The Twelfth Day of Aethan's Rule, Midday.

Once more, the great hall of Bronzheld is filled with the smell of roasting meat. Yet for once, it is not the stink of a barbarian's corpse.

It is the fragrance of cooked mutton that wafts around the vast chamber, emanating from a round bronze platter cooling beside the hearth's blaze. Spread across the surface of the great dish is a layer of shredded sheep's meat, toasted pine nuts and dark, rich leafy greens. You are the last to dip your bowl into the platter's steaming contents, only after all of your guests have helped themselves, scooping up a portion of the hearty meal for yourself. You snatch up a succulent morsel and pop it hastily into your mouth, before you burn your fingers on the roasted meat.

The mutton scorches your tongue, then your throat on the way down but that's no reason to pace yourself. This is the first real meal that you or any of your men have had since summer came to an end, over a year ago. During the leaner days, some of Bronzestone's inhabitants even had to resort to scraping moss and lichen off of the stone, subsisting off of rock tripe and other foul things. No more, you silently swear. While you rule, no man, woman or child of your clan should have to scrape or starve.

This feast was not your idea but Magda's. It would be a chance to ingratiate yourself with those that serve you, she said. As if you hadn't done enough already to earn their fear and respect, but there is no harm in showing them your generosity, and the prosperity that your rule will bring them. To your left, the broad and brawny Gulbrand is already helping himself to another bowlful after finishing his first, while Old Barr is busy sucking the grease from his fingers. Opposite of you, mop-haired Sten wolfs down the mutton like a starved beast while next to him, Dagny him chews slowly and thoughtfully, not eating as heartily as you would expect of a woman with her pudgy girth.

Magda is somewhere amongst the crowd as well but before you can spot her, the guardsman to your right passes along half a cob of hardy rye sourdough. You give a nod and offer a grunt of thanks, tearing off a chunk of the bread before passing it down to Gulbrand; he grunts and nods in turn. All around the platter, there are quiet sounds of appreciation and satisfaction as the Low Thenns hunch over their bowls and feast. Now is not the time for talking, but for indulging yourselves in the bounty of spring.

It continues like this for a good few minutes, with easily a score of you gorging yourselves on bowlfuls of meat and passing around hunks of bread. Yet no matter how pleasant it is to mindlessly feast, you brought all of Bronzestone's finest together and even called Sten away from his scouts for a reason. You are here with them to plan for Bronzestone's future, to take action rather than just passively rule your clan as your father did. Letting the years pass you by will not make the Low Thenns any greater. “Magda,” you call out to the old crone when you spot her at last, squatting somewhere between Old Barr and Sten, blowing at the steam rising from a fresh bowl of mutton. “How fares Hosk's woman?”

“She has a fever, thane. I am doing what I can to keep it at bay, and from harming the babe as it grows within her. I expect it will leave her womb in two weeks, perhaps three. If all is well, before a month has passed, Nadezhra and her child should be back with their people.” Her gnarled fingers dip into the bowl to scoop out a handful of meat and greens, shovelling it into her mouth.

Gulbrand lets out a choked laugh, almost spitting what he was chewing on. “Nades-fucking-what? Don't tell me that's the bitch's name. I'll stick with 'Hosk's woman.'”

“Treat her with respect,” you chide the warrior, “at least while Hosk is here. He will be among us before long and there is much we have to discuss with the man. But there is much I have to discuss with the lot of you before that.”

“Thane, I trust this is about the Sealskins,” murmurs Sten over a mouthful of sheep's meat. “Otherwise there's little reason for me to be away from my boys.”

You look over the feasting Low Thenns, gauging their opinion before you choose to continue. “It is. We cannot let them mill about on our doorstep and prepare to raid our lands. If we are to protect Bronzestone, we must rid ourselves of this threat.” The authority and certainty with which you speak is greeted with a heart-felt murmur of approval, as a number of men nod along to your words. “But I must decide how I should rid the land of this threat. Is it better to meet them on the field and drive them away from Bronzestone by force, or should we raid and harass themselves until they know to move on?”

“If-- If I may speak, thane.” Dagny's jowls wobble as she clears her throat, her bowl resting on the stone floor beside her. She hasn't eaten in quite some time and she looks uncomfortable, squirming in her skin the moment your cold stare falls on her. Does she know the death that you have in store for her? You doubt it; this is just her fear and cowardice rearing its ugly head. “Raidin' is the best way to go about this. We don't have the numbers to throw away on the battlefield. By pickin' away at the Sealskins, snatchin' their trinkets when we can and thinnin' their numbers where it's easiest, we can avoid losin' men.”

“She's got a point, thane” Sten remarks. “By my count, the barbarians have six, seven hundred men and women ready to fight to our four hundred. A number of 'em are on dog sleighs, while a hundred others have bows. The rest of 'em are just stone-wielding raiders, but those are still a threat. Might be a bit rough on us if we try to meet 'em on the field, thane.”

At that, Old Barr places his bowl to the side and rises to his feet, standing tall and glowering down at the scoutmaster. “You would do well to remember that a true Low Thenn warrior is worth five savages, bowman. Against our bronze, they will rout and be fleein' from our land before long.”

“Not all of us wear scales, Barr,” Dagny interjects, although a scathing look from you is enough to cow her into speaking with a little more respect. “What I mean is-- Thane, if we go into battle, my raiders will be sure to take losses. I've already lost half a dozen men in the last few days, I can't afford lose many more.”

“Men die in war!,” Gulbrand barks from across the bronze platter. Dagny grimaces at the volume with which he roars. “Besides, if the thane has us raid the Sealskins, they'll just raid us back! Except they don't just steal bronze, woman, they steal women and children to throw to their fucking sea gods! You're right in that we can't afford any losses, and we'd lose more lives by pissing about and harrying their camps, than we would by meeting them in battle.”

Sten pipes up again, after swallowing another mouthful of mutton and reaching over to acquire a third bowlful. The man must have been starving out in the wilderness. “If we find a way to bolster our numbers, I feel like we'd have better chances on the field.”

>You need to be certain that the Sealskins will leave your land. You will meet them in open battle and drive them off by force. You may take losses but these are acceptable; especially if Dagny is among them.
>You'd rather not throw away the lives of Low Thenn warriors, even if it means that Dagny doesn't meet her demise on the field. You will have Dagny harry the Sealskins with her raiders and pester them until they know better than to trouble Bronzestone.
>Unless you can acquire more numbers, either from Farstrider aid or from another source, it's better to just raid the Sealskins. If you do manage to even the odds however, you will be more than happy to march on the Sealskin beaches and drive them off.
>Now that you think about it, it just isn't worth the risk. You don't want to draw the ire of these savages, nor do you wish to throw away the lives of the First Men. You should call off any offensive against the Sealskins, for the safety of Bronzestone.

>>2212358
>You need to be certain that the Sealskins will leave your land. You will meet them in open battle and drive them off by force. You may take losses but these are acceptable; especially if Dagny is among them.
Let us call in Hosk's favor, and get a troop of bowmen from him.

>>2212358
>Unless you can acquire more numbers, either from Farstrider aid or from another source, it's better to just raid the Sealskins. If you do manage to even the odds however, you will be more than happy to march on the Sealskin beaches and drive them off.

>>2212358
>You need to be certain that the Sealskins will leave your land. You will meet them in open battle and drive them off by force. You may take losses but these are acceptable; especially if Dagny is among them.

Remember Dagny leads the van

>>2212358
>>Unless you can acquire more numbers, either from Farstrider aid or from another source, it's better to just raid the Sealskins. If you do manage to even the odds however, you will be more than happy to march on the Sealskin beaches and drive them off

>>2212358
>You need to be certain that the Sealskins will leave your land. You will meet them in open battle and drive them off by force. You may take losses but these are acceptable; especially if Dagny is among them.
Call in the favour, it might make Hosk more appreciative of us, if we use it for something that benefits him as well.

>>2212375
Supporting this.

We need to make certain that the outcome of the battle is clear, despite any 'unfortunate' losses

It's gonna be great to see Aethan actually wear some armor for once.

>>2212358
>You need to be certain that the Sealskins will leave your land. You will meet them in open battle and drive them off by force. You may take losses but these are acceptable; especially if Dagny is among them.

>>2212358
>You need to be certain that the Sealskins will leave your land. You will meet them in open battle and drive them off by force. You may take losses but these are acceptable; especially if Dagny is among them.
>Call in the favor

You crunch a pine nut between your teeth, mulling over the words of your men. Then at last, you part your lips to speak.

“I have no wish to play games with these savages. If we are to fight with them, it is to push them away from our land, never to return. But fear not, Dagny.” You spare the woman a dry, thin smile. She responds by lowering her gaze to the floor, not daring to look upon you while your attention is focused on her. It seems like she hasn't forgotten her last lesson just yet. “I do not plan on facing the Sealskins while we are out-numbered. You said you have lost half a dozen men. Why?”

“I-- I swear, thane, it ain't my fault! Moss was one of mine and after what you did to him, there's word going around that you're... They said that you're goin' to punish any man that takes a wife and called you all manner of foul things. I'm doin' what I can to convince the men otherwise but a handful of 'em have already gone and taken their families with 'em. I'm doin' what I can stop to any more from leavin', I swear!”

>As a consequence of Aethan's execution of Moss for the rape of Thyra, Bronzestone has lost 1 Population. In addition, after the next conflict, Dagny's Raiders will suffer a -1 modifier when rolling on Table 10-6: Survivors. This means the unit is more likely to suffer a negative effect after the end of a battle.

“Let them go,” grumbles Old Barr, after lowering himself to a crouch once more and taking a draught from a tattered wineskin. If anything, the veteran seems to be pleased with the news. “The less savages o' that sort pollutin' the ranks o' our clan, the better. Bronzestone has no place for those that steal women o' Low Thenn blood. There was no better thing that the Voice o' the Magnar could have done.”

For once, your actions seem to have pleased the ancient zealot. You give a nod of appreciation towards the old man before you say your piece. “He is right. What I did was just, and that punishment is only for those that seek to take advantage of our kindness. If a man would reward us for giving him a home by raping our women, he is not a man that shall live for long. Magda, have you spoken to Thyra about her child?”

“Aye, thane,” the crone replies. “She wishes to keep it, found the idea of being rid of it unnatural. I will see to it that the child is healthy, and her father will see to it that the child is raised a Low Thenn.”

“Then that matter is settled,” you conclude. Although Dagny's head remains bowed, you are certain that her features are etched with a frown. “Onto the matter of bolstering our numbers, we do not have the bronze or the numbers to raise another host. Yet I have renewed my father's friendship with Hosk, the chieftain of the Farstriders. He owes me a favour for allowing his people to dwell on our land, and I plan on using this to gain his aid in the coming battle.”

There's a variety of reactions. The approval offered by Old Barr only moments ago has evaporated, to be replaced with exasperation. No doubt that he is disgusted by the idea that the Low Thenns could ever require the aid of savages. Dagny's face remains bowed, but her hands have tightened into white-knuckled fists. Sten and Gulbrand on the other hand, both seem in agreement with your decision. The former nods along while he picks the remnants of a leaf from between his teeth, while the latter offers his support by offering further suggestion.

“Sound plan, thane. But there's no need for us to waste this favour just yet. We could hold it back for a darker day.” There's a gleam in the man's eye as he continues. “Hosk said it himself, the Sealskin fucks sacrifice women to their sea gods in exchange for treasures. If there's any truth in that, we could use these treasures to pay the Farstriders.”

At last, Dagny's obedient facade cracks. She furiously glares at Gulbrand, throwing her half-empty bowl to the floor and thrusting herself to her feet. “We are not givin' them anythin'! If we beat the Sealskins back, any loot is fuckin' ours! We are not goin' to fuckin' pay outsiders for the honour of livin' in our woods!”

“Uh,” comes a grunt from Sten as he rakes at his throat with a hand, scratching at the skin there. “If you're done with your screaming, I got a thought. If you're looking to make allies out of the Farstriders, thane, you'll want to keep 'em around. Allies aren't useful if they're not about to give a helping hand. There's plenty of good fishing on the beaches the Sealskins are on. You drive 'em off, give the Farstriders the land there as payment. Try and get 'em to settle there for good, yeah? If the Sealskins or anything else comes from the North, they'll get the brunt of it and you--”

“My thane,” Old Barr interrupts, his voice rumbling like thunder. “Tell me that you aren't listenin' to this talk o' payin' savages to fight for you or worse, givin' them land that should be ours. Use this favour and be done with it. I know o' Hosk. I know that he is older than I and that before long, he will die. Any kindness that the Farstriders have for you will die with him. Use this favour. Be done with him, be done with the savages and let them move on.”

“Are you giving me a command, Barr?” Your tone is icy, as your gaze moves from him to Dagny, then back again. “I heed no word but the Magnar's. I called all of you here for counsel, not to hear you make demands of me.” The raid leader is swiftly cowed, bowing her head and squatting beside Sten once more, mumbling an inaudible apology for her outburst. It takes Old Barr a great deal longer to bow his head as well and eventually submit to your authority.

“... No, my thane. Forgive me.”

>Old Barr has a point. This favour will only last for as long as Hosk is the chieftain of the Farstriders, and he's ancient, a frail old man. It's a miracle he's still able to produce any children at all. You will spend this favour and be done with it.
>You will pay the Farstriders with the treasures of the Sealskins, if there is any truth to that rumour. Otherwise, you will need to come up with another way of paying them. (Any Wealth gained from a victory will go to the Farstriders. If no Wealth is gained, you will need to pay the Farstriders with your Wealth, currently at 0.)
>You will pay the Farstriders with the land that the Sealskins currently inhabit. It's a stretch of mostly barren beaches, but apparently the waters are thriving with fish. (Any Land gained from a victory will go to the Farstriders.)

>>2212758
>>Old Barr has a point. This favour will only last for as long as Hosk is the chieftain of the Farstriders, and he's ancient, a frail old man. It's a miracle he's still able to produce any children at all. You will spend this favour and be done with it.

>>2212758
>>Old Barr has a point. This favour will only last for as long as Hosk is the chieftain of the Farstriders, and he's ancient, a frail old man. It's a miracle he's still able to produce any children at all. You will spend this favour and be done with it.

They'll move on soon after the babe is born anyway, and gods know how long it'll be until we see them again. Hell Hosk could die while they're gone and they'd never returned to these lands again. Best to use it now and be done with them and the Sealskins.

>>2212758
>Old Barr has a point. This favour will only last for as long as Hosk is the chieftain of the Farstriders, and he's ancient, a frail old man. It's a miracle he's still able to produce any children at all. You will spend this favour and be done with it.
We want the all the fruit of this coming labor.

>>2212758
>Old Barr has a point. This favour will only last for as long as Hosk is the chieftain of the Farstriders, and he's ancient, a frail old man. It's a miracle he's still able to produce any children at all. You will spend this favour and be done with it.

>>2212758
>>Old Barr has a point. This favour will only last for as long as Hosk is the chieftain of the Farstriders, and he's ancient, a frail old man. It's a miracle he's still able to produce any children at all. You will spend this favour and be done with it.

>>2212758
>Old Barr has a point. This favour will only last for as long as Hosk is the chieftain of the Farstriders, and he's ancient, a frail old man. It's a miracle he's still able to produce any children at all. You will spend this favour and be done with it.

>>Old Barr has a point. This favour will only last for as long as Hosk is the chieftain of the Farstriders, and he's ancient, a frail old man. It's a miracle he's still able to produce any children at all. You will spend this favour and be done with it.

“You are forgiven, Barr, for you are wise and you speak the truth. I shall use these savages while I can, for what little they are worth. Any treasure and land that Bronzestone stands to gain will be ours.” The reaction is good enough. The anger that was rising within Old Barr is quickly replaced with relief, and neither Sten nor Gulbrand seem disappointed by your decision. As always, Dagny remains bowed and subservient, not daring to question your word after the last time she did such a thing. “Sten. What can you tell us of these beaches that the savages inhabit? What have they been doing these past ten days?”

“We call 'em the uh, Bitter Slopes, thane,” Swiping some of his hair of his eyes, the plain-faced man pauses to consider his words. “The cliffs that the Mossfalls flow over get softer the further North you go, until there's no cliff at all. Up there, the land just slopes down into the sea. Soil's too loose, weather's too harsh for any real life to grow, just long grasses and a tree here or there. Along the coast, 's mostly just beaches of grey sand that go on for a straight twelve leagues. At the end of the stretch, where the cliffs start again and the Bitter Slopes end, the land curves. The sea stops being to the East and starts being to the North. 's not a good place to live, other than the plentiful fish and seals.”

It doesn't sound particularly impressive but then, few places other than Bronzestone are. “If nothing else, it will be a source of food for the Low Thenns during the harsher winter. What of the Sealskins?”

“We're keeping our distance, they're keeping theirs. They're an odd folk, thane. They don't even have their scouts keeping an eye on their borders. You know what they had them doing when we arrived? They were staring out at the fucking sea.” For the briefest moment, Sten seems frustrated by the moment quickly passes and those dull grey eyes of his return to neutrality. “They're keeping an eye on us now, but whenever they aren't hunting seals and snatching up fish, they're just watching the water.”

