Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Azira]

I wonder if the necklace goes inert, once the "host" dies.

 

[archaen]

Being merciful just strikes me as kind of stupid, even if it does bring some benefit. That benefit has to be weighed against the opportunity cost and the potential penalties, and I don't think we end up in a favorable balance there if we act with mercy.

I haven't followed this CYOA with an incredibly strong focus and I know very little to nothing about the source material, but I just don't see why it's so necessary for us in particular to abandon all of our potential prospects with her for the sake of inconveniencing the Watcher by trying to turn one of his ghols and her possible soldiers against him? I mean, yes, it'd be bad for us if the Watcher won against the current guys in charge right now, but now he's just building up an army. If we alert the Dwarven Kingdom can't it martial much more effective resources against them, particularly the ghols since they're so eager to fight anyway? And aren't they supposed to have some sort of alliance with the human empire, at least in the face of an all-threatening menace such as the Watcher? This is a bit too large scale for it to be our problem in particular, and I don't think that rising to the level of an irritation to one of the most powerful archmages in the setting no matter how many pieces he is in is too good when all we've done is maybe slow down some recruitment and require a minor civil war on their side to be fought at the most optimistic of outcomes.

Meanwhile, if we sell her to the Academy we keep her for the much more tangible (and less likely to piss off horrendously powerful ancient evils) reward of 400 WPs, or possibly the still substantial sum of around 250 if we're forced to scramble her mind before she kills herself. We have a pretty terrifying loan going on right now, having more money on hand to buy up or invest in better assets or otherwise pay off the interest is very important to ensure that we will later on be well enough entrenched to not really be hurting for money should we need to buy anything useful. Not to mention that the dwarves would be made happy by this turn of events, and who knows what neat things the Academy might learn from her (and share with us, perhaps)?

I think that Lyssa is risk enough without also going around helping out ghols and so on. Our mercenary company is very large; it only takes one person to blow us up by getting a whisper of this to anyone of significance in the dwarf kingdom, and we'll be risking all that we've invested in the Dorf kingdom for the sake of a ghol who robbed us and follows the Watcher to boot. It won't sound very good. If the ghols fight us as a result, so be it; we have a sizeable mercenary company and their bodies & meat are worth a very nice amount of money, so let them come.

We get rid of someone who has actively damaged our livelihood and make a ton of profit to boot, I'd prefer we keep that up rather than looking for a best friend in every servant of the dark. Trolling the Watcher is also I think not too fantastic an idea, maybe we could get back to that after hundreds of years of research or something.

The sentiment is there. I have Dii as my second choice. Smashing Axe is Dii and Nevill and asxetos want to kill her outright . Azira just flopped to Dii. This is the most unsympathetic I have seen our players to a (naturally) female character this whole LP .

I think trying to get the stolen diamonds back using Nanshe and then turning around to sell her off would not be a typical choice for our characters. If she behaves honorably, has her clan back off, and we get our gold without a fight - I don't see Derryth and Thais killing her. Especially with Nanshe' personal drive for freedom and being caught in the machinations of a Fallen Lord against her own will. I think we would have too much empathy to her plight to be that callous. Right now she is a captured prisoner who would say anything to save herself. If she proves her words to be true, that will cut off that avenue for me as a voter.

 

[Kipeci]

I'm not trying to get her to stop her soldiers from getting away though, my vote calls for her to be staying around along with the mage power to keep her from killing herself while the dwarves get back the gold with violence.

 

[archaen]

I'm not trying to get her to stop her soldiers from getting away though, my vote calls for her to be staying around along with the mage power to keep her from killing herself while the dwarves get back the gold with violence.

Not a huge fan of that plan either as we are sending our extremely slow forces to chase ghôls on their home turf next to the great devoid. We could easily lose all our forces in an ambush as our forces may not catch up to them before they are to their destination and they have crow support for warning. They will also be mageless against a force that is not. Granted their mages suck, but it is still a significant force multiplier.

This whole setup could be a trap set by the Watcher to get us to wander off into the wastes. He knows about us. He has agents in the nobility and merchants and likely knows of our new holdings. He has the ghôls raid our treasury to draw us out and then has some elite forces engage us for capture.

Fangshi, I want to ask Nanshe who ordered and planned the raid.

 

[Fangshi]

Fangshi, I want to ask Nanshe who ordered and planned the raid.

The Watcher's 'creature'.

She has used that phrase a number of times already so you ask her to elaborate.

She does not know his name, as far as she knows no one does. She does not even know if he has a name. He looks human but he is not, or if he was it was long ago.

He runs the Watcher's spies and enforcers. He is not the most powerful mage the Watcher has at his disposal but he is still quite terrifying. The way he uses magic is bizarre and though she has been able to replicate some of his spells she had to adapt them to her casting method. His casting method is unique from what she has seen but she can't really describe it.

He is tall, thin, blonde. His eyes lit by a sort of cold flame, she struggles to properly describe it.

