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>>40731237
>1.

“Very well, I agree to act as your agent regarding this,” you say. “We can handle the oaths later, unless you have on prepared.”

“I do not. Furthermore, given the next matter they may be affected,” Raphael says. “You are aware of the current state of the Lord of Ember?”

“How can I not be? I grew up not far from his lands,” you say, shrugging.

Raphael nods. “Then perhaps you may be amenable to the next proposal. I have ignored the problem as it has not been something that I feel is in my domain – although Ember is a danger, he is not threatening the continent itself. Furthermore, he is a product of humanity and not of divine origin. Saareg did remind me that he still has a destabilising effect on the Barrier and that he may not remain as inactive as he is now.”

“So now you want him removed but aren’t willing to do it yourself because it’s ‘not in your domain’?” you say, unable to keep all the bitterness of the excuse out of your tone.

Raphael pauses for a moment, looking at you directly. “No, I would slay him myself but the cost would prevent me from maintaining the Barrier for some time. Saareg is powerful, but his power is a poor match for Ember’s. You may have a better chance, particularly with your powerful companions. If you were to march on Ember’s capital after taking over from the Guard as you currently plan, then you could remove him.”

>continued

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>>40731251
“So, take on one of the three most powerful beings around,” you say. “That sounds fun but not the sort of thing I’d do for kicks normally.”

“If you do this, then I shall answer any and all questions you have about your powers, angels and other matters. There’ll be little need to keep such matters secret once you’ve taken this step,” Raphael says.

“That’s… nice, but not a huge payment,” you say, frowning.

Raphael shrugs, his armour shifting about. Nothing is said for some time as Raphael seems to wander the room, with only the sound of the rain on the window filling the void. You let the archangel think, finding it interesting to have him at such a loss. Eventually, you feel the need to fill it yourself.

>1. Remain silent until Raphael says something.
>2. Ask Raphael why he’s asking you specifically to do this.
>3. Ask Raphael if there’s an alternative option.
>4. Custom

>>40731309
>2. Ask Raphael why he’s asking you specifically to do this.

>>40731309
>4. "If I do this thing what support could you rally to my side?"

>>40731309
>2. Ask Raphael why he’s asking you specifically to do this.

>>2. Ask Raphael why he’s asking you specifically to do this.

>>40731309
ask him to also not raise the number of soldiers we need to send to the wall from now until 3 years after we take out ember.
he did say he would be asking for more troops as we grew

>>40731332
I mostly think this would be a good thing to ask first because he does have ties to the god king of Malatine given he is willing to be his agent. If we could get Saareg and the archmage's support I think it could be worth it.

>>40731309
>>1. Remain silent until Raphael says something.

>>40731353
i guess this is a >4

I cant see us being strong enough at that point to take him out.

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>>40731381
But God Knights though

Another thing to keep in mind is the timing. If we have some time to fuse the guard into the empire and can get Valkyries and the pattern factories then it's much more palatable.

We will need to level grind like mad though and keep our helldragon in complete reserve so we can fire all her power off at once.

>>40731424
CANT

>>40731381
if the Arch Angel of life thinks we are then I think he would know better then anyone if we are.

>>40731424
God knights have one big weakness in that their numbers are limited. We also finally got juggernaut armor so if we can expand our elite daywalker knights/ Human knights/ dragons. We could probably push them back with just efficiency of numbers.

Fluffy tails however will not be nearly as efficient as they have been in this battle.

We should also see the reactions of the other lords because if they join in it's a lost cause.

>>40731476
>We should also see the reactions of the other lords because if they join in it's a lost cause.
>The other lords join Ember
>Here lies Talon
>He tried

If that happens I'll just vote to give into shadow Talon or pandemonium or whatever and just watch everything burn down

>>40731476
We may want to see if we can get a push into Alyce's portal research in order to move men where we need them and out maneuver the god-knights.

>>40731502
They have ignored everything about ember and his battle so far at least. Not too sure how they would react to ember risking death though.

>>40731504
fund it! literally

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>>40731504
>>40731438
We really need to get on the asses of our Rangers and mages/summoners

Speaking of which did we ever get a summoner tower or school?

One more thing how long until Siege Archers get a order? I know it's going to happen

What if we took siege archers and mages and just just put them together

>>40731541
Why would you shoot our mages at the enemy, I don't understand.

>>40731541
>One more thing how long until Siege Archers get a order? I know it's going to happen

That would probably just be the rangers really.

>We really need to get on the asses of our Rangers and mages/summoners

Rangers are too low in numbers to make much of a difference here. We need numbers. Summons are excellent though if we can figure out a way to mass chain them in rituals using the battery Mal made if possible.

