>>12910543
Use elementalism to clear up the ground. Get the men started on expanding prisoner accommodations.

Now would be a good time to send that message to Flumenos for a couple of units to relieve us of our prisoners. After Aquila comes back I think we ought to give Cornelius to good news that we've tested a new method to deal with winged cavalry. Let's ask if he's got the engineers to build them.

But first, great Laelith. (We sent Collin with her, right?)

>>12910543

'sup Pax.

Read the letter first but scan check it for traps and poison.

I expect him to expect us to read it first.

>>12910619
After greeting Laelith, giving the necessary orders to deal with the prisoners and the wounded, and sending the message to Flumenos, THEN we ought to talk with Janos and Kaitlyn.

First see how Laelith did/is doing, and tell her to go get some sleep. We need to know how everything went and make sure she's fine.

Next read the letter we got.

>>12910629
I dunno, would it really be in good form to go through our captive's personal mail?

I mean he IS our captive, but y'know.

Although I'm stupid for suggesting it, part of me thinks we should at least inform Janos the letter exists first before reading it. That and show him it's a sealed letter then read it. He might think we're making crap up if he sees it's already open. Although he might kind of trust us at this point... Hard to say.

>>12910619
I agree on all counts with this.

Additionally, should we tell the leader of the nomads our plan for next week, of our freeing the nomads' kin during the Festival?
Either way, I think we need to send a Rapid Rider scout unit to the enemy encampment at night, using the NVG paste to see what they're doing about the prisoners. If they've started executing them, then we can't delay. We also need intel on the disposition of their forces and defenses.

rolled 48 = 48

Oh, we were just talking about us missing the thread entirely or it not happening xD.

Pretty much agreeing with everyone else so far.

>>12910654

Don't prisons and military check through all mail that go through their gates?

They're screened for security. You never know what might be inside.

>>12910654
Sorry man, enemies are enemies and prisoners forfeit their right to privacy. It gets read, and I agree that we should be careful about poison.

Sent the rapidriders out to finish cleaning up the fleeing troops. There is no way we should let even half of those broken troops get back to camp since they aren't mounted.

>>12910676
True, but I think >>12910667 has made a good point.

We want to ensure him that the letter is authentic.

>>12910712
He'll recognize his father/brother's writing and seal. Do you honestly think he expects us to give him unopened mail when he is a prisoner? Be realistic, not some idealist.

>>12910704
Nah, that was covered at the end of the previous thread.

Which reminds me: Morale should be at an all time high given that last session was essentially a devastating rout for Lord Stant's 'SMART' son. We ought to mingle with the men a little bit when they're not so busy.

Also, given the amazing rolls we had last time we were talking about having Justinian flirt with Kyria, Jayne and Laelith later, 'cuz he'd be feeling so pimp from his victory.

>>12910735
I'm also voting for reading the letter, and being careful of any possible contact poisons.

Janos is a military prisoner of war, not a noble hostage. He should not expect privacy in his mail.

Unless, of course, there's something about that in Degnarian Imperial Legion Military Code, of course.

>>12910782

Unfortunately, the more I think about it, we may have won the tactical but at the expense of the strategic advantage.

For the cost of a unit of valks and about 100 odd men, we played all our cards.

The loss of the valks will hurt but the loss of men was trival.

We need new deceptions and tactics. Fast.

>>12910735
I'm not trying to be idealistic, everything we've been doing in our interactions with him has been directed at gaining enough of his trust that he'd turn to our side.

But I will concede that it wouldn't hurt to check the letter for foreign objects and the like. During which we might *accidentally* scan over ac couple of paragraphs.

>>12910821
We have the NVG paste, and even if the enemy knows that we will attack at night, he will still need to rotate sleeping shifts.
We used our elementalism, but the enemy will most likely believe it to be the use of some kind of arcana. However, if Laelith really DID tangle with an air elementalist, then Lord Stant may have one of his own still held in reserve.

Maybe put a heavy repeater on an improved wagon (if they're completed) with armoring, as a kind of mobile heavy weapon platform?

You stride up to Laelith "Well, how did it go?" you ask, acting as if nothing were out of order at the fort.

Laelith cocks an eyebrow before responding "Not as tumultuously as things went on your end I would assume. As it turns out it the elementalist was strapped to one of the more intelligent pegasi. Immolating him was of no challenge once we scared the beast low enough. Is there anything you need of me, Justinian?" she asks, tired but obviously intent on helping if need be.

"For you to rest. Judging by how tired you look it was no small matter doing what you described to me." you respond, leading the elf towards her tent, Jayne hides a pout as you walk past her unit on your way to Laeliths tent.

"It was not the elementalist, but the commanding Lords forces, apparently he had hired a large group of mercenaries through one of his retainers, and the lot showed up the morning of my arrival. I had to fight my way through more than a few of them to get to my target. While my elementalism has not suffered from the loss of a patron god, my skills with the scythe and stamina have. I suppose I will have to train to rectify that." she replies as you stop at the front of her tent. She nods to you before disappearing into her tent, judging by the sounds she went directly to her cot, not bothering with anything else, having left her torch outside the tent.

After an hour your rangers are clearing a few trees to expand your prisoner pens, and you have returned as much of the earth before your fort to its natural state. You walk to your tent as the sky begins to redden with the setting sun. The letter is sitting on your table, an intricate sky blue talon making up the seal, if broken it could very well end up looking like a skill-less imitation of what it is.

>>12910821
>we played all our cards.

No we haven't, man. There's still the Feast of the Black Sun coming up.

Neither have we even implemented any of those other suggestions you made to deal with airborne cavalry.

Also, now we've evened things out by getting at least 250 new recruits (one of whom appears to have the potential to use magic).

And then there's Blackbird's special operations unit.

Heck, we might even ask for some extra units from Flumenos to boost our numbers for the inevitable assault on the enemy base during the eclipse.

>>12910782
And goddesses.

>>12910827
You are being very idealistic and unrealistic. Please stop treating the situation like we are all best buddy with him or whatever. You do understand we've been doing this as a tactic in war, right? If we become friends with him and save his love that's great, I'd like to. But the intent was to turn him to our side and reading the letter is the clear choice before presenting it to him.

>>12910864

Simple. Cut out the seal from its surround paper.

We can show him the intact seal AND read the letter.

>>12910898
Indeed, it's not like we lack sharp objects. Cut the paper around it or split the envelope along an edge rather than opening it normally.

>>12910885
>You do understand we've been doing this as a tactic in war, right?

That's what I meant. Palpatine-style seduction, remember?

And I just agreed to going over the letter.

>>12910864
see if there is a way to read the letter without breaking the seal, if not no big deal but we should still try.

>>12910864
Cut the seal from the envelope, preserving it.
Is there any way for us to examine it for contact poisons?

I don't see why we don't just show him the letter without any damage to the seal and read it in front of him. He should understand he's a POW and reading his letters isn't impossible to understand.

>>12910938

I'd say depending on its contents, we might decide not to show him the letter in the first place.

>>12910821

true, but with the rout after those siege preparations the enemy used and the (near?) annihilation of a unit of their valk knights their entire camp must be hurting for moral.

if they aren't, the empire is doomed as the enemy is some sort of master race.

