>>513191
>Servant's Gloves
>Noble's Cape

>>513191
At a guess, I'd estimate we'd be best on this mission having other people perceive us as fucking terrifying (fuckhigh Intimidation, and secondarily high Otherworldly), but not unreasonable (low Hothead), so we can be used as an effective threat against enemies without actually getting into unnecessary fights.

Being easily noticeable (low Plainness) will probably also help, as will being taken seriously (low Humor).

We're already not very plain, and not very humorous, but we're somewhat hotheaded and pretty worldly. We're decently intimidating.

As such, bearing in mind the items we already have taking up slots (our jacket and necklace), I suggest we buy:
>Glowing Headband (3 motes)
and possibly
>Noble's Cape (4 motes)

Speaking of our stats, you might want to paste them in from the last thread so they're easy to reference.

>>513204
Scratch that last line, I just noticed the pastebin link.

>>513191
>>Heavy Boots
>> Practical and comfortable, these boots are for laborers who need good foot protection.
>> (Plainness +1 / Hothead -1)
>>Price: 2 Mote

>Noble's Cape
>(Intimidation +2 / Plainness -2)
>Price: 4 Motes

>>513191
>Noble's Cape
>Glowing Headband

Alright, looks like

>Noble's Cape
and
>Glowing Headband

Writing.

>>513204
Still I agree, we'd rather be as intimidating as possible. Maybe even look a bit "ugly", but it can't be that bad if it's all for the peace right?

>>513191
>>513248

You eventually settle on the Noble's Cape- it looks properly intimidating, and you could likely use that feeling in a group such as this one. Thinking about it, in general it'd be a good idea to play along with their expectations- something that's beyond what they'd call normal capabilities. You're already going to be that strong, but how you approach issues and how others will act around you based on the vibe you give off are important. If they're expecting something that's unusual, then...

You order the Glowing Headband as well. It's a golden thing, ridged, with the center inscribed with some logo that you can't quite understand. Either it's nothing or just a language you never heard of, most likely.

It doesn't take long after you confirm the payment, and you can feel the motes being sucked out of your person.

>You have 18 motes remaining!

The bottom of the screen glows brightly, and a beam of light lances out, coming to a stop in front of you. The tip of the beam extends into a ball, which expands and grows to a reasonable size before suddenly dissipating into a moderately sized box. Sure enough, when you open it, there's the headband, resting on top of the cape. You quickly don them both, and turn around. The cape is actually red with gold trim, and has a fuzzy collar. You have to admit, just wearing it you really do feel more like ordering people around.

“Alright, Sal, I think I'm set.” He nods, and with a glowing hand, puts down a runic portal in front of you.
“They'll be waiting for you- got a special room set up and everything. Shouldn't have been too long since I left them- at least in their timeframe. Maybe an hour or so.”

You nod, stepping onto the platform. “Good. Then I'll see you later, Sal. Business calls.”

And with a flash, you vanish.

Cont.

>>513377

Transporting used to be kind of disorienting for you- but these days it's second nature. Which is really good, since considering the people you'll be meeting, it'll be paramount to keep your poise. As the swirling stops and your surroundings make sense again, you find you're in an...interesting looking chamber.

It's circular and domed, made entirely of blackened stone, and lit by countless candles. There's nothing in particular here save for those. You're in a sort of center circular platform, and a small ring of water is running around the edges of the room. There's a single pathway leading from where you are, down a few steps, to the only exit. Kneeling on either side of you in front are what you presume to be soldiers, clad in dark leather armors, and their faces hidden by masks. They both raise their heads to you.

“Y-you are Lady Maladis...correct?” One asks. That must be the name Sal gave you. Fair enough.

“I am.” They immediately nod, and one of them rushes out the room. You take the time to look at yourself.

You're clad head to toe in some sort of chitinous armor, although your face is exposed. Your gauntlets seem to be clawed, and your forehead, you can tell has...SOMETHING on it. Likely some sort of horns. Interesting getup.

Before long, the one that left earlier returns, with someone in tow.

He's an immensely sized man, clad in the same violet armors as you saw before. Winged helmet, gauntlets and greaves with blades on them, a brestplate that reminds you of a beast's roar. This must be the big guy. He's flanked by a slightly smaller knight, also in scaled armor. No winged helmet or exceptionally fancy additions beyond that, however.

“Welcome, Lady Maladis. I am Commander Argus, leader of the Knights of the New Moon. This is Lieutenant Veryn.” He looks you up and down. "I trust you are aware of our situation?”

>"I've been told enough. Where's my pay, and what's my target?"
>"Only the basics. Will you be elaborating more?"
> Other

>>513388
>>"Only the basics. Will you be elaborating more?"

>>513388
>"Only the basics. Will you be elaborating more?"

>>513388
>"Only the basics. Will you be elaborating more?"

>>513388
>>"Only the basics. Will you be elaborating more? Where's my pay, and what's my target?"

>>513388
>>513397
>>513398
>>513404

“Only the basics. Will you be elaborating more?” You ask.

He nods. “Of course.” He turns to Veryn. “The gold.” Veryn nods and claps his hands twice. From beyond a corner, two soldiers come around the corner carrying a chest. “From what I was told, this would solidify your temporary allegiance with us, correct?” As they got to the base of the stairs, they put the chest down, and open it, revealing a massive number of gold pieces. “Seven thousand for now, as requested, with more to be delivered as you accomplish our desired goals.”

Well, hot dog. They looked sincere about it. You're about to step down to take the chest yourself when Varyn steps in front of it. “However,” he starts, “I must admit that despite your...countenance, I'm not yet quite convinced of your capabilities. The tales told by the old man were quite...frightening. However, I must be assured. Would it be too much to request minor proof of your skill, m'lady?”

> “Yes, it would. Stand aside, and give me what you've ALREADY promised.” (Intimidation)
> “Fine. I'll humor you. How do I give you this 'proof'?”
> “Hmph. Concerned that you're not getting your money's worth? I assure you I'm more than capable of taking on whatever you ask.”
> Other

>>513485
Humor him. We're professionals.

>>513485
>“Hmph. Concerned that you're not getting your money's worth? I assure you I'm more than capable of taking on whatever you ask.”

>>513485
>> “Fine. I'll humor you. How do I give you this 'proof'?”

>>513485
> “Fine. I'll humor you. How do I give you this 'proof'?”

>>513485
>> “Fine. I'll humor you. How do I give you this 'proof'?”
It also helps us acclimate

>>513485

Bah. You've dealt with folks like this on occasion. The hard sells. Doesn't seem like he was entirely in charge of your hiring, at the very least. The way he's standing tells he's both convinced of himself and at the same time very worried that he may be making a horrible mistake. It was always inwardly interesting to see. Still, you're a professional, so might as well act like one.

“Fine. I'll humor you. How do I give you this 'proof'?” You ask, stepping forward. He's several heads taller than you, but you get the feeling that you're at the very least on equal ground with him. And that's not just due to the fact that you're on higher ground. He quickly glances towards Argus, who simply nods. Veryn nods in return, and turns to leave as Argus does so as well.

"Follow me, please." You do so, the chest left there for now, Argus ordering the soldiers to guard and not touch it. As you walk along the corridors, Argus begins to explain.

“It has been several years since the rulers of Alban and Horinth declared war. Their quarrel over their nonsense has proven that neither is fit to rule. Their peoples are either weak and praying to a god that does not exist, or clinging to old tradition that fails to understand how the modern era is. Humanity as it stands is growing mad, and further and further they sublimate themselves to things they have no control over.” You raise an eye at the anger in this voice. “We seek to change that. To make for a world that has no 'gods', no masters invisible or falsely raised. A world where everyone is free to seek their own fortune, how and when they desire it!”

“You have a dragon yourself, don't you?” you ask. That doesn't quite make sense to you...

“Indeed, but he is merely a guard. He has no desire to rule over anyone. He wishes for the same thing we do. The dragon race is receding, but if that is the nature of things, then so be it. He, as we do, merely wishes to live the rest of his life the way he likes.” Interesting.

You turn a corner, and soon come to a door larger than most that you've passed. “So, how are you planning on bring about this kind of change to the world?”

“That...” Veryn says as he opens the door. “...is something I would rather not say until AFTER the test.”

Cont.

>>513594

The door leads to what appears to be a large courtyard, full of soldiers sparring. There's a large, empty patch of dirt off to one side, ringed by wooden fence, in which two soldiers are sparring. You can see three other Knights out here, too- two of them seem to just be talking.

They're both thinner sorts, one male, one female- surprisingly, their helmets are off. The man seems middle aged, with wiry black hair and a gaunt face, with a sharp nose and green eyes. The girl is a brunette, short haired, amber eyed, and has a disbelieving expression on her face as she continually discusses something with the man. The third Knight is solo training on a thick, wooden dummy with a large warhammer. He's got his helmet on, however.

Veryn begins to walk to a nearby weapons rack, as faces begin to turn to him- and you. “We will be sparring. Non-lethally, of course.” He picks up a wooden glaive from the rack and begins walking towards the sparring circle. “Choose your weapon, and meet me in the circle.”

Hmph.

>Training Glaive
>Training Greatsword
>Training Shortsword
>Training Warhammer
>Training Axe
>Training Halberd
>Training Daggers
>Nothing, use your own fists and feet.

>>513595
>Training Glaive

>>513595
>Nothing, use your own fists and feet

>>513595
>Staff

>>513595
>>Training Shortsword
They dont have anything between Great- and shortswords?

>>513595
>Nothing, use your own fists and feet

>>513595
>Training Greatsword

>>513595
I change my vote to
>Training Glaive

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Rolling between glaive and bare handed.

1- glaive
2- barehanded

Next post may take a minute.

>>513595
You mull on it for a while, tuning out the whispers that you hear from others nearby. You're not too bad with weapons in general, although nowhere near the proficiency level of Izumi. Still, it's a plausible idea...but no. You've always been more of a fan of the natural way of things.

You turn away from the weapons rack and begin walking towards the sparring circle, much to the surprise of your impromptu audience. You can already hear a number of shocked onlookers.

"Are they really going to fight? Does she know what she's in for?"

"Does he? I only heard whispers that they were supposed to be getting a strong mercenary. Is that girl it? She looks scary enough..."

"Maybe we should keep a good distance..."

The two Knights that were discussing something are now both looking on in curiosity. They don't seem quite as surprised at your lack of weaponry as the others do. The man in particular looks rather interested, and as you look his way he gives a slight grin.

Veryn himself simply raises an eyebrow as you enter the sparring circle. "You intended to fight me as you are? You're certain of no weapon?"

You nod. "It's what I'm best with." Well, that, and a bit of magic. Speaking of, Sales was right. You can feel the magic energies in you building up easily. It makes you wonder just how magic isn't apparently as popular as it by all rights should be. Maybe you should ask after this. But, thoughts for later. You sink down into a combat stance, fists up. Veryn readies himself as well. You can hear a lot of cheering starting up for Veryn, although the Knights notably keep quiet.

"Very well, then. We begin!" And he immediately puts his guard up, angling the glaive towards you, but notably keeping his distance. Even if you can't see his eyes, you can tell they're intensely focused on every twitch you make. You're both circling each other, daring one to make the first move.

>Close in on him, and use your speed to attempt to break his defense so you can punch him out.
>Demonstrate your magical aptitude and throw some magic blasts his way, see how he reacts.
>Play hit and run, try to get him to overcommit to a counterattack and take advantage.

