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Lucian stood at the door way as three Knight Errants stood before him. Each of them were breathing heavily as they had ridden at full gallop to the Garden of Morr from Castle Bastonne. Each of them found the gates leading to the garden locked from the inside as Lucian stood behind it.

It was a standoff that Lucian did not want to be apart of. At the suggestion of Adok the Peasant had locked the gates to the Garden to make sure that none but the Dukes could enter upon their return. In such a time Lucian had been hard at work sanifying the fallen with the petty blessing that Morr had granted him the ability to cast.

He was a Peasant and these were Knights, but they were all standing with the Temple of Morr. Each of these men had witnessed Lucian tending to the dead and the subtle inflection of calmness a Miracle of Morr granted to a corpse. So by their understanding he was the highest ranking Priest of Morr within the Temple and thus had complete control over the functions of the Temple below only the Ducal Authority.

They, being Knight Errants, no matter how arrogant knew that committing a taboo within the Temple of Morr would only lead to them being cursed by both their brethren and the Death God. If one was cursed by the God of Death and Dreams, not even the Lady herself could provide him with solace.

So they stood there and waited. Their hands not even daring to reach for the blade as they awaited the inevitable.

It was then that the stampede of hooves roared through the streets on the other side of the Garden’s walls. These were the second pair that Lucian had heard today with the first belonging to the Knights who were standing before him. The sheer amount of armored clatter led Lucian to believe these men, far more than these Errants, had fashioned themselves for war.

The Knights on the other side of the gate noticed their too and quickly moved to the side while kneeling. Lucian would have done the same but he had to rush towards the gate and unbar the gate that he had so hurriedly locked. As the gate opened the pair of dukes were in sight.

“Squire Lucian.” Duke Guion of Bastonne, blood heir of Gilles the Uniter, shouted at the Peasant with all his might, “Show me to the Mausoleum!”

“This way Lord!” Lucian shouted back as the gate swung open with all his might.

Quickly the pair of dukes marched in with four Knights of the Realm at their backs. Each of them covered nearly head to toe in a steel battleplate that was emaculate to the eye. There was no question that if there was even a suspicion on where the Corpse could lay, that these warriors would ruin it to find the corpse.

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Lucian did as he was told and guided them to the Mausoleum that was dedicated to the Lady’s Knight. The two of them walked in without their escorts as to withhold the sight of such a travesty against all who were present.

They were there for fifteen minutes. The outside was so quiet that not even Adok felt it right to speak any words about the happenings to Lucian just yet.

As they walked out the faces of the men were drained of life. Their shoulders, while not slumped, did not have the same fervor they once had. Lucian had seen such a face on a cousin who had been told their sister and child did not survive childbirth.

“It is as the Squire says.” Duke Guion announced as he looked upon his warriors, “The corpse of Osmont the Brave has been stolen.”

Lucian knew this fact yet hearing it still caused his heart to be filled with anguish as it was said aloud. In truth Lucian wanted to believe that what he was witnessing was false but he had cared for too many of the corpses to see otherwise now. The corpse was gone.

“Errants.” The Duke of Bastonne barked at those in the rear most of those present, “Inform your fellows of this matter. Search every hovel, carriage, and speck of grass for Osmont the Brave. Great honor shall come to whoever finds it!”

As sudden as they arrived the Knights were off. Each of them having the speed of a beast in flight. Such was their desire for both glory, to carry out an order, and to right the wrong that had been done to all of them.

“Squire Lucian, take us back to the site of the murder. Take us through everything you had discovered before our arrival.” Duke Guion ordered as Duke Moriset simply kept his tongue for the time being.

“Yes my Lords.” Lucian gave a bow before hurriedly walking to the site that was desired.

Upvote the thread you fags! Not the 2010 theread, the other one

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Now they were all standing above the corpses of the fallen Priests. Lucian kneeled before the fallen Father Albert with a shaken heart, “Most here are Priests who had been following us to battle the battlefields, my Lord. That one is Father Kelert, this one is Father Lorain, and this man is Father Albert, the head of the Mortician Temple in Bordeleaux.”

There were no murmurs among the Knights present. No condemnation about an inadequate job or demands for further information that was going to be provided. In a sense those standing with Lucian here today were the pinnacle of the virtue, Patience, that was taught by the Lady.

“This man I do not recognize.” Lucian said as he pointed towards another corpse that was wearing the Mortician robes, “I believe he is the resident Priest who remained here during the war. To have safeguarded it against all that was happening.”

Taking the tip of his scythe Lucian began to point to the regions of the corpse that he did not know the identity of, “This man was killed through mauling and strokes with a blade. If there was any foul sorcery here then I do not know it. Everyone has injuries just like these across their bodies. The only one whose death seems different… is Father Alberts whose heart has been removed.”

It was with a simple gesture that Lucian pointed to the chest of the Priest. The wound was already covered up by the cloth that the Peasant was able to find.

“Those rotting appear to have been corpses for a few months to years. I… I cannot fathom that they had died here but had risen as undead for whatever purposes the attackers had.” Lucian said as he felt his heart ache just that little bit more.

With those words the two Dukes at one another, with Guion opening, “These damned cowards waited until I left. Once the Knights were gone they thought that we would not have noticed such a brazen theft! The Gods of Chaos must be laughing at us for they have strung us across the table.”

“Yet we cannot do anything about it.” Moriset said as he shook his head, “In three days we must set out to kill the Warboss of the Orcs or they will attack not only Bastonne, but Aquitaine. You are right that they have played devious tricks upon us. We have three days to seek the Necromancer out, and if we fail in that, then we pray.”

“Damn it!” The Duke of Bastonne cursed as his face became a sneer.

“This happened in the Castle too.” Adok appeared next to Lucian with a small lean, “Your Duke is right though, Gobi cannot be left alone to build a bigger warhost. I’m thinking we do a little investigation ourselves, if you don’t mind.”

Lucian gave a nod to those words, “I was thinking the same thing.” He admitted as he tightened the grip on his scythe.

>Further investigate the Temple of Morr
>Head out to the local Taverns.
>Look for leads in the streets

>>5742596
>Further investigate the Temple of Morr
They must have left more clues other then the bodies.

>>5742596
>>Further investigate the Temple of Morr
The priests must have left a safeguard or kept a secret somewhere in the temple. H*ck a fetish of some kind... anything!!

>>5742596

>Further investigate the Temple of Morr.

We are literally steps away from the temple, plus the vehicle used to take the body must have left some marks.

But I still don't understand, why would a necromancer risk so much for just one body?

Could it be that the plan is to prevent those killed in the battle against the greenskins, from receiving the proper rituals? Is the theft just a distraction? How many priests of Morr are still with the army?

>>5742637
When someone exceptional is raised from the dead, they're still exceptional. Grail Knights exemplify this, being just as dangerous when undead as they are alive.

Imagine a Vampire or Necromancer with a Grail Knight for a bodyguard. They wouldn't be unstoppable, but it'd basically be a get-out-of-jail-free card to escape from a sticky situation. Fight off chaff, guard against assassination, duel enemy heroes while they support, etc., or act as a distraction for their master to escape while Knights try and put their fallen comrade to rest. And THAT assumes that they can kill the resurrected Grail Knight, they may even be cut down in the attempt and let the abomination get away.

>>5742653

Well considering how powerful this creature would be, wouldn't the ritual to create it be proportionately bigger, drawing more attention? I don't doubt the knight's search capabilities in their territory. For me, this story still doesn't add up.

>>5742596
>>Further investigate the Temple of Morr
Search for smells, search for traces left around or for other signs of combat.
A carriage might have left some marks outside but is not too likely (carriages, people and horses pass around all the time, just now all the knights that arrived with horses moved the terrain around lol), this wasn't a dumb plan. And it was done well.

>>5742637
Its a powerful symbol not just a strong undead, whoever did it, didn't just gain a strong undead that will fight for him and allow him to have a stronger undead host, but it gained the morale of this duchy lowering has one of their defunct sacred protectors was taken away without nobody noticing it until it was too late, and when the news reach it, the morale of the brettonian army fighting greenskins will also lower.

And that will affect the next battle against the greenskins. More brettonians losses could be likely, and many orks will die anyway. If the battle ahead can leave both armies defeated and tired, and make it a draw then an opportunistic and intelligent undead host could act without being noticed.
Swoop in for raise more undead in cemeteries across the country, then sack the battlefield of the dead and raise them.

In fact, this undead host might have done this already in the first battles against the greenskins. Lucian though was something they didn't expect and might have been an issue, but they did eliminate the priests of moor both the local ones and the ones coming with the army.
They achieved 2 objectives instead than one, and the third might just be in their reach. Depending on how the investigation goes, and frankly Lucian will need some serious help because a brettonian peasant is hardly good in investigation same for probably most brettonian nobles.
I imagine Brettonia has some level of scouts and spies for doing war, the bare minimum is needed because a lot of enemies act with subterfuge and intrigue.

>>5742596
>Further investigate the Temple of Morr
Maybe pray Morr for Guidance?

>>5742596 #
>Further investigate the Temple of Morr
If Lucian becomes a knight, he'll get an anti undead aura, I'm sure of it.

>>5742596
>Further investigate the Temple of Morr
Take nap, have dream, follow Morr's guidance. Repeat!
Maybe Father Albert ripped the necromancer's fancy clothing and clutches a piece in his fist, so necromancer decided to rip his heart out in anger. Maybe he needed his heart for the ritual. OR maybe it was a former apprentice of Father Albert who turned evil by corrupting his knowledge of Morr's rites to necromancy, so killing his former master was personal.

What did they want in the castle? Some kind of maiden to sacrifice? The hero's armor and weapons kept by the local noble family? Revenge? Or just to cause chaos? A better question might be how did he get into the castle. The Garden of Morr here is one thing, it was just the priests here. A castle still ought to have some guards to help keep order even during wartime, and is in the center of the town past a whole bunch of people.

It is rather strange to not better protect a hero's grave, even if Morr worship here is lesser than in Lucian's home region, maybe theres a reason to not move the Garden and graves somewhere more secure. An underground to this Garden that leads to some treasure, or the sewers, or even to the Castle as part of some secret escape route from the time of the Uniter.