>>12910938
See, this is a good compromise, we make sure that Janos knows we have an authentic letter AND we can sift through it.

I have an idea about learning mysticism guys. What if we took Jayne, Sansa, and Laelith out with us to the middle of nowhere. Jayne could meditate and concentrate on keeping our body from going all haywire, then we could practice reading Sansa and Laelith's thoughts. Since there would be two of them we would be able to practice blocking out thoughts and shifting back and forth between one person and another.

Tell them what we are trying to do, of course. You don't go invading someone's mind without permission. If they are your friends/lovers, that is.

>>12910958
That and the fact that the army was being led by the SMART son.

The fact that he failed so badly is gonna do hell with the confidence of his father in him. That, or it may drive them to think even sneakier to compensate.

>>12910953
That could potentially hurt our efforts at making him join us though. Specifically if he ever finds out we hid letters for him from his father. Entirely possible with how those assassins snuck into our camp without problems. Someone might be able to smuggle messages to him if we're unlucky.

>>12910981
Hmm... That's possible, but let's put that on the to do list for when things aren't quite so hectic or too dangerous to go out in small groups.

Probably something to do on the road if we don't get the chance to join an offensive on the Uurlanthians.

You draw your dagger and cut the seal loose. As the letter falls open a small stilleto blade falls to the table, mithia, judging by the weight. You quickly peruse the letter. The opening is what you would expect from a father worried for his son; after that however, it gets interesting. Lord Stant has in fact already arranged for his sons marriage, one of Lady Obstiriths daughters in Gatrisport, apparently. He goes on to say that he cannot, in good faith expend more resources on a son who already cost him so many, and that Janos can expect his time in captivity to be both his punishment for costing Lord Stant a rather large boon now owed to Lords Graos and Errist for the pitch and mangonels, as well as the men lost and premature revealing of the Valkerie knights; and a last gift. That is what you find most interesting, Lord Stant knew of his sons relationship with Kaitlyn, and tolerated it, however he will not tolerate the chance of Janos ruining his political marriage with an affair, as such none of his bodyguards will be ransomed.

On closer inspection of the letter it is obvious that the blade was added after it was sealed.

I think we should send a letter to our foes saying that if they release all the captured slaves they have we will not use the new recruits he just handed us. To assure him of the validity of this offer, we state three points:

1. It would look bad on us back in the capital if we were to use slave troops in our assaults. We don't want that. Surely he can see why we are motivated by this.

2. We don't want to see innocents hurt, and it will make our reputation better. Also, hacking through peasants to get to him would be terrible for our image. Once again, surely he can tell this is a genuine motivation.

3. It would deprive us of almost 300 warriors for zero losses on his part. It's a sound tactical decision for him and the above two points show that it is in our interest to honor the agreement as well.

We await his reply.

Ta da! We pass the goddess test!

>>12910999

Perhaps but if the father is any good, he'll probably understand that you cant win everything and let his son continue. However, that moral will hurt is a given. What I'm mostly concerned about is that we have no outright new tricks to throw out in battle.

>>12911022

I'd say its an option but one we'll not likely use. However we don't want to be blindsided by some unexpected item in the letter. Based on whats inside, we might be able to use it to our advantage.

>>12911022
The way I always saw it was, we don't really want him to join us so much as we want him to give us some info and then we let him go on his merry way

>>12911063
He won't care about our image. He'll use any advantage he can get to take us on and I doubt he's truly worried about those 250 troops we have. They're barely armed... Which reminds me, perhaps we should give them access to the spare weaponry we have from our past battles.

>>12911047
Methinks we should go talk to Kaitlyn about this letter and then Janos. Let him read the letter and give them some time alone.

>>12911047
Show Janos, tell him we think his brother added the knife and, well, he must understand that we can't let him have that. Then tell him we are sorry and we will allow him to spend tonight with his love in a private tent.

>>12911047
>As the letter falls open a small stilleto blade falls to the table, mithia, judging by the weight.

Well that doesn't bode well.

I suppose we 'might' want to keep the blade a secret. Emphasis on 'might'. If you guys think the fact of it's presence in the envelope may help convince Janos to turn to our side...

>>12911047

Eeeccellent. Palpatine is pleased.

Keep the dagger. It's a nice trophy.

Get the two lovers together and show them the letter. Together they can angst and play out the drama of the lover-who-wants-whats-best-for-her-beloved-but-no-I-want-to-be-with-you. We should bring Jayne along so that she can make a show of comforting Kaitlyn.

Once they calm down abit, we can offer them the chance to defect.

>>12911078
>He won't care about our image.
No, but we do. It shows that it will be in our interest to honor the deal rather than just getting him to release the captives and then keeping the warriors anyway.

>I doubt he's truly worried about those 250 troops we have.
Of course he is! We now outnumber him by a great deal with just regular troops especially after killing an entire unit of his best for virtually no losses, and he just gave us 250 more! He must be cursing his son.

>>12911093
Worth mentioning if he demands to know why we opened the letter. His father and brother were too cunning to leave the letter alone could be our excuse I suppose and look. We were right.

>>12911047
Well it seems as though Lord Stant is playing into our line in regards to causing him to defect... IF papa stant really wrote the part about the marriage. I think mini-creed wrote everything after the normal "concerned dad" stuff and added the blade as a way of removing a potential rival to the throne

>>12911063
>1. It would look bad on us back in the capital if we were to use slave troops in our assaults. We don't want that. Surely he can see why we are motivated by this.

True, but these are volunteers, much like the peasant archers we had during the first campaign.

>2. We don't want to see innocents hurt, and it will make our reputation better. Also, hacking through peasants to get to him would be terrible for our image. Once again, surely he can tell this is a genuine motivation.

Given that the hostages are the ones who couldn't fight and that we're supposed to save them I doubt that this will be much of a problem.

>3. It would deprive us of almost 300 warriors for zero losses on his part. It's a sound tactical decision for him and the above two points show that it is in our interest to honor the agreement as well.

...

This does not make me want to go with this plan. This doesn't make me want to go with this plan, AT ALL.

>>12911120
What ARE you talking about? I imagine we would notice if the writing style changed. And rival to the throne? What the hell? Wat?

Also, I think we should train in physical combat with Laelith some tomorrow.

>>12911113
I still think he won't want to accept the deal because the longer he keeps their kin, the more antsy they will get and that will give us problems to control them. Plus, the only way they'll be released if he refuses the deal is if we attack them and that puts us in a battle on his terms.

rolled 57 = 57

>>12911120
This is about what I'm thinking too. Still, we need to show him the letter.

>>12911136
First you say the troops suck and then you say we can't afford to lose them? Make up your mind.

>>12911078
>They're barely armed... Which reminds me, perhaps we should give them access to the spare weaponry we have from our past battles.

I was think that, AND asking for some supplies from Flumenos. Though that may be asking a bit much.

>>12911143
Plus, the only way they'll be released if he refuses the deal is if we attack them and that puts us in a battle on his terms.

What? No, it would just keep the status quo. If we do nothing we are going to have to attack into them anyway.

>>12911148
I did not say that that they suck, I said that they are VOLUNTEERS. NOT SLAVES.

