>>39442382
>“We should take him prisoner”

>>39442382
>“We should take him prisoner”

Woke up just in time

>>39442382

>“Let's kill him and be done with it”

>>39442382
>“Let's kill him and be done with it”

>>39442382
>Is it possible for us to take him prisoner, Paxton? We can't exactly carry him to the castle, could he get there on his own?
For convincing the giant, maybe
>Now listen up giant, I offer you a choice. Either I kill you, right here, right now, or you are going to be obedient and come with us to our home, and I promise not to execute you for your attack on the caravan.
He's a retard, surely he won't realize we didn't promise him actual safety.

>>39442382
>More questions (write-in)
find out the locations of where he and his brother were hiding out and where their tree friend is, then kill him

>>39442470
This then >>39442438

>>39442425
Wanted to add we should keep him alive as evidence for our shit bird dad, that iquani Prince and the high lord so they don't think it's us just saying shit

>>39442470
Backing this.

>>39442382
>“We should take him prisoner”

“You and your brother were working with a Spriggan, correct? Where were you hiding out?”

The giant squints, and I can almost see the gears turning in his brain as he tries to remember the answer.

“Uh, ya got that way til ya find a big rock that looks like a face, then ya go up fer a bit, til you find a pond, then ya go this way an' then ya find a big tree,” the giant explains, complete with clumsy jabbing finger motions.

Well, that was helpful.

“Could you lead us there?”

“Uh... yes?”

Doesn't exactly fill me with confidence, but there's no chance of us finding the Spriggan any other way without some far more advanced magical sensors, or us deforesting the entire area.

“Do you think we could take him prisoner, Paxton? We can't exactly carry him.”

“He could crawl, it would take a long time though. Plus we don't really have anywhere to keep him. Unless one or the other of us is going to be guarding him all day, he might try to escape, and even a crippled giant could kill a lot of people if he got loose.”

“No way we could threaten him into behaving?”

“Only for as long as it takes him to get hungry or forget what you said.”

What a pain, I suppose we could make use of some of the heavy chains they use for transporting golems, not a perfect solution, but it would hold him for now.

>Get him to lead you to the Spriggan
>Take him back to the castle
>This is too much trouble, kill him

>>39442644
How long would it take for us to get to the castle and back?

>>39442644
Hmm, tough choice.
He's a valuable source of information, but also of inconveniences.
If we go to the Spriggan now, we may not be strong enough to deal with him, but if we go back home, the Spriggan may have time to change location or set up traps for us.

>>39442644
>>This is too much trouble, kill him

>>39442665
With the giant in tow, probably 2-3 days.

>>39442675
We can't really deal with them in the first place

>“Uh, there's me, an' me brother, who's dead, an' me other brother, who's missing, and me other brother, and me other brother, and me sister, and me other sister, and me other sister, and me ma.”

The best way I see it is if we can hold him long enough to get our pops, and atleast the iquani Prince, maybe our high lord to hear what he has to say so we can get an sanctioned expedition into the iquani lands

>>39442716
Without it? Trying to see how valid it would be for one of us to stay and watch the giant here while someone returns to the castle

>>39442733
About 5-6 hours each way.

>>39442718
Anon, only this giant, the Spriggan, and the other giant we killed were in the forest, the rest of his family is in a different kingdom(and the "missing" one is dead).

>>39442644
>>This is too much trouble, kill him

>>39442740
So a bit over half a day?
Is it even plausible to get reinforcements fast?

>>39442752
Oh I thought he meant Lytr was elsewhere as well

>>39442799
Reinforcements? You have a very undersized militia and no additional golems unless you go to a neighboring fief and ask for assistance, which would take a lot longer.

>>39442644

>TAKE HIM BACK TO THE CASTLE

>>39442644
>>Get him to lead you to the Spriggan

>>39442811
Okay, so we're all that's left then.
Then we should probably try to deal with Lytr, I guess.
Could we chain the giant to a rock or something, cripple his other leg, and send some people to notify our father of it? Could the giant get out of such bindings?

>>39442831
The chains are back at the castle, and the giant could probably break free with enough time and effort. The combination of impressive strength, single-minded stupidity and a very high threshold for pain makes giants rather good at that.