>>513720
>Demonstrate your magical aptitude and throw some magic blasts his way, see how he reacts
Such is the point of this bout, no?

>>513720
>Close in on him, and use your speed to attempt to break his defense so you can punch him out.
Knock him flat on his ass. Break some of his armor if we can.

If the client sees that we can kick the shit out of one of their best without even resorting to the powers they hired us for, then they'll know that our power is truly overwhelming.

>>513720
>>Faint with a magic barrage while closing in for a heavy hit.

>>513727
Supporting.

>>513720
>Demonstrate your magical aptitude and throw some magic blasts his way, see how he reacts.

It is our comfort zone.

>>513740
>>513815
>>513843


Pew pew.

Writing.

>>513843
It would also let Miranda get a feel for the rate of her man's recovery in this world.

>>513720
You'll have to tone it waaay down, you suspect, but these guys wanted you for your magic. You wonder if they're expecting this, though...

You give off a faint glow on your hands as you fire off a low strength blast with a flick of your wrist. To his credit, he manages to dodge, but the impact leaves a tiny crater near the edge of the ring about the size of a basketball. He and everyone else presence freezes for a split second. Then the yells start.

You can't help but smile at the shouts of surprise. Veryn himself simply nods. Then charges forward, apparently decided to try and close in on you to stop that quickly.

You fire off another set of blasts, however, and even at reduced strength, they still seem to do a number on him. He dodges the first, but one of them hits his shoulder and he visibly recoils. He barely manages to dodge a third, and you're forced to actually dodge a swipe as he manages to close in within swinging distance.

Another two impact his gut as you leap over him, getting clear across the ringin one jump, and although he's still standing, he's clearly winded. The next shot, however, is aimed at his legs. He dodges awkwardly, and the effort takes him off his feet and forces him into the path of a last blast that forces him flat on his back.

Huh. That was simple. And fortunately it didn't take a great deal of mana.

The surrounding audience is shocked silent. Even the Knights have looks of astonishment on their faces.

Veryn groans, and gets to his knees with a bit of trouble. He's breathing hard, nut judging by how he's moving, you you get the feeling that it's more trying to get breath back in his lungs than sheer pain. Although it might well be a bit of that too.

"That...you can just cast with no incantation?!" Huh. Maybe that's part of why magic isn't popular. "But that's..."

"Precisely why we got her." Commander Argus stands tall the rest of the present Knights and soldiers bow. "The claim was that she was unparalleled in Mystic Arts. Considering how she bought you low with trivial effort, I am inclined to believe those tales."

The gaunt looking Knight is nodding slightly. The woman looks both impressed and dare you say...jealous.

"BAHAHAHA!" Oh, that's the big guy. "Never thought I'd see that happen! So much for The Unyielding Tide!" Well, you're at least glad that someone enjoyed it.

"So, was that proof enough, or can we get down to business?" You eye Veryn as he struggles to his feet.

"Yes, Ms. Maladis." Argus says. "I believe we can."

Cont.

>>513985
>The woman looks both impressed and dare you say...jealous
I wonder what's our company's policy on recruitment of local talent.
"Being a Magical Girl's a good job, girl. It's outdoors, challenging work, and I guarantee as long as you're not picky, you won't go hungry.
"Because no matter the world, timeline, or plane of existence, so long as there's more than one thinking entity, somebody will want somebody dead, and they'll pay for the service."

>>513985
Not much later, you're seated at a large, round table, along with the other Knights that you've met so far. The gaunt man introduced himself as Yvald, The Shadow's Herald. The girl was Merida, The Thunderous Will. The man was Torvald, the Unbreakable Mountain.

Apparently titles were a big deal here.

"We have gotten wind of a force in this world that seeks to undo all we have done. A youthful adventuring group from the countryside, nearing the borderline of both fool kingdoms, but natives of Alban. They've been making something of a name for themselves. People are calling them the 'Longshots'.

You have to hold in a snort of laughter at that one.

"Some of us have had in the opportunity to meet them before in battle. One of whom is not currently with us at the moment. He's off on an assignment. However..." he turns to Torvald.

Torvald nods. "Yeah, I met 'em. Fought 'em. Surprisingly tough bunch of kids." The old man doesn't really seem all that fussed at he scratches his scraggly white beard. "Led by a kid named Tavis. Hot-headed young thing, but clever. Good with a sword too. Don't know the rest of them though. Well, except for one. His name's Basil. Big fella, strong. Doesn't quite have that killer instinct, but in general I like his gumption."

You nod. This was good info to have. "So you want them dead?"

"We would prefer they come to understand the futility of their efforts and join us." Argus says. "But we understand that that may not be possible. We have a plan. We have found ancient knowledge that points to a method that we may be able to use to realize our ultimate goal. We are in the process of trying to collect the various pieces told in that ancient knowledge. They have learned such as well, and are in the process of trying to stop us. So however you might be able to handle the situation is acceptable, so long as they have ceased being a threat to us."

Yvald speaks up. "According to my sources, the group was last seen at Finley Village, headed north. We're unsure of their destination."

"There's a lot up north." Merida confirms. "Could be headed up there for any number of reasons."

>You have a time frame for this in particular?
>Do you have anything important up there?
>Are you expecting regular check-ins?
>Other

>>514095
>You have a time frame for this in particular?

>>514095
Time frame and anything important.

>>514095
>You have a time frame for this in particular?
>Do you have anything important up there?
>Could they have potentially found out your timetable, and have you accelerated it in secret accordingly?

>>514095
Alright, then. You've got a few questions for them.“What about your time frame? I'm presuming you're not just taking your sweet time on this, huh?”

Argus scoffs. “Of course not. Our goal is to accomplish this before either nation becomes so deluded as to think they've actually WON. When all they'd end up inheriting is a land of nothing but anger and chaos, should we not succeed.”

Alright then- nothing concrete, but you should likely keep an ear to the ground for new developments regarding the ongoing war effort. It'd give you a decent idea of how concerned the Knights would be, and how fast you'd need to move.

“Okay then. Next question,” you lean forward a bit. “Do you have anything you might call important up that way? Might be a target for them if that's the case.”

Yveld speaks up first. “We've a fortress, and a watchtower- but they're both somewhat out of the way. We use the fortress largely for mining purposes to gather ore from the nearby mountains, while the tower is merely an area to keep an eye on any nearby intruders. I cannot imagine that they'd be going out of their way to assault the area, unless they know something about the location that we don't.”

Hm...that might be a possibility. “Well, you never know. You said they know about the same artifacts, correct? Do you know if you learned it from different sources or not? They may have figured out your goal, and might be trying to beat you to the punch. Have you stepped up efforts to find these pieces?”

“I assure you, Ms. Maladis, we are doing everything in our power to locate the pieces,” Argus assures. “However, if we are make certain we find them, we must be thorough in-”

Suddenly there's a large, panicked knocking at the door. “Enter.” Argus commands.

A common soldier bursts in, chest heaving with breath and looking haggard. “S-Sirs! News to report!” He salutes quickly. “Forgive my sudden entrance, but there's been a major occurrence in the northwestern plains! Word of some large band of marauders- they've assaulted Hatham's Hold, Blake's Landing, and several other places towards the north. We've lost two scouting parties to them so far, and they seem to be trying to lay claim to the border regions between Horinth and the Wildlands.”

The Knights look at each other. “That could restrict our movements and knowledge in the area. That ore is important.” Merida notes.

Argus nods. “I am unsure of why they seek to claim the area...but it won't do to risk having them cause any troubles.” He looks to you. “We'll have to ask you to shift priorities for the moment. If you're as strong as you claim, then perhaps you can link up with our fortress up north, and see about clearing these marauders out before they make more of a mess of things than it is already. It'd be roughly in the same direction.”

>"You're the one paying. I'll see to them."
>"Can't just send some of your own men for this?
>Other

>>514259
> You're the one paying

>>514259
>"You're the one paying. I'll see to them."

>>514259
>"You're the one paying. I'll see to them."

>>514259
"Killing some self righteous children our a small army, it's all the same to me."

>>514259
>"You're the one paying. I'll see to them."

>>514259
You shrug. “It's all the same to me. You're the one paying, so I'll see to them. Point me in the right direction.” Interestingly, you see Merida lean back and look away at that declaration.

Argus nods. “We will grant you a map and traveling provisions for one week. The rest is up to you.” Fair enough. You've dealt with worse. Hopefully they'll be the sort to just stand there and monologue for like thirty seconds. Or one of the ones that can't seem to both talk and do things at the same time. Those were always easy jobs.

Soon, you're situated at the front of their stronghold. It's surprisingly nondescript- a simple hole in the middle of a hollowed out, smaller mountain. On a whim, you look up and behind you, and sure enough, you can see the tail of what you presume is the guard dragon dangling from the cliff face. Nifty. You shoulder your pack- it contains food rations, several flasks of water, a small portion of your gold for spending purposes (you'd already sent the rest back to Sal with a message attached explaining the missing coin), flint and tinder for a fire, and cloth for a tent.

The mountain is surrounded by forest, which makes sense, considering how much these people want to make sure they're hidden and only fight on their terms for now.

Merida came out with you, and it's just you and her. “You'll, uh...have to excuse us, m'lady. For all her strange looks earlier, she seems notably uncomfortable standing right next to you, shifting constantly. “We'd have horse or a carriage for you, but there's been a particular shortage, and-”

“It's fine,” you say. “I was never a big horse person anyway.” You open the map given, and take a look.

Seems like you're situated in the relative southeast. Both the major kingdoms of Alban and Horinth are more northern, Horinth to the west, Alban to the east. Alban has a great deal more territory than Horinth, though, stretching down far longer. You see an area labeled 'Wildlands' that seems to split the two as well. Looks to be largely mountainous wilderness, as expected. Taking a careful look, you see the areas previously mentioned- Hatham's Hold seems to be midway up Horinth territory, right on the border of it and the Wildlands. Blake's Landing is to it's slight west, nearer a river. Similarly, to the east, just inside Alban's borders is a town called Gracewell. Further in you can see Finley Village, also a border town within Alban territory, on the southwestern boundary.

“Our mining fortress is here,” Merida points out with a slightly shaky hand. It seems that given where Horinth's and the Wildland's borders end, a bit further out from that is where the fortress and the watchtower is. “There's the start of the Wildlands, and the mountains there have good ore. You could tell them Argus sent you- there's a phrase for allies- 'The Moon knows only itself.' That'll get you in.”

cont.

>>514442
It makes sense, looking at it. If the adventurers were at Finley Village and heading north, they likely could either head through the Wildlands- and risk running into the marauders- or go through Alban. The fortress would be a touch out of the way, yeah, but it would still be northern. Hm...

>Head to Hatham's Hold first.
>Head to Blake's Landing first.
>Go straight into the Wildlands.
>Other

I should've drawn a map.

I didn't draw a map.

>>514444
>Head to Hatham's Hold first.

>>514444
>Head to Hatham's Hold first.

>Other
>Ask her why she is so discomfited by you. She really needn't worry - you're both allies in this, after all.
Intimidating our foes is good. But intimidating our allies too much isn't.

>>514444
Head to their fortress first so we can introduce ourselves and not have our allies attack us
So we have five groups now? God botherers, Dragon fuckers, moon hippies, adventures and bandits? Or are the adventurers and marauders associated with someone else?