He is smart but only half as clever as he thinks he is. He has a tendency to underestimate those he sees as his inferiors.

She laughs and recounts one time that she beat him at one of his little games. He remembered her name after that, took pains to inquire after her in fact and that was how he began teaching her spells when he was bored. He has shown keen interest in her ever since. It seems that once he considers someone 'worth his time' it is almost impossible to discourage him and defeating him ensured she would always draw his attention.

It was likely for that reason that she was selected to launch this attack.

Some of the chieftans she has talked to claim that he is a true immortal but she has seen no evidence of that.

He ordered the attack on Blackrock in the Watcher's name, seems he has taken a keen interest in the two of you for some reason.

Anything in specific you want to know? She might be able to tell you.

 

[archaen]

Fangshi, I want to ask Nanshe who ordered and planned the raid.

The Watcher's 'creature'.

She has used that phrase a number of times already so you ask her to elaborate.

She does not know his name, as far as she knows no one does. She does not even know if he has a name. He looks human but he is not, or if he was it was long ago.

He runs the Watcher's spies and enforcers. He is not the most powerful mage the Watcher has at his disposal but he is still quite terrifying. The way he uses magic is bizarre and though she has been able to replicate some of his spells she had to adapt them to her casting method. His casting method is unique from what she has seen but she can't really describe it.

He is tall, thin, blonde. His eyes lit by a sort of cold flame, she struggles to properly describe it.

He is smart but only half as clever as he thinks he is. He has a tendency to underestimate those he sees as his inferiors.

Maybe because we helped kill his master or fellow circle member? Sounds like he could be an associate of Thrasher. I am pretty sure our accomplishments thus far elevates us above the level of inferiors.

He ordered the attack on Blackrock in the Watcher's name, seems he has taken a keen interest in the two of you for some reason.

This makes me almost certain that there is a trap waiting out there for us. If we are going to sally forth we should do it quickly and be ready to pull back at a moment's notice.

I would ask her if she ever participated in any operation with the Watcher's creature and if she did, what were his tactics? Does he keep a certain retinue with him, and if he does, what are their capabilities?

 

[Smashing Axe]

I'm pretty exhausted, so I can't do a full rundown. I'll merely vote for what I want in broadstrokes.

A> (Bring some dwarves. I'll vote for whatever option brings some dwarves along. Gotta purge those ghols nice and good. Don't bring the chief ghol, keep her to sell to anyone. Theres's a good profit in there. Keep a lieutenant who isn't a dwarf to guard her)
Dii>Diii>Div>Bii

No mercy to those that oppose us. Crush and enslave the ghol and teach them all a lesson they shan't forget. "Nobody steals our stuff"

The Friends Forever agenda is doomed to failure. I will laugh at the devastation it brings us, then offer a helping hand to return us to our true path. By the end of this we will be the truest dwarf that has ever lived, riding upon a ghol mount with our dwarf bros as we laugh joyously to the lamentations of the evil ghol. Look to Albrecht for our inspiration, friends.

 

[Fangshi]

I would ask her if she ever participated in any operation with the Watcher's creature and if she did, what were his tactics?

A couple times.

Most of the time he takes a 'hands off' approach. He will give his subordinates specific objectives and perhaps a little guidance but he prefers to let others handle all the 'little details'. He gets bored very easily you see.

She has only seen him actively participate in one mission. His agent failed to acquire an artefact he desired from a Circle operating out of a village a day north of Stoneheim (about a dozen mages in total). The thin mage gathered up his retinue and attacked the village. He invited her to come along as an observer as they had been in the middle of a lesson when the news arrived.

First he set up a screen of crows to ensure no one would sneak up on him without warning. Then he had one of his slaves conjure up a thick mist one morning and went in spells blazing. Killed the Circle, killed the villagers, killed the livestock, killed everything really but he was careful not to damage any of the buildings. He then had his necromancers raise all the dead and march them out into the desert. When the next dwarven patrol rolled through no one could figure out where everyone went. There were no signs of an attack, no bodies and no leads.

That incident was one the few times she has seen him directly plan anything and he still seemed unbelievably bored doing it.

Does he keep a certain retinue with him, and if he does, what are their capabilities?

He has no fixed retinue and no close allies. Every time she sees him he has different followers and after witnessing him in the field she can understand why.

Almost all those that follow him at any given time are mages but they do not behave as if they have any will of their own. They follow his instructions to the letter but they take no measures to protect themselves while casting. She watched two of his followers die from exhaustion on the field of battle and another was cut down by three enemy mages to act as a distraction, she did not even hesitate as the Circle mages launched their attacks.

He also usually has a senior necromancer or two with him if he is preparing for an attack. At least the necromancers appeared sane... relatively speaking...


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 - Dii: Simply kill her and be done with it.

Smashing Axe - A (x,xiii,xiv)>Dii>Diii>Div>Bii Go after the raiding party. Send dwarves, leave Nanshe behind, leave an officer (neither of them are dwarves) behind. Abstain on everything else. Failing that sell her to the academy, failing that sell her to the King's chefs, failing that sell her to the slave masters, failing that torture her for information.