>>39442644
>>Get him to lead you to the Spriggan

>>39442851
I see. Well then.
I guess I'll leave this choice to other anons, I can't decide which approach would be better for this situation.

Two for killing him, two for leading to the spriggan. Guess we'll do a final destination vote since this is rather too important to leave to a random roll.

>Kill him
>Spriggan

File: image.jpg (65 KB, 600x450)

65 KB JPG

>>39442870
Me neither seems like some people wave to throw balls to the walls and fight the tree fag and also kill him

Problem with both is if Lytr is in the forest when we fight him that's a huge disadvantage and the Giant is proof that we and the iquani have a definite giant problem

>>39442906
>Spriggan

>>39442906
>Spriggan

>>39442906
Ah fuck it.
I vote to take him back home.

>>39442906
>Spriggan

Going to take a while, but we need to at least find the route to it before we kill the giant.

>>39442929
>>39442946
votes do not count

>>39442910
I think I'm going to vote for Spriggan if we can't take him prisoner anymore, they aren't gods and we have two golems, plus an anti-magic spear, plus this way the giant could be kept alive.
Also our dad killed a whole lot of them, now we're no veteran super soldier, but we can at least do SOMETHING about him, maybe.
Would be better with a better loadout, but eh, what can you do.

Looks like you're going Spriggan hunting then.

>>39442950
oh yeah final destination. Oops. Oh well.

“We're going after the Spriggan. Giant, show us the way.”

I draw the spear back, the giant clutching a meaty hand to his bleeding neck as I step away.

“Prepare yourself, Sief, a Spriggan is a dangerous opponent, especially in the depths of a forest. Be prepared for anything, and keep an eye out for any movement in the trees,” Paxton explains as the giant starts to half shamble, half crawl towards the treeline. This could take a while.

“You've fought one before?”

“A couple of times, with your father, and some other golem knights sent out to assist in reclaiming the land. Unlike giants, Spriggans are clever, but they have their weaknesses too.”

I give the giant a jab to remind it what it's supposed to be doing, as he stops to pick up a deer carcass to chew on, the grumbling giant once again setting off at his snails pace.

“Spriggans are tied heavily to their forests, usually drawing power from a sacred tree. Back in less enlightened times, some primitive tribes worshipped Spriggans and made sacrificial offerings at the base of their tree. Left to its own devices, the Spriggan would just rely on hit and run tactics, wearing us down with its magic. If we are in a position to cause the sacred tree harm though, it will have no choice but to come out of hiding to defend it.”

(cont)

>>39443124
My skin crawls as I consider Sir Paxton's words. The thought that something like that was still lurking in our lands. It should have been dealt with years ago.

“The people they took prisoner, do you think the Spriggan is planning to sacrifice them?”

“Perhaps. I won't pretend to understand how an inhuman creature like that thinks.”

The giant continues to shamble along, turning abruptly as we reach a weathered old standing stone, heading north. I've never been this deep into the forest before, least of all at night, the trees are far taller and wilder here, the stumbling giant and our golems making a cacophony as we plough through branches and thick undergrowth. There's no way we're going to sneak up on this thing.

We finally step out into a clearing, a stagnant pond festering in its centre. I see a few shadowy figures fleeing into the water or back into the tree cover, most likely other low race creatures, though none confident enough to tangle with a golem.

“Uh, it's... this way, I think,” the giant grunts, turning right and continuing.

The forest here feels still, unnaturally so, the trees tower over our golems, gnarled and warped, the shadows casting leering faces on the bark. It feels like we've stepped into a whole other world, one we are not welcome in.

>Roll 1d100

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>39443134
Hold in to your butts

Rolled 44 (1d100)

>>39443134

>>39443134

Rolled 95 (1d100)

>>39443134

File: 53204017.jpg (34 KB, 224x224)

34 KB JPG

>>39443166
Sweeeet

>>39443166
YES
THANK YOU BASED DICE GODS
>>39443164
Thank you for fucking up your roll, anon

We follow the shuffling giant, leaving a trail of blood and crushed undergrowth behind him, his grumbling and dragging feet the only sound save the quiet rustle of the leaves in the still night air.

...oh.

