>>41838389
You left The Red Watchtower and Galloway the day after your meeting. Knight-Captain Aleksander of the Grey Watchtower was already gone when you left, you heard he left immediately after the meeting. The next morning, you and the others are down at the stables, saddling up and preparing to ride for the Grey Watchtower. Among those going with you is an escort from the Red Watchtower, added on top of the escort from the White Watchtower. Total, there are about 50 of you now. Among those in the escort are Avaline and Aleria, who is saddling up close by.

Last night, you and Aleria had a talk concerning Leviathan. Now that the watchtowers have decided to accept her help, Leviathan insisted that you start carrying her from now on, so she can start lending you her strength. You're still not sure if it would be wise to carry her 24/7 though. In the end, you decide...

>Start carrying her.
>Let Aleria carry her until you need her help.

>>41838403
>Start carrying her.
might as well start getting used to it

>>41838403
>Start carrying her.
"No funny business. Unless its actual 'haha' funny business"

>>41838403
>>Start carrying her.
Fuck it, might as well get some fun with Levi and Gala being so... intimately close...

>>41838445
Aww, yeah, hot sword on belt action here.

>>41838403
>Start carrying her.

>>41838403
>>Let Aleria carry her until you need her help.
Do you really want the grandmother of all deceiving demons to have a permanent hold on our soul, and possibly even leave her mark on Sieg's entire bloodline? Because that's what Gala did to Asher's decedents, and I can't say I trust Leviathan with that much power over us just yet. Trust has to be earned.

>>41838403
>Start carrying her.

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Oh hello,just gonna drop by to say that I'll be out for most of the day,so if you have any requests just post in the thread and keep an eye on twitter.

Pic related because summer time

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>>41838848
Nice drawanon.

>>41838848
Mmmm, noice picture you've done there, drawfag.

I've got a request, if that's all right with you. The Schmidt Family portrait, when Siegfried was about 9 or 10.

They're all wearing buckets

>>41838891
I don't drink but much appreciated
Just tea would be fine

>>41838984
Got it

>>41838403
You decided it may be time to start carrying her, now that the watchtower captains all know about her. Aleria seems reluctant to hand her over, but Leviathan is pleased by your decision.

“Let me just make this clear first.” You tell her. “No funny business. I don't want you messing with anyone's minds or otherwise messing with anyone unless I say so.”

'How boring.' She complains. “Though I suppose it wouldn't do if people got suspicious. Fine, I will hold back unless needed. Just make sure that fool Aleksander doesn't try to harm Aleria a second time when we get to the Grey Watchtower. I won't guarantee his safety if he does so again.”

>Leviathan power unlocked!
>Mind control – Leviathan is capable of manipulating the minds of others. This is not a power shared with Siegfried, but a power she is able to use on request. Targets with significant willpower will be more difficult to control.

The next morning, you returned the books you borrowed from the Red Watchtower then left for the tower stables. With everyone saddled up, you and the others left Galloway behind and made their way for Belmore and the Grey Watchtower.

>Books lost: "Optimal Enchantments: An Experts Guide to Making a Stronger Enchantment" and "Demons: A Compendium of the Children of Malal"

>>41839531
The ride to the Grey Watchtower takes about a week. The further north you get, the colder it becomes until you have to stop at a small town along the way to buy furs for warmth. You find it ridiculous, how cold Belmore is when Galloway and Iseria are halfway through the hot season. According to Ganelon, however, the cold is not entirely natural.

“Belmore is a cold region, to be sure, but the swamp is responsible for making it cold in the hot season.” He explains. “The swamp is unnatural, a place corrupted by the Lord of Fear's influence. It radiates cold which washes over eastern Belmore, making even the hot seasons cold and the snowy season all too harsh. That's why the swamp is often referred to as The Frozen Swamp, among many other things. Only the western edge of Belmore escapes the swamp's icy grip.”

>>41839555
Speaking of Ganelon, he proves to be a very helpful ally when you stop in town. Just as he warned you long ago, the people here are wary of outsiders, especially from outside the kingdom. Thus Ganelon serves as a mediary between you and the townspeople, assuring them that you can be trusted. They seem to trust Daniel somewhat as well, although not as much as Ganelon. It seems the people here have a lot of faith in the church and it's priests. In fact, you notice the church is much more prominent here then in Iseria or Galloway. Granted, the church was fairly prominent there as well, but they're even more so here. Some towns you've passed through have even had two, three, or even more churches, while in Iseria and Galloway most towns would have one at most, or a single small chapel if it was a particularly small village. Ganelon explains that, while not the ruling body of Belmore, the church holds a lot of influence here. The king of Belmore's highest adviser is actually the head minister of the Belmorian church, and his word holds a lot of sway. The reason for the church's prevalence is apparently to combat the influence of Eligos and the swamp. It's their magic that makes agriculture still possible in the harsh cold of the northeast, and they also form a sort of first line of defense against raids from the swamp near the eastern border. According to Ganelon though, not all of these raids are demonic in nature. Many monsters take residence in the swamp as well.