What I'm saying is that, like Gaius told us a couple sessions back, we need something to even the odds.

As it is, we've just hit pay dirt. We've killed enough of their men and gained enough of our own to even out our forces. Though I'm pretty sure they still outnumber us by a significant margin.

>>12911141
>Also, I think we should train in physical combat with Laelith some tomorrow.
I'd train her in physical combat, if you know what I mean.

But yeah, second. This has all kinds of interesting opportunities and we're pretty nifty with a spear.

I think we should present the stiletto to Janos. Imply that, his father wanted Janos to "make sure" that Kaitlyn never became an issue, and expected him to make good on that duty.
That might be the final straw for Janos and cause him to defect.

>>12911141
The rival to the throne thing was a little half-assed, I was just searching for a reason as to why the blade would be slipped in the letter. I mean, it's not like the prince is going to escape armed with nothing but a knife so it seems more likely that someone is giving Janos a not so subtle hint that maybe killing himself would be a good Idea. As for the handwriting, maybe I'm giving mini-creed too much credit but it seems to me like he would be able to have his father's handwriting forged if it fit his needs.

>>12911141
The writing I assume is all Lord Stant's, but he does come up with a good point about the blade possibly coming from Morwayne.

There might not be a lot of love lost between the two brothers.

>>12911176
You do know that the council still gave us the stinkeye for using the recruits even when none of them died, right? And these guys are going to be lightly armed melee combatants who are furiously driven to save captured people deep in the middle of the enemy camp?

Do you really think this is going to end well?

>>12911063

There is no dishonor in improving the empire's relations with the locals by aiding in the rescue of their captive family members.

>>12911200
>>12911195
>>12911191
Are you all retarded? It was obvious that he slipped the blade in to help his brother escape if he could. Don't be idiots.

>>12911195
Too much credit? A little far? Dude, you are assuming things that were never even implied! Jumping headfirst into the Lake of Insanity and pulling out whatever harebrained WTC-esque conspiracy theory you can find. Come ON!

>>12911218
That's what I assumed as well. Hence why it's justification for opening the letter.

>>12911162
Not necessarily. We're on the defense remember. In theory, we could sit back and wait until the counterattack begins. Hence why him holding the slaves is an incentive for us to attack as long as we have those men working under us. We just want to attack him because it'll be the best way of winning this front of the campaign rather than sitting here and letting him plan everything on his terms.

>>12911218

or perhaps he simply had a poetic mental image of two star-crossed lovers who could only be together in death.

>>12911201
The enemy still outnumbers us, it won't end perfectly either way.

In any case, would even be subject to the same amount of scrutiny as before? That was a trial where we had to disclose full details. The Second Praetorian might be more forgiving during the debriefing.

Also, we're fighting to FREE those slaves. I doubt there would be much moral outrage given that.

>>12911218
A single knife to escape from the inside of an enemy base camp? I think that far-fetched.
As far as we have seen, Janos has no special operations experience, nor does he have the willingness to leave Kaitlyn behind; something that Morwayn would have been well aware of.

>>12911218
The man suspected that trained assassins would do little but bother us.

Somehow I doubt he would think that his brother (the most useless in battle) might be able to escape from watchful captivity given a dinky little blade.

>>12911250
>The enemy still outnumbers us
No, not anymore. Look at the troop counts rather than pulling crap out of your ass.

>Also, we're fighting to FREE those slaves. I doubt there would be much moral outrage given that.
Sure there could be. With the right spin by someone who hates everything about slavery or another commander jealous of our victories and prestige it could turn into "Justinian Trentz captured and used innocent slave prisoners to absorb his casulaties! That's why he really looks like he is just a good commander!"

Theres a way we can give the old man a heart attack and embarrass him infront of the other nobles while scoring a political coup.

When we get Janos to defect, let him recruit a retinue of loyal bodyguards. Then attach him to the volunteers as a figurehead leader.

That the son of a noble is willing to take up arms against his own country, king and KIN to avenge the wrongs done by his own family will quickly spread throughout Dengar. It will boost moral that our cause is just. Likewise, this will spread rapidly throughout the enemy ranks and their family will be shamed and its loyalty may even be called into question.

Janos will be painting himself as a hero of the underclass, willing to go against those dear to him to right the wrongs infront of him.

>>12911218
Even if it's obvious to us, why can't we spin it to be an implicit order from his father to make sure that Kaitlyn does not become a problem to his future political marriage?
>>12911047
>Lord Stant knew of his sons relationship with Kaitlyn, and tolerated it, however he will not tolerate the chance of Janos ruining his political marriage with an affair

>>12911261
There's also the possibility that he was supposed to try to take us hostage with it. Hell, maybe it was a test to see how fast thinking the guy was. Either he uses it to successfully escape or kills himself to deny us access to him. Unfortunately, we didn't ask about the relations between the brothers earlier so it makes it hard to decide but I'm actually starting to think it might of been from the brother. It was added after the letter was sealed, and lord Stant could of easily added it before sealing it. I wonder if his brother is playing at a deeper game...

>>12911110
I vote that we go with this plan, by the way.

Though we might want to be a bit more subtle about it and not put them together immediately.

>>12911265
>>12911261
People have escaped with less. There was one supermax prisoner who simply walked out of the front gates one time, for instance. He was even stopped by a guard and had a five minute chat before the guard gave him a smile and told him to be careful on the road.

>>12911240
I was stating a theory, I wasn't saying that I knew that for a fact and that everyone else was a faggot if they disagreed. I was just throwing out what I thought was going on. If you disagree that's cool. As for what we should do, I think>>12911110
or>>12911191
are the right way to go

You make your way over to Janos' cell, and escort him to the same tent you allowed him and Kaitlyn to share a meal in the other day. Janos' face falls when he sees the new prisoners, chef's debating over the best way to prepare Valkerie, and general good nature of your camp. "Morwayne. He had a letter for you." you answer his question before he can ask, handing him the seal. "I will leave you the letter once I bring Kaitlyn to the tent." you add, as Janos enters the tent, walking backwards, staring at the dead birds and new prisoners in disbelief.

Escorting Kaitlyn to the tent goes much the same, though she seems more worried about what the letter said than anything else when you tell her of it, her face pleading for it to be another of your ill-humored jests. Once the three of you are seated you produce the letter, sliding it across the table to the pair. After a few minutes both of them are finished reading the letter in the fading light. Kaitlyn looks near tears, Janos trying to support her, though there is a great sadness in his eyes as well. Judging by his body language, he had been denying the inevitability of this letter, this news; and his being forced to face it in the presence of others has made it more real than he cares to bear. "What is to become of me then?" Kaitlyn asks, her voice shaking.

>>12911293
"You are to be returned to the rest of the bodyguards we captured and eventually shipped out to lighten the load on our pens. As Lord Stant has made it clear he will not ransom your bodyguard, it will only burden my supplies and men more as long as we have so many prisoners."

Perhaps slightly emphasize the prisoner aspect and see if they catch on? Also, should we make mention of the weapon in the letter yet?

I don't follow this quest, but I hope Janos is that guy's last name and that Hugh is his first.

