Princess Mumei, Barney Pits, and Ambrose Trapp have been successfully rescued from the Phoenix Empire. Or at least they're in your custody now, as opposed to having dinner with smug Empire nobles and heavily armed guards.

This was achieved by way of a flying wagon (which was itself achieved by a magical Apparatus) and the element of surprise.

The issue is that it seemed far far easier than it should have been. There were few patrolling guards, and nearly everyone in the dinner tent, save for your three friends, had been suffering from long term poisoning by Inheritance Powder. A fact that caused quite swift death when combined with your own exceedingly potent poisons.

Mumei, Barney, and Ambrose mentioned something about a plan. A couple in fact. Still, plans and intricate webs of intrigue tend to shatter like cheap glass around you.

Also, you should probably make your escape, as you're a long way from the front lines, and even longer from your own people.

"Okay," Mage asks. "Ready to try to fly again, or are we finding plan b already?"

>>26396156
>Get to my college, after the you tubes, consider refreshing my /tg/ catalog
>Lamia Quest HAS JUST BEEN POSTED
MFW, Echo, are we synced or something?

Ugh, why must you continue to be?

>>26396158
'It's always time for plan B, Mage. Although I'm not really sure where Kingfisher is...wait. Is there something special kept nearby that no one would want us to take?'

>>26396206
Anon, just use catalog & have it ignore quest threads for you.

>>26396158
Don't see any pressing need for a "plan b", but I'd like the rescuees to explain very plainly what their plans were and who came up with them. Because them being here to assassinate some nobles doesn't fit our previous idea of what was going on.

The other thing I've been considering is that we should armor up our party, now that guns are a thing. Wonder what a brillitite-inlayed breastplate would do to a bullet?

>>26396158
"Actually I think plan A might work on this one, we've been having an almost suspiciously easy time. Wonder if there's some trap we missed."

>>26396158
"Let's go with plan... E? E sounds good.

This was waaaaay to easy. I fully expect that Kingfisher knows that we know this is a trap, and I think that he knows that we know that he knows that we know, so he knows we're going to skip plan A and go on to plan B, but since he knows that we know that it's a trap, he'll go on to foil plan C, but because he knows that we know that he knows that we know that it's a trap, he'll be moving to counter plan D as we speak.

So it's either we make something up on the fly, or hope that he's thinking too far ahead and move forwards via stubbornness.

Stop looking at me like that. It makes perfect sense and you know it."

>>26396257
I don't think brillitite is the solution to everything, anon. Steel would probably be way better. Maybe quicksilver or some other fancy alloy that we've not heard of yet.

>>26396275
The fact that we'd mount a rescue attempt is kind of obvious, so our presence should be expected.

>>26396286
Okay you made me chuckle

>>26396293
I wasn't suggesting that it was a solution to anything, just that it might yield an interesting result. It gets there when worked into a weapon, so I was thinking it might turn a plate into reactive armor.

I think it might be worth looking into.

>>26396335
from what I understand brillitite is some kind of bizzare magical piezoelectric crystal that produces light and magic when hit by electricity or force.
So it could theoretically be used in an alloy like in beacon to fuel some sort of spell via rune.
But this is entirely supposition on my part, as runes and magic aren't real.

>>26396257
Probably explode, killing the wearer horribly.

"Actually I think plan A might work on this one, we've been having an almost suspiciously easy time. Wonder if there's some trap we missed." You say. "This was waaaaay to easy."

"There's no way he predicted this." Mumei says. "He was betting on a convoy, or a fake prisoner, or a corpse cart. He's bribed soldiers to let you into the camp. But...you actually flew?" She shakes her head. "I'm actually not...well I'm surprised, but not as much as I think I could be."

"So he was expecting us." Mage says.

"Yeah, to show up at the other side of the camp or at the workshops." Barney says. "This thing can actually fly?"

>>26396365
Which is why we test it first, though Beacon hasn't exploded yet.

>>26396383
"I don't think it counts as flying. It sort of... hovers. And then sinks."

Also I'm assuming we've wiped our mouth since the last fight, since jeez that got messy.

>>26396383
"Isn't he supposed to be ridiculously thorough though? I'm sure he's got measures in place, somewhere."

>>26396383
"Yeah, ish. Try not to think about it."

Also, the corpse cart, fake prisoners, and bribed soldiers do sound that we might have actually pulled off a surprise attack, and that their minds might still be their own.

I'd still watch them closely for now, and I still want to know whose plan it was.

So, the actual trap:

He infected all our friends with chinese polio. They'll start exhibiting symptoms a day or so after getting in our camp.

>>26396383
"It rises and then falls. It doesn't really fly. I mean, would you call a leaf blown upwards by the wind "flying?""

>>26396383
"It's done what we need it to do so far."

>>26396432
I also want to hear their story of how they got here.

>>26396383
Bullshit, he must have predicted it. Knock the prisoners unconscious, I bet he's watching all this through their eyes. We KNOW Kingfisher can take control of people's bodies over long distances, so what's stop him over short ones? We must imprison the prisoners, that they cannot reveal our secret plans!

>Kingfisher tried to get us to rescue these folk
>planned out numerous routes and methods for us to get here with minimal collateral to his people
>inflict maximum collateral upon nobles, accidentally, and bypass all easy routes

whoops

>>26396536
But we don't have any secret plans

In fact, we've been thinking about posting our plans bi-weekly to help people keep up

"I don't think it counts as flying. It sort of... hovers. And then sinks." You say as you wipe the blood and Black from your mouth.

"Isn't he supposed to be ridiculously thorough though? I'm sure he's got measures in place, somewhere."

"You chomped one of them." Barney says. "Kingfisher said that most of the Gold Guard was loyal to him, it's all a part of the idep...look can we NOT discuss this here? Soon the serving girls will come in to clear the plates and bring in desert, and they are without a doubt Kingfisher agents, and we don't want to be here, on the ground, when this happens."

"Fair point." Lea says. "Everyone in, and let's take off."

Tricia whimpers and pulls her hat over her eyes again as she climbs into Wagon.

The others follow, and Mage twists the dial.

Roll 1d20

>>26396536
He's shown no ability to make them move around, though, just to see and speak. Even if he does know what we're doing, we'll be out of here before he can get the troops over to where we are.

We really ought to leave *now*, though.

>>26396547
Sooner or later he's going to learn what all those gods and land-spirits have learned: there is absolutely no predicting what Ssen will do. You just get out of the way and clean up the aftermath.

Rolled 15

>>26396564
Here we go again...