With a twitch of my fingertips, Raziel springs into action, just in time to stop our guide having his neck crushed under a wooden limb as thick as a golem's arm. I feel the magic arcing through the joints of the golem as it pushes back against the incredible force of the thrashing branches, the cold, burning scent of magic drifting through the cockpit. Twisting the grip on the branch, I tear it loose, half-uprooting the ancient tree in the process as Raziel's strength overpowers the enchanted power of the Spriggan's magic.

“He's trying to kill the giant, probably figured we'll be lost without him,” Paxton rumbles, his axe chopping through another pair of tree limbs as the forest comes alive around us.

“Hurry up, stupid thing,” I snap, Raziel giving the giant a kick as he stops, a blank expression on his face as he tries to process all this new stimulus.

“I'm going,” he grumbles, shuffling on through the undergrowth, seemingly oblivious to how hard Paxton and I are working to keep him from getting beaten to death by the Spriggan's magic.

(cont)

>>39443371
Finally he bursts out into a clearing, collapsing to the ground wheezing as he does so.

I don't need him to tell me this is our destination. At its centre sits a massive, twisted tree of impossible proportions, towering over the already impressive surrounding plant life. The foot of the tree is stained a dark reddish brown, a carpet of bones poking out between the fallen leaves and weeds. I can't even begin to imagine how many people lost their lives here, sacrificed to some twisted low race monster masquerading as a god.

The gnarled, claw-like branches stretch out across the entire clearing, the moonlight illuminating the dozens of rusting cages hanging from them, emaciated faces and fearful eyes staring out from within.

“They belong to me, human. The forest god is hungry, he will be given his due,” a deep, groaning voice echoes across the clearing, seemingly coming from all directions at once.

I look from side to side, spotting a tiny figure, smaller than a man, crouched in the branches of one of the trees at the clearing's edge. Long, gangly limbs and tough, scabrous hide setting it apart from humanity.

“Alright Sief, how are we handling this?”

>Write-in

>>39443382
Question, would our anti-magic tree be more effective against the tree, or the Spriggan?

>>39443382
>Step one: Skewer your guide. No risk in having the spiggan say the golem already killed his other brother.
>Step two: Bow meets spiggan

>>39443436
anti-magic spear, I mean

>>39443382
"I'll only ask this once foul creature, why purpose did my mothers death serve?"

As or battle plan I say we shoot the tree and gauge it's defenses. If we're lucky we may cripple any barriers it might have our the tree itself while Pax defends us from oncoming tree fag and any other trees attacks

Acceptable?

>>39443449
>why

Should be what

>>39443436
Sief doesn't know, it will punch through any magical protections either of them have on them though.

>>39443449
Besides that she made and modified the golem that killed his other spiggan family? It was the giants that wanted her dead anyway

>>39443461
Does the magical protection get destroyed, or does the spear simply penetrate it?

>>39443485
Penetrates it, sadly you don't have any more advanced designs which also cause ongoing disruption.

>>39443439
this is good
but can we set fire to the tree?

>>39443471
He's been hiding them as they moved through the forest I'm assuming he was important enough to know or atleast overheard something

>>39443382
Too small a target for bow, equip spear.
>>39443496
Do we know if it has penetrated a protection though? Like, if we poked the tree, would we know if it has magical protection or not?
>>39443439
>destroying your only source of info
No.

>>39443505
From whom would he have overheard anything? These two retards? And if so, why would he know anything we can't learn from the giant?
>>39443498
If the Spriggan is just the body and can be killed by killing the body, then no reason to destroy the tree.
Also you do fucking realize there are people in cages hung up on the branches? Holy shit are you retarded?

>>39443510
we got all the info we are going to get out of it already

>>39443510
>Do we know if it has penetrated a protection though? Like, if we poked the tree, would we know if it has magical protection or not?

Even if it isn't obvious due to a visual reaction, Sief would still know from how the attack felt.

>>39443532
>not bringing the giant as proof to our father
You have no idea how politics and diplomacy works, huh?
We didn't ask every question we could've anyway, and he's no danger to us.
>>39443542
Okay, well then, go at the tree with our spear, check for protection while Paxton handles Lytr as he attacks us(I assume he will).
If no protection on the tree, switch places, have Paxton hack away at the tree to rile up the Spriggan, while we fuck it up with our spear.
Don't actually topple the tree, we have to save the humans on it.