“They're madmen that worship the sea and drown women under the waves,” mutters Old Barr over the rim of his bowl, having picked it up once more. “Nothin' to it but the truth, Sten. They're mad.”

With a sigh, you lift a hand to silence the old man's claims. “As strange as they might be, this knowledge will not help us in battle. What of their numbers, Sten? Be clear, not vague.”

“There's just over a thousand of 'em, thane. I'd say a hundred of 'em are scouts, bowmen like my boys. Not all that good at their work, though. It's all too easy to get 'em off our tracks whenever they feel like giving chase. I'd say half of their number are raiders, ready to fight. Some of 'em are greener than others, but they've got numbers on their side. Their best men are the ones with the dogs, that get pulled along on driftwood sleds. Of those, I'd say they've got fifty, maybe sixty.”

From what he says, their numbers easily exceed your own. Your infantry might be impressive, but being outnumbered three to two never helps in war. “And the rest? What sort of weapons do they use?”

“The last third of them? Mothers, elders and children, thane. As for their arms, 's mostly just spears with fire-hardened tips, or shards of bone and rock. Most of 'em use clubs, but I'll guess those are seals skulls, not human ones. None of 'em wear anything heavier than hides.”

“Hearing that makes me think we could take the fuckers even without Farstriders at our back,” mutters Gulbrand over a mouthful of sheep's meat and pine nuts. “It's not worth the risk though. Thane's making the right call, calling in this favour.” There's a unanimous murmur of approval, even from the previously reluctant Barr. Even Dagny mumbles her praise after a moment's hesitation, still feeble and cowed after your last encounter with her.

“Then it's settled,” you say at last. “Within the week, we march on the Bitter Slopes to take them as our own. After that, we'll make sure the Sealskins know better than to ever return.” The murmur of praise turns into an open cheer and you even notice a ghost of a smile on Magda's features. The crone has been silent, as she always is during military matters. She knows better than to shove her nose into the affairs of warriors.

“Farstrider chief will be here soon though, thane.” Sten casts a glance about the crowd assembled around the platter. “You want us around for that?”

Choose how you wish to host Hosk, Chieftain of the Farstriders:
>Have the hall cleaned up, any trace of this feast discarded. You want to greet him as a ruler, formal and austere.
>You will meet him outside of the hall, which he will only be allowed to enter in order to see his wife, Nadezhra.
>He is welcome to join the feast and help himself. A friend of Bronzestone is free revel in its bountry.

Choose which of the following you wish to remain by your side for the meeting with Hosk.
>Magda.
>Sten.
>Gulbrand.
>Dagny.
>Old Barr.

>>2213308
>He is welcome to join the feast and help himself. A friend of Bronzestone is free revel in its bountry.
>Gulbrand.
>Magda.

>>2213308
>>Magda.
>He is welcome to join the feast and help himself. A friend of Bronzestone is free revel in its bountry.

>>2213330
>>2213308
this

>>2213330
Supporting

So does Gulbrand have a daughter? How tall is she, if so?
I don't know if Aethan will ever find a wife he considers worthy of him. He doesn't seem like he would take any but a Low Thenn wife, strongly believing in the superiority of the Thenn blood.
Perhaps it is too early to start looking now, but earlier is better in a harsh place like the North where parents die sooner, not that Aethan can die before outliving that old fart who began the scarrification.
What are the marriage traditions of low thenns anyway? Do chiefs typically stay with one wife, do they sleep around with concubines, is there a concept of bastardry?

>>2213308
>>Have the hall cleaned up, any trace of this feast discarded. You want to greet him as a ruler, formal and austere.
>Gulbrand.
>Magda.

We just made the decision to dis-include the Farstriders from the majority of the spoils from our war on the Sealskins. To appear open handed and charitable now will give Hosk the impression that he is welcome to more than his share of the loot once the savages are dealt with and might start lines of questioning we'll quickly find ourselves backed into a corner over.

>>2213308
>>Have the hall cleaned up, any trace of this feast discarded. You want to greet him as a ruler, formal and austere.
>Magda

>>Have the hall cleaned up, any trace of this feast discarded. You want to greet him as a ruler, formal and austere.
>Magda

>>2213308
>Have the hall cleaned up, any trace of this feast discarded. You want to greet him as a ruler, formal and austere.
>Gulbrand

>>2213491
I think they might not care much of mothers heritage here, after all if great men take wives, his descendants will be of taken wives, but still his.

>>2213491
Just have 101 concubines and be done with it, a King should have what he wants when he wants with few exceptions

yeah yeah political realism means we can't do it right now but when we're on sturdier ground and aren't questioned so openly we can take what we want

>>2213308
>Have the hall cleaned up, any trace of this feast discarded. You want to greet him as a ruler, formal and austere.

>Magda
>Gulbrand
>Sten

>>2213308
>>Have the hall cleaned up, any trace of this feast discarded. You want to greet him as a ruler, formal and austere.

>>Magda.
>>Sten.
>>Gulbrand.

“Magda will remain here. Gulbrand, fetch your arms and armour. The rest of you have work to return to. Before that, I want none of this food goes to waste. This feast was for you, so that you could enjoy the bounty of our land. An outsider has no right to even a scrap of it, so see to it that not a scrap will be left for them!” A hearty cheer arises from around the platter, with a few scattered laughs as well. The score of Low Thenns arranged about it fill their bowls one last time with the still-warm mutton and greens, before you continue. “Then see to it that this hall is clean.”

The next few minutes is a hubbub of men hurriedly stuffing their faces while hauling the platter and wineskins away. Before long, even the scent of cooked flesh has left Bronzheld. Dagny has gone to work alongside her men, hunting, farming and gathering while Old Barr is preparing his for Hosk's arrival, to ensure that no accidents occur. You're not quite sure what Sten is up to, but that's hardly unusual. It is unlikely that the man has returned to his scouts just yet.

By the time that Hosk and a handful of his Farstriders walk through the threshold, any sense of comfort has abandoned Bronzheld. The great hearth at the hall's heart crackles and burns, its light dancing madly off of the greasy walls of black stone that surround it. You lounge on the throne of your forefathers, a great cloak made from a shadowcat's hide hanging around your shoulders and your long axe resting at your foot of your seat. To your right hunches the familiar figure of Magda, shrouded in those stinking, heavy furs of hers. To your left, stands the proud figure of Gulbrand. With his tall, broad figure clad in bronze scales and helm, he's an intimidating sight to be sure.

In comparison, the Farstriders are anything but intimidating. They are lanky, sallow creatures with their slender bodies hidden under layers of hide and fur. Their discomfort is obvious the moment they set foot in your hall. Even Hosk at ill at ease, a frown etched into his wrinkled features beneath that matted beard and mane of his. His crown of broken antlers looks as ridiculous as ever and his frailty is obvious to you, despite the many elk skins draped over him. The venerable man hobbles forward with the aid of an unstrung bow, raising a hand in greeting. You can't help but notice that the bows of his companions are strung, with quivers full of arrows resting by their hips. Well, you shouldn't have expected these deer to wander into a wolf's den helpless and unarmed. They know better than that.

“Aethan,” the old chieftain calls out as he hobbles closer, around the crackling firepit to stand before your throne. He lowers his head in a bow of respect. “I pray that me folk have been causin' ye no trouble? Not e'en me daughter?”

“None so far,” you admit. For the time being, the Farstriders that accompanied Nadezhra have behaved, and your people have left them in peace. Still, it is a good idea to keep them under watch. You don't want them snatching bronze behind your backs, after all. “You may visit them, and your wife, when we are done with talks.”

Hosk's head bobs weakly at that, weighed down by his antler crown. He casts an accusatory look towards the crone to your right, however. “Should ye not be at her side, Magda? I sent her here to be under ye care.”

“She needs rest, chief,” Madga calls back in reply. “I cannot heal Nadezhra just by being next to her. I do what I can, when I can. Any more or less would harm her and the babe both.” A disgruntled huff comes from the savage chieftain but he reluctantly bobs his head again. He knows better than to argue with the hag when it comes to matters of medicine.

“I will be takin' ye word for it, woman. So, what caused ye to bring me here, Aethan? We spoke less than a week ago.”

“I plan on making use of that favour that you owe me, Hosk.” At that, the old man seems startled. You continue despite his shock. “I told you that the Sealskins are to the North, the last time we met. I do not want madmen lingering on the edge of my land, just waiting to steal women from my people and yours. The Low Thenns will break them, and the Farstriders will aid us in doing so.”

“This... This is sudden, Aethan. But as I swore, I owe ye a favour and I cannot deny ye that. Ye wish for my people to help yours? I will have two hundred o' my scouts join ye in battle against the Sealskins then. Tell me though,” he pauses for a moment. “Do ye have any bows o' ye own?”

“A host of them, aye,” Gulbrand answers for you, his voice thundering out from beneath his helmet. “What of it?”

At that question, Hosk gestures towards one of the men that accompanies him. The Farstrider steps forward, taller than the rest of his kind, lean and sinuous rather than just being slender and fragile. His oily black hair has been pulled back and tied in a topknot, leaving his sharp features exposed. Either side of a hooked nose, his muddy brown eyes dart from you to his chieftain. He murmurs a few words in the Southern tongue, his tone wary. Hosk replies by clapping a hand on his shoulder and whispering a few words back. From what you can understand of their language, it sounds like the chieftain is offering the man a chance to prove himself.

At last, the pair turn towards you once more. “This here is Katog, one o' the best pathfinders that my tribe has, a damn fine leader as well. If I have to take a guess at the next chief o' the Farstriders, it could well be him.” Again, Hosk gives the man's shoulder a hearty slap. If anything, Katog appears pensive. “When we go to fight the Sealskins, it will be Katog leadin' the scouts. I want him leadin' yours as well. Be that too much to ask for, Aethan.”

“Explain to me,” you ask, “why I should allow a man from another tribe to lead any of my men. I see no wisdom in this.”

“'s best to have all o' your bowmen loosin' their arrows at the same target, Aethan. They need to all be o' the same mind, led by the same man. Ye don't want to be spreadin' your arrows too thinly o'er the enemy ranks. So let Katog lead the Low Thenn scouts as well as the Farstriders, give 'em the same focus as my folk.”

“Fuck me, Sten won't like this...” Gulbrand murmurs that beneath his breath, his apprehension clear in his tone.

>Very well. If this will your scouts a better fighting force, you will allow them to be led by this Katog for this battle. Sten will have to stand down and fight alongside his men, rather than lead them.
>You don't see the wisdom in Hosk's suggestion. Your people will be led by one of their own, and his people can be led by this Katog. It might be less effective, but your people aren't about to be led by a savage.
>Hosk is right; these three hosts of scouts will be at their best when united under a single leader. But the man leading both Low Thenns and Farstriders will be Sten, not Katog. (This will require a Persuasion, Convince roll.)

>>2214901
>Hosk is right; these three hosts of scouts will be at their best when united under a single leader. But the man leading both Low Thenns and Farstriders will be Sten, not Katog. (This will require a Persuasion, Convince roll.)

>>2214901
>Hosk is right; these three hosts of scouts will be at their best when united under a single leader. But the man leading both Low Thenns and Farstriders will be Sten, not Katog. (This will require a Persuasion, Convince roll.)

>>2214901
>Hosk is right; these three hosts of scouts will be at their best when united under a single leader. But the man leading both Low Thenns and Farstriders will be Sten, not Katog. (This will require a Persuasion, Convince roll.)
I think this is the best choice, but it would be interesting to see how Sten would act when slighted, though I'm not sure if doing it just for the sake of feeling him out would be in line with our personality.

>>2214901
>>Hosk is right; these three hosts of scouts will be at their best when united under a single leader. But the man leading both Low Thenns and Farstriders will be Sten, not Katog. (This will require a Persuasion, Convince roll.)

>>2214933
Maybe bring up the fact Hosk wanted him to serve under his man to Sten and just see what his reaction is?

>>2214933
Might be hard to convince Hosk though. Sten isn't here and we need to convince him that he should let our guy lead the all the bowmen despite Hosk providing two thirds of the bowmen in the battle.
We can appeal to Sten's experience. Has Sten ever led troops in battle? If so we can say that with him at the helm the Farstriders are in good hands. It is a bit odd to appeal to experience and age when Aethan is merely 16 years old, but maybe we can make it work. Our clan as a whole probably has more experience with war than the Farstriders who've just been avoiding conflict. Can appeal to that.
If we fail, the worst that happens is that we split up the troops.

Can we stand Stens men down, and raise another unit? or am I remembering the North of the Wall military rules incorrectly? Because that solves our problem quite nicely.

>>2214952
>Maintaining a military in the Far North is difficult. A tribe's warriors are the men and women of that tribe who take up arms in times of need, not professional soldiers that do nothing but fight. They are needed as hunters, foragers, builders and craftsmen, helping the tribe survive in the hostile environment beyond the Wall.
>Each month, you can have a number of units active depending on your Population. This represents how many warriors your tribe can afford to have battle ready at all times without impairing your tribe.
>At 0 Population, you can have 0 units active throughout a month.
>At 1-10 Population, you can have 1 unit active throughout a month.
>At 11-20, you can have 2 units active throughout a month.
>At 21-30, you can have 3 units active throughout a month.
>And so on.
>You can activate an inactive unit in emergencies, as long as it is only active for a few days at a time. If a unit is active for more than seven days of a month, it counts as being active for that month. Otherwise, it counts as being inactive.
>At the end of a month, if the number of units that was active for that month exceeds your tribe's limit, your tribe's people suffers the consequences of not having enough hunters and gatherers to support its population. Your tribe loses 1 population for each active unit that exceeds the limit.

>Bronzestone has 19 Population, therefore it can have 2 units active throughout the month.

So we can have them all active for this battle so long as they're not active for more than a week.

It would be worse imo to make them stand down and deny them the glory of this coming battle than to have them be led by Katog.

>>2214952
>If you're referring to the rules I posted in the first thread, those only cover units raised for long periods within a month, such as Sten's scouts which are away from Bronzestone and Old Barr's infantry who are guarding the village. When it comes to conflicts like this, you are allowed you to temporarily raise all of your units. A few days spent fighting doesn't impair the entire month's productivity too much. See >>2214959, he's got it right.

>Technically, the rules also allow you to permanently stand down a unit to refund its Power, allowing you to refund the 5 Power you have spent on your Trained Scouts. Then you'd be able to raise another unit in its place using that Power, such as a unit of Green Infantry. I'm telling you now though, that would be a bad idea in terms of both mechanics and narrative. A really bad idea.

>I'll wait another forty-five minutes or so for any other votes or comments, although it's been unanimous so far.

Could we suggest an archery contest to decide the leader between the two? Surely both Sten and our archers would better respect something as lofty as command being won and earned rather than freely given. I'm ill at ease giving savages any sort of command of our people.

>>2214970
I was just checking. And having seen the exact rules, yes its a bad idea.

>>2214973
A good idea. Should suggest the contest if we are unable to simply convince him to allow Sten to lead the bowmen.
Can have something like, three shot against a distant target. If both men hit all three shots, the target is moved further back, and they shoot it again. Whoever misses the most out of the three first loses and doesn't get to lead.
But let's not do that unless we can't just convince him. Sten won't enjoy having to win a contest just to lead his own troops.

>>2214901
>Very well. If this will your scouts a better fighting force, you will allow them to be led by this Katog for this battle. Sten will have to stand down and fight alongside his men, rather than lead them.

We have an opportunity to back an heir for Hosks people who we can influence for YEARS to come, we should get into his confidence and make him feel trusted and ensure we can broker an agreement on his ascent remember Hosk is not long for this world.

>>2215007
>relying on the goodwill of savages for YEARS to come
Years from now we won't have any use for such feeble, barbarian, folk.

>>2215011
Gotta admit 200 bowmen is nothing to scoff at. Imagine if they joined enemy ranks.
If he is the next chieftain of the Farstriders it might be a good idea. We're both around the same age.

>>2215013
perhaps, but we are an arrogant twat

>Going with:
>Hosk is right; these three hosts of scouts will be at their best when united under a single leader. But the man leading both Low Thenns and Farstriders will be Sten, not Katog. (This will require a Persuasion, Convince roll.)
>Your Persuasion, Convince is 4D.

>Please roll 4d6 for Persuasion, Convince. Taking best of three.

Rolled 2, 6, 1, 4 = 13 (4d6)

>>2215035

>>2215011
And until then we do, what we have here is an entry level opportunity to build on this and make them tributaries by influencing their leaders before they even take power.

Rolled 5, 2, 3, 6 = 16 (4d6)

>>2215035

Rolled 2, 1, 1, 4 = 8 (4d6)

>>2215035

Rolled 3, 4, 4, 2 = 13 (4d6)

>>2215035

>>2215036
>>2215042
>>2215044
>Aethan rolled 13, 16 and 8 on 4D.
>Difficulty: 15
>One degree; marginal success.

After mulling over the chieftain's demand, you find yourself shaking your head.“If any man is going to lead our bowmen, it will be a Low Thenn, not a Farstrider.”

“What?!” The suggestion has Hosk flabbergasted, scoffing at the audacity of your claim. “Ye will have to forgive me, Aethan, but there ain't a chance o' that. I know that ye folk call yeselves the first of men, but only ye clan thinks that. My tribe will not follow one o' ye.”

