>Vol 14
...you guys really like this, eh?

>>20813205
Yes. Yes we do.

So like I was saying, replace the gun line with crowssbow/bow line, and it could provide the same effect. Have the ranged units in front, then have the melee units right behind the formation, and as the enemy approaches, have the ranged line stagger two steps, and let the melee units flood through like a dam.

Bowmen might work, but that still leaves the issue of canons.

Do we have a source of copper and tin for the bronze needed, or would we have to take the heavier iron ones?

Do we produce actual grapeshot or would we just tell the gunners to throw whatever they can find in and light the fuse?


>>20813205
Never underestimate /tg/'s love of rubbing elf ears and worldbuilding.

>>20813158
Nobunaga Oda developed this technique to make rifles more useful. Bows, however, would probably be more suited to long ranged volleys, with everyone firing at once.

>>20813236
If we ever really need the cannons, it will end up with the former, then the latter.

>>20813251
>>20813222
Cannon (plural of cannon) are already in use; we have bronze-cast, 3-pounders on the walls of Castle Waifu (and in earthworks outside the walls, following the orc attack and the Andrian Reforms that created the system of Men-At-Arms we use now).

On the subject of longbows (our arrow-chuckers of choice), interspersing them in the battle line is generally a bad idea. Longbows are best used as support, behind the lines of infantry, or sometimes in front, with a line of stakes to deter cavalry charges. When the enemy advances, they retreat and the infantry moves up to engage. They were never meant to use the tactics of later line infantry with muskets. Trust me; I know my archers.

>new thread
So linking to a post in the last thread probably isn't the best way to respond to someone. In that case, Fluffy Tail guy. I'll bet you'll see this eventually. Hopefully.
>About a month or two before the Orc attack.
All right, that'll work without creating a time paradox. So, I have an option for you if you want to take it. I'm currently writing up this bit about getting moved to Teegee. I still have a question or two to ask about the layout of the territory before I can finish it and it won't be getting worked on for a while since I'm taking off for FNM soon, but if your trio needs a house to live in, I could write in space for them to eventually move in to.
Of course, this comes with the downside of having to put up with me both in and out of character. I've lived with myself all my life and it's not the most pleasant experience.
But if your characters there are looking for some free housing and not a husbando, the offer's there.

Now then. How exactly is the nation of Teegee set up? I know there's a castle and then some kind of township. Could I get some specifics, please?

>>20813361

Trust me; so do I.

I was not planning on interspersing them, I am talking a full 3 deep line formation of all bowmen. They fire until they enemy closes the distance, then retreat and let the infantry flood past to fight the melee, and repeating as support from behind the line.

>>20813404
There is a council of rulers. But it has not really been expanded on. The town was built around the castle. Which was built from a chapel. Trade is big and Diplomatic relations are tense with our neighbors. Not much else

>>20813158

So replace guns with bows?

>>20813404
Government-wise? We have an elected council, made up of as of yet unspecified members.
In terms of buildings, we have a large castle, and a smaller town surrounding it. It's relatively large, containing a decent number of buildings for both business and residence. The estimated population at about five years in would total at maybe 4,000-5,000 by my guess, with maybe 1500-2000 being made up of the Harem Knights, Men at Arms, and other TeeGee military/adventurers, and research teams.

>>20813438
We shouldn't have considered guns in the first place. We don't have the population for a standing army yet, and gunpowder is rare. Guns, cannons, and napalm and similar are weapons of last resort to be used only in defending Waifu Town itself.

>>20813473
Slightly more than that. By the five-year mark, counting the influx of population from the orks... I'd say Teegee has a population of roughly 8,000, all told. Government is a council system, as was stated, with membership of the council being meritocratic. Most of the population is centred at the capital of Castle Waifu, but there are a few outlying villages, ruled over in a meritocratic feudalism. I'm a little hazy on the details, but it was discussed in a past thread. I know there was a proposal for electing a head of the council, a 'High Lord', later a 'High King', when our population grows, but I'm not sure how that was resolved.

>>20813418
Sounds good. With the Men-At-Arms training focus on discipline and working as a cohesive whole, rather than individual skill (though that is still drilled), it'd be more effective than the counterparts fielded by other nations too.

>>20813404

They would like to have a house all to themselves. Kuro wants to tease Belle to her hearts content without giving Belle a heart attack.

>>20813433
A Citadel. A rather large one, actually. It could fit almost everyone who originally got zapped over, albeit a bit crowded. Best guesses is that it was built to house a frontline force against the Elves.

>>20813539
Yes, and it draws exclusively from the Knights Harem. As an administrative body, it's quite popular as abuse of power is swiftly and harshly punished under the chivalric rules of the order. I'd imagine that local administration for outlying areas should be done by a "town hall" system where the people elect their mayors for short stints to oversee local needs and minor administrative duties, such as tax collection and local construction as well as being a voice to the Council of DMs.

>>20813598
That may be unfeasible in the short term. Despite its problems, TeeGee is quite a popular growing nation and especially after the Ork invasion, housing might be short. What trade do the two plan to take up?

Another thought occurred to me...how do we intend to have the castle grow?

Would be retrofit it into a pat and baily fortress or would be just leave it as a castle town with buildings springing up outside of it?

>>20813652
If we are being realistic it would be a castle town. If we are being power gamers it would be fortress

File: 1348265027676.jpg-(719 KB, 1600x1056, 1334391805830.jpg)

>>20813652
I'd like to see a bit of both, but mostly something stylish. Towers accessed by aerial bridges would be pretty neat.

>>20813652
>>20813675
Honestly, I'd say we'd improve the Citadel to a small castle, and then build out from there, building new rings of walls as we go. we're probably at ring 2 by now.

>>20813691
>>20813722
>>20813675

Well, I always wrote about having walls, so I assume we have a traditional Keep with primary stone walls all the way around...

If I had a better way of drawing this castle beside taking a photo of a pencil sketch, I would totally do it. I can't draw people, but I sure as hell can draw architecture.

>>20813691
>>20813675
Bridges are classy, but impractical. We're still small enough that the castle will have to form the core of the town's defences. I know the towers are not suited for cannon, which is why the earthworks were put in place after the Ork attack. The town would likely be positioned so that anyone attempting to assault it would be open to fire and counter-attack from the fortress, meaning that hostile forces would have to siege the castle to get at the town. We'd likely expand the dungeons to form a civilian shelter, in times of war, so that refugees from the town could shelter in the castle. Like as not, we'd contract some dwarves to work on that. No-one knows tunnels like they do.

>>20813675
A true fortress would be another thing entirely, with great towers and all that other jaz.

My suggestion would be to hire out some dwarves to add sections to the walls, both expanding the area our walls can protect and giving us an extra layer of defense in the event of an attack.

This would, naturally, be a fairly expensive endeavor and likely need to be done in stages, but would be more than doable, and in fact preferable since we can make the outside walls to whatever specifications we want since, from what I could gather, we've just made due with a repaired version of what was already there.

If we REALLY wanted to powergame, we'd make our own castle from the ground up and have it built however we wanted.

>>20813770
>>20813754
Actually, Dwarven stonemasons are likely the only reason we've been able to grow as quickly as we have. Without it, the whole of the area around the castle would become a chaotic shantytown. With ability with Urban planning and Dwarven craftsmanship, building Castle Waifu Town has managed to draw people from far away in a very short period of time.

Thank the Divines for the military alliance between TeeGee and the Dwarflands.

>>20813838
I think the dorfs might be among the only major kingdoms that don't hate us.

>>20814131
Serid doesn't 'hate' us exactly. They sure as hell don't trust us, but relations are at least marginally better than Mithterrah, though that's mainly due to the trade we do with them. Seridians just love to haggle.

File: 1348267900573.jpg-(7 KB, 260x194, castle.jpg)

I've had an idea kicking around in my head since the beginning of this, because TeeGees position is kind of indefensible in the long run.

Basically what would happen in this scenario is that our enemies (Which surround us on all sides) would wind up trying to slowly weaken us without directly tipping their hand. It wouldn't even have to be an organized thing, just one of the many human or Elvin nobles who hate us having a bunch of Armsmen attack us with no distinctive markings, destroying everything they can, and then retreating. Said nobles would then blame it on bandits or other nobles, or even a False Flag Op by the next-nearest major power. Even if we captured one of the raiding parties, we still wouldn't be able to do shit without declaring war against a much larger power.

The result is that, with semi-subtle attacks by the local Kingdom of Man the spelling of whose name I cannot recall, and the neighboring Elvin nation that hates us because we WAAGH'd their shit, combined with opportunistic Serridan Slaver Raids, our bizarre little nation would rapidly be worn down by a myriad of threats and would eventually crumble, with whatever nation has the most balls storming a weakened Castle Waifu and dragging the survivors away in chains.

Unless we withdraw to a more defensible position.

>>20814131

They're going to hate the shit out of us once we figure out the huge on again/off again war they've had with the Elves for years now was started by a false flag carried out by some guy and his Mimic Waifu.

>>20814213
That is why we have crazy powerful and dangerous adventures.

>>20813744
Well, it's better than nothing. If you feel like posting it, that'd be cool regardless of quality.
Also, going over it in pen might make it more visible.

>>20814238
We also have gunpowder, and at least a few spells figured out fairly quickly.
Not to mention, the TeeGee were raised on over the top action, and as such are no ordinary minded men.

>>20814213
Well, we have friends in the Gnomes and the Dwarves, two technological and resource powerhouses. We provide them with a cheap, low tax area to trade and gain supplies from the south, we provide them military and diplomatic support. We provide foodstuffs and crafts that the Dwarves can't easily and readily make themselves. The Gnomes are the same way.

Serrid won't try anything, especially with how much sway we hold with Felim traders, who whether their slavers like it or not, are a massive part of their goods and economy running through that city-state. The addition of the Mirthan buffer, raiding parties are rare, as taking slaves outside of indentured servitude is illegal in Mirthterrah. Mostly meant for your usual citizens, but losing favor with Felim and Kanin traders would be a dire mistake, so slavers are kept more as a nominal "bandit" class of people.

In addition, the Jarl of Drasavia, the closest Mirthan hold to TeeGee, is on relatively good terms with us. He still thinks we're weirdos and perverts, but he doesn't think that our intentions are bad and we're any less worth trading with. Besides, the Mirthans like a buffer between them and Elf lands. As do the Elves like a buffer between them and Human lands.

One way or the other, we are in the weirdest little point of equilibrium. No one wants to attack us because it doesn't entirely serve them, and because of our trade relations, it really serves no one to attack us. We're occupying land Mirthterrah felt it was lost long ago, and deposed an Elvish Lord none of the other Elf Lords liked. Basically, it's like a perfect storm in our favor.

File: 1348271939022.jpg-(145 KB, 932x508, drinking.jpg)

Alright, I finished the Harem Knight's Song and made a quick offhand recording. Tell me what you guys think:

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0nRrGiYZ4z0

Come with me
A Wizard once said
To my land of winter

We were fools
A hundred score of us dead
A pyre of ash and cinder

Come with me,
A Knight once said
To my land of glory

We will fight
For our Living and Dead
And they will tell our stories

And so we fight
With Sword and Spell
That we see tomorrow

So cast your dice
And trust your fate
A one, as likely as a twenty

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So, you guys are just quiet because you're just writing, right?

...right?

>>20814971
"E-excuse me Sir, but my Husbando Sir Kasai is at work at this time. He has to keep our recruits in shape, ir they will 'Go soft' he said. He was also mumbling something about working on a saturday too."

>>20813646

Adventuring for one. and shepherding is the only other thing I see Kuro being able to do. Dragons wouldn't be much for manual labor, though helping out at the forge could work.
Belle might be capable of doing more though. It would all depend on how much the villagers had to provide for themselves.

