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>>44241508
<You should be studying and training, not out in the field> Robert grumbles into your mind.

<Would you /shut up/ while I'm being given orders?> you plead. <This is important!>

The ghost lapses into silence as Brianna continues. " - This is recon only. Use your best judgement but two people aren't going to take on an entire town's worth of forces, no matter how sexy your new weapons are."

<Damn sexy> Robert comments, at the same time that Amy goes, "Yes ma'am."

<Robert, please, I know you want to proceed with my training but this is important.>

<I know. I just don't like you running about half-cocked like this.>

<I /am/ a warrior, you crazy ghost.>

<With a large hole in your armor.>

You look down and blanch. There /is/ a hole in your armor, where the spear got you. Amy is double-checking her equipment, which is what you ought to be doing, but it would be really bad if you got killed - again - in the same spot. Then again, these people have already been so good to you...

> Ask Nathan if you can borrow that armored coat of his
> Cover up the hole with a shirt over your mail so it's not as evident
> Do nothing

>>44241599
> Cover up the hole with a shirt over your mail so it's not as evident

>>44241599
> Ask Nathan if you can borrow that armored coat of his. He has actual armor, and you're going scouting ahead. If he insists, you can give it back when he's in danger.

>>44241599

> Cover up the hole with a shirt over your mail so it's not as evident

We can probably get it patched up / replaced later.

How large IS the hole? Can't imagine one of the others wouldn't have noticed if it was particularly gaping.

>>44241599
>Ask Nathan if you can borrow that armored coat of his

>>44241599
>> Cover up the hole with a shirt over your mail so it's not as evident
>> Do nothing
one of these

>>44241647
They /have/ noticed, they just haven't done anything because, really, what're you going to do? It's not like they're anywhere near a spot where it can get repaired. The town might have the tools and supplies, but the town is currently occupied.

>>44241647
I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've actually worn armor around them, plus any hole is bad when we're literally about to head straight into the middle of enemy territory.

>Ask Nathan if you can borrow that armored coat of his

JOLLY COOPERATION!

Calling in six minutes or when I have a tiebreaker.

Called. Writing.

As much as I want to participate in the retaking of the Lichyard, I have work in six hours. Make the La Croix proud, anons!

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>>44241599
Your ears flatten against your head. You don't want to ask any favors. They've done so much for you already. You spare a glance for Nathan and his coat before you set your pack on the ground and dig out a shirt.

<You know, he has armor in his coat.>

<Don't.> you ask.

<You're being silly, girl.>

<I didn't ask your opinion! Nor do I want it!>

<Look who's big for her britches. Banish me, then.>

You stamp your boot in frustration; the ghost has given you nothing but grief all morning, except for...except for earlier, when you talked to Brianna, but you've still had it up to here with him and his -

The coat settles over your shoulders, gently.

"You'll need this more than me," Nathan murmurs simply. "Button it up so it'll work better."

You can feel the tips of your ears turning red, but you do as he suggests, and then sling your pack back on. "Thanks. I. Yeah."

"Not a problem," Nathan says warmly. He claps you on the shoulder and then joins Brianna. Amy gives you a questioning look, and you start to jog after her.

"Ghost?" she asks, sympathetically, once you're out of earshot of the group.

"Yeah. He's...cranky, today."

Amy nods sagely. "So, I'm pretty good at going high up. I'm thinking we could split - I can find a decent vantage, you maybe pose as a merc traveling through?"

"Could work," you muse, brushing a lock of hair past your ear. "But that means if either of us get caught, we're in trouble."

"Bit of a downside, that," Amy admits. "You know more about the area. I'll leave it on you."

> Split up. Amy's plan has merit, you just have to stay, well, quiet.
> Stay together. You don't know what's in this town. Zombies would be bad enough; Red Waerlochs would be so much worse.

>>44241975
>Stay together. You don't know what's in this town. Zombies would be bad enough; Red Waerlochs would be so much worse.

> Split up. Amy's plan has merit, you just have to stay, well, quiet.

can necromancers see the ghost haunting us?

>>44241970
I have to get off the only computing device I can vote on in like two. I know your pain.

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Alright folks, that's the final update for tonight. I'm gonna archive the thread and catch some shut-eye, get some caffeine in the morning and beast this further.

Thanks again for reading and participating! Vote's open until I get up in the morning!

>>44241975
>Stay together. You don't know what's in this town. Zombies would be bad enough; Red Waerlochs would be so much worse.
Sounds like the safest option. Getting more scouting done is no help if the scout doesn't come back.

>>44241991
Yes! Yes they /can/.

...But they can't tell why it's haunting you or by what binding, which means they think this massively old, pissed-off ghost is following you around. Which is a lot like meeting someone who has Bruce Lee following them around, looking angry and protective.

>>44241997
Thanks for the adventure Vox.

>>44242013
So, Lisa might think River is Bri, huh? Seeing as how we have ghost Bruce Lee following us around, she'd rate us way higher on the threat scale.

Wonder how we could use that...

>>44242026
Not a problem anon. It's been a blast on my end too.

Thread successfully archived. Feel free to vote, discuss, etc. I'll address questions as I can when I get up.

G'night folks.

>>44241975
> Stay together. You don't know what's in this town. Zombies would be bad enough; Red Waerlochs would be so much worse.

G'NIGHT VOX

also my name is not anon, it's Anon

Hey guys, remind me--I think we told Nathan about our Respawnitis, did we tell Amy?

>>44243142
Pretty sure we did, yeah. Of course there are Issues with whether or not they stay knowing about it or what. Memory fuckery+fast forward a day is complicated, especially when we don't know if we go back to Glen or not.

>>44243170
oh man, multi-loop just-before-snapping Bri would be pretty cool.

>Fuck everything
>Buy chicken, canesword, stuff for Nathan, and a hatchet/knife.
>throatslit
>kill croc while waiting
>revive Nathan
>use croc to enchant canesword with Slaying
>send Nathan to bring chickens and news to Lakehallow
>Fall asleep

>wakeup
>walk into Obstacle Course
>give no fucks
>Kill Vintner
>Bring his head while freeing Amy
>remake Fetch
>Go kill Lisa tomorrow while Nathan gets Verve and takes care of Amy

>>44243170
If we get more rewinds, it would make more sense to rewind to when we woke up that morning rather than all the way back in jail.

>>44244446

Though remember, *time* does not actually rewind. It's just that our death, and the circumstances that led to it, are *written out* of the previous 24 hours, and we're moved...some time forward. I forget exactly how far.

>>44244734
24 hours forward. And there's some implication that circumstances in the Dungeon remain the same, though you haven't died again yet so it's hard to check.

Morning. Votes called, coffee, then writing.

>>44245551
I imagine us intentionally killing ourselves to test the circumstances would piss off lora.

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>>44241975
"We should stick together," you reason. "Data's not worth getting caught out if the town's filled with monsters. Or Waerlochs."

"Are they really so bad?" Amy asks, giving you a concerned look.

"Let me give you an idea - I would rather surrender unconditionally to an orc tribe with a population problem than be captured alive by Waerlochs."

Amy blanches. Good. She gets the idea.

"...That hasn't happened to you, right?"

"What? Gods, no!"

"Oh," the bird girl says in a small voice. "Um. Good?"

"...Can we just pretend this conversation didn't happen?"

"Yeah that works for me."

Unusually for Dungeon settlements, Split has no walls, though if what you've been told about the Lichyard is correct that would be because this is normally a peaceful level. You and Amy slip in at the outskirts and move through the shadows between homes and buildings.

<The people are all gone> you note, in worry.

<Not gone. But this place reeks of death and desecration. Stop and feel it.>

You tap Amy on the shoulder to get her to wait, and close your eyes. Robert had made it sound so easy, when he was trying to teach you - death is everywhere, and all living things have at least /some/ sense of it. But you had to pick out the background information, the little things other people missed, like changes in the air pressure or the whiff of fear on a breeze...

