Dramatis Personae:
>Ser Mervyn Reynold, 25, Our MC.
Ser Mervyn grew up the son of a bastard hedge knight who did not know his father and a blacksmiths daughter. After his mother passed at the age of 5, his father began travelling the westerlands to sell his sword to anyone who would hire him. Eventually, the man passed away to a pox when Mervyn was 17, but not before knighting his son. He than took his fathers horse and mule and travelled in the same way. Eventually, he heard of a tourney for a young maiden’s hand, he attended and won handily over many much nobler knights. He now serves the Lady of the House, Elleanor Reynold as her sworn shield.

>Alyssa Reynold, 17, Mervyn’s Wife
Alyssa is a pretty young girl who is currently 6 and a half months pregnant. She is driven and tenacious, if not impatient, and she has been reared to be a player in the game by her mother. While not considered beautiful as her elder sister might be, her red curls and sea green eyes certainly make her comely. She is gifted at weaving through the art of noble intrigue and has a knack for remembering heraldry and house history.

>Lord Titus Reynold, 46
Lord Titus was born Titus Lantell of Lannisport, and grew up to be a knight who swore his sword to the Lannisters. During the Reyne/Tarbeck Rebellion, he was commanded by Tywin Lannister to march with 300 men to confine the Lady Elleanor, then a maiden of 16 years, and prevent House Reynold from aiding the Reynes and Tarbecks in rebellion as a favour to her father, the late Lord Marqus. A relatively oafish man who cares not for the workings of his house, he is not without a degree of cunning and ultimately seeks to usurp his wife as the true head of the house.

>Lady Elleanor Reynold, 36
Lady Elleanor is a woman who remembers. Once betrothed to Ser Reynard Reyne, she endured losing both her father and betrothed in the span of a year at the age of 16, and was subsequently married off to a lowly knight of Lannisport. She endured the dishonour, even providing 6 children to her husband, all in the memory of her father and Reynard. She is the true power in Ember Peak, and seeks to retain control of her house by any means necessary.

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--- 05/04/281 ---
Evening was falling quickly and your party was making for the hills west of Hornvale. You’d left the ancient castle at mid morning, as Ser Terrence was determined to accomplish the mission that Lord Titus and Lady Elleanor had given to the both of you. Ser Terrence and yourself had conversed long into the night with Lord Andros, at first about history, war stories and the like, but eventually talk came a head when the topics of bandits that were troubling the Brax’s and their lands. And now you were riding, along with the rest of the Reynold men, following a small party of guides were leading you to an old, dried up mine that this band of thieves occupied. It was said that they numbered roughly a hundred men according to the scouts reports, and Lord Andros had refused to lend you any men aside from the scouts to get you there, seeing as the mine was old and risky to send men into. He had even gone so far as to say that it was unnecessary for the two of you to intervene, but Ser Terrence was as stubborn as a mule, and he seemed determined to prove himself as the true leader of your party, and by extension, the Reynold military.

You rode through beautiful vistas of mountains and a cloudless blue sky, and pulled your wolf cloak tight around your shoulders. Spring may have been coming, but winter was not over yet, and this high up in the mountains the bite of the cold was still fierce. Thoughts of facing your deepest fear raced through your mind over and over again however, and you could feel the drops of cold sweat running down your spine. You had attempted to talk your way out of the situation in the lords solar, but Ser Terrence had insisted that he and his men were up to the task of rooting out the scum, and by extension, that meant you and your men as well. You had cursed the man under your breath, but the two of you had been instructed to give aid in whatever was required, and you would be damned if you had to report back to Ember Peak and inform Lady Elleanor that you had shamed yourself, and by extension her, by refusing to help Ser Terrence. Lady Cerelle Brax had doted on Ser Terrence for his bravery as you were leaving Hornvale this morning, whilst ignoring you to the absolute best of her ability. You had seen the look in her eyes before. The look that spoke of distaste, possibly even disgust at a man of such low birth should rise so high. That he might even dare to rise so high and touch, let alone marry, a woman of truly noble birth such as your dear Allysa. She had even been so bold as to comment on Lord Andros’ own bastard, stating that at least his mother was a knight’s daughter. This rankled you, but you had bit your tongue as you had a thousand times before. Lord Andros himself seemed at least neutral to the situation of your birth at least, and for now, that was what mattered. His wife could keep her noble blood and courtesies you thought to yourself.

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You turned to Ser Jeremy, who being a bastard himself endeared him to you and made him probably the best friend you had, besides your wife anyways, and listened to him regale Ser Oscar Algood, another man of yours, with tales of the Dornish Marches and of the women of the Reach. The way he told it, it would seem he had a few bastards of his own around Horn Hill despite his age. He had fled north through to the Westerlands nearly 2 years ago after his father had threatened to send him to the wall if another serving girl fall pregnant. And soon enough another girl did fall pregnant and he had fled, eventually finding refuge in Ember Peak after Ser Art had seen the man fight. “They truly are the most beautiful women Oscar. None can compare. I mean sure some of the northerners have pale skin, and there is no doubting that the dornish have a certain spice to them, but a good and honest reachwoman?” He sighs and looks to find you staring at him, and he sheepishly bleats out “No offence to Lady Allysa of course Merv.” This brings a laugh to your face and you indulge him in his stories of conquest. Even after knowing him for nearly 10 months there were always new stories for him to tell. You ride on like this for nearly another 4 hours before the scouts hush you, and as you and your men dismount from your horses, tying them off to a nearby tree, the scouts sneak on ahead and you follow as quietly as your plate will allow.

The scouts beckon Ser Terrence and yourself to get closer to them, and you in turn gesture to Ser Jeremy that he should come as well. Together, the 8 of you slowly approach what looks to be a large cliff face, and soon you spy the warm glow of torch light some distance away. You saw 2 men standing on either side of the entrance. From this distance all you could really see was the torches they carried, with little else standing out to your eyes, before a scout gets your attention with a pull on your sleeve. “That there’s the mine Sers, and where we part ways. If it pleases you, we’ll tend your horses while you all deal with the bastards.” The lead scout whispered to you quietly. The men were scouts, and not fighters, and you silently nodded your head in consent, and followed the men back to your horses so yourself and Ser Terrence could discuss strategy.

You looked at Ser Terrence in the torch light and wiped the sweat from your brow. A deep breath filled your lungs and you began…

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--- Mervyn’s suggestion for Eliminating Bandits in the Old Mine ---

There are approximately 100 bandits inhabiting the decrepit mine. At yours and Ser Terrences disposal you have 20 trained infantry, armed with shields and spears, clad in mail, along with yourself in your plate and 4 veteran knights with swords and shields, armoured in brigandine or breastplates. You also have your squire, Tyrus, clad in his half plate and wielding a sword and shield as well. Be aware that Ser Terrence has his own plans and may need to be persuaded.

--What to do about the Sentries—
>Try to eliminate them first with bows
>Let them warn the others

--Tactics—
>Send a decoy to infiltrate them (Who?)
>Enter the mine in formation, shields and spears at the front
>Enter the mine with just your knights, wreak havoc, and force them out (Will test required)
>Something else (Write in)

-- What to do with your squire, Tyrus—
>Keep him with the scouts by the horses
>Keep him safe by your side for his first battle
>Put him with your knights, you would need every sword

>>3469990
>Try to eliminate them first with bows
>Send a decoy to infiltrate them (Who?)
>Keep him safe by your side for his first battle

>>3469990
>Enter the mine in formation, shields and spears at the front
>Keep him safe by your side for his first battle

Let Ser Terrence take the lead if he wants. We will do our job, and kill the enemy while keeping our guys alive. Sir Terrence is arrogant and desperate to prove himself. Let him spring any ambush in the tunnel and bear the brunt of the damage, we will pull his stupid ass out of the fire and do what we do best. Kill.

>>3469990
We need to try and draw the bandits out.

Or, trap them in the mine. Can we grab the scouts before they leave, find out about other entrances to the mine and just collapse the entrances.

>>3470030
We can certainly ask. If we want to I'll roll a knowledge test for the scouts to see what they know. Although keep in mind you are outnumbered by about 5:1, so fighting on a narrow front could be beneficial

>>3469990
>>3470054

Cool. Voting for asking the scouts. Unless we et additional info.

>Try to eliminate them first with bows.
>Send someone in to scout. (Unless we have a master of bullshit- I don't see how the bandits are going to fall for it. Unless maybe dressed like a dead senty)
>Keep him safe by your side for his first battle.

>>3469990
>Enter the mine in formation, shields and spears at the front
>Keep him safe by your side for his first battle
Just grind them down. We suck at bows and archery is probably something that bandits are better at than we are.

Just to clarify, it won't be you trying to use the bows to kill the 2 sentries. It'll be your men (most likely Ser Jeremy)

But so far it looks like we want to keep Tyrus with us, which makes sense.

So I'll narrow the choices here.

-- Ask the scouts about the mine --
>yay
>nay

-- Let Ser Jeremy eliminate the sentries --
>yay
>nay

-- How to enter the mine --
>In formation
>Send in a decoy or scout to learn more about the inside ( It could be you, Ser Jeremy or Ser Art)

>>3470135
>yay
>yay
>Send in a decoy or scout to learn more about the inside ( It could be you, Ser Jeremy or Ser Art)

>>3470135
Scouts
>yay
Jeremy
>yayo
Mine entry
>In formation
We’re a brick shit house we can kill tons of bandits no problem in melee

I'll give it another 10-15 minutes to wait for a tie breaker here. If we don't get one, I'll just roll a die and we can move on

>>3470135
>nay
>nay
>In formation
Let’s just go in and get this over with.

Rolled 1, 5, 3, 2 = 11 (4d6)

Alrighty. Yay, Yay, and in Formation. Writing up here fellas.

(Scouts are rolling 4D6, 3 for knowledge, 1 bonus for terrain)

>>3470205
Our scouts suck ass lol

Rolled 4, 6, 3, 5, 6, 2, 6, 5, 1 = 38 (9d6)

“Theres nothing for it” Ser Terrence begins. “They’re mere bandits, and like all roaches, they’ll scatter when we shine a bit of light upon them”. You had to say you agreed, but you turn to the scouts and ask further about the mine. “You say you are scouts for Lord Brax yes?” The man you addressed looks side to side, before eventually nodding his head. “What do you know of any additional entrances or caves in the area? Is there any other way in or out of the there?”

--- Brax Scout’s Knowledge Test –
Rolled: 10 against Difficulty:12
Test Result: Failed

“I canna say I know of any m’lord, or uh, Ser. Ain’t been safe to do no scouting up and around these mountains recently what with the bandits and all. The lads and I mostly focus on what’s south of Hornvale, not the west.” You roll your eyes and inform the man he can stand guard by the horses. With that, Ser Terrence and yourself got to business.