>>514469
Nope, that's about the size of it!

>>514444
>Head to Hatham's Hold first.

>Other: Use the dragon to fly up high, as a viewing spot. Get some up-to-date info on the surroundings.

>>514444
>>Head to Hatham's Hold first.

>>514504
We definitely need to take the dragon out for a spin before we leave this realm

Writing. Last one for tonight...

>>514444
Might as well head to Hatham's Hold first. Seems like as solid a first investigative spot as any. You roll up the map and turn to Merida. “I'll be going to Hatham's Hold first.” She nods stiffly and makes to leave, but a thought flits through your head. “Merida?” The Knight freezes mid-stride as she hears her name called. “Just why the sudden discomfort? You're not my target. You're my ally.”

“I...it...” she seems to have a bit of trouble putting it plainly. “Yes, but... only as long as your respect towards our money holds. Once that ends...well, we saw what you did to Veryn.” She turns to you, trying to hold herself together. “Of warriors, we are some of the strongest. I myself have fought through over a hundred men with no backup. And of us, Varyn is one of the most highly respected, in both wisdom and combat skill. And yet in mere moments you made him look like a novice fighter- and it was plain to see that you weren't even truly exerting yourself. That level of power...is nearly unheard of in the modern day. Tis the stuff of fables and tall tales.” She takes a deep breath. “So I hope you can understand if I am...less than comfortable around you. I fear thinking about what you could do should you actually expend effort in combat.”

Hm. Well, that's something to know. "Well, like I said. I'm your ally, not your enemy. As long as you keep paying, it'll stay that way. So that's all you really need to worry about."

Before she can say anything, you take a run, and then a leap that clears the treetops for a full second and change as you bound your way towards Hatham's Hold. It'll likely take you a few hours, but the mana cost is exceedingly minimal for stunts like this. The faster you get there, the better, anyway.

You've got targets to hunt.


(Magical Girl For Hire Quest will be back tomorrow, 12 CST! Look for it!)

Oh, should I archive the first thread? I'm not certain how to do that...

Whats the company etiquette on local counter offers, as in the current target trying to offer more for turning the coat?

>>514610
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/requestqstinterface.html?

Just fill up the form here with a description of your preference.

>>514724
I'd say that, as a professional, we should fulfill our existing contracts first before considering taking up any counter offers. Taking up other jobs like that seems to be what's damaging Lorelei's success rate. And turning against our employers would damage our credibility.

>>514743
I tought something similar will be the answer

Can't believe I'm still up.

>>514724
Taking counter-offers mid-job is strongly frowned upon, but there is no formal rule against it- simply a policy of if it comes to light, you'll be required to surrender 75% of your earnings on said job instead of 15%. That's not even Sal's call- that's a mandate from HIS bosses. Hence it's generally considered only feasible if said counter-offer is a MASSIVE jump over the initial one.

>>514743
Thanks!

>>514787
understandable

Just got caught up.

Really cool how the gameplay of the quest is set up. It's not about whether the protagonist can defeat her opposition, she's generally assumed to be strong enough to just do that. The point is whether she can get paid, and that entails appearing a certain way. So all her stats have nothing to do with combat, but how she comes across socially. It's a novel concept.

>>514958
Thanks! Still morning where I am, but I'll be actively running in about 2-3 more hours!

>>515050
Bappity-bamp

>>514605
As you surmised, it's a couple of hours of relatively boring travel until you can start to see the tops of houses from out of the treeline, surrounded by fairly large stone wall. Looks to be a moderately fortified town, which makes you wonder just how well they managed to survive the raid. You can see a couple of figures on the top of the wall- presumably the remaining militia stationed there.

Hopefully, this'll be a solid first step in figuring out exactly where and how these bandits are operating.

The question is, how to approach the situation...you can already see one of the figures running off. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing as it stands.

>Stop leaping, starting walking. Introduce yourself merely as 'a wandering warrior'.
>Stop leaping, start walking. Introduce yourself as Lady Maladis, a mercenary working for The Knights of the New Moon.
>Jump over the wall, THEN turn back and say hello. That should let them know you mean business. (Intimidation)
>Other

>>515306
>Stop leaping, start walking. Introduce yourself as Lady Maladis, a mercenary who's here to help.
Be vague on the details unless asked. We're here to gather information first of all. I imagine we'll head to the fortress after and get backup.

>>515306
>>Stop leaping, start walking. Introduce yourself as Lady Maladis, a mercenary working for The Knights of the New Moon.

>>515306
>Stop leaping, start walking. Introduce yourself as Lady Maladis, a mercenary working for The Knights of the New Moon.


>>515312
Aren't they with our group? I don't see how not stating we're with their group could possibly get us more information.

>>515357
Hatham's Hold isn't formally affiliated with The Knights, but the relationship is 'amiable', and although Horinth doesn't like the Knights, Hatham's Hold folks tend to look the other way when they show up.

Writing.

>>515306
Well, might as well be polite about it. You're still in the woods when you next land, but by then you're rather close to the treeline regardless. Still, best to just start walking and approach the gate like a normal person for now.

You can see several archers standing atop the walls as you clear the trees- several of them seem rather tired, and you can definitely see blood on more than one's armor. Seems like they're not getting much of a rest, which makes sense considering the circumstances. One of them calls to you as the rest prime their bows as a precaution. “Hold, there! State your name and purpose!”

Best to keep it accurate, then. “I am Lady Maladis, mercenary. I've been sent by The Knights of the New Moon concerning the recent...troubles.” You can see the soldiers look at each other, then you see a couple of them get near the speaker, whispering something to him. He whispers back, and the three of them seem to enter a quieted conversation while the remaining archers are stuck between wondering what's going on with their leader and keeping an eye on you.

Eventually, they break their powow, and one of them runs off, while the first one finally responds to you. “Alright...but we have to ask that you be quick about it. The Flameguard have sent word that they are to be here by the morrow, and we've little hospitality to spare.” As he says this, the gate that had been blocking the archway in is opened, and you head on through.

The place seems relatively simple, main road, several sideroads which likely lead to alleys and such. The man you'd talked to walks down from the parapet- a younger man, it seems like, fair and golden haired, with some slight stubble. He nods in greeting, though he visibly slows down when he gets a better look at you. “Ah, well...welcome. I am Gerald, and I, uh, lead the militia here. I...hope you won't- I hope you're here to help. Things aren't great here, but we've been steadily at the watch. We saw you coming. The militia and I...we'll be here to help, right?” He looks up at the others. They don't seem to be coming down or anything. You simply nod.

> “Where's the town leader? I'd like to speak to them.”
> “I'd like to know your account of the marauder assault.”
> Walk away, begin investigating yourself. Pubs are usually a good spot for info.
> Other

>>515461
> “I'd like to know your account of the marauder assault.”

>>515461
>> “I'd like to know your account of the marauder assault.”

>>515461
>> “I'd like to know your account of the marauder assault.”

Writing.

>>515461
> “I'd like to know your account of the marauder assault.”
Might as well get information straight from Gerald

>>515461
“Then I'd like to know your account of the marauder assault,” you say. Might as well start with one of the men that was on the front lines. “As much as you can possibly remember.”

“Oh! R-right, of course, sorry, m'am. Let's see...well, it was two nights ago that it happened. Pitch black, really, and I was one of the first out there. Saw them through the torches that lit up the trees, you see. A couple hundred of them, easily. Started off with burning arrows, and that cost us a few men right there. Then they took to trying to scale the walls and breaking down the gate. They were rather organized for marauders, I think, but I have to admit, it's all a bit of a blur...They managed to get a few numbers on over and on the inside, but we fortunately largely held them at the gate- with some damages, sadly. A few homes and businesses burned to the ground, some livestock and general goods either slaughtered or taken, lives lost.” He sighs. "The whole thing lasted around 5-6 hours or so. They retreated as soon as the sun started threatening."

"But you did survive," you note.

“We were lucky, though- I heard that Blake's Landing got it rather worse than we did." He says. "If it weren't for the Flameguard, they'd have been entirely overrun. Fortunately they were there, and drove them off. Good fortune that they didn't retreat in our direction.” Gerald looks over further into the town. “I'm not sure we could've dealt with two assaults back to back. But it's rather strange. I asked for more details about the assault- I've kinfolk right over there. I got a letter back simply saying that I'm not cleared to know such details.” He frowns for a second, but then glances back at you, as you're frowning as well. “I, uh, I'm sorry I don't know more, but perhaps you can talk to the Mayor? Mayor Renault. He's around somewhere, I'm sure you'll be able to find him.” He look around anxiously. I need to get back to my duties, terribly sorry! But if you ask, I'm sure someone can point you in the right direction!”

Before you can say much else, he's quick to spring back up the stairs and start barking out rotation orders. Hmph.

There's a few options you can think of...

>There's a pub not too far away- The Knobbed Horse. Perhaps there.
>You can see a thin plume of black smoke further away, the source hidden.
>Look for the biggest house- that's likely the Mayor's.
>Start investigating the damages yourself. You never know.
>Other

>>515582
>You can see a thin plume of black smoke further away, the source hidden.
And what might this be I wonder?

>>515582
Let's investigate the smoke source.

>>515582
>You can see a thin plume of black smoke further away, the source hidden.

>>515582
>You can see a thin plume of black smoke further away, the source hidden.

>>515582
>You can see a thin plume of black smoke further away, the source hidden.

Huh. Contentious.

Writing.

>>515660
Black smoke means trouble, and trouble is our business.

>>515582
The black smoke is the one thing that most sticks out to you, however. Might as well investigate. The black smoke seems to be in a further corner of the town, however- at a glance, it's next to the wall that encompasses the town. You elect to take the slow way- that is to say, walking. If anyone earns your ire, then you can do the whole shock and awe thing.

As you get closer, however, you begin to hear voices. “Not much longer now,” an older voice says.

“Yep. He'll be payin' for this with all his soul.” Another gruff one says.

“Aye, just let's finish this up, we've all got work to do, cause of his lot.” A third raspy voice says, and you can hear some muffled cheering and agreements sounding out from various other voices as well. As you round the corner, you can see what appears to be a small group of people surrounding a large trash pile, about a dozen or so, and one of the older ladies there seems to be lighting various parts of it on fire to get it burning quickly. Some other fellows are throwing broken wood and various flammables on it for more kindling, and two larger men, one heavyset, the other just plain muscular, who are standing in front of something...or someone, when you get a glimpse of what's between them.

Seems like a bald man, bound and gagged. He seems to be wearing light clothes- you're unsure, as you don't have a good look at him, but he's struggling rather hard. The portly man gives him a quick kick to make him quit his struggling. The burly man just chuckles, watching it happen.

Fascinating.

The two men guarding the unfortunate fellow notice you in short order, and immediately their eyes go wide. Gradually, the rest of the townspeople present also turn to notice you, and your garb and presence seems to shock them into silence. As you sweep your gaze over them, you notice several of them trying to inch away, but none of them are making any overt movements, and they freeze when you lock eyes with them.

Eventually, the crone speaks, in a fearful whisper. “Who-who are you? What's yer business here?”

