>>5439476
>A Shut In: A round of bullying during middle school had left you emotionally scarred. If you’d had decent parents and teachers maybe they could have nurtured you to move past this and become a better person. But your parents didn’t know what the fuck they were doing and your teachers weren’t paid enough to give a shit. You became fearful of life, taking refuge in the escapist fantasies of anime and videogames, which only made you more emotionally stunted, which made you an even bigger target for bullying. Eventually you just refused to leave the house. You managed to make it to age 20 before dying from a combination of sleep depravation and malnutrition. (72 hour gaming marathons combined with only subsisting on junk food is a heck of a combo)
I wonder how long will take for this one to die like the others

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You floated in darkness without form, your own thoughts being the only evidence of your existence. Was this hell? Not an eternity of fire and torment but simple indefinite deprivation? Suddenly a light appeared, it was not a warm friendly light but a harsh cold light. Within the light you could see the silhouette of a man getting closer.

“Well, well if it isn’t another poor unfortunate soul victimized by outrageous fortune.”

You felt indignant at the man’s words but could not speak, you had no form and thus no voice. Strangely enough the man seemed to read your intent well enough.

“There’s no need for hostility unfortunate soul, we’re here to give you an opportunity, one you never had in your previous life.”

There were a whole lot of opportunities you’d never had, you thought. He’d have to be more specific. The man chuckled.

“Oh we are intimately familiar with the tragic absurdity of your existence. Tell us, wouldn’t you like to be reborn into another world? One where you could obtain all the things you yearned for in your previous life?”

Like in your animes? Hell yeah! Wait, what’s the catch? This is too good to be true. Real life-er-death isn’t like this, isekais are just fiction! The man’s face stretched into an impossibly broad grin that radiated malice.

“There is most definitely a catch, you see we have a bit of a cruel streak, things will not just fall into place for you like a regular isekai protagonist, if you fuck up, you will get fucked… and we will be there to laugh at you. If, however you skilfully navigate the new world and obtain all that you desire, well we congratulate you on a game well played.”

Great, some kind of bored trickster god. Also is he using the royal we or is he some kind of collective entity?

“The latter.”

GAH! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

The man laughed.

“It’s time to choose…”

What world will you be reborn into?

>Sci Fi Universe: A high tech world where humanity has spread out across the stars. The human federation is crumbling and aliens are at the gates. It is a time of great chaos and opportunity.
>High Fantasy Universe: A vibrant fantasy world full of clashing kingdoms and different races. Magic use is wide spread and most people can use basic spells.

>Low Fantasy Universe: A grim world of perilous adventure. Magic exists but can only be used by a select few and has many limitations. Monsters lurk in the dark corners of the world but the real monster is man.

>Science Fantasy Space Opera: One of those lazily written universes that has high levels of magic and technology so the author doesn’t have to explain shit. Despite being capable of building a post-scarcity economy with it’s bullshit magi-tech for some reason humanity is organised in a feudal structure with noble houses and their vassals swearing fealty in a chain leading up to the Emperor, who may or may not be space wizard and/or control some kind of macguffin.

>Cont

>>5439490
“Oh, and of course you will get a cheat power.”

Sweet! Hang on these don’t look all that useful.

>Big Dick: You’ll have a big dick, not big dick energy, just a big dick. Beyond satisfying size queens and intimidating the insecure it won’t be of much practical use.

>(Un)Lucky Pervert: Reality will bend itself to allow you to accidentally grope women and catch them in states of undress. While this was always titillating to watch in anime it sounds like a great way to get you into deep shit.

>The Demon Within: You have a raging uncontrollable power deep inside you that can be unleashed to devastate your surroundings. This power within demands to be let out and may surface at inconvenient times. While the destructive potential is great, this will almost certainly paint a target on your back.

Seriously these are bullshit! The only one that remotely sounds like a power comes with a massive drawback. Can’t I just get a magic smart phone or a washed-up goddess companion?

“If you do not choose I shall take the liberty of… choosing for you.”

Ugh, well better to pick your poison than be force fed it.

((Just wanna get the starting choices out the way. The vote for your previous life is still open. Gonna leave this overnight and begin our story based on the final tally sometime tomorrow.))

>>5439476
>A NEET: In better times you could have potentially become a normie. You made it through high school okay and went on to study a degree in liberal arts. This was your fatal mistake. You liked to think you had high minded philosophical reasons for going but really you were swayed by the high ratio of female to male students that course had. Unfortunately, almost all of the girls were some combination of ugly, angry, crazy or lesbian. You dropped out in disgust but not before being saddled with a crippling amount of debt. Condemned to an eternity in the part time gig economy, you met your end at the hands of truck-kun while valiantly trying to deliver a pizza to some chad’s house party.
>>5439490
>Low Fantasy Universe: A grim world of perilous adventure. Magic exists but can only be used by a select few and has many limitations. Monsters lurk in the dark corners of the world but the real monster is man.
>>5439491
>The Demon Within: You have a raging uncontrollable power deep inside you that can be unleashed to devastate your surroundings. This power within demands to be let out and may surface at inconvenient times. While the destructive potential is great, this will almost certainly paint a target on your back.

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>>5439476
> Salary Man
> Low Fantasy
> The Demon Within

>>5439508
+1
I am convinced by the image.

>>5439476
> NEET
> Space Opera
> (Un)Lucky Pervert
Let's make us as unprepared as possible

>>5439508
+1

>>5439573
+1

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>>5439508
>>5439476
Perpetually angry former wage-slave, lets go!

>>5439575
>>5439573
Nice samefagging, retard.

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>>5439576
What samefagging :^)

>>5439476
>Shut in
>High Fantasy
>Big Dick

At least we will come with a built in bludgeoning weapon

>>5439478
>High Fantasy Universe: A vibrant fantasy world full of clashing kingdoms and different races. Magic use is wide spread and most people can use basic spells.
>>5439491
>Big Dick: You’ll have a big dick, not big dick energy, just a big dick. Beyond satisfying size queens and intimidating the insecure it won’t be of much practical use.
>>5439478
Adding this to my the original vote

>>5439490
>Science Fantasy Space Opera
>A Salary Man
>The Demon Within

>>5439478
>>5439505
>>5439508
>>5439570
>>5439573
>>5439574
>>5439576
>>5439586
>>5439648
>>5439883

Okay, let's see what the final results are:

Salary Man: 5
Shut In: 2
NEET: 1

Sci -Fi: 0
High Fantasy: 2
Low Fantasy: 5
Space Opera: 1

Big Dick: 1
(Un)Lucky Pervert: 1
Demon Within: 5

Okay looks like we're going with:
Salary man reincarnated to a low fantasy world with a demon within.

>Writing...

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>>5439941
>Beginning character generation. The pillars of an isekai usually revolve around acquiring and enjoying power, carving out a comfy existence for yourself, and building a harem of waifus. You will have opportunity to do all three, but your previous life defines your primary focus.

You remember your old life. The humiliation of having to smile through gritted teeth while your boss politely asked you to do overtime knowing full well you couldn’t refuse. The fury you had to stifle when co-workers took credit for your hard work and rose above you. The shame you felt when you just couldn’t stand up for yourself for fear of using what little you had.

Some of your peers had dreamed of a better world, a more caring world where everyone looked after each other. A world of equals without hierarchy, where people were given what they needed regardless of what they were capable of contributing. Fuck. That. The years of abuse had left you bitter and resentful. You couldn’t just let it go; you were too broken to accept perfect world. You wanted, no needed to feel what it was like to be powerful instead of powerless, to be feared rather than fearful, to take rather than be taken from.

The low fantasy world resonated with you. The others were too bright or complicated for your tastes, with the fantastical elements being the main course rather than the seasoning that accentuated it. This world was a bit more down to earth, and dark like your ragged soul. It would do.

>Primary focus: Power and dominion

As for the cheat power: Demon Within was an obvious choice. So what if it was unpredictable, at least it made you dangerous and if you failed in this life you could go out in a blaze of glory rather than suffering the indignity of being another statistic.

The strange man smiled. “Interesting choices. I didn’t think you’d go for low fantasy. Most of you unfortunates tend to prefer a world with more conveniences. Oh well it’s your choice. Have fun…”

And so your new life began…

>Cont

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>>5439978
In the world you were born into the gods were dead. At some point in the distant past they had been killed, shattered, leaving the world to it’s own devices. There were still religions that venerated the old gods, but none that actually prayed to them, everyone knew not to expect an answer. Most of the world’s civilization was split between small nations and city states. Monster infested wilderness and the low level of technology made trade and communication slow, thus it was hard for large empires to form.
You were born Nero Falkner the first son of Duke Gerald Falkner, who ruled over a modest domain bordering the ash wastes. Despite the wastes being infested with dangerous monsters they never came too near your father’s keep. This granted the region a measure of stability which allowed it to prosper somewhat.

At the age of five your memories of your past life returned to you, filling you with the determination not to repeat your past mistakes. You wanted to make sure you grew up to be strong so you would never just have to sit there and tolerate abuse again. And you wanted physical prowess too, not that BS inner strength that merely allowed you to endure more suffering, no you wanted to be able to kick ass! In this world that meant…

>Throwing yourself into your martial training. If you started young and trained diligently you could probably place yourself in the top 10% of fighters of this world. Strength of arms was well respected in this world and taking this path would also greatly please your father.

>Cultivate your ability to use magic. Magic was rare in this world and required years of training to master. Naturally you had the talent and your father did have a mage in his court that could teach. You wouldn’t be skimping on your physical training either. Magic use required a strong constitution so that meant lots of cardio and core training in between the book learning. While hard to use magic could potentially grant you power greater than any mundane fighter. However magic users were treated with suspicion and while your father was smart enough to see the benefit of it he would frown upon your interest.

>>5439980
>Throwing yourself into your martial training. If you started young and trained diligently you could probably place yourself in the top 10% of fighters of this world. Strength of arms was well respected in this world and taking this path would also greatly please your father.
What is best in life?

>>5439993
+1
To crush your enemies.

>>5439993
>>5440006
+1
To see them driven before you.

