Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Nevill]

No deal. I don't appreciate sophistry.

Yes, I base my criteria on having vocal chords, on having an advanced enough intelligence to form a civilization (that rivals the dwarven one, BTW), to handle various tools, to have complex enough oral traditions to establish a religion (even though it is centered around the Dark Gods) and on a million other things that are not easily quantified.

These creatures are too close to humans for comfort. So, being the humanoid supremacist that I am, I extend the same courtesies to them that I would to our human enemies.

Sue me.

Edit: Oh, but if you ever stumble upon a horse poet or an engineer, or even a seer or a shaman, publish your discovery immediately. This would go a long way to prevent the horse conspiracy Jester was talking about.

 

[Fangshi]

So this gold. Was this part of the Blackrock holdings, or is this part of the funds that have been lent to us? How much does it amount to effectively?

Jawbone is hesitant to say just how much was there but you press him and get an answer. The vault contained 45 WPs worth of legitimately earned gold enough to finance the operation of the organization for another month. It also contained a further 200 WPs worth of illegally obtained diamonds acquired through trafficking in dwarven slaves. Naturally it is not on the books and 'does not exist' as far as everyone is concerned. He says he was going to tell you, when the time was right, he just did not want you to think too poorly of his organization. He stresses that they are 'good people' but that they just 'do what they are told'.

So the sum is quite substantial.

Please tell me we will at least sell this ghol to some dwarves.

She is at the very least minor ghôlish royalty. The prices that you could get for her would be quite high if you did decide to sell her on.

The Royal Academy would be quite interested in a ghôlish leader in good condition, particularly a mage, to experiment on. They could probably give you 400 WPs for her, she would die of course, probably painfully but you would make out wonderfully.

The King would pay you 250 WPs and serve her as the dish of honour in a banquet in your name. It would be decent publicity and if he quadruples the normal guards he would probably be willing to do it. The upside of that is that you can immediately scramble her mind and turn her into a vegetable so there would be much less risk. It would also give you a good opportunity to meet the assorted nobles and royals you will work with in the future. If you did go through with such an option then you would be expected to partake in the meal which would be difficult for Derryth and Thaïs since they have spoken to Nanshe now.

She is in good shape so the slave masters would probably give you 125 to 150 WPs if you took her to them. She is a mage though so you would have to scramble her mind first which would reduce the ultimate payout you can get.

Alternatively you could break her mind and attempt to steal all the magical and mundane knowledge she knows as in Bii.

Or on the other end of the spectrum you could treat her like a person and/or a prisoner of war. Derryth does sort of like and respect her even though they are technically enemies.

Really Derryth could go either way on this. Her extensive past experience with followers of the 'Dark' has made her more open to considering them as actual 'people' rather than just enemies/food/slaves, however she is also pragmatic enough that she would be willing to do most things to her enemies if it helped her cause. This one is completely up to the voters.

One caution though, do not leave her alone with the dwarves or they will murder her or sell her on eventually. Right now Derryth is using maul and human guards only as there is far less racial tension there.

Also it is worth remembering that the dwarves really hate ghôls. In the Empire someone like Nanshe might (and I stress might) be given a chance in some circles as long as she did not break the laws. In the Kingdom, openly aiding her would be a death sentence. This is largely down to the social attitudes of each state, the ghôls are to the dwarves as the myrkridia are to the humans. Ancient and 'irreconcilable' enemies. However if you make it back to the Empire you will also notice that Alric's administration holds the law in much higher regard than Albrecht's. Even the secretive Imperial Police are bound by certain restrictions and a certain sort of 'privilege' is extended to all subjects of the empire regardless of race. Alric does (or at least appears to) hold justice as an ideal in very high regard where as Albrecht largely pays it lip service.

Intercepting the ghols is probably our best bet. It's mountainous terrain, right? Why would we think we could fit the chariots and wagons through? How many horses to each chariot? How many to the wagon?