Bringing a bunch of corpse zombies through the city streets, or even a bunch of dirty thugs or whatever else a Necromancer can bring, through the front gates of the castle or even a side entrance would be pretty noticeable I imagine. If they knew there was a secret path to the castle under the isolated Garden of Morr they could take this easily with only the priests here, go through the underground to the Castle to attack that and do what they wanted there, then leave the same way without being spotted.

>>5742942
They took what they wanted the corpse, and slaughtered both the local and the brettonian army Morr priests. This is not a coincidence and has been done exactly, when there will be soon another battle against the greenskins.
The castle has a likely village or town attached/inside it, the more likely option is through subterfuge for enter and get out, you need a cover for that but honestly if you are skilled in oratory, a bit smart and are backed up by magic and money its not so difficult.
If your cover was already well established before (like a known merchant), then you have little issues. You aren't going to show up dirty, stinky and so on in front of this place. You need to look the part, and you will make the necessary measures for avoid being found out.

The war against this greenskins has seen some losses, the temple and the castle being understaffed can happen. People have to take hard decisions time to time, and things can be less than optimal in certain places.
A secret path is one of the things Brettonians would attempt to keep an eye on, and would be harder to find for an enemy. I doubt its impossible, but the Dukes would have send men to check that in a second.
If the Dukes didn't know of the existance of a secret path, then they have yet another problem in their hands.

>>5742596
>>Head out to the local Taverns.

>>5742596
>Head out to the local Taverns.

>>5742596
>>Further investigate the Temple of Morr

>>5742948
Counterpoint necromancers are dirty and stinky, possess balding hair with unhealthy pale skin and hooked noses, their thoughts mired in black magic are incapable of polite conversation, with poor oration from talking to dead people who are known bores, and very old coins from robbing graves they jealously guard. Also they have Father Alberts heart. Find someone matching this description. Ask any Brettonian and they will agree and recognize a necromancer instantly. We simply wait for an upstanding peasant eager to turn the necromancer over to proper Morrish authorities to arrive with the information we need.

>>5742596
>Further investigate the Temple of Morr

>>5743219
You described a Bretonnian Peasant.

>>5743244
By the Lady the entire country is populated by necromancer spawn. This kingdom is doomed.

>>5742669
That's why they stole the corpse.
So they could move it. And do this ritual that almost certainly would take more time elsewhere.

>>5743277

I understand what you mean, but I'm literally talking about time, it took less than twelve hours ago for the enemy to carrying a body after heavy fighting.

How long would it take the Knights dashing in all directions around the castle to find the thieves' trail? I'm sure most nobles on this chase either have combat experience, or have hunted animals in their lives.

What kind of transport is capable of outpacing a warhorse's in full gallop? Or worse, where did the necromancer find such a good hiding place this close to the castle?

>>5743244
I thought he was talking about the Strigani

So the necrofags have either a GOOD hiding spot or means to travel far and fast. I am confident the zombies were discarded as soon as possible and they definitely didn't leave a trail of them. Don't be surprised if the knights discover rotting corpses everywhere around the city.

No update tonight, but it seems this will be the last time for a while this happens.

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>>5743682
No problem QM

>>5743682
Quality writing takes time.
I prefer a slower, sustained rhythm to a burned-out QM.

>>5743900
Indeed, but this is mainly because I was moving yesterday into today. I was able to maintain a 3 page rhythm last year as evident by my last quest.

>>5743900
anon is a fag

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The majority of Knights left with one Knight of the Realm standing guard as Lucian and Adok worked to put away the corpses that were strung about the garden. Said guard was silent in his vigil as Lucian gave prayers to the dead and began moving each of the corpses into the lower chambers where several dozen coffins were prepared and tables dedicated to examination laid.

It was a hard labor but the strength of Adok made most of it easily. The Dwarf, just like Lucian, was able to handle the corpses with ease and help him easily slip each of them in their alotted coffins.

As they were already examined and there was not time to clean up the bodies, each of the corpses were placed within a large wall that had a series of holes within it. Each of these holes had around them the etchings of preservation that channeled the power of Morr towards the corpses. It allowed corpses that degraded within days to last close to a month from Lucian’s own experienced.

Normally this function would only be used as a intermediary, to forestall a sudden spike in burials or give the Priests time to gather coin for said burial, but today it would be a stop gap until a proper ritual could be done to save their souls.

“Damned dirty work.” Adok complained as he shook his head, “Leaving the hold, never in my mind did I imagine helping umgi with their dead be so common.”

“Uh, sorry.” Lucian said meekly as he scratched the back of his neck.

To that the Dwarf gave a laugh, “No need to apologize for that! I got myself in this mess I can work through it.”

Lucian felt a little taken aback by such a declaration but shook his head at it, “I looked through the pockets of the Bastonne Priest and found his keys. We can start looking through their dorms to see if they left anything behind.”

“Your god does not frown upon looting the dead?” Adok asked with what was genuine speculation.

“He does, but as the books say, when it involves undead he does not care what happens as long as they are destroyed.”

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Lucian slipped the key into the slip and turned it. Like the other doors it unlocked easily. The evidence showing that at least the main part of the building was well cared for when everyone was still alive.

The Peasant had a cloth on top of his nose as he swung the door open. His eyes squinting as he expected a rush to dust to come slam into him. None came through and instead he was welcomed with a rather homey room.

“No dust eh?” Adok noted as he stood behind Lucian, “Must belong to that no-name priest we saw. I wonder what happened to the rest of his order.”

“Let's hope he left some kind of note.” Lucian noted as he walked through the doorway and into the room proper.

For being the place of a dead man who worshiped a death god the room did not appear to be drab. About the room was a lot of black cloth with beige highlights that had upon it a sigil of some kind. Taking a closer look it appeared to be that of a Raven, a symbol of Morr.

“This is good craftsmanship.” Adok said as he rubbed his hand on one of the shelves, “Think this man might have been one of your Nobleman or something?”

“Maybe.” Lucian admitted as he walked away from the sigil, “Back in Aquitaine three of the Priests there were Nobleman who had been called upon by Morr to serve him, and so they did. So its not impossible.”

As Lucian said that he walked over and reached what looked to be a desk. His hands opening each of the drawers in search of something out of the ordinary. There were a few pieces of paper with writing upon it and leather bound books that had scripted letterings written into parchment. A single one of these books would be worth a homestead in Lucian’s old village.

It was when Lucian’s hand brushed upon a black leather bound book that he stopped, “Hey Adok, I think I found something.”

“Well what is it?” The Dwarf asked as he walked to Lucian’s side.

“I don’t know, I can’t read.” The Peasant admitted as he handed the Leatherbound book to the Dwarf.

“An Umgi asking a Dwarf to read his own script?” The Dwarf sounded more outraged as such a suggestion than the moving of the bodies earlier. He accepted the book and opened it up, “You are lucky I studied your script then. After we are done here I’m going to teach you the runes of your people.”

“Uh, thank you.” Was about all Lucian could say as he saw the Dwarf open the book.

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The Peasant watched as the dwarf looked through the pages. His face was rather tight, squinting as he tried to discern the lettering that was used by the wordsmith Priest.

Or at least that was how Lucian imagined the writing to be, as he had only come to understand numbers, he had to think that the written word was far better than that to be used by the noblemen. Anything else would be less honorable in the eyes of the Peasant.

“I think I got something here.” Adok said as he pointed a fat finger upon one of the pages, “It says right here that there have been some disappearances. A guard or two not appearing for work one day.”

“Was it a one off?” Lucian asked with a small amount of dread creeping into his spine.

“Neigh. This page, this page, and this one all mention it.” He started pointing in numerous points with a calm gaze, “Our Priest, a Robert, says here he requested assistance from other Temples. This was… uh… a month ago.”

“Right during the rumblings of war.”

“Aye, shitty time to be asking for reinforcements when there are Orcs just across the horizon.” Agreed Adok as he looked at it closely, “Seems those disappearances kept happening. Apparently some of the Priests who left the temple got nabbed, so the Umgi thought it best he stay here at the Temple.”

“I see, so one of the corpses we have belongs to Father Robert. Anything else?”

“Nope, fellow knew going outside was going to get him killed so he didn’t do any investigations.” Adok said as he grew a smile and walked to the chest. With a crack of his fist the lock shattered and he opened it to show a leather booklet, “This has the addresses of all those who served the Temple. Most of their guards and some of the Priests lived outside the Temple, so maybe we go checking out their homes.”


“Yeah, that might be an idea.” Lucian agreed.

>Samuel the Lecherous Priest
>Phil the Peasant Guard
>Adams the Death-Herald

>>5744306
>Samuel the Lecherous Priest

>>5744306
>>Adams the Death-Herald
The coolest first

>>5744306
>Phil the Peasant Guard
Maybe his family knows something. If he has a family and assuming the filthy corpse diddlers didn't get them too.

>>5744306
>Samuel the Lecherous Priest

>Samuel the Lecherous Priest

A Priest is a priest. He'll know what's been going on and he can teach Lucian more Morr skills/prayers to consecrate the dead and fight the undead with.

>>5744306
>>Adams the Death-Herald

>>5744422
Err... Samuel might lack bowels to teach Lucian...

>>5744306
>>Phil the Peasant Guard

>>5744306

>Samuel the Lecherous Priest.

In theory he would have given the most resistance.

>>5744306
>Samuel the lecherous priest.

>>5744306
>>Phil the Peasant Guard

>>5744306
>>Phil the Peasant Guard

The Priest
>>5744318
>>5744359
>>5744671
>>5744724
>>5744422

Death-Herald
>>5744340
>>5744439

The Guard
>>5744353
>>5744578
>>5744726
>>5745092

Lets see if that everyone?

>>5745184
Looks like the Priest won, so we will run with him!

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The town that ran adjacent to Castle Bastonne was in an uproar as people from all walks of life had heard the news of the slaughter.

It did not matter if it was a door or window, each and every one of them were barred shut with planks of wood. Even the animals, let them be rat or pig, had disappeared from the outside as the people brought their property into their homes.