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>>41839573
It's night when the Grey Watchtower finally comes into view. You're surprised by the stark contrast between it and the other towers. Tall stone walls, grey as iron, bearing torches which illuminate large banners of the tower's heraldry greet you when you approach. Ballistae, catapults, and hundreds of men armed with bows and crossbows line the top of the walls. If you had to describe the difference, you'd say that this tower was built with more practicality in mind, more so then the other towers, which were both visually appealing as well as defensive. An old rune, similar to the one marking the wall of Galloway's capital, is displayed prominently facing towards the border, a gloomy swampland obscured by rising mists. An iron gate blocks the entrance, but slowly rises once your group approaches.

'How disgusting.' Leviathan says with disgust.

'What?'

'The gates. They've been blessed with holy water.'

'The better to keep demons out.' Galadriel says.

'Yes, -clearly- it's doing a good job of that.' Leviathan points out, irritating Galadriel.

In the courtyard just beyond the gate, Aleksander stands waiting for you, his face still stern and marked with a frown. To the side, soldiers practice their swordsmanship. You notice some of the people here are wearing different uniforms than the others, marked black rather than the grey that most others are wearing.

“About damn time.” Aleksander grumbles. “Hurry up and follow me already, king's waiting inside.”

>”King? The king's here?”
>”Sorry we took so long. We had to stop and resupply a few times on our way here.”
>”What's with the different uniforms? Are the crusaders wearing black special somehow?”
>”We don't get a moment for food and rest first? We've been riding all day.”

>>41839591
>”King? The king's here?”
>”What's with the different uniforms? Are the crusaders wearing black special somehow?”

>>41839591
>>”King? The king's here?”
>”What's with the different uniforms? Are the crusaders wearing black special somehow?”

>>41839591
>>”King? The king's here?”
>>”Sorry we took so long. We had to stop and resupply a few times on our way here.”

I get the impression we should be doing what we can to get in this guy's good books.

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>>41839591
"King? The king's here?"

"Of course the king's here, have you forgotten the enemies right on our doorstep? We don't have time to waste, the sooner we get this over with the better."

King-Captain Alexander turns and starts walking towards the tower entrance without waiting for you to say anything else. You follow after him, and notice more crusaders wearing black armor inside.

"What's with the different uniforms?" You ask him as you walk. "Are the crusaders wearing black special somehow."

"Don't call them crusaders." He says sternly. "They don't deserve that title. We call them blackguards instead. Everyone wearing black is a criminal who proved useful enough to be offered the Rite of Conscription as alternative punishment. The pettier crooks are only here for a few years. The worst of the bunch are stuck here for life."

"There's a lot of people wearing black here. Wouldn't it be dangerous to keep them all here?" Reinhardt asks, clearly not fond of the idea.

"They won't do anything. They can't. We curse them before they even get here to make sure they comply. Any of them tries to run away, attack someone they're not supposed to, or try to steal from anybody, they'll freeze up until I come and unfreeze them. Then they get sent back where they came from and face whatever their original punishment was."

'I had no idea they still used that practice.' Leviathan comments in your mind.

'I wish they didn't.' Galadriel states.

>>41840681
A while later, you and the honor guard enter a room on the third floor, where a man with two guards is waiting. He is stocky, and looks to come just short of Joan in height. He has raven black hair which is starting to bald, and a large beard which has a few stray grey hairs mixed in. Given his height and build, you would guess that he is half dwarf, as he's not as short as most dwarfs but stockier than a normal human. He could just be a tall dwarf though, it's hard to tell.

“They're here, your majesty.” Aleksandr informs him.

“About time.” The king complains, standing to his feet. “For those of you not from here, I am King Feliks Larinov I. I'm going to take a wild guess and say the one with the gold sword is the Champion, am I correct?”

“Yes, you majesty. I am Siegfried Schmidt, Galadriel's Champion.” You respond formally.

“Right, right. About time you got here too, I was starting to think of just saying 'To Void with it' and leaving. This place is too damn cold, and I hate being this close to the swamp.”

>”My apologies, your majesty. We came as quickly as we could.”
>”Apologies, sir. We had to stop and resupply a few times on our way here.”
>”I'm afraid there was no way we could arrive sooner, you majesty.”
>”Then let's get this over with quickly, shall we?”
>Other

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>>41840694
Forgot pic.

Also, gonna go grab a sandwich. Back in a bit.

>>41840694
>”Then let's get this over with quickly, shall we?”

>>41840694
>”Then let's get this over with quickly, shall we?”

>>41840694
>>”Then let's get this over with quickly, shall we?”

>>41840694
>”Apologies, sir. We had to stop and resupply a few times on our way here.”
>”Then let's get this over with quickly, shall we?”

>>41840694
>>”My apologies, your majesty. We came as quickly as we could.”
If we're going to get poisoned or ganked anywhere, I have a feeling it'll be here. Let's try not to step on any toes.