Rolled 8

>>26396564

Rolled 4

>>26396564
"And while we're in the air, you can finish that sentence. Because I need to know everything."

For the love of God, be a clean escape.

Rolled 16

>>26396564
Sit very still and put an arm around Tricia. Because flying is terrifying.

>>26396564
>>26396593
Curl up with Tricia and make sure Twang is ready in case we need it.

>>26396564
"Out of curiosity, is there a way to tell how much longer this thing can stay in the air? I remember talk about a time limit."

>>26396577
The take off is a bit choppier than before, must be the added weight, and Wagon shudders, a lot, and each jolt makes Tricia squeak in terror.

Mumei looks like a child on Saturnalia. She's clapping her hands softly and looking out over the side.

Ambrose is like Tricia, but he's keeping his fear a bit more bottled up. He's looking at the floor of Wagon, and NOT moving in the slightest.

Barney is amazed, and being very distracting to Mage for a bit, asking him about the Apparatus, how it works, could it be mass produced, and the implications.

"Barney!" Peri snaps. "Let Mage work on the sail. Now, tell us what exactly is going on."

"Right, right, sorry." Barney sighs. "The short version is that Kingfisher, Shiroshotu, and some other nouveau-riche nobles want the colony that they've founded, to be of independent rule and free of the Empire and the Emperor. They've been working for years on this."

"The trouble is that he sees us as more of a tool, rather than a nation, or people." Mumei sighs. "He wants to keep the war going as long as possible, so he can easily manipulate the nobility. That's why his people captured us, and then gave his own people faulty weapons, and blueprints to only the mediocre weaponry. He doesn't want anyone to win until he's ready.

"It's also why he's slowly killing off most of the nobility with poison. He wants them weak, or sick, dead means succession issues. You have NO idea how much damage you've done in those ten seconds."

"Okay, sail's out." Mage says. He points his staff at the limp pile of canvas. "Please, please, please..."

Roll 1d20

Rolled 16

>>26396774
I probably shouldn't be doing this

Rolled 4

>>26396774
Well, we rather want the war over as quickly as possible, so... good, I guess?

Rolled 6

>>26396774
Here goes.

>>26396813
Okay, everyone else stop rolling.

Rolled 7

>>26396774
Just... hold still. As snake still as possible.

Also, mumei is goddamn adorable.

Rolled 1

>>26396774
"And so how is it you came to know all this? And what role were you playing when we found you? Where do you stand on this colonization process?"

"Sorry to sound so suspicious, it's just that where Kingfisher is concerned I don't trust anyone or anything anymore."

>>26396813
>>26396838
You know what, everyone here will thank the dice gods I rolled. But the more I think about it, the more I think that doom hasn't been avoided, but assured...

>>26396774
Look over the edge. Regret it.

"I can't remember, was it essential to the plan that we be this high?"

>>26396844
Let's just say hypothetically that Mumei is for it.
Would we really have any problems with immigration or colonization in the south?

>>26396858
Well, I already got a nat 1 out where it does nothing.

I just hope it's like a lightning rod, and not a hint at what's to come.

>>26396867
Immigration, no. Unprovoked military aggression, very yes.

>>26396867
I myself am SUPER for a phoenix empire colony to the south, especially an independent one. Sounds neat!

>>26396878
The thing is, if the North has taught us anything, life is never easy. This is Too Easy.

>>26396897
We don't even really know what's down there, other than Ettins. That are currently enslaved. Which we shouldn't be okay with.

>>26396917
Agreed. Something is up. Or something bad is happening that we are not present for.

>>26396917
I'll put it like this. I'm super for more civilizations around us being unique and interesting.

I am also for doing something about those nearby civilizations which are slavers or something like that.

Don't quite know what yet, because of the orc situation.

>>26396915
Statistically speaking, shit WILL hit the fan eventually. It's just a question of when and where.

And that when and where is random... ish.

>>26396774
"Well, I actually admire his goal and would be amiable towards assisting him willingly if he would stop being such a dick about it."

>>26396917
I'm 90% sure they will either be completely wiped out by the orks or will join the orcs up north.

>>26396939
Little steps. We can't exactly change their culture, even if we find it repugnant.

Changing our own culture comes first, and we still haven't secured what we've got yet.

>>26396949
He literally can't stop being a dick.

>>26396985
Kingfisher isn't a dick. He's just mischievous. I find his games endearing.

>>26397005
Like a retarded child trying to put a people-sweater on a mastiff.

Unsuccessful, awkward, and confusing as hell for the dog.

>>26397005
PAH! He never does anything without a reason. I bet these are just clones of the real prisoners! Or dopplegangen! Or optical illusions!

>>26396939
It's like I've been saying. The orc culture developed out of necessity. If they had lived any other way, they would have died. Now that they are able to finally take a step back from the edge, now that they are able to focus on living rather than surviving, their culture will change. It'll be slow going, but as they say, Rome was not built in a single day.

And it's not like we're going anywhere. If the orcs fuck up too hard we'll be there to knock their heads together. Also, there is the issue of that Faustian Bargain we coerced them into. As long as we hold that chain, Red Wolf and most of the other tribes are sworn to not engage the south on hostile terms. We didn't put any escape clause in that bargain, and we have already fulfilled our end, so they are bound forever to that contract.

We're doing a pretty good job of being Lucifer so far.

>>26397066
Wait, if we're Lucifer, then who the hell is Kingfisher? Bob, Angel of Not Rebelling Against God But Not Following His Orders Neither?

>>26397094
Beezlebub.

>>26397094
Kingfisher is from some other theology entirely.

>>26397094
Kingfisher is just a dude who wants a kingdom.

I don't think he really even cares how it's governed, as long as it is his.

File: 1375491869894.jpg-(263 KB, 950x937, lizbeast_sanjitdone.jpg)

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>>26397112
"Okay, so I guess I'm Lucifer, Mage can be Mephisto, and... who the fuck are you?"
"I'M CHAKRAVARTI!"

Mage starts to chants and the winds starts up.

You peek out over the side, and then regret it, you hold onto Tricia with one arm. "Was it essential to the plan that we be so high?" You ask. "And so how is it you came to know all this? And what role were you playing when we found you? Where do you stand on this colonization process?" You snap at the others.

"Sorry to sound so suspicious, it's just that where Kingfisher is concerned I don't trust anyone or anything anymore."

"A wise stance." Ambrose says. He sighs. "He told us that if we co-operated with him, and his plans, then we would be humanely treated, and maybe one day be able to return home."

"Kingfisher and Shiroshotu are very hard to pin down." Mumei sighs. "They love the Phoenix Empire, it's culture, it's people, but the loathe the Emperor and the Nobility."