It looked as though the people of the town had disappeared in thin air. Baskets were left in the open and small barricades were erected across the entrance of far more furnished establishments. The mud on the ground made it obvious that a stampede of people had come through the area yet there was barely a soul in slight with the exception of Lucian and Adok.

“You Umgi are more skittish than the Raki.” Adok said as they walked through the streets.

“A Necromancer is on the loose.” The Peasant Squire pointed out as he walked side by side with the Dwarf, “No one here can fight him. I told you how harrowing a Vampire was, a necromancer is just like that.”

Adok thought to himself for a moment, pondering what he should think of those words, “Guess its the Knights who do all the fightin’ while the Peasants cower. Guess that makes you a Knight!”

“I-I am not a Knight!” Lucian said in reflex at the simple jest, “There are still plenty of Yeoman within the streets as we speak helping to find the Necromancer or guarding the castle.”

“I don’t see any and Dwarf eyes are pretty good.” Pointed out Adok with a smirk, “I think its here.”

The two of them stopped out in front of a large townhouse. All floors of the building were oddly boarded up even from wood way too old to have been there before the news of the Necromancer. There was a small sign that said something Lucian could not read but it was placed on the picture of what looked to be a peach.

Walking up to the door, Adok gave the door a test. Seemingly barred as well, he gave it a few good knocks, “Anyone home?”

Still nothing.

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“Well Umgi, we breakin’ the door down or you want to try?” Adok asked as the Peasant as he stepped out of the way.

“Uh, I can.” The Peasant said as he walked over and gave it a few good knocks, “Anyone there? I am Lucian, uh, a Squire of Count Remon. We are here to help deal with the… bad fellow.”

Upon his words a small slit that was placed into the door opened up. A single eye looked out of it and turned over to look at Lucian directly, “P-please lord, have mercy upon me. I have nothing to do with what happened at the Temple nor the man who you disciplined.”

The Peasant Squire could not help but be taken aback by such a reply. He could understand the Necromancer but had news of the execution already been carried that far that fast? It had only been about four hours since then and the sun was starting to set the for the evening of the killing.

“W-we are not here to exact that kind of Justice.” Lucian answered the scared eye, “We are here to see if Samuel is there. If not, maybe his things might have a clue to the… deaths tonight.”

There was a wavering moment as that eye focused heavily upon Lucian. In an instant it disappeared into the darkness for a moment like it was never there. He was just slightly tempted to look through the hole, to see what was happening in there. He decided not to for the privacy of the woman he was talking to.

“So…. you are a… Priest of Morr?” He could tell now it was the voice of an old lady. The pressure of Lucian just being here caused her voice to crack as it tried to reel in the terror that she was experiencing.

“I am blessed by him, yes. I am a compatriot of Samuelson.”

“S-swear upon him that no terror shall be done to me.” The woman quickly said as if she wanted to say that the entire time they were speaking.

“As long as you are not aiding or are the Necromancer, you have nothing to fear from us. I cannot swear it upon the name of another but I will give it as my own word.” Lucian said to her knowing how precious these kinds of oaths were. Swearing upon someone you barely knew was never a good sign, and he was in no position to swear in the name of his Lords. So he gave the best he could, himself.

She hesitated for a moment and then closed the slit. After a few clicks of what must have been a half a dozen locks the door before them opened.

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As Adok and Lucian walked in the door was quickly closed and locked as according to the woman. One of those locks was even built with a keyhole facing the inside of the building, leaving her the only person who could not open the door.

Lucian might have felt frightened if he was by himself. But as his companion was a Dwarf with a mighty forgehammer and the door appeared to be of old wood he did not worry that much anymore. Adok would have no trouble with it just as he had no trouble with the chest back in the Temple.

“My Lords.” She began while walking down a hallway with quick feet that was unbecoming of someone that withered. Likely she was picking up pace through sheer freight alone, “I have not seen Father Samuelson in two weeks. None of the girls had either from what I have heard when I asked them about him.”

“Girls?” Lucian asked as he heard the words, “Did he have many friends?”

“Y-yes he did. Quite a few.” She quickly stammered out as they walked up the staircase.

Every step Lucian took he could feel the age upon them. When Adok took his step the sounds of wood groaning under the weight of Dwarf Battlearmor was too loud to ignore. Lucian looked over to see the Dwarf carefully selecting his steps. His hammer being placed on stairs he was not on to disperse the total weight of the Dwarf across multiple planks. He watched, in a somewhat morbid humor, as Adok attempted to skip a few stairs to ones he thought were better.

The dwarf succeeded in this, which was lucky for him as Lucian almost lost his own foot on one that had clearly failed.

“This is his room.” The woman said as she opened a door that seemed to be at random. The three of them landing in a room that seemed in somewhat decent repair except for the sheets, “No one touched anything so Morr does not damn us.”

It appeared that she was telling the truth. There was a small layer of dust on everything that was just like the rooms whose priests had been amongst the first to disappear.

>Look through the room
>Talk to one of these ‘Friends’
>Integrate the old lady further.

>>5745237
>Talk to one of these ‘Friends’

>>5745237
>Talk to one of these ‘Friends’

>>5745237
>Look through the room
Lucian of Verac. Squire, Death Priest, Detective.

>>5745237
>>Look through the room
>> Write observations on scroll to review later.
Since we're already here.
And since a priest might definitely keep a pen and paper.
We can talk to his "friends afterward".
Clues are fresh, but then nobody knows we were after them.

>>5745395
We can't read so I doubt we can write. Unless you want to force Adok to do it.

>>5745237
>>Look through the room

>>5745237
>Look through the room

>>5745237
>>Talk to one of these ‘Friends’

>>5745237
>>Talk to one of these ‘Friends’

>>5745237
>Talk to one of these ‘Friends’

Are…are we in a brothel?

The room can wait, if no one touched it in 2 weeks then 5min more won’t hurt.

>>5745237

>Talk to one of these ‘Friends’.

The necromancer in question seems to me to be very selective, he wasn't killing randomly. We just have to figure out the pattern among the victims

>>5745237
>talk to one of these 'friends'

Talk with the Harlot
>>5745249
>>5745254
>>5745559
>>5745583
>>5745605
>>5745635
>>5745637

Look through the room
>>5745273
>>5745395
>>5745443
>>5745532

We talk to the Harlot

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Lucian looked at all the things that were hanging around. The thin layer of dust upon them and how sparse the room really was. Really what could he be expecting coming into this room? The man would not have written down the person to whom killed him for sure.

That would indeed be the case. If he knew he was being targeted then he would have tried to alert the Priesthood at the very least.

Lucian looked over to see the woman was already halfway down the staircase. Quickly he called out to her, “Uh, Ma’am.”

As if death had come calling the woman quickly stopped in her tracks upon hearing her person be called. Slowly she looked over her should but did not turn fully to face Lucian, “I-is there something else you need?”

“Yes, I was wondering if I could talk to one of his friends.” Lucian said as he took a step towards the person, “If that is fine with you.”

The woman looked somewhat concerned but gave a nod to those words, “Y-yes sire, I can lead you to Dorthy. She is down this way.”

Lucian looked over towards Adok and saw that the Dwarf was already making his way through a book that he picked up. The Dwarf looked upon from the tome and gave the peasant a nod of understanding.

“If you can lead me to her.” Lucian answered as he was now free to do what he wished.

Without another word the woman took Lucian down a flight of stairs. Unlike the top a moment before this was something much closer to a hallway than an attic that was Samuelson’s room. The old lady did not need to walk far and knocked on the door in a fashion that would have upset a nobleman at how crude its rhythm was.

“Dorthy,” The woman called out harshly before looking towards Lucian, “A Squire needs you.”

There was the sound of a sudden crash as the words Squire reached the person on the other side of the door. Lucian could hear the moving of wood coming across the door as what must have been a bar was lifted from the front of it.

After that, the door opened to reveal a woman.

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Looking upon her Lucian knew in an instant that she was somekind of Peasant. Unlike many of their kind though the tides of poverty have been much kinder to her features. The skin was somewhat pale that showed whatever work she did to be something done indoors most hours of the day. Her shoulder Lucian noted was slightly crooked, but besides that there was no real signs of deformation in the flesh.

Hre clothing was the oddest Lucian had seen in a while. It was made from simple cottons but barely covered her chest and thighs. In the village most of the women kept themselves as covered as possible while only taking off their cloths to rinse the sweat off of their backs.

He remembered back then when he caught Odga and a few of his other relatives bathing. He remembered not only how embarrassed he was, but that there was something more to the encounter that he dared not to think of. Seeing this Dorthy he should have felt the exact same feelings. That embarrassment as well as something far more.

Yet, for the life of him, Lucian did not feel anything.

“S-sir!” She was quickly tucking her bosom as she tried to give a smile towards Lucian, “What do you need me for?”

Looking over Lucian noticed that the moment Dorthy appeared the old woman had disappeared from the area, leaving the two of them alone for the moment. Taking in a breath Lucian felt he should ask atleast the basics, “Did you know Samuel, a Priest of Morr?”

“Y-yes!” She stammered out in small fit, “We, uh, had a very close relationship. Very, very close.”

“When was the last time that you saw him?” Lucian asked simply.

“It was when we agreed to meet up one day in the street. It was supposed to be at the gardens but he never showed up when I got there.” She had a flush of red crossing her face as what seemed like panic came in, “When I did not see him there I looked everywhere for him. But he was not even at the Temple of Morr or his own room! It was like he disappeared one day!”

>Keep the conversation cordial
>Be pushy, maybe try to get into her room
>Lets light a fire, interrogate her.

>>5746182
>Keep the conversation cordial

>>5746182
>Keep the conversation cordial
No need to terrorize her just yet.

>>5746182
> Any information you can share with me will help my investigation. A necromancer and/or vampire is on the loose and has murdered the occupants of the gardens of morr. Father Samuel could be in danger as we speak. I prithee tell me what you know good woman.

Etiquete experience?

>>5746182
>>Keep the conversation cordial
>When was it?

>>5746182
>Keep the conversation cordial
Assuming that she isn’t a necromancer, our reputation and authority as a squire should be intimidating enough. We can just be polite and brooding. That should be unnerving enough.

When was the last time you saw him?

Was he acting erratic or stranger than normal? If so what did he say or do that was out of character?