>Ignore her, walk up to the two men. "Move." (Intimidation)
>"I am Lady Maladis. I'm here on a job. I have questions for you."
>Ignore the question. "So...a form of street justice?"
>"I could ask similar of you."
>Other

>>515830
>Other
"So, a form of street justice? Not that I care much one way or the other, but my curiosity has been piqued." (Intimidation)

>>515830
Aww, it's just a burning. Welp, we're not paid to rescue folks in trouble, we're paid to slaughter marauders. Move along, nothing to see.
>"I am Lady Maladis. I'm here on a job. I have questions for you."

>>515830
Walk up to the portly man, and point to the bound man and the pyre. "Explain. Now." (Intimidation)

>>515842
>>515850

So in case people don't get it, a (stat) next to a standard option simply means that you have a high enough rank to do it and get away with it. I'll let you add stats to custom inputs, but depending on what you want to do and the stat level, it might not work out like you'd hoped...okay?

>>515830
>"I am Lady Maladis. I'm here on a job. I have questions for you."

>>515855
Of course, I say 'get away with', but there still may be semi-related consequences/changes/different reactions from NPCs.

>>515830
>"I could ask similar of you."
Followed by:
>"So...a form of street justice?"

Hm. We have many questions.

Writing.

>>515845
Pretty much this, it's their town. Want to find out why they are burning him though. Maybe he was working with the bandits and knows where they are holed up. Also wouldn't hanging him be cheaper, less dangerous and send more of a message?

>>515912
All valid reasons.
The other reason we could them infer is that as a hired killer, their amateurish methods offend our sense of professional murder.

>>515928
Now you're just being ridiculous.

>>515830
“I am Lady Maladis,” you say without breaking eye contact. “I'm here on a job. I have some questions for you...” your eyes flit to the pyre and the guards, who flinch slightly, before returning to the old lady. “...starting with what is this? Some form of street justice?” You take a step closer, and she takes a step back. As do the rest of the gathered people.

“I-I...beggin' your pardon, m'lady, but this one was one of the whoresons that tried ta tear our dear home apart!” She speaks quickly, afraid but passionate. “Came in the dead of night they did, tried to send the whole of Hatham's Hold up in blazes! Not to mention a couple of 'em snuck their way in, tried to ravage the village the old way when that didn't take! Why I wouldn't be here were it not for my son coming to my defense! Poor child's bedridden with the wounds this blaggard inflicted and I fear it'll be some time before he recovers truly! What with all he's done, I and the good folk around here daresay it's fine for 'im to have a taste of what they tried to do ta us! It's only fair! Damned if it ain't!” She seems frantic in her justification of the burning- you're not that concerned either way, but it's interesting to witness the people nodding and agreeing with her- though they don't seem as enthused as you'd heard them a moment before.

“So do you know anything else about the marauders? Anything interesting he or any others may have said or done? Or prior knowledge like where exactly they're based, or their history?” you ask. “That's who I'm after.”

She shakes her head. “No, none o' tha- wait, you're after the bastards what did this?" Her eyes get a bit more of a spark in them once she processes this. “You're no new Flameguard then, are ye?”

“I'm currently under contract with the Knights of the New Moon, as a mercenary.” you explain. “They've tasked me with wiping out the marauders, as they're deemed a threat.” And, you're starting to suspect, they'd rather not have Horinth or Alban take the credit.

"Actually, I recall somethin'..." one of the men that was loading kindling speaks up. "Well, I managed to get one of the arseholes myself. Stuck 'im between the ribs with my fire poker. Before that, though, he mentioned somethin' about 'a good group o' men being better than that Iron Belly', but, uh... I've no clue no care what he was talkin' about. Terribly sorry, miss!"

“Anyone else?" the old lady calls. No one else speaks up. "Forgive me for the lack of information, then, Ms." She still looks uneasy, as do the rest. Slowly, however, she turns to the tied up bandit. “We've not said much to the lout, but I s'pose you can try ta give him a talking-to if'n you care to.”

>Any further questions for the old lady?
>Ask the marauder questions?

>>516058
>>Ask the marauder questions?
Can we do some type of taser finger type of trick with our magic?

>>516058
Ask for the location of their base. Promise a quick end if he cooperates and assure him he will beg for death if he refuses.

>>516058
>Any further questions for the old lady?
Are there any other bandit bodies? Maybe we can get some clues from what they wore or weapons they carried.

>Ask the marauder questions
Ask him who the marauders are, if they work for anyone, their numbers, where they're camped, and what the next target was supposed to be.
Break his bones to get him to talk.
We don't have the time, equipment, or cooperation of the locals to do this interrogation the right way, so we might as well do it the fast and brutal way.

>>516082
This is a thing you can do.

>>516083
>>516087
Supporting interrogation

>>516091
Oh, then let's start with the Force Lightning to get him to talk before moving on to breaking his bones.

Bzzzzt.

Writing.

>>516123
UNLIMITED POWA!!!

Not sure if in front of a crowd of villagers was the best place to torture someone while using the good name of our client.

Though they were about to burn them to death.

>>516294
Well if he answers the questions promptly he won't be tortured, only burnt alive. Praise the merciful new moon.

>>516058
“Are there any other bandit bodies laying around?” you ask. There's the possibility of finding clues on their person...
She shakes her head, however. “None that we know of. Rest of 'em got rounded up and tossed.”

“Guy I shanked had similar wear to him,” the other man says. “Leather breastplate, bracers, moccasins, a dagger, longsword, and a bag o' stilettos. Dunno what those were for.”

A subtle heat reminds you that the flame is lit, and burning brightly. “I'll have to ask ye to make it quick, mind.” The old lady warns. “The guard don't know we've got 'im, just thinking we're burning trash. They'd want him for capture and leave 'im in a cell, and life in prison's too good for 'is sort.” She scowls as she says it, but you're not paying much attention anymore.

You're focused on the marauder. He's been looking at you ever since you shifted focus to him, and the big guys move aside quickly once you approach.

Cont.

>>516366

(Misjudged the length. This could've just been two.)

He seems about middle aged once you get a decent look at him. Five o'clock shadow, relatively dull-looking. Hope for his sake he has answers. You can see the sheer fear in his eyes as you approach, and he starts wriggling even harder. A single palm on his hand is enough to stop him moving.

“I don't have a great deal of time here, so here's how things will go. I'm going to ask you several questions. You're going to answer them as truthfully as possible. If you're nice and honest about it, things will end better for you. If not, things will end very very badly for you. Clear?” You hold his head still to prevent him from shaking it. “Good. First question. What's the name of your organization?”

You lower the gag for him to speak. “W-We call ourselves the Red-Bodied!” He shakes himself, trying to put some bravado in his voice. “And hey, hey, look, you ain't come across no one like us, here? Just- I mean, just 'cause you got lucky with a small piece of us don't mean-”

Before he finishes you channel a bit of magic energy to your fingertips, and touch it to his chest. Although padded with leather, the magic easily cuts through the material and you can see him jolt and convulse briefly- to everyone's gasps- before you let off him.

“Wasn't asking for the rest, but thank you for the extra information.” You hold up your finger again, still glowing. “Next question, are you working for anyone?”

“What the...! We...the- the Red-Bodied don't take orders from no-one except our boss!” the man grinds out.

“Fair enough.” You refrain from zapping him any more. Promise is a promise... “So then, how many are there of you?”

“Enough to trash two villages at once.” Press. “Ahghahg IdunnoIdunno!” You let off, and he needs a moment to catch his breath. “I dunno! Boss splits his folk up into different camps! I'm jus' part of the one group!”

“And your campsite?” He actually spits on the ground at that one.

“Oh, hell, like I'm gonna tell you that one! Ya might as well AHGHAHGJKGHG FUCK THIIIISSSS...” Yeah, you had to turn up the juice on that one. But when you let off, he just glares and shakes his head. “N-n-no way, y'hear! I'm- I tell you that, I'm dead either way, so like I'm gonna tell you jack about-” you cover his mouth again.

“Are you sure about that?” You have his face in your hands, and the claws of your gauntlets are digging into his skin. “I promise you, you might be dead, but I can make the journey across really, really long, and really really painful.” You keep your face emotionless as you say this- it was always kinda a crapshoot whether torture worked or not. You didn't have a whole lot of options at the moment, though.

Cont.

>>516369
He says something muffled through his gag, but you're unable to make it out. Hmmm...ah.

Without preamble, you take his right arm. Your hand isn't glowing anymore, but you don't need it to.

“Sure you don't wanna say anything?” You look at him closer. There's clear fear in his eyes, and he's shaking his head to try and get his face away from you. At least, you're presuming that that's not simply a no. You give him another jolt just to be sure, and remove his gag again. “I can't say nothin', I won't say nothin'...”

You replace the cloth, and with a simple flex, you can hear his arm break, as he shrieks beneath the gag. You pull it off again once he's done. “Positive of that?”

“Nn-noo....no, no, no, not like this, no...” Geez. You just asked a question. Ah well. Time for another one.

“Next target. Do you know it?” you ask. He gives you a tear-stained stare. You just stare at him for a few seconds, as you hear the crowd behind you getting restless. Great. You're running low on time.

However, he lets out groan and cracks, breathing hard. “S-somewhere...north Alban. Dunno where. H-he kept talking about it...” he swallows a mouthful of air. “But nothin' else. I can't tell you NOTHIN' ELSE!”

Damnit, he's getting too loud and the crowd's getting too antsy.

>Call it done. End him yourself.
>Turn him back over to the crowd, let them finish up.
>Bring him to the guard. Crowd won't like it, but eh.
>Other.

>>516377
>Call it done. End him yourself.

Good enough. This leaves a bitter taste in my mouth already. No burning for him.

>>516377
>>Call it done. End him yourself.
We told him we'd make it quick if he played ball, and a mercenary lives and dies by her word. The crowd can suck it up, we're not here to make them feel better.

>>516377
>>Call it done. End him yourself.
Take his jaw off before we go. If he wanted to keep it, he should have used it to tell us more information.

>>516377
> just leave
Sure would like a map OP

>>516441
Yeah, I need to find a decent mapmaking tool.

>>516446
This place doesn't need a decent map. Make a shitty one in paint.

>>516453
Fair enough.

Also, hey, I just put the option of 'ask questions'. Anons gave the details of how to go about it. (No offense meant. Interesting direction.)

>>516377
>Turn him back over to the crowd, let them finish up.
>Other
"You should probably puncture a lung to keep him from screaming. If you just stick with the gag, it'll burn along with him and eventually he'll be able to scream and make trouble with the guards.
"Don't make my job more difficult."
Make as if committing all of their faces to memory.

File: Basic Basic Map.png (17 KB, 800x600)

17 KB PNG

I made a map. It's not a good one. Take it as approximate, not exact.

>>516589
It's beautiful.

File: Basic Basic Map With More(...).png (19 KB, 800x600)

19 KB PNG

>>516605
I actually forgot some cities, looking at my internal notes. Here.

>>516377
Well...it'll have to do. It was decent enough information, and a promise is a promise. “Alright then. That's all I'll ask of you. I appreciate your relative cooperation.”

And so you snap his neck. It's quick, it's painless, as far as you know, and he falls to the ground limp.

“Hey! What the- you just- we were gonna burn him, you-” the lady shuts up as soon as you turn around.

“I said it'd end better for him. It did.” That's all you feel needs to be said, and you begin walking back out of the side way. “What you do with the body is up to you. Thank you for the assistance.”

