>>5591934
Your party continues to slink across the mostly-open landscape of rolling hills and wide valleys, broken here and there by a stand of trees or a ridgeline dotted with granite boulders. The column, a few thousand strong at its center surrounded by roving groups of scouts, stops at the first water source you marked on the maps you gave their officers before they departed.

“We’ll have to see what condition they leave the water source in,” you muse, a grim expression creeping across your face. “If they contaminate it we’ll have to have a little chat.”

…

“They contaminated it, didn’t it?” Alexa asks you with a weary sigh.

“Yes.”

“How bad?”

“Bad.”

[So what do we do?] Serana asks you with a sidelong glance, before returning her clearly-displeased gaze back to the soiled spring water.

It’s not like they didn’t try to keep it sanitary. There’s a body floating face-down in it. Someone did this deliberately.

>We leave a carved marker warning people, then go pay the officers a visit.
>Split up for a moment. One team takes the officers to task, one warns the locals.
>We deny them the further use of Hazari resources, and warn the locals.
>Other?

>>5591934
>>We leave a carved marker warning people, then go pay the officers a visit.

>>5591938
>Split up for a moment. One team takes the officers to task, one warns the locals.

>>5591938
>We deny them the further use of Hazari resources, and warn the locals.

>>5591938
>>Split up for a moment. One team takes the officers to task, one warns the locals.

>>5591938
>>We deny them the further use of Hazari resources, and warn the locals.

Play stupid games win stupid prizes.

>>5591938
“Solaris, Alexa,” you decide on the spot, “the nearest town is just to the northeast. Go there and warn them about the situation with the water and meet us up ahead. Solaris, you can count on Alexa’s sensing ability.”

“I follow you,” Solaris nods. “Alexa, let’s go take care of this.”

“Understood,” Alexa nods. “Do what you need to do, Miss Noel.”

“At all times,” you assure her. “And good luck.”

Then you turn to Serana. “Our task will be even less pleasant.”

[I’ve guessed as much,] she admits.

…

When you overtake the column, it’s with the goal of cutting off the officer and his subordinates who have been using the maps you provided to lead the way to the next relatively safe stopping point. They seem startled at your appearance.

They should be worried, not merely startled.

“Do you know why we’re here?” you demand coolly. “Don’t answer that, I’ll tell you. We’re here because you spoiled that last spring.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Serana makes a few gestures, one of which is rude enough that you skip over it when the officer asks for a translation.

“She says you let your men shit in it,” you translate, “and then you dumped a corpse in after it. She’s not sure which was more disrespectful, shitting in the spring my people here drink from or dumping the body of one of your comrades in with your shit.”

“Personally,” you add, “I’m displeased enough by both that it’s no longer a contest.”

“And?” the officer counters, folding his arms defensively. “If you’ve made the determination that we’ve done something to cause offense, why are you simply talking about it?”

“There will be no reprisal this time,” you inform him. “But you are not to use any further water sources within Hazari territory, or face death in a Hazari prison. Repeat this mistake in Sakia at your own peril.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 2, 8, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>5593322

Rolled 7, 9, 7 = 23 (3d10)

>>5593322

Rolled 5, 5, 5 = 15 (3d10)

>>5593322

>>5593322
“You wouldn’t,” the officer you’re speaking to directly insists curtly.

“In a heartbeat,” you counter. “It’s true that I’m a half-blooded warrior, and that my kind have a creed that holds us to high standards, one of which being that we cannot take a human life. It’s also true that I’ve tried to show your people mercy, and to ensure that you’re allowed to retreat without being slaughtered.”

“And we thank you,” he interrupts.

You stare straight into his eyes. “Do not, even for a single second, allow that to delude you into thinking I have forgotten my responsibilities. I am the queen of Hazaran - this is my kingdom, its people are my people, its problems are my problems. And while I have chosen restraint this time, I will not allow such provocations to go unanswered a second time.”

“This is not a threat. This is a declaration of my intent as queen, my solemn word that your behavior will have clear and severe consequences. Have I made myself understood?”

The officer quickly wilts. It’s almost like watching a bouquet of cut flowers die in the span of a few short seconds.

“I think so,” he replies.

>Good. Now ideally, we’ll never speak again - though I still intend to monitor your progress.
>Good. Then we need to speak about your intended route to avoid any possible conflicts.
>We will scout ahead and advise you on changes to your route. I insist.
>Other?

>>5594435
>Good. Then we need to speak about your intended route to avoid any possible conflicts.

>>5594435
>>Good. Then we need to speak about your intended route to avoid any possible conflicts.

>>5594435
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 6, 7, 1 = 14 (3d10)

>>5595623

Rolled 9, 9, 1 = 19 (3d10)

>>5595623

Rolled 8, 2, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>5595623

>>5595623
“Good, now we need to discuss your route from here,” you insist.

The officer snorts. “In heavens’ name why would we do that?”

“Because I’m better at this than you are,” you declare, “particularly when it comes to three things - local knowledge, long-term strategic thinking, and most importantly discretion.”

“I’ll be blunt with you,” he retorts. “I don’t like you, and I have no reason at all to trust your advice.”

“Then allow me to be equally blunt,” you counter. “I’m the only friendly face you’re going to see out here. I’ll do what I can to get your people to safety, but that will require you to help yourselves.”

After a moment, the officer seems to nod in resignation to the reality of his situation. “Very well. Speak.”

>Suggest a route that avoids major population centers as its first priority. Take no chances.
>Suggest a route that passes near settlements - the troops may need to barter for food.
>Your decision should be based mainly on the intelligence you hope to gather on the way.
>Other?

>>5596728
>Your decision should be based mainly on the intelligence you hope to gather on the way.

>>5596728
>Your decision should be based mainly on the intelligence you hope to gather on the way.

>>5596728
You quickly consult a map.

The general idea you have in mind is to insist that the retreating army follow the principle of “dodging by an inch”: if they avoid settlements by as short a distance as possible, that will both keep them from interacting with any of the Sakians as well as give you opportunities to gather information as you go. The second consideration is terrain, which can both be helpful if you’re considering lines of sight and a hindrance if it’s too rough to traverse.