Has anyone else come around asking about him or snooping in his room (before he went missing)?

Why is her room barricaded when the front door is barricaded? Does she suspect anyone else inside the building?

Let her know he has gone to Morr’s garden… It would be a kindness (assuming she meant something to Samuel and she cares about his fate).

>>5746182
>As others have said, there's no need to push too hard yet. Be cordial.

>>5746182
>keep it cordial
maybe we could also pay some urchin to keep watch on her after we are done.

>>5746182
>Keep the conversation cordial
A planned day at the gardens, one imagines he would have gone to get some food and wine for a picnic. I suppose its possible he could have gotten there earlier to wait for her and was taken before she got there too. So she could be the last person to see him closely on whatever street they met. If not her then perhaps whatever stores he gets his wine and bread from, the path from that store to the gardens, or some grounds keeper who looks after the garden.

>>5746182
>>Keep the conversation cordial

>>5746182
>>Lets light a fire, interrogate her.

>>5746182
>>Lets light a fire, interrogate her.
We are not fukin around!

>>5746182

>Keep the conversation cordial.

The whorehouse owner knew about the execution that took place earlier, so there is no need to use violence at this point.

Keep the conversation cordial
>>5746191
>>5746256
>>5746354
>>5746365
>>5746404
>>5746408
>>5746412
>>5746424
>>5746985

Light the fire
>>5746490
>>5746522

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Lucian studied her for a moment. Feeling out how he should. She did not seem that bad of a person and she her anxiousness was likely because of what he had committed earlier today.

No one liked the executioner after all. Really only those that were enshrined as nobility were stainless when they killed one of their subjects. Their prestige, power, and simple cleanliness meant that they were not stained by the blood of those that they had slain.

For Lucian, who was not only a Peasant but also a follower of Morr, such aura of death would haunt him wherever he went. To commit the kill was only something that reminded everyone that Lucian was in fact something different from them. He was a squire and would act in the authority of the Count when his honor was tarnished.

Though they might see it just that little bit differently, Lucian realized, for only a few days ago his entire understanding of Honor and Chivalry was transformed into what it was today.

Because of this he needed to go easy on the woman. Keep things calm. He wanted her to tell him everything that she needed to tell him.

“So when did this happen?” Lucian asked as he gave a smile.

“Uh, th-three weeks ago.” The woman said as she scratched the back of her head, “I-I remember because my nan died in one of the orc attacks.”

That would pin the date at about the time Bastonne rallied for war.

“Know that she is with Morr now.” Lucian told the woman as he gave a small smile, “Did her body make it to the Garden?”

“Y-yes it did! It was Samuel who took care of her for me.” The eyes of the girl lit with excitement as she recalled the memory, “It was so sweet of him. She looked just I remembered her, not a single scar of the Orc’s attack was made upon her body.”

Lucian thought to himself for a moment, “He healed her body and repaired the flesh. That is mighty kind of him.” And very expensive, Lucian also noted.

“It was…” She had a small tear going down her cheek.

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Lucian gave her the moment that she needed. He had been taught that when someone was grieving that they were in some way trying to comprehend their thoughts. To understand what was happening and place things into the right place. If one started to talk to them further than the pressure would be too great and thus wrath would come. Death is a solemn process and men need to walk through it.

Taking one of her cloths the woman dabbed her eye with it, “I… sorry.”

“Take your time. I am the one here asking for information.” Lucian said while giving her a kind smile that he hoped would raise her spirits.

“Was there anyone who looked off around him? Anything seeming out of the ordinary?”

The woman was silent as she took care of her appearance, “Uh, there was one. No, two.”

“What did they look like?”

“They were… odd fellows.” Lucian watched as the woman’s back seemed to shiver, “The first was a nice looking man. He did not have any hair but his face did not have too many warts on it. And, oh, he was wearing a black cloak!”

“And what of the other?”

There was a flicker there Lucian noticed. Her eyes shifted past Lucian towards something that he could not see. Seeing it upon the face of another was odd but he knew it in an instant for he felt it too.

Pure, unadulterated, terror.

“He… he was wearing a black cloak. That was all.” She said before reaching for the door, “I do not want to talk more.”

>With a gentle force, keep the door open
>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation
>That's plenty of information. Let her go.

>>5747102
>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation
>As subtly as you can, grab the knife in your belt and prepare to defend yourself
IRL everyone carried knives because you needed them in their day to day

>>5747102
>With a gentle force, keep the door open

>>5747102
>With a gentle force, keep the door open

>>5747102
>With a gentle force, keep the door open

Tell her that she should overcome her fears for Samuel’s sake. If he meant anything to her, she should tell what she knows so that the killer can be brought to justice

>>5747102
>One bald fuck that was well trimmed with one or two blemishes on their skin
>One spooky black hooded fuck. As in, TERRORIZING
We need more. Voting for:
>>Something's off, force her
Think of this like we are in the almost human game where you have to stress the robots so they talk. We got her into the mood but she needs a push to give us what we want

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>>5747296
Voight-Kampff test

>>5747102
>>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation

>>5747102
>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation
>As subtly as you can, grab the knife in your belt and prepare to defend yourself

Adok is near so quickly watch him with our eyes, while we put our hand on the knife. He should see our arm also moved to the knife putting him on guard.
The woman clearly fears for her life, the best way for ensure she talks is reminder her we are a squire and can offer protection for the duration of the investigation.


So they had one or two faces for enter the castle town, and can use oratory, cash for corrupt people and magic for convince them a bit more if needed. Very clever, they aren't dumb foes and shouldn't be taken lightly.
The cover for nobles or merchants is likely then.

>>5747102
>>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation

>>5747102
>>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation
>>As subtly as you can, grab the knife in your belt and prepare to defend yourself

By Morr we have a lead, and I do not want to lose it

>>5747102
>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation.
>Prepare to defend yourself

it's not paranoia if she's glancing behind us

>>5747498
Scheduled depression moment The book features a machine that controls your mood

>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation

>"You don't want to talk more, meaning you know some you don't want to recall. It's normal to be afraid. Yet, here I am to cull the menace before it create more unexplained disappearances.

>>5747102
>>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation

>>5747102
>Something's off, force her to stay in the conversation.
>Prepare to defend yourself
Healthy dose of paranoia.

Keep Talking to her
>>5747140
>>5747215
>>5747217

With Force
>>5747137
>>5747296
>>5747501
>>5747512
>>5747541
>>5747567
>>5747571
>>5748021
>>5748027
>>5747595

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As the door closed the Squire placed his hand upon the door. The action was quick and the woman quickly flew from the door in a sudden spike of terror as the action was taken.

She was like a cat. Looking directly upon the threat looking for the moment where she can could flee from the assailant that was threatening death upon her person at the moment. Now Lucian was not going to threaten death upon her for there was no reason so.

That however was against the fact being presented that she was about to withhold information from him. She could be scared, as was Lucian, but he could not allow her to bottle up such knowledge. Not when the corpse of a Grail Knight was still at large and damning all that were involved with the investigation.

“Tell me, Dorthy.” Lucian said as he felt the weight of the scythe upon his back, “Describe the other man. What did he look like?”


“D-Don’t hurt me!”

“You are withholding information from the Nobility.” Declared Lucian as he walked into the room and closed the door, “Death is the least of your worries.”

“HE WAS DEAD!” She shouted at the top of her lungs before dropping to her knees, “His skin was rotting and his flesh gone. I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Was he a zombie?” Lucian asked as he remembered the creatures from the garden.

“No. No he wasn’t.” The woman had become deathly white as she looked upon her assailant, “There was something about him. Those hollowed eyes were looking at me with disgust and wrath. He… he knew that I was there.”

“And when did you see it?” Lucian asked as he stood above the fallen woman. The laws of honor dictating that he did not drop down to put himself at the same level as a Peasant.

“It…” Lucian watched as the woman’s shoulders dropped, “It was when they… they asked me for help.”

He could guess now, “For what?”

“They… they wanted to meet Samuel.” Tears came pouring down her cheeks as she spoke, “They wanted to kill him!”

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“You helped them?” Lucian could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth as he spoke them, “Why, why did you betray him!?”

“Th-they were terrifying.” She cried out as she gave ugly tears of anguish, “He… he asked that I get them to a place to meet Samuel by himself. That I should tell Samuel that we are meeting somewhere and that they would be there instead. And I did it! I did it for a silver coin!”

“You… you were bought out? He was your love…” Lucian could hardly believe his words as they were spoken.

“Th-think about it.” Her eyes looked upon Lucian wantingly, “A silver was more than I had ever seen in my life. I could leave this place, go to the Empire! Use it as a dowry for a Nobleman to take me as his wife!”

Lucian kept his anger down as he walked to be above the wailing woman, “Do you know their names? Where did they corner you? Do you know where they live?”

“Th-they asked me to lure him to the Gardens. Th-that might be where they live. Easy to get rid of Samuelson’s body after the monster killed him.” She was talking quick now as a pair of wild eyes looked upon Lucian, “I have told you everything! LEAVE!”

The moment her anger rose the scythe had already left its scabbard. The weapon drifted before the woman with the weight of damnation upon its blade. It hung there behind the woman, tempting to drink her blood and send her to Morr.

She had committed a crime to not only another Peasant, but one of Lucian’s brothers within the Cult of Morr. There was no need for a trial, and in truth Lucian would be expected to kill her on the spot for such crimes. There was honor in that, honor in giving swift justice to the departed that deserved their life more than the Peasants who sold them.

It was a sour taste in Lucian’s mouth. How dispicable she could be.

There was one last question he needed to ask, “What happened to the money?”

It was then that her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her heart beating so loudly that Lucian could hear it in his ears. Her head dropped to her breast as realization of her death came creeping in.

“I… I lost it to a pickpocket.” She admitted that she had committed her sin to what ended up being no reward at all.

>Kill her
>Let her live in shame
>Keep it secret.

>>5748071
>>Kill her

>>5748071
>Kill her

>>5748071
"Th-they we terrifying"
What a bullshit excuse. If that was the real reason she would've immediatly turned on them once they left but she didn't, she didn't care to. She sold out and betrayed the priest to monsters for money.
>Kill her

>>5748071
>>Kill her
Even a quick death is too easy

>>5748071

Take her to the gallows and hang her. I mean, we need to advertise her crime and what she did against her fellow peasants.