>>5439980
>Cultivate your ability to use magic. Magic was rare in this world and required years of training to master. Naturally you had the talent and your father did have a mage in his court that could teach. You wouldn’t be skimping on your physical training either. Magic use required a strong constitution so that meant lots of cardio and core training in between the book learning. While hard to use magic could potentially grant you power greater than any mundane fighter. However magic users were treated with suspicion and while your father was smart enough to see the benefit of it he would frown upon your interest.
Gotta stack our deck

>>5439993
>>5440006
>>5440041
>>5440043

Calling it here, looks like a big lead for martial and I want to get the next choice up.

>Writing...

>>5439980
>Cultivate your ability to use magic. Magic was rare in this world and required years of training to master. Naturally you had the talent and your father did have a mage in his court that could teach. You wouldn’t be skimping on your physical training either. Magic use required a strong constitution so that meant lots of cardio and core training in between the book learning. While hard to use magic could potentially grant you power greater than any mundane fighter. However magic users were treated with suspicion and while your father was smart enough to see the benefit of it he would frown upon your interest.
too late but.

You already had the demon within cheat power so you figured you didn’t really need the power of magic. (Where was this cheat power by the way it hadn’t seemed to manifest yet) So you decided to hone yourself as a physical fighter.
Over the next few years you pushed yourself to master various forms of armed and unarmed combat. By age 14 you could even match some of your father’s professional men at arms in terms of technique even though your young body had not yet reached the peak of masculine physicality.

As you grow older you don’t just cultivate yourself, you form bonds with others in your life. The most prominent one being the one with your younger brother Tyrol. Two years your junior Tyrol is naturally greatly influenced by how you treat him. He is your kin so if nothing else he may end up being one of the few people you can trust, on the other hand he is next in the line of succession. If he has any serious aspirations to the position of duke he could be a potential threat further down the line. How do you treat him?

>Assert Dominance: Show your superiority to him in every aspect of life. You won’t outright bully him, but you will go hard on him during sparring, you will make sure to out do him in your lessons. Make it clear that you are better than him every way and that trying to usurp you will end badly.

>Just be Bros: Cultivate a “normal” relationship with him. Play together, engage in rivalries, play pranks on each other. You will do your best in your own endeavours but you will not actively try to crush your brother’s spirit.

>Take him under your wing: Look out for your little bro. When father punishes him, sneak him something to make him feel better. When he’s feeling down, comfort him. When he struggles in training, encourage him. Really emphasize that his big brother will look out for him.

>Cont

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>>5440088
On your sixteenth birthday you are sent into the ash wastes to prove yourself. You must successfully stalk and slay one of the monsters that dwell in the wastes and bring back a trophy as proof of your kill. The more dangerous the beast, the more prestige you would gain upon your return. After tracking a fire drake for several days, you come upon the beast menacing what looks to be a girl about your age.

Taking advantage of it’s distracted state you charge it with a spear, scoring a deep wound on it’s flank. It’s tail swings around and swats you aside. You manage to turn the tumble into a roll and quickly get back to your feet. The drake is already dead, you are sure you pierced it’s vitals, but drakes are hardy creatures and it will not succumb to it’s wounds immediately. What follows is a tense game of you avoiding the drake’s death throes while taking attacks of opportunity where you could. Eventually the beast keels over. You stride up to it and plunge your sword into it’s neck just to be sure.

It is a respectable kill, perhaps even a glorious one. You are about to begin taking a trophy when you notice the girl is still there, fixated on you, her wide red eyes trembling in fear and perhaps a touch of hope? She looks strange, clad in only a loose sack cloth with grey skin, red eyes and long unkempt black hair. She gingerly backs away as you turn towards her.

“Easy now I’m not going to hurt you…” you put your weapons down and approach her arms outstretched. Just as it looks like she might actually let you touch her she lets out a startled yelp and lunges at you fangs bared in a desperate attempt to bit you’re arm. Wait, fangs!? Her canines were definitely more prominent than an average human’s just what was she?

Your close quarters training kicks in and you easily subdue her and pin her to the ground. She’s stronger than you expected of a girl, but still no match for you. You feel she didn’t mean you any harm and was just really skittish. In that moment you decide you will take her home, because…

>You can see that beneath the sackcloth she has a comely figure. If you play your cards right she could be the first of your harem.

>You can’t just leave her here all alone in the wastes. Tough as she is, she clearly won’t survive. You’ll take her home, feed her, clean her up and when she’s ready ask her what she wants to do next.

>Surely she must feel some gratitude towards you. You could turn her into a potential asset, with that natural strength she could be trained up into a loyal right hand woman.

(Girl looks like pic related, except not furry and no black scelera with burning eyes.)

((K Gotta head out to run some errands will tally votes and write the next update this evening.))

>>5440088
>Take him under your wing: Look out for your little bro. When father punishes him, sneak him something to make him feel better. When he’s feeling down, comfort him. When he struggles in training, encourage him. Really emphasize that his big brother will look out for him.

>You can’t just leave her here all alone in the wastes. Tough as she is, she clearly won’t survive. You’ll take her home, feed her, clean her up and when she’s ready ask her what she wants to do next.
and more selfishly
>You can see that beneath the sackcloth she has a comely figure. If you play your cards right she could be the first of your harem.

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>>5440088
>(Write-in) Esoteric Shenanigans & Brotherly Roughhousing
[Pic_Related]

> Surely she must feel some gratitude towards you. You could turn her into a potential asset, with that natural strength she could be trained up into a loyal right hand woman.

>>5440104
+1
Who needs a harem when you're busy subjugating the world. We need loyal companions instead.

>>5440088
>Just be Bros: Cultivate a “normal” relationship with him. Play together, engage in rivalries, play pranks on each other. You will do your best in your own endeavours but you will not actively try to crush your brother’s spirit.
>>5440093
>You can see that beneath the sackcloth she has a comely figure. If you play your cards right she could be the first of your harem.

>>5440100
>>5440104
>>5440134
>>5440154

Okay... I'm back let's tally the votes:

Take Him Under Your Wing: 1
Just be Bros: 1
Some weird write in that looks like another way of saying "Just be Bros": 2

You can't just leave her...: 1
Add to harem: 1
Turn into asset: 2

While I will take multiple votes into consideration when putting a spin on the winning vote I will only count 1 for the purposes of deciding the winner.

Looks like we're just gonna be bros with our bro and forge the girl into our loyal servant.

I'm a bit of a capricious QM so if votes get tied I'm not gonna roll dice, I'm gonna choose something myself. So make sure you're decisive anons.

Alright, hold on to your butts. this is gonna be a huge update that wraps up the "prologue".

>Writing...

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You hold the girl until she calms down and stops struggling. It seems she realised that if you had wanted to hurt her, you would have already done so. You take the drake’s pelt and head before heading back to the keep. The girl seems reluctant to go, constantly looking back towards the flayed carcass. A loud growl comes from her stomach. Of course…

You slice a hunk of meat from the dead drake and give it to the mysterious girl, she starts devouring it raw. Some how you expected that. From then on, she seems more complaint, no longer hesitant to be led by you. That changes when you enter Falkner lands proper. The girl suddenly stops, staring at the distant keep with fear in her eyes. No matter how much you encourage her she won’t get any closer.

“Come on what’s wrong?”

The girl can barely speak the common tongue, but from her broken sentences and wild gestures she manages to communicate that there’s something about the keep that repels her and that she will go no further. You decide to leave her in an abandoned cottage on the border with the ash wastes. You promise her you will return to see her every so often. You guess it’s for the best, her strange appearance would only cause problems back at the keep.

After bringing back the fire drake trophies your standing in your father’s household grows even greater. You decide to maintain a… normal-ish relationship with your brother. You don’t try to assert dominance or ingratiate yourself with him, but you do make time to engage in brotherly bonding. Between the two of you, you come up with some very strange games and in jokes.

Tyrol receives a similar education to you and while he is competent, he lacks your drive. Without the painful memories of a past life to motivate him he doesn’t push himself as hard as you do. Although given your focus on your martial training he does end up with a better grasp of rulership and administration than you.

As for the girl you make time to visit her in the abandoned cottage periodically. During your visits you bring her food and teach her more of the common tongue. A she becomes more proficient you learn that her name is Althea and that she was an orphan that was enslaved by a nomadic tribe that lived on the other side of the wastes. Having never known her parents not even she could explain why she was different from other humans.

>Cont

>>5440378
Eventually you started going on “hunting expeditions” as an excuse to get away from the keep and spend time with Althea. The expeditions were not entirely a lie, both you and Althea went into the ash wastes together and brought down prey. You would take trophies and Althea would take the meat, reducing the amount of food you had to smuggle out of the keep to feed her. As you did this Althea’s ability as a tracker and pathfinder grew. Her keen senses and natural resilience made her ideal for this task. You also passed on your martial training to her, honing her skills in combat, though you made sure you didn’t quite teach her everything. You wanted her strong enough to defeat your enemies, but never you.

Althea for her part seemed to appreciate the sense of purpose the training gave her. You never confined her. She could have fled into the ash wastes at any time, indeed as she grew more proficient she even went on hunting trips by herself, but always she returned to Falkner lands. Always she returned to you. And yet no matter how much trust you built with her, you could never get her to come closer to the keep. There was something there that terrified her. She couldn’t understand it herself but she said that past a certain point her body refused to obey her when she willed it to move closer.

It would seem that as a personal agent you wouldn’t be able to deploy Althea within your realm, a shame.

>Cont

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>>5440380
It was around your 21st year when they came, a massive warhost marched out of the ash wastes. Burly men a full head taller than the duke’s most imposing guards marched behind a dark armour clad figure. This made no sense, how could anyone survive in the ash wastes let alone a kingdom that could produce such an army? There was no time to ponder this question though. Your father mustered the army of Falkner and rode out to meet this host.

It was obvious that these interlopers did not have good intentions but they had done nothing yet and so your father sent an envoy ahead to parley. The envoy sternly demanded to know what business the armour-clad figure had in Falkner’s lands, he responded by slicing the envoy’s head clean off. He was un-naturally quick and as the envoy’s head tumbled to the ground he wandered how the armoured figure managed to draw his sword and close the distance before he even had time to react. Then his world went dark.