>>12911293
Show them the blade, and tell them that this was in the letter as well. Tell them that we think... she was not supposed to have anything happen to her. At least not alive. Tell them we are sorry, and that we wish there was something we could do. That this whole affair sits badly with us, and we will leave them together tonight as a sign of our compassion... though we suggest they don't try to run. Besides, where would you two run to, anyway? Back towards Uurlanth? That way... lies only sorrow.

>>12911270
I've kept track of the troop counts based on what Pax has told us:

Es Elf Skirmishers: DEAD

2x Armored Sergants (pikemen): initially 200 men strong 80/200

2x Knights (Valkeries, horses): initialy 50 men strong 55/100

Levied Halberdiers: 300 strong 200/300

Levied Swordsmen: 300 strong 300/300

2x Elf bowmen: 150 strong 300/300

Longbowmen: initially 200 strong 80/200

Mounted men at arms: initially 150 strong and fought as two seperate wings of 75 105/150

Footslogging men at arms (heavy armor, shields and maces): 150 strong 80/150

5 mercenary units, all medium infantry or better: two destroyed by traps, one fought, was 200 strong initially. the other two are at least 150 men strong 2/5 (300)

That's still considerably more than we have.

The slaves were new and boosted their forces by a thousand, but we've dealt with that and we now have 250 more men.

Of course Sansa is still away with much of Captain Cornelius' Legionaire unit.

>>12911328

i agree wholeheartedly with this

>>12911293

First we should ask him what he intends.

He needs to lock himself into despair first before we make our move.

Whether he is willing to return home or would rather kill himself is very important to how we proceed.

We offer him a way out once he is despondent.

>>12911328
I like this, I think if there is a way to add something to the effect of "your father has other sons, Janos. You don't need to sacrifice a chance at happiness with Kaitlyn for him." it should be done

>>12911328
I'm going to support this, unless someone else can make a compelling argument against it.

>>12911328
Fuck yes, do this. They are on the edge of despair and tonight she will suggest joining us to him.

>>12911370
Too direct dude. Way too blunt. Let her suggest it to him, not us. Saying that only sorrow awaits them back in Uurlanth is as far as we should push it.

>>12911328
>>12911371
>>12911375
>>12911370
Also supporting this idea.

>>12911380
okay, I meant go a little subtler than what I wrote but the whole "only sorrow lies there" works fine too

we should check to make sure the stiletto blade isn't magic/arcana, and then mention that it was included, or mention that it was included, and we suspect it to be a plant/cursed or something like that.

You draw the blade from your cloak, and set it on the table as well. "This was in the letter as well. I do not know what the intent of it was, but I see no compassionate reason for sending such a blade. Kaitlyn, I suppose I will need to set you on the road back to my prisons in DragonsReach with the rest of the prisoners, seeing as there is no chance of gaining any ransom from you. The caravan will not like arrive for a month considering the forest; and you are not like to be to my permanent pens until the end of the war, with the speed such trains move at. This whole situation sits ill with me in all honesty," you continue, putting the blade back inside its hidden sheath inside your armor after both of your captives have looked it over. "as a sign of compassion I will allow you two the night together. I would strongly recommend that you not attempt an escape, where would you flee to even if you did manage to free yourselves from me? Uulanth? I fear that only sorrow lies to the east for the two of you." you finish, and realize that both of them look to be fully drawn in to your words.

"W-will we have food? Or a candle for the cell, the lack of windows would make it difficult to eat." Janos replies, a look of deep gratitude on his face, though his eyes betray a great turmoil. Kaitlyn clutches Janos' arm, as her current reality settles over her, the look of longing and sadness deepens.

>>12911413
>we should check to make sure the stiletto blade isn't magic/arcana

Good idea.

Also, Pax can we get an estimate of the enemy numbers based on previous intelligence and the casualties they sustained the the previous battle?

I'm sure I made a couple of mistakes in my accounting and I want to be sure.

Also, how long until we physicians gives us that report on the NVG paste? We might need a demonstration sample, because I think we ought to meet with the nomad's leader tomorrow together with our captains and brief him on our plan.

>>12911458
"Of course, I will make the arrangements as soon as I leave you."

>>12911458
I see no problem with granting their requests.

Just make sure that extra buckets of sand are readied in case Janos decides to do something...ill-advised with that candle.

>>12911458

"Of course, I will see that the are brought to you. I will come again in the morning."

Outside, brief the guards quietly to be watchful for any suicide attempts. Make sure buckets of water/sand to be ready nearby.

>>12910821
I am somewhat frustrated by how very true this is. The enemy's ability to get away with almost all his forces even in what by rights should have been a total rout is astonishing, and means that we're far worse off on the strategic level than we should be.

>>12911458
>every maniple has a small dungeon under its barracks complex, capable of housing 500 "common" captives and up to 20 valuable/dangerous captives. If you signalled for the prisoners to be taken, that is where Flumenos would begin shuffling them too, and yes, it would be appropriately staffed

>You had several totally enclosed cells built for prisoners such as Janos with your camp, they are about 8' x 8', and have no windows.

>>12911458
I will leave both, and instruct the guards to watch over the exits from a distance. I am truly sorry for how this has turned out, and wish I could offer you some sort of happier end to this whole twisted affair. Sleep well you two, and Kaitlyn please be ready to move out tomorrow morning. And remember that if you have any requests -- perhaps for letters to be delivered or a private cell? -- I will listen to them before you depart.

>>12911458

we have them bent over a barrel

now we just need to unfasten our trousers

give them whatever they require, candles, music, anything they want

also, i second getting that blade checked

>>12911458
Give them whatever they require(within reason of course). We are wooing them after all, however we are going to have to drop some of the sublties now that he has heard from his father. He will have to make a decision soon and we need to do what we can to make him choose to side with us.

>>12911493
I have to agree. I am still questioning how we let 500 men ON FOOT get away when we have two cavalry units... one of them being some of the fastest beasts in the world. And we're on the open plains!

I understand that you want to make these tense and interesting Pax, but that's pretty bullshit and reeks of incompetence rather than tension.

>>12911493
True dat.

>>12911494
So they'd be sent to our barracks?

Hmm, what are we gonna do with captives?

One part of me really just wants them out of our hands and processed according to standard Imperial procedure, but the other part of me wants to do charity work and try to get them to defect so that we can get points in with Rayha.

>>12911520
Yeah, that's been bothering me too. How could infantry get away from cavalry, especially when they've been routed?

"I see no issue with your requests, burning your cell down will be as ill advised as escape attempt however." you reply, rising and motioning for them to follow.

"Your humor is atrocious, Trentz" Janos replies, seemingly warming to you that much more with your latest gift to him and Kaitlyn.

"I have met men with worse." you reply as you motion to the cell door. "Your food should be along shortly, and both of your guards will be ensuring you do not attempt to escape." At that you make the situation as you told them, they are fed, given light and their guard is doubled. The guards seem understanding of your intent, and are relieved to know that they will have something to douse any flames should the couple attempt to burn down the cell.

That complete, you realize that night is now fully upon you; and you find yourself wondering what to do before you sleep.