There are a number of valleys and passages running through the mountains. Your escorts assure you that chariots can move through them if in a limited fashion and they could be useful if you happen to catch the ghols in a valley of on the plains around the Great Devoid. You might not be able to take the most direct route however and you might be put in a situation where you are required to split your forces. Two horses to each chariot, four to the wagon, you will have to stick to the major passes with them. Really it all depends on where you hope to fight them and when you can catch them. The chariots could also be used to deploy infantry or create a barricade if needed.

A few things to consider. The escort captain really does not want you to go without him. If you die under his watch he will be expected to commit ritual suicide to preserve the honour of his clan. Derryth also is not a military commander and Berty has little experience with cavalry or mounted forces in general. They think that the chariots might be useful but they do not know if they will be.

Hm. How big does the spell make you? If you cast that on an eagle, would it still be able to fly? I assume it would, since the spell didn't affect Berty's aerodynamics in a significant way. Would it be able to transport you in its claws? Could you ride on its back?

Not much bigger, if you cast it on a six foot tall person they might gain two inches, maybe three. It does increase the weight of the target a fair bit though. An eagle would not be able to fly, it would weigh too much. Berty began to drop almost immediately but he was also practically on top of Nanshe when you cast the spell. You would not be able to ride on the eagles back, not even close. Same with the claws, it simply would not work. For that you would need some sort of Giant Eagle but such things do not exist as far as you know. Maybe in the Ermine perhaps?

For how long can we maintain the spell at point-blank without running through the consumables?

About fifty seconds. Maybe a minute if you wanted to totally exhaust your capabilities.

Nope. Kill her and be done with it. She's the Watcher's pawn.

I forgot the general 'dispose of her and forget about it' option. I will add it as D.

Name for skill. ENTER OF THUNDER COLOSSUS! (could be colossus fall from heaven.)

I like it! Added to Organization sheet under 'Group Techniques'.

 

[Nevill]

It also contained a further 200 WPs worth of illegally obtained diamonds acquired through trafficking in dwarven slaves. Naturally it is not on the books and 'does not exist' as far as everyone is concerned.

I assume that if we label it as 'valuables captured from ghol marauders' that might take care of the legal aspect? It would be the ghols' money, not ours?

Or will it raise eyebrows due to a rather high amount we are talking here?

One caution though, do not leave her alone with the dwarves or they will murder her or sell her on eventually. Right now Derryth is using maul and human guards only as there is far less racial tension there.

Does that mean that if we want to pursue the ghols, we'll have to kill her?

 

[Smashing Axe]

Hm, so I want to sell the ghol to someone (Should recoup our losses and then some, overall a great success! Better check the lower levels just in case the ghols left frozen wight parts or something in the lower levels for a timed explosion), but I also want to try and scout the Watcher's location and pass that on to Brobrecht to do with as he pleases. The offset gain is worth staying outside of the Watcher's reach. Also if we give the ghol to Brobrecht we become even more popular and get more excuses to make nice with the nobility. This is technically not slavery, but imprisonment of a terrorist, which is of course a big difference and morally acceptable.

If we break her mind in II and III does that mean we can learn her secrets to boot?

 

[Nevill]

This is technically not slavery, but imprisonment of a terrorist, which is of course a big difference and morally acceptable.

Naturally. I wonder if they eat or breed terrorists for baby meals.

Oh, wait, they kill them.

Nevermind, do continue. :D

 

[Smashing Axe]

This is technically not slavery, but imprisonment of a terrorist, which is of course a big difference and morally acceptable.

Naturally. I wonder if they eat or breed terrorists for baby meals.

Oh, wait, they kill them.

Nevermind, do continue. :D

Oh, I misread that. I thought she'd be chained up at the feast dressed in a spikey, painful fool's costume and the dwarf "guest of honour". Like this

Spoiler

I wasn't being very literal when Fangshi said the king would have her for dinner. Still, better to eat her and mitigate famine than to let precious protein go to waste needlessly. You suggested killing her anyway. This is just a more conscientious method.

 

[Fangshi]

I assume that if we label it as 'valuables captured from ghol marauders' that might take care of the legal aspect? It would be the ghols' money, not ours?

