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(2/2)

It's interesting to see the changes Kresh's expression goes through upon hearing your revelation. Confusion. Disbelief. Realization. Then, fear.

Finally, the chieftain raises his head to meet your gaze, suddenly looking every bit his age.

"No..." he whispers, aghast. "You lie."

"This isn't something I'd lie about, Kresh," you shake your head. "Not in this situation. And believe me that fighting against your family is the last thing I want to do."

In large part because you can't even begin to imagine the hillfolk reaction if both Kresh and his firstborn end up dead at Megerix's behest. Or at least in circumstances that will undoubtedly be interpreted as such.

"The idiot," Kresh mutters. "The gods-damned idiot. He can't fight you!" his gaze turns imploring. Desperate. "Oliver, you can't... you can't let him fight you. Please..."

"That's hardly up to me, is it now? He's the one intending to fight me," you let some steel seep into your voice. "If he and his men come streaming over that hill over there right now then what, am I supposed to sit on my horse and watch as they ride down and kill my guards?"

"I can talk to him!" Kresh cries out. "Let me talk to him and I'll convince him to leave peacefully."

"Really?" you raise a skeptical eyebrow. "Cause I'm certain you already ordered him not to come after you once, before sending him away from Darsk. So he already disobeyed you once - what makes you think he'll listen to you now?"

"He will," the hillfolk chieftain says adamantly. "I am his father and his chief. He will submit to my will. Else..." here he hesitates. "I just need to have a proper talk with him. A... man's talk. Between father and son," he hesitates again, glancing at you. "In private."

"Excuse me?" you snort.

"It's a family matter. A clan matter," Kresh says in a manner that suggests this somehow explains everything.

"You forget that I've met your son. And saw the size of his muscles. Even should I agree, what's there to stop him from grabbing you by the collar, hauling you onto his horse, and riding off into the hills?"

"Have him approach on foot, chain me to a tree, do whatever you wish to ensure I can't escape: just as long as no one's within earshot when we speak," Kresh once again looks at you imploringly. "Oliver, please. It's not just for my sake, my son's sake, or even the sake of Clan Karron. I'm asking you this for the sake of peace within the Domain."

>Agree to let Kresh have a private conversation with his son. It just might make your job easier.
>Refuse. You've had your fill of secrets and you're saying enough. You'll handle any negotiations yourself.
>Other

>Quest archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Dragon%27s+Champion+Quest
>Mechanics: https://pastebin.com/nHEJwXqx
>Character sheet: https://pastebin.com/LBSGvrFn

Jesus fuck, this whole situation smells of massive bullshit. And I mean that as in something seriously screwy is going on that we NEED to dig into regardless. Why?

Because this is starting to strike me as something well beyond simple 'These guys don't like the dragon' shit. The sheer fact that he's trying so desperately to ward his folks off despite going along with you-

...wait. Fuck.

He's not doing this out of a personal worry. He's trying to protect someone, but not because he wants to.

He knows something he shouldn't. Someone's planning something real fuckin' serious, and whoever caught him threatened him and a bunch of others. Badly. With personal injury? Doubtful. Likely whoever rolled up on him said they would pin even WORSE on him if he didn't take the blame. (And his family for good measure). His son doesn't know. But it's trouble. Enough that he'd rather sacrifice himself than let it potentially spiral out of control.

We CAN'T let him die; dollars to donuts he's got intel we need before someone tries to fuck things up royally. Whoever plotted this out was clever as hell.

>>3430976
>Your Domain is about to set alight. Megerix is not an idiot, he knows you're the fall guy for this. Which means that it's likely your son, or one of your other children did this. So given that, he's going to have to write off the entire hill area. Unless you come clean and tell what I going on, you talking to the now blatant rebels against Megerix's rule of this domain is only going to slightly delay the inevitable. Rebels do not get considerations after all. So here's the deal, come clean, actually tell me what's going on, and I'll let you talk to him. If not, I'm afraid he'll get to see my Duarch first hand.

>>3430976
>>Agree to let Kresh have a private conversation with his son. It just might make your job easier.

Realized I never actually voted.

>>3430976
>>Agree to let Kresh have a private conversation with his son. It just might make your job easier.

>>3430976
>>Agree to let Kresh have a private conversation with his son. It just might make your job easier.
>>3431036
Yeah Kresh is definitely just a patsy here. Someone else is behind it all.

>>3430976
>Refuse. You've had your fill of secrets and you're saying enough. You'll handle any negotiations

>>3430976
>>Refuse. You've had your fill of secrets and you're saying enough. You'll handle any negotiations yourself.
Anything he needs to say he can say in front of you(me?).

>>3430976
>Refuse

They can talk, but you're chaperone.

>>3431137
>>3431297
>>3431401
Agree.

>>3432229
>>3432375
>>3435421
Refuse.

>>3431128
Threaten to kill his son if he doesn't tell you everything... I think?

Bit of an impasse then.

>>3436285
>>Agree to let Kresh have a private conversation with his son. It just might make your job easier.

>>3436308
Good enough.

You've said it before and you'll say it again: this entire affair reeks. It goes well beyond some caravan, and well beyond the understandable animosity the hillfolk hold toward Megerix. The moment you confronted Kresh in Darsk - or, more accurately, the moment you saved his life by tossing him out of his own clanhall - was the moment you prodded at something murky, some large and unknown force aligning itself against the Domain.