>well, what do you guys wanna take care of? if nothing I can skip ahead to the morning, then Sansas return

>>12911571
Hopefully at least they had to drop their weapons to flee, because running away while carrying a ten foot halberd is virtually impossible. A six foot longbow's not much better. If that's so, then we should at least have hundreds of spare weapons to equip our troops with, which is some small consolation.

If that's not so, then... I don't even know anymore.

>>12911596
If we have a test batch of the NVG paste, demonstrate it to the leader of the nomad group, in order to get him to understand what we have planned.

Also, send out a Rapid Rider scout unit using the NVG paste to scout the enemy encampment. We need to know what defenses they have, and if they've started executing prisoners.

>>12911494
>>12911544
Also, 'a month' for them to arrive?

Cripes, that's way too long, we need these prisoners out of our hands now. Otherwise we'll have to leave a garrison behind to watch over them. Troops that we could use in assaulting the enemy base.

>>12911596
Perhaps ask Jayne for any insight on our work at turning Janos?

>>12911596
Maybe we should talk to the red-haired blind girl and her sister.

>>12911605
>>12911615
These two.

>>12911615
I say we do this.

>>12911596

Send Aquila to request the troops to begin the transfer process. Might as well get it started.

Did Sansa make the delivery to stone fort? Those artillery pieces will be heavily used there.

Did Laelith bring any letters from whats-his-name? Not even a word of thanks is odd.

Speak to Degrain. I'd say we'll need more repeaters. The small handheld ones. Aiming for one for all our soldiers.

Are the girls still resting or can we talk to that mystic?

>>12911605
I'm still hesitant to tell the nomads our plans... I don't want this trump card to get shot down due to some nomads selling us out to save their family.

>>12911606
>it takes two weeks to march the forest on foot, add wagons/all the other shit needed to keep POWs in line? you do the math on that one...
>>12911599
>yea, I have the list of all of your looted gear on a txt file, for weapons I just have "complete fucking armory"
at this point, and yea not letting you run down the whole unit is not among my better/more realistic decisions and I'll be better about that in the future.

How about we hit on the goddess?

>>12911605
I suppose it would be a good idea to have the meeting now when we might demonstrate the paste.

Let's get our captains together and the nomad leader.

Sending the message to Flumenos and others can wait until tomorrow.

>>12911637

Speaking of the Nomads:

We need to talk to Gaius with regards to training and arming of the tribal warriors.

An undisciplined mob running in a shield wall is asking for a slaughter.

>>12911596
Get ourselves a taste or two of the camp cook's attempts at cooking up some valkrie. If he hasn't gotten any cooked, joke about him being wasteful!

>>12911636
>Not even a word of thanks is odd.

Well she was tired as hell. And Aquila IS with us.

Which reminds me, we may want to tell him we've successfully tested a new way to deal with those pesky winged cavalry.

>>12911647
Let the nomads wait. No point explaining the plan to them until they're fed up of waiting. Pax said earlier they're very distrustful of outsiders - if we're not careful and unlucky, our plans could spread to Stant and then our plan next week is gone to hell since they'll be prepared.

>>12911637
I strongly doubt that one of them would try to sell us out to the people who enslaved them. Especially when these people don't quite like outsiders, but have had a history of good relations with the Empire.

>>12911641

yeah, after doing>>12911625
and before beddy-bye we need to hit up Nyetini

>>12911647
We should probably have a staff meeting come the morning, when we'll be able to get a better report on what happened with Laelith. I'd like to hear her general impressions of how our counterpart captain is doing up north. From there, we'll need to get everyone's thoughts on the feasibility of moving out at least part of our force to try and rescue the nomads' clan.

>>12911639
I appreciate that you're working to do better, Pax. Don't mean to have been really harping on that point, not in a bad way, anyway.

With the spare weapons, we might consider equipping those nomads as a proper unit... assuming that they're disciplined enough to fight as one.

>>12911662

PIMP VALK FEATHER CLOAK.

>>12911641
>How about we hit on the goddess?

I suppose we can do that tonight before we go to bed. And then hit on the girls tomorrow when Sansa's back and Laelith's rested.

>>12911674
Most of them might not. There might be some that will if they have the chance. Tell Stant valuable info in exchange for their family? What do they care about the empire and Stant as long as they can go free? I wouldn't assume there are no backstabby types amongst the nomads just yet.

>>12911637
We only tell the leader, and make sure that he understands that this has to be kept secret to work.
He may not like it, but he should be able to understand and keep the other nomads in line without telling them about the paste.

We should send the messages out now to request that prison transport; better to get it done now rather than later.

Also, we should take this opportunity to test the limits of the NVG paste; will we get blinded if there are torches and light, like what happens with real NVG sets?

>>12911681
>PIMP VALK FEATHER CLOAK.

...

YES! I AGREE WITH THIS IDEA!

>>12911687
The NVG paste shouldn't have that problem. Some of our hunters tried it out when Blackbird first used it in camp and they said they could see fine but didn't complain about any lights. And I doubt our camp is empty of torches and fires.

>>12911695
Second

>>12911679
>and before beddy-bye we need to hit up Nyetini
I support this. High five Pompieus!

And Pax, could you just retroactively say we ran them all down? Because, really, we rolled amazingly that battle and our plans all came together. We used most of our arsenal and were gods of war. How about it? Those troops all getting away was a serious blow to what would otherwise have been a TACTICAL GENIUS moment which would secure us fame, prestige, and likely a much stronger position.

>>12911698
Check range, too.
Will our archers be able to use it and volley fire in complete darkness? That will scare the shit out of the enemy.

>>12911680
How about tomorrow night, then?

That way Cornelius and Sansa will be back for the meeting.

Ugh. You guys and hitting on the gods. This will go so bad. For the record, I oppose it.

>>12911681
Most definitely! I heartily support this endeavor!

>>12911701
He wouldn't even have to retroactively do it, just say that it took most of the evening to run them all down and our cavalry gets back with 90% of the units as prisoners just after dark. Bam, solved.

>>12911615
Seconding this. If she is a natural mage? As in the I-don't-have-to-explain-shit reality warping magic? Yeah, recruiting her would be a great idea. Also, if she can't control her ability to see the mists, then maybe the glove we have for training with magic would help her. To be fair, it could totally reverse and drive her insane too though, so be careful.

>>12911639
If i remember correctly, you said that was what we were aware of. I don't think we went and checked with all of the others yet, so if you want to increase the number we killed you still can. And to be fair, the valks might have run interference too, which they are uniquely suited for. I recommend that we have a meeting with all of the leaders and find out what the losses ended up at. We could also use this time to introduce our plan to the former slaves, and point out how it should allow us to rescue them with a minimum of danger.

A way to trick out the enemy: Someone suggested having a rack of torches? I suggest one better. have a false camp, with tents, sentries and a wall, but fill it with traps and a tower to launch the repeater from. The only people that should be there are the sentries and a few extra guys wandering around to make it look like there's enough people. We wait until they start hitting the camp, then surprise attack! Considering that the "Smart" son leads from behind, we have a decent chance of nabbing him right then and there. With the resulting disarray, we hit them fast and hard with our cavalry, and watch the route. The first target of the cavalry should be their archers/long range attackers, followed by whatever methods of illumination they have. in the dark, the bears should be utterly terrifying, especially with the remnants of our velociprey unit running around. That, is a recipe for shattering their morale, and winning us a battle via strategy rather than combat. The way to lure them might have to be changed though.

