>>23717910
"Far be it from me to stop you from bringing down what remains, one less symbol of Golgothan authority is all the better. We've managed well, but this is the first step to ensuring Golgoth never returns to these lands; surely you can see that as well."

Good to see the quest again, let's get started.

>>23717987
this works. And glad to see you back TM

>>23717987

Olberek nods. "Though the question still remains of how. Even with all the might of our army I am not sure if we could pull the walls down. I don't suppose you would lend your aid?" he asks of Girdin.

"My part in this battle...Is done...It is not the way of Stone...To fight wars, and...I have no intention of doing so anymore...Than I already have," Girdin says in his usual ponderous way.

Looks like I'm late in getting here, why would we let Barry tear the place down? It will help the people here fight Golgoth.

>>23718059
"What man can build they can also destroy. It will just take time, especially if we have to disassemble it stone by stone. So first lets take a bit of time to figure out the most important bits of stone in the fortress, the ones that hold the rest up. Then we'll remove them."

>>23718088
Because our two spirit allies don't want the place to keep standing. Plus, its too big for our allies to use anyway. We should recommend that they build another fortress placed and sized to defend their people.

>>23718059
"Pehaps so, Girdin. We could use the might of Stone though. This has been a battle that has raged for many long millenia Girdin, you know it to be so. It is high time our courts showed that we are not ones to idly sit back and let Dominion have its way with us. Do you think Stone is one who would wait for the doom on the horizon to grow ever closer? It is encroaching, and we are running out of time to do something about it."

"We have limited resources as it stands, in that you are right Olberek. However we have the element of surprise, something that cannot be underestimated. I have gleaned from their reports that were are on the furthest fringes of their war efforts. They do not have the resources to stand against us so quickly, and we fight them in territory that they know not."

>>23718059
they have hundreds more like this in there lands,
maybe not quite as large as this. but it does beg the question why would the demons of stone there allow it?

(also eat the acid pus demon as much as we can lets quicken that fucker too)

>>23718122
Well actually one of them doesn't care at all. I don't really know about 'too big' either, a wall is a wall, even if there's room for more archers than you have.

>>23718141
Sorry buddy, he got away once the other daemon got smashed.

>>23718141
Fuck no, that's disgusting.

>>23718144
Eh, if you can't man the walls properly it becomes much easier to rush them with ladders and stuff. especially if you manage to misdirect them on where the actual attack is going to come from.

>>23718107

"An excellent idea," Olberek says, and then turns towards Girdin.

>>23718130

"The Anomaly is right," Olberek says to Girdin, "Golgoth might be beaten back today, but tomorrow they will return, and always they build more."

"Of course you would say that," Girdin says, "the primordial alliances are...Always scheming to bring neutral daemons in...To tip the balance."

"This is just the beginning," you say to Girdin, "what they build on their borders. Once they claim these lands, there'll be more. Whole cities made of stone. Sewers, catacombs, mines dug through the earth."

Girdin turns to look at you, wordless and considering.

>wat do?

>>23718273
While that is true, is it not preferable to a village palisade? This fortress could be the center of a joint military operation by all the villages as well as serving as a symbol of that cooperative effort. They would be stronger with it than without it.

>>23718302
"It pains me to drag you into this Girdin, but this is as much your battle now as it is ours. We could use your help, friend. I would not see Stone silenced while they slumber. Imagine how many of your brothers and sisters have been already, with how successful Golgoth's campaign has been in their homeland?"

"There was more to the documents naturally. Golgoth is fighting a war on many fronts; ours is the weakest front and the one they have dealt the least resources to. Striking while they are tied down in other provinces will weaken them and make them redirect their forces or be forced to abandon and regroup."

Will them in on anything else we know from reading that report, and ask Olberek if he has any ideas for using this land to our advantage.

>>23718302
"they didn't make this keep to go to war with the stone. they raised the walls to keep out men and beasts. you were harmed only out of carelessness. they do not fear the court of stone, as it sleeps and does not care. they will fight and gain dominion over everything that will fight, first. when they eventually come for you, it will be much worse."

>>23718339

"Stone will endure," Girdin says, "always...Stone endures. The others...Will take care of themselves...I am sure."

"At least come with us to find them," Olberek says. "It will only take a few years, at most. You'll be able to visit old friends, and if they are in more trouble than you expected, I'm sure they'd appreciate your assistance."

Girdin pauses for another while, considering again. "Very well," he says at last, "I will come...To see my old friends...But I make now promise...That I will fight."

>wat do?

>>23718479
meant to be "no promise", i guess?

mari should come along. either of them can carry her easily and she'll learn a lot/maybe be useful.

>>23718479
That's nice, he at least hasn't jumped out of the toolbox completely. He's not likely to stay easily though, our guys aren't nearly as opposed to building stuff as Girder and Barry.

>>23718539
Everybody is coming. Everybody! But the first step should probably involve the rest of Dorrik, seeing as there's apparently a lot of fighting there.

>>23718539

Yeah, that should be no* promise.

Why do you think Mari needs to be carried? She's been pretty good at walking places so far.

>>23718593
Anon is being silly. Change that to he can carry US. He'll totally love that idea.

>>23718593
I assume we move faster than regular mortals due to not needing to rest and so on.

>>23718616
Honestly, Mari is our secret. She should stay our secret. ESPECIALLY from these two.

>>23718479
Mari is perfectly capable of walking as he said guys.

"Thank you Girdin. Now then, we need a little time to rest and plan. Olberek, you know these lands far better than I. What other villages are nearby, and are there any more friends outside your domain we can recruit to the cause?"

>>23718654
He probably does not know any, but doesn't hurt to ask. Supported.

File: 1363457057140.jpg-(44 KB, 1553x872, Trickster Daemon Quest Map.jpg)

44 KB JPG

>>23718728

"It has been a century since I walked these lands last," Olberek says, "there may be villages constructed that I know not," he scowls, "and those that I know may not be any longer, whether razed by Golgoth or reclaimed by the wild. A short-term loss either way."