Or will it raise eyebrows due to a rather high amount we are talking here?

Yes, you should be able to get away with that as long as everyone keeps the secret. None of the dwarves will care if you take things from the ghôls.

Does that mean that if we want to pursue the ghols, we'll have to kill her?

It depends on how you go about it.

If you attack her war party she will not like it but they are 'soldiers' and this is 'war'. She will not hate you for it really though she would prefer if her people survived.

If you attack her home which would likely mean the death or enslavement of 'non-combatants' then yes you will probably have to kill her and she will hate you for it.

If you bring dwarves with you when you pursue her people it almost guarantees bloodshed. If you don't then you do not know what will happen but your force will be quite a bit smaller.

If you take her with you when you pursue her followers but you chose not to bring anyone other than dwarves to guard her you will either have to use your own people or you will have to accept the risk that she might 'choke' on one of her meals.

If you leave her behind and do not leave a proper guard on her with a capable officer in charge then do not count on her being alive when you get back.

There are probably more combinations I have not listed and results are never guaranteed but it is clear to Derryth that you do not mix dwarves and ghols without taking serious risks.

If we break her mind in II and III does that mean we can learn her secrets to boot?

If you succeed you can take all the information you want in whatever condition you find it.

To clarify, if you shatter her mind you might break a few things but you can take whatever parts you want and if there is anything left intact you can have that as well. She may have defences and she will probably try to kill herself somehow but Derryth will try to take precautions.

 

[Nevill]

The best part is that we would have to be the ones eating that. Eww.

I say, just do The Watcher's Keep. It's the best location in BG2, we won't be disappointed.

If you bring dwarves with you when you pursue her people it almost guarantees bloodshed.

Wait, there is a peaceful resolution to this? They have our money! :D

Or do you mean they will attack the tribe (or 'home', or whatever)? We don't even know where that is.

 

[Fangshi]

Wait, there is a peaceful resolution to this? They have our money! :D

Derryth has no clue if this can be resolved peacefully in a satisfactory manner but if you bring the dwarves the already slim odds essentially drop to just this side of zero.

Or do you mean they will attack the tribe (or 'home', or whatever)? We don't even know where that is.

No that is Bii, where you torture the location of her home from her and marshal all your forces to attack it. In A you are still hoping to hit the war party before they get back.

 

[Nevill]

Derryth has no clue if this can be resolved peacefully in a satisfactory manner but if you bring the dwarves the already slim odds essentially drop to just this side of zero.

Eh, to hell with the odds. I might not be inclined to eat them or give them away to slavers to rape them and have them produce babies to eat (seriously, this is some Dwarf Fortress merpeople factory level of disturbing), but they are still our enemies and the Watcher's agents.

Killing them is likely the only courtesy I can grant them, given that the other fates are often worse than death.

 

[Kz3r0]

D.i.

 

[Nevill]

To release her? Interesting choice. But I'd rather pursue the ghols who have stolen from us. This would be a good opportunity to test our new company and Berty's skills, and it would help spread the right message. If you mess with us, we mess with you right back.

A) You will attempt to catch up to the ghôls using the information given by Neel.

Individuals:
i. Derryth (war party leader)
ii. Thaïs (duh)
iii. Lyssa and her Eagles (scouts and support)
iv. Berty Levy (military tactician)
v. Biliku (an officer and a student - besides, what else is there to do for her if we all go?)
vi. Uttu (same)
vii. Myora (muscle)
viii. Rand (not sure if he is needed... Fangshi, what is his skillset?)
ix. Nanshe (just no. I also propose a separate option where we kill her as a courtesy. No slavery shenanigans. We do seem to respect her, after all)