>>12911711
Seconding this.

Even aside from the fact that they're gods... we're fucking Justinian Trentz! Have you guys noticed that the ladies come chasing after US, not us after them? That's how things are meant to be. We don't change that just because some bint has a bit of divinity on her side.

>>12911711
eh, IMO hitting on the gods is fine(although we should do it in a joking manner, in all seriousness a goddess is probably going to find it nothing more than funny anyway) openly worshiping them is another

>>12911655
>We need to talk to Gaius with regards to training and arming of the tribal warriors.

>An undisciplined mob running in a shield wall is asking for a slaughter.

True, they'll need better equipment. But as for discipline...These people appear to be Cossack analogues, we may want to thread lightly in that regard. If they're anything like the real thing...

You make your way over to the outcropping of tents that belong to your maniples medical staff. After a brief talk you have learned that the paste has no discernible negative effects on users in the short term, however constant use over a period of 3 days or more will severely damage the eyes. The medical men also found that torches fires and such improve the pastes function until they reach a certain intensity, at which point they make it nigh impossible to see. You thank the doctors for their time, take the batch of paste and make your way to the RapidRiders area in your camp, where you quickly find a trio of men willing to scout the enemy camp.

>so, the sisters next then?

>>12911742
I like the idea of hitting their base camp instead of their army personally. That way we can rescue the hostages and burn their supplies. An army starved of water and food for awhile will be a lot easier to deal with is what I figure.

>>12911711
I wasn't so hot on it originally, but if we do it 'playfully' she may just find it amusing and she'll like a bit more.

>>12911748
Yeah, but a goddess is a bit more high up in the food chain. Tail like that? You've gotta chase it. It's not just going to fall into your lap.

>>12911759
Can the paste be removed and the effects disappear? Might be needed if they have a lot of torches or fires.

I'm up for talking to the girls.

>>12911759
Yeah, sisters next.

>>12911759
Yes, sisters. Bring along the glove for magic, the one that let us see the mists last time, correct?

>>12911759

to the sisters, but have our magic glove with us

also, on our way to them, stop by the cooks and have them set aside a soome valkyrie feathers for a cloak

whenever we meet lord stant face to face, we absolutely HAVE to be wearing it

>Thugs Pepres

i agree captcha, our pepres will be most thuggin' with our new cloak

Tomorrow we should talk to Jayne privately. Tell her that if she needs to head back to the capital and restock her troops then let us know. As someone said last thread, this is a business for her and if we use her unit too hard and lose a bunch of troops it would bring ruin to her house. And if she really does like us... she might be more willing to march into situations that she would otherwise use her good judgement to stay away from.

We need to show that we care about the status of her house and troops.

>>12911800
Might be an insult in some ways if we offer that. How would it look to the rest of the nobles if she left the battlefield with almost a full unit while the war is still in full swing?

>>12911800
>Tomorrow we should talk to Jayne privately. Tell her that if she needs to head back to the capital and restock her troops then let us know.

That would take a while and we wouldn't be able to make use of her unit for any battles. Also, her unit's only take 10 casualties so far. It's the least affected of the cavalry units.

But that brings up a point: Can we/should we use the paste on the animals to make them see better during a night assault?

I gotta go afk now, but I'd like to ask if we could get an estimate of the remaining enemy number Pax?

Thanks.

>>12911825
>>12911808
I'm not saying RIGHT NOW, just that if she feels she needs to then when that time comes let us know.

>>12911759
We will have to be careful not to use the paste too much, or get blinded by enemy light when we attack.

>>12911768
I cannot support chasing after ethereal goddess tail when there are literal handfuls of lovely, intelligent, and highly dangerous women who want in our pants already. Seriously. Focus on the awesome stuff that we already have, instead of the ridiculous shit that we might somehow end up with in some sort of ambitious fever dream.

>>12911808
I took the suggestion as more of a "if you feel it necessary at some point in the future", not "do you want to leave right now". Which is far less insulting, shows we care.

>>12911865
Fair enough.

>>12911889
I have to agree with the whole goddess thing. Seal the deal with what's already on the table. Don't just move on to the next course already.

>>12911889

we are Justinian mofuggin' Trentz

we are destined to become the seventh praetorian to the emperor and in time, ascend the throne ourselves

the pussy of a goddess cant be far behind

planting the seeds now will bear great and juicy fruit later

at least talk to her

>>12911889
Oh come on, a lot of people want it. If it doesn't work? Well it doesn't. But marrying a goddess is totally something I can support as a goal in life. It could even be a long ongoing romance or something. Instead of making a huge 500-woman harem we'll take in only the best: goddesses, magesses, nobility, magic users, brilliant inventors, and organizational geniuses.

>>12911902
I agree also I shall say no to hitting on the sisters.

Also a name for the yelling that shall eventually occur.

>>12911919

I frankly do not see the point.

We have more important business to take care of. Like keeping our people alive.

>>12911902
>>12911889
Why his hitting on a goddess at odds with the other girls? Answer: It's not.

I support making a pass on her.

>>12911919
See my main problem is if it doesn't work. Best case scenario? Goddess of love laughs off the attempt and everything is hunky dory. If it's not best case? We have an angry goddess of love actively trying to screw with us in our lives. It just seems unnecessary at this point in our lives and I kind of miss the days when we decided screw the gods, we don't really care about them and do crap on our own. Now it seems like we're constantly seeking their approval rather than just doing our thing and letting them come to us.

>>12911932
Oh? And tell me how a few minutes meditating and flirting is going to somehow get our guys killed? Especially when it's the goddess responsible for healing and life.

rolled 98 = 98

>>12911957
I agree.

>>12911959

read

>>12911957

My thoughts exactly. It's way too much trouble.

>>12911957
What the hell man? Why would she get pissed and try to screw us over? I've never seen any girl on either end of the hotness scale be pissed over flirting. Ever.

Your paranoia is way out of line here. She likes us and at worst, WORST, she'll just be "sorry not interested."

>>12911959
>Especially when it's the goddess responsible for healing and life.
When the goddess of healing and life gets pissed at you, you don't heal. Or live.

Anyway, look. There are things that you should not treat lightly, and anything as powerful and fundamentally alien as a god is one of them. For one thing, even if she goes along with it and sleeps with us, it's almost certain that she'll then consider us marked as hers and get pissy whenever we do anything she doesn't like. I'm not up for that. We are religiously independent, currying favor with many rather than one, recall? That's tying ourself to her too tightly.


Anyway, other topics. We might want to bring Jayne when we talk to the sisters, since she tried on that glove before and knows what it's like. I would like to have at least a little backup in case the arcanist decides to go berserk and start issuing crazy commands with her world-bending powers.

>>12911959

that and she is a gentle pacifist

we didnt go out and seek raynha specifically to take her test, she came to us in the realm of the gods and told us we were going to take the it wether we wanted to or not

its not like we're begging at their table for scraps, we're just currying a little favor

>>12911957
Why would she get angry? We're just hitting on her. I say do it and see where it goes.