With those two principles to guide you, it takes just a few minutes to trace out a route northward that connects the water sources you identify.

“You will follow this path,” you insist curtly.

The officer looks it over carefully. “Why not follow a more direct path?”

“This path uses advantageous terrain and avoids settlements,” you clarify. “We can leave as soon as the rest of my team catches up with us.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 1, 10, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>5598632

Rolled 4, 3, 10 = 17 (3d10)

>>5598632

Rolled 10, 10, 2 = 22 (3d10)

>>5598632

>>5598632
It takes about an hour for Solaris and Alexa to return, thanks to Alexa’s now-profoundly attuned senses.

“We warned the locals about the tainted water and directed them to an alternate water source,” Solaris reports.

“How have things gone here?” Alexa asks you curiously. “Did you reach some kind of arrangement with the soldiers?”

“They will be following a route that we planned,” you tell them.

[We should be able to gather information,] Serana adds.

Alexa nods in understanding. [How far from towns?]

[Only as far as necessary,] you clarify, pausing for a moment to consider how to phrase the next part. [We need to keep the soldiers away from the civilians while getting close enough to contact the civilians ourselves. In each case, avoiding conflict took priority.]

[Understood,] Alexa replies. “So where to first?”

…

The arrangement holds until you leave Hazari territory, crossing over the border to Sakia - you have to have someone run ahead to warn each set of defenses along the border with Tarsus that the retreating army is not to be interfered with, and so things are uneventful until that point.

But in the land of Sakia, the situation is less well known. Especially given the missions you and your fellow ‘witches’ completed north of the border, and the dissent you’ve helped both to sow and to spread, you can’t be sure how people will react if anyone catches wind of such a large contingent of relatively under-equipped men traveling overland, by small and windy roads less traveled, presenting a target the likes of which no one in Sakia has ever dared to dream of.

>Investigate the first town across the border, get some general news.
>Scout ahead consistently - anything you encounter could become a problem.
>Suggest that the column move under cover of darkness, use the days to scout ahead.
>Other?

>>5599505
>>Suggest that the column move under cover of darkness, use the days to scout ahead.

>>5599505
>Scout ahead consistently - anything you encounter could become a problem.
Night marches = stragglers = trouble

>>5599505
>>Scout ahead consistently - anything you encounter could become a problem.

>>5599505
“We will scout ahead,” you declare. “Ensure that there are no surprises along the way.”

“You don’t want to march during the night?” one officer asks, clearly disapproving.

“I don’t want any stragglers,” you counter. “Bad for them, bad for everyone around them.”

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 8, 7 = 19 (3d10)

>>5600504

Rolled 1, 1, 4 = 6 (3d10)

>>5600504

Rolled 4, 3, 5 = 12 (3d10)

>>5600504

>>5600504
As you work your way ahead of the column, you encounter your first problem - coming the opposite way, about two miles out, is a trade caravan. This path is rarely traveled, though wide enough and well maintained enough to support the twelve horse-drawn carts. There are no connected roads or paths large enough for them for five miles in any direction shown on your map.

“What do we do?” Alexa asks you nervously. “We have no idea who those people are, but right now I can’t see them keeping a secret like this.”

“You’re right,” you decide. “We can’t count on that. The nearest settlement is a few hours away at the speed they’re traveling.”

“Can we beat the spread of rumors?” Alexa wonders.

You can’t help but frown at the notion. “Few things travel quicker.”

“So what are our options?”

“One, we force them to divert,” you tell her calmly. “Two, we force the column of soldiers to divert. Three, we hold the caravan until we have sufficient head start. Four, we force the soldiers to speed up. Five, we force the column to disperse.”

“The last one sounds like a nightmare,” Alexa admits.

You nod in agreement. “Absolutely.”

“Last resort, then?”

“Dead last.”

“Can we really force-march the soldiers far enough, fast enough?” Alexa asks you.

You consider the condition of the soldiers, their numbers, the wounded remaining, their required pathway to minimize contact with civilians. “No.”

“So that leaves us with three possibilities.”

“Correct.”

>We should force the caravan to backtrack. Come up with some convenient lie to divert them.
>We should divert the soldiers. Have them shelter off the road for the short term.
>The simplest option is to hold the caravan as long as we can. Give ourselves and the soldiers a chance.
>Other?

>>5601726
>>We should force the caravan to backtrack. Come up with some convenient lie to divert them.
We have giant fuckoff swords, cut/smash down a bunch of trees to block the road.

>>5601726
>We should force the caravan to backtrack. Come up with some convenient lie to divert them.

>>5601726
>We should divert the soldiers. Have them shelter off the road for the short term.

>>5601726
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 7, 8, 7 = 22 (3d10)

>>5602563

Rolled 2, 4, 10 = 16 (3d10)

>>5602563

Still need one more.

Rolled 8, 3, 1 = 12 (3d10)

>>5602563

>>5602563
“We need to divert the caravan,” you decide. “We have swords, there are trees nearby, let’s make use of them.”

“I like it,” Alexa agrees.

…

It’s not difficult to hack down a few trees and lay them across the trail, though you have to do so quickly to avoid their notice. But with a real push, you manage to block the caravan’s progress. “What I’m hoping for,” you tell Alexa, “is that they’ll see the barricade and turn around, assuming it’s some sort of bandit trap.”

“And if they don’t?” Alexa presses you to consider the next phase.

You do precisely that for a moment before answering. “Then we’ll just have to get creative.”

…

You watch from concealment near the road, eagerly awaiting the caravan’s response to the challenge. They approach and call a halt short of the felled trees - you can hear a discussion between the driver of the first wagon and his armed escort.

“The trees look fresh.”

“They do… does that mean it’s bandits?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a lot of little things.”

“What things? Talk to me like I’m not an idiot, please, because I’m not.”

“Well, the location’s all wrong - a roadblock this big would take a good sized group of bandits, which on a side road this isolated would never place a roadblock here, where there are too many ways to go around.”