I have thrown together a simple but functional map (40 eons in Daemonsoft Paint). Map Key:

1: Estercoast Village
2: Elmwood Village
3: Greatoak Village
4: Deepwell Village
5: Guille Fortress
6: Summerbridge Village
7: Golroute Village
8: Norfin Village
9: Clarbel Village
10: Deeprock Village
11: Westercoast City

>>23718867
It looks like the quickest way to civilization, so I'm gonna say we should plan to march towards Summerbridge Village.

"That may very well be, but the information is better than nothing. After we've reorganized, Summerbridge should be our next destination. Do you possess the ability to create any more...dire creatures such as your wolves from wildlife we encounter? We could use some more to help replenish our ranks."

Make a mental note of where we left Mari so we can go check on her when we're done talking.

>>23718867

Summerbridge is mostly notable for being the other end of that isthmus from Guille Fortress. They're also built entirely into the trees (the titular summer bridge is built about forty feet above a raging river, and during summer (and spring) this is the only way to get through), so that's cool. Golroute and Deeprock make up a trade route through the more densely populated western Dorrik, so they're wealthier than the norm. Norfin and Clarbel are primarily fishing villages, and aren't especially interesting. Westercoast City is, of course, an actual city. They're a port that does some trade with Margell, Tulivinen, and Arkas. Of course, these days that effectively means they do trade with Margell, Golgoth, and Golgoth.

>>23718867
Woah woah woah! We've been on an island all this time?

>>23718982
If the west is as rough outside of the villages as this area, it seems that Westercoast would be the only real place to land and supply an army via. If so, that is a massive weak link on the Golgoth forces.

>>23718916

Olberek shakes his head. "I have lost much of my power in my captivity, I fear. I can command the wildlife, but I cannot make them grow the way I once could. All in good time, I suppose."

Mari is in the courtyard of Guille, where many of the Dorriki are setting up camp for the night. She's apparently found her way into the camp of the Estercoast villagers, sitting quietly on one of the benches brought in from the great hall around a campfire with some of the others. She isn't saying much, but she's got sword and bow strapped to her back (the point of a longsword drags on the ground if she wears it at her belt) and no one seems to particularly mind her being there.

>>23718982

Yes. Why is this a big deal?

>>23719064

We need to give a speech to the victors. Emphasise that fortune smiles on them, and fate is on their side. If I'm correct, more belief in fate and fortune grants more power to our court, similar to more cities and settlements granting more power to dominion. I'm not too good at speech-writing myself so maybe someone else will take a shot at it?

>>23719064
>Why is this a big deal?

Strategic stuff. See >>23719033

How many "soldiers" are here? Is Jens leading them? We should find out what they intend to do now.

>>23719064
lets see if Olberek would teach mari

>>23719163
This. Meet with Jens and ask what his assessment of the Golgothan threat here in Dorrik is, from him having gone to the other villages.

>>23719154
I can give it a crack when it comes around to it, I'm fairly good at speech-writing.

>>23719154
Don't worry about all that "more power to the court" stuff so much. It would take centuries of effort to make even a dent in Fortune, considering its nature. And I don't think we should give a speech. We've been working pretty low-profile so far and I don't think the guys actually know that we exist.

>>23719154

Belief in fate and fortune changes nothing for your Court. The only thing that makes your Court more powerful is if there is genuinely more stuff that could go right and wrong. So in order to make your Court more powerful you want there to be:

1) More stuff in the universe which is,

2) Trying to do things that might not work (with or without a conscious decision to do so).

Now, since this describes *all things ever* this basically means the power of the Court of Fortune is static and unassailable.

>>23719191
Well I was thinking even if it takes centuries we can still start playing for the long-term, but since >>23719200 applies I guess that's now moot.

Since a speech is pointless, let's send Olberek to talk to Jens about politics and junk because those are his worshippers, and as someone noted we're operating low-profile. Let's go talk to our pet vengeance project and see how Mari is doing.

>>23719200
Most of the other courts seem to basically be various concepts of nature (including the court of nature, but also stone, sky, sun etc). It's no wonder the war between Sun and Sky has been going on since forever, damaging them isn't much easier than with ourselves, they're probably just continually murdering each other, coming back then repeating the exercise without any real change in the power balance.

>>23719163

You have a few hundred Dorriki warriors at Guille, who are led by a gestalt command of Jens, an Elmwood man named Dekker, and Estercoast's amazon queen-type Vierre. Being that he's the one who actually ran around and convinced everyone to try all this, Jens is primarily in charge, though. And, of course, these are all freemen which means technically they can leave whenever they want. And the others can threaten to kill them for it. Although members of the same village are likely to stick up for one another. Law and chain of command are really confused, complicated, intuitive things in Dorrik, especially the east.

The three de facto leaders are arguing over what to do now, though. Jens argues that they should push Golgoth from the land entirely while they have the initiative, a plan which Vierre supports. Dekker's in favor of taking the spoils and going home.

>>23719179

...Teach her what?

>>23719181

Jens has only been to the eastern villages. So his assessment of the threat would be "much reduced."

>>23719191

You've spoken to Jens before, and a bunch of soldiers know that *someone* shouted to Girdin to use the door on the fleshshaped commander. They are generally unaware of your existence, though.

>>23719282
We at least should introduce ourselves to the three leaders, and put our weight behind Jens' plan since it is pretty much our own.

After we make sure the deliberations go in our favor, figure out how long we will need to mobilize then go catch up with Mari.

>>23719282
>Dekker's in favor of taking the spoils and going home.
are there even any spoils? it's just a fort.

>>23719309
If we introduce ourselves then we'd have to explain our agenda. Have Olberek introduce himself as the patron Daemon of Jens' village, with Girdin as a serendipitous ally. We hang back and occasionally whisper into Olberek's ear if necessary, though since he's likely to be in favour of wrecking Golgoth himself it probably won't be.

