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It would certainly help the battle situation if the battlemages were relieved of some of their aerial pressure, but unfortunately you don't have the freedom to put your full attention into it. You have a foreboding that the enemy commander could act at any time, and that once they do the situation could make a sudden change for the worse. In preparation for such an eventuality you'll split your focus- one part of it towards the monsters above you, and the other part towards the massive one on the city wall.

The aerial assault, besides one or two outliers, consists of two groups. Griffons and what you will temporarily deem "spitters", based off of their proclivity to spit a bubbling black liquid towards your men. To fell a Griffon you will need to use armor-piercing arrow heads to pierce their thick hide, while to deal with the seemingly soft bodies of the spitters, no such measure is necessary.

You slow your horse and pull back on your bow while in the stirrup. It bends to its full extent, although you still have more strength you wish you could put into it. At least it's not brittle- a bow of poor quality (like the first one you used, 20-some years ago) would instantly shatter if you tried to put such strength into it. After pulling the arrow back you release, aiming for one of the spitters. It suddenly dives and your first arrow misses, scraping by the relatively small target.

Adjustment. A second arrow fired to account for the monster's new trajectory. It hits, and the spitter practically explodes, like a waterskin giving way. A foul black liquid rains down, some of it getting on your armor. It momentarily sizzles, and while your armor seems fine the spots the liquid landed on are a slightly discolored. ...You should probably be careful with where you shoot them down.

Whilst your men do their best to clear away an opening from the pieces of rubble and furniture held together by clay, you continue to engage in archery. At the same time, you keep an eye on the enemy commander- you feel that his gaze is upon you as well. A time passes like this.

As you down a few spitters who are far enough away from your men to die safely and wound griffons where possible, the commander seems to be preparing, inferior demons bringing it equipment. A spear of wholly ordinary construction. A helmet roughly dented to fit its head. What almost seems like a rug of chainmail, made of different pieces of armor very roughly attached to each other to fit the demon's oversized body. You presume it's some of the best of the demons' craftsmanship, although it's merely reappropriating ordinary soldiers' equipment.

>>5174574
Eventually, though, you look back to the wall and find that he's rapidly disappearing from view, descending the wall and returning to street level. Alarm bells ring within your mind, and you stow away your bow and head closer to the portion of wall where he was. Around the same time you arrive, you hear a crashing sound from the gate. You change direction and head towards the disturbance.

You're greeted by a grisly sight. Room enough for a man to make it through has been made in the barricade, which should be a pleasant sight- but what has exited through it certainly isn't. The demon from before is now coated in blood, and the bodies of two of your men are crumpled on the ground next to him. Several others are scattered nearby, in various states of injury.

While you appraise the situation, the fiend seems to appraise you. After a few moments, it points towards you, and then to itself. A series of grumbling sounds slowly creak out of its mouth. It vaguely resembles the cadence of language, but it's certainly not a human one. Despite that, combined with its body language you the meaning gets across. It wants a duel.
>Dismount your horse and approach it. If someone challenges you to a duel you're honor bound to give it to them, regardless of who or what they are.
>Dismount your horse and approach it, while making an announcement to those around you- wait for an opening and then strike it before it can react. Monsters do not deserve human courtesy- only death.
>Rally those around you and charge. You'll form up and slowly push it to its death.
>Write-in

>>5174576
>>Dismount your horse and approach it. If someone challenges you to a duel you're honor bound to give it to them, regardless of who or what they are.

>>5174576
>>Dismount your horse and approach it, while making an announcement to those around you- wait for an opening and then strike it before it can react. Monsters do not deserve human courtesy- only death

>>5174576
>Dismount your horse and approach it. If someone challenges you to a duel you're honor bound to give it to them, regardless of who or what they are.

>>5174576
>>Dismount your horse and approach it. If someone challenges you to a duel you're honor bound to give it to them, regardless of who or what they are.

>>5174576
>Dismount your horse and approach it. If someone challenges you to a duel you're honor bound to give it to them, regardless of who or what they are.

Rolled 43, 32 = 75 (2d100)

>>5174580
>>5174611
>>5174786
>>5175008
>>5175429
Was debating over whether to give a choice to open combat or to just ask for rolls, but given that you'll be starting at some distance from each other I'll just assume a 'default' combat style for now.
Branford Bronzebiter holds an advantage in melee combat against his opponent despite his human physique due to a high level of swordsmanship. You'll roll three 1d100s, taking the best result as your roll, and the demon will roll two. 1s and 100s are crits. Update tomorrow will cover you accepting the duel and the opening parts of combat.

Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>5176921

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>5176921

Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>5176921

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>>5176933
>>5176955
>>5176958
You feel compelled by your code of honor to accept a duel, but at the same time, the thought of doing so puts a bad taste in your mouth. Honor between warriors and rules of combat are a two-sided system. Among other reasons, both sides agree to adhere to such systems beforehand to limit damage to innocent citizens and to ensure that wars are conducted in an honest and forthright fashion... as much as wars can, at least.

In that sense, this creature is not deserving of your honor. Have the demons engaged in a fair, honorable war? No. They have wrought chaos, and slaughtered a great many civilians, your father included. They are not deserving of your honor. That is why you want to decline. You really do. But honor is not just an agreement between warriors. It's something deeper, that you struggle to put into words. If you declined this duel, then you feel like you might be... losing some part of that. Something important.

No, this demon is not an honorable warrior, at least not to your understanding, but it likely never had the chance to become one. You should accept its request regardless. With your hesitation gone, you raise your sword and point it at the hellspawn. "I accept your challenge. Men, stand back." Although it takes your troops a bit to process what's happening, they begin to move backwards and clear a space as you approach the demon. In response to your approach, it glances down at one of the corpses next to it. You recognize it as Count Greenfelt, an accomplished swordsman and one of the nobles who accompanied you on your ride to Blue Ridge.

The demon drops its spear onto the gore-stained ground next to Count Greenfelt's corpse. A moment later, it bends down and removes his sword from the scabbard, taking it into his hand. Several hesitant swings later, it points it towards you, grumbling a few more unknown words in its deep, rumbling voice. A grim expression comes over your face as you make a silent promise to yourself- if nothing else, you'll make sure Count Greenfelt's family receives that sword back.

Your duel begins with the two of you circling around each other, looking for an opening. It's not much surprise when the demon attempts to attack first- you've never known them to be the patient sort. The battle begins with a probing exchange of blows between your weapons as you get to know your opponent's strength.

From these blows, it becomes clear that you can't look down on your opponent. While its swordsmanship is clumsy at best, its speed and strength would be considered exceptional among human combatants. Even armored as you are, you wouldn't be particularly eager to receive a blow from it. No, it's best you keep your wits about you, particularly with the speed being lightly armored grants it.

>>5179041
With that in mind, you stay reserved at first, waiting for an opening as you evaluate its abilities in more depth. Fortunately, the opponent doesn't take long to give you one. A sloppy swing, and an arm extended too far. Your sword pulls up in response, and cuts into the demon's right arm near the elbow. As it makes contact you feel some resistance- not like you're piercing into skin, but through a creature's hide. But it matters little. Your sword pierces through the hide-like skin, brings forth a small spray of blueish-purple blood, and leaves behind a rather deep wound before retreating.