>>20814971
I've nearly got enough here for a first load of posts... Mostly it's just set-up so far though. All the same, who wants to see what I have thus far?

>A short piece about the first annual orchestra
Day Three Of The Festival. The Orchestra Under the Stars. My major contribution to the festival took form in a final performance of music along with a dance off. The idea had hit me a few weeks before when I realized just how diverse and rich the inhabitants of TeeGee were when it came to music. It struck me when I saw a Felim and a Gnome just about reenact the dueling banjos scene from Deliverance. I had been looking for some way to really participate and this would allow me to use all of what I had learned in those Music Theory and Composition classes.

So I put out the word, I was looking for anyone with even an smidgen of musical skill. The reply was a good one. Then came the part about picking out music. This was the hardest part for me. Everyone wanted to play something else. From Gnomish Folk music to Orcish Grakoc. There was a lot of heated debate about this, but ultimately it fell down to me. This is why I hate organizing things like this. So having picked the music, I set to printing out the song sheets. This is where a new problem arose. Turns out they use a different musical notation system in this world. Makes sense when you think about it. So after I got the speed version I transcribed all the songs to the two formats.

>>20815144
The next part that just about killed me was how few practice sessions we got in. Typically we had like forty back home. Here I managed to get in five. Its the reason why I wasn't stressing out about being dragged around town in drag, I was to busy stressing out about the nights upcoming performance.

So the fateful night came. The band was set up. A simple stage had been set up. I was about to go on stage, wearing a dress, in front of thousands of people. I had nightmares like this. I reminded myself of my rules and vowed to give them a show they would never forget. Just pretend your David Bowie I kept telling myself. I walked on stage and said.
“Hello everyone out there and welcome to the first ever TeeGee Orchestra Under the Stars. My name is James GearHeart and I'll be the MC for you tonight, I wasn't planning on dressing like this. My mother always told me that dealing with demons would lead to bad things, boy was she right. Who ever invented high heels must have hated women.
This got a good response. Ok you can do this time to get going I though to myself.

>>20815171
“Before we start the show tonight I just want to say a few words. If you had told me I would be organizing something like this a four years ago I would have called you crazy. But that's the thing, we have come along way in those four years. And us Outrealmers have a lot of people to be thankful for. Anyway I can safely say that this is the first time such an event has ever happened. Sure there have been concerts, but never before has such a gathering taken place. With people of near every race attending and a wide diversity playing in the band. Its reflective of what we have all accomplished here. We and I don't mean Outrealmers I mean every single one of you out there have carved out a land for people to live free. Told the oppressive ruling nations to shove off. Anyway what I wanted to say is this, You people are amazing and I can't wait to see what you do in the next four years. And now with out any more delays lets get this party started. The rules of the dance contest are simple. Grab your gal and dance to the music. The judges will let ya know when your out. Untill then just keep on grooving to the beat. We have one heck of a lineup tonight and we start with an old Elven love song loosly translated as Song of the Ancients.”
It was a nice slow dance number to start us off.

>>20815184
Normally I played guitar sitting down, but thanks to Lilly that was not really an option. There where bigger logistical problems than mine through. The Mermaid vocalist was tricky as she could not be long from water. We solved that with a large pot. To two largest groups were the Felim and the Karin. The Felim had quiet the mix of instruments, while the Karin had mostly wind ones, once again mostly Pan Flute. Reginald was the only person who cold play the Sousaphone. We had also managed to drag a piano and an organ out. Tomoe played the piano and a Dwarf whose name I never did catch played the organ. The Orcish section was made mostly of drums. I had Lilly persuade/blackmail Sir Kasa as we just did not have a very large trumpet section. I was actually good, no matter what he says about only knowing one song, that’s what sheet music is for. Sir Lyrik Kitril wasn't sure if he could make it at first, but he did. Some of the boys in the Hole had set up a rig so he could play music with his lightning powers.

>>20815189
That night we played a song from every race and quiet a few from different genres. In my opinion Ravel's Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte was the best sounding due simply to the fact that it best fit what instruments we had. I mean come on an accordion, that is hardly even music. But the largest section we had was the choir. You would not believe how many Waifus are good singers. Oh and Meina just reminded me that I forgot to mention the Houlstauri fiddle and bell section. Which jogs my memory. Right before we started, a bunny girl had showed up carrying bagpipes. As a Scotsman I was thrilled to have her.

Any way some of the songs we played were: Serpent Devourer a Orc power ballad, Some Gnomish song called Full Figured Gal, Gold On The Sky which was a famous Mirthan song, a Karin song by the name Kaw-Liga, Bourbon In Your Eyes which is a /tg/ classic, The Parent I Never Knew a poignant song from Holstauri culture, Also one of TeeGee's first new songs Harem Knight's Song. We were going to play a Serrid song but since all of them worshiped the Calph, I told the people who wanted those songs that they were out of luck. We closed out the contest with Rock this Town. In the end the only ones left dancing were Lem and Kikki, turns out they knew how to do a mean swing dance.

>>20815201
“All right people lets give a hand to the lovely winning couple.”
The crowds response was roaring.
“All right now before you go we got one last song to play, you can dance to it if you want but I recommend just grabbing your love and holding them tight. See back where I come from there was only one way to close out such an event. And that was with the 1812 Overture. For those of you who don't know, it is a piece only a Russian could compose. Created by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky this song uses 16 cannon shots as music. Now since the cannons are highly important we obviously couldn't use them. Instead my lovly waifu has taken the role of the cannons with some hellfire powered magic.. So in short those with young and the elderly may want to distance themselves from the stage. Now hold on cause this is going to get loud.

Believe it or not everything went perfectly. I think it helped that Lilly was reading my mind for the cues. As all to often the cannons were off normally, but not this time. Seeing all those smiling faces lit up by the explosions was a sight to see.
“Well hows that for closing with a bang?” I said as soon as the last sound of cannon fire cleared.
“Thank you all for coming out. And I hope we see you all next year at the second ever Orchestra Under the Stars.
>Like I said nothing fancy nothing long just felt right. Also can you figure out what the songs are?

>>20815215
The ones that I changed the name of so they sounded like something that race would sing

>>20815141
I do.
And I may as well get to typing myself.

>>20815237
Very well written, I meant to tell you that I actually do play piano IRL, mostly pub music but I do enjoy some classical stuff every now and again.

We have to find a TeeGee wizard who can enchant guitars so we can play most modern music. Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Metal for the orks....

>Note to Self: Tomoe knows how to play piano. Get one for the house so I can teach her Cold Chisel songs.

>>20815215

A concert including lightning and explosions. This sounds like so much fun.

>>20815496

We have the hydro-electric generator. All that's needed are the materials to build the instruments, amplifiers, and speakers.

>>20815141
I want to see it too.

>>20815469
Alaric buddy, how ya doin? Thanks for the Cameo in the fencing tournament, loved it.

Can I get a little feedback on my story from last thread, Tomoe's Diary entires? Thats the first time I've actually written a Diary style story.

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>>20815496
>Sound enhancing enchantments
>Harem Knights' faces when using this magic on helmets

>>20815496
Oops I put the wrong name there. hope you don't mind. I suck with names.

>>20815527
Looks like we need to

*Puts on Sunglasses*

Crank the power to 11.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

>>20815560
Nah man thats all cool, Tomoe can (now) play Piano, and I'm happy that I got to play Bugle in teh concert (Trumpets are over rated anyways)!

File: 1348274744999.jpg-(74 KB, 800x593, kilij.jpg)

>>20815543
Thanks; it was a little tricky to write fight scenes.

And the diary stuff was pretty good.

Alright, I'll slap the finishing touches on part one and get it up here. It's about damn time.

File: 1348274845395.jpg-(915 KB, 1537x1200, 1304790165873.jpg)

fuck yea tesla coil music
also, for possible castle designs, i was thinking something along the lines of pic

>>20815589
It was a great fight scene. Very well written and on par with published major authors man, I loved it. You were descriptive enough yet kept the flow of the story going smoothly.

Say, you ever come round for the friday night Texas Hold 'em games we have at the Rouge Trader? The merchants keep saying I'm cheating, but it's the only poker game that isn't stacked against the house!

>>20815611
Star forts have my approval everyday of the week.

>>20815496
Uh... Piano in this time period wouldn't be invented for some time. Best you'll probably get is a harpsichord.

>>20815527
Well, there are two specific things that kind of kill it all: reliable vacuum tubes and/or refined silicon. Each item would have to be hand made as well, so that would increase cost of creation and repair. Why make an electric guitar when it's easier to just use magic amplification for traditional instruments.

Somewhat related, I'm gonna write a little piece for the festival. Anyone wanna challenge Lem & Kikki to a hobbit bluegrass dance-off? and probably lose? :P

>>20815650
All I have to say to the piano bit is MAGIC.

>>20815625
I tried to mix artsy and technical talk, and I think it turned out pretty well.

And I love Texas Hold 'em; it's my favorite card game. Why do you ask; are you writing another story?

>>20815666
No, i just mentioned it in my last one, Tomoe's diaries.

I'll have to add the Rouge Trader to our 1d4chan page, and a Texas Hold 'Em section. Perhaps my next story could be a Texas Hold 'Em tournament? Slice of life, couple of us Knights all dressed up around a table, making bets and drinking whiskey, swapping stories.

>>20815665
Demon Magic man, them Demons know how soulfoul and painful well a played piano can be.

>>20815665
Well to be honest, anyone with sufficient woodworking skills and knowledge of pianos would be able to reproduce one no problem, it's just that it would be a new invention for this world is all.

>>20815665
You don't need magic to play this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSH0eRKq1lE&feature=related

>>20815711
That's... that should be a group thing. Every writer makes a short bit, until all the knights have shared a bit about their home/sex/adventure life or something.

It's going to end with Lilly winning our clothes, isn't it?

File: 1348275713714.jpg-(349 KB, 834x1200, triumph.jpg)

i can see pianos existing, just being more of a "rich people instrument"

also, it may be a bit late, but to whoever mentioned meat pies a couple threads back
thank you
i don't know how i never knew of such a thing until now

>>20815756
Yep, she can read minds and its what she would do. And she did become a knight through she still hasn't earned a title.

>>20815215
>>20815201
Mmmm yes. I was told about this little outing by the Elf sisters. If I recall correctly, around that time I was examining how Mirthterrah reacts to a town suddenly turning to worship of the God-Emperor.

They still haven't tied it to us, I made sure it was impossible, but it is entertaining seeing their inquisition try to stamp out the cult.

File: 1348276047815.jpg-(184 KB, 800x697, 1330641342530.jpg)

>>20815611
I'll do you one better.

>>20815841
actually we probably should decide how many points for the star castle to have

>>20815750

What's the state of TeeGee's relations with the Kanin states?
And I have proposed occupations of my characters here >>20815116

> Here goes nothing
I considered myself to be in disgrace. Though the initial danger of the ‘Renwald Incident’ had passed, most of the knights now treating the affair as a big joke, I still could not hold my head up. After I returned to Castle Waifu with Marieth in tow, I thought everything would be just fine. Instead, I got the grandest chewing-out by Sir Fearghaile that I have ever seen. I still don’t think that kind of telling-off was entirely fair, seeing as I never actually asked her to come along, but at the same time, I didn’t try to stop her, so I suppose it was partly my fault. Luckily for everyone, Sir Fearghaile was able to smooth other the mayhem that threatened to break loose. I was the one ‘volunteered’ to tell Marieth she had to go home too, after Sir Fearghaile managed to prove his diplomacy-fu was stronger than Renwald and Kessel’s. Suffice it to say, my ears were ringing for a good five hours afterwards. I’m pretty sure half the castle heard her loquacious diatribe about every possible reason why I was an idiot and every possible reason she could not return, under the sun. In the end though, she had to give in. A more sullen woman I have never seen in a carriage than the day she departed. I do not doubt that it’s only a matter of time until she returns. At least she’s intelligent though, so she’ll hopefully not cause us any more grief the next time she runs away from home.