“As I said before. We march in. Spears and shields up front, your knights and us behind to fill any holes in the line. We kill enough of them and the rest scatter like ashes in the wind.” You ponder this briefly, before mentioning the sentries. “I’m sure Ser Jeremy could take them out. He is more than capable with his bow, and that way we still have the element of surprise when we march in.” Ser Terrence nods his head in agreement of that, saying that his own man Jacob could shoot one while Jeremy shot the other. With both of you in agreement, you gather your men and inform them of the plan. Ser Jeremy grins and walks over to his horse and picks up his bow and deftly strings it, and soon he and Jacob sink off into the night to attempt to eliminate the sentries.

(First 5 dice are for Jeremy, 4+1 bonus, and the last for are for Jacob, an even 4 dice)

--Ser Jeremy and Jacob’s Archery—

Ser Jeremy: 21 vs Difficulty 15
Result: One sentry dead

Jacob: 14 vs Difficulty 15
Result: Second sentry alive and running to warn the rest of the bandits

Minutes later Ser Jeremy and Jacob come running noisily back to you. “What happened?” you ask hurriedly noticing the amount of noise the men were making. Ser Jeremy turns to you and breathlessly says “Nailed my shot, right through the neck. Jacob though…” he shakes his head with disdain. “He hit the other one in the shoulder, and he took off into the mine.” Ser Terrence overhears this and roars “RIGHT BOYS!! SHOULDER TO SHOULDER, LET’S GET GOING!!”

The infantry line up and soon all of you were looking into the darkness of the mine, a tunnel allowing for 5 men to stand abreast. You pick up the torch that the man Ser Jeremy had slain and take up position at the back of the men with Ser Terrence. You look over to your squire, and you could see that his face had gone pale, and his lips were in a tight lipped grimace.

>Any advice for young squire Tyrus?
Can I also get 1d6 to see if Mervyn gets over his fear for the encounter. I’ll take the third roll here, not best of three.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3470258
Take the high ground.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>3470258
So just how crippling is this fear? How badly will it affect our performance?

>If you want to stay alive Tyrus you’re going to have to be merciless. When it’s a real fight, with a real risk of death, it’s either you or the enemy. He’s going to be trying his hardest to kill you. If you do anything except your best, you could end up dead. Or worse, maimed.

>>3470270
You take -1 dice to all tests made in the presence of your fear. So for example, instead of rolling 6 test dice and 2 bonus dice for fighting tests, inside the mine you'll be rolling 5 test dice and 2 bonus dice.

>>3470282
Unless the mountain is hiding down there with the bandits I think we’ll be ok then lol

>>3470258
Keep your shield up and remember what we've done in the yard.

>>3470284
Outnumbered 5:1 and there might be ambush points inside. Also other lords sometimes use bandits as catspaws.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3470258

"Keep your eyes and shield up Tyrus. Real fighting isn't like what we've done in the yard. The man on the other side of your sword is doesn't want to die, and he is going to do everything in his power to make sure it's you who gets buried and not him. There's no place for mercy. If you have an opportunity to kill the man, do it. Because he surly won't pass up his opportunity to kill you."

The boy shivers and nods his head, and you slam the visor of his sallet helm down, and you swallowed the frog in your throat and marched into the mine. You marched quickly, and for 5 minutes you don't find a soul. You had a death grip on the torch you were holding as you stared into the inky blackness that was the true absence of light. You could feel your heart pounding like a war drum. Eventually you come to a fork in the tunnel and Ser Jeremy shushes everyone down and cocks his ear. He gestures with his head towards the left, and your party heads further underground, aside from two men that Ser Terrence gestures to stay behind in case anyone wants to sneak up on the group from behind.

You march onwards and eventually you come to the entrance to a large bunkroom, and a volley of arrows is fired at your direction before a wall of hastily armed bandits is charging towards your line...

>stay at the back of the formation and command?

>make your way to the front and fight

>>3470321
>>make your way to the front and fight
We're much better at the front, plus Terrance might not like us, but he's done nothing out of order so far.

>>3470329
Lets do it. Can I get 21d6 please (for three rounds of combat)

Rolled 2, 1, 3, 6, 6, 4, 5, 6, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 6, 4, 6, 2, 1, 5, 2, 6 = 74 (21d6)

>>3470350

Here you are

Rolled 2, 2, 2, 2, 6, 5, 5, 4, 1, 3, 3, 3, 1, 4, 1, 3, 2, 4, 4, 5, 3 = 65 (21d6)

>>3470321

Rolled 3, 2, 4, 5, 1, 4, 5, 6, 4, 2, 6, 2, 6, 4, 6, 6, 6, 4, 1, 1, 5 = 83 (21d6)

>>3470350

Cursing to yourself, you hand off the torch to one of Ser Terrence men and muscle your way up through the ranks, brandishing your hammer and roaring your hate and fear towards these bandits. It felt as if there was a cavalry charge in your chest, and you needed to distract your mind from the fear that threatened to overwhelm you. As you glanced around the chamber, you estimated that there were likely 30 men here, 10 archers and 20 infantry, and you reach the front rank just as the bandits reach you.

-Combat Round 1-
Ser Mervyn: 24 against Combat Defence: 9
Four Degrees of Success
16 damage – 3 Armour Rating = 13 Damage
Bandit Health: -7

Bandit: 9 against Combat Defence: 8
One Degree of Success
3 damage – 10 armour rating = -7 damage
Ser Mervyn Health: 12

The first man you killed attempted to skewer you with a spear but caught up in the rush of a charge he allowed you to get inside the point of his spear, and that spelled his doom. He crashed into your shield and bounced off again and you brought your hammer down onto his shoulder with a thunderous blow. The hardened leather armour did nothing to stop the blow and you felt the satisfying break of bone and the man dropped his spear and screamed as he fell to the ground, attempting to clutch his shoulder in his good hand. You stared down at the man and brought your hammer down again in a viscous blow towards his head, and his skull gave way to your steel, and when you wrenched your hammer free, bits of bone brain and gore adorned the head of it. You turned to face the next man and the two of you squared up against each other...

- Combat Round 2 -
Ser Mervyn: 26 against Combat Defence: 9
Four Degrees of Success
16 damage – 3 Armour Rating = 13 Damage
Bandit Health: -7

Bandit: 11 against Combat Defence: 8
One Degree of Success
3 damage – 10 armour rating = -7 damage
Ser Mervyn Health: 12

This man wields a mace and shield, similar to yourself and he appears to be much more patient than the last man. You gladly indulged him, taking a step into his guard and he swings his face towards your hand that grasped your hammer. The blow stung, but it was nothing more than the bite of a flea. You actually managed to utter a laugh to which the man lowers his shield and mace and looks at you incredulously. It was all the opportunity you needed, and your hammer swung in an upwards arc and collided with the mans jaw, sending teeth and blood in a spray as he fell in a heap to the ground. You stopped for just a moment to gather what was happening. Ser Terrences spears were holding well against the bandits, and your own men were intermingled amongst them and busy charging after the archers at the back of the room. That was when you spied Tyrus. He was engaged with an archer a short sword and your squire was screaming hate, obscenities and all other manner of filth at the man. The older man seemed to be getting the better of the boy, and you rushed to aid him, but another bandit gets in your way.

He looked like he had broken from the line and was running away before colliding into you, and when presented with no way out, he attacked, brandishing a hatchet.

- Combat Round 3 -
Ser Mervyn: 27 against Combat Defence: 9
Four Degrees of Success
16 damage – 3 Armour Rating = 13 Damage
Bandit Health: -7

Bandit: 6 against Combat Defence: 8
Attack Failed
Ser Mervyn Health: 12


You raised your shield, more by instinct than any actual decision, and he buried his axe into the heavy oaken shield. The man than attempted to wrench the axe back, but found it stuck. He fell to his knees, begging for mercy. You looked at the man with absolute contempt, and when your eyes locked he saw the absolute absence of mercy in you. Muttering and pleading hysterically, your hammer rose and fell, no different than a smith banging on a piece of iron, and the mans body teeters over like a sack of vegetables.

You looked up and for a moment you had lost track of Tyrus, but than you catch him. He was leaning over the body of a man, and was hacking and slashing at the prone body's face with his longsword. His helm had fallen off and the mask of hate he wore was intense. You ran over to him and called his name.

"Tyrus. Squire." The boy didn't hear you, everything else was tuned out. "TYRUS" you yell out. The boy suddenly snaps out of his hysteria and looks around confused. When he notices the body he was kneeling over and looks at the gore on his hands and sword, he vomits unceremoniously. You laugh and pull the boy to his feet, and grab his helm and hand it back to him. "I puked after my first too. You'll get over it. Now come on, there's more work to be done." As the two of you rejoin Ser Terrence, you remind your squire, "And this time, stick close to me. I can't have you dying on me."

Ser Terrence and yourself did a quick tally of the dead, 3 of his spearmen had fallen, and all together 28 bandits now carpeted the ground of the bunkroom. As you and the men gather yourselves in a brief moment of respite, you find yourself with a question. There were three ways out of the room. Back the way you came, a tunnel that lead down sharply, and a small third tunnel that was hidden out of the way behind a bunk that Ser Oscar had discovered...

--- Which way do we want to go? ---

>Back the way we came, take the right facing tunnel this time
>Down the hidden tunnel
>Down the sharp sloping tunnel

>>3470476
>Down the hidden tunnel
MYSTERY BOX

>>3470476

>Down the hidden tunnel

Indiana Jones time.

Now this tunnel is narrow, only wide enough for anyone to walk down it single file. We'll be taking our men, but do we lead the way into the darkness, or let Ser Jeremy or Ser Art take the front?

>>3470509
>Lead
If we cannot confront our own fears then we have nothing to teach our squire, or anyone else.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

This is to see if Mervyn is over his fear yet for the encounter

“Terrence” you say in a direct tone, getting the mans attention. “My men and I will investigate down this small tunnel. You can wait for us, or continue on down into the depths.” He looked at you with , and can see his lips tighten underneath his moustache. “My men will head further down.” The captain walks over to a table and picks up a loaf of bread. “Do not tarry. Follow the bread crumbs when your done, and you’ll find us.”

You grab a torch again and lead your small group of knights down the hidden tunnel. Waves of yellow and orange ripple alongside the rough rocky walls of the tunnel, and the clamour of armour and steel seems to overwhelm your sense. Your mouth is as dry as the deserts of Dorne, and your tongue feels like sandpaper in your mouth. The tunnel seems to wind on, as you slowly explored the asphyxiating darkness. Eventually however, you come to the end of the tunnel and spy a well lit room with a table in the middle. As you go to cross the threshold of the room…

2D6 for Awareness please

Rolled 1, 3 = 4 (2d6)

>>3470590

>>3470611

I regret rolling for this

I'm going to wait for the next two rolls, because this is an extremely important roll. Important enough to warrant spending a destiny point to boost a roll if we don't roll high enough.