Then we check on Mari. Apologise for not being able to watch over her personally while the battle raged, ask her how she did, compliment her on any kills and support any sentiments she shows of wanting more.

>>23719282
flesh shaping

>>23719329

There's a lot of supplies, Golgoth has access to a lot of advanced metalsmithing, and plus they've got things like fancy helmets with plumes in them and silk capes for their officers and stuff. Being a military base, Guille isn't overflowing with luxuries, but even one bottle of wine is infinitely more than the eastern Dorriki will get their hands on in ordinary circumstances.

>>23719309
Manifest before their eyes, partially because shadows speaking are less trustworthy, partially as a statement of our supernatural being.

"Fortune has smiled your way, mortals. He would be a fool, who does not use the advantage while it is still his. After all, you have little else to bring against your foe, do you?"

>>23719374
I don't see any harm in the leaders knowing of us.

>>23719403
I don't see any reason to introduce ourselves. Keeping ourselves a secret is basically just keeping another trick up our sleeves. It could come in handy to be unknown if someone comes hunting daemons.

>>23719374
This sounds like a good idea.

...Olberek is also that patron spirit of the forests Mari was trying to sacrifice to near the beginning of the quest, isn't he? Presumably, worship of him is somewhat prominant in this region, so his word would be better at convincing the leaders to push on.

>>23719445
Different daemon, probably a hedge daemon that worked under Olberek and got pushed out when Dominion showed up.

>>23719438
The shadows are safe, but sometimes it's better to take to the stage. Barry already carries influence here, but we only share his goals until a certain point. Taking our due credit now may be helpful later.

>>23719481
i don't think taking credit's our game.

>>23719515
No reason it shouldn't be. Not with the commoners out there, we don't care what they think. With their leaders however, that can be useful. Trusting ears are often easier to manipulate.

>>23719481

Well the way I figure iIf we step up and take credit then we've not really gained anything BUT credit, and we've put our name/face out there with the mortals. If another daemon shows up - and bear in mind we saw two during the battle - they can bully information out of the group leaders and find out who we are. If something goes horribly wrong and we haven't revealed ourselves though, we can leave Olberek to take the flak and fuck off.

>>23719550
Agreed. I suggest we show up and recommend that they currently just build some sort of covering fort to help hold back the enemy in the future. We'd recommend that they use this one but the stone demon really dislikes it for some reason. In the meantime, we'll scout ahead and determine the situation on the other side. Since we are so sneaky

>>23719629

He doesn't like it because they tunnelled into his house in a span of years, while he slept for centuries. It's an affront to him, like waking up and seeing your neighbour spent the night pouring concrete all over your lawn.

>>23719655
Well yeah that too.

>>23719595
Great! If they can derive who we are from whatever vague description they can squeeze from a mortal, they already know us very well. They still won't know actually important stuff, such as where we are or how to stop us.

>>23719629
>>23719655
He doesn't seem to care if they use it. He does care if they build more.

>>23719388

Olberek doesn't know Fleshshaping. Its Dominion's signature Talent and only they and their allies have access to it.

-----

>>23719374

Olberek strides through the camp, accompanied by a snarling pack of dire wolves. The Dorriki grab weapons and back away, but are wise enough not to pick a fight. "Behold, mortals," Olberek says, "I am Olberek, spirit of the woods, master of the wolves. I will have words with your leaders!"

There is silence for a moment. Then Jens steps forward and says "I am Jens, captain of the free men of Deepwell."

"And I am Vierre, the same of Estercoast," Vierre says stepping forward with him.

"Dekker, of Elmwood," Dekker says, trailing behind the other two.

Olberek nods toward them. "A battle well-fought, mortals! I applaud your courage. Are there any among you who would deny that you owe me a debt for the aid lent by my wolves?"

"Not I," Jens says, "and I'm not one to offer favors from fear, either. You've helped us win a bitter battle, spirit. What would you ask in return?"

"Drive Golgoth from these lands, for your safety and to slake my vengeance!" Olberek says, "their spirits chafe with my brothers in the wood. I demand they be driven off. Strike down their servants and their temples, and should any village or people refuse to join the fight against them, destroy them utterly!"

"Gladly!" Vierre responds immediately.

Jens takes a moment more to consider. "I'm not one to raze villages or slaughter peoples," he says finally, "but I cannot deny I owe you a debt, Olberek. I will do it. For so long as Golgoth has a foot on Dorrik's shores and I breath in my body, I will fight to drive them off."

Dekker sighs. "As you will it, great spirit, so it shall be done."

"Excellent," Olberek says, "for so long as you are a friend of the forest, the forest shall be a friend of yours."

>>23719629

>>23719629

Literally the first thing Girdin said in this thread is that he does not give a fuck what happens to the existing fortress so long as nobody builds another one. So your plan is exactly the opposite of what would make Girdin happy.

>>23719703
Find Mari. Check in with her and catch her up on what''s going down, stuff like what >>23719374
said in the latter part of his post.

Some attention to our pet project will be appreciated I'm sure.

>>23719703
See? Jens doesn't seem completely happy with the face of his savior. Would it really be so bad if we introduced to him the idea that he may owe his thanks to someone else?

>>23719711
Yeah i vote we do not do this. We should rather repair guille and use it as base.

>>23719374
I'd prefer not to let Olbrek get all the credit, but too late I suppose. Anyway, lets explore the eastern half of the island and begin building up our cult there. Olberek should hopefully agree to that division of power.

>>23719802
Maybe we should whisper to Olberek to mention of our help as well? Since we were most instrumental in neutralizing the other demons?

>>23719812
We COULD talk to Jens. Privately. He already knows we were acting before Barry showed his ugly face, and he does not seem to like all of his ideas either. The idea that he does not need to obey Olberek could possibly be instilled with him.