You appraise your work. While the demon has, impressively enough, resisted roaring out in pain, that doesn't mean it's not injured. The wound is certainly not fatal- at least not for now- but it should inhibit its ability to fight henceforth. A good sign.
>You'll continue as you've been going and wait for an opening to take advantage of. [After voting you'll roll three 1d100s, best of is your roll.]
>You'll press the advantage and try to end things quickly. It's already on the back foot. [After voting you'll three 1d100s. The best plus 15 is your roll to wound, but your best minus 15 is your roll to defend yourself.] (only 1s and 100s before modifiers are crits, if you roll, say, 90 + 15 for attacking or 10 - 15 for defending those won't count as crits)

>>5179042
>>You'll press the advantage and try to end things quickly. It's already on the back foot.

>>5179042
>>You'll press the advantage and try to end things quickly. It's already on the back foot. [After voting you'll three 1d100s. The best plus 15 is your roll to wound, but your best minus 15 is your roll to defend yourself.] (only 1s and 100s before modifiers are crits, if you roll, say, 90 + 15 for attacking or 10 - 15 for defending those won't count as crits)

>>5179042
>You'll press the advantage and try to end things quickly.

Rolled 23, 84 = 107 (2d100)

>>5179049
>>5179054
>>5179186
Alright, pressing the advantage it is. Rolling for the opponent and leaving the three 1d100s to the players.

Ah, mentioned it in the update but forgot to add it when I rolled dice- the demon does take a malus from his wound, it's -8.

Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>5179193
Damn, let's hope we roll good.

Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>5179193

Rolled 66 (1d100)

Huh, didn't think there'd only be two.
For future reference you guys can feel free to roll again if its been a while without one and there are still rolls left or leave it for me to roll, either works for me.
Rolling the last dice now.

Alright, your best roll is 76 and the demon's best roll is 84. With a malus of 8 from his wound that is also 76.
Adding 15 to wound and subtracting 15 from defending based off of your choice:
91 vs. 76 to wound the demon
61 vs. 76 to defend yourself
Will update in a short while.

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>>5179049
>>5179054
>>5179186
>>5179209
>>5179345
From here on, you should push your advantage. Acting aggressively may put you at a greater risk of being wounded yourself, but... well, if you were a coward you wouldn't be here in the first place. While you're in the midst of this duel it will be difficult for your men to make any progress in clearing out the gates, so you should end it as quickly as possible. Even if there is a bit of risk.

With that thought in mind, you step forward, preparing to take advantage of your opponent's wound. The demon, catching sight of this, doesn't retreat. Instead, it assumes its previous stance and prepares for your assault. As your sword nears it, it slashes down in response, but the sloppy strike is easily knocked away, leaving an open path towards the demon's side.

What you didn't expect is that when your attack was about to land, the demon would step further in and launch one of its own. In the heat of battle, you forgot two things. The first is your opponent's exceptional height, and as a result their increased reach. The second is that, while you are dueling them in the traditional fashion, they are not your usual opponent- unlike a human knight, many demons have powerful claws that can serve as built-in weapons of their own.

As your sword lands against its side (albeit slightly missing its original target), the demon's off hand lands against yours. A glancing blow is struck past the demon's skin and against its side, while a few thin lines are torn into the armor on your opposite side, and a similarly-sized wound is dealt to you.

Before the demon can wound you further you pull back, but before you can fully collect yourself the demon charges forward towards you once more. Count Greenfelt's sword is still in its hand, but that's not what most of your focus is on now- no, your main concern is its unarmed, clawed hand. The stance it's charging forward with now makes it seem like it's intending on dealing you a blow barehanded, regardless of whether that results in it suffering a wound of its own or not.
>If it intends mutually wound you, then you'll accept the challenge. Your skill is still greater than it, and you refuse to believe that this sloppy attack will come out on top. [+30 to your roll to wound, -25 to your roll to defend.]
>Accepting this challenge is too risky. You'll have to open up space between the two of you, even if you're left slightly vulnerable while doing so. [Roll three 1d100 after voting, if your best roll is below a 65 you're wounded. If not, then battle resumes with no specific bonuses/maluses to your ability to wound or defend against the opponent.]

>>5179958
>Accepting this challenge is too risky. You'll have to open up space between the two of you, even if you're left slightly vulnerable while doing so.

>>5179958
>Accepting this challenge is too risky. You'll have to open up space between the two of you, even if you're left slightly vulnerable while doing so.

>>5179958
>>Accepting this challenge is too risky. You'll have to open up space between the two of you, even if you're left slightly vulnerable while doing so. [Roll three 1d100 after voting, if your best roll is below a 65 you're wounded. If not, then battle resumes with no specific bonuses/maluses to your ability to wound or defend against the opponent.]

>>5179958
>>Accepting this challenge is too risky. You'll have to open up space between the two of you, even if you're left slightly vulnerable while doing so

>>5179965
>>5180023
>>5180103
>>5180281
Alright, three 1d100s then, you just need one to be a 65 or higher to avoid being wounded while gaining some distance from the opponent.

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>5180329

>>5180334
why me

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>5180329

Rolled 33, 63 - 8 = 88 (2d100 - 8)

>>5180351
65 exactly! With that you can open up safe without being wounded. No use rolling beyond that unless you guys really want to see a crit.
After disengaging you'll return to normal combat, so may as well roll for it now. best of two 1d100s - 8 for the demon, best of three 1d100s for you. Last time you wounded each other it was equal on both sides, so no use adding a malus to either of you for that.

>>5180374
>open up safe
Er, open up space. Roll for the demon is 55 in the next round of combat.

Rolled 33 (1d100)

Let's-a-go

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>5180374

Rolled 48 (1d100)

Guess I'll pick up the last roll

Whew, I didn't expect that I'd be leaving updating for so long.
I'll get something up by dinnertime, sorry this fight is dragging on so long.

Rolled 43, 4 - 6 = 41 (2d100 - 6)

Alright, took a bit but I figured out both how to do the update and how to speed up battles in general: Rolling dice is fun but you would all presumably prefer faster updates, so I'll just roll all the dice myself when relevant and post actual updates either when the battle is over (and the next decision is to be made) or when there is a mid-battle decision to be made.
That being said, round is 48 vs. 55, you take a glancing wound to the leg. Not at all debilitating or combat changing, so I'll just reduce your rolls by 2 (represented by changing the demon's -8 to -6 for simplicity's sake) and roll up the next round.
Demon rolls for next round

Rolled 27, 93, 42 = 162 (3d100)

The demon's final roll is a 37. Your rolls.

>>5182260
You only had to roll for us. And it's a win.

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>>5182283
>>5180385
>>5180390
>>5180351
>>5180336
>>5180334
Your skill may be greater than the demon's, but you haven't survived decades of battles by being foolhardy. An enemy does not necessarily need skill to harm a man, even one as experienced as yourself- you know far too well that a bit of bad luck is enough to tip the scales in combat. That being the case, you should act cautiously. You must retreat from this charge and gain some breathing room. A slower, more methodical battle is what advantages you the most right now, not a short, brutal confrontation.

A heart-pounding retreat follows. You kick off of the ground and begin moving backwards as your opponent launches a swing- it sweeps through the air mere inches in front of you. From there you turn your back partially, confident that you've bought enough space to safely give your back for a moment. You're correct, and a hurried swing directed towards you misses, only catching where you used to be.

After a short sprint away you come to a stop and turn back towards the demon. It's still moving towards you, but you have much more breathing room than before. With a moment to prepare for continued combat, you tighten your stance and keep an eye on the demon's movement. It moves towards you and launches a swing downwards. Sloppy, but not so much you feel confident moving in and delivering a follow-up blow- not with its other arm at the ready.