Rolled 1, 1 = 2 (2d6)

>>3470590
Don’t worry I got dis

>>3470653
I regret rolling for this even more than >>3470624 this anon.

Rolled 6, 3 = 9 (2d6)

>>3470590
We are so dead lmao. If we spend a destiny point is it gone forever?

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>>3470653

Okay so here is whats happening. As we cross the threshold of the room, there is a dead fall trap. Getting caught under this 200lb rock essentially means instant death. We have the lucky benefit though, so we can re roll one test result. I'm not going to let the re roll be Bo3, so it will just be the single re roll.

Additionally, before we make that roll, destiny points can either be spent, or burned.

Spending it will allow us remove the -1D we get from our fear and roll 3D6 on it. We can get the point back at the end of this story arc, so essentially when we get back to Ember Peak.

Burning it will either allow us to add +5 to our roll, (against a difficulty of 12), or avoid instant death regardless. With this I'm going to make you choose which one you want to do before you roll if we burn it. Burning a destiny point means its gone forever, and we won;t have any until we earn another through the quest.

So feel free to discuss what you guys want to do before rolling our single re roll for Lucky.

Rolled 2, 4, 5 = 11 (3d6)

>>3470686
Spend it. Let the dice gods see if we deserve to live or die.

>>3470686
Thanks for running, was a good quest while it lasted. Roll up new character and house when?

>>3470726
>>3470727

I was going to say burn it, did you really have to do this?

I'm going to hold off on just ending the quest like that with one person deciding what to do. I'd like to have some discussion between the 5 anons who've been posting before any one person decides what we're doing. I'll put it to a vote in either an hour, or if there is enough interest to warrant the vote earlier.

Alright, I'd rather have to just burn it outright, best we have is a 9 so we can pass the difficulty threshold more reliably than the roll of some dice and just avoid instadeath. Even if it's gone forever I'd rather take that then the chance of death simply spending it provides

>>3470757

Anyways I'm off to bed, don't die while I'm gone

>>3470818
I'll count you as one vote for burning.

>>3470476
Jesus Christ. I know these guys are basically cannon fodder, but Merv is a fucking unit in combat.

>>3470883
Oh he's a unit alright. Not to mention when he's fighting someone with shields or armour, he starts breaking their equipment with the bludgeon fighter 1 benefit. He's a little soft though, and against someone whos as skilled as he is and wielding a two handed weapon he'd be in trouble.

Anyhow, not a whole lot of action regarding what we're going to do regarding our re-roll and if we want to burn or spend a destiny point, so I'll push the vote for it until tomorrow. I for one would recommend burning it, but I'm more than a little biased because I don't want to have to start a new quest. If you guys decide you want to risk only spending it and rolling, I'll accept it if there's enough support behind it.

Wouldn't care really but I love hoarding DP's whenever possible but nmot dying is better.

>>3470686
I say spend the point

>>3470942
spend it, rather not die

>>3471035
Spending it helps us with the roll, but we could still bite the bullet.

Burning the point is the guarantee that we live.

>>3470942
Burn it. Never trust qst/ dice with life or death.

>>3471060
ah shit
burn it, i mean

>>3470942
I vote spend. Should be enough to get us through this.

>>3471060
Burn it>>3471462
He’s right

>>3470686
Burn it motherfucker

Burn it - 5
>>3470757
>>3471013
>>3471462
>>3471613
>>3471640

Spend it - 3
>>3470727
>>3471027
>>3471583


Alright, looks like we're going to burn it. Now I have on additional proposition for you. Burning it immediately will give you guys +5 to your roll of nine, or your re reoll for Lucky, guaranteeing your survival. However, if you guys want to, I'll let you guys roll the single re roll we have from lucky without burning it. If we pass, great. If we fail, we burn it and live, but there will be some consequences for that.

>Burn immediately
>Burn if we fail the re-roll (with consequences)

>>3471669
Could you explain it since it is a bit confusing

>>3471675
Yes absolutely.

We have the lucky benefit, which allows us to re-roll a single roll per day, and take the better of the two results. This roll still has to be done.

What I'm offering is a chance to not have to burn the destiny point. We can roll to see if we pass (although keep in mind it's a difficult roll), and if we do, we just keep questing on as normal. No burned destiny point. But if that roll fails in this circumstance, the destiny point gets burned and there will be consequences. Mainly someone else pushing you out of the way and getting killed in your place.

Alternatively, we can just burn the point now, get +5 to the 9 we already rolled and just move on.

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>>3471669
Burn the boats as you enter the island and you will take the island.

>Burn immediately

>>3471687
>>3471669
Alright sounds like we are >Burn immediately

>>3471687
Burn it. I have a feeling serious consequences entails dead knights or maimed squires.

>>3471669
Forgot to attaché to this post.
>>3471738

--- Ser Mervyn's Awareness Test ---

Rolled: 9 against DC:12
Result: Test Failed

*Destiny Point Burned*

Rolled 14 against DC: 12
Result: One Degree of Success

You walked forward, the well lit room was inviting and promised to take the edge off of your frayed nerves. At the last second however, Tyrus kicks a small stone from behind you and as your eyes follow the bouncing rock, your eyes catch a small gleam of shine that shouldn't be there. You throw up and arm and kneel, inspecting with gingerly hands the trip wire that was placed over the entrance to the room. Instructing your men to stay where they were, you stepped over the trip wire carefully, and when you turned back to face the doorway, you say the trap for its entirety. A small tripwire led to a cunningly wrought deadfall trap, over which hung a massive boulder, which you would estimate weighed over 200lbs.

Pulling a dagger from your belt and walking over to the side of the entrance, motioning your men back as you do so, you cut the trip wire and the rock tumbles to the floor with a resounding crash that rumbles all the way through your body.

"By the seven" you hear Ser Oscar shout. "Someone obviously has something hidden in hear if they took the time to rig up that monstrosity." You order your men and together you begin to search the room.

The first things you find are on the table, with what looks like a map of the the gold road and it's adjacent territories, along with a few small purses containing some silver. Among other things you find are a small locked chest, no longer than a foot across and perhaps 8 inches deep. You gather everything you find and pace it on the table in the center of the room. You instruct Tyrus to carry the small chest, which weighs a considerable amount for it's size, and the rest of you and you men pocket the silver, while you roll up the vellum map and stuff it inside your armor for safe keeping. Something to be looked at more closely later. You then left to catch up with Ser Terrence, and soon enough you hear the rings and clangs of steel on steel as you descend deeper into the mine.

You hurry as you descend, and soon enough you come into a large natural cave, where you find Ser Terrence and his men locked in a viscous fight against a larger forces of bandits. The spearmen had created a square and were facing out, but they didn’t have the numbers to keep it up for much longer. The torch sconces set into the stone informed you that this was a large common area, and you soon notice a man standing back from the fighting leaning on his greatsword and was surveying the battle calmly. The man was dressed in blue brigandine armour, and sporting what looked liked a yellow chicken on his tabard, and was guarded by 4 men who were far better armoured than any of the other bandits you had encountered so far. The choice was there now…

>Lead your men towards the leader
>Lead your men to the infantry and try to save Ser Terrence

Regardless, I’ll take 7d6 for fighting again because it’s murderin’ time!!

Rolled 3, 2, 5, 3, 6, 5, 2 = 26 (7d6)

>>3471766
>Lead your men towards the leader
Kill the leader and end the battle

>>3471766
Take out the leader!

Rolled 4, 3, 2, 3, 3, 5, 5 = 25 (7d6)

>>3471766

Rolled 2, 5, 5, 5, 2, 2, 5 = 26 (7d6)

>>3471766
>Lead your men towards the leader

>>3471766
Let’s go boys

You and your men were charging towards the leader, the robber knight who led this band of thieves. His guards soon noticed and braced themselves, while the chicken knight turned to face you all as well.

-Combat Round 1-
Ser Mervyn: 22 against Combat Defence: 8
Four Degrees of Success
16 damage – 5 Armour Rating = 11 Damage
Bandit Health: -2

Bandit: 15 against Combat Defence: 8
Two Degree of Success
8 damage – 10 armour rating = -2 damage
Ser Mervyn Health: 12

The man who came at you wielded a sword and shield, and a proper sword at that. He sneered at you while insulting the honour of your mother before he lashed out with his sword in a competent strike aiming for the weak armour joint at your knee. Your shield drops and you can feel the sword bite into the wood, but the man spins and yanks the sword out and the two of you regard each other. As you circle each other, he stumbled on a piece of refuse on the floor and your hammer soon found itself buried into the mans breastplate, caving it in and you first felt the metal give way before feeling the mans sternum crack. You heard the mans breath leave his lungs and as he fell you brought the spike of your hammer into the mans unprotected neck and you turn and stare into the great helm of the leader. The man hefts his great sword and assumes a fighting stance, and you quickly look to your men and see they were holding their own, and saw Tyrus was fighting alongside Ser Art against the man who, if by his armour, was clearly the second in command and appeared to be holding his own again.

You take a step towards the man and you can see from his footwork that he’s at least a practiced swordsman. As the sounds of battle ring loudly in your ears, you went to end this battle by cutting off of the snakes head…

21d6 for 3 rounds of fighting please!!

Rolled 4, 2, 5, 6, 6, 6, 4, 5, 5, 5, 2, 4, 2, 5, 6, 4, 1, 2, 1, 5, 1 = 81 (21d6)

>>3471796

Rolled 1, 6, 1, 1, 6, 6, 1, 5, 3, 5, 3, 3, 5, 5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 2, 3, 3 = 72 (21d6)

>>3471796
Just finished catching up. Wew that was a close brush with death

Rolled 5, 3, 6, 2, 3, 3, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 3, 5, 3, 4, 1, 4, 4, 4 = 71 (21d6)

>>3471796

Alright I've just got to go through our robber knights rolls and I'll be writing this up soon. Expect an update in about 20 minutes or so.