>>5748071
>Kill her
To Morr's Garden with you, necromancer's whore!

>>5748071
>Betrayed him because they were terrifying
>"Ooh I could go to the Empire and marry a nobleman!"

No mercy.
>Kill her.

>>5748071
>Kill her

Wow, our character is going to be feared by the peasantry something fierce after killing her.

I suggested taking her to the gallows and having her executed and publicly announcing the crime to sort of mitigate the reputation.

>>5748071
>other: take her before other nobility so that someone else can hear her confession

Currently we’re the only one who knows

>>5748071
>Kill her

>>5748180
this

>>5748180
>>5748275
This seems to be the safest option; maybe they will take her for further questioning.

>>5748180
Amending my vote >>5748140
to this. Death is the appropriate sentence, but at some point we've gotta see it done properly instead of just scything everyone.

>>5748071
>take her to the hangman as >>5748180 suggests

>>5748180
>Support taking them to the gallows

>>5748071
>Kill her
Honestly if the hangman considers her a traitor I wonder if they would make the noose not snap her neck but make it so she suffers. Just a merciful quick death. We are not noble-coded, they are going to fear us no matter what. Might as well lean into it.

>>5748071
>kill her
While I agree we should take her to the gallows and stuff doing so will waste valuable time from the case, plus she's a peasant nobody gives a fuck about peasants

>>5748071
>Kill her
Gallows is a waste of time, nobles do as they will they don’t look to others for approval, it looks weak and needlessly deferential, we need to get out of the peasant mindset

>>5748071
>>Kill her

Well she's dead. More a question on whether to kill her here or hang her. Judging from the discourse she will just die.

>>5748925
I mean she just seem not worth the effort to bring her to the gallows and stuff, not only would that alert the shining eye dude, she's fucking stupid

I hate bretonian peasants

>>5748180
+1 to hanging

>>5748925
She's not worth the rope they'd hang her with.

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Lucian held the weapon behind the neck of the woman, his eyes meeting hers with a concentration of hatred and mirth. He could only wonder how someone like her existed in such a pitiful state of affairs. To be a dark and evil person who damned their loved ones to death for single coin.

He understood, in some part, that this is what the Noblemen saw when they looked upon the Peasantry. This is what they saw when they walked out of their castles into the villages of their people. Despicable folk who did not even understand the value of a life.

It will not be true of all Peasants. Lucian understood that to be the case. As he was looking at it from the outset he realized that maybe the same infestation was upon the Nobleman as well. He did not know but it was a hunch.

What mattered here was, “You have committed a crime in assisting the robbers of Grail Knight Osmont’s grave. In doing so you have damned not only yourself, but the entire Priesthood of Morr to the slaughter of a Necromancer. May Morr forgive you.”

The woman’s eyes widened as Lucian brought the blade forward. She did not even have a moment to scream as her head was removed from the shoulders with a swipe of the scythe.

He looked upon the body for only a second. Then, after he looked upon it, he turned his back towards it and opened the door.

The bar that the woman placed down was removed, but the weight that was upon it was not completely gone. With a small push he pushed forward and with a tumble the old woman who had welcomed him into the building fell over with what was terror written across her face.

“Take her to the Garden of Morr.” Lucian told the woman, “She has paid for her sins. Do not follow in her example.”

The old lady nodded rapidly before throwing herself out of the way of Lucian. As he did he saw that Adok was hanging in the stairwell looking at him with an inquisitive eye, “So what happened this time?”

“She betrayed a lover.” Lucian answered him.

“Then she deserved it.” Barked the Dwarf as his examination came to a close, “I didn’t find anything, did you?”

“I did.” Lucian said as he walked up to the dwarf, “We head to the Gardens.”

>Bring this to the attention of some Nobles
>Head there by one’s self

Wish I had more time, but nah.

>>5749079
>Bring this to the attention of some Nobles

>>5749079
>>Head there by one’s self
time is of essence. I am certain they are keeping tabs on sensitive places such as the whorehouse

>>5749079
>Head there by one’s self

>>5749131
>Bring this to the attention of some Nobles
Tell Count Remon, so we can get some extra muscle and to share glory/honour with him. Can’t have some knight errant stealing the glory when we find ourselves outmatched. May as well be someone from our Count’s entourage.

Also it will give us time to pick up our magical ward-donkey en route

>>5749079
>>Head there by one’s self

>>5749079

>Bring this to the attention of some Nobles.

QM I think at least one knight errant must have been forced to stay behind to patrol the streets. Someone like that would be ideal.

>>5749079
>>Bring this to the attention of some Nobles
At least our liege

>>5749079
>>Bring this to the attention of some Nobles

>>5749079
>>Head there by one’s self
This is our glory, our honor, our vengeance for Father Albert. We need speed to get there before the unholy ritual is done.

>>5749079
>Head there by one's self
Honour surely demands that we don't go begging for aid the moment things get interesting.

>>5749079
>Head there by one’s self

>>5749079
>>Head there by one’s self

>>5749079
>Head there ourselves.

We have ardok

>>5749079
>>Bring this to the attention of some Nobles

Let the Nobles know
>>5749096
>>5749249
>>5749349
>>5749353
>>5749381
>>5749645

We are not sharing the glory
>>5749101
>>5749131
>>5749282
>>5749424
>>5749427
>>5749487
>>5749573

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“Smells like death.” Adok said as they walked through the ruined district that once held an elegant garden, “Never in my life did I think I would want to see some greenery. Think anyone has been living here for the last few months?”

“They should have…” Lucian looked about the buildings with eyes that could barely understand just what was happening.

Before he thought the streets were dead but here there was nothing. Gone was the stench of feces and animals that permeated the previous lands and instead it was replaced with solid pieces of waste. Such flakes did not carry any kind of smell, Lucian noted, and even the maggots did not see it fit to live in such excrement.

That was it, Lucian noted. Not even the creatures who would feast upon the dead were out and about. Flies and plagued rats had either died a block behind them or knew not to come to the area where the necromancer did their work.

He could only wonder in this moment how the Knights, with there being an army here, could not find the Necromancer. But he knew why. It was because looking at the ruins of a village was no different in their eyes than looking at a lively one. In addition to that these winding streets made it hard for a man on horseback to infiltrate the area meaning they could not have their strongest weapon.

As they walked through the ruins Lucian noticed that Morrliebe was in the sky above their heads. Somehow Lucian saw such a sight as a good sign for it meant that evil doings was about. Its sinister glow also telling him that the demon worshiping necromancer was close enough that the evil moon was glaring upon him.

“Damn brush.” Adok said as they came to a wall made from the dead branches of a once mighty hedge.

There was a tale behind this garden, Lucian could guess, but he did not have the time to learn it. Maybe it was planted by some worthy peasant or perhaps the garden was made for a Lady of a Knight to look upon outside her window. Or, perhaps, it was simply a project of some duke of duchess who wanted to bring life into their town.

It did not matter what now as Lucian brought his weapon forward and sliced through the branches with a quick stroke.

“You did a good job with my blade, Adok. Thank you.” Lucian said as he studied what might be the best scythe he had ever had the luck to weild.

“Give me some more time and I will make an even better one.” Joked the Dwarf as the two of them walked into the Garden.

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The Garden was of modest size with those hedges surrounding it on all sides. It must have been some kind of sorcery afoot for there were no entrances or exits besides the one that Lucian had just made for the two of them. Such a clean check to be that little bit more of a deterrent against the Knights if they ever suspected the gardens but did not have enough knowledge that it was the garden itself which was the target.

Lucian could smell it in the wind now. It was hard to describe it as the scent was carried across the wind throughout the entire place. Damning it was he could not say the winds were anything but the same kind that flowed through his village upon the death of it. A sickening harrowing that promised a deep darkness to be set into the ground.

“Are you feeling it?” Lucian looked over to see a raised brow from Adok as he held the hammer within his hands, “The Shyish is so thick here I can taste it. Its death magic Umgi.”

“So he’s here?” Lucian felt a little ignorant to say but he still said such words.

“Aye he did. Made the entire garden his cauldron of magic.” The dwarf pointed out as he raised the hammer, “Pity we broke it, he probably knows we are here.”

As the dwarf’s words sounded the place around him began to move. Before anything could happen though the dwarf’s hammer began to glow brightly before he slammed it into the ground. Suddenly the subtle wind that was flowing within this garden stalled and the ruptures of the ground dampened.

“You’re not going to pull such simple parlor tricks on a Runesmith.” The Dwarf championed as he gave a mighty laugh, “Let’s make him pay for trying to pull one over us.”

Lucian gave a nod of the head and marched forward. He gave a few test swings with the scythe as he felt the chainmail that Adok made rubbing against his skin. The two of them walking towards the center to see a gazebo that was somehow shrouded in darkness against the efforts of Morrslieb that hung in the sky.

They were not fools. The moment Adok stopped upon the wood he took his hammer and slammed into the wooden floor, splintering it to reveal the pathways down into their lair.

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It did not take them long to travel through the hole that the Necromancers had dug for themselves. Maybe this was not dug by them and instead was created to be used by some Knight as a place for adultery. Perhaps there were dark powers afoot who made this chamber through some madman who did not know he was a tool for greater things.

All Lucian would admit was how oddly awestruck he was when they reached the end chamber.

The wind that Adok had knocked down was stronger down here than it ever was above. So strong was it that Lucian could see the living dead mustering themselves for the coming fight ahead of them even as Adok suppressed whatever magics were holding them together.

“Fools!”

The words came from beyond the mounting forces of undead. He was one Necromancer among three, his eyes glowing with the unholy green glow of the damned. Before them all was a table with the corpse that was none other than the Grail Knight Osmond. Even among such powerful winds of death Lucian could feel the divine power that such a corpse held.

“Soon I shall raise him, a Grail Knight at my command!” Declared the Necromancer as he gave a mighty laugh, “Christof, clear our tunnels of these fools!”