>>39443565
proof like are father cares

>>39443565
We can rip shit into him with a giants severed head well enough, and the survivors may have better info that the spiggan spoke of with the late giants

>>39443588
>our father not caring about the giant family who ordered his wife's death

Lol Wut

>>39443618
why would we need it alive to tell him that

>>39443610
You can't honestly tell me you think people kept in the cages way up there have been keeping their ears open for info in case they're rescued.
>>39443618
This, our father may be degenerate filth, but he is very emotional about mom.
I'm honestly not sure anymore if telling him about this is a smart idea to be honest.
>>39443630
It's not about TELLING HIM, it's about showing him, about making sure he believes it.
Because we didn't get every possible piece of info from the giant. You do realize interrogation is a very advanced process that has specialists in the field, right?
Because he would react more so if we brought first hand info.
Because anon, because why the fuck not? Why would you want to kill the giant? There's literally no reason to do it, he's crippled and out of breath, he won't be able to attack us in any way, at most he will maybe help against Lytr.

>>39443673
Besides the warnings that a giant is too stupid with a high tolerance for pain, that even crippled he could kill a lot of people?

>>39443818
Not people in golems who don't step in front of him

Seems to be some conflict on what to do, so let's put it to a vote.

>Kill the giant now
>Leave him

and

>Attack the tree while Paxton fends off the Spriggan
>Fend off the Spriggan while Paxton attacks the tree

>>39443871
>Kill
>attack tree

>>39443871
>>Leave him
Can we attack the tree to see about the protection first, and then switch to fending off Spriggan?

>>39443871
>>Kill the giant now
>Fend off the Spriggan while Paxton attacks the tree

>>39443896
You sure can.

>>39443871
>Kill the giant now
>Fend off the Spriggan while Paxton attacks the tree

>>39443871
>Kill the giant now
>Fend off the Spriggan while Paxton attacks the tree

>>39443871
>>39443871
First vote
>Leave Him

>Attack the tree while Paxton fends off the Spriggan

>>39443871
>>Kill the giant now

>>39443997
>this post

>>39443933
Let's do that real quick then.
Although to be honest, I think Paxton is better suited to fighting the Spriggan, he has axes, a sword, and guns(I think).

>>39444078
Crossbow actually

Killing the giant wins.

Equal votes on attacking the tree or the spriggan first, so I'm going to let Sief try out attacking the tree, then switch to the spriggan.

>Roll 2d100

Rolled 46, 41 = 87 (2d100)

>>39444116

Rolled 27, 50 = 77 (2d100)

>>39444116

Rolled 65, 34 = 99 (2d100)

>>39444116
SIEF SLAYER OF TREES
SIEF-TREEBANE

Rolled 3, 50 = 53 (2d100)

>>39444116

>>39444150
>>39444151
>>39444152

65 50

Very mediocre.

“You hold him off, I'm going to hit the tree, see if it's got any wards on it,” you explain, lining up the tip of the impaler and driving it through the giant's throat, a surprised croak the only reaction you get before you pull it loose, the giant's body dropping to the ground.

“Alright, don't take too long though, I'm not sure I can handle him alone,” Sir Paxton replies, his bulky golem raising its arm and firing off another pair of the bolts into the trees, ripping through branches and scattering leaves, the Spriggan hopping out of the way and disappearing into the foliage.

Turning, I charge for the tree, driving the spear into the gnarled wood, splintering the bark and drawing forth an trail of suspiciously dark, reddish sap. I felt a little resistance, but nothing major, most likely wards designed more for keeping the local wildlife away than anything which could keep a golem from destroying it.

“Blasphemer, you strike at the forest itself. I'll bleed you both dry,” the Spriggan howls, his voice creaking and groaning, echoed by the forest around you as it comes to life.

The trees at the edge of the clearing seem to lean in closer, oppressive and monstrous. I can only hope that Sir Paxton can hold his own again-

I narrowly avoid it as Sir Paxton's golem crashes past me, digging a deep furrow into the earth of the clearing with a sickening sound of the countless bones around the tree splintering under the weight of the golem.