The flavor that creeps over your tongue is disgusting, a sharp blood-and-sweat taste that makes you grimace. That's not just death. That's...

<Pain?>

<Even so> Robert confirms. <You're taking well to your studies.>

<I'm not sure if that's a compliment, considering...the subject.> you admit.

The ghost chuckles wryly. <You will be a good necromancer. It is yet to be seen if you will be a good la Croix. Now go forth. You've business to attend to, here in this defiled place.>

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>>44246069
You and Amy creep closer to the center of town, and stop when you see activity down the main street that slices through it.

A group of undead servants, the nails jammed painfully into their eyes, walks mutely down the street. Flanking them is a pack of dogs, bones exposed and venemous slaver dripping from their fangs.

"See that man at the front?" you say to Amy. "With the red hand on his tabard? That's a Waerloch."

The mercenary rings a hand bell and calls out. "Volunteers! Tributes! Lady Lisa calls for diggers for her great work! This is your chance for volunteers and tributes!"

Just across the street from you, maybe a hundred feet behind the patrolling group, a door opens and a pair of teenagers, both human, are pushed out of the house. The door slams shut, attracting the attention of the patrol.

They turn, and the Waerloch grins savagely.

"Ah," he purrs. "Volunteers."

> Do nothing
> Intervene

>>44246231
How effective would Amy's scream be? Enough to grab the kids and GTFO?

I mean, these undead still have ears, right?

>>44246231
> Do nothing
Not yet. Follow them. I think we should hit the dig site.

>>44246292
It'd definitely stun the Waerloch. It might not affect the undead, depending on how they're built, and it /will/ shatter all the glass along the street, which could cause collateral damage to civilians.

If you've read Worm, think of Shatterbird, then localize the effect. It ain't pretty.

>>44246231
Can we get a run down on River's fighting style and weapon?

>>44246317
what's a few bleeding ears and some glass wounds?

>>44246319
River favors a bastard sword, and keeps a 'chete and a hatchet as backup weapons, as well as an improbably number of concealed knives. Think German fencing with her primary weapon, favoring a two-handed grip.

>>44246231
>> Do nothing

"...two people aren't going to take on an entire town's worth of forces, no matter how sexy your new weapons are."

Frustrating and terrible as it is, this looks like the kind of force we can't take on on our own.

We might be able to follow them and get more information, though.

How does Amy's new dagger work? Can it be thrown and then called back?

>>44246364
Well I gotta go to sleep, and after looking at both character's loadouts, I'll stick to

>Do Nothing
we're not THAT type of stealthy, and there's too many of them to blitz down.

>>44246454
You are not currently Amy.

>>44246402
It really revolves on the standing orders for the undead. They seem pacified at the moment so it is possible that they have no defend or attack atm. Still a gamble though.

Remember guys, SoP for stealth attacks, geek the mage first. You'll want to shank the waerloch repeatedly and probably go for a full decapitation.

In addition we'd want to immediately proceed to purge everything with him with fire.

You know, we could always try to collapse something on them, thats pretty lethal to most forms of life.

>>44246231
> Do nothing, but watch the patrol, see what they do and where they go
We're here to get intel. I wish we could do something, I really do, but we need to know more before we go loud.

>>44246669
I haven't gotten the impression the Waerloch is actually a mage. That's just the name of the company he belongs to.

>>44246701
Oh, in that case still kill him with extreme prejudice. That also means that crush syndrome should be extra lethal on him if hes actually something squishy like a person.

As a general rule even for things with specific weaknesses, crushing or dismembering them to a significant extent tends to work wonders. Unfortunately meat grinders don't exist in this universe and even if they did we wouldn't have access to one.

>>44246701
Fun fact - "waerloch" is an old Scottish term from which the modern "warlock" originates, and it means "oath-breaker". Waerlochs were traitors, often against their clan, their family, or one to whom they had sworn their troth, and were considered the lowest of criminals. They would be branded, on their palms and foreheads, and exiled to fend for themselves.

Often, these waerlochs would sign on with mercenary bands, looking to regain some of their honor and redeem their cowardice and treachery in the eyes of the gods - it was one of the few forms of honorable service left to them.

Aaaand then Christians came along, and the term got conflated with the idea that people who practice witchcraft have "betrayed" God, and the word sorta progressed towards its modern usage from there.

Votes called, writing.

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>>44246231
You put a hand on Amy's shoulder and shake your head. Even if you could take out this patrol, you'd both be injured and in no condition to fight the rest.

"Recon only," you murmur. Amy clenches her first in frustration, and then lets out a silent breath. She nods, relucatantly.

One of the teens is pounding on the door. "Mom! Mom this isn't funny! MOM LET US IN!"

The children are grabbed, manacled, and made to walk behind the patrol. One, the boy, continues to struggle and scream for his mother. The girl cries, with her head down.

You follow the group with a heavy heart.

As they move through the street, people are pushed out of houses or, more rarely, step out. Some try to run - these are hounded down by the dogs, who savagely murder them - and each time, the Waerloch calls, "I still have a quota to make."

After acquirinig a dozen souls, the mercenary stops collecting people and doubles the pace of the march.

A prison wagon has been prepared on the far side of the river, just across the bridge from you. It is already packed full of people, and attended by eight mercenaries and twice that many dogs. The patrol squeezes its harvest into the cage, adding more crying, furious voices to those inside, and then locks it.

"That's the load," the Waerloch calls out. "Take 'em to the Hoard."

One of the Waerlochs attending the wagon ascends to the driver's seat. His compatriots fall in around the wagon, and he flicks the reins to get the horse moving.

> What do you do?

>>44247276
Follow along as carefully as possible. Most of their forces are probably going to be watching over this Hoard if they have a lot of townspeople there. Need to keep them in line, after all.

Once we have eyes on it, we can see what their forces look like and figure out how we could best draw them out/smash them.

I maaaaay have been called in to work today. Unfortunately I also have non-work IRL obligations, so we'll see how that shakes out.

>>44247755
Seems pretty dead right now desu. Won't be too bad if you need to bail for a bit.

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>>44247772
Interesting word replacement there. I am amused by this.

>>44247817
What was it supposed to be?

>>44247864
Used the shorthand for 'to be honest'. Wonder if other abbreviations get replaced?

>>44247926
I guess we'll see.

Good news - not called in to work!

Bad news, still only one vote.

I'll give it another ten minutes and see. It /is/ kinda slow right now.

>>44248044
Is River (or the ghost) good enough at her death sense that she could find where the death and pain is strongest? I'm sure it's the hoard, and if it isn't it'd still be reeeeeal interesting, I'm sure.

>>44248044
>Follow along as carefully as possible. Most of their forces are probably going to be watching over this Hoard if they have a lot of townspeople there. Need to keep them in line, after all.

>>44247276

supporting
>>44247608

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>>44247608
I'll throw in with this, then. We need as much information as we can get.

We should try to pay attention to troop concentrations, movement,s and makeup.

I'm also happy to see Vox using so many of the pictures I've been posting.

>>44247608
> Follow along as carefully as possible. Most of their forces are probably going to be watching over this Hoard if they have a lot of townspeople there. Need to keep them in line, after all.

With the added caveat that we return if they get too far from town. There's decent odds the Hoard is where Lisa's holed up, and she's not our immediate concern.

Called, writing in a few.

>>44247608
>Follow along as carefully as possible.

> But if they're going *too* far away from the town, we should come back and report to Bri. No point in letting them think we've gotten killed, or getting so far from our backup that we *do* get killed.

Argh. Brief interruption here folks, I'll be back shortly.

Thank you for your patience.

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>>44248691
There's always LPs to keep me distracted.

Also, digging around in my pictures folder.

>>44247276
Supporting >>44248349

Also when we hit these people we're going to have to hit them hard.

On a completely unrelated note, anyone know how to circumnavigate a wifi filter, the hospital I'm at currently has 4chan blocked for reasons.

>>44249049
Like a hammer to the temple.

>>44249184
Main method I use is to just convert my phone into a wi-fi hotspot, then connect via that. 4chan isn't very data intensive.