>>40731567
Something about ethics I think

Also I note something interesting. Since the vote to split the nightwalkers though the legions won we could proably have a really deadly night raiding crew in each legion.

50 spell blades+200 nightwalkers+50-100 MMK.

It risks some of the most fundamental units I think we have in the spellblades but it would be scary as shit if they moved fast enough to get out.

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>>40731596
We dont need ethics where we're going

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>>40731612
Well yeah until we become known for our brutal night raids and our enemy starts to adapt to them

But until then good luck sleeping at night assholes

Mam do u want to unlease the nightwalkers I've been waiting to see that forever

>tfw Felix leads a pack of elite unleashed nightwalkers

Absolutely beautiful

>>40731660
>Mam do u

Man do I*

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>2.

“I have to wonder – why ask me? The other Lords are closer and more powerful, and the same can be said of Malataine,” you say. “The League has been fighting Ember for years, on and off, and with your support could easily vanquish him. It seems strange to request it of me.”

“Really?” Raphael asks, the barest hint of surprise in his booming voice. “Do you think me the sort to have close connections and allies across the continent? To be able to speak to those with power and convince them to take the right course?”

“Well, don’t you do that with the Barrier? Isn’t that your position as Archangel of Life?” you ask. “You do that with me.”

Raphael shakes his head and leans on the table between the two of you with his armoured arms. “And only with you. The Lords and Malataine’s God-King only acknowledge my existence when absolutely necessary or when our goals align – such as when dealing with Pharos or stopping the shadowbeasts. Working closely with humans tends to easily backfire, as I do not have the political nous to work with them. The only ruler I ever worked with closely willingly let herself be bent to your will. All others have been ephemeral or non-political.

“I lack the ability to carry the world myself and you are my only connection, my only potential ally,” Raphael continues. “Once there were five of us, then two, now just myself. I have no armies; no allies and no easy source of power.”

You take in the words, unsure of what to make of them. It didn’t feel like an appeal to your generosity so much as an earnest response. You’d thought little of your time with Raphael, having met only very briefly a few times and had some small conversations. Clearly they were more important to the archangel than yourself.

You…

>1. Ask Raphael if there’s an alternative option.
>2. Tell Raphael you need to think on it.
>3. Ask Raphael if he’s thought of a better reward yet.
>4. Custom

>>40731660
>Well yeah until we become known for our brutal night raids and our enemy starts to adapt to them

Even that could be used to our advantage. Just make a rapid fire false attack with summons or the likes and put them all on higher alert while Talons men sleeps at home.

Though to be really dirty in a army with very little magic the full moon could be a nightmare.

>>40731719
>3. Ask Raphael if he’s thought of a better reward yet.
"a job this big calls for a sword even bigger. is there anything you can give me that might make my sword arm a little more eager?"

>>40731719
>>1. Ask Raphael if there’s an alternative option.

Personally I think we should do it but only when given enough time to truly prepare. We should first see what alternatives there is.

We might be able to rally support with the other human leaders to handle ember.

>>40731660
>Absolutely beautiful

Honestly for me I kind of can't wait till we build up decent numbers of daywalker knights. Just stick about one thousand of them under Talon's personal command and watch the chaos.

>>40731780
Placing my support behind this.

>>40731719
>The only ruler I ever worked with closely willingly let herself be bent to your will.

I was wondering how long until he'd call that

>“Once there were five of us, then two, now just myself

Huh so the other Angel is truly gone?

Man Raph sounds sad as fuck man underneath all that armor is just a twisting soul ball of sadness

>>40731830
>Huh so the other Angel is truly gone?

Probably not. I"m pretty sure she still is alive but he can't get to her. Or something like by waking her up the barrier fails or something.

>>40731719
I'll toss in with this >>40731780 now that I've caught up.

Another thing is if we do this we should save every scrap of FR points we have. That way we can just spam them and get nothing but 20s against ember or avoid a crit fail. He can probably counter them with his own astral but at least we will force him to waste power doing so. Which could be fatal with the helldragon or another heavy hitter active.

>>40731719
>1. Ask Raphael if there’s an alternative option.
>3. Ask Raphael if he’s thought of a better reward yet. (something something transformation)

>>40731719
>3. Ask Raphael if he’s thought of a better reward yet.

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>1.

Still, you’re uneasy, “Let’s say I don’t think I’m ready to stop Ember myself. Is there any way we can actually work together on this? Your power and my resources?”

Raphael goes deathly still, then says, “I would not have proposed this normally, but now… The Barrier is my utmost priority and must be protected but the amount of energy I would use in defeating Ember would leave me vulnerable when the next great siege by the beasts comes. With your Source active and unbound, I could rely on you to regain my energy where I previously could not. It would still take a decade or so for me to return to my current state, however.”