Alright, back and writing now.

>>41840694
"Agreed. Here's hoping I shank the bastard who put it there."

>>41841314
Let's just drain the damn swamp while we're at it

We have to ask Gal and Levi to show us Eligos sometime.

>>41840694
"Then let's get this over with, shall we?"

"We appear to be on the same page, Champion." The king says, nodding approvingly. "Then lets skip the formalities and get to the part that matters. First of all, I notice you've brought an escort from the other towers. How many of you are there?"

"Fifty total, counting myself." You tell him.

"Good. and how much experience do you all have fighting demons, exactly?"

"My honor guard and I have all fought them before. I don't know about the rest of our escort, but most of them have probably been in skirmishes with demons crossing the border to kidnap people and take them to their farms."

"And what about fighting monsters?"

"At least two people on my honor guard have experience. I personally have only fought a Wurm before, and I don't know how much experience the others may have with fighting monsters."

"I see. That is a shame."

"If I may ask, why are you asking me all this?"

"Just so I can size you up before you go on your trial."

"Trial, sir?"

>>41841604
"Perhaps a bit of a history lesson is in order. A long time ago, Belmore had a wall built around the kingdom's border to keep out the demons that had invaded just years prior. The wall held for a while, but eventually it was overrun and destroyed. Just as we started worrying the demons would push us back even further, a certain man you and your friends might know named Asher came asking us to help on a second crusade. My ancestors told him we were too busy protecting ourselves, so he cut us a deal. If he could push the demons back beyond the wall and give us some breathing room again, then we would help him in his new crusade. To everyone's surprise, he actually pulled it off, lighting two beacons on the wall to let us know he succeeded. We started rebuilding the wall, took back some of our own land, and then the damn swamp came and the wall was lost a second time. Now why this all matters to you is that ever since the wall fell a second time, we've tested every new Champion that comes to us asking for aid in a way similar to how Asher earned our support in the second crusade."

"You're saying you want us to take back the land leading up to the wall?"

The king shakes his head. "Void no! Now that the swamp's there, the wall's more trouble to keep then it's worth. However, there are still a few fragments of the wall left, ruins left from centuries ago. The beacons are still standing there, the flames from which can be seen all the way here from the watchtower. There's no point in wasting resources on a crusade if the Champion's going to get himself killed right at the start, so this is our way of making sure you're worth the investment. Starting tomorrow, you have seven days to prepare and make your way into the swamp. Your goal is to light both of the beacons and make it back here in one piece. Survive, and you'll have Belmore's support. Fail, and I suppose you weren't going to accomplish much anyways."

>>41841628
>"You expect us to run out into the Forsaken Land just for your little test? That's crazy, it's a death trap out there!"
>"I've already fought demons before, back at the battle of Morsland. Isn't that proof enough that I know what I'm doing?"
>"What happens if I don't light the beacons and get back in time?"
>"Fine. I'll get it done, your highness."
>Other

>>41841663
>>"Fine. I'll get it done, your highness."
Lets get results.

>>41841663
>"Fine, let's talk specifics. Any limit on how many people or supplies I'm allowed to have with me, that sort of thing?"

>>41841663
>"Fine. I'll get it done, your highness."

>>41841663
>"Fine. I'll get it done, your highness.

>>41841663
>"Fine. I'll get it done, your highness."

>>41841663
>>"Fine. I'll get it done, your highness."

>>41841399
After this let's brainstorm up a series of canals and dykes to drain the fucking thing.

>>41841865
I think its Eligos magic man. The people here would have tried that already.

>>41841888
In that case we find a way to bitchslap Eligos before we drain the fukkin swamp.

Nice trips btw

>>41841663
>"Rules and limitations? I'm assuming you're not just gonna let me fly over there."

>>41841888
Are you sure about that? We should ask the King or the asshole Watchtower captain when we get a minute. I guess it could be a magical creation like those lakes of fire Aleria told us about, but I'm assuming since this thing is huge enough to swallow a substantial portion of a kingdom's border it would have to be at least partially maintained by a natural water table.

You know what, we should quiz Levi about Demon Lords and their capacity to alter the geography of the lands they conquer.

>>41841663
You don't like the idea of running out into the Forsaken Land, especially into a part of the Forsaken Land which is apparently infested with demons as well as all manner of monsters. However, if this is the only way to get Belmore's support, then you'll just have to grin and bear it.

"Fine. I'll get it done, your highness."

"Glad to hear that." The king responds with a nod.