“They would put it on a narrow spot where we’d have to stop, or else back up.”
>1/2

>>5603816
“Then what’s the alternative explanation?”

“I don’t know,” the guard admits.

“That could’ve gone better,” Alexa mutters.

“You’ve got that right,” you agree.

“So what next?”

>We go out there and tell them we’re executing a mission down the road.
>Wait. See whether they take the hint and turn around on their own.
>We need to go back to the soldiers, now. Get them off the road.
>Other?

>>5603845
>>We go out there and tell them we’re executing a mission down the road.

Alright I guess being subtle just barely didn't fail.

>>5603816
>We go out there and tell them we’re executing a mission down the road.

>>5603845
>Wait. See whether they take the hint and turn around on their own.

>>5603845
>>We go out there and tell them we’re executing a mission down the road.

File: 106139585_p0.jpg (157 KB, 1024x1024)

157 KB JPG

>>5603845
… this isn’t what you wanted.

But Alexa agrees that there isn’t much choice, and so you find yourselves leaving your concealed position among the gorse and the stones to approach the caravan out in the open. The response is immediate, a tension that’s obvious from the moment they catch sight of you and your swords emerging out of the wilds.

“Stay where you are!” the lead guard demands. You motion for Alexa to follow that demand. “State your business!”

“Queen Noel of Hazaran,” you declare loudly and firmly. “My compatriot and I are on a mission down the way. We positioned this barricade to discourage travelers.”

“It’s in our way,” the trader in the first wagon insists. “We have business this way.”

“We do too,” Alexa insists curtly. “You do know who we are, right? And perhaps more so, what we are?”

“... silver-eyed witches,” the guard grumbles. “So those swords aren’t for show, and the queen of the mountains really is one of them.”

“She is,” you growl, staring pointedly at him. “Our duty is to protect your lives whether it’s convenient for you or not, and we will abide by our duty. This way is closed to you.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 5, 5, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>5605542

Rolled 4, 8, 3 = 15 (3d10)

>>5605542

Rolled 10, 6, 8 = 24 (3d10)

>>5605542

>>5605542
They’re definitely not happy about the situation, but they aren’t left with much choice in the matter. Once they turn around you’re free to quickly return to the column of troops, who have been growing impatient, and lead them to the blockade.

You reach that point as the afternoon breeze is starting to cool and the sun is beginning to take on its late-day glow.

“We need to set up camp,” the ranking officer insists curtly.

>No. We only break for the night when it’s too dark to walk.
>No. Take a long enough break to eat and rest but we’re moving on.
>Use your break well. We can’t guarantee when you’ll get another.
>Other?

>>5607442
>Use your break well. We can’t guarantee when you’ll get another.

>>5607442
>>Use your break well. We can’t guarantee when you’ll get another.

>>5607442
“Make good use of this break,” you insist curtly, stepping off the main path. “I can’t guarantee when, or even if, you’ll get another.”

A little distance from the soldiers, who have mostly organized themselves into tightly-packed columns where they can sit almost back-to-back with their neighbors, you settle in with your companions.

[We can’t wait here long,] Serana insists curtly.

“You’re right,” you agree. “But we also can’t forced-march these people too hard.”

“What will we need when they resume?” Solaris wonders aloud. “I think we should use some of the time while they’re resting to plan further ahead, to the extent we can.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 9, 8, 7 = 24 (3d10)

>>5608645

Rolled 5, 9, 6 = 20 (3d10)

>>5608645

Rolled 5, 10, 9 = 24 (3d10)

>>5608645

>>5608645
Your next move is to scout ahead while the soldiers are resting - a total of twenty miles overnight, covered in detail by moonlight and starlight. The water sources are precisely where they need to be. There is cover in a few places significant enough to hide many men - albeit not all of them in any one place. And most importantly, you see no evidence that there are any other travelers resting out on this road.

[So what do we do next?] Serana asks after your cohort gathers in the small hours of the morning.

>We push the soldiers, hard. Get them much closer to their own safety.
>Today is a good day to start gathering local information within Sakia.
>Other?

>>5609856
>We push the soldiers, hard. Get them much closer to their own safety.

>>5609856
>>We push the soldiers, hard. Get them much closer to their own safety.

>>5609856
“We have to push the soldiers hard today,” you insist curtly. “There’s no choice.”

[Agreed,] Serana flashes a single hand sign with a nod.

“How hard can we push them?” Alexa wonders.

You consider that for a while, factoring in the time it took them to get this far and the spacing between water sources. “Hard, I think. There’s a water source I want to reach that’s twenty-two miles away.”

…

“Twenty-two miles?” the officer in command later repeats in disbelief.

You nod, before repeating the words. “Twenty-two.”

“That’s excessive, don’t you think?”

“There’s a water source there with natural defenses,” you inform him. “You want to be able to rest at all tonight? This is how you do it.”

"I don't like it. These men are already exhausted."

"Matters will be worse if you don't manage to keep this pace," you assure him. "We'll march until after dark if we have to. It's not a cold night, and this camp site will be sheltered from the wind."

"Twenty miles is right at the limit of what our forces train to do, under the best of circumstances."

"The Hazari military trains to march that far and build fortifications in one day," you cross your arms. "And my cohort did that and returned while your soldiers were resting."
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 7, 6 = 17 (3d10)

>>5610769

Rolled 1, 10, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>5610769

Rolled 9, 4, 4 = 17 (3d10)

>>5610769

>>5610769
You push the Hazari soldiers with a brief harangue, essentially dragging them onto their feet by their excessive pride. And through the morning until early afternoon, it seems to work. But eventually the pace apparently catches up to the soldiers, partway through their forced march.

While most of them keep to the pace, a group which ends up being composed of the slowest soldiers among the column begins to form, and then gradually starts to fall behind.

“This isn’t a great situation,” you confess to your cohort.

[Because it’s an impossible choice,] Serana muses.

You nod. “Abandon the slowest, or slow the fastest to keep them together. Cut some loose or risk all.”

“So how do you want to handle it?” Solaris wonders.