“Have you ever been at war, Hosk? Has Katog?” The chieftain blinks at your line of questioning, looking more than a little bemused. His presumed heir simply scratches at the base of his topknot, clearly not understanding a word of the Old Tongue.

“The Farstriders be a peaceful folk that only fight when we must, Aethan, ye know that. We do not war. But I have still seen more battle than ye, in all o' me years. So has me man here.”

Again, you shake your head. “I am not speaking about myself, but of Sten. He rose to become scoutmaster through his own strength and merit, he served my father well in skirmishes against the Sealskins and Crowbane alike. He has been watching this foe for weeks, he knows them better than Katog, he has fought them more than him. My father told me that you are wise, Hosk. You can't deny that the right man to lead is the one that fought this foe the most.”

There's a long silence as Hosk considers your words, chewing the inside of his cheek and grooming a few snarls out of his beard while he does so. Then at last, he bows his head once more. “Very well, Aethan. I will speak with me folk, and we will see if we can do it as ye wish, with Sten at the lead.” Turning away from you, the elderly chieftain focuses his attention onto Katog, speaking to him in the mewling language of the Southerners.

Any sense of victory leaves you as quickly as it came however, as the conversation becomes heated. You are able to catch a handful of the words they utter. Katog throws accusations of fearing wights at his chieftain, while boasting of being no kneeler and that he would not be led by a man worse than him. Your efforts to convince the Farstriders only worked on their chieftain it seems, not on a man that doesn't even speak your tongue. As for Hosk, he speaks only to cool the temper of his heir, offering assurances that they serve no one, of a chance for your man to prove himself. The details are beyond your understanding but by the time Hosk turns back to you, he seems to have calmed Katog. In fact, the man now bears a cocky grin, teeth bared.

“Katog is not willin' to let any man lead him but me. He only serves men that are his better.” You struggle to keep yourself from snickering at Hosk's words. Like you, Sten is of the First Men. Of course he is Katog's better. “That's why he's willin' to give ye Sten a chance, Aethan. He wants a contest.”

You can hardly believe what you're hearing. “A contest of what, exactly?”

“A contest o' bows an' arrows, Aethan. His skill with 'em against Sten's. If ye man can prove he's better with a bow, then Katog's willin' to led by him. If he cannot, then he will be the one followin' Katog's orders. Only for this battle, mind.” The chieftain gives an apologetic shrug. “Shame that it came to this, but seems like this be the way o' things.”

“Hosk,” you begin, “you are the chieftain of the Farstriders, your word should be law. Just have the man follow Sten and be done with it.”

“Somethin' that ye need to be understandin', Aethan, I don't rule o'er me folk like ye do yours. I lead 'em, because they let me lead 'em, just as ye folk let ye rule 'em.” Hearing those words, it almost feels as though you have been struck. Who does this savage think he is, saying that you weren't born with the right to rule over the Low Thenns, with the right to rule over all men? “If I'm to keep the Farstriders happy, I can't be makin' demands o' them like that. Sometimes, 's better to lead with a soft touch, not a hard one.”

Before you can offer a retort, you find that Magda is pawing at your arm, trying to seize your attention. “Thane,” she whispers, “this is not wise. Sten will not take kindly to this. It might be best to just let Katog lead the Farstriders, while Sten leads our scouts.”

“I don't like this cocky shit,” murmurs Gulbrand when he overhears her words. The bronze-clad warrior's is busy staring at the grinning savage. “I say the thane should let them compete, Magda. We'll see the look on his face after Sten's had his way with him.”

>Very well. You will have Sten compete against Katog. The victor will have the authority to lead all three hundred of the scouts, while the loser will have to follow the other's lead during the battle.
>You want Sten's opinion before you commit him to anything. Have some of your guards find the man. You should speak to him before you thrust him into any competition against his will.
>You will have no part in such a ridiculous competition, as Magda requests. There might be a lack of cohesion between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, but perhaps that's for the better.
>Hosk might treat his people with a soft touch, but you certainly don't have to. You don't need to speak Katog's tongue to strike fear and obedience into his heart. (This will require a a Persuasion, Intimdiate roll.)

>And oh, well done to >>2214973 for predicting an archery contest.

>>2215263
>Very well. You will have Sten compete against Katog. The victor will have the authority to lead all three hundred of the scouts, while the loser will have to follow the other's lead during the battle.

>>2215263
>Hosk might treat his people with a soft touch, but you certainly don't have to. You don't need to speak Katog's tongue to strike fear and obedience into his heart. (This will require a a Persuasion, Intimdiate roll.)

We already chose to use this favor and discard it so there is no need for us to keep up the niceties. Strike terror in the heir of the clan before he rises to become a thorn. This does not piss off Sten and lets us use our intimidation build.

>>2215263
>Very well. You will have Sten compete against Katog. The victor will have the authority to lead all three hundred of the scouts, while the loser will have to follow the other's lead during the battle

>>2215263
>You want Sten's opinion before you commit him to anything. Have some of your guards find the man. You should speak to him before you thrust him into any competition against his will.

>>2215263
>You want Sten's opinion before you commit him to anything. Have some of your guards find the man. You should speak to him before you thrust him into any competition against his will.

>>2215263
>You want Sten's opinion before you commit him to anything. Have some of your guards find the man. You should speak to him before you thrust him into any competition against his will.

>>2215263
>You want Sten's opinion before you commit him to anything. Have some of your guards find the man. You should speak to him before you thrust him into any competition against his will.

>Going with:
>You want Sten's opinion before you commit him to anything. Have some of your guards find the man. You should speak to him before you thrust him into any competition against his will.
>Before I begin the next post, I will require a roll of 3D.

>Please roll 3d6. Taking best of three.

Rolled 1, 3, 4 = 8 (3d6)

>>2215450

Rolled 1, 3, 3 = 7 (3d6)

>>2215450

Rolled 2, 5, 2 = 9 (3d6)

>>2215450

Dang we have been rolling like ass today.

>>2215462
>>2215480
>>2215509
>Aethan rolled 8, 7 and 9 on 3D.
>Difficulty: 16.
>Failure.

You pay little heed to Magda's advice. Instead, you raise a hand to silence your advisor before you rise to your feet. “We shall see, Hosk. Just this once, I shall try ruling with a soft touch, as you suggest. Sten will only compete against Katog if he wishes to. As the man isn't present, I must find him. You are free to tend to your wife until I return. Magda, show him the way.”

Lowering her head respectfully, the crone rises to her feet and shuffles away from your throne, to guide the Farstriders to one of the many passages that leads into Bronzheld's depths. Hosk offers one last grunt and a bow of his crowned head before he ambles off after Magda with the rest of the Farstriders in tow. Only once your guests are out of earshot do you let out a frustrated sigh. You call in the favour you are owed and this savage, this supposed friend of your father has the stones to dictate the terms of it to you?

The next ten minutes are spent tracking Sten down, sending guards throughout the village to find any trace of your scoutmaster. He is not in the ramshackle, sparse hut he calls a home, nor does he have any wife or children who would know where the man might be. You're not sure how you feel about having such a strange, friendless sort leading a portion of Bronzestone's army but for the time being, he's been the easiest to handle of all the war leaders.

Finally, one of the guards manages to track him down. The bronze-clad soldier marches away from the hubbub of Bronzestone into the woodland beyond the village, where the black stone jutting out of the ground comes to an end and the proud soldier pines begin. There, you find Sten standing alongside a young lad, both of them armed with bows. A sudden pang of shock runs through when you recognize the pale hair of the boy, not so different from your own. Ulgin, your little brother, away from the safety of the settlement and alone with this plain-faced stranger that claims to serve you.

As you approach, you can hear Sten rattling off advice. “Keep those shoulders level, boy. Make sure your hips and feet are angled towards the target. Now, draw.” With a groan of exertion, Ulgin tries to draw back the string back against his chest; the bow barely bends beneath the stress, despite your brother's best efforts. “No, try again, boy. Keep your back straight, posture is everything. Level shoulders, feet and hips square to target. Now, draw it back until your forefinger's against the corner of your mouth.” But before Ulgin can draw again, he catches a glimpse of you standing off to the side with Gulbrand at your side.

“Aethan! What are you doing here?” His grey eyes stare up at you in surprise and you can't help but feel a pang of guilt; you've been so busy ruling as of late you haven't had time to spend more than a moment with your brother and sister. Aera, you're not so worried about but Ulgin...

With a grunt, the mop-haired man turns about to face you, giving a brief bow of his head after a moment of realisation. “Thane, found your brother lingering about out here. Said he lost track of the other gatherers. Been making good use of the time by teaching the boy how to use a bow. A bit of practice and he'll have the basics down soon.”

“Practice is over,” you remark sharply in return. “Next time, guide Ulgin back to the gatherers. He's a boy, he shouldn't be left alone in the woods.”

At that, a scowl rises to the boy's face as he lowers his bow. “I'm only five years younger than you!” You pay little heed to the sulking lad. Instead, you turn to gesture back towards the ruins of Bronzestone and lead the way back towards the hall of Bronzheld, while you explain the situation to Sten. You watch the man for any sort of reaction while you speak, but he offers none. He simply rests his weight on his bow, itching at the side of his throat while he considers your words.

“So,” Sten says. “This Katog refuses to be led by me because he thinks he's a better archer. That the case, thane, or did I mishear?” You shake your head in response. The scoutmaster lingers in silence for a long moment before at last, he gives a sharp nod and wry smile. He look satisfied with the arrangement. “Well, I'll see to it that I'm the better man, thane. You won't have to worry about any savage leading my boys.”

Before you can reply, Ulgin pipes up. “Can I watch?”

“I'd say so,” Sten offers in response to the lad. He looks towards you. “Shouldn't be dangerous for the boy, thane. Might even learn a thing or two about being a good bowman from watching us. Speaking of which, was wondering. Me and my boys, we'll be safe and far away from the action when we go after the Sealskins. I was thinking, we could bring Ulgin along to show him what battle's really like. Boy needs to learn before too long.”

Regarding allowing Ulgin to watch the competition between Sten and Katog:
>Why not? Like Sten says, it's a chance for the boy to learn something about archery and it should be entertaining, no matter the outcome.
>He'll be in the presence of savages. He'll only be allowed if he promises to stay by the side of Gulbrand, who you'll charge with protecting the boy.
>No. You don't want any chance of him being hurt, should the situation go awry somehow. For his safety, he must stay away.

Regarding allowing Ulgin to be present during the battle against the Sealskins:
>Why not? He will be safe and it is a chance for him to learn about the realities of war from a young age. You never got that chance; this will be your first battle as well.
>You aren't sure you trust the scouts to protect the boy. In case they are caught off-guard, it is best that Ulgin is protected in the heart of either Old Barr's host or Gulbrand's.
>No. You aren't about to risk the life of the boy that's in line to become thane, should anything happen to you.

>>2215865

>Why not? Like Sten says, it's a chance for the boy to learn something about archery and it should be entertaining, no matter the outcome.

>Why not? He will be safe and it is a chance for him to learn about the realities of war from a young age. You never got that chance; this will be your first battle as well.

Stronk brother is a go

>>2215865
Regarding allowing Ulgin to watch the competition between Sten and Katog:
>Why not? Like Sten says, it's a chance for the boy to learn something about archery and it should be entertaining, no matter the outcome.
Regarding allowing Ulgin to be present during the battle against the Sealskins:
>No. You aren't about to risk the life of the boy that's in line to become thane, should anything happen to you.

He's just too young, and I don't want either Barr, Gulbrand, or Sten to be distracted by him and the concern with keeping him safe. They should have all their attention on the battle, and winning it.

What was the roll for?

>>2215865
>Why not? Like Sten says, it's a chance for the boy to learn something about archery and it should be entertaining, no matter the outcome.
>Why not? He will be safe and it is a chance for him to learn about the realities of war from a young age. You never got that chance; this will be your first battle as well.

>>2215865
>Why not? Like Sten says, it's a chance for the boy to learn something about archery and it should be entertaining, no matter the outcome.
>You aren't sure you trust the scouts to protect the boy. In case they are caught off-guard, it is best that Ulgin is protected in the heart of either Old Barr's host or Gulbrand's.

What use is bringing him. The boy can't even use a bow. Putting him on the thick of the fighting with the infantry is a worse idea.
Let the boy learn to use weapons on targets first. Isn't he 11. Two more years is ideal.

>>2215865
>Why not? Like Sten says, it's a chance for the boy to learn something about archery and it should be entertaining, no matter the outcome.
>Why not? He will be safe and it is a chance for him to learn about the realities of war from a young age. You never got that chance; this will be your first battle as well.

>>2215865
>Why not? Like Sten says, it's a chance for the boy to learn something about archery and it should be entertaining, no matter the outcome.

>No. You aren't about to risk the life of the boy that's in line to become thane, should anything happen to you.
He's too young and too unskilled to meaningfully contribute, and protecting him would just serve as a distraction to any of our war leaders.

We will be outnumbered significantly in this battle remember.

>>2216306
Alright I'll change my vote to not bringing him to the battle.

>>2215865
>>Why not? Like Sten says, it's a chance for the boy to learn something about archery and it should be entertaining, no matter the outcome.
>No. You aren't about to risk the life of the boy that's in line to become thane, should anything happen to you.

>>2215865
>Why not? Like Sten says, it's a chance for the boy to learn something about archery and it should be entertaining, no matter the outcome.

>No. You aren't about to risk the life of the boy that's in line to become thane, should anything happen to you.

“Ulgin can watch you complete against Katog, yes,” you concede. “But he is only eleven years old. He doesn't belong on the battlefield yet and I don't want you distracted with the task of protecting the boy. The focus of every Low Thenn there should be on winning the battle.”

“I wouldn't distract anyone,” mutters a bitter Ulgin. The lad's sulking; he's searching for anything to be upset by. Perhaps once he gets over your father's death, he'll stop being such a brat. Hopefully he'll learn something from watching the two bowmen perform.

Sten seems to be of the same mind, judging from his words. “Don't whine, boy,” he says. “Thane's kind enough to let you watch. Now come along, let's not keep the Farstriders waiting. It's about time the two of you learn why there's no man better with a bow than me in all of Bronzestone.”

“Sten,” Gulbrand breaks his silence at long last, fixing the scoutmaster with a glare. “Go easy on the savage fuck. Until the battle is over and they're off our land, the thane wants us on good terms with them.”

“I'm promising nothing,” is all that Sten offers in reply, chuckling wryly while he follows your lead.

The journey back to Bronzheld through the ruins is a short one, and before long you reconvene with Hosk and Magda. The crone seems to have assuaged any fears that the old chief had for his wife's health, and his spirits have risen. The introductions between Sten and Katog are brief and muted. Your scoutmaster offers a few words in the Southern tongue, but the Farstrider curls back his upper lip in a snarl, puffing out his chest and standing tall and proud. Not only does he loom over the Low Thenn by a few inches, but his shoulders are broader and his strength is apparent for all to see. When compared to the shorter, stockier figure of plain-faced Sten, you have to admit that Katog looks like the better man.

You lead the way out of Bronzheld, much to the comfort of your foreign guests. They seem happy to leave the oily shadow of your hall and return to the warmth of the sun. For you, the itching heat of day is always an unwelcome thing. You belong in the shade of your home, where you were born and raised, where you rule. Despite that, you guide the way back through the village to a clearing beyond the settlement, where there are no trees or ruins.

“Sten, was it?” The question comes from Hosk once the procession comes to a halt. He is accompanied by Katog and the three other Farstriders that he brought along. Not one to be outnumbered by foreigners in your own home, you had four guards accompany you as well as Magda and Gulbrand. “Katog offers ye the chance to choose the contest o' bows. Whatever it may be that ye choose, he shall best ye, so says he.”

With a grunt, Bronzestone's scoutmaster hefts a woollen sack from his shoulder, filled to the point of bursting. It lands on the soil with a light bounce, tufts of straw poking out from between its fibres. “'s simple, then. Each of us looses an arrow at the target. We both score a hit, we move back and have to hit the target again. We both miss, we give it another try. One of us scores a hit and the other doesn't, the scorer wins and gets to lead the loser's men. How's that sound?”

If anything, Hosk seems amused by the simplicity of the contest. He even lets out a quiet laugh, echoed by a more boisterous one from Katog as the chieftain explains the rules of the competition to his hear. That cocksure grin hasn't left the Farstrider's face for a moment, his posture still as confident as ever. “We accept ye terms, Sten. Will ye be loosin' first?”

That mop of hair falls in front of your scout's eyes when he shakes his head, forcing him to brush it out of his eyes. Another disadvantage, in comparison to Katog. Your confidence is beginning to ebb. “Your man can have the first chance. We'll start at thirty paces, move back another ten each time we both score.”

“Have it ye way,” Hosk chuckles to himself beneath his beard. With the rules set, the competitors and the audience both move to take their places. The sack of straw is thrown further into the clearing and both Sten and Katog measure their thirty paces from it, each of them carrying their bows and a single arrow. Along with the rest of the onlookers, you take your place behind the pair to avoid any chance of being shot. Magda stands to your right and Gulbrand to your left, both of whom seem as pensive as you. Only Ulgin seems to have any hope on his face.