"They also really hate the UFK's open to all species policy." Barney says. "Kingfisher's not a fan of the idea of non-humans being remotely equal to humans."

"That include elves?" Peri asks.

"Weirdly, no." Mumei says. "I think in his mind he considers Elves and Dwarves to be just human off-shoots...or I don't know. I don't WANT to know."

"So, was it good that we killed those nobles?" Tricia asks, with her face buried deeply into your shoulder.

"Maybe." Mumei shrugs. "Oh, this is amazing!" She laughs as the wind rushes by her.

"I'm just hoping that no one spots us." Lea asks. "Why aren't we taking the same route back, Mage?"

"It'd take too long and we'd run out of power." Mage says.

"We could run out of power?" Mari asks.

"Not for a while, but I didn't want to chance it. Now, be quiet!"

Roll 1d20 +1 (For the night camo paint job)

I wonder how Kingfisher would react to learning he's descended from bird people.

Rolled 7 + 1

>>26397146

>>26397146
Damn, and here I was hoping that we could be buddies with Kingfisher.

As it turns out, he's kind of a racist asshole.

Rolled 6 + 1

>>26397146
DICE GODS, WORK YOUR MAGIC

>>26397146
>night camo
WE'Z DED SNEAKY. Also be quiet, since our wizard has given a shush order.

Rolled 5

>>26397146
Here is where things get interesting.

>>26397176
>>26397190
>>26397194
Things are now officially interesting.

File: 1375492121887.png-(203 KB, 640x480, 1370115089600.png)

203 KB PNG

>turns out we're not as clever as we thought

File: 1375492262547.gif-(1023 KB, 500x281, appropriate_DM_actions.gif)

1023 KB GIF

>>26397218
Don't worry, what's the worst that could happen?

Try not to think about how the square cube law says we'll take MOST unkindly to the ground, moreso than even humans.

Rolled 3 + 1

>>26397269
What drivel are you talking about? We've been spotted. Whoopdy doo. They don't have AIM-9X's, or F-16s, so they'll be stuck firing whatever the fuck magic and rocket propelled grenades they can at us. Being spotted is not an Instant Kill when we have a crew of WIZARD.

>>26397269
This is for the camo, not the flying. Meaning we're about to get shot at.

>>26397284
See? Nothing terrible like sudden failure of mana reserves could happen. No, completely unlikely.

>>26397284
Do not taunt the nice men on the ground, sweetie. They might have cooked up something.

>>26397284
Our wizard is busy keeping us flying, though. He already said he can't fire back or cast any other magic while maintaining the wind.

On the other hand, if Peri/Mari have any of those exploding fire-stones left, now would be a good time for them.

>>26397296
That's nonsensical! There's NO SUCH THING AS ANTIMAGIC. It's TOTALLY UNLIKELY that a fucking KRAKEN would fall out of the sky. Are you gonna imply THAT'S about to happen because I rolled an 8?

>>26397320
Of course! We're totally safe! There's no way they could use something like brillitite to discharge a wave of blank magic and cancel out any enchantments we have currently running. We've never seen that before!

File: 1375493076367.jpg-(285 KB, 1000x1500, AoBM.jpg)

285 KB JPG

So what about those workshops? Should we have destroyed those?

And what about the higher end plans that Kingfisher has? If he still has them and it looks like we're about to gain the initiative he might hand them over to the empire.

>Rolled 7 + 1
Your camo is so unbelievable that it gives those on the ground pause and we get mostly out of range before they begin to shoot at us.

>>26397519
We might have to go for the workshops later. No doubt they're in a different place.

But, as of right now, we've cost them months.

>>26397519
>>26397557
We've got our people back, which means we can regain our own advantage.

Also we apparently harmed independent phoenix a lot by killing old blue noble. Didn't mean that one.

>>26397519
Well, if the former captives are to be believed they haven't given Kingfisher anything too vital that would win him the war.

File: 1375493348842.jpg-(63 KB, 360x270, CasterAndShells.jpg)

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>>26397519
>>26397557
As long as they don't start to produce Sophie's caster guns we'll be fine.

>>26397578
I think we should definitely write Kingfisher an apology. We wanted to keep that guy alive, but we had no idea he had been lightly poisoned.

>>26397578
Whatever. As far as I'm concerned they can all burn until they come back and try to do things without armed invasion.

>>26397592
>>26397611
I'm more of the written apology for a sloppy run than the let 'em all burn crowd.

Because really, if they didn't have those legweights we would have gotten out of there with no casualties. It's a darn shame.

Rolled 12

>>26397146
Damn, We didn't bomb the camp? I should have been up earlier.

Rolled 7

Damn, I'm late to the party. Oh well, it looks like we've been spotted, so plenty for me to roll on comming up.

>>26397680
turns out, plan A worked perfectly.

We were a bit flabberghasted that no alarms had gone off.

>>26397176
You hear the sound of screaming from below, and then sounds of bells being rung frantically.

"Well, they must have come in with dessert." Peri says.

"Ssh." Mumei holds up a hand and closes her eyes. "Different bells mean different things. That's...alarm...and...and something else."

"Well, I could guess that first bit." Mari says.

"Ha. Ha." Mumei says. "But I know I've heard that second one before, it's not a battle bell though."

"Shit." Barney says. "I think we've been spotted. I see longbow crews and those weird guys who lie on their back to fire."

"Can they reach us up here?" Ambrose asks.

"Maybe." Mage shrugs. "Kind of busy trying to get us out of here before that becomes a pertinent question."

"Uh oh," Lea says. "Princess, that other bell, would winter or cold weather be associated with it?"

"Yes!" She says. "Now I remember, that's the bell you ring when you want them to stoke the fires...oh no."

"Yes, I see the fire crews coming along the arrow line with a pit of hot coals." Lea says.

You look down, yes, they're going to be shooting a barrage of flaming arrows at you, very soon.

"Any clever ideas that would be helpful, Ssen?" Peri asks.

>>26397715
I think now is a good time to use that brilltite bullet..

>>26397715
I've yet to see a man who can outsmart bullet.

>>26397715
"Well, we either bomb them or we fly directly over them so the arrows will fall on their own heads.
That second plan sounds suicidal, so let's lose some of this explosive weight."

Rolled 7

>>26397715
Brillitite bullet time.

>>26397715
"Well, you know how sometimes when your eyes have adjusted to darkness, then you look at the moon, or at an open flame, or go inside, and then go back to where it's dark and you can't see for shit?"

"We have a brillitite bullet, right?"

>>26397715
Are we too high for the gas to be effective?