>We split our own party. Half of us just run late.
>Call the stragglers to an early halt, rest, then catch up.
>They’ll be fine, and if they flee then that’s fine too.
>Other?

>>5611918
>>We split our own party. Half of us just run late.

>>5611918
>We split our own party. Half of us just run late.

>>5611918
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 10, 7, 9 = 26 (3d10)

>>5613330

Rolled 9, 2, 5 = 16 (3d10)

>>5613330

Rolled 6, 4, 9 = 19 (3d10)

>>5613330

>>5613330
“We’ll split the party,” you decide. “Alexa, go ahead with Solaris - I want the two of you to secure the next stopping point. Serana and I will catch up with the slower group.”

…

Following the slower-moving group is a painful exercise, but one which turns out to be worth it. What you learn from the experience is that your new charges are mostly lagging behind the others because they’re beginning to show symptoms of an illness - the same in each case. Fever, weakness, and a pain specifically in the area of the shins are the typical pattern. It makes it hard to get them to keep moving, and it’s late in the night by the time you get them to their resting point. Out of caution you set up a separate encampment for the ill, and warn away the curious sentries who still have their health - for now.

It’s there that you bring your team together with the ranking officers, and explain the situation to them.

“Then we’ll leave them behind,” the seniormost soldier declares. “The illness may take them or they may survive, but if they hold the rest of my men back they put us all in jeopardy.”

That may seem cruel, but it makes sense from a certain perspective.

“We don’t even know what we’re dealing with,” Alexa protests.

Serana catches your eye and gives you a few quick, flitting signs to voice her concern: [How many will be sick tomorrow?] It’s a concern you share.

>We’ll split the escort again. The ill can remain here until they can be moved, or buried.
>Alexa is right. Until we know what we’re dealing with we assume it’s a threat to Sakia.
>Give it one day for any others to start showing symptoms, then we separate them too.
>Other?

>>5614596
>Alexa is right. Until we know what we’re dealing with we assume it’s a threat to Sakia.

>>5614596
>>Alexa is right. Until we know what we’re dealing with we assume it’s a threat to Sakia.

>>5614596
>>Alexa is right. Until we know what we’re dealing with we assume it’s a threat to Sakia.

>>5614596
“Alexa is right,” you sigh wearily. “Anything that could turn this into a threat to Sakia must be avoided - and until we know what we’re dealing with here with this disease we have to act like it’s a new plague.”

“And how will you manage this… this outbreak?” the officer demands. “Surely that must be a concern?”

“Our kind is immune to ordinary diseases,” Alexa points out. “As well as to certain poisons.”

“We even process alcohol differently,” you add. “So I’m confident we’ll be fine.”

“Then you can remain…”

“I don’t think you understand,” you interrupt. “You’re staying here too until we’re certain no more of your subordinates are going to fall ill further north. Until further notice, you’re all under medical quarantine.”

“You can’t…”

“We can and we’re about to,” you declare curtly. “If it weren’t for us you wouldn’t even have made it this far.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 9, 5, 3 = 17 (3d10)

>>5615575

Rolled 1, 1, 10 = 12 (3d10)

>>5615575

Rolled 5, 10, 8 = 23 (3d10)

>>5615575

>>5615575
Eventually the officers relent, and it’s a good thing. By the next morning you’ve had to move two more soldiers over to the quarantine camp, and by the end of the next day seven more newcomers join them. While none of the cases seem particularly life-threatening, many of the sickest are immobile without much clear sign of recovery.

By the second morning, there are only two new cases, and none come throughout the day, so it seems that there are two possibilities - that it’s not contagious and the thing that made them sick in the first place is far enough behind you that no more are being affected, or that you’ve separated the ill soldiers quickly enough as to limit the spread.

>Search for provisions and remain here. Some men may simply not be showing symptoms.
>Now that the ill are isolated, the healthy can continue onward under escort.
>Let the main column head on without you. This small group is the vulnerable one.
>Other?

>>5616684
>Let the main column head on without you. This small group is the vulnerable one.

>>5616684
>>Now that the ill are isolated, the healthy can continue onward under escort.

>>5616684
Do we have a tie-breaker of some kind, or a write-in solution?

>>5616684
>Let the main column head on without you. This small group is the vulnerable one.

>>5616684
You elect to let the main body of the column go ahead of you, since right now the most vulnerable are the ill men they will be leaving behind. So for the next four days that is where you remain, until the ill men begin to recover. By the fifth day the soldiers are, to various degrees, ambulatory again.

It’s a laborious process to get them moving again, but eventually they are on their feet again with a fresh supply of water. To eat you furnished them with little bits of dried meat from a deer you hunted a few days ago, some dried fish, and what greens and herbs you could gather. This won’t last twenty-two men for very long, but with their limited endurance having just regained some of their strength you figure you should have plenty of time in the evenings to hunt and gather enough to keep their bellies just full enough to walk. Their packs are mostly shed as they go, and their weapons are left behind as unnecessary weight.

On the second day of travel some have already recovered enough strength to fish in a little stream near your camp site, helping to feed themselves and their comrades. Morale is slowly improving - the men who had seemed to you hopeless, even anticipating death, are starting to allow themselves to think that maybe they’re going to make it out of this ordeal after all.

It’s on your third day of travel, seven days after going your separate ways with the main column, that things change.

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 7, 6, 8 = 21 (3d10)

>>5617740

Rolled 3, 3, 2 = 8 (3d10)

>>5617740

Rolled 5, 9, 3 = 17 (3d10)

>>5617740

>>5617740
It’s the scene of a massacre.

The blood isn’t fresh anymore, that’s what indicates to you that this happened three days or so ago, maybe four. And whoever did it was thorough.

You carefully examine several bodies before finding one of the officers you spoke to before sending them ahead of you.

“... who could have done this?” Alexa wonders quietly.

“Soldiers,” Solaris grumbles in answer. “Many of these men fell from gunshot wounds, and their weapons have been looted.”

“Not all,” you counter, glancing at Serana. She seems to have found something to confirm your suspicions. “This man was killed by the single stroke of a sword, from his right shoulder to his left hip.”

