world can not sustain the warring nature of the barbarians forever. a change is coming to your world, and perhaps you are a sign of that change. But the barbarians must change as well, or risk extinction. The path of peace, of great cities and of diplomacy is the path that will insure the clans continue to survive.

>>
No. 312704 ID: 0bd0b0

That was somewhat expected. At least we have a clearer idea of what each choice will lead to. I do not personally care for these barbarians, and most likely Hated does not either. Peace in this situation does not mean conquering everything anymore. While you will certainly have many sparks from peace, the conquering of other existences may then be impossible. My vote stays with violence.
>>
No. 312707 ID: 44766a

we are supposed to argue our choice right now.
>>
No. 312869 ID: 9202a9

Both, Neither. To seek either absolute peace or war is a mistake. War is where strength is proven but not grown, peace is where strength is grown but without proving it soon turns into weakness. Too much peace invites decadence while too much war brings hardship, what I seek is the proper balance between the two.
You said that I may be a change perhaps I am and perhaps this is the change. You there are two paths I could go down, I deny this. There are infinite paths I can go down, I will learn as many as I can and pick the best one for each step.
>>
No. 312886 ID: 234c26

>>312579
War could always be waged, as you say. But as they are now my people would only die in such an assault, and their attempts would only lead to their own destruction. They will not grow strong through war alone. It will take many years of honing themselves, of learning better magics and technologies, of training to new heights of strength, before such enemies can be overcome. War waged without first spending time in peace, growing strong enough for victory, is no more than blindly seeking a fool's death.

Permanent peace could not be achieved by cutting off this world from all the others; to believe that would work is to believe that whatever method which was used to cut it off is impossible to undo. That is sheer arrogance- and worse, in a world of peace my people would grow soft and weak, easy prey for whatever managed to undo the severing. Huddling behind walls and trusting that nothing can get through them is a despicable path which leads only to destruction; only by knowing, confronting, and overcoming your enemies can you ensure that they will not threaten you.


The path of war will be chosen. It leads to greater resources, more lands, pride in nation and faith in mighty leaders. It tests the mettle of a people and shows where they have become weak, that the weakness may be purged. It destroys those who would threaten the people who take it.

The path of peace will be chosen. It leads to more wealth, more knowledge, more people raised upon tales of grand histories. It lets people discover the thoughts and ways of others, that they take whatever is good from them. It builds the people stronger that they may face whatever is to come.

The man who sees two paths here is blind and short-sighted. There is but one.
>>
No. 312887 ID: eba49f

Is it really that simple to cut off access to all other worlds? That seems rather strange...
>>
No. 313038 ID: c4468a

>>312887
The concept is really simple actually. There are only three gateways between the realms(some theorize there are actually four, one within uninhabited area in Everfrost), closing those would cut off access for things to physically travel from one realm to the next. Namely, elementals, fey, some lesser divine beings, half-gods, spirits, so on so forth. Then you could strengthen the massive shield keeping those being from simply crossing over at whim so that it blocks the soul and mind as well as the body, cutting off access to the realm of mortals from all other realms.

Actually doing it is harder. Closing the gates requires a massive amount of sparks, and that's just to close them, not lock them down for good. Strengthening the massive shield... hell, I don't have a clue as to how to do that, but if I had to guess, I would say you'd need to find the origin point of that shield and pump sparks through it after making the necessary modifications to it's structure.

Not that I'd ever do any of that anyway. Where's the fun in that? But I'm getting off topic. Focus on the problem at hand.

War could always be waged, as you say. But as they are now my people would only die in such an assault, and their attempts would only lead to their own destruction. They will not grow strong through war alone. It will take many years of honing themselves, of learning better magics and technologies, of training to new heights of strength, before such enemies can be overcome. War waged without first spending time in peace, growing strong enough for victory, is no more than blindly seeking a fool's death.

Permanent peace could not be achieved by cutting off this world from all the others; to believe that would work is to believe that whatever method which was used to cut it off is impossible to undo. That is sheer arrogance- and worse, in a world of peace my people would grow soft and weak, easy prey for whatever managed to undo the severing. Huddling behind walls and trusting that nothing can get through them is a despicable path which leads only to destruction; only by knowing, confronting, and overcoming your enemies can you ensure that they will not threaten you.


The path of war will be chosen. It leads to greater resources, more lands, pride in nation and faith in mighty leaders. It tests the mettle of a people and shows where they have become weak, that the weakness may be purged. It destroys those who would threaten the people who take it.

The path of peace will be chosen. It leads to more wealth, more knowledge, more people raised upon tales of grand histories. It lets people discover the thoughts and ways of others, that they take whatever is good from them. It builds the people stronger that they may face whatever is to come.

The man who sees two paths here is blind and short-sighted. There is but one.


You say such, but you have-

Silence, Ithaniell. We are here to test his resolve, not argue over philosophy. He has shown he will follow his path, at least in my eyes. I will allow him his chosen path, even if you do not.

...Fine. But you will take the result to our master.

Agreed. Wait here with the mortal.


The angel hovering above the peace altar disappears, judging from the conversation to report to their master. The other, however, keeps it's attention on me, and I can almost feel the utter contempt it has for me. I ignore it, pretending it isn't even there. The silence continues for about ten minutes, then I feel the other angel return, as well as the god's voice popping into my head again.

"I have been told, city-dweller, that you have passed my trials, at least to the satisfaction of one of my angels. The way you passed, however, I did not account for. The prize, then, remains to be decided, as I cannot just give you one of the two artifacts as a reward, nor can I give you both... Perhaps it's time I blessed the tribes with another of my artifacts... yes, that seems the right course of action. Come then, describe to me an artifact you would desire, that symbolizes your chosen path of Strength."

"Your saying I get to have you make an artifact for me?"

"With restrictions, of course. It must symbolize your chosen path, and it can hold only three distinct powers within it. Something like control over stone, for example, would be consider a distinct power, however, it does not symbolize in my eyes the path you have chosen.

Fairly loose restrictions, if you ask me, especially considering we are basically being told to construct an artifact as we see fit. Well then, voices, let's see what amazing things you can come up with. If you have any questions regarding specific spells or effects, feel free to ask, but take all the time you need to form this artifact of ours. Don't want you screwing up with it after all.
>>
No. 313106 ID: 81f32a

Hmm, an artifact that symbolizes both war and peace?

I suppose it should be a bitching suit of armor. Not just some flimsy collection of belts or bones, but something that can inspire awe and respect and fear (so that it doesn't look too regal and paladin-ish) anywhere in the world. Something that shows the person who is wearing it is someone to be feared of but also someone as a great leader.
Armor can represent both war and peace: it is an instrument used excessively in war but in peace it represents the safety and stability.
It also should incorporate our awesome skull-belt somehow.

Now... for the powers ... eeehhhh. This is tricky.
As a god he could make a fairly POWERFUL artifact which we could never be able to make ourself.... but seriously.

We need first to recognized Hateds weaknesses and shortcomings and try to circumvent them using this possibility.
So far as I see: not able to generate sparks and cannot (or, hasn't yet researched enough) drain from multiple willing sources.
Mind magic is the weakest.
... Love for violence? Cannot reproduce? Do those even count?

Hmm. Okay
War and peace: As a "mortal", you hold no fear against another mortals, be it powerful archmages or master sword-fighters. But we know that this world hold many potential enemies surpassing mortal limits: dragons, demons, other gods, spirits, etc. Things that could endanger our people, homes, safety and peace but cannot be stopped by any means mortal means. So I ask an ability for both war AND peace.
Something that can bring me, and my people on the same level when fighting.

Okay, I thought of one thing that would be very useful for you and you can totally veil it as doing it for your people.
I can't think of anything else yet. If I do, I'll let you know.
>>
No. 313107 ID: 9202a9

This god is bro I like him.

Remember everyone artifacts are (or quickly become) sentient, like being used, and want to take their use to it's horrific limit. (if overused)

That said this might be the perfect opportunity to solve one of the emerging problems with gathering sparks.

The power i'm thinking about is that it can take sparks from many minor mages, pool them, and then offer them to an elder mage so he can cast a spell that would be beyond his power (though not his skill). This would be really useful and we might be able to reverse engineer it.

I like the image of a flag or banner

as for the other powers and the themes they would represent:
Healing - the saving of strength (from death)
Telepathy (long range communication)- Working together
Telepathy (mind control) - All shall follow me (this one could turn out bad)
Weather Control - We (as a people) shall master the very elements
Scrying - We (as a people) shall learn everything
Hardiness Buff (to those in a area, or something) - We (as a people) will be implacable


I my self would go for the healing and hardiness to go with the spark leeching.
>>
No. 313109 ID: 81f32a

Hmm.
I think I came up with something more:
As a leader and commander of entire nation it is sometimes hard to convince the people of your point of view, hard to get them do what you want of them because of their misconceptions or their old views or because they are plain afraid of change. At critical situations when every minute counts, getting into an argument with somebody (like high shaman or a general of your army) could prove to be catastrophe as wasting time for argument could mean death.
Also, to achieve peace, sometimes we need to make allegiances to strengthen ourself.
Or during the war, we need the ability to wind without a fight (ie, diplomatically annexing someone).
So the power over the minds of other people, as in, the power to make you more diplomatic, charmastic, likable, etc (this will effectively be a crutch to your social abilities and will work as a charm with your speech enchantment. Also, will help you when dealing with people from other countries, delegates, etc... You could command authority in the tribes but dealing with professional diplomats is another thing altogether)
>>
No. 313118 ID: 81f32a

Okay, I think I got the last one too.

And then there is your hunger for sparks and impossibility to harvest them all at once.
... But how to spin that to conceal your true desires.

You could say this:
The tribal magic relies heavily on rituals, individual spells are weak and only as a group can they make great things happen. But to make their abilities even better, there should be a focus, something or someone who can get their power and channel it into something great. All the shamen working together for powerful spells which could not be possible to do without one person gathering their strength and storing it and using it.
This power can be used during the war, against the enemies of our people and it can be also use in times of peace, when everyone pools their power to cast powerful spells for example to make land arid again, to make stone walls around a settlement, to make crops grow faster and more plentiful, for masshealing, etc etc
Effectively aim for some power that lets you "take" the sparks of people in wide area around you (like 1000 feet), who willingly transfer them for you so that you can "immediately" (immediate can be a long time from an immortals point of view) use them.

Normally, this power entitles that the sparks be used as soon as they are transferred, because otherwise the mortal would hit his limit quite fast and the rest would be squandered away. But since you are not a mortal, you can just collect that sparks.

Sweet, huh?
>>
No. 313134 ID: eba49f

A strong stone spell is actually a great example of a spell that can be used for both peace an war. In one cell it can raise cities (pull up bedrock and form it into buildings) or raze them (earthquake, spikes, etc). Unfortunately, to make good use of its constructive abilities we would need to know masonry, which we don't. (And probably don't have the time to learn)

I second the 'focus for rituals' option, and the option of healing that can be used both on us and on nearby allies. As healing is a mostly constructive power, we should have healing, ritual focusing, and an offensive-ish power.
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No. 313257 ID: c4468a

You've all thought a good deal about its function, I see. Let me see. If I've got this right, we want something that can absorb sparks and direct them into a single person, both to facilitate my... eating, and for use in allowing another mortal mage to wield more power. We also want it to be able to heal others. The last seems a little... unspecific. I mean, there are dozens of ways one can "heal" someone. Are we going with the outright injuries are erased from the bodies of those affected? Or are we saying everyone within it's range heals faster than normal? Or perhaps another method. So many things. You have to be much more specific than just, "we want to have a heal effect". As for the last one, something destructive would be nice, or at least something leading to destruction. Have it build temporary golems out of stuff or something. No, that would take to much of it's energy... but we do need something that will do some damage. Or at least make it easier for me to do some damage. Either one is fine with me.

But going back to the reason I'm even interjecting in this harrowing discussion. What is said artifact going to look like. I've heard armor and a flag so far, both decent ideas, I suppose, although I don't really need armor and I don't particularly want to carry around a flag everywhere. But if no one suggests anything really decent, I'll just tell him to make the artifact a rock, just to make it easy to carry around.
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No. 313260 ID: b39da2

>>312886
creative ideas, some didn't occur to me.

Another reason permanent peace would not be achieved by cutting off the mortal realm is because mortals will remain alive and free willed. The strong leaders will succumb to death eventually, philosophical differences will fragment the mortals. They will either peacefully fragment to relearn the art of war in later generations, or their fragmentation attempts will spark civil war.
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No. 313261 ID: eba49f
File 130809291224.jpg - (12.34KB , 309x400 , jeffmurchie.jpg )
313261

I think for item type we should go for a crown-helm. It doesn't encumber us as much as armor, leaves our hands free, gives some protection vs head-shots, and is a clear symbol of authority if designed right. Something along the lines of the attached image.

I think the super-regeneration ability might be a good version of healing to have, considering how well it worked in your fight against the wyvern god. Perhaps a regeneration aura that you can change the radius of (so you can make it only effect you when you are surrounded by enemies).
For the offensive ability, I am divided between telekinesis and an earth/metal spell. The telekinesis is better in a direct fight, but the earth spell helps more with battles as we could reshape the battlefield to our will and create dust screens to confuse enemies and allow easy shadow steps.
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No. 313271 ID: 0bd0b0

What are the rules on the shape of the artifact? How about a dagger that we may change shape at will so it could be a deadly weapon or a portable rock?
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No. 313276 ID: eba49f

>>313271
Shape changing counts as a power. As it so happens, a lot of questions were recently answered about shape-shifting weapons in the discussion thread.
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No. 313293 ID: 234c26

>>313257
Make it a crown. Preferably, a crown light enough that you won't mind wearing it all the time and it won't encumber you in battle, distinctive enough to be instantly recognizable, and with a design clearly meant for seriousness rather than frivolity.


Abilities, flavored to support your philosophical argument:
-First, strength from many. This is the spark-pouring ability, to let the magic of many become a single great magic, or in your case to be absorbed for later.
-Second, strength through effort. This is a subtle aura effect which effects your followers, filling them with the quiet desire to excel in your service, to work harder both to improve themselves and bring your will about. Ideally this would be a persistent effect which affects anyone who sees you and lasts indefinitely, but grows stronger the more time they spend in your company. This will ensure that your people are ever driven towards strength, in peace and in war.
-Third, strength made great. It could boost all your area spells so that they affect a much greater radius more easily; this would make it far easier to use huge attack spells, buff spells, creation abilities, whatever. Extremely flexible for use both in peace and in war.
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No. 313294 ID: b39da2

... we need an item that allows all our followers to simultaneously donate sparks to us!
>>
No. 313297 ID: eba49f

>>313293
I suppose amplifying spells does make sense, since we will have plenty of sparks. (I still dislike needing to use sparks to do things, but that is just stinginess).
I think we should have a healing and/or strengthening effect rather than a mind altering one though.
>>
No. 313298 ID: 234c26

>>313297
Healing or strengthening are only circumstantially useful- they only provide a benefit when people are hurt or need to be super-strong. While both would be highly useful in those relatively rare situations, we could essentially replicate the needed effect by throwing a few hundred (or few thousand) sparks into a spell- all the more so, if we get an area spell booster ability.

An aura urging people towards exceptional service will be useful constantly by both reducing domestic morale problems, and maximizing the potential of Hated's servants. It means better warriors, mages, crafters, everything- it could change his entire nation from awkwardly uncertain as it leaves its old traditions behind into vibrantly eager to grow. It is far more valuable than any single powerful magic trick, because it will pay an endless stream of constant dividends through the efforts of our followers instead of depending solely on Hated's personal abilities for everything.
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No. 313378 ID: b39da2

>>313298
I like your logic... although, why limit it to your followers?
Let everyone who sees you like you better. Enemies will be less inclined to fight you, allies will fight for you harder, negotiators will be on "your side", etc.
>>
No. 313393 ID: 9202a9

>>313293
I like your Ideas. I second.
>>
No. 313433 ID: 81f32a

>>313257
>e also want it to be able to heal others. The last seems a little... unspecific. I mean, there are dozens of ways one can "heal" someone. Are we going with the outright injuries are erased from the bodies of those affected? Or are we saying everyone within it's range heals faster than normal? Or perhaps another method. So many things. You have to be much more specific than just, "we want to have a heal effect"
No, wait.
I don't think you get it. We don't need a special power to "heal". That is a waste.
The idea behind the spark absorbing thing (or at least you are going to argue like that to not make the god suspicious) is that you get tons of power of another mages and use said power to focus a powerful spell, it could be anything from making giant golems to making flowers bloom. That is the beauty of this power, you can use it as you like and it will let you absorb the sparks of your followers at once in wide area (make sure that the radius of the power at least can accommodate 100 mages)

>>313261
Yeah go with that crown. The armor idea of mine was just a spur of the moment, while I still hold by it, the crown is much more badass and will literally make you god-chosen, holy leader of your people.
There would be no question that Tirfu-whatshisname blessed you. Hah! Lets see how the head shaman tries to wriggle out of this!
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No. 313521 ID: c4468a

I describe what is desired to the god, who listens throughout the entire thing without comment. After I've finished, his silence continues for another few minutes, and I eventually begin to give up hope that he was even listening. As soon as the thought passes through my mind, sparks begin to come together around my head, forming themselves into the artifact. I can feel a slight hum as the crown-helm takes form, settling itself comfortably onto it's new bearer. Without pausing, the second stage begins, magical runes inscribing themselves onto the crown's surface, while my magical senses pick up the flood of magical power being force-fed into the thing, like someone was taking a lightning bolt and trapping it inside an orb, only to take more lightning bolts and shove them in the same orb. Within seconds, this process is finished as well. Another small pause here, then the artifact is lifted from my head, and floated over to any empty space. There, it's time is flashed forwards, the artifact living through history that never happened, events that never occurred, and owners that never existed. But through it all, it's gaining a personality, a past, and it's own desires and goals.

While this process occurs I get my first real look at the thing. The artifact is clearly a helm, but it's design is unique. The entire thing is shaped like a wargs head, fitted so that the wearers eyes stare out from where the wargs eyes would be. Yet subtle changes have been made. The teeth of the warg are off, and spikes protrude from the sides of the warg helm, as if the thing had been demonized. I personally find the design very... comforting, in an odd sort of way.

The magical etchings on the artifact show dozens of lines, portraying dozens of different spark donors, with all the lines coming together in the forehead of the warg, where they all form into a great mountain. I suppose the mountain signifies Strength. More etchings depict many vague figures kneeling before the mountain, while the mountain itself seems to radiate a circular etching, as if the power were being expelled as a greater force... I think. It's hard to tell with such ambiguous drawings, but that's what makes sense if you think about it's powers.

The artifact finishes going through it's artificial aging process, radiating power as it floats back over to me and I pluck it from the air. It's been awhile since I've held an artifact, and this one... this one is brand new, and built specifically for my use. Odd, that feeling of how much more powerful this artifact is compared to me. I'm fairly certain that this helm currently outdoes me in sheer power. The god's voice returns as I contemplate this, which brings my attention back to the god's presence.

"Ah, haven't built something in a long time. Well then, Vincent, you are now declared the Barbarian King. Not really a grand title, when one thinks about it, so I feel I must grant you another as well. You shall henceforth be known to the all the tribes on the Endless Plains as Vincent, Warrior of Strength, King of the Barbarian Clans. You shouldn't have any trouble rallying most of the other tribes to your cause now, as I'll send visions to the many shamans of your elevation in my eyes. The Horsehoof, however... well, if you wish to recruit them, you shall have to rely on other means. For now, I leave you, and bid you wield your new authority with the strength and cunning you've shown during the tests."

The world is suddenly engulfed in light, then I find myself standing in a tomb, the bones of the previous king laying on a stone slab in the center of the room. I turn to see the leather "doorway" and come to the conclusions that I really hadn't gone anywhere. This entire ordeal was all in my head. Well... except for the artifact, which is still clutched in my hands. I stare down at it, wondering what it will feel like once its on my head, what urges it will try to enforce on me.
>>
No. 313526 ID: 81f32a

>>313521
Wait.

You didn't actually tell us what you finally chose for powers. The only thing I can determine is the spark focus idea.
>>
No. 313533 ID: c4468a

Helm of the Demon Wolf
Artifact History: It was made about a minute ago. Not much history in it yet.
Artifact Abilities:
Strength from Many- Pulls sparks from all willing donors within the radius of the artifacts influence(100 yards) and places them within the bearer of the artifact. The process takes a minute to complete, and can be used three times per day max, as the artifact requires time to recharge it's own magical reserves.
Strength through Effort- The artifact, while appearing to inspire fear, never does. Instead, all those who can see the artifact and its bearer are passively influenced to regard the wearer in high esteem, causing those under the bearer to work harder, fight longer, and generally be inspired to work for the betterment of themselves and their lord/master/king etc. This effect only works on those directly considered by the artifact to be below the server in standing, thus fellow kings and most other beings not from the realm of mortals will ignore the effect completely.
Strength made Great- The artifact can also amplify one aspect of a spell when commanded to do so. The spell can not be derived from an enchantment, only spells, but the aspect can be of any kind. The amplification effectively triples the sparks placed in the aspect being amplified. For example, a fireball could have it's intensity or it's area radius amplified, and whichever aspect of the fireball was chosen would then have the sparks placed in that aspect tripled.

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No. 313544 ID: 81f32a

>>313533
Bitching

>I stare down at it, wondering what it will feel like once its on my head, what urges it will try to enforce on me.
Well, you wont find out without wearing it. So put it on.
Then go back to the tribe.
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No. 313548 ID: b39da2

>>313533
epic!

Also, Tirfuldin is much more powerful then I thought. I wonder if one day when you rule the entire world if you could ascend into godhood.
Anyways, this new path of strength is paying off marvelously. Armies at your command, shaman feeding you regularly, and now artifacts handed to you by gods, created to your specifications. Definitely need to keep doing what we have been doing thus far.

Speaking of, we need to put on the artifact, go back home to the our kingdom, and find out what current gods exist. A list of all known gods, their personalities, their domains, etc. Avoiding unintentional aggravation of said gods, and even gaining their support could be a great step in conquering the entire mortal realm, and then beyond.
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No. 313551 ID: c2d0f1

Wasn't there a magic sword that you came here looking for as well...
>>
No. 313579 ID: c4468a

Hm. I don't remember any sword. If there was one, it was probably an artifact around here. If it is, I doubt me just picking it up and taking it is a good idea, especially after the god already rewarded me and declared me king of his tribes. Just to satisfy you though, I'll take a look around after I get this crown/helmet on. What's it called, Helm of the Demon Wolf? Yeah, clearly no sense of originality. Well, here it goes.

I slide the helmet on, taking a moment to adjust it a little to get it to fit comfortably. The moment I think I have it on right, the helmet begin shifting and moving itself, conforming itself to fit my head better. As soon as it's finished with that, I'm assaulted by feeling of wanting to lead people, to show them a path that will lead them to strength and glory. As artifacts go, the urges are fairly weak, but I'm out of practice thanks to my 4000 year vacation from the rest of the world, and pushing back the urges takes a few minutes. Once my head is my own again, I force MY will through the mental link the artifact created, enforcing my desires on it and demanding the helm's obedience. Without true sentience, the artifact falls under my control easily, and it's attempts to reassert itself quiet. I can still feel it's influence, however, passively urging me to display my strength, to lead, to guide others on the path to glory. If I'm not careful, I might do something stupid or annoying.

Well, with that taken care of, I move on to other tasks. A quick search of the crypt yields nothing of value, not even tributes to the dead or heirlooms. Shame really, nothing like looting the dead for all their stuff. Another task off my list, and with nothing else to do, I head back to my city. Heh, I like that, my city.

---------------------

I arrive just as the sun starts on it's path across the sky, and the first person I encounter, a guard at the end of his shift, proceeds to gawk at me for about a minute before I get bored of staring back at him and...

Now that I think about it, I don't actually have any plans for what to do now. Shall I call a giant meeting or something? Gather the shamans for a meal of sparks?
>>
No. 313590 ID: 81f32a

Yeah
I kinda forgot what we were going for.

Yeah call the meeting and tell them that all the tribes, followers of Tirfuldin, are going to follow you, the Barbarian-King by default.
We only need to absorb the tribes who follow different gods... were there any else besides Horsehoof?

Then get your spark meal, gotta try out the power to see if it works
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No. 313640 ID: eba49f

I have always thought the wolf is a good symbol to have. Wolves are fierce, but also known for their teamwork (unlike lions, who constantly fight each-other).

I have to admit the spell amplifying idea was better than the idea I was using.

Now that we should have the full support of our tribe, over the next few weeks we should scoop up the remaining tribe and start to build infrastructure and prepare for the war with Everfrost.
We should especially make sure to do is contact the Bisonhorn and see if we can get some of their smiths to set up in our city.

Also, what opinion do you guys have about manufacturing railguns? Using lightning enchantments as a power source and minor earth enchantments to make bolts, I think they would be more efficient than more direct uses of sparks such as just shooting the lightning at people.
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No. 313722 ID: 234c26

>>313533
>all those who can see the artifact and its bearer are passively influenced
How long does this influence persist after they stop seeing the artifact? Does it strengthen with additional exposure?

>>313579
>what to do now
Get your tribe together, where they can see you and the helm's enchantment can affect them. Once they're there, it's speech time. Give them all a good chance to look at your new helm, plus your persuasive enchantment, of course.

