...I think the High Knight is craftier than I gave him credit.

Dungeon delving is dangerous, yes, but it is also a great training experience and a way to get some good stuff. Not only that, but he may not trust the mages either and if they 'escape', then there is nothing he can do.

The law is upheld, but they can get their freedom if they work hard. Any consequence would be on the mages hands, not his or the pack(they asked for the criminals and they couldn't contain them? Who's fault is that?). Very Xanatos. I like it.

>>361910
"That's not as merciful as a quick death and needless suffering is best avoided, so I would suggest letting them choose between that and execution.
My remaining concern, then, is how certain could we be they wouldn't escape while on a crawl? Furor has shown to be very creative when it comes to bending magic in novel ways, and I think they would certainly attempt to find a demon to contract even if they gained nothing but a token of spiteful revenge."

I think he's impressed by you. Not only are you standing up for the code, but you're making your judgement based on the intent of the code and not simply using the words to justify your will.

>>361916
Well, I think the addition of an 'clause' is important not just for them personally, but because it might set precedent for future judgements. If so, even if it doesn't come up here, the clause might come up in the future. If nothing else, include mention of the possibility but no specific terms for it. A 'we'll cross this bridge if we come to it' mention, if that makes sense.

...But yeah. That -is- a pretty clever plan. So, kudos for him.

...Also... Whats with the golden outlines? They both had a hazey one a minute ago, then high knight had none, and now the high knight has a solid outline while Andres doesn't have one...

>>361921
it's the detect lies magic. it highlights people when they talk. red for lie, gold for truth.

it's funny for a bard to be the lawmaker, especially considering bards have to be nonlawful in standard d&d.

just... say yes. look into your heart, Lin... you know you don't want to disagree with this magnificent man.

Lin 2011/10/30(Sun)21:18 No. 362541 ID: a9ba96
File 132003469457.jpg - (93.22KB , 471x486 , 97067506.jpg )

"Milord, can the Guild ensure that Tur and Furor don't find a means to escape their sentence?"
The High Knight laughs.
>"This is the Guild we're talking about. Furor's good, but he sure isn't Guild good, ya' dig? I'm sure they've got their ways to keep the two in line. So, does this all sound good to you?"

>Clause
I'm not too sure if I want to be giving Tur and Futor an out for their punishment. Still, it's worth bringing up.

"Yes, milord, as long as the two are given an option between service to the Guild and death. It seems unlikely, but what if the two display a change in their ways over the course of serving their sentence?"
>"That would be up to the Guild... but I suppose it is something we could discuss with Lady Gwethana at a later time. And you, Lynne? Does this sound just to you?"
>"As long as the Guild sees to it that Tur and Furor are punished severely for trying to subvert their sentence."

The High Knght turns to the crowd

>"And you? Does this sound just to all of you?"

Lin 2011/10/30(Sun)21:25 No. 362542 ID: a9ba96
File 132003514199.jpg - (91.84KB , 502x511 , e1ee57f0.jpg )

The adoring crowd cheers in response, indicating their approval.

Amidst the cheering, a paladin pushes his way to the front of the crowd...

>"Mister High Knight! Mister High Knight!!"
>"You there! Is there something concerning you?"
>"Yeah! My name is Ath, and I'm new to your order. You're the guy who writes the rules around here?"
>"Why yes, my brother in the fight for truth and justice! It's my responsibility to ensure order is kept in the Outlands! You feeling that beat? That's my beat! My justice!"
>"Yeah, well, if you're just about done here, there's something important I've gotta talk to you about!"

...Aw shit.

This is actually a fairly good time to discuss this. The High Knight was just outlining his plan to have some criminals do productive work rather than being killed; now Ath is approaching as an 'abomination' who has joined the order to do productive work rather than being killed.

>>362542
Hold up your hand and interrupt Ath "In private, Ath. It would be rude to ruin these people's moods right before a party, wouldn't it?
Now, sir, getting back to Mary... I've known her for many years, and she's mostly just lost and frustrated. She needs guidance and perspective, so I suggest a year or two of service."

zehahahahahaha... let him.

Tell Ath that he should keep any personal problems to himself.

that's all too blunt how about "ath, i've already told you, making that deal with the devil was okay because you repented." then stare at him "that IS what you wanted to say?" give him a look that lets him know 'not now'

the high knight doesn't seem to be the sort to hold someones race against them, the inquisitor might but he can't argue with the high knight. so discussing the changeling thing in public with the high knight might be a good idea.

Say to the High Knight: "Before our new recruit Ath tells us about his past, can you, as High Knight, verify that our Goddess has indeed accepted him as a Son of De Justús?"

If we can get the High Knight to officially support Ath's status as a paladin, we might actually get the inquisition on our side (as their job, after all, is to support his decrees).