Assets: (Your archers are all our acting as scouts. They will join up with you if they can.)
x. Your escort. Fourty members of the Royal Army they are some of the best soldiers you have they have a deep hatred of ghôls as all dwarves do. Dismounted they are amongst your slowest infantry forces. (too many, too slow. Besides, this is our business, not theirs)
xi. Your escort's chariots. 20 light chariots, if it comes to a fight they could be decisive provided you have the room to use them. (greater mobility, infantry transportation - you name it, the chariots can do it)
xii. Your carriage. If you want to move quickly there is no finer way provided you can find a clear route.
xiii. Twenty Blackrock grenadiers. (if we can fit them on the chariots)
xiv. Sixteen Blackrock dwarven warriors. (same)
xv. Eight Blackrock human warriors. Each is armed with a large shield, a pair of javelins and a sword. They are veteran mercenaries. They are amongst the fastest of your infantry forces.
xvi. Five Blackrock maul warriors. Each is armed with a very large shield, four javelins and a large blade. They are veteran mercenaries. Their speed is average. They are probably your strongest mercenary forces.
xvii. You will immediately kill Nanshe. You do not believe she will be of use in the future and she is a liability as long as she lives.

For a force of 40 ghols, we will take the fastest troops and move to intercept them. Probably have Lyssa's eagles spy on them to catch them ouside of mountain territory. Can our infantrymen take a ride on the chariots?

Of course, if more of them come out, we might be in trouble.

 

[Fangshi]

viii. Rand (not sure if he is needed... Fangshi, what is his skillset?

He is responsible for many of the less, ah, respectable elements of the organization. Everything from spy work to torture to assassination and kidnapping. He is a warrior, he uses a single blade or knives. He is great in urban environments. What else would you like to know?

I also propose a separate option where we kill her as a courtesy. No slavery shenanigans

Did you want to do it right away or wait until you get back? If you want it done before you leave then I will add a separate question for it.

xi. Your escort's chariots. 20 light chariots, if it comes to a fight they could be decisive provided you have the room to use them.

Without your escort to drive them they will not be of much use. The other dwarves might be able to pilot them but they will not do as good of a job.

xiii. Twenty Blackrock grenadiers. (if we can fit them on the chariots)
xiv. Sixteen Blackrock dwarven warriors. (same)

Two to a chariot so yes they will all fit if you do not bring the Royal Guards.

Can our infantrymen take a ride on the chariots?

As long as they are dwarves then yes. Humans would be a bit awkward and mauls are simply too big.

 

[Nevill]

Did you want to do it right away or wait until you get back? If you want it done before you leave then I will add a separate question for it.

Right away.

As long as they are dwarves then yes. Humans would be a bit awkward and mauls are simply too big.

There are only five of them. Any way they could be fit on the chariots? Or will remodeling take too much of our time?

Nevermind, disregard that, I seem to have forgotten what a chariot is.

Humans would feel awkward... but it is not impossible, right? So what would it mean in terms of consequences? Less effectiveness in combat after an immediate deployment? We did fit 5 people in our own carriage just fine, after all, despite our size.

If we take humans, mauls, and chariots, what would be our plan? Arrange a rendez-vous point and go ahead? Or move at the slowest speed?

 

[Fangshi]

Right away.

I will add it as an option then.

Humans would feel awkward... but it is not impossible, right? So what would it mean in terms of consequences? Less effectiveness in combat after an immediate deployment? We did fit 5 people in our own carriage just fine, after all, despite our size.

Awkward in that the chariots are designed for people two thirds their size. They will have more trouble driving them if needed and will have trouble fitting onto to them as well. These are relatively light chariots we are talking about here and a human (especially one with no experience in a chariot) is more likely to fall off one if something happens.

If we take humans, mauls, and chariots, what would be our plan? Arrange a rendez-vous point and go ahead? Or move at the slowest speed?

The infantry will limit how quickly you can move through 'flat' terrain while the chariots can not go off the paths. You will likely have to split your forces and communicate via eagle. You will try to link up again before attacking the enemy though. Should the situation come up the members of your party will do their best.

Current Tally:

Spoiler

asxetos - Bi: Bring everyone who is not a Dwarf. (Derryth, Thaïs, Lyssa, Berty, Biliku, Uttu, Myora, Rand, all eight human warriors and the five maul warriors. Granted it comes to twenty one, not twenty but Nanshe is not going to argue over a single soldier.)

