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>>44819422
As your men begin righting the furniture in the tavern so that it can be usable as an outpost once again, you turn your attention to your next move. You need more information. Everything suggested that the leaders had been thralled in that keep somehow but you had no idea how. There was only one source of information who could help you and you hoped that they weren’t going to be too upset with you for contacting them at this hour. A quick sending confirms that a meeting can occur.

“Lieutenant Maes, could you get me the sending device?” you say as you right one of the large tables in the centre of the tavern, using a little bit of magic to heft the huge block of oak.

Ignoring the spike in interest you receive as you prepare to contact Alenier and her vampire expert, you settle in for what might be a reasonably long chat. It’s past midnight and you’ll need to be active not long after dawn so you mentally prepare yourself for a gruelling time in Darlesia.

“Hi Saul, Tsucchi and I are here,” Alenier says, her voice being broadcast over the sending device.

“Do you understand what time it is?” says the vampire expert, who you assume is Tsucchi. An odd name, you think.

“Should I wait until dawn and then try again?” you say dryly.

“You should learn the patterns of a woman if you hope for success in your life,” Tsucchi says. “Disrupting their sleep is not something that earns you love.”

You already have a woman and you’re well aware of the penalties of disrupting her sleep, but Tsucchi wasn’t a dragon and you weren’t interested in her for more than her data on vampires so you disregarded her complaint. Gnome takes the opportunity to lean on your head and you can no doubt picture a grin on her face. The other men are feigning disinterest but you know they’re paying attention.

Lynn voices her interest, “This seems like a rather odd time to contact some friends, general.”

>continued

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>>44819430
You ignore Lynn. “We’re in Darlesia and things aren’t exactly right here. I have it on good authority that there’s a vampire here but they’re laying low and acting through thralls.”

“Darlesia? You move fast. I would have thought you would have still been in Vitria,” Tsucchi says and you can hear what you think is the ruffling of paper on the other side of the link. “And what exactly is your ‘good authority’ regarding a vampire in Darlesia? My movements suggest that Volante is moving south, Darian is still in Hiien and the other managing vampires are all tied up in Taour, including Blackwater.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath from several of your men at the news that Volante is moving south, and you partially wish you had the room to do this away from prying eyes and ears. You drum your fingers on the table as you let the information sink in.

“The authority we have is rather limited but if she says there’s a vampire here, then there’s a vampire here,” Gnome says, interrupting your thoughts.

“You have a source of vampires that isn’t me or one of my sources?” Tsucchi says, clearlyannoyed.

“Maybe the two of you can share notes?” Alenier suggests.

“I don’t think that would work. She doesn’t have notes,” you say slowly, not sure how to respond. “How do you know Volante is moving south?”

Tsucchi’s voice is smug as she responds, “I have access to some rather good sources of intelligence.”

“Can I rent them?”

“I suspect the cost would be too high and they’re not mine to offer out, so you’ll have to rely on me for now.”

You still need to get her thoughts on the keep so you…

>1. Explain what you’ve heard happened at the keep and get Tsucchi’s thoughts on it.
>2. Ask Tsucchi directly which vampires would be best placed to thrall the resistance leaders without attracting too much attention.
>3. Go back to the ‘managing vampires’ and get more details on them.
>4. Custom

>>44819449
>1. Explain what you’ve heard happened at the keep and get Tsucchi’s thoughts on it.

>>44819449
>2. Ask Tsucchi directly which vampires would be best placed to thrall the resistance leaders without attracting too much attention.

Get a rough picture of the target's likely capabilities and then get started with the stabbing business.

>>44819449
>>1. Explain what you’ve heard happened at the keep and get Tsucchi’s thoughts on it.

>>44819449
>1. Explain what you’ve heard happened at the keep and get Tsucchi’s thoughts on it.
And after this, on we go to the keep, in all likelihood.

>>44819449
>The infiltration thing was a bit overstated on my end, but both here and in Vitria people have just randomly done something completely different to their initial intention (which is to go after the actual target). You didn't wait for your men to give you any extra information, so why go for them over the keep (the vampire likely hiding out there being the only reason to infiltrate that was mentioned during voting)?

Aspie, you can't dangle a carrot in front of the horse and not expect it to try and eat it. Shit was going down when we entered the city, of course we want to investigate it along the way.

>1. Explain what you’ve heard happened at the keep and get Tsucchi’s thoughts on it.

>>44819449
>>1. Explain what you’ve heard happened at the keep and get Tsucchi’s thoughts on it.

Well, I suppsoe with most if not all of the really dangerous vamps accounted for, getting an educated opinion on what we're running into instead of ust who we're going to stab is at least somewhat sensible.
I'm just not really convinced that asking the vampire expert about the general situation is as sensible as just asking about the vampire, as in her area of expertise.

Strategically, we already know that the resistance is cray-cray, so I feel our priority now should just be to kill the vamp so they can't micromanage their thralls anymore and hope that when we attack and start killing Taouran troops, due to the lack of active vamp interference the standing orders alone won't be enough for the thrall(s?) to effectively stop the resistance from helping.

>>44819845
I figure that by giving her the situation at the keep, she's more likely to be able to figure out who it is.

I'm just hoping the Resistance won't get in the way, and perhaps if they do have the Darlesian troops screen the North of the city for Volante's approaching forces instead of perhaps committing butchery against their former comrades.

>>44819449


>1

Also,

>First oficial mention of Blackwater in forever

Yes, the fire rises.

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>1.

You relay the intelligence you’ve received on what happened to the resistance leaders, focusing on the fact that they suddenly began acting very strange after visiting the keep. Combined with tonight’s events where the leaders had a falling out and pinned it on everybody else, it made it clear to you that they were thralled.

Tsucchi agreed, “Yes, that sort of behaviour typically suggests they are under thraldom. What I wonder then is how they were thralled – for several of them to be thralled there would normally have been quite the brawl and the act of thraldom for most vampires leaves marks.”

“Lady Terce didn’t leave marks,” you say.

“Exactly. I believe you are dealing with a daywalker whose method of creating thralls is more circumspect than the typical ‘feed them your blood’ that often occurs,” Tsucchi says, her voice sounding a little strained. “Terce was as dangerous as she was because she had that method. I’m not aware of any of the other daywalkers that are similar.”

There’s a long period of near silence, as you hear the constant shuffling of papers on Tsucchi’s end. You’re not quite sure what’s going on.

“The only vampires whose methods of thraldom that might be applicable are those I am not aware of. Those are Farsool, but I can’t see him leaving Taour given his research, and Serat, but she’s been holed up in her castle for years.”

Something clicks in your mind at that, as her words don’t sound right. “There was a Lady Serat in Vitria. She was considered a guest but escaped before I encountered her. She seemed powerful.”

The shuffling of paper stops suddenly. Then it resumes with more violence then before. You trade looks with Gnome, who looks down at you with a shrug.

>continued

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>>44820339
“I have very little on Serat, but she’s relatively young. Older than Volante but nothing compared to Blackwater, Dalrec and Darian. Shadow and blood magic, like Volante. Sired by Dalrec. She hasn’t done anything for years so I have next to nothing on her,” Tsucchi’s voice is hurried, as she reads through her notes rapidly. Then she seems to lose that energy. “I’m sorry, I don’t have much to help you. It’s possible but I can’t provide you much help beyond saying to be very careful. Any vampire able to hole up in a castle these past few decades must be dangerous, or else they would have been dispatched by the other vampires for not cooperating.”

That doesn’t make you feel any better. “Well, thank you for what you have given me. I’ll speak to you after this is over.”

“Take care, Saul,” Alenier says. “I know you won’t need the luck, but it would be unsatisfying if something happened to you before I could actually meet you.”

“And I need to collect on your payment for this information,” Tsucchi says. You weren’t aware you were being billed for this.

It’s dawn before you set out, having holed up until the nightwalkers in the city would no longer be active. The fire has been put out and the city shows relatively normal activity. In contrast to the night, there are people on the streets and normal market activity, insofar as there are people setting up stalls at dawn. Things are quiet enough for you to move about relatively unnoticed, so long as you avoid the relatively sparse Taouran patrols. You find it odd that there are so few Taouran soldiers on the streets given the occupation. Perhaps they’re aware of the resistance being thralled?

>continued

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>>44820358
The keep itself is as abandoned as you had heard it was and is mostly a ruin. On your approach you even see a massive section of it that has been gouged out, revealing the insides of what may have been a large hall to the world. There is a distinct lack of people near the keep and all the nearby buildings are clearly unoccupied. You can’t sense any magic in the keep and neither can Gnome.

“We shouldn’t charge in without a plan,” Gnome says.

“We don’t have enough information to form a plan,” you say. “We’ll need to go in.”