With everyone giving you a wide berth, you're back on the main roads. Now with the information you have, it seems that both the adventurers and the Red-Bodied will be heading to north Alban. This could end up very well for you, if you play your cards right. If they could both be convinced to head to the same place... you'd just have to make sure that everything's set up, if you want to play it that way.

The question is, do you? What's the plan of action from here?

>Two birds, one stone. It'll take some efforts at manipulation, but it'll save you the trouble of hunting down a pair of roaming enemies if you can make enough waves to draw them to you.
>The information that you have should be sufficient for hunting down the marauders. Or at least one camp. If you have to hunt down all of their camps one by one, however, so be it.
>You still need a bit more information. Continue investigating here and in Blake's Landing.
>Other

>>516708
>>You still need a bit more information. Continue investigating here and in Blake's Landing.

>>516708
>You still need a bit more information. Continue investigating here and in Blake's Landing.

>>516708
>The information that you have should be sufficient for hunting down the marauders. Or at least one camp. If you have to hunt down all of their camps one by one, however, so be it.
Take them down separately. Sure, it's more effort on our part, but it makes sure that they don't team up against us.

>>516708
>>You still need a bit more information. Continue investigating here and in Blake's Landing.

>>You still need a bit more information. Continue investigating here and in Blake's Landing.

Writing. Sorry about the delay.

...I'm having more fun than I expected running this.

>>516744
>it makes sure that they don't team up against us.
I'm not really sure we need to regard being overpowered as an operating concern here. That said, I definitely think that going off on a goose chase after one bandit camp at a time is a waste of time and effort.

So we should:
>You still need a bit more information. Continue investigating here and in Blake's Landing.
With a view towards later:
>Two birds, one stone. It'll take some efforts at manipulation, but it'll save you the trouble of hunting down a pair of roaming enemies if you can make enough waves to draw them to you.

>>516708
No, no. Don't lose yourself just because you've gotten some new information. There's still more you can look into to make absolutely certain you're not just going to end up going in circles. You still need to investigate a few things here, and then it'd be best to head towards Blake's Landing.

There's a few more things you could do here, if you felt like it. You're not sure what's up with the Flameguard thing- you have your suspicions, but maybe it might be worthwhile to stick around in secret? They don't want you within their walls come the night, it sounded like. Which would be fine. You had gear to camp out, if necessary. If they were related to Horinth, then learning something more about the kingdom proper might be worthwhile down the line.

Another thing would be to try and get an audience with the mayor- Gerald did say that he was around here somewhere, and you have an idea that he'd likely know one or two more things than Gerald did about the situation at Blake's Landing, if what he'd said earlier was any indication.

Alternatively, you could take a look around the outer walls where the majority of the fighting was. Possibly requisition one of Gerald's men to assist, even. He DID say they'd help.

>Camp around until tomorrow and spy on the Flameguard.
>Seek out the mayor and talk to him about the incidents here and at Blake's Landing.
>Investigate the surrounding outer wall area and the treeline for any clues.

>>516922
>Seek out the mayor and talk to him about the incidents here and at Blake's Landing.

>>516922
>Seek out the mayor and talk to him about the incidents here and at Blake's Landing.

>>516922
>Seek out the mayor and talk to him about the incidents here and at Blake's Landing.

>>516922
>>Seek out the mayor and talk to him about the incidents here and at Blake's Landing.

>>516922
>Seek out the mayor and talk to him about the incidents here and at Blake's Landing.

...Hm. Faster than normal. Maybe my audience just happens to be a nighttime sort.

Writing.

>>516922
(I got caught up in Youtube videos. Sorry.)

Well, perhaps the mayor would be the best choice. Now if you could just find the man...

It takes you a surprisingly long time to find the man, although part of that you have to attribute to the fact that everyone in town seemingly is going out of their way to avoid you, whether it's patrolling officers or simple civilians. You make an effort at explaining the situation to more than one person, but no one can give a clear-cut answer. One woman even breaks down and runs away when you spot her coming out of her house.

You end up taking about an hour, looking for the mayor, despite the town's size. When you finally find someone willing to point him out, you get the feeling that you might've passed him at least once or twice. He's a stout man, physically bulky, but you get the feeling that little of that mass is actually fat. He's working on lifting a rather large wooden beam, with several other men around doing other work, and the fact that he seems to be doing well of it by himself is a surprising feat. It's at least ten or twelve feet tall, you surmise.

“Excuse me, are you Mayor Renault?” you voice out. The man turns after setting the beam down, and as soon as he gets a look at you, he jumps back, seemingly dropping into a fighting pose on instinct. However, he equally as quickly bounces back, looking around as if to make sure no one saw that. You can see one or two eyeing you warily, so you doubt they blame him for the reaction. “Ah! Uh, yes, yes I am. Who might you be? New member of the Flameguard? We were told you folks weren't to be in until tomorrow...”

You shake your head. “I am Lady Maladis, mercenary for The Knights of the New Moon. I'm here to attempt to resolve your marauder issue. But in order to do that, I need information.”

As you approach, the other men seem to back off a bit, leaving the mayor alone with you, face to face. You can see him beginning to sweat a bit, and if his frozen smile is any indication, you get the feeling it's less from exertion as he'd might like to believe. “I- uh, well, sure! I mean, we'd certainly like to get back at them, so long as none of us are further hurt in the process! I'm not sure what in particular I can tell you, but I'll do my best to help!”

> “What do you know about the assault at Blake's Landing?”
> “Are you aware of anything out of sorts that happened during the assault here? Any unusual weapons or methods?”
> “Can you tell me what's going on with the Flameguard? Will they be involved in tracking these people down, or is the visit for a different reason?”

>>517286
I might forgive you, depending on what they were...

Then again, our judgement, should they be unworthy, will be harsh and unrepentant.

> “What do you know about the assault at Blake's Landing?”
> “Are you aware of anything out of sorts that happened during the assault here? Any unusual weapons or methods?”

Also, are the stat modifications locked in for however long we're in this realm, or can we take off items for certain times and conversations? I wouldn't mind talking to Gerald over a bit of wine to compare and contrast.

>>517286
>Are you aware of anything out of sorts that happened during the assault here? Any unusual weapons or methods?”
> “Can you tell me what's going on with the Flameguard? Will they be involved in tracking these people down, or is the visit for a different reason?”
> “What do you know about the assault at Blake's Landing?”
Get ALL the information.

>>517286
>> “Can you tell me what's going on with the Flameguard? Will they be involved in tracking these people down, or is the visit for a different reason?”

>>517331
Stat mods are locked in on transport.

>>517336
This

>>517367
Dang.

Ah well.

Writing.

>>517286
“There's a few things that I'm interested in figuring out.” you mention. He nods and wipes a bit of sweat off his brow.

“Well, er, I suppose I can take a bit of a break, then, if you insist...” You didn't, you just wanted questions answered. Still, he walks over to a small nearby water basin, and gets a small mug of water which he drinks from as he sits down nearby. You follow, but you'd prefer to remain standing. “Alright, then, what's to know?”

“What do you know about the assault at Blake's Landing?” He gives you a look, and then shrugs.

“Well,-”

“All of it, I mean,” you interrupt. “Including the parts that Captain Gerald wasn't privy to.”

He freezes, then after a long moment, sighs. “...Well, dangit. I dunno if I can tell you that much. Would mean my head if it got out that anyone else knew...heck, I only know because I got decent connections in Blake's Landing. They're tryin' real hard to keep the details on that under wraps. And for a good reason.” He looks out at the working men. “Apparently something BIG hit that place. Size-wise, not just in fanciful terms. Dunno what, or how. The Flameguard's not letting anyone but vital messengers in or out of Blake's Landing, and frankly I'm hoping that my source that told me so isn't without his head right now. I suspect they're coming here to set up a similar situation.”

Hm. That may make things a bit harder to look in to there. “So this wasn't just a random marauder attack for supplies.” It's more a statement than question.

Renault nods. “Heck, I suspect our raid was more to keep us out of their business at Blake's than anything else.”

Hmm...how to press on that... “So are you aware of anything out of sorts that happened during the assault here, then? Any unusual weapons or methods that you might think worth silence?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing as far as the reports I got. Basic raid, used arrows, fire, steel, and massive numbers. Don't get me wrong, I call it 'basic', but I'd rather not have had it happen at all. Even a 'basic' raid is a lot for us to deal with, since we don't have the biggest militia. I suspect when the Flameguard get here they'll call that bolstering our forces, feh!” Renault snorts. “They're just planning on keeping an eye on us, just believe you me!

cont.

>>517552
“Hm...will they be involved in tracking these people down, do you think?” You can't help but mull on it. Perhaps if whatever they were doing drew the ire of Horinth...

“Oh, I know so,” Renault says easily. “Whatever those people did, it happened in Horinth territory. Blake's Landing...I wish I knew how bad it was, but I don't know for certain that Horinth's military will do everything in their power to flush the marauders out, and likely try to put them to the sword.”

“You don't sound very confident in that,” you note.

“I wish I could be, but Blake's Landing has... or had, a solid garrison of Capital forces and Flameguard in it. The fact that it's been said that the numbers have been thinned out as badly as they have- just hearsay, but if it's even remotely true, then whatever they've got with them is capable of packing a real punch to it.” He looks around, and then starts to lean towards you- but thinks better of it. Instead he merely lowers his voice. “My thoughts? Those blaggards managed to convince a giant to work with them. Even the best of Flameguard men can't exactly stand up to a giant's fists...”

>"Giants? Really?"
>"Well, regardless of what happened, I'll handle it."
>"I doubt so. We'll see."
>Other

>>517559
>"Giants? Really?"

>>517559
>>"Well, regardless of what happened, I'll handle it."

>>517559
>"Giants? Really?"
>"Well, regardless of what happened, I'll handle it."

>>517559
>"Well, regardless of what happened, I'll handle it."

>>517559
>>"Well, regardless of what happened, I'll handle it."
I wanna see a giant and a dragon fight.

>>517559

"Hm. Giants? Really?" Well, considering there were dragons...

"Oh, yeah, the only thing what makes sense to me." Renault nods in certainty. "Big as folks are saying, and somehow being able to go and cause so much destruction despite some of the best warriors in Horinth living around there? Why, giants is the only thing I can think of, aside from perhaps an elder dragon- and no one's seen one of those for the last fifty or so years. Nope, someone offered a big lug plenty of ale and meat is my guess, and got 'im to do their dirty work for whatever reason those heathens might well have. Why, I can't say, but at this rate, I'm not one to ask questions about it. I just want my people safe and secure. I'd rather not have the Flameguard take the place over, mind- they're quite capable warriors, but they're not exactly the most pleasant fellows. Still, it's looking like it's coming to that until they manage to amass enough force to take the them down- make no mistake, m'am- I'm certainly not disparaging whatever skills you might possess!" he disclaims in a hurry, "Simply it's a matter of numbers, y'see. You say you're with the New Moon- so I'm hoping you'd have some strong backup to call in before you go hunting these fellows."

"How big are these giants?" You ask.

He looks at you with a humorless grin. "Ah, never seen one in person, haveya? Well, good. They're reclusive, after all, and better for everyone that they are. At any rate, they're at the smallest a solid twenty feet. As the stories go, the largest one has gotten up to fifty. I shudder to imagine if there's any taller."
Interesting. "Nothing upstairs on 'em, though. They're simple minds, despite the looks of a normal man. Idiots, to a one. Focused only on eating and sleeping, unless they get a taste for anything else- like destruction." Ooh, scary. At any rate, even if you have the best swordplay in the nation and mystic arts that rival the legends of old, I wouldn't risk goin' against a giant. They're impossible foes in one on one combat to anything that's not a dragon."