>>23719862
I'd prefer to work right under his nose. It's not like he's shown us a lot of trust anyway, may as well undermine him as he expects.

>>23719862
We could just pop up and say hi.

>>23719892
In shadow form then?

>>23719760

"Hello, Mari," you say when you manage to catch Mari alone. It doesn't take long, she's keeping her distance from the Estercoasters. "Making new friends?"

"I guess," she says, "people from Deepwell might recognize me and Elmwood's...Elmwood." She shrugs. "I told the Estercoasters that I was from Greatoak before it got razed, and that I'd come to fight. Didn't really see why they needed to know any more, and they didn't ask."

"Good. How did the battle go?" you ask.

Mari shrugs. "I shot arrows at specks on a wall for most of it. I'm not even sure if the ones I fleshshaped died or not. I couldn't tell whether someone was falling down or ducking behind the battlements, and they kept moving around so I couldn't tell if they were popping back up...People just shot arrows at me and I shot back and then I helped that stone monster kill a four-armed sword demon...Gods, it's like I've walked into a fairy tale. They're not as much fun as I thought they'd be."

>>23719703
>Its Dominion's signature Talent and only they and their allies have access to it.

I went back to check if that was mentioned before, since I didn't know that 'til now. Turns out I missed the entire thread when it was brought up. Huh.

>>23719802
Jens just seems reasonable. He's only against the "let's slaughter those who don't immediately side with us" bit; I expect most people would feel similarly.

>>23719812
>>23719862
If we were already known to anyone but Jens and Mari then I'd be happy to take credit. As it is though, we'd basically be popping out of nowhere to say "IT WAS ALL MY DOING" and revealing our position as manipulator, which undermines our ability to be one.

I personally think if we want to claim credit then we should wait until the last possible minute and gloat, super-villain style. When we stand over the ruins of Golgoth, saying "Oh, you think this was Mari's doing? Or Olberek's? Who do you think saved the girl's life? Who freed Olberek from his prison? Who turned the wheels of fate round and round, pointing the world's blades at the throat of dominion?"

But we save that until we're in a position to do so. Until then we remain as unseen as possible.

>>23720002
"But it was still fun, right?"

>>23720002
no they are not, but if you work hard practice and never give up you could find a bit of a happy ending

>>23720021
It doesn't matter anyway, He only knows how to control animals right now. Lets take Olberek aside and tell him about Mari, and tell him that we think she'll make an excellent figurehead for the mortals. Plus, beating the dominion at their own game sounds like fun.

>>23720055
I'm guessing the dead silence means we're happy with this for a response?

>>23720002
"Fate is what you make of it. You did something these hundreds of grown men could not. Would you like to do more?"

>>23720055
>>23720210
These two

>>23720184
Well I'm all for beefing up Mari's flesh-shaping, especially to use it against Dominion.

>>23720184
I am completely opposed to this idea. Mari is our card, and he should not be given the chance to play her against us. Besides, I don't think these people will put someone in charge, especially a child, just because Barkface says so. If she is to be put in such a position, it will be our doing as well as Mari's.

>>23720328
I support this. As a manipulator (and fortune demon) having aces up our sleeves is just the way we are supposed to be.

>>23720021

"It was terrifying and exhausting..." she looks around the courtyard, at the pile of Golgothan corpses they've stacked up and lit ablaze in one corner. "But we won, and that's what counts, I guess."

>>23720055

"How?" she asks, sounding distraught for the first time. "Greatoak is gone. So is everyone else."

>>23720210

Mari nods. "I'm not finished with Golgoth yet. I'm just getting started."

>>23720366
Agreed. Simply keep training Mari while we can, and we can make her into something quite powerful in due time.

>>23720386
Make something new, build it your self, a house, a town, a city, a nation, an empire all things are possible, I will help :)

>>23720386
"That may be, but we need not let their deaths be in vain. Golgoth's destruction will come in due time, striking while they are vulnerable will help avenge your fallen friends and family. Let not their deaths trouble you over-much, you had not the power to help them at the time. The road to vengeance is forward."

"I expect you will keep training with me as we travel, your sword training has only just begun; as well with your other talents. You have much promise, Mari. Rest easy knowing we have accomplished the first step on this journey."

I was just re-reading the last thread and have a question:

>Quickening requires devouring a piece of the daemon. You scoop some of the paste up and eat it, and that does it, though it's mildly horrifying. Man, and quickening that pus daemon? Blech. That might not be worth the power boost.

> You gain Celerity automatically for quickening the four-armed daemon, the three powers are gained for achieving the three objectives of Chapter 1.

Does this mean we didn't quicken the pus daemon? And can we still do that if so?

>>23720475
Sounds about right. Maybe throw in a line about how it's good to see her showing some enthusiasm.

>>23720499
As I answered before, the Pus Daemon didn't die. He tunneled away after the snake lady bit the dust.

>>23720386
"You were scared? You know, even I feel fear sometimes. I've found that the trick is to make others afraid of you. The fear just disappears completely when you can do that."

>>23720511
Hurr, that's what I get for skimming posts to catch up with the thread.

I guess since I'm asking dumb questions already, what exactly does the Celerity talent do? I know we have no powers under it right now but I'm curious.

>>23720580
Seems to be related to going fast.

>>23720499

>>23720511 is correct. The pus daemon hasn't actually been beaten and you can't quicken a daemon just by running up and licking their sweat off. You need to have them "dead" first.

-----

>>23720475

"Okay," Mari says, and then "thank you."

>>23720580
Celerity encompasses several powers that enhance one's movements and perception. This includes separate powers that all work together to make you more and more deadly based on the number of them you have.

Basically you might be able to react super fast, but you need the power to perceive things super fast, and then the powers for your body to MOVE super fast too.

Talked to TM about it, so that's how I know.

>>23720657
Time to find an opportunity to talk to Jens privately!

>>23720780

To say what?