>>20815879
While the knights in the taverns were placing bets on how long before she returns to finish her training and continue her rivalry with me, I could not help but look on the gloomy side. I’d answered the wonderlust I’d felt since coming to this world, nearly eight years ago now, but all I’d brought back with me was trouble. I couldn’t stay in Castle Waifu like that; I had, however inadvertently, nearly caused a war. If we had been forced to fight even a fraction of Mithterrah’s strength, we would have been done for, even with the military reforms put in place after the orc onslaught three years ago. I know no-one really blames me, however much they may joke and however much Sir Fearghaile looked like he wanted to strangle me when he first heard the story (glad he decided to hand the position over; he looked like he needed a vacation), but I still blamed myself, in a perverse way. So it was that I couldn’t stay in Castle Waifu much longer. This time however, I wasn’t going to be going anywhere near the civilized lands. If I wanted to do some good, far better that I go boldly where no-one has gone before... The Gnoll Wastes.

>>20815888
To that end though, I was going to need to fix another disgrace. My mythril armour, my swords, shield, bow and naginata, all in all, they’d cost me damn close to five years of wages. I’d expected to come back from my adventures with a sack of loot, like pretty much every other Harem Knight. Instead, I was SEVERELY out-of-pocket. I’d had to beg, borrow and draw heavily from my reserves, just to be able to afford some halfway acceptable gear. After so long wearing paper-light mythril; a boiled leather breastplate, steel chainmail and a sallet helmet seemed heavy and uncomfortable. I’d never thought of myself as the kind man to be able to ‘go soft’, but apparently I’ve managed it. It was pretty much standard-issue gear given to Teegee’s musketmen, but as a knight, buying it had had to come out of my own pocket. And unlike the Men-At-Arms, I wouldn’t be carrying a firearm. I recalled that conversation with a wince. I’d asked for permission to take a pistol and one-hundred and fifty rounds with me, as there was no-where to re-supply out in the wastes. No way was I affording a flintlock myself, not now, so I’d had to go to the armoury to try my luck. Gary, the quartermaster, had nearly turned purple at my request, after laughing himself sick, thinking it was a joke. Even the musketeers only carried forty rounds with them into battle. Gunpowder was just too valuable to waste on an adventurer who could well be going to his doom, so I was forced to rely on more primitive weapons.

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>>20815864

>>20815864

An odd number.

>>20815893
Not that, by any means, a longbow was a BAD weapon; it just wasn’t what I was hoping for. I could hardly complain though, considering I was the one to convince the council to adopt the weapon for the yeomanry. As I sat on my porch, plaiting a bowstring, a yew stave, six and a half feet long and drawing at eighty pounds, rested on the bench beside me. A good Teegee archer could loose six, maybe seven arrows in a minute, with enough force to (with a bodkin tip) pierce steel plate armour. Some of the archers plaited strands of hair from their waifus into the string, swearing it made them better shots. I meanwhile, had to make do with spider silk. Perfectly acceptable, in theory, but somehow... I sighed and picked at a knot that had formed in my work. Nearly eight years now, since I and the rest of the knights had been transported to this world. Some days, I woke up and realised with a horrified jolt that I couldn’t even remember things, like the smell and sound of car engine, the taste of Pepsi, or the feel of plastic. I was happier here, no doubt about that, but... I gave up and pulled the knot open with my teeth, shying away from the feeling; the feeling that I was lonely. I’d never been surrounded by so many friends, but while everyone else had found that special someone, I was still alone. Ah well. At least this way, no-one would grieve too much if I died out there in the wastes. I’d hate to leave behind a widow.

>>20815904
> Apologies for any mis-characterisation

Once I’d made up my mind to venture into the Gnoll Wastes, preparing was... Distressingly easy. The first time I’d left, I’d taken a long time to set all my affairs in order, I’d gone with a caravan, ready for anything and having taken my time to ensure I’d forgotten nothing behind me. The thing was, most of my preparations still held. I’d recovered from my imprisonment in Duke Renwald’s dungeons during the month or so it took for the diplomatic fallout to clear up, I had everything ready; my armour, weapons, supplies, even a good horse I’d been able to call in a favour for. I didn’t even have to wait for a caravan to be leaving; no-one in their right mind went to the Gnoll Wastes. All I had to do was make the decision. I met Sir Kasai as I was leaving. I stopped for a while, but I didn’t have a whole lot to say. The general consensus was that I was mad, heading off to the south. “Stay safe out there, okay?” was pretty much all he had to say, “If you make it back alive, we’ll have a beer while you tell us stories of finding fuck all.”
“Make it a mead and you’ve got a deal.”
“Sure, if you’re buying!” he grinned.
I leant down off my new horse and shook his hand, smirking back. “Look after your girls, won’t ya.”
“Like I wouldn’t,” he snorted, folding his arms and waving as I kicked my steed into a trot.

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>>20815898

>>20815913
The Wastes didn’t really have a road leading to them. After all, who’d need such a thing? The closest anyone has ever come to peaceful contact with the Gnolls is Harbinger and even then, given his ‘condition’, I’m not sure if it was the Gnolls’ training, or his own inherent aura that had kept them placid. Strangely enough, you didn’t see them around Castle Waifu anymore. At first, there’d been hundreds, then they mysteriously started to vanish to gods-know-where. Not that I can say I miss the things. At least Orcs are people, once you get past the cultural differences, even the Savage Orcs. The Gnolls Harbinger brought back were more like animals than thinking beings. Given the land they live in though... Can I really blame them? After a few weeks riding, I reached the edge of the Wastes and I was struck by the sudden change. In the space of just a few meters, the land changed from dry, open grassland and savannah, almost like Kenya back in the Old Realm... To something quite unlike I’d ever seen; a blasted, desolate expanse of bare rock and ruin. The ground was cracked and broken, pock-marked with craters. Here and there, in hollows and cracks, I could see what looked like ash and charcoal, only ancient.

>>20815922
What struck me as well was the sheer emptiness of the wastes. I twisted in my saddle to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. Sure enough, I could see the occasional bird in the sky, a lizard sunning itself on a rock and if I kept very, very still, there were a few tiny rodents in the browned grass. But the wastes were empty, utterly void of life, as far as I could see. A thought suddenly struck me and I cursed, slipping off my horse. With no grass, of course I couldn’t take the animal into the wastes with me! Grumbling in a fine manner, I un-packed the saddlebags, carefully considering my absolute essentials and cramming as much into my bags as I possibly could. A backpack, two messenger bags to cross over my chest, three bags at my belt, not to mention a series of leather bags and small sacks attached to my backpack... All in all, the weight was staggering, even when I only took the bare essentials. I recalled a moment from The Hobbit however, how, when Thorin and company were entering Mirkwood, they complained of heavy packs, only to have Gandalf proven right later when they were lost and hungry and wished their packs were as heavy with supplies as they had started. I pulled a scrap of paper from one of the bags, laying my hand on the horse’s head and reading the incantation. I’d never been good with animal magic, but I’d been assured this would send the horse running straight back to the stables I’d borrowed it from. It must have worked, given the way its ears pricked up and it bolted off. I’d miss the beast. I’d never been a great connoisseur of horses, but it had been at least loyal and steady. And besides, now I’d have to carry everything myself.

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>>20815921
Last one I have.

>>20815932
Stepping over into the Wastes felt eerie. Nothing happened to me, as I passed that invisible border. No spell of death or doom fell upon me, at least, not that I could feel. No great feeling of dread or the certainty of death. Nothing at all happened, but it still felt wrong, to cross so suddenly and abruptly from living plains, to dead rock. I could tell even after just an hour’s walk that I would not make good distance in the gods-forsaken land. The cracks and jutting rocks did not stop as I moved away from the border, toward the interior of the Gnoll Wastes. They didn’t seem to be getting much worse, but I still was forced to scramble and climb up rocks and hop cracks, even go right out of my way, to avoid a great chasm, just too far to jump, that plummeted at least eight meters straight down. The faint hiss of the wind over the rocks and the sound of my own breathing and footfalls was my only companion, give the whole place such a lonely feeling. I began, towards the end of the first day, to desperately wish for some companionship. To pass the time, I tried talking to myself, but I rapidly ran out of things to say.

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>>20815941
> Totally forgot a pic of the wastes
My camp that night was lonely, but at least I had something to burn. Old as it was, I could fish the charcoal out of the few places it had collected. The stuff was surprisingly dry and I began to wonder if rain even fell here. I only was able to snatch a few hours sleep however, curled up under a lean-to I threw together from a pair of poles and a wool blanket, treated to resist water at least little. My eyes snapped open as I heard a vicious scuffle near my camp. As I looked up, I saw an almost nightmarish sight in the gloom. Just outside the ring of firelight, I caught glimpses of a huge lizard, easily the size of a wolf, wrestling with what looked like some kind of deep-sea creature with legs. As I reached for my sword, wishing I’d slept in my armour, the lizard fastened its jaws around the other beast’s neck. The thing’s glassy eyes bulged and it gnashed its long, needle-like teeth, but with a sick crunch, the lizard’s jaws broke its spine. The reptile locked eyes with me for a moment and we stared one another down as I dared not move a muscle. Quite suddenly, the lizard seemed to reach the conclusion that I wasn’t a threat and began to eat. More must have shown up as in the gloom, the ripping and slurping, coupled with the crack of splitting bones kept me awake the rest of the night. In the morning, the spot was nearly completely clean, the carcass having been picked clean and most of the bones cracked open for marrow.

>>20815950

For a long time after that first night, I saw not a sign of any other living being. Even bones left by the creatures of the night were missing. I guessed what had happened; quite apart from repelling them, my fire that night had attracted predators looking to make a meal of me. Luckily, it had also attracted other hunters, who wanted to eat them more than me. Since then, I smothered my fire before going to sleep and whenever possible, I tried to pick places where I could easily control the approach, such as the shallow caves and overhangs created by the broken landscape. It must have worked, or I was just exceptionally lucky, which would be more than a little unusual. As I started moving more and more towards the interior, the ground became more and more broken, some of the crevices joining together to form larger canyons. I knew eventually I’d have to venture down there, but for now, I tried to stay on the top, preferring the wide-open terrain. I started seeing craters too, like the entire area had been hit by artillery, or more accurately, by a meteor. If it weren’t for the breathable air, I’d swear I was on the surface of the moon. Before too long however, I was hit by a new problem; I was running out of water.

>>20815956
I’d brought plenty with me going in, of course, but between the weight on my back, the hard travel and the parching, moisture-less wind, the life-giving liquid was vanishing faster than I’d have liked. I considered using a survival tip from the very book I’d been brought into this world with, but with only a few large waterskins on me, I decided not to risk it; I didn’t want to risk contaminating the skins. “Come on... There has to be some water around here,” talking to myself had become a winning option again suddenly. I almost startled myself at the sound of my voice though, “Those things don’t live on nothing... Okay... Base of cliffs and narrow gorges... Lower should be cooler and with more moisture... In theory. Not like I can dig this dirt anyway.” Finally, I had to abandon the surface and descend into the canyons. Climbing down the shallowest incline I could find was a small adventure in and of itself. Halfway down the slope, almost vertical, I lost my footing, the loose stone and dirt slipping under me. I managed to save myself from breaking my neck only by hurling myself forward and hugging the face of the almost-cliff as I slid down. When I reached the bottom and finished coughing up the dust that had worked my way into my mouth, I looked up and shook my head, “Well crap... I’m going to need to find another way back up...”