Don't have anything beyond that, though.

The saga of real life continues.

Sorry folks.

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>>44249780
Not a problem, pic related.

>>44247276
You follow along stealthily behind the group, attempting to avoid being detected. As they walk towards the mine at a fast pace you notice something a blur out of the corner of your eye. Suddenly one of the prisoners screams before being dragged off behind the ruins. You hear a harsh cackling sound as the waerloch takes out his sword.

He orders the undead to search for what did this act when he is grabbed from behind and has his throat ripped out by a man, a very hansome man. It is none other than the mythical Shia Labeouf himself. Even the undead shiver in terror at the sight of him.

>What do?

>>44249998
Look around. If the mythical Shia is around, then his consort Megan Fox must be nearby as well.

>>44250055
You continue to observe the fight, keeping an eye out for Megan Fox, whom you do not see. The undead cautiously approach Shia, even they are affected by the primal terror of this creature. One of them goes for a swing when in a blur of claws and gnashing teeth he tears it limb from limb. The other undead face a similar fate. As the prisoners flee Shia lets out a victories cackling screech, the hunt has begun. He begins to move when he suddenly stops. Sniffing the air. He then proceeds to look directly at you!

What do?

>Run

>Run

>Fight

>Hide (Implying you can hide from shia labeouf)

>Die Horribly (can be chosen alongside multiple others)

>>44250129
>Freeze.
Perhaps if we make no sudden movements, he will not see us.

More likely, he will see us, yet may choose to let us live as we have not angered him yet.

Most likely,
>Die horribly.

Lie down and cry.

>>44250129
Summon a bloodthirster

>>44250129
>>44250189
>Freeze

Shia's vision tracks movement

>>44250129
Wait, is River strong enough to call on ghost Bruce Lee? Even if she doesn't have the strength to bring him fully back to the realm of the living, he may buy us time to escape.

After all, the Ia Croix serve, be it in life or death.

>>44250189
>>44250277
>>44250129

You remember that Shia Labeouf can only track moving objects and freeze. He looks in your direction for a minute sniffing at the air before running off gibbering in the direction of the refugees. You let out a sigh of relief and turn around, to see the smiling blood covered face of Shia Labeouf! You forgot, Shia Labeouf can smell your fear!

Before you have time to scream he is upon you, his teeth on your neck tearing your throat out. You stand for a shocked moment before collapsing, hand on your sword. Amy barely has time to scream.

>Reroll character

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI


Sadly I think I'm next for my appointment, so I'm going to end this early, I apologize to vox for shitting up his thread.

>>44250380
Don't worry, Lox. We all must shit on greatness at least once in our lifetimes.

>>44250410
I dunno about greatness. I'm just trying to run a good quest and help folks have fun.

Back at last. Writing.

>>44250618
You'd be surprised how simple greatness is, sometimes.

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>>44247276
You and Amy shadow the group, staying away from main thoroughfares. The patrols that move through the streets of Split seem mostly concerned that the peace of the town is kept; every now and again, you pass a house where someone is crying loudly enough to be heard on the street, only to be silenced by a Waerloch slamming their fist against the door.

If you had to guess, you'd say there's roughly thirty of the mortal soldiers, with twice that many zombies, plus the dogs. They infest the town like vermin, leaving trails of diseased saliva that stain the streets.

A road leads out of Split, along which the wagon travels. From your somewhat distant vantage point, you can see that it leads to a large, three-story temple carved all of granite. You don't even need to focus to taste the defilement wafting from it; someone has taken the sacredness there and perverted it beyond redemption.

<It will need to be levelled, and re-hallowed> Robert says, sadly. <A pity. The Temple of All Gods has stood for more than a thousand years, serving all faiths, for all are equal before death.>

<We'll make it right> you say, resolutely.

<That's the spirit.>

"How big do you think our britches are?" Amy asks, quietly. "We could catch up, if we're fast and quiet. I can stun the mercs if you can take out the zombies, and maybe stop them from reaching the temple. We'll have to get out fast, though. It's a loud kind of distraction."

"...That's a lot of zombies," you admit. "Not to mention the dogs."

"Those people, though," Amy pleads. "If it's stupid I won't do it but if we could pull it off..."

> ...It is stupid, but we have to try.
> No, it's too risky.
> We can do it, but I'm going to kill the mercs before I engage the zombies.

>>44250827
> No, it's too risky.

> ...It is stupid, but we have to try.

> ...It is stupid, but we have to try.

>>44250827
> No, it's too risky.

>>44250827
> No, it's too risky.

Even if we free them, the mercs will just grab some new ones from the town and maybe worse.

>>44250827
> No, it's too risky.
It kills me to vote for this, but they have dogs and we have no exit strategy. Nothing to prevent them from catching or killing the prisoners as we try to escape, nothing to prevent them from retaliating against the populace afterwards.

>>44250827
> No, it's too risky.

>>44251185
>> No, it's too risky.
>It kills me to vote for this, but they have dogs and we have no exit strategy. Nothing to prevent them from catching or killing the prisoners as we try to escape, nothing to prevent them from retaliating against the populace afterwards.

Seconded.

Votes called. Writing.

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>>44250827
"...We can't," you say at last. "They're probably in danger now, but they're /definitely/ going to die if we intercede. We have no method of escape, no route around Split, and we can't fight all these forces on our own - and that's saying nothing about the dogs. They'll have to reach the temple and then hope we get there in time."

"...Okay," Amy agrees, her voice tight. "When we find Lisa, let's kill her a lot."

"Agreed," you say softly, squeezing the bird girl's shoulder.

You slip out of town, and circle back to report to the group.

* * * *

You are Brianna la Croix, and holy fuck, that's a lot of zombies.

"We didn't even count the dogs," River admits. "There's a lot of them."

"I fucking imagine," you reply, lighting your pipe. You mull the situation over. "...I could owe my family a favor but I'd rather not if I can avoid it. If those dogs are what I think they are, they should fall apart if we kill their maker. In theory they could have been built better than that but it's not like Lisa's lacking for corpses. She'll save the expensive stuff for ones with thumbs."

"So, what, just leave the town as it is for now?" Nathan clarifies.

"Well..." you say with a sigh. "It's an option, yeah. As Aria said, it's not in immediate danger. And now we know there's hostages."

"We could raise some zombies of our own," River proposes.

"I promised I wouldn't," you point out.

"...Yeah, but. We /could/."

You take a puff and let it out through your nose.

> Go around. Scout out the Temple, hit it directly.
> Hit the town with the forces you've got. With stealth, you might be able to whelm individual patrols and take them apart piecemeal.
> Make some zombies. Pray the Keepers don't notice. Beg forgiveness later.
> Call upon the ancestors for aid.
> Write-in.

>>44252038
> Go around. Scout out the Temple, hit it directly.

>>44252038
>> Go around. Scout out the Temple, hit it directly.

I feel bad for the town, but if we can kill Lisa without having to fight *all* her flunkies first, that's definitely a thing we should do.

>>44252038
> Call upon the ancestors for aid.
Us owing the ancestors (pleasedontbemarkagain) a favor isn't great, but it's better than what's happening to those people.

>>44252038
> Go around. Scout out the Temple, hit it directly.

>>44252038
> Go around. Scout out the Temple, hit it directly.
Though it might not be a bad idea to, once we get there,
> Call upon the ancestors for aid.

>>44252038
>Go around. Scout out the Temple, hit it directly.

If scouting says we're out of our league, THEN call on ancestors

>>44252038
>Go around. Scout out the Temple, hit it directly.
What happens to the non-dog zombies if we kill their creator? Also is it possible for one necromancer to dominate another's creations?

>Go around. Scout out the Temple, hit it directly.

vox? you alive buddy?

>>44253141
Maybe he finally died of quest exhaustion?

>>44252038
>Go around. Scout out the Temple, hit it directly.

Also, along the way, look for chances to thin and disrupt the enemy forces with opportunistic attacks, but be choosy, don't risk the big picture for a small gain.