Behind you is the bustle of Bronzestone's village and ahead of you lies that stretch of long grass, disrupted only by the target and ending where the pines begin to sprout from the earth. One of the Farstriders offers an enthusiastic cheer for Katog, with the other two joining him a moment later. Sten needs no such encouragement from you; he knows what is expected of him.

Katog takes his turn first, as it was offered to him. The savage's feet naturally shift into a closed stance and he raises his bow, keeping his shoulders level through. Drawing back the arrow until he has it anchored under his chin, Katog falls perfectly still. Not a muscle moves as he considers the target and the distance. Any adjustments are so slight that you don't see them. When he looses, he strikes true. The only sound you can hear is the gentle thud when it lances the bag of straw, only an inch or two from its core.

“Not bad,” mutters Sten as he considers the impaled target. His feet shuffle and his posture shifts as he adopts a different stance, feet and hips square to the target, his back as straight as an ironwood. At the sight of this, Katog blurts out and laugh and turns to face his chieftain and his other Farstriders, to say something.

The words never leave his lips.

That moment is all the time Sten needs to swivel about to face the savage alongside him, draw back his arrow until it is tucked against his jaw, and loose. Like Katog's, it soars through the air to hit its target with perfect precision. Except the lank-haired scout never aimed at the sack stuffed with straw, but at the base of the Farstrider's skull. The arrow effortlessly slides into that space where the head joins the neck, its bronze head slicing through the very top of Katog's spine. It's a clean, bloodless kill, one that sends the foreign scout toppling onto the earth.

Once the dust has settled, the chaos begins.

A cry of anguish leaves Hosk's maw and his rage is evident on his features. Raising his unstrung bow, he points the makeshift stave towards Sten and bellows an order in the Common Tongue. Not that he needed to; his Farstriders are already nocking their arrows and wailing curses. In retaliation, the guards gathered around you are drawing the axes and shield, while Gulbrand has unsheathed that great sword of his, holding it at the ready. Even Magda clutches her staff fiercely, ready to bludgeon the savages if she must, watching the Farstriders with a thousand yard stare. Ulgin cowers behind your legs, pale and open-mouthed with shock.

“My boys work for me and me alone, thane,” Sten calls out apologetically as he turns to face the Farstriders. Glancing your way, he offers an apologetic shrug and drops his bow, raising his hands in surrender. Without another arrow, the weapon is useless to him. “Can't let anyone get away with challenging me.”

“Blood demands blood, Aethan!” This roar comes from Hosk, his furious glare fixed on your scoutmaster while he waves his stave at the man. “He took the life o' one o' my best! Give me his life and settle this score, if ye e'er wish to think o' the Farstriders as friends!” At this, Sten shoots you a look, one you're unable to read. You quietly curse him, for forcing you to make this decision.

>The Farstriders will have their blood. If they lost Katog today, you will have to lose Sten. These are the sacrifices you need to make in the name of alliances.
>You promise that Sten will be punished accordingly, but the Farstriders will not take his life. He isn't theirs to punish. Hopefully this will be enough to sate them for now. (This will require a Persuasion, Bargain roll.)
>Sten will not punished. This is the end of any friendship between Bronzestone and the Farstriders. Once the Sealskins are defeated and Nadezhra and her child are healthy, they will leave your land. (This will require a Persuasion, Convince roll.)
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)

>Some rolls are harder than others.

>>2215896
>The roll was Awareness, Empathy against Sten's passive Deception. If you succeeded, you might have been aware of his intentions.

Fuck

>>2217985
>Sten will not punished. This is the end of any friendship between Bronzestone and the Farstriders. Once the Sealskins are defeated and Nadezhra and her child are healthy, they will leave your land. (This will require a Persuasion, Convince roll.)
No matter what we choose, our relationship with the Farstriders is dead. As the leader we must be firm in our original decision. Sten will be punished eventually but not to appease the Farstriders. It was Katog's fault that he didn't confirm what the target was! But now we have to also start plotting how to wipe them out. During the war? After the war?

>>2217985
>You promise that Sten will be punished accordingly, but the Farstriders will not take his life. He isn't theirs to punish. Hopefully this will be enough to sate them for now. (This will require a Persuasion, Bargain roll.)
It's a complete lie, he will not be punished.

Once the Sealskins have been beaten, we immediately turn on their archers.

In this way, we have defeated an enemy and captured a host of new savages for our domain. They will till the land, allowing more Low Thenn to be pressed into the ranks of our warriors.

>>2217985
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)

These savages dare to make demands of Aethan?!

Make them kneel!

Aethan doesn't need armor to take care of trash

Damn this is ass. Should have just split up the command. Now we have farstrider treachery on the field to fear.

>>2218010
Which is exactly why we lie to them, beat the enemy and then betray them before they can betray us.

"men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge."

>>2217985
>You promise that Sten will be punished accordingly, but the Farstriders will not take his life. He isn't theirs to punish. Hopefully this will be enough to sate them for now. (This will require a Persuasion, Bargain roll.)

>>2218003
Fine I'll back this. It can't be wholely a lie though. Sten did this without Aethan's command and ruined his planning and hard work. Aethan wouldn't just let Sten walk off. He deserves at least a beating. It's a mess though. Are the bowmen gonna follow Sten after this? They'll shoot him and us in the back.
>>2218013
Fucking Sten. It seems like Gulbrand is going to have to do more evil than he hoped. He was all happy about treating Hosk with respect. He'll know who to blame. Does Sten not give a fuck about guest right? I guess we didn't feed them so it might not count.

>>2217985
>>You promise that Sten will be punished accordingly, but the Farstriders will not take his life. He isn't theirs to punish. Hopefully this will be enough to sate them for now. (This will require a Persuasion, Bargain roll.)
The fucker did this to us. Making us look bad, what we need to do is still have dominance.
And we can bargain to give them the smaller half of a share of the sealskin wealth found. As the bargain.

>>2217985
>You promise that Sten will be punished accordingly, but the Farstriders will not take his life. He isn't theirs to punish. Hopefully this will be enough to sate them for now. (This will require a Persuasion, Bargain roll.)
It's a complete lie, he will not be punished.

oh they done fucked up

>making demands while we have his wife and daughter hostage
>In our home
>while outnumbered 5 to 1

we could kill them all now and be done with this and march on their people without them even knowing and they'd be annihilatted wholesale

Btw gotta figure out something about the command. We can't be led separately because that makes it too easy for them to turn on us, but they will not be led by Sten unless we threaten them with destruction. He can choose a lieutenant of his to lead the bowmen in this coming battle or we can just go with the intimidate option right off the bat. Say that our patience is running thin. The host is marching and that he will fulfill the favor on our terms or the hosts march to destroy his people. Also we have his wife and child prisoner.
But the freefolk are unruly as he said and might not follow Hosk even if he commands them to fight with us. He should stay at Bronzestone until we have raised our troops and come to his people later with us, to inform them they are fighting. That way there is the implication, readily seen, that our troops will go ham on them if they refuse.

I'm changing my vote to this.
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)
This solves the problem of who is in command. Lets us use our intimisate build.
It's time to stop playing mister nice guy. We have to use intimidate later anyway to convince them to be led by us. Use intimidate now. Now they see what happens to all their tribe if they refuse.
Change yer votes

>>2217985
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)

Damn it all Sten...We should punish him still after the battle for making us have to do this.

>>2217985
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)

>"It's about time the two of you learn why there's no man better with a bow than me in all of Bronzestone.”
Lol, did Sten kill all his competition?
Crazy mofo wanted Ulgin to see too. Guess he is going to be learning more than archery from this display.

>You promise that Sten will be punished accordingly, but the Farstriders will not take his life. He isn't theirs to punish. Hopefully this will be enough to sate them for now. (This will require a Persuasion, Bargain roll.)
>>2218003
>>2218015
>>2218022
>>2218025
>Sten will not punished. This is the end of any friendship between Bronzestone and the Farstriders. Once the Sealskins are defeated and Nadezhra and her child are healthy, they will leave your land. (This will require a Persuasion, Convince roll.)
>>2217997
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)
>>2218005
>>2218032
>>2218040
>>2218044

>Looks like a tie. The next vote I get from someone who hasn't already voted on this decision will be the deciding one. They must choose between these two options:
>You promise that Sten will be punished accordingly, but the Farstriders will not take his life. He isn't theirs to punish. Hopefully this will be enough to sate them for now. (This will require a Persuasion, Bargain roll.)
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)

>>2218058
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)

>Going with:
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)
>Your Persuasion, Intimidate is 4D+1B+5.

>Please roll 5d6 for Persuasion, Intimidate. Taking best of three.

Rolled 2, 4, 1, 1, 4 = 12 (5d6)

>>2218065

Rolled 2, 6, 4, 2, 3 = 17 (5d6)

>>2218065

Rolled 6, 3, 3, 4, 2 = 18 (5d6)

>>2218065
Intimidate please

>>2218066
wow...what a shit roll...I am sorry

>>2218070
Maybe with the fighting bonus we get it is enough.
If not, we forget about the sealskins and just slaughter the striders.

>>2218072
Im okay woth this though its going to be a mark that will be hardpressed to come out, though I guess we can say they threw down first

Can we use a dest point to succeed this? We will def get it back if we win the battle and take down striders.

>>2218081
I think we are fine, not sure if we really need to use a D point.
We got 21 which, according to the book, gives us a marginal success at Very Hard(18) and Heroic(21) difficulties and a great success at Hard(15) difficulty.

>>2218084
We add 5 so we are at 23, right.

File: Freefolk_16_Destiny_Points.png (83 KB, 318x916)

83 KB PNG

>Since >>2218081 brought it up, I suppose now is a good time to bring up destiny points.

>Aethan has two destiny points, which can either be spent and recovered when the story progresses by an arbitrary amount, or be burnt and used up permanently. The effects of spending and burning destiny points are in my image. For this particular roll, I will allow you to spend a destiny point if you wish. Your options are as follows:

>Spend a destiny point. Gain +1B, making your roll 4D+2B+5. This will require you to roll another 1d6. Then I will add that to the results of >>2218070, the highest roll, and take the four highest numbers of the roll. The result might remain at 21, or it might rise as high as 24.
>Spend a destiny point. Convert one bonus die into a test die. This effectively makes >>2218070 a roll of 5D+5 instead of 4D+1B+5. This means the result of >>2218070 would be 23 rather than 21.
>Burn a destiny point. Add +5 to your test result. This will make the roll 4D+1B+10, meaning that the final result of >>2218070 is 26 instead of 21.
>Burn a destiny point. Automatically succeed on the test as though you had passed it exactly. This will only give you a marginal success, which isn't spectacular.
>Do not spend or burn any destiny points. Save them for another time.

>Because this is a purely mechanic choice, I won't wait too long for this one. I'm giving you guys one hour.

>>2218089
>The roll is 4D+1B+5.
>4D means that you roll a default of four dice and you keep the four highest dice that you roll.
>1B means that you roll one extra die, but this does not affect the number of dice that you keep. So far, you are rolling five dice and keeping the four highest dice.
>+5 means that you simply add five onto the final result. So you roll five dice, keep the four highest dice, add up their result and add on five.

>The roll of >>2218070 was 6, 3, 3, 4 and 2. The four highest dice of that roll are 6, 3, 3 and 4. The two is discarded. The sum of those dice is 16, then you add on 5. 16 + 5 = 21.

>Sorry for the mechanical bit, but it was bound to pop up the moment someone mentioned destiny points.

>>2218092
I guess we could spend it on

>Spend a destiny point. Convert one bonus die into a test die. [...] 23 rather than 21

It's just two points, but that way we get a Great Success if the difficulty is Very Hard and JBQ8ZJJl actually has a good point about it maybe coming back after the battle anyhow

I am against burning a destiny point
as this
>Burn a destiny point. Automatically succeed on the test as though you had passed it exactly. This will only give you a marginal success, which isn't spectacular.
does nothing since we already get a marginal success at all the usual difficulties anyhow

burning it for the +5 does give us a great success at Heroic and Incredible at Hard and no change compared to spending if it's Very Hard
I doubt it's Hard since the previous one was Hard and the circumstances have gotten much worse since, I also personally don't feel that it's Heroic since that just seems too high, and like we succeed marginally at that even without burning it

I would much rather save burning it for an actually ruined roll


I'm sorry for the rule-numbers autism, I can't help it.

>>2218101
>Spend a destiny point. Convert one bonus die into a test die. [...] 23 rather than 21

This is worth spending a die over to ensure we can still fuck up the sealskins. We can butcher the farstriders later.

>>2218092
>>Do not spend or burn any destiny points. Save them for another time.

>Going with:
>Really? This savage thinks to dictate terms to you, on your land? Sten won the contest; the better bowman is the one that is still alive. The Farstriders shall follow him, or Hosk will face the consequences. (This will require a Persuasion, Intimidate roll.)
>Spend a destiny point. Convert one bonus die into a test die.

>>2218109
Can someone explain when a success is marginal vs great vs tremensous?

>>2218205
0–4 One, Marginal success
5–9 Two, Great success
10–14 Three, Incredible success
15+ Four, Astonishing success

Holy shit anons, you are truly disgusting. First you say you play an arrogant chief, who gets no shit from nobody and thinks he is the hottest shit since Joramun awakened the Giants. Then, you try to get a liutenant killed because she didn´t show the fanatical devotion you expected.

Now, another lieutenant of yours has explicitly deceived you about his intentions, violated the guest right (you know, one of the foundations of the First Men and therefore, the Thenns) and killed an ally in an archery contest, endangering our Alliane with them and putting Bronzestone in peril because he couldn´t even consider to abide by the rule of a contests, we, his thane, dictated.

And you want to pardon him, fucking over our Alliance and some of you even think of trying to say this horrible murder is legitimate. We cannot even control that monster, as he cannot have another name after what he has done, and Anons are okay with it. Don´t expect our respect with the Farstriders, Gulbrand or even the Fundamentalist faction (you know, those that think that violating the guest right is a pretty big deal) to do nothing by diminish.

We should slowly turn Sten into pieces for his violations to our rule and the Law, with Magda at his side so she can make him live through that horrible pain that comes from having your limbs removed and the wounds cauterized by fire.

>>2218451
Maybe Sten isn't worth it. Maybe he is. If guest right applied Plasma would have mentioned it.
After what he did, with our desire to keep him and the allegiance of the scouts, the path to greatness is not honor and goodness like Gulbrand vainly hoped, but treachery and evil. We need to be cunts now to make Bronzestone without equal, so our grandkids can afford the luxury of being good to others.

>>2218066
>>2218069
>>2218070
>Aethan has spent a destiny point to turn one bonus die into one test die. He has one destiny point spent and one destiny point remaining.
>Aethan rolled 17, 22 and 23 on 5D+5.
>Difficulty: 18.
>Two degrees; great success.

This savage beggars belief. You call upon the favour that he owes you then he marches into your land with an idiot at his side, setting the terms of his own debt to you. When his fool of an heir dies thanks to his own idiocy, this barbarian has the audacity to place blame on you and the Low Thenns that serve you. You were born to break men like him, to have them cower and serve you. It is your destiny.

Just as a Southern lord would brandish a sceptre, you heft that long axe of yours. Without a word you step forward, placing yourself between Sten and the the wrath of the Farstriders. Immediately, Hosk's fury begins to falter and he lets his unstrung bow droop. The other tribesmen show no such mercy, glowering at you and keeping their arrows nocked. Once more you are facing these primitives, unarmoured and vulnerable, with nothing to defend yourself with but your axe and your fury. Ulgin scurries to hide behind the armoured bulk of Gulbrand instead, who stands protectively before your brother.

“I let the Farstriders rest on my land,” you snarl at the chieftain, your tone low and hostile. “All I asked in return was a favour, a favour that you refused to give without demanding authority over my people. When I offered your woman a place in my hall, under Magda's care, I wanted nothing back. You were a friend of my father, I thought you were worthy of that kindness. I was wrong.”

The chieftain goes to speak but you silence him by continuing your tirade, the volume of your words rising ever higher. “I gave you trust, trust that I have offered to no other man outside of my clan! I treated you like one of my own blood and you spit on my kindness, with your demands! I thought you were more than just another savage! I was wrong!”

“Who are you to command any authority over Sten's scouts, over any of my clan?! He does not simply lead, he rules them as I rule my clan, with unyielding strength and a will of bronze! Katog had no place to demand any power over them, and he suffered for his arrogance! So if you dare to try and take a Low Thenn's life, this day or any other, I will have the Farstriders pay a hundredfold, starting with your wife, your bitch of a daughter and your unborn fucking brat!”

It as though the chieftain's crown suddenly weighs heavier than ever. At your final words, Hosk cringes and stoops, his head bowed. His anger has flowed out of his, replaced by a weariness worthy of his age. He mutters a handful of words in the Southern tongue, waving a hand towards his Farstriders, yet they do not seem to heed it. The elderly chief is forced to repeat himself, not once but twice, raising his voice until his bewildered tribesmen lowered their bows at last.