>>3471801
Not gunna lie I was pretty nervous. I honestly didn't think we'd lead the party down there due to our fear, but there wasn't a whole lot of action so after half an hour I went with the single vote to keep things moving. But it was pretty close for sure. Ser Jeremy was going to get squished if we let him lead, or if we chose to risk rolling the re roll so I mean alls well that ends well

File: chicken knight.jpg (488 KB, 1766x2208)

488 KB JPG

--- Combat with the Robber Knight ---

--Round 1—
Robber Knight: 18 against Combat Defence: 8
Three Degrees of Success
3 x 6 = 18 Damage – 10 Armor Rating = 8 damage
*Injury Taken* 8 – 4 (Endurance Rank) = 4 damage
Ser Mervyn Health: 12 – 4 = 8

Ser Mervyn: 26 against Combat Defence: 11
Four Degrees of Success
4 x 4 = 16 Damage – 8 Armor Rating = 8 damage
*Bludgeon Fighter Activated*
Brigandine Armor Rating is now 6
**Injury Taken** 8 – 4 (Endurance Rank) = 4 damage
Robber Knights Health: 12 – 4 = 8

The man was faster than you, be it from his lighter armor or him not being terrified of his surroundings and he made use of it. He brings his greatsword down in a large sweep on your hammer side instead of your shield, and you’re forced to take the blunt of the blow. Instead of allowing the blow to go for your head however, you bring up for hammer in an attempt to parry the blow but there was simply to much force behind the strike. The sword continues on, deflected as it were and crunches into your shoulder. Discomfort and pain cause you to grit your teeth and grunt, and you can hear the small chuckle behind his helm. “I see your not as good as I’ve heard” the man states. His voice sounds tinny and metallic coming from behind the greathelm, but you could still hear the mockery in his voice. Without replying you swung your shield at him, using the iron rim of the shield to open up space between you two and you took your turn. Your hammer found purchase on where the mans collar bone should be, and the crunch and gasp of pain you heard was enough to bring a slight smile to your lips. “Still better than you, you arrogant prick” you mutter. The two of you circled each other and everything else faded until all there was in the world was you and the man you were going to kill.

--Round 2—
Robber Knight: 17 against Combat Defence: 8
Two Degrees of Success
6 x 2 = 12 Damage – 10 Armor Rating = 2 damage
Ser Mervyn Health: 8 – 2 = 6

Ser Mervyn: 23 against Combat Defence: 11
Three Degrees of Success
4 x 3 = 12 Damage – 6 Armor Rating = 6 damage
*Bludgeon Fighter Activated*
Brigandine Armor Rating is now 4
**Injury Taken** 6 – 4 (Endurance Rank) = 2 damage
Robber Knights Health: 8 – 2 = 6

You had both drawn blood as it were, and were fairly equal. In terms of skill you outclassed him, but he moved well and the damage he could do with that greatsword was horrific. He charged in again with an over hand strike, but this time he brought the pommel of the sword down around your raised shield and it collided with a loud “CLANG” against the side of your helmet. This disoriented you for a moment, with a sharp ringing in your ear, but you soon recover and time seems to slow to a crawl. You were reminded of a time your father had done something similar to you whilst training in the woods near Crakehall. And you also remembered what he’d done immediately after the strike. You planted your heavy, plate armored foot directly onto the rooster knights own, and when he goes to pull away and create the distance between the two of you again, he’s stuck in place. Your face was a mask of indifference behind your helm as you slammed your hammer into the mans side. Whether it was only his armour that had shattered or it was ribs you were not sure but the man shoves you and quickly retreats breathing heavily. “I’m…going to…fucking…gut you…bastard” the man says between laboured breaths. And while he had done damage to you, your own endurance and ability were starting to show. “You are welcome to try” is all the response you give him.

>>3471811
We clearly need to level up our awareness.

>>3471878
no need
op will railroad us into surviving no matter what

Tbh I was hoping that if we died we could do a new character. Maybe in Essos. And sacrifice children to black goat.

--Round 3—
Robber Knight: 17 against Combat Defence: 8
Two Degrees of Success
6 x 2 = 12 Damage – 10 Armor Rating = 2 damage
Ser Mervyn Health: 6 – 2 = 4

Ser Mervyn: 20 against Combat Defence: 11
Two Degrees of Success
4 x 2 = 8 Damage – 4 Armor Rating = 4 damage
*Bludgeon Fighter Activated*
Brigandine Armor Rating is now 2
**Injury Taken** 4 – 4 (Endurance Rank) = 0 damage
Robber Knights Health: 6 – 0 = 6

It felt like this fight had taken hours, although you knew it wasn’t likely that more than a minute or two had passed by. This man was the most dangerous fighter you’d faced since you’d won your wifes hand, and the first time there had been a genuine threat to your life in nearly three years. The robber knight attempts to use his reach and in doing so strikes at your legs. The tip of his sword slams into your knee and you could feel a small trickle of blood run down your leg. You retaliate by barging into the man with your shield and bringing your hammer down on his helm. The man sees the blow coming however and steps out of the way just in time to allow the blow to catch him on his shoulder instead. Fatigue was setting in for both of you and you paused momentarily to catch your breath.

Alright I’ll need another 21d6 ( Might not need it to finish the fight but just to be on the safe side)


>>3471878
It certainly wouldn't hurt, but we are taking one less die on the test due to Mervyns fear.

>>3471887
If you feel using a destiny point is rail roading, thats your right I suppose. However, you'll note I didn't actually ask for the roll when I offered the options and I was asking for some discussion, and the vote went 5 - 3 in favor of burning the Destiny point and not spending it.

Rolled 6, 1, 5, 3, 2, 4, 4, 1, 4, 5, 4, 1, 5, 6, 4, 2, 6, 6, 6, 1, 3 = 79 (21d6)

>>3471911
Why does he get to do 6xDoS? Is it because of Greatsword?

Rolled 2, 2, 1, 4, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3, 4, 1, 5, 5, 1, 1, 3, 1, 2, 5, 2 = 57 (21d6)

>>3471911
my shit luck with d6's will prob end us

>>3471919
Yup. His athletics is 3, plus the additional +3 to damage the great sword offers.

>>3471921
Yes you should never roll again desu.

Rolled 3, 6, 6, 4, 2, 4, 2, 6, 1, 3, 5, 1, 2, 6, 1, 5, 3, 4, 2, 5, 4 = 75 (21d6)

>>3471911

>>3471926
So athletics will let us actually utilize our great combat dice to deal real damage?

>>3471911
>If you feel using a destiny point is rail roading, thats your right I suppose. However, you'll note I didn't actually ask for the roll when I offered the options and I was asking for some discussion, and the vote went 5 - 3 in favor of burning the Destiny point and not spending it.

it was more this post right here>>3470633

i wont bitch more about it, your work is appreciated. we are a bit gary stuish though

>>3471932
Increased athletics will do it, as well as using different weapons. One handed weapons generally do alot less damage than two handed, but also prevent you from using a shield.

>>3471935
Fair enough. My line of reasoning is we're using the Bo3 format, which means waiting for the other rolls. I was just stating there that instead of moving along due to it being slow, I'd wait for the next two rolls because it was a very important roll after all.

--Round 4—
Robber Knight: 14 against Combat Defence: 8
Two Degrees of Success
6 x 2 = 12 Damage – 10 Armor Rating = 2 damage
*Injury Taken* 2 – 4( Endurance Rank) = 0 damage
Ser Mervyn Health: 6 – 2 = 4
Ser Mervyn Injuries: 2, Wounds: 0

Ser Mervyn: 22 against Combat Defence: 11
Three Degrees of Success
4 x 3 = 12 Damage – 2 Armor Rating = 10 damage
*Bludgeon Fighter Activated*
Brigandine Armor Rating is now 0
**Wound Taken** 4 – 4 = 0 damage
Robber Knights Health: 6 – 0 = 6
Robber Knight Injuries: 3, Wounds: 1

The mans armour was in shambles, and when he attempted to bring his sword into your side, you used the spike on your hammer to tear apart what remained of his armour. He was getting sloppy, and the fear of his armour being functionally useless was beginning to tell. The man shrieks “DIE” over and over again as his charge against you amounts to nothing.


--Round 5—
Robber Knight: 16 against Combat Defence: 8
Two Degrees of Success
6 x 2 = 12 Damage – 10 Armor Rating = 2 damage
*Injury Taken* 2 – 4( Endurance Rank) = 0 damage
Ser Mervyn Health: 6 – 2 = 4
Ser Mervyn Injuries: 3, Wounds: 0

Ser Mervyn: 21 against Combat Defence: 11
Three Degrees of Success
4 x 3 = 12 Damage
**Wound Taken** 4 – 4 = 0 damage
Robber Knights Health: 6 – 0 = 6
Robber Knight Injuries: 3, Wounds: 2

The man frantically tried to end the fight, taking a massive swing at your head, and you brought up your shield in time to block the might blow. The force reverberated through the shield and you felt the force go through the shield and your arm. A stinger, it had hit a nerve and sent a wave of pain all the way up through your arm and into your shoulder. You bring your knee up into the mans gut and knock the wind out of him and he spits up a mouthful of blood after wrenching the helmet off of his head. He looked at you with terrified eyes and you saw his lips mumbling nonsense.

--Round 6—
Robber Knight: 6 against Combat Defence: 8
Attack Failed
Ser Mervyn Health: 4 – 0 = 4
Ser Mervyn Injuries: 3, Wounds: 0

Ser Mervyn: 22 against Combat Defence: 11
Three Degrees of Success
4 x 3 = 12 Damage
**Wound Taken** 4 – 4 = 0 damage
Robber Knights Health: 6 – 0 = 6
Robber Knight Injuries: 3, Wounds: 3

He swung his sword at you ineffectually, and you bring down your hammer on the mans hand, causing the sword to fall from his grasp. You swing the head of your hammer in a low blow into the mans knees. This illicit a scream of pain as the man falls onto his good knee and looks up at you with pleading eyes. “Mer-mercy ser. Please. Please allow me life.”

>Give the man mercy and take him prisoner
>End him

The choice is your guys’, but if we’re going to take him prisoner, an in character reason as to why would be appreciated, as Merv’s vice is merciless.

>>3471999
>>End him

>>3471999
>End him.
But not the face, someone might be able to identify him. Or otherwise get some idea of who, and why he's here.

>>3471999
>End him

>>3471999
>End him

>>3471999
>KILL

>>3471997
End him

>>3471999
>>Give the man mercy and take him prisoner
You are going to toil the fields of my homeland until the day you perish of old age, having no contact with anyone save my boot to your face.

>>3471999
>End him

You pulled off your own helm and stared down at the mans face. You could feel a bead of sweat roll down your face, and you could smell the aromas of stone, earth, piss and blood. Your senses were heightened with the amount of adrenaline pumping through your veins and as you looked down at the man, you noticed a small puddle forming by his knees. “Please Ser, pl-please!! I know things, I can tell you things if you just“ You interrupted him, asking “What’s your name man?” The man face turns to one of hope. “M-my name? Oh. It’s Hershel. Hershel Hill, Ser. I’m a bastard of-

You had let your hammer fall from your hand to the hard stone floor and reached behind you to where you kept your dirk. He hadn’t even noticed the movement in his hysteria, so invested in pleading for his life. And as he looked up at you and into your eyes, he found them as blue and as empty of emotion or mercy as the sky. The man wasn’t comely. He had wispy brown hair and a weak chin, along with common brown eyes and a nose that looked as if it had been broked about 6 too many times. The stubble he had been growing was patchy as well. He was young though, perhaps being no more than 20.