>>44252038
>Ambush the ones bringing in quota. Cut communication, get time for Lakehallow's reinforcements.
.....Lakehallow IS reinforcing, right?

>>44253313
Not really, no. You turned down that as a solution before and there hasn't been time to reach out for help, to say nothing of the town needing defenders of its own.

Sorry about the delay, folks. I need to make more coffee, and then I'm writing.

I had a John.

>>44253313
With what? Lakehallow is a very small town, and its militia just doesn't have the numbers, training or equipment to deal with this kind of situation.

>>44253575
coffee makes toilet breaks a fair bit more painful if you drink it day in and day out.

still voting to bring down communications, though

>>44253699
I don't think he meant that kind of John.

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>>44253575
>I had a John.

Honestly I don't know If I want to know, but you've been throwing in over the last couple threads, so I'm wondering if you want someone to ask. Forgive me if this has been covered already, but does this mean what I am already sure this means? Feel free to ignore, I do not judge either way.

>>44253915
It's a running joke, anon. I work retail.

>>44253945
still don't get it.

>>44253915
I'm pretty sure It's just a running joke.

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>>44253945
>I work retail.

THE HORROR

>>44253949
Last thread it was confirmed that Vox is a prostitute, catch up.

>Scout and strike!

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>>44252038
"We..." you sigh. "We go around. Cut the head off of the snake, rescue what hostages we can, and then clean out Split. That's gonna be the most good, for the most people. Especially since I've got a hunch that the temple is lightly defended."

"Why would it be?" River asks in confusion.

"You don't need guards for torture victims chained into the devices killing them," you say with such flat frankness that the others shiver in fear. "After that caravan leaves, Amy will help us ascend, and we'll hit it. I know Lisa's type. She'll be at the top, in the largest chamber she can make into a bedroom. She'll have guards, to flaunt or to torment."

"Wouldn't she be down at the bottom with the torture victims?"

"I doubt she's the necromancer. Greed is a poor reason to get into this," you point out. "She'll have hired it out, to someone willing to sell their life for coin."

Again that full-group shudder.

"Let's go."

Crossing the river turns out to be an affair of Amy throwing people and trying to stifle her gleeful giggles. She takes a running start and leaps after the group, floating down gently, and then you're off. Picking your way through the forest is easy enough, though you have to take care to stay out of the sightline of the temple windows. When you get to the structure itself, though, you can taste the pain radiating from its basement, and hear the drawn-out screams of the victims.

Your heart breaks, just a little.

> Stick to the plan
> Storm the basement instead

>>44254116
>Stick to the plan
Lisa is better equipped to deal with us in the even that the alarm sounds.

And we may want to take our time carefully not hitting victims when we fight the necromancer.

> Stick to the plan

we need to get the chain from lisa first.

>>44254116
> Stick to the plan

>>44254116
> Stick to the plan

>>44254116
> Stick to the plan

>>44253945
Man, there's soulless prostitution... and then there's THAT!
Vox, you need to find a sugar-daddy.

>>44254116
>Plan to the stick

>>44254116
> To the plan stick!

>>44253945
Good God man! My condolences to yourself and your loved ones.

Votes called, writing. Sweet, sweet coffee.

>>44254116
>Stick to the plan.
With all of the terrible things that Lisa and the Vintner have done, we need to remember that they were/are small fish compared to the true monsters residing in the lower depths of the Dungeon.

The only way we win in the long run is removing them from power with extreme prejudice. Revealing our hand to help a few hostages (who are likely in no shape to escape under their own power anyways) will only hurt us.

>>44254116
>"I doubt she's the necromancer. Greed is a poor reason to get into this," you point out. "She'll have hired it out, to someone willing to sell their life for coin."

...Wonder if it'll turn out to be a turncoat la Croix...? That would be...infuriating, I think.

>>44254116
> Stick to the plan.
Another five minutes of torture isn't gonna be pretty, but it's gonna be a lot prettier than it will be if we fail.

>>44255080
I very much doubt that. The family (not those fucking Roses, the family we actually care about) would have told us as much. Though, once he or she finds out that a true La Croix has come for his ass, he might just wimp out like a little bitch.

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>>44254116
No. You need to stick to the plan, and get this over with as quickly as possible. A quick glance tells you that all the windows have been blacked out, which is...odd. Why kill their own sightlines like that?

Still, with Amy's help everyone ascends to the third floor; the harpy girl has levered a window open, through which she ushers the people (and chickens) that she carries up. Kat closes it silently behind you, leaving everyone in a square room that was probably someone's chambers before it got stripped bare. Amy scans the room and then reaches into her new pouch of tools, taking out a small magnifying glass whose frame crawls with gently burning runes.

"Is everything demonic on fire?" Nathan asks quietly.

"Most things," you agree. "They've also got a thing for metal, water, stone, and hammers."

"...Huh."

"Yeah. Y'know the oldest legends of smithing say that demons gave fire to mortalkind and taught us to work metal?" you add, helpfully, while Amy examines the door.

"You know, I did not."

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>>44255253
Amy opens the door - to a thirty-foot drop. The third and second floors of the temple have been completely stripped out, and in their place is a massive pile of treasure - gold and silver, cups and jewelry and paintings, sculptures and gems and blades, and so much more besides, towering almost to the cieling. It dominates the new - and only - chamber of the temple, with only two other things visible: the stairs into the basement, and a small group of people staring up at the newly opened door. The one at the front, a female dwarf in silk finery, with a broad-brimmed hat and a wicked smile, speaks up.

"Welcome to the Hoard, heritor!" she calls out. "I'm Lisa the Seeker. My associates are Orion," a tall, armored man draws a broadsword and rests its tip against the stone, "Briar," a thin elf with an ebony longbow, arrow nocked and ready, "and Tristran." The final person, a halfling, lights a cigarette with a flame from his thumb and takes a casual drag.

Lisa hauls a chain out of the pile next to her and wraps it around her body; it flashes with runes for a moment, and then is still.

"I'm going to give you one chance to surrender," you say calmly.

"Mm. How about no?" the dwarf answers. She whistles sharply, and a spear flies into her hands. You can see fragments all up and down it, flecks of glowing power that have been forcibly bonded to an existing weapon. "A wagon of gold to the one who brings me her head!"

"Kill them all," you order flatly.

> You are Brianna la Croix (No Good Deed Goes Unpunished)
> You are Nathan Bookchild (Valor Is Its Own Reward)
> You are Amy the Dungeonbreaker (What Falls May Rise)
> You are Sir Fetch the Nightfeather (Stories Feed the Soul)
> You are River la Croix (You Must Die to Be Reborn)

>>44255462
> You are River la Croix (You Must Die to Be Reborn)
You must be as swift as a coursing...

> You are Sir Fetch the Nightfeather (Stories Feed the Soul)

we must get the Chain for our Goddess

>>44255462
>> You are Amy the Dungeonbreaker (What Falls May Rise)

Let's play with our new toyz.

>>44255462
>You are Brianna la Croix (No Good Deed Goes Unpunished)

>>44255462
> You are Brianna la Croix (No Good Deed Goes Unpunished)

Necro-dancefight!

>>44255462
>You are Nathan Bookchild (Valor Is Its Own Reward)
The sword's got a will of its own!

>>44255462
>>44255462
Hmmm, while I am tempted to go with Amy to check out her new gear (or Sir Fetch for the sheer awesome of being an undead rooster of chivalrous intent), I'm gonna have to go with:
>You are Nathan Bookchild (Valor Is Its Own Reward)

Also, can Nathan use the ambient suffering to make himself stronger? I mean, it must make him feel disgusted with himself, but it means he won't go down to some surprise magic or normally mortal wounds, I'm all for it.

>>44255636
Stronger, no. Tougher? Certainly.

>>44255462
> You are Brianna la Croix (No Good Deed Goes Unpunished)
We missed the last boss fight. Might as well make up for it by being ourselves for this one.

Calling in ten.