"Hear me! I have run through the day and night to the tomb of the last King of the Barbarian Clans, seeking power and recognition, and I have found it. Before his resting place I spoke to Tirfuldin, declaring my wish to rule, and he tested me three times in a realm of his imagining. For combat I bested his mighty champion, a warrior whose match I have not seen in many years. For leadership I led assaults upon foes and threw back theirs upon my people. And for resolve, I argued my will until even one of his angels was satisfied.

"In recognition of my worthiness, Tirfuldin set himself to the crafting of an artifact, that the tribes would know his blessing lay with me and with the path to Strength that I will lead you on. The mighty helm I now wear is the sign of his favor- and the mark of my new title, King of the Barbarian Clans.

"With the god's blessing, I will unify the tribes and lead all the people of the Endless Plains into the future on the path of Strength. As I told him I would, we will grow mighty in war and in peace, that others will look upon our nation to find themselves wanting and all we oppose will be cast down before us.

"Rejoyce, people of the Endless Plains! Today begins my reign as King!"

If you did your speech right, this will end with the crowd roaring out a cheer. Thrusting a hand in the air as you shout the last line coupled with your speech enchantment will hopefully produce that effect.

Anyway, once that's done give the order to prepare a celebratory feast, because this is an occasion for one.

While they're busy with that, you should meet with Vodthag, Urthan, and Milso in order to plot out your rapid assimilation of the remaining tribes of the plains. It should proceed quickly, now that their shamans will be getting visions of you as the chosen one, but some input can't hurt. Bring up the matter of the Horsehoof, and Tirfuldin's statement that he could not urge them to accept you as their leader; how much trouble are they likely to be?


>>313640
>Also, what opinion do you guys have about manufacturing railguns?
That it's a lot of work on something that will likely not work well (we don't have any materials strong enough to not deform from the rail gun's force) and probably uses the available magical energy less efficiently than, say, a single telekinetic enchantment that just chucks whatever you have in your hand at bullet-speed. So basically, I vote "no".
>>
No. 313834 ID: 81f32a

>>313722
[...]
"Now bend over and give me your sparks"
>>
No. 313836 ID: eba49f

I think that the next time we use our artifact to mass-gather sparks, we should cast some kind of large spell with most of them, so that if Tirfuldin watches our first use of that power it won't look suspicious that we absorb the sparks and just keep them.

>>313722
Efficiency comparison:
I checked and abhorrently an 100 point stone-shaping or telekinesis enchant is about strong enough to throw a pebble with the force of a rifle bullet.

A railgun using a 100 point enchantment (plus a minor metal enchantment) for an arc of electricity, on the other hand, should be able to throw a metal (rather than stone) projectile both harder and farther, considering how much energy it takes to make a coherent lightning bolt. The need for a strong metal is a valid point, but steel should be strong enough when we get that, and we want to go for steel production anyway. Due to the cooldown time of the enchantment, it is also probable that they would fire more slowly than regular bows, but their advantages would be like the crossbow vs bow comparison (only with an even greater increases in range and power).
I of course say that if we do go for railguns, we should start with only making one prototype (and doing the first tests with less electricity) so we don't loose much if it doesn't work out.
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No. 313974 ID: c4468a

I order the man to gather all the tribesman into what is effectively the town square, which sends the guard running to complete the given task. In the meantime, I head off to find the three heavy hitters of the tribe, since I can deal with that while I wait for everyone to get up and actually make their way to the designated meeting area. With a bit of prompting and a few more men running off to get them, I gather the three. Vodthag seems in shock of what's going on, even more so after I relate what happened at the tomb to the three. Urthan just laughs, then he and Milso drop to one knee as they swear eternal service to me. Vodthag quickly follows suit, although I can see how much he really wishes he didn't have to from the way his facial expression is twisted. I would start laughing at him and holding it over his head that I am his god-chosen King, but the helm's urges mentally slap me in the face, or it's rough equivalent, and I garner that doing so isn't a good idea for seeming like a good leader. Instead, i order them to quit it with the bowing and tell me what needs to be done to gather everyone.

The general conscenses is rather simple. I don't have to do anything. It's been thousands of years since the last king, but all the tribes(sans the Horsehoof) will rally simply at the promise that someone is going to be unifying them for some greater purpose. After not understanding how that could possibly unify such a large group, I eventually have it explained to me like so. Barbarians are simple people. They follow the strongest. The strongest, as seen by all of them, is usually their chieftain. I, however, did something that got me seen as the strongest by everybody. I went directly to their god, proved myself worthy, and was declared strongest by him. That simple. So following their philosophy, they're all going to follow me now, simply because I'm strongest. Well, works for me.

They do advise, however, that the Horsehoof will have to be dealt with the old fashioned way, namely beating their chieftain into the ground. Both Urthan and Vodthag strongly advise that I do this, the former because of the uses for the tribes horsemen, the latter because he wants them to be brought into Tirfuldin's worship. Yeah religious wars. If I don't assimilate them, their likely to start raiding my territory, which will make waging my war more difficult. Annoying really, so I resolve to do that. Shouldn't take me more than a day or two max to take care of the issue.

Asking about how we should structure the many tribes coming in just garners me three sets of stares. Apparently, when it comes to barbarians, structure isn't something one worries about. When there's an enemy, you charge the enemy and you kill it. It's that simple. Unless you all meant a different form of structure? Like some sort of social structure? Because that's even less existent in this lot.

It's about this time that Nina shows up, coming in with a platter of food she promptly drops as soon as she sees my shiny new hat... which reminds me, where'd my other one go... irrelevant at this point, given as I doubt I'll ever where any other hat than this one now. Anyway, Nina starts stuttering an apology, which I promptly silence by asking her just to go get more food and not to worry about the stuff on the floor. She bows and leaves again, glancing once more at my hat, and is replaced by Sticks, Tongues, and the two elves, all of which stop the minute they come in to gawk at me some more. I suppose this isn't exactly an unusual reaction, but it's getting a little annoying.

After Nina returns with more food, and we all finish eating and I ask a few more questions about structure, which is generally met with stares that can only be interpreted as "damn city-dwellers", the whole host of people currently under my direct control is gathered, and I step in front of the lot of them to make my grand speech, as defined by that one voice.

"Hear me! I have run through the day and night to the tomb of the last King of the Barbarian Clans, seeking power and recognition, and I have found it. Before his resting place I spoke to Tirfuldin, declaring my wish to rule, and he tested me three times in a realm of his imagining. For combat I bested his mighty champion, a warrior whose match I have not seen in many years. For leadership I led assaults upon foes and threw back theirs upon my people. And for resolve, I argued my will until even one of his angels was satisfied.

"In recognition of my worthiness, Tirfuldin set himself to the crafting of an artifact, that the tribes would know his blessing lay with me and with the path to Strength that I will lead you on. The mighty helm I now wear is the sign of his favor- and the mark of my new title, King of the Barbarian Clans.

"With the god's blessing, I will unify the tribes and lead all the people of the Endless Plains into the future on the path of Strength. As I told him I would, we will grow mighty in war and in peace, that others will look upon our nation to find themselves wanting and all we oppose will be cast down before us.

"Rejoyce, people of the Endless Plains! Today begins my reign as King!"


I try out that fist in the air trick, just to see if it actually does anything, and before I'm even finished performing the desired action the entire crowd is cheering, and I even catch Vodthag give a little shout of joy before he catches himself with a rather confused look on his face. And since it is a moment to be celebrated, we might as well let everyone have a day of celebration, shouldn't we.

"Now, let the feasting and the dancing and the partying begin! Not a single person is to be left out!"

That statement brings in even louder cheer of approval, and everyone breaks apart to go about getting the required things. I personally slip away, having no interest in joining said party, and head back to my tent, where I sit back down at the table to continue translating that ritual book. I activate the mind-speed while I'm at it, so that I can answer your questions as well.

>How long does this influence persist after they stop seeing the artifact? Does it strengthen with additional exposure?
How the hell would I know. The information you have is the same that I have, so I suppose we'll have to experiment a little to get all the details worked out. I'll keep an eye out for any clues as to the specifics. Although I suppose we could try calling up Tirfuldin again, but I'd advise against that. Gods can be very fickle when they choose to be.

I believe on of you asked about the gods as well. Don't have access to a one of them religious types at the moment, shamans not counting as they only ever talk about Tirfuldin, but I can give a rundown on a bunch of the gods. Let me organize my thoughts into a neat little list for you and then you can ask about specific gods I mention. Keep in mind that this list by no means includes every god, or that anything I tell you about gods is conclusive. It's been 4000 years after all, this could be old information.

[b]The many gods can be divided a number of different ways, but the most common is to divide them into three categories based on what they govern and how much what they govern affects the many realms at large. The four catagories go from strongest to weakest.

The Prime Gods: The Prime Gods are also sometimes referred to as the elemental gods, as each rules over an element as defined by magic. Magic, of course, has only three elements, and thus three gods, as follows.
-Amisal, Goddess of the Mind
-Imsolms, God of the Body
-Porlistis, Goddess of the Soul

The Racial Gods: Each race in existance, each form of life, has a god the rules over and protects that race. Humans, orcs, cats, jellyfish, small rodents, they all have gods. The five most famous, however, are those that govern over the Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and Goblins.
-Ithrical, Goddess of Humans
-Imriel, God of Elves
-Kurgoth, God of Dwarves
-Paratcul, God of Orcs
-The Great Mother, Goddess of Goblins

Minor Gods: These cover far reaching ideas, concepts or occurrences. Secrets, fire, water, earth, pain, fear, hatred, love, so on so forth. They are generally relatively weak, and they number so many that I'm not even going to bother naming them. If you want specific information on a particular god, then just name the aspect you want the information for and I'll name it if I can.
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No. 314169 ID: cd63e9

is there a god of hate? also do gods get anything out of worship?
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No. 314181 ID: 81f32a

Sweet.
Try out if the spark gathering power works
Then lets take Horsehoof under our heels.
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No. 314232 ID: c4468a

Gods do not gain power based off of worship. It helps them in other ways to have people worshiping them(declaring wars on other gods is a relatively common use of worshipers), but they get actual power by other means. It varies from god to god. For the racial gods, it's relatively easy to gauge power level. The race and it's god are linked, the more members of that race walk the world, the more powerful the god. Goblins have the strongest god, last I heard, cause there are so damn many of them. The opposite also holds true though. The less of a race there are, the less powerful the god. So dragons, powerful in their own right, actually had a relatively weak god, as there never were that many of them. It's gets even worse for a race if the god governing them is killed. They have no divine protection, so to speak, and slowly start dying off till there are none of that race left. It's why there are even less dragons then they were before I killed off their god.

As for the god of hate... I think that was Helip? No, that's the sun... I've met him before, but don't remember the name. He's not very nice to people though, and he's fairly strong, compared to other gods of emotion.

And I'll begin eating tomorrow, the party is probably going to take most of the day, and it's not that bad if I miss a day of consuming sparks. We're planning to invade next year, damn it, we've got time. If I've learned anything in that tomb, I learned patience... or at least, to be more patient than I was.
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No. 314257 ID: eba49f

>>314232
Does killing off the god of a race directly harm them, or does it just harm them through removal of divine protection?
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No. 314280 ID: f0e3ae

have there been known cases of someone ascending into godhood?
What if you created a brand new race and set yourself up as their god?
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No. 314283 ID: c4468a

No one is really sure. We know that the death of a races god hurts the race, but how that effects it, or why the race then dies off afterward is... not known. At least not to us. Maybe the gods know, but if they do their not sharing. The only example I can recall of a races god dying, other than the one I killed, were the Naga. Bastards used to rule the seas, then the something happened and their god died. Within a few centuries they were all little more than history. Before I was put in the ground, there were only a few thousand of them left. Now, the things are probably barely remembered at all.

I couldn't tell you exactly why that happens. I'm sure some mage somewhere has some theories, so if you really want to know, you could probably ask me again after I've had a chance to research a little in some of Everfrost's libraries.

>>314280
None that I'm aware off, and it wouldn't work, regardless if one can ascend to godhood. A races god is a literal reflection of the race as a whole. Making a new race would mean that you are not of that race, and thus can't reflect that race's general appearance, nor the traits inherent within said race. More than likely, a god would simply spring into being to take up governing over said created race.
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No. 314307 ID: 35e1a0

what if you changed yourself first and made a race in your new image?
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No. 314320 ID: 234c26

>>313974
>I personally slip away, having no interest in joining said party, and head back to my tent, where I sit back down at the table to continue translating that ritual book.
You can spend some time with a book, but pouring the day into it isn't the best move here. You just ordered everyone to throw a party celebrating how great you are, and missing your own party is a fairly significant social misstep. To maximize the effectiveness of that move, you need to preside over at least some of the party- if it lasts all day, at least four or five hours of it. Make sure you're visible so that everyone can see you, talk about how great you are, and be affected by the enchantment of your artifact. It will build loyalty and reputation.

I'm sure that you can come up with some way to enjoy it, anyway. A massive celebration literally centered around the fact that you're awesome and everyone is happy to be your minions for the foreseeable future must have some appeal. And you can have any kind of event you want be part of it- all the warriors would probably be eager to fight each other in a contest for their new king's approval, for example. There are probably other things to enjoy, too.

>a bunch of stuff about the gods
I think my only question for the moment is how Tirfuldin would stack up against the rest of them, and whether whoever the god of Everfrost is will be likely to actively start working against you after you invade its country.
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No. 314329 ID: f0e3ae

>>314283
>a god would simply spring into being to take up governing over said created race.
This has potential... you will effectively be that god's parent. If you can predict where and when it will form and convince it as such...
mmm, then again it could get the gods to band together against you.
Could a replacement god spontaneously form for a race if their god died?

The gods should be something to respect and seek boons from, at least until you finish conquering the mortal realm. They are certainly "bigger fish" then you right now, but you are growing. That being said. If you align with certain gods against other gods...

Alright, so you are currently the chosen of tirfuldin, god of barbarians. That would make him a minor god, but quite a powerful one at that. Minor gods can apparently be more powerful then a race god.
>The Prime Gods
We need to figure out what they like and what they don't like, we want those gods on our side.

>Race gods
Those seem pretty obvious based on the info you have, their personality should match that of the majority of their race, and their goals would be the prosperity of their race. So long as you aren't committing genocide you will be fine. Note to self: don't commit genocide unless you are ready and willing to slay a god.

Our long term plans in regards to the elven forest and its denizens might result in a direct confrontation with the elven god. I think the idea of playing them against each other is best, if you DO eventually do that, get a divine sponsor or two backing it up first.

>orcs
>goblins
what kind of society and beliefs do those two races follow? if they are traditional RPG orcs and goblins then conquest via 1v1 fights with their champions is doable, and very lucrative... actually IIRC hatred did that before didn't he? killing and eating all their shaman in 1v1 challenges
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No. 314330 ID: f0e3ae

>>314320
very good point, I concur.

Also, might want to check up on your wife and son. Make sure they are taking your new status well.
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No. 314346 ID: 234c26

>>314330
They should really be coming by to see him on their own. I would expect Nina in particular to be dropping by any minute. We still need to have a talk with her regarding a certain fight and her actions leading up to it, come to think of it.

Also, Hated doesn't have a son, he has a young minion that he's raising and teaching things. Important distinction.
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No. 314362 ID: eba49f

>>314346
I think he counts at least as an apprentice rather than just another minion.

How much do gods tend to have solidarity with other gods on the basis ob both being divine? Do gods get upset by someone fighting a god on principle, or did you just happen to fight gods with lots of friends when a bunch of gods backed the heroes that took you down?

Now that I think about it, what specifically is Tirfuldin the god of? Being a barbarian? Living in tribes on the plains? This specific society?
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No. 314409 ID: c4468a

>>314307
I change my appearance, not my internal traits. If I turn into an elf, I don't suddenly gain whatever magical prowess or traits an elf has. I just look like an elf. No real change to my body. So if I were to make a race about myself... it would have to have my internal traits, and look like my true form.

>>314329
A god forms in the Heavens, not on in the realm of mortals. I couldn't predict where it would form period, even if I wanted to.

>what kind of society and beliefs do those two races follow?
Orcs are just like the barbarians, for the most part. Beat other people into the dirt. Get prestige. I didn't cash into that too much. Didn't care to hunt chieftains at the time.

I don't know too much about the goblins. They aren't magical in any way, I know that. So, I didn't interact with them at all. Didn't see much in interacting with something I couldn't eat.

>How much do gods tend to have solidarity with other gods on the basis ob both being divine? Do gods get upset by someone fighting a god on principle, or did you just happen to fight gods with lots of friends when a bunch of gods backed the heroes that took you down?
How much they keep together... it fluctuates quite a bit. They often fight amongst themselves when interests conflict, but when they as a whole will sometimes take up arms against a threat to their existences. It's hard to tell what they define as threats though, because they left me alone a long time, and didn't react immediately after a kill Drakias, the now ex-dragon god.

>Now that I think about it, what specifically is Tirfuldin the god of? Being a barbarian? Living in tribes on the plains? This specific society?
Being a barbarian, I believe. I can check that for you, if you so desire, although mortal understandings of what gods represent are almost always wrong on some level.

>>314320
Fine, I'll go join the party at some point. But I'm almost done with this translation, and I can start teaching it to the shamans. As for Tirfuldin's general rank... well, he's certainly strong enough to have two angels under his command. That's something you don't see every day. Most minor gods don't have more than one. Or any, for that matter. Course, things might have changed in my imprisonment.
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No. 314776 ID: eba49f

We should try and find out more precisely what Tirfuldin is the god of. We plan to make some major changes around here, and we want to avoid doing something that would cut off a large chunk of his power. He has been helpful, and getting him angry would divide the tribe quite a bit.

Something else I just realized:
Before taking major military action against Everfrost, we should have some scouting done rather than relying on the Elves. Because:
We got our military intelligence from the Elves.
The same Elves who tried to do away with one of their own by sending her off with faulty intelligence.
You see where I am going with this?
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No. 314906 ID: c4468a

>>314776
I... do see what you mean. I'd like to point out though, that neither of the two tribes I've taken control of are exactly good at... scouting. The Bearclaw seem more inclined to just kill everything, while the Hawkeye aren't much better, just a bit less obvious about it. The Snaketongue might work though, and if our plans are for conquest to begin next year, then we have ample time to assimilate them and get them scouting. I could just waltz in to Everfrost myself, I doubt I'm well known enough to garner to much attention, especially if I shift my form. Probably could gain some minions on the inside as well. Heh, minions. Got lot's of em now, and I feel rather giddy at the possibility of leading a war against the descendants of that bastard.

In the meantime, I'll try to get specifics on Tirfuldin. Any other questions, or shall I move on and deal with Nina, who is just coming into the tent... I never noticed how awkward ducking into a tent looks in slow motion.
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No. 314937 ID: f0e3ae

>>314906
its better to fight a war right. Unify all tribes, get them working together and prepared for war over the winter. Have the snaketongue tribe scout the enemy land. Assassinate or even kidnap the competent general (so that all command will fall to the incompetent prince...). If possible you should aim to drum up some resentment from the lower classes to help with conquering the people.
Then and only then march to war. With your armies prepared, descend upon them as spring starts.
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No. 315411 ID: 234c26

>>314906
Moving on to deal with Nina is fine. She probably has something or other to say about you being king now, and after that we'll want to get her version of why things ended up like they did with the shaman's daughter, so that we can tell her what she should have done instead. With our nifty new helmet, she might even listen this time. Hopefully it will help the "make her a useful, competent minion" plan move along much more quickly.
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No. 316079 ID: c4468a

On to other things, then. I deactivate my mind enchantment and turn my full attention to Nina. Before I even finish turning to face her she's dropped to her knees, forehead pressed against the floor. While this is relatively normal for a minion, I somehow doubt its normal for ones wife to do so. I wouldn't really know though, never really having had a wife before.

"I-I swear by the s-soul given to me by the g-gods and the v-vows I took as your w-wife to serve you f-faithfully for as long as I live, my K-King."

And now we have the vow of eternal servitude. This isn't really all that surprising, every important person I meet around here is probably going to do it at some point... most likely everyone will do it at some point. I, however, don't see why she should have to.

"Doesn't that make you Queen?"

Nina's head whips up to stare at me, shock clearly written on her face. I simply stare back and watch her as her mind slowly goes over the concept. It seems completely alien to her, and Nina eventually sits up, frowning in thought. Which results in Tongues almost tripping over her as he comes in.

"Whoa! Uh, sorry. Hey, Master! Damn, you look awesome! So you really are the Barbarian King, huh? That makes me prince, right?"

I cuff him over the ear the minute he gets close enough and reiterate that he is not my son. He's my apprentice, and the two are mutually exclusive of each other. Of course, that still meant he had a considerable amount of power, but he wouldn't be inheriting anything any time soon. With Nina still in apparent shock, I get Tongues to demonstrate his efforts(a still very weak fireball gets hurled into the air, which I quickly put out) and then send the boy on his way. It's supposed to be a day of celebration after all. After another few minutes of silence, Nina finally gets around to actually speaking again.

"I... I don't believe we have qu-queens, my Lord. The last King didn't have any queens, although he had a number of w-wives."

"Yeah... bullshit to that. If I become King of Everfrost, which I am, than their traditions will kick in as well, which mean you would, technically, be a queen anyway. So we'll just call you a queen from the start, shall we? We'll announce it later. Which reminds me, we have to get you a crown or something to make sure others know you have more authority now. Which brings me to the incident yesterday. Tell me exactly what happened, and why you didn't stop it."

Nina explains everything, which happens pretty much exactly how I figured it did, only she HAD tried to stop her sister. Her sister just didn't pay her any attention. To busy beating on her target, would be my guess. I don't really see what the big deal is, we didn't pick Nina to be the greatest minion in the world. I believe our original intention was to get at the book. Which turned out to be a great find, really, since there's these great rituals in it.

Either way, the only courses of action I can see for giving her the authority to actually get things to happen how she wants them is to continue with my current plan, which is to make her my queen, and give her actual authority to make stuff happen. If you voices have any better suggestions, let's here some of them.
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No. 316710 ID: 6ca854

>>316079

>If I become King of Everfrost, which I am, than their traditions will kick in as well, which mean you would, technically, be a queen anyway.
You mean when, don't you. Tell Nina to take this as a trial period to see how worthy you are at becoming a queen. Just like Tirfuldin tested us, so shall we test you. Of course, the end would be when we become King of Everfrost, we shall choose how to treat our spouse either the everfrost way or the way the previous barbarian king did. Its all up to her.
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No. 316787 ID: b1f0e2

>>316710
I am not sure about this at all. I don't see this as actually making her more useful and/or loyal.
She will be queen, simple as that. Although I guess multiple wives is always a possibility, but only political marriages that gets us a powerful kingdom as its not we breed...
So, how to make her a better queen? well, she isn't a warrior, but she can be an administrator. We need to find her some teachers who can help her with that, and we need to work on getting her some backbone. Bodyguards will help too, as she could order them to fight as her champions when needed.
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No. 316797 ID: 234c26

>>316079
>we didn't pick Nina to be the greatest minion in the world
This is true, but we did pick her at least in part because she would be malleable- more able to be turned into whatever we wanted her to be, over time. She might never be the greatest minion in the world, but she will be with you for a long time and can be molded into a very good minion if we make sure that we push her in the right direction.

Which brings me to the next bit. The queen thing will just be a marker that you think she should have more authority. Authority is derived from respect, which people have for personalities and for power. Unless Nina is willing and able to command respect on her own merits, meaning either having the personality or the displayed power to do so, her only basis for authority will be "if you don't do what I say I'll go run and tell my husband!" which ultimately will only make people think less of her, and by extension think less of you for thinking her worthy of authority that she can't back up.

So. You can simply declare her queen if you want, but if you want that to work out in the long term you'd best try to make certain that she grows into someone well-suited for the role as quickly as possible. Here's a suggestion as to how, gambling upon our artifact, persuasive enchantment, previous enchantments upon her, and her own loyalty/desire to serve us to guide her personal growth.

"Nina, what happened with Kailia was a significant mistake on your part. First, you lost control of the problem and then when it was entirely out of your hands you stood by and watched, obviously impotent. You looked weak and indecisive to anyone watching; by extension that makes me look foolish for having chosen a weak and indecisive wife. You should be neither of those things- and even if you are you should not be seen to be any of those things. You should have come up with a solution to the problem, either on your own or with counsel, and then either been the one to carry it out personally or visibly overseen someone else doing so to assert your own authority. If things began to leave your control, you should have immediately stepped in and reasserted the fact that you were in charge of the situation- by force if words were not working.

"Second, you let someone else act directly against your wishes. Let me be clear: No one but me is allowed to give you orders, and no one but me or those acting on my direct orders are allowed to oppose your commands publicly. You are my wife; every woman in camp should jump when you snap your fingers. If they don't, it is your duty to push them back into line using whatever means are necessary. Even most of the men in camp should be inclined to obey you simply because you are mine, and closer to me than they- but they will not unless you act as someone who can command their respect in ways other than turning to others, and have the reputation to back it.

"If you want to serve me well, know this: From others, kneeling and obeying is often enough. From you I demand a higher standard.