Something about that seems very off and you voice it, “Hold on, you can’t regain energy currently? There’s a Place of Power underneath the Last Retreat, can’t you rely on that?”

Raphael is still very still, but you can feel a lot of pressure on yourself. “That Place of Power is needed for another. The residual energies of the Retreat and measures taken after the formation of the Magi Line mountains allow me to maintain my current form without loss of energy while I am present there but the residual power of your dominion is far greater, even idly like this.”

>continued

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>>40732012
You drum your fingers on the table. “A decade. That seems dangerous for you to be inactive even that long. Is that really the only option?”

“If we both wish for Ember to be destroyed, then either you or myself will have to defeat him. You could rally others, or you could ask for my aid and then give me yours in return,” Raphael says. “As for that decade… you would need to defend the Barrier in my stead against the next great siege. To do so would require you to redirect enormous amounts of resources from your own efforts in order to defend it. I do not think you wish to do that.”

“I don’t wish to die against Ember, either,” you mutter.

“Then don’t die,” Raphael says, finally moving again as he stands up straight. “If you choose this alternative, I’ll place Saareg under your command and provide you with my knowledge so long as I reside with you. Of course, you can merely do neither. I cannot force you to take action, but you will have to face Ember one day and if you do so sooner rather than later then I will provide you what knowledge I may.”

You click your tongue. “What about your sister? Couldn’t she help?”

[DC 14 Raphael’s Trust]

>>40732030
>40732030

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>40732030
Fucking dice gods give this one to us please.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>40732030
Dramatic gasp and reveal

Please don't fuxk this up

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>40732030

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>40732030

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>40732030
Lets pray.

>>40732044
>>40732046
>>40732048
At least we didn't Nat out

>>40732030
Honestly it may be a good idea to Get Raphael+Talon to double team Ember.

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Okay, so you can either spend an FR point to convince Raphael to tell you (which doesn't involve mindrape or anything like that - hell, if somebody works out how he'd do it I'd give it to you for free) or it'll be after you kill Ember or the next demonic attack before you find out anything more about Samael (and get a chance to find her).

>>40732114
lets kill the fuck outta ember
glory to harrowmont!

>>40732085
I mean we could probably just defend the barrier if we played all our cards plus the slumbering hell dragon card named Syl

Got the Monks to stop jerking each other and their weird alternate dimension thing

Heh maybe we could get Lyn's dad too

>>40732114
eh lets wait and save the point

>>40732114
A sparring match?

A long convoluted debate?

Chess?

Wasn't the big thing about Samael that she was more reasonable then Raphael?

Maybe if we could convince him that ember is a danger that Samael would want to know of. He has finally got a lifeline that could defend the world so being trusting here could be a good shot to fix things. Seems like something his sister would want.


Though personally I say not to burn the FR point. We already got Raph so we could easily get the helldragon and just go wild.

>>40732114
Feels more appropriate to gain this trust after killing Ember, to be honest...

>>40732131
I'm honestly worried with Lynn's dad. If we blow all our load on ember then if he wakes up and realizes the helldragon is at her weakest then he might just melt our keep.

>>40732114
is the reason he cant use the source under the shadow barrier because she is using it to heal?

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>Target not met

Shaking his head, Raphael says, “I believe that would be a feat more difficult than slaying Ember. Once you’ve done so, I’ll happily speak of it. Until then, there is no risk.”

You idly munch on the sandwiches while you think on the offer and Raphael watches you. The watching is actually kind of annoying, mostly because you feel like you’ve being weighed up. Part of you wants to think this is just a test and agree, but you also don’t think the current Raphael would do that. You may have seen a different aspect of him last night, but you also saw those eyes of his which spoke of an even different being. To even pretend you can read this archangel is foolishness.

“You do not need to rush to a decision. I am happy to reside her until you have thought it over and can give me your answer, yay or nay,” Raphael says, taking long strides to the door.

Something clicks in your mind, “Of course you’re happy to stay. You haven’t been able to regain any energy for a hundred and sixty years and now you can do so.”

Raphael freezes. “Is there a problem?”

“No, though I wonder if you plan on staying here permanently,” you ask.

“Hardly. To ask it of you without recompense would be unworthy of me and such a strong connection between the two of us could make others unwilling to reinforce the Barrier,” he says. “However, should times come where I need to stay here while working with you on matters while you act as my agent or to protect the world or Barrier, then perhaps I could provide you with limited information and… entertainment in return.”

“Entertainment like last night?”