>>23720665

It's worth noting that when he says he talked to me privately, he means that he talked to me in a Skype group that's otherwise mostly empty. It was mostly there so that people could keep talking about the quest during the hiatus. If anyone wants an invitation, just gimme your Skype info and I'd be happy to add you.

>>23720780
Jens does know the land more or less. If we can talk to him then let's press for more information on either local spirits (to find more potential allies) and Golgoth's movements (to find out where to hit them). We can also tell him to find a trainer for Mari, so she can learn some swordsmanship. If he asks about us at all we dodge the question except to say we're pushing her towards her destiny.

>>23720835
On Skype: MortalAvolition

>>23720850
TM already said that Jens hasn't gone across to Western Dorrik yet, he won't know their movements past the fort we just whacked.

Also, we can train Mari in swordsmanship just fine. It's not our best talent but we've been alive since...well...a long damn time. We're probably the best swordsman here.

>>23720657
Go ahead and get some rest while she does, we need to recover some energy in case nobody noticed.

>>23720814
"You are wiser than I first took you for, aren't you? Do you really owe the lives of the eastern villages to a spirit who deems them worthless?"

>>23720958
And I goofed. I meant WESTERN, not EASTERN.

>>23720958

"Olberek only asked us to kill the ones who wouldn't join us," Jens says, "I don't like it. But we're leaving them a way out. It's not my fault if they don't take it."

>>23721118
"A Golgothan would think likewise. He thinks himself free of guilt for, after all, he's just following orders. I had the impression your people thought otherwise, but I may have been wrong. That would be a shame."

>>23721257
I was struggling to think of a decent response but I think this does it well.

>>23721257

"Are you an imbecile, spirit, or do you just take me for one?" Jens asks.

>>23721312
Okay why the fuck are we pissing off the leader of the people? We have tried this avenue before and all it ended up doing was making him resentful of us. We REALLY don't need to be making his disposition drop more rungs.

Tell him that all we meant was to make sure he was considering his options thoroughly, no harm intended.

>>23721312
"I think you the only person in this band worth speaking to, in fact. Well, that and your bluntness is a welcome diversion. I merely wish to confirm that you're considering your situation carefully.

I will see you again."

>>23721312
Agree.

>>23721517
add: "I am sorry if i offended you" to the beginning

>>23721562
Quoted wrong.
>>23721312 was supposed to be >>23721402

>>23721517

Jens nods in response, but says nothing. Though you hear him muttering something about how talking to spirits is supposed to be the shaman's job and why the Hell did this spirit suddenly decide she'd like him for a valet. Gods, life was so much simpler before these damned Golgothans came here.

>wat do?

>>23721402
>>23721562
I didn't really intend to piss him off, but I don't particularly mind that it happened. Even if he doesn't like us, if these people really do care as much about freedom as they seem to, our words should still make the needed impression.

>>23721606
Regroup with Olberek and Girdin. See if either is aware of any other daemons in the area who might have beef with Dominion. If not, we'll get Mari and start marching towards Sunnybridge .

>>23721647
Agreeing with the first part of this, but afterwards find Mari and get some damn rest. She's probably still more than tired (As are our troops that survived no doubt), and we need to catch up on regaining energy.

>>23721664
We should rest when we're not in the fortress anymore. One weird girl in this place is enough for these guys, I think.

>>23721664
Well rest as we and Mari need to, but leave for Sunnybridge/daemon hideouts all the same.

>>23721647

Olberek used to have Clarity (technically still does, but is too rusty to use it properly), so he personally knows that eastern Dorrik is a graveyard of oubliettes containing mostly hedge daemons who could be potential allies. They're all likely to be nothing more than an unusually durable mortal practically speaking, as the oubliettes will have robbed them of what little Talents they have. That said, they'll definitely hate the fuck out of Dominion. There's also all the daemons who were pushed out. Some, especially the ones who are daemons of a specific grove or herd of deer or whatever, will be very eager to move back to their power source. Distance doesn't make them weaker, but it does mean they can't do anything to stop whatever they're a daemon of from being destroyed, which would permanently render them as little more than ageless mortals.

According to the information recovered from Guille Fortress, the Golgothans are fighting and ongoing war with the western Dorriki, so you should have some allies over there. As far as eastern Dorrik is considered, though, you've already got all three standing villages on your side.

>>23721790
>daemon of a herd of deer

God, can you imagine a more boring existence. Fuck these tiny daemons, they don't sound worth even a fraction of the effort to find them. Time would be better spent screwing over mortals.

>>23721790
So we could pick up allies on this side, but we don't know where they are 'til Olberek sharpens up and most are probably useless anyway. Girdin probably doesn't know anything relevant to the current time frame, which means for now we can probably rest and head to Sunnybridge.

>>23721790
We shouldn't waste our time searching for "slightly better mooks" that take effort to free. We can get their obedient equivalent out of just waiting for Olberek to regain his dire animal making powers.

So yeah, head to Sunnybridge with Mari and friends.

okay, since we're on an island, how about the sea demons? who they're allies with would seem pretty important.

>>23721913
i imagine the dominion started as demons of a specific herd of apes

Looks like we're all good for going to Summerbridge, then. Since this is the first time the current date has actually come up, I'll note that the quest started an April 5th and it's currently (as of the end of the post I'm about to write, at least) May 3rd. This means that the river is in fact flooded and the actual bridge in Summerbridge is necessary to crossing.

------

You end up resting for about four or five hours. Not actually asleep, but hanging out in the woods and teaching some of Olberek's wolves to play soccer with a Golgothan's severed head. You'd join in, but that'd defeat the point of rest and besides, this looks like it's about ready to devolve into a regular battle for pack dominance any second.

Regardless, once you're fully rested you leave Jens, Vierre, and Derrek to march west in their own time and take Mari ahead to Summerbridge. Which brings me to a question.

How much distance do you want between you and the armies of the east? You can travel much faster than them, but there's strength in numbers (especially for Mari, who cannot shadowform).