Kz3r0 - A (i,ii,iii,iv,v,vi,vii,ix,xi,xii,xv,xvi): 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 options.

Kipeci - A (iv,v,vi,vii,viii,x,xi,xiii,xiv): Go after the raiding party. Send the warriors and the dwarves. Keep the mages and the prisoner back along with the human and maul mercs.

Jester - C>Dii: Turn her over to Albrecht, failing that sell her on to the academy.

A) 5 vote

Spoiler

i. 2/3 votes
ii. 2/3 votes
iii. 2/3 votes
iv. 3/3 votes
v. 3/3 votes
vi. 3/3 votes
vii. 3/4 votes
viii. 1/4 votes
ix. 3/5 votes
x. 2/4 votes
xi. 3/3 votes
xii. 2/3 vote
xiii. 3/4 votes
xiv. 3/4 votes
xv. 2/3 votes
xvi. 2/3 votes
xvii. 0/5 votes

B)
i. 1 vote
ii.

C) 2 votes

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

Post Flop:
A) 6 vote

Spoiler

i. 3/4 votes
ii. 3/4 votes
iii. 3/4 votes
iv. 4/4 votes
v. 4/4 votes
vi. 4/4 votes
vii. 4/5 votes
viii. 1/5 votes
ix. 4/6 votes
x. 3/5 votes
xi. 4/4 votes
xii. 3/4 votes
xiii. 4/5 votes
xiv. 3/5 votes
xv. 3/4 votes
xvi. 3/4 votes
xvii. 0/6 votes

B)
i. 1 vote
ii.

C)

D)
i.
ii. 2 votes
iii.
iv.
v.

The current winning option is as follows:

You will pursue the raiding party.

Derryth, Thaïs, Lyssa, Berty, Biliku, Uttu, Myora and Nanshe will go.

Rand will stay with Jawbone.

You will take the Royal Guards, their chariots, your carriage, all the dwarven mercs, all the human mercs, and all the maul mercs.

 

[Kipeci]

Can I get someone to flop so that we have at least one reasonably strong mentalist mage to watch over Nanshe?

 

[Nevill]

Being merciful just strikes me as kind of stupid, even if it does bring some benefit. That benefit has to be weighed against the opportunity cost and the potential penalties, and I don't think we end up in a favorable balance there if we act with mercy.

I haven't followed this CYOA with an incredibly strong focus and I know very little to nothing about the source material, but I just don't see why it's so necessary for us in particular to abandon all of our potential prospects with her for the sake of inconveniencing the Watcher by trying to turn one of his ghols and her possible soldiers against him? I mean, yes, it'd be bad for us if the Watcher won against the current guys in charge right now, but now he's just building up an army.

Let's see.

If we alert the Dwarven Kingdom can't it martial much more effective resources against them, particularly the ghols since they're so eager to fight anyway? And aren't they supposed to have some sort of alliance with the human empire, at least in the face of an all-threatening menace such as the Watcher?

No, the Dwarves can't martial the ghols. The ghols won't fight for the dwarves. They kinda hate each other, if you haven't noticed.

No, the alliance with the human empire is done for, thanks to our feud with the Brannons. They have closed the embassy right after the representative of the Empire was killed by the Watcher's forces. Alric will see it as a fitting punishment that the kingdom who falsely purged its citizens for being the followers of the Dark fell to the actual Dark. And Albrecht can't run for help to Alric after he started wearing royal colors to insult him. No real hope there, either.

And about the chances of the dwarves by themselves, here is a little tidbit of what the Watcher could do with an army:

Spoiler

That was our army led by an archmage.

Let's be realistic, the mages are the decisive force in every war. It is no coincidence that all the leaders and generals were mages - it was, after all, the Nine Avatara versus the Fallen. All the Fallen so far fell (excuse the bad pun) to the magical tricks. Shiver to the Deceiver, the unholy abomination that was Ravanna to Rabican's mind duel, The Watcher to the enchanted arrow, and Balor to the Eblis Stone. They weren't defeated in a straight battle.

Currently the Watcher has 12 archmages under his command in his main army only. Albrecht... does he even have one? The best mages he has are us, his 'pet witches', and we are nowhere near that level. Alric could probably handle it, but I would not count on the dwarves.

So yeah, there is a lot of incentive to weaken the Watcher, as he already has the resourses to fuck us over if he brings all the forces together, and he is only growing stronger by the day. We are already neck deep it this, and he gave us an ultimatum - 'join or die'. And from what I'm seeing, we are not joining. Non-interference won't get him off your back anymore.

In light of that, I am amending my vote to bringing Nanshe with us. Swapping AXVII to AIX.

The Friends Forever agenda is doomed to failure. I will laugh at the devastation it brings us, then offer a helping hand to return us to our true path.