>>362780
Oh, that's brilliant!
And since he loves to put on a show, he'll find nothing wrong with it, and the Inquisitor certainly has no idea what to expect until it's too late!

Lin 2011/11/01(Tue)20:49 No. 363161 ID: a9ba96
File 132020576839.jpg - (92.16KB , 511x514 , f1533513.jpg )

I speak before the High Knight gets a chance to say anything.

"Ath, we've already been over this. Yes, you made a deal with a Devil, but you've repented and you've been forgiven. If you have any other questions for the High Knight, I'm surer you can discuss them later. In private."
>"...Fine. Sorry, sir. Carry on."

I'm all for explaining the station with Ath to the High Knight later, but even though inquisition probably couldn't have done much, avoiding the chaos Ath revealing himself would have caused was for the best.

The last stages of a judgement ritual can take a while. The three of us have a basic idea of the punishments, but now we have to work out the fine details. Particularly with Mary - the length of her sentence, how long she'll be working each day, the nature of her work... It's not as exciting as the beginning of the ritual when everyone involved might have a different idea on what to do, but it's still vital to ensuring that the criminals are issued the fairest punishment possible. Things will probably be a lot smoother from this point on.

Oh, and thanks. Things got a bit tense, and you guys really helped me out. Even if nobody can figure out what you guys are, you're certainly worth keeping around.

Lin 2011/11/01(Tue)20:50 No. 363162 ID: a9ba96
File 132020581969.jpg - (17.55KB , 908x683 , 27e7fa84.jpg )

"I've known Mary for a long time. She's lost and frustrated, but not beyond help. Two years of service might give her the perspective to... hopefully set her n the right track."
>"And what if she tries to escape her punishment?"
>"Well, there's an old Orc folksong that goes something like..."

...

Mark 2011/11/01(Tue)20:51 No. 363163 ID: a9ba96
File 132020589835.jpg - (172.32KB , 807x768 , 77e63f05.jpg )

So, uh...

I think this would be a good time to weigh the positives and the negatives again. That's always, uh, that's always a good thing to do, when uh, when things like this happen.

Mark 2011/11/01(Tue)20:55 No. 363165 ID: a9ba96
File 132020615703.jpg - (197.73KB , 609x620 , a26a2a55.jpg )

The negatives... well, I don't know if it was my shot that set off that Dwarven powder keg, but the train that was supposed to take us through Egias has... uh, well, derailed. Violently.

I'm also not sure the exact number of people on the train - I'd say about forty... ish... But only nine of us actually ended up walking away from it. To be completely fair, I don't think many of the casualties were actually from the crash, since the assassins were killing passengers left and right before the train blew up.

The positives are that, uh... well, I managed to stop the assassins that attacked the Prince. As his bodyguard, that is my main objective, so uh, so that's good. And we're only a few hours away from the capital of Egias, so uh, I'm sure we can get an escort of some sort once we arrive.

If the voices were here, they'd probably rate this about... a B plus.

...Okay, B minus.

Lets see...
All group members unharmed and all (known) assassins killed,, but a ~85% civilian casualty rate and a loss of your mode of transportation.
I would say C, but you get bonus points for managing to crash the same train twice at the same time. That takes skill.

Actually I'd give you a C, assuming that indeed most of the fatalities were from the assassins.

Besides, it's totally crazy to be carrying around powder kegs like that in the passenger cars. They should've been packed in their own train car. Or at least locked away more securely!

Should the Prince be trailing at the rear like that?

>>363165
I'll give you a D, since this time there were some survivors and you managed to stop the assassins from killing all the people, and some of those without doing the killing for them!

We'll revise that grade once we get some paladins to investigate the crash and determine how many corpses were already dead when it happened. Also, once we get the opinion of Little Miss Kobold over there.
Actually, ask her how big of a screw-up this was.

>Besides, it's totally crazy to be carrying around powder kegs like that in the passenger cars. They should've been packed in their own train car. Or at least locked away more securely!
Dwarfs. That is all.

i'd call it a B overall. some idiot having a powder keg in a random compartment is really not something you can reasonable expect someone to take into account.

>>363174
Assassins.
Powder kegs.
Other party members explicitly warned him about them in advance.

He screwed up badly. He does not get ok grades for screwing up badly.

>>363165

Mark it's probably better for your self esteem if you just change this course to a Pass/Fail instead of a letter grade. Sure, your GPA will be calculated as if you did C work, but you'll get that A feeling when you see your first P.

>>363175
where do you see he was warned, i see no warnings about powder kegs. and with no warnings he was unable to take that danger into account. and it would be unreasonable to expect him to take a precaution as odd as that in the middle of a firefight.
so yes, i agree C+

>>363181
>>357603

I give Mark a solid C. He was panicked, he was inexperienced, and he was in a moving vehicle. Besides, who's to say that the assassins didn't shoot the powder themselves?