Luckily, right here and now, knowing isn't your job. Your Lord Sovereign is the one who'll hear the truth of the matter from Kresh - and he will hear it, for the dragon has the means to force it even from the unwilling. And Yarra is the one who will scheme, and dispatch agents, and collate information that will take her to the center of this plot. Which means that, right here and right now, your one job is to bring Kresh back to Vancia while keeping him alive and well.

And if letting him have a private chat with his son makes your job slightly easier, you're certainly not going to object.

----------

You run into Ivar's forces in the early afternoon.

As you predicted, he opts against an immediate attack. Instead, your group rounds a bend on a section of the road snaking between two hills to find your way blocked by a score of horsemen. Wearing proper armor and steel helmets - a relative rarity among hillfolk, who've only recently started to admit that personal valor and bravery aren't the best when it comes to stopping a spear thrust.

"Tough customers," the Dragonguard lieutenant beside you remarks as your small column continues marching forward. "Though weren't there supposed to be a few more of them?"

"Likely hidden on the flanks, ready to cut off our retreat," you resist the urge to glance up and around the bushes and trees dotting the hills.

"Trading intimidation for surprise and tactical flexibility," the lieutenant nods. "Lad has a good head on his shoulders."

"If he actually did, he'd know better than to get in my way," you shrug.

"True enough, Champion."

Behind you, you hear Kresh make a strangled groan, no doubt recognizing the man sitting astride a dun stallion at the front of the horsemen.

"Halt," you call out and your tiny column comes to a stop some twenty feet before the hillfolk, your men stepping aside as you ride out ahead to face off against the rider, who reaches up to remove his helmet.

(1/5)

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Calling Ivar a "lad" is a bit of a misnomer. Kresh's firstborn is almost thirty, married, with three children, and plenty of fighting experience in the tiny, incessant, internecine wars that have raged among the hillfolk since time immemorial and continued to rage after their alliance against Megerix a decade and a half ago failed to live out its failure. By all accounts, Ivar is courageous, decisive, and fairly intelligent (your earlier remark notwithstanding). All the hallmarks of a proper hillfolk and a good future chieftain... though not a great one. He certainly failed to command even a fraction of the diplomatic acumen and widespread respect that had made Kresh's unique position within the Domain possible, and while he would certainly succeed his father as the head of Clan Karron when the time came, it was clear to everyone within Megerix's inner circle that the hillfolk problem would immediately worsen once Kresh passed away.
Sadly, this is where your knowledge about Ivar ends. You've met him once, during a clan gathering where you served as Megerix's representative, and your conversation has been a brief chat about inconsequentials before someone else demanded your attention. However, even that short interaction was enough to make it clear that Kresh's son doesn't like you very much.

But the worst aspect of this particular meeting is that Ivar is here as a leader of men, with concern for their image of him playing a large consideration in how he'll approach the conversation - perhaps even just as large as his own concern for his father's safety.

"Your father wants to talk with you," which is why you decide to skip straight past the banter, demands, exchange of threats, and other typical preambles that occur between people mentally preparing themselves to have a go at one another with sharp implements. "Privately. Not entirely sure what about, but he claims that at least part of it will involve an explanation for why him being where he is right now is quite possibly the best place for him given the circumstances."

Ivar's jaw actually drops slightly as he works through your words. Whatever he expected your opening line to be, this was definitely not it.

"As it happens, we passed a large oak about five minutes ago growing atop a hill," having seized the initiative, you see no reason not to keep pushing. "So how about we all head back there, you have a chat with dad in a nice bit of shade, and we'll see what happens then?"

From your perspective, your offer was made in a conciliatory and even friendly tone. Unfortunately, as is so distressingly often the case, this is not how the man you're facing interprets it.

(2/5)

"I will not listen to your mockery, demon!" he practically yells, his brow furrowing deeply. "I demand you-"

"Ivar!" an even louder voice cuts across Ivar's. You turn around to see Kresh who has straightened out in his saddle, brow furrowed deeply and fire blazing in his sunken eyes. Gone is the tired, beaten down shadow of a man you've encountered a week ago. This is Kresh as you remember him from your earliest encounters: powerful. Imposing. Regal. Kresh Hundred Spears, the man who quelled the fire of hillfolk pride for long enough to avoid it being snuffed out completely by the dragon. One word: that's all it takes to completely shut down his son's incipient tirade.

"I requested that I be allowed to talk with you," Kresh continues in a calmer, but no less forceful tone. "The Dragon's Champion chose to honor my request. And as my son and the future chief of Clan Karron, you will honor it as well."

There is some degree of irony in the fact that the hillfolk sense of pride that demanded Ivar argue against you, threaten you, and wrangle concessions out of you before proper negotiations even began is the very same thing than now renders him completely helpless in the face of his father's demand.

(3/5)

There were some basic security measures you insisted on: all of which met with loud protests from Ivar, before, in turn, being overruled by Kresh. Which is how your men were able to secure Kresh to the tree with a length of iron chain, leaving his hands free, but secure enough to give you plenty of time to react in case he, or someone else decided to break him free.