Things only got worse from there, the warhost invaded Falkner lands, looting and pillaging the villages around the border. The duke’s army fought valiantly but they were slowly pushed back to the family keep. Now the duke’s army was one of the most formidable in the region. Indeed Gerald Falkner had vassals that paid him tribute to shield them from the threats of the ash wastes. That these marauders were beating them had terrifying implications.

Eventually they breached the keep. The duke’s household guard fought valiantly, taking a heavy toll on the invaders, but every time it looked like the marauders might be pushed back the armoured warlord appeared and smashed through the lines. Now you, your brother and the duke faced him in the ruins of your family’s great hall.

>Cont

>>5440381
“Who are you!? Why do you come to my lands and bring ruin to my household? What quarrel do you have with the house of Falkner!?” said your father.

The warlord said nothing, merely fixing duke Gerald with an amused stare.

“ANSWER ME!” roared your father, as he charged at the warlord with his great sword.

The two clashed, you and Tyrol leapt to your father’s side hoping to aid him, but the flurry of blows between the two combatants was so intense you could not find an opening. Eventually your father managed to smash the pommel of his weapon into the warlord’s helm sending him stumbling backwards. With a roar Gerald followed up with a two-handed blow that was sure to cleave even this mighty warrior in half. The warlord caught the blade in his hand, the edge biting into his gauntlet and drawing a trickle of blood. Gerald’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Impossible…h-how!?”

Having immobilized the duke’s sword with a single hand there was nothing to stop the warlord from thrusting his own blade into Gerald’s neck.

“Father NO!” screamed Tyrol.

You understood his grief but the battle still wasn’t over yet.

“Tyrol now!” you shouted.

Seeing an opening you lunged forward stabbing your own blade into the warlord’s vulnerable armpit. The blade bit deep, drawing blood and you were sure you had him. But the warlord didn’t go down. Completely ignoring what must have been excruciating pain he clamped his arm around your blade and spun on his heel, throwing you off balance. The warlord followed up with an upward slash that cut into your own vulnerable armpit slicing your arm clean off. You might survived that but the warlord used the momentum of his weapon to come round into a downward stroke that sank into your collar, tearing into your torso. With a contemptuous grunt the warlord kicked your corpse off of his blade and sent you tumbling backwards. Your world was starting to go black, was this really the end of your adventure? It felt like it was too soon.

>The End?

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>>5440382
Time froze.

“Hello again unfortunate soul, or should I say Duke Nero?”

Ugh, this guy again.

The Stranger (you had decided to call him that in your mind) appeared before you again. Slowly he paced around the room, stopping to examine the still form of the warlord turning towards your terrified brother.

“Looks like you just got fucked. I did say that was a real possibility, didn’t I?”

Oh come on! This entire chain of events screams boss-fight-you’re-supposed-to-lose. It can’t end now, you’ve barely even made any meaningful choices yet.

“I can see you’re quite genre savvy Nero. Yes this is indeed scripted. Don’t worry I’m not going to allow you to die so early on. I haven’t even given you your cheat power yet.”

You were wondering about that. So far you’ve never felt any hidden power within you beyond your own churning angst.

The Stranger gestured with his hand and the floor of the great hall tore open. From the hole rose what looked like a chunk of scaled flesh, except depending on how the light caught it the flesh behind the scales alternated between looking like dripping meat and shining rubies.

“This is a shard of one of the dead gods, buried and forgotten beneath this keep. Did you ever wonder why the monsters of the ash wastes never ventured too deep into your father’s lands. It’s because of this. They could feel it’s aura and deep down they recognise the presence of the god that once ruled them.”

The Stranger thrust the flesh shard into your dying body. Immediately you felt as if every nerve was on fire, even as everything else remained frozen you spasmed in pain as your blood boiled and your wounds reknit themselves, you even regrew your arm.

“I must warn you that having this guy inside you might knock a few screws loose. Don’t worry you’ll still be you, but you might start hearing a few… other voices too.”

>Lol just kidding, wait warmly for a sec kay?

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>>5440384
Base Salary Man Skills:

>Monke: 3
>Hackerman: 4
>Hero: 1
>(Muh)Autism: 2
>Diplomancer: 4
>Edge: 4
>Stonks: 5

>Modifiers:
> +1 Edge for choosing Demon Within.
> +1 Edge, -1 Diplomancer for Choosing Martial focus.
> +1 Hackerman for choosing to make Althea an asset.

Current Skills:
>Monke: 3
>Hackerman: 5
>Hero: 1
>(Muh)Autism: 2
>Diplomancer: 3
>Edge: 6
>Stonks: 5

>Because you chose a normal relationship with your brother, you nominally have his respect and support, but if he becomes convinced you are unfit to rule house Falkner, he will turn against you.
>Althea is very grateful to you for rescuing her and giving her purpose. With no where else to go she will serve you loyally, but this loyalty is not unshakable.

>Wait for iiiit.

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>>5440394
[The Dragon]: Rage! FUCKING RAGE! KILL MAIM BURN! RIP-AND-TEAAAAAAAR!

=================

Tyrol Falkner was sure it was the end for him. Even though the warlord had been injured by his fallen family Tyrol doubted he could finish the job. To his shame the shock of seeing both his father and brother cut down had petrified him. He screamed at his arms to raise his blade for one last desperate strike but his body wouldn’t obey.

Just then a column of magma erupted from where his brother had fallen. From it stepped a towering daemonic figure wreathed in flame. For the first time the warlord seemed uncertain, scared even. Turning towards the daemon he raised his blade and prepared to do battle. The monster looked down at him for a second before rushing forwards and ripping off the warlord’s arms.

With a blood curdling roar the daemon spewed a stream of fire onto the warlord. The armoured figure actually managed to stay upright for a few seconds before falling to his knees and toppling over. Armour melted into slag and flesh turned to ash. By the time the daemon ceased it’s attack nothing remained of the warlord but a charred smear on the keep’s floor.

With a growl the daemon turned away and left the great hall. It was then that Tyrol recovered enough of his wits to move again. Hearing screams coming from outside he crept up to the hall’s entrance and peered outside.

What greeted him was a scene of absolute carnage. The daemon set about the battlefield slaying marauder and guard alike. Its claws tore bodies to ribbons and its breath charred flesh, melted armour and even cracked stone. Some kind of morbid curiosity compelled Tyrol to continue watching. Slowly he followed the monster as it slaughtered all in its path, it fought its way out of the keep, routing the marauding war host in the process. It rampaged through the villages outside the keep, razing anything that hadn’t already been destroyed by the invaders.

Eventually it’s path took into the ash wastes where Tyrol dared not follow. As the aura of fear that had paralysed him receded Tyrol doubled over and vomited.

>Oh we're not done yet.

>>5440398
“Nero, are you awake? Please wake up!”

[Monke]: I feel something warm and plush against the back of our head, oh man I really hope it’s what I think it is.

What the fuck?

[(Muh)Autism]: Based on this texture and the springiness I think that it indeed might be a woman’s thighs, and not just any woman. There’s a firmness here that suggests good muscle tone meaning it’s likely…

Your eyes snap open and you look up to find Althea cradling your head in her lap. Her red eyes look down at you with concern. You can’t help but feel soothed by the way her hair frames her cute face.

[Monke]: WOOO! UNGA BUNGA OOK OOK!

Who the fuck are these guys?

“Nero, I’m so glad you’re ok.”

Althea helps you sit up. It’s then that you find out you’re stark naked. If Althea feels any embarrassment, she doesn’t show it.

[Monke]: Dude! Why didn’t you ask the isekai guy for a big dick? If you did, we could give it to her right now.

[Edge]: If we’d done that then we wouldn’t have survived our fight with the warlord you dingus! Personally, I’m glad we choose this power. I really like this Dragon guy’s style.

Oh no…

[Stonks]: Well based on what the stranger previously said I’m sure he would have contrived events to play out in a way that ensured our survival. He did say it was a scripted event.

Gods damn it, the Stranger had gone and ripped off that game. This was going to be annoying.

[You]: Ok, all of you shut the fuck up! I need to assess our situation.

[Stonks]: I can help you with…

[You]: Dafuq did I just say!?

“What happened?” you groaned as you got to your feet.

Althea hands you a cloak to preserve your modesty.

“I saw the Dragon striding from the ruined keep and walking out into the wastes. Eventually he collapsed and his light faded. When I went over to the spot I found you.”

“You know about the Dragon?” the Stranger had told you about it but what did Althea know?

“I guess I do. No one ever taught me about him, but when I saw him I just knew what he was.”

Looking back towards Falkner lands you could see the keep in the distance, smoke still rising from it.

“I need to return home Althea. I guess you could wait for me in the usual spot if it’s still standing.”

“No need. I no longer fear to tread near the keep. I no longer feel the Dragon’s presence there.”

If that was the case shouldn’t she be terrified of you right now?

“Do you feel his presence at all right now?”

“No, should I?”

Curious…

“Nevermind, let’s get back home.”

>Just a little more...

>>5440401
As you enter the keep you see Tyrol in the court yard. Directing the remaining house guard. The place is in ruins and the survivors of the battle are few. House Falkner has suffered a devastating loss this day. Upon seeing you Tyrol’s eyes go wide. He rushes over to you and grips your shoulders, barely believing his eyes.

“Nero! But how? I saw you die in the great hall, how did you get here? Who is that?”

He eyes Althea suspiciously. Since she gave her travelling cloak to you she has nothing to hide her strange appearance. Several guards walk up behind Tyrol casting suspicious looks here way.

“Oh, this is Althea, she is….”

>[Monke]: My new concubine! Aww yeah, ook ook!

>[Hero]: You should take responsibility. Say she’s your fiancé.

>[Diplomancer]: Tell them she’s a traveller that found you out in the ash wastes, it’s not a complete lie.

>[Edge]: an honoured guest of house Falkner who has my trust and my protection.

((K Prologue is over and now the real fun starts. I ma go to bed soon and leave the vote open over night. Hope you guys are enjoying things so far.))

