>>4568748

-
Calmly, and restraining your rage you feel towards this man, not only for the insults and lies he's spewed towards you like poison, not only because he has injured one of your closest friends and companions but because he would dare to betray his own kin for such a flimsy reason as talking with the enemy and threaten his own cousin with a fate so terrible, so dreadful, you cannot think of his words without feeling enraged. It is a simple task, turning your mind from searching for the quickest and most effective means of ending this Dog of the Yan's life, to a more productive road of thought. Namely, how you could get him to admit with his own words that the Yan are tyrants of the most terrible variety and reveal their sinful and cruel ways to all who are near enough hear him speak.

It should be an easy task, the man is in emotional turmoil, enraged near to the point of madness. All you have to do his prod and pull the strings that have been strung through his back, and he'll reveal the true face of the Yan Dynasty and expose their darkest secrets. If of course he doesn't catch onto your ploy as he speaks to you, but considering his current emotional and mental state, that is unlikely to occur. At least by your predictions.

Setting down you untouched glass of liquor, you clasp your hands together and rest them on the table, turning your head up to look at the "roof" of the tent as the Eunuch continues to hurl threats and insults towards Dai Niu and his children. It's amazing how he has yet to loose his composure in the face of such a wicked verbal assaulted. Respectable even.

"You claim I lie when I speak of the atrocities committed by nobility Yan, that Gao was a virtuous man that had the misfortune of trusting a devilish advisor" You say, using a soft and serene tone as you address the screeching Eunuch still laid out upon the packed dirt, beneath Feng's boot "That I spread corruption and devastation by simply walking upon Shangrala, that I am sorcerous overlord that wish to bring darkness and suffering to all the lands before my eyes"

Looking down, you turn your eyes to the squirming emissary who starts to hyperventilate and wheeze as you force him to look into your eyes by following his as he tries to look away and avoid your piercing gaze. Drool starts to flow from the corner of his mouth, over his blackened teeth.

"I must ask, do you have any proof to back up these outrageous things you've said about me and my great work?" You ask kindly, flashing a beaming grin as The Eunuch chokes as if his tongue was attempting to strangle the life out him.

"You're a usurper, reaching for more power after you already slaughtered your own master, with no title or family name. You deserve nothing and reach for everything" He manages to hiss out, looking as if the effort it took to merely speak that lie has greatly injured the man.

You tilt your head to the side by a few degrees and sigh.
cont

>>4568752

"Is there any benefit to remaining loyal to a master who purposefully harms the lands he stewards and torments not only his people but his own kin as well?" You ask with a frown, turning your gaze back onto the man's eyes as he wheezes and struggles to breath, kicking his legs and spitting as he tries to escape your attention, like a field mouse fleeing a farmer's foot "And that is not the proof I asked for, it is but another ridiculous claim"

You lean over the table, to get slightly closer to the man wriggling and writhing on the floor like a dying serpent.

"So again, I ask for proof that I am the devil you claim" You say calmly, widening your grin as you tilt your head back into a neutral position, maintaining your gaze into the man's eyes and souls.

"He was the rightful lord of those lands, it was his right to rule as he pleases. The Gao line had held those lands for generations, many generations" The Eunuch says, wincing and groaning as he speaks, trying to dance around providing evidence of your supposed crimes and sinful nature

"By what right? And you have yet to answer my previous questions. The Yan surely wouldn't leave a man who squandered the resources of the land he had been allowed to rule in their place in power, would they?" You ask as the Man cries out as if you've just struck him, like he has just been stabbed.

"By the right of nobility passed down by the celestial courts" He answers, panting and wheezing as he tried to squirm out from under your gaze "The right all lords hold by birth, passed onto them by the Yan themselves. You would dare accuse the heavens of choosing a poor ruler? you spread lies of the dead even now"

"No, but I would name you a poor liar, There is no such thing as divine rule. The Gao had ruled their lands for so long because the family has, for many generations allowed their people to starve to give a greater tribute to the Yan, and forced the people to die in the field and quarry to bring great wealth to the ruling dynasty, now I would ask you once again" You say, pushing your chair from the table to face the Eunuch directly.

Opening your eyes wide, you glare down at the liar and cause the very air he breaths to become caught in his throat.

"Stop avoiding my questions, where is the evidence, where is the benefit of serving a cruel idiot, by what right did the Gao have to abuse the people and land? They were raised to nobility for service to the Yan when they took power some centuries ago, were they not?" You say sternly as the man squirms and whimpers, shaking his head and trying to bite his tongue by not having the strength to even draw blood

"You have no right, you are but a farmer" He whispers, You growl through your teeth at him.

"I do not want excuses, I want answers, so tell me Dog! Or can you not?!" You bark as the man whines and cries, thrashing around and blubbering like a child left alone in the dark
cont

>>4568753

"Tell me, what evidence is there of these crimes, of the sinful nature you claim me to have"

"You have hung lords and generals and taxmen, scholars and soldiers alike and taken their lands. You've created an army to wage war against the rest of Yan" He hisses, closing his eyes and shuddering as he speaks, quivering with every word that leaves his lips "Built upon the corpses of faithful servants"

"Yet those lands now prosper after generations of ill rule, no longer do men starve, no longer do they freeze to death in their own homes. There has not been a great sickness since I began my work. You speak of these men as if they were virtuous men, good men, but I have seen the truth of them as I now see the truth of you" You reply calmly, flexing your fingers and stretching your arms slightly as you speak "I had no plans to invade the further lands of Yan, if they would have only left my people alone to prosper, the army was built in the response I foresaw when I slew Gao Liwei. Each of those men, were a blight upon his lands. I followed the orders Gao had given me, to bring prosperity to his lands. This"

You smirk

"Was merely the most effective way of doing so, removing those who would impede the ascension of the common man and refuse to share the bounty I brought with others" You continue on, moving your hands from each other and then crossing your arms over your chest "The Gao were merely the last obstacle to bring true prosperity to his Lands, and raising up the people who lived upon them"

The Eunuch remains silent.

"These hands have shed noble blood, and have killed noble men, but do tell me, why would the Yan attack a land that now prospers well beyond any other Land beneath their rule, simply because the ruler had been removed from power?" You ask, tapping a finger against your arm as the Eunuch starts crying again "It would not be the first time a family has been removed from their seat, if I had killed them all it would not have been the first time such a slaughter had been carried out, so why do the Yan refuse to accept this as a legal exchange of power? I removed the foolish Liwei so I may raise up his lands and people to comfort and prosperity, why is this a crime in the eyes of the Yan?"

"Liar" The man manages to mutter "Liar, you're a liar, its for your own gain"

"That is not what I asked, I asked why the Yan feel threatened by men seeking to better themselves and the lives of others?" You question calmly as the Man tries to close his eyes to avoid seeing yours.

"You preach destruction of tradition, to overthrow rightful kings and lords, you're gospel of insubordination and rebellion spreads like a poison" The Eunuch manages to spit out, you spit on the ground.
cont

>>4568754

"The Journey I have taught to many and encouraged to spread, only speaks of removing Tyrants, those who would abuse others and force them down paths that they do not wish to follow, those who would subjugate and oppress their brothers in life" You reply calmly, smiling once again, genially and gently "So are all those of noble blood tyrants?"

"That is a vague description, easily exploited and expanded to include nearly any man in a position of power" The man mutters before you laugh.

"It is quite clear, I went to great lengths describing the characteristics of a tyrant" You say with a grin, having almost caught the Eunuch in admitting you have just cause for opposing the Yan and their followers "So tell me, do the Yan want my head because they are Tyrants? Because they see a distorted image of me, or for some other reason? Why would they oppose wise rule, a rule that benefits the people and lands, but support a tyrant who wasted much potential wealth and talented men over petty grudges and his own pride"

He says nothing just staring ahead breathing heavily, his flesh turned a sickly pale color, sweat and tears beading down his face as he struggles to keep his composure and come up with another flimsy argument for you to kick over.

"Why would they do such a thing? The lands that once suffered beneath Gao rule, are now rich with commodities and food, not one man goes hungry, the roads are safe enough for women to travel unaccompanied, and I have turned the starved masses into a stalwart and capable army" You say coldly, frowning as the Man begins to wail and cry, unable to even call you a liar "Why do the Yan seek to kill me then? to return the Gao to power, when I have brought such prosperity and progress. Why do they fear me? Why do they spread terrible lies and falsehoods about me? For what reason?"

"You are poisoning the land, making it weak, emboldening the peasantry, removing traditions and history and replacing them with an insipid gospel that turns men into docile animals who'd give their wealth and homes away if they were so pressed. You curse the very soul of our nation and call it sinful" The Eunuch raves, eyes wide and bulging out of his skull, his already frayed mind tearing as he struggles to argue against what you say.

"Cui Fu said the same, that I weakened the land and people for some foul purpose, I took his head for he and the Lord Cui who came before turned their home into a wasteland that will take perhaps decades to fully recover and allowed bandits to prey upon his people in an effort to make them strong" You say calmly, letting out a sigh before you continue to speak, relaxing your shoulders and releasing your tension " was he the lord the Yan wish to have? Do they wish to leave sadists like Gao in power? The Man who ordered the deaths of Cui Fu and all of the Tao"

"By your manipulations" the Eunuch snarls before crying out as if he's been stabbed again.
cont

>>4568755

"By his paranoia" You reply, shaking your head once to show your spite "Is the soul of the Yan sadism, decadence, excess and mindless indulgence? Is that why they oppose me, because I refuse to accept such things as good, to accept their gospel of decay as the only way to live? Is it because I am not an easily controlled fool eager to please my masters. Or..."

You stand from your chair and glare at the foul creature beneath your feet

"Because they fear the power I have given to the common man, the unity I have spread through the land and peasantry, like tyrants" You accuse, sneering as the Eunuch closes his eyes.

"You have no place, no right to step as far as you have. It is not their place, to rise above the stations of their birth. If they are commanded to die, they shall die, if they are ordered to give up their daughters, they must" He says unable to avoid your questioning anymore, breaking from your interrogation "it is the natural order of things, the peasantry, farmers, hunters, workers, fishermen, whatever they are, are born to serve the nobility and appease them. If they declare they are to be given an entire harvest or all the wealth in their lands, they shall, it is their right"

"Given by who?" You ask as the Eunuch whimpers

"I do not know, it is how it is, it is how it should be, the strong stand above the weak" He cries "It is the order of Yan, of Shangrala, of Humanity. We need leaders, we need guides, you are breaking tradition and natural order for what? so peasants can eat well? can live comfortably? the meaning of their lives, their very existences is toil. is it Tyrannical simply to follow the role given to you upon birth? To partake in the privilege allowed to them by birth and station? It is the way things should be, the Nobility command and peasantry obey, you are spreading dangerous ideas and gospel, upsetting the balance, the way things should remain! Is it tyranny to simply rule?! What right do you have to name the Yan tyrants, you are nothing and come from nothing! their bloodlines have ruled for generations and you dare to stand against them, to work against them!?"

"So you admit it, you serve tyrants and they lie about me to appear as moral and right" You say as the man cries and whimpers, nodding, utterly defeated by your words "So fools will continue to bow their heads and not harbor rebellious thoughs"

You turn to Feng and nod.

"Feng, take this man and hang him as we have done with all the decadent fools that came before him" You command, swinging your arm out for emphasis as your friend nods, still bleeding from the wound the Eunuch gave him, painting his cheek crimson.

"All of your followers will die for your pride, your hubris. The Yan will rule as is their right, and you shall not be able to stop them. You will fail, Lieren of nothing!" The eunuch spits as he's lead away "You struggle against human nature! against the command of the celestial courts! and you shall die for it"
cont

>>4568757

"Make sure to give him a proper burial" You say, turning back to Dai Niu, who has been listening and drinking for the duration of your "Debate" with his traitorous cousin. His sons look horrified, stricken with shock, a dread realization having taken hold of their minds. That they serve Tyrants.

Smiling genially, you clasp your hands together once again and bow

"Now back on the topic at hand, I am willing to export as much supplies as it takes to keep your people fed, Dai niu" You say happily as the old general nods and swallows hard "if you allow me to interfere further in the lands your family rules"
-
What do you do after the Parley, Lieren?
> Officially welcome the Dai into your alliance and forces and return Dai castle to Niu
> Secretly ally the Dai to your forces, giving you a hidden knife against the Yan's back
>Discuss the intricacies of your philosophy to Lord Dai and his sons.
>Return to the lands you hold, and allow Dai Niu to decide his path for himself.
> Write in?

>>4568759
>Discuss the intricacies of our philosophy
>offer him open or secret alliance, either suits us but it is up to him.

A secret alliance could allow him to move amongst the Yan and gather allies for a betrayal.
An open alliance is an increase in our forces and allows him to see his family and ancestral home again.
So the choice is really his.

>>4568759
>>Discuss the intricacies of your philosophy to Lord Dai and his sons.
>Officially welcome the Dai into your alliance and forces and return Dai castle to Niu
I'd like for them to join willingly, but their lands will join with or without them. They get to decide if it is with new leaders. With their army of infantry, we can face far larger forces without having to worry about being overwhelmed by hordes of fodder by integrating their spearmen into our formations

>>4568842
I think the Dai are all willing to throw in with us, it's just a matter of how we wish for it to occur.

Your option isnt actually giving them a choice, its pushing for them to accept an open alliance

>>4568759
>>Return to the lands you hold, and allow Dai Niu to decide his path for himself.

I believe we've made our case as clear as possible for the moment.

D-didn't we cross the battlelines specifically to find out what the Yan are planning??
Going back now, when we HAVEN'T done figured out the Yan's plans sounds quite self-defeating to me.

>>4568759
>Discuss the intricacies of your philosophy to Lord Dai and his sons.
Figure out the Yan's plans.

>>4568759
>Discuss the intricacies of your philosophy to Lord Dai and his sons.
>Return to the lands you hold, and allow Dai Niu to decide his path for himself.
Dai will come to us.

>>4568879
I think that was just us overestimating our enemy, a rare error.

>>4568759
>Discuss the intricacies of your philosophy to Lord Dai and his sons
>offer him open or secret alliance, either suits us but it is up to him.
This is gonna be good.

>>4568759
>>Return to the lands you hold, and allow Dai Niu to decide his path for himself.

>>4568759
>Write-In
>Discuss the intricacies of your philosophy to Lord Dai and his sons.
>Give them back their castle and lands. And ask them if they at least would like a truce between us as well giving us the possibility to continue our war against the Yang, if they don t consider joining our rebellion but don t want to fight us.
>Continue with our scouting of Yang lands, and do swift attacks against other Yang forces for see how strong they are and how many they are. Destroy symbols of Yang power along the way, and give useful gifts (food, tools, medicines and so on) to the common men of the villages we will pass.
>Send spies ahead of us our forces for see what it can be done for obtain more information about the Yang army or armies. During their mission this spies, can also capture messangers and send them back to their forces with changed orders causing chaos. They should leave along the way copies of the Journey too.

>>4568759
Supporting this
>>4568839
First of all, the only reason to stop the adavance of a succesful campaign against an enemy in dissarray is stretching the frontline too thin or lacking a proper line of command, transport, resousce distribution, etc. We have all those things and also a fortress with a general that knows all the lands close and all the nearby lords. I think we should go full "open alliance" with Dai and just march at intervals (capture a fortress or set of fortresses and then make sure everyone is loyal and stablish proper supply lines, also take all advantageous terrain and build small forts), we repeat the process as much as we can and send raiding parties to keep the yan in disarray and ignorance. Second, we just made this people see the Yan and most supporters as depraved, sadistic tyrants. If we now not only offer them resources progress and stability, but also give them the choice and allow them to decide what they want to do from now on (which is and extremely difficult decission with long term impact and we lack the info about Dai and the Yan to make it properly), we prove beyond any doubt that we are not a tyrant and that if we ever act like a tyrant is out of pure necessity and not out of pleasure (this prevents being acussed of hipocresy when we have to take harsh measures or when we join the Emperor and have to do warcrimes to win).

>>4569007
Support

>>4569007
Yep, this is good too, so basically this>>4568839
Combined with >>4569007
We allow Dai to decide and meanwhile we keep the yan forces in a constant administrative and tactical nightmare while also making more and more population loyal to the journey.