Well, dragons, and likely you. "I appreciate the warning, but I'm confident in my abilities. Regardless of what happened, I'll handle it."

He actually laughs at this. "Ahahaha! Sure thing, miss Maladis, and I'll be sure to have a bucket for your remains." You have to resist the urge to glare at him for that one- but he seems to realize he overstepped as his face takes on an unusual coloration. "Ah, er, that is to say, sorry- again, not disparaging your skills, just it's not...it's not possible! No man or army alive has killed a giant in combat- wounded, certainly, driven off, several times, but not killed! It's sheer suicide." You get up, seemingly ignoring him. You can hear him scoff behind you. "Suicide, I tell you!"

You stop walking only briefly. "There's no profit in suicide, Mayor Renault."

You think you've about gotten all the pertinent information here that's available. Next stop, Blake's Landing.

That'll do it for tonight. Geez, 150 posts. Thanks for playing, everyone. I MAY not run tomorrow- I've got a few things on the docket. Tuesday should be fine, however. Look forward to the next thread.

>>517650
See you when you get back.

>>517648
>No man or army alive has killed a giant in combat
Ah, but we are neither, are we?

>>517868
>No man
>In Combat
Indeed

Let's go find this giant and kick him in the dick! If it's a chick then kick her in the cunt!

I always wanted to kick a giant in the nads.

>>517650
catched up just now, and boy, this is interesting. good work QM.

>>520292
If giant nads were vulnerable weak spots, they would have been attacked ruthlessly by entire armies and a giant would have died already.

>>520300
How do you think they manage to run them off despite being unable to pose a killing threat to them?

Hi! Not gonna make another thread too soon since I don't wanna run up against the thread limit, sorry. Anyway, we're back!

>>517648
Upon reaching the town borders, you take a look at the map again- it's not very far a trip. However, taking a look at the sky, you realize that there's actually not a whole lot of daylight left- evening's come and snuck up on you, you suppose. That might be a bit of an issue. You're not particularly tired at the moment, but the matter of rest is important.

You could just try to book it for Blake's Landing- you likely could make it in about a half hour if you rush- but it sounded like it would be difficult to get in even under broad daylight, much less how it is now. Not to mention most pertinent informants might be asleep, or approaching it. Then again, it's possible you might be able to sneak in and get a look around places you'd otherwise not be allowed...it sounded like the entire town was under close watch.

Perhaps you could just camp out in the wilds. Provided you set up right, there's little that could threaten you. You certainly have the supplies for it, although you suspect they were meant to last you more for hunting the adventurers than this. Still, it'd allow you to get to Blake's Landing bright and early in the morning.

Of course, there's always the New Moon fortress. It's a little ways back- it'll most certainly be nightfall by the time you get there- but it's pretty much guaranteed safety, right? With the marauders going north, the Flameguard focusing on Hatham's Hold and Blake's Landing, and the adventurers somewhere in Alban, you should be fine there.

>Book it to Blake's Landing, we'll find a place to rest later.
>Find somewhere relatively safe to camp out, and get a solid start early tomorrow.
>Head back and ask sanctuary in the New Moon fortress.
>Other

>>520465
>>Find somewhere relatively safe to camp out, and get a solid start early tomorrow.

>>520465
>>Book it to Blake's Landing, we'll find a place to rest later.

I like the idea of sneaking around at night.

>>520465
>>Find somewhere relatively safe to camp out, and get a solid start early tomorrow.
Can we set a magical alarm trap around our campsite?

>>520480
Yes. Basic warding spells aren't that difficult for you. Size may be a factor, depending.

>>520489
Even accounting the increased amount of mana on this plane? Just make it large enough that we have time to get ready.

>>520465
>Head back and ask sanctuary in the New Moon fortress.
Also to introduce ourselves and to question them about the Flameguard.

>>520501
I don't think we need to micro-manage this. She did mention setting up the camp right, and a ward or something similar is likely a part of that.

Camping under the stars it is. Writing!

Rolled 13 (1d20)

Nah, best to stay on task. You won't be spending the whole week's worth of supplies in one or two nights, and even if you do, you do have a bit of emergency money in order to buy local supplies, should it come down to that. Time to pick a good camping spot.

As you search, you have to keep in mind that the Flameguard would be coming to Hatham's Hold by tomorrow- likely morning or noon. Rather not take any risks. Considering the distance and relative location, those forces would likely be making a beeline for Hatham's, so better to be off that path. It takes a while, but eventually you manage to find a decently hilly location just a little ways southwest of Hatham's Hold. It's no cavern, but you'll make do. There's one area that seems to be something resembling a cliff- even if it's not a very high one, it'll do.

Setting up warding circles is rarely a problem, and this time proves no different- although it's more of a elliptical, really...eh, semantics. Either way, you should be woken up well before any potential attacker could get within eyesight.

Your tent isn't one of those automatic setup sorts, and part of you wishes it was. Still, it's good enough- the cloth color matches the environment fairly well, and after taking a bit of rationed food (some kind of hard bread that softened well enough once it was in your mouth, and some salty meat and dried fruit) you nestle down for the night...

(Rolling to see what, if anything, wakes you up...random (or as I like to call them, 'interesting') encounters are the only thing I'll use dice for.)

>>520539

At some point, your jolt out of your rest with a faint, glowing buzz.

Rats. The alarm was tripped. Somewhere...somewhere on the western edge of it. Possibly coming from deeper in Horinth, then, not outside. And...coming closer, too. Slowly, though, like they're picking their way through the forest hills carefully. They might stumble upon your campsite- although you hadn't bothered to make a fire or anything- it was fairly comfortable out tonight, and you went right to sleep anyway.

Still, it was a plausible scenario. Thing is, what to do about it?

>Go out in their direction, meet them first.
>Let them come in closer, see if they pass or spot you.

>>520559
>>Let them come in closer, see if they pass or spot you.

>>520559
>Let them come in closer, see if they pass or spot you.

>>520559
>>Let them come in closer, see if they pass or spot you.

>>520559
>Let them come in closer, see if they pass or spot you.

It's a good night to kill.

A warrior's greatest weapon...is patience.
Writing.

>>520559
Best to just wait it out, perhaps. They may not even notice, saving you a bit of headache. You keep in your tent, but your ears are peeled, and you're tensed to move, just in case.

Soon enough, you can hear footsteps, and voices, to boot. Two of them, sounds like. You're at the top of a hill that terminates into a cliff- the voices seem to be coming from the bottom. Suddenly there's a massive rustling, and a yelp. The other voice picks up, and you can start to hear them more clearly.

“...tell ya, you need to watch yer step. This ain't the plains, man!” The first guy sounds worried and rushed.

The other one sounds younger. “I know, I know! But I toldja, I'm not a traveler, I'm educated! I stay indoors!” A pause. “...fine. Not a scratch, just shaken. These hills are horrid.”

“Yeah, well, get used to 'em. Better this than locked down back at Blake's, eh? Or would you prefer gettin' told when to eat, sleep, and sneeze? C'mon, we don't wanna get hit by bandits 'fore the border.” You can hear them clearing away some tree branches. “Don't think there's any 'round, but best to be safe.”

“You sure they'll take us in?” the second guy asks. “Thought they didn't like our sort on the whole”

“Bah, even if they don't, there's so few of 'em, they're hard up for anyone these days. Brainy book fella like you and a guy in the know like me? Quick as a wink, man. We'll be cushy being in the back end of the whole thing, until this whole war issue blows over once and for all, and...what? Whatcha lookin' at... oh, cr-” and there's silence.

Huh. Think they saw your tent.

>Introduce yourself.
>Let them pass on by.
>Other.

>>520654
>Introduce yourself.
>Interrogate them. Nicely.
Oh, sounds like they came from Blake's Landing.
Remember the three standards of a professional:
1. Be Polite
2. Be Efficient
3. Have a Plan to Kill Everyone We Meet

>>520654
>>Introduce yourself.

>>520654
>Introduce yourself.

Writing.

>>520654
Might as well say hello. From what it sounded like, they might be able to give some information about your latest destination.

Making an attempt to be as calm as possible, you step out of the tent. It's still moonlight out, and once you get to the foot of the hill, you can see them leaning close to the ground, in a crouching walk, trying desperately not to be too loud. One of them is clad in a tattered cloak and hood, but you can't get a solid view of anything underneath. The other one seems to be much more well-dressed, in a vest and undershirt, and a well-tailored pair of pants and belt. He clearly has a youthful face.

The well-dressed one turns towards you on instinct- and his face goes white. Before he can scream, however, you hold up your hand. “Calm down. I'm not going to kill you or anything.”

The other one jolts at that, and you see a flash of metal as he turns to face you- he's got something on him, but you're not sure what- likely just a dagger, though. He keeps his right hand hidden, however, as he eyes you in clear terror. You can see that he's a bit more pudgy, and short haired, with stubble. It takes a bit before either of them speak, but it's the tattered one that does so first. “...yeah? Then you'll let us be on our way?”

“Not quite yet,” you correct. “You can call me Lady Maladis,” you say as you begin to walk towards them. They both take a step back, but say nothing as you stop a respectable distance away.

The tattered man looks left and right, as if searching for a way out, before he responds. “Yeah, yeah, right. Uh, hey-”

The younger man interrupts with nervous hope on his face. “Well, uh, thank you for not murdering us! I am Bentley, this is Franci-”

“YOU DAFT IJIT- don't just...!” He turns between you and Bentley, seemingly not knowing who to focus on, before he finally focuses on you and holds his hands out placatingly. “Sorry, terribly sorry, but we're kinda in a hurry, y'see...”

You nod. “Yes, I heard. Something about would rather be out here than in Blake's Landing?”

“Right, right,” Bentley nods. “We're from there, y'see, and there's been a whole big thing that's happened. Bandits went and-”

“I'm aware of that much,” you interrupt. “Might I ask where you're heading?”

Francis grumbles a bit, mulling over the question. “Well...y'ever heard of The Knights of the New Moon? Little outfit, tryin' to keep outta the major fightin'. We figure we could sign up with them, lay low for a bit. I know they got a place out in the frontier lands. We're findin' it.” He looks towards Bentley. "And WE NEED TO GO before the Flameguard realizes we skipped town and sends the hounds after us!"

Huh. Fancy that.

>Point them in the right direction.
>Say nothing.
>Ask further questions.

>>520800
>Ask further questions.
"And WHY would the Flameguard be after you? Saw something that they'd rather people didn't know about?"

>>520800
>>Ask further questions.
>>Also, I might know where to look for the Knights

Hm. Wonder where everyone went.

>>520872
I hope you're writing, not waiting for more questions.

>>520883
I think he's wondering why you didn't vote if you're here.

>>520883
No, I am, just didn't actually 'say' writing. That and I'm trying to help my mom with comp troubles over the phone at the same time.

>>520902
>help my mom with comp troubles over the phone
Oh god, I know how terrible that can be.
If you can, get her a cheap webcam and set her up with Skype, maybe also use Logmein, or some other remote control service.