>continued

Another thing to keep in mind is how long can we bluff out Pharos once we take out Ember?

If Ralph needs ten years then that's ten years he couldn't just bitch slap them with us. We'll need something dangerous to keep their movements down.

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>>40732321
“If that was entertaining, then yes,” he says. “Shall I speak to you tonight, then? Again, you need not rush to a decision.”

With that, Raphael strode out of the door. Somehow, it felt to you that you may have uncovered the real reason behind this visit. The matter of acting as his agent was most important, but Ember gave a good excuse for Raphael for remain here and potentially revisit. Still, you felt an earnestness earlier and Raphael was not the sort to lie, you felt. Rather, he felt incapable of doing so.

And was incapable, if what you’d been told was true. The price for being able to tell truth from lie by sight was to be unable to tell one yourself – or perhaps it was the other way around. As such, you felt compelled to consider the matter carefully, even though you weren’t sure if you should agree at all.

>That’s the thread

Next thread on the 27th June at 7pm EDT.

I’ll be back in 3 hours and will look at doing some SoL if people are still interested. As people may have guessed, this is somewhat setting up the tone and a possible path going forward. On top of all the other issues that will arise, bigger players such as Pharos and Raphael will be taking a personal interest.

Oh, and the FR point method would have involved using it to give Raphael a huge amount of energy at once as a sign of Talon's earnestness to help. He's been running on the same tank of fuel for a hundred and sixty years after all, and the same must also be true of his sister.

>>40732188
She is most likely on life support.

>>40732339
I was thinking of that after that one anon mentioned the POP. Didn't click in time though.


Though Aspirational I wonder something. We know the helldragon waifu can burn though more power then she normally can refill. But if she was to take a nap in the source could Talon redirect power to her to speed up her recovery to full power?

>>40732339
i dont think its a bad idea to help the angels. especially since hes holding back the shadow beasts and all. can we give him the freedom to regain his strength here as long as he doesnt get in the way of our conquests, he answers our questions, and he mops up the spirit beasts?

having him in tip top shape sounds like a good idea to me

>>40732391
I think the real danger is burning a lot of our power here then risking Pharos and the others like demons trying something.

On the other hand I think having the archangel owe us everything would be an incredible asset and Talon is immortal so he can handle even decades of waiting to take the world over.

>>40732339
Thanks for the thread, Aspirational. Unfortunately, I will probably be asleep for at least half of the SoL...

>>40732339
>>40732367
>>40732391

didnt we lock down another POP in an earlier thread, couldnt we direct them to that POP to heal up if the source at Harrowmount isnt enough?

>>40732339
Just because I've lost track now. How old is Talon getting now? For some reason I feel he should be in his late forties at this point.

>>40732339
Thanks for the run bro

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>>40732367
No, because dragons generate their own energy. They've basically got an internal generator and messing with that sort of thing is beyond the remit of the Source - if you could mess with it, you could do stuff like accelerate the tail growing process of foxes (and let them get more than otherwise possible), but you can't.

Raphael can only do it because of the way angels draw on any astral point 'close' to them, instead of just wherever their soul happens to be connected to (Heaven, in Raphael's case, which has now been sealed off from angels in Gauron). This is why Dominion is important - in order for it to exist, the Source is basically providing a massive amount for you to tap into at any moment. Angels can tap into that, so long as you don't prevent them from doing so. Lords, Talon and Fae cannot, however.

>>40732350
Kind of correct, though there's more to it. Let's just say she's not in the Last Retreat and Gnome has danced around the topic previously.

>>40732436
IIRC, he was 34 in 1952 and it's now 1961, so he's 43. This also means Sarah is now 27 and Caitlyn is 28.

>>40732427
That ties us to Gnome.

Although. I wonder if it would be possible to let Raphael take it. Then use the source to keep gnome from degrading.

We know we can already do so but she'll drop two levels to one if we do.

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>>40732462
The PoP isn't actually a proper solution, or else Raphael would have claimed one before elsewhere (Samael is using it for something else than sustaining herself as such). They can run off a Source, but a PoP has already converted the astral power to magical energy so it's useless to them. Remember, the Source is the converter and the PoP is just the distributor.

Anyway, I'll see those interested in SoL in under 3 hours.

>>40732457
>No, because dragons generate their own energy.

I was mostly thinking about how we can keep mages up and support peoples life energy. Kind of interesting how Dragons work then.

>This also means Sarah is now 27 and Caitlyn is 28.

Sarah is almost a cake.

>>40732339
thanks for running aspi this quest im my fav on /tg/ your work is amazing.