>>4568839
supporting this. it's the best of both world and allows for self determination

>>4569839
I was about to say.
There's a guardsman quest, a khorne quest, and another guardsman quest. Maybe a few more. The only ones that were here first are Man of Iron and Chapter Master.

>>4569851
In fairness, The Khorne quest was a guy who kept trying to do 40k quests in the past but either flaked or got the QMs curse in full force.

Not so much copying a trend as trying to get back to Qming

>>4569839
Well, I say the more the merrier.

>>4569839
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, malal should feel proud.

>>4569851
Don’t forget a Mechanicus quest, that one looks promising so far

>>4569839
I wonder why this quest succeeded so much. The recognizable setting and how it was written probably had a large role to play but that wouldn't explain how it was able to punch through 2000 posts in the first thread. There was a specific flavor to the abundant discussion,pragmatic lore analysis and planning that felt eerily familiar.

>>4570080
I'd say a combination of very good writing, beloved setting and a high power level. An imperial guardsman can be a good protagonist for a quest, but he has little agency. A primarch has the ability to fundamentally change a world.

>>4570080
>>4570094
FREQUENT UPDATES

>>4570080
I'd say its the characterisation, both of MC and others, in combination with a detailed and interesting world. Throw in the fact its a decent power fantasy in a well-known setting to attract initial attention and it makes sense. Also >>4570098.

>>4570080
Malal writes ridiculously fast.

Calling the vote now

Discuss philosophy with Dai Niu and his sons: 9
Offer either form of alliance to your Dai:4
Make an open alliance with the Dai:1
Return to the Dai lands and let Niu decide his path himself: 3
Give back the castle and lands and ask if they would at least like a truce: 3
Continue scouting Yan Lands: 3
Send spies ahead to learn of the Yan's plan and sow chaos and spread the journey: 3

Total votes: 11

Alright So Lieren will discuss his philosophy with Lord Dai and his sons, and since there's a total of 6 votes for returning the Dai their lands and castle, I'll have Lieren mention the possibility of doing so.

Writing the update now

>>4569950
Well if I did inspire them to start those quests, I'm happy I did. since it means that more people are having a good time. Same reason I'm glad people enjoy this quest.

You know besides the fact it's a blast to write Lieren and people reacting to him and his actions.

>>4570094
>>4570100
Thanks!

>>4570105
Yeah its a talent of mine.

>>4570098
Wish I was doing them a little bit quicker, desu

>>4570080
I love all the discussion, and the rare meme. Also going to once again give props to the guy who made that fog panther legion/ chapter symbol. That thing is amazing

>>4570184
I feel like a parley without discussing possible defections or alliances is an endeavour missing the point.

But oh well.

"Is it truly possible to have such a bountiful harvest, mid season?" Dai Gang asks as his aging father swirls a small vial of liquid fertilizer around, gripping the glass tube between his fingers as he inspects it "is this alchemy of yours truly able to encourage such unnatural growth"

"If it is correctly utilized, the lands I lead have adopted this method, along with other methods to aid in the growth and yield of crops, to great effect. if the land is treated with a mixture of minerals and vitamins, along with a suitable fertilizer buried beneath the seeds and another like the one I have shown your father, is mixed into the water you douse over the field or pipe" You start to explain as Gang looks at you as if you were speaking in a foreign tongue or speaking an incantation to call upon the divine. Smiling kindly you nod your head once

"Yes, the alchemy is quite potent, and has the benefit of not spoiling the land, no matter how long it is used to encourage the crops to grow larger and quicker" You say, deciding to explain it in a method that men not accustomed to the the knowledge you've shared and spread so freely

"Amazing, and you would give such a miracle to our lands, for nothing in exchange? No payment or pact?" Gang asks giddily as One of his young brothers, a man with a thin mustache mimicking his father's own well groomed style, taps his knuckles against one of the squashes you've brought along with you, in case you found any villages that needed convincing to accept your gifts.

"I would offer you the hand of one my own daughters, any one of them yet unwed" Dai Niu says, as amazed as his sons are at the "miracle elixir" you've brought to show them, after Gang asked how exactly you were getting so much food, if not by divine aid "I'd name you my own son, adopt you into my house"

You shake your head, and let out a soft chuckle.

"I am greatly humbled by your offer, but I have no desire for such things. the last lord of the Gao offered me a similar bargain, to control me, you see. All I wish is to help my fellow man, and ensure not a single one of my brothers or sisters born to Shangrala suffer famine or hardship again" You explain with a kind smile as Niu sighs and laughs, Gang joining him as well as the Other sons continue to inspect the gourd, trying to find any sign of trickery or obvious celestial intervention upon it "To be rewarded for such a simple act, does not interest me. I will have to unfortunately refuse your generous offer"

"That is a part of The Journey, is it not? To aid others when able to? To be generous without any reason besides that you are able to be. To seek to understand your fellow man and give unto them kindness" Dai Niu says, setting the vial gently down upon the table, Gang reaches for it himself, tugging at his braided beard as he does so.
cont

>>4570228

"Yes, one of its many facets. It also reflects another teaching, one of the other four core tenants in fact" You say kindly as you turn your eyes to Gang, who is now swirling the vial of fertilizer much like his father had been doing mere moments before "Nurturing the land, sharing and ensuring the spread of prosperity"

"And defending both, if those Journeymen who preach your word are to be believed" Dai Niu adds, clasping his hands together, smiling as you nod "I've never before heard of men caring for nature, it is a queer but understandable thought. To respect the world we as civilized men stand apart from"

"If nature falls ill, so does civilization" You explain, as the old man nods his head, closing his eyes and reflecting on the small wisdom you have gifted him.

"I have never thought of it like that before, but your words ring true" He replies after a few moments of reflection, reaching for his still half filled glass of liquor to sip from again. After swishes the drink around his mouth and swallows, he speaks again "But one thing that remains confusing to me, is your acceptance that all things shall fade and die one day, that life is transient"

"And thus knowing all life shares equal value, from the smallest creature to the mightiest king" You say, eyes narrowed with joy and smile turned to a bright, beaming grin "What of the concept confuses you? I figured it was quite easily understood"

"No no, I understand it, my words were vague forgive me, Lieren" Dai Niu says, lifting up his glass and swirling the drink resting within, watching it as though it was a work of art "I am simply confused as to how you and the students of The Journey can be so"

He smacks his lips, closing his eyes again as he ponders how to describe exactly what is confusing him, to put it into words

"Accepting of death, of the transience of life, and yet to not mourn it but rather revel in the fact that all things come to an end" He says after a few moments of thought "it is a grim gospel to be sure, and one that the Yan have been trying to twist to reflect negatively upon your work"

You nod, clapping your hands together and sighing as you turn your eyes to the roof of the tent once more

"Well, why would one cling to life, when there is no method to make it endless? You live and you die. It is natural to die, to try and step from the cycle of life and death, is to height of foolishness. Men and all creatures large and small will come to an end one day, all works shall be forgotten someday, and all castles and civilizations shall turn to dust" You say serenely, calmly as Dai Niu winces, obviously uncomfortable being forced to recognize the fleeting nature of himself and all he knows. Few men can easily accept such a truth
cont

>>4570233

"But" You say, raising on your hands up as you continue on "that does not mean all you do has no point or worth. Even the smallest actions echo into the future, changing the world for good or ill. Even though one day all you have built and done shall turn to legend, and then myth and then be lost, even though all you know shall one day return to dust and ash, know that all you have done, from the greatest cruelty to the smallest kindness, has shaken the world and changed the course of history. The ripples of our actions, how we effect others, the changes we wrought rather by intent or purpose shall far outlast our own lives and even the very memory that we ever lived"

Dai Niu takes a deeper drink from his glass, and you pause to all his mind to process the new information you have revealed to him.

"So we simply do not fear death and the fading of memory, all things shall once be forgotten, but their presence and influence shall truly fade" You explain happily "It is one of the truths of the Journey, and how I myself of course view my own mortality. If life continues or simply ends does not concern me, if I shall see the changes I have brought through different eyes, does not bother me in the slightest. Simply that I have lived at all, and would have changed the world if I had simply remained a farmer, is enough for me to greet the fate that awaits me and all things peacefull"

"So you do not worship death, like Mao Bolin had claimed as he fled deeper into Yan with the rest of those cowards?" Gang asks, making his father tighten his jaw

"We are still enemies, my son" He says simply, his eldest bowing his head and looking ashamed by the slip of his tongue "Even if we may not remain as such by the days end, presently we stand against this most benevolent of men"

"Not at all, we worship nothing, its simply a school of thought, a teaching, a guide. Describing a Journey, and path of life. I do not hold it as gospel or divine revelation, it is merely a collection of thoughts, stories, beliefs and wisdom" You explain with a chuckle "Do they truly believe that I would tell anyone to praise death? All I say is to accept it, and not fear it"

"It is one of the many lies they tell of you, Humble Lieren" Dai Niu says, sounding utterly disgusted that such things are said of you and those would name themselves your students "But that explains my question quite succinctly, Though I will admit that I only have a passing knowledge of your collected wisdom, I've heard the chants and mantras the "Journeymen" speak in mediation, I've heard the sayings they repeat in the face of torture or even death itself, the stories you've told them, the lesson taught"

"If you wish, I always keep at least one copy of the Journey close at hand, I would be happy to gift you one for your own personal studies if you are curious of what my philosophy actually entails, free of any lies or falsehood" You say, smirking as you tempt Lord Dai further away from the Yan
cont

>>4570236

"I would be hanged for keeping such a treasure, if I remain serving the Yan" Dai Niu laughs, taking another sip of Dragon's spit before he sets his glass down "But they have tried to kill me once already, so I do not see the harm in keeping such a tome in my possession"

"So we are breaking with the Yan then?" Gang asks, glancing to his father meekly.

Dai Niu simply nods, and you feel a great warmth and joy surge through your body. You have removed another portion of the Yan army, with only a handful of deaths.

"If only because they betrayed our trust first, I shall not serve a kingdom that will have my head for merely seeking to ensure my family's well being" Dai Niu says, snorting through his nose as he turns to look you in your eyes, managing to hold his gaze longer than most men "Though, the idea of being forced to oppose the man who saved my life and only seeks to better the world, has also influenced my decision"

Gang nods, smiling proudly as the other sons cheer and holler, having began dissecting the near man sized vegetable you've brought to their attention.

"For I cannot, in good conscience, remain the enemy of a man who I owe my life and the lives of my children to" Dai Niu says raising his glass

"Oh!" You say, somewhat surprised you didn't have to even bargain or suggest the idea to Lord Dai yourself, but proud and awed that he has such a virtuous heart to come to such a conclusion himself , even if it is the wise thing to do "Well then I shall offer your lands and castle back to you, for if you are now a neutral party in this war, I cannot in good conscience myself, continue occupying your home with my own army"

"Why would you need to do such a thing? We are turning our coat to your banner, Lieren" Dai Niu says, laughing as he notices the surprise on your face, have momentary it may be.

"I must be one of the few men who can claim he has shocked a giant" He cackles, shaking his head, before frowning "It's only the wise thing to do, after all. You saved my life, I am in your debt, and after all...why should one continue to serve a foolish and cruel master"

Lord Dai grins, twirling the ends of his mustache around his finger

"And, I will also, as a new servant or vassal or ally, whatever you wish to call me, present to you all I know of the Yan army's current movements and location" He says happily as his other sons move to the table, one of the younger ones eating a raw slice of Squash as they do so "The Dai may be turtles, but we shall not merely roll over when struck. The Yan have betrayed their contract with us, and a better, more worthy master has made himself known"

Bowing his head, he raises his glass into the air

"For prosperity and benevolence for a thousand years and a thousand years more" He proclaims, slamming his glass onto the table "For the downtrodden and abused, May the Yan choke on their hubris"

And with that he downs his drink.
cont

>>4570238

What do you say after such a show, Lieren?
> "I welcome you to my side as an equal Dai Niu, I shall gather my forces so you may meet your new brothers in arms"
> "I will not force you to aid me, but if you wish to I shall not stop you. All men must find their own path in life after all"
>" Let us keep this a secret, if you are able to stomach such deciet, act as though you remain a loyal vassal to the Yan, but in reality remain as a knife against their throat"
> "Well, if that is your decision, you may return home, I will send a messenger ahead to alert my forces you are no longer our enemy....as there are somethings I wish to do myself before returning to my army"
> Write in?

>>4570239
> "Well, if that is your decision, you may return home, I will send a messenger ahead to alert my forces you are no longer our enemy....as there are somethings I wish to do myself before returning to my army"
Share meds?

>>4570233
>all castles and civilizations shall turn to dust
I think this will be the thing that Emps purges us over, our acceptance of the inevitable end of Humanity by something (internal or external) probably would horrify or annoy him severely. Given his obsession with the idea that humanity will become immortal entities and such. That and / or our evaluation of "all life" as having value, which is a distinctly anti-imperial thought even in 30k.

>>4570239
> "I welcome you to my side as an equal Dai Niu, I shall gather my forces so you may meet your new brothers in arms"

Only issue I've got with this is saying "as an equal" when he's specifically specifying an intent to be a vassal. Even if we're not into the whole "ruler-on-high" shtick, the phrasing is very important as a verbal agreement of intent / terms. Still, assuming its just saying "as an equal" as in "virtuous man" that's fine.

>>4570239
>I welcome you as an equal
>I shall send a message to my forces, but let us keep our alliance secret for but a few days more.

>Find another enemy army and catch them in the twin jaws of the Dai and our forces.

>>4570252
My reasoning here, is that the enemy army would be delighted to have reinforcements against such a terrifying foe, before swords are plunged into their back.

>>4570239
>>4570251
Weather Lieren likes it or not, there will be people who actually want to be his vassals/servants/underlings.

>>4570257
Yeah I know which is part of why I want to be very specific, best to avoid confusion and try to create more equals.

>>4570239
>> "I welcome you to my side as an equal Dai Niu, I shall gather my forces so you may meet your new brothers in arms"

>>4570239
>> "I will not force you to aid me, but if you wish to I shall not stop you. All men must find their own path in life after all"

>>4570239
> "I welcome you to my side as an equal Dai Niu, I shall gather my forces so you may meet your new brothers in arms"

>>4570268
elector counts style of gov?

>>4570340
That one could be one way to go. Less supreme ruler and more ideal to imitate while we propagate our idea to others, and leave the ruling to someone of the ones qualified and already ruling a province or another. Kind of like federation or union and similar in practice to the imperium.

>>4570340
Elector counts are cool

>>4570340
Wouldn’t suggest it. Alien shapeshifters are a thing in 40k.

>>4570360
Shit since we're pretty much looking to form a full blown meritocracy at this point, our outlook on xenos might end up a bit skewed compared to the rest of the imperium.

Highly unlikely I know but it still could be a possibility... alright to be 100 percent frank I enjoy the asthetics of Tau armor over space marine armor and that's the only reason I'd vote to not purge all xenos outright.

>>4570340
Maybe, but that's the thing too, being one of the smart primarchs, Lieren is also stupidly good at governing. While eventually allowing local governors is the best option, it'd be wise for lieren to still be able to build stuff throughout the provinces.

>>4570362
The Empire actually has some xenos that are allowed to not get genocided. Mainly it's from periphery worlds, space stations, rogue trader crews and that kind of stuff, but if the T'au were discovered by someone important enough, they definitely could find a way to get them not-killed. But of course, for that, we'd need to live all the way to 35th millenia and that's a lot of fucking time considering all of the loyalist primarchs kinda disappeared some time after horus, one by one, in their own ways.

>>4570360
Yes, and if it is an election for life, its the same as hereditary only the dynasty periodically changes. The investment and opportunities to infiltrate the highest levels of governance are similar to trying to infiltrate any other noble dynasty, as any eligible governor or high king or whatever would already be the ruler of a province and thus of an established noble house or whatever that province practices.
>>4570371
That can be done as a business or some kind of private organization whatever. It also allows us to easily integrate other civilizations by keeping them internally self-contained.

It will also give us experience in both imperial integration and imperial policies while being inherently a even more hands off type of primarch who may have a few megacorps following in his wake and doing business that may perhaps improve quality of living and productivity of the average pleb and the rising profit margins and total valuation of the highborn.

>>4570417
“Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.”
― Joseph Stalin

They don’t need to reach the highest levels. They just need to subvert one election. Besides, glorified popularity contests are a terrible to choose leaders especially world wide leaders.