>>23722130
That may be true, but we can use unnoticed on her now! Woo. Let's stay a half day's march ahead of them just to be safe. Make sure we're keeping her current on her studies too while we travel.

Maybe implore her to try "not" killing things she flesh-shapes, to see if its possible.

>>23722130

Time to scout the area, work out what's going down, possibly make some plans but also a small enough time frame that any Golgothans can't call for any significant reinforcements to hold the bridge if something goes wrong. We NEED that bridge unoccupied when the army gets there or we're not going to make it into western Dorrik.

I'd say two days.

>>23722192
Keep in mind that unnoticed is far from perfect. We can't move while using it, if she's spotted we can't unspot her... Still if we're not travelling by road, we should be safe enough. I'll support >>23722221

>>23722192

Mari is packing up her stuff. She's plundered the store rooms for what supplies she can find, but being a small girl she's pretty far down on the hierarchy of who gets first pick of loot. She ends up with plenty of good food for traveling because there's no shortage of that, but all the fine wines and spices and capes that the officers brought with them from the mainland were long gone by the time she got her turn. The good weapons are also gone, but she's already got her sword and bow off a Golgothan messenger (one of those scimitars would've been spiffy, but there was no way she was going to get one of only thirteen trophies). The better traveling cloaks and packs are all gone, but there's plenty of tents and minor tools left over. Mari dismantles a bunch of the tents for their spare rope and wooden stakes, and grabs a small shovel as well, tying it to her pack. She's never going to have to rely on sinews for traps again, at least.

"Can you keep the things you fleshshape alive?" you ask her as she finishes up.

"No," she responds, "I've been trying for as long as I can remember having Fleshshaping. It never works, though." She finishes packing up and slings her pack over her shoulders. "So, how long will it be before we can go back for Leson?" she asks. "I mean, I guess he's probably alright, but...I don't like leaving him with Deepwell."

>>23722364
"Once we have finished driving Golgoth from Dorrik. We cannot afford to be distracted for the moment, Leson will persevere."

Keep scouting and check out the bridge once we get there. We need to ascertain the situation.

>>23722364
"You could go back anytime you want, Mari, and hope that JENS won't screw up. If he does, they'll probably just burn every village here. Do you trust him to take on Golgoth?"

>>23722424

It's five days out to Summerbridge. Along the way, Mari is practicing both her swordsmanship and archery, the latter with targets made out of ripped up tent cloth. By putting up different targets on different trees, she can train herself not to fire a targeting arrow, but she's still got basically no experience shooting a moving target. And out here, there's only one way to get that sort of experience: Hunting animals, or hunting people. Mari, it turns out, is not that awesome at hunting deer, though she's getting better. Her snares are still working fine, though.

You're nearing Summerbridge when she spots it. The sight of movement in the woods ahead is enough to get her reflexively behind a nearby tree trunk. Peering around the tree, she can see what's now obvious even from your position on the ground. Corpses, rotting, stripped, and covered in terrible wounds, dangle by their ankles from trees in the distance. Men, women, and children. Set up in a line, like a grotesque fence. Past them, you can just barely see the first of the watchtowers built (like everything else in Summerbridge) into the trees.

>>23722364
Oh right, the brother. Well Deepwell is a bit far away right now; unless we can make the round trip and still be ahead of the army by two days, tough shit. We can't go back for him 'til we've gotten the army across that bridge. At that point we'll appease Mari and stomach the detour to go get him since she'll likely get more and more distracted by it the longer we put it off and we cant have that happening.

Make sure to tell her that it's dangerous to do so though. Tell her that while she is touched by fate, that will only protect her so much and her brother not at all (this is just a flowery way of saying we're not going out of our way to save his ass from trouble).

>>23722495
Don't try to pull that; it'll lead to unnecessary conflict amongst our assets. Better we let her believe in Jens and then when we've trained Mari up to hero material, set him up to fail so she can take his place.

>>23722583
go look at it in shadow form

>>23722583
"Is that how visitors are usually greeted here?"

>>23722583
"I see Summerbridge likes their gardening. They've even set out some lawn gnomes. I think I'll go knock on the nearest neighbourly-looking door and see if they'll swap a bag of delusion for a cup of the latest news on Golgoth."

Then we go find the nearest person who's alone and doesn't look thick as a bag of shit and give them a delusion that makes them feel chatty. "You are feeling stressed about the situation with Golgoth, and want to talk to yourself about it ease the frustration". Hopefully this'll give us an idea of if they're sided with Golgoth or against them.

>>23722495

Okay, usually I'm happy to let players make dumb suggestions and even translate those into dumb actions if they get support. But this is ridiculous. It's like trying to fist-fight a bear. Rule #1 of manipulation: Do not sound manipulative.

-----

>>23722667

"No one but Golgoth executes children," Mari says. "If you take them young, bondsmen grow up obedient. And besides, it's cruel to go out of your way to kill someone that little."

>>23722808
Well, isn't this just nice. Can we estimate how long they've been, well, rotting?

>>23722905
Eh they're all mortals one way or another. But if we're pretty sure they're Golgoth-aligned then we can go take care of scouting duty and find out what sort of security they have on that bridge. I assume it's just Mari and us, and Olberek & Girdin are with the main force?

>>23722905

Probably about a week. They're well into the "greenish-grey decay" stage, but the flesh is still mostly there. The flies have finished eating out the eyes, but they've left behind plenty of maggots, and they still buzz about the rest as it decays into a proper soupy putrescence.

>>23722728

You can make people believe things with Delusion. You cannot make them feel things with Delusion.

Here's a drinking game for someone who wants a novel way to commit suicide: Go through the article. Every time I make a post clarifying what Delusion can and cannot do, take a drink. If I'm restating something I've already said, take two.

>>23722993

Yeah, Olberek and Girdin are with the main troops. You and Mari are on your own.