Aleksander moves a sheet on the table towards you once you agree to the trial, what appears to be a map of the swamp with the beacons and Grey Watchtower's locations marked. "Your seven days starts tomorrow morning. You can bring your honor guard, escort, and whatever other allies you can scrounge together in time, but no one from the Grey Watchtower can help you. This map is the only help you'll be getting from us. The beacons are about two days out from here on foot, maybe one if you really move your ass. Two days in and two out, that gives you about three days to prepare. You might want to head out sooner though, you might run into some delay out there and come back too late otherwise. Each of the beacons is about an hour apart from each other. I'd suggest getting out of there quickly after you light them, because once you do everything in the swamp that can see the beacons will know you're there. Light the beacons and get back in time, and you'll have Belmore and the Grey Watchtower's support. Get back to late, and you'll have to do without us. Good luck."

You notice the way he says "good luck" doesn't really sound like he's wishing you good luck. Regardless, you take the map and stash it away in your bag.

"I'll be waiting here until you get back." The king informs you. "If you get back, that is. For now, go eat and get some sleep, start on your preparations if you want. The countdown starts tomorrow morning, Aureus watch over you."

>>41842314
I just feel that the people here aren't stupid and after hundreds of years they would have tried that already.

>>41842341
With that, the king stands up and exits the room with his guards. Knight-Captain Aleksander follows after him, and you and the honor guard exit shortly after. You inform your escorts of the trial, and head down to the dining hall where you eat dinner and plan what to do next.

>Look for the library, do some research
>Head to your room and enchant some gear
>Talk to someone, see if they can help you plan somehow (Specify)
>Head back to your room and meditate
>Head to the courtyard, get some practice in while you can
>Go to your room and read
>Other

>>41842366
>>Head to your room and enchant some gear
What all do we have enchanted so far?

>>41842366
>Talk to someone, see if they can help you plan somehow (Specify)
Nerillian and Justine on monsters. Ganelon for the land.

>>41842366
>Head to your room and enchant some gear

>>41842358
Or they simply have a relatively poor understanding of drainage. Or they were just unable to muster sufficient political incentive for the endeavor. We should probably ask.

>>41842400
Backing this. The only knowledge of the terrain we face is what we glean from a map.

>>41842400
>>41842366
This

>>41842415
We can try but I really think all you are going to get is a sarcastic "Oh, why didn't we think of that! Just dig some canals. Thank you random guy, we would have lost without you"

>>41842387
So far, you've enchanted everyone in the honor guards weapons with a Holy enchantment (except Geoffrey and Celia, who joined after that). Besides that, you've given your right glove a Strength enchantment, and your cloth armor still has the Speed enchantment it came with.


For the record, I'm assuming all gear that's been enchanted with something you've since improved has already been tuned to the improved version off-screen.

>>41842482
We should see about swapping to something heavier, then, because in the coming battles being able to take more hits is going to be important than simply evading them.

So assuming everything comes with Speed on it by default (through the watch towers -- but I'm not so sure the Grey Watchtower's enchanter/smith is as concerned with Speed as much as our tutor was) we should definitely tune up its enchantment to our version of Speed, and then also enchant the chest piece with Protection.

If it's enchanted with Protection instead of Speed, then just swap them around, since I'm pretty sure we've tuned up both of those specific enchantments.

>>41842482
>>41842541
Also holy SHIT is the Pastebin outdated. Goddamn.

>>41842478
Well we don't know anything about the terrain other than it's exceedingly cold and was flooded sometime after the first crusade. For all we know if could just be a long distance from a sufficiently low elevation to drain the water in question out to sea.

Also we are the Champion in close contact with both the last angel on this earth and a renegade demon lord, if they agree such a plan is feasible it immediately gains more credibility than if it was espoused by some random jackass with a sword. Though even then it would probably take several threads to get the project in gear even if it was feasible, so no rush, but it definitely is worth at least asking about. I'm sure someone around here would know if something like that was attempted in the past.

>>41842541
>So assuming everything comes with Speed on it by default
It doesn't. Most armor only comes with a really small enchantment that makes it so it's not absolutely unbearable to wear it all day. Only cloth armor comes with the speed enchantment, so people who prefer to go light on armor still have some form of protection.
>>41842584
Yeeeaaah, I've been kinda lazy with that. I'll update it once this thread is done.

>>41842541
Yeah we definitely need to get something heavier. Though that might be a slight problem if we're going to be doing any fighting in the mire of the swamp....

>>41842669
We have wings and can fly super fucking fast.

If we wanted to, I bet we could get there and back within a day if we flew at sanic speeds.

>>41842700
>Hurr Durr i wanna get shot down, ALONE over the hell swamp.
HA no.

>>41842700
I guess we won't be bringing any honor guard with us if that's our plan then.

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>>41842366
You decide it's best to learn about the area and what you might face while you're in there, so you call Nerillian, Ganelon, and Justine over to talk with them about it.

"Nerillian, Justine, you both said you've hunted monsters before. What can you tell me about them?"

"Monsters weren't something I hunted often, but I have hunted them before, yes. I think Justine would know more about them then me though." Nerillian says.

"What specifically do you want to know?" Justine asks. "Better yet, how much do you know already?"

You shrug. "Just what everyone knows. They were made by Malal, they hate humans, some of them are as smart as humans and all of them eat humans."