You bring your dirk casually across the mans throat while staring at him as he blabbered on, watching as life left his body and a wash of blood pours forth from the cut. The body falls with a soft thud as it hits the floor and you resheathe your dirk and pick up your hammer and surveyed the room. Ser Terrences men had ben hit hard, with only 8 of them still fighting, and your own Ser Hamish Dunn was lying dead on the ground. But as your remaining knights and yourself charged into the bandits, they quickly threw down their arms and surrendered. The remaining men of Ember Peak quickly set about beating the remaining men to their knees and confiscating weapons, before letting out a victorious battle cry. “RUIN! RUIN! RUIN!”. A play on the words of House Reynold. You took a deep breath as Tyrus came up behind you, offering to take your hammer and shield from you. You had survived.

--- Mine Expedition Successful ---
6 Experience gained
3 Exp for taking the mine, 3 Exp for the duel against Hershel Hill

Also gained:
- 150 Silver Stags
- A map of the Gold Road (suspicious seeing as Hornvale isn't on the gold road)
- A locked, heavy chest

And alright, I've got some errands and things to do today, so I'll be in and out for the next hour answering any questions you guys might have, andI'll be back to continue the run later tonight. I'll post when I'm back on the twitter.

>>3472093
Thanks for running.

Also, for anyone who is new to the quest and wants to catch up, here's the link to the archive.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Reynold

>>3471999
>Give the man mercy and take him prisoner
He seems awfully well trained and equipped to be a bandit, let's find out more

Halfway through the latest GoT episode, 90% of the time my mind just goes: this is so gay

>>3472093
Good run Boss! How hard will it be for us to replace our fallen knight?

We really should have kept him alive. How much do you want to be there is some shady shit going on here? Blue armor and a yellow chicken? Sounds like a bastard from house Swyft to me. And I just finished reading the house history and the guy we beat to marry our wife was a Swyft. I highly doubt that's a coincidence.

Plus Terrence kept insisting we would deal with the bandits even though lord brax said we didnt have to? When we get back we should ask around for how long these "bandits" have been a problem.

>>3472261
Whatever we do, we should make sure the chest and map go directly to our patron. Lady Reynold.

>>3472275
I agree about the map, but not necessarily the chest. We should open it and see what's inside it first. If its gold, no reason we couldnt take a few dragons for ourself.

>>3472284
If there is gold in the chest, we split it with our men and squire. We burnt a destiny point for this dumb chest, we’re not sharing it with Terrance.

File: LastingCelebratedEstuarin(...).gif (3.38 MB, 377x289)

3.38 MB GIF

>>3472287
+1. Fuck that guy. Plus hes practically a lannister

>>3472261
Our vice is Merciless, there's no non-meta way to justify not offing that dude

Howdy everyone, just taking a quick gauge to see if anyone is around for a quick 2 hour or so run.

>>3473145
Sure

>>3473145
I am

>>3473145
I'll be posting from work

You emerged from the mine after what seemed like hours into a gorgeous orange sunrise, and worry seemed to fall away from your shoulders like an unclasped cloak. You straighten your back, as if the weight of the mountain itself had been lifted from them, and turn to regard your men as they in turn exited that god forsaken place.

The Brax scouts were hailed and quickly brought your horses over, and soon the silver, the chest and the robber knights head were packed away in saddle bags, and all were marching back towards Hornvale. Ser Terrence approaches you, riding his own steed he had brought for ease of travel, and grudgingly congratulates you on your exploits.

"That was well done Ser. And I'm glad we saw eye to eye on excecuting the cowards who surrendered. No need to waste Lord Andros' time with the matter of hanging them. Waste of good rope if you ask me." You regarded the man with a flat expression while you continued on your ride and he continues. "How much silver did you find anyways? Perhaps you could find it in you to share that amongst the men? Spearmen don't get paid as well as knights, and more than a few gave their lives today. And as for that chest" he says looking down at your saddlebag, "I'd suggest we give it over to Lord Andros. It was on his land after all, and by rights should belong to him." It was then that he noticed the blood leaking out of your opposite saddlebag and asked "And what in the name of the gods are you doing with a head?"

You pause for the briefest of moments to consider your response before...

--- How to react to Ser Terrence ---

--- Regarding pay all of Ser Terrences spears a silver piece ---

>yay
>nay

-- Regarding what to do with the chest --

>Agree to give it to Lord Andros
>Disagree, offer to split it
>Disagree, keep it for yourself


- Regarding the severed head of Hershel Hill -

>Tell him you wanted to ask if anyone knew him
>Keep mum and ignore his concerns
>Something else (What?)

>>3473175
>nay

Fuck'em

>>Agree to give it to Lord Andros

But we take a handful for ourself.

>Tell him you wanted to ask if anyone knew him

>>3473175
>nay

>Disagree, kep it for yourself

>Keep mum and ignore his concerns

>>3473175
>nay
>disagree, keep it to yourself

We did him a favor, we owe him nothing

>wanted to ask if anyone knew him

You looked back on the spearmen who were trailing behind the pair of you, than snapped back to Ser Terrence. "I think not Ser. My men and I were nearly crushed by a trap finding that silver. And if you take issue with the state of their pay, I'd suggest you take it up with your cousin, Lord Titus." He goes to open his mouth to argue the point but you ignore him and keep talking. "Regarding the chest, I'm calling it the spoils of war. If Lord Andros wants it, he can bloody well fight me for it. I nearly died, and I'll be damned if some lord is going to take the spoils for my efforts when he couldn't be bothered to send more than 5 scouts along who didn't even help us do any fighting." Finally, you reach back and pat the saddlebag holding the head before continuing "And as for Hershel here...well I'm going to bring him around and ask to see if anyone knows who he is."

Ser Terrence puffs up his chest and begins to argue with you. "Fine, keep the silver. All my men know your nothing more than an upjumped greedy hedge knight anyways, but I will not allow you to ruin MY reputation by not presenting that chest to the lord whos land it was found in. And what? Are you going to just throw down that head in the great hall of Hornvale? Thats not how things are done you lowborn idiot. And what are you hoping to find anyways? Are you implying the Brax's are involved with these...these scum?" The look on his face is one of distress, and you round on him with a viscous tongue...

Can I get 4d6 for intimidate please? Also, is there a general tone you want to talk to him about, or do you just want to trust that to me?

Rolled 6, 6, 2, 5 = 19 (4d6)

>>3473216
Insulted. Also accuse him of softening us up with those traps just so he can kill us and take it for himself

Rolled 6, 5, 3, 5 = 19 (4d6)

>>3473216
Trusting you

Rolled 4, 4, 2, 5 = 15 (4d6)

>>3473226
This

--- Intimidation Check ---
Ser Mervyn Rolled: 17 against DC: 15
Result: One Degree of Success

You gave the man an icy stare, and you lower your voice so nobody else can hear. "I may be nothing more than an upjumped hedge knight, but you'll find my name holds for more weight than yours. Or is that what this is about? Your jealous that I'm a Reynold, and your only a fucking Lantell. It's your cousin who pays your men, so tell them the real reason behind their pay."

The man blinks back his shock, clearly surprised by the vitriol in your voice, and you continue before he can counter.

"And your reputation? Your fucking reputation? I almost died in that Seven forsaken mine getting that chest. I'll let you give it to Lord Andros when you pry it from my cold dead hands. But I'm sure thats what you'd like to see anyways. I didn't see any of your men eager to run down that hidden tunnel even though it was them who found it. Maybe that was your plan the whole time, let me run ahead and get myself killed so you'd be rid of me and could take any plunder for yourself? Probably try and weasel Allysa's hand into the bargain as well for all I know. Well all I have to say to that is if you want me dead, don't be a craven about it. Challenge me to a duel and I'll be happy to stave in your fucking skull. Do you understand me?

Ser Terrences jaw drops ever so slightly, before turning his horse around and rejoining his men. You bring your horse up to a trot and speed up to catch up to your knights who were ahead of you as you rode back to Hornvale.
Fuck me, Mervyn isn't supposed to be that scary. Well done with those rolls!!

--- What do we want to do when we get to Hornvale? ---

> Let Ser Terrence talk to Lord Andros,we're going to our chambers to open the chest which you had almost died for

> Debrief Lord Andros yourself, the chest could wait, and you had cowed Ser Terrence. It was time to usurp command.

> Debrief Lord Andros with Ser Terrence, and open the chest afterwards, trusting Ser Terrence is sufficiently cowed

>>3473249
> Debrief Lord Andros yourself, the chest could wait, and you had cowed Ser Terrence. It was time to usurp command.

We arent having him shit talk us while we are not there

>>3473249
> Debrief Lord Andros yourself, the chest could wait, and you had cowed Ser Terrence. It was time to usurp command

Wont really rest intil the chest is back home safely

>>3473249
I hope he pissed his pants.
> Debrief Lord Andros yourself, the chest could wait, and you had cowed Ser Terrence. It was time to usurp command.

Alright, looks like we're taking control here. One more thing to clear up. What do we want to do with the chest, head and map? Do we tell Lord Andros about any of it? Bring the head with us to ask Lord Andros about it? Just looking for a general plan of action

>>3473261
Keep the chest and map under wraps. Show the head.

>>3473263
This

>>3473263
this

Rolled 3, 3, 3, 1 = 10 (4d6)

Alright, keeping the chest and map on the DL, and we'll bring the head to Lord Andros and see if he knows who we were dealing with. Writing

dice roll is Ser Terrences Will Test to see if he causes any trouble

>>3473276
>10

lucky us

>>3473280
Lol it was against DC:17 ( your intimidation roll). Needless to say, he won't be causing any trouble for the rest of this trip.

i dont know if anons intended this, but i love the fact that forcing ourselves through our biggest fear had effects on our character, though i hope it is only short term

>>3473281
Good, I would hate to have to bury someone on the road home

>>3473276
Pussy will probably bitch about us when we get back.

>>3473288
Just fill up pussy so she cant complain

As you climbed the road to the Hornvale, you decided you would be the one to inform Lord Brax of your success. Ser Terrence may have more knowledge of how to act around noble Lords and Ladies, but he wasn't a Reynold like you were. You would be allowed a few eccentricities or a minor breach of protocol. You look over your shoulder and beckon Tyrus up with a hand, and he quickly rides up to catch up with you.

"Well done Tyrus. Very well done. I imagine your going to do well in that squires melee. Not many boys fighting in that will be able to say they've killed a man." The boy grins, but you can see pride and guilt warring in the boys eyes. "You and I will share a tankard or two of ale tonight, along with Art, Oscar and Jeremy. We'll celebrate your first, and drink to Ser Hamish. But there is something I need you to do first. When we get inside the castle, I need you to take the chest we found to my chambers, and stay there with it until I return. You are not to leave that room under any circumstances. Understood?" The boy nods his head affirmatively. "Aye Ser, and then we get drunk right?" You laugh and tell him that he could get as drunk as he'd like as soon as you'd finished up with Lord Andros.