If we agree to Ralph's proposal we'll probably get a scene of Saareg and Talon broing it up. That alone makes it worth it.

>>40732498
Though there is one thing I have been wondering now. If Raphael's problems can mostly be solved by having a source why didn't he just bind one? He already knew it was active.

>>40732498
I think what happened to Samael was something that involved Lord Ember in something dangerous with the PoP under the Barrier. Maybe either trying to open(or close?) Heaven in Gauron or trying to bring the other Archangels back.

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So I'm back. Anybody still interested in SoL?

>>40733682
Samael went missing around the same time as the Barrier was created.

>>40732628
Perhaps he didn't want to bind a Source (that's a pretty big move for a neutral power, after all, and would also force him to build a fortress to protect it) or was unable to.

>>40733848
I'm interested

>>40733848
Yes.

>>40733848
I'm still here

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>40733848
Yes.

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SCENE VOTE
>1. Tutoring Sai in self-defence with Taira. Also noticing that she's growing up awfully fast.
>2. Sparring with Caitlyn, followed by cooling down with her and Rayza afterwards.
>3. Cornered by Sylvian and Tsucchi over the children issue.
>4. Custom

>>40733928
>1. Tutoring Sai in self-defence with Taira. Also noticing that she's growing up awfully fast.

>>40733928
>>3. Cornered by Sylvian and Tsucchi over the children issue.

>>40733928
>3. Cornered by Sylvian and Tsucchi over the children issue.

>>40733928
>>3. Cornered by Sylvian and Tsucchi over the children issue.

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>3.

When you were confronted with a confounding problem, Tsucchi had become a useful port of call. She couldn’t make the decision for you, but she usually had some keen insight to help you. Plus her general cuteness and propensity to mostly undress of a late evening made her convenient stress relief, located just down the hall. Which is why you’d gone to her over Raphael’s proposal and instead found yourself with her in your lap, topless.

Unfortunately, the situation was a trap.

“I thought you signalled that you had caught him, not the other way around,” came Sylvian’s voice from the doorway.

A doorway that closed with a definiteness that signalled a Very Serious Conversation. A proposal that was ruined by the squeak that came out of Tsucchi’s mouth as your hands moved a bit around her chest.

“I take it this is going to be serious,” you say, not letting up on Tsucchi.

>continued

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>>40734123
“Well, it was supposed to be a discussion over your coming children,” Sylvian says, eyes firmly on the fox. “Instead it just looks like I walked in on you right before you’re getting to the good part.”

“This is about as good as it gets,” you admit.

“You should really do something about that,” she says, “but first let’s talk. Tsucchi, I don’t care if he keeps playing with you but if you want to add something you might want to get him to stop.”

I’m right here, you think, but you still wait for Tsucchi to bat at your arms to get you to stop. It took her a minute or so after Sylvian indicated and the dragon is grinning widely. That minute is also possibly why when Sylvian sits down next to you she’s wearing as little as the silver-tailed fox now sitting on the other side.

You…

>1. Be teasing and talk about the elephant in the room. “So are you here to talk about the children I’m about to have or the ones you’re trying to tempt me to give you right now?”
>2. Be passive and wait for them to start. After all, they ambushed you.
>3. Be ignorant. “So is this some sort of planning meeting over how to deal with the twin terrors that Taira’s bearing?”
>4. Custom

>>40734132
>2. Be passive and wait for them to start. After all, they ambushed you.

>>40734132
>>1. Be teasing and talk about the elephant in the room. “So are you here to talk about the children I’m about to have or the ones you’re trying to tempt me to give you right now?”

>>40734132
>>2. Be passive and wait for them to start. After all, they ambushed you.

>>40734132
>2. Be passive and wait for them to start. After all, they ambushed you.

>>40734132
>2. Be passive and wait for them to start. After all, they ambushed you.

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>2.

It’s a rather exciting minute of silence as you sit between the two topless women as they exchange glances and close their mouths like fish. Eventually, Sylvian builds up the courage to actually say something.

“So you’re back on the brew now?” she says.

“That’s right, so we’re safe again. Caitlyn celebrated last night,” you say.

“I’m surprised she felt the need to wait,” Tsucchi says, frowning.

“She’s not a fan of babysitting any of the little ones in the castle, let alone of having one she’ll have to always take care of,” you say. “Not to mention we have no idea what it would be.”

“That’s probably a good call. Plus you don’t want grandpappy to come calling,” Sylvian says. “Still, this means you talked to her about having children?”

“Yeeessssss,” you say slowly, realising the trap.

“And you didn’t have this discussion with either of us because?”

“It didn’t affect either of you?” you try.