>>20815969
It was down in those canyons that I first found signs of any kind of life. A heap of bones rested in the middle of the path, where three separate gorges joined a larger one. It was so deliberate, I knew it couldn’t just be chance, or animals. Maybe it was the sheer weight of the solitude, only to find such a grizzly sight, but I just couldn’t stand it. With a kick, I sent the bones scattering and rattling all over the place. From then on, I made sure I was wearing my new armour at all times. It wasn’t long before I discovered just who laid the bones there, of course, but before that, I had my stroke of luck. Further down the canyon, right down at the bottom, I found water trickling over the rocks. It wasn’t more than a thin stream, maybe the width of two or three of my fingers, but it was enough. At first, I made the mistake of drinking from it directly, only to spit the foul and brackish concoction right back out. I managed to form a small fire though, setting a small pot of the stuff to boil and condense on a re-shaped lid, trickling down into a tin cup. Okay, it wasn’t cool, but it was clean and that was what mattered. Just as I finished my first cup however, I heard something coming closer. I quickly doused the fire and stuffed the apparel back into my bag, straining my ears to hear.

I don't understand why you people are so hung up on blackpowder. Smokeless powder is merely nitrocellulose. If we have any chemist they should be able to at least make guncotton.

>>20815977
Stone rattled on stone, the soft click of claws... And the low giggling. I immediately felt my lip curl I reached for my longbow and stood, stringing the weapon and nocking an arrow. I had my doubts about anything in these canyons being friendly, especially after the pile of bones. I could just about make out where it was coming from too; a stand of rocks downstream of my position. Abruptly, I was proven right when a figure emerged. Beyond the mangy coat of spotted and patchy fur, the necklace of what looked like finger bones and a jacket and loincloth that looked to be made partly of the skin of some shaggy beast and partly from the hide of other Gnolls, I couldn’t tell if it was male or female, but I didn’t need to. One look in its black, cruel eyes told me all I needed to know. Even as it opened its mouth to yowl a warning, I put an arrow through its throat and the creature pitched backwards and out of sight with a gurgled death-rattle. I hurried forward, scrambling up the rocks, bow still in hand. If it had anyone with it, I’d need to kill them too, before it alerted the... “Pack,” I gulped. The fall on the other side of the rocks was greater than I’d thought. It fell down into a wider area, the stream collecting in a brackish pond. On either side of the canyon, even clinging to the sides like foul warts, were dozens of crude huts; skin stretched over frames of bone of all sizes. I counted at least a hundred Gnolls at once, with more appearing all the time to see what the commotion was. The body of the one I’d shot was already being stripped and butchered by three more with knives of bone, stone and twisted metal. Then they saw me. “Oh hell,” I groaned, my shoulders slumping, “This is where the fun begins.”

>>20815986
Well, that's all for now. Any thoughts? I'm committed now, so I need to get the next part out at least fairly sharpish. I'm concerned I didn't start things fast enough... Any opinions or advice?

>>20815984
Difficulty with smokeless powder is that it needs a primer and we've got enough issues producing those. It was considered, but ultimately discarded. Believe it or not, it's actually still easier for us to make blackpowder than smokeless powder and primers.

>>20815984
They don't want to power trip. I pointed out that we don't even need powder what with being able to enchant a gun to cause an explosion when you pull the trigger.

>>20816012
Issues with enchanting a thing like that are many-fold too. For starters, there's the issue of mass-production, after all, we can already make firearms in small quantities with conventional methods; what we need is bulk. Second, there's the issue that reagents for enchanting cost a bomb. Completely negates the economical benefits of conventional manufacturing. Third, there's the risk of enchantments breaking down. They start to fail after some time, unless cast by a real master. Fourth, dispells or enchantment dampening magics (not even sure if those exist, but do YOU want to risk it?) suddenly fuck your entire musket corps inside out.

>>20816109
You raise good points. It does not work for masses like you say, but a few could be done.

>>20816164
Oh good, more people are up.
I'll just post up the last of the material I had prepared for the Journals.

Fun Fact: I have just noticed they keep spelling out my initials.

>>20816164
If we're going for just a few pieces, we can do that with blackpowder flintlocks, the same way we have been, like for the musket corps of the Men-At-Arms. That's the closest we've got to mass-producing firearms. Magic's expensive; I actually think conventional manufacturing and firearms actually come out as slightly cheaper in the end. I think we can safely say the 'mage-locks' idea can be shelved.

>>20816221
I still plan to have GearHeart make an 8 shot magic revolver sometime. Why cause its what I would do.

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>>20816200
Unfinished treatise discussing magic present in mythology and its impact on magical research by Grand Wizard Clarus the Loud, who died when his tower collapsed.

...And that's why the Caliph of Serridia cannot be named in public, and must always be lauded, according to legend. Other fallacious material from the east claims that there is an entire nation walled off from the rest of the world, where their king takes counsel from vulpine beasts.

The most infamous myth to emerge of the far flung lands to the west, however, is the myth that there are far flung lands to the west. The Gold Cities of Black Felim, the sunken island home of the mermaidens...

{...}

The most notorious of them being the so-called "Clover Journals", which have a deserved reputation for being an elaborate hoax, and forbidden knowledge.

Each school has their own thought about this impossible script, undoubtedly written by a madman, but it is impossible enough that a single madman could organize such an impact. Several identical manuscripts suddenly appearing over the western coasts, whose contents spurn men to glory and ruin? Such a situation smacks blatantly of a compact between the Fey and Infernal, for not even the Elves would risk releasing the Journal's knowledge to discredit exploration and mystic sciences. I'll ignore the more mechanical aspects, I'm a wizard, not a Gnome.

File: 1348278278222.jpg-(99 KB, 400x300, return-to-mysterious-island.jpg)

>>20816272
The knowledge I speak of being the location of the Mountain of Light and Obsidos, City of Black Glass. Such fanciful frivolity could only be dreamt of in the mind of a Fey. And only the deviousness of an infernal lord would tempt mortal minds with riches and lost knowledge by offering such tidbits with promises of more. What other sane explanation could there be for a guide to a place that could not exist, and constructions that no architect could design, written in a language that requires a complex translate intention spell to decipher.

A mountain of smoke and fire, girth by sea and fog? Black glass, whose edge can cut finer than any steel? And what's so surprising about the two moons or stars? Astrology?

{...}

The authors must have hit the "dark waters" too hard.

The magic in the myth is also impossible. To be able to derive first principles of magic is the epitome, nay, crux of wizardry, yet the author claims discovery through observation and "empirical" methods! Whose legs are they trying to pull?

The biggest insult is that the few runes and formula described in the text actually work! Even if my discovery of said symbols was accidental and inflammatory, what kind of mind would devise such a superimposed and complex folly? Intent on driving men mad with discovery?

{...}

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>>20816289
Runes for unstoppable force, runes for locomotion, the rune which I am using to dictate words to script this very instant. There was even a rune for creating consumables, which I demonstrated at the last fiasco of a grand ball, to face humiliation and be laughed out of the royal court! Only later did I discover that my robes had been filling up with thin tubes of wheat meal. These "runes" not only defy the Law of Predictable Effect, but to believe that their invocations were discovered by a mute is the scholarly equivalent to grand heresy!

The few others I call colleagues can assert that these runes run universally from elementalism to enchantment and necro- I mean contacting spirits, as they change based on the context of intent and situation. Such utility will indubitably be claimed to be the work of Elves, but they can claim their ancestors discovered thought and it still wouldn't make a difference. Prats.

{...}

...then coat the iron with sap! Marvellous! Clover even claims alchemical knowledge that can corrupt the land and poison cities, provide unlimited power and level mountains. This is no myth, this is a promise, an invitation! The madness is catching, and even I wish to organize an journey west. The nobles will jump for immortality, the knights for glory, the Myrthter priests for joy.

File: 1348278462255.jpg-(33 KB, 220x377, he chose ... poorly.jpg)

>>20816317
And to think, this learned text claims that gods slumber under every hill, river and tree! Was Clover a mangy flealover? Or worse, a shaman? To think otherwise, a truly lucid madman, who travelled further west hand-in-hand with his delusions made flesh, is no longer unthinkable. I have seen the truth, and it speaks of impossible knowledge. Constructed servants that will not rebel, resonating crystals that speak from peak to peak, and poisons that can drop men at twenty paces, only for them to rise for your bidding...

{...}

I must know more! I can see Obsidos! The false maps burn! The stars shine on the true path! Follow the songs on the wind and the Midnight Star! Fire, fire has shown me the truth! I need to burn away the lies and my work will be complete! Kings and Demons will bow down to my Power!

The land itself will carry me west! West! West! I have all the magic of Mirthterra at my command with but three! Spoken! RUNES!

Animation! Locomotion! De-

>The rest of the texts were discovered buried under tower rubble. A spell had backfired during the dictation of Clarus, causing the lower levels to collapse. His students suspect foul play, the foundations of the tower being solid bedrock. No runes were recovered, and officially Clarus was driven mad by quicksilver.

>>20815984
You need sulfuric acid to make nitrocellulose, and what we're short of is sulfur. Primers are likewise difficult to produce.

>>20816008
You would be at around 5 years, not 8 years. Aside from just not believing that a guy would go eight years and not find a waifu among the many Kanin, Felim, Gnomes, Halflings, varied other monstergirls, and lowborn humans (I already know you wanna be a special butterfly, I'm okay with that), I've already written in the Marieth incident to have taken place three months from the Ork invasion, not three years.

Other than that a good start. I should be done with this festival piece tonight. I'm going to presume that Sir Andrew left before.

>>20816484
Would be nice if there was an active source of sulphur nearby.
Hey, don't the dwarves have their own Mountain of Light?
I thought I saw one mentioned on the map, go ask them for some.

>>20816484
Yeah I though the timing was off on that bit.

Also just added thread 13 to 1d4chan. I will say thought the page could use some love from someone besides me and that knight of teegee

>>20816484
Actually, I established in my first post, back in thread 2, that Sir Andrew (at the time, I just called him Sir [Nope]) left in the year 7A.A. Prior to that, I was married to the job, so to speak, serving on the council and trying to make sure Teegee was strong enough to survive. I deliberately put off the wanderlust that long for that very reason. When you boil it down, I'm an arrogant git who doesn't think much of most people I meet. In Sir Andrew's position, I'd consider it my job to play Devil's Advocate on matters, regardless of how other people prove their competency.

I don't particularly want to be a 'special butterfly'. I just don't want to step on people's toes. Or rather, didn't. Past tense. Now, I've decided, "Fuckit. I'll write the waifus I like."

Don't recall seeing a date on your pieces dealing with Marieth? Guess I missed it. My bad.

>>20816541
> Sage because this is just adding what I forgot...

By that, I mean Sir Andrew left the first time in 7A.A. I made the second time closer to 8A.A. to account for time wandering prior to the Renwald Incident, as well as the time that and the resultant fallout took.

File: 1348279893700.jpg-(84 KB, 705x912, 1334353542977.jpg)

The sounds of heavy bootsteps clanked on the ground, sounding out myself and three other knights. Nothing was said; we merely waited for our feet to carry us to our destination.
It was a good time to think.
>Alaric, you really gonna risk yourself for money?
Well brain, unfortunately my education didn't really apply to practical things in the new world. We're just lucky we picked up fighting so easily.
>You know, it's funny. You always said you wouldn't drop out or join the military, and guess where you are.
Shut up.
>You could at least try and find something. You know Sera's uncomfortable with you having a dangerous career since you got those burns.
I'm not proficient at anything else, and I don't have enough time to pick up another trade. And stop that; they're barely noticeable.
>Of course, it makes sense she stays at Waifu Town. Less trauma to receive a flag than see the body, eh?
Then it's a damn good thing I get shit done.
>A bit worse for wear, may I add.
Just a few cuts and bruises, nothing too ser-

"Alaric, are you talking to yourself?" one of the others spoke up.
"...Maybe."
"That's kinda weird."
"Yeah, well... yeah." I looked back to the road. Ahead of us stood a large castle ruin; it was crumbling, damp, and dark. This venture could only end in gold.