>>44255649
Question; Does Brianna have any direct-cast combat magic? Y'know, like Soul-Flay or Necrotic Bolt or some such. It's never been outlined to my remembrance save for the time we passed up the prompt for "The Slaying Arts" and I haven't checked the pastebin if there is one.

You know something, what are the odds that any of the bodyguards are Red Wearloch? If we reveal that Lisa has been paying them cursed treasure, we could have less to fight.

>>44255762
Since you passed that up during the prompt, Brianna does not have direct sorceries with which to slay the living.

>>44255462
> You are Nathan Bookchild (Valor Is Its Own Reward)

>>44255820
Awww, tis a pity. Maybe we can learn some after we boot these assholes out of the Lichyard? I'm sure there'd be plenty of ghostly ancestors willing to teach us.

After Bri visits the mournstone of course. She's gonna need some time.

We currently have a tie between Nathan and Brianna. Vote extended to get a tiebreaker.

>>44255462

> You are Brianna la Croix (No Good Deed Goes Unpunished)

VOTES CALLED.

WRITING.

>>44255462
Also, let's not forget that Nathan has his Spellcatcher gloves! Combine that with his Woundseeker perks, and he can just toss those fireballs and slaying spells back at the bastards.

>>44255820

On a scale of one to Bri's grandfather on viagra, how hard would it be to learn them, or rather begin learning them. And do we have other such combat usefulness? Do we know how to use our sword? I mean.. Bri /is/ a Necromancer and one would assume such a dangerous state would spur her to either be taught or endeavor to learn on her own basic fighting or other fighting magics.

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BOSS FIGHT BOSS FIGHT AWW YEAAAAH

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>>44255462
<Fetch, kill the mage>

<Yes, my queen!> the chicken knight answers. You touch hands with Amy and then leap from the balcony; you sail just ahead of an arrow from the elf and land on the pile of treasure, sliding down with one hand to aim your descent. Coins and gems cascade around you, hitting the floor with sweet rings.

You see Nathan's shadow spread behind him when he leaps at Orion, Verve in one hand. His battlecry - "HO LA, SONS OF SORROW!" - splits the air and echoes through the temple, almost distracting Briar enough to get her hit by one of Amy's throwing axes.

You unsheath your sword cane and face Lisa, the oak in one hand and the thin blade in another.

"You think you're a Hero, necromancer?" the dwarf taunts. "How does it feel, knowing that you'll never be good enough to be accepted? Even here in the Dungeon, everyone hates you."

"How badly do you want to piss me off?" you warn in a low tone.

"I think I'll use the stones from that shrine of yours to build a latrine," Lisa muses, stepping forward with the spear up.

Your hand tightens around the cane.

> Go aggressive.
> Stay defensive.
> Stall for time.

And

> Send Kat after Lisa
> Send Kat after another target

are we playing fetch?

>>44256152

> Stay defensive.
> Send Kat after another target

Have her either help Fetch or tag the chain.

>>44256158
No. Thou art Brianna.

>>44256152
>stay defensive
We don t know what she's capable of and she clearly wants us mad.
>have kat sneak around behind her while we hold her attention.

>>44256152
>stay defensive
>kat on lisa, but only when Lisa overextends
Or if amy gives the signal to cover our ears

>stay defensive
>kat on lisa, but only when Lisa overextends

i don't think lisa can die while she has the chain wrapped around her. we need to get it off first. and if we do that lora can come in and beat ass again.

>>44256152
All we have to do is break the chain, and then everyone in that room is FUCKED.
>Stay defensive.
And:
Send Kat after the chain.

Also, don't get hit with the partial god-slayer weapon. I don't think Lora can fix a booboo that big.

>>44256152
>kat on lisa, but only when Lisa overextends
>Stay defensive

"You know, I saw what happened to The Vinter after he died. Lora has so many things in store for you in the afterlife."

>>44256152
> Stay defensive.
She's still trying to get in your head.

Votes called, writing.

>>44256378
We should try to get in hers. We should remind her all the wonderful things that'll happen if and when she dies.

>>44256368
"And you'll NEVER have enough gold to buy her off, you know."

>>44256464
Actually, having enough gold to the point where it begins to perform nuclear fusion and implodes into a small sun might be enough gold to buy her off, or at least ward her off, I'm sure angels would struggle inside the heat of a fucking sun.

>>44256152
> Stay defensive.
> Send Kat after Lisa
Honestly, our friends have got this. We're the non-com squaring off against the boss.

It would also be nice to know if any of our magic is indirectly helpful in combat. Buffs, debuffs, the like. Sort of the same flavor as the Eyes of the Dead thing, I'm thinking.

>>44256500
If there was that much gold in the world of this setting then it either would have happened already or physics aren't the same in this universe, so that point is kind of moot.

>>44256540
Actually, you could in theory conjure gold, transmute it, or go the pathfinder route and pay off eldrich abominations with human souls and nightmares for access to the elemental plane of gold.

>>44256152
>defensive
>lisa

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>>44256152
>HO LA, SONS OF SORROW!

¡HOLA!

>>44256445
So vox, is the Actual Cannibal Shia Labeouf now canon in this setting?

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>>44256152
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz2GVlQkn4Q

Lisa stabs forward, and you sidestep and swat at the spear with your cane's sheath. She steps back from a return lunge with your blade and slashes with the tip of her weapon, making you hop back and adjust your hat.

"I don't think you quite understand what you have in store for you," you say mildly. "The Vintner is still begging to die properly."

"That fat idiot?" Lisa sneers. "He had no real ambition, and neither do /you/."

You trade blows amidst the sounds of battle, giving ground the whole way; Lisa has the superior reach, and you're a little busy trying not to be stabbed. Kat slips away from you, circling, waiting for her moment.

"All of this opportunity and you didn't even exploit my weakness against me! All these corpses and you haven't raised a single servant!" The dwarf rakes the tip of the spear against the ground, and you dive aside to avoid a slashing line of force that leaves a gouge in the stone. "WEAK! ALL OF YOU, WEAK!"

"You need to get laid," you note, prompting a howl from the dwarf. Kat rips her ankles out from under her, only to recoil with a spectral screech - the shadow's hands have burnt away.

Well fuck. You open your mouth to shout an order, but a harsh gesture from the spear makes the pile of gold tremble - and then lean over you.

> Run back
> Run towards Lisa

>>44256785
Not even a little.

>>44256860
> Run towards Lisa

> Run towards Lisa

unless she wants to drop it on both of us, she'll stop doing magic.

>>44256860
> CHARGE!

>>44256860
Well, that was unanticipated.
...
Bull rush her then? If she's made a golem out of gold stolen from the dead, the only safe place from it is right next to its master. If we're lucky, it'll try to hit us and get her instead, breaking the chain in the process.

>>44256860
>>44256981
Whoops! Forgot my vote.
>Run towards Lisa.

>>44256860
> Run towards Lisa
On the one hand, we might get stabbed. On the other hand, she's busy magicking, and if your opponent has a spear, getting close to them is generally a strong strategy. Admittedly, it's a little harder to predict when the spear is augmented by a fantasy nuke, but still.

>>44256860
>> Run towards Lisa

Hey guys, that spear is haphazardly forced onto an existing weapon. There is no way that it is magically, physically, metallurgical, or fundamentally sound. In other words, if it gets hit against something hard enough, it should break.

>>44257002
Ah. This is a myth. A really bad myth. Spears are still deadly as hell in close.

>>44256860
>Run towards Lisa
We should send kat over to help fetch. Poison quills might help with Lisa.

>>44256860
> Run towards Lisa
Get ready for a sliding tackle to her legs.

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It might be helpful to get her angry and off-balance, like she tried with us.

She already sounds a little irritated that we didn't do what she expected.

>>44257014
If that IS the godspear bits duct-taped to a regular spear, that definitely can't be a stable formation. Maybe we can do the Longinus Fetch Explodus shuffle on Lisa. Messing with shit way over her head seems to be her MO, let's turn it against her.