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>>5440398
Lol.
Lmao even.

>>5440414
> [Autism] "A girl. Also, a wolf. Also, a trusted ally."

Well that sure escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out hand fast.

>>5440414
>no option to just tell the actual truth about Altheas origin
Sad. Guess I'll put my vote down for
>[Edge]: an honoured guest of house Falkner who has my trust and my protection.
Hopefully we can tell the truth to our bro later, but all the Guards need to know is that we have trust in her and that should be good enough for them.

>>5440414
> [Autism] "A girl. Also, a wolf. Also, a trusted ally."

>>5440414
> [Autism] "A girl. Also, a wolf. Also, a trusted ally."
>[Edge]: an honoured guest of house Falkner who has my trust and my protection.

>>5440414
>>[Diplomancer]: Tell them she’s a traveller that found you out in the ash wastes, it’s not a complete lie.

>>5440414
> [Autism] "A girl. Also, a wolf. Also, a trusted ally."

Sorta disco elysium system

>>5440414
>[Hero]: You should take responsibility. Say she’s your fiancé.

>>5440428
>>5440430
>>5440493
>>5440800
>>5440861
>>5441010
>>5441060

*Yawn* Okay I'm awake now let's see what the gestalt hive mind has decided.

Autism: 4
Edge: 1
Diplomancer: 1
Hero: 1

I must say anons you continue to defy my expectations.

I expected you to choose magic over martial, yet you didn't.

I expected you to fight over how to treat Althea but that vote passed without incident.

And now when you finally insist on something, you insist on being autistic... *slow claps*

Well then...

>Writing...

“Oh, this is Althea, she is a girl, possibly a wolf, I’m not sure. My theory is based purely off of her prominent canines, grey skin and fondness for raw meat.”

Tyrol and the guards just stare at you incredulously. Althea herself is starting to feel incredibly self conscious.

[You]: Dude what the fuck?

[(Muh)Autism]: What? Just thinking out loud.

[You]: But did you actually have to think out loud!?

[Edge]: Let me handle this…

“She is also a trusted ally. You will treat her as a guest of house Falkner. Understand?”

The guards stiffen and nod their heads in affirmation before returning to their tasks. Tyrol shifts his attention back to you.

“As you say brother. Come we have much to discuss.”

“Indeed…”

>cont

>>5441181
You sit in one of the undamaged dining rooms within the keep. Properly dressed and with Althea standing by your side you are starting to look the part of powerful ruler. Too bad your domain is in shambles.

Across the table from you sits Tyrol and your mother: Duchess Elodie Kireon-Falkner. She was originally of house Kireon, one of Falkner’s vassal states further east. It was a political marriage which was fairly typical, what was a-typical was that Gerald had taken no concubines or second wives. In this world the mortality rate was high so many rulers tried to sire many heirs to hedge their bets. Of course some of them were probably horndogs too. Gerald on the other hand felt that too many heirs raised the risk of infighting. He had famously declared:

“My sons are strong, they will survive to succeed me and if they don’t, I would rather house Falkner end with them rather than be torn apart by infighting bastards.”

Sadly that was a very real possibility given the state the realm was in but first…

“Brother. I am glad to see you are alive and well but I think you have some explaining to do. I saw you die in the great hall, yet the very next day you come walking out of the ash wastes stark naked with this strange woman at your side.”

[Monke]: She followed me home, so I kept her.

[Edge]: We’re really gonna have to make it clear to these guys not to fuck with our girl.

[Diplomancer]: That won’t work in the long run, simply shutting down all questions about her will only erode our legitimacy. We need a convincing cover story that will restore the people’s trust.

[Hero]: We could just tell them the truth…

[Stonks]: That could back fire. Telling everyone we survived because we contain the shard of a dead god within in us, oh and by the way we also were secretly training our own wolf girl…

[(Muh)Autism]: We don’t actually know what she is yet…

[Stonks]: Whatever, point is, this all looks really sus.
>What should you tell your brother and mother?

>[Hero]: Tell them the truth. Obviously not the bit about being an isekai protag I’m not THAT naive. But tell the truth about how you found Althea and how you were resurrected by the shard of the Dragon. (Hero Check: DC 10)

>[Diplomancer]: Tell them a half truth, one that’s easier to swallow. Tell them that you remember dying in the great hall, but the next thing you knew you woke up naked in the ash wastes. Althea is traveller from a far away land that found you and helped you get back to the keep. (Diplomancer Check: DC 6)

>[Edge]: Tell them they need to get way of your back about this. You’re alive and Althea can be trusted. That’s all they need to know. (Edge Check: DC 18)

((Wat do? BTW yes I am ripping off Disco Elysium. So roll 2D6 with your vote. I’ll take the results of the first roll for the winning vote. Double 1s are auto fail, double 6s are auto pass.))

Rolled 6, 3 = 9 (2d6)

>>5441183
>[Hero]: Tell them the truth. Obviously not the bit about being an isekai protag I’m not THAT naive. But tell the truth about how you found Althea and how you were resurrected by the shard of the Dragon.

>>5440401
>Gods damn it, the Stranger had gone and ripped off that game. This was going to be annoying.
which game is it ?
>>5441183
>[Diplomancer]: Tell them a half truth, one that’s easier to swallow. Tell them that you remember dying in the great hall, but the next thing you knew you woke up naked in the ash wastes. Althea is traveller from a far away land that found you and helped you get back to the keep. (Diplomancer Check: DC 6)
Since it's the 1st roll that counts, time to try another one.

Rolled 2, 5 = 7 (2d6)

>>5441231
forgot the dice

Rolled 3, 6 = 9 (2d6)

>>5441183
>>[Hero]: Tell them the truth. Obviously not the bit about being an isekai protag I’m not THAT naive. But tell the truth about how you found Althea and how you were resurrected by the shard of the Dragon. (Hero Check: DC 10)

Rolled 6, 2 = 8 (2d6)

>>5441183
I don't like the take the first roll of the winning vote system since we already failed the hero roll and passed the diplomacer roll i have no reason to vote hero. their is a reason most use best of 3.

>[Diplomancer]: Tell them a half truth, one that’s easier to swallow. Tell them that you remember dying in the great hall, but the next thing you knew you woke up naked in the ash wastes. Althea is traveller from a far away land that found you and helped you get back to the keep. (Diplomancer Check: DC 6)

File: RessurectionOfJesus.jpg (4.72 MB, 4086x4977)

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> [Hackerman] Maybe we can spin this in our favor. From our brother's perspective, we just pulled some seventh-day tomfoolery straight from the good book. So why not claim a direct line to divinity, or at least divine favor? Trust me guys, the tax-rideoffs we could net by founding a [CULT] are next-level. Just pass me a little knowledge about local deities and religions and I'll cook up a creative reinterpretation of today's events.

>>5441251
Your hero stat is at 1 so you get +1 to the roll which means the hero roll has actually passed. I generally don't like multi-roll systems because I need to wait for more votes to come in. I have specific windows of free time to write posts so I can't always wait.

However I see your point, so from now on I will use a best of 3 max system. If the winning vote only has 2 I'll take the best of those, but remember: auto fails/successes override all other results.

Auto-fails and auto-successes cancel each other out.

If by some bizarre fluke there's only two votes on the winning choice which are both an auto-fail and auto-success....I'll decide what happens on a whim. I am a capricious QM after all >:)

>>5441256
Roll dice, if the anons support this I will take it into account. I will not be telling you the DC at this time. >:)

Rolled 1, 5 = 6 (2d6)

>>5441256
[Hackerman]: Come on baby, daddy needs a new apostle.

>>5441233
Supportin' OG roll won.

So, if i get it... Those >>5440394 are our 2d6 bonus? Like we roll edge at 2d6+6? So the only winning edge check is Double-six?

>>5441346
>our 2d6 bonus? Like we roll edge at 2d6+6? So the only winning edge check is Double-six?

Yup although in hindsight 18 was way too high. Should have put it at 14. Don't judge me my [Stonks] isn't so good.

>>5441183
>[Hero]: Tell them the truth. Obviously not the bit about being an isekai protag I’m not THAT naive. But tell the truth about how you found Althea and how you were resurrected by the shard of the Dragon. (Hero Check: DC 10)
Set the record straight. better do it now than having to do it after we've done something under the Dragon's Influence.

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>>5441204
>>5441231
>>5441232
>>5441233
>>5441251
>>5441256
>>5441258
>>5441346
>>5441355
Okay let's get this done.

Whole Truth: 4
Half Truth: 1
Found Cult: 1

Looks like we're telling them the truth and it's a success so they'll take it well.

While you're waiting for the update enjoy this sketch I drew of Althea. I really like the hellhound monstergirl look but since you guys chose low fantasy I didn't want there to be any intelligent races that looked too far from human.

Having to use regular hellhound pics frustrated me because even though I explicitly stated she didn't have the kemomimi/furry bits I didn't want that image getting stuck in people's heads, so I drew my own.

Not quite happy with how it turned out but glad I did it. Maybe I'll tweak, ink or shade it later.

Anyhow
>Writing...

>>5441425
Excellent :)

>>5441425
I think it looks great, don't worry about it.

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With a sigh you tell your family the truth about the Dragon and the events of the previous night. You then went on to tell them how you encountered Althea on your first hunt and how you trained her while she lived on the edge of Falkner lands. When you finish your brother pinches his nose and sighs.

“Where you anyone else and had I not witnessed what I did last night I would assume you were a madman and have you thrown out. But I believe you. Now that I think about it this Dragon shard explains a lot about how our family managed to safely guard against the threats of the ash wastes for generations.”

Tyrol leans forward and looks pensive.

“I respect that you trust us enough to tell the truth brother but we cannot overlook what a massive danger this Dragon is to us.”

“If it weren’t for the Dragon’s power, we’d all be dead-“

“We got lucky! I saw what that thing was capable of. It did not discriminate in it’s destruction. In fact, I’d say it did more damage to the keep than the invaders did. Yes we survived in the end, but only because there were more marauders around to state the Dragon’s wrath than our own troops. Brother I need to know that you can control this creature.”