[These soldiers rarely use swords,] Serana observes.

You nod in agreement. “And I doubt many could manage such a feat as cutting a man in half with what bladed weapons we have seen.”

“You can’t be thinking,” Alexa frowns.

>I think it’s probably her work. This is a problem.
>We can’t be certain, but we can’t rule anything out either.
>Count the bodies. I want more information.
>Other?

>>5618805
>>I think it’s probably her work. This is a problem.
>>Count the bodies. I want more information.

>>5618805
>I think it’s probably her work. This is a problem.
>Count the bodies. I want more information.

>>5618805
>Count the bodies. I want more information.
Flaming datum.

>>5618805
>Count the bodies. I want more information.

>>5618805
“I want a body count,” you declare. “We need to know exactly what we’re looking at.”

“Understood,” Alexa responds, and while the surviving soldiers from the continent huddle in obvious concern your group tallies the casualties left exposed in the dry grasses.

There’s quickly a number, added from the bodies you counted, the ones Alexa counted, the ones Serana counted, and the ones that Solaris counted, each of you taking a section to scour for evidence of what transpired here several days ago, between the time you took your leave of these men and now.

Then you run that figure by the new ranking survivor - a sergeant with a beard that’s gone too long without trimming and a shrewd look in his eye.

>3d10, taking the third roll only

Rolled 10, 2, 9 = 21 (3d10)

>>5619926

Rolled 6, 6, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>5619926

Rolled 6, 2, 6 = 14 (3d10)

>>5619926

>>5619926
“How many?” you ask him curtly.

“About two dozen men are missing,” he answers confidently.

Serana spares you a glance. [We have no idea if they’re alive.]

“Agreed,” you decide. “That sounds like something she might do. But in any event something has changed here.”

“What do you think it was?” Solaris asks you curiously.

“I’m not sure,” you admit. “And that has me worried more than anything else.”

>We need to fall back to Hazari territory, right now. Sakia is not safe for any of us.
>We should search the area, try to find any corroborating evidence to build an idea of what’s happening.
>We need our force concentrated. This is likely prelude to a new form of attack.
>Other?

>>5620926
>We need our force concentrated. This is likely prelude to a new form of attack.

>>5620926
>We need our force concentrated. This is likely prelude to a new form of attack.

>>5620926
>We should search the area, try to find any corroborating evidence to build an idea of what’s happening

>>5620926
“We need to regroup,” you declare. “I may not be sure what changed, but this looks like the prelude to a new form of attack. We need to be ready.”

“I thought we were going back?” the sergeant asks with a frown. “Now it sounds like we’ll be turning around?”

Serana signals for Alexa’s attention, and she translates the hand signs. “Our kind can move swiftly over land. You will have to keep up as best you can.”

Then she turns to you. [Big picture.]

… she has a point.

“That makes it sound like you intend to leave us behind,” the sergeant realizes.

>We’ll maintain a pace you can match, at first. But we can’t slow down or stop for anything.
>If wiping out the survivors was the goal, why take prisoners? I suspect you’ll be fine.
>I’m sorry, but we have our own priorities now. You men should do as you feel is best.
>Other?

>>5622390
>I’m sorry, but we have our own priorities now. You men should do as you feel is best.

>>5622390
>>If wiping out the survivors was the goal, why take prisoners? I suspect you’ll be fine.

>>5622390
>I’m sorry, but we have our own priorities now. You men should do as you feel is best.

>>5622390
“I’m sorry,” you apologize. “But we have our own priorities now. I’m afraid we can’t afford to spend any more time on surrendered enemies - either to escort you or protect you. So we’re going to have to leave you to do as you see fit.”

The sergeant digests that statement for a few minutes, but eventually he nods. “I follow you. What would you suggest?”

“Disappear,” you insist. “Lay low, stay out of trouble, do nothing to draw any attention to yourselves. Survive.”

“Well, that last part at least is a simple goal,” he grumbles.

“Good luck,” you offer.

“... thanks.”

…

You lead your group back south towards Hazaran, but the question foremost in your mind as you run through the dark is this - where precisely should you go?

>Head to Scaithness by the quickest route possible.
>Head to the capital, treat it as a rallying position.
>Take a position on the border, prepare for a renewed attack.
>Other?

>>5623756
>Take a position on the border, prepare for a renewed attack.

>>5623756
>Head to Scaithness by the quickest route possible.

>>5623756
>>Take a position on the border, prepare for a renewed attack.

>>5623756
>>Head to Scaithness by the quickest route possible.

>>5623756
calling for a tiebreaker or a write in here

>>5623756
>>Head to Scaithness by the quickest route possible.
>>5625214
This is why I mourn the loss of your twitter, you don't ping for updates on discord or anything like that. You have all these notification features on the server but you don't use them, so people like me end up missing updates and rolls. I've barely been able to participate in the recent(ish) updates to this quest because you don't really do anything to notify anyone.

>>5623756
You let your path carry you more towards the east, towards the pass that will take you most quickly to Scaithness. That takes you through the low, rolling foothills broken by granite outcrops and adorned with the shrubs and grasses common to southern Sakia, ever closer to the mountains which loom over Sakia. This time of year much of its black foundations, seemingly impenetrable walls of rock, are exposed beneath the high wreaths of ice and snow.

Onward and upward you charge, both by day and by night, until your group takes a pause in a lofty place just below the snow line where you find a spot among the stones that is out of the wind. Here you risk starting a small campfire with wood you hauled up together into the pass. Over a little water and some dried food, you discuss the issue facing your cohort after what you saw that caused you to turn around.

“Why would she do something like that?” Alexa wonders aloud. “I know her reputation, but she was once one of us, right?”

[She was,] Serana agrees, [and she was not.]

“She had a reputation for killing other warriors,” you observe. “Nothing could ever be proven of course. If she did the things of which she was accused then she did an excellent job hiding the evidence.”

“So why would she be acting this way now?” Alexa continues.