After your men withdrew, you signaled Ivar that he was free to approach - alone. As promised, the conversation between father and son would be as private as possible in the circumstances, leaving the Dragonguard and the hillfolk to stand at the foot of the hill some distance away from one another and eyeing each other up.

And this is where the good news ends. Because while your choice of location fulfilled its intended purpose - drawing out all of Ivar's forces from hiding and gathering them in one spot - it also revealed an incongruence between the intelligence report and reality: Ivar's forces number nearly ninety riders, shifting the odds even further in their favor.

Which may not be terrible news for your personally, should it come to a fight, but it does markedly worsen the odds of survival for the soldiers you brought along. Which hasn't escaped their notice either.

"Lots of open ground between here and the hilltop," the lieutenant remarks mildly. "Lots of horses on their side too."

You acknowledge his carefully phrased concern with a curt nod.

"Nevertheless, your orders remain the same: rush the hilltop, subdue Ivar, defend both him and Kresh against what few enemies that make it past me. Is that understood, lieutenant?"

"Yes sir," he salutes. "The men will perform their duty."

"Despite appearances, this is not a suicide mission, lieutenant," you remark dryly, your eyes on the hilltop, where Ivar has dismounted and is embracing his father. "Should they choose to fight, I intend to present our hillfolk friends with a nigh-insurmountable obstacle."

"If you forgive me asking: what obstacle, would that be, sir?"

You smile thinly under your nose.

"Myself, lieutenant."

The silence that follows is of the kind that's usually described as "uncomfortable."

(4/5)

(5/5)

Viewed from a distance, the conversation between father and son takes on an almost surreal quality - as if you were watching a performance of a roadside troupe. Ivar's conduct helps reinforce the illusion, as he alternates between intently leaning in to hear Kresh's words and pacing about while gesticulating wildly, his exaggerated gestures clearly conveying his emotional turmoil even without the distorted sounds of his cursing that drifts down the hill whenever the wind briefly changes direction.

Call it a character flaw, but even knowing that the lives of over a hundred people hinge on the outcome of that conversation, it becomes increasingly difficult for you not to view it as a performance of sorts. Scene start. Proud hillfolk king bestowing his heir with the burden of rulership. Or: old chieftain warning his successor against repeating his mistakes. Or: father explaining how his sacrifice will protect his family, while his son begs him to reconsider. Or: son ignorantly denouncing father in his grief and anger. Or: son drawing his sword and making as if to behead the father. Wait...

"Shit!"

Split seconds scream past you as your arm rises, the gauntlet already building up a charge. Caught in a single, frantic moment of stillness, like a man who just dropped over the edge of a cliff, you realize you have no time. No time to adjust the bolt's strength. No time to aim for a non-lethal shot. No time for anything but to make a singular choice.

>Surely Ivar won't kill his own father. Turn and hose down the horsemen with magibolts before they can react
>Take no chances: Kresh must survive at all costs. Shoot Ivar.

>>3437918
>>Take no chances: Kresh must survive at all costs. Shoot Ivar.

>>3437918
>Take no chances: Kresh must survive at all costs. Shoot Ivar.

Everthing else aside while I do think we should shoot Iver, couldn't we shoot him with the other gauntlet?

>>3437918
>Take no chances. Shoot Ivar.

>>3438621
If we had the time to lift and aim our other hand we'd have the time to adjust the output to nonlethal. I'm hoping Ivar survives anyway, either from luck, magic gear, or strong hillfolk constitution.

>>3437932
>>3438618
>>3439372
Shooting the son in front of the father it is.

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You don't actually see the moment the magibolt hits Ivar. The moment you could see it flying true, you were already turning, both arms raised, unleashing a hail of bolts toward the horsemen, killing or seriously wounding at least a dozen before the batteries in your gauntlets run dry.

"Up the hill, on the double!" you shout, over the yells, cries of pain, and panicked screams of horses. "Protect Kresh! Move you bastards, move!"

It's only as the Dragonguard shakes off their surprise and begins carrying out the order, and as you're striding toward the hillfolk, your gauntlets drained utterly, that you spare a single glance toward the hilltop, where one man lays collapsed on the ground and the other is reaching toward him, desperately struggling against his bonds.

No happy outcomes for Kresh - is your last thought before you reach into the void within your soul.

It is said that pain is weakness leaving the body. But here, it's the body that's the weakness. Too fragile, too flammable, it wanes, withers, falls into ash. Only the mind remains. Only the will to hold back inferno unending.

The creeping dark, it wraps around the flames licking at the grass, envelops the fire that threatens to engulf the hillside. Gives it form. Gives it function. Gives it thought.

Channel Stabilized: Einarch Stage
HP: 40/40
Limit: 0/15
Tempo: 1

You exhale.

You survived.

"Begone!" you roar at the horsemen, still advancing upon them. "You lost this fight the moment your leader drew his blade! Leave and survive! Or stay and perish!"

"The duplicious hellspawn attacked Ivar unprovoked!" someone yells from them back from the group. "Slay the demon! Avenge our chief!"

And so, with a roar, they charge, the poor bastards, spears and lances extending your way.

And had it just been you against them, it wouldn't even be worth calling a fight. But more orders are shouted and at least a third of the riders wheel their horses around and spur them up the hill, chasing after your men, aiming to ride them down before they can reach Kresh and form a defensive line.