>>44257046
Well that's an interesting claim. It goes against both everything I've ever read on the subject, and my own (admittedly limited) personal experience. I don't suppose you'd be willing to provide an explanation or a source?

>>44257182
>You can see fragments all up and down it, flecks of glowing power that have been forcibly bonded to an existing weapon.

The fact that we can observe all of this says very poor things about the stability of that weapon. In addition, if we hit it right we may be able to at least dislodge portions of the weapon, which would weaken it substantially and possibly destabilize it. I think that Nathans sword would be quite effective here. Granted our necromancy does terrible things to metal, if we get a hand on that weapon we can possibly corrupt it, necromancy does cause weapons to rust after all.

>>44257186
That reach is mobile; with good footwork it means a lot. Stepping "into" it, against an trained weilder, will often get you a haft to the chin for your troubles. Remember, a spear's not a pike - it's short enough to be used as a staff with a pointy bit on the one end.

Now, the general counter to a spear user is to swat it aside and stap rapidly into their reach. This isn't because the spear's useless up close, it's because they'll step back, giving you a moment with which to put a new hole in their throat. But if they keep their head you're still in trouble.

>>44257265
Wait a second... Are Rust Monsters all technically weak necromancers?

>>44257296
Strictly speaking the counter to a hafted weapon is to break the damn haft, but I suspect that being encrusted with Jesus is going to complicate that notion, particularly because we don't have any zweihanders or halberdiers to charge with.

>>44257332
Actually, its not encrusted with jesus, its poorly encrusted with jesus. So in this case breaking the damn haft might still be a counter, although one with explosive consequences. (I'd imagine whatevers binding it together is quite powerful and doing so would make it go boom)

>>44257296
Fair point. Still, getting close would still seem like a better bet than not, because you're still negating one of the spear's main advantages, even if it doesn't become particularly disadvantageous for them, yes?

>>44257372
It's definitely still enChristed, though. I figure we either bounce or explode when we hit a bit of godslayer.

...Is there a hard counter to godslayer in the weaponry of the mundane? Can we yell ALL HAIL ATHE while we fight?

>>44257186

Hiya, I'm Vox's historical warfare consultant. Getting right into it...the thing with spears is that they are quite simply very effective. That's why they were the main arms for...pretty much everyone, really, for a very long time. They're cheap as hell, which helps, and they don't have many real weaknesses. Infantry formation spears often got ridiculously long, but that's not what we're talking about here- a personal skirmishing spear isn't going to be much longer than about twelve feet for a full-sized human. Thing is, if a spear's maximum effective reach is let's say ten feet, its minimum effective range is as close as you damn well want it to be. It does lose SOME effectiveness up close, which is part of why you step into their reach to deal with them, but the efficacy drop here is less "rofl useless now" and more "now you're on fairly even ground and might survive if you're smart." I can link some videos for demonstration and more thorough explanation if you like.

Guys, the most effective way to fight a spear wielding enemy is with a high powered assault rifle. Trust me on this.

>>44257592
I'm interested in these videos you mentioned

>>44257685

Yer damn right it is Anon. Or for a less anachronistic version, a bow, sling, crossbow, early firearm, or gravity-defying harpy magic.

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>>44257592
>I'm Vox's historical warfare consultant

Does that mean you pay him to have sex with you because that's the vibe I'm getting here

I notice that this discussion has drifted away from our daring necromancer's battle with a greedy bitch.

Votes called, writing.

>>44257730
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2YgGY_OBx8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBDOiwqqiNY

I looked for other video sources, but not many people are into vlogging about historical fighting.

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>>44256860
You rush forward. Your attempt to avoid the spear is partially successful; the jab at your torso was a feint that turns into a stab much lower, slicing a line across your calf and making you grit your teeth in pain. Lisa clearly expected you to go crashing to the floor, but instead you jump over her as the gold pile comes down.

The dwarf stands, with her stolen treasure in a heap behind her. You can see Kat greedily stuffing coins into her tenebrous mouth.

"I'm going to turn you into an undead fuck puppet and force the Waerlochs to use you," the dwarf growls.

"Ew," comes your flat reply. "You /really/ need to get laid."

"SHUT! UP!"

"This should not be as sensitive a topic as it appears to be," you note. You anticipate her feint and step left, swatting at the spear and moving in close.

The oaken sheath makes a satisfying /crack/ when you slam it across her jaw. The dwarf roars and swipes with her haft - you step back hastily, grinning like a fiend - before whipping the chain from her body and cracking it against the ground.

"SLAVE, DEFEND ME!" Lisa cries.

Well isn't that just fucking great.

> What do?

>>44258133
She has to weapons. Rush her!

>>44258133

Hey guys, question, what happens if you use a god killing spear on an angel binding chain?

We should find out, try to grab the chain. and use it as a shield.

>>44258133
...start pointing out to Lora all the fun ways that statement can be used to seal Lisa away from all the ills of the world for a while; proceed to eradicate Lisa's power base instead of her directly?
Lisa CANNOT prevent Lora from talking to the Heritor, after all. Or start to seriously consider ways to ask Lora the limits of Lora's control; calling upon Lora was not a first resort for Lisa or Vinter after all.

>>44258133
> Grab the chain.
Worst base scenario, we get some physical leverage on Lisa. Best case scenario, fun stuff happens.

>>44258347
Huh, you know, even in death we're a threat to her, we'll almost certainly become a poltergeist or some other varient of nasty spirit and cause trouble for her, the only way to defend her from a reckoning, especially when shes using a god killing weapon, is to bring her somewhere where she can never affect anything and nothing can ever effect her. In addition, that mouth of hers is constantly causing trouble, removing it would protect her from the power her own words hold.

It wont unbind her today, but 100 years from now when she dies of old age she'll get her reckoning, assuming she doesn't successfully commit suicide first.

>>44258347
Delicious. Stasis bubble for Lisa, a broken chain in the meantime for Lora, take Lisa's soul. Perfect

> Grab the chain.

>>44258133
Oh yeah, forgot to state with >>44258237

>Grab the chain, use it to block the spear.

>>44258133
Keep egging her on about her lack of a sex life, of course.
But seriously, get rid of that fucking chain RIGHT NOW!
>Bull rush Lisa, and perform a double-feint. Pretend to strike, and when she goes to block, use the sheath instead and strike the chain.

>>44258470
>Keep egging her on about her lack of a sex life, of course.
>You know, male prostitutes are a thing. You can buy your way out of this problem and it fits your personality perfectly
>I know a guy named Vox...

>>44257752
Anon, if she weren't a married lesbian I'd fuck her for free. Admittedly with some nervousness but that's just /spice/.

>>44258513
Tell her to call you if they ever want a kid :^)

You know, I'm a bit surprised that you guys chose Bri. I'd assumed that we were going in a line, Bri -> Nate -> Amy -> Fetch -> River and repeat. How are you guys going about this?

Votes called, writing.

Might have to go to bed in the middle of the bossfight. That'd be unfortunate.

>>44258590
clearly you need more alcohol/coffee

>>44258554
Yatzee. With human knuckle bones as dice.

How would you do it?

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>>44258133
Nope. Not fighting Lora, no way, no how. White mist billows into the room, but you have eyes for one thing - that fucking chain. You whip your sheath at her, and Lisa blocks in surprise, only to get hit by your flying tackle.

Kat watches the two of you wrestle, each scrabbling for the chain.

Lisa pulls a knife from her belt, only to get headbutted into the floor. You punch her with the hand that holds your blade - you can feel your knuckles splitting - and wrap a length of the cold, pulsing metal around your hand.

"You might not have gotten laid," you growl, "but you are going to get fucked. Kat, yank me."

The shadow flows behind you and puts its arms under your armpits, pulling you back. Lisa's grip falters, and you can see the terror growing in her eyes.

When you come flying off of her, chain in hand, she screams in frustrated rage. The dwarf turns to face the mists just as Lora steps out from them, blade in hand.

"I STILL HAVE THE SPEAR!" the dwarf shrieks. "I CAN KILL YOU! I CAN KILL ALL OF YOU!"