Lucian watched as a creature wearing a black cloak walked between them and the Necromancer. He could feel the aura of death that was underneath the hood of such a monster. Dorthy did not lie there, such a creature would be terrifying to mortal men.

“So what do you think?” Adok leaned over with a smirk, “These small guys can do down with a single rune, but the big guy is not going to. One of us can keep him distracted as the other gets to the Necromancers.”

>Adok can fight the Robbed man
>Lucian shall challenge him.

>>5749828
>Lucian shall challenge him.
Rune the small ones Ardok, rune them all!

>>5749828
>Lucian shall challenge him
For Morr! These undead are an much abomination in his sight, as in ours.

>>5749828
>Lucian shall challenge him

>>5749828
>Lucian shall challenge him.
Destroy the abomination, by the will of Morr and for the Lady!

>>5749828
>Adok can fight the Robbed man
Now I understand that some may want to fight the Robed Man, but I want Lucian to jojo walk up to those Necromancers, swing his scythe, and watch it instantly shatter to foul sorcery forcing him to grab the Grail Knight's blade or gauntlet and take out the Necromancer's black heart.

>>5749828
>Lucian shall challenge him.

>>5749828
>>Lucian shall challenge him.

>>5749827
>He gave a few test swings with the scythe as he felt the chainmail that Adok made rubbing against his skin.
GAMBESON NIGGER, WEAR IT

>>5749828
>>Lucian shall challenge him.
Even though Adok has EVERY SINGLE STAT higher than Lucian, his magic resistance is such that it's better if he goes against the spellcasters.
The undead tank will pack a punch and must be damn fast too, but I a confident his abilties are confined on the realm of the physical, something Lucian can manage...
I hope that he remembers the lessons with the Orks and goes for the limbs, because this revenant will keep fighting without their head. I am also hoping Adok has room and mana for a couple empowers becase without 'em our boy will crack before the shaft does The scythe's

>>5749828
>Lucian shall challenge him.
Wait why remain here ? Nobody learned of the robbed corpse for quite a bit they had time. Unless they want to raise the skeletons and corpses of the castle ? They don't seem much

>>5749828
>>Lucian shall challenge him.

>>5749828
>Lucian shall challenge him.

For Morr! For Bretionnia!

>>5749828

>Lucian shall challenge him.

The gods only give blessings to those who commit acts of suicidal bravery, which means it's time to receive Morr's blessing.

>>5750103

I think the necromancer was believing he could raise the holy body before the knights found him.
And after that, he would get away with a super fighter without punishment, because the army would be forced to leave the castle to face the greenskins once more.

By the way, his idea of hiding inside the city was very good.

>>5750243
Plausible
Sort of, on one hand being right under the nose of your enemy is a pretty good idea on the other being here is quite risky.

>>5749828
>Lucian shal challenge him

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As Lucian looked upon the warrior he wondered to himself what the fighter was capable of. There was something about him that awe struck the Peasant so strongly that he could not help but feel fervor building up within his stomach.

“I will fight him.” Lucian said as he felt his back straighten.

“Aye, then the Necromancers are mine.” A somewhat feral grin came across the Runesmith as the two of them broke apart from their discussion to face those that were holding them back.

The large robbed figure showed its intelligence in walking up and standing before the horde. Such display of restraint against what was likely the numerous commands coming from the Necromancers showed the sheer fortitude of the figure that was standing before them. As he did so, his blade hovered before his person. It gave a ghastly blue glow as the magics within it swirled.

Such a gesture meant something. Lucian knew it from a lesson that he was given by the Count in what was likely a week ago.

Lucian too stepped forward and presented his weapon, “I am Lucian of Verac, Squire to Count Remon and Warrior of Morr. I hereby accept your challenge, fiend, so that I may send your spirit back to the Death Lord!”

The warrior underneath the cloth retracted his blade and held it vertically next to his head. Such a method was obviously becoming prepared for the fight but Lucian could not say what style the undead was using. All he knew was that this creature was a Bretonnian for he performed the ritualistic duel of a tournament.

The two of them stared at one another as they weighed their skill. Lucian for his ignorance could not tell much except that the creature was an expert with the sword. He knew for sure the monster knew exactly what measure of Lucian had. He could feel it within his bones that the creature he was about to face was not only ancient but skilled.

The crack in the silence came as one of the zombies could not hold themselves anymore and stepped forward.

All at once, everyone charged forward with fury in their steps.

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The undead did not care as Adok slammed into the wave of undead on his right. Instead his blade was turned towards Lucian with a cut towards his right shoulder. A quick chop that would have quickly ended the battle of Lucian did not parry it with a simple bash of his weapon.

With the attack removed Lucian quicky brought the scythe down against the warrior. He was as quick as a snake coming to bite their pray yet the undead was of skill beyond Lucian. Just as the scythe was coming down he used the momentum from the earlier parry to bring his hands forward and slam the sword’s crossguard into the staff of the scythe.

Such a block should have caused some sort of injury for the staff of Lucian’s scythe landed right where the fingers of the undead were. It had instead gave the ringing of hard steel as the undead bones underneath plate armor were impacted by the weapon.

It knew this was a strength it now had. No longer did it need to care about pain it could use the strength of his armor to the fullest. Lucian did not have such a luxury as he needed to dodge the incoming slash that was trailing the parry that the undead made.

He had done so by taking a step back. The warrior’s blade now in the air he brought it down for a high chop that would have bisected the head of Lucian if he had tried to attack. With luck the Peasant did not do so and instead used the shaft of his blade to batter away the extra attack the creature was able to sneak in.

The creature was likely wearing armor all across its body, Lucian could guess. In such a short amoutn of time the Peasant tried to remember the time a week ago that he had to remove the armor from Count Remon so that the Knight’s life could be saved. He remembered the joints and the chainmail that the warrior was wearing further underneath the plate armor so that he could prevent the variant stabbing through the joints.

Such joints Lucian had to go for as he brought the scythe back and launched it towards the neck of the warrior. As he had done so the undead was already in motion with his weapon trying to squeeze a third attack that was going for Lucian’s gut.

Skill. His innate skill was being dwarfed by the Undead Warrior that stood before him. Years worth of practice and repoists along with the lesson in death that the warrior had received. It was this that allowed him to see his chance and go for a strike at Lucian’s upper left femur.

Lucian placed his faith in the chainmail that he wore and continued. It was already too late for him to stop this strike. Weight came upon his left as his scythe dug into the black robbing of the warrior that was before him.

He could feel it, the scythe passing between two pieces of metal and shattering rusted chainmail. But then he felt what could only be described as a flesh as hard as steel.

The undead’s own flesh was strong enough to resist the attack, just like the Vampire.

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Quickly Lucian broke away. So far into his strike he was that Lucian thought it was another person screaming in agony as the blade of the undead sliced into the thigh of Lucian. He was reminded of such a folly when the pain surged through his body and spiked into his brain with a bloody vengeance.

He took a step back, then another as he placed pressure upon the limb that was injured. It screamed from the injury that was inflicted upon it but still held him upright. He felt his heart skip as he took a glimpse at the gouge that was taken out of his muscle.

It looked to have been about three inches deep. Small glimpses of the white bone shined underneath the tendons as they tried to keep Lucian from falling down. Such was the strength of Lucian’s body that even with a purely egregious injury that would have taken down a man did not bring him down.

He could feel it though. The darkness from when he fought the vampire slowly closing in. It was so far away yet it was so intimate that it was trying to take him within its embrace. He did not know how he was fighting it but he did not really worry about that.

All that mattered was how he was going to defeat the undead before him.

As he glanced up he watched the cloth hit the floor. The blackened helm of a Knight staring him down as it balanced a broadsword within its hands. Where there should have been an obvious headcrest had since been removed with great force, the gold fragments still jutting out from the injury someone had done to the warrior’s helm.

It was obvious now that Lucian was fighting not just an undead, but a Knight of the Realm turned towards the ranks of the undead.

The Damned Knight of the Realm raised its weapon once again. So ingrained in honor was it that the creature had not tried to cut off the head of Lucian as he witnessed the identity of his assailant.

Lucian only had to wonder how he would break through the flesh of the Undead Knight. To inflict injury just like it did to him.

>Through strength of arms
>For the Lady
>Pray to Morr

>>5750697
>Pray to Morr

>>5750697
>Through strength of arms
Im morrs weakest soldier

>>5750697
>Through strength of arms
Can't rely on the gods for everything. Besides, divine intervention counts as cheating.

>>5750697
>Pray to Morr

>>5750697
>>For the Lady
We are vanquishing a dead knight. Morr smiles and so does the lady. We pray to Morr when it comes to death, but in this we need the Lady

>>5750697
>pray to morr
we still have to deal with the necromancers after this. i would rather we save all the strength we could.

>>5750697
>Pray to Morr
DREAMFATHER! WITNESS ME!

>>5750697
>For the Lady
Duel time is Lady time. Then if we need to face the Necromancers thats when we invoke Morr. Then we save our strength to pull Adok and the Grail Knight out of the underground lair when, if we are speaking traditionally, it will start to collapse.

>>5750697
>Pray to Morr

I like the death priest angle. A wandering peasant favoured by the lord of Dead is cool to me.

>>5750697
>>For the Lady
as other said, duel against knight is more fit to the Lady

>>5750697
>>Pray to Morr

>>5750697
A duel against what was a knight? It's Lady time.
>For the Lady

>>5750697

>Through strength of arms.

Remember what the grail knight said, powers come after winning the fight. If we ask for divine deliverance now we will never be truly blessed.

>>5750697
>>For the Lady

>>5750697
>Pray to Morr

>>5750697
>Through strength of arms.

Prayer to Morr
>>5750720
>>5750748
>>5750812
>>5750848
>>5750961
>>5751116

With one's own might
>>5750726
>>5750732
>>5750981
>>5751141

FOR THE LADY
>>5750764
>>5750851
>>5750951
>>5750969
>>5751066

Morr just wins it, it looks like.

>>5750949

This one only confirms it.

>>5751313
I need rolls. Bo3

Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>5751334

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>5751334

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>5751334

>>5751347
Well thats a roll.

>>5751347
Death for the Death God!

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The Squire looked upon the Knight and knew that his time was limited. He could not really think for the darkness was ever encroaching upon his person. If he failed to deal with it now than he will die when the darkness embraced his form.