“It... It will be as ye will, Aethan,” he mutters, muted and defeated. “If any o' my men touch a hair on Sten's head, ye have the right to slay 'em. My scouts will fight for ye, then I shall will wait for the birth o' my child. Then ye will not have to suffer a Farstrider on ye lands again. Just, please... Spare me wife, spare me children. A man's nothin' without the ones he loves.”

“Your men will fight for me and they shall be led by Sten,” you command. Once more, Hosk cringes as though he has been struck. He remains silent for a long and thoughtful moment, frustration and helplessness evident on his face. At last, he manages a bitter nod.

“So it shall be, Aethan. They will follow the word o' Sten, I swear it by all o' the gods o' the land.” Offering a stooped bow one last time, the venerable Farstrider offers a grunt to the other savages. One glares hatefully at Sten and another spits at the floor but reluctantly, they turn to depart, giving chase after their chieftain. A muttered request from you, and your infantrymen are quick to follow, escorting the savages out of Bronzestone. You are left with the carcass of Katog, forgotten and abandoned by the Farstriders. Perhaps such is their way.

The ensuing silence is broken by a meaty fist clad in bronze thudding against Sten's face. The mop-haired scout goes stumbling back onto the floor, clutching at his bleeding nose and groaning while his assailant looms over him. “I fucking told you to go easy on the savage, Sten. That means 'don't fucking kill him,'” Gulbrand growls, his frustration evident. “The thane put a lot of fucking work into making friends out of the Farstriders and you just went and fucking ruined it! You're damned lucky to still be breathing, after the shit you just pulled.”

“Enough, Gulbrand.” These words are Magda's, her lips drawn in a thin line. “What's done is done. This is the path we walk down now, no matter who made it for us.” Her attention then moves to your younger brother. “This is not a place for children, young Ulgin, not after what has happened. Go back to Bronzheld, you will be safe there.”

“Why did Sten kill him..?” Ulgin is left shaken and confused by the events that unfolded, his eyes wet with potential tears. The boy is still soft, yet to be hardened by the North.

Regarding what you should tell Ulgin:
>What Sten did was wrong; he went against the will of his thane and he deserves to punished for killing a guest of Bronzestone, savage or not.
>It is too complicated for you to explain for him. Ulgin must accept that he will understand when he is older. For now, he should go back to the hall.
>Tell the unadulterated truth. Sten slew Katog because his authority was being challenged and he had to defend his position as scoutmaster.
>Sten did the right thing. He made sure that no savage would ever rule over a single Low Thenn, for not even a day. He defended the clan.

Regarding where the blame should be laid, once Ulgin is gone:
>This entire mess is Sten's fault and his alone. He's lucky that these primitives know nothing of guest right, otherwise his actions would have cursed you both. Not only that, but he ruined a potential relationship between your tribes.
>Where were Magda and Gulbrand thinking? They could have told you how Sten would react to this challenge at any moment, but they didn't. The two of them kept you in the dark and refused to share basic knowledge of one your war leaders with you.
>All three of them are fools, all three of them are to blame. If Sten wasn't a murderous idiot, this wouldn't have happened. If Magda and Gulbrand shared their knowledge, this wouldn't have happened. The situation was salvaged thanks to your efforts and yours alone.
>Pointing fingers will not resolve this situation. You have no wish to chide any of your council, as tensions are higher enough as they are. Any idiocy committed this day has already been forgiven, as long as it shall not happen again.

Regarding the punishment of Sten.
>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences. (Feel free to suggest a suitable punishment, should you pick this option.)
>You were thinking of punishing your scoutmaster, but Gulbrand has already done so for you. Enduring a punch to the face from that brute is punishment enough for any crime.
>What was Gulbrand thinking, striking another Low Thenn like that? Should that happen again, you will see that he is the one that is punished, rather than Sten.

>Please choose one option from each of the three categories.

>>2218472
>>2218451
>Regarding the guest right, I believe that it is one of many traditions of the First Men that the Wildlings have abandoned, in order to adapt to the hostile environment of the Far North. As such, the Low Thenns do not typically extend it to typical Free Folk.

>However, there are those such as Old Barr that stand strongly by the traditions. They wouldn't appreciate guest right being broken, even if it was never offered. On the other hand, it was done to defend the clan from foreign influences. While it was a crime, it was committed for good reason - at least, in the eyes of a traditionalist.

>It is a very difficult situation you've stumbled into, that's for sure. But the use of a destiny point was an extremely smart play and thanks to that, you're already on your way out of this hole.

>>2218479
>Tell the unadulterated truth. Sten slew Katog because his authority was being challenged and he had to defend his position as scoutmaster.

>All three of them are fools, all three of them are to blame. If Sten wasn't a murderous idiot, this wouldn't have happened. If Magda and Gulbrand shared their knowledge, this wouldn't have happened. The situation was salvaged thanks to your efforts and yours alone.

>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences. (Not sure what to suggest maybe lashings?)

>>2218479
>What Sten did was wrong; he went against the will of his thane and he deserves to punished for killing a guest of Bronzestone, savage or not.
>This entire mess is Sten's fault and his alone. He's lucky that these primitives know nothing of guest right, otherwise his actions would have cursed you both. Not only that, but he ruined a potential relationship between your tribes.
>You were thinking of punishing your scoutmaster, but Gulbrand has already done so for you. Enduring a punch to the face from that brute is punishment enough for any crime.

If there is to be further punishment it should only be after the battle. There is much to be done and we want everyone in top shape.
>>2218491
Yea this is the first intimidate option which reaches a level of assholery I hope is not regular. Maybe we should have let them kill Sten? I don't know. Sten does seem close to his scouts. He always calls them "my boys" and shit like that. I hope it is worth keeping him alive. He better fucking prove that he was worth it in this next battle.

>>2218481
>What Sten did was wrong; he went against the will of his thane and he deserves to punished for killing a guest of Bronzestone, savage or not

He went against our word. That alone should deserve a punishment. We are his thane, not the other way around.

>All three of them are fools, all three of them are to blame. If Sten wasn't a murderous idiot, this wouldn't have happened. If Magda and Gulbrand shared their knowledge, this wouldn't have happened. The situation was salvaged thanks to your efforts and yours alone.

Sten deserves the most blame but Magda and Gulbrand aren't blameless.

>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences. (Feel free to suggest a suitable punishment, should you pick this option.)

Have Gulbrand beat the shit out of him some more. Its to the point and engenders some animosity between our chieftains rather than against us for the punishment.

>>2218479
>What Sten did was wrong; he went against the will of his thane and he deserves to punished for killing a guest of Bronzestone, savage or not.

>All three of them are fools, all three of them are to blame. If Sten wasn't a murderous idiot, this wouldn't have happened. If Magda and Gulbrand shared their knowledge, this wouldn't have happened. The situation was salvaged thanks to your efforts and yours alone.

>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences. (Feel free to suggest a suitable punishment, should you pick this option.)

Did Gulbrand even know he would react like this? Seems like only Magda knew how fucked up Sten gets when people challenge him.
>>2218542
Isn't the man who passes the sentence the one who swings the sword? Though I guess in this case it is who swings the fists. Plus I don't want Sten to go and shoot Gulbrand next. Gulbrand and Barr are the only captains we can really trust, and Barr is an old fart.

Thing is the pummeling that is a proper level of punishment is going to leave him limping in the coming battle, which is undesirable. Maybe we can stick to body shots or something.

>>2218542
Backing this, Sten might be murdered in the field which would half solve the problem but also rob us of a commander while additionally strengthening our power base, in addition. It breeds animosity between our warlords rather than against us and allows punishment to be metted out.

>>2218479
>Tell the unadulterated truth. Sten slew Katog because his authority was being challenged and he had to defend his position as scoutmaster.
Maybe give Sten a side eye while we say this? If he is right to kill a man because his authority as a scoutmaster is challenged, what will we do when our authority as thane is challenged?
Besides, it's the truth and the kid needs to learn what people are really like.

>All three of them are fools, all three of them are to blame. If Sten wasn't a murderous idiot, this wouldn't have happened. If Magda and Gulbrand shared their knowledge, this wouldn't have happened. The situation was salvaged thanks to your efforts and yours alone.

>You were thinking of punishing your scoutmaster, but Gulbrand has already done so for you. Enduring a punch to the face from that brute is punishment enough for any crime.

Maybe punch him once more yourself, more to make a point than anything
also I'm thinking of saying something along the lines of "Your boys might work for you and you alone, but you work for me and me alone."

The real problem wasn't that he killed the uppity savage, it was that he never bothered to ask if he can.

imo Sten is worth keeping around because his motivation seems to me entirely focused on his position in the scouts
if we let him have that and make sure that he understands our own authority over him he can be more of an asset than a hindrance

>>2218479
>Tell the unadulterated truth. Sten slew Katog because his authority was being challenged and he had to defend his position as scoutmaster.

>This entire mess is Sten's fault and his alone. He's lucky that these primitives know nothing of guest right, otherwise his actions would have cursed you both. Not only that, but he ruined a potential relationship between your tribes.
>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences. He fought for the right to lead the scouts into battle, and this he shall have; but he showed no respect or discipline and will do it without the Bronze of the Thenns at his back. Only when he has proven his discipline and obedience to the Magnar's will shall we allow him to again don any clothes more then a cloth for his loins.

>>2218542
Supporting.

his position as scoutmaster of the Low Thenns was never challenged, only his position as captain of the combined low thenn farstrider force. He could have refused the contest.
Perhaps we should have known that he would likely lose the contest if he did it fair and square, and just split up the command. Perhaps we should have intimidated Katog into letting Sten take command. It would be better for relations than what just happened, but that's all in the past.

If we do win against the sealskins, and decide to turn on the farstriders, it is going to be some painful shit to read, like the Bolton and Frey shit from the books, but not as evil. Can you imagine Hosk's last words or last thoughts if we destroy his tribe while his family is still locked in Bronzeheld?

>What Sten did was wrong; he went against the will of his thane and he deserves to punished for killing a guest of Bronzestone, savage or not.

>This entire mess is Sten's fault and his alone. He's lucky that these primitives know nothing of guest right, otherwise his actions would have cursed you both. Not only that, but he ruined a potential relationship between your tribes.

>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences.

We said he should lead their tribesmen to battle. Let´s put his head on a spike and give him to his second-in-command to carry as a standard.

He only deserves death after what he has done.

Otherwise, if anons do really want to prioritize battle readiness, I already depicted a suitable punishment for him after the battle. >>2218451

No need to point out another time how we basically plan to have Dagny killed when she talked a bit disrespectfully and now anons are planing to "punish" a killer who has pissed over our reputation for years to come by giving him a beating, making him going around in his underpants or just outright pardoning him. Disgusting.

What does "Blood of the Wildlings - You Cannot Immediately Be Compelled" mean?

>>2218602
I mean we could theoretically change our mind and march Sten to the Farstriders before the battle to have him beheaded by us. Give Hosk an apology. But there is the matter of our scouts. We don't know anything about the scouts. The description of Sten says that Aethan's dad just let him lord over the mossfalls, basically, acting really autonomously. If we kill him it could be bad. Who could we talk to about it?
>"Your father was always content to let him watch over the Mossfalls in peace, almost a chieftain in his own right in that region."

Just not sure if it is worth causing a tumult within the scouts right before the battle.

It is funny though. We told Dagny if a Farstrider came to harm in our lands it would be off with her head. Now Sten personally killed a guest and he gets off. How do we square it? Perhaps Aethan just likes Sten more.

>>2218618
>>2218639

It means that, after a lost battle, when the victor usually decides the fate of the loser (making him a prisoner, maiming him, ransoming..etc.) you can always choose death over any fate the victor can impose on you

>>2218639
Yeah, you might be right. But if we want to be respected we need to show that any people that defy our orders will meet an swift retribution. Putting his head on a stick will probably show the right message to both the Farstriders and any idiot that thinks he is too independent to follow our orders and think they are going to be alright.

>>2218479
>What Sten did was wrong; he went against the will of his thane and he deserves to punished for killing a guest of Bronzestone, savage or not.
>This entire mess is Sten's fault and his alone. He's lucky that these primitives know nothing of guest right, otherwise his actions would have cursed you both. Not only that, but he ruined a potential relationship between your tribes.
>You were thinking of punishing your scoutmaster, but Gulbrand has already done so for you. Enduring a punch to the face from that brute is punishment enough for any crime.

>>2218592
>If we do win against the sealskins, and decide to turn on the
For one to rise, others must fall anon

Taking out the sealskins and then the fastriders makes us far stronger and safer than we are now

>>2218672
Yea I'm down. It just is going to be ugly, and maybe not as easy as we think.

We need to make sure we treat the farstriders staying here more strictly. We don't want that daughter of his to pull a Theon&Sansa and escape.

>>2218602
>>2218655
Dagny is uncontrollable and useless, Sten is the opposite

Sten's approach to authority over his part of the command chain is very important and helpful to our own. What is the point of the "Officers" following our word as if it's the word of the living God himself if their men don't follow them in the same vein?

Dagny's men are savages who are already deserting us because we dared to kill an ungrateful rapist. Did Sten's scouts do any such thing after we killed the idiot in the first thread that was one of them? No.(I assume Get was with Sten since he was standing next to him and it was the otherwise silent Sten that told him to keep it down when he first started bitching)

If we are to keep the feudal, authority based structure of our culture we must get rid of those that go against it and prop up those that are capable of working within in.

People who are willing and able to command their own authority are more likely to accept our own over them.

Sten fucked up, but he fucked up for the right reasons. Killing or punishing him too harshly is just throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

>>2218451
Hosk might have eaten our bread and salt, but the dead guy never had a chance

still gonna punish him somehow, but I don't want to kill him

>>2218683
>Sten fucked up, but he fucked up for the right reason.

Killing a man in an official contest that we had organized, making us look like we had no control over our own men, fucking over the guest right and pissing on our reputation. No, he didn´t fucked up for the right reasons.

Dagny´s men are not deserting, where do you get that from? Dagny is more than controllable than any of our lieutenants at the moment. And it is very interesting how you can deems her useless, without, you know, use her at all before throwing her into battle. She is an experienced raider. Maybe a raid would have been a good use for her. But well, she didn´t betray the rules of a contest we set up making as look as less than shit, so I guess she fucked up for the wrong reasons when she engaged in a little shit-talking.

Going full Thenn will hurt us in the long run. Half of our population are savages right now. We can rein them in, and one way to do that is by showing them that our orders are absolute. Sten defied without flinching an eye when he killed a future chief. We cannot have a wild card such as him under our roof. If you let him go unscathed, people will think that they can do whatever they want to reassert their authority at the cost of Bronzestone (also btw where did you get our culture is feudal? We are advanced tribals, no more, no less)

Because his actions, the only reason the Farstriders will keep their promise is because we have their wife hostage. Either we punish Sten for what he has done or we lose any possibility of future alliances with the Farstriders. I would pick two units of Bowmen over an edgy lieutenant with rebellious urges. You might have different preferences.

>>2218761
>Dagny shit talks a bit
Anons: Let´s fucking kill the bitch
>Sten destroys any future prospect of alliances between our tribes by killing a potential chief.
Also anons: Meh, let´s give him a slap on the wrist. He won´t repeat that again.

You have a choice:
>Edgy Lieutenant that has shown urges to defy our authority
>Not blowing out any prospect of alliance with a tribe that offers two units of Bowmen

Our reputation is on the line. The Farstriders travel far and wide. Don´t you think they will be talking about what happened here with anybody they meet? We will be known as a tyrant that cannot even control his own men.

Let´s make a Sten-on-a-stick and give it to the Farstriders as gift. It is literally the only way to not be known as a fool all around the North.

>>2218781
Well, the Farstriders don't travel far and wide if we slay them after the battle.

Just not gonna vote for that without knowing who can replace Sten. We don't know who is next in line for the farstriders either. If Katog was a shoe in it would have been good to form a relationship with him but its too late.

>>2218781
Dagny only follows out of fear, and our very first introduction to her was the slag claiming that we are a servant of the Others. She'll turn against us if she gets the chance

Sten is a lot more enigmatic, but he seems reliable, given that he remains with his boys. We can beat him in a way that will allow him to still fight in the coming battle, or have a rune cut into his chest that will serve as a reminder for the rest of his life not to disobey his lord.

Farstriders aren't gonna be travelling once we finish the battle. We'll kill their men and take their women.

>>2218788>>2218798

I am gonna try not to trigger because the sheer idiocy of this line of though is making me wanna stick my eyes out. Yeah let´s exterminate a tribe. I mean why can go worng, lol XD? You two sound like fucking muchkins.

I assure you the next in line will be or need to appear at least fucking angry if we don´t kill Sten for his crime. What happens to will-take-no-shit-from-anybody-Atehan? We are a little bitch now? Whoever is next in line for the scouts will know to respect us when we behead his idiot predecessor.

We demand a favor when they accidentally threaten us, we kill a rapist and we plan to kill a lieutenant who is cowed by our appearance and comments on it.

One guy disobeys us ruining our reputation and an alliance and all he gets is a beating.

What a fine First Men justice we are producing.