The question is, who and how? If thraldom was a threat, then that meant those that couldn’t be thralled were the best bet. That meant Gnome and, if you relied on Lyria, yourself. Traps were also a very real danger – the fact that the resistance dispute took place at the base of the keep worried you. If the resistance was hunting you then they might expect you to come here. You…

>1. Send in Gnome by herself. It’s dangerous for her, but she’s capable and unable to be thralled at all. You would be able to fend off any traps outside the keep however.
>2. Go in with Gnome. You’ll gather more information if it’s the two of you and be in less danger, so long as Lyria can protect your mind.
>3. Go in with everybody. If thraldom becomes a threat then you and Gnome will need to act fast, but you’ll be best set for a battle and to avoid any traps inside the keep.
>4. Custom

>>44820384
2

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Also, just an fyi but the thread will end at midnight sharp EST as I'm going out.

>>44820384
>2. Go in with Gnome. You’ll gather more information if it’s the two of you and be in less danger, so long as Lyria can protect your mind.

>>44820384
>2. Go in with Gnome. You’ll gather more information if it’s the two of you and be in less danger, so long as Lyria can protect your mind.

The danger with just sending Gnome is in my eyes that she might not actually trigger any thralldom based traps, either because they're automated and don't ping on Elementals or because they're manually triggered and Gnome gets identifired before the trap is triggered.
Go in together hope we can Lyria tank this and then either call in the backup or finish things ourselves.

>>44820384
>2. Go in with Gnome.

I want to see some duo fighting.

>>44820419
In case I'm already in bed by then, have fun with whatever you're doing!

>>44820384

>2. Go in with Gnome. You’ll gather more information if it’s the two of you and be in less danger, so long as Lyria can protect your mind.

Can the others follow us not too close? As in, they can at least make it if things get really bad? Once we determine something like the thraldom method we can shout to them how to avoid it, or keep the daywalker busy.

I wonder if the fact that this isn't really Aladria's home meant that her thralling was somewhat diluted and wonky, which in turn is what made people kind of cray-cray instead of just her slaves.

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>2.

“Maloric, Lynn, keep watch out here and lay low,” you say as you open a link to Lyria. “There’s a pretty good chance that the resistance knows we’ll come here if their leaders are thralled, and even if they don’t then the vampire will likely command them to help her when we engage.”

“If you’re going to engage, shouldn’t you take all of us?” Maloric says.

“Unless you have some trick I don’t know about, you can’t fight thraldom like we can,” you say, gesturing to yourself and Gnome.

“Then take Lynn.”

“It would be too dangerous to leave you by yourself,” Lynn says without hesitation and you think you can pick up a trace of anger in the lilting tones projected by his helmet.

Clicking his tongue, Maloric waves you and Gnome off. You give Lynn a mock salute before venturing into the ruined fortress, trying to push the background presence of Lyria from your focus. If you’re paying attention to her presence then you’re likely to mess something up. She’s staying quiet as she knows how important it is for you to remain focused, but you’re still not yet used to her presence like this.

>continued

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>>44820710
The inside of the keep is already beginning to become overrun with moss and lichen as months of exposure to the elements and lack of maintenance take their toll on the stone. Magic lingers in the stone but the damage sustained has almost certainly broken many of the greater enchantments on the keep’s structure. All that would remain would be those that are intrinsic to the stone itself, such as magical reinforcement and other physical properties.

The most troubling of those properties is that the stone appears to be blocking your magical senses. As soon as you lose sight of the outside world you can barely sense Lynn and Maloric. It made sense for defensive reasons to have the keep prevent magical senses from easily finding people – there would be no easier way to track down important individuals and mages during an assault or assassination otherwise. It just troubled you, as it meant there could be a vampire here and you simply are unaware.

Gnome senses the problem as well and her grimace indicates that she’s no less affected. When she places her gauntlet against the stone you realise she’s actively using her connection with the stone to try to detect others. You should do the same with your magical senses and flow reading.

[DC87 Magical Sensing]

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>44820733

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>44820733
Well this is not happening...

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>44820733

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>44820733
I'm late.

>>44820769
Goddammit, this is painful.

>>44820769
Fugg.

Why didn't you spin the die as you rolled it for that extra 2 we needed?

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>>44820769
Fucking hell, off by 2!

>>44820799
Because that always makes my rolls worse.

>>44820845
Did you try spitting on it? lubing it up in some fashion so there's less friction?

Maybe throw it up instead of rolling it down?

Have you tried massaging your die? Serenading it by a nice candlelit dinner?

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>44820769
It's okay, I'll redeem us next time.

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>target not met

You can sense power in the keep but not much more than that. You’re certain that there’s something here and it’s dangerous but location is beyond you. For her part, Gnome appears to be onto something but you don’t know if she’s just searching via layout or has found the vampire.

Lyria chimes in as she realises you’re having doubts, “This is where I sensed the vampiric presence and it was suitably powerful. It’s rather hard to compare my senses to yours, but I would guess that the power you sensed in Vitria was similar in magnitude to what I sensed. Be very careful, Saul – she’s more than you can take on alone.”

She. If Lyria was also making the assumption this was Lady Serat then there was no reason for you to think otherwise. Confirmation that there was somebody using the keep came shortly, as Gnome led you into a gargantuan kitchen. Initially it appeared as disused and overgrown as the rest of the keep but there were little hallmarks of activity.

“There’s not enough dust,” you say suddenly. “The floor is as bad as elsewhere but all the kitchen surfaces and food preparation areas have been cleaned.”

“It could be enchantments,” Gnome says, her voice urging caution even as she runs a finger over the countertops.

>continued

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>>44821147
“Maybe, but that seems like an unnecessary expense for servants,’ you say, checking the stove. As far as you can tell, it’s a normal one. No elaborate enchantments laden into it to keep it clean – after all, that was what servants were for. The lords of a country would have no shortage of servants and Darlesia favoured minimalism, meaning elaborate kitchens were antithetical to their approach to keeps and homes.

“If this Lady Serat is using this large kitchen instead of one of the smaller ones dotted around the keep, then she must be nearby. I doubt she would stay in the servant quarters, but there are guest rooms just a floor above,” Gnome says, confirming to you that she was navigating using the layout she had sensed using her connection with the earth.

The question was, would you try to directly confront the daywalker? There hadn’t been any signs of an ambush yet, which meant she was unaware of your presence. It was possible to retreat and come back with more forces, including the League spellblades if you were worried about defeating the daywalker. Then again, with you and Gnome combined you should be a match for a relative unknown for a vampire. You…

>1. Head straight to the guest rooms to confront the vampire.
>2. Avoid the guest rooms directly but instead try to confirm if there is a resident there.
>3. Leave to gather aid before confronting the vampire. This would take time and, if you have been sensed in the keep, would allow the vampire to prepare defences.
>4. Custom

>>44821179
>>1. Head straight to the guest rooms to confront the vampire.

Let's get ready to rumble, motherfucker

>>44821179
>>2. Avoid the guest rooms directly but instead try to confirm if there is a resident there.
Didn't Saul JUST say that Serat felt powerful? Why does he assume he can handle her with just Gnome?

>>44821179
>>2. Avoid the guest rooms directly but instead try to confirm if there is a resident there.

Clever, but not clever enough!

>>44821179
>1. Head straight to the guest rooms to confront the vampire.

>>44821179
>1. Head straight to the guest rooms to confront the vampire.
Let's do this!

I'm interested
http://strawpoll.me/6560140

>>44821282
>>44821269
>>44821211
>>44821369

>instructed to be cautious

>unable to tell what is actually here

>rushing headfirst into danger

And this is how people die.

>>44821389
Blackwater will protect us

>>44821179
>2. Avoid the guest rooms directly but instead try to confirm if there is a resident there.

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>44821419
Blackwater, you faggot, stop finagling our dice!

>>44821443
Dude! Stop provoking Blackwater! That never ends well.

>>44821347
>tfw someone discovers a votebot

Oh, man, they sure showed everyone else!

Muh sides.

>>44821347
kek

>>44821179
>1. Head straight to the guest rooms to confront the vampire.

>>44821179
>>2. Avoid the guest rooms directly but instead try to confirm if there is a resident there.
INTERNET PLEASE LET ME POST ALREADY

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>44821479
No, fuck you, Blackwater.

Put a shirt on, at least.

>>44821557
But only because my shirts are /fabulous/!

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Rolled 1 (1d2)

Tie-breaker between 1 and 2 because I'm already writing and don't want to waste any more time.

>>44821443
>>44821557
Don't play around with us, Blackwater!

>>44821597
So are we going to murder the shit out of Aladria or capture her because Daywalkers are the best?

>>44821640
>yfw it's a nude Blackwater in the guest room

>>44821640
I'm honestly not sure we can afford to capture, both because she's kind of badass and because the political situation and her role is very different.

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>1.

“Then let’s not waste any time,” you say to Gnome. “If we take her by surprise in a hard and fast attack, we’re less likely to have any trouble with her thralls coming to her aid or her trying to thrall me.”

“Throwing caution to the wind?” Gnome says, her voice more playful than rebuking.

“The plan has changed now that Volante is moving on us,” you say. “We can’t afford to be caught between two daywalkers out in the open. If we delay then she might escape or move locations.”

With a ruffle of your hair Gnome takes the lead and moves towards the guest rooms. On the way you remind Lyria to protect your mind.

“Well, it should work,” she says.

“Should? You seemed more certain earlier,” you say mentally.