Rolled 6

>>26397822
Way too high probably.

>>26397715
Time for aerial bombardment.

>>26397811
That's a mini nuke, you're thinking of a phosphorus flare.

>>26397822
Ours? It would kind of kill everyone in the wagon.

"Well, we either bomb them or we fly directly over them so the arrows will fall on their own heads.

That second plan sounds suicidal, so let's lose some of this explosive weight."

"Did anyone here bring the orc oil bombs with them?" Mage asks.

You have your two. As for the rest...

Roll 1d5

>>26397753
>>26397761
>>26397811
>>26397791
Don't we only have, like, one of those left? Shouldn't we go with fire bombs first? We have explosive stones and fire bombs and stuff with us, right?

Rolled 1

>>26397850

Rolled 2

>>26397850
Aerial bombardment a go!

Rolled 2

>>26397850

>>26397845
Of course it's a mini nuke. And you can't look straight at a nuke without being blinded, right? So it works.

The ones who aren't looking straight at it and get blinded have their nightvision spoiled.

Rolled 2

>>26397850
Well, the bullets are way more effective when combined with bombs.

Though I have no idea whether we have the accuracy to shoot a bomb this time, without a flesh man holding it in place for us.

Rolled 3

>>26397850
"Shout out to the Phoenix Empire peeps. Word to you mom, I came to drop bombs."

>>26397874
>>26397870
>>26397864
KINGFISHER

>>26397860
>explosive stones
>AND firebombs

Wait, we're back on the mainland now, we have access to explosive stones again
What happens if you put one inside of a firebomb?

>>26397901
I'm not sure there's space for that. We could strap one to the outside of a firebomb, maybe? But I think the firebombs are basically molotov cocktails, so unless we specifically made one around an explosive stone we'd have volume issues.

>>26397874
Mari/Peri were the only ones who thought to bring them along as well.

You've got four bombs, and Mari's brillitite bullet.

>>26397935
Throw the firebombs down, and then fire the bullet where they land.

First step is to make sure everyone is looking there, second is to blind them.

>>26397935
The brillitite bullet is too rare and important to use on something as small as a couple of archers. Let's go with bombing them for now. Ask Peri/Mari about explosive stones, too.

>>26397935
I'd be game to hit the crazy foot-archers. Those are elites.

>>26397935
Commence carpet bombing! Or, you know, lob them in the general direction of the fires the archers are gathering around.

Rolled 4

>>26397935
[x] Bombs

>we just invented aerial warfare

Rolled 14

>>26398013
Only under duress! We didn't plan to!

prepare to douse. our wagon is about to be on fire.

>>26398066
IT'S ALL SPUR OF THE MOMENT UNTIL PEOPLE START DOGFIGHTING

thank goodness we're not using a flight balloon

>>26397935
toss some bombs, have everyone take cover.

I don't think this is a tremendous threat, wagon's been on fire before.

A quick spark from Mage, and the bombs rags are lit.

"Chuck them all randomly, or aim for one specific part?" Peri asks. "We can aim for the crews, the fire team, or for the surrounding tents?"

Rolled 7

>>26398243
The crews and the fire team are the most threat to us.

>>26398243
"Fight fire with fire. Hit the fire teams."

>>26398243
Crews or fire team. This is no longer a rescue mission, this is a battle. They are no doubt trained to ignore distractions.

>>26398243
The crews and fire team if possible. Two birds, one stone, no pun intended.

>>26398243
how close together are the tents?
ie, can we get the fire to start spreading?

>>26398270
>>26398267
>>26398257

"Hit the fire team." You say. "Mage?"

"Raining fire from the sky after slaughtering a dinner party." Mage says. "You sure we're the good guys?"

"Just shut up and light me." Peri says.

You and Peri throw a bomb each down at the fire team.

Roll 1d20

Rolled 2

>>26398366

I honestly think we're completely fine. Wagon's thick enough to stop arrows, as long as it doesn't set on fire.

Rolled 11

>>26398366

Rolled 6

>>26398366
Bombs away?

Rolled 18

>>26398366
Try to aim for areas that will cause distress and distract without killing people

>>26398377
You just had to roll without the plus in there, Redaeth.

Rolled 14

>>26398366
Couldn't we have mage just... soak the wagon maybe?
Fuckers probably dirty and wet enough to not catch anyway.

Rolled 1

>>26398366
"The dinner party thing was an accident! I knew I should have written a note."

>>26398415
If you Soak the Wagon it'll get heavier

Rolled 17

>>26398366

>>26398379
You both slightly miss the fire team by a few feet.

Roll 2d8 for the explosions.

Rolled 7, 2 = 9

>>26398550

Rolled 2, 8 = 10

>>26398550
oh well, they probably won't hit us anyway.

Rolled 4, 3 = 7

>>26398550

File: 1375496678704.gif-(77 KB, 435x292, Ssen rolls an 8.gif)

77 KB GIF

>>26398560

File: 1375496806626.gif-(1.75 MB, 358x202, 1344577815548.gif)

1.75 MB GIF

>>26398570
What have we done?

>>26398605
probably just a shockwave. we DID miss.

>>26398560
Yeah, Peri's bomb is pretty nice, but yours...well...maybe painting a light coating of blackpowder and mixing it in the orc oil was perhaps a slightly unwise idea.

However, from the size of the explosion and how it knocks down almost the entire longbow team, the fire team, and blows away some of the sitting archers from the impact.

Plus you're high enough that the explosion only gently rocks the wagon.

Still Mage needs a moment to refocus and get the wind back under his control again.

The army is in total disarray now. Bells are going off like crazy and you see people running around like crazy.

Roll 2d20

Rolled 7, 20 = 27

>>26398637
Rolling for getting away

Rolled 9, 10 = 19

>>26398637

File: 1375497061043.gif-(1.9 MB, 374x211, 1369070424252.gif)

1.9 MB GIF

>>26398649
>20

Rolled 6, 10 = 16

>>26398637
Oh no oh jeez oh no that was probably too much

>>26398649
Thank you based Taffer

>>26398649
Mage's wind is great, and blows the sail quite strongly and you all take off swiftly.

Unfortunately, the wagon starts to pitch and roll, the rocking from the explosion doesn't help either. The ride is very VERY bumpy, which does mean that it takes a little longer than you'd like to be able to get out of range, seeing as Mage doesn't want to have everyone take the quick way out.

The army makes a last ditch effort to try and shoot at Wagon with the few longbow teams that they're able to bring up to speed and set alight.