>>23723039
We should ask Mari to wait while we go see how dangerous the place is. Probably wait somewhere that isn't right here if she'd be more comfortable with that. We know the Golgothans were here, but they could have gone elsewhere by now.

>>23723105

Mari is made more uncomfortable by the possibility of Golgothan patrols stringing her up with the rest of them than the corpses themselves. Nevertheless, she's happy to back off while you go ahead to figure out what's up.

The walkways in the treetop-village of Summerbridge are nearly deserted. From the corpses hanging from the trees, it looks like Summerbridge was the site of another massacre. Those who are still here are Golgothan soldiers, and there seems to be an unusual concentration of Blood Guards. Some of them are unnaturally tall, nearly eight feet. It's hard to tell beneath the cloak, but they seem pretty skinny as well.

>>23723312
Well, I'm not sure what to make of the blood guards, but this place sounds like a tactical nightmare made even worse by their presence. We see no signs of prisoners? How many soldiers do we see?

>>23723312
See if we can find a lone guard and delusion him with "You saw something moving to the south and need to investigate it immediately. There's no time to alert anyone else." If he does go off on his own, keep deluding him to think he saw something just moving on the edge of his vision and get him a reasonable distance from Sunnybridge. Try to steer him towards Mari, but no so close he notices her. Once sufficiently far, we can step out and reveal ourselves in shadow form and demand he tell us everything about the forces they have in Sunnybridge. Use a delusion to make him believe we can and will butcher him horribly if he lies or refuses to talk.

>>23723444
I like this, it's worked before so we might as well give it a shot. The interrogation technique that is.

If he gets any funny ideas, use blinding darkness on him to freak him out.

>>23723444
Perfectly reasonable way to acquire information. A little worried that a missing guard will alert these guys, seeing as they already have a shit ton of blood guards on site, but I'll support it.

>>23723492
We might use blinding darkness on him anyway, to get a feel for how draining it is. If we can use it en masse in battle we could considerably hamper those blood guards if it comes to a fight.

>>23723444
seconded. Also interrogate him on the situation with the other villages

>>23723444

I feel I should note that delusion is not hallucination and you can't do exactly what is written here. That said, you CAN make him believe that something is out there, which is the exact same result but without his ever specifically seeing anything.

Regardless, the guard follows you away from the village, jumping nimbly from the treetops to the ground below and then pursuing the phantom threat through the footpaths. He occasionally fires an arrow into the bushes to try and flush the whatever-it-is out of hiding. You're beginning to wear out by the time you've got him far enough away and reveal yourself.

He nocks an arrow to his bow as you lay the final delusion on him. "What do you want?" he asks, arrow still nocked.

>>23723592

Also I think this counts as half a drink for the drinking game.

>>23723592
Information. You will tell me what happened here and everything you know about Golgari troop strengths and locations, as well as those of your enemies." BTW, did those silly mortals give us some sort of title for our murder spree wayback when? The one that they are still using the torches for even today? Might make it easier to threaten this chumps.

>>23723671
To the mortals, that was probably played off to be just some insane dude or a bunch of assassins at the same time. Anything less scary than us, really.

>>23723592
I do appreciate the distinction even if it's virtually the same, but I thought I did specify he only thought he saw something?

>keep deluding him to think he saw something just moving on the edge of his vision

Unless you're referring to:

>"You saw something moving to the south You saw something moving to the south and need to investigate it immediately. There's no time to alert anyone else."

but that was the exact words of the illusion. Previous cases had the wording done in that manner; EG "The officers have poisoned the supplies,", from thread II. The precise wording wasn't "you think the officers have", just "the officers have" which comes across as being a factual statement. I was just keeping consistent with the delivery.

>>23723746
It's a pretty thin line to me. I know we can't make someone see something that isn't there, or believe that they see something that isn't there. But can we make them believe they HAVE seen something?

>>23723814
Well, that's what we ended up doing and what I meant (made him believe he saw something) but I must've worded it poorly. I'm getting tired, might have to bail out for tonight.

>>23723671
Also backing this guy, with the "I can and will turn you into chunky salsa if you don't comply" delusion.

>>23723814
>>23723746

Deluding someone into seeing something is a hallucination, and Delusion can't do that. On the other hand, Deluding someone into thinking that something has happened while they weren't looking works just fine. So paradoxically you can't make someone believe they've seen something, but you CAN make someone believe that something is there even when they haven't seen it.

You manage to wheedle the story out of the guy in bits and pieces. He's obviously reluctant to talk but also reluctant to anger you. Summerbridge attacked Guille Fortress just a few days before you arrived. Guille Fortress was centrally located and was the heart of the cursed child-hunting operation, so it was fairly important and Golgoth had gotten sick of repelling the raids. So they attacked Summerbridge, rounded up all its inhabitants, and killed them all to send a message to the rest of those who resist.

As far as Golgoth troop strength, locations, etc. etc., fuck if this guy knows. He's just a grunt.

>>23723963
Ask him who the rest who resist are.

>>23723963
Wait a second, You mean they attacked Guille fortress before we attacked it?

>>23723993
Ask him about the odd Blood Guards too, he might know at least something about them.

>>23723993

Everywhere. Golgoth controls like three points on the map, and everything else is Dorriki resistance. As for where specifically, again, fuck if this guy knows. It's not his job to know which villages are currently hostile, how many men they have, or even where the rest of his own army is.

>>23724026

Yup. Didn't end well for them.

>>23724030

All he knows is that sometimes Blood Guards look freaky. They're Blood Guards, and he's genuinely uncertain if they're even human, so it's not that odd that some of them might be shaped weird.

>>23724026
I'm a bit surprised by this as well. The fortress has stood since whenever that was and they think it's a viable target for a little raid? And to add to it, they pull this just a few days before we take the place. That's some rotten fortune they have.

On the upside, seems like they still don't suspect anything is wrong at Guille.