"Can you now?" Lora murmurs. Her eyes flick to the chain in your hands. "What is thy bidding, my master?"

> "Lora, I release you from this bond."
> "Lora, slay Lisa the Seeker."
> "Lora, return the dead of the Lichyard to their graves."
> "Lora, destroy the mercenaries that defile the Lichyard."

Choose only one.

>>44258791
>> "Lora, return the dead of the Lichyard to their graves."

>>44258791
> "Lora, I release you from this bond."

> "Lora, slay Lisa the Seeker."

kill the spear person first, then return the dead after, and destroy the mercs, then release her

>>44258816

Or, shit, maybe I take it back. If we don't free her now, can she ever be freed? Can she help without being under our command? Important questions, I just need to know how much Bri would know. Don't count my answer yet.

>>44258791
> "Lora, I release you from this bond."
Only real answer here, you can get her to do the rest as an afterthought to this one.

>>44258837
Bri knows what you know about this situation. That's it; that's what she's got.

But remember, as long as the chain exists, it can be taken away and used to command the now-present angel.

>>44258791

> "Lora, destroy the mercenaries that defile the Lichyard."
Without the mercs, it's mostly mop-up

>>44258791
> "Lora, I release you from this bond."
Seriously how is this even a question?

>>44258791
>Lora I relea... you know what, Fuck it! Beat Lisa to death with the chain!

>>44258791
>"Lora, I release you from this bond."
After all, it what we've been working towards this whole time. Otherwise, we could go with:
>"Lora, return the dead of the Lichyard to their graves."
I wonder if Lisa's companions are actually zombies that have been prettied up with magic? That's be an interesting character development for the greedy cunt. Not enough to stop us from gutting her like a trout, but interesting.

As for the immediate consequences, we could use this to switch to another party member's perspective. River has never heard the story concerning Lora, so this is going to be /very/ interesting.

I'm fairly certain that at least one or two of Lisa's companions have been eliminated by now, so even if Lora can't actually attack Lisa while she has the spear, all we have to do is flank her on her blind spot.

WORDS!

>>44258791
>"Lora, I release you from this bond."
If I recall, a lot of the shit that's going down relies on that binding. I also recall that the crazy mercs don't like being betrayed.

Want to do a double up, inform the buggers their gold is cursed and use our ancestors to help show them HOW cursed? It is quite obvious the dwarf isn't going to play fair.

>>44258791
>> "Lora, return the dead of the Lichyard to their graves."
> "Lora, slay Lisa the Seeker."
>>44258841
>>44258899
We'll release her in 5 seconds after this occurs. Her other bindings will prevent her from interfering otherwise.

Votes called. Writing.

>>44258791
>"Lora, I release you from this bond."
Let the cumupance commence.

>>44258859

In that case, officially change mine >>44258816
to

>I release you from that bond

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>>44258791
"Lora," you say formally. "I release you from this bond."

Immediately, the chain begins to tremble in your hands, and the angel gives the dwarf a vicious, gleeful look.

"You know all of those wards I was holding back?" the angel says in a low voice.

"No. NO, I FORBID IT! THE MASTER GAVE YOUR CHAIN TO ME! ME!"

"Then you shouldn't have lost it," the angel replies, setting the tip of her blade against the floor.

"You can't do this!" Lisa shrieks in panic. The spear in her grip is shaking, as is the vast pile of treasure.

"What is it you told me?" Lora asks sweetly. "Oh, right. I'm rich. I can do whatever I want."

The gold rises in a pitiless tide and comes crashing down over Lisa. The dwarf's final scream is muffled by the shifting tide of crashing coins and treasure, which sweep through the room and swallow her compatriots, leaving yours untouched. The gold floods into the basement and streams out of the front doors.

You feel your pack burst as the cursed gold shreds its way out and flocks to the rest of the mass.

And out in the Lichyard, the sound of terrified screams splits the silence. The chain in your hands melts away to nothing, and Lora gives you a grateful nod, still waiting patiently. You can feel the others staring in awe at her, and then in fear when Lisa's screaming soul, struggling and thrashing, floats back into the room and binds to Lora's blade, joining the Vintner's.

"That's two," the angel says smokily. "I could fuck you right now, I'm that happy."

"H-hey!" Amy speaks up. "You leave Bri alone!"

Lora's smile is more warm, more genuine, and she glances at Amy. "I'm glad my feather could help you."

The part-harpy freezes and quiets down.

> If you want to ask or say something, now is the time.

>Hug her.
>can you help the ones who were tortured downstairs?

>>44259162
this

>>44259162
I'm not much for the hugging, but I'm definitely seconding the whole "helping the tortured people" thing.

so, how are we going to pay the Wearlochs

>>44259231
With a giant mountain of "fuck you your gold is killing you?"

>>44259231
>And out in the Lichyard, the sound of terrified screams splits the silence.
I think that's already taken care of, anon.

>>44259126
I can back >>44259224

>>44259231
Get the Wearlochs to come over to receive their "pay' from Lora?

>>44259162
Although I'd like to second this, I'm not sure if there will be anything we can do.
>The gold floods into the basement and streams out of the front doors.
That pet necromancer of Lisa's is in many different pieces right now. If there's anybody left to save, it's probably the people left shackled, imprisoned and enslaved outside in the Lichyard. The Keepers can help more with this than an Angel of Death.

Maybe now is the time to learn more about the others commanding Lora, or at least what's going on in the rest of the Dungeon.

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>>44259126
"Speaking of," you say solemnly. "Can anything be done for the people downstairs?"

Lora sighs, heavily. "...My freedom now is limited. As I expend my power, my other masters notice. Even now their attention turns to me, suspicious of what is happening. I could heal the victims, or at least those who are not dead. Or I can return the dead of the Lichyard to their graves."

Her hand grips her sword hilt hard enough for her knuckles to turn white. "...It might be a mercy to kill them instead, heritor."

Your compatriots limp into formation behind you; Nathan puts a supportive hand on your shoulder, for which you are grateful.

"You're doing the best you can, Lora," you murmur.

"Irrelevant. I failed my duties when I was bound." You see the rage tremble through her, top to bottom, before she lets out a deep, steadying breath. "Name your boon."

> Heal the victims of the torture chamber
> Return the dead of the Lichyard to their graves
> Write-in (ONE. DISTINCT. IDEA. I SWEAR TO GOD COMBINATION VOTES WILL BE DISREGARDED HARDER THAN ADS FOR HOT SINGLES IN MY AREA)

>>44259231
>>44259250
>>44259275
>>44259326
I believe phrases like "They are being paid in full, right this very moment" come to mind. All the tortured dead and their stolen gold had a price Lora was deferring, and it has now come due. River and her previous band are likely the only cohorts of Lisa that are not screaming in suffering right now.

>>44259379
>Heal the victims of the torture chamber

>>44259379

> Heal the victims of the torture chamber
We'll can get some guys to help with doing the other one.

>Heal the victims of the torture chamber
The dead can be returned manually. This kind of suffering cannot be undone manually.

And a La Croix never shunned away from hard work.

>>44259379
> Heal the victims of the torture chamber
We can leave necro-elf here to pick up the pieces

> Heal the victims of the torture chamber

we walk the right path, not the easy path which is also known as the morally deficient path.

>>44259379
>Return the dead of the Lichyard to their graves

>>44259379
I second River returning the dead to their graves
> Heal the victims of the torture chamber
unless she can give us the power to save them ourselves, they're short on time.

>>44259379
I would like for everyone to remember what Brianna said about how Lisa created her zombies. Torturing people to death and then shoving their souls back inside to suffer forever? Yeah. This isn't a vote.
>Return the dead of the Lichyard to their graves.

The Roses and the Keepers can help us care for Lisa's victims.

So considering the circumstances that probably got a lot of these people IN said torture chamber, they may not want to return home. Lakehallow?

>>44259379
> Heal the victims of the torture chamber
Life is for the living, death is for the dead. The dead can wait, the dying can't.