>>4570430
not popularity contest. technocratic powersharing basically. its pretty much a recognition that regional powerbrokers or strongmen or whomever sits atop the powerstructure of city a, landmass b, port c etc, meet up and discus who the next head honcho is.

This would pretty much include only people in the position of someone like Gao or Dai.

It comes prepackaged with a hard limit to the number of voters that still can function as a direct democracy and do not need any kind of vote counters or anything. Think of it more like the council of cardinals the catholic church has. Its basically that same structure.

I mean we are not so insane as to give everyone the franchise, and beyond that de facto provice leaders can through rebelion veto their ruler, so why not give it a way to be expressed de jure so they can grin and bear it for one generation and do not have to do it de facto.

And yeah, if it is a elector count system it means that the ruler of the province has one vote, so that means having to reach some pretty high levels as not even the highborn have the vote - only the ruler of a province has it.

That being said any system has vulnerabilities. hereditary rulers can be disappeared and reappeared conveniently, appointees can be switched, etc.


This one does have some vulnerabilities but at the same time some security as well. Every potential candidate is also a voter and every one of them already comes with a work history in ruling their own province.

Also the ones doing the voting are also doing the counting. They are few enough to do it.

>>4570438
>>4570430
More than that i doubt its going to be a secret vote. these are people who will loudly claim their support for candidate a or b and that is also their vote. If your vote can be intimidated out of you then you ought not be an autonomous province but someones vassal and integrated into that.

Honestly, this talk of actual democracy is dumb. It's fucking 40K, any attempt at democracy will end horribly. We're better off just having your normal noble lords and shit.

Are you people TRYING to get our worlds destroyed by genestealers, xenos and chaos cultists?

>>4570239
> "I will not force you to aid me, but if you wish to I shall not stop you. All men must find their own path in life after all"

>>4570458
>It's fucking 40K, any attempt at democracy will end horribly
Not really, democratic systems are actually arguably more resistant to chaos since they require either the complex subversion of numerous political systems (election counters, monitors, police, etc) or the subversion of a significant and unified portion of the population. That or the 1-in-a-trillion human that manages to sneak into power and be chaos-following without being detected but they'd occur with nobility anyway.

Further we know that democratic systems exist in the Imperium, even after 10,000 years of constant fighting and chaotic troubles. In these far more ideal times, we can certainly make such methods work.

>Genestealers
Not around for another few thousand years, not a significant problem for roughly 10,000. Beyond the scale of this quest unless we change to decades-per-turn. Even then, Genestealers are not actually a threat unless you've got Tyranids or you are completely inattentive to the risk of such infiltration (unlikely since such technology is even used by humans occasionally).

Even if you've got Tyrannids, they aren't that bad if you aren't fighting a N-front war and in a consistent decline as a civilisation. They lack shields for example, meaning that they've massive vulnerabilities to many Imperial ship classes.

>xenos
I fail to see how democracy results in Xeno-annihilation of our people.

>chaos cultists
Because a persistent noble class proves so effective at combating the threat of chaos.

>>4570488
>complex subversion
It’s actually very easy, one of the easiest as a matter of fact. Democracy by design is sluggish, causes society to fragment along party lines, and only effective if the people that vote understand what they are (meaning who ever controls the news controls the world).

>>4570526
*voting for

>>4570458
Democracy? The proposed system is more like a Oligarchy that has a tiny bit of a democratic feature,in that the oligarchs elect the new head honcho.

Think of it as only the Electoral system of the US, but no one gets to vote for them, because the state governor is the Elector, and they vote for one Presidente for life.

I mean it is probably the most resticted form of democracy you could think of, so much so restricted that you should perhaps call it something else because that something else is the main form of government and this is just some feature that happens once in a while, and has an electorate that is most likely to be informed on the issue.

I mean its worse than saying we have IRL pure capitalism when outside of a few city state and territories everyone is a mixed or state economy.

Vastly distorting the whole picture, just sayin

>>4570534
*the state governor is most likely nobility who owns the bloody state to boot.

>>4570526
>Democracy by design is sluggish
Depends on the scale, the method and the resources devoted. Anonymised ballot casting is a fairly slow process but only because we use a fairly limited number of counters. If you are doing a literal vote-with-feet or pledging of support in advance for a candidate (with ability to retract as wanted / needed), this is far less of an issue.

Further, why is being sluggish a bad thing? You would have a point if I wanted a democratic military but we are talking civilian administration and such here, not frontline decision making or high command planning.

>causes society to fragment along party lines
Depends on if you use the first-past-the-post system rather than weighted voting. With the latter, you can support multiple parties and candidates to varying degrees meaning that you don't have to choose left or right or liberal or labour or conservative or pink or green. It does complicate vote tabulation but not beyond the point of reason.

>only effective if the people that vote understand what they are *voting for
Which is not a complex decision most of the time. Hell, even today it isn't that complex of a decision or that difficult: if you care about your vote, contact your potential representatives, find out their policies, ask questions, look into the party mandates for their governments and their past actions.

>meaning who ever controls the news controls the world
I don't feel this is a realistic concern given the simple fact that there is no news industry currently. At best there are town criers and even then I've my doubts given the absolute isolation of communities until our road network's completion. Even speaking longer term, the investment costs for a privately owned radio or telegraph network (or constituent part of a greater network) for our society currently seem beyond almost anyone's capacity. Even speaking longer term than that, chances are we're going to develop a pseudo-internet before major conglomeration of media interests can occur. Which, in turn given our philosophies and primarch intelligence, we will regulate better than any human can comprehend most likely. At that point, it is more realistic to worry about fringe elements taking advantage of the free exchange of information, the exact opposite of your proposed issue.

>>4570239
>>" Let us keep this a secret, if you are able to stomach such deceit, act as though you remain a loyal vassal to the Yan, but in reality remain as a knife against their throat"

Calling the vote now, sorry for the wait.

Well if that is your decision:1
I welcome you as equal:4
I shall send a message, let us keep the alliance secret a few days more:1
Find another enemy:1
I will not force you to aid me: 2
Let us keep this a secret:1

Alright Lieren will respond by welcoming Dai Niu as an equal, and stating he will gather his forces so The Dai can be introduced to them

wRITING now

And you lift your own, still having not taken a single sip of the strong intoxicant resting between its glass walls. With a a boisterous and merry laugh, you raise it above your head, intentionally spilling it over the edge to further show your feelings of appreciation and joy towards Dai Niu, for the man having the wisdom to see the truth of the matter and being virtuous enough to realize that loyalty to an idiotic and sadistic master is a worse poison than betraying said master for the good of the people and lands. He keeps his own glass raised, before setting it down, a bit red in the cheeks from the alcohol he's imbibed

"I welcome you to my side as as an equal, in both virtue and wisdom, Dai Niu" You say happily, setting the glass back down in front of you, before clapping your hands together, bowing your head quickly before finishing what you had began to tell the Lord of the Dai "I shall gather my forces, so you can meet with your new brothers in arms in person"

"As you so command, Lord Lieren" He says cheekily, no doubt knowing how uncomfortable you get when Lord precedes your name "I have fought besides Yin Lei before and only heard stories of Lai song, the other banners that march beneath you however are unknown to me, so it will be a good chance to learn exactly what the army of my new master lacks in terms of specialty and talent"

"We shall work hard to repay the debts the Dai owe unto you, Giant of Nothing" Gang says, pressing an open hand across his chest and over his heart "And to repay the Yan for their treachery"

The other present sons of Dai nod in agreement, several of them having now made a snack out of the squash you brought as a demonstration. Which is quite amusing, if only because it makes these grown and battle hardened men resemble children being given slices of fruit.

"As my eldest son has said, our service to you and your rebellion, is a form of giving our thanks, for your valiant actions earlier this day and to ensure the lands of Yan will no longer be ruled by the incompetent and cruel" Niu says, bowing his head for a moment before straightening his back with a wince "The Dai have remained willfully ignorant of the truth for too long, and perhaps my own predecessors were among the number of those unworthy to lead and rule"

"I am grateful you would go to such lengths to repay such a simple act of kindness, but I am overjoyed you have seen the light as it were, and realized the truth before you" You reply, speaking politely and in a bright and springy tone "May the decadent and corrupt be cast from their castle and removed from power forevermore"

"May they choke on their hubris and traditions, and see themselves for what they truly are" Dai Niu laughs, glancing back to his sons and nodding, and they join him in the show of casual confidence, laughing deeply and hardily.
cont

>>4571706

"If only they had eyes to see" You add, nodding your head, curling your fingers and locking them your hands together, before lowering your tone

"You should take the remedy I recommended, Dai Niu, to ensure you are not trouble by pain in the coming days and journey back to your family's ancestral home"

"If time affords me such luxury, I will take it" He says simply "Though I will take you up on that offer of a personal copy of The Journey put to print, so I may study the depths and intricacies of the philosophy you and yours follow myself, and not bother you, Lord Lieren, with my hah"

He smiles and shakes his head

"No doubt foolish questions" He says humbly, bowing his head

"There is no such thin as a foolish question, if you seek answers" You say with a shrug of your shoulders, pulling your hands together "I will allow you to announce to your force the change of The Dai's allegiances, though I will keep my own forces at the ready in case such a proclamation cause unrest"

"These men are Dai men, they come from the same land as I do, any who hold more loyalty to the Yan than their families, would not be welcomed in the lands they call home" Lord Dai explains bluntly, before a sorrowful look passes over his expression "As the Yan did to the Dai monks, years before, I would cast any traitors out of my army and lands"

"If any arise, I would advise to give mercy to them, there is no reason to shed blood if it can be avoided by walking down another path" You say, standing from the table and taking a single step to stand by Feng, who has since returned from hanging the Eunuch. Your friend glances up at you with a joyful smile, despite the deep cut just beneath his eyes, just low enough to not damage his vision. He is lucky he did not lose his eye, hopefully the wound will help to temper his pride, along with the victory he helped achieve today.

"Oh, I agree, killing them would not be necessary, they are mere farmers and working folk, but I would not want the breed who would turn their back to their family and lands among my people" Dai Niu says as you move to leave his tent "I doubt any will be that particular kind of scum, but, I felt the need to speak the action I would take if there were indeed such villains among my forces"

"I understood that, but I wished to make my own thoughts known as well, Dai Niu, may the rest of the night be comfortable and uneventful for you, my friend" You say warmly, pushing aside the flap of the tent to step outside of it, and are greeted by the cold air of a spring night.

There's a light rain and the fog has grown thicker during the time you had spoken with Dai Niu.

"So, we shall return to the Dai lands then? to introduce Lord Dai to the others?" Feng asks, looking up at you as your guards stand at attention, Jinhai, Zian, Rong and Red faced Wei forming around you and the rest of your personal guard forming around them
cont

>>4571710

"The Yan are in disarray, but we should make haste to return to the rest of our army, to prepare and revise our plans with the new information Dai Niu has gifted us" You explain, crossing your arms as you stand in the middle of the camp, to relish in the rain and allow it to purify your body and soul.

Feng nods, touching the wound on his cheek as Jinhai turns to look upon him.

"A new scar to speak of your glory, ragged man?" He asks kindly, with the voice of a friend both teasing and complimenting another

"I see your scales still remain unmarred of such trophies, Carp" Feng said with a grin "You know even Jiang has a scar or two"

"Hah, that man? I am surprised he doesn't have more than you, Feng" Rong says as Zian sighs and looks up to you

"Shall I gather our men and the riders of Lai?" He asks, you nod to confirm his self given orders "Understood, I'll ensure preparations to march back home begin with haste"

"I'll help" Red face Says with a snort "I'll find Lai song, and relay the order to prepare to march back to Dai, Old man can speak to the Gatling regiment"

"Watch your tongue" Zian says dully, but you see the telltale pulling of facial muscles beneath his mask, telling you despite his amused tone, he was amused by Wei's insult rather than being truly enraged by it.

What shall you do upon returning to the Dai lands, Lieren?
>Waste no time and draw up revised plans, and march to meet the nearest encampments of the Yan army
>Leave your generals to plan, and focus your efforts on the construction of the great road into Dai
>Take a small force and scout yourself, to see if Lord Dai's intel remains accurate
> Visit the ruins of the Dai monastary, were Guozhi's brothers consigned themselves to flame, to reflect upon those who came before you
> write in?

Sorry for the wait, got delayed by a few things

>>4571713
>Waste no time and draw up revised plans, and march to meet the nearest encampments of the Yan army

>>4571713
>Waste no time and draw up revised plans, and march to meet the nearest encampments of the Yan army

>>4571713
>>Waste no time and draw up revised plans, and march to meet the nearest encampments of the Yan army

>>4571713
>>Waste no time and draw up revised plans, and march to meet the nearest encampments of the Yan army

>>4571713
>Waste no time, strike while the iron is hot and information accurate

The Dai monks may be visited once this region is secure or the war is over

>>4571713
>>Waste no time and draw up revised plans, and march to meet the nearest encampments of the Yan army

Calling the vote now, quicker than I have been lately.
Pretty obvious winner, after all.

Waste no time and draw up revised plans, continuing the warpath against the yan: 6

So Lieren will do just that

>>4571815
He's fast.

It took sometime to regather your forces from their positions throughout the lands of Dai, as the road had yet to reach very far over the border. Which made travel more dangerous than the lands you first liberated from the hold of tyranny and wasteful decadence, however Fog Panthers and the degenerate cousins of man who stalked the further reaches of the Yan kingdom, proved no match for the firepower your army wielded. And so, with only a few casualties suffered by the fog and the creatures that called it home, the benevolent liberation army, as some men have taken to call it, or the Giant's men, as many more had began to refer to themselves, had regathered in the heart of Dai lands, now near enough to the border for freshly trained recruits and resupply from the lands of your home to reach them and join up with the entirety of your forces.

There had been a celebration, a quiet one that merely entailed a shared dinner between your generals, assistants and men of valor, the meal shared with the rest of the army. A tactical decision by Qian Xia, who had braved crossing the border to bring the latest harvest from the villages close to the borderland, to further show the Dai to true wealth and prosperity of your lands. And, it seemed that Shan had discovered another use for gunpowder, namely the creation of fireworks, which was not unknown to you, but you saw it as something of a waste. Before at least, Dandan of the fallen house Tao, mentioned how effective of an psychological weapon they could be, after which you had turned to pondering how to use such a festive thing for warfare over celebration.

Of course, all of this, even the victories sung by your lesser generals, in defending villages from beasts and men alike, paled in comparison to what you considered to be worth celebrating the most. The reuniting of the Dai family. It brought a smile to your face, to see such the pure, untainted joy of a father reuniting with his children, of a husband and wife embracing after such a long separation. It brought tears to your golden eyes, to see the happiness of the Dai upon being brought together once again. However, the tears remained for another reason, as seeing the family reunited once more, brought forth memories of your own father. Wenyan, who still remained in Nothing, far from conflict and battle. Were he was safe. There was a part of you, that urged you to return to his side again, as a son should always accompany his father, especially in the winter of their life. But, you quashed such thoughts. While it was painful to not be able to return to your father, and help him in his day to life and take care of him. You knew such a thing was purely a selfish thought, a rarity in your mind. The yearning of a son wishing to see his father again. Despite this feeling of being lost and alone, you knew it was your duty to remain here, leading your forces to battle and victory.
cont

>>4571856

Your duty to the people, as a savior, outweighed your duty to Wenyan, as a son. Though it brought much pain to your heart, you knew it would still be some time still before you could be allowed to journey back to Nothing. Years perhaps. But, the great work required more devotion and attention than anything else.

You may feel guilty for being apart from your own kin, unable to brighten his days or assist him, or protect him directly. But to impede your won work of raising up all men of Yan and Shangrala beyond it, is action you would never be able to forgive yourself for committing . Especially so selfishly. It may be natural to miss home and family, but it'd be utterly childish to act upon such impulses in spite of the responsibility and obligations you were now committed to seeing through to the end.

So you silence the grief, sorrow and pain in your heart, and smile. For if Dai Niu and his flock were happy, you had no right in sulking over feelings of homesickness. So you laughed and made merry with your friends, singing songs with your soldiers and giving wisdom to your followers. It was better than allowing yourself to wallow in sorrow and grief, after all, and it reminded you that the men who followed you, who served you and fought by your side for the same vision and dream of a free Yan and united Shangrala were your family as well.