"That's all true, but there's more to it then that. There's different species, with different powers and different weaknesses. The big monstrous ones like that Wurm you fought the day you came to the White Watchtower are no smarter then animals, but they make up for it by being large and strong. The ones that look like animals, like dire beasts, are smarter than animals but still not as smart as humans. They often hunt in packs. The last kind are the ones who look like humans, or took over the body of a human. They're as smart as humans, sometimes smarter, and some of them can even cast magic. Most of the time a monster can be killed the way you'd kill anything else, but some have specific weaknesses that can make slaying them easier. I know the most common weaknesses, I think Nerillian knows most of them as well."

"Probably not as extensively, but yes." Nerillian confirms.

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>>41843332
"Well, what sort of monsters can we expect out in the swamp? Any ideas?"

Justine thinks. "Werewolves sometimes hunt in the swamp here in Belmore. Nosferatu, the more feral type of vampires, tend to hide out there as well. Wyverns have been seen a few times too, and I've heard there are giants out in the swamp as well. There are stories of Bogeymen attacking villagers in Belmore at night as well, so odds are there'll be some hiding in the swamp."

"Anything those things are weak to?"

"Werewolves are burned by silver. Nosferatu die in direct sunlight, so they won't come out in the day but when they do, garlic repels them. Bogeymen die in any sort of light, so torches or an Illumination spell will get rid of them fast. Wyverns and giants don't have any particular weaknesses, but weapons enchanted to deal with monsters will burn them just like any other monster."

You nod. "Alright, I'll keep all that in mind." Come to think of it, there was a town four hours southwest of here that you stopped at before to resupply. You could buy any supplies you need while you're there like silver and garlic or whatever else you may need. There's a smithy where you can buy armor and weapons if you need to as well, you think the smith there advertised enchanted equipment too.

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>>41843354
"Ganelon, you're from Belmore, do you know anything about the area inside the swamp?" You ask, moving on.

Ganelon shakes his head. "I'm afraid not, Siegfried. I've only ventured into the swamp on one occasion before, and it was farther north of here. I know nothing of the area around here."

"Damn. Well, at least we have the map to help us."

Ganelon nods. "If I may make a suggestion however, the church which is my order's headquarters is a half day's journey northwest of here. If we spoke with them, they would surely lend us some of their knights to assist us. I can attest for their skill personally."

A half day's journey. That would eat up a day of your time, but having backup from Ganelon's order might be helpful.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Ganelon."

"I am just happy to assist. I'm sure my brothers would also relish a chance to assist the Champion."

>Any more questions? (Specify)
>That's enough questions for now.

>>41843372
>That's enough questions for now.

>>41843372
>>That's enough questions for now.

>>41843372
"Alright. If I need advise from you guys again, I'll let you know."

The others nod, and go on to start their own preparations. It's getting late, you probably have enough time for one more thing before curfew.

>Look for the library, do some research
>Head to your room and enchant some gear
>Talk to someone, see if they can help you plan somehow (Specify)
>Head back to your room and meditate
>Head to the courtyard, get some practice in while you can
>Go to your room and read
>Other

>>41843569
>Head back to your room and meditate

>>41843569
>Head back to your room and meditate

Damn weekdays, starting to pass out.

>>41843569
In the end, you decide to head to the room you were shown to after the meeting with the king and meditate. The room is sparse, providing only a bed and a place to put your armor. You're about to start meditating when you realize that, now that you're wearing Leviathan's belt, maybe you could enter her mental plane as well.

>Meditate with Galadriel
>Meditate with Leviathan

>>41843790
>>Meditate with Galadriel

>>41843790
>Meditate with Galadriel

Last vote for me Sparks sorry. Hopefully the Europeans are getting up soon.

>>41843790
>>Meditate with Leviathan

>>41843846
Yeah, I might just have to end the thread soon. My fault for starting late.

>>41843790
>>Meditate with Galadriel

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>>41843790
You decide it's best to put that idea on hold for now at least, and remove Leviathan's belt. You then sit on the bed, Galadriel's sword lain across your lap, and focus.

----------
There's a chilly gust of wind and when you open your eyes, you're back on top of the clouds with Galadriel, the moon and stars shining overhead.

"You're back." Galadriel says, standing atop the mountain peak as usual. "Come to train in preparation for the journey into the swamp, I assume?"

>Just talk (Topic?)
>Train
>Ask her about the swamp and Eligos
>Other

>>41843984
>>41843984
Ask for memories of the previous champions who took the test and went through the swamp.

>>41843984
>>Ask her about the swamp and Eligos
Is it magically infused with his power somehow? Has anybody every attempted to drain it?

>>41843984
>>Ask her about the swamp and Eligos

Train

Against a wywern , giant and nosferatu.

Also talk to her about Leviathan to make sure we prevent our slves from being corrupted (make sure Gal stays our number one).

Alright, writing now. Give me a second.