>>20816327
No one has anything to say?

Or was this story too "out there" to fit?

In any case, I'll still be writing more Clover Journals,
since no one looks to stop me.

WEST

>>20816602
I love em, they are great. THis last one, the wizard's descent into madness is pretty damned cool.

>>20816619
Ironically enough, the Sanctified Edition of the Journal is the safest one to read.

Rule of thumb is, whenever they refer to the author as Clover, you can prreetty much tell they've started to slip.

Other than that, the Rashomon style of story telling let me explore how the other societies felt about things.

That, and the world lacks words for certain things, like Mountains of Light.

If Sir GearHeart is here, I'd like to know when he first published the Outrealmer's Guide to Indigenous Species Vol 1.

>>20816666
The first volume was published at the start of the second year. He tires to put out a new one every year.

>>20816501
Yeah, good luck getting at it. The sulfur deposits are primarily in the most sacred mountain to the Dwarves. Even if they let someone in, those magical fires are hotter than any of the hells. Not even a toughest demon would survive to get the ore deposits. The Dwarves use it as their finest forge for their finest enchanted weapons. Surface deposits are equally difficult to get at, since the mountain is so high, and pulling it out of the snow would be nigh impossible. What little sulfur we can get from this area is what we use to make our gunpowder, so there's a continuous supply since this volcano is still VERY active, but it's still slow-going just because of the issues with gathering it at any level of bulk we can get back to TeeGee.

>>20816666
I'm liking it the more you write. Sounds like the work of some Fey Lord of Madness or somesuch.

>>20816541
It was implicit, tbh, so if you missed it, I can understand. I made several mentions about how that last story I wrote between Lem and Kikki was after the Marieth incident and in the same year as the Ork invasion.

>Sales butHot
This seems relevant somehow, captcha

I need a name for the master of real estate in TeeGee.
And what is the status of TeeGee's relations with the Kanin states?

>>20816662
Oh snap, I almost forgot to post up the latest episode of sneaky deals!

Let's see what those lovable rogues B & K are up to shall we?

What type of primers are you using? Potassium chlorate is dirt simple to make.

>>20816681
Dang, yeah. I guess I should have got my act together sooner, huh? Then we could have avoided this little continuity snarl. So the question now is... Who do we retcon? Your stories or mine?

By the way, the issue isn't just location, but that, as was established previously, sulphur doesn't form under the same conditions as the Old Realm, for some reason. The amount gathered from volcanic sources is less than we'd expect. Part of it's due to the gathering process, but even so. The only places its really found in bulk are all in the abyss, so, naturally, harvesting it there is a stone cold bitch. Killing demons is another way to get it, but even so, that's hardly a viable method.

>>20816732
Quite good, we have their ax, so to speak. However, at the same time, be mindful of the housing shortage around Castle Waifu. At best, you'll get a one or two room apartment until you prove yourself worthy/in need of something more comfortable.

>>20816772
Hate to say it but your story is less impactful on the fluff. And his has been mentioned in other works.

>>20816777
So glad I built my little house straight after the Day of Union. 4 Bedroom, a small stable for a pair of horses, lovely kitchen/dining room and a nice fireplace/meeting room.

It was totally worth helping out my neighbors build that monstrosity that they built.

File: 1348281357721.jpg-(Spoiler Image, 139 KB, 794x528)

Meanwhile, in the catacombs far below the castle

K: Is that all there is?
B: Yes, Sir. Unless a few Knights would accompany me to the Vaults-
K: No. There is no need to cause further tension between nations. Our cause is treading on thin ice as is. It will take time, but our children's children will see this world at their feet.
B: And what of the journals, Sir? They were a clear message from-
K: It no longer matters who it was from, only that the message has been sent. Clover's words will not fall on deaf ears, but we cannot extend our reach west so soon. Our people have found happiness, and one does not relinquish such comfort easily for perils unknown.
B: He won't stop you know. They won't let him stop. They now share that unique madness, and now they will never stop. Wanderlust is a powerful force as you know, Sir.
K: Clover still has to circumnavigate the globe. The Journey West, the Mountain of Youth, all flags that none shall uproot. When the time comes, he will find us again. And he shall come from the East.

>>20816815
Next time, on the Clover Journals

The fatal voyage of Captain bin Dasi, to Obsidos,
on behalf of the Esteemed Caliph, may his reign
be ever Youthful...

For that matter, it's simple to make a breech-loading flintlock. Just look up the Hall rifle on wikipedia.

>>20816772
Yours. The change of a couple numbers doesn't effect your continuity too much. TeeGee was pretty comfortably safe as soon as 3AA. What made the Orks a problem is that they got here far before we could even set up proper defenses, let alone recall our adventurers.

Now the switch-around for me would put not only Kikki and Lem getting back together three years, but also the festival, which was supposed to be to get everyone's mind off of the Ork problems, bring trade back to the region, and show everyone we're more resilient than that. As a side-note, The Ork Attack, if anything, would make us MORE feared, seeing as we had apparently convinced Orks to turn against their own kind in the heat of battle. Food for thought.

>>20816814
Well, Knights are taken care of. If there's not a vacancy in the Manor district, they're almost always given land somewhere reasonable to build on. Only thing is that after 1.5AA, there started to be requirements to get into the knights, as we couldn't very well keep up just letting anyone in.

>>20816849

What are the requirements? The knights-in-training and such?

>>20816849
Fair enough. Not sure how to edit stories, but I'll keep it in mind. The current adventure will take place... Almost in the year 6A.A.

>>20816836
The Hall rifle had some serious problems. Look at the issues with gas leakage around the breach and bore. It needs a heavier charge for less muzzle velocity and has a higher manufacturing cost. It strikes me as an overly-complicated, poorly-designed boondongle that is not suited for our tech level. Let's stick with the good old Brown Bess.

>>20816869
Aside from the standard vows of fealty, chivalry, honor and "poverty", you need to be sponsored by at least one high ranking night. This risks cronyism, so there's an extensive vetting process (which varies in length for each candidate) that involves being a squire, going out on adventures, being part of the castle guard, doing service for the community etc, basically the same stuff that is supposed to get you noticed in the first place. Essentially, you do not simply choose to be a Harem Knight, the Knights Harem chooses you.

>>20816891
I feel bad for Sir Andrew's blue balls.

Slightly unrelated to these conversations, how does everyone feel about "Shout Magic", sort of like the whole dragon shouts in Skyrim, but essentially, it's a magic based on pure willpower closer to the words of power in Dune in nature.

>>20816680
>Speaking of which.
An excerpt from An Outlanders Guide to Indigenous Species volume 3, Mermaids.
In my adventures, my first run in with a Merperson was not in the field but when preparing for the first festival. Her name was Britniella, she had ran away from home to seek the life of adventure. Turns out Merpeople live in underwater
caves. Including some just off the northern coast of Snarlertooth Island. She was a very interesting person and I am glad she found what she was looking for. She told me many things of her people. One of the most curious is that
they can shapeshift their tails into legs to walk on land they can not be long from the water. According to her its based off of magical might. The stronger one is the longer they can be on land. Britniella was able to go just under six
hours, which made her journey to Castle Waifu a very difficult one, but that is her story to tell. Now we get to the part that most want to know about. The siren call of the Mermaids. When they sing it creates a vibration that is almost
unnoticeable. The closer you are the more powerful the pull of the song. Recommended safe distance is 30 feet. And it is true women are more resistant to the call. Evidence leads me to believe it has to do with the left right brain
separation.

>>20816990

Merpeople primary use the spear or trident as the weapon of choice, as they just work better under water. Merpeople also do not wear clothes as they can get in the way of their gills and affect hydrodynamics of swimming. On the
subject of the gills they are hard to spot being below the ears and a bit back.
The Merpeople also have one of the most interesting governments I have head of. It is a tri-camal system. Having a House of the Right, those of noble status, House of the Strong, their greatest warriors. And the House of the Wise,
the artisans and scholars. It is made further interesting by the fact that the common people elect the members of the House of the Wise.

>>20816975
Then what do you calls those who do
not take up the path of the Knight,
but would rather learn of magic and
culture, explore distant lands, etc?

And I'm not talking about Tarkus

Nooo, my plots are twisting on their own...

>>20816975
speaking of andrew's blue balls, do we have something new to bet on? i know we're already betting on when his girl gets back, possibly dressed as a guy

>>20816975
Well its a good thing Lilly got in before the vetting process was implemented. As she would never make it past the first two.

>>20816975
As for shout magic, I am against it. I've never liked that kind. To much of a mix between Sorcery and Enchanment. Actually I guess you could write it off as such. Note my hatred of Dune and Skyrim are most likly interfering with my judgement.

>>20817005
Not really, but you are more than welcome to join the Friday Night Texas Hold 'Em games at the Rouge Trader.

I need new people to fleece.

>>20817069
Well GearHeart and Lilly are always looking for a good game. But watch out they play hard and GearHeart knows every trick in the book and if he sees someone else not playing fair. Well, lets just say its open season.

>>20816975

So I probably need to find a sponsor. Joining the guard seems like it'd be the easiest thing to do.
Can still adventure without being a knight? Just need to tag along with one, or some 'official' group?

>>20817096
You do realise that Texas Hold 'em is completely fair, except for the fact the whole game revolves around outbluffing your oppoenents?

>>20817069

Can't get any of the waifus to play?

>>20817126
Out for a bit, will respond to any queries later.

I'll probably write up a couple thousand words about the first training days of the new Men-At-Arms after the Ork Siege.

Quick question...
The word for the country of Serridians, is it Serrid or Serridia?
Would their be any objections to writing them like 1001 nights, or Sinbad the Sailor?

>>20817140
Larissa is far too shy, and Tomoe doesn't like it that much because you can't stack the odds your way.

>>20817101
What are we going to do stop you from adventuring? Well some asshole might, but I think that would be put down.

>>20817126
Yes Texas Hold'em is completely fair. Except for people who can read minds, have magic, cards up their sleeves, Have a partner helping, and I was also counting the ability to manipulate people. I wasn't really talking about cheating but tactics.

>>20817011
Those vows ARE retroactive, you know. However, the vows are much looser than the terminology implies. Fealty means that her allegiance is to her family, followed by the order, followed by herself. The whole chivalry thing is more or less "don't be a dick, and help people without being asked when you notice". Honor is more about keeping your promises and things like that, stuff she's already good at, and "poverty" (in quotations for a reason), is really just your agreement to pay the ridiculous taxes levied on Knights in exchange for being well taken care of otherwise (housing, food, armaments, etc).

>>20817004
Normal people? The Knights aren't exclusive to warriors though. There's plenty of administrators, public servants, artisans, scientists, mages, etc. within the order. It's more about that you serve than how you serve. The warrior Knights are only the most obvious because the armor and the adventuring.

>>20817126
Man, you need to have a story where Lem comes and clears you all out one night. And then you all get mad at the guy who invited him.

>>20817101
I think that tagging along depends entirely upon the disposition of the knight in question.

>>20816576
Can I get a quick opinion on this? Typing up the next part as we speak.

>>20817188

Time to start searching for some Adventure! then.
I wonder where a good place to start exploring would be... Anything left unexplored underneath the castle?
Any demonic wolves attacking the sheep? Kuro and Belle should be real good at dealing with the second one.

>>20817201
good luck beating sir iris's stone cold poker face

>>20817238
There are the catacombs beneath the castle,
but last I heard, there wasn't anything valuable down there
but for one unlucky man's "waifu".

>>20817256
Ouch.

>>20817256
In bad taste sir

>>20817126
Collusion teams, Stacking the Deck, Nullifying the Final Cut, Crooked Dealing, Cold Decks, Marking Cards During Play. I studied magic and slight of hand. You can cheat at anything if you try hard enough.