Mark 2011/11/02(Wed)19:20 No. 363339 ID: a9ba96
File 132028682763.jpg - (70.09KB , 593x508 , 47a45360.jpg )

Oh, hey guys! You're uh, you're back. Good to know.

I'll uh, sure, I'll take the C. The explosion and the crash took out the last of the assassins anyway, so it wasn't uh, all bad. It's not like it was my fault that there were a bunch of exploding barrels lying around the train anyway. The Dwarves in the matching red uniforms are miners from the GDR, and apparently nobody had any objections to letting them leave Dwarven black powder kegs lying all over the passenger cars.

One of the uniformed Dwarves grumbles in displeasure.
>"leave it to the bleeding shrubs to ruin a nice train ride. I didn't plan on hiking to the mines today."
The Dwarf wearing thick, blue-tinted goggles looks over to the uniformed Dwarf.
>"Sir, if you don't mind me saying... to avoid issues like this in the future, there are procedures that are supposed to be followed when storing dangerous materials on a train."
>"Bah! Shut your trap, peach-fuzz! Procedures are for shrubs! A real Dwarf stores his things wherever he damn well wants to store his things!"

Mark 2011/11/02(Wed)19:25 No. 363342 ID: a9ba96
File 132028710049.jpg - (58.14KB , 427x580 , 24457314.jpg )

>get the opinion of Little Miss Kobold over there.
I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Tinata hasn't said much since the train crashed. She hasn't been particularly talkative since we left the town, actually. I tried asking her a few questions about her dad and the kobolds, but she said that she wanted to wait until we got to the capital before we started with any of that. I figured I'd give her time to think to herself about things - I think this is the first time she's been far from her town in a while, and it's probably the first time she's been out of the Outlands at all.

But right now, I don't know. I get the feeling that she wants to say something, but I'm not sure if uh, if now's the best time to be asking her what's on her mind.

You see... the Elves who attacked us on the train, uh, we think they might have been "Elf's Ear, Human's Hand" guys. I'm not sure if my run-in with Nessya and Vinbal has any connection, but Tinata says she saw their emblem on one of the Elves' knives, and it's not too hard to put two and two together on that one. I think it's bothering her, but I think I should just give her space for now. Unless uh, unless you think I should ask her about.

>"Assassins! Gods-damned assassins! Good friend, can you BELIEVE this? Bandits and wildlife are one thing, but it's been a year and there's still people out for my head? How did they even know we would be on that train?"

The prince is fine, though. And uh, and so is my shoulder, mostly! So that's good news.

You didn't think to search the bodies of the assassins you just killed? And you call yourself an adventurer!? It isn't as if the train was in flames or anyone was chasing you.

About these assassins, unless you had some sort of extraordinary stroke of luck, they would seem to be surprisingly incompetent at their business in general and their supposed guild in particular. Was there something preventing them from just walking up to you disguised as passengers and quietly sticking a dagger in you before you noticed them?
Competent assassins don't rely on loud and inaccurate weapons, and don't start loud fights near their targets. They actually use stealth until they have attacked their target, and afterwards as well if they can manage it.
Drawing attention to yourself before you strike is for thugs, and/or knights.

Mark 2011/11/02(Wed)20:08 No. 363353 ID: a9ba96
File 132028971918.jpg - (51.69KB , 491x737 , c2c6b258.jpg )

>>363350
That's actually what's bothering me. We did check the bodies of the assassins. We checked the wreckage for a good thirty minutes for valuables. I even found some more ammunition for the pistol I picked off of the first elf that tried to kill Samwell, but we couldn't find any emblems on the assassins. Tinata swears she saw one with the emble on their weapon, though.

...It's not like they just opened fire, either. While we were eating, Tinata jumped up from the table and grabbed a guy who was passing by. Before I could figure out what was going on, she was shouting and trying to wrestle a knife out of his hand, and Elves started shooting at us.

I... I uh, I'm just not sure if now's the right time to be asking her about whaso exactly happened, so I haven't said anything yet.

>>363353
What possible use could assassins have for identifying marks that vanish if they're killed?
Wait, that's right, ALL OF THE USES.

You'll need to live capture one and find out what the hell is going on from them. If Tinata jumped them after seeing their insignia that means they were being careless, which suggests they didn't actually have any business with the train's passengers.

>>363353
The knives fading on death would make sense from a strategic standpoint, but Tinata's father is confirmed by Bow Guy to be dead, and his dagger still has its mark.