Sure. You might want to save your fire for the actual Friends Forever agenda, as we aren't friends with Nanshe, and we don't intend to be.

Funny how it comes to me defending a morally dubious choice of conspiring with a ghol for our own benefit from you.

 

[Kipeci]

No, the Dwarwes can't martial the ghols. The ghols won't fight for the dwarves. They kinda hate each other, if you haven't noticed.

I was thinking more along the lines of having the dwarves take a yet more aggressive role in killing off the ghols directly instead of attempting to start a minor civil war between the ghols. There's obviously no love lost between the groups.

No, the alliance with the human empire is done with, thanks to our feud with the Brannons. They have closed the embassy right after the representative of the Empire was killed by the Watcher's forces. Alric will see it as a fitting punishment that the kingdom who purged its citizens for being the followers of the Dark falsely fell to the actual Dark. And Albrecht can't run for help to Alric after he started wearing royal colors to insult him. No real hope there, either.

And about the chances of the dwarves by themselves, here is a little tidbit of what the Watcher could do with an army:

If the Watcher is that absurdly strong and cost such a huge effort to be put down in the first place I'm not sure why Alric would just let it topple a kingdom and gain that as a power base beyond its growing army just because their king is annoying. There's teaching the lesser rulers a lesson and then there's insane stupidity in allowing that cancer to spread and fester.

Let's be realistic, the mages are the decisive force in every war. It is no coincidence that all the leaders and generals were mages - it was, after all, the Nine Avatara versus the Fallen. All the Fallen so far fell (excuse the bad pun) to the magical tricks. Shiver to the Deceiver, the unholy abomination that was Ravanna to Rabican's mind duel, The Watcher to the enchanted arrow, and Balor to the Eblis Stone. They weren't defeated in a straight battle.

So, to recap... what exactly are we expecting one ghol leader who would need to wear very much lead around her neck at all times just to weaken the big glowing signal indicating where she is to any of the fellow servants of the Watcher exactly where she is to do against this, exactly? Sure, she can maybe lead her immediate followers and village to whatever end she wishes, but I don't remember her having all that much sway beyond that (granted I wasn't reading too closely) and that seems like an awfully skimpy base from which to expect her to actually inconvenience the Watcher. Do you really think that this is the difference between the dwarves collapsing or not? Because unless you are sure that the dwarves will fall apart to the Watcher unless we take to the particular choice of sending her to her home and hoping she begins a suicidal conflict against one of the most powerful mages ever for FREEDOM, every option seems to be better to me if we just have more money. Are the dwarves still around? Great, we have our investments and gold. Are the dwarves gonna die? If they die either way, isn't it just better to milk them for as much money as possible before they're inevitably crushed?

 

[Nevill]

I was thinking more along the lines of having the dwarves take a yet more aggressive role in killing off the ghols directly instead of attempting to start a minor civil war between the ghols. There's obviously no love lost between the groups.

I can't see them being any more agressive. Anyway, all it would achieve is turn the remaining tribes to Watcher for protection, effectively having the opposite effect.

If the Watcher is that absurdly strong and cost such a huge effort to be put down in the first place I'm not sure why Alric would just let it topple a kingdom and gain that as a power base beyond its growing army just because their king is annoying. There's teaching the lesser rulers a lesson and then there's insane stupidity in allowing that cancer to spread and fester.

Yes, the kings and mages can be petty. Haven't you noticed?

Closing the embassy when the threat of the Watcher's resurrection is stronger than ever was not among the smartest of moves. Yet the Brannons requested it, and the Emperor agreed. That in turn pissed Albrecht off - in addition to Brannons having close financial ties to the house that tried to overthrow him. The reconciliation will take either a lot of time, or an outright catastrophe.

It is a bit of politics and a bit of a pissing contest. Sometimes it defies the common sense.

So, to recap... what exactly are we expecting one ghol leader who would need to wear very much lead around her neck at all times just to weaken the big glowing signal indicating where she is to any of the fellow servants of the Watcher exactly where she is to do against this?

Well, I haven't laid out the whole plan (I feel like it is a bit early for that), but one of the conditions I want to pose to her is that she lets everyone else who is unhappy with the current state of affairs know how to deal with the necklaces. It is not hard to send her ghols to different tribes, and it takes the heat off her, since it provides the Watcher with a lot of different targets. From there, I expect the news to spread like wildfire. Essentially, we will ensure that the clans won't unite behind the archmage, and we know this to be one of his goals. We will be setting back his plan with the necklaces. And I say that breathing time is often underestimated. Mazzarin have already lamented how far ahead the Watcher is:

You also think you sense an undercurrent of hope, like that of a man that believes he has finally found the answer to the question that he seeks, "You must be Derryth. You were not supposed to meet me like this. I had hoped that I would have made more progress by now... so little time..."

Because unless you are sure that the dwarves will fall apart to the Watcher unless we take to the particular choice of sending her to her home and hoping she begins a suicidal conflict against one of the most powerful mages ever for FREEDOM, every option seems to be better to me if we just have more money.