“Are you alright, Paxton?”

“Nothing broken, I think,” his voice grumbles after a nervewracking silence.

Turning, I see the Spriggan clearly for the first time, its skin is knotted bark, its eyes deep hollow pits in a lumpen, half-formed face, arms long and wiry, hanging down to its knees. It towers over Sir Paxton's golem, and has a couple of metres on mine.

“Let me pry you out of that shell, boy,” it sneers, its mouth little more than a featureless split in the wood of its face.

Well, this could be bad.

>Plan of Action?

>>39444410
shit man I dunno
try to fuck up its balance?
keep our distance?
get him away from Paxton?
aim for the torso/face/legs?

>>39444410
Keep our distance and attempt to flank, it is 1v2 and although he has the height advantage we have numbers.
Evade around dodging his long arms and strike when the opportunity presents itself. If we can get a good shot at its back attempt to cut it off at the knees.

>>39444410
Try to hold him off and fall back long enough for Pax to get back in there then draw our bow and shoot the tree

It has nothing major defending it ward-wise

>>39444410
I say we play defensively and try to keep him away from Paxton with our impaler. Once Paxton gets back in the fight we support him with our crossbow

>Roll 1d100

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>39444814
FAIL

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>39444814

Rolled 2 (1d100)

>>39444814

>>39444830
Looks like you saved us from failure

I step between the spriggan and Paxton, levelling the Impaler at him.

“Can you still move, Paxton?”

I hear the grinding of the legion golem struggling to stand behind me.

“I can, but he shook up the balance pretty bad, give me a minute.”

Easier said than done, the Spriggan lunges forward, gnarled claws raised to smash into Raziel's head, charging straight towards the point of the spear. If this was a giant, I might put that down to sheer overconfidence and stupidity, but Paxton said these things are smarter than that.

I twist the grip on the spear, Raziel hopping back as a creeping mass of vines seek to entwine themselves around my weapon, ripping away those that had already started to work their way up the golem's legs.

The Spriggan darts to the side, freakishly light on its feet for something so big, trying to get into the blind spot from where I moved, but not quick enough. Raziel's arms spark as I push more power from the golem's core into them, swinging the spear around in an arc, driving the point straight towards the surprised spriggan.

(cont)

>>39445130
It dodges back, avoiding a fatal blow, the speartip ripping through the bark of its flesh, tearing up what passes for a cheek on its half-formed features. I feel a jolt of magical energy as dark green wards flare up in the creature's flesh, rendered obsolete by the impaler's built in enchantments.

“Filthy human, you will not have my sacrifices,” it howls, a creaking, groaning sound erupting from the forest around me.

If before I felt like the forest was pressing in like some malevolent force, now I know it is, trees uprooting themselves, clumsily grasping for us with wooden limbs. Paxton appears alongside me, his golem favoring one leg slightly, but still mostly operational. We need to move fast or we could well be overwhelmed by the forest itself.

>Paxton attacks the Spriggan, you attack the sacred tree again
>You attack the Spriggan, Paxton attacks the sacred tree
>Both gang up on the Spriggan
>Paxton fends off the attacking trees while you fight the Spriggan
>Paxton fights the Spriggan while you fend off the attacking trees

>>39445150
>>Both gang up on the Spriggan
I don't think this thing can get taken down if fight it one at a time

>>39445150
Attacking the tree was to get the spriggan to want to attack, focus on the Spriggan

>>39445150
>You attack the Spriggan, Paxton attacks the sacred tree
is the tree tied to the spriggans power?

>>39445150
>>Both gang up on the Spriggan

>>39445150
>>Paxton fights the Spriggan while you fend off the attacking trees

>>39445150
Is the trees uprooting themselves the work of the sacred tree? If no, then
>>Both gang up on the Spriggan
If yes, then
>>You attack the Spriggan, Paxton attacks the sacred tree

>>39445150
>You attack the Spriggan, Paxton attacks the sacred tree

I've give him our longbow and buy time and room for him to shoot the shoot out of the tree

He's injured so he should take support he's got wards on his flesh so this is the time to change roles

>>39445240
The spriggan has magic without the tree, but nowhere near as powerful.