>>41843867
Hey regular Eurofag here. I'll stay and vote.. It's 10 Am here.

We should start training with Levi after this.

Make sure to act as the entertaining jackass here to make her more amiable towards us.

I feel that she can become our belt-woman that will help us score some six-winged pidgeon....

Sparks collapsed again.

Seems like ded-thread. Should we keep it alive with waifu-postin.

Also request for drawfag:
Avenaline starring at Erika and Siegfried dancing like a creep.

>>41844718
Didn't collapse, just typing a big update. Probably the last.

>>41844718
Sparks always takes a long time between posts anon. Quality takes time to produce.

And waifu posting mid thread would be a disastrous way to derail it, it encourages anons to actually attempt it in the quest itself.

>>41844718
nah, man. Leviathan teasing Siegfried by forcefeeding him Avenaline's thoughts.

>>41844764
That sounds less like teasing and more like unbearable mind breaking torture.

>>41844796
What's the difference to centuries-old demon lords?

>>41844764
More like Leviathan playing around with Siegfried and trying to make Gal envious.

>>41843984
You shake your head. "Too tired to train right now, wouldn't accomplish anything. Actually, I came to ask you about the swamp and Eligos."

"I see. What is it you wish to know?"

You start with the questions that have been on your mind since you heard about the swamp. "The swamp, is it magically infused with his power somehow? Has anybody ever tried to drain it?"

"The swamp is tied to him, yes. Like how Alastor corrupted his land from fertile plains to large mountain ranges, he corrupted the land where the swamp now stands into what it is today. While Alastor did so unintentionally, however, Eligos did so deliberately, to get rid of the wall which lied between his domain and Belmore for good, and to create a buffer between them where armed troops would have trouble moving. It also provides his minions with a suitable place to hide, in a place where your kind fear to tread. As I understand it, the people of Belmore have tried to drain it on multiple occasions. The results ranged from disappointing, to tragic. It is likely the swamp cannot be dealt with until Eligos has been slain."

You figured as much. If the swamp is such a problem, it makes sense Belmore would have tried to drain it before.

"Okay, and what about the trial? Other Champions have taken it before, do you have any memories to show me that could give me an idea of what to expect?"

Galadriel nods, and the cloudscape begins to fade away, replaced with a swampy landscape. It is night, and the moon is hidden behind the dark clouds overhead. A woman carrying Galadriel and roughly 40 other people are cautiously marching through the swamp, towards a stone structure far in the distance. A stone tower can be seen atop of it, one of the beacons.

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>>41844967
"Girault, take half the team and go to the second beacon. Light it as soon as you see ours light up."

One of the people following her nods, leading half the group to the right. The memory skips ahead, to where the woman carrying Galadriel is standing on top of the beacon, extending one of her hands. A moment later, fire materializes in the beacon, lighting it up for all to see. A moment later, another orange light can be seen lighting in the distance, the second beacon.

"Alright, now lets regroup and-"

A deafening screech can be heard, as movement can be seen down below. Creatures of all sort begins to show themselves, from beings seemingly made of mud, to large demonic spiders crawling out of tree thickets. They're all far away right now, but they begin to close in on the beacon.

"Run!" The woman shouts, everyone descending as quickly as possible. As soon as they reach the ground, they start running back the way they came. Someone in the back gets stuck in the mud and falls, forcing the person next to him to stop and help him up. As he helps his friend rise to his feet, however, one of the large spider demons reaches them. It opens it's horrible maw to devour them, when an arrow of light flies through one of it's human-like eyes and into it's brain, causing it to slump down, dead.

"Hurry, we don't have time to waste!" The woman shouts, giving them a push on the back to speed them along.

The advancing monsters stop to devour the fallen spider demon, pushing each other aside and sometimes attacking each other to claim it's carcass for themselves. Some, however, keep their eyes on the true prize and continue to pursue the Champion and her group. The Champion's group has started to gain some distance, when a pained human scream can be heard coming from beyond the trees.

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>>41844992
"Girault!" She cries in horror, rushing into the tree thicket towards the source of the scream. "Keep going, I'll catch up later!" She shouts back to her group, who continue to run without her.

The Champion pushes her way through the thicket, changing her bow back into a sword to slice the arm off a mud monster which tries to grab her by the leg. She breaks past the thicket in time to find her friend Girault, wounded but still moving. A pale looking creature, similar to a human yet more feral in appearance with long fangs and clawed hands attacks him, Girault just barely holding it back. The Champion charges in, sword shifting into a greataxe, which she uses to cleave the unsuspecting creature's head off.

"Are you okay?" She asks, extending a hand and casting Heal before he even has time to answer. Just as Girault opens his mouth to answer, the sound of hooves can be heard in the distance, accompanied by the crack of thunder.

"Black Riders." Girault gasps, grabbing the Champion's arm and running the opposite direction of the sound. The sound of hooves grows louder and louder, until the source comes into view.