I found that when I can see the messages on the screen and what she's actually doing helps me when my parents have computer problems.
Also, if she's got a smartphone, also set that up with Skype too, so that if the problem on the computer prevents Skype from working there, you can have her hold her phone up to the computer's monitor to help you troubleshoot. Also helps when you need to look at the router or cable modem.

>>520800
Hm. Runaways, as you expected. The question, then... “Alright, then. Makes sense to me.”

They both sigh in relief, nodding. “Yeah, it does.” Francis says, “So if'n you don't mind too much, m'lady, I'm sorry, but-”

“You're not leaving quite just yet. I do have one or two questions for you.” you state.

Francis lets out a sound that's you'd call a strange mix between a growl and a whine. “Awwww, for the love of- alright, what is it?”

“Simple. Just why is the Flameguard after you? Simply because that's the punishment for leaving when they didn't want you to, or is there something more to it?” You look at them both carefully while asking this. Just judging from how they'd been acting, they wouldn't exactly be keen on up and telling someone unless it was really heavy stuff.

Bentley tries to keep his eyes from meeting yours, while Francis looks directly at Bentley when he speaks. “Nothin' you need to worry about, Miss. It's just a bit of a problem we're trying to avoid, considering the situation at hand.” Yeaaaahhh...you're not really buying that. However, an idea forms in your head.

You do your best to keep an unaffected tone in your voice. “Is that so? Shame, then. I might know where to look for the Knights.”

The quick look Francis gives you tells you what you expected as you continue. “In the name of mutual honesty and fair trade, I would consider telling you their location if you'd known anything of interest going on there before I had to go their myself. I'm a mercenary, you see.” They try their best to avoid jumping in fear, but it only partially works. “And I'm investigating the incident at Blake's Landing. I plan to attempt to speak to the forces there, and...well, if it turns out that you're criminals that know something...”

“Right!” Huh. Francis suddenly looks a lot more cheery. And sweaty. Fancy that. “Well, fortunate for you, I came to recall a little something, there, eheheh...see, we was in the thick of it during that whole mess, right? Afterwards during cleanup, me and Bent were going through our possessions. As it happens, earlier this evenin', Bentley here- uh, tell 'er, Bentley!”

“Ah! Yes, yes of course!” He pulls out what seems to be a sort of...amulet? It's got a strange engraving on it- reminds you of a stylized bull's head with a mane behind it. The eyes seem to be inlaid with two rubies. “This is something we found. No clue what it is...but someone found one like this one right after the fight, and...well, he's been under lock and key now. Guarded all around the clock by a TON of Flameguard, can't leave his own house, and had the thing confiscated.”

cont.

>>520946
“So you decided to run to avoid that?” you ask, raising an eyebrow.

“They know there's two- the unlucky sod said that he saw two fly off the 'big metal thing' right before they put him in irons, and have been searching folks all day since they found the one. We decided to not risk it.” Francis explains."

"It's interesting, whatever it is. I'm loathe to just throw it away, and I'm curious as to its purpose. It's a bit of a fault of mine- I'm a scholar, so things like this are fascinating to me.” Bentley adds.

Francis looks back in the direction they came. “There- toldja the story. So then, can we-”

>"Fine, go. Let me show you where- I have a map."
>"Understandable, but that amulet looks dangerous. For you, I mean. Hand it over." (Intimidation)
>"So then, do you think this came from the bandits themselves? It seems magic might be in play here."
>Other

>>520952
>Other
"'Big metal thing'? Did you see it, can you describe it?"
Always keep open the possibility that it's another inter-dimensional operator working for a rival company.

>>520952
>>"So then, do you think this came from the bandits themselves? It seems magic might be in play here."

>>520952
>>"Understandable, but that amulet looks dangerous. For you, I mean. Hand it over." (Intimidation)

>>520952
>>"So then, do you think this came from the bandits themselves? It seems magic might be in play here."

Do we have some way of sensing stuff like that?

>>520968
Not if it's local. Other folks and residual magic that originates from out of the native dimension (like The Intersection) tend to give off a feeling akin to standing close to a thumping speaker to each other, though. With less physical vibration.

>>520952
“-So, do you think this actually came from the bandits themselves?” you ask without missing a beat. Francis makes a grimacing face that you're not sure whether to laugh at or what, while Bentley still seems nervous but excited.

“Well, if I'm going to be honest, I can't believe so. Most things raiders have are scavenged from others- they rarely have the base materials to craft things themselves- and for something as elaborate as this?” He shakes his head. “No, no, I feel like they acquired these from somewhere. That or that giant thing had them already, in which case...I don't know,” he finishes lamely.

“I ask because it seems as though magic is in play here. A hunch, if you will.” you explain.

Bentley seems to take a moment to think on it while Francis taps his feet in impatience. “Well...I'd imagine that's a possibility, but...magic for what purpose? Power? Control? Something else? I'd need to do some heavy research to know for certain.”

“Then perhaps-” Before you can continue, however, you suddenly hear a howl in the distance. The two runaways blanch, and immediately make to move, Francis swearing the whole time.

“Dammit, Bentley! I told you we needed to get a move on! They found us gone, and now they're gonna put us in stocks if they find us HERE, if not run us right the hell through!”

>Offer to distract the manhunters while they get some more distance.
>Yank the amulet off them and shoo them. It might be useful.
> “Good luck.”
>Other

>>521019
>>Yank the amulet off them and shoo them. It might be useful.

>>521019
>Other
Give them directions to the Knight's fortress and to tell them Lady Maladis sent them, and the pass phrase to get in. We'll stay here and distract/kill the Flameguard trackers.

Writing.

>>521067
How do rival contractors and operators work?
Are there other multi-timeline organizations besides The Intersection?
Are there rules in place to prevent contractors of different Intersection companies from coming in to conflict with each other while outside?

>>521092
Without warning, you reach in and snatch the amulet from Bentley's hands. He's gobsmacked as he blinks between where the amulet was and now where it is. “Hey, what the-”

“The Knight's fortress is here,” you say, showing them the map. “You're going in slightly the wrong direction- go more south and you should be able to see it. Tell them Lady Maladis sent you- the Knights likely have sent word of me. There's also a passphrase you'll need: ''The Moon knows only itself.' Understand?”

They nod quickly, and you make a quick motion to shoo them off. They comply.

As you hear again the sound of the howling, your mind is racing with how to distract them. Obviously you could just kill them off, but then again you might could just try to talk to them, convince them to turn back, or find some way to lead them on a wild goose chase...

After a long few minutes, you can actually begin to see them emerging as you observe from your campsite.

It's a group of about five, three of them with large, fierce looking dogs. They're all decked out in red-colored armor, and they all have longswords and shields. Unlike the two runaways, these people seem to notice you nearly immediately, their dogs baying at you. They seem to pause briefly, trying to judge what your purpose is here, you can presume. You can see them look at each other in silent confusion before one of them (the only one with a yellow sash, you now notice) points his sword towards you in way of getting your attention.

“Hail there!” He speaks solidly, with no waver in his voice. “You are traveling these lands, we presume. Have you seen two fugitives from the law pass by? One deceptively well-cut, the other a grotesquely large rat of a man.”

Huh. They weren't THAT ugly. “Why are you looking?” you ask.

“I'm afraid that that is not to be known to those not of the Flameguard. Such knowledge is punishable by imprisonment,” he states coldly, “and those two are to be questioned.” He pauses. “Just who do I speak to?”

“I am Lady Maladis, and...”

> “I saw them. They said something about heading north to try to make Alban's borders.”
> “I was sleeping before I heard your hounds. If they were out here, I haven't seen them.
> “I saw them, but that was quite some time ago. They are likely long gone.”
> “I cannot risk letting you confront them. (Attack)
>Other

>>521092

Whoop, that was meant to link back to >>521019

Still, as for YOUR questions:
>>521092

The Intersection is a place of existence/non-existence. It is inbetween, outside, and inside spacetime. Miranda works for Silver Eye Solutions, and yes, there's more agencies than them. SES isn't even a large one. The BIG boys are called Interdiction, and there are at least 20 working under them. Then there's Flashpoint, and Dynamic Methods. It's largely a first come, first serve thing. There are/have been cases of rival companies butting in on jobs, but it's rare and due to how things operate, generally involves two 'agents' getting someone to pay for separate mercs. If that happens...welp. Whoever confirms the job first gets the cash. Other than that...

Did I miss anything?

>>521116
>> "I need your knowledge, the punishment for not sharing such is slow and painfull death." (Intimidate while still preparing for combat)

>>521129
This
We Need to find out where those marauders are so we can get bigger requests and more gold. Make our handler proud.

>>521116
> “I saw them, but that was quite some time ago. They are likely long gone.”

Doubt we can fool them with the other answers, and we probably aren't cleared by our client to open direct hostilities against the Flameguard. Better safe than sorry.

>>521116
> “I was sleeping before I heard your hounds. If they were out here, I haven't seen them.

>>521126
So there's no rules as to how agents should treat each other when found to be working opposite sides of a conflict?

Also, you didn't answer if there were any other groups or civilizations outside the Intersection that have mastered interdimensional travel and that might be out here.

>>521174
Oh. I misread. Sorry.

Generally, if two agents meet on opposite sides, injury is considered expected, but it's considered extremely poor form to kill a rival agent- if unavoidable in certain situations. A severe penalty is levied against both the offending party and the group they work for, both monetarily and in regards to their job acceptance permissions, equipment services granted to them, and in the most extreme of cases, ejection from The Intersection.

As for other civilizations, none that are known. It's entirely possible there's a race capable of interdimensional travel, but they haven't come across the Deal-Makers yet or vice versa.

Writing, FYI. Scary monster tactics, apparently.

>>520669
This guy gets it.

>>521116
“...I'm afraid I need your knowledge,” you state. Best way to make sure they don't catch those two, as far as you figure, would be to make sure they believe they have a more pressing matter to deal with. You start calmly walking towards them.

“Miss Maladis, as I stated, you are not cleared to be privy to that knowledge.” You see several hands move towards swords subtly. Seems they're all expecting a fight. “If you keep insisting... I will have to consider you a person of suspicion, a-and take you in.” The brief judder in his voice wasn't missed by you, and they've yet to move as you reach the bottom of the hill.

As you put a glow to your hands, you can tell the eyes suddenly on them, even if you can't see the faces themselves. “This is a very simple matter, gentlemen. I need to know where those marauders went to. I need to know what was the giant thing that assaulted Blake's Landing. And I need to know what they're after. Simple questions, simple answers.” Your hands glows brighter. “And if you cannot answer those simple questions...” You raise a hand and fire off a magic bolt- quarter strength.

It promptly rips through the forest, screaming past the unlucky soldier furthest to your left, shearing THROUGH a tree trunk about twenty or thirty feet away from him, and detonating on another one further back, which rips a hole in the trunk and some of the ground. The forest echoes with shuddering, snapping, and creaking as the two mighty trees splinter, crack, and topple over.

The men IMMEDIATELY take several steps back, swords out, shields up.

“That's...we can't...” the captain is trying to say something, but he seems to be having a hard time-

“We don't know!” One of them suddenly cries- oh wait, it's the one on the left. “We- we've gotten reports, rumors that they're headed straight through the Wildlands for Alban! Word is they plan to assault west Alban, around Tenimbaum! We don't know what they had, we think it's an Iron Golem- straight out the legends!”

“EVANDER!” the captain shouts in rage.