“I wasn’t allowed in your bed for more than a month. It was heartbreaking,” Sylvian says.

“And you could have at least talked to me,” Tsucchi pouts.

“It seemed like an awkward conversation to have given we haven’t gone that far yet,” you mumble, then correct yourself. “Which is fine. Just fine.”

“And what sort of conversation do you think it would have been with me?” Sylvian asks you, getting in your face and pushing her hand against her bare chest.

You pause before answering, realising you should probably give some thought to the answer. Which was hard because, well, you were hard. They were very beautiful women and Tsucchi was clearly wanting to crawl back in your lap. You…

>1. Admit to Sylvian that it seemed like a scary conversation to have with her.
>2. Say it won’t happen again (probably a lie) and try to get to the fun part.
>3. Don’t say anything and instead just counter attack. Surely they’ll forget the topic almost immediately, right?
>4. Custom

>>40734463
>>3. Don’t say anything and instead just counter attack. Surely they’ll forget the topic almost immediately, right?

Deflect! Deflect!

>>40734463
>>3. Don’t say anything and instead just counter attack. Surely they’ll forget the topic almost immediately, right?

>>40734463
>1. Admit to Sylvian that it seemed like a scary conversation to have with her.

>>40734463
>1. Admit to Sylvian that it seemed like a scary conversation to have with her.

>>40734463
>1. Admit to Sylvian that it seemed like a scary conversation to have with her.

Wait, was he scared of her possible positive answer?

>>40732339
>He's been running on the same tank of fuel for a hundred and sixty years after all, and the same must also be true of his sister.
I strongly suspect this is also the reason why there have been no new angels. Creating them must take power, and a lot of it.

>>40734692
You know I see no reason not to just do that

>>40734702
The infernals would probably be less than pleased.

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>1.

“A scary one,” you admit, looking at Tsucchi as your hand idly wanders across her chest. “I wasn’t really sure how I would deal with answer.”

“I imagine we would have dealt with it by doing what we usually do and in nine months’ time we’d have a bouncing baby dragon,” she says, giving you her answer without saying yes or no.

“Wait, an actual dragon or a human?” Tsucchi asks, poorly voicing your idle thoughts.

“Well, it would have to be a helldragon. Not even Talon is impressive enough to overpower genetics like that,” Sylvian says, sounding confused.

“No, not that part. I mean would the baby actually have a draconic form or a human one?” Tsucchi asks, getting to the important part.

“Er, human. Do you have any idea how weird it would be to have a dragon? I know the foxes have their thing but really…” Sylvian says, somehow sounding snobbish despite the topic.

“Oh, so that means no egg,” you say, your mouth running faster than your brain.

“Well, not necessarily,” Sylvian says, to your horror. Then she continues speaking, “Honestly, I could go either way.”

“Nope, no need to about this,” you say, trying to get to a less terrifying topic.

“It’s not a problem. I understand that some men might prefer that to the mess that comes-“ Sylvian tries to say, sounding altogether too reasonable for how ridiculous what she’s saying is.

“No, no, no. Back to the actual topic, not the one that will only cause trouble,” you say, crossing your arms in front of you in an ‘X’ pattern. “Tsucchi, do you want children?”

>continued

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>>40734740
“Not now,” she admits, caught off-guard. “Maybe in a few years, once I have a ring and we’re more settled together.”

“A ring?” Syl asks, smiling. “How interesting. What would mine be like?”

“Err, what sort of ring?” you ask dumbly.

“A marriage ring, of course,” Tsucchi says, frowning. “I know that Sarah’s waiting for one and I have a suspicion that Taira’s thinking of founding a new clan if you decide to give her one too. It’s not like you even need to pretend you’re monogamous.”

And the conversation just went from bad to worse to far, far worse. God help you, because his Archangel won’t. In fact, you suspect that if Raphael were here he might ask for one himself, just to screw with you.

>I’m going to do the Sai scene next, but I’ll do a vote on which fox is present with her.

>1. Ren
>2. Taira
>3. Vad
>4. Noah

Sorry it took so long to write this scene - I got hit by a wave of fatigue but seem to have recovered now.

>>40734725
Fuck em our greeting with them was less than pleasant and we're in an alliance with Raphy might as well do it

>>40734752
>1. Ren

>>40734752
>>1. Ren

>>40734752
>3. Vad

>>40734752
>2. Taira

>>40734752
>>3. Vad
Papa of course

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>1.

You’d been teaching Sai self-defence recently. She was still too young to put it to good use but it was one of the most reliable ways you had found to wear her out. Unfortunately, it was also building her stamina up – something that Vad wouldn’t stop bitching about. On the other hand, the sight of little Sai knocking Ren on his arse was worth all the whining in the world.