Your more immediate concern, however, is still the fifty or so horsemen charging you. And while it is physically impossible for all of them to attack you at once, and all their weapons are mundane, you're still looking at taking far more hits than you're entirely comfortable with.

>Go on the offensive. Summon the Spear of Black Flame and leap into the oncoming throng, using Explosive Charge to wreathe them in flames
>Use Fiery Aegis to protect yourself as you run up the hill to save your men
>Other

>>3440308
I have a bad feeling that Ivar wasn't actually going to kill Kresh.

>Use Fiery Aegis to protect yourself as you run up the hill to save your men

>>3440308
>>Use Fiery Aegis to protect yourself as you run up the hill to save your men
>>3440610
Anyway, we need to make sure there's no survivors from this.

>>3440308
Is there any draw back to over channeling?

>>3440685
Escalating HP loss.

>>3440685
Or do you mean the Overchannel action? Cause there's no real drawback to that, other than not using an action to do something more proactive.

>>3440308
>>Use Fiery Aegis to protect yourself as you run up the hill to save your men

>>3440610
>>3440667
>>3440910
Let's chase down some horsemen on foot.

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You dash off at an angle, aiming for the hilltop. And though even as Einarch you're not fast enough to outrun the wall of riders bearing down on you, this is not your intent. In fact, your chosen route takes you through a large clump of them.

Had you been but a man, you'd have been pierced, knocked down, and trampled in the press. Instead, spear points tear through your shell of darkness, encountering no resistance, peeling back large swathes of this faux skin to reveal the flames beneath.

The liberated inferno explodes forth, engulfing the horsemen around you in a roar of flames and a chorus of panicked screams. Men, animals, the ground itself disappears in a torrent of incandescent heat that you allow to rage around you.

And then you keep running, mind swimming with the effort of reassembling your shell into a cohesive whole. There was too much damage and it came too quickly to mitigate all of it, but you achieved your objective: at least half of your attackers are dead or on fire, their own screams of pain and fear lost in the keening wails of burned and wounded horses. And those few survivors who managed to maintain control of their panicked mounts are separated from you by a large swathe of still burning hillside.

For the moment, at least, the group attacking you has effectively ceased to exist.

Which leaves you with the riders ahead, charging uphill while blissfully unaware of, or perhaps pointedly ignoring the carnage behind their backs.

If you're catching up to them now, it's only because of your supernatural speed, and because horses take some time to reach their full speed. But you're painfully aware that you won't be able to intercept them before they reach your men.

HP: 31/40
Limit: 4/15
Tempo: 1

For the purpose of determining which techniques to use next round, the leading third or so of the riders charging uphill are treated as far away. The rest are treated as nearby.

>Suggest up to TWO actions/techniques to use
>Also, suggest general strategy:

>>3441798
Double Shadow Bolt the guys in front of us; see if that will distract them.

>>3441798
Hmm.....double shadow bolt the lead horses legs. Trip them up and send the rest behind them into a domino effect so that we can catch up.
Close the distance, once we catch up, we are in total control.

And Kesh, you fool, you doomed them all.

>>3441851


In befor his son was just saluteing his dad lol.
Probs dad wanted to doe so we might not know whats going on.
And people thats y you naver let then talk out of arms reach of you.

>>3441866
Even if he didn't plan to kill him, You do not draw your blade and mime about to kill the prisoner of the Dragon's Fucking Champion.

That is asking for trouble and they both should have known what would happen.
Seeing as they are both smart for their peoples, I don't think they would have actually killed kesh. But at the same time I think it was too probable to do anything other than what we did.

>>3441881
Yer but we wore the dumb ass that gave them the opportunity for that, naver do this again.
Im for sending showed tendrals out grab the 2 front horses and smack them into the others behind them

>>3441899
first, the front riders are out of our reach, no tendrils for them.

Second, we are not the dumbasses. We were just honoring a request that we were assured would make the 60 [actually 90] strong force fuck off and leave our men alone. Makes logistical sense, but given how that trust has now been betrayed yeah lets not.

>>3441905
Agreeing to that was a dumbass move though. Kresh can't guarantee his sons actions. If he could we never would have been pursued. We should have at least been present for their talk.

>>3441956
I agree we should have been present, And I missed the thread for 3 or so days so I didn't vote for it.

But to justify it ICly [As we are going to have to when/if our lovely dragon patron asks us about it] I still think my explanation provides a reason not to be scorned.

>>3441965
I dunno about no scorn, but hopefully it'll be mitigated.

>>3441798
Just realized I never voted. Double shadowbolt the lead riders, keep picking off anyone in the front as we advance. Once they're whittled down to the point our escort can definitely handle them, deal with the survivors of the initial assault on us.

>>3441974
Mitigated aye, But we can't let kresh die.

That would be failure, and we have seen how well the dragon takes failure from when the spy master failed.

>>3441905
The front riders that are within our reach.

>>3442002
Front riders are treated as "far away" not nearby.

So dakrbolt and MAYBE immobile could effect them, as the rules are written the attacks only affect those "nearby" such as the rear riders.

If immobalise does affect front, shit use that.

>>3442118
Im talking about the riders that are within our reach grab the ones are at the very limit of our reach.
The front riders within our reach.

>>3442169
Ahh, now I understand you.