>Most likely, she’s following orders from the Organization. So she hasn’t changed, the Organization has simply abandoned any pretenses.
>I’m not entirely certain. My suspicion is that she wasn’t alone in this most recent action - it didn’t feel like her ‘style’, as it were.
>We’ll have to ask her when she puts in an appearance. I’m sure she’ll be in a talkative mood.
>Other?

>>5625247
>>I’m not entirely certain. My suspicion is that she wasn’t alone in this most recent action - it didn’t feel like her ‘style’, as it were.

>>5625247
>Other?
This could be an act to lure us somewhere.

>>5625247
>I’m not entirely certain. My suspicion is that she wasn’t alone in this most recent action - it didn’t feel like her ‘style’, as it were.

>>5625247
>I’m not entirely certain. My suspicion is that she wasn’t alone in this most recent action - it didn’t feel like her ‘style’, as it were.

>>5625247
“I can’t say,” you admit with a frown. “I suspect that she didn’t do this alone, and honestly? Butchering the weak doesn’t really fit her style.”

“How so?” Solaris asks you. “I take it you have a history.”

“That’s right,” you confirm.

[And she has a reputation,] Serana adds. [I think Lady Noel has a point.]

"You think she would only fight strong opponents?" Alexa reasons.

[Otherwise she would get nothing out of it,] Serana confirms.

“We need to consider the possibility of something bigger,” you declare. “Some other motivation that's driving her. So help me do that - what could be bigger? What am I not considering?”

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 9, 1, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>5626260

Rolled 5, 6, 10 = 21 (3d10)

>>5626260

Rolled 4, 3, 1 = 8 (3d10)

>>5626260

>>5626260
It’s Solaris who first considers something that you honestly can’t say you expected. “What if she didn’t do it? At least… not in the literal, personal sense?”

You watch her curiously. “Clarify.”

“Not long ago, the Abyssal Ones held power over small forces of awakened beings,” she begins. “So what if this warrior you’re concerned with is in a similar position?”

Serana looks concerned at this notion. [We know now that the Organization created the yōma, as well as ourselves. And it is the Organization’s benefactors that have invaded our home.]

“You think they created a replacement for us?” Alexa wonders.

You nod, carefully weighing the factors at hand. “It wouldn’t be unusual for them - making monsters to fight monsters is their reason for being. It’s ultimately the only strategy they know.”

[And Clarice would be much more cooperative if her assignment was to keep a new generation of warriors in line.]

“Or replacements for warriors,” Alexa observes.

“So how does this assumption influence our strategy?” Solaris wonders aloud.

>Simple. We have to be ready to fight an organized battle, on any sort of terrain.
>We should rely on Hazari backup. These new troops may not be trained against massed fire.
>We need to figure out what we’re dealing with first and foremost.
>Other?

>>5627548
>>We need to figure out what we’re dealing with first and foremost.

>>5627548
>We need to figure out what we’re dealing with first and foremost.

>>5627548
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 4, 7, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>5628431

Rolled 8, 8, 4 = 20 (3d10)

>>5628431

Rolled 10, 1, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>5628431
triple 1s go!

>>5628431
“First, we’re blind,” you declare. “When we get home we’ll work to remedy that, learn just what it is we need to expect.”

[But for now we should rest,] Serana insists with a few fleeting gestures.

“Agreed,” you nod.

…

After taking a rest of maybe an hour of sleep each, your party starts off again well before dawn. The high mountain passes are shadowy under the pale light of the moon, which is just setting, and the distant light of the stars. The early morning is clear and cold as you pass the tree line, following a worn path that meanders along the same route as a mountain stream which gushes through a rocky bed to your left. A few herbs plucked from between slabs of granite serve as a breakfast at dawn, and you continue onward until you reach a saddle-shaped pass between two peaks. Passing them by you enter into a series of small mountain valleys which wind between several more peaks, soaring pinnacles of jagged stone flanking your path between them.

By noon you’re descending again, following the long path towards the loch at Scaithness which soon comes into view below you.

…

“Welcome back, Miss Noel,” you’re greeted from multiple corners upon return to the castle of your forefathers.

“Nessa, please do me a favor and have Dominica draw hot water for a bath,” you muse. “Serana, Alexa, Solaris, please relax for now. Valentina, do me a favor as well and fetch my mother. I’m going to be meeting with Helen.”

…

“So what did you find?” Helen asks curiously, once she, your mother, and you can all meet in the formal sitting room. “You seem tense, even for you.”

You tell them what happened in Sakia, and they listen. Then you offer your thoughts on what to do.

>We need to have our spies discern what has changed with the invading force.
>We should steer clear, and rely on the guilds to gather relevant information.
>I think we should focus on ensuring our own cohort isn’t vulnerable at all.
>Other?

>>5629774
>>I think we should focus on ensuring our own cohort isn’t vulnerable at all.

>>5629774
>I think we should focus on ensuring our own cohort isn’t vulnerable at all.

>>5629774
>>I think we should focus on ensuring our own cohort isn’t vulnerable at all.

>>5629774
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 3, 6, 9 = 18 (3d10)

>>5630671

Rolled 5, 7, 6 = 18 (3d10)

>>5630671

Rolled 5, 5, 2 = 12 (3d10)

>>5630671

>>5630671
“We need to secure our strategic position above all else,” you declare. “We have no idea yet what may be coming, so in a sense everything is equally likely. In my opinion we have to proceed under the assumption that the attack could take any form. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Helen nods. “So let’s start with the obvious and work our way from there.”

“Blackthorn Keep can’t really be improved any further from here,” your mother declares. “The bones are just not suited to the new type of artillery-driven, mobile warfare the continentals have brought with them, so there was only ever so much that could be done to adjust.”

“I concur,” you sigh. “Against that form of warfare, that’s exactly correct.”

“So are we considering moving on from Scaithness?” Helen asks curiously.

>No. I suspect what’s coming won’t be primarily artillery, so the need to replace Blackthorn is hardly pressing.
>I suspect that we may be better served starting in a more flexible position, treating Blackthorn as a fallback.
>As a base of operations? No. As the lynchpin of a defensive strategy? It would be best to relegate it.
>Other?