“I’m operating on theory and vampires differ so much in their methods for thralling. Terce was a weak one so there’s no guarantee things will work so smoothly,” Lyria says.

As if sensing your discontent with the arrangement, Lyria chimes in much more cheerfully, “Don’t worry. I have a backup plan if I can’t easily protect your mind. I won’t allow some vampire floozy to claim your mind, body or soul.”

>continued

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>>44821671
>nude Blackwater

>>44821688
If we did capture her, she'd just nom a bunch of people and escape.

Aladria's abilities are bullshit-tier.

She gotta die, mang. I'm sorry.

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>>44821731
You weren’t sure how you should feel about that statement. At what point had Lady Serat become a vampire floozy?

“The point at which I felt like it,” Lyria says and you can noticeably feel her seeming to coil around your mind. It’s an odd sensation.

The guest rooms do appear to be in use but you can’t hear anything. There’s a faint vampiric power inside, but nowhere near as strong as what you sensed in Vitria – you don’t know if that’s due to the suppressive enchantment in the stones or because this isn’t Lady Serat. You spend a minute outside the room watching for activity and, detecting nothing, gesture Gnome to enter the main sitting room. Your Champion creeps quietly into the room with no problems – you sense no magical traps or any sudden summoning of power. She gestures you in with a wave of her hand as she crouches and places her other hand on the rug covering the stones, trying to sense where the vampire is. You step into the room and…

>Roll a d100 please. I’ll average the first three.

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>44821762
here goes nothing

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>44821762
>AVG of

We're fucked, boys.

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>44821762

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>44821762

>>44821776
OHHHHHHHHHH
too bad it's an average this time

>>44821776
>>44821778
>>44821782

We're FUCKED boys.

Just take me now, Blackwater.

>>44821776
>>44821778
>>44821782
>Wasting a 99 on getting a subpar average
I'm getting a headache already.

Why do you do this to me dice?!

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>44821762
BLACKWATER GUIDE MY DICE

>>44821776
>>44821778
>>44821782
>41
wonderful

>>44821813
it's ok anon a 41 is a fine avrg

let the entertainment begin

>>44821805
Behead those who insult Blackwater

>my first would-be crit roll is wasted on an average
JUST

>>44821688
Just depends on what she does or why really. Or if it's even her.

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>>44821852
It's Aladria.

>>44821829
u fukkin wot?

>>44821829
No, it's kind of shit.
It's in the low 33% of outcomes.

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>>44821776
>>44821778
>>44821782

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>fucking average of

>mfw

And a 99 wasted, as well. Man, this is very disappointing.

>>44821870
Epilogue tonight, then?

>>44821938
Well, the good news is we can restart as the Infernal mage, now.

>>44821975
I'd rather the Aefir

>>44822023
>not wanting to meet an Archdevil

What are you, some sort of pussy?

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>Average is 41

The world explodes into light as the magical flares burst into existence, soaring high into the night sky. Blue fire crackles through the long grass all around in the forest clearing. It’s damned cold and your breathing is heavy. You feel like somebody has punched a hole in your chest.

Oh wait, someone has. You glance down and see a large crossbow bolt lodged in your breast, the price of disregarding armour for so many years. The magic pumping through your body allows you to keep breathing despite the lack of function from one lung but there’s a poison on the bolt and it’s affecting even your inhuman constitution. Your sword is heavy in your hands, the runes your father inscribed on it long ago searing in the darkness.

“Your time has come, monster!” bellows one of the hunters in the clearing. There are perhaps a half-dozen of them, circling around you. Another lay below you, cut open from shoulder to crotch and his body slowly charring from the flames you had filled half the clearing with – the fire was ticklish to you but lethal to these foolish humans.

“Give me an opening,” you hear one say. He wears a grey, almost silver, cloak and appears to be keeping his distance from you. The others mostly wear heavy maille and carry tower shields and maces. They’d been expecting to fight a great dragon and here they were up against a mere maid.

You snarl and…

>1. Book it. You’ve already taken a beating and have no intention of dying here when their reinforcements react to the flare.
>2. Hold your ground. You’re more than strong enough to take on a few mere humans.
>3. If they want a monster, then they’ll get a monster. Show them what it’s like to face your kind.
>4. Custom

>>44822289
>2

Just magic lance these scrubs

>>44822289
>3. If they want a monster, then they’ll get a monster. Show them what it’s like to face your kind.

>>44822289
>>1. Book it. You’ve already taken a beating and have no intention of dying here when their reinforcements react to the flare.
Poison is bad news unless we can neutralize it.
Fluff it so we move in the attack then do a bigass firesplosion again, while fleeing the the side, in the direction they don1t expect.
Young Aladria, I guess?

>>44822289
>Saul literally cannot resist Thrall checks on his own

Well, being a bitch with a mind of putty isn't so bad, I guess.

>2. Hold your ground. You’re more than strong enough to take on a few mere humans.

>>44822289
>>1. Book it. You’ve already taken a beating and have no intention of dying here when their reinforcements react to the flare.
Haha, you fucks. This isn't us. This is Aldaira's memories. Or Lyrias.

Terce was unusual in that her thralling wore off after her death, right?
If that isn't normal, then I don't know what Lyria back-up plan might have been.

>>44822289
>1. Book it. You’ve already taken a beating and have no intention of dying here when their reinforcements react to the flare.
Kind of hoping we don't get any of these completely unfun "Realize you're hallucinating as a result of being thralled" votes.

Otherwise, sensible decisions usually make sense this emphasizes the monster identity the least and getting away from immediate combat could let us recompose ourselves and give the opportunity to realize what the hell is going on.

>>44822407

>tfw obviously Lyria's memories

scrub.

>>44822289
1

>>44822407
I think it's young Lyria, maybe

Obviously a memory. It happened to Talon too when she tried to thrall him. Just got bounced to Lyria for some reason.

>fun when failing rolls: 20%
>fun when passing rolls: 65%
>fun when arguing over pointless shit: 1936720%

AEQ in a nutshell.

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>>44822436
Yes. Thraldom typically lasts for a very long time (in fact, the traces of thraldom never truly disappear, merely the pull of the orders), although obviously new orders cannot be issued once the vampire is dead.

>>44822422
>Well, being a bitch with a mind of putty isn't so bad, I guess.
Aladria's thraldom put Talon under for hours in AEQ. Resisting the thraldom of a powerful vampire is pretty much impossible for a human.

>>44822518
Maybe she did some spooky shit like completely taking over Saul's body with her mind, but since dragons can't be thralled(I think?) something funky happens?
I dunno
>>44822553
I mean, I thought if it was a "if Vamp is dead than thralldom over" thing, the Lyria could have just swooped in and murderized everyone in the vicinity since she's a big scary dragon.

>>44822553
>jobbed to Terce's thralldom as well

No, Saul's a little fucboi who cannot into willchecks.

No, it doesn't matter what you say.

No, it doesn;t matter what happened to Talon.

Seriously though, you shouldn't be comparing to Talon, either, or people will bitch about Talon stuff.

>>44822553
Asp, how many people exist in the setting who could straight-up resist Aladria's thralldom on their own and they aren't immune because dragon or something?

>>44822646
I'm kind of laughing now that I read this because now I'm imagining some vampire trying to thrall Kushan back a 1000 years ago or something.

>>44822553
>putting the character into situations he cannot conceivably overcome

>asspull

Formulaic.

>>44822746
>tfw someone tries to thrall Kushan
>tfw he figures out how to evocation!thrall people and evocation!thralls the vampire instead

>>44822769
He didn't actually put the character there.
There was even ton of meta discussion about Aladria being a possibility.

Also, I told you fags to ignore Darlesia for now and just go for Trembin.

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>>44822646
Pretty much no normal humans, mage or no. Kushan could, but he's Kushan. There's one other mage who would at least get to challenge it directly (and it's not Alyce). Everybody else has to rely on external methods to avoid thraldom - there's a good reason why the League has avoided challenging Taour directly. Thraldom is just too dangerous. Monks, wardens etc have a decent chance, however.

>>44822769
Yes, because I totally haven't have Lyria mention ways of protecting Saul several times over the past three threads.

So I missed a couple of threads after the first. Were we ever given a reason why Saul autistic when it comes to sex at the age of 22? Or is that just some weird in joke of Aspi's?

>>44822863
Or is it just that you're a salty little manchild that hasn't actually read the threads and only wants to start more shitflinging?

>>44822817
Is there anything Kushan can't do?
If he came back to life could he straight conquer the whole world single-handedly? Is there anyone alive today who could challenge him whatsoever? If Kushan showed up, could he be beat if everyone else in the world united to do so, so things like all dragons, elementals, mages, Lords, etc. fighting together against Kushan?

>>44822817
>There's one other mage who would at least get to challenge it directly.

Kind of interesting here. I wonder if the pattern mage would be one of them.

>>44822817
>Yes, because I totally haven't have Lyria mention ways of protecting Saul several times over the past three threads.

>vagueries now count as substantiated evidence for arguments

Yeah, I can tell my landlord I can get the money to pay my rent, too.

>cannot overcome powerful vampire thralling

>so here's the macguffin to do that

Why did we bother rolling?