“That was great, Sai,” you say, ruffling her dark gold hair and scratching behind her black ears a little. “Ren, you need to watch your footwork better.”

“I’m not here to learn,” Ren grumbles as he stands back up.

“There’s never anybody who can’t stand to learn something,” Sai says brightly, looking up at you in search of praise.

“Very good, Sai,” you say and her two gold-black tails shuffle about excitedly in response. She was as predictable as she was adorable. Though the adorableness was causing some problems.

“Do a few laps of the dojo, Sai. We’ll try again when you’re a little more tired – test your stamina more,” you say, knowing that you’re going to get your ear chewed off by Vad come morning over this.

Still, the sight of little Sai giving you a hug and then practically sprinting off is enjoyable. Then you turn to Ren.

“Is it just me or has she grown a lot lately? In a few places,” you ask him, pouring a couple of glasses of sweet sake.

“That’s what foxes do when they get a new tail,” he says, accepting the small glass. “Second tail is like early teens for you humans, but without the sexual maturation. That’s part of what causes the problems – I was a fully grown adult at the time some foxes still looked thirteen. It, er, caused other problems too along those lines.”

“The no sexual maturation part? What’s with that?” you ask. “I think Noah said something similar about how she was too young for, er…” you trail off, realising that this is a rather dangerous topic.

>continued

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>>40734999
“Yeah, full sexual maturity doesn’t come until four tails, and even then it can take a decade or two to fully settle. It’s the reason Karise doesn’t have a litter of kits despite the fact Sarnn doesn’t take the brew,” Ren says, not missing a beat as he watches Sai begin to run backwards for her second lap. “The problem is that their body and mind develops faster. I doubt it will be a problem given you’ve practically been her second father, but if she stops calling you ‘uncle’ then we should probably talk.”

“That seems very awkward,” you say, rubbing the back of your head.

“That’s childish crushes for you,” he says, shrugging. “I’ve gotten them for years, but that was mostly because I was never close enough to build a familial connection with many of the younger foxes but interacted enough for them to become attracted to me. The Garrotte clan even encourages it, as a way of keeping the young foxes from playing with each other and so that they learn the hierarchy of the clan earlier and can be available as agents earlier.”

You frown at that utilitarian way of doing things. It would be surprising if Karise continued that, but then again she had gotten engaged to Sarnn at a rather tender age for the boy – even if he certainly had no complaints. Another thought occurred to you. You voiced…

>1. The fact that Ren was in the same position with Sai he had described earlier. How was he going to handle that?
>2. Concerns about Sai’s strength – despite growing faster than a human her age would, she was at least as naturally strong as a late teenager.
>3. Questions about Karise – was she looking forward to children in that case? Would there be yet more young foxes running around Harrowmont?
>4. Custom

>>40735006
>>3. Questions about Karise – was she looking forward to children in that case? Would there be yet more young foxes running around Harrowmont?

>>40735006
>1. The fact that Ren was in the same position with Sai he had described earlier. How was he going to handle that?

The isolation right?

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>>40735018
Err, the crush part really. Basically making a crack about Sai maybe getting a crush on Ren - though it could be about the isolation instead.

>>40735006
>1. The fact that Ren was in the same position with Sai he had described earlier. How was he going to handle that?

>>40735006
>3. Questions about Karise – was she looking forward to children in that case? Would there be yet more young foxes running around Harrowmont?
Yay, my power is back on!

>>40735006
3
I like topics about our fluffy spymaster

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>3.

“Hold on, Karise doesn’t have Sarnn on the brew? Isn’t that dangerous?” you say, remembering that Karise had explicitly mentioned not wanting children soon.

“It’s playing with fire, yes,” Ren says. “It’s probably helped by the fact that she’s a little more settled since her clan officially split off. I imagine that with all the little kits around and growing up she’s been thinking of her own children – she can’t really wait until whenever she gets her seventh tail, even if it is sooner than she thought.”

“Does Sarnn realise he could become a daddy so easily?” you ask.

“He does. I suspect his motivation is baser – she’s probably warned him that if he goes on the brew then it’s feet and mouth only,” Ren says with a smirk. “Sarnn’s a sharp kid and good with arrays, but he’s very thoroughly whipped.”

“We, on the other hand, follow the school of Taira – have so many competing options that no one can ever wield the power to control you,” you say sagely.

“Hah, if only. She was far, far worse than you or I,” Ren says, shaking his head with a grin.

“You must be joking,” you say.