"I gave you two great enchantments, speed for your mind and your body. Between the two of them you should be able to decide on a course of action in moments and have the power to carry it out almost as fast if need be. Make better use of my gifts, and of your own talents. You are quite intelligent, when you have time to think- and you should have plenty of time. From now until dusk, speed your mind at all times unless there is pressing reason not to. We will speak on this again when night falls. Is that understood?"
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No. 316853 ID: 92877e

nina is cute and all but I have to agree with Hated here ... why are we botheringthat much?
I admit I haven't really listened to others lately but this seems more trouble than it is worth.
Sure, it is good that Hated is not a dickwad all the time but going through so much trouble? ... I dunno.
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No. 316856 ID: c4468a

Yes, when. It's only a matter of time, and I have all the time in the world.

"Nina, what happened with Kailia was a significant mistake on your part. First, you lost control of the problem and then when it was entirely out of your hands you stood by and watched, obviously impotent. You looked weak and indecisive to anyone watching; by extension that makes me look foolish for having chosen a weak and indecisive wife. You should be neither of those things- and even if you are you should not be seen to be any of those things. You should have come up with a solution to the problem, either on your own or with counsel, and then either been the one to carry it out personally or visibly overseen someone else doing so to assert your own authority. If things began to leave your control, you should have immediately stepped in and reasserted the fact that you were in charge of the situation- by force if words were not working.

"Second, you let someone else act directly against your wishes. Let me be clear: No one but me is allowed to give you orders, and no one but me or those acting on my direct orders are allowed to oppose your commands publicly. You are my wife; every woman in camp should jump when you snap your fingers. If they don't, it is your duty to push them back into line using whatever means are necessary. Even most of the men in camp should be inclined to obey you simply because you are mine, and closer to me than they- but they will not unless you act as someone who can command their respect in ways other than turning to others, and have the reputation to back it.

"If you want to serve me well, know this: From others, kneeling and obeying is often enough. From you I demand a higher standard.

"I gave you two great enchantments, speed for your mind and your body. Between the two of them you should be able to decide on a course of action in moments and have the power to carry it out almost as fast if need be. Make better use of my gifts, and of your own talents. You are quite intelligent, when you have time to think- and you should have plenty of time. From now until dusk, speed your mind at all times unless there is pressing reason not to. We will speak on this again when night falls. Is that understood?"


Nina nods her head, the tattoo across her face representing her mind enchantment sending words flashing her cheek to fast for me to catch. Good, hopefully your idea helps her become more useful. Some teachers to help her learn some more useful skills is also a good idea, but that will have to wait till we conquer Everfrost. The kind of administration done by the Barbarians won't be of much use for very much longer. Not when your done with things, I'm sure.

With that said, it's time to return to that party, to make an appearance at least. I'm not sure why I should, its a waste of my time, but whatever suits you voices.

Upon arriving at said party, I'm dragged immediately into the singing, dancing and general festivities. I manage to avoid most of it, spending most of my time on the sidelines and occasionally going into the crowd to spread the effects of my helm to as many people as possible. Hopefully that will encourage these people further, although it doesn't seem like they need much encouraging at all.

At midday, with the festivities still going on with no signs of stopping. As I cut through the crowd on my way to "encourage" yet another group, I'm intercepted by Sticks, who comes crashing into me from the side, wrapping her arms around my neck and giggling like some excited little girl. A quick check reveals that she's drunk, and doesn't seem inclined to thinking straight.

"Hehe. Ello, my lord. Gots yourshelf lotsa great drinksh in thish place, dontcha. Hey, why dontcha dansh a little wif Shticksh, ey? She's feelin a little lonshum. Hic."

Oh joy. Now I have an elf demanding my attention. Which isn't that bad a thing in the eyes of my fellow barbarians, given what Sticks is currently wearing. Or rather, not wearing. I'm fairly certain ones shirt isn't supposed to consist of little more than a covering for ones breasts. I'm certain Sticks deserves the glares she's getting from the the womenfolk, although I'm not so certain about the leers from the men.

In any case, what shall I do about this particularly troublesome companion of mine. I don't see any of the other two elves, so there's no chance of dumping her on either of them. In fact, I notice that I haven't seen either of them for quite some time. Bastards probably knew this was going to happen and left as soon as it started so they wouldn't have to deal with her.
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No. 317138 ID: 81f32a

Oh damn, this is troublesome.
Since you have no interest in mortals or whatsoever and I don't see why we should force you to do something you would despise (although, this whole journey might have been full of things you've done that you hate. But at least we had a goal there).

I say that you casually and subtly use some kind of spell to put her into sleep as if she just passed out from being drunk. Since mind spells aren't your best forte, I will advise against. You should make some airborne powdery thing to come out of your hand or whatever so that she inhales it and falls into sleep in the span of several minutes.
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No. 317453 ID: c4468a

Put her to sleep? Sure, I can do that. Subtlety... yeah, I don't feel like wasting sparks on that. With a well placed blow to the side of her head, she's out cold, although I do her the kindness of catching her before she hits the ground. I hand Sticks off to a passing woman, ordering her to get her back to her tent and safely into bed, and to make sure she stays there the rest of the day. Don't want a repeat performance of this. How she does I leave up to the woman. I myself continue on my original goal, which is to spread as much of this helms influence around as possible.

After wandering around pretending to care for most of the day, I've had enough of forcing myself to mingle. I retreat once again to my tent, where I find Nina waiting quietly, sitting on the floor, eyes closed, apparently meditating. I remember seeing her wandering around during the day, mostly spending her time hanging around her family. At least I know she wasn't hiding in here all day. I spot Tongues as well, he's sitting in off to the side with his eyes staring hard at a small rock held in the hand, the object wobbling slightly. Not something I told him to do, but it's good that the boy is trying to do things on his own.

Anyway, much as I'd love to go to sleep right now, I believe you lot wanted me to talk to Nina before I sleep. Make it quick, I'm tired and don't feel like dealing with anyone for very much longer.
>>
No. 317488 ID: 81f32a

>yeah, I don't feel like wasting sparks on that. With a well placed blow to the side of her head
What?
Be careful with that. Concussion is a serious thing man, knocking someone out may leave them wit ha permanent damage.
Besides, you would have use only few sparks.


I don't know how about other voices but I have nothing to say to Nina. If anyone had anything to say, they better speak up now.

You should now go to sleep.
I think tomorrow is the time to beat the Horsehoof chieftain and take over his tribe before they become wise to our act.
Oh, also, try out the spark-gathering power of the crown-helmet. Honestly, sparks were the main reason why we even bothered with all this in the 1st place.

Then we will go around and establish our dominance over other tribes.
>>
No. 317629 ID: b1f0e2

I would check up on tongues progress first. Commend him on trying out new things with the rock "well done apprentice", maybe give him some extra instruction in magic.

As for nina, I am more curious about what she has to say. But if she doesn't volunteer anything tonight then it can wait.

>I think tomorrow is the time to beat the Horsehoof chieftain and take over his tribe before they become wise to our act.
Yes, that is a plan. Oh, right after the morning spark gathering, now done with every single shaman in the village at once; plus sticks.

>Knocked sticks out
I hope she doesn't remember that when she wakes up...
>>
No. 317795 ID: c00244

>>317453
On Nina, we ordered her to speed her mind all day... which means that if she obeyed us she went through something like several subjective months. We need to talk to her because that amount of time spent in a radically different environment (like a slow motion world) could significantly impact just about anyone's personality. It is important to get a sense of how she has changed.

I would have her tell us of any significant things that she feels she has learned or concluded since we last spoke. Also, ask her how she intends to alter her patterns of behavior in the future. Hopefully what she says will prove quite interesting and give us a good idea of what else will be required to guide her development in the proper direction and how much more work that will take.


Give Tongues a couple minutes of instruction/advice before moving on to bed.


In the morning, gather sparks from everyone and move to conquer the Horsehoof, agreed. Also order messengers sent to the other tribes declaring yourself King and commanding that they come to your followers' current location so that you can meet them and begin issuing orders. Hopefully they'll come to you on their own, with that.
>>
No. 317986 ID: c4468a

I tap Nina on the shoulder to get her attention, and signal for her to cut off the enchantment. Once she's rejoined us in our thought speed, I ask about what she thought about, with all the time to do little more than think. The woman pauses for a moment, thinking again, then takes a deep breath before answering.

"I thought about... I thought about a lot of things, most of them not worth mentioning. I thought about what you said earlier. But... I also thought about what our relationship actually is, and I couldn't come up with anything. We are not truly husband and wife. You can not give me a child, at least not the usual way. We have not consummated our marriage, as is expected. I am... useless to you, in almost every aspect. You could have chosen someone competent, like my sister. I... that thought made me angry. I don't like the thought of being useless to you. I don't like the thought of you giving up on me, tossing me aside in favor of someone else. You promised me a child. You promised me, even with your inability to give me one naturally that I would be able to give birth to your offspring. I asked that selfishly. I thought of all that, dozens of times, trying to come up with some way I could be useful to you, and deserve the promise you gave me, and I couldn't think of anything I could do now that could be of use. So, I decided I would become useful, in whatever way you needed of me. I would lear-"

"I understand. Much as I'd love to continue listening to you rant, I'm tired, and don't have much interest in a long discussion. As long as you understand what you need to do, that's all that matters. I don't need to hear all about it. In the meantime, use the enchantments I've given you to aid you in whatever it is you plan to do."

That taken care of, Nina looking a little put off by my interruption, I move on to Tongues. The rock is floating only slightly above his hand. A question earns me the remark that he's trying to do telekinesis, since he saw one of the elves do it. I give him a few words about the predisposition of his race towards Soul magic, and inform him to try visualizing it more as manipulation of the rock because it is a rock, not through will power. I can tell by his expression that Tongues didn't really understand what I'd said, but that's part of learning as well. One must puzzle out the meaning's behind the word.

That done, sleep is quick in coming, although I rouse slightly sometime during the night to find Nina has pressing herself against my body, the woman deliberately wrapping my arms around her body. Hardly safe, from my point of view, but her face has a smile on it, which I can only guess is a good thing. I go back to sleep, letting her do whatever she wants.

----------

After waking up and eating breakfast, after which both Nina and Tongues disappear to parts unknown. I find I don't really care what they do, since I'll be leaving again shortly. I order messengers be sent out as I make my way once again to our makeshift town center, the shamans gathering as ordered, along with Sticks, whose looking miserable, likely from the hangover from yesterday's events and the method I used to knock her out.

After they've all gathered, I explain what I'm going to do, what the helm does. After everyone understands that, I test it for the first time, the mouth of the wolf head opening and sparks visibly getting sucked in from the many shamans around me. I feel the delicious things coming into me, and after the minute is done, the process is complete.

Spark Count: 3945

That done, the crowd disperses, and I, after making sure there's no pressing issues I have to deal with, head off to the last known location of the Horsehoof. A few hours travel and I've arrived to find them not their, which isn't really all that surprising. Another hour of searching around the area and I've found them. I hang back a little, observing the tribe from a safe distance away. The most prominent thing of note is the rather massive herd of horses, about a thousand of the things, all peacefully grazing next to the campsite. There are a few people tending to them, but not the amount one would expect to be required to watch over something like that. Other than that little fact, it looks very similar to the two other tribes I've encountered so far. Now, though, we decide how we shall deal with this. Do I just go in and kick their chieftain around a little? Or do I do anything else first? Vodthag doesn't seem to like these guys because they worship some horse spirit thing, so we might want to keep that in mind while dealing with them.
>>
No. 317991 ID: b1f0e2

>they worship some horse spirit thing
I wonder, is that a real god or at least a real spirit...
Right now the best policy is to not offend gods unless doing so on behalf of another god. This is to avoid drawing their unified attention until such time as you can actually afford to (aka, you being sole ruler of all mortals)

If they do not follow tifuldin, does that mean that their traditions are perhaps also different?
I suggest walking over there and talking first, ask to talk to the shamans, ask them to explain their god and why they do not follow tirfuldin.
>>
No. 317998 ID: 81f32a

>After everyone understands that, I test it for the first time, the mouth of the wolf head opening and sparks visibly getting sucked in from the many shamans around me. I feel the delicious things coming into me, and after the minute is done, the process is complete.

That's a relief.
I was a bit afraid it would not work out as we intended. Good to see that we now have a great supply of sparks with little limits.
How many sparks did you get in this transaction?

>Vodthag doesn't seem to like these guys because they worship some horse spirit thing, so we might want to keep that in mind while dealing with them.
Who cares what who worships?
Just go in and kick their chieftains arse.
Call him out for a duel like before and make him eat dust.
Do not accept anything else than an "honorable" one-on-one fight. Would hate if we are sucked into horse related challenge.
During the fight he can choose to be on horseback if he wishes to (not like it will help him much)
>>
No. 318223 ID: c4468a

Yeah, I could care less about whatever god or spirit they follow. I've got my own backing me, at least in this case, and I see no reason why I shouldn't just beat the chieftain around a bunch. So let's go with that. I make my way toward the camp, making sure that they can tell I'm coming, I doubt they would appreciate me just showing up inside their camp.

Once I'm within 100 feet of the campsite, a group comes out to face me. At it's head is a man, with a helmet very similar to mine, only it appears to be a horses skull, and doesn't contain magic of any kind. In fact, I don't feel a drop of magic in that entire camp. Something seems... off. This isn't how I imagine one of the major tribes to feel.

The horse-head man comes splits off from the rest in order to trudge up to me directly, my own magically created form completely disregarded as he glares up at me.

"What is it you want, chosen of Tirfuldin. We have no interest in joining you, nor do we desire to give ourselves up to the usurper."

"I don't know what that means, nor do I care. Your joining me whether you like it or not. Bring your chieftain if you aren't him, so that we can get this over with."

The man bursts out laughing at my words, and the laughter quickly spreads the the small group of warriors that came out with him.

"We don't decide our leader by something as simple as a duel. To us, only the one who can harness the power of the Horse spirit may even attempt to become Chieftain. You, a follower or Tirfuldin, couldn't hope to wrest control of the great spirit away from me."

The words are barely out of his mouth before I'm jabbing my fist into his chest, while at the same time reaching into him with magic. Almost at once my magical senses are hindered by... something. A spirit, yes, but not quite a spirit. It's not something I've ever felt before, but it's definitely not mortal. The moment my senses touch it the thing lashes back magically, sending me flying a few feet away, and I feel a sort of drain upon my body, sparks suddenly going missing from my own stash. Interesting, to say the least.

Spark Count: 3922
>>
No. 318244 ID: 9202a9

>>318223
Prehaps some one had the same idea as you?
>>
No. 318245 ID: b1f0e2

>Don't choose leader by dual.
Yea, when I said "maybe their traditions are different because they don't follow tirfuldin" that is EXACTLY what I meant; I should have clarified.
He did however conveniently explained what I wanted to ask, HOW they choose. Their leader is the person who harness the horse spirit the most. Now for some reason it doesn't FEEL magical but it is most definitely magical, in fact it can drain your sparks. And because we didn't first talk to them we lost the chance to learn more hints about how it is controlled. Is it by raw willpower? does it choose people for following its tenants? are there special techniques for controlling the spirit.

So... is he dead or did this horse spirit prevent his death?
>>
No. 318289 ID: cd63e9

so instead of beating up a chieftain and claiming the tribe you have to beat a powerful possible semi divine spirit into submission instead? well at least its a challenge.
>>
No. 318304 ID: b1f0e2

To clarify again, when I said "talk to them" I didn't mean wussy diplomacy talk, I meant "gathering vital intelligence" talk.

So, what to do now... I think it depends on his status as alive or dead.

Maybe we can come up with a spell that will let you see those spirits?
>>
No. 318906 ID: c4468a

>>318289
I like the way you think. Let's kick it's ass.

>>318244
I don't think so, that resistance didn't come from the man's will, it was something living inside of him. Or existing inside of him, as the case may be.

The man is... mostly dead, what with the hole in his chest. Now it's just him bleeding out on the ground. As he does so, little wisps of smoke looking stuff start coming out of his mouth, like he's breathing out whatever is inside him. Said smoke stuff starts forming into a more recognizable form, that of a horse, but it looks like we have a few minutes before it's done. The men that had followed the man out have backed up, providing ample room for whatever is going to happen.

Seems we don't need that new spell. Any ideas on what I should do with this thing. Wait for it to finish, attack it no- Why am I even asking this question? I step forward, throwing a punch at the thing, only to have my fist pass straight though it and that draining feeling happen again. The moment I feel it start I shadow-step back a few feet, eying my opponent again. My normal method of punch it till it dies is apparently not going to work, so let's hear some of those plans of yours, voices.

Spark Count:3901
>>
No. 318929 ID: b1f0e2

>>318906
punch it with magic so to speak...
Don't actually let it touch your body, make a sword out of a spell or some such and try to hurt it with that.
>>
No. 318931 ID: cd63e9

ok this thing doesn't seem to have a physical form. i suggest throwing a divers range of weak spells (fire, cold, acid, wind, etc) at it until we figure out what will hurt it. Also it seems to absorb your sparks on contact, don't let it touch you.
>>
No. 318942 ID: a5a1cd

>>318906
All right, all beings have three parts, right? Body, mind, and soul. We've been attacking is body, and that's not working. What have you got that's the mental or soul-based equivalent of a punch? Use those.
>>
No. 318952 ID: 259738

Body magic isn't working. Try soul. I don't suppose you have learned any offensive uses of mind magic?
>>
No. 318956 ID: b1f0e2

I see three paths.
1. Prove your worthiness and gain it's support. - probably no longer feasible.
2. Bind it to your will with magic, make it your slave. - do you even have such spells?
3. Destroy it outright. - it is immune to corporeal harm, so we need some incorporeal... Have you never fought incorporeal creatures before? don't you have any spells that harm them?
>>
No. 318979 ID: 0bd0b0

You have not actually hurt this thing yet, it may still wish to speak with you. To do some sort of trial thing like Tirfuldin. I can't imagine what sort of weakness a transparent spark-absorbing horse has.
>>
No. 318997 ID: c4468a

Right, body, mind, soul. All things have them, or they can't function properly. Mind offensive spells... yeah, got none. Most I can do is push some illusions into it's mind. Most of my mind stuff is for keeping other people out of my head. Not that I have much mind stuff anyway.

Soul, on the other hand, has quite a few things I could do to it. Since it does seem to resemble a ghost, I could try using the ethereal ring I have on me and join it on it's ethereal plane of existence. Might be able to start punching it then. Five seconds should be more than enough time to do some damage. Except for the spark drain the thing has... hmm, so annoying, that. Makes me wonder if it actually does anything with those sparks, or if it's just hoarding them. Something to consider. Anyway, yes, there are some soul spells I know that can directly affect a ghost/spirit, mostly by screwing with it's connection to the real world, that tends to hurt ghosts a lot. A good deal of my offensive soul magic is directed towards the more... elemental forces, if you will. Fire, lightning, acid, rocks, ice, that whole slew of magical inclinations.

As for the suggestion that I could bind it... I might be able to, depending on how we do it. I could bind it's soul to mine, which would force it to obey me, but that has it's own... issues. Namely, anything it feels, I feel, including pain, hunger, or whatever else that thing feels. I don't know the mind equivalent, and there is no body equivalent. If you lot happen to think up some other way I might bind it to my will, I'd be glad to give it a try.

As the thing continues forming into a horse-ghost-thing, I start hurling some very weak elemental spells at it, just to see if they do anything. None seem to produce any notable affect, although I do manage to set the ground it "standing" on ablaze. I next try disrupting it's connection to the real world, and watch as the misty stuff suddenly collapses into a puddle of mist, if you can call it that. It seems, then, that I can at least stop it from forming itself into anything. The mist starts to reform itself again, giving me another few minutes to think about what I could do to this thing. The battle so far has been a bit anti-climactic, actually, so hopefully something more entertai-

I'm suddenly hurled backwards, the drain happening again, and I collide with the ground heavily, rolling back to my feet instantly. Another misty horse-ghost has appeared, and is apparently the thing that sent me flying. I can see more appearing all over the place, rising from the ground in front of me and forming into what appears to be some kind of herd of horse-ghosts.

Well, it's nice to know there's more than one. Unless they're all the same one. In either case, this just got much more interesting.

Spark Count: 3897
>>
No. 319106 ID: b1f0e2

It's possible it came from the rest of the people in the tribe. look at them, what are they doing? Can you spot shamans amongst them at all?

wait, you detected no spark counts? my guess is that they absorb all sparks from the tribe to perpetuate themselves and grow stronger.
>>
No. 319204 ID: ce98ff

Can you sense any magic at all coming out of them? If not, it would seem that they have achieved the quite desirable trick of hiding their magic. Perhaps they are absorbing magic that comes near them, including the magic that would otherwise detect them. Test that out by sending out some feelers. (If they are hiding by absorbing, they should 'feel' like an empty void.)
>>
No. 319448 ID: 81f32a

>Since it does seem to resemble a ghost, I could try using the ethereal ring I have on me and join it on it's ethereal plane of existence

Well do that and beat the shit out of them then.
>>
No. 319458 ID: c4468a

My senses aren't magical in nature, but I get what your saying. I send some of my feelers out to check those horse-spirits out, but the moment the feelers touch them said feelers vanish. I do however, sense magic inside of them a half-second before the feeler's get eaten, or whatever it is the things do. It's not a lot, but that just makes me think that they(the more recent horse-spirits at least) aren't the main body. There has to be a stronger one directing these ones.

The people aren't doing much of anything, just watching really. At least the people I can see are. Anyone else that might be in the village is probably in the tents waiting for the results of this little battle. I don't see any shamans among the small group I can see. A little odd, now that I think about it, but whatever suits them, I suppose.

I test the ring idea, going etheral and smashing one of them with my fist. It seems to work, except the drain happens again before the spirit disintegrates into nothing. It seems they aren't very strong went directly touching something. Which begs the question, how the hell did that other one send me flying?

Spark Count: 3875
>>
No. 319479 ID: b1f0e2

>>319458
can you turn a weapon ethereal instead of using your fist? maybe then it wouldn't drain your sparks to him them.
>>
No. 319489 ID: 81f32a

Can you make an "inversion" spell which inverts the effects of your enemies.
That would give sparks to you, instead of draining them.

how about a shield of someking, an energy shield/bubble around you so that they can't siphon your sparks.

Also, when using spells, try the power of you helmet. The one which "focuses" your power. like, channel sparks through it and attack.
>>
No. 319532 ID: c2d0f1

Try doing what ever it is you do to drink sparks on them, as hard as possible, th emoment the next one touches you
>>
No. 319781 ID: c4468a

>>319479
No, a weapon would have to be enchanted to produce the effect desired, and we don't have time for that. Besides... I didn't bring a weapon with me. I figured I could just take one from an enemy if I needed to.

>>319489
An inversion of power... that would work if whatever they were doing was a magical trait. If it's something like my eating habit, which is a natural trait, then it wouldn't produce a result. The shield idea is good though. It's going to eat up spark like mad to keep it going, but it'll give me some breathing space. I focus a moment, then a burst of disruptive energy rips apart the nearest spirit-horses. I've created a spherical zone of disruption, that should keep them off of me while we figure out exactly what to do. It'll give me a safe area to retreat to as well.

>>319532
First experiment. I step out of my safe zone, deliberately shoving my hand at one of the spirits. I almost instantly feel the drain, but I pull back with my own feeding. The process almost immediately evens out, both sides incapable of dragging the sparks either way, but it's stamina is far less than mine, and I feel my sparks come back, as well as a few more. The thing begins collapsing, and before I can cut my feeding off I feel something else start to get sucked in. But then I'm done and have darted back into my safe haven. Glancing back, I'm glad I did, the other horse-spirits have converged on the spot where I was.

I still don't see anything that looks like a core or a big boss type. That last sensation though... it felt like I was eating, but I wasn't getting any sparks. Instead I was eating something else. That shouldn't work though, I can't eat ghosts...
>>
No. 319782 ID: 259738

>>319781
Eat ghosts. EAT ALL THE GHOSTS.
>>
No. 319784 ID: cd63e9

hmmm, weird ass spirits things, no horse shamans present, could they be a spell? the horse tribe shamans could be back in there tents maintaining this thing. is there some way to test if they are being created or maintained by a magic user?
>>
No. 319788 ID: 81f32a

>>319781
Can you boost your eating ability by using sparks?

That way you could consume them faster without giving them time to gang up on you.
>>
No. 319831 ID: b1f0e2

>I can't eat ghosts
These aren't ghost, they are ghost like magic horse spirits. Imbued with faith and potentially magic.
I am thinking they are some sort of ethereal construct. And I think if you consume enough you will be able to manifest your own. Which will make you the leader of this tribe. So consume away.

Also, can you make your sphere of disruption hollow to conserve sparks?
>>
No. 319960 ID: c4468a

>>319784
>>319831
If they were maintained by magic, then they would have to have a link to whatever was keeping them around. And the smell of magic. Constructs, even ones made of mist, have the smell. These things don't have the smell of sparks. They don't have any magical smell about them at all. And no magical scent coming from the tents either. Like no one has sparks in that entire camp. Which shouldn't be, since it seems a fairly large group.

As for making my safe zone hollow, I could do that... but what if they start forming inside of this thing. If they aren't ghosts, as you argue, then we can't exactly assume anything about them. I think I'll stick with my completely covered safe zone, and worry about the spark cost later.