>>3442178
My bad for not explaining it better.
Or useing better words.
All good.
Want to grab onto the horses and beat the others with them as well as pulling ourslfs fawd

>>3441813
>>3441851
>>3441974
Dual Shadowbolt the lead horses/riders.

>>3441899
Dark Grasp the furthest horsemen in reach.

>>3442197
As a side note, doing the things described in this post would require purchasing several upgrades, specifically to Oliver's Abduction ability.

>>3444011
Sadness

With no way to catch up, you do the next best thing - frankly, the only thing you can do.

The two lead riders are struck by bolts of roiling darkness, their bodies briefly engulfed in black flame, falling to the ground as their mounts panic, rearing up, forcing the following riders to skid to a halt or maneuver around, losing precious momentum. But while this does slow and break up the group, you realize it's not enough.

The lieutenant leading your men looks back at the horsemen about to catch up and reaches the same conclusion. He quickly shouts two orders and the Dragonguards split into two groups. One continues uphill, toward Kresh, while the other - lieutenant included, turns around to face the enemy, hastily forming a wall of shields and spears.

This proves enough to save them from simply being trampled - hillfolk horses are no war chargers and they shy away from spears extended their way, sparse as they may be. But after this moment's hesitation, the riders press on with fierce cries, hacking and thrusting, and forcing the infantry back with the sheer mass of their mounts. The line wavers and begins bending into a "u" as the hillfolk surround the Dragonguard on all sides, while others yet circle around the melee to continue their rush uphill.

And while your men may have the edge in terms of experience and equipment, this is where their advantages end. It's only a matter of time before their line breaks.

HP: 31/40
Limit: 7/15
Tempo: 1

Which is not to say that you're simply standing there, watching it all play out. Amidst the shouting and clash of weapons, you're...

>Focusing on taking down the riders still trying to reach Kresh with Shadowbolts
>Rushing toward the melee to assist your men with close quarters claw attacks
>Other

>>3445128
>>Rushing toward the melee to assist your men with close quarters claw attacks
The Dragonguards that moved uphill can handle the riders coming for Kresh.

>>3445128
>Rushing towards the melee

Duarch stage gives me the impression that Kresh and everyone nearby might die from proximity if we're forced into it.

>>3445128
>>Rushing toward the melee to assist your men with close quarters claw attacks

>>3445128
>Melee to free the men.

Save them with claw attacks, fucking rip and tear. Do it fast enough and we can dash back up towards kresh and still take on the other riders.

>>3445128
>Rushing toward the melee to assist your men with close quarters claw attacks

>>3445215
>>3445283
>>3445320
>>3445530
>>3445593
Time to get bloody.

>>3445283
Nah, Duarch isn't quite that extreme. That's Triarch.

The inferno within you stirs restlessly, straining against your control. You do your best to suppress and ignore it: using the most powerful of your abilities would mean endangering your own men.

But just your claws are more than sufficient, especially against mere men wearing mundane armor. You fall upon the hillfolk from behind, raking one hand across a horse's flank, severing a man's leg along the way, and using the other to cut through another rider's spine.

The wounded horse shies away, screaming in pain and giving you space to become a whirlwind of destruction, rending through metal, flesh, and bone with equal ease as you sever limbs, gut stomachs, and tear gaping wounds in men and beast alike. Recognizing the greater threat, the hillfolk turn on you and a few of their wild swings find their mark, your attackers invariably dying moments later, crying out in fear or surprise at their lack of apparent effect.

Worse yet for the hillfolk, your arrival relieves the pressure on the Dragonguard and the lieutenant, recognizing this shift in the balance of battle, orders his men to attack. Once more, the riders find themselves under assault from the rear - this time by infantry spears, whose blades quickly become stained with crimson. It is the riders' turn to find themselves surrounded and picked at from all sides, caught in a cauldron of screaming men and panicking horses, with another man joining the fallen littering the ground every few seconds, whether after being pierced through by multiple spears, or torn apart by your claws.

Inevitably, the slaughter proves too much to endure. One of the horses, crazed by fear, leaps forward, knocking down an infatryman even as his spear opens a vicious wound in its flank. Seeing an opening, the hillfolk break, urging their mounts forward amidst screams, shouting, and calls for retreat. And, even with spears continuing to bite at their backs and flanks, a mere four riders manage to break free of the ring, spurring their bloodied horses in a blind gallop downhill.

Some part of you wants to pursue them. To end them. To descend upon all those who dare oppose you with your shadow and flame.

But you know it's the inferno talking.

You look at your men. They look battered. Some are visibly wounded. One sits on the ground, trying to stem blood pouring from a gash on his temple. Another lies face-down, unmoving.

And those who still stand, look upon you with a familiar fear: the fear of men who heard about what you are and what you can do, but are now confronted with the reality of it, drenched in the viscera of the people they saw you tearing apart with your bare hands.

"What are you standing around for?" you demand in a low growl, dealing with their attention by ignoring it. "You still have your orders. Secure Kresh!"

(1/2)

(2/2)

The battle - such as it is - is pretty much over. What few riders made it past the defensive line are engaged by the remaining Dragonguard, albeit with more losses - those of your men who reached Kresh were disorganized and slow to form their own spear wall, with a couple of them being chased down and trampled before the others can come to their aid. But once the first line joins them, the remaining riders are killed or routed.