>continued

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>>40735171
“When I got my fifth tail so early and was brought to the alliance hub in Kizu to serve Taira, I underwent numerous training sessions about how to deal with people who were aggrieved by her sexual transgressions, as they were referred to,” Ren said, pouring some more sake as Sai finally began to flag after more laps than you’d cared to count. “I remember a very special one when I went alone with her to the Imperial Court – she’d explicitly barred the others from coming as she wanted to ‘show me the ropes’. They spent a week going over all the etiquette expected of the different levels of the court.”

“A week?”

“I would have preferred a month. Taira refused to have anything to do with any of these people, so it fell to me to brush them off while pretending to care. The visit was to commemorate the wedding of the emperor’s son. Guess who she slept with?” he asks you, his face full of nostalgia.

>1. The groom.
>2. The bride.
>3. The groom and the bride.
>4. The emperor.
>5. Custom

I’ll come back to Karise in the next update, which will also be the last one for the night.

>>40735178
>2. The bride.

>>40735178
>3. The groom and the bride.

>>40735178
>5. Custom
"Everybody."

>>40735178
3

So, since I slept through the whole meeting with the archangel bit, I thought I'd summarize what we can ask from him, and what we can offer in return:
1. Healing Ersa of the residual damage that came from being a champion for several decades.
2. Consulting on our spiritual knight project.
3. Templar advice from Sarnn? (not sure, we already have a lot of elites)

What we can offer:
1. An apartment near the source. Technically, I think with our dominion we could hide it very effectively and make it extremely difficult for outside powers to notice how much time Raph is spending at Harrowmount. (Literally hide it underground with no connections to the rest of the fortress, mask it somehow so detecting him teleporting in and out would be almost impossible, making it difficult to detect that he's hanging around, ect.)
2. Alternatively, we can chose a powerful fluffy tail (at least 6, 7 would be better) and make him our liaison with Raph at the last retreat. Said liaison's primary job is to trickle charge the archangel.

>>40735178
>3. The groom and the bride.

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>3.

“I’m going to guess both the groom and the bridge? Probably at the same time?” you guess.

“Good guess. That didn’t happen until the next visit,” he says, smirking. “No, instead she slept with the priest who was to wed them – which caused him to flee the Court in shame and delayed the wedding for a week.”

“Huh, and here I thought you were going to say the emperor himself,” you say.

“That probably also happened. I think she slept with every emperor who reigned long enough for her to visit the Court in person,” he says. “Some even visited her. So don’t compare yourself to her – she’s much tamer now she’s fallen in love with you. The fact she’s not sleeping with every mildly attractive knight in the keep is a wonder in and of itself.”

You twitch at Ren’s statement and change the topic. “So, Karise wants children. Do you know if she’d raise them in Harrowmont?”

“She lives here, where else is she going to raise them?” Ren says, raising an eyebrow. “Hell, given how amazingly devoted she is to you she probably won’t even pause her spymaster duties for the length of the pregnancy. Neir only really stopped for her last trimester, and she isn’t as slavishly devoted.”

“You’re certainly piling it on tonight,” you say.

“Be less successful with women, then you can complain,” he says with more than a touch of bitterness. “You can stop now, Sai.”

>continued

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>>40735413
“I can do another lap!” the little fox calls out from the other side of the dojo, still looking quite lively despite all the sweat.

“Did you count?” you ask him.

“No, but it’s been half an hour,” he says, looking at the clock on the wall. “As we’re on the topic, it’s going to be on your head when she’s such a tireless hellfire when she gets older.”

“We’re past the worst, aren’t we?” you suggest hopefully.

“Hahaha, hardly. Once they get their third tail their heads become full of sex, rebellion and adventure,” he says. “Given how well she’s doing this young, and the fact she’s absolutely brilliant at both her bookwork and her arrays, we’re going to need a very complicated plan to channel her energy in a way that won’t turn her into Taira. Or Karise.”

“Don’t tell me Karise was that bad? She was friends with Tsucchi, right?” you say.

“Yes, but she was also the sort of person who beat up the knights in their own training,” he said. “She’s terrifying in a fight if she gets up close – only Wakato can beat her. The rest she just teleports behind and clobbers. I don’t want our beloved little Sai to become such a monster.”

“On the plus side, she won’t be Taira. In more ways than one,” you say.

>that’s the thread

For reference, I’ve got a new military tab in the Empire Sheet with all the legions. Just need to handle the money side of things, now.

Thank you all for participating and I hope you enjoyed it. Next thread on the 27th June at 7pm EDT. I'm going to bed now.

>>40735422
Night.

>>40735267
Sounds good all around

>>40735422
Ayy thread on my birthday

Later Asp

Good thread, thanks for running!

This one was very fun to read through. Good run Aspi.