You feel annoyed by his scolding but his concerns are legitimate.

“I don’t know how this all works. I remember nothing from last night but I swear to you I will find a way to control the Dragon or at least keep it sealed within me.”

Your brother stares you down for a few seconds before relenting.

“I believe you. Gods help me, but against all rational judgement I believe you. I sorely hope my faith is not misplaced.”

>Cont

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>>5441477
“There’s still the matter of this woman you’ve brought home Nero.”

Your mother who had been silent up until now finally speaks.

“I must say I am glad to see you have had a female companion all this time. All those years without any youthful indiscretion, spending all your time hunting and training. I was beginning to think you preferred men.”

Althea was starting to look very embarrassed right about now.

“Given that you have cared for her all this time and she has never betrayed you, your word is enough to convince me that she’s trustworthy.”

You sigh in relief.

“At least it would be if she were human, but she’s clearly not human. Her strange appearance, her unnatural strength and most damning of all the fact that she was repelled by the same shard that kept the wastes monsters at bay. How do I know that your dear Althea is not another Dragon waiting to awaken and wreak havoc?”

Althea looked down at the floor, crestfallen at your mother’s accusations.

“Mother I swear to you just as I swear to Tyrol that Althea is no threat to the house of Falkner. In fact she is an indispensable asset and I must have her at my side.”

Your mother gave an exasperated smile.

“Oh Nero my son. If we were in any less dire circumstances I would deem the both of you too great of a risk, but the house stands on the verge of destruction, soon all manner of enemies will be at our gates looking to take advantage of our weakness. If anyone can guide house Falkner through this storm it’s you.”

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>>5441479
The next few days are a sombre affair. You mourn the dead. Your father’s funeral pyre blazes at the head of scores of others, each one a valiant warrior who had given their life in defence of house Falkner. You try not to think about how many had fallen by your hand.

Tyrol and your mother agreed that the truth of what happened would have to be kept secret from the commoners. The guards that saw Althea bring you in from the wastes were sworn to secrecy. The official story became that the carnage of battle had awakened the Dragon and in it’s rage it had rampaged through the invading army and wandered off into the ash wastes. You had simply been lucky enough to evade it’s notice.

After the worst of the damage was repaired and some sense of normalcy returned to the keep your coronation was held. As Duchess Falkner your mother recognised your claim to the title of Duke and formally handed you rulership of house Falkner. Tyrol, Althea and the other (surviving) senior members of the Falkner court knelt before you and swore fealty to their new duke.

You couldn’t help but smile slightly as you looed at Althea, now officially sworn in as a member of your personal guard.

[Monke]: So cute! I wanna praise her and give her plenty of headpats!

[Hackerman]: We did well with this one. It’s like we’ve got our own personal wolf girl.

Your own personal wolf girl… now there’s a thought.
>THOT unlocked.
Huh?

[(Muh)Autism]: We’re still not 100% sure that her abnormalities are due to any canid heritage.

[Monke]: Don’t ruin the moment. Aw now I really wish she had a fluffy tail we could touch. Wait… since she doesn’t have a tail all that’s left to touch is her ass… aww man we gotta use our ducal privileges to grab a handful of dat ass one of these days.

[Hero]: T-that’s harassment! We should start by holding hands.

[Edge]: Shut the fuck up you moral-fag, nobody likes you, just cus you got us to do a thing one time doesn’t make you relevant. We’re gonna rule this house and fuck anyone who gets in our way!

>Hole up a minute...

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>>5441481
>THOT Cabinet Unlocked!

>As you play through the quest you might unlock THOTs to research. THOTs are abilities or modifiers that are tied to one of your waifus. While researching a THOT it’s research effects will apply. Once fully researched you will lose the research effect and gain the completion bonus. What kind of bonuses will you get for researching THOTs? Try it and find out!

>How much time a THOT takes to research is decided by the QM. Since the amount of time that passes in game is not consistent with each update once the QM feels a sufficient amount of time has passed they will declare the research complete.

>You can only research one THOT at a time. You are under no obligation to research THOTs at all if you don’t think they’ll be worth it.

>Ok back to the quest

>>5441482
This situation is really starting to look like one of your vidya games. Gaining a cheat power and starter “hero” after sitting through a long ass prologue which ends with you being put in charge of a fiefdom that’s been busted down to square one. You wouldn’t be surprised if the Stranger foisted a research tree on you or something.

Anyway, now was the time to get shit done. Since you recently took the throne your first order of business was to call a meeting with your vassals and renew the terms of their service to you.

[Stonks]: This is gonna suck. Our army is decimated and our keep lost it’s monster repelling aura. We’ll be bargaining from a position of weakness. Our vassals might withdraw their support entirely, maybe even try to turn the tables on us.

[Edge]: If they do we’ll just kick their assess. The heads of vassal houses are a bunch of pussies. If they don’t bend the knee we’ll just bitch slap them back in line.

[Hackerman]: Us and what army? Yeah our boy Nero can defeat any of the other dukes in single combat, but they could just sic their own armies on us or just shoot us with a crossbow or something… we really should have chosen to learn magic.

[(Muh)Autism]: What about the invading army that started all of this? We have no idea where they came from. The food production of the average kingdom in this world would not have been able to support soldiers of that size. And these people came out of the ash wastes where there’s supposed to be no arable land. Plus did you see their leader in action? It was like he had cheat powers of his own.

He made good point. Before you left for the meeting it would be wise to try and figure out who attacked you.

>Send Althea out into the ash wastes to track the origin of the invaders.

>Keep Althea by your side for the meeting and send your regular scouts out into the wastes to track the invaders.

((Sorry for the small decision, but it’s late and I need to sleep.))

>BTW also vote on whether or not you’d like to start researching the THOT.

>>5441494
>Keep Althea by your side for the meeting and send your regular scouts out into the wastes to track the invaders.

>start research

>>5441494
>Send Althea out into the ash wastes to track the origin of the invaders.
>Start research
And get Diplomancer to help Hackerman, he should know about what makes people look proper and presentable

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>>5441494
> Send Althea out into the ash wastes to track the origin of the invaders.
> (Write-in) [Hackerman] Advise her against confronting any potential threats if she discovers them and to remove indicators that she's affiliated with our Dukedom.
> (Write-in) [Stonks] Specify that these measures are intended to preserve the element of surprise for a theoretical retaliatory strikes. Emphasize the importance of accumulating as many advantages as possible, but clarify that - as an asset - her life is currently outweighs the value of any singular piece of intel she might uncover on this mission, so she should avoid needless risk.
She's most suited for this mission, and having her at the meeting may cause problems.

> Begin research into Althea
Probably a savvy decision to not carry over DE phrasiology regarding thought cabniets OP.
'Internalize Althea' sounds a little too close to vore for comfort.

>>5441494
>Keep Althea by your side for the meeting and send your regular scouts out into the wastes to track the invaders.
>Start researching
>inb4 the bbeg was another player

>>5441532
+1

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Hey folks just dropping in for a quick update. So I've been doing some thinking. The best out of three system just really didn't sit right with me. Even with the slightly increased chance of rolling an auto-failure I felt it made the system too lenient.

It also encourages strategic voting. If a voter comes in late and sees that a previous option has already succeeded they basically know that it is now a sure bet and can make their decision accordingly.

I do not like giving my players certainty before I reveal the outcome. For I am a capricious QM >:D

So here's how it will go down from now on: You will roll no dice and you will be happy. After I tally the votes I shall roll the dice for the winning vote as I post the final result and begin writing accordingly.

The probability distribution for 2d6 is on a bell curve which means the majority of the possible outcomes are clustered around the number 7. This reduces the likely hood of "freak" results.
Between this knowledge and knowing your modifiers and DCs before hand you should have enough information to take calculated risks.

I shall grant you this one courtesy though: If someone submits a viable write-in I shall try to reveal the DC for it as soon as possible so other anons may decide whether or not they wish to risk supporting it.

In other news I got some stuff I need to take care of today and the next update is gonna take some effort seeing that I'll need to dump some info and write a scene setting up the vassal states, so I won't have time for it until the evening.

I'll see you then... >:)

>>5441981
Thanks QM, but why not just ask for rolls only when an option is chosen, instead of rolling as we choose. That way we could decide without the influence of failure or not.

>>5441986
Is rolling the dice yourself really that important to you? Fine. When the final outcome is locked in I shall call for a roll, first come first served.

But like I said, I have certain windows of free time to do updates and I can't always wait around for a response. If no-one rolls in a timely manner I'll roll myself.

>>5441988
Alright then, didn’t know about your time issue. Let’s try your plan since it’s new.

>>5441993
I'm on annual leave now so I got a bit more time, but generally during a normal work day I'll have about 2-3 hours of free time between work,sleep and other life management. If an update requires me to generate a lot of new content based on a check outcome then waiting for players to roll might become an issue.

That said I know people around here like to roll dice makes them feel more personally invested or some shit. Isn't that what the choices themselves are for? And there's usually at least someone out there to respond within 20 minutes so I'll try to accommodate this as much as I can.

>>5441505
>>5441516
>>5441532
>>5441818

Okay let's do dis.

>Send Althea: 3
>Send Scouts: 2

And we've got a unanimous decision to start research.

>Writing...

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In order to track down the invaders you’d have to send a scouting party deep into the ash wastes, possibly even all the way to the other side. House Falkner had plenty of people trained to survive expeditions into the wastes but this was unknown territory. You wouldn’t know how far they’d have to go to accomplish their mission. There was only one person who stood any real chance of pulling this off, and that was the woman who had somehow already made the trip.

====================================

You decided to see off Althea alone, at the cottage where she had taken refuge all these years. You weren’t too worried about her. She’d just barely survived the trip as girl. Now she was a woman, and an experienced survivalist at that. She would succeed. Althea herself did not share your confidence.

“It feels strange going back out there, I left a lot of things behind Nero. I’m scared of what I might find.”

You touch her shoulder reassuringly. “Just think of it as another solo hunt. A really long one. You’re a lot stronger than when I first found you. Whatever you find, you can handle it.”

Althea looked away bashfully. “And what about you? You are now the Duke of a wounded land. Will you be alright?”