No, I am not sure the dwarves will fall apart, but I think they do not have enough resourses for the war they are facing. Not right now. We will need everything for this. Mazzarin. Albrecht. Heron Guards who can see further than their nose. Everyone. The war that is brewing will not end tomorrow by having Albrecht marshal his forces to the Keep. As it stands, they will get slaughtered.

I may engage in wishful thinking when I say the ghols will turn against the Watcher (though some of them might), but if they simply desert him, that would still be a victory for our side.

Every little bit helps. Discarding this opportunity in favor of extra jewgolds seems too short-sighted for me. The situation we are in is bigger than that.

 

[Jester]

C>DII - Muster army, solve ghol and watcher problems, make travelling less safe, profit from protection C is best for us long term. DII most gold and mby academy will crack the enchants on shiny. A can work but only if we got hit, take gold and run like hell.

Dont attempt Watcher diplomacy.

 

[Jester]

'Enter of Thunder Colossus!': (Lightning/Air/Metal). The end result is a flying, bronze, electrified warrior that comes crashing down upon the enemy. It can be physically and psychologically devastating if timed right.

Even more shocking and psychologically damaging if performed by naked warrior.

 

[Azira]

Discarding this opportunity in favor of extra jewgolds seems too short-sighted for me. The situation we are in is bigger than that.

Selling Nanshe to the academy though, presents an opportunity to research/experiment on the necklace, possibly finding a way to disable/scramble them, which would help the war effort as well.

 

[Fangshi]

Alright, the vote is closed.

Final 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 - Dii: Simply kill her and be done with it.

Smashing Axe - A (x,xiii,xiv)>Dii>Diii>Div>Bii Go after the raiding party. Send dwarves, leave Nanshe behind, leave an officer (neither of them are dwarves) behind. Abstain on everything else. Failing that sell her to the academy, failing that sell her to the King's chefs, failing that sell her to the slave masters, failing that torture her for information.

Kz3r0 - A (i,ii,iii,iv,v,vi,vii,ix,xi,xii,xv,xvi): Let her go.

Nevill - A (i,ii,iii,iv,v,vi,vii,x,xi,xii,xiii,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 options.

Kipeci - A (iv,v,vi,vii,viii,x,xi,xiii,xiv): Go after the raiding party. Send the warriors and the dwarves. Keep the mages and the prisoner back along with the human and maul mercs.

Jester - C>Dii: Turn her over to Albrecht, failing that sell her on to the academy.

A) 5 vote

Spoiler

i. 2/3 votes
ii. 2/3 votes
iii. 2/3 votes
iv. 3/3 votes
v. 3/3 votes
vi. 3/3 votes
vii. 3/4 votes
viii. 1/4 votes
ix. 3/5 votes
x. 3/4 votes
xi. 3/3 votes
xii. 2/3 vote
xiii. 3/4 votes
xiv. 2/4 votes
xv. 2/3 votes
xvi. 2/3 votes
xvii. 0/5 votes

B)
i. 1 vote
ii.

C) 2 votes

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

Post Flop:
A) 6 vote

Spoiler

i. 3/4 votes
ii. 3/4 votes
iii. 3/4 votes
iv. 4/4 votes
v. 4/4 votes
vi. 4/4 votes
vii. 4/5 votes
viii. 1/5 votes
ix. 4/6 votes
x. 4/5 votes
xi. 4/4 votes
xii. 3/4 votes
xiii. 4/5 votes
xiv. 2/5 votes
xv. 3/4 votes
xvi. 3/4 votes
xvii. 0/6 votes

B)
i. 1 vote
ii.

C)

D)
i.
ii. 2 votes
iii.
iv.
v.

The winning option is as follows:

You will pursue the raiding party.

Derryth, Thaïs, Lyssa, Berty, Biliku, Uttu, Myora and Nanshe will go.

Rand will stay with Jawbone.

You will take the Royal Guards, their chariots, your carriage, the dwarven grenadiers, all the human mercs, and all the maul mercs.

The update should be out within sixteen hours.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Oh god, we're bringing the ghol... and the dwarves?

Why? Uggggh.

 

[Nevill]

Selling Nanshe to the academy though, presents an opportunity to research/experiment on the necklace, possibly finding a way to disable/scramble them, which would help the war effort as well.

With Nanshe we have a unique opportunity because of her goals and character. Her necklace, on the other hand, is nothing special. We won't be lacking in necklace bearers coming for our heads. Every higher-up in the Watcher's army has one.

Fangshi, you have my vote wrong.

A I-VII, X-XIII, XV, XVI, XVII. How would our charioteers fare in ground combat?

In light of that, I am amending my vote to bringing Nanshe with us. Swapping AXVII to AIX.

I voted X and unvoted XIV, so the melee dwarven mercs are not going.

 

[Fangshi]

I voted X and unvoted XIV, so the melee dwarven mercs are not going.

Sorry about that, I will update the count to reflect the actual votes (and double check the tally again).