>>5630829
>>I suspect that we may be better served starting in a more flexible position, treating Blackthorn as a fallback.

>>5630829
>I suspect that we may be better served starting in a more flexible position, treating Blackthorn as a fallback.

>>5630829
>I suspect that we may be better served starting in a more flexible position, treating Blackthorn as a fallback.

>>5630829
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 6, 4, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>5632015

Rolled 5, 8, 7 = 20 (3d10)

>>5632015

>>5632015
Still need one more roll before I can continue tomorrow morning.

Rolled 5, 3, 1 = 9 (3d10)

>>5632015

>>5632015
“I suspect we’d be better served by setting our first line of defense further afield,” you decide. “Even against cannons, the terrain serves Blackthorn by limiting the possible lines of attack so that outworks can cover them.”

“And the ‘blackthorns’ it’s named for make for a handy last line of defense,” your mother adds, nodding. “I see your logic. Let each aspect of the defensive plan do what it’s best suited for.”

“Right,” you confirm. “The keep itself is a key strength - a logistical hub, a safe place to sleep and eat, and a spotting position, but as a stronghold it should be our last resort.”

“So where would you say our position will be attacked from?” Helen wonders, half to herself. “There are a limited number of roads, and there’s the slope above Scaithness. Should we even pay attention to the river?”

“If we’re not concentrated in the keep there would be no point,” you reason.

“Because it would be a slow approach that just gets you surrounded when you finally get here.”

“Right.”

“Hazari soldiers could be very useful in this instance,” Sabela offers, shifting in her seat for a moment as she crosses her legs. “There are already watch towers in important positions. Add a few foot patrols in a rotation and that ensures us plenty of information to work with.”

“I’m not so sure,” you disagree. “Many of those positions may not end up making a difference.”

“How so?” Helen wonders.

“Because right now they have a theoretical advantage in that they could approach us from several directions,” you point out. “But if they approach us from below the loch they’ll be spotted much sooner, so that means they would be losing the only advantage to keeping that option open.”

“So you feel they may not take advantage of any uncertainty on our part and go straight to an offensive?” Sabela muses. “Rely on speed and concentration of force?”

“And if we’ve spread ourselves too thin that makes it more likely such a strategy will work,” Helen realizes. “Damn.”
>1/2

>>5632886
“So your plan is to launch an attack to disrupt their own offensive?” Sabela realizes. “Seize the initiative knowing that unlike them you have someplace to fall back to?

>That’s the only real strategy we have at the moment, so we should begin preparing it.
>We should also try to organize a mission north to locate and observe them as they approach.
>Instead of one attack I was thinking a series of attacks to drain their resources.
>Other?

>>5633087
>>We should also try to organize a mission north to locate and observe them as they approach.
>Instead of one attack I was thinking a series of attacks to drain their resources.

>>5633087
>Instead of one attack I was thinking a series of attacks to drain their resources.

>>5633145
>>5633087
In with this guy

>>5633087
>We should also try to organize a mission north to locate and observe them as they approach.
>Instead of one attack I was thinking a series of attacks to drain their resources.

>>5633087
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 1, 1, 9 = 11 (3d10)

>>5633615

Rolled 8, 5, 4 = 17 (3d10)

>>5633615

Rolled 1, 9, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>5633615

>>5633615
“We should send a small mission to scout ahead,” you decide, “and bring us news of any possible assault. They should be regular Hazaris - odds are good that any force coming here will have the ability to sense yōki.”

“Agreed, but then what?” Sabela asks curiously. “A series of hit and run attacks to weaken their forces?”

“I was thinking along those lines,” you admit. “They have the added benefit of giving us a chance to gauge any potential new enemy before committing to a full-scale engagement.”

“I think that caution is justified,” Helen nods. “I will take care of assigning teams - I assume you want two taking the attacks in turn, one attacking and the other standing by to reinforce them if need be?”

You nod. “Good thinking. I’ll prepare the Hazari scouts.”

…

By that evening all forces allied to your cause have begun to fan out across the territory north of Scaithness, watching all approaches from Sakia across the mountains. Riders from each of the forwardmost watch positions are expected to ride back to the nearest permanent fortification, mostly small towers and fortified houses of sorts. From those positions, a rider would then be sent to Scaithness while the forward scouts take cover - you were clear in your orders that heroics are absolutely forbidden unless they’re attacked first.

By noon the next day you have your first report: the rider from a pass to the northeast of Scaithness, near where you and your faction were sent on the suicide mission that drove the final, irreconcilable wedge between yourselves and the organization, barely made it out alive. Not only were the forward scouts in that area evidently cornered and killed, but it seemed likely that the defenders of the nearby watch tower were slaughtered shortly thereafter as they tried to withdraw to safety. Only those who were mounted escaped with their lives, whose numbered just four men. Three others split away to warn other nearby Hazari forces of the massacre.

Disconcerting is the description of their attackers.

“... you’re positive they were men?” Sabela demands, her tone unusually agitated.

The rider nods once. “Least, they looked to be at first. But those things as killed my company… those weren’t no men.”
>1/2

>>5633749
"Is that possible?" Valentina asks aloud after you send the rider who brought that difficult news to your attention. "I mean... male warriors of any kind, awakened or no?"

"It's possible they're yoma," Helen offers.

But Sabela and Salem share a look that tells you all you need to know.

"It's possible, isn't it mother?" you press calmly, but sternly. "You know something."

"There's nothing preventing it," Salem explains wearily. "Nothing at all."

"Then why haven't they ever done it before?" Helen demands. "Why only use girls?"

"It's only a theory," Salem insists. "Or at least it was in my time. But it sounded like male warriors were just a dead-end. Uncontrollable for some reason, some sort of hormonal thing. They's why sisters and twin girls became the new line of research at some point."

[They must be desperate,] Serana suggests.

"Laura," Zoe muses. "Check my reasoning, please."