“Hey I’m pretty strong myself. If I can take down bull fire drake one on one I’m pretty sure I can rebuild my fief.”

Althea smiles sadly at this, before shouldering her travel pack. “Well I guess this is good bye…”

You get the feeling you ought to do something before she goes…

>[Monke]: KISS HER YOU FOOL! Go all in, with the tongue and everything. Ooka Ooka OOOOK!

>[Hero]: Hug her! Show her how much we care.

>[Diplomancer]: I think the warrior’s handshake would be appropriate before parting ways.

>[Edge]: Do nothing, attachments are for the weak

>cont

>>5442234
>[Diplomancer]: I think the warrior’s handshake would be appropriate before parting ways.
The most autistic option

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>>5442234
You now turned your attention to the upcoming meeting with your vassals. You begin by holding a council with your brother Tyrol and Falkner’s court mage: Edwin Malchus.

“Tyrol remind about the finer points of our relationship with our vassals?”

“Perhaps if you had spent a little more time studying statecraft instead of going on ‘hunting expeditions’ this wouldn’t be necessary.”

“Careful brother, I am the Duke now, you would do well to remember that.”

“Of course, my lord.”

You’re not sure if his tone is sincere enough for your liking.

“We have two vassals to the east: house Kireon and house Rythvane. The crux of our relationship has always been one of protection in exchange for resources. We shield them from the dangers of the ash wastes and stand ready to reinforce them should any kingdoms to the east try to invade.”

[Stonks]: With our army decimated and the shard no longer repelling monsters we’ve just lost our main ‘exports’. This will be a hard sell.

“House Kireon is our main trading partner. Duke Nigel Kireon is our uncle in law. Father always spent the majority of his diplomatic efforts managing our relationship with them, and with good reason. Kireon controls the big trade routes further east. Anything we couldn’t source from the local region we have to source from them.”

“I never liked Nigel Kireon.” Said Malchus “I’m told his father had better character, but the current Duke Kireon is an avaricious craven that thinks wealth buys power. In a way he’s not wrong. He pays us tribute every year to ensure his continued protection. But with our house weakened he might think he can renegotiate better terms. I wouldn’t put it past him to try and trap us in debt under the guise of offering us loans to help him rebuild.”

“And what about Rythvane? I actually don’t recall learning much about them. Father rarely ever went to meet with them.”

“Duke Pallas Rythvane’s domain is small and most of it is covered in thick forests. That house has always been inscrutable. Our deal with them was simple: a defence pact and in return Rythvane would train our people in the ways of magic. Their merchants also buy the body parts from the monsters we slay in the ash wastes.” Said Tyrol.

“I was trained at Rythvane keep. Even when living among them I couldn’t get much of a read on them. They have some kind of repository of magical lore there, and they clearly keep the good stuff for themselves. I’m damn sure there were a lot of things my old master never taught me. The Duke himself is apparently a skilled mage in his own right.”

So many free fantasy map tools out there but none that did what I needed, ugh had to make this from scratch myself.

>cont

>>5442237
“We’ll have to host the meeting at one of the three keeps. No other settlement in region has a suitable venue.”

[Edge]: Host the meeting here. They are our vassals, it is only fitting they come to us.

[Stonks]: And let them see first hand how bad a state we’re in? They know we’ve suffered, but if they see it for themselves there’s an even bigger chance they might get uppity.

[Diplomancer]: Let’s go to Kireon keep then. It’ll rub Duke Kireon’s ego and might improve his disposition towards us.

[Edge]: Are you stupid!? If Kireon tries to assert dominance on us we’ll be entirely at his mercy.

[Hackerman]: What about Rythvane keep? Pallas Rythvane doesn’t seem to want to get caught up in anyone else’s bullshit. Seems like the closest thing to neutral ground.

[Diplomacer]: House Rythvane is very secretive. Hosting the meeting there will annoy the shit out of them. They’re probably willing to tolerate us, but from what Malchus said being forced to host a guy like Nigel Kireon will really rub them the wrong way.

[Monke]: Question: Which keep has the best party scene, and which Duke has the hottest daughters?

[(Muh)Autism]: That’s actually two questions but to answer them: Kireon keep undoubtedly has the biggest and most developed entertainment district, but I hear Rythvane has a thriving underground scene for psychedelics and magically assisted amusements. Duke Kireon has a daughter of eligible age who is renowned for her elegant figure and large bosom. Duke Rythvane also has a pretty daughter who has a reputation for being a cool intellectual beauty. I guess deciding which one would be the “hottest” would depend on personal taste.

[Monke]: Aww man! Megane-chan or big tiddy ojou-sama? Literal magic mushrooms or good old fashioned debauchery? This is such a hard choice!

>Which location should you host the meeting?

>Falkner Keep

>Kireon Keep

>Rythvane Keep

((K Ima sleep now. Have fun with these new decisions. Later neeeerds.))

>>5442236
((Geez slow down.))

>>5442238
No, I'm speed
>Falkner Keep

>>5442238
> [Diplomancer]: I think the warrior’s handshake would be appropriate before parting ways.

> (Autism) Hold the landsmeet on whatever piece of land is the equidistant centrepoint between all keeps. This way everyone travels the same distance and meets on neutral ground.

>>5442246
I think that's in the middle of the river

>>5442250
>>5442246
Kendergard would be the most practical choice then if we intend to not strongly favor either of our vassals, though it could signal weakness if we don't meet in our own lands.
If the fort at Peringard is still in good shape though, we can instead hold the meet there. The fort there is still in our domain, allowing us to maintain authority by summoning our vassals to us (rather than coming to them) and also lets us dodge looking weak with our main keep being in ruins.

>>5442234
>[Hero]: Hug her! Show her how much we care.
>>5442238
>Kireon Keep
Let's do it

>>5442250
[Stonks]: Venue is furnished with the freshest running water, sourced to all attendants at a mere 4.99 per dunk! Vassal lieges qualify for a 15% discount (one-time, non-transferable voucher - surcharges may apply - inquire with your apothecary if riverwater is right for you.)!

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>>5442237
Tried my hand at making a version as well.

>>5442259
support for kendergard

>>5442326
Great I love it =)

>>5442234
>>[Diplomancer]: I think the warrior’s handshake would be appropriate before parting ways.
Yeah I know I'm retarded for making three posts in a row

>>5442238
>hero's hug

>kendergard

>>5442238
> [Diplomancer]: I think the warrior’s handshake would be appropriate before parting ways.
>Kendergard

>>5442238
>[Hero]: Hug her! Show her how much we care.
>Falkner Keep

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>>5442326
Never did I expect this quest would get fan art, and never did I expect the first piece of fan art would be the map. You've gone and given me something I didn't even know I wanted.

Niiice! Did you make that from scratch or did you use a special tool?

It occurs to me that I should probably come up with better names for the house capitals. [Insert house name] Keep is a bit of a misnomer. Yes there is an actual Keep there but it leaves out the fact that there's actually a town surrounding the keep.

In the case of Kireon Keep it's starting to approach city size and could easily be considered the most developed settlement in the region. (Falkner Keep is still the most heavily fortified... or at least it was.)

Anywho you guys know the drill; busy day, will drop update in the evening, K thnx bye.

>>5442238
>>[hero] hug

>>kendergrad

>>5442234
>[Hero]: Hug her! Show her how much we care.
Make sure she has the weapons and extra rations she needs!

H4dv84

>>5442236
>>5442242
>>5442246
>>5442259
>>5442293
>>5442327
>>5442329
>>5442344
>>5442395
>>5442398
>>5442700
>>5442759

Handshake: 4
Hero: 5

Falkner: 2
The middle of the river: 1
Kireon: 1
Kendergard: 5

Uh oh! We're a hugger. Also: party at Kendergrad.

>Writing...

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> /qst/ is swerving towards a good-natured, heroic protag
> A G A I N

>>5442657
I used a pirated version of Wondercraft.
I could have used Photoshop, like I used to before while homebrewing settings, and it would look the more or less the same, but it takes more effort since it's not a specialized tool.

>>5442866
Look anon, I don’t wanna be Shirou irl, but I also don’t wanna another edge lord

>>5442866
>swerving towards a good-natured, heroic protag
> A G A I N

>>5442877
>another edge lord

Which is it? Do /qst protags tend to become edge lords or good natured? Genuinely curious. I actually don't read that many quests myself so I haven't seen a huge sample size.

>>5442879
Depending, either they become schizophrenics constantly changing personalities; a mix of maxed out diplomancer, hackerman and stonks; or shonen protags. Some times all of the options above at once.
The edgelords tend to be only in the rare grimdark quests, and only for a while until it turns into one of the other ones. Hell, even in that ultra all edge-no-point anti-paladin quest, the rapist, torturing bandit MC was turning into some type of plotter mastermind despite being a brute.

>>5442879
Anon is talking through his arse, /qst/ almost never creates morally dubious or flawed characters. It's powerfantasy self-inserts all the way down, which is fine when taken in moderation - but its not, its practically an omnipresent trend.
I challenge anyone to name 5 quests where the players didn't jump on the chance to be a virtuous paragon, minmax to hyper-competence, or swoon uncontrollably over every pretty thing that bats their eyelashes in their direction.

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>>5442896
>the players didn't jump on the chance to be a virtuous paragon, minmax to hyper-competence, or swoon uncontrollably over every pretty thing that bats their eyelashes in their direction.

MFW when this quest is explicitly about doing all those things yet the players have barely done the first one.

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In that moment you realised how much you would miss her. Ever since you’d found her Althea had been constant in your life and now you weren’t sure when you’d see her again. The feelings caught you off guard, and before you knew it you had stepped forward and embraced her.

“Althea, I’m going to miss you. Come back safely.”

Althea stiffens in surprise before her body softens against you. She wraps her own arms around you and squeezes you tight, head resting against your shoulder.

“I’ve always come back to you before Nero, I will return this time too. I promise you.”

You stay like this a few moments longer before releasing each other and parting ways.

========================

After thinking hard for a few minutes an idea finally occurs to you.

“We will hold the council at Kendergard.”