The two of you move around the area in front of the barricade while exchanging blows, both waiting for an opening. As you step away from one such exchange, you feel a surge of pain in your left leg. Hesitantly, you manage to spare a glance downwards. Fortunately, the source of your pain was no fierce foe- merely some splintered wood which happened to tear a small gash in your leg. Certainly an inconvenience, but not a major one.

Growing impatient, however, the demon takes your slight stumble as an opening. It slashes towards you from above with one hand, while clawing towards you with the other. A mistake. You voluntarily drop towards the uneven ground and roll under the claw and to the demon's right side, leaving both attacks behind.

The feeling of more rock and wood scraping at you is certainly unpleasant, but it's not at all a match for what the hellspawn is about to feel. By the time you roll just past the demon's right arm and prepare your footing, it still hasn't pulled back to a defensive stance. You muster all the force you can in your legs to push you up, landing a long, vertical blow on the demon's exposed flank as you rise to your feet. What forces you to draw back is not a counter attack but a spray of blood, landing on your armor and obscuring your view.

>>5182326
As you once again make distance between the two of you, you evaluate the fiend's injury. It's a bit shorter and shallower than you expected- likely due to the fact that your opponent has more of a leathery hide than skin. However, that means little. While the beast isn't disemboweled, it is suffering from continuous blood loss. Without the wound being bandaged, at the very least, it's doubtful that it will survive, let alone be able to fight.

There is one major caveat, however- while blood loss will eventually render it unable to fight, eventually is not now. Both you and the demon return to your fighting stance around the same time. Fixing a fierce stare upon you, the demon begins stepping towards you.
>In response, you step back. You will bide your time and wait for the demon to collapse on its own. You have no need a cornered animal.
>You tighten your grip and hold your ground. If the demon wishes to hasten its death, then you have no objections. With such a major wound there is little risk in facing it.
>Write-in

>>5182327
>>In response, you step back. You will bide your time and wait for the demon to collapse on its own. You have no need a cornered animal.
>However, if it opens itself obviously, we will punish it

>>5182327
>In response, you step back. You will bide your time and wait for the demon to collapse on its own. You have no need a cornered animal.

>>5182327
>>In response, you step back. You will bide your time and wait for the demon to collapse on its own. You have no need a cornered animal.

>>5182327
>In response, you step back. You will bide your time and wait for the demon to collapse on its own. You have no need a cornered animal.

Sorry for the unannounced disappearance, I'm not dead, just the curse at work. Almost free, update will probably be in roundabouts 12 hours from now, certainly not much later. After that the highly irregular update schedule should somewhat stabilize once more.

>>5188016
It's alright QM, it happens to the best of us.

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>>5182364
>>5182519
>>5182529
>>5182627
>>5188621
There is no need for you to fight a cornered animal when the gods' laws will fell it without your intervention. Whether there is a risk or not in fighting it does not matter much. What currently matters the most is that you end this cleanly and return to lead your men out of this ruined city. As the demon begins stepping forward, you simultaneously begin stepping back. The demon roars what you presume are a pair of words at you before charging once more.

The demon's sword strikes out with impressive speed and force now that it's given up on preserving its life, slicing through the air with a weight to it that seems like it could bisect you if it was lucky enough to land a blow. But in exchange for this, its aim is misguided and strokes sloppy. While the demon certainly wasn't a master of swordsmanship before, its blows at least had a target to them- what's left now is somewhere between a rampage and tantrum, destroying nothing but whatever unfortunate wooden debris lines the path between the two of you.

You flee for some time while your opponent chases. While it was certainly fearsome before, you can sense its power beginning to decrease now, as the blood loss begins to affect it. That moment, however, when your opponent is riding the line between life and death can be the most dangerous. With that thought in mind you gain a bit more distance on it, which ends up benefitting you.

Before dying, a second wind hits the beast. Veins visibly pop out across its miscolored skin like a patchwork of worms, and you swear you can see a light, multicolored glow illuminating its eyes. Likely a result of some innate ability. Suddenly, it dashes forward, sword in hand and primed for a final blow. To escape you move behind a large piece of stone that likely served as some sort of pillar before serving as part of this barricade. In response the demon doesn't slow down and move around it to continue chasing, but strikes out at it, desperately.

The first attack. Metal against stone. A narrow slice is cut through the stone, but the sword stops moving long before the end of the blade can reach your shoulder. It pulls the sword, now bent, out with a roar and swings out again. With the second attack, the sword shatters completely. You hastily move back, rolling along the ground as shattered pieces of the sword fly through the air.

Much to your relief, you're not hit by the shrapnel of the shattered blade. The demon, however, is not so lucky. It holds the hilt of the blade in one hand, a short, bent piece of metal extending from it. Several additional wounds have now appeared across its body, part of the remains of Count Greenfelt's sword having embedded themselves inside the hellspawn. At this point the veins across its body begin becoming less visible, and the glimmer in its eyes fades. Its second wind is over.

>>5188725
With that, the duel is quickly brought to an end. A final charge is mounted towards you, now with only claws at the ready. But it fails. The attack from its right arm is weak, likely a result of both blood loss and the long gash along that side. You move out of the way of it and then launch an attack on that arm, slicing half of the way through it before retreating once more. That blow signals the end, as the demon struggles to do much more than stand.

One harm hangs by its side, immovable, while the other is folded behind its head. It no longer runs from death, and you no longer run from it. As you close in a final word creaks out its mouth, but this time you can understand it. It's distorted, growled through a different set of vocal chords than those of humans, but you can barely make it out from where you are. "Warrior". You pause for an instant before catching hold of yourself- to lose focus in a battle is death, even if the enemy has surrendered. Seconds later the demon's head flies into the air, and its life ends. As this happens, you can faintly hear yelling from around you. The rest of the world moves into your consciousness once again- the battlefield, as well as the men and monsters in it.

You were certainly shocked but its last word, so to say, but any considered of that can be left for later. There is a battle to take charge of. "Move! We need to get rid of the barricade now!" Your men rush into motion as you say this, charging at the now undefended barricade- despite the one-man wide opening in it no one charged through before. Whether by their commander's order or from a fear of the battle happening on the other side of it, you're not sure. As you take stock of your injuries and the battlefield, the court mage approaches you.

"Your Highness." You take a moment to turn towards him, still processing the situation. "Did something happen to the battle mages?" He fidgets slightly, clearly nervous about something. "Er, no. It's just, could I have that body?" He continues before you can compose an answer to the question. "Of that special demon. I've experimented on several inferior demons found wandering across the country, but just look on the walls- they're not particularly rare, nor powerful. But that one certainly was- I wish to examine it, in hopes that what differentiates it from weaker demons may be of use to us."

Your face turns stern. "Edrick. This is a battlefield, not a morgue. There's no time for such a thing." Edrick, the Court Mage, does not give up. "It'll take but a short time- the arm and the head are already separated! Please, just indulge me- think of the possibilities." "What of the church? No one here is a member of the clergy, but there are certainly some here who agree with their stance on researching the The Deluge's beasts- if you make a point of loading up the body in pieces so that you may leave with it midbattle, it will certainly be reported to them sooner or later."