You look down toward the foot of the hill, where the survivors of the original charge against you are milling about - maybe thirty men in total. At least one of them is shouting and gesticulating wildly, trying to rally them for another attack. But even though hillfolk like to boast of their courage, the ones down there can see the bodies littering the hillside. They can see the circle of scorched ground you've left. They can smell the stench of burned flesh.

And, of course, they cannot possibly overlook you: a black, clawed silhouette that stands between them and the hilltop, flames dancing across your form as your control slowly, inexorably, begins to slip.

The hillfolk are brave. But they're not suicidal. First one, then another, curse, shake their head, and turn their horse away. What's left of their band begins to fall apart before your eyes.

HP: 26/40
Limit: 13/15
Tempo: 1

>Chase them down. Kill as many as possible (will require entering Duarch, resulting in longer downtime for Oliver from the additional strain)
>Let them disperse. Your main concern is keeping yourself as functional as possible to protect Kresh.
>Other

>>3446282
>Other

Double shadow bolt to send them scurrying all the faster, targetting the ones who try to rally the charge, will leave us at a limit of 16.

This is overcharge rather than Duarch, so we can tamp down and then ignore the longer downtime. Also, inform the leuitenent to keep an eye on them as we tamp down.

>>3446295
actually........If we do so, can we kill them All? If we can, then do that and don't let the stories get passed on.
If we can't, then stay with my first option.

>>3446282
>>Chase them down. Kill as many as possible (will require entering Duarch, resulting in longer downtime for Oliver from the additional strain)

>>3446282
>>Let them disperse. Your main concern is keeping yourself as functional as possible to protect Kresh.
Let them go home and tell everyone how they were slaughtered despite a 450% number advantage. That will surely dissuade them from attempting another rescue.

>>3446282
>Let them disperse. Your main concern is keeping yourself as functional as possible to protect Kresh.

>>3446282
>Let them disperse. Your main concern is keeping yourself as functional as possible to protect Kresh.

OP I assume tamping down from Einarch takes less out of us than Duarch?

>>3446282
>Let them disperse. Your main concern is keeping yourself as functional as possible to protect Kresh
More to spred the tale

>>3446780
we don't want that. Because their tale is

"THEY MURDERED OUR CHIEFS SON WITHOUT PROVOCATION, NONE WHATSOEVER AND THEY ARE/HAVE KILLED OUR CHIEF. [CIVIL] WAR NOW!"

>>3446790
We didnt kill there cheaf his still alive.
More about dont try to fight us as we will fuck you up.

>>3446862
they know that you shouldn't fight us.

But the punishment for treason in a dragons realm is likely death. And just who are we taking to a dragon who is constantly professing that he committed treason?

>>3446872
Still his alive right now, they probs bitch more about his kid we killed.
I mean mybe dragon wont kill him couse he keeps the hill people in cheack?
If the cheaf told his son to kill him then he was even dumber then his son was.

>>3446282
>Let them disperse. Your main concern is keeping yourself as functional as possible to protect Kresh.
How much hp does a normal person have?
Also shadow bolt their asses.

>>3446876
They will bitch more, and I would like to cut that off at the source.

>>3446297
Doubtful. Oliver currently lacks the mobility techniques/upgrades to reliably chase down everyone should they choose to disperse.

>>3446536
You would assume correctly.

>>3446897
A typical person will have anywhere between 3 and 10 HP, depending on the overall level of fitness. However, I've not keeping track of mook tier enemy HP, instead going by the rule that if Oliver hits them, they're good as dead. It makes for better pacing, I think.


>>3446447
>>3446493
>>3446536
>>3446780
Let them disperse.

>>3446295
>>3446897
Let them disperse, but hurry them along with some shadowbolts.

>>3446300
Kill all you can.

You stare down the dispersing hillfolk, presenting yourself as a sentinel - a threat to overcome should they decide to change their mind. With the growing roar of the inferno within you, you can't help but feel a surge of irritation as many of the riders delay their departure by stopping to curse your name or swear revenge. Finally, you manifest a black bolt in your hand and level it at them - which finally gets the stragglers moving.

As the last few riders disappear behind the curve of the next hill, you sigh with relief and quickly close the channel.

As always, easier said than done. Like stopping an avalanche with your bare hands. Or trying to drink a lake in one long gulp. But you've done it before, in far worse conditions than this. And you do it now, subduing inferno unending into an angry murmur at the bottom of your soul while you, once again, become you: blood, bone, flesh, and all of its foibles.

Channel Suppressed: Channeling Unavailable
HP: 12/15

You stagger your way up the hill, the sudden exhaustion turning your limbs into blocks of solid lead. The Dragonguard are tending to their wounded and you will hear the casualty report later. But right now, your only concern is for Kresh. Where is Kresh? How is Kresh? You need to see Kresh.

You find him at the very top, near the tree. Somehow, he's freed himself of his bonds - though at least there are three soldiers watching him. And Kresh, in turn, is oblivious to them, or the world around him. He kneels on the ground, hunched over, and all his attention, all his being in its entirety is focused on the body whose head he cradles in his lap.

This...

You've killed people's family before. Part of the job. Inevitable, really. Even barely a week ago, you killed a man who attacked you to avenge his son.