Tyrol and Malchus look at you quizzically. You explain further.

“The disadvantages of hosting this meeting at any one of the keeps is too great. Hosting the meeting at Kendergard won’t strain our relationship with Rythvane as much, will not leave us vulnerable to Kireon, and it will not put our weakness on display.”

“This is highly irregular. Kendergard is more of a fortification than a proper settlement. The accommodations there will not be fitting for three dukes and their entourages. Just the fact that we are unwilling to host the meeting in one of the keeps already makes us look bad.” Said Tyrol.

You sigh. “I know brother. There are no good choices to make here, so I am forced to make the least bad.”

Malchus nods in agreement. “I must concede Kendgard might be the lesser of all the evils.”

“Then it is settled, send word to the other houses.”

>cont

>>5442903
Kendergard was a fortified settlement on the border between Rythvane and Kireon territory. Given that it was built to guard against Kireon aggression(a purely hypothetical scenario of course) Pallas Rythvane was not happy at allowing Duke Kireon inside it. Nigel Kireon himself found the venue too much of a backwater, and brought a large caravan to house the various little comforts from home he just couldn’t do without.

It took about a month for the meeting to be agreed upon and the attendees to show up but now you finally had the dukes Kireon and Rythvane seated before you. You were all flanked by your trusted advisors and bodyguards. You yourself had brought Malchus and two of your best men with you. Tyrol had been left in charge back at Falkner keep. Pallas Rythvane had a similarly modest retinue. Nigel Kireon’s retinue was so large that the room couldn’t accommodate them all. In the end he settled on some bodyguards, his treasurer and one of the higher-ranking guild functionaries from his keep. You noted with some satisfaction that his body guards were clearly foreign mercenaries and he had no court mages. There were somethings money couldn’t buy…
>cont

>>5442657
As for names, you can always just put -burg at the end of family name, but other options could be something like Ashen, Waste, Horde + Watch, Guard, Shield, Wall, Gate for Falkner, so Ashenwatch for example; Woods, Forest, Mystic, Ancient, Druth + Tower, Recluse, Archive for Rythvane, so Druthtower as an example; Field, Road, Cross, Hill + Ville, By, Ham for Kireon so Fieldsby for example.
Of course keep, fort castle are generic options that could work for all of them, or naming after local animals, main export, a specific color or a landmark.
>>5442898
Going against the main point of the quest is also a common trend.
Expect the players to avoid a harem at all costs. I know I will, it's ruined so many quests that I have a grudge now.

>>5442906
“Honoured dukes. I thank you for answering my summons. As you know a terrible tragedy has befallen my house resulting in the death of my father. As the new Duke Falkner I extend my protection to you in return for your loyalty just as the house of Falkner as always done. I look forward to our continued co-operation.”

“About that…” said Duke Kireon. “I hear your army has recently suffered heavy losses against some kind of marauding warband. I’m not sure the protection of House Falkner means much at this time.”

“There are also rumours of some kind demon that emerged during the battle and laid waste to Falkner Keep. I find this very troubling and if such a creature is indeed abroad Rythvane must look to it’s own interests first.” Pallas seemed he was more concerned for his own territory rather than trying to undermine your own position but the point was still damning.

You knew this was coming, somehow you’d have to convince them that it was still worth remaining your vassal… or maybe you could make them?

“I assured you that while house Falkner was bowed we were not broken. Even now we still guard your western borders. Does not the fact that the invasion from the wastes broke upon our walls instead of spilling into your lands prove our strength?”

“I mean no disrespect my lord, while I am thankful that you repelled the invasion this does not change the fact that you are in no position to continue acting as our protector.”

[Edge]: We need to put this guy in his place.

“Lord Nero. I understand, truly it must be a burden for one so young to bear the mantle of duke. House Falkner have always been capable warriors but there’s more to managing a dukedom than strength of arms. I can help you there. As I am your uncle why not let me rule as regent for a time-”

This fucker. Did he just suggest handing over your entire realm to him!? You can feel your blood begin to boil, literally…

>Uh oh…

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>>5442909
>Dragon Mechanics
>When the Dragon awakens you will have to roll 2D6 unmodified against the Dragon’s DC.
>If you fail the Dragon will remain dormant and the DC will be lowered by 2.
>Success means the Dragon manifests right then and there for better or for worse.
>Dragon DC starts at 12.

>Roll me 2D6

Rolled 1, 3 = 4 (2d6)

>>5442909
Are we supposed to post something or just wait for Nero to pull his Devil Trigger?
>>5442912
Oh nevermind.
I was going to vote to offer him the same courtesy, by saying we could also help relieve him from the pains of rulership and a hard life anyway. By suggesting we could thrown him from the top of the tower. Head first. Right now.

>>5442915
>The Dragon has been denied... for now.
>Dragon DC is now 10.

>Writing...

Rolled 1, 6 = 7 (2d6)

>>5442912
> [Edge]: Why stop it?
> Leverage the [Dragon] to enforce your vassal's obedience through terror.
GM. If you'd allow it, I'd like to roll *against* the other player's efforts to resist the [Dragon].

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>>5442924

>>5442924
>>5442925
It's the shard of a dead god, and they called it a demon, they are likely to accept right now and immediately begin plotting to call for the kingdoms of the east for help. Also our mother and brother will definately stop trusting us, and our own direct lands will resent us since the dragon rampaged through our own land.
But if you want to go to the ash wastes to adventure and come back with a horde of our own to forge a new, better kingdom, I would support you in a heartbeat. I was expecting low fantasy to be Conan, not GoT mudcore.

>>5442912
The demon inside had a hold of you, clenching it’s power trying to break free.

[Dragon]: GOTTA LET IT OUT! GOTTA LET IT-
[You]: NO! Not here! Not now! Back to sleep!

“-that won’t be necessary uncle.” You cut him off through clenched teeth. "I know the situation on the ground better than any of you. I will have a better understanding on how to recover from this misfortune than someone who did not experience it first-hand.”

[Diplomancer]: Good save, but we still need to placate them somehow…

>[Diplomancer]: Ask Duke Kireon for economic assistance. I know this will put us in debt to him, but it’ll deny him any direct control without ruffling any feathers too badly. [DC 8, +3 modifier]

>[Edge]: Remind these guys how fucked they would have been if we didn’t repel the invasion. It’s in their best interest to just shut the fuck up and pay their dues. [DC 14, +6 modifier]

>[Hero]: In times of crisis it’s important to come together for the greater good. Helping us, helps them in the long run. [DC 12, +1 modifier]

>[Monke]: Strength of arms is an integral part of managing Falkner lands. I don’t wanna hear it from a guy that can’t even train up his own elite guard. Hey mercs, I’ll pay you 10 gold if you give this bozo a noogie right now! [DC 12, +3 modifier]

>>5442912
>the dragon awakes when we beat the DC
>in an attempt to placate the dragon so it doesn't awaken in the wrong moment, we begin punitive expeditions in to the Ash Wastes
>first it is enough to slaughter some beasts, hardly out for more than a few days at a time
>but the hunger grows
>eventually the trips begin to last weeks, beasts no longer enough to pacify the dragon
>hunting ashlanders is the only way to quench the thirst
>leave on an expedition one night, never to return
>little bro and Althea wait in vain for our return, knowing that we've succumbed to the Wastes
>years pass, rumors begin circulating about a new Warlord that has risen in the Wastes
>ashlanders and beasts alike bow before his unrivaled might
>arrives at Falkner lands, pillages his way to the keep just like those years ago
>Tyrol, the new Duke Falkner, ends up dueling the Warlord in the throne room just like his father
>in the heat of battle, the Warlords helmet is knocked off
>overwhelmed by emotion, Tyrol drops to his knees in the middle of the duel
>the Warlord is us, corrupted by the Dragonshard and here to bring the world to ruin

Gentlemen, our path has been set. Full Steam towards the End of all Things.

>>5442924
If you actually want to let the dragon out then be the one to roll the Dragon check next time and pass it.

>>5442928
DESU I don't know what low fantasy should be either. Could be anything from bronze age to medieval era so I'm just pulling the details out of my ass.

>>5442929
>[Edge]: Remind these guys how fucked they would have been if we didn’t repel the invasion. It’s in their best interest to just shut the fuck up and pay their dues. [DC 14, +6 modifier]
>As we speak, my scouts are tracking the next horde of the ashen wastes. Perhaps I'll just let them pass right through, towards a much richer land to rape, pillage and raze. Did you know that the warlord could deflect sword blows and arrow on his bare skin? He killed father in one strike afterall. Almost if he had a demonic aura surrounding him. And then a demon sprout out of the attack.

>>5442933
Fair enough, sometimes flying by the seat of your pants is the best way to do things.
>>5442930
I still hope we can eventually abdicate to little bro and have ultraviolent adventures, without having to get a bad end.
Barbarians are based, and so is the Dragon. As long as we are in control.

>>5442933
And it's not like Conan didn't have medieval knights as a county of the iron age romans who have a rivalry with bronze age egyptians, while being raided by mythological vikings and stone age celts.
All the while with actual lovecraftians deities and demons having cults everywhere, and wizards having to sell their own souls and sacrifice people to cast spells.
Go wild chief, anything you can think of will somehow still fit.

>>5442929
> (Write-in) [Hackerman]: Declare that you will form a council assembled from a single trusted retainer chosen by each of our vassals to serve our house in an advisory capacity until the current period of instability has subsided. Afterwards, the member deemed to have performed this function with the greatest degree of excellence will be granted a permanent position as advisor to the Duke.
The perceived expansion of influence and prestige this measure will grant in our court should be enticing enough to get the vassals onside. Additionally, this arrangement will further arrest treacherous cooperation between our vassal houses and incentivize them to actually help stabilize the realm.

>>5442952
I'll give this a DC of 12, but this is more of a Diplomancer roll. Not that it matters given your Hackerman and Diplomancer are both at 3 right now.

>>5442952
>>5442963
On second thought I'll make the DC10.

This is easier to sell than the options that involve blowing off the dukes. Bit still not easy.