When you rode through the castle gates, you dismounted and informed Ser Terrence it would be you who would talk with the lord of Hornvale. The man swallowed hard and nodded, muttering something about getting a few wagons together to retrieve the bodies of his men that he'd left behind. Together you and Tyrus walked your spoils to your chambers together, and he helped you out of your armour and into more presentable clothes so you could meet with Andros.

Eventually, a servant knocked on the door, and you left Tyrus behind as you followed the servant to the solar, carrying a course cloth bag that an occasional red drop would fall from and drip to the marble floor.

The servant introduced you as he entered the chamber. "May I present, my lord, Ser Mervyn Reynold." Lord Andros waves the man away curtly, and gestures for you to take a seat. "Mervyn. I was expecting both you and Ser Terrence for this meeting. I hope he didn't meet his end in that mine?" You shake your head, informing the lord that Ser Terrence was currently organizing the remainder of his men and searching for a wagon to retrieve the bodies of his fallen men. Lord Andros Brax nods his head solemnly before asking about the events that had transpired. "Well tell me Ser, what happened anyways?

You inform him in a brief, militaristic sort of way, leaving out the hidden chamber and the spoils you had found there. "Eventually, we came to a large chamber and thats where I came across...him" You hoisted the cloth sack that now had a large reddish-brown stain on the bottom of it and place it down on an empty part of the lords desk. Lord Andros scowls at the sack, before opening the bag and scraping his tongue against his teeth in distaste. "Seven above Mervyn, you really we're raised by a bastard weren't you?" The man scratches his bushy mustache and you continue. "He wore blue armour and had a tabard with a yellow chicken on it. I was wondering if you might know who this man is? He said his name was Hershel Hill."

"I don't believe I've ever had the displeasure to meet this man in my life. He said his name was Hill you say? Well the colours and sigil you described are the reverse of House Swyft, but I can't say I know of any bastards belonging to Ser Harys. I'm not saying there arn't any, but bandits take up names like that all the time as I'm sure you well know. Lends an air of nobility amongst bandits and thieves."

You nodded your head, digesting the information Lord Andros was giving you. Rusty gears began to creak and grind together as your mind tried to process the world of noble politics and what exactly was happening here.

--- Any further questions for Lord Andros Brax? ---

>>3473296
No, although we’ll probably fill in our wife about all of this

>>3473308
I really want to ask about the map but we found that in the hidden chamber

>>3473321
If you want to bring up the map, there'll be a relatively easy deception test to leave out the hidden chamber part

>>3473308
Personally I just want to fuck off with the map and chest and not accidentally reveal something.

>>3473326
>>3473326
this!
and we also tell our wife everything
we snapped because of the mine

>>3473326
>>3473327

So I'll just elaborate on the situation we're in a little more here. Mervyn is going to be expected to ride with the Brax's as the brides escort from the husbands family. We can just keep quiet about the whole thing and wait until we're back in Ember Peak to open it up, we could go and open the chest now and try to play it cool, or we can take it and fuck off right now by ourselves. All of these decisions will have consequences, some good and some bad. I'll let you guys vote on it and we can go from there.

--- Regarding the Chest Vote ---

> Keep it hidden, and wait until we're in Ember Peak to open it

> Open it immediately and dispose of the chest, making it easier to hide whats inside

> Fuck off back to Ember Peak, expectations be damned. You we're still rattled from facing your fear

>>3473337
Does the chest have any distinguishing marks? Or any possibility of having hidden compartments?

>>3473343
The chest looks to be of a plain design, with iron banding surrounding it, and a stout lock on the front. As previously mentioned, its quite small, maybe the size of a shoe box. As for a hidden compartment, that will require an awareness test.

I also forgot to mention that when you beheaded Hershel Hill, you found the key hanging on a string around his neck.

>>3473337
> Fuck off back to Ember Peak, expectations be damned. You we're still rattled from facing your fear
This would be the most Mervyn choice. But then also solidify his reputation as a bastard. Our lady did give us the order after all.

Pretty sure the chest will be found out along the way back if we keep it. No solid idea what the upside to keeping it would be. Perhaps we won't be able to find anything hidden within on our own.

>>3473345
Lets try the key and then examine it together with Tyrus for now.

Just to clarify, your vote is for opening the chest immediately, not fucking off back to Ember Peak?

>>3473352
I would like the postpone the decision until we become aware of most of its contents.

>>3473352
I support that.
I think we should examine it now. Take out everything and put it in the squire's saddle bags, then toss a few silver in the chest.
We can play the chest off as part of our belongings on the way back and say Lady Elleanor gave us some spare change or something if anyone asks. If it goes beyond that and someone accuses us of something, then we can just tell the to open it for themselves so they look like a dumb cunt.

>>3473356
>If it goes beyond that and someone accuses us of something, then we can just tell the to open it for themselves so they look like a dumb cunt.
That was my further plan as well. The only problem could be Ser Terrence running his mouth but he can be influenced again.

>>3473356
Supporting.

I think the worst thing we can do is to run away now, it will look very suspicious and our dearly beloved comrade Ser Terrace will spin quite the story I am sure.

So we either mention the chest(would look bad now) or open it and hide the contents.

As for the map, let's rather save that for when we are back home

Alright well looks like we're going to bid Lord Andros a good day and go open up the chest with Tyrus. We'll be leaving with the Brax's come the morrow, so we can hide whatever we find in saddlebags and the like, and throw some silver in the chest as a decoy.

I'll write it up first thing tomorrow, so I'll be back in about 8 hours.

>>3473360
Thanks for running!

>>3473360
cheers

>>3473360
Thanks for the run!

You continue to talk with Lord Andros and answer all the questions he had regarding your expedition. He seems most interested in the quality of the bandits arms and armour, their numbers and their competency. You inform him of all he asks and he soon bids you a good day, as he still had preparations to take care of for his family's departure on the morrow. As you go to make for the door, you hear him open a drawer and the distinctive sounds of a quill upon parchment.

You than made straight for you chambers, ignoring servants and nearly bumping into Lady Cerelle Brax in your haste. "Watch where you're going bastard" you hear her say but you ignore the comment, only giving her a slight bow as a way of apology before spinning on your heels and continuing on your way.

You throw open the door and you find Tyrus sitting at the side table with his arm propping up his head out of boredom, before excitement shone upon his face when he realized you had returned. "Ser your back!!" he exclaimed. "Are we going to open this thing up now?" You nod your head in silence, while rolling your eyes in a very slight way. Wether the boy was excited for what was in the chest or the prospect of drinking himself silly was up for debate, but he seemed relatively unfazed by the skirmish after he had regained his composure after emptying his stomach on the the corpse he had made. Perhaps you'd find out more when you celebrated with him.

You close the door behind you carefully and walk over to the table and turn the chest towards you. You reach down to your belt and pull out the key you had found on Hershel Hills neck. It was the same type of iron as the lock, and when you pushed it inside, it fit with no difficulty. You turned the key and head a satisfying click before opening the chest.

Tyrus was standing right next to you, eyeing the chest with inquisitive eyes and as you lifted the lid of the small chest, you saw the gleam of gold in the torch light. Truth be told, you had never seen that amount of wealth in one place like that before. There must have been nearly 100 Gold Dragons in that chest. You run your hand over the coins and hear the satisfying clink of metal, before bring a single coin to your lips and taking a quick bite at the metal, and when the coin didn't give way to your teeth, you smiled happily. How you were to divy up this blessing was a matter to be discussed and thought over, and you started to move the coin out of the chest and into small piles of 10 to count it, and as you stared back down into the now empty chest....

3d6 for awareness please

Rolled 5, 3, 2 = 10 (3d6)

>>3473638

Rolled 5, 3, 4 = 12 (3d6)

>>3473638

Rolled 1, 6, 1 = 8 (3d6)

>>3473638

File: uncut ruby.jpg (49 KB, 318x318)

49 KB JPG

--- Awareness Test ---
Ser Mervyn: 12 against DC: 12
Result: One Degree of Success


And as you stared down into the now empty chest, the dimension of it just seemed...off somehow. You run your fingers along the wood and tap curiously, but nothing sounds out of the ordinary. And yet the inside of the box just seemed wrong to your eye. You pull your dirk from your belt and wedge it into the corner and pry, and soon, a false bottom pops up and your faced with tightly wound cloth, sound proofing the hidden compartment. As you pull the cloth out, you see a large stone, perhaps the size of a chickens egg roll and bounce inside the box and you pick it up and hold it to the light. It was a raw stone, of a deep dark red colouring and you squinted at it, appraising the stone, before turning to Tyrus and handing it to him. "How much do you figure that's worth?" you ask him giving him a soft punch in the shooulder but your joy ends when you see the confused and worried look on your squires face. "Whats wrong Tyrus? What is it?" The boy looks up to you and then back to the stone, before finally making eye contact with you again. "Ser this...this is a ruby. And I've seen enough rubies from Ember Peak to know that this is...one of ours..."

Confusion strikes at you. How, in the light of the seven, did a robber knight near Hornvale, come to possess a map of the Gold Road, and a ruby from ember peak?

3d6 for cunning please. Also, if you guys can figure out what's going on here the difficulty of the test will drop significantly.

Rolled 5, 1, 3 = 9 (3d6)

>>3473671

Rolled 4, 6, 1 = 11 (3d6)

>>3473671
Either our house is behind it. Or someone is a traitor trying to spill division between the two houses. We should go home and inform the lady right away

Rolled 2, 5, 4 = 11 (3d6)

>>3473671

>>3473680
This. I believe her ambitious husband or one of his pets is probably behind this, in a bid to expand their influence at their neighbors expense. Either way, we replace the contents of the chest with silver. We need to get someone we trust to change a few of those gold dragons for silver to put into the chest, unless we already have enough silver for that.

Some talking points here to consider:

1. An ember peak ruby (or so Tyrus believes) was hidden in a chest of gold?

2. There is a wedding and a tournament coming up. The last tournament you fought in is where you beat all contenders for your wifes lovely hand.

3. As Lord Andros mentioned, the robber knight may be a bastard of House Swyft.

4. I haven't exposed you guys to alot of it yet because at Ember Peak the only people Mervyn really associates with are Lady Elleanor, Tygon, Tyrus, Allysa and the Loyal Reigns, but alot of people don't like you. The ony reason lord Andros is neutral towards you is because he has a bastard son he hopes can emulate you. You haven't gotten to meet many of them yet, but you'll begin to see the scope oh how many people are not fans at the wedding. If you guys want to brainstorm a little bit more, I'll give it 20 minutes or so before I get writing.

P.S. When we get home to Ember Peak, are we telling our wife first? Or going straight to Lady Elleanor?