Another explanation for the unmarked weapons is that the other assassins were not members of the Ear/Hand guild. That would happen either through the other assassins being hirelings to the guild, or through the other assassins being unrelated to the ear/hand member.

>>363360

alternatively, a wizard did it.

>>363422
My point was that if a wizard did it, then the symbol probably would have disappeared on Tinata's father's dagger, unless the spell is needlessly complicated.

>>363430
what if the symbol NORMALLY disappears but her dad disabled it?

>>363430

maybe it's a new wizard.

Mark 2011/11/12(Sat)18:48 No. 365337 ID: a9ba96
File 132115248322.jpg - (166.45KB , 934x676 , 996c1e68.jpg )

Hmm... magic is certainly a possibility. According to Faer these guys are some ancient guild, and any guild with enough power to last as long as that has to have had a few mages in their ranks... though the thought of assassins having access to any really powerful magics is a bit frightening. Magic's always made me a bit uh, a bit uneasy.

I'd still like to talk to Tinata about what she saw at some point, but I guess uh, that we're better off waiting? At least a bit. I think we're safest just kinda uh, kinda letting her take her time adjusting to all of this. And we got plentyof time. Still a good few hours before we reach the capital, after all! So uh, so it's not all bad.

Hold on a second...

Up ahead, a pair of Orcs move through the water. The Orc in the front's skin has a greenish tint to it, whereas the one in the back is a solid grey. They both appear unarmed.

>"Aagh! Look at that! I told'yeh that there was gonna be survivors! They probably took all the good loot from the wreck, too!"
>"Hahahaha! Hurk, lemme teach'yeh a good thing or two about negotiating with pinkies, ay?"

Orcs? Oh dear... I think uh, I think that we might have a bit of a problem here.

>>365337
Keep moving as if you don't give a crap about them.
"There weren't any obvious valuables to find, but a thorough search would have put us behind schedule. We left plenty of clothing behind, so please loot some of that.
Mind the explosive barrels and assassins; I think a few of each survived."

>>365337
Draw your sword. We can take these guys easily.

chill an let them make the first move, if it's th wrong one then kill em.

Mark 2011/12/01(Thu)20:41 No. 369277 ID: a9ba96
File 132280091047.jpg - (90.55KB , 547x431 , 25273168.jpg )

The green Orc begins to approach the group. Mark tries to keep moving, but the Orc wades directly in front of their path. Tinata takes a step back and assumes a defensive position, clearly prepared for a fight.

I uh, I think we have a good chance of just chatting and going our separate ways here. I mean, I don't think these guys mean too much trouble. Hopefully.

>"'Yeh from the train that just blew up?"
"Yes, but uh... I'm afraid there weren't too many valuables to be scavenged, if that's what you were looking to do."
>"Nothing, 'yeh say?"
"Well, there's plenty of explosive barrels that are probably still floating around."
>"...'Yeh'know, my buddy  Hurk and me don't ride on too many trains. Know why?"
"You uh... you get motion sickness?"
>"Close. We don't got the money to be riding trains around Egias. We don't got much money at all, really. We gotta go around asking for our money."
"I'm... really sorry to hear that, but we really should be going!"

Mark 2011/12/01(Thu)20:42 No. 369278 ID: a9ba96
File 132280095643.jpg - (174.95KB , 1024x768 , 750118c4.jpg )

The Orc leans in closely
>"Come on now. We know 'yeh haven't had a good day, what wit the train and all. Don't make it any harder here."

Oh, well it looks like I'm being mugged.

Twenty minutes in Egias, and I've already been shot at and mugged.

I almost forgot how much I missed this place.

"Appear" unarmed.

Wanna bet he's got a weapon under the water? Or friends under the water? Do you even have any money?

Eh. If his hands are busy with coin, that makes it harder for him to fight.

Mark 2011/12/01(Thu)21:11 No. 369284 ID: a9ba96
File 132280270028.jpg - (69.13KB , 562x685 , 89348387.jpg )

>>369279
>Do you even have money?

We still have all those coins we won off of the mercenaries back at the Kobold camp, But Samwell's insisted on keeping all the coin on him. All I have isthe handful of coins I took off of Samwell's dead bodyguard when I found him.

I have my sword, Tinata has her knife, and we both have firearms from the train. Samwell has his sword too. We should be armed well enough to take a pair of Orcs, but I don't want to start trouble if they have some surprise for us in the water...

stutter and say you put all the money in your trunk when you got on the train. they can hold you 'hostage' while tinata gets it. the hard part is signalling her to get backup without them realizing the signal.

What backup? Everyone is here.

I say give him what little coinage you have. They are hiding something in the water.

Aren't the firearms wet? Those don't fire when wet.

>>369284
He doesn't have anything better than a gun under that water, and the water will slow down his response time.

Shoot him in the face.