>>5188735
Confronted by such a research subject, your arguments are not found to be convincing. "You can merely claim that it's a trophy of war and then have it disappear later. It's an easy issue to take care of. Or at the least, just ignore my actions. I dare say that if I act cautiously there's not a single person within the church capable of ending my life, as long as you don't wish it. Please, my liege, grant me this request."
>If the man is that insistent, then you will grant him his request. He may organize for the body to be retrieved, although you will have no further direct involvement.
>The Court Mage is not a bad man, if a bit too curious for his own good, and his research shows promise. You will order for the body to be loaded up as a trophy of war and then transfer it to the Court Mage later. You just hope he finds something useful from it.
>Brynn's blood, it's the middle of a battle. You will order the Court Mage to return to fighting for a final time before he is tried for violating the crown's will. If it is willed that the body remain by the time you return to the southern gate with a larger force, then he may retrieve it, in whatever state it is in.
>Write-in

With the issue of the body dealt with, you return your attention to the battle at hand. The battle in the air has died down, but with the battle on land increasing in intensity in exchange. Your backline is slowly moving towards the gate, blocking the offensive of the monsters behind in groups so that the front may remove the barricade. By now there is enough room for a mounted knight to pass through and a bit extra- you wouldn't be surprised if enemies start moving through it soon.
>Move to the back front and fight the enemy there.
>Move to the area in front of the barricade and lead a small squad to ensure enemies don't enter through the breach.
>Stay where you are and supervise the battle. Your wounds are rather minor but should still be attended to promptly.
>Write-in

>>5188736
>>If the man is that insistent, then you will grant him his request. He may organize for the body to be retrieved, although you will have no further direct involvement.

>>Move to the area in front of the barricade and lead a small squad to ensure enemies don't enter through the breach.

>>5188736
>If the man is that insistent, then you will grant him his request. He may organize for the body to be retrieved, although you will have no further direct involvement.
>Move to the area in front of the barricade and lead a small squad to ensure enemies don't enter through the breach.

>>5188736
>>Brynn's blood, it's the middle of a battle. You will order the Court Mage to return to fighting for a final time before he is tried for violating the crown's will. If it is willed that the body remain by the time you return to the southern gate with a larger force, then he may retrieve it, in whatever state it is in.
>Move to the area in front of the barricade and lead a small squad to ensure enemies don't enter through the breach.

>>5188736
>The Court Mage is not a bad man, if a bit too curious for his own good, and his research shows promise. You will order for the body to be loaded up as a trophy of war and then transfer it to the Court Mage later. You just hope he finds something useful from it.

>The Court Mage is not a bad man, if a bit too curious for his own good, and his research shows promise. You will order for the body to be loaded up as a trophy of war and then transfer it to the Court Mage later. You just hope he finds something useful from it.

>>5188736
>The Court Mage is not a bad man, if a bit too curious for his own good, and his research shows promise. You will order for the body to be loaded up as a trophy of war and then transfer it to the Court Mage later. You just hope he finds something useful from it.
>Move to the area in front of the barricade and lead a small squad to ensure enemies don't enter through the breach.

Will roll to tiebreak the first choice later in the morning if there's not a deciding vote by then, probably a few hours from now at the earliest.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

1: If the man is that insistent, then you will grant him his request. He may organize for the body to be retrieved, although you will have no further direct involvement.
2: The Court Mage is not a bad man, if a bit too curious for his own good, and his research shows promise. You will order for the body to be loaded up as a trophy of war and then transfer it to the Court Mage later. You just hope he finds something useful from it.

>>5190745
Grant request under we take trohpy and tell him to get back to the front lines

>>5191223
I didn't start writing by the time this was posted so I'll just take this vote as the tiebreaker. Update written, posting now.

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>>5188979
>>5188986
>>5189022
>>5189040
>>5189069
>>5191223
You have your reservations about the Court Mage's proposal. A great many reservations actually. But nevertheless, you'll go along with it. While the Court Mage is a bit overzealous regarding his research he is a competent and good-natured man, and you believe that the specimen should at the very least be particularly useful to his research if he's willing to make such a request in the middle of a battle. And if you're going to let him take the body, then it's not much more to order a few people to do it yourself under the guise of collecting a war trophy. That way you can have the man return to his military duties that much quicker, and save yourself from some headache-inducing inquiries from Bishop Coffey in the process.

"Fine. I'll order for the collection of it as a trophy." Before the man can get too excited, you continue. "Now, get back to the battle mages. Once you return, send what men can be spared to help with the barricade." He hurriedly nods. "Of course, my liege. I'll go relieve my second-in-command now." With that the Court Mage hurries off a way, mounts his horse once more, and then moves towards the back lines, where most of the battle mages are located.

It is with some hidden frustration that you order for the demon's body to be collected as a trophy of war. While you're sure no one will be willing to criticize you for such an action, as such a thing isn't unheard of and is certainly less of an offense than, say, your upbringing as a commoner or any multitude of other things- it is still against what you would normally do. But at the same time, the body is not just a trophy of war, but a valuable item that may be able to enhance the kingdom's military strength. With that it mind, it becomes acceptable.

With that matter taken care of, you gather a few elites and arrange a squad to guard in front of the barricade. Although the opening in the barricade is currently only wide enough for two men to walk through abreast now, and an attack launched through would pose little threat, you have no doubt that as it grows larger that it will grow harder to defend. That's why you must defend the position before the enemy attacks, in order to ensure that you aren't faced with difficult defenses from both ahead and behind.

The mount you borrowed is left behind as you enter through the small opening on foot, seven other men alongside you. Lingering pieces of rubble and debris pass underfoot before you step foot onto the cobble of Blue Ridge's main street. While you're unsure of what state it's in now, 20 years ago Blue Ridge's main street stretched vertically from the southern gate to the residences in the north of the city, and horizontally from the eastern gate to the royal palace. You're sure that with a the population of Blue Ridge it was an awe-inspiring sight, if somewhat lacking when compared to Valemark.

>>5191732
Your first sight of Blue Ridge is very different from the stories you've heard of the city, however. What you'd heard of was a bustling city where cart after cart went down the street, providing whatever was needed for many members of the upper class who called this place home. What you see now is a graveyard.

Scattered remains of skeletons remain littered throughout the city, rarely seen whole. Many carts are broken down through the street in the same places they were when Blue Ridge was overrun. They are partially disassembled, likely to assist in the construction of the barricade. Buildings are in disrepair, many having been converted into nests for the magical beasts that swarmed forth alongside the demons. In places foul, unnatural looking plants can be seen, blooming in bright shades of blue and blood-red and looking almost meat-like in texture.

The sight causes you to pause for a moment, appalled. You'd be lying if you hadn't expected something similar based off of other accounts, but to see it yourself is... something else entirely. But more than anything, it fills you with an anger. Nearly the entire city, men, women, children, and all were killed. All you can do now is avenge them.

"Men! Stay your position! We must not budge!" Your men cry out in assent, and you spread out to cover the area in front of the opening in the barricade. In the very beginning you face little resistance, but after a bit the demons come to bear arms.

You hold your shield up, rocks, improvised weapons, and a rare few arrows ricocheting off of it. At the same time inferior demons descend from the wall and charge towards your group, but are generally easily dealt with with the advantage of your defensive position. For the third or half an hour you believe you've held this position, casualties have been low- no deaths, only a couple of non-lethal injuries that have led to cycling men to other positions. Instead of eight of you, however, there are now roughly 15 of you guarding the ever-increasing opening in the barricade.

A man comes from behind to inform you about the battle situation behind. The beasts have continued to slowly push your men back, and your men are preparing to take up a defensive position relatively close to the gate, where they can remain tightly packed against the continuing onslaught of monsters. Casualties there are significantly heavier, although most of the deaths are among the less experience forward guard, and not the elites you brought with you. As you receive this report, you pause, seeing something approaching from the other end of the city's mains street, some ways away.