>>3473705
Elleanor. She’s the one in charge. We can tell our wife after, or just bang her if she starts asking questions we don’t want to answer.

>>3473705
Talk with wife first

>>3473705
Elleanor

>>3473705
It’s extremely doubtful that the leadership of House Reynold paid with the Ruby, it traces right back to us. It’s a frame job. Either either by an foe of the house, or somebody within the house looking to cast shade on the current leadership. Not Lady Elleanor, surely?

>>3473724
This actually makes sense. But still, a ruby and 100 gold dragons? Isn’t that a lot of money for a simple knight like us? Even if we are married to a Reynold?

>>3473724
Your on to something there.

>>3473728
Together, the ruby and the gold is worth about 200 Dragons, or 1 wealth. Give or take about the amount of ransom a lowborn knight might be worth

>>3473728
It’s not necessarily “us” as in Mervyn (although we’re known as a blunt tool) but us as in House Reynold.

But now I think about it. If House Brax or perhaps someone in it, wanted to call off the wedding implicating House Reynold in funding bandits would do it. Andros getting us to clear out the bandits may have been a means of sidestepping the plot. Terrance probably didn’t know or he would have made sure the chest was presented to the Brax’s.

>>3473745
I’m actually tempted to gamble and torn better either going to Andros or Elleanor with this theory. Best to err on the side of caution and go to Elleanor.

>>3473748
If she lets us keep the money, we could upgrade our gear, get a present for waifu, and maybe even gear for our men.

Lost my trip last time.

>>3473745
The last thing I'll point out is that in the first post, it was mentioned that Lord Andros didnt actually request you eliminate the bandits. It was Ser Terrence who insisted.

>>3473754
Fuck me. Twice in a row.

>>3473754
Oh shit. And Terrance wanted the chest given to the Brax’s. But if he knew about the Ruby could we still have intimidated him out of it? Are we that scary- or was he acting on someone elses’s suggestion without fully understanding what’s going on.

>>3473765
He is probably easily manipulated and already had a shit opinion of us. It’s a very real possibility he wouldn’t even fully know what’s going on, but he would agree with a chance to put us in our place or implicate us if given the opportunity.

>>3473765
Well the Difficulty Check to scare him off was 15 (Hard), so to put that in perspective, that's the hardest test I've given you guys so far in this quest. The highest we could have rolled was an 18 with our 3 dice in persuasion and the bonus die in intimidate.

I'm chalking it up to Ser Terrence finally seeing Mervyn in real combat and seeing what an absolute murder machine he is, and Mervyn threatening to cave in his skull afterwards would be more than a little intimidating.

Anywhores, writing.

>>3473775
We have to dispose of that ruby. Tytus is a good bet for holding on to it. Ain’t nobody searching a Lord’s son.

>>3473786
We should also let him know that it goes to his mother first. Try to get him into our side of things even more.

Although thinking about it we’re safe-ish, we opened the chest alone and we’re the only ones who could say what’s in it. Plus reading the intimate check back we called Ser Terrance out on wanting our death in that tunnel, which might have been totally right and challenged him on to a duel on the spot after publicly slaughtering a host of bandits. No wonder he shat his breeches.

--- Cunning Test ---
Ser Mervyn: 11 against DC:12
Result: Test Failed

You tried to piece everything together. The houses Reynold, Brax and potentially Swyft. Lady Elleanor, Ser Terrence, the Lord and Lady Brax, the robber knight. Than there was the matter of the ruby and the map. None of this made sense to you. You had grown up with a simple life, and when you became a man it became even simpler. You were paid to kill and not get killed, and you had excelled at it. Defeating people in intrigue however was a different matter entirely. For every connection you made in your head, two more questions came up and you could feel your face reddening in frustration. You hiss out your irritation before turning to the more solid matters at hand.

"Tyrus. I want you to go to the stables, and bring two of the purses containing the silver we found today." He nodded his head and took off, but you grabbed his arm as he went to leave and handed him the ruby. "This is to go in the very bottom of your personal saddle bag, wrapped in cloth, and make sure nobody sees you putting it in there. If the stables are busy, bring it back to me immediately." The boy looks at you with a queer look, as if he didn't understand the need for secrecy, but he does as he is bid. When he returns, together you and your squire empty the two purses of silver into the chest, and refill them with the gold dragons instead. Now it was your turn to return to the stables as you gave Tyrus his freedom to head to the hall and your blessing to get stinking drunk. "Fair warning though Squire, we ride home for Ember Peak tomorrow. And I don't care if your puking or dying, we ride at the head of the column with Lord Andros."

The boy gives you a mischievous grin and a thumbs up, before tearing out of the room as if the stranger was on his heels. If you had any inkling, Ser Jeremy and Ser Oscar would get the boy so drunk we wouldn't dare drink again for half a year. And you made your way to the stables, you ran into nobody of note, simply passing only a few servants, and you carefully packed away the chest, and buried your now considerably richer purses farther underneath than you had previously done. Giving your horse a casual pat on the nose, you exited the stables to join your men in the hall for some merriment. And as you listened to your footsteps echo off the walls of the castle, you thought to yourself that Lady Elleanor would have the cunning to unlock this puzzle, and within a week you would have answers you sought....

And this is where I'm going to end it today. My job is dicking me around, so I can't really say when I'll run next, so if you want updates, twitter is the place to find them. Link is in the opening post.

I will say you guys have a heading with some of the tom foolery thats going on, but not exactly. You guys are heading North, but you should be heading North-East if you know what I mean.

Lastly, someone mentioned possibly getting some upgrades. So here is a list of custom upgrades I've been working on. It's not complete yet, and if you guys have anything else you want to see on it I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Upgrade List: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-hSy9zZZrSEADpEJgC7vKWYAKcxknB2R/view?usp=sharing

I'll still be around for the rest of the day to answer questions and shit, just don't have the focus to spare on properly questing.

>>3473840
We should get a fancy cloak

>>3473843
We do have a pretty fancy wolf skin cloak we got from the wolf hunt in the first thread. Originally I said it was going to give a -1 Discipline modifier for our cavalry unit, but that was way to god for the cost, so I'm changing it so it grants a +1 on any test to rally your men instead.

It's a beautiful black cloak, made from the alpha of the pack,and it's clasp is a beautiful blood red ruby carved into the shape of an eagle.

I'm thinking about doing up some more personal upgrades specifically for Mervyn however, to give him some bonuses to things like persuasion and status. It's a work in progress.

>>3473864
Like maybe get some fancy jewelry ?

>>3473864
Could we get the superior mount 1.0, and the superior horse tack? Both of those would help us in the joust immensely, as well as in future war efforts. We can also hire the stable hand and the gardener and the handmaiden for waifu too.

>>3473864
>Our wife is the one behind all of this

>>3473875
Yeah exactly. Some fancy jewelry, some really nice clothes, maybe some personalized armour? I haven't really thought about the benefits to much or how it will affect Mervyn's abilities to much, but if I remember correctly, during House Grallners run there was a thread about armour creation so I might reread that quest and get some inspiration from there.

>>3473880
We can, but it won't be in time for the wedding tournament. Once we get back to Ember Peak we're going to be diving right into the tournament. So Rust is going to have at least one more kick at the can before you guys can sell him to the knackers.

As for the "Household" upgrades, you'll be able to hire the stablehand and handmaiden at the tourney. The gardner you'll have to send for in Lannisport, he could be there within a month. The household stuff is something for you guys to spend your monthly "salary" of 1 GD on. It will also be expanded on as I come up with more ideas for people to hire.

>>3473910
Could get an custom made helmet with an eagle crest to represent our house.

Maybe get some books for the wife. About romance and schemes and if you are a evil schemer trying to upsurp a house you should totally not get rid of your husband

>>3473910
Can we invest our money into something that will provide more future income? Or maybe let the wife handle that? Unless something will benefit us, our troops, or provide a future return on investment, we probably shouldn’t spend money on it. Jewelry and vanity helmets especially.

>>3473920
>we probably shouldn’t spend money on it. Jewelry and vanity helmets especially.

Thats crazy talk!

>>3473914
Idk if we want to give her books about schemes. That was one wild accusation from >>3473903 about our wife being a schemer. We already have a hard time keeping secrets from her, we don’t want to make it harder. And as long as we keep giving her the D she isn’t gonna want to get rid of us.

>>3473922
What benefits are there to that? The only armor option I saw listed was actually worse than what we have.

>>3473922
We have a steady income of 1 gold a month. We have this gold plus whatever the ruby is worth. If we invest it we can increase our monthly income and have more money available. Once we have more than 1 gold/mo coming in we can start spoiling our wife. We can also accelerate this process by performing well in the tournament and in general bandit hunting and warfare. All I’m saying is that there are much better options than wasting money on vanity projects.

>>3473930
styling! or i guess we can just let the wife handle our finances

Damn you guys are suspicious. You think a heavily pregnant 17 year old is behind this trickery?

As for ways to increase our income, I haven't actually thought about it to much aside from tournaments and war. Any suggestions on how we might go about doing that? The first thing that comes to my mind would be to hire a jeweler, but thats an artisan craftsman and costs 10 wealth.(2000 Dragons)

In regards to the armour in the document, thats an upgrade for your men, who are currently wearing brigandine and breastplates. When we decide we want to upgrade our own armour, there will be options for colour, decoration, effect and other such things. This and any clothing we buy could have various effects like bonuses to persuasion, status, etc etc. I still have to work out the details.

We should get the wife some saucy romance books. Should keep her entertained for the rest of the pregnancy and inspire her for after the pregnancy

>>3473944
Maybe something a little cheaper then? Like an herb garden? Or maybe partial ownership of some kind of enterprise? If we need more money, we could supplement our income by winning the tournament and betting on ourself in the process.

>>3473962
only way we are going to get a good big steady income is if we become landed. Othewise it is only our salary and tourny winnings

>>3473972
I'm inclined to agree. Although if we win this tournament and are rolling in coin, maybe we could talk to Lady Elleanor about funding the garden holding? If we get our wife to grow some rare plants, maybe we could get a cut of the profits?

>>3473972
Then we reinvest some of our winnings into our own gear and our men. The better we perform in battle, the better chance we someday become landed.

>>3474161
Could also find a way to steal/win some land from a neighbour.

>>3473944
I wouldnt pur it past her

>>3473944
Ser Terrance is Lord Titus man through and through. We can safely assume this plot is his doing, and that the marriage to the Brax is his wife's design. Especially true since Elleanor cares so deeply over the fate of her children. Ergo the match to Brax is of her design, while Titus would prefer Swyft or some other house.

Terrence was told of the bandits in advance and instructed to point the trapped path out to the "greedy jumped up knight". The trap was unusual in its lethality given that it was buried deep inside a bandit lair in a hidden area and nothing else was trapped. We can assume that it was meant to kill Mervyn, or at least one of his compatriots. None of them are loyal to Titus so it didn't matter who it killed.