>>2218479
>>What Sten did was wrong; he went against the will of his thane and he deserves to punished for killing a guest of Bronzestone, savage or not.
>This entire mess is Sten's fault and his alone. He's lucky that these primitives know nothing of guest right, otherwise his actions would have cursed you both. Not only that, but he ruined a potential relationship between your tribes.
>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences. (Feel free to suggest a suitable punishment, should you pick this option.)

Removal of some digits, slowly.

>>2218827
but why can go worng?

A few can escape and tell some other tribes that we BTFO them. So what? We weren't going to ally with Ice Wives, Crowbane, or Sealskins anyway.

We do need an estimate of their numbers. Are these 200 bowmen all they have, or are there more we'd have to contend with?

>>2218877
Also let's remember Aethan's words:
>“Sometimes the Low Thenns will have to take what they need through force, Gulbrand. This time, all we needed were the right words. We stand to gain more from forging a strong bond with the Farstriders, so that's what I did. If it would have served Bronzestone better to have slain them all, that's what I would have done.”

Also we chose the option
>You stand to gain more in the long term from pandering the Farstriders, than taking your due from them now. There is nothing special about how you behaved today; this was just the path that gave the best results.
rather than
>Any friend of your father's is a friend of yours. Gulbrand is right, it is always best to act with honour, even though others might question your mercy and sympathy for these foreigners. In time, they will understand.

I get your points but it is all in Aethan's character, what I'm suggesting.

The strong bond we'd hoped to forge is now very uncertain, even if we kill Sten. What's worse, we have no assurance that they won't try to take vengeance after Hosk dies by aiding other tribes in the future. It's just a matter of turning against them before they turn against us. If we kill them all, there is certainty that they won't trouble us. Now, slaying them all is what serves Bronzestone better.

>>2218827
the fuck are muchkins? why not try articulating your thoughts instead of idiotic ad hominems.

>I assure you the next in line will be or need to appear at least fucking angry if we don´t kill Sten for his crime.
who the fuck cares what some savage thinks about us, they've no chance of beating us, and we can position them to get slaughtered by the Sealskins, as a pressure release for our infantry.

>Whoever is next in line for the scouts will know to respect us when we behead his idiot predecessor.
Any predicessor would hate us for killing Sten, look at how close he is with them. You're asking to have our scouts abandon us.

>we plan to kill a lieutenant who is cowed by our appearance and comments on it.
we plan to kill a lieutenant that isn't loyal to us, and only follow us out of fear. We are replacing her because we want someone that won't betray us when she thinks that we're weak

>One guy disobeys us ruining our reputation and an alliance and all he gets is a beating.
He acted like an idiot, but it is out of good motives. He doesn't want any savages to be commanding his men, which Aethan can respect.

>>2218481
>Tell the unadulterated truth. Sten slew Katog because his authority was being challenged and he had to defend his position as scoutmaster.
>All three of them are fools, all three of them are to blame. If Sten wasn't a murderous idiot, this wouldn't have happened. If Magda and Gulbrand shared their knowledge, this wouldn't have happened. The situation was salvaged thanks to your efforts and yours alone.
>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences. (Feel free to suggest a suitable punishment, should you pick this option.) A beating by Aethan, but ensure that he can still fight in the battle. Otherwise, scarification.

>>2218767
All he did he did because he feels strongly about the authority he holds over his own men. Our word might be absolute, but our word is most often going to be given to a select few of our lieutenants who will then have to go on about transmitting it further down.The stronger the connection they have and the command they hold over their men the better our word is transfered to the ground. You are right that a good number of our tribe are savages, but the best way to instill in them the adherence to authority that sets us apart from the other Free Folk is for them to experience it on an individual level with their direct superiors.

Besides, his desire to have nobody else command that which is his makes him alike us in a way.

>Dagny´s men are not deserting, where do you get that from?
as per
>>2212752
>You said you have lost half a dozen men. Why?”
>“I-- I swear, thane, it ain't my fault! Moss was one of mine and after what you did to him, there's word going around that you're... They said that you're goin' to punish any man that takes a wife and called you all manner of foul things. I'm doin' what I can to convince the men otherwise but a handful of 'em have already gone and taken their families with 'em. I'm doin' what I can stop to any more from leavin', I swear!”
>>As a consequence of Aethan's execution of Moss for the rape of Thyra, Bronzestone has lost 1 Population. In addition, after the next conflict, Dagny's Raiders will suffer a -1 modifier when rolling on Table 10-6: Survivors. This means the unit is more likely to suffer a negative effect after the end of a battle.

I called her useless not because she would not be a good raider, but because raiding itself is worthless. We are a clan clad in bronze. It gives an advantage in a pitched battle, but it also means that it is more valuable to steal from us. Engaging in raiding warfare where we steal some rocks and stones from the barbarians and they steal bronze is never going to be in our favor.

She is controllable purely because we scared the piss out of her, we are good at spamming Intimidate, but that can only ever go so far. The moment she is in a situation where she fears something more than us our entirely control over her is gone. With Sten, we might need to make him fear us a bit more, but there'll still always be also a positive reinforcement for him - his command of the scouts that seems to be about the only thing he cares about.

>>2218798
I disagree with gassing the Farstriders tho desu
It's a bit pointless and I think it would bring us more harm than good, they have nothing to take other than their lanky women and do we really need those at this time?
I think especially Gulbrand would oppose it, killing Kalog was dishonorable, but I feel it was more justifiable than then dishonor of just attacking a tribe that we fought alongside moments ago

Going with:
>What Sten did was wrong; he went against the will of his thane and he deserves to punished for killing a guest of Bronzestone, savage or not.
>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences.

I require a tie-breaking vote from someone who hasn't yet voted on this matter. The vote is between these two choices:
>This entire mess is Sten's fault and his alone. He's lucky that these primitives know nothing of guest right, otherwise his actions would have cursed you both. Not only that, but he ruined a potential relationship between your tribes.
>All three of them are fools, all three of them are to blame. If Sten wasn't a murderous idiot, this wouldn't have happened. If Magda and Gulbrand shared their knowledge, this wouldn't have happened. The situation was salvaged thanks to your efforts and yours alone.

>>2218918
About the gassing, it is less about what we would gain than what enemies would not gain.

What if in the next battle, the 200 farstrider bowmen are aiding our enemies? That's what I want not to happen.

>>2218921
>>All three of them are fools, all three of them are to blame. If Sten wasn't a murderous idiot, this wouldn't have happened. If Magda and Gulbrand shared their knowledge, this wouldn't have happened. The situation was salvaged thanks to your efforts and yours alone.

>>2218918
taking their women would bump us up to 20-21 population, which would let us have three military units active at a time. They might not be pretty, but we can always use more hands, especially if we plan to rebuild Bronzestone. Hell, it's spring, so we don't have to worry about food as much as if winter were coming

So how different than his father is Aethan turning out to be?

>>2218921
>>This entire mess is Sten's fault and his alone. He's lucky that these primitives know nothing of guest right, otherwise his actions would have cursed you both. Not only that, but he ruined a potential relationship between your tribes.

Going with:
>What Sten did was wrong; he went against the will of his thane and he deserves to punished for killing a guest of Bronzestone, savage or not.
>All three of them are fools, all three of them are to blame. If Sten wasn't a murderous idiot, this wouldn't have happened. If Magda and Gulbrand shared their knowledge, this wouldn't have happened. The situation was salvaged thanks to your efforts and yours alone.
>For ruining the bond between the Low Thenns and the Farstriders, you need to concoct some sort of punishment for Sten. He needs to learn that such foolish actions have severe consequences.

>As there was a lot of different discussion on how to punish Sten, I believe that the exact method should be settled before we continue.

Regarding when you wish to punish Sten:
>Before the battle. It might debilitate him, but you wish to show the Farstriders that the man who wronged them has suffered for his crimes. It might patch up your relationship.
>After the battle. You want him to be at his best, if he is going to be commanding three hundred men. Once the battle is over, he will suffer the consequences of his actions.

Regarding how you wish to punish Sten, out of the myriad options:
>Lash Sten for his crimes. It will be an agonizing experience for the man, but he will recover over time, without any permanent injury.
>Take inspiration from Gulbrand and beat the man into a pulp with your fists. Less painful than lashes but much more personal.
>His body will be bared to the chill of the North. Not only will he suffer from the elements, but he will be humiliated as well.
>He must die for his idiocy. You will have his carcass impaled on a great spear and given to the Farstriders as a gift.
>Scarification. You will carve a rune of shame into his chest, where other men usually carry symbols of pride and victory.
>Removal of fingers. He will be taught to think more carefully by having his skill with that bow permanently impaired.

>>2218975
>>Lash Sten for his crimes. It will be an agonizing experience for the man, but he will recover over time, without any permanent injury.

>In the cold

>>2218975
>After the battle. You want him to be at his best, if he is going to be commanding three hundred men. Once the battle is over, he will suffer the consequences of his actions.

>Take inspiration from Gulbrand and beat the man into a pulp with your fists. Less painful than lashes but much more personal.

>>2218975
>Scarification. You will carve a rune of shame into his chest, where other men usually carry symbols of pride and victory.

>>2218975
>After the battle. You want him to be at his best, if he is going to be commanding three hundred men. Once the battle is over, he will suffer the consequences of his actions.
>Take inspiration from Gulbrand and beat the man into a pulp with your fists. Less painful than lashes but much more personal.
we'll want to give a speech about it, so as to limit dissent. Make it out to show that he acted out of turn, going against his Thane's wishes, but that it was with noble intentions

>>2219008
>>2218984
>Sorry, should have made it a little clearer.

Please pick one option from both selections.

>>2218975
>>2219012
ok
>Before the battle. It might debilitate him, but you wish to show the Farstriders that the man who wronged them has suffered for his crimes. It might patch up your relationship.
>Scarification. You will carve a rune of shame into his chest, where other men usually carry symbols of pride and victory.

>>2218975
>After the battle. You want him to be at his best, if he is going to be commanding three hundred men. Once the battle is over, he will suffer the consequences of his actions.

>Take inspiration from Gulbrand and beat the man into a pulp with your fists. Less painful than lashes but much more personal.

>>2219008
>Before the battle. It might debilitate him, but you wish to show the Farstriders that the man who wronged them has suffered for his crimes. It might patch up your relationship.

>>2218975
>After the battle. You want him to be at his best, if he is going to be commanding three hundred men. Once the battle is over, he will suffer the consequences of his actions.

>Lash Sten for his crimes. It will be an agonizing experience for the man, but he will recover over time, without any permanent injury.

I would vote for scarification but I want to punish him not drive him out he is still good at what he does.

>>2218975
>After the battle. You want him to be at his best, if he is going to be commanding three hundred men. Once the battle is over, he will suffer the consequences of his actions.

>His body will be bared to the chill of the North. Not only will he suffer from the elements, but he will be humiliated as well.
We are able to bear the cold and as Thane this gives us strength. He will experience what we experience and his inadequaciee will be clear for all to see.

>>2218975
>Before the battle. It might debilitate him, but you wish to show the Farstriders that the man who wronged them has suffered for his crimes. It might patch up your relationship.

>His body will be bared to the chill of the North. Not only will he suffer from the elements, but he will be humiliated as well.

>>2218975
>After the battle. You want him to be at his best, if he is going to be commanding three hundred men. Once the battle is over, he will suffer the consequences of his actions.

I don't want to genocide the Farstriders but they are only useful up until we beat back the Sealskins. The Farstriders won't be our allies no matter what after the battle so fuck em. We have Hosk's family in Blackstone to ensure they don't turn on us in the midst of combat. Keep Sten uninjured for the fight and we can teach him discipline once we are back in Blackstone.

>Lash Sten for his crimes. It will be an agonizing experience for the man, but he will recover over time, without any permanent injury.

We need to teach Sten a lesson but we also need his future loyalty. The rest of the options are too drastic or will likely lead to him hating us.

This while situation is sad. The setup for the competition was so friendly. It's amazing how Aethan can say Hosk is the one unworthy of trust after what happened.
>after battle
>punching

>>2218975
>>After the battle. You want him to be at his best, if he is going to be commanding three hundred men. Once the battle is over, he will suffer the consequences of his actions.
>Scarification. You will carve a rune of shame into his chest, where other men usually carry symbols of pride and victory.

>>2219012
>Before the battle. It might debilitate him, but you wish to show the Farstriders that the man who wronged them has suffered for his crimes. It might patch up your relationship.
>Scarification. You will carve a rune of shame into his chest, where other men usually carry symbols of pride and victory.

Can we beat the dogshit out of him first?

>>2219344
Changing to
>After the Battle

>>2218975
>After the battle. You want him to be at his best, if he is going to be commanding three hundred men. Once the battle is over, he will suffer the consequences of his actions.

>Lash Sten for his crimes. It will be an agonizing experience for the man, but he will recover over time, without any permanent injury.

I'll change my vote to lashing to get this rolling

>>2219513
Will also change my vote to lashing

“What Sten did was wrong,” you tell Ulgin. “It does not matter that savages like Hosk do not know of the guest right or other laws of the First Men. Sten killed that man without my word and he violated the guest right. He ruined any chance of ties between the Farstriders and the Low Thenns. For that, he will be punished.” You turn towards the village behind you and point towards it. “A man must never wrong his thane, Ulgin. Remember that lesson and return to Bronzheld.”

The lad looks puzzled for a few brief moments, scrunching up his face while he considers your words. “Now, Ulgin.” Your tone lowers and reluctantly, the boy nods and goes running off into the ruins of black stone, back to your hall. By the Magnar, if only he was more like your sister. She is hard-working and dutiful, especially for her age while he is little more than a brat, still mourning the death of his mother, let alone his father. Shaking your head, you turn back to face the three that remain in the clearing.

“What the fuck was that?” You hiss the words angrily as you glower at each of them in turn. “Sten, you slew a man without my word, when I swore to Dagny that I would have her butchered if she so much as touched a Farstrider. Not only that, you killed the best man that their tribe has. In time, they might have been allies or even served us. Now, they will be nothing to us.” Then your attention swivels to Magda and Gulbrand. “And you, both of you – you knew that he was going to do this. You warned me in vague ways, that he would not take kindly to this, that you wanted him to have his way with Katog. If I knew he would have done this, this would have never have happened!”

“Forgive me, thane,” mutters Magda, bowing her head low rather than dare to behold the fury on your face. “I share what I know with you more from now on; I live to serve the Thane of Bronzestone, as best as I can.”

“I told Sten to go easy on him! I thought that he would just shoot the fucker in the knee at worse, not fucking kill him!” Gulbrand turns to face the floored Sten, still clutching as his bleeding face. “He should have known better to kill a fucking outsider over a slight, and an outsider we were trying to make a friend out of, at that!”

“He should never have harmed our guest at all, let alone have killed him,” you snarl towards Gulbrand as the bronze-clad brute defends himself. “And he never would have if you had just told me how Sten would react. All three of you are guilty of starting this mess!”

That rebellious streak you witnessed when you first became thane threatens to resurface as Gulbrand angles himself to face you, storm grey eyes fixed on you and that great sword in hand. Your grip tightens on the haft of your long axe as you ready yourself but at last, the warrior sheaths his weapon and falls to a knee, head lowered in respect. “Forgive me, thane. This is the last time this will happen, I swear to you.”

Finally, you focus your attention on Sten and Sten alone. You stride forward and seize the man by his shoulder, hauling him to his feet. You want to draw back a fist and strike him just as Gulbrand had done, but when Sten's hand falls away, you can see that it's unnecessary. A swollen bruise is already beginning to form and blood is still flowing freely from a busted nose. Blearily, your scoutmaster stares back at you. There's no defiance there, nor is there any regret. “You will be punished for your actions,” you promise. “But you will be leading three hundred men in the coming battle and I want you in your best condition. You are lucky to even be alive.”

“Thank you, thane. Forgive me,” he mutters, sweeping a hand to wipe away the flow of blood cascading over his lips. “I had to do it,” he mumble beneath his breath, struggling to explain his idiocy. “My men know I don't stand for any fool that challenges my rule over 'em. When it comes to matters of bow and land, I'm the best this clan has.”

You bark out a vicious, mirthless laugh at that. “That means nothing when you kill any man that is better than you, Sten. That is no excuse.”

“Sometimes you got to make sure that the better man never gets the chance to take what he deserves,” Sten mutters bitterly. “Chances are, that Katog would have bested me and my boys would've had to folow him. I'd have lost their respect, some of 'em would've turned on me. Would've happened even if I turned down the contest, they would've heard about that one way or another. Had no choice, thane. Had to prove that no one can rule my boys but me.”

Shaking your head in disbelief at Sten's pitiful attempt to justify his actions, you shove the man back down to the floor. He goes stumbling next to the carcass of Katog. “What use do I have for you, if you're nothing but a murderer of better men? This battle is your chance to prove yourself to me, Sten. Prove that you're worthy of leading your scouts to me, not to them. Otherwise I will see to it that you never rule over another man again.” You nod towards Magda. “Will you need the crone at your side to speak for you, or do you know how to command savages?”

“They're not as bad as Dagny's lot,” Sten grunts, “but a number of my boys are primitives. I know how to speak the Southern tongue, how to keep 'em in line.” Then rather than rise to stand straight, your scoutmaster lowers himself to kneel before you, lowly and servile, his lank hair hanging about his face. “You kept me alive when you could've fed me to the Farstriders today, thane. Mightn't mean much to you, but 's a great deal to me. I swear by the Magnar, I'll prove my worth to you .”