>>5191736
It's not just one thing, but several- around half a dozen if you had to estimate. You can't make them out from this distance, but they're rapidly approaching. If you had to guess, it's a small mounted unit of some sort. Given the rarity of such a thing among the demons, its members are likely exceptional. Such a troop that could provide quite a bit of trouble to your group, making the situations in both front and back rather trying.
>Order your men to prepare to fall back. Around a third of the barricade is completely cleared, and you've partially succeeded in creating an opening. If you remain for much longer the casualties could turn much heavier- you need to get everyone into position and prepare to charge through the monsters behind you quickly.
>Order your men to keep their eyes peeled on the approaching enemies. You've come to take down this barricade, and so you must persevere for some time longer to make sure your opening remains for later attacks- you will not risk having this be for nothing if you're unable to prevent them from reconstructing the rest. Your later strikes will not have the advantage of partial surprise, after all.
>Order the battle mages to move up front and have the men clearing the barricade temporarily replace them in fighting. You're aware that there are several battle mages skilled in ice magic among the battle mages, and while you don't have enough materials to cast truly large scale magic, if you expend many of the materials you do have on-hand you can have them create a sizable ice wall capable of frustrating the demons in their reconstruction of the barricade. The only drawback is that it would also mean that the battle mages fighting capacity would be rather limited on the return trip.
>Write-in

>>5191740
>>Order your men to keep their eyes peeled on the approaching enemies. You've come to take down this barricade, and so you must persevere for some time longer to make sure your opening remains for later attacks- you will not risk having this be for nothing if you're unable to prevent them from reconstructing the rest. Your later strikes will not have the advantage of partial surprise, after all.

>>5191740
>>Order the battle mages to move up front and have the men clearing the barricade temporarily replace them in fighting. You're aware that there are several battle mages skilled in ice magic among the battle mages, and while you don't have enough materials to cast truly large scale magic, if you expend many of the materials you do have on-hand you can have them create a sizable ice wall capable of frustrating the demons in their reconstruction of the barricade. The only drawback is that it would also mean that the battle mages fighting capacity would be rather limited on the return trip.
Safest option for the troup. We need to wait the bulk of our army.

>>5191740
>>Order your men to prepare to fall back. Around a third of the barricade is completely cleared, and you've partially succeeded in creating an opening. If you remain for much longer the casualties could turn much heavier- you need to get everyone into position and prepare to charge through the monsters behind you quickly.

>>5191740
>Order the battle mages to move up front and have the men clearing the barricade temporarily replace them in fighting. You're aware that there are several battle mages skilled in ice magic among the battle mages, and while you don't have enough materials to cast truly large scale magic, if you expend many of the materials you do have on-hand you can have them create a sizable ice wall capable of frustrating the demons in their reconstruction of the barricade. The only drawback is that it would also mean that the battle mages fighting capacity would be rather limited on the return trip.

I just finished reading everything, it's pretty good so far, I wish I was there for a few decisions but well.

>>5191740
>Order your men to keep their eyes peeled on the approaching enemies. You've come to take down this barricade, and so you must persevere for some time longer to make sure your opening remains for later attacks- you will not risk having this be for nothing if you're unable to prevent them from reconstructing the rest. Your later strikes will not have the advantage of partial surprise, after all.
We still have many men and we should finish the job we've come here for.

We're at 2 continue fighting, 2 use the battle mages to delay them and then fall back, and 1 to immediately fall back. Since the outlier vote is closer to using the battle mages and then retreating than it is to continuing, that wins the tie.
Updating in roughly 4 hours, possibly earlier.
>>5194442
Welcome to the quest.

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>>5191779
>>5191819
>>5191820
>>5192109
>>5194442
It will certainly be difficult to perform another attack like this with such a small force, even with the advantage of mobility, now that the enemy has been alerted. You would very much appreciate if the entire barricade was removed now, ensuring an opening for when more men arrive. But at the same time, you're not sure if you can achieve such a feat. Opposition is only getting heavier, and if you insist on pushing forward there's likely to be heavy casualties and a loss of order. For now, it's best to take advantage of the relative lack of pressure and fall back before things get chaotic.

With that decision made you fall back slightly and begin shouting out commands. "Prepare to fall back! Those removing the barricade, replace the battle mages in the rear and have them organize here." You turn to one of the men besides you- you recognize him as a member of the forward squad who served under you for some years. "Take count of the number of men alive, the number of horses which can be ridden, and the number of those who cannot ride a horse on their own right now."

The battle mages arrive first, the Court Mage at their head. After taking a hesitant glance at the approaching figures in the distance you inform them of their duty. "To my knowledge a fair number of you are skilled in ice magic. I wish to create a wall of ice to temporarily block the hole we made in the barricade and delay their reconstruction. Are you capable of such a feat?" The Court Mage responds. "Of course, Your Highness." He then turns away from you, calling out the names of men and telling them where to stand. From what you can gather a certain number will serve as the 'cores' of a group spell, while others unskilled in ice magic will help provide the cores with more magical energy to power it.

As the mages prepare you continue to watch the enemies approaching the front gate. Behind the first set of growing dots, you see another group in the distance. It seems that it may have been a wise decision to begin preparations to fall back- who knows if a third or fourth group lies behind that one. You're interrupted from your observation by the return of the man you sent out to get a head count. Of the 98 men you came with, 81 remain. On top of the 17 dead, 6 more are injured to the point where they cannot ride a horse on their own. Fortunately, the horses have not died quite as often as their human counterparts- while a few of the stronger ones will need to have their armor left behind to ensure speed in retreat and the ability to ferry an injured man to safety, no one will have to attempt a retreat on foot.

>>5195600
Eventually, the mages finish preparing their spell. By that point, you can make out the first set of mounted demons clearly. They are seven in total, and possess a physique clearly better than that of the inferior demons, but not quite as exaggerated as the one you fought. Their mounts include two griffons, what seems to be an amorphous blob with legs, two giant centipede creatures, what you can only describe as a snake with legs and wings, and something similar to a bull.

The view of this group is soon cut-off, however. At the Court Mage's announcement the last of your men standing in front of the barricade suddenly fall back. At the same time, a dark blue light that lightly shrouded the ground behind them suddenly intensifies. Moments after the last of your men fall back a wall of ice suddenly shoots up, growing from nothing to significantly taller than yourself in seconds. A few demons who were unfortunate enough to have stepped on the readied spell in chase of your men are sent flying into the air, several splitting their skulls open on the top of the gate above it.

While the preparation took quite some time, the casting is over in less than 10 seconds. What's left behind is a giant wall of ice and a crowd of pale-faced mages, now out of many of their casting materials. Only seconds after the spell is over they leave their formation, moving towards their mounts, which have been prepared a short distance away.

With the ice wall up, there's nothing to delay your retreat. Your men quickly organize, mounting their horses and preparing to charge out through the encircling beasts. You sit at the head of the group alongside Duke Elkstaff and a small group of other elites among elites who are willing to lead the charge.

What follows is a clash between warm bodies and cold steel. Your vanguard serves as Stonekeep's sharpest sword and pierces a hole through the assembly of monsters in front of you, the rest of your group following behind. The injured and battle mages who are too exhausted of energy to cast spells are kept near the center of the group, while those of able body surround them.

After a short period of fierce resistance you manage to get clear of the largest group of enemies. In the process, you suffer a sizable number of casualties- likely more than half a dozen dead, and some injured besides. From this point on, however, your journey is much easier. During your approach you carved out a route to retreat along that passes through quite a few pit traps, and which should serve to keep your partially insulated from enemy assault.