>>44822803
I know the players are also to blame, but the most recent instance of player shittery came down to a coin toss, so I can't fault them as much, even though barging in is a stupid thing to do in 99% of all situations.

>>44822915
I mean, wouldn't have barging in with guns blazing, breaking down the door with magic lances and throwing AoE spells into the room have been the best course of action, since it would've initiated combat, thus granting us one of our little cheat points?

>>44822915
The salt is real

>>44822912
I figure it's the super Infernal mage, because he doesn't really have a proper soul anymore.

>>44822901
Pretty likely I would think. He was the strongest mage in the world and early on didn't need an army to fight. Until the helldragons and the elves showed up.

We know though the infernal empire in it's prime was stronger however. We also know the lords at their strongest was able to win but now they are much weaker.

>>44822935
No.

>>44822915
>implying the roll doesn't decide the severity of the negative events that would've happened even if we rolled a 90
>implying we passed the DC
>implying we won't wake up to us having murdered Gnome

I wonder how champions and thralldom work.
Do champions have to follow their master's orders? If yes, does that apply even if their master has been thralled?

>>44822949
Now that would be interesting. Vampires thrall via sticking a shard of their own soul into you so that would either help massively or hurt massively.

>>44822937
You know what I don't get?

Aspie bitches when players aren't fighting, but he gets really defensive when the players call him out, but at the same time, if players weren't willing to call him out and start shit with him and other players there wouldn't be all the stuff he apparently thinks is fun.

Let's face it, the most constructive shit gets done in this quest when someone gets assmad and stirs the pot and gets everyone talking in the first place.

Also don't get why Aspie gets so butthurt over the fact that there isn't always discussion and planning and shit. Most people probably gave up on that because the dice have always hated this quest.

>>44822969
>implying implications

No, you faggot, since we were guaranteed to fail the roll -was- irrelevant.

We failed the DC because we could -only- fail the DC.

And t doesn't matter what happens, because it was all asspull railroady macguffin bullshit that everyone bitches about in their campaigns, but is totally okay with here. You apologist cocksucking fanboys.

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For those wondering, the roll was only to determine what scene you got. Rolling in the bottom 1/3 of possibilities got you a Lyria scene. The middle got a Saul scene. The top got an Aladria scene. This was pre-planned. If it was a DC it would have been a normal roll, which should be pretty damned obvious.

>1.

With a speed that would put even an elf to shame you spin and immediately bound away, neatly charging through a gap between two of the armoured hunters. Your chest burns and you can feel the poison being pumped through the rest of your body even more rapidly – damn the human body and its circulation system. Shouts fill the forest behind you as the hunters realise they’ve made a serious error in not keeping you under pressure. No human could keep up with a dragon, even if you were in human form yourself.

The snap of sorcery to one side brings you back to reality and you respond with a barrier. The resulting explosion causes you to stumble and you fall into a roll as even your power wasn’t enough to keep your body upright. Even as you roll you summon yet more power and unleash a volley of flame in the direction the attack came from. The crackling of wood and the crash of trees as they find their trunks disintegrating in the surge of ultra-hot flame can be heard for miles and if the hunters hadn’t already fire off flares everybody would know you were here.

>continued

>>44823086
In case you are actually this retarded, let me spell out what is likely the case:
There are two DCs, the lower one, if failed, ends the quest. If passed, then shit happens, and we timeskip to Saul being freed from thralldom after an X amount of time has passed, bad shit happened. If the second DC is passed, which is very high, something only slightly bad happens considering the situation.

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>>44823133
More shouts greet your ears and you resume your flight. The problem being that you had a tail and he was resolutely not dying to your magic. You could see him seeming to flit about, using very minute surges of magic to keep himself moving. Escaping him on foot wasn’t an option.

Veering suddenly, you charge towards a nearby ridge. As if sensing your intentions, the cloaked figure redoubles his efforts to stop you, unleashing multiple barrages of magic. To no avail – you’re a dragon and no mere human will challenge your magic, even if you are relatively young.

The roar of rushing water greets your ears as you approach the ridge and you leap, a series of lances of light rippling through the air as you descend into the rapids below.

[DC67 Constitution]

Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>44823150

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>44823133
But 41 IS in the middle possibilities, yet we're getting a Lyria scene? Or did you not mean middle in that way?
>>44823150

Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>44823150

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>44823150

>>44823086
It's like you didn't even pay attention.

Humans cannot facetank thraldom, which is why you need external methods.
We had /two/ of those prepared.
First Lyria's mental link and then her secret super special surprise for if that fails.

How we roll obviously influenced how well our preparations dealt with the thralling.
Also obvious is that we rolled low enough that the second protection, presumably diving us deep into Lyria's memories, came into effect.
And very easy to conclude is that how badly we rolled also influences how long we need to come out of this dream state again.

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>>44823168
It's in the bottom third of possibilities of an average of 3d100 (it's about 31%, IIRC).

>>44823168
>rolled the 99 earlier
>now I rolled a 97
>>44823150
Also never mind my post with the roll, just realized this is Saul and Lyria meeting. I think?

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>>44823086
>>44823137
>>44823178

>>44823133
>For those wondering, the roll was only to determine what scene you got


>tfw Aspie points out that it wasn't even a serious roll

>invalidating everyone at once

I fucking love when this shit happens.

>>44823168
Please actually take a look at the odds.

>>44823193
Ah, I thought you meant 1-33 34-66 67-100 or somesuch

>>44823193
Pretty sure 31% is right.

>>44823209
I fucking love Aspie

>>44823299
Literally can't stop giggling.

>>44823133
Aw man, would1ve liked to barely get a Saul scene

>>44823299
I've wondered since I first called him that, or saw him called that in AEQ, if he hated the name "Aspie" or not.

>>44823351
I think I can remember early on him saying he didn't Particularly care or anything. But my memory might be off since it was really really early on.

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>Exceptional Success

You strike the water and yet it still feels as though you missed and hit the jagged rocks around you. Pain fills your mind and you pass in and out of consciousness, the rapids and rocks surrounding you only adding to your pain. Part of you thinks it would be best to let the pain pull you under but you also know that you might never reawaken. You have something to do. Someone to find.

You don’t know how much time has passed when you wash up ashore. Your body feels like it is destroyed, your magic being the only thing keeping you going. Whether you can even take on your draconic form is a genuine question. There is somebody nearby and your heart beats rapidly as you fear you may have already been found by the hunters. If they knew where the stream went they could very well beat you here.

You surge to your feet, forcing feeling back into your body and summoning magic. Your hand glows menacingly as you eye the man standing in front of you.

“Hold up there, I just want to help,” he says, raising his hands up to placate you. He’s unarmed and although he looks native to Malataine he’s clearly not a hunter. “Let me get you inside and patch you up.”

“I can’t,” you say, glancing around you wildly.

“I already directed the hunters on. Not even the Order of the Sword will question me,” he says. “Let me help you.”

Surprise is not an emotion you welcome, as it means you haven’t the knowledge necessary to keep yourself alive in a hostile world. But this man… You didn’t know what to make of him. He was in his early thirties if you were to guess. Could you trust him?

>1. Yes, you need to rest.
>2. Only enough to let him patch your wounds up.
>3. No, you need to leave.
>4. Custom

>>44823582
2

>>44823582
>1. Yes, you need to rest.

>>44823582
>3

>>44823582
>1. Yes, you need to rest.
Hi saul.

>>44823582
>3. No, you need to leave.

>>44823582
>>2. Only enough to let him patch your wounds up.

>>44823582
>2. Only enough to let him patch your wounds up.

Running off in this condition doesn't really seem realistic, but I also can't convince myself Lyria would be willing to trust here, even if I do think he may be on the level.
Besides my war movie romances always told me that the romance starts with the wounded person trying to leave too early and failing.

>>44823649
That isn't Saul, stupid.
Saul is not in his early thirties, in fact he looks less than 20.

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>>44823351
It's not a nickname I expected to get when I first took on this handle, but I don't particularly care.

>>44822901
The Lords are still a serious threat to him, even if the angels aren't any longer (not that they ever fought him in the first place). Also, with the foxes and Pharos around he's actually in a bit more danger.

With that said, it depends on how prepared Kushan is - individually he's still vulnerable to the truly powerful, but behind an army of infernals, constructs and undead plus his powerful magic he's pretty hard to touch.

>>44823649
Wrong side of the continent and wrong age.

>>44823649
This is when Lyria was young.
These days she's a gigantic dragon.
Do the math. The math says Lyria is a cradle-robbing old hag.

>>44823582
Gonna vote 2

>early thirties less than 200 years ago
>has some political pull, Order of the Sword won't question him
Don't know who he could be

>>44823582
>>3. No, you need to leave.
to be honest I really hate when we retroactively decide the past of a character who isn't the MC especially

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>>44823736
>saul pleases old dragons for magic!

>>44823822
I find it okay personally. As long as it doesn't cause a time paradox or something it is pretty nice to see the past of other people and how they got to were they are.

>>44823896
The question still stands; who was louder?

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Next update will be a bit lengthy as this is going to end the scene and go back to the castle. That means it will take a little longer than normal to write.