Azira - Dv: Simply kill her and be done with it.

Smashing Axe - Sell her? Any preference as to the buyer?

Kz3r0 - Di: Let her go.

Nevill - A (i,ii,iii,iv,v,vi,vii,xi,xii,xiii,xiv,xv,xvi,xvii): Go after the raiding party. All individuals except Rand and Nanshe, all assets except for the Royal soldiers and kill Nanshe immediately.

archaen - C>Dii>A (i,ii,iii,iv,v,vi,vii,ix,x,xi,xii,xiii,xv,xvi): Turn her over to Albrecht, failing that sell her to the Academy, failing that go after the raiding party.

Grimgravy - A (ix): Go after the raiding party. Bring Nanshe, abstain from the rest of the option.

Kipeci - A (?): Go after the raiding party.

A) 3 vote

Spoiler

i. 1/1 vote
ii. 1/1 vote
iii. 1/1 vote
iv. 1/1 vote
v. 1/1 vote
vi. 1/1 vote
vii. 1/1 vote
viii.
ix. 1/2 votes
x.
xi. 1/1 vote
xii. 1/1 vote
xiii. 1/1 vote
xiv. 1/1 vote
xv. 1/1 vote
xvi. 1/1 vote
xvii. 1/2 vote

B)
i. 1 vote
ii.

C) 1 vote

D)
i. 1 vote
ii.
iii.
iv.
v. 1 vote

Post Flop:
A) 4 vote

Spoiler

i. 2/2 votes
ii. 2/2 votes
iii. 2/2 votes
iv. 2/2 votes
v. 2/2 votes
vi. 2/2 votes
vii. 2/2 votes
viii.
ix. 2/3 votes
x. 1/2 votes
xi. 2/2 votes
xii. 2/2 votes
xiii. 2/2 votes
xiv. 1/2 votes
xv. 2/2 votes
xvi. 2/2 votes
xvii. 1/3 vote

B)
i. 1 vote
ii.

C)

D)
i. 1 vote
ii.
iii.
iv.
v. 1 vote

As always conditional votes are perfectly fine.

Note: Given the mutually exclusive nature of the Nanshe choices and the presence of a third default position if neither ix nor xvii win I will require a majority for those choices. For example if there are five voters and one choice has three votes then it will win. If there are six voters and each choice has three votes than neither will win. To keep things simple I will also require a majority for the other A choices as well (so 4/6 or 5/8 and so on).

 

[archaen]

If Thrasher is representative of what waits for us at the Watcher's fort I think going in there without a fuckton of backup is a horrible idea. If our party would have encountered him on our own we would have a much larger wall of the dead than we do. I say we go with an army or not at all.

From the ghôl perspective our characters have been pretty accommodative of working with just about any one as long as we benefit. If a ghôl can provide something of value then I see no problem working with them. Right now she has not offered anything of any use on her own accord. Unless that changes I see no problem shipping her to the breeding pits, banquet hall, or Vivisection Hall . If she wants to free herself from the Watcher and give each us useful intelligence I could see making the effort to keep her alive.

One downside is if we are seen in dwarven society as working with ghôls we can expect our reputation to deteriorate quickly. Another is her amulet. If we keep her with us the Watcher faction also knows where we are. If we take her with us it sets us up for an ambush.

I see two ways to go about this. We can write off our gold and turn her over to the mages. We get the cash we need to keep our finances going, get friendship with a faction we have been pining to make friends with, don't put ourselves and friends at risk, and get a report quickly back to the king about the watcher's allies gathering forces in his hinterlands. We let the mages break her to confirm our story and he may give us or let us join an army to take out the Watchers keep.

The other way we can go about this is ghol semi-diplomacy. We take her with us along with our maul and human soldiers and run them to ground as fast as possible. This gives them less time to setup and ambush and gives us a better starting animosity where we may be able to negotiate. We may have to release her back into the enemy for the return of the gold. If that doesn't work then we have to massacre them. Down side is we are out on a limb exposed with a tracking beacon in our midst. I would probably ameliorate that by having our honor guard with chariots and our carriage carrying as many grenadiers as it can trying to reach us by alternate paths as fast as they can, coordinated by eagle messengers, so our forces don't lose track.