Yet he did not fear this. Here he was doing good work for the cause of Morr. Fighting against the damned and the wicked keeping them from raising a corpse of the fallen for their own selfish means. In that there was a sense of serenity within his heart as the weapon was balanced calmly within his hands.

“Fallen Knight.” He spoke as he prepared his weapon, “I hereby give a prayer to Morr that he gives me the strength to unbind you. To release you from the realm of the living and pass on into the afterlife. Expect no other outcome, for I am one of his chosen.”

The Knight poised itself and went forward. Might it have been the provocation that Lucian was better than it that caused the attack? Maybe it was the fact that Lucian was giving it a chance at release that spurred the spirit into action that might have been seen as suicidal.

What mattered now was that the undead was moving forward with others. Adok having cleared through the zombies on the right left those on the other side to contest Lucian alongside their Knight.

He would hope that their bites were not infectious. That unlike the Knight’s sword that their teeth would only pierce his skin and nothing more. He had to put trust in the armor that Adok had made for him and in the prayer that he had made towards Morr.

There was nothing more for him to do but fight. Knowing this he lifted his blade and pulling back waiting for the moment to strike.

He saw it there and swung, the blow met by the quick hand of the Knight that battered away the staff of the blade with the broad side of his sword. Said warrior came in for the strike to which Lucian was quick enough to block with his weapon’s staff.

The duel had started between the two of them with silence. Both of them fighting as the Lords of the Death placed their might behind their chosen champions in damnation.

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The two of them battered their weapons against one another. Such a thing was not a feature of impractical skill like juveniles striking their sticks at one another so that the fools would not hurt each other.

As Lucian leaped forward for a strike he would then be deflected from the strike by the skill of the Black Knight that he was fighting against. This parry was the Knight having to defend against the blade of the Scythe. Such a blockage caused the sound of metal on metal to cry within the air.

Sparks flew as the Knight went in for a serpentine strike. The attack was blocked as Lucian brought the battered shaft of the weapon up to block against the strike. They connected and a shard of wood went flying as Lucian was forced to bash away the Knight.

A warrior as strong as the Knight was pushed backwards. The warrior that he was fighting taking a step backwards as he recovered from the force.

Lucian could feel it. The darkness was all but gone as he felt the battle rush that he never even knew existed. His heart pumped blood fast and the wound upon his leg had clotted on its own. Maybe it was a blessing from Morr, or even the Lady herself, but either way Lucian was ready to fight.

He gave the Scythe a spin and launched himself forward. The Knight did the same with his weapon being launched like a spear from a lower guard. Both of them knew at this moment that this was the last strike. Whoever made contact with the other first would be the one to win the fight.

Lucian thought he would be the victor here. That was because he had a greater reach that the weapon would reach the Knight first and strike his neck so that it may be severed. As if Morr knew this was coming, the weapon within his hands glowed with the black death magic that was characteristic of the powers that Morr granted his Priests and Warriors.

Just as Lucian reached over, he saw it. If Lucian had been any slower.

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If the rush of battle had not infected his mind so readily than he would have never seen it.

Quickly and without care the Knight’s blade changed direction. Instead of sailing towards Lucian’s chest as he had the weapon was pointed towards the left where Lucian’s weapon had once been. It was not for a parry, Lucian knew that, for there was no way for the Knight to parry in that direction.

He thought maybe for a second the Black Knight was trying to cut his arms. Yet such a thing did not make sense for there was a shaft of wood that the Peasant Squire could easily bring to deflect the weapon. It would ruin the strike but the Knight seemed certain just like he that this was the final strike.

Then he saw it. At the immediate right of Lucian was a jaw that was opening so wide that it threatened to eat his whole face. If he had to guess such a creature was no simple zombie but something far more deadly and would surely leave a mark upon him.

The meaning of this move was obvious. This creature, this Ghoul, was trying to attack Lucian at the moment he was most distracted. Maybe it was some lost sense of chivalry returning or maybe the creature had gained some sort of twisted sense of honor, but he was now protecting Lucian from an aggressor who seeked to kill him.

Surely the undead was under the control of the Necromancers. Maybe, in their moment of fighting against Adok, their grip had loosen enough upon the undead that his sheer force of will and devotion to honor forced him to attack his ally. After all, such was the tactic when it came to honor duels.

Lucian felt the scythe and everything slow down. His mind realized all of this just as the weapon was about to strike at the neck of the undead. His foe was not facing him and instead defending him against a transgressor. In a sense, to strike his opponent now when he had learned all this would be a great dishonor.

Then again, no one would know. His standing within the hierarchy of Bretonnia would still expand massively upon recovering not just the corpse of the Grail Knight, but bringing the heads of the Necromancers involved within this. And lastly, Morr does not care how the undead are put to rest. He only cares that they be placed to rest.

With a simple move Lucian could bend the strike and have it hit the armor of the Undead Knight. But he would only do so if he was to spare him for this moment of honor and chivalry.

>Finish Him
>Divert the Strike

>>5751469
So we can appease the Death and the Lady at the same time!
>Divert the strike
Hold thy hand! I wonder, how will Lucius grow that hamstring back?

>>5751469
>Divert the Strike
Those who only have regard for honor in the presence of others do not know honor at all. Honor is a code that you carry everyday, not something you can set aside when convenient!

>>5751469
>Divert the Strike
This is the option to let the knight do his honor thing, right?

>>5751469
>>Finish Him

>>5751486
Yup

>>5751486
No, the knight is completely open to an attack that is going straight into their neck and Lucian is choosing to divert it. It doesn't say the attack will stop tho, only that it will go somewhere else...

>>5751491
Thanks QM, I got a bit confused following the "him"s and "undead"s since they could be used to describe both the ghoul and knight

>>5751469
>Divert the Strike

>>5751469
>Divert the Strike

>>5751469
>Divert the Strike

>>5751469
>Divert the Strike

>>5751469
>Divert the strike

>>5751469
>>Divert the Strike

>>5751469
>Divert the strike.

HONOUR!

>>5751469
>Divert the Strike
Let our enemy die as he once lived, with honour in what remains of his heart

>>5751469
>>Divert the Strike
What spirit. So be it.

>>5751469

>Divert the Strike.

The undead are strangely emotional in this universe, perhaps it's because the soul of the individual in question is still trapped in the corpse.

>>5751469
Seems almost unanimous already, but I'll chuck my vote in as well for
>Divert the Strike

>>5751469
>>Finish Him

Divert
>>5751474
>>5751482
>>5751486
>>5751532
>>5751560
>>5751602
>>5751650
>>5751654
>>5751658
>>5751693
>>5751699
>>5751781
>>5751856

Finish him
>>5751489
>>5751977

you could say chivarly is dead

>>5752121
Or undead in this case

>>5752121
CARLOS!

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With a flick of his hand the blade was moved. The strike glazing harmlessly against the armor that was suppose to defend most of the neck from blades just like the one Lucian wielded.

In a flash the head of the ghoul that tried to kill Lucian with a sneak attack was severed from the neck of the creature. A blade rounding back to the Knight in the direction away from Lucian in what was a practiced method of fighting.

Quickly the two took a pair of steps away from one another. Their blades now in a resting position as they stared at one another. In that same moment a flush of magic was carried through the room with a scream of finality coming through the hall silenced with the slamming of a hammer.

Adok had finished off the Necromancers.

He saw it. The Knight placed the sword upon his belt in a practice motion that showed no conflict within his person. By far it was the smoothest motion that Lucian had seen from the warrior yet.

No longer was there someone puppeting his actions. The Black Knight was free to do as he pleased during these last few minutes of animation.

Lucian watched as the Knight raised his hands and placed them upon his helm. Gently the blackened helm was removed to reveal the clearly degraded features of the Knight who had fallen in a battle so long ago.

His jaw was missing, likely a limb that the Necromancers did not bother to animate thanks to their limited time getting to the Grail Knight. Little bits of flesh clung to his skull in a way that made Lucian think him to be dead for maybe fifteen years.

Taking the helm, the Black Knight presented it to Lucian. Then he took the armor and placed it behind him.

If Lucian was to defeat this Knight, then the armor would be his.

Lucian could not fully understand what it was being given when the Knight braced his sword once again. Without a helm hiding hid damnation the Knight was looking for one more fight before the magic that kept him alive dissipated with the wind.

Without a word the two men launched at one another with their weapons held high.

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One bash after another there was little quarter given to the fighters. Sure Lucian could have been focusing upon the head of his foe in an attempt to strike the scythe blade into his skull. But he did not do so, for that would be unbecoming of the sheer honor that was paid to him.

The Legacy of a Knight was his armor. To lose it was to renounce one’s life as a Knight and become no different from a Peasant. Such was why the Knights of Bretonnia were always buried in their armor for it was to give them a chance to serve Morr and the Lady after death as their Knights. And that, beyond all doubt, that they would forever be respected for their duty to the land of Bretonnia.

After all, steel does not rot like the flesh. Forever it shall be there without any care.

For a Knight to present his armor to a Peasant was already something unheard of, but this was the armor of one who was damned. Sent to the lands of Morr and deserved to be forever recognized as the warrior that he was. It was something so beyond Lucian that he could not really understand why it was granted to him like this.

What mattered now was the fight. As he bashed away the Knight’s weapon he took his blade and slammed the shaft of his weapon against the warrior.

He felt the weight of the warrior upon him but he could take it. It was nothing compared to the several bushels of fruit and grains that the Peasant had to carry within the fields. Strength almost returning to his legs Lucian shoved the Knight down.

The warrior was forced towards his knees with that stroke and quickly Lucian slammed his weapon without care of reason. He could feel the strength of creature wavering and his only gaining. Every strike the tides were turned and now Lucian had made three strikes against his armor without purchase upon it.

The Knight’s sword struck the ground as he balanced himself upon it. Lucian gave him the chance to rise one last time as the magics almost left his body. The Knight gave one more strike forward that Lucian parried with a simple stroke which gave him the opening he needed.

In the left armpit, where there were rusted chains dangling, Lucian struck. His blade pierced through the chest and with a rend brought the tip of the blade to the neck. It was like cutting through butter as Morr smiled happily upon the destruction of the undead.