>>44823925
I have no problem with seeing the past of other people, I have a problem with deciding how their past goes.
But oh well, it might just be me.

>>44823736
Anon. It's not the age that matters. It's the looks. A 1000 year old women rocking a hot body is still worth it.

>>44823954
only if she ain't used goods

>>44823989
Before Saul she was 100% pure virginal waifu. She likely hadnt even seen a man before.

>>44823954
Obviously her being an old-hag does not disqualify her or anything.
But it does mean she gets to be called an old hag by her detractors and rivals and gets to be flustered over the cradle-robbing.

>>44823989
>The 1000 year old virgin

This sounds like an amazing comedy flick.

>>44824033
I kind of sometimes wonder how many people call the last high level dragons old hags and the likes behind their backs?

>>44824096
>only the dragons
What about the elementals and more famous elves?
Or the esteemed sixty year-old Archmage Alyce?

>>44824033
>tfw hags are some of the best lays you can ever have, through a combination of centuries of experience, and magic to change their looks to whatever you want bby.

When a hag wants the D, give it, trust.

>>44824164
Alyce is too waifuable to call a hag. Personally I've always called Gnome the hag mentally along with Sylph.

>>44824247
I agreed once on the Alice bit, but the mental shock of realizing that she has an adult son our age (slightly older?) kind of ruined that for me.
I mean, it'd be pretty great if I could see Alice as a MILF instead, but due finding her so very waifuable before now I can only see her as an old hag that pretends she isn't one.

The weird thing is that I never saw any of the other characters as old hags at all.

>>44824336
Also, you know, the fact that she's a literal whore for magic knowledge

>>44824336
That one elf champion chick, Esraveel, I think?

Fits hag better than most characters.

>>44824355
That only makes her more a waifu anon. She'll never betray you as long as you have more magical know how then her!

The hard part is actually doing that.

>>44824414
That's not how it works, you also have to have more knowledge than everyone else in the world, otherwise she might one day agree to birth some infernalist a cihld in exchange for his magic

>>44824441
>afraid of getting cucked by infernalists

Man, you /MageGuard/ faggots sure are jumpy!

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>2.

You wished you could trust him, but decades of experience with humans told you otherwise. Even if he was trustworthy, there was no guarantee that he was right and that the hunters would stay away. Trust was a nasty web and it was all too easy to misplace it without regard for who and what you were implicitly placing faith in.

Still, you simply didn’t have the power to go on without taking some time to repair your battered body. You nod at him and nearly collapse to the ground, your body giving way as you remove the power from it. Only the stranger’s quick move to support you keeps you upright and he helps you into his cabin nearby. You notice several fishing rods nearby as you pass, buried in the silt by the edge of the river.

You rest on the bed within the cabin, trying not to feel too guilty about ruining the linen with all the blood you’re certainly covering it with. It’s difficult to channel the magic into your body with it being so broken – the pain and fatigue pulls at your focus and forces you to restrict yourself to a small draw of power, instead of a single large spell to conduct the healing. As luck would have it, the stranger’s plans to help you involve magic instead of mere bandages.

Keeping your pain as internal as possible, you distract yourself by looking around the cabin as he reknits the wounds covering your body. A shield by the door catches your attention and your breath catches for reasons entirely unrelated to the crossbow bolt he just removed from your chest.

“I apologise for exposing you to such indecency, but your wounds must be seen to,” he says, missing the point and instead focusing on the fact he’s had to remove your clothes. “You might not be human, but I know you feel pain as well as I do.”

“Why are you helping me?” you ask him.

“Because it’s the right thing.”

>continued (1/3)

I'm sitting here giggling and simultaneously wishing I hadn't helped start this line of discussion.
God, we're sucha bunch of degenerates.

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>>44824534
“Is it really? Should a hero of the Order of Malataine truly harbour a dragon like me?” you ask him, worried that the answer you get will be negative but wanting to know the truth.

He pauses in his work and sighs, giving you a glance and a smile.

“I would wonder why a dragon like yourself would come to these parts, knowing the hostility you’ll receive. You shouldn’t be here yourself, just as I shouldn’t be helping you. Does that not cancel out?” he says, appearing to be more whimsical than insightful.

“I’m here to find someone. A friend. He’s in danger,” you say.

“He was but not anymore,” the man says, and the grim look on his face tells you that his words are not meant as comfort. “You would have been better served not to come here. You would have avoided these wounds.”

You fall silent as you process his words. If he was right… then Tyrin was dead. Tears came to your eyes unbidden as you realised you would never see your old friend again. There would be no more smiles.

“Why?” you ask, your voice choking up.

He doesn’t answer for some time, instead resuming his work in healing you. The cabin is filled only with the crackling of the logs in the fire and your sobs.

In the silence a voice inside answers the question: Because he was a dragon. Because humans cannot accept those unlike them. You can only find trust in those who understand this.

“Faith is a funny thing,” he says suddenly, interrupting the voice within you. “For centuries it drove the people of this good land to eschew violence and the terror and grief it wrought. Now it drives them to such violence in the name of preventing more. As the second Lysander I owe the ultimate duty to my nation, to protect it and further its beliefs and causes, just as my father did. Just as my son will do. I can’t tell you why your friend is dead, not the true reason, just as I can’t tell what drives me to help you. I can only tell you which is right.”

>cont

>>44824441
>In some alternate universe we chose the Infernalist PC
>In some alternate universe he is dicking Alyce while playing drinking games with demon lords.
>Meanwhile here we are going to attempt to murder a old women's dream and her feldragon son at some point.

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>>44824557
With a final snap of magic he, Knight-General Lysander of the Order of Malataine, finishes healing your last wound. He pats your arm with a sad smile. It seems that all you can see is his face as the world behind him falls into darkness. “I know you’ll be good to leave now if you wish. I hope you do well.”

No, he doesn’t, says the internal voice. Outside is a trap.

Now even Lysander’s face seems to be fading into darkness. All that can be seen is his smile. Then nothing but a void.

“Is there a really a trap?” you ask, your voice suddenly masculine, just as it always has been. You blink as you realise you’re Saul Waise once more, your mind returning to normal.

“No, there isn’t. He was good to his word,” says the voice of Lyria behind you and you look up to see her staring at that smile which alone stands out against the darkness of the world. A rather obvious metaphor and you realise what is occurring here.

It’s here. The vampire’s presence. This must be…

“Really, I had hardly expected reel in a dragon like this,” says the young, sultry voice of a woman from all around you. It seems to echo in the darkness. “It’s not often that I encounter one so similar to me. Who understands what it’s like to live in a hostile world. We’re even of similar ages. Will you not join me? You know all too well how much better things can be.”

Lyria’s grip tightens on your shoulder. This is the vampire’s assault on her, an attempt to thrall her. You…

>1. Let Lyria handle it. She’ll be fine.
>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you.
>3. Ignore the vampire and ask Lyria how she’s doing.
>4. Custom

So the scene's not quite yet over. But almost. Sorry if it seems too sappy or short - didn't want to spend too much time on it, jsut something little to help establish the dragon.

>>44824578
>Hold Lyria's hand

>>44824578
>>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you.

>>44824578
>>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you.
We must support the waifu.

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>>44824570
I can safely say that Alyce would not be all that friendly with the infernalist. That definitely crosses the line into 'magic she doesn't support' territory.

>>44824540
It is pretty amusing.

>>44824366
>>44824247
How mean. Especially Esraveel, as she's younger than plenty of characters.

>>44824631
Lyria's not really here.

>>44824578
>2
>And they will be better, but you're a bit late. She has already joined the one who will ensure that.
>3

>>44824578
>>3. Ignore the vampire and ask Lyria how she’s doing

Pft, fuck that bitch, Lyria knows we'll be there to help, and try to change the world, too.

However, we don't know what Lyria had for dinner.

>>44824578
>>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you.
We are the rock and foundation.

>>44824578
>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you.

That was cute.
Somewhat curious what'd have happened if we trusted fully, but I think I like the "thankfully proven wrong once" development more for her character.

As for the vote, protagonists gotta speech.
More seriously, I neither see Saul as standing in the background through a situation like that, nor doubting that Lyria is badass and awesome, so I can definitely see him as giving some lip in such a situation.

i don't know lads, if you wanted to, this is our chance to recruit Aladria, by promising a world that's different and doesn't hunt the unknown just because it fears it.

>>44824675
She's gripping our shoulder, anon

>>44824578
>>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you.

>>44824675
We're in a mindspace for a mental showdown.

>>44824731
>She's gripping our shoulder, anon
Metaphysically. She's not really here.

>>44824759
So we can metaphyiscally hold her hand, then

>>44824731
>tfw you don't want to recruit Aladria

I don't want to deal with bullshit because she won't be compelled to stay with us because thralldom shenanigans.

I also don't really like her all that much, honestly.

>>44824578
>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you.

>>44824659
>Alyce would not be all that friendly with the infernalist.

I'd assume if he took over most of the known world though she also wouldn't pick a fight. Though it kind of depresses me we can't see how much everyone would hate this guy.