>>20817316

So it's magic.

File: 1348284499362.png-(Spoiler Image, 16 KB, 276x299)

>>20817238
Who knows, you might get lucky.

Take a charm along and who knows
what you might find.

>>20817238
Nope, you'll probably have to hook up with a warband. I'm not getting very far on this whole festival thing, so if you want to work on a joint quest piece, send me an email. I'll set up a googledoc.

>>20817256
Ouch, that's harsh. Still takes more than a poker face to win.
Srsly though, Fearghaile is a goddamned diplomancing monster. Only reason he doesn't join you guys is that he's not typically a betting man, not that you'd want him.

>>20817328
Not MAGIC, stage magic. I got quick hands and smooth tricks. Trust me I've pulled more than one game out of nowhere. I know 90 different slight of hand tricks just for forms of poker.

>>20817359

I was thinking of putting them into a game of beach volleyball.

>>20817369

Now you have real magic to back up the fake stuff. And that's a lot of tricks. Too bad I don't know the rules to the vast majority of card games.

>>20817369
Well, that would certainly get you attention, though I'm not sure it would be the kind to make you a knight.

>>20817405
I was talking about playing cards. GearHeart studies real magic in the story but he has my skills to fall back on to. Its why he carries his bag of tricks with him.

>>20817405

It's supposed to be a festival! Where you have fun and try new things!
I'm also wondering just how someone would feel about things like jousting and fencing when you're used to those fancy wargames the Kanin hold.

>>20817359
When it comes the Journals of Clover, heed the book of Myrthter:
An open heart is an open invitation
An open mind is an unsafe house
An open soul is an open road

So I wouldn't recommend bringing it up in your negotiations,
Leave it to men with less to lose.

>>20817426

I think he meant to reply to my post.

>>20817441
In retrospect I do believe you are right. There seems to be a lot of that in these threads.

>>20817438
Sounds like they were talking about demons.

>>20817238
Well there are the lands to the Far East. I don't think anything has been done with that.

Harbinger has probably been there already but if he has, he's keeping it to himself.

>>20817467
Well, you would know about demons.
Ask Lilly sometime

>>20817472
I say, go for it! The Journals mostly cover
distant lands to the west.
Mostly/

>>20817426
Oh no, quoted the wrong thing.

>>20817435
"Huh, seems underwhelming. And needlessly dangerous."
Reaction: "That's what makes it fun!"

>>20817472
Well, what I don't get is why people are looking to the edges of the map when not even everything in the main map is filled in! Gnomish culture has barely been touched. Almost zero adventures have been had on the Snarltooth isles. The cliff cities in Harpy Canyon have yet to be visited even. Only Thai has made his way into the Felim Jungles, but who knows what mysteries await a curious adventurer? The Drow are just WAITING to be discovered in the Dark Mountains if anyone wants an ebony Elfish waifu!

File: 1348285557101.gif-(7 KB, 448x498, cutebold killer.gif)

important question
kobolds or cutebolds

>>20817557
Whatever is less likely to be made waifu of.

>>20817557
Neither. Both are faggots.

>>20817557

BOTH! 'Cause we need more variety in our prospective waifus.

I'm doing a bit of writing for my own story, probably a one time thing, and I had a question. Is there a standardized form of money for the kingdom? Have we coined our own currency?

>>20817545

Can I gain renown by bringing Kanin wargames to TeeGee?
Are any of the weapon centered contests left open?

File: 1348285860188.jpg-(200 KB, 920x563, 1322330168733.jpg)

>>20817557
Cutebold.

>>20817621
>>20817588
>>20817557
To every one wanting bolds of any kind. Cease and desist, else I will find you and I will end you.

File: 1348286084199.png-(40 KB, 512x526, cuteholder.png)

>>20817655
alright then
beholders or cuteholders

File: 1348286142306.jpg-(42 KB, 768x576, 1334093255569.jpg)

>>20816576
I took the shield off my back and gripped it, taking a quick look at the front. Some months prior, I had painted the front with the image of a cat. A little cheesy, but I liked it, and it seemed like a bit of a good luck charm.
>Remember how awkward it was to finally show it off after you painted that?
Yeah...
>Awkward with your own Waifu! Grow some ba-
Now is not the time for thought! It is action time now!

Drawing my sword, we went to the entrance of the ruin. Inside was a large foyer, that may have once been quite grand, but had fallen to disrepair. The only inhabitants were moss and spiders.
"You know the drill, slay and loot" I said, as we split into two pairs. Advancing first up the stairs, we investigated a number of rooms to no avail.
We decided to venture further up, though most rooms had been empty of things, until we found some sort of stairway to the attic space. After some debate with the other three, it was decided that one, it was too spooky for us, and two, I should venture inside. Strapping my shield to my back, I held a lantern in front of me, to ward off the darkness. The air above was stale, and muggy. Disturbingly, a slight smell of carrion tinged the air. With a start, I noticed a movement to the side.

Oh shit.

File: 1348286185547.jpg-(383 KB, 1280x1024, 1327727595812.jpg)

>>20817677
A gaunt figure dashed forth, emitting a terrible shriek. Letting back a scream almost as shrill, reflex took over, and my arm extended, letting the ghoul's skeletal body run into my blade, piercing his heart. With a panicked yell, I dislodged the sword. There was a mighty rumbling as I dashed down the stairs into the sunlight, shouting a constant stream of nopes and curses, slamming the door behind me.
"FUCK WAS THAT?"
"FUCKING GHOUL" I shoved a heavy dresser in front of the door, barricading it.
"WHAT DO WE DO NOW"
"BASEMENT. IT IS SAFER THERE."
The four of us descended speedily to the lower levels, where we would hopefully find something of value and less undead

>>20817606
Eh, not really. Probably just deal in gold, silver, and copper coins that sort of thing, since all the coinage throughout the land is approximately the same in size and purity.

>>20817618
I don't think anyone's jousted yet, but getting something on the scale of the Kanin ritual wargames to TeeGee probably wouldn't be met with enthusiasm by Kanin. It's a sacred game for them, and for others to play it without understanding is terrific blasphemy.

My recommendation? Think less of how you can become a Knight, and think more on how you can add to the wonderful and diverse population of TeeGee. What are your characters' skills and abilities? Their hobbies and pastimes?

>>20817655
It's fine, it's not like they're compatible with mammals on any level anyway. They're true lizards, so they don't really have "those" organs, and anyone trying to pretend like they do is a sicko that GearHeart will find and end.

>>20817655
Aww gee whillikers dad...

>>20817719

Right. I shall now start considering the hobbies of my characters, because sheep makes for a poor hobby when it's your only one.

>>20817719
Wondering if I could get your advice on a few things for my part 3 if you wouldn't mind dropping in on google docs for a bit.

File: 1348286710460.jpg-(166 KB, 1200x1550, 1334064839044.jpg)

>>20817618
Let's see, I won the fencing competition, and I believe Giovanni won archery. I tried jousting, got knocked out in the semifinals.
The winner spot for jousting, agility trials, javelins, discus, and pretty much all other sports contests are still open for takers.

>>20817677
>>20817688
Am I doing good with this story so far?

>>20817808
Go on~

>>20817776
Yes, fleshing out your characters is an important element. You did well in terms of personalities, but also know their other strengths. As far as dragons go, Kit's kind had a sheltered life. More than a couple of the other dragons have had their fair share of battles with humans.

>>20817808
Yep.
Its interesting to see stories set in the world
with a darker tone in them. Makes you
remember how the setting is still kinda
hostile to the little people.

>>20817853
That's cool. I was going for less dark, more clusterfuck exploration with some knights, daww, and undead, but this still works for me.
>>20817850
Typing the third chunk right now.

>>20817665
Deal you can have a beholder. Bet you didn't see that coming.

>>20817759
AND DON'T FORGET TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM.

>>20817934
>GearHeart with children
Oh Divines, that's a social worker's nightmare waiting to happen.

>>20817850

This is the first time I've gone past the "This seems like a neat idea" stage for writing.
And the dragon's name is Kuro, for I lacked a better name at the time. Kit was something Kuro called Belle.

>>20817986
Oh, sorry. It wasn't clear in that initial dialog. Well, it's a good starting point. practice at it, and if you want to bounce some ideas on me, don't hesitate to send an email.

>>20818018

Thanks for the help.

>>20818043
Well, people seem to like my writing, but I still think I'm a better critic than a writer. Then again, who isn't

>>20817983
Yeah I am great with kids. Probably not great at raising them though as there is a difference. Meina would make a great mom, Lilly would try, but it would be really hard for her.

When posting up the stories
Is it better to post them up as a serial,
Or all in one go?

Which way would bring more attention?

>>20818146
I can see it now. When the boy comes to age and I give him the talk, Lilly gives him the how to treat a woman talk. Meina teachs the value of hard work and Lilly the value of working smart. GearHeart tries to hammer in the importance of both. I don't even want to think about them raising a daughter. But I can say this do not do anything with GearHeart daughter. Some punk got fresh with her, she gets away. Later the punk thinks its his lucky day when a succubus shows up at his door. The poor fool. Though it is better than GearHeart showing up. Honor Duel to the death.

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>>20817688
The basement was somehow safer feeling than the attic. It may have been the slightly less claustrophobic environment, or the fact that we were less likely to be ambushed by a widemouthed, flesh craving ghoul.
Fuck ghouls.
Up ahead we spied a heavy oaken door. It opened with a loud creak. Venturing further inside, we found the wine cellar.
"Do vintage wines still fetch cash here?" One of the others asked.
"It better. Worst case scenario, we get to drink later." I replied, as we stuffed bottles into our satchels. They'd be divided evenly later.
>hmm. You know, if you save a bottle, it'd be great for a victory date.
I made a mental note.

We soon made our way out, delicious loot jingling in our bags. Another door led further downwards; illuminated only by our lanterns.
"Basement two, guys"
"Think we'll find the boss key?"
Navigating by the dim light was difficult, to say the least. We only had illumination reaching about five feet in front of us. The cellar had been partially flooded somehow, and as a result our boots splashed against the chilly, murky water; it rose halfway up our shins.
The hall led to three doors, heavy and made of wood.

>>20818480

Raiding ancient wine cellars. Why don't more people do this?

>>20818630
Cause its either poison, cursed, magical, or gone bad.

>>20818640
Pfft, alchohol doesn't go bad. Unless it's Bailey's. Know someone who learned that the hard way.

>>20818663

He has a point. Why else would people still be drinking hundred year old wine? And whiskey is almost always aged.

>>20818676
Wouldn't wine that old start turning to vinegar?

Or maybe I shouldn't doubt the prowess of vintners.

Still on thread 13, I need to pick up the pace.

Also, I had an idea for a short thing involving the Coininoch during my art lesson. Blame Floating Cloud for the inspiration.

I doubt my piece is anything game-changing, but I enjoyed writing it.

>>20818696

I think storing properly prevents that. Don't know for how long though.

>>20818709
On occasion, I go to the market to see what traders have brought in from foreign lands. A strong-looking fellow claimed to have gone beyond the Gnoll wastes and traded with a race he called the Coininoch. (At least, I assume that’s how I should spell it.)

I asked him to tell me more about them, but other customers were vying for his attention. Purchasing his wares loosened his lips, though his descriptions weren’t much help. The mental image I got of them was something along the lines of Scottish war-bunnies. Perhaps the musical instruments he sold me may shed some light on them. I shall list them below.

>>20818663
As a guy from Napa, I can say with certainty that wine can go bad. Then again, its still alcoholic, it just tastes like crap. Bad storage conditions like temp lighting and the cork can lead to it turning bad and eventually to vinegar. Also Reds keep better than Whites.

>>20818718
Something that looks rather like a musical cannon. Valves are used to manipulate a series of pipes, and air is provided by a bagpipe-ish lung, controlled with a foot pedal.