The undead became dust upon the blade of Lucian, likely at the will of the man who was once undead. Putting down his blade Lucian walked over to the helm, wondering if there was anything upon it to help him know the man underneath.

Whatever letters that could have been used to learn who the Black Knight was had been scratched out. Likely in his moments of shame the Knight had managed to do such damage so that his legacy would not be tarnished by the Necromancers.

>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)
>Deny the Armor (Remain a Peasant)

>>5752136
>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)
Will the other nobles accept us taking the armor, or will they call us a grave robber?

>>5752139
Well, you know what to do when they call Lucian out on it.

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>>5752136
Did not plan this when I was scheming the Grave Guard. I just realized that since he's wearing black armor, its exactly what a Knight of Morr would wear.

>>5752136
>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)
Thank you, noble undead.

And now, at the end of all things, our journey truly begins.
>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility

>>5752136
>Accept the Armor

>>5752136
>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)

Well, Lucian is going to end up having to duel a lot of nobles to the death after this.

>>5752136
>>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)
This is bad ass.
I do not care much for nobility but... awesome...
Really, nobility... it was the obvious outcome of this from rags to riches quest but... damn...

QM, will Lucian limp now?

>>5752136
>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)

Nice writing. Now to start earning our honour coins

>>5752136
>>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)


The Lady shall neither mourn nor weep.

>>5752136
>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)

>>5752136
>Reject the armour

I wish to remain a wandering peasant of Morr. A tale of just entering feudal upper class to be notable and of power is rather cliche in a way I do not care for.

>>5752136
>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)

Hardly a finality, this is just the next step of many steps on the path to becoming the hand of Morr. I hope we're leaving behind the knight's sword as a grave marker.

>>5752136
>Deny the Armor (Remain a Peasant)

>>5752139
>will they call us a grave robber?
It's not *grave* robbing when the victim was never IN a grave in the first place, therefore in this case it would be Looting!

>>5752136

>Accept the Armor. (Finalize the road to Nobility)

This knight's legacy has been erased, so I don't think the story will become a feudal lord simulator. The biggest difference is that from now on, travel will be a lot more comfortable.

>>5752136
>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)
Who are we if we do not honour a knight's last wish?

>>5752136
>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)
We shall become Lucian the Grave Guard, and wear the vestments of the Grail Ghost's Steel Shroud

>>5752136
>>Accept the Armor (Finalize the road to Nobility)

Grave Guard has a nice ring to it

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He felt a moment’s hesitation, wondering to himself if he should hold back the motions of fate that were happening to him. Were he to dawn the armor of the Black Knight he would no longer be a Peasant. All the trivialities that he entertained and enjoyed would have been destroyed in an instant.

There would be little protection even from the duke against someone like him. With the great amount of honor earned Lucian would need to fight to keep it lest someone else drain him of it. Those would not just be the Peasants who he has become a subject of fear towards but the Nobility to whom he was walking into.

Taking the helm the Peasant Squire placed it upon his head. His vision being cut into small rivets within the armor and he could hear every thoughtless breath that he was taking. He could only compare it to being within a wall or a coffin. Something that he was separating himself from the outside world within a tight space between him and the walls.

It felt natural.

“Got a nice set of armor, eh Umgi?” Adok spoke as the Dwarf walked up towards Lucian with a smile, “You put the helmet on last. It gets in the way of the straps and fittings.”

His heart surged as the Black Helmed Warrior turned towards his companion. The whirling of the world caused him to almost become sickened as the help did not allow him to get any bearings.

The next moment pain ran through his body as he fell onto the ground. His injured leg giving out as the Dwarf placed the slightest amount of pressure upon the remaining tendons. It was with luck that the helm did not fly off of Lucian as he fell onto the ground with a slam.

With a push of his arms the Peasant was able to face the ceiling. Though as he did so the world seemed to become that little bit more right.

“Nasty gash you got there, wonder why its not bleeding.” Adok said as he pulled Lucian’s leg out, “You should stay there while I get us some help to carry you, the corpse, and the armor out.”

“Th-thank you.” Lucian said as pain leeched through his leg, “I’m… going to sleep.”

“Ha, you are not getting away like that.” Lucian felt a pinch of the Dwarf, “Keep yourself awake until I get someone here!”

“But-” Before Lucian could say his words the Dwarf was gone, running as fast as his stubby feet could carry him.

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Lucian did as he was asked and kept his wits about himself. There was some darkness but whatever had infested his body was keeping him awake for as long as he wanted to. Maybe it was a blessing of Morr, the Death God not wishing to take Lucian as he proved himself a valorous Paladin who served in the name of the God.

It was two minutes after Adok left that Lucian saw light coming from the other end of the tunnel. After that the sound of plate armor rang with sounds that made it seem like an entire world away than it truly was.

Then Lucian saw a golden light appearing at the end of the hall. The light quickly dimming as his eyes began to comprehend the madam who was standing before him. He spoke words before even knowing how true they were.

“Alberea?” He could not believe his eyes as he saw the Damsel once again the dark black hair of the woman to whom he met once before.

“Luican of Verac.” She said his name gently as her eyes gazed upon the battlefield, “It seems we were late, the battle has already been won.”

It was then that Lucian suddenly realized the Grail Knight that was standing next to her. Thw witchfire of the Knight focusing directly upon the corpse of his fallen comrade. Without care for the fallen Peasant he walked back and towards the corpse for its recovery.

“To think that they were so close.” The beautiful Damsel said with words that were like silk to the ears of Lucian, “Upon the Lady and the Enchantress’s words, I thank you Lucian for doing what you have done here today in rescuing the body of Osmond.”

“Y-you are welcome.” Lucian did not now if he was hesitating to speak out of wonder for the woman or out of sheer pain that was induced upon his person.

The woman kneeled down next to him. Her ruby lips slightly agape as she took in the full of Lucian and his injuries, “Why are you wearing the helm of a Knight?”

“He…” Lucian had to breath as it seemed the Damself was stealing every breath that he took, “He gave it to me. The Black Knight.”

The Golden Damsel looked at the fallen plate armor that was strung out across the ground. She then extended her hand towards Lucian in the most gentle of way, “Would you give me his helm?”

“Y-yes. I can.” Lucian said as he did what was beckoned of him.

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The woman held the armor within her hands and focused upon it. Her eyes soon glowing with a golden witchfire. It was an odd glow that was pleasant to the eyes. Indeed Lucian could look into them for as long as he could live.

After who knows how much time had passed her eyes became the same crystals that he first saw her with, “You fought and killed the owner in an honor duel. Before his return to Morr the Knight had the greatest respect for you beyond even a knight to their sovereign. I can see why he would wish to have you adopted and Knighted.”

Lucian could only look upon the woman dumbfounded as she said those words. She gave a slight grin as she knew his kind, “He has given you his helm, his armor. You are no longer a mere Peasant, Sir Lucian, but a Knight who would have assumed the Household of the departed.”

“B-but who was he?” Lucian said as he looked upon the woman with little understanding.

She looked upon the helm and studied it. Her eyes looked upon the same injuries and scratches that the Knight had done to the armor. She then had it facing her and studied the broken ornament and plume.

“He is no simple Black Knight, not one who fights in a tournament as a tradition.” She answered while examining it with careful eyes, “It seems to be the work of both himself and the Necromancers. The armor has become black thanks to their magic and he must have broken his heraldry upon realizing the dishonor he was imparted with. Such as to not tarnish the fate of all his sons and daughters.”

“So… he gives me nothing?”

“He has made you a Black Knight. For Nobleman who dawn such armor they are beholden to none and whose honor only goes to the title of Black Knight. Normally one would only do this at a tournament, with the prize revealing the mighty Lord that the fighter has taken down.” She grew a small smile as if remembering the memory, “But to you he gives nothing more than the armor and the right to call yourself a Knight. You shall inherit no title or heraldry to inspire yourself from. While surely you will grow honor, I know the tales will speak of such armor first and foremost.”

>>And they will speak of:
>The Ruin I Bring
>Piety and Faith
>Strength and Resilience.

>>5752847
>Piety and Faith
Now we just need Truffles to get an upgrade to ride her in combat.
Maybe she has unicorn ancestry or something, since she was pure.

>>5752847
>The Ruin I Bring

>>5752847
>The Ruin I Bring
still better than the vamps, I swear!

>>5752847
>Faith and Resilience

>>5752865
Changing my vote to support this one
>>5752876

>>5752847
>>The Ruin I Bring
Lucian Ruin of Verac
The nickname is already there, we just need a little twist and done!

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Will our sponsors like the new look? Both the Duke and the Count...

>>5752847
>Strength and Resilience.
Paint truffles black like a truffle

>>5752847
>The ruin I bring.

Let our blade pass by the devout, the faithful, those whos time it has yet to arrive.
But make no mistake. Morr's hand is at work whence ever We step.

>>5752847
>The Death's Rest I Usher In
Also, it'd be super edgy, but getting a Melanistic Unicorn could be pretty funny

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>>5752847
>The Ruin I Bring
We've been promoted from the Heir of Ruin to the Lord of Ruin.

>>5752892
I imagined the armor looking more like the Vilhelm set from DS3.

>>5752847
>Strength and Resilience.

>>5752847
>The Ruin I Bring to the Damned

Lets not forget it was a bloody vampire and necromancer that set us on this path.

>>5752847
>The Ruin I Bring

>>The Ruin I Bring

>>5752847
>>The Ruin I Bring

Death and taxes. Nothing but death and Taxes.

>>5752847
>Strength and Resilience.
Ruin this, ruin that. Lucian is more than the ruination visited upon his village, dammit!

>>5752847
>>Piety and Faith

Doing Morr's work is essentially the same as ruin since his schtick is death to undead and vamps no ?

>>5752847
>Piety and Faith
Our ruin is visited only upon the already damned.

>>5752847
>Piety and Faith
Adok its time to upgrade our equipment and i guess, i we don't gain any title or heraldry, might has well place the holy symbol of Morr upon the armor.

>>5752880
Can I un-change my vote? That anon's write-in is not getting any support

>>5753338
Ah shit, my ID changed