> Esraveel, as she's younger than plenty of characters.

It's the appearance that matters. Not their physical age. She looks like an old hag so she is an old hag. For now and forever. ;_;

>>44824659
Hey, Aspie, what's the biggest conceivable threat on Guaron right now? Not for us, but in general?

Is it that Archfiend that got tied up somewhere or would it be the Three Lords actually getting together and being badasses?

Would it be the two remaining Archangels banding together?

>>44824578
>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you.

>>44824790
>I also don't really like her all that much, honestly.

Muh waifu!

Though more seriously I am wondering what is going to happen now.

>>44824857
Likely the old gods or the shadow beasts.

>>44824857
I'm going to guess it's unsealing the old gods or blasting a hole in the barrior of Marie personally.

>>44824883
Realistically even if this mental confrontation actually somehow is enough to convince us IC that she's not a bad person, without the pseudo familiar bond we have no real way of ensuring she doesn't backslide, do something really stupid or simply runs off.
Add the fact how much of a freaking PR nightmare she can be and I'm not sure it'd work out even if she simply surrendered right now.

And that's of course ignoring that right now there'sa good chance we actually piss her off with our spechifying and talking about shit we in her eyes know nothing about.
Or that we might simply be end up trying to kill each other because neither of us is willing enough to trust to back down.

>tfw Aladria trying to thrall Lyria

>no one suggests Saul go full retardzerker mode with his own anger instead of Lyria's and biting Aladria's face off

Oh, right

>waifu

>>44825045
Nah, I'd like that.

>>44824578
>>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you.

>>44825045
i'd be down for it

>>44825045
Saul doesn't have that kind of rage in him. That seems way too out of character.

>>44824578
>>2. Intervene with your objectives. The world may be hostile for Lyria now, but it won’t be under you
also>>44824631

>>44825045
Yeah, I mean it's totally not like we're in a mental headspace, without any actual target to berzerker rage against and where berzerker rage doesn't actually do anything.
...
Waaaaaaaait.

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Cheesiness incoming. Saul doesn’t need to worry about anybody else seeing him so he gets to go off the hook a bit.

>2.

You reach up and hold Lyria’s hand, wanting to provide what support you can. While you have no doubt that she’ll hold fast here, she needs to know she’s not alone. It wasn’t just the smile of a long dead hero that would support her.

“Join you? Why would Lyria join the cause of a failing pack of parasites?” you shout into the void, your voice echoing for what seems like forever. “Banding together in a hostile world, breaking it beneath you? No almighty dragon would ever deign to bow to such a feeble dream.”

Striking a pose, you hold a fist outstretched as if the world itself was in it. “If the world is hostile, then I’ll make it better. This world will be mine and it will welcome Lyria. The dreams of Lysander and of a more peaceful and right world will be a mere stepping stone.”

Then all is silent, leaving just you to glare out into the void with an anger and passion you haven’t felt for a very long time. Slowly another sound fills the void, like a bell in a fog your mind hones in on it. Giggling. It’s right above you and you glance up to see Lyria giggling helplessly.

Giving your hair a ruffle, Lyria glances out at the void. “Really, what can you say to that, little vampire? I’m not yours. Begone.”

“Hmph. Well, at least I got to see something interesting,” the void replies, Aladria’s voice now petulant.

Then the presence of the vampire is gone and you… are still in Lyria’s mind. You glance back up at her, still holding her hand, and she shrugs at you with a smile. Waving a hand she creates what appears to be a window to reality. You can see yourself, Gnome and a lithe young woman with black hair and red eyes. That woman is clearly Aladria and she’s fighting… yourself. What?

>continued

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>>44825150
Also, you’re pretty sure you can Aladria’s head on the floor, even though she still has one.

“Why will you just not die?” your body shouts, carrying a different accent. “It’s like Dalrec all over again.”

“It really is,” Lyria says to you in the mental world. “You can take over now. I just had to fill in while your mind was vulnerable.”

“How are you here and there?” you ask, dumbfounded.

“Saul, you’re a capable mage but compared to how frenetic and complicated my battles are, this is a cakewalk,” she says. “Oh, and just so you know – I kind of overdid it a bit in your body. You’ll probably collapse after this, so have Gnome put things in place before that.”

Huh? you think, right before you can feel your mind suddenly get hurtled back into your body.

[DC67/80 Mental Transition]

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>44825171
BLACKWATER

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>44825171
I got this senpai

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>44825171

>>44825191
Muh dick!

Thank you Blackwater, you always were a best husbando

>>44825191
Blackwater here with the rolls.

>>44825171
>It's like Dalrec all over again
Wait, does that mean, when we go BDR, Lyria is at least partially the one doing the fighting, or what?

>>44825191
Blackwater bullying the shit out of his Daywalker rivals

>>44825191
Based Blackwater.
Listen, I know this is a bit forward, but we both know all those other vamps are just ruining your style and mooching off of your awesome, so I had tis thought.
How about, we start some colonies and make /you/ the super-awesome governor?

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>>44825267
When you use BDR you actively open the link to Lyria, so she's aware of what you're doing. She's just complaining about Aladria's regeneration at this point which is similar to old AEQ where it was:

Vampiric Regeneration II - by expending power, you may instantly heal any wound, no matter how grievous. Only magical effects that actively counter powerful regeneration and healing can stop this power (i.e. not simple anti-regen enchantments).
(PASSIVE) Vampiric Body II - you are a vampire and so do not die easily. Your body and mind will continue to operate despite wounds that would instantly kill a human. If you are reasonably able to regenerate an otherwise mortal wound (e.g. decapitation) within an hour, then you are not considered to be dead and may continue to operate normally.

>>44825150
I desire to punch Saul in the face. That was so cheesy it made me tear up.

>>44825150
When did Saul learn Aladria's name?

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>>44825335
That was a mistake on my end, it should still be 'Lady Serat'.

>>44825327
Gotta keep in mind that these poor people have no internet.
Private mindscapes with only your significant other and a soon-to-be dead vamp watching are about the only places you can let all your cheesiness out freely.

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>>44825312
>those abilities

Fuck.

Would mana leeching fuck with that at all? It does siphon magic from things, after all.

Man, that cheesiness was perfectly fine. You're all cool dudes.

>>44825369
As I said at somewhere earlier Aladria is kind of badass.

>>44825392
Nah, her powers are just bullshit-tier.

Not like she fights hard enough to warrant the badass title.

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>Exceptional Success

Right as your mind settles back into your body you are suddenly overwhelmed by a tidal wave of sensations. Realising you’re in the middle of incredibly dangerous combat you dismiss most of them, trying to focus only on those that are of utmost importance. Right now that’s the fact you aren’t filled with seething rage from your draconic partner and that your body feels like it’s covered in an inch of lead.

Lyria wasn’t kidding when she said she overdid it. Your body hadn’t felt this overdrawn since you were a teenager. It leaves you at a major disadvantage, as it means that drawing on Lyria’s rage would be actively hazardous to your life.

Also hazardous to your life was the vampire lunging right at you, so you refocus your thoughts.

“If I can’t control you then I’ll just kill you,” Serat screams as she lunges at you across the room. Her hands are covered in inky claws and something instinctual tells you that you absolutely should not get struck by those. After all, your breastplate now had rents that looked suspiciously like they were caused by those claws.

Taking advantage of the leaden feeling throughout your body, you let yourself simply collapse downwards, like an imploding building. Swing wildly with your sword with more strength than you expected to summon you catch the vampire across the chest as her lunge carries her right over you. Blood flies and joins the piles already across many of the surfaces in the room and Serat falls into a controlled roll, unsurprised by the pain and not letting out a peep. As the vampire lands her roll, Gnome slams a fist into the ground and you feel her power surge through the ground around you – without the enchantments protecting the keep it was far easier for her to control the stone. Spiked jaws of death spring into life around Serat and slam shut with an explosion that fills the area with grit and dust.

>continued

>>44825669
“You keep trying that and it doesn’t-“ Serat begins to say from the other side of the room but a small whisper from Lyria had you prepared.

You lash out with a blast of magic and five lances all but explode the vampire’s small body. It’s a tight grouping and obliterates most everything above her sternum. Right as you think you’ve won, her body suddenly disappears in a burst of shadow.

“Does this never end?” you say, gritting your teeth as you ignore the pain running through your body. Lyria had clearly taken a few hits.

“When you’re dead or bowing before me,” Serat says, now standing on the other side of the room, near where Gnome had originally tried to trap her. Her head and shoulder are now firmly back in place on her body. Surely she must be running out of energy?

>What do you do next?

>>44825369
It's quite possible that it will work.

>>44825697
>It's quite possible that it will work.
Well then, I guess we'll go with that.

>>44825697
Well then, Mana leech it probably should be.
Fits with the fact that we probably can't contribute nearly enough physically now.

Another consideration might be pushing her towards Mal and Lynn, but I'm not sure that's really realistic with the distances and keep layout involved.

One last thing to consider though, given that our mobility is probably shot to hell a bit, would we benefit from trying to fly for the rest of the fight or do we have way too little experience in what is essentially in door levitation combat for that not to hurt us more than it helps?