It's like a focus/power battery.

>>39445150
>Both gang up on the Spriggan
The faster it drops the faster the Spooky Scary ends.

Captcha:
>heros

Ya god damned right Captcha.

>>39445240
Yeah

>“Spriggans are tied heavily to their forests, usually drawing power from a sacred tree. Back in less enlightened times, some primitive tribes worshipped Spriggans and made sacrificial offerings at the base of their tree. Left to its own devices, the Spriggan would just rely on hit and run tactics, wearing us down with its magic. If we are in a position to cause the sacred tree harm though, it will have no choice but to come out of hiding to defend it.”

>>39445298
Basically what I'm hearing is.

>Beat up on the spriggan, it retreats to hit and run, beat up on the tree, spriggan attacks to protect tree, beat up spriggan, repeat until both are dead.

>>39445150
>>You attack the Spriggan, Paxton attacks the sacred tree

>>39445337
More or less unless we get another good hit on the tree with a heavy weapon

Looks like you're ganging up on the Spriggan.

>Roll 2d100

Rolled 99, 45 = 144 (2d100)

>>39445391

Rolled 36, 100 = 136 (2d100)

>>39445391

Rolled 8, 31 = 39 (2d100)

>>39445398
>>39445401
>99, 100
Praise be unto the dice gods
>>39445391

>>39445398
>>39445401
>99,100

Well that's something alright.

File: 1427945889388.gif (1.14 MB, 260x173)

1.14 MB GIF

>>39445398
>>39445401

Spriggan is kill?

>>39445919
mebe

If we're going to deal with the spriggan it will have to be now, before the bastard thing buries us under an army of trees.

“Let's finish this, I'll take the right, you take the left.”

“On it,” Paxton replies, firing off another bolt which the Spriggan catches on a forearm, the heavy quarrel sparking off the green wards and hard skin of the creature.

When it brings its arm down, we are already in motion, Paxton swinging his axe for the side of the knee as I stab the spear up under the arm. The spriggan roars, kicking out at Paxton, who's axe leaves a deep tear down the creature's shin, splintering the bark and sending the wards crackling and flickering with the force of the blow. Unfortunately the force of it knocks the spriggan out of the way of my strike, the impaler glancing off the shoulder as the spriggan staggers away, back towards his precious tree.

I raise Raziel's arm as I see the first of the trees approaching, a heavy branch shattering against the wards and toughened stone, easy enough for the golem to resist on its own. Smashing the tree back into those behind it with a heavy elbow, toppling it and creating a cacophonous echo out into the night sky, I turn to face the spriggan once more.

Paxton is trading blows with it, hacking and cleaving with his axe, pushing the spriggan back further and further until its back is to its precious tree. Its chest and arms are covered in scratches and cracks, but I can see the thin wisps of smoke and blue flares from the joints of the old Legion golem with every blow, he's pushing the outdated golem to its limits to fight this thing.

(cont)

>>39445956
“Sief, now,” he roars, his last blow staggering the spriggan, the creature leaning against the sacred tree for support. I see Paxton's golem drop its arm, the strain finally too much for it. It's now or never.

I charge, ducking another clumsy swing by one of the encroaching trees, leveling my spear as I weave through the forest of attackers. The Spriggan sees me coming, raising an arm to stop me far too soon, I dip the point of the spear, slipping it under his hasty guard, driving it home into the creature, through bark and flesh and wood beneath.

The clearing all at once becomes silent, the trees stopping in their tracks as one, the spriggan makes a croaking, hacking sound, coughing up a glob of pale greenish-brown fluid. Darker, thicker liquids leaking from its chest where it stands, held up by the spear buried in its chest alone, driven through the spriggan and the tree beneath in one mighty strike.

“That's not fair,” it whines, jaw going slack as its head slumps forward, dead.

The forest comes alive with crashing and booming as the trees, no longer rooted and no longer supported by the spriggan's magic, start to topple and collide. A strange, groaning cry echoing out from the depths of the sacred tree.

The cockpit of Paxton's golem snaps open, and I see my teacher emerge coughing and sputtering, waving away bluish-black smoke, the interior ablaze with magical energy, burns along his arms from the golem's overloaded power flow.