>>5195605
It is not completely clear sailing from there however. While your opposition on land is not too heavy, as you gain distance from Blue Ridge you begin to be harassed by air. A group of griffons, "spitters", and a few other types of airborne beasts approach, two mounted demons leading them. While you're not completely defenseless, with the exhaustion of many of the battle mages it's a difficult task to properly defend against them. All you can do at this point is shoot arrows and a small spattering of spells towards them, hoping they decide to retreat.
>Fortunately this shouldn't take too long. Once you get to the forest south of the city you should be able to shake off their pursuit without issue.
>While running away is a viable option, it's not impossible to slow down and fight them now. Confronting two of their elites now would be much easier than fighting them as part of a group of a dozen or more in a later battle.
>Write-in

>>5195608
>While running away is a viable option, it's not impossible to slow down and fight them now. Confronting two of their elites now would be much easier than fighting them as part of a group of a dozen or more in a later battle.

>>5195608
>While running away is a viable option, it's not impossible to slow down and fight them now. Confronting two of their elites now would be much easier than fighting them as part of a group of a dozen or more in a later battle.

>Let's act even more boldly : accomplishing the feat of seizing some of the enemy's griffon could prove a strategic asset in the future. After all, a crippled animal can still bear cubs.

I will push the road of elite Griffon knight till the heat death of this thread

>>5195608
>>While running away is a viable option, it's not impossible to slow down and fight them now. Confronting two of their elites now would be much easier than fighting them as part of a group of a dozen or more in a later battle.

>>5195608
>>While running away is a viable option, it's not impossible to slow down and fight them now. Confronting two of their elites now would be much easier than fighting them as part of a group of a dozen or more in a later battle.

>>5195608
>While running away is a viable option, it's not impossible to slow down and fight them now. Confronting two of their elites now would be much easier than fighting them as part of a group of a dozen or more in a later battle.

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>>5195645
>>5195648
>>5195708
>>5195867
>>5195960
While you have an easy path to retreat, that doesn't mean you have to retreat. It also gives you the freedom to strike back. Unless the situation takes a truly dire turn you'll still have a secure route to retreat along, so it seems prudent to try to weaken the enemy further here.

You turn to the man next to you. "Tell Duke Elkstaff, General Warton, and the Court Mage to come to me." A muttered "Yes Your Highness." can be heard as he moves through the still advancing troop to pass on your message. Within a minute, the three men you've called for have assembled around you, still on horseback.

"I'd like to stop our retreat and take down the enemy pursuing us before we reach the forest. Opinions?" General Warton speaks first. "Such a move is certainly possible, but we don't have many options against an aerial enemy. It will mostly be standing in place and hoping that our arrows hit their mark. This standstill would likely last until the griffons could no longer stay airborne the enemy either descended to fight us or retreated. Unless, of course-"

The general is interrupted by a proclamation from Duke Elkstaff. "Nonsense. When they dare to dive we can simply pull them down." No one responds to this, somewhat flabbergasted. Duke Elkstaff continues, undeterred by the silence. "Most of the men won't be able to do it alone, but if Your Highness and I lie in wait, we'll be able to grab hold of any enemy that dares dive and pull them down! Then we simply continue until there are no more attackers left." You give no visible response to this suggestion. "...Edrick, do you have any suggestions? What strength do the mages have left?"

The Court Mage clears his throat. "I have a couple of options. The more talented mages and those who have little affinity with ice are still in decent shape, and we still have plenty of materials that couldn't be used for that spell left. If we gather together with myself at the head we should be able to cast one more large-scale spell into their midst, although I dare say they won't be of use for a while afterwards. Besides that, I could simply act alone and drag down of the enemy leaders. You will need to act to defend me though- both in case the enemy decides to charge down en masse to retrieve their leader, or if the demon breaks away from my magic and tries to kill me."
>For now you'll stop advancing and take up bows against the enemy. Except for when they dive, it's the best you can do without liberal use of magic.
>A large-scale spell sent into their midst sounds like it could do some sizable damage. You'll have the Court Mage organize the battle mages with energy and materials remaining while the rest of you stand guard.
>Your main goal is to take down the leader, so you'll request that the Court Mage acts against one. At the same time, you'll organize a squad of men to stand guard besides him, in case the enemy tries to take his life in response.
>Write-in

>>5197492
>>Your main goal is to take down the leader, so you'll request that the Court Mage acts against one. At the same time, you'll organize a squad of men to stand guard besides him, in case the enemy tries to take his life in response.

> Form testudo and keep marching, telling the troops to keep their spears low, and only stab if the birbs decide to dive. Have the mages preserve their spellpower for now.

>>5197492
>>Your main goal is to take down the leader, so you'll request that the Court Mage acts against one. At the same time, you'll organize a squad of men to stand guard besides him, in case the enemy tries to take his life in response.
>>Write-in
Team with Elkstaff. Take griffon down, seize as trophy, proceed with the breeding plan

>>5197492
>Your main goal is to take down the leader, so you'll request that the Court Mage acts against one. At the same time, you'll organize a squad of men to stand guard besides him, in case the enemy tries to take his life in response.
>>5197556
I like the breeding plan but how do we bring back a griffon without a cage?
>>5197549
Aren't we all on horse?

>>5197492
>>For now you'll stop advancing and take up bows against the enemy. Except for when they dive, it's the best you can do without liberal use of magic.

>>5197492
>Your main goal is to take down the leader, so you'll request that the Court Mage acts against one. At the same time, you'll organize a squad of men to stand guard besides him, in case the enemy tries to take his life in response.

>>5197630
Wound it, tie it, build wooden cages as temporary pit, go fetch iron cage.

"Some of them might die, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make".

There will be an update some time before I head to bed tonight.

>>5197533
>>5197549
>>5197556
>>5197630
>>5197775
>>5197891
>>5197892
Taking down one of their leaders appeals to you the most. Even if you damage this troop severely, only the gods know how many beasts the demons have in reserve. As for the specialized demons... they are generally limited in number and take at the least several years to breed more of. That is where your focus should lay.

"If you have the ability to target their leader, then that would be preferable." You turn your attention away from the Court Mage and to General Warton. "Slow the men. I'll arrange a squad to guard the Court Mage. Duke Elkstaff, come along with me." With that said, you begin heading through the crowd, gathering elites in battle-ready condition to guard the Court Mage when the time comes.

Before long your full-speed retreat has slowed to little more than a trot, and you've arranged a group of some dozen and a half men to stand guard around the Court Mage. You glance between him and the air as he makes his preparations. Occasionally griffons and a few other occasional large, flying beasts swoop down, while other beasts launch ranged attacks from the air. The enemy leaders stay mostly motionless, supervising the operation for now.

"When do you plan to act?" The Court Mage stares at the enemy. "Whenever one of them prepares to dive again- the closer the better really. I have little confidence if they stay that high up." In the meantime, he sits in his stirrups, holding a peculiar piece of wood. In passing, you ask what it is. "Aged heartwood from the treelovers' forest. Part of the stock of materials held in Valemark before we fled the city."

For a moment it seems like the Court Mage is planning to say something more, but he suddenly stops speaking, and instead begins making his way through the army. You urge the men guarding him to follow as you watch the sky. One of the enemy leaders has launched into motion. The demon, on griffonback, begins descending with another griffon by their side. A basket with an assortment of scavenged weapons is strapped to the griffon next to it. The demon casually grabs a spear from it before charging downwards, likely planning to use it as a javelin.