Roll 1d20

Rolled 6

>>26398758

Rolled 12

>>26398758

Rolled 12

>>26398766
>>26398758
Echo...

Rolled 3

>>26398766
..... Wait what?

Rolled 18

>>26398758

Rolled 14

>>26398758
Oh no the ship is rocking. Hold tricia tight.

>>26398781
That's the Phoenix roll.

>>26398649
>MEANWHILE
>IN LOW EARTH ORBIT

>>26398766
obviously echo needs a roll too.

Rolled 12

>>26398797
Oh, right. Okay, that's not so bad, they missed. Hopefully.

>>26398758
I feel like we should say something here, but I can't think of something that matches the height terror

usually I just freeze up when I'm about to fall from a great height.

>>26398777
An arrow sails up at towards, you but you're actually able to take your tail and swat it away. (You didn't really want to do it, but you could and it was cool.)

"We're clear!" Peri says.

After a little bit you're over the familiar looking lights and tents of your camp.

"Alright, just one more little bit of prayer, and we can put this horrid night behind us." Mage says.

"I wouldn't call it THAT horrid." Lea says.

"Yeah, by our standards, this was as elegant as it gets." Mari says.

"Like I said." Mage says, as he turns the dial.

Roll 1d20

Rolled 15

>>26398859
"For the light, and may we not die..."

Rolled 16

>>26398859
Getting gone!

Rolled 16

>>26398859
>hug Tricia

Rolled 11

>>26398859
Just a bit longer. Perhaps share tricia's hat for hiding under.

>>26398881
>>26398886
Man, what is with rolling doubles tonight.

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Rolled 13

>>26398912
>muh bell curve

>>26398881
It's a shuddery, slow, quivery descent, and at three feet above the ground, the last of the energy wears off and Wagon just drops onto the ground with a hard THUD, and one of the wheels pops off, the axle doesn't break, just the wheel, and that causes Wagon to tip over onto its side, spilling all of you out onto the grass.

"I will never leave the ground." Tricia says. "And if you EVER so much as mention wings, I will KILL you."

>>26398859
"As long as we get to the ground in one piece, we've exceeded my goals. This whole flight business is terrifying."

Rolled 17

>>26398949
"To be fair.... this is a completely untested prototype I bet later renditions will be much smoother."

>>26398949
"I wanna be a dragon!"

Fix the wheel, then roll back into camp.

I dunno, I found it kinda fun. I got to defy my lack of wings and almost flew!

>>26398949
"Oh, that's good. I was thinking about a balloon anyway."

Rolled 7

>>26398949
"Wings"

>>26398949
"How about in causal conversation? What if I'm talking about a bird? Or an insect? Do I have to come up with a substitute word, like fluttery-flaps or wingalings?"

>>26398949
"I don't blame you for trying, but I hope you're not very good at it.
That totally counts as flying, next time I talk to that crusty old dragon I'm rubbing it in his face. Also probably robbing him, now that I think about it. Soulgold and all."

>Operation Sleep On the Couch Tonight is go

Flying? Check.
Fire from the skies? Check.
Scales? Check.

We're a dragon now!

>>26399051
Suits me fine, since we're probably going to have horrific nightmares.

Which we should probably mention at some point.

"Oh, that's good. I was thinking about a balloon anyway." You say. "Or turning into a dragon."

Her reply is to punch you in the shoulder.

You all extract yourselves from the pile, and after a moment of celebration, you all get back to work. There's still a war going on after all.

Barney and Mumei head off to the workshops and Julian's to help with manufacturing and to describe common Phoenix tactics, respectively.

Ambrose needs a moment to recuperate but says that he needs to talk to you as soon as he wakes up, also that he'd like eggs and ham with his breakfast.

>>26399068
I wonder what kind of nightmares they'll be. Oh, I'm just excited for more Citadel mindfuckery in general.

Like what happens when we go in it. What kind of inescapable temptation will it throw at us? The perfect life, perhaps?

>>26399079
"Now the question is do we finally get a chance to rela-"

>>26399079
I suppose now we wait for a sternly written letter from Kingfisher about how we cocked up his plans. Again.

>>26399151
No, it's best that we preempt him with an apology and tell him that we're open to this idea of a PE Hong Kong.

>>26399079
Keep a close eye on ambrose. we want that eggs and ham.

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>Lamia Child Quest 82
>82

There's a point where this should have stopped and we have long past it.

>>26399079
>Ambrose needs a moment to recuperate but says that he needs to talk to you as soon as he wakes up
I have some suspicions about that. While its true that most of what he knows could be found in the various books he had around he's got most of the important stuff in his head, along with being the most knowledgeable person beyond ourselves about our order.

Do they hope to create their own version of the Clagio clasus after the continent is theirs to chase down and deal with land spirit remnants? Something that he knows about Citadel that they need?

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>>26399177

>>26399183
>>26399177
Honestly it was all set to end with one or two more missions back at like thread 60, and then we accidentally the citadel and fucked everything up.

>>26399171
So we're going to send the PE drugs, have the UFK invade their continent, and force them to give us the city in the peace treaty?

>>26399079
Tell him that his eggs and ham will not be served by the birds as that is absured. They shall not be on a boat or with a goat, not there but here. The eggs and ham will soon be around now that he is safe and sound.

>>26399174
The eggs and ham WILL be ours.

Also, we need them interrogated, examined, debriefed, and checked for Clone Degeneration Disorder IMMEDIATELY.

No more half-assing it, we scan then with every method we got to make sure they're not MORE time-travelling magical infiltrators.

>>26399079
Well, we just slept before the mission so we're probably not sleepy yet.

What do we have productive to do in the meantime?

>>26399212
BRILLIANT!

>>26399212
No, we're going to allow them to be an independent economic super-city state that will teem with skyscrapers to the point where they'll have to start land reclamation.

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>>26399207
We Henderson'ed the plot so hard.

>>26399177
Shhhh. People are having fun.

>>26399207
at this point it's become like most rp campaigns. It ends when the group or dm is tired of it, until then you can just keep adding shit.

>>26399245
And thank God for it.
Now we have not-Asia to wage war with, Hun allies to parlay with, another smaller continent to explore, a Citadel to raid, and a quest to kick all the Gods upstairs.

Each of those is basically a small quest in and of itself.

Rolled 11

>>26399171
The Special Administrative Region of...we need a name for it. "New Phoenix" sounds silly. Something to do with "fledge" or "nest" maybe?

Rolled 20

>>26399177
This may surprise you, but there is this thing some people have or experience called "fun".

>>26399079
"I'd like eggs and ham with my breakfast too."

We're not getting anything so good I bet.