It's over, you think, though this fight didn't give you any of the answers you were looking for.

>What now, Sief?

>>39445987
The spriggan mentioned sacrifices. Maybe there are captives nearby

>>39446025
You saw the sacrifices already, they're in cages hanging from the branches of the sacred tree.

>>39445987
>this fight didn't give you any of the answers you were looking for
Yeah, because retards decided to kill the giant.
>check the captives in the cages
>make sure the Spriggan is dead
Did we just kill the forest, by the way? If so, wow, wonderful job, Sief!
>>39446025
How can you be this retarded?

>>39445987
Lets save us some "sacrifices". Get those poor people out of the tree.

>>39445987
See if you can help Paxton, help him out if the golem and/or use dirt to try to out those fires

>>39445987
Save the sacrifices.

>>39445987
>>What now, Sief?
take a trophy from the spriggan, help Paxton, free sacrifices

>>39445987
free the people, harvest wood
I am pretty sure we can make something nice out of that magic/sacred wood

should we make taking trophies a thing? if i ever kill something/someone i'd take a trophy.
any thought and/or opinions on the matter?

>>39446595
No, Sief is not the kind of arrogant brat to take trophies of enemies, he's honorable and keeps his duty in mind, acts out of a sense of obligation partially.

>>39446625
>arrogant brat
it doesn't have to be for bragging or stuff like that, could just be a small memento for when he gets old and forgetful and wants to think about the good old days and he brings out his chest and goes through the items and starts to remember

>>39446595
The spriggan wasn't worthy of being a trophy. Just the tales told by those we rescue is enough for Sief. To know he helped make this world a better place for mankind to live in.

When we come across something truely testing of our mettle maybe then we will take a small trophy, like a fang of a beast that puts us on death's door.

>>39446729
how about something as a memento for when our memory starts failing us?

>>39446816
No anon, first of all no reason our memory would start failing us, second of all why would you want to remember this.

“You alright, Paxton?”

Your teacher nods, still coughing, waving away more of the smoke.

“I'm fine, I think my golem's going to need some repairs before it's ready for a proper fight again though, it's been a long time since the old girl had such a workout,” he rumbles.

“Need any help with that?”

“No, the flareup should die down on its own soon enough since it's inactive, you go help the captives.”

Fortunately, freeing the people proves to be fairly easy, the ropes holding them in place snapping under Raziel's strength as I pull them loose from the tree one by one. Before too long I have a dozen cages on the ground, wrenching open the doors.

The people are deeply shaken, but thankful, I step out of my golem to speak with them in person, though staying close enough to hop back in should some unexpected threat rear its head. Most of the captives are farmers, loggers, traders, that sort of thing, those unfortunate enough to have been bordering the forest. It seems many more didn't make it, and Paxton and I lead them away from the carpet of bones, thankful for the fallen trees blocking their view of the sacrificial grounds.

Once I have spoken to the captives, calmed them, and weathered several dozen tearful hugs from people rendered rather... aromatic... by their extended imprisonment, I manage to step away to speak with Paxton.

“I think we should set off at first light, even without the spriggan, trying to get all these people back through the forest at night would be dangerous,” he explains, testing his legion golem's limbs, which seem to still be functioning, the blocky arms twitching and turning.

(cont)

>>39446851
when we get old
why wouldn't you want to remember this?

>>39446873
“Makes sense. In the meantime, I'm going to take some wood from the tree. If we could hand it over to the artificers they might be able to build something good.”

Paxton nods.

“I would think so, a powerful foci for arcane energies, if a little grim. I'm not sure I'd recommend leaving it with Virgil however, he's passable at maintenance, but actual design is not his strong suit.”

Walking away, a thought comes to mind, and I turn to Paxton once more.

“This isn't going to cause any lasting damage to the forest is it?”

“No, contrary to what that creature thought, neither it or its precious tree are forest gods, just a jumped up monster and a tree acting as a focal point for the forest's energies, corrupted by centuries of spilled blood. If anything, cutting out this sickness might make the forest a little healthier.”

I do wonder what sort of weapon could be made from such a thing, but Paxton may be right, it might be worth saving it until I can commission a more skilled artificer.