>>12911981

My good man, you have not see what fury women can wrought.

Especially since their impression of our relationship to them is deity - worshipper, not as equals. Rudeness, arrogance and all that.

>>12911981
I think you're forgetting that she's also the ex-wife of the evil war god. Now, she might be fine with it, but pissing off the evil war god who controls an entire dark pantheon is not my idea of a good long-term life choice.

>>12911981
She could get pissed if she is not amused by our audacity. She may be amused at our antics with other mortals but think we're overstepping our boundaries by trying to hit on a goddess. And she only likes us, she isn't throwing boons at us or anything like that. If we were her champion or awesome in the empire? Maybe. Right now it just seems more risky than anything.

>>12911932
very well then, perhaps at a less crucial time. If it is meant to be for us to have a goddess as our concubine(remember, Kyria, Sansa and Jayne have a bet and we can't interfere with that by marrying someone other than one of them) then it will happen. If not, then I guess we'll have to settle for being the most pimpin' roman ever.

>>12911998
Except not. She's a pacifist and if that stuff about the Old Realm is true very likely to support polygamy. Hell, she was even happy with us courting four women at once!

We're not devoting ourselves to a god, we're courting one. And if things get serious, well, of course we would help her do the things she wants... just like we would do for ANY OF OUR OTHER WOMEN, mortal or not.

>>12912011
>>12912009
>>12912004
We get it. You three disapprove. Stop posting, you aren't going to change anyone's minds and are just fanning the flames at this point.

Waiting on Pax. Might as well get this moving.

>>12912029
so... that happened

>>12912051
Indeed. It's all over the board right now. Just report and move on, no need to feed the trolls.

>>12912029

The mod is alive!

All hail the Janitor!

Hail Janitorus, God of Upkeep!

>>12912111
>>12912111

>christy, I go afk to catch my damned dog and just look at what crops up, haha
>>12911773
>it can be washed out

You stop by the area your maniples culinary warriors have claimed as their own to eat, and tell them to hold on to the feathers, as they could prove to be quite useful. After that you walk over to the area of your fort that the Kharyncheks have moved in to. After a while spent searching you find the pair in question, both look to be waking up from sleep, the younger redhead curled up in her sisters arms waking first, and her sister as a result.

"How can we help you, Vohzd Trentz?" the slight redhead greets you, her pale gray eyes looking right at you.

>>12912187
"I was wondering if we could have that private chat I spoke about earlier before you both went to get aid."

>>12912187
I am sorry for waking you, but I was hoping we might speak about your abilities now.

>>12912206

Privately, I must add.

We shouldn't discuss all these things in the open.

>>12912206
Second.
And did we grab that magic training glove?

"well, now that you have had some time to rest I was hoping I could talk with you about your... abilities, privately with you and your sister of course." You reply.

Lena looks at her sister "She needs her rest more than I. and what are these... powers, you speak of?" she asks you, rising, wrapping a cloak around her leather garb. She squints, and sets off to follow you, slowly.

>>12912206
This but make sure we have the white glove with us.

>>12912274
The mist that you see. You said it was in turmoil earlier what did you mean by that?

>>12912274
Help her to a private place where we can talk. Assuming she allows us to help her guide her.

"When I first met you, you were talking about the mists and that there was no calm. I believe I know what mists you're talking about and I might be able to provide you a means to see them."

>>12912274
you may be able to the see the arcane mists that cover the world, Lena

if you would be so kind as to try on this glove, i would like to confirm my suspicions

>>12912307
She already sees them Max.

>>12912309

Not the glove yet.

Those unprepared can die.

We tell her what it is first and see if she is willing.

>>12912317
Are we sure though? Her sister said she was always blind and at the end of what she was saying, she said she couldn't see anymore. I had assumed she meant the mists.

>>12912329
She has grey eyes shes blind to the world we see but she can see the mist.

>>12912346
I had assumed that but if she was blind since birth, her saying she suddenly can't see now likely refers to the mists, does it not? Maybe I'm misreading what she said then.

Just tell her what we think her sister is and what we know.

>>12912357
Hmm then maybe I've misread this as well I shall go back and check.

Lena is the redhead, is blind, and can apparently see the mists of magic.

>>12912357
It would appear that it is I who has miss read her statement.

"What you were saying when I met you, about 'mists'" you reply, as the two of you walk into your planning tent, most of the maps cleared from the table, but the chairs are still there, and with the rest of the camp beginning to sleep it is as private a place as any. "I have reason that the mists you see are not created by infirmity, but by an innate, and extremely rare ability."

Lena looks at you, curiosity on her now slightly less dirty face, like most of the freed slaves she was given a chance to use some of the water you had set aside for your men to clean themselves, as such her face and hair arent much dirtier than yours normally are at the end of a long campaign. "You couldn't mean... I have magiya, could you? And how could you tell if this was so?" Lena asks, adjusting the leather strings holding her top closed at the top.

>>12912419
"I've come across an item that allows one to more easily learn certain talents. One of these items allowed me to see the mists that you were talking about, although I was not able to handle it after trying to use it once."

>>12912430
Sounds fine.

>>12912419
"Yes, I appear to be have some...magiya, though I am not as well-trained as you. I am better at controlling the Earth, for now.
"Have the mists calmed down enough for you to see?"

"I have come into possession of some items that allow me to discern a persons ability with the arcane. They are in the form of gloves, one for each different type of, magiya, as you call it. Has your sight been impeded like this for your entire life?" you reply, hoping to discern as much as you can about magic, as opposed to elementalism.

"So if I wear this glove you speak of, I will know whether I am a... veedma, or not? And to your question, yes a mist has always clouded my vision, though how thick it is changes from day to day and place to place. some days i walk, some I must be lead" Lena replies, her face shifting from displaying curiosity to uncertainty.

>>12912524
"I believe if you wore the glove, you would have the potential to learn to control the mists in some manner. From what I have researched though, it seems it could be very dangerous for those trying to use the glove. I myself almost suffered trying to use it, although I wonder if it may be easier for you."

>>12912538
Go with this, can't think of anything better.

>So if I wear this glove you speak of, I will know whether I am a... veedma, or not?

"I'm not sure, the person who wore it last... did not respond well. However when I wore it, I saw the same as what you described. White mist. and the word 'veedma', I am unfamiliar with it. what does it mean?"

lets not mention the voice we heard yet. might scare her. If she wants to try the glove, then we should warn her.

"If I am correct, the glove would be able to help you learn to controll the mists, and I have aquired several tomes, that, once translated and decoded, would help you learn more. However, the process of learning could prove dangerous, that I can attest to first-hand." you reply honestly, setting the glove on the table.

"This is no gift." Lena replies "What do you require of me for this." suddenly looking very frightened, her hand searching to her side, grasping for another that is not there.

>>12912596
"I simply wanted to inform you of your potential talents Lena. I'm not going to force you to do anything, you have my word. If you wish to learn more about the mists and what this glove may let you do, you can speak to me anytime you stay in our camp. If you wish to have nothing to do with it, you and your sister can leave with the rest of your people when we have freed those still captured."