>>319788
Boost my eating? I suppose it could be done. I don't have a spell on hand for it though. I could try making one off the top of my head, but that might not end well. What would I visualize to make that work... I never thought about why I could eat sparks, I just did it. Hmm...

[b]Spark Count: 3862
>>
No. 319975 ID: b1f0e2

What if you used your speed of thought enchantment alongside a regular speed of movement spell and just tried to quickly go from one to the next and eat them without getting eaten from?

That way you aren't making a risky spell
>>
No. 320009 ID: ce98ff

Compare the 'feel' you felt with the feelers to the 'feel' of the horse-things.

The reason you can't sense any sparks seems to be due to their absorption system. Sparks likely release small mounts of some kind of energy (in the same way that a fire emits heat and light) that your senses can pick up, and whoever is making the horses apparently has found a way to absorb that. (This is an ability that would be incredibly valuable for us to replicate.)

If it is not too expensive, something we should try is to send feelers to search the tents. Empty space (or non-magical stuff) should not react with them, but an absorption field should be noticeable by the disappearance of our feelers. We should be able to locate a cloaked area by seeing where our feelers go missing.
>>
No. 320049 ID: c4468a

>>319975
Movement has little to do with my eating. My mind speed doesn't either. I'm not quite sure what governs the eating. As I've told you, I've never really thought about how it works, I simply cared that it kept working. Whatever it is I do, I simply do it when I want to do it.

>>320009
I once again send my feelers out, this time to search for the specific lack of sparks. Or rather, the void where my feelers don't sense anything at all. It takes awhile to thread my feelers through the almost literal maze of horse-spirit things, but eventually they make it to the camp and I begin my search. This results, at least to the casual onlooker, like me having a staring contest with a herd of ghost horses. Not the most grand of battles I've participated in, I assure you.

Anyway, after my minutes of staring and "feeling", I come back with nothing like that mentioned. Everything in the camp seems normal. Except for the notable lack of sparks. I cut the spell off, seeing no more use for it, and glare at the horses some more, which just stare back at me with no expression whatsoever. If someone is controlling them, they aren't doing it from the village. The bastards. After staring at them another few minutes, I notice something... they seem to be going inside that guy from earlier. The one I punched a hole through. It's like their... getting sucked in? I don't know why they're doing it, and I don't want to find out. What's the plan, voices? I need something fast, or whatever their doing is going to finish. Although... if their making a bigger version of themselves, that'd be much easier to deal with, wouldn't it... maybe I should let them finish whatever it is their doing...
>>
No. 320060 ID: a5a1cd

>>320049
>Movement has little to do with my eating. My mind speed doesn't either. I'm not quite sure what governs the eating.
Well, you've only got three components. If it's not your physical speed, and it's not your mental speed, all that's left to govern it is your... soul speed, I guess.


In any case, eating the ghost horses seems the way to go as far as I'm concerned. See what happens when you devour them all the way.
Inventing a soul-haste spell on the fly is probably out of the question, but it's something to look into.
>>
No. 320106 ID: b1f0e2

Ok, speed of thought wouldn't make you eat faster. But it will make you dodge better, especially with speed enchantment.

My guess is that the spirit in the chief is the alpha spirit, the main one. The one you need to consume most. Can you move your disruption field over him, and leave a small hole in its center, just big enough for his one still coalescing spirit. Run/Dodge your way into it, then try to eat it like you did the other horse spirit before?
>>
No. 320142 ID: 81f32a

burn the body of that dude ti the crisp

let only ashes survive
>>
No. 320148 ID: b1f0e2

Oh, and after trying to eat the spirit, try to feed on whatever is coalescing in the hole in his chest.

>>320142
this is an awesome plan B btw, if the feeding doesn't work, purge it with fire.
>>
No. 320659 ID: e5eb7b

>>320106
I really like this idea since the current chief said "only the one who can harness the power of the Horse spirit may even attempt to become Chieftain" and "You, a follower or Tirfuldin, couldn't hope to wrest control of the great spirit away from me."

Even if this doesn't work I wouldn't suggest wasting time on any more physical attacks since the "followers of Tirfuldin" just have their leaders beat on each other to see who is most fit to lead.

I love it when people just tell you how to beat them.
>>
No. 320665 ID: c2d0f1

Eat the horse spirits
>>
No. 320709 ID: c4468a

>>320060
Huh. Didn't think of that... how does one make one's soul faster, though? That makes no sense to me. Ah well, we can think on that later. For now...

>>320106
Time to eat whatever is in that guy. Alpha spirit or not, it's getting trapped inside my bubble. A few more spark expenditures, and I have moved my bubble of protection to surround the man's body, a hole in it so it didn't disrupt whatever the thing inside it is.

Spark Count: 3840

As soon as the thing get cut off from the outside, all the horse-spirits surrounding me disintegrate into mist. I suppose that means you lot were right. Good for you. Let's get to feasting. I drop down next to the body, shove my hand in the chest again, and feel that drain start up. I pull back with my own eating ability. I wrestle for control, but cut off from support of it's little minions, the thing doesn't actually seem that strong. Almost like a herd of horses. When the groups together, it gets stronger as a whole. Catch one alone, and it's dead. Either way, within a few minutes the flow of sparks ends, and just like the other one, I feel... something else getting pulled into me. I keep going this time, no one here to stop me now, and the odd thing getting sucked in starts to fill my body. Then the pain starts. Like bolts of lightning are continually getting shoved through my body. Like I'm being set on fire from the inside out. Like my organs are freezing solid. The pain continues growing until it gets to the point that I can't hold consciousness against it, and I once again notice how comfortable the ground can be before everything goes black.

----------------------------------

Decision time!

You've eaten your first unique being, and Hated's body is adapting the new food stuff into a new ability. The choice as to what that ability will be, however, falls to the influencing voices in his head.

Consuming Mist: Hated can expel a sort of magical mist from his body that can be coaxed into new forms(such as the shape of a horse) and can drain the sparks of mages from them. The mist will not, however, return those sparks to Hated, instead using those sparks to produce more mist on the spot. Do to the large amounts of concentration required to direct and control the mist, Hated must speed up his mind first before he is capable of using this ability.

Hazy Existence: Hated's body adapts the misty lifeform into a shield for itself. This shield passively defends Hated's mind and soul from enemy intrusions by draining the sparks from those who try and giving them to Hated. This ability is always active and requires no concentration on Hated's part.
>>
No. 320711 ID: a5a1cd

>>320709
>Hazy Existence
This ability is great and shores up one of our major weaknesses. We must have it.
>>
No. 320714 ID: 385f21

>>320709
That's pretty easy.

Consuming Mist only achieves its maximum potential when you fight a large group of mages, and since we've signed a truce with the elves, there'll be a long time till we need it.

Hazy Existence, on the other hand, is a passive ability that protects us from mind-readers - which should always be expected - and simultaneously gives us sparks. This is the obvious choice.
>>
No. 320718 ID: c2d0f1

>>320709
Whilst Hazy Existence is great, how does that allow us to take over the Horde tribe? With Consuming Mist, we can manifest mist horses to demonstrate that we have mastered the spirit.

The mist also seems the type of thing that could be further enhanced by permanent spells, and also the hardest to replicate with other magic we could learn, unlike mental protection.
>>
No. 320720 ID: a5a1cd

>>320718
We are going to take over the Horse tribe because we just ate their god and will kill them if they don't bow to us. We don't need to play their game and flash mist horses at them.
>>
No. 320726 ID: 44766a

voting for Hazy Existence
>>
No. 320727 ID: b1f0e2

>>320720
yes... they would view us as more legitimate if we manifested horses but meh, who cares.

Voting for Hazy Existence.
>>
No. 320814 ID: 0bd0b0

Definitely going for Hazy Existence. Way more useful than the horses, they are just a petty distraction to a powerful mage. But they could be very useful for demanding the tribe's loyalty. I am confident Hated can control the tribe either way however.
>>
No. 320821 ID: e5eb7b

Add another vote for Hazy Existence here.

Would this ability block Sticks from being able to detect when you're lying? That could prove rather entertaining and more importantly any one else who had that ability would hopefully be blocked as well.
>>
No. 320837 ID: c4468a

Hazy Existence chosen.

>>320821
It does exactly what it says on the box. It blocks mind and soul affecting/probing magic, and drains sparks from whomever tries it.
-------------------

Gah. My head feels like I've just woken up after drinking myself into oblivion. What the hell just happened... First thing I notice is the lack of daylight. I've apparently been out for the entire day. I find myself tied to a pole, a torch set next to me to provide some light. There's a guard shaped blob that seems to be watching me from a few feet away. As soon as it's noticed I'm stirring, the blob disappears, and by the time a small group of people show up, I've adjusted to the lighting, the throbbing in my head and the haziness that seems to be wrapped around my mind like a blanket. Makes it a little hard to concentrate really.

Which might explain why I react a bit more violently to the men attempting to question me right after I've woken up strapped to a pole.

"You have been unconsciousness all day."

"Thank you very much for pointing out the obvious."

"We have question for you. We have lost contact with the Horse god. Some of our men were watching your battle, and say you did something to our chieftain, in whom our god lived. What did you do?"

"Fuck you, asshole. My head is killing me slowly, and I have no interest in answering stupid questions from people who tied me to a pole. Or those who are to be following me."

"You are not our chieftain, we refuse to follow some that bastard of a god who-"

"Quiet, Ralthis." The leader strides forward and kneels in front of me, staring me right in the eyes. "He is right though. We will not follow Tirfuldin. We are loyal to the Horse god. Why then do you sound so confident that we will follow you?"

"Because I said so. Because your 'god' wasn't a god, it was some freaky spirit thing, and because I'm not going to return to where I came from until you submit to me. But mostly because if you don't I'll rip out your insides and feed them to your damned horses for my amusement."

Oh... they didn't seem to take that well. They look a bit annoyed, in fact... Can I kill them all now, or do any of you voices, who I hope to whatever god or being that first sent you to me is still there, have some words of advice for getting what I want?
>>
No. 320843 ID: cd63e9

explain that your fine with them not worshiping Tirfuldin, but you can not leave them behind you as you conquer the city dwellers. you will have there loyalty or there death. tell them that you have tamed there horse god and made its powers you own, it may be difficult to demonstrate this since they have no mages and you did'nt chose the external manifestation, but if all else fails kill them all and steal there horses.
>>
No. 320847 ID: 856690

Well first off, break your bounds, and make somesort of flashy effect, see if you can get your voice thundering and echoing.

Offer that if they don't want to serve Mr. T they can serve you. Say that you have defeated their "God"

But the key is be intimidating. Also crown.
Make them aware that you could just smite them all down.
>>
No. 320854 ID: b1f0e2

Don't kill them all yet, but do release yourself from the pole. Either shadow stepping or just tearing it apart with magic enhanced strength.

Activate your tongue enchantment that lends power to your speeches.
"You worship the spirit of the horse, do you not realize that a spirit is not a god? I defeated and absorbed the spirit you worshiped, it's powers are now mine to command as I see fit; and if I die it dies. I am no priest seeking converts, I have not come to demand you convert to following tirfuldin. I am war-chief and a conqueror, I have started with the barbarian tribes who followed tirfuldin, I now continue to you the worshipers of the spirit of the horse, and after you I will conquer the next in line. Your only choice is whether to submit or fall before me. For your own sake I recommend submitting."

Now this is very important, if someone asks "what gives you the right..." you kill him and say "my might, next question?".
If someone says "we shall never submit / we shall stand united / we shall sooner die?" then kill him quickly and then say "there are always foolish would be heroes that don't know when they are beaten, come at me now all who are foolish enough to still fight" kill only those who do fight you at that point.
If they do something else, well we'll advice depending on what it is.

If they DO submit have the women bring the children to town immediately with a small escort of 1/5th of the men and yourself (to ensure they don't try something foolish like escape or an attack), the rest of the men have the job of packing everything and catching up with you once they are done.
>>
No. 320857 ID: a5a1cd

>>320837
First, hit yourself with some healing. There's no reason to have a headache if you don't have to. Second, break free of this pole with superior strength and/or just blowing it up. I mean, seriously, how can you properly intimidate and impress if you're tied up?

After that, talking time.

"Your god, the horse spirit, tried to drain my magic to strengthen itself. It got more than it bargained for; I drained it in turn. Its strength is now mine, and no others'. No matter how devoted your worship, it will not return to you.

"But it is not matters of faith you should be considering, but those of might. I plan to lead the tribes to war, to conquest, to forge a new nation they will speak of with envy for centuries to come- and I cannot afford a single tribe resisting my rule for that to happen. There are only two paths for you now: To follow and be part of something great, or to be ruthlessly crushed and left behind as I and mine move into legend. Even without my followers behind me, with your guardian spirit defeated I am quite capable of personally crushing your entire tribe into dust and ash."

"You need not bow to Tirfuldin- I lead due to my own strength, not the blessing of any god, though I have it. But you must bow to me."
>>
No. 320953 ID: 81f32a

They should have killed you in your sleep. .... wait, can they even kill you in your sleep? This seems an awful weakness.

Anyway, shadow-step away from the bindings or just rip them off.
Tell them that you have consumed the damn spirit and if they follow people who have the horse spirit in them they better follow you.
>>
No. 320972 ID: b1f0e2

>>320953
They don't have a shred of magic due to their spirit god being a magic eater. And you have maxed out durability enchantment. Trying to slit your throat will simply result in the knife loosing its edge.

Although it might be possible to drown you, block your breathing holes, or smoke you. Maybe even throw you in a fire.
There is a chance they bother to kill you because they assumed you passed out from losing to their god and their god left you alive for a reason.
There is a chance they tried to slit your throat and when it failed just tied you up, not having considered suffocation or fire or poison because they lack imagination.
There is a chance that they DID set you on fire and suffocate you and you survived because you are wearing a magic enchanted ring of regeneration which they failed to recognize as such.
>>
No. 320986 ID: e5eb7b

Yeah, first order of business is definitely your aching head.

Next do some kind of check to see if that horse spirit thing has stolen any of your magic away as one last fuck you as you consumed it. It would be very bad to get into an even tighter spot than this and be caught by surprise.

Finally I'm guessing shadow stepping out of the ropes and using other fancy magical effects would be more impressive to these people than shows of brute force. Also the speech enchantment is good no matter what route you take.
>>
No. 321367 ID: c4468a

Alright, head hurts. Quick healing and the throbbing deadens slightly. That helps a little. That hazy feeling in my thoughts hasn't gone away, and you voices sound a little quieter than usual, but your still clear enough, so that goods. Spark check reveals nothing wrong there, everything is in order and exactly the way it was, minus the sparks I used just now.

Spark Count: 3856

>>320953
Of course I can die in my sleep. Most things can die in their sleep, unless they don't sleep. Personally, I see no reason to worry about it though, because I've been sleeping as long as I can remember and I haven't died yet. Which is nice.

>>320972
What Ring of Regeneration? I left those back at the camp to help all those warriors who were training get over their injuries. That's why we made the damn things, wasn't it?

Alright, now to get out of these ropes. I rip my way free of the things, just because I can, and I add a sort of flame affect rising from the ground with me as I stand, just for the extra flair. The entire group of men all stumble back at the sight, and I key my speech enchantment as I begin my little speech.

" "Your god, the horse spirit, tried to drain my magic to strengthen itself. It got more than it bargained for; I drained it in turn. Its strength is now mine, and no others'. No matter how devoted your worship, it will not return to you.

"But it is not matters of faith you should be considering, but those of might. I plan to lead the tribes to war, to conquest, to forge a new nation they will speak of with envy for centuries to come- and I cannot afford a single tribe resisting my rule for that to happen. There are only two paths for you now: To follow and be part of something great, or to be ruthlessly crushed and left behind as I and mine move into legend. Even without my followers behind me, with your guardian spirit defeated I am quite capable of personally crushing your entire tribe into dust and ash."

"You need not bow to Tirfuldin- I lead due to my own strength, not the blessing of any god, though I have it. But you must bow to me."


A few do so immediately. Others hesitate. One man opens his mouth, anger on his face and threats already streaming out.

"I refuse to be bullies into submitting to anyone, even someone who supposedly gain power ov-"

The man's head bursts into flames and starts him screaming, his fellows looking on in horror as he collapses to the floor and begins writhing in agony. I ignore him.

"There's always someone who thinks them self the hero. Anyone else care to try fighting, or can we get to the swearing of your loyalty?"

After that, everyone is bowing to me. Within minutes the words spread that the tribe now follows me, and there are very few exceptions. Those that do mouth off are put down instantly and without mercy. Luckily, it seems that all those were the younger, more hotheaded warriors who hadn't gotten families yet. Unluckily, the first man I killed, the chieftain, did have a family. More bad news, the traditions of this particular tribe dictates the dead chieftains family is now... mine. I'm to take care of them, and because of their laws, I'm to marry his wife as a substitute for him. After a brief introduction to the girl, made rather hurridly I think, so I couldn't think of a way to wiggle out of it, I'm left standing in front of a woman and a child, the woman perhaps near her 30th season, and the child less than 10. Oh damn, I'm starting to sound like the barbarians...
>>
No. 321385 ID: b1f0e2

Voice enchantment.
"Seeing as I have killed your beloved, it would be unnecessarily cruel to force you into such a marriage, and I am only vicious to those who stand against me as enemies. I also already have a wife. I will provide for you and the child as long as you need it, but you are free to find a new husband of your choice."
>>
No. 321423 ID: cd63e9

offer to take care of her until she finds someone she can marry, But mention that if she truly wants to marry you that would be her choice. explain to her in private that you are not like normal humans, part of that means being your wife would be very difficult. (basically try to encourage her to find someone else)
>>
No. 321456 ID: 81f32a

Gah

Those are their traditions. Not yours.
They are following you. You have already messed up their traditions by killing their spiritgod-thing so why the hell should you even follow them?

You already have enough problems as it is with Nina, no way that you need another wife.

Just tell them that you will make sure to provide for them but that you are sure as hell not going to marry her.
>>
No. 321458 ID: a5a1cd

>>321367
All right, looks like you've got things mostly locked down here. You'll want to order them to move to your city, if only so that everyone else can see that they're bowing to you; you won't be able to keep all the tribes there indefinitely since their lifestyle is dependent upon movement to exploit resources over a large area, but it's a decent enough plan for now.

It probably won't take more than a few days for them to make the trip. Stay with them for at least the first one, learning to recognize and name any important people in their tribe and generally walking around being in charge- remember that your helm will make them want to serve you better as long as they're your subordinates, so make sure you're a visible leader.

After a day or so, you should be able to dash off in the night and let everyone else know that the Horsehoof are yours and incoming. And let Nina know that you apparently have to look after some woman and her child since you killed the Horsehoof chieftain, which seems like something that she should be able to handle adequately. Doubtless one of these topics will prompt some sort of meaningful response.

>>321385
>>321423
We don't know that she actually loved or even cared for her first husband. The barbarians aren't into the modern romantic marriage paradigm; they're into the classic 'marry to benefit your family' one. Remember what choosing our bride was like?

Honestly, I suspect that from a practical standpoint she's not going to have better options than marrying us. I mean, the whole tribe might hold not marrying us against her for being a break in tradition, and she'd be assured of someone to look after her without needing to go searching for a new husband.

Still, if you don't want to be stuck with another wife, considering that you pretty much forced your way into the tribe's leadership position you can probably spurn their traditions in other ways too. Just make it clear that you'll see that she and the child are cared for regardless of what else happens and you should be fine.

>the woman perhaps near her 30th season, and the child less than 10
30th season? How many seasons to a year are we talking here? Those numbers seem wonky.
>>
No. 321473 ID: b1f0e2

>>321458
wait... SEASON not year?... so she looks... 7.5 years old? don't you mean "30th summer" or some such?
>>
No. 321502 ID: 81f32a

>>321473
Come on, you don't honestly think she could be 7.5 years old, do you?
I mean she has a ten year old child with her.

By "season" they probably mean a "year"
>>
No. 321599 ID: c4468a

>30th season? How many seasons to a year are we talking here? Those numbers seem wonky.
Yeah, Barbarians measure time in how many "seasons" you've seen. That roughly equates to a year, as mentioned, since they say you've seen a season for every time you lived through the season of travel the longest of three seasons the barbarians have. The other two the barbarians have are the raiding season, which matches up with harvest time in other places, and the rest season, which is basically whenever snow starts falling and continues until it stops being cold. So the woman is roughly 30 years old, give or take a few months depending on when each season started and ended.

As for this new family I'm supposed to take care of... well, we all know my opinion on how we should deal with this, but I already know you'd all tell me not to do it, so we're going to ignore my opinion for now. It seems you all want me to at least make sure she's taken care of, why that is I don't understand, but we're ignoring my opinion in this. Dumping the responsibility on Nina seems the best idea, it'll give her something to do other than nothing.

"I'm not marrying you, just so you know. I don't care to and I already have a wife.

My hand immediately shoots up to quiet the woman before she can say anything. I already know the barbarian opinion on multiple wives.

"You will, however, be taken care of. I'll see to the details of it personally. In the meantime, stay where you wish, care for your child and stay out of my way. The less I have to worry about you, the easier it will be for me to get everything done."

That done, I leave the human to tend to her child and go about my business, spreading the word of what will be happening. It's night already, so the camp can wait to move till morning, but move we will, and the men are already packing what isn't necessary for sleep and readying it for transport starting tomorrow. Thankfully, they have enough food and supplies to last them till they reach the city, as well as word of a herd of elk in the area they can use to supplement their supplies a little. After news that things are underway, I head back into a tent for more sleep, as the headache is still there, if muted, and my head still feels fuzzy.

---------------------

-nd the horses will need someplace to graze where the Horsehoof can still watch out for them. You shamans, advance warning. I don't want any incident between you and their shamans. I don't care how religiously wrong they are, if theirs a big deal, I'm blaming you, and punishment will be delivered personally. Urthan, how many tribes have arrived since I've been gone?"

"Given you've only been gone two days, only a few of the lesser tribes. We've got a lot more people. I had Milso count up the total, and we've got about 110 shamans, some 4,000 warriors, and at least 3,000 non-combatants, mostly woman, children and the elderly. We have recieved word that the Wolffang are on the way though, and adding their numbers brings us up to at least 9,000 warriors. With your word that the Horsehoof is already ours, we'll be able to add their men as well."

"Good, the voices will like that, I think..."

"Voices, my King?"

"Nothing to worry about. Just a term I use for my... thoughts."

"Of course, my King. I'll get back to my duties then."

"Chieftain, the elves are here to speak to you. Something about requiring your presence for a ceremony of some kind."

"Tell them I'll be there in a few minutes."

The maessenger bows and leaves, and I'm finally alone(mostly, Nina is in the corner preparing a meal and generally being a little unhappy about this new family of mine) for the first time since I got back. Please, voices, wherever the hell you went, just show up again so you can tell me what the hell to do.
>>
No. 321681 ID: cd63e9

if your wondering why we want you to take care of the horse chiefs family, its because if you don't the horse clan will be less loyal to you. The funny thing about loyalty is that its a two way street, you have to either have the best interests of those who follow you at heart or make them think you do. the fastest ways to lose someones loyalty is to let them feel you think of them only as a tool.
>>
No. 321849 ID: 223884

Comfort Nina. Tell her that this new "family" means nothing to you and was only part of a tradition, a formality. Nina is your wife, your ONLY wife.
>>
No. 321880 ID: a5a1cd

>>321599
>110 shamans
So many delicious sparks! Set up a morning absorption ritual with all of them so that you can get literally thousands of sparks a day.

Also, point of curiosity: Do the barbarians have female shamans? If not, what do they do with the women who have magical talent?

>Something about requiring your presence for a ceremony of some kind.
This would be... what, their binding agreement spell? I wonder if that will still work on you, what with your new mental haze. Regardless, shouldn't be a problem to show up.

>Nina is in the corner preparing a meal and generally being a little unhappy about this new family of mine
What new family? You don't have a new family, you have a woman and a kid that you're going to take care of until you can offload them somewhere else. You put Nina in charge of them, meaning that she has seniority until such time as she manages to get some guy to marry the woman and thereby gets rid of the two of them. Why would she be unhappy, when as long as she asserts her authority she effectively gains a minion- hell, two minions, since the child is old enough to perform some tasks as it's being raised?

You did explain this to her, right?

One other thing about Nina: Don't interrupt her any more. She's quite dedicated and loyal, so if you want her to stop talking, you should be able to raise a hand slightly or make some other small gesture which will indicate to her that she should stop talking so you can speak. You interrupt people pretty much all the time, so my guess is that letting her stop on her own would mean a lot to her- perhaps more than you appreciate, since it shows more respect than you generally give others.

Things like cutting her off when she was telling you about her renewed convictions to be loyal and useful undermine our attempts at encouraging her loyalty. When there is an easy way to avoid that at minimal cost to yourself, you should take it.

I would also advise asking Nina what she's done in your absence, and listening to whatever she says rather than getting bored and wandering off. If she was serious about serving you well, I would bet that she didn't do nothing as you expected- and given how much subjective time she has available to think, I would guess that she's come up with surprisingly useful ways to spend her time. If I'm right about that, give her a smile and tell her that she's doing well before heading off to see the elves.