The celebrations, were however short even if they were fulfilling and aided in cleansing your mind of doubtful thoughts and worries. And soon, you gathered your advisors once again, your generals and experts on the various fields that aided your march to war one way or another.

Outside of Lai song, Yin Lei, Dai Niu, and Daiyu, all of your general remained silent as the greying turtle presented a hastily drawn map and several letters that had arrived to his camp before his defection. The movements of the various armies comprising the unified Yan forces. This is where the war effort would become more difficult, for the lands forward have yet to be accurately mapped as the lands you have already made prosperous have been. And there's no time or method to scout ahead to paint a more accurate view of the landscape and terrain.

It was an obstacle you would have to surmount, for it could not be solved in the middle of a war.

"So, from what I have heard and seen in my march towards the border" Dai Niu says, standing close to the table as you, the black general, lord of Cavalry and Gao's most able of children looked upon the frustratingly vague map of silk spread out on the square table between you.

Guozhi was present, as was Xia and her "brother", as was Shan and his apprentice in destruction, Dandan. Besides them, all of your guards and a select few of your hunting companions joined the discussion along with the lesser generals serving beneath your "Three kings of war" as your forces have began to call Yin Lei, Lai song, and Dai Niu.
cont

>>4571858

So named for their experience in the art of battle and tactical genius nurtured through a lifetime of war waged against other nobility within Yan and Invaders like the Vishnu and Shuni. Jinhai, stood by your side as you looked over the map. Zian, Rong, both Chens, Bai, Xin and Red faced Wei guarded the exits of the war room, one that was stocked with the most recent maps of Yan and beyond that the Dai could afford to have commissioned

Which mean the map laying upon the table was at least a generation old. It was after all, to map the land when there were no proper roads, and the men you hired kept falling prey to panthers and worse. But it was all you had of the neighboring lands, thankfully the half completed map you have been drawing of the Dai lands helped fill in the gaps of information, but it only partially solves the issue.

By allowing you to safely guess and anticipate the climate and kind of terrain to expect over the borders of these lands, but not the exact features and landmarks within.

"And the orders received by Yan, I know where three armies lie, The movements of the Fox of Yan and the Qilin of the Yin remain unknown to me, but I expect the Loyal Qilin has followed the fox to properly regroup and plan their response to the victories won by our forces" Dai Niu goes on to explain, Lai song grooming mustache as Yin Lei simply nods "And have gone to muster fresh armies and gather more generals, All signs point to them have greatly underestimated the sheer numbers, ability and power of our armies"

"As I expected" Lai song said with a toothy grin "But they could not have anticipated the heights of Lieren's genius and have no doubt forgotten the tactical knowledge of Lai and Yin, so, what of the remaining Army of Mao? And where do the banners of the serpents of Xue and Lion of Kang fly?"

"That is the most important information, if we can strike against the disparate forces of the Yan army before they can renew the loss of the Dai and crippling of the Mao and reorganize, then they will be forced to retreat further and remain on the defensive, unable to strike back against us" Yin Lei says bluntly, resting his chin in his open palm as he looks over the map.

"I will now show you, where the armies of the swine, Lion and serpent have retreated" Dai Niu says, bowing his head as he grabs the three banners resting by his side of the table.

Walking around the length of it, he places each miniature banner upon the silk laid out before the eyes of your generals and self.

"The Mao, losing their most veteran and skilled general, not to mention an entire branch family in the opening days of war, along with the greatest talents of their lands in both warfare, battle and mathematics and logistics" Dai Niu says, you can hear Feng, Bai, Small chen, Red faced Wei, Jiang and half jaw hu let out bellowed victory cries as if they were roaring panthers. Liang, Dong, Shaved faced Wei, however remain silent, thus is their nature.
cont

>>4571859

"A quite impressive display of skill and subterfuge, I will admit" Dai Niu says, more amused by the interruption of your guards and Brothers of the panthers than annoyed "But as I was saying, the Mao have retreated to their home, deprived of most of their forces and all of their talent, they are left with untested and untrained generals, who have no great minds to aid them in their march back to war. They pose little threat, even if they are likely to seek revenge in battle for the loss of all of their talented warriors, generals and a good portion of the scholars and logicians"

"A low priority then, since they have retreated over the borders of Xue and Kang to reach their home" You say, tracing your hand over the map, as you realize you had missed something earlier "No, I was mistaken, there lies a path between Xue and Kang, a forest if this map is accurate"

"A hellish place, Magical beasts and barbaric tribe dwell within those lands, remnants of a Vishnu invasion generations past" Dai Niu says, shaking his head "It'd be near impossible to move an army through that opening"

An army, but not a giant. You have experience in slaying monsters, after all. But remain silent

"So as I first thought, a low priority considering the obstacle in our way to reach them" You say, as Dai Niu nods

"Depending on where the Xue and Kang have gathered, we may not have to worry about the dangers beneath those woods" Yin Lei says calmly "Where are their armies then?"

"The Kang were awaiting my army to reinforce theirs, so they could charge over the border. The have yet to move from their own lands, but I have received word they were to reinforce my army in retaking Dai" Dai Niu says "And will soon reach the border, if word has spread of my family's defection, they will be prepared to cross it, if not"

"A chance to strike their backs" Daiyu interrupts

"Exactly" Lai Song laughs, a glint in his eye. He's eager to test his riders and marksman against any army, as he has been since he pioneered the tactic

"Exactly, and the Xue have" Dai Niu says as he sets the last banner down and reaches for two blank ones "Have separated their forces to the north and west of our border, having sent word they were awaiting orders to join in the effort of retaking my home"

"We must consider ourselves blessed you have joined us as a friend rather than foe, as this would have presented us a warfront from three angles" Yin Lei says as Dai Niu places the banners down upon the map.

"Perhaps, I still felt as though it was not a sufficient force to reclaim my homeland" Dai Niu says simply, glancing to you, and over Lai song, Yin Lei, before resting his gaze on Jinhai. Who he was rather shocked to learn was the man who broke his castle's defenses and scattered his army

"Considering the talent and might of the forces occupying it" He continues, eyes lingering on Gao Daiyu for but a moment longer before he finishes his speech with
cont

>>4571860

"Lord Lieren, with all your wisdom, which path do your eyes foresee to be the most effective means of carrying out our war?"

And with those words, all of the eyes gathered in the war room fall upon you.

You sigh and close your eyes, shutting off all external stimulation from effecting your thoughts and calculations, only using the newly presented knowledge Dai Niu had just delivered to reach a conclusion and find the answer to his question.

What was the path you'd choose, Lieren?
>The destruction of the Kang army, as they are soon to cross over the border they alone threaten your position in Dai and are unified into a proper army, even if they are attacking from a disadvantageous position
> Sever the heads of the Xue, they have three separate armies, in prime position to harass supply lines and more efficiently invade Dai lands, but as their power is divided, they would be easier to break
>The "Bone devouring" Forest is all that keeps you from eliminating the Mao as a player in this war. By yourself or with a small force, you could breech that living wall and gut the swine at last.
> Split your army and assign generals to deal with the Kang army and the three forces of Xue. They'd expect a unified army, and all it'd take to scatter them all, is a handful of decisive victories
>Write in?

>>4571861
>Send Dai supported by Lai to harass and maim the Kang army
>Send Jinhai to the west while Yin crushes the east
>We shall behead the Mao alone

Right, so the Dai will either catch the enemy army completely unprepared, while Song can either come at them as a distraction for the mutiny or as a pincer movement.
Yin and Jinhai are both competent leaders and one is a living legend, he will do fine against a smaller army while his own is able to fell triple it's number.

And by decapitating the Mao, we make several things happen. We let the enemy know that we can strike wherever and whenever we wish, we demoralize the remaining branch families, and find another place to draw untested talent but find the virtuous among them. to come around and ram raid the lands of the Kang or Xue.

>>4571861
>The destruction of the Kang army, as they are soon to cross over the border they alone threaten your position in Dai and are unified into a proper army, even if they are attacking from a disadvantageous position
The army go deal with the Kangz
> Sever the heads of the Xue, they have three separate armies, in prime position to harass supply lines and more efficiently invade Dai lands, but as their power is divided, they would be easier to break
Lieren and and his proto-spec-ops go ut the serpent's heads

>>4571860
> A hellish place, Magical beasts and barbaric tribe dwell within those lands, remnants of a Vishnu invasion generations past
Makes ya think.
>>4571861
>>The "Bone devouring" Forest is all that keeps you from eliminating the Mao as a player in this war. By yourself or with a small force, you could breech that living wall and gut the swine at last.
Really curious. Go alone.

>>4571896
What do you want the army to do then while we are off assassinating nobles and possibly bringing a tribe of feral men to our service?

>>4571900
I’m fine with anything really. Well almost anything.

>>4571887
support

>>4571904
Best to pick an option to support then, to let the consensus be a bit clearer/swifter.

>>4571887
Sure I’ll support this.

>>4571861
>>The "Bone devouring" Forest is all that keeps you from eliminating the Mao as a player in this war. By yourself or with a small force, you could breech that living wall and gut the swine at last.
Mystery box ftw. I'd also like to go to Guozhi's old monastery when we have the time.
>>4571859
>Qilin of the Yin
Qilin's are said to look fearsome, but only punish the wicked and to appear only in areas ruled by a wise and benevolent leader. I think we have another possible ally here.

>>4572040
I will ask you as I asked th anon above, what should the army be doing about the three armies intent on ensnaring us while we go play with the monsters.

And uh, isnt the black general of house Yin?

>>4572061
I should explain that shouldn't I?
Two separate families. same name.

Southern Yin.
Yin Lei, his lord brother and nephew, among other family members who haven't shown up. including his other brother who is dead.
The original branch that predates the kingdom of Yan according to most records. Much like how the Cui were conquered by the Gao, who rose up during the Yan's emergence, they got folded into the new kingdom after there land was conquered. Same with the Lai, but they were more Nomadic mercenaries who won nobility for their service.

Northern/Graced Yin
Off shoot of the Southern Yin, created when the Yan came into power and overthrew the previous rule, replacing that kingdom with their own. They were rewarded with their current sigil and lands, for swearing allegiance early in the conquest, while the Main branch of the then unified Yin remained in their lands to rebuild after getting their teeth kicked in and mostly sat the war out.

Very distant relatives, practically not even related in the current era as the distance between the lands of Gao and the center of Yan were too far to reliably send brides to maintain contact with the split portion of the family and keep the bloodlines connected.

Think of it like this.
Southern Yin are Norse
Northern Yin are Normans. Not like in terms of culture, but that the Graced Yin are decedents/ offshoots of OG Yin and functionally a different lineage entirely at this point, as its been a long time (Relatively) since they broke off and they haven't been doing the old Hapsburgs shuffle cause, well Shangrala ain't any easy place to travel unless you have an iron haired giant making roads and making systems to defend against attacks by the scary six limbed panther monsters

Didn't explain it in the update, cause it'd break the flow imo, iff Lieren had an internal monologue explaining the history between the two lineages.

Like with the Dai, which can mean the lands of Dai, the people living in Dai, the Dai family, or the order of monks that self immolated that Guozhi was a part of.
It felt more natural to just write Yin instead of Northern Yin, even if its a bit confusing.

Probably should've had someone ask that question so to explain it in an update but eh, that mistake can be fixed with this here lore dump

>>4572080
TBF IRL China has a similar problem with names.

>>4572080
Fair enough man. Shame that they arent in our corner, but as someone else mentions they could be.
If not, then perhaps some family reunification is in order.

>>4572083
Lots of places in the world do. but this discussion reminds me
How within Lieren's posse, there are two Weis, Two Chens, He killed Wenyan, worries about his father Wenyan, executed Song in front of his family and has Song as one of his top generals.

I like doing things with names like that, having each name be solely for one character has always been something I find silly.

>>4572084
Now I'm just imagining Lieren trying to play match maker with Yin Delun and a member of the N-Yin family. just because it takes more ink to write Southern or Northern before Yin in the records he keeps, and thus would be more cost effective to rejoin the two.

>>4572092
It'd fit.

>"I can reduce the cost expenditure of my administration by 1.5 percent by marrying two great families together as well as reducing the carpal tunnel syndrome chance from writing out the extra letters."

>>4572061
Our top generals are called the Kings of War.
They don't need to be babysat.

>>4571861
> Split your army and assign generals to deal with the Kang army and the three forces of Xue. They'd expect a unified army, and all it'd take to scatter them all, is a handful of decisive victories
The Generals can take care of that
>The "Bone devouring" Forest is all that keeps you from eliminating the Mao as a player in this war. By yourself or with a small force, you could breech that living wall and gut the swine at last.
As much as i'd like to solo this, we can only keep our people safe from the greater dangers of this world for so long. they'll have to face the dangers of it eventually, so we should probably guide them through the first few steps; and resign ourselves to the fact that we'll probably lose some of them along the way.

>>4572103
They do need to be given orders, because they were asked for them.

Even if those orders are just "I will leave you all to persecute the war as my three generals see fit"

>>4572104
We can keep then safe forever by killing the monsters all.

>>4571887
I'll support this, but I wanna change it up a bit.
Most of the conscripts in the army are probably farmers and will get maimed and killed if we're not careful, so why not pull off another Jinhai and snipe their officers from a distance? Better yet utilize the fireworks to scare the opposing army shitless so they surrender under threat of our most "foul sorcery?"

>>4572092
Would it be disrespectful to try and tame a fog Panther?
https://youtu.be/UdwRo9wfKmc
https://youtu.be/ZbS3ZDN19vw

>>4572109
I disagree
it will also be very useful for us to know how a normal person reacts to monsters. I would imagine that our elites would be more resilient to the forces of chaos, but who knows. Either way it'll be close enough to the average person for our purposes.

>>4572126
If it's like a regular panther, it would need to be raised from birth.

But if it COULD be done, I would be so for it. Can you imagine being Lieren of nothing, master of the Fog Panther? The only man to take the dogs greatest monster.

>>4572129
Using our friends as test subjects feels, I dont know, cruel?

>>4572132
To tame the Fogs greatest monster

Fucker

>>4572126
i've been wondering that.

If we could domesticate the fog panthers and turn them into cavalry that'd be badass.

>>4572132
I would rather use someone who is willing to do it and has some idea of what they're going into, than virtually any other situation I can think of to test this.

we know that the monster we slew before used to be a person, but we don't know the in between of how they got there. It's a huge gap in Lierens knowledge. Lieren can make it clear that, most likely, not everyone will make it back. And possibly that he will be the only one to make it back.

as far as cruel goes...it's 40k, sacrifices are going to be made.

>>4572143
Perhaps. But if we must take someone, let's take no more than 4 and only those of peak physical ability.

And jinhai is barred, hes too valuable to risk in this way.

>>4572143
Lieren is an idealist and moral absolutist. No way he’s sacrificing people like that.

>>4572149
That was what I was searching for, He is an idealist. The OC reason can't be 'to see how normal people react to monsters.'

Not least because there are already tribes of people living in the woods and deal with the monsters on the regular.

>>4572148
>>4572150
>>4572143
Bringing any number of people will slow Lieren down too. Personally I want to see Lieren operating at 100% and not having to worrying about others.

>>4572153
A point to consider.

How many Mao are we gonna have to be decapitated? If its 3-5, then sure we can do it well but 10 to 20 would nessecitate more hands.
Does Lieren use a revolver, is another good question.

>>4572156
Counterpoint, Lieren is a demigod capable of slaughtering an army by himself or stealth killing all officers in one day.

>>4572161
Counter counter point. Not simultaneously, and not a disciplined army which isnt intimidated by him where they could surround him.

Not much of a problem in a building, but it does well to remember our limits. If we had powered armour, maybe so. But as it is, a platoon is probably our upper limit.
But so long as we dont trip the alarm in a massive fashion, they shouldnt run off before we can deal with them.

>>4572180
Gonna be honest mate, pretty sure a dude whos skin can shrug off fog panther claws can take on more than just a platoon.

Primarchs are equivilent to demi-gods, and none of them are stupid enough to take a battle like that if they dont think they can win.

>>4572187
I dont think the skin does reject the claws, it was more that he grabs them by the neck and their legs keep going for him rather than his arm.

At least that's what I remember, given arrows scratch us.