“SIR!” Evander shouts back just as hotly. “She's after them too! If she wants to go after those thugs, THAT THING, let her! Better her than us!”

“And let her spread word to everyone and their mother that suddenly the Great Creations walk the earth!? Under the control of ravaging marauders, no less?!” The Captain shouts. He turns to you. “For the sake of keeping the peace in Horinth...I will have to ask you to come with us.” He levels his sword at you. It doesn't waver.

“Sir, please...” Evander tries to say. The others simply stay on guard.

> "All I needed to know. Thank you for your cooperation." Bounce. Literally. You can outrun these guys easy. (you're not gonna have a tent anymore, though...)
> "No." Let him make the first move.
> "I have no intention of bothering anyone about that. My job is to kill the marauders and their affiliated. Nothing else."
>Other

>>521258
>Other
"Captain, for the sake of you and your men, stop and think: are you really going to have them charge into certain death and failure?
"I'm showing you professional courtesy here, so please don't squander it. I will only say this once: leave, go back to Blake's Landing, and do not interfere with my mission."

>>521258

> "I have no intention of bothering anyone about that. My job is to kill the marauders and their affiliated. Nothing else."

>>521258
> "I have no intention of bothering anyone about that. My job is to kill the marauders and their affiliated. Nothing else."

When this fails, kill them all. No way in hell am I leaving my tent.

...I dropped my trip.

>>521270
Let's not be hasty.
Evander seems like he has a good head on his shoulders; he was able to accurately determine the chances of their success against us, and that it was a better strategic move to let someone obviously much more powerful than them to have a crack at an Iron Golem, in the hopes that we mutually destroy each other.

He might be smart enough to not attack us.
If he doesn't, no need to expend extra effort to kill him.

>>521258
>> "I have no intention of bothering anyone about that. My job is to kill the marauders and their affiliated. Nothing else."

Giving them one last chance to see reason.

Writing.

>>521258
“Let me be quite frank,” you insist. “I have no intention of bothering anyone about that. If you're so concerned about news of Great Creations getting out, I assure you- I have a job. That job is to kill the marauders and those associated with them. That's all.” Well, that's all that they need to know, anyway.

“And how can we be sure of your silence?!” The man yells. Geez, he's antsy. “We'd have naught but your word, and we've no proof that your word is good. For all we're aware, you're a Alban spy or something akin. Perhaps one of those New Moon kooks? It matters not.” Kooks? “You're coming with us whether you care to or no!” Ah, great. Guess-

“Sire...”

Everyone turns to the new voice. It's the one directly to his right. He's still in a defensive stance, but he's got a light voice, dripping with hastened curiosity. “To be able to channel mystic power like that...I'm starting to think...perhaps we can come to an agreement?”

The captain sputters. “Agreement!? What kind of-”

“The way she said she 'has a job'. That, and no Albanian accent. Her armor, her calm movements...” he looks carefully at you. “Aside from your strength, I suspect that your loyalty is...malleable. Dare I say, 'purchasable'. Am I wrong?”

Huh. That wasn't expected.

> “Sorry, but at the moment my services aren't for sale.”
> “You may not be incorrect.”
> “Depends on what you'd want from me.”
> Other

>>521327
Well, as long as they aren't going to ask anything that would contradict our primary contract, I don't see any reason not to take a side job. More work = more $$$.
> “Depends on what you'd want from me.”

>>521327
> “Sorry, but at the moment my services aren't for sale.”

Multiple standing contracts are...frowned upon in my group.

>>521327
>> “Depends on what you'd want from me. Company policy will reduce possible agreements.”

>>521327
> “Sorry, but at the moment my services aren't for sale.”

The contract has already been sealed. It would be poor form to accept a counter offer mid-job. Maybe when our current job is all done we can listen.

>>521327
>“Depends on what you'd want from me.”
We're open to side jobs, so long as they don't interfere too much with our primary contract.

Hearing the man out. Writing.

>>521386
Hmmmm...this was curious. What could they be after that might convince one of them that the services of a mercenary would be worthwhile? “Depends on what you'd want from me,” you tell them. “My company's policy will reduce possible...agreements.”

He chuckles. “Well then, I suppose there's only one way to know, eh? We do not need anyone murdered, however, beyond our...mutual target.” he acknowledges. The captain merely huffs as he continues. “What we're looking for is something more...valuable to Horinth as a whole. It would be horribly gauche of me to say so here and now- not to mention it would be rather...impossible to understand without visual aid. Suffice to say, we're looking for a relic.”

“Artifact?” you question.

“Yes. I am forbidden from saying more- however, our Lord-Commander Thaddeus would be able to give you more information, if you are interested. He is currently in Taskstone, using the city as a headquarters for the war effort. Tell him Marche recommended you to the task.”

Ahhh. So it was ancient artifact hunt. Those were never too bad. A bit boring sometimes, but never too bad. "And the pay?"

"Name your price. It has eluded us for centuries." You get the feeling that Marche is grinning underneath his helmet.

>"Alright. You've got my interest. I'll look into it- AFTER I'm done with the marauders."
>"Sorry, but that's not quite good enough. Leave- and don't interfere with me anymore."
>Other

>>521418
>Other
"I shall take it under consideration and confer with my office. Now, if that is all, gentlemen, goodnight."

Don't go for this. Remember that the Knights are looking for artifacts too. We don't want to get into a conflicting contract.

>>521429
Supporting

Maybe, maybe not. Writing.

Well, no reason to offend a possible client. "If that's the case, then I'll take it under consideration and confer with my office.” You give them all a hard look. “Now, if that is all, gentlemen...?” No one says anything; Marche merely bows. Even the captain sheathes his sword. “Then goodnight." You walk back into your tent, and before very long the baying of hounds once again fills the air. You wonder if you bought the duo enough time...

Still, nothing for it now. You're starting to wonder what's up with all these artifacts. What would they do? Where were they? You look again at the amulet. This was more than likely one of the artifacts desired, although not the one being sought by the Flameguard. You'll have to keep this one close to you.

For now, however...you're going back to sleep. Although your direction in the morning...you got a decent amount of information out of those guys. Considering you're headed to Blake's Landing in the morning, perhaps you could use this knowledge somehow, if you talk to the right person...

-------

When you wake up again, it's...not quite noon, judging by the sun. You can hear birds chirping and and you can see some forest animals out and about. It's an idllyic scene, but you can't enjoy it for very long. You quickly eat some of your rations, pack up quickly, and with a quick directional check, you're off again. You should make it to Blake's Landing in no time.

And you do. Blake's Landing is a bit bigger than you expected. It's not a small village town, rather, it seems to be an honest to goodness port area. There's stone buildings, not wood, and the place seems large and fortified. At least, if the massive number of soldiers standing in front of the town entrance has anything to do with it.

They cross halberds as soon as they see you approach. "Halt! By order of the High King Darvenius, none are permitted in or out of Blake's Landing without special written exception!"

Oh yeah. That.

>Find another way in. Maybe by the river?
>Convince them that you were told you could come in from Marche. Not exactly what he said, but...
>Introduce yourself as someone who can solve their military problems. You can demonstrate if need be.
>Meh. Head elsewhere for now. You've got more to do. (Where?)
>Other

Gonna call it a night here. I'll write whatever votes win tomorrow.

>>521518
>Find another way in. Maybe by the river?

>>521518
>Find another way in. Maybe by the river?

>Find another way in. Maybe by the river?
No need to name drop so soon. MIght even be counterproductive.

>>521518
>Meh. Head elsewhere for now. You've got more to do. (Where?)

We got info that the marauders have gone to west Alban, perhaps we should report this at the knight fortress and then return to the original job of dealing with the adventurers.

>>521518
>Find another way in. Maybe by the river?

>>521518
>Find another way in. Maybe by the river?

>>521518

You give them a hard stare briefly, but you eventually walk away. It wasn't worth getting into an issue with them- not with so many other soldiers around and possibly getting the attention of someone actually important. There had to be a less guarded way in somewhere...maybe by the river? It wasn't too far away, and it likely terminated within city boundaries, judging by the map.

It takes a while, but eventually you follow the river out a ways, trying your best to stay within the trees in order to avoid suspicion. Seems like there's something for it- you can see what appears to be a port backend, as you expected, with about three docks. It's strongly patrolled, but there DOES seem to be a large collapsed section of wall- marauder caused, no doubt. It's got at least two guards on it, however. They still seem to be taking in boats, as well, judging by one unloading supplies. The captain of the ship seems to be making a commotion, yelling hard at one of the soldiers, but it doesn't seem to be very distracting to anyone else. Eventually, he goes back to his ship, grumbling all the while. The wall itself seems to lead around the city a bit, but you can't see any major buildings.

There's one building that seems unguarded on the outside, and it seems to be connected to the wall as well. It'd look like the best possible method, but you've no clue what's inside it. For all you know you'd be walking right into a barracks or something.

Getting in here might be possible, but it'll be hard...

>Try to sneak in up and over the wall.
>Maybe see what the captain's troubles is. Perhaps he can help?
>Try your luck with the unguarded building.
>Other

...Lovely way to start off. No trip.

>>522314
>>Try to sneak in up and over the wall.

>>522314
>Try to sneak in up and over the wall.
Do we have anything to help us, like a spell of camouflage or water-breathing?

>>522314
>>Try to sneak in up and over the wall.

>>522338
Phone posting for a minute. No, but you have an Absolute Shield spell. Your magic is mostly DBZ energy type with some extras. Lorelei is the mistress of disguise and subversive Magic.

>>522387
It's too bad we can't buy thermoptic camouflage or invisibility talismans and bring them on missions.

>>522314
Great. Doesn't seem like there's any particularly secure way into town. Which means that you will have to take a little bit of a risk. You spent some time checking out the various patrols of the guards on the wall. It doesn't seem like they move very often, but at the very least one of them seems to be having trouble at his post. He keeps visibly nodding off. Who knows, maybe it's just that he had a long night. Either way, it's a very good thing for you.

Well, very good relative to the situation at hand anyway. It's still not the best opportunity you could get, but it'll likely be the only one. You just need to wait for the right moment...

About three minutes later, that moment finally comes as you see his helmet get down and stay down for a little bit. With little fanfare you dart out of the cover of the trees and dip as quietly as possible into the water. You're no slouch when it comes to swimming, and your magic will allow you to dry right up. You have to go in the river however, in order to hit anybody seeing you too soon. Your target is a grouping of crate almost right under the guard's position. Fortunately, it doesn't look like anyone's keeping a very close eye on this area aside from the one guy. As you slip out of the water, however, you can hear someone angrily yelling.

"And I'd step on it, if you want take keep your job!"

"Alright, already! Just a minute!"

Rats. Without thinking much of it take a running leap up the wall, your gauntlets' sharp fingers allowing you to gain purchase and quickly make it up onto the wall in two bounds.

Luckily for you, the guard is still off into Dreamland. You take a quick look down- nothing but an alley behind a building. Perfect. Before he can wake back up, you're over and on the ground. You quickly exit the alleyway before anyone else can spot you, and you're on the inside.

Now...where to go first?

> try to investigate the area where there's the most damage.
> look more into the Flameguard's bullying.
>See if you can learn more about that imprisoned man.
>Other

>>522480
>try to investigate the area where there's the most damage.

>>522480
>> look more into the Flameguard's bullying.

>>522480
>> look more into the Flameguard's bullying.