>>321849
My guess is that she doesn't need comfort, she needs to re-evaluate the situation after getting over her initial gut reaction. Unless there are some serious cultural twists that we didn't notice here, this should not be a huge problem for her.
>>
No. 321984 ID: e5eb7b

Ok, it sounds to me as well like the elves are here to do that binding thing. This shouldn't be a problem. There is one thing I've been mildly concerned about however. If the elves take notice of how absurdly high your spark count is that might lead them to figuring out just who you really are. Unless you've inherited that total hiding of sparks that the horse spirit had I only see this problem becoming worse as time goes on. How bad would the cost be to mask your spark count?

Yes the numbers that your tribe is increasing by are quite good. One thing that seams odd to me though is the number of warriors being higher than the noncombatants. Are there a sizable number of female warriors?

It looks like you've already dealt with the mixing of the Horsehoof and the other tribes for the time being. I can't see anything more to be done there until they arrive.

Whatever you do with Nina don't take too long. It would be bad to keep the elves waiting for more than a few minutes.
>>
No. 322010 ID: c4468a

>>321849
You realize who your talking to, right? I don't do comforting. It's not something I have experience with. I wouldn't know how to do it at all if I didn't occasionally wander into refugee camps and witness it before I slaughtered everybody.

>Do the barbarians have female shamans? If not, what do they do with the women who have magical talent?
Yes, they do. Woman who become shamans aren't allowed to marry though. Something about being brides to Tirfuldin. I admit I wasn't really paying attention when that was explained.

>You did explain this to her, right?
Um... no. I just told her to deal with it for me. I should probably get on that. I grab Nina's attention, and proceed to repeat everything you just told me regarding how she should treat the situation. She seems a little uncomfortable thinking of them in terms of servant/minion types, but the unhappy look goes away and she continues with her work, after asking me if she could speak with me before we go to bed. I nod my agreement then make my exit, almost bumping into Tongues going the other way. He still hasn't gotten the rock thing down, but his fireballs are starting to actually look like real fireballs, so he's making progress in some way. I make my way past him and head off the the small area the elves have set up for themselves, minus Sticks who's tent was set up right next to mine by the barbarians, as they still think she's my woman.

Anyway, all three of the elves are present, and they've drawn a pentagram on the ground. Vodthag and another shaman have also been called, so I'm guessing this is one of those rituals of theirs. Which reminds me, I finished translating that book last night. There's the catapault ritual from earlier, as well as a sort of battering ram type ritual and a wall explosion ritual. Siege rituals. Good stuff, since we're going to be having to assault the bigger cities. Will make my life easier.

Anyway, I'm greeted and told to stand in the center, and each of the other's present takes a position at each point on the pentagram.

"We, the elves of the great forest, hereby announce that the one before us will be allied to us for ten years, and during those ten years, is to refrain from any hostility, either direct or indirect, towards our forest or it's people. Do you accept this oath, King of the Barbarians?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever makes you happy. But I expect the same oath from you."

"It will be done. I shall personally take the oath as representative of the elves."

The ambassador steps into the pentagram with me, then I smell the sparks as the other mages around us start infusing the pentagram with magic. This particular way to bind an oath is new to me, but I feel the weight of my new binding as it rests on me. Or tries to. For some reason, as the oath settles on me, it disintegrates and I feel sparks get pulled into me from somewhere. The others don't seem concerned, though, and everyone disperses after the ritual is done, the elves beginning to pack again to return to their home and bring news of the alliance(sans Sticks, who is staying as representative, from what I can gather) and Vodthag and his shaman to whatever duties they have in the morning.

... I'd like to ask, now that I've finally noticed, but what the hell are you people constantly referring to, when you say "mental haze"? And how the hell is that supposed to help me in any way? I mean, I can feel my mind is kinda fuzzy, but I don't see how that's supposed to be a good thing.

Oh, and any other plans for the day? Otherwise, I was thinking of going over to the new practice arena and watching a few people beat the hell out of each other.
>>
No. 322018 ID: cd63e9

huh, the fact that you don't know what we are talking about is kinda concerning. Basically when you ate the horse spirit and passed out there were to ways to incoprate it, the one we picked was called mental haze. basically if someone tries to mess with your soul or mind it sucks out there sparks.
>>
No. 322071 ID: e5eb7b

Oh hell yes! We can attack the elves if we want and they can't do anything to us.

The Hazy Existence thing is what the previous voice described. Sorry about your fuzzy mind. We didn't know about that side affect.

There are a couple of things I'd like to discuss before you go. Do sparks radiate out energy that can be just passively read or does a person have to reach out and scan you to tell how many you have? If it's the latter then we should be covered by your new fuzzy mind. Other wise I'd really like to see you wearing an enchanted object that blocks your spark count from being read all the time. Am I just getting paranoid here or does anyone else agree?

What kind of defense does our camp have? If all these people converging on one spot attracts some unwanted attention are they set up to defend or will they suffer heavy losses? I was thinking a few seriously large and powerful stone golems would be good. This isn't a pressing matter until you need to leave the camp though.

Yeah definitely go get some entertainment after we're done here. All this diplomatic stuff is even grating on my nerves.
>>
No. 322151 ID: a5a1cd

>Oh, and any other plans for the day?
Now that you've finished the book, you should pull some shamans together and start teaching them about the rituals inside it. You'll need at least a few shamans to learn each of the rites so that they can start demonstrating for and teaching the others, and better for that to happen sooner rather than later.

Other things... those new tribes that have been arriving- make sure that you learn the name of each, how many people were in them, anything they are particularly good at or known for, and the names and faces of their former chieftains. For all of them. It doesn't seem incredibly important, I know, but knowing the makeup of your barbarian horde and the prominent people within it is vital to effectively managing it. You should also personally meet with the chief and head shaman of each tribe that comes in to swear to you in order to accept their allegiance publicly. Say a few words about being glad of their coming and welcoming them to join in the glories ahead, mostly the same sort of thing that we've had you say before. This is both a morale thing for your new subjects- they'll get at least the nominal feeling that you know they exist and care about them somewhat- and so that they can be affected by the magics inside your helm which encourage them to serve more effectively.

>what the hell are you people constantly referring to, when you say "mental haze"? And how the hell is that supposed to help me in any way?
When you devoured the horse spirit, you somehow gained part of its strength. We were able to control how that manifested in you, a little, and we chose an ability that will block most mental attacks and absorb them as sparks. You were too weak against them before, but now your defenses should be excellent. The "mental haze" that we mentioned is a sign that it's working, and what just happened with the ritual is further proof.

>Oh hell yes! We can attack the elves if we want and they can't do anything to us.
This seems to be the case... but don't let on that it's so. As long as others think that such agreements can bind you, there's the possibility of suckering them into more such agreements in the future, which won't be binding on you but will be on them. Also, they'd probably take it as a betrayal that it didn't work on you and you didn't tell them right off.

>Am I just getting paranoid here or does anyone else agree?
I agree. Better to conceal your strength in this case than flaunt it- in a couple years you'll likely have upwards of a million sparks, and that's the sort of figure that people get really agitated and hostile about. Making it a bit harder for others to realize the scope of the threat that you pose to everyone is a good thing.
>>
No. 322215 ID: b1f0e2

The reason you are caring for the wife and son of the dead chief is because you do not wish to appear harsh on your subjects.

If you are generous to your subjects, then being harsher on your enemies encourages loyalty in mortals (up to a point beyond which they start to view you as insane and dangerous), they fear betraying you and comfort themselves in the belief that as long as they remain loyal they are safe from your wrath and you are "good for them".

If you are cruel and merciless to your subjects, then being harsh on your enemies backfires, as your subjects view you as insane. They begin to feel that they are doomed no matter what and that its worth the risk to try to depose you.

You are taking care of her because it affirms that if they only bow down to you and obey they will be safe and treated well, it works excellently alongside the previous executions. You are also at least showing the minimal deference to their traditions, spit on their traditions too much and resentment will grow. You are not actually marrying her because you do not actually need to, considering how you conquered them by force and killed their god. With the followers of tirfuldin you didn't have the powerbase you had now, you benefit greatly from having loyal warriors, and it made great sense to engage in such a politically minded marriage. Speaking of, you might benefit from a few more such unions in the future.

Don't treat her and the son as servants, clarify to nina that they aren't a new family for you nor sevants. But that you accidentlly incurrent the obligation to see to their well-being. This means financial support, food, housing, reasonable property, at least until she remarries.

>What Ring of Regeneration? I left those back at the camp to help all those warriors who were training get over their injuries. That's why we made the damn things, wasn't it?
Yes, but it might be a good idea to also make enough that you could wear one at all time. Until you have that many such rings, make sure you take one with you to wear when going into combat and then return it to general use when you are done with it.
>>
No. 322296 ID: cd63e9

if we stick to the 3 times a day feeding how many sparks do we get with 110 shamans?
>>
No. 322414 ID: c4468a

>if we stick to the 3 times a day feeding how many sparks do we get with 110 shamans?
3900 sparks a day, not counting Stick's contributions, which adds another 240 sparks.

>Yes, but it might be a good idea to also make enough that you could wear one at all time. Until you have that many such rings, make sure you take one with you to wear when going into combat and then return it to general use when you are done with it.
I get the idea behind keeping a ring of regeneration on me at all times, but they don't work fast enough to be of any use in actual combat. At the least it takes a few hours to regenerate significant damage, at least for the rings. If I just do it myself, with sparks on hand, it's a lot faster and more useful. I'll work on finding some way to get some regeneration on me though.

>Do sparks radiate out energy that can be just passively read or does a person have to reach out and scan you to tell how many you have?
I suppose they do radiate energy of some sort. Otherwise, how would I be able to smell them, no? But its not something most can read passively. In fact, scanning for sparks doesn't work out well either. Not reliable enough, since most such scanning will pick up on magic items and artifacts as well. I'm safe, I think, not to mention this mental haze thing you say I have in me. That should help a little bit.

>>322151
Right. Teach some shamans my newly acquired rituals, then start learning names and getting people's vows of loyalty. Let's get this over with. Then I'll spend some time memorizing people's names, and then get to the watching of the repeated beatings.

The teaching of the rituals goes fairly well, it only takes me all morning to finally drill the information into a few shamans. With that done, I finally get to see the magical catapult put into action, which results in the sudden explosion of a nearby hill side. I must say, it's rather spectacular. I can do better, but still, quite lovely to watch. The battering ram can't really be tested, as there really isn't any gates around to punch a hole through, nor is there any walls to blow up with the last ritual. Ah well, that can always be tested at some later date. In the meantime, I leave the shamans I've taught and go about securing the loyalty of all the tribes that have come in, each already integrating itself into the whole. Just after noon we receive word that the Wolffang are four days away, and the Horsehoof two days away. That's good I guess. The loyalty thing takes a good portion of the afternoon, mostly because every single chieftain found it necessary to offer me his daughters or his favorite horse or his prized weapon or other such nonsense, and it takes a little time to convince each that I really don't need what they are offering. I spend the rest of the day watching some of the training matche until nightfall, all of which are one on one, and a few even result in broken bones. Makes me a little proud, really, since it means the lot aren't afraid to get hurt in my name.

Anyway, once night hits, I return to my tent, Tongues already having located himself into a corner to continue with his levitating stone trick. What's surprises me is Sticks' presence within my tent, and she seems to be playing dress-up with Nina, who is currently in what appears to be a long, flowing dress. I cough to grab their attention, and Sticks immediately spins Nina around to face me as soon as she realizes I'm there.

"How's she look? Like an actual Queen? Probably not, I'm not done yet. We still need a few more adjustments here and there, change her hair style a little, maybe hunt down a necklace for her to wear. She's coming along nicely though. I'm gonna teach her how to act around noble types, since your probably going to have to deal with a lot of them by the time your done conquering Everfrost. Corrupts fuckers. Anyway, what do you think? Aren't my skills fucking awesome?"

Nina flinches visibly at Sticks' choice of profanity, and her cheeks are bright red as she stares at me, waiting my judgment on her appearance. If I compare her to some of the people I've met, she looks downright ugly. Then again, personally, I don't care, but your always telling me to treat her nicely and encourage and all that bullshit.

"You look nice." The girls blush deepens and she ducks her head to hide her face from my view. It's amazing how simple it is to make her happy. Anyway, after another few minutes Sticks leaves and Nina, after changing back to something she's more comfortable with, turns back to me.

"My king, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Let's here it then."

"I want to be in charge of something."

...This is a good thing, right? Or is it a bad thing. I don't know. Anyway, Nina seems pretty serious about this, got determination and everything. I suppose we might as well stick her in charge of something, since we want her to become useful, don't we? She's never going to get better if we don't give her chances to learn.
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No. 322425 ID: 81f32a

>"I want to be in charge of something."

Depends on what she wants.

Without knowing that, we can't really help you, so tell her to tell you what exactly she wants to be in charge of.

>3900 sparks a day, not counting Stick's contributions, which adds another 240 sparks.

Oh, that is pretty damn impressive. We now can start upgrading all the warriors without bothering to set up tournaments.
>>
No. 322428 ID: b1f0e2

>Oh, that is pretty damn impressive. We now can start upgrading all the warriors without bothering to set up tournaments.

But we want to keep a good portion of the sparks for ourselves.

>>322426
It's a very good thing, she can manage and administer day to day stuff you can't be bothered with and need someone you can trust. It's just what we wanted... not we just need to think about what, specifically.

>Battering ram
Could you do it into a hillside? or just raise some earth/rock wall like section to test it on.

>You look nice
Good job

>ring of regen
Ah, if it takes that long its not as useful... we need to design something that covers ways of dying... something that makes it so you cannot drown or suffocate, immunity to poison, and most importantly ways to prevent loss of consciousness.
Maybe something that teleports you somewhere safe if you do lose consciousness.
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No. 322433 ID: cd63e9

this is a good thing. now we need something minor but important that she can be put in charge of. maybe we could put her in charge of putting together an overall policy on how to enhance our warriors? Bear claw has a working understanding of how to best use enchantments on themselves but the other tribes use different tactics so they might be better served by other enchantments. Put her in charge of talking the other tribes warriors and chiefs and coming up how to best spend the sparks enhancing them.

also i'm doing some work on logistics, how many days until we go to war? i'm trying to work out how many sparks we can spend on enhancing the men and still have some for you.
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No. 322438 ID: a5a1cd

>>322414
You handled the bit with the dress quite well, I think.

Given that you're getting that many sparks per day, you might be able to magically create walls or gates for the shamans to practice blowing holes in.

>"I want to be in charge of something."
This is a good thing. It's a step on a path towards her becoming much more useful than she is now. Let's make this more interesting than just telling everyone else that we'll give her authority, though... and with any luck, it'll turn out better, too. Something given is rarely as good as something earned. This can be a real learning experience.

"Nina, a quick lesson in leadership. All you have to do to be in charge of something is convince enough other people that you're in charge of it that it becomes true, then defend your position from any who try to usurp it. That is the one and only qualification, and it is true from low levels to high.

"So if you want to be in charge of something, all you have to do is go out, pick something that you want to be in charge of, and start convincing people that you're in charge of it. Act like there's no question about the matter. If you're uncertain my advice would be to start small, either with people who know what you're doing or who you can easily convince of your authority, and then use their numbers and backing to get others to believe you the proper leader. Do nothing which would cause others to question your right to lead- like screwing up- and they generally won't. It's surprisingly easy, particularly if you choose something to be in charge of which no one powerful will immediately object to- and you can then use that power base to expand your authority later.

"If you really want me to simply declare you to be in charge of... something or other, I can. But I shouldn't need to. You can handle this on your own- you have intelligence, a useful mental enchantment, and at least a few friends to call upon for aid as long as you can keep control of them. And since you're my wife, you have my implied backing in whatever you're up to even if I don't actually have any idea what you're doing. It should be more than enough."

"I look forward to improvement in... whatever you take charge of. And in you."
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No. 322446 ID: b1f0e2

>>322438
>Given that you're getting that many sparks per day, you might be able to magically create walls or gates for the shamans to practice blowing holes in.

It would be cheaper to give some craftsmen a short range but strong telekinesis enchantment and let them build stuff like that for you
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No. 322470 ID: 9202a9

>>322446
Perhaps we start giving out enchantments to the most talented tenth and not just warriors.
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No. 322476 ID: e5eb7b

>>322428
I like this idea of a ring to teleport Hated away when he looses consciousness. In fact this could be good for a wide variety of situations. Hated, can you do long distance teleportation in any way? Even if it's necessary to cast some magic on the destination before hand or have shamans preforming a ritual it would still be incredibly useful.

>>322446
Does it take longer to enchant an item than a person? It would be even better to make some magic items that can be passed around from person to person if not.

Telling Nina to take the initiative sounds like the best idea to me. That should teach her to function in a more independent manner. Hopefully some day she will be capable of leading in your absence.
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No. 322545 ID: c4468a

>how many days until we go to war?
If we stick to the plan as I remember it, to attack when spring comes around next year, then we have... 25 weeks, which translates into 175 days. Roughly. Why, what are you thinking about?

>Hated, can you do long distance teleportation in any way?
I know one spell for it. It eat up sparks insanely quickly though. I wouldn't suggest it. In case you still want to know about it, it basically bends reality to let me get where I want to go instantly. I'm not sure why I learned it, as I don't use it much.

>Does it take longer to enchant an item than a person?
Takes about the same amount of time, more or less, as long as you know what your doing.

"Nina, a quick lesson in leadership. All you have to do to be in charge of something is convince enough other people that you're in charge of it that it becomes true, then defend your position from any who try to usurp it. That is the one and only qualification, and it is true from low levels to high.

"So if you want to be in charge of something, all you have to do is go out, pick something that you want to be in charge of, and start convincing people that you're in charge of it. Act like there's no question about the matter. If you're uncertain my advice would be to start small, either with people who know what you're doing or who you can easily convince of your authority, and then use their numbers and backing to get others to believe you the proper leader. Do nothing which would cause others to question your right to lead- like screwing up- and they generally won't. It's surprisingly easy, particularly if you choose something to be in charge of which no one powerful will immediately object to- and you can then use that power base to expand your authority later.

"If you really want me to simply declare you to be in charge of... something or other, I can. But I shouldn't need to. You can handle this on your own- you have intelligence, a useful mental enchantment, and at least a few friends to call upon for aid as long as you can keep control of them. And since you're my wife, you have my implied backing in whatever you're up to even if I don't actually have any idea what you're doing. It should be more than enough."

"I look forward to improvement in... whatever you take charge of. And in you."


Nina considers this for a moment, then frowns. "You want me... to simply take charge of whatever I want?"

"That sums it up, yes. Just be aware, you want receive any direct help from me."

"To be a leader is to make others believe you are the leader..." Nina contemplates this for a moment, then goes to bed. Me, I stay up so I can keep talking to you lot. So, any other questions, comments or concerns I need to address.
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No. 322574 ID: cd63e9

I think we need more sparks. I did some math and even if you keep only one in four for yourself your only going to have enough sparks to give your current warriors about 80 sparks worth of enchantment. we are going to be out numbered by a more disciplined enemy who would be fighting on there home ground, that might not be enough. hmmm what if we talked to the elves? don't ask for them to send troops but even 30 or 50 "advisers" would give a massive boost in spark production assuming sticks is an average elf.
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No. 322643 ID: a5a1cd

>Woman who become shamans aren't allowed to marry though. Something about being brides to Tirfuldin.
That... hrm. Is magical power at all carried through lineage? That is, are the children of a mage more likely to be mages in turn? Because if so, that kind of tradition could mean that the barbarians have literally been gradually breeding magic out of themselves for hundreds if not thousands of years. Unless the female shamans just have kids without marrying, which I doubt.

>>322574
Our number of shamans isn't static. As more tribes arrive, we'll have more people who can gain more sparks. Nor are their numbers of sparks necessarily static- if we teach them more magic that we know, they'll grow in power individually which means more sparks for us as well as better casters.

Anyway, the primary limiter on enchanting our warriors isn't sparks, it's time. Enchanting someone isn't an instantaneous process, and we're ending up with many thousands of warriors; spending the time required to enchant them all will be an overwhelmingly large task.

Our options are thus:
1. Delay an extra year, enchant everyone, spend some extra time working on industry and tactics, have ridiculously awesome army that can overrun all in its path when we actually attack.
2. Attack next year using smaller numbers of enchanted warriors, relying upon the enchantments of leaders, champions, and small elite units to give us enough strength that our army will still kick ass.
3. Do something I haven't thought of.

>So, any other questions, comments or concerns I need to address.
How well are the tribes integrating with one another? Any significant problems?

I have some concern that you're gathering everyone together here without really having them do anything. You have a huge amount of manpower here and time to educate the barbarians in whatever you feel they need to be educated in and subsequently put them to work.

Warriors can train in new tactics and to new levels of skill, shamans can learn new spells and battle tactics to support the warriors, anyone newly enchanted can learn to best exploit those enchantments, those you expect to be your primary subcommanders can learn about Everfrost's geography, economics, and military dispositions so that they'll be able to make better decisions, craftspeople can learn- or be enchanted to use- better methods and produce superior goods for your people to use.

Basically, we need to make sure that people aren't just sitting around being idle and marking time until next year. Everyone should be working for their own improvement and that of the clan somehow.
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No. 322764 ID: e5eb7b

>>322545
>attack when spring comes around next year
I doubt this gives us enough time to forge weapons and armor for our troops. Perhaps we can steal some from the enemy when the war gets underway.

>>322574
>a more disciplined enemy
Don't forget about armor, good weapons and numbers. We need at least armored skin and strength on all our close combatants to be formidable.
>what if we talked to the elves
They might be hesitant to provide this but if we heavily enchanted some of our best warriors and sent then out to deal with the logging issue that might make them more agreeable. It would be good to make certain our enemies don't figure out who's kicking their asses just yet though.

>>322643
>As more tribes arrive, we'll have more people who can gain more sparks
>if we teach them more magic that we know, they'll grow in power
>the primary limiter on enchanting our warriors isn't sparks, it's time
Good points. We know that the shamans can do some impressive enchantments from the fight with Urthan. It would be good to put them to work enchanting for us. Considering that the elves view enchanting as intimate or something retarded like that I'd be surprised if they offered to do any.

Assuming the shamans are pouring all their sparks into enchanting and the elves refuse to donate a singe spark we can still probably talk Sticks into donating which will increase Hated's spark count nicely. There might be a more efficient usage for Hated's abilities and resources than enchanting people though. For example making some big monsters that can charge into crowds kicking both the enemies and the horses they're riding out of the way. Hated, what kind of time and spark drains are we looking at for such a creation? Also, how much time does it take to do an enchantment on a person to the full 100 spark limit?

>>322643
>make sure that people aren't just sitting around being idle and marking time until next year
We could use a fortified settlement to minimize the amount of forces that need to be left behind to guard noncombatants and a supply of durable foods would ensure our people don't starve at war time.
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No. 322981 ID: c4468a

>Is magical power at all carried through lineage? That is, are the children of a mage more likely to be mages in turn?
No one is really sure. Magical ability seems to be somewhat erratic in where it shows up. Some farming family out in the middle of nowhere could suddenly have a child who's destined to be massively powerful. Magical families do tend to have children capable of magic. Hope that covers whatever you wanted to know.

>Hated, what kind of time and spark drains are we looking at for such a creation? Also, how much time does it take to do an enchantment on a person to the full 100 spark limit?
For the giant golem, with the proper materials and know how, maybe a week to construct the body, then a few minutes to infuse it with sparks. Everything also depends on the exact size and look of whatever you build to, as well as how "intelligent" you want the thing to be. Sparks are similarly affected. For a golem of very limited intelligence, maybe 10-20 sparks. As for the second question, same amount of time it takes any other enchantment. A few minutes at most. Maybe shorter, if the person involved is particularly easy to enchant for some reason.

>Our number of shamans isn't static. As more tribes arrive, we'll have more people who can gain more sparks.
I'd like to note that tribes will also be leaving to go do other things, things needed for survival. The barbarian society isn't built to stay in on place for long. I'm amazed the Bearclaw and Hawkeye have managed it. The elves have helped somewhat, having brought seeds for trees that bear fruit all year around, which should help with that, and we still have a good amount in our meat stores, but having everyone here is going to eat up avaliable food fast. And I'm fairly certain we want live warriors instead of dead ones. Although I could use dead warriors to. Make some flesh golems. Anyway, my point is that the shamans and such will be going down as well as up. More like a fluctuating thing than a steadily increasing thing.

>How well are the tribes integrating with one another? Any significant problems?
The lesser tribes aren't a problem at all. The Bearclaw and Hawkeye still have their rivalry thing going, but it isn't a "let's kill eachother" thing, more just extremely competitive when placed against each other in competitions and tournaments. Really entertaining to watch, really. Anyway, more problems are likely to occur when the Wolffang and Horsehoof get here. Then old rivalries between tribes will probably start popping up. Anything else... nope, got nothing. Everything running pretty smoothly for now, I suppose.
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No. 323011 ID: 81f32a

>>322545
Wow. Really?

Hathed, a word of advise, you might want to give less importance to the people who ask you to be overly nice and submissive to your wife(s) [or how we would call them waifus.]
I guess most of them have never seen a real woman before.