>>4572180
>But as it is, a platoon is probably our upper limit
>thinking that’s Lieren’s actual limit
Lieren took on a daemon that could kill that amount effortlessly and came out with only minor wounds. I wouldn’t doubt Lieren being able to handle thousands by himself. You also forget that Lieren’s equipment and could fight long enough to exhaust all of them. If they try to run he could just throw a rock to take out their legs. If they try to surround him he could break their formation through a combination of brute force and kung fu skills (like in many martial art flicks).

>>4572202
At present, with our current gear, I am convinced that in open combat his limit is about 100 to 200 men all going at him.

Environment and shit modifies this, like a pass which only let's them in 5 at a time would make him the undisputed winner against thousands of men, but once we get actual technology, that number will get much bigger.

Talking instead about 30 men running away from their fortress, I think at least a few could get away, as we are.

>>4572210
>I am convinced that in open combat his limit is about 100 to 200 men all going at him.
I’m convinced it’s well above that unless they somehow have psykers (and I wouldn’t bet on that). You forget how Lieren approaches combat, he consistently “sees” the most efficient of killing someone and the few seconds he spent defending against the archers he revealed what he is capable of. The arrow volleys must have taken about 3 seconds in total and Lieren managed to detect the attack, defend against it while protecting someone, and launch a counterattack, the only reason he took damage is because he let it happen for the most part. If he hadn’t been protecting someone else he could have likely killed all of them in the span of a minute easily. There’s also the fact that trying to surround Lieren isn’t as advantageous as you’d think. They wouldn’t be able to attack all at the same time and would risk getting in the way of the archers. The polearms, the most common weapon soldiers wield, would snap under Lieren’s assault making the fight even more difficult for them. Lieren doesn’t even have to kill all the soldiers, just the corrupt leadership.

>>4572126
>>4572143
>If we could domesticate the fog panthers and turn them into cavalry that'd be badass.

That sound like a cool idea. When we have time we should.

>>4572338
Nah, never cavelry.

They aren't the animals for it. At best you would get pulling a chariot, but I'd prefer a beastmaster type deal. Imagine the brothers of the panther with their life long companions, crouching through the mist to take out a patrol all by themselves.

Like far cry primal

>>4572363
That s is a cool idea too

I wonder if there will be a worthy stead in the forest.

>>4572395
we already have one.

>>4572396
Believe whatever you want to, but I want something bigger.

>>4572417
>Believe whatever you want to, but I want something bigger.
We can simply breed Cui's horse with the best mares we come across in our journeys.
We'll certainly live long enough to accomplish this.
I imagine by the time we meet the Big E, we'd have an entirely new breed of horses that might see some limited use on the field.

>>4572417
Considering this is a war horse larger enough to take the weight of someone who's roughly more or less four meters tall, I have my doubts we'll ever find anything larger. Even if we did the only suitable beast would have to be an exception breed of Fog Pather, perhaps some alpha. I forget if Fog Panthers are solitary or pack based animals.

>>4572431
>We can simply breed Cui's horse with the best mares we come across in our journeys.
That is true. While we could attempt the same with Fog Panthers to breed larger, stronger, more better in general ones, it would probably take longer in comparison to horses.
Horses have already been domesticated which would make breeding them easier. Plus, any kick from a draft tier horse is guaranteed to kill just about anything on this planet, Fog Panther or not. Except for Lieren of course.

>>4572437
Solitary

>>4572446
Damn. That makes them that much harder to train, if not requiring more time.

>>4572451
If it can be done, Lieren will find a way.
Such is the nature of things.

>>4572459
Don't get me wrong. He will be able to figure it out, but it's more a matter of "how much time do I want to spend domesticating this animal." It'll be very easy if we raise young ones and train them from birth, but there's no 100% chance they would be large enough to function as mounts. What you could do is do selective breeding to grow larger ones, but that would take generations.

It would probably be best to leave animal husbandry to someone else while Lieren focuses his attention else where. I guess one way or another we will eventually see if Fog Panthers can be breed/made into ideal mounts and pets.

>>4572469
I think using them as mounts is a fool's errand honestly. Using them as hunting animals and companions however seems like something they'd be good at.

>>4572525
That would make a whole lot more sense. Think they might be worth genetically altering so they're on par with space wolves?

I personally am hoping for giant elephant. Lord of the Rings giant elephants.

>>4572543
Unless partially mechanical they will be superbly underwhelming.

Still might find one about twice Leirens height at the shoulder though, with big ass tusks.

Fun fact: The asian elephant is more closely related to mammoths than the african elephant.

>>4572543
why would we need one when we have guns?

>>4572632
to ride? cause it's cool?

>>4572633
An elephant seems kinda meh imo

>>4572548
Cybernetic upgrades to animals is a thing.
>>4572632
We could mount guns on them.

>>4571887
Support.

>>4572649
Machine gun elephants? That sounds dumb, but this is 40k.

>>4572740
Machine gun elephants with Chainsaw tusks!

>>4572655
Let's test the memory.

ARMY
Yin lei - Black general and the unbroken thunders howl.
Lai Song - lord of cavalry and other undefeated general.
Dai Neu - the newest King of War, the old turtle who's castle we took over.
Tao Dandan/ Grandfather Shan - artilarist leader and designers of gattlings and cannons respectively.
Jinhai - Carp son and blossoming genius of unconventional thinking.
Scar Feng, Rong, Fat chen and other Chen, red faced Wei - all our guards and childhood hunting partners.
Gao Daiyu - Daughter of Gao, our political weapon and untested general.

POLITICS
Lady Qian Xia - Scarlet spider, highly competent politician and viper under the flower
Lord Yin and his heir apparent - they give us the backing of the southern house of Yin, but I cant remember their names.
House of Qian - The spiders house and she has a son whom masquerades as her brother for his own safety.
House of Song - lord of Cavaliers house.
Former house of Tao - no longer nobility by our decree but they are almost all working for us to redeem themselves, sybil is the swallow.
House of Dai - our newest allies and those who lived on our border.
Nothing - our economic and military heart, which presides over the former lands of Gao

OTHER
I've mentioned our artilarists
Grandfather Guzhao - philosopher monk of the dead chapter of Dai.
Weylan - our father who tends to Nothing in our stead.
Chief architect who refuses to name himself - the guy who was second in command of the Giants road and its construction, who is still building it while we deal with matters of warfare and politics.
Cui Fu's War charger - the only mount that can actually carry us, it has served us well since we slew his master, both in delivering us to Gao, showing our father the world and getting us where we need to be.

Those are all I can remember without rereading the thread. Do forgive language misspelling.

>>4573096
*House of Lai - house of the lord of cavelry

Fuck me

>>4573096
>Chief architect who refuses to name himself - the guy who was second in command of the Giants road and its construction, who is still building it while we deal with matters of warfare and politics.
If it ain't the Emperor, then it aught to be Malcador. He's the second strongest human psyker in the galaxy.

>>4573098
Malcador seldom leaves terra. He's too fucking busy.

But malcador is the strongest HUMAN psyker bar none. Its thought only the emperor surpasses him in might, until magnus and then post heresy lorgar exist.

The eldar have more technique though

>>4573101
The only thing the Eldar are good for is a cautionary.
Fucking knife-ears.

>>4573104
Their psychic elite are better than any force man can muster. Most of their elite are like that, actually.

But their problem is their rigid caution.

>>4573096
Nice

>>4573127
>Their psychic elite are better than any force man can muster. Most of their elite are like that, actually
And yet they still managed to fuck up and create Slaanesh.
I don't care about the heights of their abilities, they're overall inferior.

Not related to anything currently being discussed but I think it'd be a good idea to integrate waxed canvas into the uniforms of our soldiers as either a cloak or for a layer under the armor itself or even as a jacket of sorts once the Yan are vanquished and melee combat goes completely out of style.

It's well within our grasp as it only requires fairly simple cotton textiles and beeswax. It also allows for stiffening of the fabric which is useful for containers, bags, etc... as well as for the treatment of sail cloth to allow it to hold air better allowing for faster sailing. We can also wax silk to make more formal garments that will also stand up to the weather.

>>4573143
They are individually superior, explictly because of their desire to avoid slanessh again.
An Exarch/Aurach or Farseer can and will fuck up anyone without plot armour or primarchs.

Their line infantry, not so much but that's why I spoke of the elites.

Alright, calling the vote now and counting.

Split the army:6
Destruction of the kang:1
Sever the head of the xue:1
Head into the bone devouring woods: 7

So Lieren will head off into the Bone devouring woods to finish off the Mao, and split his army left behind so it may more effectively deal with the other portions of Yan's army.
Specifically
Dai will be supported by Lai and focus on harassing and maiming the kang army
Jinhai will lead an army to the west while Yin crushes the east, thus removing two of the heads of xue at once and and splitting any reinforcements that may be sent from the third "Head"

Writing the update now

Hey, just to confirm, it's pretty much agreed upon that lieren is supposed to look like an buff vergil with golden eyes, right?

I mean, i don't know how else to describe him, seeing as we don't have any art of the lad.

File: Bernard the Godbound.png (2.32 MB, 1383x1066)

2.32 MB PNG

>>4573382
I mean, I can see him like this

>>4573382
I picture him looking like Toshiro Mifune, though it's hard to picture the hair. I can't decide if it's shiny like steel or closer to wrought iron

>>4573382
maybe something like this

File: WhatFormOfTyrannyIsThis.jpg (58 KB, 1280x720)

58 KB JPG

>>4573382
>>4573390
>>4573433
While I will roll with the look the consensus falls upon, my personal headcanon for Lieren's look will always be Raoh of Fist of the North Star
A sham Raoh's armor/clothes are so blingy and spikey, and therefore something Lieren would avoid. This limits the amount of pictures I could use.

"The Kang army presents the greatest threat to us, unified as it remains" You say, keeping your eyes closed as you run through a few simulated battles against them with different compositions made from the regiments of your army and trying to find to most efficient combination and number to deal with the threat they presently present to your bridge into the lands beneath Yan.

"Dai Niu, they do not yet know of your defection and betrayal, thus your army will be able to catch them by surprise and completely unprepared for your attack" You say, opening your eyes just enough to see the banner represting the Dai army, and moving them into position against the Kang army "However, from the letter they sent to you, they outnumber your men slightly, but this is an obstacle easily solved"
Grabbing a horse representing Lai's cavalry, you set it close to Dai's banner. Lai song perks up, already realizing the command you're going to give to him.

"Lai song, you are one of the most accustomed to using fire arms in a pitched battle, hence you shall accompany Dai, and utilize the dexterity and speed of your riders however you see fit to win the battle" You say tapping the table with a finger, before looking at Song with barely opened eyes ""As I trust your expertise, Lord of Cavarly, but I would suggest acting as a distraction to allow Dai to strike Kang as they move against your riders, or being one half of a pincer movement, thus trapping the Kang between two armies. As a hammer and anvil"

"I would be the Anvil, of course, Dai men do not break" Dai Niu says with a quick nod of his head "and under the leadership of my sons and self, they shall be even bolder, Lai Song, knowing your reputation, acting as the hammer will not displease you"

Lai song laughs, throwing back a drink into his throat, confidence gleaming in his eyes

"It is the specialty of my family after all, I win battles without stopping, by overwhelming my foes and trampling them beneath the hooves of warhorses. Though, a harassments of the supply chain and blooding of the Kang's lip would do well to weaken them to be shattered upon the Dai's shell" Lai song says proudly, smacking his chest thrice, spilling liquor across his breastplate in the process.

"And it'd make any deception more believable, and sharpen their focus upon you, rather than the army at their backs" Dai Niu says, raising his own glass "I have no complaints towards the command given and tactics ordered to be employed, Lord Lieren"

"Yes, and I will leave it up to you, Lai Song, to decide the specifics of your actions, after all I was merely advising you towards what I see as the most effective ways of staging and winning the coming battle" You say with a nod, glancing to Dai Niu "And since there are no suggestions to do other wise, Dai Niu and Lai Song shall commit to the battle of the Kang"
cont

>>4573529

A short cheer resounds throughout the war room, but falls silent as you gather up the remaining regiments and formations of your army and split them down the middle. Suddenly focus returns to all of your generals and advisors as you place the two armies against the outward branches of the Xue's forces.

"Jinhai, I will leave the West to you, and expect to return to find the head of a serpent laid beneath my feet" You say sternly, as your loyal guard stretches his neck, standing at attention and saying nothing as you place the banner representing him, a carp dancing over a spear in azure.

"You honor me with this responsibility, Lieren" Is all he says in response, all the eyes on the room remain on the collection of banners left on the side of the table, most of them settled on that belonging to the Unbroken Thunder's Howl. With his renown and expertise, he is the obvious choice, and he has yet to fail those expectations, even before he entered your service. There is a reason Yin Lei holds the reputation as Undefeated beneath the heavens.

"Yin Lei, I shall entrust the east to your capable hands" You say, plucking his banner from the collection and setting it in front of the other half of your army "And expect you to continue living up to your reputation, as the Unbroken Thunder's Howl"

"I shall not fail, the Xue rely to heavily on fracturing and swallowing their enemies. They remain apart when the same tricks are employed against them. A wise strategy, Lieren" Yin Lei says, scratching his beard in thought, no doubt planning his attack already.

Silence falls, as you begin to separate the other generals, to put them beneath the command of Jinhai or Yin Lei if the need arises for their talents. To carry out the orders passed by the Son of the sea or The black general.

But then a familiar voice breaks that silence, and draws your attention.

"And what of you Lieren? Which front shall you march to?" Daiyu asks, making her presence known for the first time in the discussion between you and your generals "Which army shall know the might of the Giant, and be personally crushed beneath your heel?"

You glance up to her, and smile playfully

"The Mao" You answer as a look of confusion followed by one of dread realization flashes across her fair, jade like features, a reaction that spreads through your gathered advisors. Followed by a cheer as those who know you well realize what you're planning

"And the forest" You say, laughing confidently as you set the patch of panther fur representing yourself in the area of the map depicting a forest filled with bones and silhouettes of mysterious creatures and beasts "I shall see if I am able to clear a path through it, and if it would be possible to crush the Mao as they hide away behind their walls"
cont

>>4573531

"My lord, forgive this humble servant's audacity, but that is an most foolish action to take even at the head of an army, yet alone by yourself! you are the foundation of this rebellion, if you were to be lost..."Dai Niu says, his usually stoic voice cracking with worry and fear

Lai song laughs.

"He is the man who slew the Devourer of armies by himself, this is but a hunting trip for him!" He yells boisterously, as you hear a few of your brothers from Nothing let out cheers towards Song's statement.

Daiyu chuckles

"I've crossed my spear with him before, along with several others" She says happily, the shock of your declaration quickly fading as she agrees with Lai Song's analyses of your actions "Lieren is no ordinary man, though such a thing is obvious. I have seen what he can do with his inhuman strength with my own eyes"

Ah yes, her particularly foul spirited siblings. You tore their heads off in front of her, didn't you?

"Dai Niu" Jinhai says politely "You have witness Lieren's true capabilities first hand, and saw the true depths of his power with your own eyes. You must agree if any man could trek through the bone devouring forest by themselves and come out unscathed, He would be Lieren"

"An army's leader should not risk themselves pointlessly, but yes, if any man could brave the shadows beneath those trees, it would be Lieren who could do so" Dai Niu says, bowing his head to the table and keeping his back bent as he speaks again "Please forgive my impudence, but, please my lord, if you must go, at the least take a regiment or if you must go alone, allow me to gather priests to bless you"

"It will not be necessary, I am grateful for your worry, Dai Niu, but you have your own duties to fulfill, and I have mine" You simply, twitching your head up "Now get your head off the table, and hold it high. You are to join history shortly, as one of the genius' who defeated the Yan"

Dai Niu lifts his head, a sorrowful look in his eyes.

"I understand my lord, I shall await your return with confidence" He says, balling his hands together

"I assume, you shall leave before our armies are gather?" Yin Lei asks curiously.

"Of course, besides, all of our men are already gathered in Dai castle" You say with a smile "Dandan, assist the Gatling and artillery regiments that accompany Jinhai, Shan, follow Yin Lei, Lai Song, I trust your men know how to care for the equipment by now"

"Of course, I would not dream of letting such wonders fall into disrepair" He says in reply, a confident grin beneath his whiskered face, his scar stretching with his cheeks.