>>26399279
I think Kingfisher should name it. It's his city.

>>26399238
I think I prefer the plan that has drugs in it.

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>>26399261

we cant have that now can we?

>>26399301
Why not both?

>>26399274
actually I think we're approaching a second ending point rapidly. I am of the opinion that after we finish this citadel thing we call the series done, and move on to other characters in the universe.

Either that, or Lamia Ancient quest which is Ssen 800 years later when everything is all shadowrun.

>>26399279
Special Administrative Region for Sparrows.

SARS.

>>26399314
A time skip has to be tastefully done, though.
And there are shadows of future problems. Like the humanizing thing, which is not an issue now, but will be an issue 800 years from now.

And, much like the Citadel, some will call it good and worth allowing to continue.

>>26399079
Yeah we need to be on serious bigtime guard duty. Kingfisher can adapt and he may choose to slay one or more of our rescued captives if there's a chance of them giving us info he doesn't want us to have. I fear we may have some of his folks infiltrating our camp tonight.

Let's have armed men checking the corpse wagon and we ought to station a heavier guard in general around our perimeter, with some of our own cadre included.

we still sort of want to write to the little ones, but I've got much to say other than 'Hope you two are doing well with granny."

You get some rest, and ease your jittery nerves, comforted with the fact that you are now firmly on the ground.

You get a few hours of dreamless restful sleep. Then you're up, and hungry, it was nearly dawn when you landed, so now it's closer to mid-day than morning. Still a good brunch is never a bad thing.

The others are all out helping the army, talking to the Paladins, or Sophie. Tricia is sleeping in, and refuses to budge any further than an inch away from the ground.

Ambrose is waiting for you at the mess tent, happily tucking into his food. You get your own, and sit down across from him.

"That masked girl Shiroshotu kept going on and on about how Empire food was better than ours." He snorts. "No question that she's originally from Citadel, but she's totally absorbed into that culture with the kind of mindless passion you get from convert zealotry." He smiles and wipes his face. "It's not bad, but I say you can't beat a good greasy plate of seared flesh and runny ovum with crisp bread an a glass of lactic fluid." He smirks and chuckles. "Apologies, that's a running joke I have with young Adahn. The boy's really found his own as a combat teacher, you know." He nods. "But I enjoy talking in esoteric terms and then Adahn 'translates' to the Nitor. It lets him look down to earth, and makes me look wise...at least we think it does. Probably just makes us look like twits." He sponges up egg yolk with his toast and eats it. "So, the story is that you killed a God in the North?"

>>26399407
"Not entirely. He's only mostly dead."

>>26399407
"Sort of. The Dark Man is still there, just significantly weakened. In worse shape I think even than Citadel. But he's been taken down a rung or two, and his hold on the North has slipped."

>>26399407
"Well, it wasn't us exactly. We just helped this time. An orc named Tisgut was the one who did the deed, at the cost of his life."

Sorry to start the morning with sad stories.

>>26399407
Hahaha, I just realized Shiroshotu is a total weeaboo.

"More like mortally wounded, but honestly, it was the Orcs that did most of the work. We just opened the door for them."

On that note, mentally remind ourselves to have a statue of Tisgut straddling a giant bomb built at some point.

>>26399407
"More we stole his fancy orc-repelling stick, gave the orcs a bomb, and let them have at it. It was more a collection of corpse monsters than a real god, but we'll use the term for shorthand and so Tricia doesn't yell at me.

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>>26399464
Can we call her a weeaboo? It's a nonsense term to begin with.

>>26399470

That reminds me. We really should put the brillitite orb under heavy guard.

>>26399447
I like this.

You know something I just discovered this song and I thought it would have been perfect for the ride North to the camp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKZkkBFCceY
Also, take a look at the album title.

>>26399407
"It does sort of make you sound like a ninny, if you ask my opinion. Who knows what the new guys think though."

>>26399407
"Not really killed it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it wishes we killed it at this point. The thing's been beaten pretty badly, I'd like to think. You saw a bright explosion up north a while ago? Because that was us. But enough about that, what did Kingfisher want from you?

>>26399407
"Nah,it's a nice little dynamic. I'm the two of you have been doing so well. I mean, outside of the abductions and assassination plot."

>>26399407
"Well, I like some meat as much as the next guy, but what'd they have over there? I can't make a reasoned opinion on their food without having a wide variety.
I mean, their fish was pretty good, other than the poison."

>>26399407
"Well, not entirely, but we killed it enough that it can no longer exert any power over the land.

Hopefully the gods will realise what's happening and pack up to leave once Citadel is dealt with, because I have it on good authority that all of them are dicks, and they all have someplace else to be."

>>26399522
Sorry

"I'm glad the two of you have been doing so well."

Dunno what's wrong with my typing lately.

>>26399447
>"Not entirely. He's only mostly dead."
And show him the sword. The sword that won't freakn' die!

All evil land spirits we banish with the mirrors will end up in the sowrd and we have to cast both Soma and our spear into the sun together so they nullify each other.

>>26399559
They won't. They'll cling to what they have all the more strongly.

>>26399602
What a waste of a spear. Being thrown into the sun nullifies ANYTHING. Except Sun Eating Demons.

>>26399625
Now you've done it. You've summoned the Star Eater.

>>26399625
beacon has a very high chance of being a sun eating demon

>>26399640
Toss that bitch into a black hole.

>>26399646
Nonsense! It's just a perfectly normal STAR DEVOURING ELDER GOD.

>>26399647
>>26399660
And again I say we duct tape it to the bomb we use to blow open Citadel. Add in a few Hail Mary's for good measure and nuke that elitist cunt right off the mortal coil for good.

>>26399690
We have to take out PE's chained up land spirit, remember?

"Not entirely. He's only mostly dead." You say. "And it wasn't us exactly. We just helped this time. An orc named Tisgut was the one who did the deed, at the cost of his life. What we did was steal the God's fancy orc-repelling stick, gave the orcs a bomb, and let them have at it. It was more a collection of corpse monsters than a real god, but we'll use the term for shorthand and so Tricia doesn't yell at me." You smile. "But the Dark Man is still there, just significantly weakened. In worse shape I think even than Citadel. But he's been taken down a rung or two, and his hold on the North has slipped."

"Hmm." He nods. "Well, I hope you're up to doing it again. You and your friends need to get inside Citadel and stop whatever is happening inside there. Immediately.

"If not for the people's sake, or the army, then to save us from the Great Phoenix and the Emperor's plan for it." He takes a drink and then wipes his mouth. "That man in the Owl dress? His...ugh, I cannot keep track of those convoluted family trees, let's just call him his cousin. He's the leader of the Heron clan. The Owls are their closest kin, I think.