As the demon reaches the nadir of its drop, however, the Court Mage takes action. At the same time as the weapon begins leaving the demon's hand, several thorn-covered vines as thick as arms leave the Court Mage's hands with shocking speed. The demon has little time to react, and while its spear does successfully leave its hand and impale a nearby horse, its opposite arm is wrapped around by several vines at the same time. As the vines take a hold blueish-purple blood begins to fall from the sky, thorns piercing deeply into the demon's arms.

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>>5202916
The demon hastily pulls away from the vines, but it does little to help. Their length continues extending, and additional vines sprout from the two that wrapped around its arm. At the same time as the first vine wraps around its torso, its griffon begins flying away, presumably at its command. The vines surrounding it grow taut, and the combined pair of beast and master struggle to tear through them with a combination of movement and claws.

While this struggle is ongoing, the other leader of the forces dives as well, seemingly planning to intervene. It's too late, however. In order to ensure that the attack isn't for nothing, you order your men to launch a volley of ranged attacks towards the injured demon's griffon, which at this point is stuck on a tight leash due to the vines trapping its master.

Unable to move too far and flying very low to the ground, the advantage of being airborne is lost. An assortment of arrows meant to pierce armor and several small spells strike the beast. It lets out a pained cry and begins to fall from the sky. As the creature falls the demon riding it also tumbles off of it, crashing into the ground from around 15 feet into the air.

The demon manages a survivable landing, much to the Court Mage's delight and your surprise. He doesn't bother to turn his focus to you as he speaks. "I'm going to draw the thorns in and fully restrain it. Please cover me." You give a curt reply and pass on the command as you stare at the rapidly worsening situation in the sky. The other leader, seemingly afraid of another mage lying in wait, refuses to draw near. That is merely a thundercloud's silver lining, however- every creature, the leader beside, seems to preparing for a full-scale assault.

Given the quantity of the creatures airborne, if they charge with complete disregard for their lives, there could be heavy casualties. For the time being, you need to minimize how many can attack at once. "Hold steady men! Whatever you do, don't let them land in our midst!" With that you order the men to assume a tighter formation as they stare towards the skies.

The sky darkens as the first wave of enemies swoop down. The heavy thud of bodies against shields can be heard as your men do their best to block the beasts from landing. Wounds are taken on both sides. Much to your relief none of the enemy are able to land in the middle of the troop, only a few being able to dodge out of the men in the outside. As full-scale fighting begins at the edges of the troop, a second group swoops down.

>>5202920
You hold your sword and shield up. A griffon strikes against your shield, taking advantage of the speed from diving to nearly knock you off of your horse. Its momentum shot after unsuccessfully trying to open space for itself, you manage to slice through one of its legs as it flies upwards, forcing it to leave a leg behind. Roughly 10 feet to your right you can see Duke Elkstaff who has, much to your surprise, stopped a griffon from flying away by gripping his legs under his horse's stomach and holding onto the beast so it can't fly away. Moments later the griffon falls down, its chest sliced completely through.

Taking your attention away from him, you see that a griffon and a flying snake have landed in your midst. Unfortunately, you can't deal with them yourself- the enemy is swooping again, and the Court Mage is still a short ways off from capturing the enemy. All you can do for the moment is make sure they don't enter the center of your men.

With the third wave, your defenses begin to crumble. The attackers frenziedly charge towards your center, trying to free the restrained demon. You block one griffon with your shield as you slice at a thin, scaled creature with no clear method of flight. At least half a dozen of the enemy manage to land in the middle of your men at this point. The only saving grace, however, is that none have managed to free the enemy leader, who is now finally captured, covered from head to toe in greyish-green vines.

The enemy have suffered heavy casualties but show no signs of stopping their assault until there are none of them besides their leader left. As for your men, it seems like only a few casualties have been taken so far, but the current battle situation is only a couple more attacks away from devolving into a melee, at which point casualties would increase drastically. The only good thing is that the enemy has somewhat exhausted themselves, and that further charges will take longer to ready from here on out.
>Order an immediate retreat. You've weakened the enemy, and even have a prisoner of war, so to speak. The forest is only a ways away and it is time to leave.
>Order the court mage to immediately arrange the remaining mages and assault the remaining leader. Hopefully if both of them are dead or captured the monsters attacking you will be without leadership and fall apart.
>Kill the captured demon. With the possibility of retrieving its companion gone hopefully the remaining demon will give up on its suicidal assault, and you'll be able to easily retreat.
>Do your best to search for an appropriately injured griffon, ask for the Court Mage's assistance in partially restraining it, and strap it to several horses as you begin your retreat. This will certainly result in a slower retreat... but the prospect of being able to breed these animals in the future is worth it. Hopefully you're gone before they resume diving.
>Write-in

>>5202924
>o your best to search for an appropriately injured griffon, ask for the Court Mage's assistance in partially restraining it, and strap it to several horses as you begin your retreat. This will certainly result in a slower retreat... but the prospect of being able to breed these animals in the future is worth it. Hopefully you're gone before they resume diving.

>>5202924
>>Do your best to search for an appropriately injured griffon, ask for the Court Mage's assistance in partially restraining it, and strap it to several horses as you begin your retreat. This will certainly result in a slower retreat... but the prospect of being able to breed these animals in the future is worth it. Hopefully you're gone before they resume diving.

>>5202924
>Order the court mage to immediately arrange the remaining mages and assault the remaining leader. Hopefully if both of them are dead or captured the monsters attacking you will be without leadership and fall apart.
If we're gonna sacrifice men at least kill the demons, don't do it for a stupid wounded griffon. And we'll have time to get one if they're routed.

>>5202924
>>Kill the captured demon. With the possibility of retrieving its companion gone hopefully the remaining demon will give up on its suicidal assault, and you'll be able to easily retreat.

>>5202924
>>Kill the captured demon. With the possibility of retrieving its companion gone hopefully the remaining demon will give up on its suicidal assault, and you'll be able to easily retreat.

>>5203198
If possible I switch my vote to
>Kill the captured demon. With the possibility of retrieving its companion gone hopefully the remaining demon will give up on its suicidal assault, and you'll be able to easily retreat.
These men are important, they're not worth sacrificing to kill one more demon.

>>5202924
>>Kill the captured demon. With the possibility of retrieving its companion gone hopefully the remaining demon will give up on its suicidal assault, and you'll be able to easily retreat

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>>5203129
>>5203138
>>5203198
>>5203204
>>5203810
>>5204717
The retaliation has been more fierce than you expected, and the reason seems clear to you: the remaining demon commander wishes to rescue his ally. If the relationship between the demons and beasts are anything similar to, say, humans and horses or cows, then it makes sense that they would pay minimal attention to the cost, in animal lives, in conducting such an assault. If you want to stop this assault your only options seem to be to kill the other commander, slaughter the flying beasts in their entirety, or to remove their reason for attacking.

All things considered, you go for the safest option with what should be the lowest casualties. You'll kill the demon you captured and remove their reason for this overbearing attack. "Edrick." The Court Mage turns to you. "Kill the demon." He opens his mouth, presumably in protest, but you cut him off. "Now. And make sure the other one sees it." Only a moment of hesitation passes before he nods his head. "As you wish Your Highness."