CDii > Dii > A with options below

i. Derryth (if you do not send Derryth then all the action will happen off-screen and you will do something else).

ii. Thaïs

iii. Lyssa and her Eagles

iv. Berty Levy

v. Biliku

vi. Uttu

vii. Myora

ix. Nanshe (as a prisoner, she may be useful or she may be a liability)

Assets: (Your archers are all out acting as scouts. They will join up with you if they can.)

x. Your escort. Fourty members of the Royal Army they are some of the best soldiers you have they have a deep hatred of ghôls as all dwarves do. Dismounted they are amongst your slowest infantry forces. (Separate Path)

xi. Your escort's chariots. 20 light chariots, if it comes to a fight they could be decisive provided you have the room to use them. (Separate Path)

xii. Your carriage. If you want to move quickly there is no finer way provided you can find a clear route. (Separate Path)

xiii. Twenty Blackrock grenadiers. These big dwarves are each armed with a load of cocktails and satchel charges. They are veteran mercenaries. Being dwarves they have a deep hatred of ghôls. They are also amongst your slowest infantry forces. (Separate Path)

xv. Eight Blackrock human warriors. Each is armed with a large shield, a pair of javelins and a sword. They are veteran mercenaries. They are amongst the fastest of your infantry forces.

xvi. Five Blackrock maul warriors. Each is armed with a very large shield, four javelins and a large blade. They are veteran mercenaries. Their speed is average. They are probably your strongest mercenary forces.

 

[Nevill]

I would probably ameliorate that by having our honor guard with chariots and our carriage carrying as many grenadiers as it can trying to reach us by alternate paths as fast as they can, coordinated by eagle messengers, so our forces don't lose track.

There is a problem.

20 chariots. 40 warriors. 2 dwarves per chariot - that is all that fits. There is no room for grenadiers.

We can fit our Blackrock troops in there, or we can fit the Royal army. Not both.

Or do you want to fit the grenadiers in the carriage? Where would we end up, though?

 

[archaen]

I would probably ameliorate that by having our honor guard with chariots and our carriage carrying as many grenadiers as it can trying to reach us by alternate paths as fast as they can, coordinated by eagle messengers, so our forces don't lose track.

There is a problem.

20 chariots. 40 warriors. 2 dwarves per chariot - that is all that fits. There is no room for grenadiers.

We can fit our Blackrock troops in there, or we can fit the Royal army. Not both.

The grenadiers are in our carriage. likely just 5 of them. The mauls and humans come with us in a direct path on foot.

 

[Nevill]

The other way we can go about this is ghol semi-diplomacy. We take her with us along with our maul and human soldiers and run them to ground as fast as possible. This gives them less time to setup and ambush and gives us a better starting animosity where we may be able to negotiate. We may have to release her back into the enemy for the return of the gold. If that doesn't work then we have to massacre them.

Alright, but how do you think we will be able to communicate with the ghols when we have so many dwarves with us? They kill each other on sight, and if you release your prisoner... well. You can guess what they'll think of you. This is the exact scenario you wanted to avoid:

One downside is if we are seen in dwarven society as working with ghôls we can expect our reputation to deteriorate quickly.

I can't see a point of bringing Nanshe with us. It can not end in anything other than bloodshed if the dwarves come with you:

Derryth has no clue if this can be resolved peacefully in a satisfactory manner but if you bring the dwarves the already slim odds essentially drop to just this side of zero.

And she is a living tracking device. And a powerful mage who might break free. It's just too many risks for no foreseeable profit.

 

[Fangshi]

If a ghôl can provide something of value then I see no problem working with them. Right now she has not offered anything of any use on her own accord. Unless that changes I see no problem shipping her to the breeding pits, banquet hall, or Vivisection Hall . If she wants to free herself from the Watcher and give each us useful intelligence I could see making the effort to keep her alive.