It takes some time to carve loose a chunk of the old tree with the aid of Paxton's axe, a heavy length of lumber slung over Raziel's shoulder just in time for the first rays of dawn to break the horizon.

“Sief.”

I turn to glance at Paxton, his golem now up and operational, if a little jerky in its movements, the cockpit open as he runs it through some final tests.

“You did well today, very well. Your father, as a knight... he would have been proud.”

“Thank you Paxton.”

I wish I could be happier about my victories, but there is still so much I don't understand, so many things I need to learn, and, perhaps revenge to seek, so I can finally put some ghosts to rest.

For today though, I saved a lot of lives, and that's enough for me.

>End of Thread

Thank you all for playing. I'm going to be stepping out for a bit, but if you have any questions, post them and I'll reply when I return.

>>39446966
Refresh my memory, Sief has no talent with the magics, right?

>>39447002
No human has a talent with magic, and being a golem artificer is something which takes many years of study at either the Imperial Golemcraft Academy in the capital, or apprenticeship in the Foundry Isles.

>>39446966
Thanks for running WL

How are wars fought in this setting? Did the Golems replace all troops? Or are they rarer command/shock/elite skirmish units? Can a man ever hope to stop a golem of any design?

>>39447110
Parkour

>>39447110
You're welcome.

Golems are actually a fairly recent invention, dating back perhaps a century at most, and are the main reason that the empire exists, since that's where they were invented. Imperial warfare is still mostly regular troops, supported by golems as, as you said, command/shock/elite skirmish units. The empire also makes use of certain Great Beast units, such as griffon riders, although that's falling out of fashion in the empire in recent years as golemcraft advances.

Outside of the empire it varies wildly, most non-imperial nations still make use of elementals, which are kind of like a precursor to golems grown from the magic of spirits. Elementals tend to be far rarer than golems given the serious time investment in growing them, with most elementals taking centuries to fully mature, but a powerful elemental is still miles ahead of the most advanced modern golems in terms of power. Also, different nations tend to have their own great beasts for support, the Fenris Wolves of the Garou Tribes, the Behemoths of the Iquani nomads etc.

As for a man stopping a golem, some of the oldest designs were fragile enough that sustained assault to the legs from ground troops could disrupt the magic and bring the golem down where the cockpit could be pried open. Modern designs tend to be more durable than that, so even the most skilled warrior would need to rely on a Great Beast or some siege artillery to stand a chance against a golem in single combat.

Oh yes, and thread archived.

>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Golem%20Knight%20Quest

Next thread will most likely be next weekend, see you all then.

>>39447939
>Great Beast units
>Fenris Wolves of the Garou Tribes
>Griffons
Yessssssssss

>although that's falling out of fashion in the empire in recent years as golemcraft advances.

gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy

>>39448217
Still plenty of them out there, they just aren't AS big a thing as they were back before golems advanced. Sure, in the future they might have completely fallen out of use, but that's not something that's going to happen during the quest.

Still plenty of Fenris Wolves though, since the Garou Tribes don't use golems.

>>39448293
Hey
Hey

What if... What if... We took a great beast and enhanced it with golem crafting techniques?

>>39448332
Or Ride a suitably large Wolf with our golem.

>>39448332
That would require many years of research and development, and would be a whole new school of research. Though that's not to say that some cultures don't have their own methods of advancing Great Beasts.

The Royal Behemoths of the Iquani would be a good example, which are Behemoths fed from birth on a diet of alchemical elixirs and rare herbs to increase size, strength and durability, each of the Khan's 342 children has one, which they have raised since childhood.

>>39448338
>>39448404
Well other than pulping Mama giants head between Raziel's hands and bringing glory to our family name once more I know what other goal I have

>>3944840
That man is going to be temporary competition for Ur in the children department with a number like that.

Are female giants as stupid as their male counterparts? Because if Mama giant is as stupid as her sons, I'd say that she's probably just a patsy used to take care of someone's dirty work in killing Sief's mum.

>>39449602
Maybe. I find it somewhat troubling that the Iquani had a Giant infestation and done nothing about unless they didn't know. Either way this rabbit hole may be deeper than it seems