Still, you don't recall ever killing a man's child literally in front of him. You never had to witness a father, his face ashen with grief, cradling that child's corpse, stroking its hair, and muttering barely audible assurances that it will all be alright.

In other words, you're not sure what to do. Truth be told, you're not sure there is anything you can do.

>Pragmatism first. You have dead and wounded on your side, you yourself are barely standing, and there might still be hillfolk lurking about looking for any signs of weakness. Get moving now, find a defensible location to hole up in, deal with emotional breakdowns later.
>Write-in

>>3447745
>Pragmatism first. You have dead and wounded on your side, you yourself are barely standing, and there might still be hillfolk lurking about looking for any signs of weakness. Get moving now, find a defensible location to hole up in, deal with emotional breakdowns later.

>>3447745
>Pragmatism first but without the emotional breakdown
>Offer a condolence, even if it is a light one.

"I do regret needing to do that, But I couldn't risk your death."

And do the rest.

>>3447818
Do this
Then ask what they wore talking about

>>3447745
>>Pragmatism first. You have dead and wounded on your side, you yourself are barely standing, and there might still be hillfolk lurking about looking for any signs of weakness. Get moving now, find a defensible location to hole up in, deal with emotional breakdowns later.
I don't think any consolations will go well.

>>3447745
>Pragmatism first. You have dead and wounded on your side, you yourself are barely standing, and there might still be hillfolk lurking about looking for any signs of weakness. Get moving now, find a defensible location to hole up in, deal with emotional breakdowns later.

>>3447788
>>3447818
>>3447981
>>3448274
>>3448455
Oliver puts the mission first.

Hey, just wanted to apologize for no posts and let people know I'm still alive. Work's been killing me, especially since we're short staffed (Easter weekend). I'll get an update out tomorrow.

>>3453407
its fine mate.

>>3453407
Take your time m8

>>3453407
As much as I enjoy the quest, I have to accept your life comes first.

>>3453860
You don't have to, but you would be a dick if you didn't

>>3453931
Unless I have blackmail or some other way of forcing him to run, I do have to accept it.

You're not going to lie, it feels awkward to be intruding on another man's personal grief. Doubly so given that you're more or less the direct cause of it.

But as the man in charge of this mission, you need to maintain a detached and objective view. You won the fight, but it has left you tired, and unable to channel. There is always a risk that there are hillfolk who know among your weakness and will strive to gather more forces to launch another attack. And with many among the Dragonguard wounded, it becomes imperative that you lead them to safety - or at least find a more defensive position.

"Kresh," you say quietly. "I regret the necessity of doing what I've done. But, to me, it looked like he was about to kill you. And I couldn't risk that," you sigh softly and, getting no reaction from the kneeling chieftain, you step closer. "It's going to sound callous, but we have to get moving. I promise you that as soon as we reach the next Dragonguard outpost, I'll arrange to have the body retrieved and given a proper funeral. But right now, we have to leave."

In all fairness, you know exactly what's going to happen as Kresh looks up at you, his sunken eyes darken suddenly, and his face twists into a mask of rage.

But the exhaustion of closing the channel has made your reflexes sluggish, which means you fail to react properly to the hillfolk launching himself at you, with a cry of "Murderer!" on his lips and Ivar's sword in his hand.

The enchantment in your robes saves you from a beheading, but can do little to prevent Kresh from barreling into you, sending both of you rolling down the slope in a chaotic tangle of limbs, accompanied by the surprised shouts and curses from the Dragonguards.

All the same, there is only one possible outcome to this fight, and the tumble ends after twenty or so feet with Kresh's struggling, spitting, howling form trapped underneath your weight, his hands restrained in your iron grip.

"I'm sorry," you say again, before handing him off to the soldiers to be restrained.

(1/2)

File: Channeler of Shadow and Flame.jpg (194 KB, 792x1328)

194 KB JPG

(2/2)

Four dead in the fight, a fifth passes from his wounds by day's end. A further eight injured non-lethally, but of those, three severely enough to preclude them from fighting.

Frankly, an amazing outcome given the odds you've forced your escort to face. Nevertheless, this does mean that their combat effectiveness has nearly halved and that your marching pace has suffered, even after accounting for the riderless horses the soldiers caught for help with transporting the wounded.

Fortunately, no further hillfolk attacks materialize by the time you spot an inn as it nears evening. You have the Dragonguard requisition it, evicting all guests and silencing the owner's objections with a jingling purse. Kresh, who, following his outburst, has fallen into a barely responsive stupor, is secured in the wine cellar. And you, leaving the lieutenant in charge of deciding shift rotations and reinforcing points of entry, fall into the nearest bed and sleep like a stone through the night.

For your battle against the hillfolk cavalry, you've earned 1 Minor upgrade point (bringing your total up to 3). Do you wish to spend them now?

Leveling Rules: https://pastebin.com/Pk6jXWD5
Technique Upgrades: https://pastebin.com/XznFeeDS

>Spend points individually (follow-up vote)
>Combine the 3 Minor points into 1 Major upgrade point and spend it (follow-up vote)
>Bank the point for later

Also:
>Any particular actions or orders you wish Oliver to make in the morning?
>Else, he will request a stronger escort from the nearest garrison, request another squad be sent to the battlefield for body retrieval, then continue on to Vancia

>>3456499
>Spend points individually (follow-up vote)
>Else, he will request a stronger escort from the nearest garrison, request another squad be sent to the battlefield for body retrieval, then continue on to Vancia

>>3456499
>Combine + Get extra action in first stage of channel.


the orders seem fine.