You will bring everyone but Rand and the melee dwarves then.

Oh god, we're bringing the ghol... and the dwarves?

Why? Uggggh.

If it is any consolation as long as you do not stumble directly into the enemy you will likely have a chance to set up your forces, allowing you to try to ambush, negotiate, or what have you.

Spoiler

Also Kipeci was right. Without a mage of some sort to keep her in check the odds of Nanshe escaping were quite high.

With that Iron Body spell of hers she can reasonably expect to beat a couple dozen melee dwarves, Jawbone and Rand without too much trouble provided she finds out that you are not present.

Mage prisoners are always dangerous as Derryth has noted before.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Hm, this could still work out actually. Since we still have some dwarves with us, hopefully violence is going to be inevitable. We could just say we're bringing Nanshe along to watch the devastation of her people. That will teach her a very valuable lesson about stealing from us.

Good plan, Nevill!

 

[Nevill]

I am making a post that contains a detailed breakdown of how I would prefer to go about it.

Don't worry, there is enough of 'Friendship is Magic' in it to make you cringe.

It will come down to the number of voters, I guess.

 

[Nevill]

Alright. So here is one of the possible plans how I see it. Naturally, that only concerns the voters who intend to use Nanshe against the Watcher.

If we plan for a peaceful resolution, then under no circumstances the dwarves should cross paths with the ghols. We fit as many grenadiers as we can on the carriage and if the chariots can pick up the rest, all the better. Our group with human and maul mercs will pursue the ghols on foot with the prisoner in tow.

Naturally, we will never catch up with them quickly enough if we don't come up with something.

I do not hold much faith in that we will be able to negotiate the exchange with the ghols. We'll have to do it without the dwarves, and Nanshe can just as easily turn on us after the exchange is complete if we don't have anything else she wants from us. More than that, I expect the Watcher's forces to be nearby, in which case the ghols might simply be forced into a fight, as they rightfully fear the Watcher more than they fear us. Simply put, I don't want to meet them at all. But I also want the gold back.

Which is why I want to send Nanshe after them to handle the negotiations on our behalf. Now, hear me out.

First, out of our ground troops, she is the fastest one, especially with her necklace on. Her team, on the other hand, is carrying 15 heavy sacks. If she runs at her top speed, she can get in touch with them faster than any of us will - especially if she provide her with a motive to hurry - and it is important that we catch them before they venture too close to the Great Devoid or lead us into an ambush.

Why would she cooperate, though? Well, we have something as a bargain chip that she values more than her life. The freedom of her people.

The biggest problem would probably be convincing her that our offer is genuine. Still, there are some factors working in our favor. Releasing her - or even taking her with us - does not serve much purpose if we just want them dead. And our goals are compatible. She does not want her people serving the Watcher. We do not want them serving the Watcher either. I believe it should be clear to her at this point that there is no love between us and the archmage, and that we want to do everything in our power to undermine him - if only to survive.

If they fight us, there is not a lot of outcomes. If they lose, this is it. Her people will remain the Watcher's slaves until they die, and perhaps even after that. If they win... this can only happen if the Watcher's forces help them. No way a band of 40 ghols that Neel spoke of could take on our party. In that case, the Watcher has us, and he surely won't be interested in the secret of the necklaces getting out. In short, no matter what they do, fighting us could only make things worse for Nanshe and her people. We make sure she understands that.

There are mutual risks involved in such an arrangement. If she decides to betray us and take the gold to the Watcher... well, we will still pursue them, of course, but regardless of the outcome, she would have to live her entire life with a thought that she might have been free right now. There is no torment harsher than a doubt like this. From what I've seen of her, I think she will take the risk of trusting us, simply because it sounds plausible (we have the motive to 'help' her, and it is reasonable to assume that we have done enough research on the necklaces, given how we are similarly affected) and because of what freedom means to her.

We will inform her that we know a way out of her predicament. We won't tell it to her outright, though. First, we would need something from her.

We will release her on several conditions.

- The gold is to be delivered on the plains where it can easily be loaded on the chariots, as close to the fort as possible. The ghols must leave immediately after dropping the sacks. Their compliance can be easily controlled with eagles, and there are no places to hide an army in the plains.
- If she completes her part of the bargain, we will give her the items and the knowledge necessary to nullify the effects of the necklaces.
- If a fight breaks out and it's her fault, the deal is off. It goes without saying that if they lead us into an ambush and we are captured, we won't be able to complete the deal. So if they have some prior agreements with the Watcher's creature, they'd better break them.
- We will complete our part of the bargain after we pick up the gold. We will send her a message (describing the properties of lead and the schematics of the device that could hold the necklace) with one of our eagles. No names or otherwise sensitive information will be contained in the letter. As for why we would do this, it is as much in our interests as it is in theirs.
- She will make sure that the word about this gets out among the ghols. That part is a bit iffy, but I figure this is in her interests, too. If one defies an archmage like that, a retribution is to be expected. So it pays off to weaken and distract the archmage so that he could not send as many of her kind after her as he otherwise would, and to provide him with a lot of different targets. That is if the plight of freedom for every ghol that wants it does not touch her tender heart.
- She will either leave the dwarven lands or significantly reduce her presence here, as far as the dwarves are concerned. Letting her 'escape' is a stain on our reputation, the one that we would be expected to fix given our 'hero' status. On her part, she heard what we did with one of the Watcher's armies. She also fought us personally, and lost. She does not want us on her tail, and we do not want to divert resources from fighting the Watcher. Ideally, we won't meet ever again. Hopefully, the other clans that want to get free from the Watcher will follow this line of thought, too, but that is neither a priority nor a concern for us.