>>369314
How about a crossbow?

>>369327
Bowstrings don't work so well underwater either.
Still, if he has a knife, he is still close enough to stab you.

hand him your small supply of coin and when he is distracted with that you can strike. Maybe he will even give away what he is hiding when you hand it over.

>>369284
They don't. Take a step back. Draw your sword. You can take these guys.

Mark 2011/12/02(Fri)22:07 No. 369477 ID: a9ba96
File 132289247155.jpg - (163.30KB , 747x676 , 858a86b1.jpg )

>Shoot him in the face.
You know what? Yeah! There's no reason to let this guy push me around when I have superior firepower!
>Aren't the firearms wet? Those don't fire when wet.
Shit.

Maybe its best that I just give these guys what they want. When they write the story of my adventures, I hope the part where I got mugged by Orcs on the way back to Egias gets left out. Gods, this is pathetic. Sorry, guys.

>"You're a smart kid, kid. Hurk and me really appreciate the donation."

Wait a minute... the Orc doesn't have anything in either hand. I... even if he has something under the water, I bet I could get to my weapon before him...

I just...

The Orc takes the small bag of coins and turns towards Tinata. Mark takes a deep breath...

Mark 2011/12/02(Fri)22:08 No. 369478 ID: a9ba96
File 132289251280.jpg - (190.79KB , 767x684 , 65aa2795.jpg )

...And in a single motion, draws his sword and swings it down at the Orc, cleaving into his shoulder.

Mark 2011/12/02(Fri)22:09 No. 369479 ID: a9ba96
File 132289255103.jpg - (135.58KB , 706x698 , 164bbacc.jpg )

Tinata smiles for the first time since she boarded the train.

Mark 2011/12/02(Fri)22:16 No. 369483 ID: a9ba96
File 132289297271.jpg - (113.13KB , 738x660 , f0691c20.jpg )

Haha! Guys! Did you-- Guys! Did you see that!?
Whoa, I didn't think--- for a second there -- I almost thought he would --!!
Hahahah! I actually got him! 

The Orc looks back at Mark. He grunts in pain, and his mouth twists into a smile.
>"Heh! Look at that! 'Yeh probably mucked up my arm right good... Got one helluva' swing there. Shouldn't be turning my back like that, but I figured you didn't have the guts to try anything... Damn, Lemme tell 'yeh what, eh? I'm not dumb enough to try fighting all of you with my arm split open, so how about this - I took my buddy Hurkader over there out to toughen him up a bit. He keeps bragging that he can take three guys at once and knock em all out, so how about he picks three of you guys and if you can prove him wrong I'll give you back the cash and we can go our separate ways."
"I... Uh..."
>"Oh, come on! It'll be good for the kid, and I know you humans love a good competition! You're heading to the capital, right? I might even know a way to get you there a bit faster."

Well then.
When I split this guys's shoulder in half, I wasn't expecting him to take it so well. Are uh, are you guys up for a game, I guess? He's not really in a position where he can uh, do much if I decide to just take my money back now, but it could be worth it if this guy knows a quicker way to the capital than trudging through this lake for the rest of the day

he doesn't care much because look how shallow that wound is, you double handed overhead chopped into him and you only managed to weaken his arm. he's tough. but he knows with a weak arm fighting all of you is risky. hmmm, have the money be on that big rock over there so no one can just run off with it.

Also have him agree to pick people who are actually fighters, because fighting some untrained elf doesn't really count.

How about you kill them both? They've admitted as much to being bandits so why spare them, again?

say yes. then chop his head off.

>>369529
THIS

Mark 2011/12/03(Sat)18:20 No. 369597 ID: a9ba96
File 132296525213.jpg - (109.32KB , 638x767 , b8088abe.jpg )

The Orc flinches slightly as Mark yanks the sword free from his shoulder.
>"Kid, I gotta warn 'yeh. Hurk's one damn good fighter. Once broke a boar's neck with his bare-"

Mark 2011/12/03(Sat)18:22 No. 369599 ID: a9ba96
File 132296532401.jpg - (123.55KB , 638x767 , 595c267e.jpg )

>"Hnngrh!"

Mark 2011/12/03(Sat)18:27 No. 369602 ID: a9ba96
File 132296564389.jpg - (112.25KB , 466x671 , ec5affd9.jpg )

Though the wound isn't very deep, it proves to be just deep enough to make the Orc cough up blood and collapse into to water.

Well, that didn't really feel that heroic, but I've got a job to do. I guess there's really no need to slow the prince's arrival down any more than we already have playing games with highwaymen.

The Dwarf in goggles sighs.
>"Sir, was that really necessary?"

>"Yeh.. Yeh killed him, yeh dirty bastard! Only Elves and pansies stab a guy when he's down! You think yeh' tough! I'll splatter yer fucking brains on the rocks!"