>>44825697
We should try to steal her magic that's a certain thing. Depending on how healthy Gnome is it may be a good idea to have her attempt to keep her busy with disruption effects.

>>44825697
What do we even have that's good anti-regen other than possible the mana leech?

>>44825697
mana leech to start with we need to beat her down and see if she will yield

>>44825879
Nada.

We need to find that anti-magic assassin and get some of his shit and chuck it at a vampire and see what it does.

Science!

I'll wait for Apie to get back on me about the indoor flight for mobility in spite of being physicall tired thing.

Keep in mind that mana leech is not only a blade art, but also stops other magic use and given how tired our body is, spamming magic lances is liable to be a lot more reliable than trying to hit her with our sword.
If flight would also let us retain mobility, I don't think the leech would be worth losing both the lances and the flight.

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>>44825838
Gnome's disruption would only be effective against Aladria's shadow magic - her regeneration is part of her body so it can't really be disrupted easily (if at all).

>>44825812
Lv2 Flight doesn't give you the mobility to do close-quarters combat - there still tends to be some significant issues with inertia.

>Another consideration might be pushing her towards Mal and Lynn
You could try calling for help from them as well. Either is a possibility, but trapping somebody who can teleport can be hard.

Perhaps Shadow Blades in her body would prevent regeneration? I seem to think not.

>>44825929
Obviously we need lvl4 flight and swordsmanship, so we can be the most annoying melee combatant in the world.

>>44825697
It's clear that Serat's build is focused on a turtling build with some good mobility with shadow evasion. However I highly doubt she has a good manapool for a drawn out battle. So I'd say have Saul feign vulnerability, and when Serat goes for the kill, we get into a grapple and pin her for the leech. Keep her pinned (with Gnome's assistance until we're sure she's out of mana.

>>44825964
Grappling someone who can teleport seems like a bad idea.

>>44825929
How much mana are we looking at and how exactly would we call for help?
Just shouting and praying they can hear it or would a sending get through the walls?
Do we have any IC way to judge whether Aladria blew her thralling load on us or whether she could jut hit any reinforcements?

Right now I'm considering that we should blow a lot of mana on Lances, then activate Leech (which always lasts 2 minutes), then blow the stolen mana on lances and repeat.

Can we just go ahead and assume the shadow teleporting isn't dealt with by such silly solutions as glowing real hard with magic?

>>44825964
Her Mana pool is excellent I'm pretty sure.

>>44826109
Well... Now that you mention it...

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COMBAT VOTE
Note that if Mana Leech is used you will be forced to use Leech for at least 2 minutes and cannot use any other magic at the same time.
>1. Immediately start using Mana Leech in hopes that it will counter Serat's regeneration or drain her reserves.
>2. Burn most of your mana on magic lances before using Mana Leech, in hopes that she'll be weakened before you sacrifice your magical abilities for 2 minutes. This could leave you open if you don't leech enough mana in two minutes, however.
>3. Try to draw Serat in and grapple her, getting her stuck on your sword with Mana Leech active and hoping that she can't teleport away easily with leech active on her.
>4. Custom

REINFORCEMENTS VOTE
>1. Ask Lynn to come help you. (Mal comes too, but stays out of the room). You don't think Lynn is in too much danger of being thralled.
>2. Ask Maloric and Lynn to come help you, leaving Maloric potentially open to thralling.
>3. Leave them outside for now. You'd rather they stayed outside to fend off any would-be intruders.
>4. Custom

>>44826050
>Just shouting and praying they can hear it or would a sending get through the walls?
The latter.

>Do we have any IC way to judge whether Aladria blew her thralling load on us or whether she could jut hit any reinforcements?
Lyria suspects that she can't thrall others but if you're concerned you could simply have Maloric stay outside of the room.

>>44825964
If she is anything like in AEQ she gets power from inflicting damage.

>>44826145
Even if the solution were the same as in all my favourite children's cartoons, unless we can make literally every surface glow with a specific intensity, realistically any new lightsource just creates shadows of its own.
If she does have to use existing shadows, we might want to consider strategically changing shadow positions through voluntary glowing, though.

>>44826186
>1. Immediately start using Mana Leech in hopes that it will counter Serat's regeneration or drain her reserves.
>1. Ask Lynn to come help you. (Mal comes too, but stays out of the room). You don't think Lynn is in too much danger of being thralled.

>>44826186
>>2. Burn most of your mana on magic lances before using Mana Leech, in hopes that she'll be weakened before you sacrifice your magical abilities for 2 minutes. This could leave you open if you don't leech enough mana in two minutes, however.
>1. Ask Lynn to come help you. (Mal comes too, but stays out of the room). You don't think Lynn is in too much danger of being thralled.

So she can fight two people.

What about more?

>>44826186
2 and 3

>>44826186
I'm voting 1 on second option, not voting on first option since undecided.

>>44826186
1
3
really don't want to risk a thalling

>>44826186
>2
>1
Do we have things around the room that we could make glow with blinding light?

>>44826186
>2. Burn most of your mana on magic lances before using Mana Leech, in hopes that she'll be weakened before you sacrifice your magical abilities for 2 minutes. This could leave you open if you don't leech enough mana in two minutes, however.
>1. Ask Lynn to come help you. (Mal comes too, but stays out of the room). You don't think Lynn is in too much danger of being thralled.

If Lynn is coming she can probably take enough of the melee heat off of us that we can risk the mana loss.
Getting Mal in the room seems a bit risky given that Aladria is a meleeing teleporter, though I'm honestly not that confident in leaving him outside either.

>>44826186
Wait, do we ahve any indication that Aladria can't just port out of the room once all our guys are inside?

>>44826186
>>2. Burn most of your mana on magic lances before using Mana Leech, in hopes that she'll be weakened before you sacrifice your magical abilities for 2 minutes. This could leave you open if you don't leech enough mana in two minutes, however.
>1. Ask Lynn to come help you. (Mal comes too, but stays out of the room). You don't think Lynn is in too much danger of being thralled.

>>44826323
Nope.

You know we can't realistically beat Aladria, right?

She's even more annoying than Volante in that regard, really.

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>>44826323
Of course not and you have no idea of her range, but she hasn't teleported away from the battle completely yet.

Anyway,, looks like 2 and 1. Writing.

>>44826374
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9SIS6wBxpI

Will this song ever be needed?

Say, perhaps, if Old king Fenix invited us over?

Always wondered if you'd be willing to be that dark.

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>2. Burn most of your mana on magic lances before using Mana Leech, in hopes that she'll be weakened before you sacrifice your magical abilities for 2 minutes. This could leave you open if you don't leech enough mana in two minutes, however.
>1. Ask Lynn to come help you. (Mal comes too, but stays out of the room). You don't think Lynn is in too much danger of being thralled.

While Serat is busy gloating, you and Gnome take the opportunity to catch your breath. That and you fire off two sendings – one to Gnome about what to do after this, in case you do collapse, and another to Maloric to come help you with Ser Lynn but for him to stay out of this room.

For her part, Serat doesn’t seem to have noticed what you’re doing. She tilts her head and gives you a smirk. You think she’d look pretty if her dress wasn’t a ragged mess, her expressions weren’t so ugly and she wasn’t a bloodsucking vampiric monster that was trying to kill you and attempted to enslave the mind of Lyria.

“Have you spent enough time dwelling on the mistakes you’ve made in your life?” she says. “I hope you at least considered the decisions you made that led you to here.”

“Says the vampire who has lost her head twice in this fight,” you say, happy to buy time for Lynn to get here. “The fact you’re a vampiric cockroach doesn’t exactly inspire fear.”

Her expression turns nasty at that and once again you can see her summoning her shadow magic, though this time her claws are far longer and thinner. Hard to see in a dark room, which is why you snap your fingers and summon a few orbs of light to fill the room. That might make her teleportation harder, though you’re pretty sure she doesn’t need actual shadow to do it. The clicking of the fingers seemed to mark the beginning of the battle, as Gnome once again slams her fist into the ground and Aladria leaps at you again with inhuman speed and strength.

[DC57/77 Burning Both Ends of the Lance]

[DC77/85 Mana Leech]

Rolled 77, 17 = 94 (2d100)

>>44826682

Rolled 20, 54 = 74 (2d100)

>>44826682
Here goes nothing

Rolled 34, 49 = 83 (2d100)

>>44826682

>>44826708
>>44826710
>>44826715

Oh my. Oh my.

>>44826708
>>44826710
>>44826715
Oh well can't have it all it seems

>>44826708
>>44826710
>>44826715
Whelp, here's to hoping she's either dead or Lynn can come for the save.

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Alright, going to be a decently long update and probably the second-last update of this combat scene.

>>44826831
Panic

>>44826849
Don't worry, we got an upper success on the lances, so that will set her back.

But we're passing out afterwards no doubt.

>>44826881
or we can't use anymore magic in the fight

>>44826926
Yeah, passing out.

We're physically exhausted and are about to be magically exhausted.

Donezo.

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>Burning Both Ends of the Lance: Higher Target Met

You need to conserve your physical strength for later, when you’re going to need every ounce of it to keep up with a vampire without using any magic yourself. As such you keep your position against Serat’s leap and instead focus on hitting her with your lances.