A long, straight brass instrument with flute-like valves.

An inventive combination of bagpipes and a trombone’s slide.

A large vertically-oriented brass instrument that uses steam to make a sound, powered by a boiler at its base. (Do they use steam for anything else? I went back to ask the trader, but he seems to have moved on.)

A large string instrument with two necks, one twice as long as the other. They are meant to be used in tandem, as evidenced by the two bows that came with the thing. A pair of foot pedal mechanisms are used to pinch the strings.

>>20818726
Sheet music was also included, though I’m having trouble deciphering it. I’ve presented it and the instruments to various musicians around town, with mixed success. One of them expressed interest in using the cannon in his next concert, and I plan to not attend.

>>20818733
Ya stick in the mud.

>>20817179
Going from my previous unanswered questions does the setting support ship mounted cannons yet? Or does it just stick with harpoons and torches, given that gunpowder is still a well kept secret...

>>20818854
Not yet from the sounds of things as we just invented cannons

>>20818854
I think that we're only just designing cannons if we even have the resources; gunpowder is a rarity and a powerful weapon.
We'll just have to go whaling the old fashioned way.

>>20818854
>>20818871
>>20818878
Greek Fire!

>>20818883
No thanks I prefer napalm or white phosphorous

>>20818883
>>20818897
Night Pyre!

>>20818871
>>20818878

Thanks for the info, hope you're all in the mood for
a tale of the high seas and Serridian corsairs!

>>20818830
Olin is very good at being a stick-in-the-mud. That said, I feel that his fears concerning the musician may be somewhat valid, depending on how... experimental he decides to take things.

Also, I was worried that the brass boiler thingy would imply that the Coininoch have steampunk tech. Run with that if you think you can make it work, but I can't really see it happening.

>>20818917
>brass boiler thingy
Clearly, that's for distilling whisky

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>>20818480
I grabbed the first door as the three others stood to the sides, ready to jump to action.
Slowly, I opened the door a crack to spy inside.
Inside, several dozen skeletal figures stood, and a pungent, all too familiar odor hit my face. I quickly closed the door as one's head started to bob violently.
"Empty?"
"...yes. Let's go."

Door number two released a smell of rust. Inside, we found, appeared to be a small armory. A few suits of armor, a few racks of polearms and swords lay about, but most were rusted beyond use. A diary also lay on a table; we grabbed that just because it might contain something neat.

The third door would normally have been impassable, but time wore away at the wood and iron. Inside was what we were looking for; it contained the treasury, or at least what was left of it. A few sacks of tarnished gold, a few gems hidden in corners. Combined with the wine, it was a decent haul.
Reentering the hall, a slow, repetitive thumping was heard from the first door.
"We should probably get to leaving" I said
"I thought you said that room was empty."
"Except for ghouls. We should leave. Now."

Stop tempting me to finish my story with those thread.

I love to see that you guys are keep going and doing awesome, but I already told myself that I won't write more, because I'm lazy fuck.

>>20819219
Man, that's alot of work you're putting in to not write. You really must stop lying, if you were a lazy fuck you'd have succumbed to the desire to write and ignore your other responsibilities. Instead, you're actively doing nothing. How ironically proactive. You should really finish your story.

Me, I'm gonna sleep on it. Getting this to come across well without being filled out with needless feelings and boring "cute romantic moments". Feels wanky. I'll figure it out in the morning, though if I don't get much further I might just give up and write some softcore erotica. If I'm gonna go wanky, I'm gonna go all the way!

>>20819155
Alaric, this is great, keep it up. and for the love of the Divines, stop seeking our approval, you do fine.

Sweet Lord Tunderlin Jesus. I leave for one night and I have 195 updates I need to read through...

There seems to be unrest in Mirthterrah. Not the usual kind, but of a much larger scale. Every now and then you have the oddity popping up, the local riot, the secret cult, but this was something of a different scale. Spies I have planted in Mirthterrah inform me that a captain, or some high ranking officer, has abandoned Mirthterrah, and had taken his troops with him to the east towards the Elven realms. This is disturbing for a number of reasons. First is that he may be coming at us. If that were the case, there would be some political backlash with the reputation of TeeGee getting harmed again at best. Or he could be heading for the Elves, which may spark a war between them and the elves with TeeGee in the middle. It may be forced to join aside or be swept away by one of the sides. Both nations have a…strained relation with us. What better excuse could they have to invade our land? This was disconcerting. As distant as I was from many, they were people I knew. TeeGee was my home and thus I set off to investigate what this captain was up to.

Coming along with me was Helbrey, convinced that I would need help and not taking no for answer. Alongside her were two knights just inducted, a half elf named Sir Helio, and an orc that never fit in with his society, Sir Grakal. An odd bunch to investigate a human supremacist, but this was a potentially dangerous endeavor and I would probably need help if in the worst case scenario. We set off at dawn and made to the last known location of the army.

>>20819478
Of course we arrived too late. The army had since moved on to another location, though they did leave a mess. Corpses, dozens of them, centaurs and elves with a few humans in them. While I investigated the bodies, Sir Helio looked over what was apparently the campsite. It was made in haste and torn down just as quickly, he noted, with enough tents for an army of about a hundred or so. So it was small, something that could be dealt with. That was good. Or at least until I thought until I saw the wounds on the bodies. They were riddles with holes. Bullet holes. Not the black powder flintlock kind. These wounds were much more different, much more like the ones inflicted by a modern weapon. My fears were confirmed when Sir Grakal found the spent casings of 7.62 × 54mm bullets strewn in the grass. The Mirthterrahn captain had a machine gun.

>>20819488
I set off with renewed haste, explaining as I went what a machine gun was and why I was so desperate to stop them. This was something that wracked my mind. How did the Mirthterrahns get their hands on a weapon like that? No way they could produce one of their own, the bullet casings were too close to their Outrealm cousins to be mere coincidence (that and the average Mirthterrahn is slightly smarter than a rock when it comes to science and technology). The other possibility it was some object sucked into this world by the same, or similar phenomena that bought us. Whether it was our wizard, some other wizard, or naturally occurring I could only speculate, but I did know is that it did not belong in the hands of these…primitives.

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>>20819497
We found the captain and his small army locked in a siege of an elven village. The Elf defenders were making a valiant effort, but nothing could stand against the captain. Thankfully, there was only one gun bought to our world: a Chinese Type 80 machine gun. I could hear him even over the din of combat and the coughing of his weapon. “And thus spake I, the prophet, the world is a test. The test of our true Creator. A test where we must be proven through the blood of our enemies, and the flames that shall purge their filth from the world. It was the Creator who gifted me this blessing. It was the Creator who charged unto me the task of cleansing this world. It was the Creator who spake unto me, telling me where to build our Paradise!” he proclaimed as his gun tore into several fleeing villagers. Wasting no time, we waded into the battle. The Mirthterrah infantry could only be carried by their leaders word for so much. An angry Orc resplendent in spiked mythril armor took the fight out of many with just his voice. His ferocity scared even more. Helio dodged and evaded, waiting for his opponents to leave an opening that could be exploited; which he mercilessly took. Helbrey jumped in with her usual battlelust, her eyes clouding over and that lopsided smile spread across her face as she lost herself to a maelstrom of limbs and blood.

>>20819509
I focused on the captain. He saw me with his mad eyes and hesistated. I was human. One look at my attire however and he saw me for who I was. “Filthy degenerate!” he shouted. “Your wretched land will be purged and your heretical ideas shall be forgotten by all. For I am the prophet. My word is truth! My-“ I cut him off with a spell. The Unseel sense of humor again. I just wanted to kill him, but instead his neck expanded much larger than humanly possible, until the skin could no longer hold the pressure within. With what sounded like a popping of a water balloon, his neck ruptured, and his head rocketed into the air by a geyser of blood. Friggin feys…

Their leader dead, the other men turned and fled. Let them. I had eternity to find them all. The Elf town was barely more than cinders now, the few survivors looking at me. The head of the militia looked at me with a mix of emotions. Relief, anger, confusion chief amongst them. I was one of the enemies of his people, and yet I just saved them from another enemy. He reluctantly thanked me for our help and limped off with the few survivors who followed. Others, mostly women, came to us, begging for shelter as what little they had was now gone. Grakal and Helio happily accepted, whatever keeps them away from me. The adulation in their eyes was nauseating. I picked through the captain’s body and pulled the gun from his hands, already stiffening from rigor mortis. Going through his supplies, I found he had several changes of ammunition. I told Helbrey and the knights to take the survivors. I intended to find out how the captain got this weapon, and where. Failing that, I will turn the weapon over to the Council, albeit with much less ammunition.

Just a quickie. Came to me and I rolled with it. If it conflicts with established canon, then disregard that whole thing.

>>20819538
Wow. Just wow.

Where on Earth did they get the gun?!
Did someone get ported over cleaning weaponry?

Something is rotten in the state of TeeGee

The Journals never mentioned machine guns

>>20819036
Why not both? Maybe they have whiskey distilling parties or something, and use the distiller for music?

>>20819538
Well written but it conflicts with a lot of canon. I think this is going to be hotly contested when the thread comes back to life.

>>20819538
I don't like it. It is well written, but terrible for our canon.

A dream, perhaps?

>>20819614
Well that's good. Discussion helps keep everyone involved.

>>20819647
Sounds about right.

How about a nightmare caused by
"the Unseel sense of humour"?

Fits their mindset, doesn't it, Harbringer?

>>20819650
I don't disagree, the devils advocate I often do play. Though I do think this one will be fast in nature.

>>20819664
Sounds about right. Editing.

>>20819528
I suddenly am awake. This is getting ridiculous. The girls are…in a heap around me, Helbrey is snoring loudly next to me, The Elf twins are snuggled in each others arms, and the Fey sisters are lying around my crotch. I push that distraction away.

Something tells me the Unseel King is alive in me and telling me something. The dreams are so vivid I remember each one. It’s always the same, but the characters change. First time it was an Orc with an RPG laying waste to a dwarf hold. Second time it was a gnome with an Abrams tank assaulting a Harpy nest-city. The one after, Sir Fearghaile with an MG 42 laying waste the the Mirthterrah court. They must mean something, a bad omen. How many good omens end with a massacre? Something is stirring, something that may affect more than just TeeGee. If it can get even the Fey’s attention it must be big. For the first time I feel an emotion I thought I’d never feel.

I felt fear.

>>20813473
I had the governing body part down. The rest of that is exactly what I need.
>>20813598
Roger that.

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>>20819155
The door was shaking now; we began to run.
Before leaving, I splashed the oil from a lantern onto the door, then set it alight. I was not sure if fire had any special effect on the undead, but it tended to be good at killing in general.
As smoke and shrill voices rose from below, we jogged through the foyer. Fresh air and sunlight, however dim through the clouds, was never more of a godsend.
Our bags filled with booze and gold, and our limbs attached, it was decided that this was a successful raid. Slowly, we began to give off a relieved laugh.

Adventuring was a dangerous job, but its own reward. The glory, the loot, the sense of adventure gave it a flavor that couldn't be matched, and besides, I had bills to pay.

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>>20819787
and with that, I think I'll hit the sack because it is 2:30 and I can barely think. Don't forget to archive this later, guys.

What time is it?

It's the Captain bin Dasi Fun Time!

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>>20820036
Captain bin Dasi was a respected and beloved figure of Serridian history culture. His early voyages are the stuff of legend. Unfortunately, the House of Dasi has never exceeded, especially since his catastrophic final voyage, where as the sole survivor, spent his last days a hermit.

...our holds filled with gold, salt and spices, we bring many slaves back to beloved Serrid, and many exotic brides for the Caliph, may he bless my unworthy vessel. The pirates who roamed and razed our many ports will no longer terrorize the poor fishermen and merchants, not when I, the Incomparable bin Dasi, slew their queen on night of parley.