>>5442972
>>5442952
I'll change to it I guess

>>5442952
>support

>>5442929
+1 >>5442952

>>5442952
+1 yeah sure why not

>>5442952
+1

Wait, did The Demon Within give us the Disco Elysium mechanics just so the line "all of these voices inside my head" from Devil Trigger could make sense?

>>5442935
+1

>>5443212
You give me too much credit. I created this quest on a whim last Friday. A lot of the finer points only coalesced after we progressed further into the story and I started getting a better feel for where it could go.

The DE elements weren't actually created from scratch. I'd hashed them out a while back for another idea that never really crystalized. Having the Dragon fuse with the MC seemed like a great place to organically insert them into the quest.

If you guys had chosen a different combination of world setting and past life this would have turned into a very different quest.

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BTW decided to retconn the names of the house capitals to Falkengard, Rythholm and Kirenburg. I think this rolls off the tongue better.

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>>5443587
Alright, here's an updated version of mine

>>5442886
>ultra all edge-no-point anti-paladin quest, the rapist, torturing bandit MC was turning into some type of plotter mastermind despite being a brute.
i remember.......he was truly a piece of filth....

>>5443824
Cool thanks.

>>5442935
>>5442952
>>5442988
>>5443078
>>5443099
>>5443166
>>5443206
>>5443465

Hokay, time to count the votes:

Coerce them: 1
Placate them by inviting advisors: 6

Looks like we're bringing in advisors.

Someone roll me 2d6+3 vs DC 10

Rolled 5, 1 + 3 = 9 (2d6 + 3)

>>5443845
Time to ruin everything

>>5443846
Everything is indeed ruined.

>Writing...

>>5443846
Huh, I was right.
Anyway, I'm not rolling anymore, I already did it for the dragon roll, so I should give other anons the chance.

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>>5443850
Don't feel too bad anon, my luck is also cursed.
Besides, we can always fall back on plan B.

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>>5443851
Well, our frustration is getting bigger.

At the end of the day you knew you had absolutely no leverage. Much as you hated to admit it maybe it was time to rub some egos.

“While I will not cede control of Falkner lands, perhaps I could take other perspectives into account. I am willing to accept a single trusted retainer from each of your houses to serve in an advisor to me until the period of instability passes. Afterwards the one who has performed their position the best will have a permanent position on my court.”

Duke Kireon scoffed. “You turn down my offer to help govern your domain personally then ask me for a retainer? Furthermore, you dangle a permanent position in your court between us as if we should jump at the chance to curry favour with you!? I do not see a single way my house benefits from our continued association. I think that it’s time I found some new friends. I shall be leaving now. Do give my regards to your mother.”

And with that Nigel Kireon simply left the room.

[Monke]: Fuck that guy, who needs him anyway. Seemed like he would be a pain in the ass to work with.

[Stonks]: This will come back to bite us in the ass at some point. Even if he was an asshole we clearly needed him.

“Good riddance” muttered the Duke Rythvane before turning to you. “Lord Nero, I sympathise with your plight, truly but I do not think we can continue our relationship as it was.”

[Diplomacer]: And so it all falls apart…

“I do however see value in maintaining good relations with House Falkner, but from now one we will interact as equals. I am willing to send you one of my trusted retainers to help you through this difficult time, but you will give them a permanent position on your court immediately, as your head mage.”

Malchus stiffened, but made no objection.

“Given the circumstances I think this is a modest proposal.”

[Stonks]: Well shit, on the one hand Rythvane’s mages are the best in the region having one in our court will certainly give us an advantage but…

[Diplomacer]: They’ll effectively be a spy for Pallas Rythvane. What does he really want out of this?

[Monke]: Can we stipulate that this retainer has to be a cute wizard girl?

[(Muh)Autism]: Wouldn’t that make her a witch? Wizard is usually a masculine word.

>House Kireon is no longer your vassal.

>Accept Duke Rythvane’s offer.

>Decline his offer.

((Feeling low on mojo today so short update with a simple choice.))

>>5443872
>Accept Duke Rythvane’s offer.
Can we kill Kireon before he fully leaves? He already is going to go to war anyway, and you did say we could defeat any of the dukes one-on-one

>>5443873
This would probably make us some kind of kinslayer and betray the principle of hospitality,, though. Most likely a bad idea, but I'm really tired of that faggot, and we just met him.

>>5443874
>betray the principle of hospitality

This, it will not be a good look for you.

>>5443877
Fine, I'll let it be.
We can burn Kirenburg to the ground later, preferably by letting the Dragon out.

>>5443872
>>5443877
Oh I guess this is true too:

>House Rythvane is also no longer your vassal, but maybe you can still be friends.

>>5443872
>Accept Duke Rythvane’s offer.
We need some pals right now, working as equals with House Rythvane for now isn't the worst idea.

>>5443874
Humbling the faggot Kieron just became #1 priority our list. Bringing war to him and dividing the (to-be) former lands of Kieron between us and Rythvane shouldn't be too hard. We could probably begin scheming with Duke Rythvane right now if we accept his proposal. There doesn't seem to be much love lost between the two.

>>5443872
I have no clever ideas for this situation. Until this changes, I'll support this option:
> Accept Duke Rythvane’s offer

>>5443872
> Accept Duke Rythvane’s offer
Free mage!!!

>>5443872
>Accept Duke Rythvane’s offer.

>>5443872
>Accept Duke Rythvane’s offer.

>>5443873
>>5443905
>>5443908
>>5444088
>>5444093
>>5444153

Alright I've let this lie long enough, of course we're accepting Rythvane's offer.

>Writing...

>>5443877
Worse than a vassal breaking their oath of service and basically declaring a war of independence…?

Realistically, if we scraped together soldiers - how large could our Army be?

Plus, are we able to leverage our modern era known to improve anything in the Dukedom?

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>>5444725
I don't want to provide additional commentary on this matter because I've decided for this quest that while the inner voices may give heavy hints,
I am not going to spell out how your choices affect the game before you make them.
I am a capricious QM after all.

In fact just by even saying this and posting this:
>>5443877
I've already kinda broken that rule so I'll give you a little more info just this once.

Trying to kill Duke Kireon now means openly attacking the guy while you are in the fortress of another house who does not like having to deal with other people's drama.

It's also not going to be a one on one fight. It'll be you and your dudes vs Kireon and his dudes in a place while you are surrounded by Rythvane and his dudes (who include a bunch of elite mages) who will almost certainly intervene to keep the peace.

So let's recap what you'd be doing by attacking Duke Kireon here and now:
>Effectively starting a war with a much wealthier house while your own is at a disadvantage just because Nigel Kireon decided to go his own way.
>Starting shit in a foreign lord's hold which not only betrays the principle of hospitality but will alienate possibly your only potential ally right now.
>Damaging your diplomatic credibility. So even if you interact with other factions that have no beef with you, if they know you pulled shit like this it'll start you off on the wrong foot.
>Killing your mom's brother, which is probably the most inconsequential factor here but still worth considering.

You understood that to accept Duke Rythvane’s offer was to allow him to place a spy in your court. There was no question, while whomever he sent would nominally be in your service they would be loyal to house Rythvane first and Falkner second. However, at the end of the day, you needed friends. You couldn’t say you trusted Pallas Rythvane, but at least he didn’t seem as openly antagonistic as Nigel Kireon.

“I thank you for your generous offer and I accept.”

“A wise choice Lord Nero. I will send my retainer to Falkengard within the next month.”

“I look forward to receiving them.”

=======

The trip home was uneventful. Rythvane’s domain was covered in thick forests which hosted many dangers from simple predators to more monstrous threats. Fortunately the denizens of the forest did not test you, whether it was the heavy presence of your honour guard or the shard of the Dragon that kept them at bay you weren’t sure. You suspected it was the former given that shard had once repelled Althea yet she now had no issue being in your presence.

“I’m sorry that I ended up giving away your job Edwin,” you said to your soon to be former head mage.

“I can’t say I’m happy about it my Lord, but I understand your need. Besides, even with all the strings attached having one of Rythvane’s mages in your service will be a boon.”

“Indeed, and once this retainer arrives I will have a new task for you. You will be assigned to be their guide, but just as they will be watching us, you will be watching them. I will be relying on you to make sure they do not make any mischief in my domain, especially that of magical nature.”

“As you command my Duke. If nothing else this will be interesting.”

You hoped Tyrol was doing alright back at Falkengard, soon the real work would begin.

>End of thread.

((I’ve decided to call the thread here because I want to shift my effort to other projects. Also the amount of energy and inspiration I’ve had to run this quest has dropped drastically over the past two days. Don’t worry I’m not dropping it, but I’m reaching the limit of what I can make up on the spot, now that the world is opening up a bit I need time to sit down and think on what the long term plotlines are gonna be like. (e.g. what’s on the other side of the ash wastes, what other kingdoms are to the east, who are the other potential waifu candidates. Thank you all for participating, expect a new thread to drop sometime next month.))

>>5444775
Alright, thank you OP. Do you plan on using twitter to notify of the new thread ? 'coz 1 month hiatus a huge wait for a first thread quest that barely went for 1 week.

>>5444989
>Do you plan on using twitter to notify of the new thread

I suppose I owe you guys that much:

https://twitter.com/CognisQM

Full disclosure: I'm more of a skirmish runner than a quest runner so you guys might have to sit through notifications for several unrelated threads before the next installment of this one drops.

>>5445248
>Cognis runs nifty non skirmish quests too
huh

>>5445248
>Cognis runs an isekai quest instead of more Skirmishes
What is this loopy-land that I have entered? Did I jump timelines again without noticing?

>>5445254
>I actually have a reputation out side the skirmish community!?

Aww shit, so much for compartmentalizing my various interests.

Yeah, yeah sometimes I get the urge to run stupid degenerate shit <.<
Only thing stopping me from running a waifu skirmish so far has been my lack of digital art skills.

Another reason I'm stopping now is because I want to take a crack at actually dropping a halloween skirmish around halloween for once.

>>5440401
>Gods damn it, the Stranger had gone and ripped off that game. This was going to be annoying.
anybody know what game he's talking about?

>>5465859
Disco Elysium