Now, those are broad strokes. The details can vary. How do we make her 'escape'? Do we stage it with Lyssa's illusions (quite easy, actually, as none of the mercs are mages), or do the mercs not give enough fucks to care about us releasing her? Do we give her the lead gloves straight away (but we should not tell her how to use them, else she won't need us anymore), do we give her one glove as a half-payment (we did tamper with her necklace with it, so it gives our statements a bit of credibility) with a promise to send the other once the transaction is complete, or do we send them both via an eagle? Do we place a makeshift collar on her to mask her movements from the Watcher's minions, or do we let her use its powers to catch up with her people? The faster she reaches them, the less possibility the Watcher has to intercept our own forces. He would not expect them to abandon him. And she should be very interested in our continued well-being, at least until the deal is concluded.

Minor points that I didn't bother to think through and incorporate in the actual plan:
- The legend for the dwarves about why the gold is just lying there would be that the prisoner have warned the raid party about the pursuit and they scattered away, leaving the gold.
- We should establish a communication system with the dwarves. Something should be arranged with the eagles and/or Uttu's flash arrow. Say, they should not attack until they have seen the flash, or something like that. We want them to interfere if we stumble upon the Watcher's forces, but we don't want them messing up our plan.
- If the plan works, we should either unite our forces before picking up the gold, or send the chariots in for a quick sweep and grab.
- The closer to the fort the ghols leave the gold, the sooner we would be able to complete the deal, and the less danger we expose ourselves to. Nanshe should be interested in that.
- Nanshe can test how well our devices work on the high priest that rules her people. If she feels like it, she could send us his necklace as a courtesy. We might be able to inconvenience the Watcher further with this, and the more the Watcher has to worry about us, the less attention her kind will get from him.
- We might want to load one of our rings with the Greater Energy Bolt, in case the white creature shows up.

There is probably some stuff I am missing, but it is too late here, so I'll leave it like that for a while. Feel free to pick it apart.

 

[Fangshi]

Chapter 38: In for a Penny

You have no intention of letting the ghôls take your money, you also have no intention of handing yourself over to the Watcher, that leaves but one option for you. You must pursue them, you must catch them, and then...

Well you are honestly not sure what you will do then. You are conflicted and uncertain and your friends have been no help either.

The three of you sit in the large common room at the top of the tower you have claimed for your communal use. It is simply easier to stay together than apart. Mazzarin's amulets give you a much needed boost this way and you have allies readily at hand in case something happens. The room is sparsely decorated and does not look lived in, from what Jawbone tells you its previous owner spent very little time at the fort. You are currently seated around a small wooden table discussing your next move.

"Maybe we can negotiate?" suggests Lyssa.

"With ghôls?" Thaïs replies sceptically.

The witch shrugs, "Why not? They have to want something right? What if we offer to give them back their leader? Nanshe was it? Perhaps she is worth a few chests of gold and diamonds?"

"Perhaps," your friend nods cautiously, "But perhaps all they want is to kill us. Perhaps her removal will be viewed as only a minor setback or even a boon. It may be the wiser course of action to simply attack them on sight. Recapture our wealth and collect the bounty on their heads."

As you sit their listening; another, far less merciful, idea crosses you mind. You could try to capture as many as possible and drag them to the slave markets. The idea is interesting, you normally have little love for slave masters but these ghôls have wronged you, purposefully so, and you are not yet certain if you really are willing to let that go. You dismiss the thought, there may not be a battle, there may not even need to be a battle at all. You can worry about such things should they arise and another, very different, idea has also been working its way through your mind. It is bold, it is daring, maybe even a little mad but part of you quite likes it. Your mind drifts back into the conversation at hand.

Lyssa nods reluctantly, "The few ghôls I have had dealings with were all quite quick to anger but from what you've told me this Nanshe seems to be different."

"Doesn't make her any less dangerous though," you finally chime in, "In fact it may make her more dangerous."

"Do you think she is a threat," Thaïs asks.

You frown slightly then nod, "She is a threat. The question is, is she a threat to us or to the Watcher?"

"What are you planning?" Lyssa tilts her head and stares at you intently.