“See to it that you do,” is the last thing you hiss at the man before you turn your attention towards Katog's remains beside him. “Magda, how do the Farstriders care for their dead?”

“They leave 'em in the wilderness, for carrion to pick clean,” she answers, finally rising from her stooped posture. After a gesture from you, both Sten and Gulbrand rise as well. “Is that what you wish to be done with the corpse?”

>The Farstriders left him there for a reason; let the beasts come and eat the man's remains where they lie. You might as well pay respect to their traditions.
>You aren't about to let a corpse rot on the very edge of your village. Have it taken further away from Bronzestone, to decay in the woods, out of your people's sight.
>That isn't how a man should be allowed to rest. You will afford him the burial rites of the First Men and have his corpse interred in one of your clan's barrows.
>You never liked Katog; primitives that you dislike all suffer the same fate. You will have him taken to Bronzheld to burn in the fires of your hearth, like Get and Moss.

>>2220590
>You aren't about to let a corpse rot on the very edge of your village. Have it taken further away from Bronzestone, to decay in the woods, out of your people's sight.

Respectful but not around the savages in our clan.

>>2220589
Shit, it appears his bond with his boys isn't as strong as we thought. Should have killed him. Now we need to gas the Farstriders.
>That isn't how a man should be allowed to rest. You will afford him the burial rites of the First Men and have his corpse interred in one of your clan's barrows.

Btw can we get a number on the Farstriders? Do they have more military men than those who will be at the battle? We have been talking a lot about turning on them but there is no indication Aethan has thought of it.

>>2220590
>You aren't about to let a corpse rot on the very edge of your village. Have it taken further away from Bronzestone, to decay in the woods, out of your people's sight.

>>2220612
>“This... This is sudden, Aethan. But as I swore, I owe ye a favour and I cannot deny ye that. Ye wish for my people to help yours? I will have two hundred o' my scouts join ye in battle against the Sealskins then. Tell me though,” he pauses for a moment. “Do ye have any bows o' ye own?”

>He's having two hundred of them assist, he didn't say 'all of them' or anything like that. You certainly saw more than two hundred of them during your trip through the camp and the majority of a tribe is usually capable of combat. On top of that, it is unlikely that any chieftain would offer the entirety of his tribe's fighting men and women to aid another tribe. So everything points to the Farstriders having more than just two hundred scouts at their disposal, although they're not known for being a particularly warlike tribe.

>>2220590
>>That isn't how a man should be allowed to rest. You will afford him the burial rites of the First Men and have his corpse interred in one of your clan's barrows.

>>2220612
>>2220611
Calm your fucking murder boner man

>>2220619
Listen, if we can't wipe them out after the battle we should just impale Sten right now so we can still have them as friends. If they live they should do so as allies. If they cannot be allies they should be dead before they fight against us.
But we need some kind of in game assurance that its a course of action with a probability of success. Can't talk to honorable Gulbrand about it but maybe Sten, Barr, Magda.

>>2220626
Because if we can't kill them leaving Sten alive was a huge mistake.

>>2220590
>>You aren't about to let a corpse rot on the very edge of your village. Have it taken further away from Bronzestone, to decay in the woods, out of your people's sight.

>>2220590
>>You aren't about to let a corpse rot on the very edge of your village. Have it taken further away from Bronzestone, to decay in the woods, out of your people's sight.

>>2220626
We can just let them be. We don´t really have a good in-character reason to kill them. Sure, Aethan is arrogant and made Magda help Horst´s wife to guarantee good relations with the Farstriders, but exterminating a whole tribe because you couldn´t have them as friends borders on psychopathic behavior.

Just so you know: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Munchkin

I called munchkin to you because you seem to have an oddly fixation on winning, no matter the cost or the reasoning behind it. I mean, exterminating a tribe just because they can´t be your allies it is definitive disproportionate retribution (and we were the offending party in the first place).

We are not a machine. Roleplaying doesn´t mean choosing the best option all the time. And besides, exterminating a whole tribe for no reason will have ill effects on all the other tribes we talk with. Would you want to talk to the guy who killed a waiter because he had been waiting more than ten minutes for his lunch?

>>2220636
Well, there is an RP reason to at the very least break them
>The temptation is there and by the Magnar's blood, it is strong. The chance to assert your dominance and seize your destiny is within your reach. Not just that, it is being offered to you by a platter. You have the opportunity to demand that this old fool and all of his tribe kneel, to take that evil-eyed bitch clutching at her spear as a thrall, to see these savages fall into their rightful place and serve the Low Thenns. You grip the haft of your long axe with a white-knuckle grip and grind your teeth. As much as it pains you to admit it to yourself, you are not ready, nor are your people. When you have gathered your strength, you will see these barbarians kneel before the First Men, you promise that to yourself. But for now...
And many freefolk will die before they kneel.

Aethan himself is sort of a munchkin, imo. His whole goal is making Bronzestone better than ever before with him at the helm. Where he can fail in doing this is where his arrogance hampers him, not his mercy. For example, he wouldn't beg for forgiveness after what just happened. He found a way to insult Hosk after what Sten did. Aethan is a stone cold motherfucker, he would give the order to turn on them. He is not a Ramsay though, more megalomaniacal than sadistic.

>>2220626
The Farstriders are a bunch of pussy-ass nomads with little in the way of wealth. If we can't have them as allies or vassals, it is just better to let them fuck off. These guys aren't warlike nomads trying to fuck us over. They have no wealth to steal, won't threaten us in the future, and are easily dealt with if they do. There is no reason to genocide them just because they live around us and aren't our allies.

>>2220659
Well I just disagree they're not a threat. They are certainly a threat to the Sealskins right now and they could be a similar threat to us in the future, when we are pushing into Ice Wife territory, where Hosk's son still might be, taken as an Ice Wife fuckboy. What if he is such a good lay that he convinces the Ice Wives to join the farstriders in battle?

>>2220663
Dang this reminds me how good Farstriders were as allies. We could have gotten their aid against the Ice Wives to free Hosk's son.

Can we just impale Sten after the battle and offer them some loot. Maybe that would patch things up. There would be no tribe that had treated them better even with Katog's murder taken into account.

>>2220665
Then we can just lie to Hosk and say that the reason we didn't immediately kill Sten was that we still needed a captain for the coming battle. Once the battle was done Sten's usefulness was at an end. How about that plan?

>>2220666
Though this would piss off the scouts, if we killed the captain who led them to victory right after the battle. Might not be worth it considering that the Farstrider aid against Ice Wives is uncertain. Won't be certain unless we convince them to live on the land near us, so they will be there to help capture back Hosk's son when the time comes.

Sorru for all these posts Ixm just brainsyorming.

>>2220672
Nah is good. I mean, we might get something out of this if we tell to Horst that we can help get his son back if he help us again in recovering the tin mines.

>>2220589
>You never liked Katog; primitives that you dislike all suffer the same fate. You will have him taken to Bronzheld to burn in the fires of your hearth, like Get and Moss.

>>2220687
Horst will remember how we threatened his family. When he dies, his people will remember how we slew Katog and forced them to fight for us, using hostages. He no doubt will have to mention the fact that we threaten his family to convince his men to fight for us. The relation has been strongly damaged.

The only way to possibly repair it is to offer Sten's life after or before the battle with an apology Aethan will find hard to say, and offer them to settle on the land we win. We would probably have to pass a very hard convince check to convince them to settle on our land and give the relationship a second chance. Would probably need a fate point to pass that one.

Remembering Hosk's son being captured by the Ice Wives, and the fact that we must fight with them to get a source of tin, I'm starting to think an alliance with the Farstriders is too valuable to let slip through our fingers because of Sten. It might be a longshot though. Plus, if we kill Sten and fail the convince check we cause trouble with our scouts. Guess I'll see how the story moves forward.

>>2220867
Damn why the hell are you calling him Horst? Now you've got me calling him that.

>>2220590
>You aren't about to let a corpse rot on the very edge of your village. Have it taken further away from Bronzestone, to decay in the woods, out of your people's sight.

>>2220590
>Burn Katog, no need to be disrespectful though. It's better to just get rid of the body rather than let it fester in the woods with wights potentially lurking around.

>Sorry for the delay.

“This is not the wilderness;” you state at last. “Have him taken further into the woodland, where his body will not trouble our people.” At your word, Gulbrand steps forth to handle the carcass himself before you raise your hand to stop him. “No; that corpse is the fault of Sten. He can be the one to haul it away and find a resting place for it.”

You turn to glance at your scoutmaster, his mouth set in a grim, thin line. He's not a strong man, or even a large one; when he was alive, Katog loomed over him. Yet he is obedient enough to step forward and follow your command, despite his physical shortcomings. After a moment of consideration, Sten steps forward and obeys your command despite his physical shortcomings. Taking the carcass by the arms, the mop-haired man begins to drag it through the undergrowth, grunting and straining as he pulls it deeper into the forest. You only turn away once he is out of sight; this is but the first step of Sten's penance.

“What a fucking mess,” Gulbrand grumbles when you turn back towards Bronzestone, with him and Magda in tow. You see no reason to reply. You've already said everything you need to about this mess.

The fire-kissed warrior is dismissed once you are back at Bronzestone, and the crone is sent to tend to Nadezhra with a handful of guards in tow. Although it was not your intention, Hosk's wife and her unborn child have become little more than hostages, used to keep the old man compliant. You have plenty of time to brood on this as you sit atop of your throne, gazing into the crackling fire of your hearth. You had hoped to speak to the Farstrider chieftain about more than just the coming battle. His people could have assisted with excavating the passage beneath Bronzestone, they could have settled on your territory and perhaps, over time, become unknowing servants of the Low Thenns.

You doubt that such a thing is possible any longer. You forced your will upon Hosk and you threatened his family. Any good will that the man had for you thanks to the efforts of your father and your actions at their camp by the Mossfalls, has been lost. The only reason he is still willing to send men to fight for you is thanks to that favour he owes you; the haggard chieftain is a man of honour, if nothing else. Not only that, but he is allowing Sten to lead his tribesmen despite all that he is done, thanks to his fear of you and for the lives of his family.

That is something in your favour, at least. Savages are fickle. By allowing the Low Thenns to lead his scouts, even though one of them slew his heir, Hosk has shown weakness. Will the old man have the authority, or even the desire to lead his people against yours out of vengeance? You doubt it. Was Katog so beloved by his people that they would hold a grudge against the Low Thenns? Perhaps, but they are lowly nomads. The best warriors that Hosk had to offer you were scouts.

In the coming years, or perhaps months, Hosk's rule will come to an end. You do not know the primitive mind well enough to judge how his successor will view you. Will you be seen as strong, for cowing Hosk and making him obey despite the fact that he has been wronged? Or will you be remembered with anger, as the ruler that allowed one of his men to butcher their best and get away with it unpunished? Will that anger be enough to cause them to act against you, or will they simply move on and leave your land behind? Or will you simply be forgotten, your scoutmaster's crimes irrelevant to the new chieftain of the Farstriders? Have you made a foe this day, or have you just lost an ally?

You scowl at the dancing flames of the firepit, lost in your own thoughts. You are asking yourself too many questions, when there is only that truly matters. Is this the time to take action against the Farstriders? You would be fighting one foe immediately after another and you do not know the exact numbers of their tribe, outside of the two hundred scouts that Sten will command.

Not only that, but you know that there are those in your ranks that would disapprove. Gulbrand might be one of the clan's finest warriors but he has an innocent mind, one that favours friendship and cooperation over domination and brutality. In addition, you saw how rebellious the man could be when you first came to rule, how difficult it was to make him call you 'thane.' If you act against the Farstriders, you might lose the respect that you've earned from him so far.

On the other hand, you might be ridding yourself of a foreign threat that could harry you in the future, although you doubt that they could do much harm to Bronzestone. Even if they harbour no ill will against you, there is still something to gained from defeating the Farstriders. You will be free to subjugate them, to bolster your numbers with their own. Your men will take their women as wives and their children will be raised with the values of Low Thenns, not the barbaric ways of nomads.

It is time for you to make a decision. Do you wish to turn on the Farstriders, once you are done with the Sealskins?
>No. They are unlikely to be a threat to Bronzestone in the future. Your soldiers will be on the front line against the Sealskins, and they are likely to take losses. You have even planned to take losses, with your intention of throwing Dagny and her men against the enemy to die. You will not have the numbers for a second battle immediately after the first.
>Yes. The losses you will endure do not matter, as the Farstriders are a weak, nomadic people that rely on stone and wood rather than bronze. They will easily be defeated and you will not have to worry about them being a threat to Bronzestone in the future. For the sake of the Low Thenns, the Farstrider tribe must be extinguished.

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>>2222730
>>No. They are unlikely to be a threat to Bronzestone in the future. Your soldiers will be on the front line against the Sealskins, and they are likely to take losses. You have even planned to take losses, with your intention of throwing Dagny and her men against the enemy to die. You will not have the numbers for a second battle immediately after the first.

This is probably the biggest decision we've had to make yet, I don't think slaughtering the Farstriders is the best choice. We might have lost them as an ally right now, but that's not to say we can't win them back after the battle, somehow. As savage as they are, an ally is an ally, and if not an ally then at least not an enemy, we can still offer a section of the new land for the Farstriders to camp and hunt on when they're in the area next.

We're surrounded by potential enemies as it is. Lets take care of the Sealskins and try to patch things up with Hosk in some way. Sten will be punished after the battle, make sure Hosk knows it. And if they throw it back in our faces and disrespect us, THEN we can kill them all and set our sights elsewhere.

>>2222730
>Yes. The losses you will endure do not matter, as the Farstriders are a weak, nomadic people that rely on stone and wood rather than bronze. They will easily be defeated and you will not have to worry about them being a threat to Bronzestone in the future. For the sake of the Low Thenns, the Farstrider tribe must be extinguished
Forget about getting Dagny killed. Success against the Farstriders is more important than her death.

>>2222730
>No. They are unlikely to be a threat to Bronzestone in the future. Your soldiers will be on the front line against the Sealskins, and they are likely to take losses. You have even planned to take losses, with your intention of throwing Dagny and her men against the enemy to die. You will not have the numbers for a second battle immediately after the first.

>>2222742
Only death is a punishment they would accept as fitting for the murder of one of theirs.

>>2222730
>>No. They are unlikely to be a threat to Bronzestone in the future. Your soldiers will be on the front line against the Sealskins, and they are likely to take losses. You have even planned to take losses, with your intention of throwing Dagny and her men against the enemy to die. You will not have the numbers for a second battle immediately after the first.
No, not yet at least. There is nothing to be gained except for some of their hateful population, which will be more trouble than its worth.

Where'd everyone go? I can't be the only one lucky enough to have my classes canceled due to weather.

No.

For now, the Farstriders will live. There is always the slightest chance that an alliance can be rekindled, if not with Hosk then with whoever shall be chieftain after him. Even if you cannot count their tribe as a friend of Bronzestone, you will do what you can to keep them from being a foe; you must deal with one enemy at a time.

You have wronged Hosk and cowed him into not acting against you. Hopefully, this will keep the ire of his people focused on him, for failing to avenge the death of Katog. On the other hand, if his people are as loyal to their chieftain as the Low Thenns to their thane, they will direct their fury at your clan instead. This is a gamble that you are willing to take. At the very least, their chieftain will keep from betraying you on the battlefield. The moment that the Farstriders wrong you again, the life of his wife and two of his children are forfeit. He knows that as well as you do.

Your gaze turns towards the entrance of your hall, past the hearth. Despite how eventful the day has been so far, the sun is far from setting. It is only the early afternoon and you have a good few hours left until the sun will fall below the horizon. You have spent enough time pondering matters of diplomacy and warfare; what else do you wish to do with your day?

If there is anything that you wish to do with the remainder of the day, now is the time to suggest it. You may wish to speak to someone, go to a particular location or engage in an activity of your choosing.

>If there is nothing that you wish to do with the time you have left, I will skip ahead to the day of the battle.

>>2223028
I have nothing to suggest.

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>>2222758
>>2223024
I understand that, but I still think we can find a way around it.

No reason we can't push this uneasy partnership in a better direction. Again, if they act up in the future we can always change our minds.

>>2223028
I'm good for a time skip if everyone else is.

>>2223028
We should go spend some time with our brother and sister before the battle.

>>2223059
>We should go spend some time with our brother and sister before the battle.

Yes. Keep the bloodline pure!

>>2223028

Go talk to our sister?

>>2223059
As much as I'd like to get to the battle I don't think Aethan would go without at least talking to them. How long has it been since the Low Thenns have fought a battle like this?

>>2223028
Dammit, would have voted yes.

>>2223059
Yeah, supporting this. Doesn't have to be a full scene, just reference it in the battle intro

Just got caught up and christ a-fucking-live, that escalated quickly.

Ain't even mad, Low Thenn master race. I suspect we'll need to deal with them at some point, if we cannot bend the new chieftain to our will. Even if that happens, no doubt Hosk's daughter will leave with those loyal to her and the babe.