"I will ensure Shan's safety, A genius of his caliber is a rarity" Yin Lei says, after Lai song has said his piece. Jinhai raises his head, and smiles beneath his war mask, a mirth glint in his eyes

"And I shall keep the randy beast Jiang away from Lady Dandan's quarters" He jokes, which elicits a laugh from several of your officers, including Lai Song and Daiyu.
cont

>>4573534

Yin Lei just shakes his head.
"My command have been given" You say, swinging you arm out and lashing it through the air as is your habit "I trust you to follow them and improve upon them, in my absence. Until we next meet my friends"

And with that, you rise from your seat and leave the war room in but a few strides, to gather supplies for the journey, and ensure your armor and weapons are in good repair. And find where Cui Fu's horse has been put to stable. If there is any of his kind that could survive the journey alongside you, it would be that bloodthirsty beast.
-
Kang Yongrui was exhausted in both body in spirit. He knew the Lai had sided with this fool's rebellion, but he did not know they had become so bold and bloodthirsty. Just to reach the border of Dai was a battle. It seemed as if the riders of that traitorous line would be born out of the fog itself and vanish back into mist as soon as his men were ready to endure their attack and launch a counter attack. Yongrui has never seen such weapons before, which is what they were, He managed to lift one from the corpse of one of the few riders who have died in these lightning attacks, slain by his own hand.

How they function, he knows not, but they did not render their wielder impervious to harm. They did, however they worked, allow mere farmers to slay warriors and men of noble blood like they were insects. Yongrui came close to following victim to the same weapon, as it seemed that all of the riders focused upon him in subsequent attacks, despite him only killing one man himself.

The others who managed to fell one of their foes, despite their superior weapons, have gone to the courts in the heavens. Yongrui was the only man to be able to take one of these weapons and live to tell about it thus far. And if he did not reach the Dai army soon, he would join his men, and the truth of these weapons would die with him. He sat on his horse, imagining himself present the odd weapon to his father, what acclaim and renown he would find. It was easy to dream, it help calm his nerves. If he didn't hope, he would give into despair, and the next attack would claim his life as well.

And lose the Yan the chance to study this devilish weapon, surely some scholar will understand its construction. All others they've claimed have been lost, a man covered in scars having taken them. He's seen the man, even wasted one of the strange metal seeds inside the weapon to try and slay him. But he remains alive, dressed in panther furs. If he was a few feet taller, he'd suspect he was the giant, as despite his obvious injuries, he moves with trained smoothness.

There were of course, other men he had noticed in the repeated assaults, one who laughed uproariously as he mowed down dozens of men, a man who'd appear and drag off his officers before the assault began, a large one who had lumbered about, and one with a autumn red beard.
cont

>>4573535

And he's heard reports of Two that work together in such tandem they must be of one soul.

And none of them had been killed, just men dressed in plain armor, sometimes with streaks of azure or plum upon it. He had lost trusted lieutenants, and knew that all he had taken from them were mere footsoldiers.

But, the Lai could not keep up the assault for long, and against the combined forces of Kang and Dai, would be shattered.

Yongrui would turn the Giant's toys against him, see how he reacted to such horrid weapons.

"My lord" One of Yongrui's cousins called out, calling him from his thoughts as he lay against his horse's neck, pain screaming through his body from the numerous wounds he's already suffered from the repeated raids "The Dai camp has been spotted by our forward party"

"Thank the courts...we'll have our retribution at last" Youngrui laughs, wheezing and coughing as he whips the reigns on his horse, commanding the beast forward. The broad shouldered man whipped his head back.

"Is something wrong, My lord?" His scrawny cousin asked, dressed in silk robes still, soiled by dirt and mud, though the silver still shown through.

It had been faint...but he swore he had just smelled the smoke given off by those damnable weapons the Giant's army are equipped with. It must've been his imagination.

"Nothing, just imagining things from the stress" He grumbled in reply "Let us meet the Dai, before the Lai riders find us yet again"

and with that, he road forward at the head of his army
-

"An azure banner bearing a carp and spear? I know no family who carries that sigil" Xue De sighed, resting his chin against the back of his hands, as he sat in the middle of his camp "And you say there force is near equal to ours?"

"Or larger, it is hard to tell with how often the formations change and shift, the general, whoever he may be, has not allowed his men to rest or cease their drilling since he has so boldly led them to the edge of our camp" An aid with ruddy hair said to the tired, youngest brother of the Xue three, whose long hair hung limply over his shoulders. He sighed, tugging at the aquamarine dyed silk covering his arms

"Or he is hiding that his force is lesser than our own" He stated, it should be the obvious conclusion, even a fool like Mao Jian knew of such a tactic "All he is doing is trying to intimidate us into retreating, and tiring out his men, let them continue the dance before we march to meet them, we are upon a hill, his forces remain in the valley beneath"

"But...what of the stories, of devils and spirits aiding the giant's men?" The aid asked, his voice filled with fear. This fool was useless, the Xue had already seen those rumors for what they were. Just the tales of scared and frightened men

"Trickery, their weapons may be terrible, but the Giant is no sorcerer, otherwise we would have heard such tales before he turned his back on the Yan" De sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose
cont

>>4573536
"Be useful and fetch me one of the pretty girls accompanying my army, I require entertainment, if we are to wait for this unknown general to tire out his forces"

"But my lord...I have heard tale of how the giant enchanted the late lord Gao" The aid muttered, and received a cup of cold coffee splashed against his fine silks

"Be silent if you can only speak such foolishness!" De snarled "I am tired of being told we face an undefeatable force. Mao Jian fell because he thought he faced an ordinary army, not one led by a genius such as the Giant, the Dai fell because they trusted that fat swine to guard the border. The Xue shall not be so easily deceived, Now fetch my a woman with jade features, or I shall take you as my bed warmer tonight you blithering imbecile"

That got that idiot moving. Xue De chuckled, and lounged back in his chair, eyes lazily gazing over the map laid before him. A crude thing, but it'd suffice.

"Carp and spear on Azure" He muttered, the description seemed familiar, but he could not place why it did. He would simply ask the general of his origins when he captured him, before torturing the location of the rest of the Giant's army and its weakness out of him.
-

Jinhai sat on the branch of a tall tree, biting into a ripe plum, not even bothering to don his armor as he looked into the fog hiding the army camped in the hills before him, over a river.
Zian, Rong, and a few of his other brothers stood beneath the tree, Lieren's friend Hu and other Wei among them. He began to suck the juice off his fingers.

"Brother Jinahi, I must ask" Hu calls out from beneath him "What is the purpose of ordering our men to constantly march and reorganize their formations"

"Jinhai has his reasons" Rong snorted, yawning as he leaned against the tree "I am sure, outside of testing their endurance, I am sure"

"have you not realized yet?" Other wei asks, with his gentle voice, running a sharpened stone over his scalp to shave off the hair that has grown there "It's to keep them focused on our army, like a mask upon the back of the head keeps a panther from pouncing...for a few moments, at least"

"it'll keep them guessing our number, no sane man would go into battle until he knew how his own forces compared to that of the enemy" Zian answered a few moments later, Jinhai sucked on the pit, tilting his head before spitting it to the ground beneath him.

"Both of you are correct" He answered, glancing up to the tree's branches for a suitably ripe fruit to pluck, there was a bird nest sitting above his head, and it drew his attention. The way the branches were weaved together....could one not mimic such a construction to create stronger walls without wasting more expensive resources? they'd at least be useful temporarily, he imagined.

"And that means?" Rong asks, tossing a peach up to Jinhai, which of course he catches easily, cleaning it with the sleeves of his shirt.

cont

>>4573537

"That they will not notice the numerous men moving to the east and west of their camp, nor the woman dressed in Tao yellow barking orders. They'll be content to allow our men to tire themselves out and then attack, as any general would know of the ploy of concealing the true size of your army by keeping it constantly moving and shifting. they will also believe we are doing so to hide a disadvantage as such a tactic would imply" Jinhai said quickly, not fumbling over a single word before biting into the peach Rong had given him

He licked the juice from stubble growing over his lip and sighed.

"Thus, allowing Dandan the safety necessary to find a more suitable position for the Gatling guns and steel dragons" He continued speaking, turning the peach over in his hands, eyes focused on the nest above his head, as a little red bird flew back home with a beetle held in its beak "And with Xue focused on the traditional field of battle, they shall be unprepared for the hell those weapons unleash, all we must do is wait"

"For?" Rong yawned "I fear I'll be an old man by time the battle begins"

"for the signal" Jinhai said, biting the seed out of the peach and spitting it down at his long time comrade, for being annoying "You will know it when you see it"

"Ah, damn you fish!" the one eyed man yells back, as Hu and Zian laugh at his misfortune.
-

"We are doomed" Xue Hong groaned, the eldest of the Xue three, tears staining his cheeks. His hands shook as he reached for the bottle of victory wine he had brought to share with his brothers, De and Liang "Doomed, I shall never see my father again, I shall never succeed him, nor will my child see my face again! I will only meet death!"

His officers nodded, already consumed by liquor themselves as their master cried and wailed. What misfortune! what misfortune! that he'd be the one to meet Yin Lei backed by the tools crafted by the Giant's hand. The Unbroken thunder's howl himself! The man who has faced down a horde of Vishnu screamers, who battled against the Shuni demagogue himself! Kamal Kanan! who threatened all of Yan but two decades ago! Oh what ill luck, what dreadful fate! that he must face the Black general with but a third of the Xue's forces! Oh he may have a more rested army, a more numerous one if the courts were kind, but he could not stand against such a tactical genius backed by such terrible weapons.

"We are doomed to an early grave" Hong wailed, slamming his fist into the table before him "Gather the men, defensive positions, we will hold as long as we can, send riders to De and Liang, maybe if we act with enough haste, we can be saved, if we remain in this fort we can at least expect Yin Lei to test out defenses before sending us all to hail"

The general's fat belly shuddered as he sobbed and cried.
cont

>>4573538

"If only the Yin on our side had not abandoned the front line so hastily!" He hissed, swinging his bottle of wine around wildly "That damnable dog, loyal to the end, if Yan Zihao had not left to raise more forces, we may have had a chance to fight and win against the undefeated general of the south"
-

"Shan, I want you to knock the top of that tower down, to keep the Xue from growing complacent" Yin Lei said calmly, straining his eyes to see the fort sitting beyond the fog "No doubt they're already planning their usual regrouping, so lets give the drunkard the push he needs, to send a messenger to each of his brothers. He'll just burrow away into the fort otherwise, and wait for us to assault his walls before risking such a move otherwise"

"How much of the tower, Black general" Shan said, as Yin glanced at the old man, whose hair had been burnt to frayed and split ends, his eyes peeking out through a mask of soot and burnt flesh "Do you wish to merely scare them? Or thin the army gathered in the fort"

"Enough to leave Xue Hong alive, at least. I would have him hanged alongside De, if Jinhai can capture the whoremonger alive" Yin Lei said hatefully, eyes glowering at the fort. The Xue deserved punishment, and Lieren was not here to carry it out. So Yin lei had decided, he'd act as his in his place. And repay them as they deserved, for the crimes and failings they had committed over the years. Hong...the fool had lost an entire army fleeing from that Shuni Zealot, and nearly cost the Yan forces victory that day in retreat. The coward, the fool.
-

You have seen these kinds of trees before, in the pictures the mechanical egg you hatched from showed you. They're a different breed that those in the center of Yan, befitting the warmer climate of the north. Already it feels as if it were the height of summer, despite being the dawn of spring still.

Cui fu's horse snorts, raising its head as if to ask why you have stopped riding forth. It's thicker hair you have cut off to allow it to move unimpeded by the heat or mud that seemed ever present further into the Dai's land. Though you kept its tail fur long, to maintain its ability to fight off the biting flies that have swarmed both of you as you neared the forest's edge. Vines and hanging branches cast odd shadows into the thick under growth of bushes, crawling vines and ferns. Colorful flowers and bright birds fly from branch to branch, singing odd songs.

Clicking your tongue, you tap your ankles against the great beast's sides.

"Come on, old friend, if we make it through this journey, I'll get you some company at the wars end" You coo, to your trusted, if simple minded companion, who merely snorts in reply and without hesitation begins to trot into the thick of the jungle.

Which had no village or even remote farm within miles of its edge. How terrifying it must be, how fearsome, to keep away all of civilization from approaching it.
cont

>>4573543

How will you travel through the bone devouring forest, Lieren?
> Just cut through it and try to reach the otherside as quickly as you can
>Begin to hunt the horrid beasts that dwell inside, and slay the worst of them that you can find
>Slowly, and attempt to the draw the attention of the vishnu tribes that have gotten lost in its depths
> Form a path by felling trees as you pass them, by breaking them at the base with a solid strike of your foot
> Write in?

>>4573546
>> Write in?
>Attempt to the draw the attention of the vishnu tribes that have gotten lost in its depths
> Form a path by felling trees as you pass them, by breaking them at the base with a solid strike of your foot

This improvised road could use some stones and the skulls of any beast that attack us, as signs for milestones.

In regard to the lost vishnu tribes, perhaps killing some beasts and offering them as a gift could make them our friends. We could be seen with a great fire. Having experienced tribal hunters from a forest this deadly, would be a good boon for our forces. No to mention for the future, when we will declare war on Vishnu we could need their experience and aid.

>>4573567
Sounds like a fun idea. We could even make weapons and armor out of the beasts we kill.

>>4573567
I'll support.
And making some cloak out of the peak predators here would be a sign to the vishnu. "We are not to be fucked with"

>>4573590
>we ride in on the deadliest beast in the forest

>>4573567
Supporting
>>4573575
Only if they aren't something tainted like the Great Beasts of Caliban or straight-up daemons. If they're just normal, dangerous animals, then sure.

File: Legends_ReVIVE_Toki.png (400 KB, 800x800)

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>>4573497
>Raoh
Godddamnit it works so well. Though I'll say personality wise Lieren drifts more towards Toki AKA Cancer Jesus.

>>4573567
I agree on slaying the beasts and finding the tribals, but the road building must come til after we defeat the Yan. We're on a limited time frame here.

>>4573618
Absolutely. I’m not even completely for killing beasts unless they are corrupted.

>>4573567
>> Form a path by felling trees as you pass them, by breaking them at the base with a solid strike of your foot
supporting

>>4573546
>Slowly, and attempt to the draw the attention of the vishnu tribes that have gotten lost in its depths
>For the beasts we should destroy the twisted abominations, tame the non-corrupt ones we can tame, and kill the rest for their parts.

>>4573543
>You have seen these kinds of trees before, in the pictures the mechanical egg you hatched from showed you. They're a different breed that those in the center of Yan, befitting the warmer climate of the north. Already it feels as if it were the height of summer, despite being the dawn of spring still.
Wait a second. The plants are non-native and the climate might be unnatural. This area have been created by DAoT tech. That also means the threats might have been created by DAoT tech.

>>4573683
Or its a rare weather anomoly which causes this section of land to have these conditions. Hell it could just be volcanic activity, which would explain the verdant abundaty of life since their soil is super fertile.

>>4573546
>>Slowly, and attempt to the draw the attention of the vishnu tribes that have gotten lost in its depths

>>4573704
it's wine country

File: Legends_ReVIVE_Raoh_2.png (97 KB, 800x800)

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>>4573546
>Begin to hunt the horrid beasts that dwell inside, and slay the worst of them that you can find
Anything that survives is either lucky enough to never encounter Lieren or smart enough to stay away.

>>4573607
>Though I'll say personality wise Lieren drifts more towards Toki AKA Cancer Jesus.
That's true. I suppose when it comes to personality Kenshiro would be a decent enough fit, too.

Sadly neither of them are big enough to fill a Primarch's shoes.
Besides Raoh is also the owner of a massive horse, which just adds to Lieren looking like him.

Alright calling the vote.

Attempt to draw the attention of the lost vishnu:8
Form a path by felling trees as you travel:6
Hunt the beasts, slay the beasts:2

Alright, so Lieren will try to make contact with the lost Vishnu tribes that have become savage beneath these trees, as well as cutting a rough path by kicking over trees.

Writing now

Soon the trees grow too close and thickly together for your loyal steed to carry you any further into the sweltering depths of this overgrown forest. So you slide from its back and take the reinforced reigns you've wrapped and hammered into its iron bridle to lead the majestic creature along the path you'll cut through this hellish place on foot. The ground is half way to mud, and covered with many forms of life, primarily colorful vines that seem to pulse with nectar as a working man's veins would with blood. These are topped with flowers so vividly colored they shock the eyes, lined with serrated thorns and sharp leaves. They're probably parasitic in nature, judging by how none of them grown into the soil underfoot, but rather crawl and dig into the smoothed, black barked trees that stand dwarfed by the red and copper hued giants that tower far into the sky. Natural towers of wood and fortresses of interconnected branches.