As the Court Mage prepares to execute the demon, you order your men to begin retreating. During this time the next wave of attack approaches, but before then the Court Mage takes action. The demon's head and shoulders are now freed from the layer of vines surrounding it, and are visible to all. One of the vines surrounding the rest of its body moves, as if to free more of it, but after moving away from the body for a moment it sprouts a great many thorns and is joined by two other vines. Then, suddenly, it shoots forward alongside its companions into the demon's neck. A pained mix between growl and scream can be heard for only a moment, before the demon's ability to make such noises is abruptly cut off.

After this first attack comes a second, and then a third. The demon is decapitated, and very clearly dead. Your men have begun retreating, and the enemy has stopped launching further attacks from above. Now the remaining demon simply stares down from above, seemingly hesitant. Unwilling to give it time to make up its mind about whether to attack or fully retreat, you mount your horse and join the retreat, moving towards the forest a short ways away.

You're faced with little resistance along the way. After breaking through the few attackers remaining on the ground you make it into the tree line and escape the enemy pursuit. Tension among your men drops drastically as you make it deeper to the forest and begin the trek back to your camp east of Blue Ridge.

>>5206454
It's rather late in the day by the time you return to camp. Along the way you stopped for a bit to perform battlefield care on more major wounds, but there's still a great deal of medical care that needs to be done here. Besides that, the horses also need to be taken care of and stabled after such an exhausting day, and dinner needs to be prepared. Despite the battle being over, there is a great deal left for everyone. At least such chores are much less deadly than your previous excursion.

You take the lead and send men, supplies, and such where they're needed. The mood around the camp is hectic, and a bit solemn given the ferocity of the battle today, but it could certainly be worse. In the coming days it should lighten up a bit. Some of the more well-seasoned military men are already back to normal, having seen many of such ferocious battles, particularly around 10 or 15 years ago, when the fighting was at its peak.

By the time the sun begins setting dinner is ready, and several fires have been made. You're a bit hesitant to broadcast your location like so, but given that you're planning to move camp towards the south of the city tomorrow, it shouldn't do much harm. No, after such a day the least you can do is let the men have a hot meal. Now, it is time to make dinner plans.
>Join the men gathered around the largest fire in eating and talking.
>Retreat to your tent and think for a bit as you eat. You have memories you wish to mull over, and plans to be considered.
>Invite someone to eat with you. Perhaps some conversation is what you need. [Characters of interest in the camp include, but may not be limited to, Duke Graye, Duke Elkstaff, General Warton, and Edrick, the Court Mage.]
>Write-in

>>5206456
>>Join the men gathered around the largest fire in eating and talking.
lets see what they think

>>5206456
>Join the men gathered around the largest fire in eating and talking.

>>5206456
>>Retreat to your tent and think for a bit as you eat. You have memories you wish to mull over, and plans to be considered.

>>5206456
>>Invite someone to eat with you. Perhaps some conversation is what you need. [Characters of interest in the camp include, but may not be limited to, Duke Graye, Duke Elkstaff, General Warton, and Edrick, the Court Mage.]
I want our bro the court mage to come over.
We will discuss the great griffon taming strategical objective. Let's include in the conversation the amazing noble that came with us the first time

>>5206456
>>Join the men gathered around the largest fire in eating and talking.

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>>5206590
>>5206626
>>5206656
>>5209143
>>5210111
Now that everything has calmed down there's quite a bit you'd like to deal with. Discussing today's battle with your old mentor General Warton, perhaps, or going over your plan for the griffons and the research materials gathered today with the Court Mage. Or maybe just sorting out your own thoughts for a bit. But, more important than all that is the need to tend to the men after such a fierce battle. Many of those brought with you hold high standings, and hold a fear of death even greater than that of other men. ...Mainly the nobles, if you were to be honest. Building bonds and easing their fears a bit would be wise.

Food is already cooking around the largest collection of fires when you arrive. Men are chatting idly with each other as they ladle freshly-made stew in bowls. Given the hurry to reach Blue Ridge and the somewhat makeshift state of things, the tableware is both real and improvised. Some of the ingredients used in the meal are also gathered from the area. Mainly the meat, which was retrieved from demon beasts you encountered on the way back which, from previous experience, have proven themselves edible. As you approach, your own eating utensils in hand, the conversation dies down and a great many hurry to greet you as 'Your Highness'. You can scarcely remember a meal where the guests seemed so nervous, and struggle somewhat to respond normally as you ponder over how your new position makes tasks that would previously be little problem become rather awkward.

Fortunately for you, your presence does not put everyone on high alert- only around half of those present. Those you're familiar with such as the upper echelons of the nobility, those who work closely with you, and soldiers who have served under you several times before maintain a level head. Thanks to them the conversation carries on as you retrieve your food, albeit a little more subdued than before.

The mood takes a turn for the better after a bit, when someone inquires about whether there will be another attempt on the gates tomorrow. To that question, the answer is a very straightforward no. It should be some time before the ice is removed, and hopefully by then there should be a great many more allied troops present which will need to be taken into account wen considering the battle situation. That statement, it seems, is enough to relieve the mood. Both those who are shocked by their first battle and curious about the campaign ahead of them are rather relived knowing for certain that they will not be diving into battle again so soon. Alongside unfamiliar faces growing a tad more used to your presence, conversation picks up.

>>5212253
From then on, you talk about a great deal of things. Besides a few very light topics, the military situation, who will be arriving, plans for moving the camp tomorrow, and the squatters in the west are all mentioned. During these conversations you keep committal to any courses of action to a minimum, trying to make something clear- this is a meal, not a meeting on national or military policy. Despite that you do have a strike a few more thickheaded nobles' hopes of speaking to you about political inquiries down. Hopefully such refusals were enough for them to get the point .

Conversation dies out once more when the topic of Blue Ridge itself arises. The horrific sight of the city startled more than just you, and raises more than a few unpleasant thoughts and questions. What exactly happened to the vast majority of inhabitants who were unable to flee, how long it will take to restore Blue Ridge, and other such wonderings. Eager to move away from such dark topics, however, a soldier from the forward troop manages to attract a great many's attention. Such conversation isn't fit for those who spent the first half of the day fighting and who survived. No, what is needed is a story- a tale of past triumphs to raise spirits. This suggestion quickly gains traction, with the following issue only being what story should be told.

As the man says this, he addresses you. "Does His Highness have a preference? Or perhaps a story to share with the rest of us?" You stop eating and mull over the question for a moment, deciding on what would be best.
>Perhaps the triumph of Brynn over the Giant King would be best- it's always a stirring tale, no matter how many times it's narrated.
>The Torching of Northpoint might be appropriate- a reminder of how humans in the region have triumphed over previous outsiders.
>Maybe you should recall one of your closer brushes with death, from when The Deluge was in its earlier years. It's certainly relevant, if nothing else.
>You'll decline the choice. Whatever the rest of men choose is fine with you.

>>5212256
>>The Torching of Northpoint might be appropriate- a reminder of how humans in the region have triumphed over previous outsiders.

>>5212256
>>Perhaps the triumph of Brynn over the Giant King would be best- it's always a stirring tale, no matter how many times it's narrated.

>>5212256
>Perhaps the triumph of Brynn over the Giant King would be best- it's always a stirring tale, no matter how many times it's narrated.

>>5212256
>>The Torching of Northpoint might be appropriate- a reminder of how humans in the region have triumphed over previous outsiders.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5212278
>>5213029
>1
Torching of Northpoint
>>5212334
>>5212724
>2
Brynn defeating the Giant King

New thread will be up with what will likely be a large update alongside it in the next 24 hours.

>>5212278
>>5212334
>>5212724
>>5213029

>>5219331
>>5219331
>>5219331