She is still sitting in that cell if you want to ask her anything in particular or ask her for anything. The general impression Derryth gets is that she does not willingly serve the Watcher so feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Or do you want to fit the grenadiers in the carriage? Where would we end up, though?

The grenadiers are in our carriage. likely just 5 of them. The mauls and humans come with us in a direct path on foot.

Depending on when and how you try to reach the raiding party you will be presented with options on how to proceed and how to divide up your forces. probably in some sort of mini update if the choices seem important enough.

For example, you could in theory bring everyone and split your dwarven and non dwarven forces to try to minimize the chance of conflict while keeping a reserve in place if needed. But such options will have to come in the next update as the choices currently on offer are complicated enough without adding all those options as well.

 

[Nevill]

From what I understood, it is not that she is unwilling to free herself from the Watcher. It's just that she can't. She has no more say in the matter than Miosguinn in his dealings with the Spider Goddess after the first step was made. The difference is, Miosguinn have accepted and embraced his fate, while she did not.

The only way out of this situation for her is feet first, I think. Either that, or an extensive reseach in the nature of her necklace... but where would she be doing that? It's not like we could ask the Pathfinders to hide her, and she probably would not want to abandon her people to seek a personal freedom in Muirthemne.

 

[Fangshi]

From what I understood, it is not that she is unwilling to free herself from the Watcher. It's just that she can't. She has no more say in the matter than Miosguinn in his dealings with the Spider Goddess after the first step was made. The difference is, Miosguinn have accepted and embraced his fate, while she did not.

That is correct. I was merely replying to the idea that she wants to serve the Watcher. The impression you get is that she would much prefer her freedom and freedom for her people.

The only way out of this situation for her is feet first, I think. Either that, or an extensive reseach in the nature of her necklace... but where would she be doing that? It's not like we could ask the Pathfinders to hide her, and she probably would not want to abandon her people to seek a personal freedom in Muirthemne.

Maybe, maybe not.

Derryth has not asked her what she wants or is willing to do. It has not come up and I don't know what you lot want Derryth to do in this situation anyway. So if you want to know something, feel free to ask. A lot might come down to how you phrase the questions though.

 

[archaen]

The other way we can go about this is ghol semi-diplomacy. We take her with us along with our maul and human soldiers and run them to ground as fast as possible. This gives them less time to setup and ambush and gives us a better starting animosity where we may be able to negotiate. We may have to release her back into the enemy for the return of the gold. If that doesn't work then we have to massacre them.

Alright, but how do you think we will be able to communicate with the ghols when we have so many dwarves with us? They kill each other on sight, and if you release your prisoner... well. You can guess what they'll think of you. This is the exact scenario you wanted to avoid:

One downside is if we are seen in dwarven society as working with ghôls we can expect our reputation to deteriorate quickly.

I can't see a point of bringing Nanshe with us. It can not end in anything other than bloodshed if the dwarves come with you:

Derryth has no clue if this can be resolved peacefully in a satisfactory manner but if you bring the dwarves the already slim odds essentially drop to just this side of zero.

And she is a living tracking device. And a powerful mage who might break free. It's just too many risks for no foreseeable profit.

I wanted the dwarves close but not actually in our presence in case we crest a hill and see an army of ghols waiting for us and we aren't three days from back up. I guess I should have been clearer. If we let her go we say she escaped in all the confusion. We can even stage something to that effect.

My first vote is Dii so I am not disagreeing with you it is dangerous, but just in case we white knight, I wanted to have clear goals and a plan in effect that limits our time out in the field and keeps us away from the devoid. Going with our fast troops, with a highly mobile support backup seems the way to reach those goals.

Fangshi, I would like to ask her:
1. What the freedom of her people is worth to her? What would she do with her freedom?
2. Are the other ghols happy with the arrangement with watcher ?
3. What would they do if the amulets could be nullified?
4. Where did she learn her magic?