YOU DO NOT TELL YOUR WIFE/GIRLFRIEND TO DO WHATEVER THE FUCK SHE PLEASES. EVER.
As a man, that is the dumbest thing one can do in a relationship.
To put it into perspective: if your wife/girlfriend comes with a permission to buy something, you do not go into nice, long monologue then give her your credit card, bank information and access to all your money.
When in short time you find that every bit of your money has been spent, you have no one to blame but yourself.


So it was pretty retarded to let her off without finding out what she wanted to do. (I am not against letting her do things.)
I am almost certain that this will not backfire.... For now.
But you really should stop giving carte blanches like these. Otherwise people will get some ridiculous ideas that they can do your job better than you and that is when heads will start to roll. And no one likes that ... well, perhaps no one except Hated.

Anyway, being nice =/= stupid. There should be limits.
Nina is a nice, shy girl and all, probably wont do any harm but with this kind of attitude, you might shift her personality into something bad.

>>322981
Since we are getting tons of sparks, we will have no problem upgrading all of our warriors.

I suppose we should call the representatives of all the groups and have them devise which enchantments will be the best for them (archers, cavalry, warriors, etc.).
But everyone should get Shadow-step and somekind of nightvison as default. I think we will become a night-ops army that devastates enemies when they cannot see shit. It will he helluva demoralizing.

About the shamans.
You should at least have half of the shamans from each tribe to stay with you, to feed you sparks. After all, this was one of the main goals to get a tribe.

Do you know spells to make golems? You should try a pet-project: make a golem as high quality as possible for you. I mean there is still a lot of time till we start the war, you might as well get yourself busy with something.
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No. 323021 ID: cd63e9

I think we should eventually work out some plan on how we are going to upgrade our warriors. We should also ask the elves if they can spare a few dozen troops(or anyone else with a good number of sparks) to act as spark generators.
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No. 323108 ID: a5a1cd

>>323011
I think you may have misinterpreted the point behind telling Nina what we did. It wasn't to be nice, and it certainly wasn't to be submissive. Nice was telling her she looked good in a dress. When she asked to be in charge of something, the nice thing to do would have been to assign her an easy task well within her capabilities that needed management to make her feel useful.

We told her to start managing things on her own not to be nice, but because we need her to grow into someone who aggressively takes the initiative to identify and solve problems. There are solid reasons for this, as follows.

Hated is basically sociopathic, personally powerful enough to smash his way through annoyances, and very independently minded. He is never going to be an insightful and meticulous administrator. Most of the necessary tasks bore the hell out of him and in all likelihood will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. He needs someone who can do that kind of job better than he can, and he needs them flawlessly loyal and working for him as of yesterday.

Enter Nina. She is being constantly pushed by social, personal, and magical pressures to be both exceedingly loyal to Hated and to competently serve him in ever better ways; the enchantment on his helm alone- which she is exposed to more than any other person in camp- should be able to drive her to success. Even better, I have trouble thinking of a scenario in which Hated would need to worry about her being overly ambitious and seizing power, because her status and power are inextricably tied to his own. She's got the intelligence, enchantment, and connections to start out strong and hit the ground running as long as she doesn't fuck up- and her mental enchantment and driving need to not fail us should ensure that she does not.

We are explicitly attempting to sculpt Nina's personality into someone who will handle huge amounts of stuff without ever giving Hated more than brief reports about it, because Hated genuinely doesn't give a shit about most of it. We are, as you say, on the path towards handing her the credit cards- because Hated has no head for money. If this works, Nina will be the queen who handles most of the running of the kingdom, freeing up Hated to focus on the stuff that interests him, like magical research and killing people.

Don't think of it as Nina being his wife/girlfriend, think of her as a minion. We are attempting to train our highest-loyalty minion in administration and leadership so that she can function as a steward for our realm while we're busy not caring.

I agree that we should not give others carte blanche to do whatever they want. However, Nina is about as low-risk as anyone could be in this scenario, and while I admit that we could have used slightly more finesse in handling things (as you say, asking her where she'd plan to start would have been prudent) I think this will turn out well.
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No. 323258 ID: 6868bc

Letting the woman take control of whatever she pleases isn't gonna be a fiasco. Get inside her head and think about HER, past the thoughts of "all women want to spend all the money they possibly can on purses and clothes". What Nina wants, what she strives for, is to be worthy of Hated and impress him. If he gives her authority to do what she wants, that's what she'll try to do!
And if she DOES fuck up, it'll probably be a small one. Any mistakes can be chastised, so she doesn't think she's infallible or beyond authority.
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No. 323323 ID: c4468a

>Do you know spells to make golems? You should try a pet-project: make a golem as high quality as possible for you. I mean there is still a lot of time till we start the war, you might as well get yourself busy with something.
Sure, whatever you say. Can get started now I suppose, not really all that tired. Probably make it out of iron, gods know we have a bunch of the stuff underground. Mold it a little, maybe carve some things into, enchant it up some and then infuse it and viola, we have ourselves a golem. Shouldn't take me more than a few weeks to get a really crappy jury-rigged one up and running. Maybe I'll make a few. Seems a good way to stave off boredom... think I'll give one blades for arms... wonder if I can get those to turn in circles. Eh, something to play around with.

>>323108
I resent being called sociopathic. I prefer psychopath. Mostly because I can at least fake being nice to people. And my violence didn't result from how I grew up. Ha! Didn't think I knew psychology, did you voices! Hell, I surprised myself with that one!

Anyway, you lot got any other questions you want to ask, or shall I get on to other, more interesting things?

((If not, define how long or until what event you would like to time skip to.))
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No. 323330 ID: e5eb7b

>>323323
Could you instruct others on how to build these things so we can get more of them made? What about simply enchanting something big that already exist to get up and follow orders? A tree for example.

Also what would you suggest as the best method of transporting our troops and supplys over large distances quickly? I'm hoping you know of a method that takes less enchantments and sparks than everyone having their own enchantment.

>>323011
Despite the official title of married Nina is closer to being our servant. >>323108 summarized it quite well.

>everyone should get Shadow-step and somekind of nightvison as default
For the time being I disagree with this approach as I can't see any way to take Everfrost without facing a lot of heavy resistance. However the shadow step might not be necessary even if we go this route. If we could find a more cost effective way to travel with great speed would this eliminate the need for the shadow step in your plan?

>>323021
>I think we should eventually work out some plan on how we are going to upgrade our warriors
I agree. As soon as these last questions are answered I plan to put a strategy out for discussion. Hopefully everyone else will do the same so we can decide what direction to go in.
>>
No. 323360 ID: cd63e9

we should see if the elves are willing to send a few of there own to act as spark generators. they might be leery of sending solders, but asking for doctors or other people they could pass off as being there on a mission of mercy they might be willing to send some peopel in. assuming sticks is average each elf would produce six times the sparks of one of your shamans.
>>
No. 323586 ID: c4468a

>Could you instruct others on how to build these things so we can get more of them made?
Yes and no. Yes in that I could tell them how to do it, and even show them the methods. No, because it requires a fundamental knowledge of certain theories and methods that I can't teach, because that would require knowledge in certain languages that aren't used by most people. Furthermore, the runes inscribed on a golem can't be practiced, because if done wrong they could cause any number of magical problems. So I guess that's a no, actually.

>What about simply enchanting something big that already exist to get up and follow orders?
Technically possible, but not actually golem crafting. This is more along the lines of manifestation of a ghost or spirit using a tree or some such as a medium. I can't do that. I could also summon elementals, like treants or dryads, but they're useless a lot of the time unless you bind them to your will. Otherwise it's pointless.

>Also what would you suggest as the best method of transporting our troops and supplys over large distances quickly?
I could set up a gateway if you wanted. It's like a teleport, only I only have to do it once. Takes a massive amount of sparks, but it sticks around till I tell it to stop. Great for traveling between two places over and over again. Or getting a lot of people really far. Gate's are volatile though. If someone messes with it...
>>
No. 323852 ID: a5a1cd

>I resent being called sociopathic. I prefer psychopath. Mostly because I can at least fake being nice to people.
Let's not quibble. Psychologists can argue over the exact definitions of this term and that term (in fact, I believe neither "sociopath" nor "psychopath" is a technically valid diagnosis these days), but for our purposes here they mean largely the same thing. You don't give a crap about others, all your empathy is faked, you feel neither remorse nor shame about your actions, you're aggressive and often irritable. Point is, you need quality minions to run things for you because you're ill suited to running them personally.

>golems
How easy would such things be for enemies to destroy or disrupt? It seems like you can take out golems laughably easily, but then you've got capabilities others do not. What are the ways that most warriors or mages use to take out combat golems? I'm thinking that the several weeks it would take to build a golem could probably let you enchant fifty or sixty warriors with twoish enchantments each, and thinking that may be a wiser investment of your time if golems aren't extremely formidable.

>gateway
This seems like an excellent trick, particularly with the spark boosting abilities of your helm. We'll keep it in mind for strategic use once the invasion starts.

>>323360
I don't see the elves going for this. They already seem pretty wary of our power level. Also they seem to have all kinds of magically based cultural hang-ups, so who knows what they'd think about feeding us sparks.

Still, I suppose we can ask. Might ask Sticks what their likely reaction would be, and avoid asking if she thinks there's no way in hell they would say yes.

>>323330
>strategy discussion
Right. I think we need to tackle this as one big plan with many aspects, rather than treating it as one bit of minutia at a time. Key questions here:

-Once the invasion begins, what are the key elements of our assault forces?
--How will we deploy our warriors?
--How will we deploy our shamans?
--How will we deploy any intelligence assets (elven spies/assassins, our own spies/assassins, etc.)?
--What magical assets (items, enchantments, golems, etc.) are most essential to our success?
--What other improvements (equipment, tactics, intelligence, etc.) do we require to ensure victory?

-To achieve that, how are we going to invest our available resources until the invasion?
--Hated's personal time and ridiculous numbers of sparks
--Shamans' time and modest numbers of sparks
--Warriors' time and effort
--Crafters' time and effort
--Elven assistance with whatever we can get

-How will our force makeup above allow us to handle the various major obstacles to our conquest? (>>304320 for reference on these)
--The elite army under Marcus Ristock?
--The second army under Mathew Kovak?
--The extremely powerful mage-guards running each major city?
--The large numbers of militia who can be called up quickly?
--The extremely well-defended capital?

-Will we attempt to take advantage of Everfrost's acknowledged problems in any fashion?
--The hatred of people outside the major cities for their current rulers?
--The ongoing conflict with the Islands of Seven Shadows?
--The apparent scarcity of reliable and competent military leadership?


I will attempt to figure something out for addressing most of this... later. It will take a while.
>>
No. 324682 ID: e0e033

It is good that you will make a golem, but don not rush it and juryrig it. It is better that you take your time and try to make it as best as possible. I will leave the details to you.

About the teleport gates. How many sparks you need to make a waypoint?
We really should set up a network of teleports to permanent tribe settlements with the capital as a hub.
Also, maybe you could devise a ritual spell to make teleport gates which costs less sparks? I am sure you will have time to make one.
>>
No. 325074 ID: c4468a

>How easy would such things be for enemies to destroy or disrupt?
The human hero was a master golem-crafter. To put that level of skill into perspective, I've seen one of his creation pluck a dragon out of the air and rip it in half. I've seen another of his decimate an army of 10,000 men on it's own. I am not a master golem-crafter. I'm mediocre at best. But even mediocre golems can deal lots of damage made right. At the very least, an iron golem will decimate normal armies. Mages could probably rip it to shreds fairly quickly, so we'll have to occupy them some other way, like having them focus on the sudden lack of a head.

>How many sparks you need to make a waypoint?
What's a waypoint? Gates only go between two places. I mean, I could probably mess with it a little if you wanted some other form of gateway transportation thing, but for the moment, the spell only opens a gate between two locations. As for the cost of opening the gateway, base cost for the gate itself is 1000 sparks. Then you add shit like making the gate wider so more people can go through at once, which increases it by increments for those additions. Basically, base cost 1000+ whatever spark costs there are from increasing size or whatever else you add on.

>Also, maybe you could devise a ritual spell to make teleport gates which costs less sparks?
I would, if I knew how to construct rituals. I do not. I can't even modify the rituals we do have. I'd need time, materials and books to figure out how to do it, all of which are conveniently in Everfrost, which we are going to conquer. I'll have to start such research, along with all the other things I need to research, once I own the nation.
>>
No. 325157 ID: 9202a9

So it looks like gollems would be very effective against the militia.

-Once the invasion begins, what are the key elements of our assault forces?
--How will we deploy our warriors?
--How will we deploy our shamans?
--How will we deploy any intelligence assets (elven spies/assassins, our own spies/assassins, etc.)?
--What magical assets (items, enchantments, golems, etc.) are most essential to our success?
--What other improvements (equipment, tactics, intelligence, etc.) do we require to ensure victory?

-To achieve that, how are we going to invest our available resources until the invasion?
--Hated's personal time and ridiculous numbers of sparks
--Shamans' time and modest numbers of sparks
--Warriors' time and effort
--Crafters' time and effort
--Elven assistance with whatever we can get

-How will our force makeup above allow us to handle the various major obstacles to our conquest? (>>304320 for reference on these)
--The elite army under Marcus Ristock?
--The second army under Mathew Kovak?
--The extremely powerful mage-guards running each major city?
--The large numbers of militia who can be called up quickly? >Gollems
--The extremely well-defended capital?

-Will we attempt to take advantage of Everfrost's acknowledged problems in any fashion?
--The hatred of people outside the major cities for their current rulers?
--The ongoing conflict with the Islands of Seven Shadows?
--The apparent scarcity of reliable and competent military leadership?

The next question would be how to kill mages. Experience suggests a heavily enchanted kill team (or you) shadow step and kill them all.

We need to set up a chain of command. I think the rule of ten would work (it was good enough for genghis khan). The rule of ten is: a sergeant is responsible for (about) ten grunts and follows his lieutenant, a lieutenant is responsible for (about) ten sergeants and follows his commander, extra... it should be simple enough for the barbarians but complex enough for you (or what ever generals you hire) to do some fancy tactics.

Also we should figure out a plan to rule once we have conquered. I sugest we do something like the Romea did. In lieu of roads we can set up those gate ways mentioned earlier and we can probably give you a cheat sheet for the more tech oriented stuff (E.G. hygiene, crop rotation, and the scientific method)
>>
No. 325203 ID: 830984

Hmm...
How many casters does that catapult ritual take, and how long does it take to launch?

About how many sparks would it take to make a flying platform that can hold several people?

Is there any chance we could replicate that stealth ability the horses had? (The one that hides your magic from magical detection)

With Gateways, can you deactivate them without destroying them?
>>
No. 325208 ID: 830984

If we can't do the horse's stealth, it is feasible do following:
Use an invisibility spell
Use a magic concealing spell (which gives off its own spell signature but hides all other spells/sparks)
Create a cloud of interference that gives off an identical signature as the spark hiding spell, and importantly is not centered around the user (otherwise enemies could just aim at the center of the cloud.)
>>
No. 325236 ID: a5a1cd

>At the very least, an iron golem will decimate normal armies. Mages could probably rip it to shreds fairly quickly, so we'll have to occupy them some other way, like having them focus on the sudden lack of a head.
It sounds to me like we'll want to have dedicated units of enchanted warriors accompanying any golems that we make, given mobility boosts and possibly stealth and defensive ones as well. Have them headhunt any mages who might be in position to threaten the golem, while the golem itself takes care of most other threats. A full squad per golem probably would be best; considering the amount of effort that crafting these things will take it would be foolish to leave them poorly supported. If there are any specific spells that might be useful for mage-hunting, we should look into them. I'd give at least a couple of the squad members the ability to see or sense sparks (for mage identification), and if there are any kind of counterspell magics that you know some of them could use those, too.

Really, there are a myriad of uses for dedicated mage-hunter squads. Going over potentially useful spells you know for them would be good.

>So it looks like gollems would be very effective against the militia.
I don't think so. Golems are single points of concentrated force which are sharply limited in the number that we can construct; the threat the the militia is in their vast numbers and the fact that they can be called up all over the place. Golems' position in our invasion will have to be in support of our more conventional army, helping to make up for our disadvantage in equipment by pounding apart the stronger enemy units.

If you can think of a reason that they'd be an adequate counter for the militia feel free to argue it, but I don't see it. The appropriate counter for the militia is demoralization which makes them unwilling to mobilize, some kind of supply disruption which makes it impossible to mobilize, or communications disruption which prevents them from realizing that they need to mobilize and doing so in a coordinated fashion. That would likely need to be carried out by a careful PR coup probably supported by elvish infiltrators and rumormongers, extensively enchanted raiders, or crazy magic implemented after we capture and interrogate someone who knows how their communication system works, respectively.

>Gateways
>Basically, base cost 1000+ whatever spark costs there are from increasing size or whatever else you add on.
That is low enough to be practical for relatively common use on your part during the invasion, I think. No one else could pull it off, but you certainly can. Moving large segments of our army hundreds of miles at a stroke could be a priceless advantage in strategic mobility. It could also, potentially, allow us to strike at the enemy's strong points and bastions of support- their major cities- without spending much time raiding through the lesser villages that hate their current rulers anyway, which could grant us a PR victory which could potentially, if we manage to somehow spin things correctly, even convince the people in the farming villages to defect to our side. As long as we look successful and don't get a rep for slaughtering them, it could work.

That could be supported by adopting the classic Mongol policy towards assault- before attacking, make sure the enemy knows you're there and you intend to win regardless, and offer them one chance to surrender. If they do, be a gracious victor; if they don't, brutally sack the town badly enough that the next place will think of surrender as a better option. But that working is dependent upon the rulers of the individual towns not being magically bound to the king even if that means getting all their people slaughtered; if they literally cannot surrender there's not a lot of point in the policy.

Anyway, the big concern with the gateways is that they're easy to disrupt as you said- how easy are we talking, can you harden them against that kind of thing with additional sparks, and what would be the negative effects of disruption? Just destroying the gateway, or is there a risk of, say, a giant explosion if the gate is poked in just the wrong way?

>We need to set up a chain of command. I think the rule of ten would work
That seems reasonable as a basic rule, although it doesn't really handle the more complex matters of force organization. Are enchanted types set as leaders, or in squads of their own? Shamans are presumably in squads of their own for ritual magic; are they kept back or deployed directly alongside warriors?

>Also we should figure out a plan to rule once we have conquered.
Honestly, I think this is getting ahead of ourselves. Planning the hows of our conquest and trying to make that as complete as possible is already a huge task that we've hardly started on.
>>
No. 325340 ID: c4468a

>How many casters does that catapult ritual take, and how long does it take to launch?
Five casters, and 5-10 minutes to fire off a shot, depending on the relative skill of all the mages within the ritual and the complexity of whatever it is your launching.

>About how many sparks would it take to make a flying platform that can hold several people?
...You want a flying boat? Alright, first off, flight is very difficult in the best of cases, and is annoyingly difficult to use as an enchantment. Not saying it can't be done, just really hard. Next, where the hell am I supposed to get a boat? Third, what makes you think a flying boat is at all useful? It's a giant flying target for anyone with a ballista and half a brain.

>Is there any chance we could replicate that stealth ability the horses had?
I have no idea how they did that, and have no ways to do it myself. Your second idea, with the smoke and fog and stuff, that I can do. Simple fog spell, add some raw sparks to it to make it smell magical, and you have yourself magic disguise fog... I think. I'd have to test it first.

>With Gateways, can you deactivate them without destroying them?
Hypothetically, I think. I mean, you can shut it down completely without causing it to get destroyed, but you could certainly block it off from it's other side. Course, if you wanted to do that, you could just place a big rock in front of the entrance. No magic needed for that.

>hygiene, crop rotation, and the scientific method
Have the first, baths are created through the use of binding water spirits to bathing areas, then heating them using a bound fire spirit. Crop rotation... why the hell would you need to rotate crops? What possible good could that do? As for the last, what the hell is that and why should I care?
>>
No. 325343 ID: c4468a

>Going over potentially useful spells you know for them would be good.
Um... there really isn't much that's good against human mages. They are the ones that have the most proficiency with warping reality as they see fit. Most things can be countered pretty easily. The best thing to do fighting them is catch them by surprise. So... invisibility, shadow-stepping, ethereal might be good, and illusion magic I can learn from Sticks I suppose, although we could just use her to hunt mages now that I think about it. Basically anything that will allow you to hit them without warning is best. That goes for most mages, now that I think about it.

>Anyway, the big concern with the gateways is that they're easy to disrupt as you said- how easy are we talking, can you harden them against that kind of thing with additional sparks, and what would be the negative effects of disruption? Just destroying the gateway, or is there a risk of, say, a giant explosion if the gate is poked in just the wrong way?
Eh, no real way to harden a gateway against getting disrupted. But if it's any consolation, you have to be at the spell focal point to do anything major. If all you do is hurl some disrupting spells at it the gates just deactivate and get destroyed. If you actually want a big flashy explosion, or worse, cause the gate to start pumping out ghosts, and demons and whatever else you happen to come across in the various dimensions, you actually need to mess with the spell holding the thing together, which is in a spell figure found in front of the gate. So, I guess I could safeguard that in some ways, stick magical traps on it and the like.
>>
No. 325422 ID: 7fd095

>>325343
Do ghosts and demons have any sparks inside. In which case, could you profit by deliberately destabilising a Gateway when you've finished using it and mopping up the creatures that come out?
>>
No. 325512 ID: c4468a

>>325422
That would be plain stupid. Fighting demons isn't exactly a walk through town. First off, they don't have a body I can punch. Second, they have mastery over all three types of magic, or are at least good enough in all three to directly defeat well trained mages in combat. Third, I doubt that my own minions would be happy with me if I started setting demons on them. That hardly seems the kind of act that gets me liked by my underlings, and we are aiming for them to like me, right?
>>
No. 325722 ID: 830984

> what makes you think a flying boat is at all useful? It's a giant flying target for anyone with a ballista and half a brain.
That is what the cloud cloaking scheme is for. (Also, it would help to have a caster on the platform to deflect ballista bolts.)

(With the cloud cloaking scheme, can you see out of a cloud like that? If not, we will have to instead turn invisible than mask our presence with a cloud of transparent gas.)

Anyway, we don't need something the size of a ship. We would just need a platform large enough to hold seven people. (A pilot, 5 ritual mages, and a point defense mage) You could probably have it made out of iron plating.
How many sparks would that take?
(And how easy would it be for a mage to swat it down at catapult range if they do detect it?)
>>
No. 325806 ID: cd63e9

>>325722
hmmm, not a bad idea in essence, but making it flying means anything can shoot it. However a ground based platform with some sort of protective iron cage around the mages might be of use. if we could make it fast enough to keep them out of danger or give it some means of defending them. making our mages less squishy is always a good idea.
>>
No. 325977 ID: c4468a

>How many sparks would that take?
Having a flying platform? Assuming you want that as an enchantment, and you want it to be controllable as to how high it goes, and you want to make it actually move in more directions than simply up and down, and you want it to be safe for human usage, and you want it to be usable on a battlefield, so it has to be protected against magical attack and death by well aimed ballista... a few thousand spark per. 1-2 thousand depending on how much protection you want. If you want simply flight, and damn whether it's safe to use, 3-4 hundred sparks.

>>325806
This is the cheaper idea. Simply having it hover above the ground is much easier, and you wouldn't have to make it go up and down. You'd still need to make something for propulsion, maybe strap a sail to it and have a mage blow wind into it... but anyway, it would cost less than an actual flying platform.
>>
No. 326182 ID: 830984

Even more questions:
To move a hovering platform, couldn't you make the force keeping the platform up be able to tilt so that it pushes the platform diagonally up and sideways? (Or have a second enchantment of the same type rotated sideways)

With rituals that charge up (like the catapult ritual), can you keep them charged before battle? (Ex, have your ritualists start charging 20 minutes before battle and hold the charge until enemies appear.)

What kind of things is a normal mage capable from at the range of the catapult-ritual? (Specifically, what could they do to smash one of the proposed ritual platforms?)

For comparison, approximately how many sparks would it take to make an explosion the size of the catapult ritual's from a single spell (and about how large of a radius is that anyway?)

Can you replicate the spell-amplifying enchantment on your helm (on a smaller scale, or course)? If not, is it because you do not know the enchantment, or because the effect is only possible in special cases like that artifact?
>>
No. 326344 ID: 925c43

I wish we would stop with the damn questions already and just move on. There is a discussion thread for a reason.

This really hampers the flow of the quest I'll tell you.
>>
No. 326483 ID: c4468a

>To move a hovering platform, couldn't you make the force keeping the platform up be able to tilt so that it pushes the platform diagonally up and sideways?
Why would you tilt the platform? People would fall off of it, wouldn't they? Well, whatever, I suppose you could try it. As for the second idea, I suppose that might work, if said spell to do it wouldn't make it keep moving in a direction. I've never tried making a toggle for this particular spell, so... although I suppose I could try.

>With rituals that charge up (like the catapult ritual), can you keep them charged before battle?
I believe so. I'll have the shamans try it out tomorrow. The book didn't talk about delaying it or anything. We'll figure something out.

>What kind of things is a normal mage capable from at the range of the catapult-ritual?
Um, kill one of the mages in the ritual? I can't really tell you what mages could possibly do, because they use soul magic. If you recall, a good mage using soul generally tells the rules imposed by reality to go fuck themselves. It's a little annoying, fighting human mages for that specific reason. So, instead of listing stuff out, it's easier just to expect them to pull random crap out of a hat and be surprised when they don't.