>>23724086
We need an experienced sergeant don't we? Those guys know everything. Anyway, delusion him into thinking the he is feeling incredibly sleepy. then cut his throat while he is distracted.

>>23724163

You can't delusion someone into feeling something. Although you can blind people at-will, so I'm not sure why you're bothering trying to come up with a delusion that will make him easy to kill.

>>23724190
Ohh, we still haven't tested our new powers at all. Let's try it!

>>23724190
I was actually worried about noise. Though if we are far enough away lets just murder him

>>23724266

The shadows rush from nearby into his eyes, leaping off of the ground to concentrate themselves into his eyes until they are pitch dark and impenetrable. And then you cut his throat out. So, mission accomplished.

>wat do?

>>23724314
Well, our goal here is to ensure that the army will be able to take this village. Currently that would be pretty hard for them, seeing as they will have to first cross this bridge, which they can probably only do in limited numbers at a time (how big is this bridge? It might even be too weak to hold our stone tool) and then fight a battle against troops garrisoning the treetops. And in my current tired state, I really can't think of anything more elegant than trying to locate the leadership (shouldn't be too hard, since they'll be leading shit) and murdering it. Maybe someone else has a better idea.

>>23724477

The bridge has been reinforced a bunch. It's built between four conveniently spaced trees, each a massive and mighty oak. You can totally wheel a caravan up the winding ramp around the trunk of the tree, across the bridge, and then back down on the other side. Now, Girdin is super-extra heavy so he might break it anyway, but because he is so amazingly heavy he can just walk straight through the river with no fear of being swept away.

>>23724477
Murdering leadership is always a good idea. Oh, and our Minion should grab whatever loot there is to be had from the sentry.

>>23724545
Then we should remember to ask him to do that when they get here since he'll already be halfway across before noticing there ever was a bridge.

>>23724604
Well, no, not always. I'd actually prefer to lure them over to the eastern side so they can be murdered in the forests, but my mind currently isn't producing any brilliant plans that can make that happen.

>>23724545
See if we can enter the camp and get a closer look at the big nasty Blood Guards stealthily.

>>23724314
For the record: we can be in shadow form, blind and kill at the same time?

>>23724907

You can blind. In order to actually kill the guy you presumably become corporeal and hit him with a rock or take his sword or something. Shadow form can't carry or hit anything, so.

-----

>>23724792

The Blood Guards are, as ever, following creepy ritualistic behavior to the letter that makes it difficult to observe anything about them. Most of them are standing perfectly still around various areas, usually some point where several patrols pass by. Occasionally, when he thinks no one is looking, he moves to a new position. It looks like they're gliding across the ground, but with a giant cloak that's an easy practical illusion, just takes really good balance. The Blood Guards are most concentrated in the heart of the Golgothan base just across the bridge on the eastern side, and you can hear muffled moaning coming from within a large house (maybe an inn?) that's being guarded by multiple Blood Guards.

Fortunately, all these trees provide plenty of shadows to hide in, especially on the ground level (though archers on the walkways above are scanning it constantly, which means you still have to be careful on the ground). You find your way into one of the homes through a small but passable gap in the woodwork from the trunk below, a home that is guarded from the outside by the Blood Guards (regular ones, though). Inside, you can see a man, you're not sure if Dorriki or a Golgothan who's failed in some way, who has been strapped to a table and gagged. You're reasonably certain his tongue's been had out as well. A Blood Guard wordlessly peels off skin, rubs salt into the wound (eliciting further moans and futile struggles against the chains from the victim), and then stitching the wound shut again. No sound is made by the Blood Guard. No questions are asked.

Otherwise, the Blood Guard are all just standing around looking menacing.

>wat do?

>>23725016
Are there any non Blood Guard commanders? anyway, find the most isolated blood Guard, delusion him with something like "You'll die if you run or make a sound" then blind him and cut his throat.

>>23725076
Killing non-essentials isn't going to do much more than make a small dent while still alerting the rest of the forces (if they aren't already). It might however be fun if we could kill this particular one and free the prisoner. Not sure what he'll do then, maybe he'll try to escape, maybe he'll just grab a weapon and try to go down in a blaze, or maybe he'll just crawl into a corner and hope to be killed when they find him. I don't think it'll actually achieve anything, but it might be fun, if you guys wanna try?

>>23725190
I'm actually rather hopeful our powers will affect Blood Guards a second time around. It worked once but I'd like to confirm...

>>23725076

You can't see anyone who seems to be in charge. There are sergeant-level leaders, but you can't find anyone who looks like a proper officer. The Blood Guards do not speak so far as you can tell. The whole place is kind of deathly silent, actually.

After examining the Blood Guards' positioning for a while, you determine that they're set up so that one Blood Guard is always in view (though usually quite distantly) of another, and you suspect they're keeping an eye on each other at least as much as the passing soldiers (their masks make it impossible to tell where they're looking at any rate). However, when they change position they often disappear from view of one another for several seconds, more than long enough for you to bump off one of the ghastly silent bastards. Their absence will most likely be quickly noted, however.

>>23725256
Delusion? It should be effective, unless you can specifically train to detect and resist it

>>23725265
Let's try and take one of them out. If only just to peel off that robe and know what we're really fighting here.

>>23725467
Can we kill one quickly enough? We don't carry a weapon and the effects of delusion tend to take a few seconds to settle in even when they do what we hope.

>>23725467

You use your standard paralysis Delusion and then toss one of the tall guards off the side of the walkway. Removing the cloak, you discover that he is proportioned like a regular five and a half foot human being who has been vertically stretched out to 8 feet without being made any wider or thicker.

Also, I'm going pretty soon, but we've been winding down for a while, so eh.

>>23725679
Maybe this is just some weird shit they do to seem more scary and there is actually nothing else exciting about these freaks. At least it doesn't seem like something intended as a counter to our dickery, which is nice.

>>23725679
Well we might as well off the sod with his own weapon or a rock and be on our way out of this crapsack occupied town.