As for the Bastard Hill, he is clearly a blight on the good name of the house of Swyft, and getting him killed would garner favor. Though likely Lord Swyft did not inform his Bastard son of that part of the plan.

so all in all Titus thought to hurt the house of Brax with bandits loyal to house Swyft. Then send in his own men to clean them up, ruin the wedding between Reynolds and Brax, recover the stolen wealth, kill his wife's faithful servants, and strengthen his house ties to Swyft. Possibly a prelude to a marriage between Swyft and Reynolds against his wife's wishes which would allow him to exert more control.

>>3474737
The best response to this would have been to take Hill prisoner and have him flip on his father.

That is no longer an option.

Failing that it would be best if Ser Terrence made a fatal misstep on the way home. Best of all would be a legitimate reason to end him in a duel overseen by Lord Brax, but that's unlikely.

Second best would be to cause his men to think him a weak coward. if a man is a craven fool, what does that say of his loyalties?

Fuck me. Sorry I disappeared there, just had to drive for about 7 hours to get to this job.


>>3473972
>>3473979
>>3474161
>>3474166

I think becoming a landed knight, with his own lands and a tower or something would be VERY much in line with Mervyns goals. As a matter of fact, with his goal being power, that could very well be his end game.

As for coin and increasing our incomes, I think if you guys save up enough coin to purchase a wealth holding for the house, there is no reason we couldn't up Mervyns salary/allowance.

For example, and keep in mind this is hypothetical for now, but gardens were mentioned twice, and a garden costs 1 defense, and 4 wealth, so you'd have to convince Elleanor to part with the one defense, and pony up the cash as well, but it's definitely feasible.

>>3474737
There are parts of this which are about 99% spot on, and parts which are definitely not. I'm not going to say which part(s) is(are) right, but your on to something big there. Good work anon!!

>>3474963
thinking on it, it didn't matter if we went down that tunnel or not. The plot was never about getting Mervyn killed, because wether the ruby was found by us or men sent in to clear the mine later Lord Titus would need a scapegoat.

Blaming Mervyn for the theft would still remove a chief pawn from his wife (and allow him to exert his uh, marital dominance) There would be no shortage of witnesses willing to attest to our guilt given how disliked we are. Even more so since we are likely to sweep the coming tournament.

After we were arrested for supporting bandits and the wedding called off, Ser Terrance was likely promised a chance for Alyssa's hand in the upcoming tournament for his part in the plot.

Most likely the matter would have come to trial by combat.

This also means we aren't out of the woods yet. Terrance knows we have the ruby, or at least that showing the chest to Lord Brax is important. He will lose face when his accusation on the road leads to nothing but a few spare silver, but that likely isn't enough to duel him to death unless Lord Brax is very upset with his deception.

Our squire is the logical person to hold the ruby, so we need to put it somewhere else when we can, or ensure Terrance doesn't survive his initial accusation.

>>3476813
alternatively we can instruct our squire to say he carries the ruby to remind him of his home while away. sentimental, and gainsaying the son of a Lord is a far cry from challenging the word of a near-Bastard knight

>>3476813
How you managed to pick apart 2 separate parts of this plot I've cooked up I have no idea, but you've said two things that if you combined them together, would almost spell out this entire scheme. A large part of the answer to whats going on is in there, just not the way you've currently got it connected. Parts of it are out to left field, but you're touched on the heart of the issue no less than three times. I'm honestly kind of surprised, and definitely impressed.


Also, seeing as the tournament is coming up, would there be interest in switching characters for a scene or two? I'm thinking either Tyrus or Elleanor.

Tyrus would let us see Mervyn in a different light, let us fight in the squires melee and make the thread very action packed.

Elleanor however, is going to involve alot more intrigue, the running of the house and possibly some negotiations with Lord Farman about Joannas potential betrothal to him. And we could see Elleanor more clearly and OOC understand her motivations more.

Thoughts?

>>3476878
I would like to see what they think of Mervyn.

Maybe you can do Tyrus and then a small update on elleanor

>>3476878
eh, I haven't been able to tie in the involvement of the map due to being shit at westeros geography. Though I can guess that it was meant as a piece of supporting implication. I'm also limited by the short exposure to the different players which makes deductions about their motivations difficult.

I'm also terrible at remembering salient details about other houses.

But I'll keep chewing on it in the back of my mind.

As you might guess I would enjoy a perspective switch to Elleanor.

>>3476941
It's still early in the quest and we haven't even met everyone in our immediate family yet, so maybe I'll include more scenes with people who don't like him. They're definitely coming next thread anyways

>>3477047
The map is odd only because of where it was found. Hornvale is about 5 or 6 days ride north of the gold road, so why would bandits have a map of it if it's not that close?

And as for the short exposure to different character motivations, that's partially intentional. Merv has only been with the house for around a year, and the politicking side of noble life isn't second nature to him yet. That and I haven't included a whole lot of it yet, hence why I think seeing Ember Peak from Elleanor's perspective could be very eye opening. Only downside is it might open up a lot of meta gaming possibilities but that's the risk you take I guess.

No metagaming! Mervyn is a mortal incapable of godly powers!

>>3476878
I think being Tyrus would be fun

>>3476813
>>3474737
i think anon here should make our long term goals.

>>3476878
because anon is so SMRT and cunning, could Mervyn get a bonus to Awareness or cunning?

>>3476878
I would like to see it from Elleanor perspective. I am curious to see what she thinks and feels

>>3476878
Being Tyrus would be cool

>>3477333
Eh, I personally prefer to raise stats the regular way and slowly develop a feel for such things. It makes little sense for Mervyn to be a skilled manipulator at this time.

Though tutelage from Lady Elleanor would likely go a long way towards improving that. Hell, even learning from our wife is possible.

>>3478246
I would be happy enough with him having enough awareness to not walk into obvious traps. Without having to burn a destiny point forever. Cunning I can understand but for a seasoned veteran being so oblivious you walk into deadfall traps is stupid and makes me wonder how he made it to adulthood.

>>3478582
Bah. Who needs that ? All you need is the faith of the seven in your hear and charge foward and the wicked will have no choice but to perish!

>>3478582
Well when we get 30 EXP we can spend it to up our Awareness.

Awareness has a benefit of being a stat used in: Combat Defense, Intrigue Defense, Passive Awareness, and a good handful of tests, like Notice, which is our pitfall trap. I'd say without a doubt that should be our go to when we have enougb EXP. It'll help in several different areas that Merv needs to get better in. And less Destiny Point burning.

>>3478582
To be fair, it was pitch dark. OP also offered us a non-destiny-point way out.

>>3478795
agreed. Awareness is a fantastic use of EXP.

I'd also like to up our Warfare in preparation for the coming was, and to make a better case that Merv be given overall command in the field.

We absolutely need to chip away at Titus supremacy with the house military. It is by far his biggest foothold in house politics.

>>3478810
Also an incredibly valid option. Warfare 4 makes mass combat incredibly easy to maintain control of, espeically with Command 1B. 5 drop 1 pool is nothing to scoff at. Not to mention the story implications of such a move. However parting the cart before the horse and all, at present we've the loyalty of 20 men, nominal loyalty of 100 Trained Garrison(it is my opinion that we should personally do more to get the Captain on board with Merv specifically since we do not know him), and the potential for the loyalty of 100 Green Archers. Even in the most dire of circumstances, and absolute best case scenario, we are only going to be field 3 power units that will obey our orders and at present our 3 commands via Warfare 3 makes that particularly easy to handle. Granted Green and Trained units are going yo be more difficult to roll for on 4 drop 1, but i believe we'll manage. Storyline wise I might say gaining a new benefit such as Leader of Men or Inspiring, might be as equally beneficial but they both require Warfare 4 so you're likely onto something.

Personally my ideal situation would be: >Awareness 4
>Warfare 4 or Command 2B, dependant upon the amount of EXP we've acquired prior to the war
>Command 2B or Warfare 4, after war
>Leader of Men or Inspiring
>Cunning 4 or Persuasion 4

>>3478795
So awareness is a good stat for everything merv wants to do? Sounds like a good investment and reason to fight more bad guys.

Well looks like we'll get to experience a different point of view soon. It won't be next thread, but the one following it most likely.

>>3477333
Naw your going to have to earn them the old fashioned way, although I forgot to give experience in chapter 2, so we currently have 16.

>>3478246
>>3478582
With awareness 3, Meryn technically is better than the average joe, but due to being in the presence of his fear he was taking -1 die to the test. But awareness would be a great pick up for nearly every aspect of the character.

>>3478810
It was indeed a dark tunnel with what is essentially snare wire. And Mervyn was damn near hyperventilating from terror. I will say there were two choices that led to that event. Choosing to go down the hidden tunnel, and then choosing to lead it. Perhaps in the future, I'll wait for more action before going forward when the possibility for a trap like that is present. And you're spot on about Titus. If you take away the infantry, he has very little "pull".

>>3478832
Warfare would be quite excellent for him and his position. You guys will get to meet Ser Devon Drake, Captain of the Ember Guard in the next thread (He is neutral to Mervyn, but very loyal to Elleanor), and assuming we follow through on supplying Black Feather Fred with weapons or armour, we could start expanding our influence.

Lastly, sorry I've been a little spotty since the run. I'm working 16 hour days right now, but I'm plugging away at the beginnings of the next run, and building some character sheets for Tyrus and Elleanor. I'm hoping to be able to run sometime next week as we ride back to Ember Peak and meet with some high lords in the day or two before the wedding begins properly.

Finally a new House quest. I miss the Father.
You should really link the archived previous threads, though.

>>3479972
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Reynold

>>3481703
Thank you. Just read through all of it. At first I was sceptical because we aren't the head of the house, but it's pretty good!

>>3478932
Not sure which different perspective it will be, but I hope it's not Elleanor. I find it more fun to have all the higher-up stuff actually go over our head.

The quest has everything a quest should have in my opinion and it is fucking ASoIaF to boot! Needless to say the thread was a thoroughly enjoyable read, well done, QM.

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>>3481703
you running anytime soon?

>>3483258
>>3488100
Thank you!

>>3491847
I'm thinking I'm going to do a short-ish run on Friday and Saturday. I'm working 16's, so I won't have alot of time to run, but I'll manage at least 2 hours each night for sure.

>>3479972
>>3483258
>>3481703

I'm also reading through it for the first time. I was a huge fan of Malroy and the previous quests, and I only just learned about Grallner's existence due to not having followed the migration to /qst/ so I have to read through those archives. I'm pretty excited to be a sword sword and not the head of house: I was never a fan of getting bogged down in amassing wealth. My favorite scenes were things like the Archery Tournament or the tavern brawl we started to blow off steam.