>>3456499
Backing
>>3457319

>>3456499
>>Combine the 3 Minor points into 1 Major upgrade point and spend it (follow-up vote)

Would it be possible to develop a support technique? Something to heal or buff our allies. It would be helpful in a fight like we just had.

>Else, he will request a stronger escort from the nearest garrison, request another squad be sent to the battlefield for body retrieval, then continue on to Vancia

>>3457076
Spend points individually

>>3457319
>>3457500
>>3457932
Combine them into 1 Major point


>>3457932
That wouldn't really fit thematically into Oliver's powerset, which is a product of his efforts not to simply set everything on fire when he channels. So any new powers will need to be related to the damage/destruction(fire) and restraint/control(dark) themes.

3 Minor upgrade points converted into 1 Major upgrade point.

Do you wish to use the point to:

>Develop a new technique (follow-up vote)
>Refine a technique's Limit/Tempo cost from 1 to 0 (note that this will make further upgrades to the technique impossible)
>increase an attribute multiplier by one when escalating to a specific stage (so, for example, increase the Strength multiplier when going from Human to Einarch to x5)
>Gain a +25% additive bonus to Limit within a single channeling stage, rounded up (would increase Einarch Limit to 18)
>Gain +1 Actions within a single channeling stage (can only be purchased twice per stage)
>Bank it for now

>>3459416
>>Gain +1 Actions within a single channeling stage (can only be purchased twice per stage)
For Einarch.

>>3459416
>>Gain a +25% additive bonus to Limit within a single channeling stage, rounded up (would increase Einarch Limit to 18)

>>3459416
>Additional action in einarch

>>3459416
>Bank it for now

>>3459416
>Gain a +25% bonus to limit.

I didn't realise that it would boost our limit by 3.

>>3459416
Actually I'll switch
>>3459482
To the limit bonus

>>3459429
+1 Action

>>3459437
>>3459593
>>3459889
+3 Limit

>>3459532
Bank it

File: Yarra.jpg (52 KB, 527x960)

52 KB JPG

1 Major upgrade point spent: +3 Limit in Einarch form.

In the morning, you wake to find that the inn has not been besieged by hordes of angry hillfolk, which is a definite plus. A rider is sent to the nearest garrison and by early afternoon you have forty fresh and heavily armed Dragonguard on the doorstep, including archers and several mounted scouts. Its commander also reports that another squad is being formed to head out to the battlefield and retrieve the bodies of the fallen.

You set out without further delay. Based on scouting reports you regularly receive, you're still being followed, though the hillfolk actively avoid your men and another attack fails to materialize. Four days later, you breathe a small sigh of relief when you finally enter Vancia.

A very small sigh, mind you - which then catches in your throat as you open and read the message that the gate garrison commander hands you with a respectful bow.

There are no introductions, no honorifics - not even a signature. The entire message, in fact, consists of a single word.

Report.

--------------------

You've entered the city in the late afternoon, so it's evening by the time you finish the climb up to the fortress, the mountains appearing as black, jagged teeth against the darkening sky. The path below you is a chain of flickering lights: torches, lamps, or even small campfires belonging to those unwilling to risk losing their spot in the queue.

Yarra waits for you just inside the courtyard. The elven spymaster's expression is neutral and composed, betraying none of her feelings - though just the fact that she decided to meet you out here instead of waiting in the audience chamber is significant enough.

"Kresh?" she raises one eyebrow questioningly, noticing that you've made the climb alone.

"Secured in the garrison," you shrug. "I figured there are already enough rumors flying around without me hauling him in chains across the whole city and up the mountain."

"So now you're worried about political fallout," she notes with infuriating calmness. "Interesting."

>Ignore Yarra's jabs and proceed to give Megerix your report
>Try and get something out of her concerning said political fallout. You did do as she asked and kept Kresh alive, so she owes you that much
>Other

>>3461409
This is the last update before I make a new thread. If anons have any questions about plot/mechanics/characters/whatever, feel free to ask them now and I'll do my best to answer them before the thread expires.

>>3461409
>Try and get something out of her concerning said political fallout. Or Megerix's current mood. Or anything she's dug up that might be useful.

Whew, 3 am updates. Questions maybe incoming.

>>3461409
>>Try and get something out of her concerning said political fallout. You did do as she asked and kept Kresh alive, so she owes you that much

>>3461409
>>Ignore Yarra's jabs and proceed to give Megerix your report

>>3461409
>Other
"You sent me. Do not expect a field to be burnt when you deploy oil and fire together.
Now either tell me something about this fallout, or let me talk to Megerix."

>>3461890
Actually Megerix sent us

>>3461962
May well be "I was sent" and line to the effect. underscore is "I am a hammer sent to break things. Suck it up bitch and return the favor I did you"

New Thread:
>>3464530
>>3464530
>>3464530

>>3461409
>>Try and get something out of her concerning said political fallout. You did do as she asked and kept Kresh alive, so she owes you that much