>>12912596
"To enlist in my retinue and to serve me and the Degnarian Empire until such time that you wish to resign or are dismissed from service. I do not require an answer now; you may think on it for however long you require."

>>12912628
I'm thinking we should hold off on that for now. Baby steps, the girl's, well, just a girl. Still a kid for the most part.

>>12912596

if you truly have these talents, then i wold ask you to join my retinue, to come with me and serve me. you would recieve food, shelter, and a modest pay in addition to my protection

if you desire it, i will offer this to your sister as well

>>12912596
I am merely offering you the option. If you take it then I would ask you to join my retinue and lend your talents to my service. You would be paid and never lack for clothing, food, or shelter. I will see to it myself. But I must warn you, I am a soldier and it is likely you will eventually need to fight -- and kill.

However, this would be a chance to harness your power. Indeed, a chance to have an easy life where your only concern would be learning how to work the magyia.

>>12912644
Agreed. I figure the sister is going to give us crap as it is and if we pressure Lena too much, it's just going to be worse when she does find us.

hold her hand reassuringly
say this
>>12912622
then say: "follow me. I shall take you back to your sister. please think over what we have discussed."

>>12912661
Alright.
Going with >>12912622

"For now, to inform you of your potential. I will not force anything on you, Lena. Should you want to learn more you have but to ask, if not you are free to leave with your people once we have freed the others. For now, think on what I have said, and decide which path you wish to take." You reply, taking the searching hand.

Lenas face turns to one of sadness, though she mutters "Thank you for your generosity." before releasing your grasp, looking ahead, to the empty tent wall, instead of to her right and at you, as she has been up to this point of the conversation.

>>12912721
I am ridiculously tempted to put on the glove and see what she's looking at.

>>12912721
"Is something wrong Lena?"

I have no clue what else to say, heh. Not sure if we screwed up somehow or if she's seeing something.

>>12912733
Do eet. It won't kill us very quickly.

>>12912721
Do you see something Lena?

"Is something the matter?" you ask, concerned

"N-no, its nothing, just something that has happened in the past you reminded me of is all." she replies, quickly policing up her displayed emotions "Is there anything else you wanted of me then?" she asks half-heartedly, clearly not used to hiding her emotions.

"I was curious what the word veedma means, I am not farmiliar with it." you reply, honestly.

"It is one of my peoples old words, from the first age. It translates to the modern tongue as witch." she replies "Though the old meaning is a deeper one, not simply a woman who touches the arcane as the new word is. Would there be anything else then?" she replies, her eyes drifting off to the past again.

>>12912795
"That will be all then Lena. I apologize for bringing up painful memories. Shall I escort you back to your sister?"

>>12912795
No, but do know that I would like your service. It might not be the same and traveling with your own people, but there are few places more safe than surrounded by well armed soldiers. It would give both you and your sister a place to belong... a place to rest, and not be afraid anymore.

I hope you think on it. Whatever your decision, I will respect it. Now, let me take you back to your sister.

>>12912827
I don't think we should bring up that just yet, especially not without the other sister around.

I think we should go with just >>12912812

That will be all and my apologies if the memories I brought up were painful.

"No, that will be all. I apologize if the memories I brought up were painful, I will help you back to your sister if you would like then." you reply guiltily.

"Thank you, Vohzd Trentz." she replies, following half a step behind and to your right by an arms-length as you walk. When you reach where her sister lies, still sleeping you make your farewells for the night. You head back to your own tent, to compose a missive for Flumenos, so that you can stop worrying about your prisoners as soon as possible. You watch Aquila as he flys off into the early night sky, black and brown against the deep pre-midnight blue. In the morning you will have alot of information to sift through, you feel. You had best sleep while you can.

>we seem to be winding down, and this is a pretty good place to stop, so I'll call it for tonight. Sorry about disapearing in the middle for a while and the late start. Someone archive please, I'll hang around to answer questions for a while yet if you have any.
>I probably wont be able to run another CQ until Saturday at 9pm server time with my schedule, unfortunately. Once the semester ends I should be able to show up more reliably... at least until the spring semester starts.

>>12912943
So, we screw anything up this session Pax or are our plots still running on course for now?

Thread archived.

>>12913000
Also, did we feel anything after the last battle in regards to how a certain god might be feeling about us? Or is that trial still going on I wonder.

>>12913006
I would guess its still on going as the hostages haven't been freed yet.

I was thinking - that wooden shield the enemy was using last battle is still there. Should we try to divide it up into smaller shields our scouts/rangers/hunters could use as shields during a pitched battle? Trying to think of ways to counter the elf bowmen and I haven't really been able to think up of much so far unless Wulf gets a lot better soon at air elementalism.

nothing messed up too badly

Rayhna is quite surpriesed that you did so well, but the test is still half-done.

and courting a god... yea, you arent nearly in touch with any of them to start anything like that yet

>>12913000
To be fair, we didn't actually do a lot this session.

>>12913035

Any strategic consequences of delivering the siege engines to stone fort? What can we expect to change in their battle?

>>12913035
>yet
Soon. She will be ours.

For now we can focus on the others. I really think we need to make sure Jayne's unit is doing okay, though. We want to ensure not only that her house and unit is fine on a personal basis, but that they will be around for future campaigns.

>>12913051
Definitely. We have to be careful with how we use Jayne's unit since she's the only noble house we have any connections with. Might be worth starting to make a name for ourselves when we get back to the capital and start investing some of our money in things.

>>12913036
Perhaps but it sounds like we may have messed things up a little bit at least based on what Pax said. A potential alarm but we'll manage on Saturday hopefully. Quite interested in seeing what happens with Janos and Kaitlyn.

>>12913046
I'm assuming we'll find out about that soon. It's been around 3 days since our last major updates from the other fronts on how things are going for them. Hopefully when Sansa returns, she can give us a heads up on how things are going at the Fort. If we're really lucky, maybe they'd have some supplies we could use that we don' have access to.

>>12913084

What I'm really hoping for is that those ballistas will eat up a good chunk of Lord Eirrst troops, not letting him reinforce the other lords in the area, weakening them overall. It'll also be a good field test of the weapons and making it more likely to be deployed throughout the legions in dengar.

>>12913084
I honestly can't see where we messed anything up. The only thing that I think it's even possible to have screwed with is making Jayne jealous of Laelith. But if we're going for BEST END then she's going to need to come to terms with that anyway.

>>12913108
Only thing I can think of is maybe with Lena or Janos. Just the way we handled things maybe could of been done better? Not sure but I think it's stuff we can fix later on. I imagine if we're going to want Lena to join us, we're going to need to talk to her sister.

One thing I'm worried about is the creed son trying to do a raid and during the festival.

My reason for worrying is he has seen our new toys in action and may try to steal a few during it.

>>12913219
He doesn't have the expertise to build the repeaters without designs. He can't just whip up a cadre of elementalists. He never actually saw the catapult, just knew that somehow we made it super long ranged.

The only thing he could have taken away from that battle is our chained-shot idea.

>>12913239
Remember the blueprints are in the camp...

>>12913239
> The only thing he could have taken away from that battle is our chained-shot idea.

And if memory serves they didn't actually do a whole lot.