Power surges in front of you and you redirect your focus immediately. A wall of stone bursts into existence in front of you, blocking the charge. Instead of the crunch of a small girl slamming into a wall of solid stone at far too high a speed, you instead feel the strange warping sensation that indicates Serat has teleported. Which you had entirely expected.

The teleporting wasn’t as unpredictable as Serat thought it might be – she clearly needed shadow at both ends, even if she could create it herself. With the balls of light filling the room completely it was child’s play to spot where she was coming out. You jerk your wrist at the cloak of shadow that suddenly springs out from the wall, sending your lances flying at Serat right as she materialises. Although she immediately teleports you know you struck true from the sound of the impact and you’re hardly surprised to see her reappear elsewhere in the room with several holes in her chest. Her flesh is already reknitting itself but it’s one of the few times you’ve actually caught her regenerating – the scowl she shoots at you makes it clear she doesn’t appreciate being caught out in the middle of regeneration. Was it pride or did she worry about her appearance?

>continued

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>>44827342
If it was the latter then it was now much worse as a series of spikes shoot out from the wall behind her and reopen a series of holes in the vampire. The game continues, and it truly feels like a game, as Serat teleports around while being peppered with magic lances, Gnome’s earth manipulation and even a few rare fists to the body from your Champion. Surely all this punishment must be wearing down the vampire’s reserves as rapidly as it is yours?

>Mana Leech: Target not met

The sound of clattering armour in the hallway is the signal you were waiting for, and your reserves are very nearly empty, so you change tact and bring your sword up. You close the world out, including Lyria’s voice, and focus only on your blade – nobody had formally taught you the concept of a Blade Meld, but everything you had read had made it clear that it was as much a state of mind as it was a spell. While you focused your magic on just a single active concept you could not risk being disturbed. That was very nearly the case as you hear what you assume to be the clash of steel against flesh very close to you. You don’t know for sure, but Lynn likely interrupted Serat’s attack.

Having tapped into the flow of magic in a way wholly unlike how Gnome had taught you, your blade seems to shimmer with a strange quality. Strange enough that the haughty vampire, who has shrugged off dozens of otherwise mortal blows, suddenly shows caution. Why now of all times?

Realising that you don’t have an alternative you push your advantage, relying heavily on Lynn and Gnome to keep Serat contained. It’s to no avail as the vampire actively avoids you at all costs, teleporting rapidly and even taking several blows from the girls just to avoid your sword. Has she seen a similar technique?

>continued

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>>44827360
Luck suddenly strikes as the vampire teleports poorly – Lynn cleaves off a foot right as Serat dematerialises and she stumbles upon appearing behind you. It’s plenty of opportunity to catch her with your blade and you manage to get a thin slice along her back as he falls into a practiced roll. The cut seems to sizzle in the air, with even that nick causing prismatic energy to shimmer and disappear where you made contact with your sword. It also signals the end of the vampire’s dress once and for all, as it finally falls to pieces on the ground after taking all too much punishment.

Serat hisses at you, and you’re assuming it’s from the wound and not the inadvertent undressing. “You’re no glory-hound of a hunter, are you, boy?” she says, glaring at your blade. “I spent far too much time playing. Consider this round yours, boy, and enjoy the sight for these few brief moments. Should Blackwater not turn you to ashes then I will put you in your rightful place, Rorsgrov.”

“You’re not leaving,” you growl. Not after all this damned effort. Your body may be lead but it had been just shy of two minutes – if you caught her now or could delay her for just a few seconds longer, or some other way of stopping her from teleporting then you could end her once and for all.

[DC89 Stop Teleportation]

That’s the roll to actively catch her with a melee attack, but if you have some idea to delay her and stop her from teleporting then I’ll roll with it if it will work.

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>44827386
Blackwater, hear my cry

Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>44827386

Rolled 90 (1d100)

>>44827386

>>44827386
Bye bye

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>44827386
Need to think a bit.

>>44827405
B A S E D
A
S
E
D

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>>44827405
DUDE FUCKING CLUTCH

>>44827405
THANK THE LORD.

>>44827405
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us2ylGAwBnk

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>>44827405
oh yeah

>>44827405
>>44827386
That's for taking BLACKWATERS name in vain

So are we killing her or doing something else?

>>44827531
Killing her. There's no alternative at the moment.

>>44827531
I want to convert her

>>44827386
Wouldn't disruption work on her teleportation since its external as well as affecting her body?

>>44827405
Based.
Still think we should theory craft a bit on the challenge presented.

The light stuff is obviously not going to outright stop her from telporting, but getting strong light on either end could still add an additional step that costs her a bit of time.
Sadly we can't really use amgic right now ourselves though, but Mal is kind of outside and not doing much.
Maybe have him light up literally everything?

Otherwise, maybe Gnome can manipulate the stone around here to make it reflective or soemthing? Wouldn't outright negate the shadow, but it could make things a bit more wonky for her.

And of course there's always the social combat avenue, but that's more about finding things that rile her up or catch her off guard than much else.
More obvious places to target would be her worldview, her plight or her sire.

>>44827550
As long as we recruit Volante or Blackwater

>>44827579
I'm all for them.

>>44827631
We'd have to beat the shit out of Volante, consistently, I'd wager.

Blackwater would probably ally or join us if we were entertaining enough.

>>44827531
This time around she was actively mindraping the Darlesian resistance and having them amssacre each other.
...
That's not really something we can sweep under the carpet easily and also not something we would want to sweep under the carpet from an IC perspective.
We might be somewhat more positively inclined towards her if we saw her sob-story during the mental episode, but as things are she's one more vampire who, while probably having some legitimate grievances, made things a real hell for a lot of people who we intend to save, protect and rule over.

>>44827665
reminder volante wants to die

>>44827679
We won't let him

>>44827739
>Bro why do you want to die for? You should stick around and help me place my murder boner into things.

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>Target met

Without letting your mind slow down your actions with even the smallest of thoughts, your body immediately springs into action. Serat wasn’t the only one who could make leaping charges and with the energy left in your body you would be more than able of reaching her in time.

Shadow begins to rise from the ground and coalesce around her form. Your sword snaps forward at the apex of your charge, perfectly timed to lance her at the first possible moment. There’s a brief moment where you think you’ve failed as the shadow seems to wrap around Serat despite your sword striking her.

Then her shadow abruptly balls into her body and out of existence. Your body slams into hers as she collapses like a puppet with its strings cut. The two of you roll across the floor and with a thump you fade from consciousness with your last thought being that you damn well got her.

Light returns to you some time later and you find yourself in a room in the keep, lying on a plush bed that smells a little too feminine for your preference. Gnome is sitting by the foot of your bed and you can see sunlight streaming in through a window above her. As if sensing your awakening, she opens her eyes and gives you a smile.

>continued

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>>44827872
“About time you woke up. After all the strangeness of that fight I had no idea what was happening and to see you suddenly collapse,” Gnome says, her face tight. Then she stands up, ruffles your hair and smiles at you. “In any case, that’s over with. This Lady Serat is dead.”

Are you sure, is what you want to ask but your voice doesn’t come to you. Had you really pushed yourself that far? Then again, thinking back on the fight you really had. Which worried you – Volante was moving south rapidly. You need to be taking action. Remember that you gave Gnome the orders right before the battle got too intense, you had ordered…

>1. Darlesia to be invaded immediately once Serat was out of the picture. Your men might find themselves fighting the resistance but without active thraldom the leaders would likely appear more crazy or else return to their sense.
>2. Your men to prepare to face Volante north of Darlesia, while you waited for things to quiet down in Darlesia so that you didn’t find yourself fighting the resistance.
>3. Your men to prepare to invade Darlesia once you straightened things out with the resistance, which hopefully Gnome, Mal and Lynn were able to do.
>4. Custom

Just to reiterate:
1. Saul with his background is anything but positively inclined towards bloodsucking monsters.
2. Even if he could get over these ingrained prejudices (a tall order given that he still doesn't really trust mages), these particular bloodsucking monsters have been ravaging, terrorizing and exploiting loads and laods of innocent people.
3. Even if Saul didn't really care about the people, the people would very much care and given that the only reputation Saul is really establishing for himself is being the Monster Hunter King damaging that reputation would be supremely bad for him on the PR front.

With Talon people were probably all kinds of uncomfortable about his Day-/NIghtwalker plans, but they told themselves "Hey, we all have heard of how awesome Talon is for ages. I'm sure he knows what he's doing."
Things are quite different when instead of being so famous that people just trust your judgement, they instead only trust in the fact that you're going to murderize all the monsters threatening them.
In that case you can't just suddenly stop murderizing monsters.

>>44827906
>>1. Darlesia to be invaded immediately once Serat was out of the picture. Your men might find themselves fighting the resistance but without active thraldom the leaders would likely appear more crazy or else return to their sense.

>>44827906
>3. Your men to prepare to invade Darlesia once you straightened things out with the resistance, which hopefully Gnome, Mal and Lynn were able to do.
so is she really dead or like part of us