>For comparison, approximately how many sparks would it take to make an explosion the size of the catapult ritual's from a single spell (and about how large of a radius is that anyway?)
As always, everything depends on what things are put into the spell and how many sparks are contributed. Max, I think, would be about 150 foot radius. I can match that with about 750 sparks. Make it twice that for 1500 sparks. Hah! I still win. Childish of me, I know, but I don't give a damn.

>Can you replicate the spell-amplifying enchantment on your helm (on a smaller scale, or course)? If not, is it because you do not know the enchantment, or because the effect is only possible in special cases like that artifact?
You want me to replicate an artifact, which I might mention was made by a god, and which uses a bunch of runes on it I've never even seen before. Yeah, I'll replicate that, within the next four to five thousand years it takes me to learn how to speak the language of the gods.

>>326344
This one makes a good point, your questions now are getting tiresome. I'm going to start working on that golem now. You people do whatever it is you do whenever your not watching me constantly or something.

-------------------------

Hum dee dum. Let's see, this bit attaches to this bit... this bit attaches to this bit... no, wait, that one goes there, maybe? Gah, you'd think this would be easier if all you had to do was put the damn pieces together and fuse them in place. Let's try this again. This piece goes here, this piece goes here, this piece goes... what the hell is this thing?

"Chieftain... we have acquired what you asked for..."

"Hm? Oh, hello Falshis. How's the weather outside?"

"Cold, chieftain, as it always is this time of year. Now, the information you requested. Nina has been doing well, it seems, in managing your new encampment. Almost better than you would yourself, chieftain."

"Hm. That's good. Voices will be happy, I'm sure. You still keeping your clan separate, as instructed?"

"The Snaketongue are still camped a good five miles away from the city, and have made no attempts at making contact, as you have said."

"Good. You may go Falshis."

"As it pleases you, Chieftain."
>>
No. 326490 ID: cd63e9

really got to stop mentioning the voices, it makes you sound crazy. but if someone asks you about it, tell them its a spell that puts you in touch with spirit advisers or something.
>>
No. 326546 ID: 0bd0b0

>>326490
Agreed. It may also bring up some weakness Hated has in the future. Maybe we are a curse. Either way, no good reason to mention us at any time.
>>
No. 326765 ID: c4468a

I'm supposed to care if they think I'm crazy? Screw their opinions, they don't matter. Besides, I don't think these barbarians care whether I'm nuts or not, as long as I bring them glory or whatever it is they crave most. Oh, welcome back, by the way. It's been about a month since you've disappeared, we're halfway through the raiding season, from what I can understand. I figured I'd let the barbarians do as they please, get their raiding done and all that. It's part of how they survive the winter, take a bunch of food from Everfrost.

Moving on, time to report the latest news. I've gathered a bunch more of the tribes. The Horsehoof came along a few days after you guys went silent, and the Wolffang came along as well. Over the next few weeks dozens of more tribes have come in, including the two big ones still left over. Bisonhorn arrived a week after you guys left, and they've used some of the iron we managed to dig up using that stone-molding staff technique someone mentioned way back when, and they've been working on constructing weapons. Thanks to them we've also gotten some contact with the dwarves. Bloody bastards are arguing with us constantly about payment for more metal and works, want lots of gold. Figured we knew about that gold deposit, so I sent some people over. Nina went along, I haven't heard much back from them other than the fact that they arrived and are starting to dig up some gold, oh, and that Nina some how managed to become the unofficial leader of said encampment. Snaketongue showed up about a few days ago, woke me up when I was asleep. Seems they don't like interacting with others much. Suits them fine, but it's really annoying for me, getting woke up at random times every night. Sucks like hell. Haven't done much more than send them running here and there, but hey, whatever works. What else...

Ah, we have huge amounts of growth in the number of people around here. I don't think we've finished tallying everyone yet. Not like many in the barbarians can count, you know. We're at least 3 times in size, maybe 4. Sure that'll make you happy. But from what I understand, this is pretty much it. We don't have many more tribes that haven't joined already.

Golem is... sorta coming along. It's been giving me some trouble, but whatever. I'll have it ready by the time we start our invasion. Anyway, I'm ready to take your advice now, whatever it may happen to be.
>>
No. 326776 ID: cd63e9

super. hmmm we have more guys than I thought. we might not be able to enchant the bulk of our forces even if we had the sparks. by the way how many shamans? oh and appearing crazy is bad idea, it creates an opening that an enemy could use to weaken the loyalty of your forces. granted you could quite easily explode anyone who tried this but if they are sneaky about it they could cause some major headaches before you tracked them down and made them go boom.
>>
No. 327296 ID: 0f159b

How many sparks do you have now?

[Also, you need to learn better to summarize and report. Also, make sure you incorporate the suggestions in the update, saying "I did what you asked me to do" without actually saying what was done us confuzing as hell. You must always take into consideration that sometimes one cant read all sugvestions (doesnt have time or just doesnt want to).
I am saying this because I am pretty lost on what to suggest now]
>>
No. 327535 ID: c4468a

Spark Count: 24400

We have 350 shamans total, although that isn't the amount that currently here. Like I said, a bunch of the tribes are off raiding and such. Oh, yeah, and I get the crazy thing, no more mentioning voices, on and on. You guys love to lecture. Ah well, moving on. Since you guys are back, which is a good thing I assure you, I'm there's a few outstanding issues. Biggest one in my opinion is what we want to do with the Snaketongue. At the moment, they're just sitting out there. Now that I think about it, every tribe that's with me is just sitting around, training and not much else. A lot of you were talking about organizing them into giant clans or houses or something awhile back based on their outstanding skills within each tribe. There's also the matter of how much time I should spend on enchanting warriors, making golems(or golem) or whatever other activities you think needs doing.


((I apologize for not making clear which idea was used. I'll try to remember to do that for the next time. I do not apologize for the lack of a better summary/report. That is simply how Hated works. If he isn't interested in it, he isn't going to pay much attention to it, thus you lot are going to lack the information he would otherwise have. You want details, ask him about it and get him to go find out more.))
>>
No. 327935 ID: 7b643c

Well
there is not much known about Snaketongue, so we need to meet with their leader and talk to them. See what they can do.

About the Great Houses/Guilds: you need to call a meeting with the leaders of the tribes and organize it.
Nina seems to be doing pretty well with organizing and general peacetime duties. Which is good, since you suck at that. Perhaps she could help when establiahing the Houses.

Also, we need to plan the construction of the capital. I know that you are not a builder or an architect, but you need to make a team of the brightest minds and best builders, so that they can at least have some guidelines how and where to build. This will be just the first step, after we cinquer Everfrost and steal their tech/knowledge and specialists we can start making a truly magnificent city.

Have you enchanted more warriors?
This should also be touched in the meeting. Let the leaders decide what the best enchantments for their warriors will be but the shadowstep and nightvision should be standard for everybody since we are planning to make attack at darkest night.
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No. 328613 ID: c4468a

Visit Snaketongue, call meeting, get Nina to help set up houses instead of tribes, start construction on a real city, get opinions on enchantments. All right, that's a good list for the day. First on said list is the Snaketongue. Falshis is the leader of that particular tribe, and he visits every single night. Bastard scared the hell out of me first time he did it. Now it's simply routine. Anyway, we'll pop over and visit him as soon as I get this piece in its place... right... there! All right, off we go.

A quick shadow jump or two and we find ourselves in the middle of a camp that smells very strongly of poisons. These guys shamans are pretty interesting, always trying to come up with new poisons to use and how much does what and on and on. They get just as old just as quickly as the normal shamans. Anyway, within minutes of my arrival Falshis is before me, dropping to one knee and bowing his head. "How might we serve you, my King?"

"Yeah. Tell me everything about your methods of fighting. As much as you can."

"As it pleases you. We prefer to... not be caught, as it were. I have heard of men among the city-dwellers, called assassins, who sneak through the night and kill their prey without being seen doing it. I suppose we resemble them, although our tactics are of more use in hunting entire tribes than a single man. But we can adapt, if that is your desire. Poisons, traps and ambushes are our tribes preferred methods, and even more so if those poisons and traps don't kill you right away. Why would we desire your instant death when you could lead us to greater prizes. I believe that is a brief summary of our strengths. Our weaknesses, of course, lie in more... direct... confrontation. Do you require anything else?"

Well, they'll be fun to use, now won't they. Poisons were never my thing though. Knew an immortal who loved them some millennium past. Killed himself by drinking one of the more deadly varieties by mistake. Anyway, got any specific questions or tasks you want me to relay to these ones? Besides that big meeting thing, since obviously Falshis will have to attend that.
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No. 328714 ID: cd63e9

I think we have our scouts. they also might be useful in raiding enemy supply lines as well as assassinating key targets. I think the tribes could very easily be organized into an effective army. hmmmm there god may be smarter than he looks.
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No. 328852 ID: 02de21

>>328613
I think we need to have this guy get a fairly complete briefing about what we know about Everfrost's geography and their distribution of forces. Earlier we were looking at a fairly comprehensive way of analyzing their forces and our counters; the Snaketongue could potentially be a counter to one or both of their armies, at least in terms of reducing combat effectiveness, and if they've got the numbers and coordination could be a hard counter to any attempted muster of the Everfrost militia forces.

So pull up a map, cite the locations and numbers we know about for those troops, and ask how Falshis would need to deploy his forces to weaken, disrupt, and eliminate as much of the combat capabilities of those three target units as possible in support of the main invasion. We're looking at a deployment of most of his tribe in advance of most of our troops- sending them deep into enemy territory as raiders. Available for his tribe's use in this hypothetical are a limited number of magical gates which could immediately put his forces basically anywhere in Everfrost in large numbers, and a limited number of enchantments for his forces- but those can be customized as we have plenty of time. If he wants shadow steps, ethereality, throwing fireballs, speed, or something else, they're all on the table as long as he knows that we'll only have the time and sparks to enchant a few dozen of his guys, since we've got a lot of more standard warriors to enchant. He knows his tribe's capabilities quite well- what deployment and magical enhancements would aid them most in accomplishing this mission? What methods would he prefer to use? How far in advance of the invasion would he want to be deployed, and what information would he want us to call upon the existing elven infiltrators to provide?

Since he knows what his tribe can and can't do quite well, hopefully he'll be able to give you a workable plan which we can then modify in response to our own thought and available resources. Specialists can usually be relied upon to handle the details of their own specialty fairly well.

Obviously there's some overlap between this and the matters to be discussed at the later meeting, but an individual look at what the Snaketongue need can't hurt- they're likely to be rather essential to your invasion force.
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No. 328876 ID: 7cbb0b

Ask them what kind of enchantments they will prwfer.
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No. 329021 ID: e7b3dc

>>328876
Wait, perhaps we should leave this to the meeting where we give the task to every chief to come up with a package of enchantments for their warriors.

>Default shadow-step and night vision enchantment
Does anybody actually agree with this? I have been talking about this since we have gotten the tribe but do not know what others think of it.

> Knew an immortal who loved them some millennium past. Killed himself by drinking one of the more deadly varieties by mistake.
This sounds ..... ominous. A poison potent enough to kill an immortal? An immortal who specializes in poisons nonetheless?


Anyway.
Tell him that they could make excellent assassins, special operatives and spies. Ask him if their tribe is anyway inclined towards more .... diplomatic skills? It would be great to have envoy/assassin/spy mixture.

>Falshis is the leader of that particular tribe, and he visits every single night.
Why would he need to meet you so often? What did you talk about?

Anyway, we don't really have anything else to do here right now. Tell him you just wanted to visit the tribe and see it with your eyes.
Then walk around and observe the happenings in the camp and go back.
Oh, and you might want to tell him about the meeting we are planning.

>There's also the matter of how much time I should spend on enchanting warriors, making golems(or golem)
Well, we need all of our warriors enchanted if we want to curb-stomp our enemies.
The golem needs to be in tip-top condition. I want you to make a single golem as best as possible. Use the best materials you can get and spend more time making sure it is a powerful as you could possibly make it.
Not only will you get a great addition to your army, but you will have experience in golem-crafting for any future endeavors of similar kind.

Also, if you haven't already, order your shamans to practice and refine those siege rituals. Conjure a piece of wall for the battle ram.
Actually, you might want to experiment and use that helmet for what you have asked it to do. I mean, making yourself a focus to channel more powerful spells. Channel the catapult spell and train for a while till you are comfortable with it.


>Spark Count: 24400
Hey, Hated... you must admit that being patient with all these people is paying off.
I mean, it was not long ago when we were ecstatic to break 100 spark threshold. Noe you can get tens of thousands in relatively short time. And that is not even from all the shamans.
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No. 329040 ID: 02de21

>>329021
>Does anybody actually agree with this? I have been talking about this since we have gotten the tribe but do not know what others think of it.
Actually no, I don't agree with it. Hated doesn't have enough personal time to dispense thousands of night-vision and shadow-step enchantments. Not if we're going to invade next year, anyway. It takes what, half an hour to apply a single enchantment? Assume he spends an interminably boring eight hours a day enchanting people, that's still only sixteen enchantments per day, which is only a few hundred enchantments total by the time we need to attack. Now, we have have our more powerful shamans apply lesser enchantments to people, but they won't be anywhere near as good as Hated's.

Because of this enchantments need to be doled out carefully, where they'll do the most good. Every one that we apply has the opportunity cost of not being able to apply another one somewhere else. We can only afford to enchant the most elite people, and even then we should have a specific application for the enchantments in mind whenever possible.

Honestly, because of these limitations telling the chiefs to come up with enchantments for their warriors at all strikes me as a bad plan- because we're not going to be able to follow through on it. We simply don't have enough time. If we delay the invasion another 3-5 years we can have a massive super-enchanted army, but with a single winter in which to make preparations that's simply impractical.

>Tell him that they could make excellent assassins, special operatives and spies. Ask him if their tribe is anyway inclined towards more .... diplomatic skills? It would be great to have envoy/assassin/spy mixture.
The Snaketongue would make shitty spies. A good spy can blend in with people, infiltrate target societies, get others to share information with them freely- the Snaketongue can do none of this. They can function as assassins, commandos, and scouts, but not as spies and certainly not as diplomats unless they've got skillsets they have yet to show us. That's not to say that they can't do anything as far as espionage or diplomacy goes, but they'll be as much at a disadvantage as any other barbarian.
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No. 329043 ID: eba49f

>This sounds ..... ominous. A poison potent enough to kill an immortal? An immortal who specializes in poisons nonetheless?
I think it is less sinister and more a sign of how immortals tend to get careless after a while.

I second having groups of shamans practice the siege rituals (the catapult one in particular), and you should also make a test version of one of those hovering platforms, so the shamans can maneuver (or be maneuvered, at least) at the same time as casting.

About building a city, if you haven't already done so you should find some people to receive stone shaping enchantments or staffs and get training on actual masonry from the dwarfs. (That is a large part of why we hired them.) We should also be sure to acquire the knowledge of making catapults from the dwarfs if we don't have those, as we can't rely just on shamans for catapulting.
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No. 329267 ID: c4468a

>>328852
I basically just relay information to Falshis, pulling out a map, the whole deal, and after I'm finished he stays quiet for nearly 10 minutes, just considering everything I've said. Then he opens his mouth, pauses again, and finally speaks.

"I would suggest this... shadow-stepping, was it? I've heard you use it often. I would suggest that as a standard among all of the Snaketongue, and leave the rest to us. We have never relied heavily on enchantment, such things are sometimes... unreliable. We have other means of accomplishing the tasks set before us, and if we do require some sort of magic, you will be informed. For the matter of disrupting the enemy in any and all forms, I would suggest acting like there is a separate force in the north. Have the Snaketongue, accompanied by a few other tribes for use as warriors, and let us harass the enemy, raze towns, poison water supplies, burn fields and cause problems. This should draw attention away from the main horde that you'll lead in through the south. A month of time should be enough to cause enough problems to make the southern end vulnerable. As for information from the elves, it isn't required. We barbarians, even the Snaketongue, prefer more spontaneous attacks. Information from beforehand is unnecessary."

>Why would he need to meet you so often? What did you talk about?
He just brings reports mostly. Falshis mostly just talks about what's going on among the tribes. I've been focusing on my golem mostly, so he's been keeping an eye on the tribes for me. Mostly just stuff about who's been trying to kill who, who doesn't like who, who's been trying to get who's daughter. Most of it is stuff I haven't been paying attention to honestly, although Falshis keeps trying to get me involved and interested. Fat chance for that, politics, even barbarian politics, is so dull and uninteresting.

>About building a city, if you haven't already done so you should find some people to receive stone shaping enchantments or staffs and get training on actual masonry from the dwarfs. (That is a large part of why we hired them.)
But we haven't hired the dwarves as of yet. We need gold for that, and at the moment, Nina and her lot is getting it. So I think I'll hold off on actually building something till we figure out how to build worth building. I'd hate to go through all that trouble for no reason at all.

I'll have the shamans get to work on practicing, not that they haven't already. The shamans actually seem to take a great amount of joy in firing off the siege rituals at targets they set up. Tongues has been joining in on the rituals now that I think about it. He hasn't gotten any stronger, though not for lack of trying. I think he's still hung up on the whole 'I can bend space and time to my will' thing.
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No. 329489 ID: e88c94

>>329267
> I would suggest that as a standard among all of the Snaketongue, and leave the rest to us. We have never relied heavily on enchantment, such things are sometimes... unreliable.

"If you think it would be the best. But perhaps a trigger-based night vision enchantment on the eyes? I feel like your men will find themselves working in dark places very often."

Hmmm...

I just had a though. What about communication rings/earrings/necklaces/tiaras/etc? Could we make those. I am sure they will help greatly when coordinating the troops and will be great for Snaketongue spy-assassins as being able to communicate freely is a must for spec-ops.

>We barbarians, even the Snaketongue, prefer more spontaneous attacks. Information from beforehand is unnecessary.
"While I agree on that, and in fact I personally prefer it that way, some claim that having vital intel before any operation is crucial in determining the victor. And having up-to-date information can always play a great role when making.
But if you can manage with raiding without any information, do as you see fit. Just make sure that the casualties on our side are kept to bare minimum.

Anyway, I will give you the task to make the raiding squad before we start the invasion. I think I will give you the permission to choose the warriors from other tribes on your own."

Then tell him about the meeting we are planning. Give him very brief summary of what we are going to discuss.

>He just brings reports mostly. Falshis mostly just talks about what's going on among the tribes. I've been focusing on my golem mostly, so he's been keeping an eye on the tribes for me. Mostly just stuff about who's been trying to kill who, who doesn't like who, who's been trying to get who's daughter. Most of it is stuff I haven't been paying attention to honestly, although Falshis keeps trying to get me involved and interested. Fat chance for that, politics, even barbarian politics, is so dull and uninteresting.
What? This is great!
While it might be boring, you should at least try to keep whatever he says in mind. Also it is good that he is doing that on his own, having a master spy network bringing you reports is very good.

>we need gold for that, and at the moment, Nina and her lot is getting it.
Hmm...
You did make sure that they have sufficient protection, right? I mean, it is a gold mine after all.
Tell Flashis to send one or two of the best of his operatives so that they keep the eye out on the Nina and her team and make sure no nasty things attack them unwarned. Make those communication jewelry I talked before and give it to them, also enchant them with shadow-step and whatever else they might desire.
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No. 329963 ID: 02de21

>>329267
>I would suggest this... shadow-stepping, was it? I've heard you use it often. I would suggest that as a standard among all of the Snaketongue, and leave the rest to us.
Standard amongst all of them? Aren't they a major tribe with thousands of warriors? Making that standard would require years and rob us of the ability to enchant others in that timeframe- that's time we don't have. I could have sworn that we told him he would be limited to having a few dozen of his men enchanted since we have a lot of other people to enchant as well- he's anticipating drawing way more resources than we have available. Hated, correct me if I'm wrong on that.

>harass the enemy, raze towns, poison water supplies, burn fields and cause problems
Classic and highly entertaining, but that wasn't the objective that we gave him. We said to target the combat capabilities of their three units. While poisoning wells and harassing them could certainly accomplish that, razing towns, burning fields, and generally acting as raiders would only draw attention, not actually eliminate the enemy units that we told him to eliminate. Also, we want to be king here when this is over and that means that we'd be burning our own fields and razing our own towns, not to mention squandering a golden opportunity to turn the agricultural towns who hate the royal family to our side.

Perhaps we need to be more clear here: The Snaketongue's objective is not to distract the enemy forces, it is to eliminate or weaken the enemy forces as a unit capable of resisting our invasion. That could be by assassinating commanders and mages, ambushing them, cutting off their supplies, slaughtering their horses, killing their messengers to eliminate communication, or poisoning their food and water. If they're only distracted it just means that we'll have to fight them later rather than sooner. Now, slaughtering the occasional village to draw the armies into a position where we can ambush them is certainly reasonable, but it's a means to help damage the armies proper more effectively- drawing attention is not an end in itself.

>As for information from the elves, it isn't required. We barbarians, even the Snaketongue, prefer more spontaneous attacks. Information from beforehand is unnecessary
And that's just dumb. More information is always required- you need to know where the enemy is strong and where they are weak to ensure that you can avoid facing them in the former spots and can strike in the latter. In particular, we're looking at sending his whole tribe deep into enemy territory- no way in hell should we be dropping him in blind.

I suspect that this guy is thinking of this whole invasion in terms of large-scale raiding rather than a concerted national-scale attempt at conquest. The strategic objective here is to take and hold, not pillage and burn; that means killing those who would be willing to stand against us or forcing them to surrender and making everyone else kneel and acknowledge us as their boss.

I'd like a couple other people to review my reaction to this if possible, but my initial assessment is that the Snaketongue guy is totally off base.

>Falshis mostly just talks about what's going on among the tribes. I've been focusing on my golem mostly, so he's been keeping an eye on the tribes for me. Mostly just stuff about who's been trying to kill who, who doesn't like who, who's been trying to get who's daughter.
I can see why that's boring... but at the same time, internal intelligence can be priceless when manipulating the morale and desires of your population, and attempting to detect dissent. But... Hated will probably never be good at this. Eventually we'll hopefully be able to delegate analyzing and acting on this sort of thing to Nina, but she hasn't really developed the kind of authority and savvy needed to handle it all yet. For now, Hated, please try to at least listen with half an ear so that you'll have a better idea of how your forces' leaders are likely to act. You'll generally want to put people who dislike each other on opposite ends of your army and people who like each other next to each other, come invasion time.

>>329489
>communication rings/earrings/necklaces/tiaras/etc
Maintaining communications with detached forces is essential. Good call. We'll need a double handful of these.
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No. 329965 ID: eba49f

>>329963
Enchanting lots of guys would take lots of sparks, but we could cut down on time by teaching a few shamans to enchant and then having those teach more shamans to enchant.
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No. 329970 ID: 02de21

>>329965
They already know how to enchant or they wouldn't have been able to put enchantments on their guys before we came- they just don't have the requisite spark capacity. Enchanting someone requires 30 sparks at once to get started, does it not? My understanding was that virtually no shamans are that strong- meaning we've got only a handful of shamans who can do enchanting. And each of those shamans only regenerates their sparks once every couple hours, so there's no way they'll be enchanting more than five or six people a day each. Certainly nowhere near enough to start casually enchanting entire tribes.

If this is inaccurate I would appreciate the heads-up, as it has extremely significant effects on our potential war preparations. Although I really doubt that it's wrong, because if the barbarians had any significant number of shamans who could enchant people they'd have had tons of enchantments on their guys before we showed up so that they could gain edges over the other tribes with superior enchanted warriors.
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No. 330083 ID: c4468a

>Standard amongst all of them? Aren't they a major tribe with thousands of warriors?
Them being a major tribe does not mean they have thousands of warriors. The Wolffang do, somewhere in the range of five thousand I think. Bisonhorn have one thousand. Horsehoof have another two thousand. Bearclaw have one thousand and the Snaketongue have themselves another thousand. Anyone else... oh yeah, the Hawkeye, another two thousand. The rest of the numbers are made up of the dozens of lesser, unimportant tribes. The ones that have names but which nobody cares to remember.

>The Snaketongue's objective is not to distract the enemy forces, it is to eliminate or weaken the enemy forces as a unit capable of resisting our invasion.
How would you suggest the Snaketongue accomplish this? They aren't assassins. They don't have the ability to blend perfectly into crowds or sneak into secure castles. You seem to think them some sort of... I don't know what. But whatever it is, they probably aren't. They're just barbarians that happened to be better and ambushes. Think of them like skirmishers instead. What he plans does help by the way. One army is distracted already by that other human nation. Another force distracting the other one, the incompetent one, would basically give us an open door into Everfrost. Although you still make good points. Burning fields and poisoning wells probably won't endear us any to the local people. I'll have him restrict it to raiding and pillaging only. That should keep the people from hating us too much. And on your whole information is needed stick, barbarians seem to have been doing it fine without information for thousands of years. Hell, I've done it fine for thousands of years. And while your right, we are attempting to control, not just pillage, what Falshis will be doing is essentially raiding. I'm willing to let him do his thing, since you know, barbarians kinda do this sorta of thing for most of their lives.