Maybe, uh, maybe I should have thought this out a bit more. You know, for when I had to fight the Orc I didn't have the element of surprise over.

Because he seems a tad angry about his friend.

"he ain't dead yet, if you work fast you can save him, hold him up out the water upside down" move out the way.

>>369603
I don't think cut necks work that way.

Just turn around. "Tinata, back me up."

No horsing around.

>>369615
But does the OTHER guy know that?

Anyway, this is just ridiculous, it's not like you want their respect or anything like that. On the bright side, it's almost impossible for him to charge at you through this deep water. If you can get out onto the shore before him, however, you'll have the advantage in both mobility and height. Or if any of your companions can. Perhaps provide some fire support or just flanking positions

Get a good look at the orc. Size him up and look him in the eye. Show him that warrior within you think you are but kind of have trouble expressing.

heroes are people who get shit done. did you get some shit done right there? I believe you did. go on, stab the other dude. you've got a prince to protect after all.

Mark 2011/12/04(Sun)21:22 No. 369893 ID: a9ba96
File 132306255730.jpg - (106.00KB , 682x594 , e26ca815.jpg )

Mark moves towards the shore as quickly as he can, sword clenched in hand. The Orc wades after him, but the water slows his movement. As Mark backpedals onto land, the Orc narrowly misses with several powerful swings.

Mark 2011/12/04(Sun)21:23 No. 369895 ID: a9ba96
File 132306260852.jpg - (107.09KB , 682x594 , 1f07e0c7.jpg )

Mark swings downwards at the Orc's head, but the Orc blocks the blow with his arm. Red blood trickled from the wound as Mark's blade sinks into the Orc's arm and becomes imbedded in its thick skin. 

Grinning and seemingly unphased by the injury, the Orc yanks his arm back in an attempt to pull Mark back into the water. Mark struggles to maintain his footing and his grip on his blade.

>"'Yer gonna get it! I'm gonna break 'yah right in two!"

"Tinata, now!"

Mark 2011/12/04(Sun)21:24 No. 369896 ID: a9ba96
File 132306264805.jpg - (142.31KB , 732x603 , 1c71b864.jpg )

As strong a fighter as he is, the Orc finds himself outnumbered and outsmarted. He lets out a painful gasp as Tinata's knife sinks into his neck.

Mark 2011/12/04(Sun)21:25 No. 369897 ID: a9ba96
File 132306275129.jpg - (168.90KB , 800x735 , 38affad5.jpg )

Whew. Almost thought the big grey brute was gonna get the upper hand on me there for a second.

So do you think that we could maybe uh, maybe like, retroactively add the fight with the Orcs to my grade for the train? That would bring it up to a solid B, I think. Right?

Hey wait a second what's that guy doing with my money?

"Uh, excuse me! You can't just loot the Orc I killed, that's my money!"
>"You'll get your money. I need you to answer a quick question for me first though."
"A question?"
>"Peasants don't drop Orcs like that. I'm guessing that you two are adventuring types, yeah?"
"Oh! Uh, yeah... Why?"
>"Now before it ended up in a lake, that train was heading for Capital City. I can't think of many reasons for a dungeon crawler to be this far out of the Outlands unless there was a lot of money to be earned, an important job to be done, or someone important needed a bit of protection."
"...Uh, well..."
>"And if I recall correctly, the guy in the suit mentioned something just before these Orcs showed up that made it sound an awful lot like he thought the Elves back on that train were gunning for him. Now, not to be blunt, but last time I hiked into Capital City with strangers, I ended up getting arrested and nearly lost my head over suspicions of aiding the Gryphon's Skull conspirators."

Mark 2011/12/04(Sun)21:26 No. 369898 ID: a9ba96
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>"So before we carry on, I'm gonna have to ask one of you two just who mister fancy-pants here is, and why I almost got blown up over him."

Oh dear... This could be bad. I'm not really sure how well telling these guys that we're escorting the lost prince would go over.

"depends, are you some kind of bounty hunter?"

>>369898
He's worried about falling in with the wrong crowd. All you have to do here is assure him that you are not up to no good.

The truth would work wonderfully. But you should make sure the prince agrees, first.

Look, if it makes you feel any better, if orks are as tough as they say, the green one MIGHT not be dead yet. You could just flip him face up and let the gods sort it out, or you could jam sharp things into him until you are sure he's dead. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

Anyway, I'm not sure I understand why telling them this is the prince would be upsetting. It might be a SECURITY RISK, sure, but the common traveler wouldn't have any more animosity toward him than you do, right? He got sent on a suicide mission to prove he was good for something besides starting bar-fights, and now he is on his way back.