Three horsemen, clad in black armor and riding armor clad horses with red eyes and fire flying from their nostrils, come charging towards the two. The horses feet seem to glide through the swamp mud, unobstructed. Where they walk, sometimes the bones of long dead creatures begin to rise from the swamp mud, some humanoid in shape, some monstrous in origin.

>>41845015
The horsemen grow closer and closer, now only a few hundred feet behind, their horses whinnying in excitement, until Girault pulls the Champion into the thicket of trees again, clasping a hand over her mouth and muttering an incantation. Suddenly, their skin changes color, blending with the tree they're up against like a chameleon. The Black Riders charge through the thicket, the trees they touch starting to rot and die at their touch, and pass by the two of them, having seemingly not noticed them.

A minute passes. Then two. Finally, after three minutes of silence, Girault ends the spell and both he and the Champion breath a sigh of relief.

“That was too close.” Girault says, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Hope the others got away safely too.” The Champion says worriedly.

“I hope so too. Come on, we need to get moving, before they come back.”

The scene begins to fade, and once again you are in Galadriel's cloudscape.

“What were those things?” You ask, referring to the horsemen they called Black Riders.

“Those were Eligos' Black Riders, his elite soldiers. They are very dangerous, especially when they're in groups. They noticed the beacon's light and came chasing after my old Champion, along with everything else that could see the beacon.

“So that's what I can expect once the beacon's are lit?”

“Yes, although in that case, it was only through coincidence that the Black Riders were there and saw the beacon. Still, as you could see, it is essential that you have an escape plan once the beacons are lit, as half the swamp will come after you once they see it's light.”

You sigh, this is going to be dangerous. If you're not careful people may die during the trial, including you.

“We'll have to figure out a plan between then and now. We'll start tomorrow morning, after everyone's had time to rest.”

Galadriel nods. “That is a sound course of action. Good night Siegfried, rest well.”

Alright, gonna call it a thread here. Next thread will be Sunday, although it'll probably start earlier than usual if I can help it and may be a short thread, as college classes start again Monday. We'll see how that changes my schedule in time. Lamenters Quest I'll be doing on Friday. Keep an eye on twitter in case either of those days change though.

I'll stick around to answer questions if anyone's got them. Thanks for playing folks, hope you all had fun.

>>41845062
Thanks for running Sparks, what sort of 'tragic' consequences did the people Belmore face when they attempted to drain the swamp?

Alright, updated the character sheet. Let me know if I missed something somewhere.
>>41845097
Lets just say the swamp's residents got tired of their attempts to drain their home, and so did Eligos.
>>41844759
>Quality
I don't think I'd call what I write "quality". It's enjoyable, but quality would require I take time to go back, edit, proofread, rewrite, all that shit. The delay is mostly just the size of the updates I'm writing, mixed with small IRL distractions. I appreciate the sentiment though.

>>41845062
Thanks for the thread OP!

>>41844718
I swear the moment I look away from the thread for long enough…

…OK fine then

I'm not home yet though,but soon(tm)

>>41838445
howaboutno.jpg
I may or may not have a late-night scribble though

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>>41845935
Please don't. The lewder scribbles you post the lewder the player base gets and the harder they press waifushit right throughout the thread. I really enjoy this quest but it's getting to the point where the talk about waifuing our sword is getting to the point where it's overtaking any sort of serious discussion. There's already at least one anon who's decision to press for romancing Galadriel was specifically motivated by your artwork, and given your penchant for drawing the characters of this quest in an increasingly chibi animesque style, you're only going to encourage this sort of view of her. The more pics you post that portray Gala as an anime style waifu the more people are going to start thinking of her as such, and not as the character Sparks is actually writing her out to be. I mean, your art has pretty much got those anons determined to romance the most canonically un-romancable character in the quest.

>>41847665
I can't help but think that you're taking this a little too seriously, anon.
Now think, have any attempts to waifu Galadriel actually happened during the quest?

>>41847665
We are well aware of how the character is in the actual writing.

Doesn't mean we can't fuck around between updates.

If you start seeing us hitting on Galadriel like a teenager then you can start getting worried but that hasn't happened and probably won't.

>>41847665
>the most canonically un-romancable character in the quest.
I don't think I ever said she was un-romancable, I just alluded that she'd be one of the harder ones to actually romance. I've only jokingly told anons who wanted to lewd her, like the human/angel relations guy (miss you anon) that that might not be a good idea, since
1. The whole eldritch form thing
2. I don't write lewd, and
3. Her species doesn't really have a concept of that, being that they simply phase into existence at the whims of the Void.

Of course, that said it would be bad if debates over romance got disruptive. All things considered though, I don't think you guys have ever gotten outright disruptive over stuff like that before, since I think most if not all of you know that's not what the whole point of the quest is.