>What about communication rings/earrings/necklaces/tiaras/etc? Could we make those.
We could, and I'll get on it as soon as possible. Maybe I can find some things to enchant when the raids get back. Or trade for them from the dwarves. Will probably have to get them from the dwarves... how many are we gonna need, exactly? A dozen? Two dozen?

>>329970
This is completely correct. Humans don't get strong enough in magic to generally have the power to enchant. Out of maybe a hundred mages, ten might be strong enough to actually enchant anything. Almost all elves can enchant, they just don't usually, and orc mages do nothing but enchant.

"Keep your attacks to pillaging and raiding. I want to rule the damn place, not raze it to the ground completely. Although that would be pretty entertaining. Anyway, there's a meeting later, I expect you to be there. I'm calling all the tribe chieftains together to start planning how everything going to work. Think over what tribe members you want to take along with you on your little attack, and you can report it to me then and argue it out with the others. Understood?"

"Always, my king."

I head out to my next task, setting up this meeting of the chieftains. The task is fairly simple actually, all that's required is heading back to the main city sight and telling some of my men to round up the chieftains and get them to the town square. That should do for a meeting place. I head there myself, mostly because I can't get anything else done in the time it takes for people to actually arrive. Within ten minutes of my arrival, everyone necessary has been gathered.

"Alright then. Let's get this little meeting started. As everyone may or may not know, when spring comes next year, we'll be having a war. A war with Everfrost." That sends a ripple of conversation through the small crowd of chieftains, mostly the lesser ones that I've never really spoken with directly. The major chieftains don't have anything to say at all, simply focusing on me. "That brings us to the reason for this little meeting..."

Alright, what is the exact reason for this little meeting. I know I'm supposed to ask about desired enchantments, but is there anything else I should bring up, ask about or say to these people?
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No. 331715 ID: b57489

[Gah! Where is everybody? It feels like I am the only one to post here, and I've been busy lately and couldn't post much]

Anyway.
The meeting.
Meetings like these are great to find out potential problems and suggestions that your underlings have so you could spend some time getting reports from each and every ex-chief. See how they like things and perhaps ask for some suggestions. But make it known that you wont tolerate any heated arguments and they should make their cases short.

As for other stuff.

Tell them that you are planning to build a city here and need the best builders, the most bright and smart people (even young ones) called which you will make into a team so that we can start the baseline construction and planning. After we conquer Everfrost, we will have tons of more knowlesdge and specialists to continue our glorious Capital (And it really should be something truly grandiose).

Also talk about the idea to categorize each tribe into a Great House or Great Guilds where each house will specialize in their field. While you hold the last say in any and all matters, this will give them a bit of power and at least make them feel important.
Tell them that you are not planning to do this right away but thought it would be good to let them know beforehand (we need for Nina to come back)

Talk to them about the matter of war. Ask for their input if they have any, ask if they are preparing the warriors.
Ask the chief who was from the blacksmith tribe how the production of weapons going and how the mining operation is (we are at the site where iron is, right?)

The tell them about the enchantments and ask them to come up with a standard for each of their tribe (or warrior class)
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No. 331765 ID: 02de21

Around but largely lacking in enthusiasm.

>>330083
>How would you suggest the Snaketongue accomplish this? They aren't assassins. They don't have the ability to blend perfectly into crowds or sneak into secure castles.
I believe I already made several viable suggestions for how they could accomplish it, and with enchantment they can accomplish both of your cited tasks relatively simply. Also, didn't their chief specifically tell you that his tribe would be willing to adapt to acting as assassins if that was your desire?

What I wanted them to do was relentlessly strike at the enemy armies in a myriad of ways- attacking leadership, supplies, communications, the fringes, and whatever else they can reach- to the point that they cease to be a combat-viable unit. More men die from disease, starvation, and exposure in most wars than in battle, and those are things that can cause even the best army to slowly disintegrate. Willingness and ability to exploit and exacerbate that fact is the mark of a capable raiding force when operating behind enemy lines in coordination with a larger army.

>how many are we gonna need, exactly? A dozen? Two dozen?
I would go with at least twenty. Better to have and not need than to need and not have, after all, and proper communication is critical to effectively coordinating a large invasion force.

>anything else I should bring up, ask about or say to these people?
Bring up the fact that you're looking to conquer Everfrost for good and not just burn and raid it, since that doesn't seem to have been made clear.

This might be a good opportunity to lay out a basic plan for the organization of your armies. You're obviously not going to be able to lead everyone personally, and there are enough cities in Everfrost that leading around one giant horde and conquering them one after another would take a long time and be kind of impractical. So you'll need more armies than there are of you- meaning that those armies will need commanders for when you're not present. You might be able to use those posts as a lure for the chiefs by saying that you plan for command in your absence to be given to those who are of most use in planning out the invasion to come- in designing enchantments, allocating resources and tribes, choosing invasion routes, coming up with methods for rapidly conquering resisting cities or overcoming enemy armies, and ensuring that once conquered the cities and towns stay conquered and loyal. Set them a task with a reward, and they'll likely throw themselves at completing it. It's important to establish that we'll reward competence.

>>331715
>you could spend some time getting reports from each and every ex-chief
There are quite a few of them. That would take a really long time and I doubt they've got anything terribly interesting and new to say.

>Also talk about the idea to categorize each tribe into a Great House or Great Guilds where each house will specialize in their field.
I know that this idea has been thrown around for a while, but... what exactly is the point, aside from shaking up the existing barbarian power structure? We don't have a huge number of disparate fields for them to specialize in, and their current units of organization are quite functional. What's more, specialist units tend to need to work together constantly- meaning that after all the effort of breaking everyone into guilds we'd just need to shove them back together again. Unless we have a complete, cohesive societal plan- and preferably one worked out alongside someone who understands how barbarians think and is good with logistics so that we'll be able to account for the legions of problems that will pop up- we should not be attempting to completely rewire the social dynamics that the barbarians have lived with all their lives. It'll either accomplish little as the barbarians don't really understand or use the new system much, or cause too much chaos and disorganization in the short term unless we have capable administrators who understand what's going on helping to make it happen.

>The tell them about the enchantments and ask them to come up with a standard for each of their tribe (or warrior class)
And differentiating them by tribe like this will likely make reorganization later that much harder, since many warriors' very bodies will reflect and emphasize their origins.
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No. 333324 ID: 9be406

Soooo... scratch talking about enchantments for now, the barbarians can kill people pretty well without them, and scratch the reorganization thing for now, simply because we don't have the time or knowledge to get it done to any worthwhile result. We'll focus on any problems between clans and possible ideas for the coming war. Let's see then...

"Alright, first order of business. Anyone have any complaints about another tribe?"

Almost instantly, the Wolffang chief steps forward. "I have a complaint. Why do we require the service of those heretics from the Horseho-"

"Not even going to let you finish that question, because it's stupid. They have horses. Horses run fast. Fast horses mean killing things that need to be killed fast. End of response. Anyone that has a legitamate complaint?"

Over the next hour I deal with some tribal issues, ending old rivalries, settling grudges, that sort of nonsense. After that's done, at least for now, I turn to the next thing.

"Alright, now that everyone's not hating each other, least for the moment, I'll get to the important bit. Now that you all know what's going to happen in spring, I have some other things we need to go over. Namely, who's going to lead the other armies." That seems to catch everyone by surprise. I think they thought we'd just go as a gigantic horde. Which isn't a really bad idea, if your going for the whole strike fear into the enemies heart's, instead of just conquering the lot of them. "We'll have at least three armies total, and while I'll be leading one of them, the one headed for the capital, the other two need to be lead as well, and both will focus on capturing the major cities. Now, I already know how one is going to get picked for leading an army. Your going to get picked based on merit. You prove you can lead, your leading. You don't, you don't. I don't care if your a major tribe, a lesser tribe, or some random wanderer who decided to drop in. More to the point, the ones who can prove to me that they will actually accomplish my goal, to conquer and not pillage, will be leading. If you can win battles, capture cities, sway those conquered to our side, then your more likely to get picked over someone who simply charges and hopes for the best. So then, let's hear it. Your idea on how we're going to pull this invasion off." I spread the map out on a nearby table, which has been marked to show army locations and other such things, then back off to let the chieftains examine them. All take turns, some muttering to themselves, others staring at it blankly, but none come over to present anything until the Wolffang Chieftain has taken his turn and strides up. His name was Curmas I think.

"We'll need four armies, not three. One will have to stay behind and defend our land from the encroachments of others, specifically the Goblins to the south. As for how the other armies are to function. Your own would obviously have you, there's no need for me to offer input. But I've heard that some other human nation has been attacking the eastern side of Everfrost. Is this true?"

"Yes, although I'm curious about how you came across that little bit of information."

"Rumors. It pays to listen to such things sometimes. I would suggest then that one of the two armies head along the east, taking cities as it goes until it encounters this other nation. More than likely fighting two groups at once will be difficult, so perhaps seeking peace would be more desirable. The easiest way to do that, in my opinion, is to make yourself the enemy of the enemy."

"Attack the army that's defending that region, you mean. The one that the Islands of Seven Shadows has been having trouble with."

"Yes. It would make us seem more friendly to aid the island people. Perhaps letting them keep the cities they might have taken as well. This will likely make it clear to them that you don't seek hostility." The man steps back finally, wandering off towards the map again. Another comes to take his place instantly.

"Greetings, my king. I am Kaldoth, of the Geckohide. I have a question for you." I simply stare at him, waiting for his question. "Yes... um... what does the blacked out area represent?"

"No ones sure. All anyone knows is that people go in, they don't come back out. We avoid it, no matter what."

"Understood, my king... Then, I'd like to suggest ignoring the west completely. There's only one city that way, and the elves, if they are our allies, should be able to take that city on their own. It would allow warriors to be used in other areas."

"I'll consider it."

"Thank you, my king." This one bows and leaves. By this point, everyone basically gotten into groups and are arguing out possible methods of attack. I listen in, and find that there are three main camps.

-The first is to stick to the traditional charge it till it dies that the barbarians tend to be known for. They modified the idea slightly though, leaving groups of warriors behind in major cities to maintain a presence and keep the populace under control. Power are way through, basically.

-Second group prefers a more hit and run type thing. Harass the hell out of the two armies till they're reduced to nothing, then wipe up the remainder. Then it's simply a matter of taking each city one by one at our leisure. That's the idea anyway.

-The last group prefers a straight shot all the way to the capital, ignoring everything else. Once that's taken, we turn back around and start conquering everything in reverse, the idea being that even if we fail to hold all the land we take, we'll end up back in our lands instead of trapped in theirs, letting us prepare for another attempt the next year.
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No. 333326 ID: cd63e9

i like the second idea. we have a size disadvantage so a straight fight would probably not end well for us.
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No. 333363 ID: 9202a9

The second Idea seems good if we don't piss off the peasants.
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No. 333441 ID: 989dc3

Second idea is good.
The plans that both of the chieftains laid out are also good.

But dont neglect the enchantments, the are great force multipliers, esoecially if we aim for night raids with nigtvision and shadowstep (among other myriad enchantments)

Also I think this is a good momwnt to give a small speech (using your tongue enchantmwnt and all), making sure that they understand that this is a conquer war and not burn and pillage. We will make those lands ours, their riches ours and their people ours, so we need to make sure to instill the idea that those things belong to us before we attack (you are unlikely to burn down the house you deem your own unlike the enemy's. Also tell that it is the task of these chieftains to pass the idea further.

And if the barbarians show the dissatisfaction the way we are radically reforminh the way they fight war, remind them that this is not a raid to neighbourhood tribe to steal their horses, who have similat warriors, culture and history. We are goinh against a big nation with much more advanced technology and better stalrategy and tactics, if we are to defeat them with minimal losses (whixh is important, we need to make casualties low) we need ti adapt
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No. 336060 ID: c4468a

Second way it is then. A bit conservative and dull, but at least we won't get pummeled into submission. Although that leaves the cities to do what they want for awhile, not something I'm pleased about. They could muster their guards and hit us from behind or something. Something to think about anyway. I drag attention back to me and start up on some random speech the basically stresses the focus on conquering, not burning and destroying, and by the end I'm fairly certain they get it. I pause a moment, then grab the Curmas and that other guy, and have them come up, as well as a few others I think would make good leaders. We'll have to test them somehow, maybe some war games or something. Anyway, they seem the most inclined to thinking about something other than simply attack, so we'll have to get this over with. Anyway, we should see about dividing up these warriors into armies. I think it'll help them to know who's going to lead them from the beginning, let them get used to taking orders and all that. Someone said... what was it... organize them into groups of ten? Well, we can handle smaller scale later. We have boatloads of them to divide up large scale.

Let see... we have three armies needed, from what's been suggested so far. One to go east and aid the Islands against the decent army, one to shoot up the center and take out the incompetent bastard's army and hopefully him, and one to remain behind and guard my lands.

Oh yeah, someone also asked about the Bisonhorn's progress. They generally have just been repairing weapons and armor we already had, although I think they started melting down anything they couldn't fix and have been using that to begin production of better stuff for those... less fortunate... individuals. Anyway, most of the recent iron that's been dragged up I've taken for use on the golem. I've even got one of the smiths making me a big blade for it's arm. Figured just smashing things in the face wouldn't be enough. Figured I'd enchant the blade separately as well.

Anyway, we have, if one thinks about it, about 16,000 warriors for use. Um... let's see, if I do a bit of math... 10,000 of that are melee fighters of various kinds, 4,000 are archers and such, the remaining 2,000 are cavalry, completely made up of the Horsehoof. While most can ride horses, they can't exactly fight effectively on them. Something about the "horse's curse" or whatever it was. I've already checked and there never was a curse, just useless superstition. Anyway, the question I present to you, and to the tribesman I gathered with me, is to divide up the warriors into three groups. We'll see how that goes for now, and once we have our three groups we can try some war games over the next few months.
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No. 336513 ID: 019e32

>>336060
Hmm... 3 armies, huh?

One army should be led by you. You will go against the competent army.
Wasn't Flashis (the snaketongue chieftain) going to lead another army, or he wasn't taken into consideration in your latests update? Anyway, if he was, then he is the one who will take the army to the East, right?
Then stays the question who will lead the 3rd army.
And don't forget that we will have to keep an army to defend our lands..... Hmm, we should properly make defensive structures of all kinds just in case.... Do you know of any spells that could help in that department? Or enchantments (like enchanting a city wall or something) .... And, ah, what happened to the idea of making interlocked portals? .... And the idea to have some "specialists" (or just the most skilled people in engineering and construction which we have at the moment) to design the rudimentary Capital plans?

To tell you the truth, I, personally, don't really know how to determine who will be the most efficient commander. I can only think of the trials that you had to go through when you were getting that artifact of yours.
Perhaps you could devise something similar? If you have trouble, you could ask the Elves for help, they seem more "intellectual" types than barbarians.
Speaking of elves, how are they doing? How is Sticks? Did you talk to her lately? You shouldn't ignore her (even if you don't like her).
How are the shamen doing for that matter? And their leader? Is he still antagonizing against you or has he come to terms with your undeniable power?
Tongues? How is his magical progress?

Also, did you go through my previous idea to make couple of communication rings (like 3 for now), give them to snaketongue chieftain and tell him to send a pair of his best men to watch over the Nina's group and report if something happens (also, protect them from ambushes, screen for enemy scouts)

How is Iron mining going?
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No. 337799 ID: c4468a

The competent army. The one to the east. The one NOT defending the capital, or in anyway anywhere near said capital. Yeah, fuck that. I'm leading the one going up the central parts of Everfrost, so that I can be there to take the head of the king myself. Screw all that other bullshit, someone else can handle it.

As for Falshis, he was leading a strike force to harass the hell out of said armies. I suppose the only one we really need to harass though is the one to the east. There are a few who could lead some armies(four, actually, who might actually be worth the time to have them practice leading anything) and Falshis isn't one of them. There are only three armies. Originally there were four total, but we ditched the one heading west, because there's only one major city that way and no armies, so we can leave that to our elvish allies to sack. One army will be heading east and then north along the coast, to both strike at the competent army, lead by General Marcus Ristock, and make contact with the kingdom that seems to be battling it out with said competent army, preferably in a friendly manner so we don't immediately have to go to war. The second army is going to march its way straight up the center, taking towns and smashing its way through the less than competent army lead by the Crown Prince, who I'm happily planning on stringing up on a pole for dear old dad to see. The third army will be staying behind to ward off attacks from other groups, namely the goblin tribes to the south-west and the orcs to the east.

To sum up the four possible leaders we have for the two other armies:
>Curmas, ex-chieftain of the Wolffang. He's got the most experience in leading something larger than the usual tribe amount. From what I've seen, both now and from things I've heard about him, he tends to be conservative and cautions, relatively speaking. He's still one to charge right in if things look favorable for him.

>Urthan, ex-chieftain of the Bearclaw. Probably the most trustworthy person I have. He's been loads of help, and is the least likely to defy or reinterpret orders. He's also has no experience commanding anything larger than 1000 men.

Kaldoth, Geckohide ex-chieftain. Don't really no much about this one. He's from one of the lesser tribes, and from what I have gathered, the tribe as a whole tended to keep to itself. Probably not a lot of experience leading anyone, but tends to have good ideas if you give him some time to think. He was the leader of the whole "hit and run over and over again" on the armies idea we decided to use.

Falshis could lead an army as well, but... he wouldn't be able to do his early raiding then. Too much hassle having to organize both and be prepared to lead come spring. I'll leave it up to you lot to decide where you'd prefer he go. He'd probably use a lot of ambush tactics if he did end up leading an army. Maybe a good choice for the defensive army getting left behind.

>Hmm, we should properly make defensive structures of all kinds just in case.... Do you know of any spells that could help in that department? Or enchantments (like enchanting a city wall or something) .... And, ah, what happened to the idea of making interlocked portals? .... And the idea to have some "specialists" (or just the most skilled people in engineering and construction which we have at the moment) to design the rudimentary Capital plans?
The portals are a marvelous idea, but I don't think I want to open them quite yet, as I believe the idea was to use them to quickly get from one place in Everfrost to another. I suppose I could just open one between the gold-mine and here, if we really wanted to. As for enchantments to aid in defense, I could make the walls extremely sturdy, if we wanted to gold or silver plate the entire wall. Simple rock doesn't hold enchantments well. As for defensive structures, or even beginning the plans for the capital, as I've said, barbarians aren't exactly known for building shit. Even the Bisonhorn still use tents and such. So unless you suddenly have a way to grant them knowledge of stone working, I don't think we'll get very far with the whole "building structures" thing.

>Speaking of elves, how are they doing? How is Sticks? Did you talk to her lately? You shouldn't ignore her (even if you don't like her).
They come and go. They usually bring food and wood along with them, and sometimes some more reports. Which reminds me, since we're on the subject, they think they've located all of the possible descendants of the human hero. They can't be certain, since they can't make it into the capital to search there, but I can do that once we make it inside. Sticks I've talked to whenever she came wandering over half-drunk, which she spends half her time doing, and she's generally completely useless. She does, however, maintain a good amount of contact with Nina, who seems to have taken a liking for the elf ever since Sticks stuck her in that dress and showed her off to me.

>How are the shamen doing for that matter? And their leader? Is he still antagonizing against you or has he come to terms with your undeniable power?
Annoying head shaman man keeps to himself. I don't think he'd openly defy me anymore, although he still doesn't like me. Sucks for him. All the other shamans(minus the few that follow whats his name) are always helpful, and all of them can usually be found practicing those rituals or doing whatever shamans normally do in their spare time.

>Tongues? How is his magical progress?
Tongues is still working on the words I told him awhile back. Not surprising he doesn't really get it, but that's the point. Once he can figure out what they mean, he'll probably start amassing large amounts of sparks and start growing a bit more rapidly. Until then, he remains utterly useless as he tries to get that rock he carries around with him to move. I personally find it utterly hilarious to watch him glare at a rock for five hours straight. He's determined at least, I'll give him that much. He went with Nina, who still despises him but will put up with him for my sake. I think Tongues wanted to go to see if he might learn faster by practicing on a lump of gold. Might actually work, gold reacts to magic better after all.

The communication rings I haven't gotten around to making, you suggested them two hours ago, give me some time. Besides, I was thinking of using mirrors instead, the reflective surface will make it a little easier to focus the magic. Simple to simply tell the reflections to appear on another mirror when triggered and such. Will have to work on how to target specific mirrors though... and how to tell someone a person is trying to contact them... Iron mining is also going well, I have a bunch of the children doing it. They love it, since I keyed the mining-staves to activate when you tap them against the ground and say a specific chant. The children think it's a game, and they sing the chant whenever they tap the ground with the staff. I don't see the point of the singing, but whatever makes them happy. It was Nina's idea, actually, to make it into a game and have the children do it. Something about never having idle hands about the camp.
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No. 340373 ID: ea03ad

>I'm leading the one going up the central parts of Everfrost, so that I can be there to take the head of the king myself. Screw all that other bullshit, someone else can handle it.

Alright, not gonna argue with that.

>As for Falshis, he was leading a strike force to harass the hell out of said armies.
Strike force. Not army. Alright, got that.
>Falshis could lead an army as well, but... he wouldn't be able to do his early raiding then. Too much hassle having to organize both and be prepared to lead come spring. I'll leave it up to you lot to decide where you'd prefer he go
Yeah, no need for him to lead armies. Let him do his harassing raids.

So that leaves 3 leaders for 2 armies. To tell you the truth I do not know what kind of tests we should make them go through to determine which ones are the best. So, I dunno, ask someone for advice: the Elves, Sticks or whatever. Someone ought to get a good idea.

Urthan and Curmas seem to be good choices for defending the homestead.
Kaldoth is good for leading an army because of his "smarts". The battle against an army of another country is not going to be the same as petty raids. Others will stick with what they know but this one seems to be able to adapt for the situation at hand.
The problem is that he needs training to lead massive army and making decisions faster. He would DEFINITELY make use of mental enchantment. But before granting him that, he needs to train in leadership and tactics so ask the Elves to help with that and/or set up some lessons.

>The portals are a marvelous idea, but I don't think I want to open them quite yet, as I believe the idea was to use them to quickly get from one place in Everfrost to another.
Alright, we will keep this postponed till later.
>I suppose I could just open one between the gold-mine and here, if we really wanted to.
Unless we really have to, I do not see the need for it.

>As for defensive structures,
Not even basics? Like moats, spike traps ... or at least a wooden wall with towers?

>Sticks I've talked to whenever she came wandering over half-drunk, which she spends half her time doing, and she's generally completely useless.
HAHA
She is a bow user. Compare her with our bow-using clan (forgot their name) and see if she can teach them anything.
Ask her why she is slacking so much and what she wants to do in future.
>She does, however, maintain a good amount of contact with Nina, who seems to have taken a liking for the elf ever since Sticks stuck her in that dress and showed her off to me.
I guess that is good.

>Annoying head shaman man keeps to himself. I don't think he'd openly defy me anymore, although he still doesn't like me. Sucks for him.
Hehe.

>All the other shamans(minus the few that follow whats his name) are always helpful, and all of them can usually be found practicing those rituals or doing whatever shamans normally do in their spare time.
That is good. You should join them once in a while and try out the "focus" enchantment of your helmet. See how the siege rituals will do then.

>Besides, I was thinking of using mirrors instead, the reflective surface will make it a little easier to focus the magic.
This is a good idea .... if you are thinking of conversing at your leisure where there is no danger of being found out by the enemies. What I was suggesting was more "spy"-like tool.
Imagine a team of rogues/spies/assassins on a mission, wouldn't it be great if they could telepathically communicate with each other though the rings? If not telepathically, at least by whispering. When using a clumsy mirror they would need to spend more time finding better location for communicating.

>It was Nina's idea, actually, to make it into a game and have the children do it. Something about never having idle hands about the camp.
It seems Nina is doing pretty well with being a "Civil" ruler. Which is good because we suck at that.


Anyway, I am not sure what to suggest right now. We haven't yet broached the subject of Guilds/Houses but I guess it can wait. Maybe we should talk about it with Nina first.
Finalize the meeting. Come up with some way to chose the appropriate leader for the armies and then set them up learning leadership and tactics so that they are comfortable leading large armies.
The armies could make a great use of communication rings/mirrors too. The leader would have easier time relaying his orders to officers tasked with leading smaller groups of men. No need to shout or come up with some-kind of sign language.
Don't forget to ask your elf "allies" for help when choosing the leaders, teaching and training them.

So yeah, making those rings will help us great deal.
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No. 340634 ID: ea03ad

Also, we could do with a little time-skip till something interesting happens.
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No. 348718 ID: 1da0d5

Hey
did you drop this quest? :(
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No. 348893 ID: f6d1e7

((No, sorry, not dropping it. Just had to get the pieces of my life in order, as well as think up what exactly is going to change in the rather large time skip occurring. I apologize again to anyone waiting on me/this. I have, in fact, returned to subject the lot of you that care to my storytelling, which hopefully isn't too bad, and perhaps might even get around to fighting something that can provide a reasonable challenge to Hated and his massively overpowered body.))
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No. 349031 ID: 1da0d5

Oh, thats great.
Make sure to notify when you are going to start again.

As to overpowered fights.... I suggest you read Golem Quest here in tgchan. It is the definition of extremely challenging and hugely ovepowered fights. Also, I am sure you will pick up some storytelling tricks from it too.
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