But if you do want to deflect attention, you could point out that assassins are generally the territory of shadowy conspiracies, right? If the guy in the poofy shirt were on the wrong side of the law they would be sending paladins after him. Paladins who don't kill random passengers who look at them the wrong way. Remember that part?

it's none of his damned business, really.

You could just say he is the son of one of the (many) nobles in Egias who are rather unpopular recently.

Mark 2011/12/04(Sun)23:41 No. 369941 ID: a9ba96
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"Are you a bounty hunter?"
>"No. Is this guy the kind of guy who attracts a lot of bounty hunters?"
"No. Well, uh, sort of..."
>"Sort of? Who is he?"

>The truth would work wonderfully. But you should make sure the prince agrees, first.

"Erick? Is it okay if they, you know, uh, know?"
>"Of course, my good friend. They will speak of my return soon enough."
"Well, uh, alright. Well, the truth is... Tinata and I are escorting Erick Samwell of Farway to Egias so he may finally begin his trails and reclaim his crown."

>"..."

Mark 2011/12/04(Sun)23:43 No. 369942 ID: a9ba96
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>"...Hah... Hahahaha! Damn, that's a good one! Escorting the Lost Prince? You expect me to buy that? Lost prince Erick?"
"Wh... Well, yeah! it's uh, he's really-"
>"Hold on, hold on, lemme see if I still remember this one...
>Oh, Gerald the Wise did sire a son, a pampered spoiled fool;
>He bragged and he lied and the king couldn't hide that he was unfit to rule!
>And all of the peasants throughout all the land all clearly thought the same -
>Erick is no heir! Crown him? Wouldn't dare! Behold the royal pain!
>Oh, Gerald the Wise, he had to think fast, so he devised a plan;
>”You must past a test, but first get your quest, and traverse the Outlands!"
>With his Elven slaves in tow, to Egias marched the prince!
>And that good friends is where the tale ends, for he's not been seen since!
>Perhaps he was killed, or eaten alive, but now he's out of their way!
>Perhaps he wanders to this daaaaaay!
>The lost prince of Farway!"

Mark 2011/12/04(Sun)23:45 No. 369944 ID: a9ba96
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>"Ha... Ha... Wait, you aren't serious, right?"

"yes, and now you've gone and made him mad."

"You don't think too far ahead do you? Now let's move along, we don't have THAT far to go but it'll feel like it is if we do too much arguing and singing before we even start."

attach palm to face.

Hey wait a minute, what's this about Elven slaves? I thought he just had paladin bodyguards for the trip initially.

Aaaaask about that.

>>369998
what? the elves were his bodyguards, the paladins just found us.

>>369998
>>370045

The Elves AND the Paladins were his bodyguards. He left Farway with some Elves assigned to help him, but the Sons of De Justus were helping him move quietly through the Outlands. Lin got her cool face scars when some bandits ambushed her squad while escorting Samwell, remember?

Mark 2011/12/06(Tue)19:50 No. 370354 ID: a9ba96
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"Yes, uh, I am. And now you made him angry."

The bard turns to face Samwell.

>"There's no way, kid. I've heard people say that the prince was caught in the middle of a cave-in a few months into his trip."
>"Indeed I was! But men don't always die from that."
>"..."
>"What? Are you really so dense that you can't recognize royalty when you see it?"
>"...Flames of life ever burn. Wheels of time ever turn."
The Prince's eyes widen.
>"Who... how do you..."
>"Flames of life ever burn. Wheels of time ever turn."
>"..."

The Prince pauses and moves closer to the bard, whispering in his ear.

...

The bard begins to laugh.
>"Haha! By the gods, and I thought we were the reason those Elves attacked the train!"

Mark 2011/12/06(Tue)19:51 No. 370355 ID: a9ba96
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Wait what just

>"Holds on! Whats just happened?! What's going on heres?

Yeah, that.

Samwell looks over at Mark and Tinata. His tone lowers to a near whisper.
>"It's part of one of the poems that's commonly used by messengers between Egias and Farway to confirm that they're carrying genuine information. It's certainly not public knowledge..."