>>41847665
I get what you're saying, but it seems that a lot of the people here are the Knight Apprentice crowd, who spend a lot of time joking about waifus without it actually affecting decisions.

so I agree with >>41847736

>>41847973
>who spend a lot of time joking about waifus without it actually affecting decisions

Yeah, we seem to get that waifus aren't actually real, and thus it doesn't really matter whether they're 'canon' or not.
Basically, we're relatively well-adjusted people who don't have an unhealthy obsession with 2d animu girls.

>>41847951
>Her species doesn't really have a concept of that, being that they simply phase into existence at the whims of the Void.

Maybe but to be fair you've given her every other emotion under the sun. She still acts very 'mortal' considering what she is.

>>41848086
Eh, it's probably just an excuse to have her go all 'what is this strange thing you call love?' during her route.

That said though, I don't think she's expressed hunger before either.

>>41847973
>without it actually affecting decisions.
just try voting for Sieg asking Joan or Erika or someone else on a date and watch the fireworks.
There's an silent, implicit armistice in effect but it will collapse as soon as one of the waifufags makes a move, even if majority of players held no preference.

>>41848108
Then the obvious solution is to not ask anyone on a date and go the whole quest without seriously waifuing anyone.

>>41848125
Yeah, the safest, sterile, politically correct solution. I suppose it's preferable to the alternatives, although attitude of /tg/ questplayers to romance in general saddens me.

No matter what though, I love the work Sparks and the Drawfriend have done so far.

>>41848086
>Maybe but to be fair you've given her every other emotion under the sun.
No, I don't mean she doesn't know what romance or love is. Angels are very familiar with what that is, there's even a circle dedicated to that emotion (although romantic love is not something they typically feel, since their idea of love is more based on the sort of parent-like love Aureus felt for his creations, which was passed down to them). If you remember when she talked about Asher and his wife, she knew that Asher loved her and was amused by how happy he always got when he was around her.

What I'm trying to say is she has no idea what sex is. She knows it's a thing that mortals have to do to produce offspring, but she doesn't know anything else beyond that, since her kind doesn't need it and it's not like any of her Champions that had it left the mental link on as they were doing it. Hence why I was laughing at people who joked about lewding her.

>>41848272
Ah got it.

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>>41848272
So basically the whole thing would actually be like this?

>>41848341
>"But why would I wish for you to impale me, or you wish for me to constrict you? Would that not be painful?"

>>41847665
Oi,I have a personal line I don't cross,what kind of drawfag do you think I am

>>41848365
As for the animu style thing,that's more an issue about my own art style so I'll give you that.

Likewise rest assured that things won't escalate too far

I was kidding about the previous spoiler

>>41848441
What, so you're not going to draw Gal and Levi in pajamas having a sleepover in Siegfried's head?

>>41848341
You lost me anon. In all seriousness, I guess? Like I said, I don't write smut so that's one avenue I don't think I'll be exploring in this quest. I'll leave it to your imagination.

>>41847951
>like the human/angel relations guy (miss you anon)
I'm still here, I follow each thread. Just we never seem to be at a good place to bring it back up.

I'm thinking I might try again soon.

Now, with Leviathan, I might try for a mind scape threeway! Or atleast some demon/angel relations!

>>41848468
Probably more like involving Smash Bros :^)

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Also, I just checked Twitter. Dammit drawfag, I almost choked on my drink. Question is, who's that holding the photo though?

>>41848535
It's Sieg holding it,actually

>>41848529
>Smash bros with Demon Lords, Archangels and Champions as playable characters.
>Levi spends half the time talking about how shit Lilith's moveset is and how the actual Lilith is shit by extension
>Lilith's moveset is actually pretty good

>>41848535
You should post the Erika one too, I'm on my phone right now.

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In an unrelated note acquired this yesterday

Expect full technicolour once again in the near future
Come to think about it I haven't drawn full colour Levi yet

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>>41848588
Here you go

>>41848590
Nice man.

>>41848609
Ha. At least Erika was having fun by the end of it.

How confused do you think Aveline is now?

>>41848590
Nice, looking forward to it.

>>41848535
It's exactly as hilarious as I thought it would be. Aureus bless you, drawfag.

>>41848673
To be fair I had to put off drawing that for a bit just to make sure I don't lose my shit while drawing it.

It's that damn funny

>>41847665
>you cant waifu galadriel so dont try
>>41847951
>you totally can, IF YOURE MAN ENOUGH

>>41848628
>How confused do you think Aveline is now?
Very.

Honestly though I have no idea why she'd believe Joan, especially when Siegfried is cradling Galadriel in his hands and has Leviathan wrapped around his waist.

>>41849499
To be fair to her all they are, are a golden sword and a belt. And she doesn't even know that the belt is special.

>>41849575
That's true, she also doesn't know about that time Aleria tied him up.
Or that time Justine penetrated Erika while Siegfried watched.

>>41849621
Pfft. Goddamnit anon.

>>41849621
ANON PLEASE.


Still it made me snort.

>>41849639
>>41849690
I'm pretty sure it was Erika's first time, there was blood and everything.

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>>41849935

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>>41849935