... Could always mitigate that by keeping her here I guess but... Seems sort of out of our voting range at this point. Eh, it's fine. We'll manage. Will say that I'm enjoying this immensely, this departure from the typical GoT quests, such a difference between Aethan and the other MCs, yet it all feels a part of the same world. Good work Plasma, know you don't like people gushing in your threads, but you nailed it.

In this moment of contemplation, you can't help but recall how you felt when you saw Ulgin earlier. As of late, you've been so busy arbitrating feuds between clansmen and preparing for battle, that you haven't had the time to speak with your family. Perhaps it's time to change that... Later, perhaps. The sun is still in the sky and Bronzestone shan't rule itself.

The Twelfth Day of Aethan's Rule, Night.

“Why's a guard outside our door?”

As always, it's Aera asking the questions. Not that she looks up from the piece of wood that she's whittling away at, slowly shaping it into some sort of figurine. As for Ulgin, he's huddled up against the wall, hugging his knees to his chest and staring sullenly down at them. In the past, this chamber was where the thane's children were kept. Now, it is the home for your siblings. All of its features are intimately familiar to you, from the runes of health painted on the oily black walls, to the crooked wind chime of copper and weirwood hanging over the threshold. A heap of furs is piled in a corner, to be used for bedding; most of them are taken from wolves, but there is a bear pelt and even a shadowcat's skin among them.

“To keep you safe,” you reply bluntly. You can't help but look around with a sense of nostalgia. How long ago was it when you given the chance to choose your own quarters and care for yourself? It can't have been more than four years ago. Before long, Ulgin will be of that age. Is he really ready to fend for himself, to no longer be coddled by Magda and the other biddies? The boy stopped growing up the moment your mother died and since your father's passing, it's almost as though he has started to regress.

A frustrated huff comes from Aera at that. “We can look after ourselves, Aethan. Well, I can.” Looking up from the figurine she's carving, your sister shoots a dirty smirk towards Ulgin to accompany her veiled insult. Her expression immediately transforms into a scowl when she notices he isn't listening. The boy's lost in his thought thoughts, not paying any heed to what either of you are saying.

“Tonight is different,” you insist. “The coming weeks will be different. Until the Farstriders have left our land, I want the two of you to be careful. Stay away from the outsiders. Don't try to speak with them or go near them.”

“Is this 'cause Sten killed one of them?” Aera wrinkles her nose. “Ulgin said he disobeyed you and killed a savage. That's not like him; he's nice. He taught me how to make these!” She lifts up her unfinished project, putting her carving knife to one side for a moment. You can only just identify the wooden figurine as some sort of hound, or perhaps a wolf or a fox.

“He did. You should stay away from him as well, until I am sure that he is safe for you to be around.” The last thing you want is for your siblings to be in the company of someone as ruthless and unpredictable as Sten.

You turn your attention to your little brother, who is still staring down at his knees in silence. “That means you as well, Ulgin.” No reaction comes from the boy. He's lost in his own little world. “Ulgin!”

“Um?” The fair-haired lad looks up at last, bleary-eyed and startled. He hasn't heard a word that you have said, judging from his blank face and slack jaw.

“You are to stay away from Sten, until I am sure it is safe for you to be around him,” you repeat. In response, your brother just nods dumbly and looks back down towards his knees. It's hard for you to remain patient with how despondent the boy is. Does he not realise how important he is, that he is next in line to be the Voice of the Magnar? “Ulgin, something's eating away at you, that much is clear. You're of no use to me moping like me, so out with it. What troubles you?”

There's a pause as you loom over your little brother. He's already staring off to one side again, not daring to look up at you. You're about to lose your patience with the sullen brat when he finally speaks, his gaze still averted. “... Do you have to go and fight?”

What sort of question is that? You're stunned into a silence of your own as you stare down at him, incredulous. Doesn't he understand the burden you carry? “Of course I do. The Sealskins must be driven away from our land. What sort of ruler doesn't fight with his men?” At that, Ulgin returns to sulking, resting his chin on his knees and staring down at the floor.

“But our parents are dead and... and now you'll die too.” He mutters that last bit to himself, so sure of his own words. “You're gonna die fighting savages. I don't want you to die too, Aethan.”

“Don't be such a baby!” That's Aera calling over your shoulder with a sneer of disgust on her face. “You don't know when Aethan's gonna die! Stop crying over Pa already! Stop being a baby! Low Thenns don't cry!” You shoot a glare towards your crass little sister. Thankfully, that's all it takes to stop the girl from sniping at her brother from across the room but she's still scowling to herself, more angry with Ulgin than she has any right to be.

Regarding your safety when fighting the Sealskins:
>Very well. If it'll make Ulgin happy, you'll stay out of harm's way and away from combat on the battlefield. Hopefully your war leaders will understand.
>You assure him that you'll be wearing some of the finest armour of the North, that no savage sticks and stones will be able to touch you through it. You'll be fine; you'll never be in danger at all.
>Ulgin needs to understand that people need to fight for the things they care for and put their lives on the line. You wouldn't deserve to be thane if you did not risk your life alongside your people.
>Death is a fact of life. Your parents are dead and some day, you will be too. Ulgin needs to accept that. If he can't handle the prospect of death, he'll never truly live.

Regarding Ulgin's melancholy and how to rid him of it:
>As much as it frustrates you to see the boy in this state, it's not your place to cure his sadness. Let him grow up like the rest of Bronzestone's children, foraging in the woods that border the village.
>You'll need to teach him the meaning of responsibility yourself. You'll have him at your side whenever you settle disputes and handle matters of law as thane. Hopefully, he'll learn from your example.
>He needs to be put through the rigours of combat. Have one of your war leaders train with him for an hour or so every day. Through this regime, he will learn that there is no room in life for weakness.
>He needs a better understanding of death and loss. Assign him to the hunters, who'll teach him how to survive in the wilderness, how to handle a bow and just how easily life can be taken and how meaningless it can be.

Please pick one option from both selections.

>>2224156
>Ulgin needs to understand that people need to fight for the things they care for and put their lives on the line. You wouldn't deserve to be thane if you did not risk your life alongside your people.
>He needs a better understanding of death and loss. Assign him to the hunters, who'll teach him how to survive in the wilderness, how to handle a bow and just how easily life can be taken and how meaningless it can be.
He needs to develop the independence. The fight training is also another option that does not put him at risk of capture.

>>2224148
>Death is a fact of life. Your parents are dead and some day, you will be too. Ulgin needs to accept that. If he can't handle the prospect of death, he'll never truly live.

>He needs a better understanding of death and loss. Assign him to the hunters, who'll teach him how to survive in the wilderness, how to handle a bow and just how easily life can be taken and how meaningless it can be.

>>2224148
>>You assure him that you'll be wearing some of the finest armour of the North, that no savage sticks and stones will be able to touch you through it. You'll be fine; you'll never be in danger at all.

If it makes him feel better he can help paint runes of protection on it himself. To show him the strength of family and that we know he has in him as well.

>He needs to be put through the rigours of combat. Have one of your war leaders train with him for an hour or so every day. Through this regime, he will learn that there is no room in life for weakness.

I'd say Old Barr is best suited for it, learning some of the traditions of the Low Thenn from the old hand.

Ulgin greendreams suspicions beginning to arise.

>>2224148
>Ulgin needs to understand that people need to fight for the things they care for and put their lives on the line. You wouldn't deserve to be thane if you did not risk your life alongside your people.
>He needs a better understanding of death and loss. Assign him to the hunters, who'll teach him how to survive in the wilderness, how to handle a bow and just how easily life can be taken and how meaningless it can be.

>>2224182
>>2224190
Can we merge these? I also think it would be fitting if Aethan mentioned his personal desire to go into battle and slay many foes to attain the glory and greatness which he was born for. Greatness and glory don't come to those who don't risk their lives. Should mention how Ulgin will be expected to lead his own men when he comes of age and shame him for cowardice.

>>2224156
>Death is a fact of life. Your parents are dead and some day, you will be too. Ulgin needs to accept that. If he can't handle the prospect of death, he'll never truly live.

>He needs a better understanding of death and loss. Assign him to the hunters, who'll teach him how to survive in the wilderness, how to handle a bow and just how easily life can be taken and how meaningless it can be.

Reassure lil bro by answering we shall never fall, for we are Aethan. Put that arrogance to good use

But Aera worries me. She's trying to grow up too fast which could lead to her making huge mistakes

>>2224148
>Death is a fact of life. Your parents are dead and some day, you will be too. Ulgin needs to accept that. If he can't handle the prospect of death, he'll never truly live.

>He needs a better understanding of death and loss. Assign him to the hunters, who'll teach him how to survive in the wilderness, how to handle a bow and just how easily life can be taken and how meaningless it can be.

>>2224148
>>Ulgin needs to understand that people need to fight for the things they care for and put their lives on the line. You wouldn't deserve to be thane if you did not risk your life alongside your people.

>>2224156
>>He needs to be put through the rigours of combat. Have one of your war leaders train with him for an hour or so every day. Through this regime, he will learn that there is no room in life for weakness.

>>2224148
>Death is a fact of life. Your parents are dead and some day, you will be too. Ulgin needs to accept that. If he can't handle the prospect of death, he'll never truly live.

>He needs a better understanding of death and loss. Assign him to the hunters, who'll teach him how to survive in the wilderness, how to handle a bow and just how easily life can be taken and how meaningless it can be.

You take in a breath, before lowering yourself to crouch in front of the boy. Resting one hand on Ulgin's shoulder, you nudge his chin up with the other to make him look at you while you're speaking.

“One day, I will die. I do not know how, nor do you. All that I know is all things must pass on. I will die someday and so will you, perhaps before me, perhaps after me. For as long as the sun continues to rise, men will continue to fall.” Your brother's eyes begin to water at your words and his head begins to slump once more. You tighten your grip on his shoulder, causing the lad to flinch and meet your stare once more.

“What matters is how we die, Ulgin. Mother died trying to bring life into this world, to give our father a third son and to give us a little brother. Father died trying to protect our people from one of the most fierce beasts of the North, and he did. That dire wolf troubles Bronzestone no longer, thanks to him. This is what separates the strong from the weak, Ulgin; the courage to sacrifice everything for blood and clan. There is nothing that I will not risk to make Bronzestone greater than it has ever been. If that means putting my life on the line, so be it. I will not become the greatest thane our clan has ever known by being a coward.”

“And you will never become a man by spending your days weeping.” The boy tenses at that remark, as though you had just struck him. He blinks away a few tears and tightens his jaw, his expression transforming a steely scowl. “Our father... Ulgin, Pa would want you to be strong. Honour his memory. Gain strength from it, not sorrow. Can you do that for him?”

He jerks his head in a sharp nod as soon as you've uttered the question, muttering his response through gritted teeth. “Yeah. Yeah, I'll try.”

Well, that's a start. Pulling your hand away, you rise to your feet once more. “Good. Starting from tomorrow, you will accompany the clan's huntsmen during the day. They will teach you how to track, kill and skin beasts.” What better way for Ulgin to learn that death is a normal and natural thing, than for him to witness it daily? “And you, Aera,” you turn to your sister next. “Respect your brother. Should anything happen to me, he is next in line to be thane.”

The girl grimaces and shakes her head at the thought, her golden hair catching the torch light. You glower at Aera until she finally relents, letting out an exasperated huff. “Fine,” she mumbles. For now, you'll settle for that. You'll need to speak with her about her attitude at some point.

“Good. Get some sleep, both of you, and remember what I have said.” Those are your last words before you stride out of their chamber, into the shadowy, winding corridors of Bronzheld. You spare no time to coddle Aera and Ulgin; they must both adapt to life as orphans, as you have. After all, you are the Voice of the Magnar, not a surrogate for your dead father.

The Fourteenth Day of Aethan's Rule, Dawn.

This is it.

Today will mark the beginning of your legacy as the greatest thane that Bronzestone has ever known. It can end no other way.

Among the ruins of Bronzestone, over three hundred Low Thenns are awakening and readying themselves for battle. They are donning their helmets and scales, they are honing the edges of their axes, the points of their spears, the heads of their arrows. Before the sun is at its zenith, the Bronzestone clan shall march on the Sealskin tribe, and they shall drive them out. This is your chance to prove your might, and that of your people, to the rest of the North.

Your war leaders will gather around the hearth of Bronzheld one last time before the battle. There, you will discuss strategy, formations and tactics. Once your clan has readied itself for war and your Farstrider 'allies' have arrived from the East, you will depart for the Bitter Slopes with half a thousand First Men and Free Folk at your back.

Before that however, you must decide how you shall arm and armour yourself for this battle.

Choose any combination of following as the weapons you wield for the Battle for the Bitter Slopes:
>Your long axe. This brutal weapon has become more than just a tool for cleaving men in half, it is now a symbol of your authority. You shouldn't be seen without it.
>Your battle axe and shield. If you are to stand alongside Bronzestone's infantrymen, you must be able to fight as part of their formation. Any other choice would be irresponsible.
>Your hand axes. In the chaos of battle, you will need to be ready to fight unconventionally. These light, versatile weapons are the perfect sidearms.

Choose what you wish to wear for the Battle for the Bitter Slopes:
>Light, fine furs. You are Aethan, son of Urgost, First among First Men, Thane of Bronzestone and the Low Thenns and Voice of the Magnar. You do not need armour or even practical clothes in order to best these savages.
>Heavy furs and skins. You'd rather not be weighed down by bronze but at the same time, you are not foolish enough to wander into battle wearing not but finery.
>Bronze scales and helm. Only a fool knowingly goes to battle unprepared. If you are to fight the Sealskins, you want to be able to endure any weapon that they will bring to bear against you.

>>2226182
>>Your long axe. This brutal weapon has become more than just a tool for cleaving men in half, it is now a symbol of your authority. You shouldn't be seen without it.
>Bronze scales and helm. Only a fool knowingly goes to battle unprepared. If you are to fight the Sealskins, you want to be able to endure any weapon that they will bring to bear against you.

>>2226182
>Your battle axe and shield. If you are to stand alongside Bronzestone's infantrymen, you must be able to fight as part of their formation. Any other choice would be irresponsible.
>Bronze scales and helm. Only a fool knowingly goes to battle unprepared. If you are to fight the Sealskins, you want to be able to endure any weapon that they will bring to bear against you.

>>2226182
>Your long axe. This brutal weapon has become more than just a tool for cleaving men in half, it is now a symbol of your authority. You shouldn't be seen without it.

>Bronze scales and helm. Only a fool knowingly goes to battle unprepared. If you are to fight the Sealskins, you want to be able to endure any weapon that they will bring to bear against you.

There is courage, there is arrogance, but there is also stupidity, I think going without armor into an actual battle falls easily past the former two while taking our signature weapon is fair enough.

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>>2226182
>>2226204
oh can we bring one or two throwing axes? I'm not familiar with this system, are there thrown weapons?

And while the long axe is indeed sick, the shield is simply too valuable when it comes to blocking missiles. The strength of the Low Thenns comes from their discipline. Gotta be like a bronze wall against the sealskins, with no gap.

>>2226207
>The hand axes can be used as throwing axes. Aethan is able to carry more than one weapon, hence "choose any combination of following." However, despite being quite a strong lad, there's only so much he can carry without being over-encumbered.

>>2226182
>Your long axe. This brutal weapon has become more than just a tool for cleaving men in half, it is now a symbol of your authority. You shouldn't be seen without it.
>Your hand axes. In the chaos of battle, you will need to be ready to fight unconventionally. These light, versatile weapons are the perfect sidearms.

>Bronze scales and helm. Only a fool knowingly goes to battle unprepared. If you are to fight the Sealskins, you want to be able to endure any weapon that they will bring to bear against you.

>>2226182
>>2226217
In that case, whether long axe or shield is the option that wins I vote to take the handaxes as well, so long as they don't leave us overencumbered.

>>2226182
>Your long axe. This brutal weapon has become more than just a tool for cleaving men in half, it is now a symbol of your authority. You shouldn't be seen without it.
>Your hand axes. In the chaos of battle, you will need to be ready to fight unconventionally. These light, versatile weapons are the perfect sidearms.
>Bronze scales and helm. Only a fool knowingly goes to battle unprepared. If you are to fight the Sealskins, you want to be able to endure any weapon that they will bring to bear against you
Long axe is better, reach lets us take down those shitstains on sleds.

>>2226182
>Your long axe. This brutal weapon has become more than just a tool for cleaving men in half, it is now a symbol of your authority. You shouldn't be seen without it.
>Your hand axes. In the chaos of battle, you will need to be ready to fight unconventionally. These light, versatile weapons are the perfect sidearms.

>Bronze scales and helm. Only a fool knowingly goes to battle unprepared. If you are to fight the Sealskins, you want to be able to endure any weapon that they will bring to bear against you.

>>2226182
>Your long axe. This brutal weapon has become more than just a tool for cleaving men in half, it is now a symbol of your authority. You shouldn't be seen without it.

>Your hand axes. In the chaos of battle, you will need to be ready to fight unconventionally. These light, versatile weapons are the perfect sidearms.

>Your shield

>Bronze scales and helm. Only a fool knowingly goes to battle unprepared. If you are to fight the Sealskins, you want to be able to endure any weapon that they will bring to bear against you.