>>44259486
Well said.
> Heal the victims of the torture chamber

Votes called, writing.

>>44259486
Yup
> Heal the victims of the torture chamber

>>44259379
>Return the dead to their graves.
The dead, all things considered are sadly the bigger concern. Her healing magic will not help those who are greatly hurt since we saw the effect on amy. The dead however are going to be hard to stop and will likely cause a problem now with no leader. Those already near death from the tortures are likely too far gone. Offer peace to the dead, and help them move on.

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>>44259379
You think, hard, and finally take your hat off of your head.

"Heal Lisa's victims," you say at last.

"You'll condemn them to remember this forever," Lora warns, in a soft voice.

"I know what I'm doing to them," you murmur. "And if they want to take the emergency exit, that's on them. But they get the chance to choose."

"As you wish, heritor," Lora answers. The black wings go back and then beat, mightily; the wind that blows from them is lined with raven's feathers. They brush against you and your companions, healing your wounds, and spread through the Lichyard. "Let all harmed by Lisa's will be healed of their hurt, and made whole in body."

The chains manifest on Lora, and the angel sighs.

"I'm sorry," you whisper.

"I'm not," she answers.

Lora struggles against the bonds that drag against her, fighting grimly for every inch, until they finally pull her back into the white mist from whence she came.

In the silence that follows, you pack and light your pipe.

"Come on," you murmur. "We have people to treat."

END PART TWO: CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU

>>44259579
>END PART TWO: CANT TAKE IT WITH YOU

SON OF A BITCH!

>>44247926
>>44247817
>>44247864
>>44247961


t b h becomes desu
f a m becomes senpai
c u c k becomes kek
s m h becomes baka

>>44259579
KHAAAAAAAANNN!!!
But no, that was really fucking good. Character development all around, some hellacious new gear for Best Bird, and Brianna got a new sister.

Also, another notch in the belt. How much you wanna bet those other bastards will be fortifying their assholes?

Helluva ride folks. What were our feelings on Part Two? Things you'd like to see more of, or less of?

We'll shortly be beginning our second interlude (DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY), which will follow a similar format to the first. As before, requests for specific types of scene ("date", "story", "flashback") are appreciated.

Thanks for reading and participating thus far, anons!

Another upgrade for fetch?

continuing now or in a few hours?

>>44259788
Def not in a few hours, I have to sleep so I can be up for work.

>>44259773
We should probably upgrade the chickens. Especially the dumb one, gotta get them all on the same level.

so in like 16 hours?

>>44259773
River returning her first dead to rest.

Amy trying out her sexy new weapons against Verve, and fighting a budding crush for Lora. Just kidding.

Nathan experimenting with shadows, understanding how they work, now that he has a new perspective to work with.

Bri and Fetch having that talk about sunlight.

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Mrr. I kinda want to start a new thread to do the interlude with but we're still a bit of a distance from there. Blargl.

>>44259822
I could definitely see some of these happening.

>>44259804
You'll have the chance. Remember that the dumb one has two slots, where Fetch and the smart one still have one slot. After that, the chickens are as good as they're getting.

>>44259773
More polyamorous cuddling. More emotional turmoil. More family interactions (although that may be slightly harder, due to their being dead and all). More cute.
The exact same amount of crying with cuddles, I really enjoyed that, and it doesn't feel like we got everything weighing Bri down taken care of.

>>44259860
You know, I /just/ now realized that the harpy is topless in this image. I just assumed she had a shirt or something this entire time.

>>44259860
Would we be able to upgrade their projectiles? Or was it a one and done type of thing?

>>44259773
THE VOXWAGON IS OUT OF GAS! MUST STOP FOR REFILL AND SNACKS!

I'm think that we should:
>Upgrade chickens to be even (except for the mighty Sir Fetch, for none can compare) in offense, defense and intelligence.
>Learn some spells, maybe hexes or some such to make things harder for the enemy. Slaying spells of a necromantic nature are expensive as fuck.
>River needs some proper instruction in the how's and why's of Necromancy and being a La Croix.
>Brianna deserves time to mourn back at the shrine.

Maybe another outing/date with Amy and Nate. I'm a sucker for romance.

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>>44259891
To be fair, you'll never get /everything/. Bri's got the world on her shoulders, because that's her job. But you can ensure that she gets the love and support she needs to carry the weight.

...I'm glad to hear the relationship/emotional scenes have gone over well, though. I'd been worried about those. It can be hard to write without either coming off as emo or pointlessly sappy.

>>44259896
You can refine the necrotoxin and strengthen the necromantic enhancements in their claws, creating wounds that don't just not heal, but actively fester and impede magical healing.

Meanwhile, other necromancers be like, "...but they're CHICKENS? Why is she upgrading CHICKENS? WHERE ARE THE SKELETONS?"

>>44259940
What makes a zombie army "bad" in the la Croix line of thought?

>>44259940
They're small, fast, and obviously everyone is going to underestimate them. UNTIL THEY RECEIVE THE POWER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE TO THEIR FACES!!

I'm thinking that Fetch is going to need some toughening (I refuse to let our fair knight go about without proper armor!), but we could upgrade the second to have more potent venom and the third to actually have brains, no matter how rotted.

>>44259773
I enjoyed it. Although yeah, theres going to be a spike in suicides and a few things that'll need destroying, but hey, another yard secured.

Also I'm enjoying lora as a character more and more.

>>44259998
>
This. We need to make Fetch stronger, as he is our finest knight. His little army should get upgrades, too, but I'd be inclined towards maximizing their offense some more. More dakka, more deadly neurotoxin. Maybe get someone from Hell to let them coat their projectiles in like... Exploding poison napalm?

>>44259989
Well, think of it like this.

What sort of problems do you solve with an army?

Now what sort of problems do you solve with an army of unquestioning slaves?

In general, if a scenario's requiring the vast ranks of humanity, armed and enraged, the la Croix already don't want to be in charge of it. Their problems are with people, on a personal level that lets them get to know one another. War is sometimes necessary, and the la Croix have served in it, but commanding the vast swaths of life and death on the field of glory is a thing they generally shy from.

It's very easy to forget that the things your disposable, replaceable zombies are killing are irreplaceable /people/.

However, the zombie army phrase is also just family shorthand for going mad with power.

>>44260037
What if said army was made up of chickens?

>>44260099
> "And she just kept screaming "CLUCK CLUCK FUCKERS, FLEE BEFORE ME!"
> "And it worked?"
> "Right up until the fire mages showed up."
> "...So that'd be why no one else has done this."

>>44260099

We'll just need to make sure we don't have an army of unquestioning chicken slaves.

HEY VOX! Is it possible to have another familiar? Or to give a familiar a familiar? Can we promote Fetch to Lord, and then make some knights to serve under him?

>>44260195
One familiar per soul.

>>44260216
Can the other chickens be sentient, then?

>>44260182
Colonel Sanders as a Lich when?

I still want my undead velociraptors. *sniffle*
By this point, Fetch might actually qualify, what with being small, fast, smart as a whip, and killy as hell.

>>44260238
They could have been, if you'd fully upgraded their intelligence. That ship has, sadly, sailed.

>>44260247
Who is to say we cant get MORE CHICKENS.

>>44260247
With upgrading our minions, is it a matter of 'weight'? IE Too many magics laid on top of their little bones? Or do we need better materials to upgrade them?

I ask because I don't think upgrading them further would make them overpowered. They're still chickens after all.

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>>44260241

>killy

I know he's not a sparrow but the pic was the first place my mind went when I read that in regards to Fetch.

>>44260328
It's a matter of metaphysical "space". Think of the spell that binds the chickens like the body of a car, and your upgrades as parts for that car. You can install new parts or better parts, but in the end there's limitations built into the body itself.

Besides, they've been damn useful as it stands, no?

>>44260347
Now I want to get like 10 chickens to see what all the combinations do.

NEW THREAD:

>>44260461
>>44260461
>>44260461
>>44260461