Condensation gathers upon your armor, the heat bearing down on you as it has since you began your trek deeper into the north of Dai. Wet heat, is something you're unaccustomed to, the summers is Gao's lands were always dry and had little rainfall. This forest however, is like a sweathouse or forge the moment after steel is quenched in water. The water and heat in the air makes it feel almost oppressively heavy. It is clear to you now, why the people of Yan avoid this forest and why they have given it such a foreboding title as "The Bone Devouring Forest". This climate is one that would encourage the spread of disease and festering of wounds, but the soil is rich and black and the foliage bountiful, so it must also be home to a great number of creature. With the lack of knowledge concerning sickness and infection among the common masses, and the dull senses of the normal breed of men, it is obvious why this place is so deeply feared and shrouded so heavily in myth and legend.

Without knowledge and experience in living in such an environment, it'd seem as hell on earth. You sigh, and stop your march through the woods for a moment, glancing around at all the low hanging branches drooping in the air, bearing strange fruits and oddly shaped leaves. There's a musical bird call and a cry that almost sounds human but is twisted in a manner you cannot place. A curved tree with dull grey bark stands over a small stream sullied by dirt and further spoiled by a the rotting carcass of a Fog Panther, that has a coat of molted blacks and shimmering copper rather than the white and silversheen you are used to. It's den lies beneath the crooked tree, filled with bones of men and beast, and the Slain panther's lower half.

Evidence of one of the dreadful creatures rumored to make the shadows of this vast forest their home, or one of the Magical beasts the Dai family and the Dai people have warned you of, as you traveled towards this expanse of trees and blistering heat.
cont

>>4574453

For outside of yourself and the brothers of panthers, and those tutored in their hunting methods, the number of species that compete with the Fog Panther, yet alone hunt it for sustenance themselves are few in number. In fact, there are but two species you know, The Cui Cliffjumpers that have turned carnivorous over generations, who also hunt men, and those degenerate cousins of men local to the mountains of Dai and deeper Yan, covered with a thick mat of fur and swinging arms. And only the later actively hunts the panthers, out of desperation, and even then only daring to attacking the young and weak.

Your sole companion seems to deprive some excitement at the sight of the tattered, beetle eaten corpse torn in two. As ever, the Late Cui Fu's battle lust lives on in his horse. How interesting, to see such a great beast brought so low by hands besides your own. If this is the work of a mundane predator, then you will have to think of how to ensure the safety of travelers upon the Giant's road when it grows to reach this place. But if it is the work of a magical beast, such as the Foul Toad Dragon, then protecting your road will be a much simpler task.

For all you'd have to do is slay the creature, and the threat it presents will be neutralized. But there's no use in pondering and mediating upon a heap of rotten flesh and bug eaten skin and fur. You must conquer this green hell, and reach the Mao. Thinking of how to tame it, would have to wait until there was a need to do such. There's always a safer and quicker route to build a path upon, after all.

But, just in case the need arises for your road to spread its roots through this forest, you might as well make a simple path to mark your own progress at the very least.

So pressing the flat of your foot against a nearby tree, you press your weight and strength into it. The wood groans and squeaks for a moment under the steel of your boot, but then it snaps in two with a loud almost thunderous crack. As the tree falls, it fells two more that had grown beneath the shade of its branches.

Stepping over the severed trunk and roots, you snap another tree by pressing your foot against it, but this one catches on the mighty and old branches of a larger tree. Which will require a bit more force to topple. Like a hardy kick, or perhaps to. Striding over to the wooden giant, you pause for a moment, after lifting the previously felled tree onto your shoulder so as to clear the space between the larger tree and yourself. For there's something quite curious in the bark of this giant, a carving. It's set in a space where the bark that has been stripped and burned away, to keep it from growing over the primitive message.

It's a warning, and there are few letters your recognize as a bastardized version of the written language of the vishnu. Luckily, you have studied their tongue after your encounter with Zhou Wenyan's hired guards.
cont

>>4574455

Partially out of an idle curiosity for the words they spat at you as they died, and mostly because you know one day you will war against their people as you now war against the Yan.

It's a bit crudely carved, but the meaning is clear to you. It's a warning, marking the edge of the hunting grounds of a "Mud mouth, tearing jaws" Which is just the literal translation of those letters. A more lenient, accurate translation could mean "Earth biter" or "Ground eater" among other things, and the second part seems to warn of the danger it presents, which is rather obvious. It dismembers its prey to make them easier to consume, or perhaps uses its mighty jaws to disable them by pulling their limbs off. Which, there isn't much of a difference between the two uses at all.

Glancing over to your right, you can notice another carving, across the muddied stream which represents a different beast than the one depicted upon this tree. The "Mud Mouth" resembles a mixture of an eel and beetle, with a carp's mouth lined with crushing teeth and mandibles, painted a bright blue and dull brownish red. The image depicted on the tall tree across the little river, is instead of a winged creature that stands upon two hooved legs, with hands like crab claws and three tongues dripping green.

"Hmm" You grunt, tilting your head and holding the bottom of your chin in your free hand as you turn your head to the other direction, towards an incline that leads into a cave of some kind, outside of which, another sign left by the feral vishnu stands, faded and carved out with the words "Swallowed by earth" Which you take to mean the Mud eater devoured that particular beast itself. No doubt the winged one is able to live in some harmony with the other abomination because it can avoid its predation by remaining in the canopy or higher peaks of the mountains growing through this terrible place.

Impressive, they have survived encountering these creatures and living among them, and learned their habits. They would be a useful asset if they could be reasoned with, even more so if they could be convinced to leave their home and lend their survival expertise and martial abilities to your army.

No doubt you'll draw their attention eventually, as you are a new lumbering giant trampling through their home and knocking over trees. No doubt, if you return along the path you cut, you'll find signs warning of "Grey Giant and Red stomper" carved into the trees nearing the boundaries of the simple road you've carved.

But eventually is too slow. You have a war to fight, and Swine to gut. You'll need to do something a little grander than merely kicking over trees to attract the notice of these tribes of survivors. The vishnu, are quite a hardy people, the few you fought kept battling against you even as you removed one or even two of their limbs. These long secluded warriors will no doubt be as mighty if not more so.
cont

>>4574457

Kicking over the larger tree with but two solid kicks to its base, you watch it crash down, erasing the warning and crushing the smaller trees growing behind it. A gap in the canopy allows a beam of unfiltered sun light to creep through and glow through the fog, creating a small clearing of morning in a forest cast in eternal dusk.

Walking forward, you begin to think of ways to draw the Vishnu to you, rather than have them watch you from a distance and imagine you to be a new monstrosity haunting their home. A few ideas come to mind.

How do you attract the Vishnu's attention, Lieren? Besides kicking over trees?

> Hunt down "Mud mouth" and "Burning lasher", so their deaths can not be mistaken as one devouring the other
>Gather the trees you kick over and create a massive bonfire
>Begin singing loudly as you march through the woods and work
>Follow the warning signs, and when they stop, look for signs of the passage of men walking upon the forest floor
> write in?

>>4574459
>>Follow the warning signs, and when they stop, look for signs of the passage of men walking upon the forest floor.

>Cast your eyes to the trees, swinging from tree to tree would allow one to avoid most dangers in the forest. As would living in some of the elder trees. Surely if there are no signs of men treading the earth there will be something to be seen in the trees.

>>4574459

> Hunt down "Mud mouth" and "Burning lasher", so their deaths can not be mistaken as one devouring the other
>Begin singing loudly as you march through the woods and work
>Find something constructive to use the trees for

>>4574459
> Hunt down "Mud mouth" and "Burning lasher", so their deaths can not be mistaken as one devouring the other
>Follow the warning signs, and when they stop, look for signs of the passage of men walking upon the forest floor

>>4574459
>Sing 'kind golden eyes' and other songs as you move
>Follow the warning signs and when they stop, look for passage of men
>Keep an eye on the trees above for ambush or trail

>>4574459
>> Hunt down "Mud mouth" and "Burning lasher", so their deaths can not be mistaken as one devouring the other
>>Begin singing loudly as you march through the woods and work
"Hey Paul! (Hey Paul!) Paul Bunyannnnnnnn"

>>4574459
> Hunt down "Mud mouth" and "Burning lasher", so their deaths can not be mistaken as one devouring the other

>>4574459

> Hunt down "Mud mouth" and "Burning lasher", so their deaths can not be mistaken as one devouring the other
>Follow the warning signs, and when they stop, look for signs of the passage of men walking upon the forest floor

>>4574459
> Hunt down "Mud mouth" and "Burning lasher", so their deaths can not be mistaken as one devouring the other

>>4574459
>> Hunt down "Mud mouth" and "Burning lasher", so their deaths can not be mistaken as one devouring the other
>>Begin singing loudly as you march through the woods and work
>>Find something constructive to use the trees for

Calling the vote, sorry for the longish wait.

Follow the warning signs and find the Vishnu: 4
Look into the trees:2
Hunt Down Mud Mouth and Burning lasher: 7
Begin singing the songs of your people as you continue your work:4
Find something constructive to use the trees for:2

Alright, So Lieren will focus on tracking down the Two magical beasts nearby, while keeping an eye out for signs of the vishnu and Singing as he continues to work, to attract the attention of either the monsters or the men living besides them

Writing now

However there is a simple truth too all creatures, large and small. One that extends even to man himself. If one makes a ruckus in their territory, they will notice and be driven to investigate the invader. It is troublesome to track creatures of the sky as the signs they leave of their passing are few and far between. You could perhaps find feathers of the "Burning Lasher" or marks of its hooves upon branches, but that would divide your attention with its hunting ground laying so close to the territory of "Mud Mouth". A creature that hunts other magical beasts as if they were mundane animals. And besides the carcass of the unfortunate fog panther that tried to make it's den within the monstrosities hunting ground, it has left no sign of its passing. And judging from the vague description accompanying the description upon the now felled warning sign, and the alternate translation of its name "Ground eater", it must be a burrowing creature. And thus most of the tracks it would leave behind, lay beneath the feet, underground and hidden by thick layers of soil and stone. Another difficult beast to track, but by no means one impossible to stalk down, much like the Burning Lasher.

Which is why making a commotion will be the easiest method to track down both of those terrible beasts and the vishnu as well. Instead of searching for disturbed piles of earth or tunnels, or markings high upon the cannopy of trees, or piles of bones and refuse, you shall merely use yourself as bait, to attract the attention of your quarry. Perhaps a somewhat foolish tactic, but you must not linger within this forest. The Mao await your judgement on the other side of it after all, and the war continues unabated behind you. To delay returning to your forces any longer than is necessary, would be a greater folly than endangering yourself and encouraging these two beasts to attempt to prey upon you or battle against you as a rival, as the Toad Dragon did, years before.

So having made your decision, you begin to sing, loudly and boisterously as you march through the forest, past the signs warning of the two beasts living in harmony. Specifically a refrain of "Kind golden eyes" that you particularly enjoy for its relaxed tempo and cheerfully rhythm. Cui Fu's horse follows you along, showing know fear or stress as a lesser of his kind would when walking into the territory of predator. Like you, and his late master, he remains unafraid of any challenger or threat that stands before him. Quite the admirable trait in a steed, as it is in a man.

Lashing your foot against the trunk of another tree, and noticing the tale tale scratch of a man's nails gripping onto it tightly, before they are torn away with great force, faint stains of blood in the bark, perhaps a year old or longer. The tree falls and you step over it, shaking the reigns of your companion.
cont

>>4575757

He steps forward, following close behind you as you fell tree after tree, shaking his fane to clean it of the wood dust and splinters that fly as you continue your work

"Ooooh have you seen, those eyes of the most candescent gold!" You sing, matching your march to the pace of your voice as you continue your work "Aglow with kindness, unmatched in their brilliance and filled with some humble benevolence! From Nothing they came, casting the land with such gentle light and mercy, a simple ambition to remake all before their gaze as jade so magnificent. Ooooh have you seen the kind golden eyes, of Lieren the wise, the hunter from Nothing, who comes to bring joy and comfort to all lands of Gao, to ease the suffering of its people. Have you seen his eyes, with your own?"

You pause before knocking over the next tree, seeing more writing placed along it's trunk, that reads in, noticeably rough Vishnu. "Ten brave hunters fell here, eternally they rest now, consumed by the Mouth of Mud". Which tells confirms that you're still on the trail of both of your quarries.

"Unmatched kindness, a gentle voice, Lieren comes now, upon his road of white stone, a gift from the heavens, a beacon of hope, have you seen those kind eyes of gold!" You bellow as you knock down the tree before you and march forward again, rocking your head back and forth along with the rhythm of the song, if only you had a Guqin to accompany your song, then it'd be even lovelier "From Nothing he comes, to turn the empty fields to jade. With wisdom unparalleled beneath the heavens and a virtuous, he walks the lands now, seeding prosperity where he goes. Oh tell me, tell me, have you had the good fortune and delight, to gaze upon those golden eyes agleam with kindness and generosity, and boundless benevolence, tell me, tell me, have you met the Giant Lieren?!"

You pause, misstep, drawing in a deep breath of the humid air of this forest. There's a body beneath your feet, our rather a part of one, an arm dressed in furs, already partially consumed by the vermin of the undergrowth. The skin is the same clay color as the vishnu you met before, if a little darker, with scarification and dyes pained down the wrist. A curved axe is clutched in its hands, dried blood and the beetles coating its edge of bronze. A snapped portion of bone which would connect the limb to shoulder has been snapped, and a strange substance coats the flesh there, that the vermin feasting upon the limb avoid. A strange, almost pink hued ichor, that swirls and mingles with the blood still pouring from the limb.

As you inspect the orphaned limb, prodding it with your armored foot, it suddenly twitches. Which you had not expected in the least, causing your to clench your jaw and the hand gripping your Guandao to tighten, a mere instinctive reaction. The arm trembles, lashing and gripping its ask as if it were still alive, despite being half decayed past the elbow.
cont

>>4575761

Nearly skeletal even, stripped of flesh and skin except for a few wayward strips and patches.

Yet it moves as if it were still part of its owner, as if were still alive, attempting to fight of the attack that slew the body it belonged to.

"What future is dreamed and seen, by those wells of the most brilliant of gold?" You mutter, finishing the portion of Kind golden eyes, a feeling of disgust and contempt rushing through you at the sight of this unnatural occurrence. It must be the work of one of the beasts you're attempting to lure to its death, with your singing and the crashing of felled trees.

But which?

Your companion stomps its front right hoof, snorting and shaking its braided men energetically, a look of excitement burning within its simple eyes. Whipping its tail back and forth, as if it were a weapon, it looks around, and you feel the presence it is reacting to now. A low rumble, rising up from the ground under your feet, shaking your very bones with its great power.

"Ah, The earth biter" You say calmly, smiling beneath the blank sheet of steel you wear over your face, and let go of the reigns of your horse "Go, move from here! I shall not have you harmed by such a foul creature as this"

As if it can understand your words, Cui Fu's horse, bows its head and charges forward as you ordered, as the ground begins to raise and fall beneath you. Is it a brother of the Toad Dragon? odd that it would drive itself beneath the ground in such a manner, an coincidence? Or sign of kinship?

You step back, as the ground beneath your feet ruptures and raises into the sky, a mouthful of yellowed teeth the size of a normal man's chest snapping closed as mandibles honed to a razors edge snap above them and pull back down to the earth. Trees fall as the mass of the beast pulses and moves through the land. And then you see it's eyeless face, shooting back out of the dirt, gnashing its teeth again. A tongue rolls out over its lipless maw, a foul purple hue.

There is an eye upon the tip, and its looking down at you.

"Abomination" You spit, challenging the monstrosity by slamming the steel haft of your Guandao to the earth, and much like the Toad Dragon, you can feel, almost instinctively, despite there being nothing resembling humanity within this creature.