Mark 2011/12/06(Tue)19:59 No. 370358 ID: a9ba96
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>"Heh, now I've got you guys all confused. Sorry about that."
The Bard reaches into his jacket and removes a letter bearing the seal of Egias.
>"Usually I travel the Oulands with my buddy Dov here, performing at taverns and inns for gold. At the last show, a member of the Egian Royal Guard showed up and handed me a letter basically summoning me to perform at the King's Palace in Capital City. There was a poem attached that I had to recite in order to get in. It said any officials who gave me trouble on the way into the city wouldn't ask questions as long as I had the poem, since it's some top-secret level political passphrase or something like hat. Figured the Prince of Farway would recognize it."
The Prince appears shocked
>"Well, yes, but - Why in the name of the Gods is Egias handing out official codes to traveling performers?"
>"Hell if I know. I'm not even that well known, so it's got me confused too. One hell of an opportunity to pass up, playing at the palace an all. When those Elves started opening fire on the train, I figured that I'd gotten myself caught up in a bunch of conspiracy shit or something. Good to know it was just a good old political assassination attempt on part of Farway's beloved aristocracy."
>"And just what is that supposed to mean!?"
>"Nothing, your highness. I'm Cadence, by the way. Like I said before, this is Dov. I guess we'll be tagging along with you to the Palace once we hit the capital."
The dwarf in goggles appears concerned.
>"...Are you sure it's a good idea to "tag along" with these fellows? We've just established that the prince has a tendency to attract men who blow up trains."

They seem like nice enough guys, but something about the Bard's story strikes me as really weird... You don't think the assassins back on the train were gunning for these guys, do you? Do you think there's anything I should ask them, or is it best for now to just shake hands and keep wading to Capital City?

"one of them could of sent a message, if their daggers were magical they may of had a magical way of sending information. you are already associated with us now. so safety in numbers.

>>370358
Well, are we 'sure' it wasn't some kind of conspiracy bullshit now? I mean, our all meeting seems just a bit co-incidental...

Regardless, perhaps if we decided to have further conversations 'outside' of waist-high water, and perhaps a bit further away from any looters and would-be muggers?

Mark 2011/12/07(Wed)15:53 No. 370461 ID: a9ba96
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>Regardless, perhaps if we decided to have further conversations 'outside' of waist-high water, and perhaps a bit further away from any looters and would-be muggers?

I have no objections to that.

"Pleased to meet you, Cadence."

As I shake the Bard's hand, I notice that from here you van just barely make out the clock tower of Capital City poking out from behind the mountains in the distance, and breathe a sigh of relief.

It's been a long couple of days. Since I picked up you guys and helped Samwell fight off that bearhound back in the Outlands we've dealt with kobolds, mercenaries, goblins, assassins, knife wounds, train wrecks, and Orcs.

And now we're almost there. Another night of walking, and we're finally there. In the grand scheme of things, it's hardly the first steps. Warpath is still plotting, the Prince still needs to receive his quest from the King, Tinata's found herself in the dark about her father, and the men who her father worked with either want the Prince or this bard dead really badly.

We've done so much just to get here, and yet there's still so much to do.

THE DUNGEON CRAWLERS: CHAPTER THREE END Mark 2011/12/07(Wed)15:55 No. 370462 ID: a9ba96
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But hey, after all of that, what's the worst that could happen?

THE DUNGEON CRAWLERS CHAPTER THREE: EPILOUGE Dungeon Crawler 2011/12/07(Wed)17:44 No. 370493 ID: a9ba96
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The trial of the Pack stirred up a good deal of buzz around the Outlands; not necessarily because the pack was a well-known group, but because of the decision made by the High Knight to take part in their judgement. While the "festivities" that the High Knight had planned for later in the night would prove to be a much greater source of gossip, rumors the judgement that preceded them still managed to circulate quickly.

It's said that a scar-faced paladin challenged the High Knight's decision to let all three criminals walk, refusing to back down until he had thoroughly explained his plan to sentence the murderous Dwarf and Elf in The Pack to a life of dungeon crawling as a substitution for hanging - some were quick to claim that it was part of a publicity stunt to appease the Guild of Mages, the Sons of De Justús' biggest political connection.

As for the paladin who went head-to-head with the Sons' leader during the judgement herself, whose actions were praised in private by the Sons of De Justús' bigger detractors, many speculated that the inquisition would likely be keeping a close eye on her - though she had broken no rules of vows, suspicion that one doubts the judgement of the High Knight is all it takes to draw suspicion of heresy.

Little attention was given to the paladin who attempted to interrupt the ritual with some sort of announcement, but was quickly shut down. It was generally agreed by those who did hear of the incident that he likely didn't have anything too important to add.

While anything the High Knight does is bound to bet attention in the Outlands, especially a judgement, the attention the trial was given would ultimately pale in comparison to what happened after the trial, when the High Knight called for a private meeting...

Meanwhile, in Egias, news quickly circulated about a train violently derailed by a series of explosions onboard only a few miles south of Capital City.

Originally, the derailment of the train was regarded as accidental, attributed to the improper handling of the kegs of Dwarven Black Powder onboard. Though the initial group of guards sent to investigate the crash found no survivors, the survivors of the crash would show up in Capital City a day later, and a new story began to spread...

I really like the chapter epilogues in this quest. They give both the setting and the protagonists' actions a feeling of substance and realness.