Upon making port, the guards bring word from the Caliph himself, may his reign outshine a thousand stars. Have the tales of my voyages reached the harems of the Sapphire Palace? What riches will he rain down upon me!

{...}

Today is a black day for all of Serrid, nay, the world. The magnificent Caliph, may his reign never falter, is struck low by mysterious illness! The many court physicians and magicians who failed to lift his malady were executed for their incompetence, so the Vizier has sent for miracle workers and explorers of distant lands. But for such a task to befall me will bring my star to shine, and my songs sung for hundreds of generations!

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>>20820044
There is word of a land far to the west that only the most fortunate of sailors could hope to glimpse. The Impeccable bin Dasi has no need of such luck! While other fools beseech the Mountain of Sands, sieve the wastes for herbs, or seek the paths beyond the Silk Walls, only I, the Glorious bin Dasi, shall bring back the fruit of life from the Mountain of Light to heal the Caliph, may his reign last forever!

{...}

My ship has unloaded all precious cargo, living and otherwise, and I have said my farewells to my kin. Upon this great, no, the greatest voyage any Serridian could undertake, I only take the stoutest men, the heartiest supplies, and the greatest scholar of the Arcane, the esteemed Gia'far the Elder, who divined the secrets of stars and rode upon sand worms.

The Vizier, in his benevolence, has granted me the original text who details the journey to the West. Gia'far fell upon it immediately, and though I hesitate to slight the name of such a wise man, his habit of licking his fingers to turn pages makes me fear for the integrity of the tome. I set sail a mere moon after making port, and after loving my wife and honouring my father, the Unstoppable bin Dasi voyages to Obsidos!

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>>20820051
It was only two moons into the journey, when the crew were beginning doubt our voyage was not a fool's journey, a beggar's dream. They argued that we had already seen such wonders as islands of emerald and brass, home of the rabbit heathens, and the gaping ocean maw. None of these beauties will heal the Caliph, may his body grow strong in adversity, though they may ease his dreamless sleep.

But it was only a mere three suns later that Gia'far had divined a path from the journal, and we sailed through a veil of mist. Later that night, it was discovered that he had thrown all maps and lodestones overboard. He was summarily confined to the brig, and after torture explained all maps were now useless. Only allowed meager bread and water, and the journal to devise a return path. I pray that he has not doomed the Magnificent bin Dasi to an ignoble end at sea.

{...}

Today there was a sign from above! The heavens and ancestors of sailors long gone must be guiding my rudder, for the crows nest had spotted one of the landmarks in the journal. The ocean carried a drifting tower of black glass, at whose peak was a flower of four petals. Gia'far was released, but kept on short rope. There may be hope yet.

{...}

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>>20820057
Disaster and excitement have struck! Old sailors share stories of sea serpents, the Shai-hulud of water, whose wrath can cripple fleets and break storms. They also share tales of beautiful sirens of the sea, but if only my ship was assaulted by them. The lookout sighted a ripple beneath dark waters, but a storm raged, so such news was ignored. We were fools.

When the side of the ship rocked, not from the tossing waves, but from reeling coils, a shout went up from the men. I, Vigilant bin Dasi, was redrawing maps in my quarters, but soon rushed and called the men to arms. Scimitar and trident were brandished alongside torch and tar, as brave men combatted the worm from the depths.

Our efforts seemed in vain, the monster's scales turning away any blade or tine forced upon it, no matter the strength of the men behind the blows, nor the location of the strikes. The serpent merely screeched an unbearable sound, of dying, questioning and hate, skin glowing with countless shimmering patterns, as it threw men into the waves or crushed them between its coils.

Gia'far himself then strode forward, the damned journal clutched in his good hand, a bright burning torch in his left. He spoke mystic words, a fearful repeating phrase held the serpent at bay, and it retreated beneath the sea.

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>>20820059
{...}

Gia'far clearly had been doing more than his scholarly pursuits, to learn of such powerful spells that could ware off magnificent beasts. I demanded that he repeat what he had learnt from the Journal, in hopes the knowledge was all that was required to heal the Caliph, may his recovery be ever swiftened. When confronted, his reply was that all knowledge of the Journal only aided in the voyage to the island of Obsidos, where even greater treasure and knowledge awaited.

His explanation of the text was that the language was a rich, rolling tongue, where one word could mean different things in the same sentence. Where the word for discovering could also mean constructing, and how the tone shifted from passionate to scholarly then mercurial in a maddening way.

He then spoke that all obstacles that would be encountered could be overcome with the knowledge of the Journal, and that the word of Clover was the only reliable guide in these shrouded waters. The Knowledgeable bin Dasi was then taught to recognize some of the runes, particularly that the serpent had symbols written on all its skin, empowering and instructing it.

What dark sorcery would plague the sea's waters, to set such beasts upon man and ship? What learned scholar or mighty warrior does Obsidos await? These questions, I fear, have no sure answer.

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>>20820069
With the knowledge that the mad beasts of the sea would no longer hazard our voyage, the men's spirits were lifted, despite the many who had lost their lives to the serpent.

{...}

The songs on the wind could not be heard by mortals, or gods, so said the Journals. Gia'far had foreseen this impediment, and had secreted in the holds a wide variety of materials. Crystals, he explained, could be made to sing to one another across great distances, and so gathered a multitude of precious gemstones, glass and rock. The Journals instructed with metal and wire, one could hear the sounds that the crystals sang to one another, and how it would lead travellers to the island.

Truly, Clover, who wrote of these wonders, must be a scholar beyond compare. Gia'far certainly agrees, doing little else but reading the Journal in his cell, licking pages over a bright flame. I fear that his study may be blotting his mind, he speaks in tongues and stares at the distance...

{...}

The Midnight Star was glimpsed by the lookout, and indeed, all above ship last night. Resplendent and white, a new star could be seen over the horizon. Though seen for only a few grains of the hourglass, it was indeed visible only at the peak between one day's night and the next day's morn.

{...}

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>>20820074
Gia'far has gone mad! He has seized control of the rudder and drives us through storm after storm in his haste to reach the island. I appealed to him, imploring to him the quest to heal the Caliph, may his health never be in question, but Gia'far wants none of that. He claims that with power of the island, he will be greater than any Caliph of the Thousand Sands!

It took a score of burly men with chain and hook to bring him to ground, but not before he struck dead a half dozen blades. Torches and tar were brought, but the flames had no effect on the scholar. His simple robes burnt, his skin had carved those eldritch symbols, runes for protection and binding written on flesh and blood.

The Unshakable bin Dasi did strike him down with swift, vicious strokes of scimitar and saif, but not even the loss of his arm or spears in his chest slowed down the insane scholar. From where his arm was once joined, slow, amber fluid flowed out, his laughter unforgettable as his severed arm climbed back to attach itself.

What madness could empower a frail and meek scholar of over four score and ten summers to such strength? None could say, as from the sea and with a great shout, a serpent emerged, swallowing Gia'far whole!

{...}

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>>20820077
With Gai'far consumed by serpentine beasts, the journal burnt, we had to abandon our voyage to Obsidos even as we sighted its shores, fearful that further unseen menace would spring out from the seas or the sands.

With what little knowledge Gai'far imparted to me, I could navigate the ship homeward, to beloved Serrid. Enigmatically, the westward trail was fraught with peril and death, now not a storm in the sky, nor a serpent beneath the waves when one heads to the east.

{...}

A fool may have killed us all! A crewman's impertinence has summoned another inscribed monster from its slumber. Only now do I see, symbols on its skin, the same script as Clover!

Two words, repeated in an endless chain. Protection and Devotion, Devotion and Protection. If only the crew knew what guardianship these serpents kept, but alas, they perished, struck down by their own violence.

{...}

Now I know what the Vizier foresaw. Poisoning the Caliph, may his passing be as calm as my return, killing all the loyal doctors and sages, sending the greatest wonder workers of Serrid and its bravest sons to die in foreign lands, chasing pipe spice dreams. But his plots didn't account for bin Dasi.

Though I never set foot on its rusty shores, I, humble bin Dasi, will say this.

The West Exists!

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>>20820093
Thank you for watching the Captain bin Dasi Fun Time.

We will continue will our regularly scheduled program shortly.

Tune in later for the lovable rogues and the sneaky deals
with B&K, sneakan and dealan.

>>20820137
Did I kill the thread on accident?

Or is everyone asleep?

Fine. I'll sleep too.

>>20819770
Most likely the same ingrained fear I felt when we started to industrialise. Let's face it here, Harbinger, everyone... We can't control industry, science and progress. It's a hound we need to keep on a short leash, because the moment we let it slip, there'll be no stopping it and this world will burn in its wake. We've brought many great innovations with us, things that could change lives for the better, but unless it's carefully managed, the contents of the mind of even the least among us, WILL cause destruction and chaos on a level hitherto unseen and unknown. Just look at the reception our ideas of equality and acceptance have had! If something as small as that can divide and set against us nigh on all the peoples of the world, imagine what would happen when thoughts like 'democracy', 'industrialisation', 'monopolization', or 'general education' get out!

We MUST manage our own progress. I said it in the Old Realm and it holds ever more true here: Humanity is not ready. We do not, as a species, advance socially at the same rate we do technologically. For a long time, we were held back, in the middle ages. So when the renaissance came, we grasped it with both hands and never thought to let go. We began to see the cracks in society such a mindset created before we left. Let's not make the same mistake here. Let's make our steps measured and considered, rather than a wild dash into who knows what evil.

>>20820788
That is a very well argued and concise argument.

Will other races be subject to the same restrictions
I wonder? Or will the cloak of humanity be spread
such that no other race can try it?

Very important and explosive philosophic ground
we're treading on.

>Harbinger, The Mortician
moar like Harcringer, The Mary Sue
ammay wrong?

>>20820788
There's also the fact that we can't really do much in ways of innovation without years, likely decades, of reengineering everything that was needed to make anything beyond what the Renascence had.

Simple firearms, even with the innovation of gunpowder, for example, would take us years to figure out because, even with the dwarve's help(also the only reason I can assume we're getting away with half the armors and weapons we use), there's the need to either drill or cast the weapons, and don't even get me started on just basic firing mechanisms.

>>20822009

my .22 is a mess of little complicated bits on the inside. Shotgun not so much, but that isn't a semi-auto.

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>>20820137

Somewhere with a lot of wine

K: Excellent work infiltrating Serrid. New information promising.
B: Merchant undervalued his wares. Haggled the pants off him.
K: Located Lesser Vault of Myrthter. Infiltrate, locate and replicate.
B: Have found sympathetic priestess. Accessed Vault, returning finds.
K: Adding to Clover Files. Odd the Church contacted Fey.
B: Request stop hiding messages in wine barrels. Makes spying hard.
K: Agreed. Knights and waifu suspicious of sudden alcoholism.

>>20822448
Well, what did everybody think of
my attempt to write 1001 nights
set on the high seas?

Next up:
Interview with a Fey Lord
I say interview, I mean interrogation

Do we keep a board with all places still open for exploration somewhere?

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>>20822612
Probably. What would that look like, an unfinished world map with stars over unmarked dungeons or places of interest?

>>20823061

Sounds about right. Maybe with numbers for the dungeons, something that tells you how much has been explored if someone has been there but not cleared it, and what kind of stuff was found if it was cleared?

>>20823240
Sounds good. Speaking of, did we establish why there are an ass ton of loot filled dungeons lying around, or did another morally questionable wizard make those?

>>20823265

Wizards, demons, and lots of time?

>>20823325
Probably. Any idea how close are we to autosage, by the way?

>>20823345

254 posts.

>>20823360
We got time, then. Seems like everyone besides us is busy, though.

>>20823396

I'm stumped on how to continue my story. I got ideas, but I'm not sure what to do with them yet.