It to, was one a mortal man, twisted or perhaps cursed into its current from. It does not move, sizing you up and trying to decide if you are prey or competition. It eye flashes with an inner light, and you tilt your head, studying the organ in the moments before the beast strikes again. So that's how it managed to slay the third beast present in this small portion of the Bone devouring woods. Hypnosis, flashing internal lights that would dull the mind and enchant any who gaze upon them. An adaptation that nature could no produce, there's a wave of some kind coming off of it, you can see.

However, It does not seem to affect the eyes of one of the Primarch people.
cont

>>4575762

You can even pinpoint the exact location within the eye which produces the light and accompanying mental assault.
And the beast now realizes you aren't enraptured by its trick and deems you a threat because of it. Raising its head up, the slime coating its long neck begins to drip and flow in a most distasteful manner as the rest of it's body emerges, a beetle like shell set in the middle of its body, which its eel like body protrudes out of and curls within. What a disgusting crime against the senses, it reeks of rotting fish and stale sweat.

In response to your earlier challenge, it shrieks with a woman's voice, that escapes from a second mouth down its neck as its head lashes back and forth, daring you to strike first. It then pulls itself into its incandescent carapace, the disgustingly oversized human hands that emerge from beneath it dragging into the dirt and rapping their knuckles on trees. The flesh of it resembles that of a new born infant, pink and flushed red.

It understands you pose a greater threat to it, than it does to you. Clever beast. It knows attacking you first will only lead to it being wounded, perhaps mortally.

What is your first move in this battle, Lieren?
> Charge towards it, and stab your Guandao into the gab between its beetle shell
> Attack its Hands/ feet with a flurry of downward swings, strikes, and stabs
> Stand your ground, and entice it to charge you by glaring into its eye, and then sidestep, and catch its neck with the spike upon the back of your Guandao's blade
> Try to break its shell by hammering it with the counterweight at the end of your weapon
>Write in

>>4575769
>Slash its hands
>Smash the shell

Remove its hands first so it can't escape, then smash its shall

>>4575769
>>Slash its hands
>>Smash the shell

>>4575769
>Slash its hands
>Smash the shell

>>4575769
>> Charge towards it, and stab your Guandao into the gab between its beetle shell

>>4575769
>> Stand your ground, and entice it to charge you by glaring into its eye, and then sidestep, and catch its neck with the spike upon the back of your Guandao's blade
Time to add "Pissed off Slaanesh" to our resume.

>>4575769
> Attack its Hands/ feet with a flurry of downward swings, strikes, and stabs
> Stand your ground, and entice it to charge you by glaring into its eye, and then sidestep, and catch its neck with the spike upon the back of your Guandao's blade

File: 2 legion marine tea time.jpg (311 KB, 510x546)

311 KB JPG

Time to wait for the incoming battle with Mouth of Mud. Here is a marine.

>>4576093
You sir, are a fantastic battlebrother.

I do wonder how the fuck the tune to that song goes though. Like the lyrics dont flow at all.

>>4576093
Magnificent
>>4576102
It’d probably flow better in whatever the 30k Chinese language that the Yan people speak

File: 525.jpg (52 KB, 580x773)

52 KB JPG

>>4576093
Wear it with honor, anon.
>>4576103
I'm tempted to toss it into google translate to see if it's better in chinese. Unless Malal has a tune in mind?

>>4576093
Well, I love the armor colours ans the engraving pauldrons is simple enough to not displease Lieren while complex enough to look good.
Also, he looks smug, which is further amplified by the Nappa style moustache. All in all, well done.

>>4576184
*armour colours and the engraving on the pauldrons

>>4575769
congrats, you got fan art.
now you know you're one of thew big boys on /qst/.

>>4576192
I can't think of many others that got fanart, even more notable ones like Star Wars: Interregnum. Clone Wars Quest got some but the QM is MIA and Homeless Mutant Quest had loads, but that was back on /tg/ and Crusty is most likely dead.

>>4576215
>laughs in HQQ and Ogre Civ Quest

>>4576243
>Cries in HQQ and DATS

>>4576215
Persona 2129 got some art too if memory serves.

>>4576243
What's HQQ?

>>4576479
SCQ also got some art from drawfags and commissioned artists alike.

>>4576215
There have been hundreds, more likely thousands of quests that got fanart, though my favs have always been Predator Quest and Mech Engineer Quest.

>>4576491
A wonderful quest that just kind of... stopped one day, at its height.

Alright, calling the vote now. Sorry I've been a bit slow with the updates lately.

Slash its hands:3
Smash the shell:3
Charge and stab between it's shell:1
Stand your ground, and catch its neck with the back of your Guando:2

Alright, so Lieren will attempt to disable it's ability to move and then shatter its shell if possible.
Writing now

>>4576093
Fucking amazing! I love it.

>>4576102
>>4576103
>>4576136
Yeah, I figured it'd sound better in Shangralan than how I wrote it. Which is why I focused more on the lyrics than flow.

And "Kind Golden Eyes" it was more working song, that could be sung while working or drinking or even as a lullaby, depending on how its sung. a sung poem that became a popular folksong, more or less

>>4576192
Remember the Legion symbol someone made? That counts as fan art doesn't it?

>>4577139
I’m more interested in what the original symbol and legion name will be.

So you'll take the first move in this dance of death. The beast's hesitation shall be its undoing. Swinging your Guandao to the side, you hold your right arm in front of yourself, to use the armor upon it as something akin to a makeshift shield. Then, with three bounding steps, you rush up to the giant of a beast, which shrieks and hisses at you with its two mouths, its single eye peering from the safety of its beetle like shell. The light that sinks through the canopy and pierces the fog, casts its incandescent carapace a glow, a multitude of colors, some of which have until no remained unseen by you and most men, except the mad. Like a blank space upon a page, you do not have a name for the colors that creep across the shell and armor, mingling with the mundane and natural hues that swirl and glow across it as well.

It raises one of its abhorrently sized hands, its fingernail coated with grime and surrounded by scarred and infected flesh. It slams ir to the ground, still crying out to try and intimidate you away as if you were a common creature or Man. The soil ruptures and breaks, its overwhelming strength causing it to shake and quake, like it was forcing the ground itself to attempt to flee from its foulness. However, you easily maintain your balance, shifting your weight between your feet to keep from becoming unsteadied during your charge to meet the monstrosity. Three long strides, sprinted. You reach your foe in the time it'd take any other man to blink and turn away in disgust from it. Slime coats the forest floor beneath it, entrapping all the vermin and lesser creatures of Shangrala that were not quick enough to flee from the present of two beings that must seem to be gods to their simple minds.

It brings its raised hand down towards you, the ichor coating its flesh protecting its soft, untouched flesh from the sun's scorching rays, and the way the slime coating glimmers under direct light, makes it appear ever more like a new born child, grossly distended and grown to a utterly monstrous size and form. Swinging your Guandao up with your left hand, you catch it with your right, just beneath its blade. Sliding your left down to the end of the pole, grasping the counterweight, you use your own strength and body as an anchor.

Sliding your right down the middle of the panther leather wrapped pole, you swing and halt its path, pulling the weapon closer to your chest while taking half a step back. The edge of the blade bites sinks into the slime coating the disgusting creature's appendage, and sinks into its unmarred palm. The ichor runs red, and as you anticipated, the monstrosity reels back, unused to such pain. It pulls its hand back up, and the thick ichor would have caught your weapon, like it were a fly upon sap. But, having quickly pulled it back, you managed to free it yourself a moment before it would have been ripped from your hands.
Cont

>>4577139
Thanks everyone
Is the same symbol i have used for the first images. Here i have just cut the panther head, because it wouldn t look good with the whole body on the cup. Also yeah you can count it has fan art.
Would a sheet be of use in the future ? Like for keeping in mind characters and equipment for example.

>>4577199

But you do not cease your assault, or pause it for a moment. Stepping back forward, you utilize your great speed to funnel momentum into your neck strike, stabbing your Guandao into the air and burying it's blade further into the gash upon "Mud Mouth"'s palm. It strikes bone, but does not stop, as the muscles in your arms tighter and pull taught, as you use all of the might you were gifted in your birth and through hard labor, to send the steel further through the unnatural bone and flesh. Grasping the back end of the pole now, the pole of steel pierces through the pinkish red flesh like a loose nail left unstruck, coated in slime and blood. Pulling it back, and retrieving it, you clean it with a quick slash through the air, before the foul coating reaches your hands and sullies them.

The Beast merely shrieks, its tongue rolling out from the depths of its shell to look upon the damage you've dealt to its hand , as it struggles to stand on just three. There's a gaping hole, exposing bone and muscle, cut tendon left open to the heat of the day. And as it panics, leaving itself completely open and unguarded, you whip your Guandao at its wounded hand once more, turning it around in your hands to face it's edge up. The vertical strike cuts into its wrist, and the creature wails in pain, and still allows you step closer, switching your grip to turn the blade's edge downwards once more, transferring the momentum into a downwards swing, aimed at the joint of it one of its primary standing fingers.

It cuts through its knuckle and you realize why it has not responded to your attack. It relies on its slime to entrap its foes, and as you are to quick and powerful to get trapped within it, as its prey would be, it needed to lure you in closer. And the trick almost worked.

Leaning back, bending your knees, you sway out of the way of its snapping jaws, rising back up and turning on one heel to twist away from its tongue, as it whips towards you, trying to batter your off your feet. And you can see the surprise in that single eye, as you leap to its other hand and use swing your Guandao into the tips of three of its digits, cutting through two of them with a single mighty blow, utilizing your own weight to put more force into the strike. Turning on your heel, you take a low, sturdy stance with your legs spread far apart. And twirl your Guandao around, so its blade face behind you, turning its Counterweight into the head of hammer.

But before you can begin to swing and batter it against the beast's armored shell, it throws a punch at you with its right hand. Despite how poor its balance already is with two injured hands. The mistake of a wild animal.
cont

>>4577202

What is your second move, Lieren?
>Shatter its left leg with a single mighty blow, toppling it to the ground
> Avoid its punch, and with a powerful stab, pin its arm to its shell at the wrist
>Leap onto its back, and shatter its shell as you had planned
>Catch it's fist with your own hands and using the gash in its wrist as a grip, break it and the "Arm" its attached to. Using the experience gained from wrestling with your friends to great effect
>Write in

>>4577200
Maybe, if I find it hard to keep track of them myself, I'll make a note pad listing all of them myself

>>4577205
>>Catch it's fist with your own hands and using the gash in its wrist as a grip, break it and the "Arm" its attached to. Using the experience gained from wrestling with your friends to great effect
Reminder that Daemons are made of emotional energy, if a Daemon feels weak then it become weaker.

>>4577205
>>Catch it's fist with your own hands and using the gash in its wrist as a grip, break it and the "Arm" its attached to. Using the experience gained from wrestling with your friends to great effect

>>4577205
>SMASH THE ARM

Don't catch it, just smash.

>>4577205
>Shatter its left leg with a single mighty blow, toppling it to the ground

>>4577205
>Catch it's fist with your own hands and using the gash in its wrist as a grip, break it and the "Arm" its attached to. Using the experience gained from wrestling with your friends to great effect

>>4577205
>> Avoid its punch, and with a powerful stab, pin its arm to its shell at the wrist

>>4577205
>Catch it's fist with your own hands and using the gash in its wrist as a grip, break it and the "Arm" its attached to. Using the experience gained from wrestling with your friends to great effect
OH YEAH BROTHER YOU BETTER BELIEVE YOU'RE IN FOR A WORLD OF HURT.
Because I'm the undisputed heavy weight champion of all of Yan brother and you better believe I'm the cream-of-the-crop yeah.
You better believe you ain't nothin, like these trigs I'm gonna snap you into a slim Jim YEAH!

Guys, WTF ARE YOU DOING, this guy has glue/slime skin and you want to catch it? Just cut the limbs off and then break the shell or wait until tye head tries to bite and cut it

>>4577205
>Shatter its left leg with a single mighty blow, toppling it to the ground

>>4577205
>Leap onto its back, and shatter its shell as you had planned

>>4577746
You gotta admit. It would be cool to just catch it and break its arm off, then beat the shit out of it with it's own arm, but I see your point.

>>4577215
>>4577219
>>4577524
Recall that the slime of the monster was able to animate the severe limb of that arm or something? Beyond being sticky and slimy, I think the slime contains a more malicious side effect. Potentially corruption?

Anyone wonder if theres a Warp/Chaos gate on Shegrula? The Emperor went through one and because a powerhouse. Horus went through one when he was corrupted, and was nearly on par with the Emperor. Wheres our portal?

>>4577205
>> Avoid its punch, and with a powerful stab, pin its arm to its shell at the wrist

>>4577205
>Leap onto its back, and shatter its shell as you had planned

>>4577751
The portal they went through led to the home of the gods itself, not just any only portal.

>>4577205
>Shatter its left leg with a single mighty blow, toppling it to the ground

>>4577205
>> Avoid its punch, and with a powerful stab, pin its arm to its shell at the wrist

>>4578085
>>4577762
forgot i voted, didn't mean to double

>>4577230
I'll change my vote to

>Hop onto it's backas planned.

>>4577746
We’ve fought and suffered worse.

>>4578224
Without reason? No I doubt it

>>4577866
The Emperor basically went to the home plane of the 4 and told them "you know how daemons perma-die if directly killed in the warp and you are like daemons turned up to 11? Well, now I know were you live fuckers. Tell me how to make Primarchs"

>>4578248
Alternatively

>Next on Void-dragons den
"Hey, gods, Guess what, I really have this fantastic new idea for a plan of universal conquest, and I'm looking for several million books on arcane soul physics to get started."
>After programming, The candidate broke all his promises and repossession teams were dispatched.

Changes by edition.

>>4577205
> Avoid its punch, and with a powerful stab, pin its arm to its shell at the wrist

Alright calling the vote now, sorry for missing a day, felt like shit

Catch its fist:4
Shatter its leg: 3
Avoid it's punch and pin its arm to the shell:3
Leap onto its back:3

Alright, so Lieren will attempt to catch it's fist and then break its wrist and arm

Writing now

>>4578254
Yeah, the Emperor took advantage of the 4 not knowing about tech and thus, the internet, to pull a nigerian prince scam on them.

You react quickly, turning to face the oncoming fist with outstretched arms, catching your Guandao by proping it against your chest, kicking the end of it to make it fall into position to do so. The fist flies through the air, far quicker than its size should allow it to move. Slime and ichor mixed with blood flies off of the limb in a most foul slurry, like the arm had become a slobbering tongue of a half starved hound or drunkard.

To make your stance even more stable and unbreakable, you dig your feet into the soft soil beneath your feet, compressing it and hardening it. Heel pressed down first, then toes driven though the mud, encouraging the dirt to fall over you armored feet and encase them as a tomb, functioning like mortar holding the bricks of a mighty wall in place. Then, as the colossal hand comes within inches of colliding with you, you crouch slightly, moving your center of mass and balance and strengthening it even further, bowing your legs in anticipation of the impact.

Grasping with your left hand, you drive your steel and leather covered fingers through the coating of colorless slime running thick over the skin of the monstrosity's hand, and burying it into the open wound upon its back. Gripping tendons, muscles, and exposed veins, you pull the arm to the ground, feeling pressure build as you cut off the flow of blood with your vice grip. The momentum carried through the punch, breaks the ground and pushes you deeper into the muck beneath the battleground, as the fist cuts a deep furrow into the ground. Not hesitating another moment, you reach forward with your right hand, and dig your fingers into the open gash upon its wrist. Already the beast his screaming, snapping its teeth in the air and pawing at its arm, the very same slime that had served it so well in the hunt keeping it from being able to pull its own limb out of your grasp.

Its muscles tense and pull, as it puts all of its strength and bulk into its futile attempts to free its injured limb from your grip. Despites its massive size, and unnatural strength it is no match for your own body and the power it holds, despite your smaller stature compared to the abominations own form. Using a technique you've perfected in playing and rough housing with your dear friends, you for the first time put all of your prodigious strength and might into the move. For you have always taken care not to injure any of your wrestling partners. This move is on used to flip a man onto his back, by grasping his shoulder and waist. One that Small Chen had taught you, when he used it to throw Xin into the air, after the energetic fellow got a big head after winning two bouts with Fat Chen and drawing with Red Face. However, as the arm is connected to a larger body, and cannot be lifted off the air by itself.

This technique will instead snap bone, rip tendon and tear muscle. Rendering the limb a mangled mess, utterly crippled and completely useless.
cont