"Anyway," Ambrose continues. "They have this rite, or apparatus, or something, I didn't see it. They siphon off the power from Citadel, and then they use it to change people. I've seen the end result. People who are so in love with the idea of slavery, that they'd never rebel, people who want to only eat the barest minimum to survive, they get deep satisfaction from serving. It's more than just mind control, it's reaching into a person's soul and altering it.

"Of course, I've only seen the end result, and what Kingfisher told us. He's against it. Deeply. The man will always be a man of the Empire, and a bit of a speciesist, but he believes in free will." Ambrose shakes his head. "That or he knows that this is the kind of magic that spells the doom of civilizations."

>>26399690
The city isn't the god. We need to find a weakness.

Also, there are people in there.

>>26399717
"Well, that much I can agree with him on.

If he wasn't so prone to backstabbing I'd almost want to offer him our help.

>>26399717
Well then. We need to find that, destroy it, and kill anyone who knows how it works.

We have a brillitite bomb. Hopefully we can break into Citadel and destroy the device at the same time.

>>26399706
>>26399724
Btw I derped. Thought we were talking about Soma.

Rolled 19

>>26399717
"How would he -- or you -- know that this kind of magic ends civilizations? We know of the Crafters and Citadel. Unless you have more data points?"

I f we are sure that Soma has the soul of Peace in it then the answer is simple, take it to Old One and complete the deal with him by giving him the last Dramatae he needs to complete his collection.

>>26399717
"Damn, I had hoped to put citadel off until after this whole war business.
Do they need citadel specifically for whatever it is they're doing, or is this only going to be a temporary solution? Have they mentioned a way to reverse the process?"

>>26399717
"Sounds like we might not have to be enemies. Of course I'd never trust the prick, but maybe we can accomplish some common goals."

>>26399717
"How under the nurturing light are they managing to Siphon power from the Citadel? Did..did you see them do it?"

>>26399845
This. We may be able to reverse it.

10 bucks says one of our team mates is at least threatened with it.

>>26399845
He just said he'd only seen the end result.

>>26399717
"How sinister. Why anyone would want to go monkeying around in souls is beyond me.
So, did you have an idea for how to stop it, or am I going in blind again?"

>>26399810
No. We've delivered enough people to that kind of torment. Never again.

>>26399857
Who did they use it on, I wonder?

>>26399875
Probably a civilian or the weeaboo.

>>26399918
The weeaboo?

>>26399948
Shiroshotu or something.

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>>26399948
Shiroshotu, the woman in love with Eastern cultures.

>>26399984
western cultures.

They're to the west of us.

>>26399948
I think he means Shiroshotu, the masked girl.

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>>26399991
Right.

>>26399991
They're Not-China. They are automatically east.

>>26399314
>actually I think we're approaching a second ending point rapidly.
i believe the storyteller system refers to this as the ending of chronicle.
we could end it then, but as a sometime GM, if you and the group want things to continue you can just throw in a new twist.
Ends of chronicle are good places to wrap up campaigns, or to take a break, but you never need to end a story.

>>26399991
Hey Magellan, lrn2spheres. East is just superwest.

>>26400074
THEN WHY DON'T THE JAPANESE CALL US EASTERNERS!?

>>26400070
Yeah, and for as far as we've gotten this quest ultimately hasn't been going on for very long. It only started in March.

Not to say that Echo hasn't been working hard at it, it's just that I've seen quests that have been going on for a year or more.

>>26400107
BECAUSE PERSPECTIVE

Our worldview is oriented around Europe.

>>26400107
Because Europe.

>>26400113
That's because some of us just process, plan and type really, really slow, and takes a year to do what others can do in a couple months.

>>26400107
Because the Europe and America conquered them, for a certain value of conquered.

>>26400107
Because Xenophobes don't circumnavigate shit.

>>26400150
Yeah, Japan had a major westaboo faze.

>>26399717
"He's a sneaky conniving bastard. Do you think there is room for sneaky conniving bastard in a world without free will? But the Kingfishers motives don't really matter in this case, because we do need to spot this abomination from being used."

>>26399717
"You know, I'm not nearly as shocked by that as I should be. Strange."

>>26400113
This gives me much hope for future Lamia'ing. I deeply enjoy this quest like you wouldn't believe and it's one of the few things I look forward to.

>>26399717
'Well, given the choice between what the others are planning and us, he'll join forces with us just long enough to get something big out of it.'

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>>26400107
Because China ceased it's period of long ranging naval exploration before circumnavigation of the globe. Fuckers had some huge ships in the days of Columbus.
Japan was even less inclined to explore and colonize, so if the chinese didn't bother why would they?

Then European explores decided, fuck it lets go everywhere! Hey while we're here lets conquer some shit too!

>>26400233
Same.

Come for the monstergirl PC, stay for the dystopian plotline.

>>26400107
Basically, the British Empire's constant insistence on being the centre of the world drilled the Greenwich Meridian into everyone's heads as "the centre of the map". So America is part of "the West" because it's to the west of the Greenwich Meridian, which continues to be the 0 line of longitude for the whole world. It's also why most time zones are defined in relation to how far ahead or behind GMT they are.

>>26400233
>>26400313
well it IS my current favorite, and has been for quite a while.

"Well, that much I can agree with him on. If he wasn't so prone to backstabbing I'd almost want to offer him our help." You say.

Ambrose nods. "Kingfisher's a bad person trying to be a good man. We told him that he needed to contact you or the Paladins, but he can't trust them. He has to be in control of the situation, and it has to be HIS victory, HIS people's independence, and HIS great plan." Ambrose shakes his head. "He just sees this," He gestures to the war activity around you, "As background noise. He doesn't care that people on both sides are dying." Ambrose shrugs. "Not that we're much better, but..." He shakes his head. "I'm doing the old man thing."

>>26400356
"How would he -- or you -- know that this kind of magic ends civilizations? We know of the Crafters and Citadel. Unless you have more data points?" You ask.

Ambrose nods, happy for the change in topic. "Yes. The Crafters, there was also a civilization that lived in the Desert, before it was a desert. They thought that they achieved an unparalleled comprehension of the world, so they began a work that would allow them the ability to merge with the land. It was supposed to allow them to shape the world as they saw fit. That then turned into shaping PEOPLE as they saw fit." Ambrose shakes his head. "And now there's a vast desert where there's nothing but dried ground and occasionally sand." Ambrose shakes his head. "Whenever a society starts to talk about things like that, wastelands and genocide follow. People can't be Gods, and from what you've told me, Gods can't be people."