 

[Nevill]

I wanted the dwarves close but not actually in our presence in case we crest a hill and see an army of ghols waiting for us and we aren't three days from back up. I guess I should have been clearer. If we let her go we say she escaped in all the confusion. We can even stage something to that effect.

Let's just say I don't understand the plan. The dwarves are either there to help you, or they are not.

If they are there, you are not releasing her.

If they are not, that means you also do not have chariots and are facing 40 ghols. The diplomacy might work still... but if it does not, you aren't outrunning them to bring the support in.

My first vote is Dii so I am not disagreeing with you it is dangerous, but just in case we white knight, I wanted to have clear goals and a plan in effect that limits our time out in the field and keeps us away from the devoid. Going with our fast troops, with a highly mobile support backup seems the way to reach those goals.

Not disagreeing with you here, either.

Still, Dii has its own share of dangers. The most obvious one is that you have to keep her both alive and unharmed. She is quite certain in that she would be able to kill herself.

I kind of dig the plan to release her in A, depending on what she tells you, but I would still accept a solution that has all the thieves killed.

 

[Fangshi]

1. What the freedom of her people is worth to her? What would she do with her freedom?

Anything and everything, now and for all of eternity. She says she would trade her bones and blood to Lamashtu herself for a chance to free her people.

When you ask her who Lamashtu is Nanshe informs you that she is one of the Devouring Ones that the clans of the far waste worship with bloody sacrifice upon obsidian altars with their heavy war clubs. Sounds delightful.

If she gains her freedom and finds a home for her people she desires to travel westward. Something was stolen from her years ago, she would like to get it back.

She might also murder a few dwarves, you know, old habits and all that.

2. Are the other ghols happy with the arrangement with watcher?

She says she won't lie to you as she sees little point in it.

Some are quite happy but others are not. She says that like any group there are those that are willing to sell their freedom for security. She spits and says that such creatures are worthy of neither.

She gives you one piece of advice. If you ever see a ghôl with a skull branded on their chest or forearm you are dealing with a priest of Bahl'lal (it seems that many ghôls have taken to worshiping him as a god). Kill them without a second thought because they will kill you or worse. There is also a second order of followers that worship the Watcher but they bear no marks, they are his secret police and kill without hesitation or remorse.

3. What would they do if the amulets could be nullified?

They would follow their leaders, whoever those happen to be at the time. That might mean war with the dwarves, with other ghôl clans or with the strange races of the east depending on where they choose to settle and what they choose to do. It could even mean civil war if there were multiple competing factions.

It would also depend on how many of them make it to freedom so really she can not say. Freedom itself seems like a rather far off dream from where she is sitting anyway so she does not dwell on it.

She grows quite quiet after saying that.

4. Where did she learn her magic?

From her father, she smiles at the memory of him. So strong, so powerful, so confident. Mother was the war leader and father was the shaman. They cared for her though they did not coddle her. They taught her how to hunt and kill and she caught her first dwarf at the age of fourteen. Shortly after that her father began to teach her magic, the spells and the Nightmare of her clan. Sadly he was captured by dwarven mercenaries in a raid following her seventeenth birthday, her mother died as well in that raid. She tracked his captors for a day and a half, found them roasting her father on an open fire. The dwarves had eaten half of him.

She had her mother's blade and her father's magic. Only one of them escaped and he fled far and fast.

She married shortly after that and merged her weakened clan with that of her husband's. They ruled together for five years but he got greedy and when a thin white mage came to their door he accepted the deal offered him.

Her husband died on a raid a year and a half ago leaving her to deal with the consequences of his bargain.

She has also attempted to learn magic from other sources. She took advantage of her close proximity to the human followers of the Watcher to learn a few spells here and there. The Watcher's creature in particular seemed amused at the idea of a ghôl learning 'proper magic' and taught her on occasion.

She has also come across a handful of spellbooks in her raids and those helped. They also provided the impetus for her to learn to read, write and speak dwarven. It was not easy but she believes it has made her a better mage and a better leader and for her those are the two most important things one can be.