It's rare that either of these two speak out during 'serious' meetings, instead dedicating most of their efforts to maintaining training regimens for your younger warriors. But their experience, their wisdom, and their general perspective are invaluable when offered, and so you listen intently.

"Go ahead," Laura nods.

"If you were losing a war you should, by all expectations and reasoning conventional to your experience," Zoe begins, "would you not seek unconventional means of bringing about a victory?"

"I would," Laura nods. "Assuming a loss would be devastating, that is."

"Assume so," Zoe allows. "Now assume you have the technical skill and experience to create superior, though unstable, soldiers, as well as an increasing problem with defections and or insubordination..."

"They turned their own men into some sort of cut-rate awakened beings?" you complete the thought.

Laura nods, glancing to Sabela. "What do you think?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," Sabela mutters.

>This could be bad. A "fair" fight against such a force may be one we could lose if we're not careful.
>Then we need to rethink our strategy. Rely on awakened beings and half-awakened warriors to conduct the strikes.
>And so somehow, Clarice is managing such an army? How would she go about doing that and how can we interfere with it?
>Other?

>>5633761
>>And so somehow, Clarice is managing such an army? How would she go about doing that and how can we interfere with it?

>>5633761
>And so somehow, Clarice is managing such an army? How would she go about doing that and how can we interfere with it?

>>5633761
>And so somehow, Clarice is managing such an army? How would she go about doing that and how can we interfere with it?

>>5633761
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 1, 5, 6 = 12 (3d10)

>>5634575

Rolled 9, 1, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>5634575

Rolled 7, 5, 8 = 20 (3d10)

>>5634575

>>5634575
“So let’s assume for a moment that we’re correct, and that Clarice is controlling a number of adult male awakened beings,” you begin. “My first question is how is she managing such a feat?”

There are some problems that are difficult because there are too many possible solutions, and there are problems that are difficult because there is too little information upon which to found a solution. Then there’s the third kind of problem, which is the kind you’re dealing with here - the kind where it’s difficult to even define how many possible solutions there actually are, forget about finding which one would be best.

“Just plain power might be an option,” Sabela offers calmly.

“Wouldn’t she need to be awakened like us?” Helen wonders aloud.

“Not necessarily,” Laura observes, seeing what your mother probably considered. “She would simply need to be able to best one.”

“And from there, fear of being that one could do the job,” Sabela asserts. “That is often the way of tyrants.”

“Perhaps their minds are abnormal?” Helen suggests. “Nothing we have seen or heard has suggested any higher reasoning.”

“You think they may not be capable of insubordination?” you nod. “Maybe.”

“That seems more likely than the alternative,” Salem offers. “Our reason was left fundamentally sound, albeit not ‘untouched’ in many cases, because we needed it to out-fight the Organization’s enemies. We twins were used in controlled awakening experiments.”

“But unless they found a way around needing twins…” Helen frowns.

“Then that’s probably not how they’re doing it now,” Salem completes the thought.

>We need more observations. Even finding out what to expect at the last second can give us an advantage.
>We should launch our first strikes now, and strike hard. If the awakened soldiers are intelligent it should give them pause.
>We stick to the plan. If need be, we should also plan to evacuate Scaithness and fall back further into Hazaran.
>Other?

>>5635913
>>We need more observations. Even finding out what to expect at the last second can give us an advantage.

>>5635913
>>We should launch our first strikes now, and strike hard. If the awakened soldiers are intelligent it should give them pause.

>>5635913
>We need more observations. Even finding out what to expect at the last second can give us an advantage.

>>5635913
>We need more observations. Even finding out what to expect at the last second can give us an advantage.

File: 106139585_p2.jpg (207 KB, 1024x1536)

207 KB JPG

>>5635913
“Even if we get a key piece of information at the last second, we can still adjust,” you decide. “But we still need to get that information in the first place.”

“How do we do that?” Sabela asks you curiously. “As queen I assume you do not like the idea of committing more soldiers to this effort, knowing what happened to the last group?”

You nod. “Yeah. I had been hoping that the enemy wouldn’t notice them, or wouldn’t see them as a target. Clearly that’s not the case.”

“Your solution is to go in person,” Zoe… not so much “accuses” you as much as she states the facts as she assumes them to be. She’s seen the pattern of course, so it’s a good assumption.

“I hadn’t decided yet,” you admit. “I’m open to alternatives.”

“We’ll go,” Helen declares. “Send a strong team of four.”

“That makes sense,” Salem answers. “Take us with you - me, Solaris, Sabela.”

“And no regular warriors?” Helen frowns.

Laura’s eyes narrow. “Explain your reasoning, please.”

“We are the experts on awakened beings,” Salem observes, “and we have fewer… compunctions.”

[Good use of the word compunctions,] Serana signs, rolling her eyes slightly.

“That’s cute,” Salem smirks. “You’re cute. But I’m right and you know it.”

“I am concerned that we are simply shifting the moral burden yet again,” Helen admits. “They are here to kill us, not Hazaris, not awakened beings.”

“You don’t know that,” Sabela insists, her tone quiet but calm and authoritative. Then she glances at you. “Let us help you, Noel.”

>I’ll take a mixed team of six - three pairs of one warrior and one awakened being each.
>I agree with my mother and Salem this time. Now isn’t a good time to get hung up on morals.
>Helen’s point may be purely emotional, but she does have a point. This is about us, we should solve it.
>Other?

>>5636839
>I’ll take a mixed team of six - three pairs of one warrior and one awakened being each.

>>5636839
>I agree with my mother and Salem this time. Now isn’t a good time to get hung up on morals.

>>5636839
>I agree with my mother and Salem this time. Now isn’t a good time to get hung up on morals

>>5636839
>>I’ll take a mixed team of six - three pairs of one warrior and one awakened being each.

>>5636839
>>Helen’s point may be purely emotional, but she does have a point. This is about us, we should solve it.

>>5636839
>>I agree with my mother and Salem this time. Now isn’t a good time to get hung up on morals.

>If they want their plans to progress they would need to eliminate the extant AB anyways. having Them act as people is bad for their "brand."

>>5638500
New thread