"Damn, I had hoped to put Citadel off until after this whole war business. Do they need citadel specifically for whatever it is they're doing, or is this only going to be a temporary solution? Have they mentioned a way to reverse the process?"

Ambrose sighs and shakes his head. "They need an amazing amount of power. They can do it on a one-to-one person deal, but it takes a week's worth of work and three mages. Also, after that, it takes weeks for them to even start to try again. Citadel is their solution to that problem. They'll be able to use the power within Citadel to alter the souls of people as they fit, en-mass. Not to mention that they'll also be killing everyone WITHIN Citadel as well. As for the rest, I'm sorry. They didn't tell us more than what I told you."

(cont)

>>26400313
Man I just love cute things/moments and tough moral dilemmas. Also explosions.

>>26400369
"So how are they planning to siphon Citadel? Did you see them do it?" You ask.

"No." Ambrose says. "Kingfisher didn't want to show us too much. I think his plan was to convert us like he did with Shiroshotu. Oh, and she's not been altered, that girl just wants to be an Empire Citizen. Kingfisher doesn't NEED magic to control people."

"He's a sneaky conniving bastard. Do you think there is room for sneaky conniving bastard in a world without free will? But the Kingfishers motives don't really matter in this case, because we do need to stop this abomination from being used."

"Agreed." Ambrose says. "The only question is if you want to try and stop the Herons, Kingfisher, or Citadel?"

"Why would we want to stop Kingfisher?" Lea asks as she sits down. "Morning Ssen. Ambrose filled us in on some of the details already."

"Kingfisher's plans require you, your uncle, and the other Paladins to be very dead." Ambrose says. "Not until after he's 'broken your pedestals' as well. I think he sees you six as symbols."

"Of what?" Lea asks.

Ambrose shrugs. "The UFK, His Light, change being fought with change, the idea that monsters aren't monsters, take your pick. People believe in you and the other Paladins. Kingfisher believes that if he breaks you, he can break the UFK."

>>26400356
"Yeah, big shame about the whole war thing, isn't it? Can you believe I was actually trying for nonlethal during that whole rescue fiasco?
I'm all for free phoenix or whatever, but we need a quick and decicive end to the war. None of that prolonged attrition stuff.

>>26400356
"Your 'Old Man Thing' gets the point, I think."

"But for now, you three seem in good shape, we're back on track to win this "background noise", and now my group knows where we need to strike to put an end to the insanity. So really, things could be a lot worse."

>>26400376
So the Kingfisher plans to break us? Better inform him that's a bad idea. He NEEDS us.

>>26400376
"Even if I believed such a thing is true, and believe me I don't, that just means I have to see to it that we don't break."

>>26400376
"the breaking our pedestals bit has me worried, especially when its being said by someone who has the ability to rework souls on a small scale."

>>26400376
"I'll need to dissuade him of that notion somehow, then. Easiest way to go about it would be appointing new paladins. Either that or just give his folks such a thorough drubbing when they try to kill us they're forced to plan around us living."

>>26400376
"You know... I don't think we should actively work against Kingfisher. We can't play his game, and fighting back would be just that. We stomp his attempts into the dust, repel him at every turn, and let the ol' Dawnchaser magic leave all his plans undone in its wake. Basically any plan involving us or our loved ones is doomed to blow up in his face. He'll eventually learn to focus first on the targets he -can- manage, like the Empire. Meanwhile, we'll be dealing with Citadel.

>>26400376
"And if he manages to off us, we'll end up as martyrs. It's just one more thing he's wrong about."

"But still, I'd rather us all get through this alive. So at least we've confirmed he's after us, and we can take measures. Ultimately, I guess it comes down to where we were before: save lives, shatter plans, and grind him into the dirt before he has a chance to kill us all off."

Let's pretend to be ignorant of his ultimate plans for now. Let's play the naive paladin who sees an opportunity to trust somebody. But slowly we become more and more important to make his plans work due to various allies being removed, until we are the only option to getting him his own city independent of the PE.

We set up some mutual agreements about trade and the mutually reasonable policies about the treatment of foreigners and we let him have the south.

Ultimately, our culture will creep in after he's dead. We'll simply outlive the Kingfisher. That's how we beat him.

>>26400638
We could take the Assyrian approach and flay him alive before nailing his skin to the gates of his city, killing or enslaving all his people, and turning the bones of his ancestors out of their crypts and into the streets so we can trample on them.

Or we could just beat the crap out of him and decide how to deal with it later.

>>26400699
But my plan is beating the crap out of him, just indirectly. We destroy so many of his options that we are the only one he can turn to. We make friends by destroying the friends of our enemies.

>>26400638
I like this plan WAY better than
>>26400699
this plan

>>26400758
You do realize that the Assyrian approach was purely a joke, right? That it was not meant to be taken seriously?

Let's face it, though. Dicking around and then beating people up once their plans fall apart around us just kind of works for us.

>>26400798
We don't have to beat people up. That's a touch too obvious. We can also discredit them.

"Even if I believed such a thing is true, and believe me I don't, that just means I have to see to it that we don't break. Your 'Old Man Thing' gets the point, I think." You say.

"Thank you for that." Ambrose says. "Lets me feel wise, if not young."

"But for now, you three seem in good shape, we're back on track to win this 'background noise,' and now my group knows where we need to strike to put an end to the insanity. So really, things could be a lot worse. I don't think we should actively work against Kingfisher. We can't play his game, and fighting back would be just that. We stomp his attempts into the dust, repel him at every turn, and let the ol' Dawnchaser magic leave all his plans undone in its wake. Basically any plan involving us or our loved ones is doomed to blow up in his face. He'll eventually learn to focus first on the targets he -can- manage, like the Empire. Meanwhile, we'll be dealing with Citadel.

"And if he manages to off us, we'll end up as martyrs. It's just one more thing he's wrong about. He NEEDS us. But still, I'd rather us all get through this alive. So at least we've confirmed he's after us, and we can take measures. Ultimately, I guess it comes down to where we were before: save lives, shatter plans, and grind him into the dirt before he has a chance to kill us all off."

"Here here." Lea says. "So, I take it we're going straight to Citadel, then? Crack it open with our special find from the Crafters?"

"Hey, speaking of the Crafters." Peri says as she joins you. "Got a letter from Tara." She hands it to you. "Everything's well, and the kids are good. Nikai's trying to seduce Isen. She doesn't really guess that the only thing she needed to do was be female. You know how Isen takes people who throw themselves at him, and suck up to him." She chuckles.