"Maybe nothing, maybe something," you hesitate for a moment. You know that neither of these women would betray you in this. They are your closest allies at the moment and the only people you felt certain you could trust with your plan. Still what you are proposing would be quite unorthodox, you take a deep breath, "What if we helped Nanshe escape the Watcher?"

They both give you a surprised stare. Thaïs manages a reply, "Go on..."

"Three of the Watcher's armies are comprised of nothing but ghôls and most of them are held together by the Watcher's priests and those necklaces. If we could neutralize the necklaces we could set those clans free. At the very least we would start a civil war in his ranks. Best case scenario he loses the only mobile wing of his entire armed forces. If we help Nanshe free her people we might just be helping ourselves," as you finish the room falls into silence.

The seconds drag as they consider the idea.

"That is a bit of a gamble," Lyssa begins, "You would have to trust a ghôl, Derryth, they are not that reliable."

"Slightly insane, yes," Thaïs adds with a soothing smile, "Even if she does 'ally' with us in good faith we have no way of knowing she will not simply be crushed."

Not exactly the response you were hoping for. You sigh, "Well then maybe we should just kill her and be done with it. I don't want to try this if no one thinks it will work-"

"I like it!" a new voice chimes in from outside the window. The three of you look over to see Berty Levy dangling from your balcony. His eyes wide, a great grin on his face.

"Berty!" you shout in unison.

"The one and only!" you rush over to open the window and let the man in before he falls to his death.

"How long were you out there? Do you have any idea how far of a drop that is?" your face pales a little as a new and horrific thought occurs to you, "The, the girls aren't out there are they?"

Your strategist replies calmly, "One, I was out there for about an hour. Nothing like a few chin ups in the fresh night air to make ya feel alive! Two, the fall from the top of this tower is precisely eight an' a half metres, it simply provides more incentive not ta fail. Three, the girls are sleepin'. A growing body needs plenty of rest and they have to be at their best for later. Especially if we are going with your plan Derry."

"I don't know if we are going with 'my plan' though," you correct him, "I just don't know if it is any good."

"Ya know what it reminds me of?" he asks the room.

The three of you shake your heads.

"Connacht and the Trow," he declares triumphantly, "Ya ever hear that one?"

You and your friend nod together and reply, "Yes, we read about it once."

Lyssa hesitantly speaks, "I haven't."

Berty grins, glad to have an audience, "Well ol' Connacht was a clever bastard. He understood what it took to fight a war against a vastly superior enemy. The Trow, twelve foot tall giants encased from head to toe in black iron where simply unbeatable but their entire empire was based on slavery. Take away the slaves and 'blam'," Berty slams a fist on the table, "No more 'Eternal and Prosperous Trow Empire'. He turned the slaves loose on their masters. Now the Trow were still unbeatable in battle but they lost access to most of their forges and the workers needed to run them. It became increasingly harder to resupply basic necessities. Additionally the Trow had to fight a war on multiple fronts, all throughout their empire they had to put down slave rebellions and that gave ol' Connacht the time he needed to marshal a force that could really put boot ta' ass. The Trow won their civil war but they were so disgusted with the means they used to do it that they swore off iron forever. That was when Connacht finally hit them, their population drained, their industries stalled, their war machine broken, he hits them with one of the finest fighting armies ever assembled and backed by some serious fucking magic. Sealed the whole race up in their temples, entombed alive for eternity. Or at least they would have been if not for Balor. So you see ladies, Derry's idea ain't bad if it works. What we have'ta figure out is whether or not it will work."

"How do we do that?" the question rolls off your tongue.

"Take ta' ghôl with us, keep our options open, see what opportunities present themselves," he eyes the window, "Anyway, I have three more towers ta' run so I will see ya ladies when we are set ta march."

Without a word more he backs up to the far end of the room and with a shout and a holler he sprints across the chamber and jumps out the window head first. The three of you rush to the window and watch as he swings to the next tower on a piece of wire wrapped around a broken wagon wheel which you swear he produced from thin air.

Lyssa turns to the two of you, "And that is the man you have teaching the girls?"

"Well, he is good at his job..." you reply together before trailing off, your eyes following him into the darkness.

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

You have made good time all things considered. You packed as many dwarves into your carriage as possible and managed to fit the remain few onto the backs of your escort's chariots. It was not a comfortable ride for them but you simply can not let your dwarves slow down your advance.

The messages you have received from Neel indicate that you are rapidly closing on your quarry. You are less than an hour behind them now and closing. Soon they will be forced to abandon their escape attempt and offer battle. It is time to actually choose a course of action.

Your scouts inform you that the terrain immediately ahead of you is rocky and unsuitable for chariots, but the lands beyond lead to the Great Devoid and are flat and unobstructed.

The enemy numbers about forty, all ghôls in close formation. They are making poor time due to the weight of your stolen wealth. Crows in the hundreds swarm around them through you have not directly come into contact with any of them yet. Your scouts report that if you continue on your course you should start to see them soon.

No other enemy forces have been spotted yet but there is a hint of magic in the air. You might be picking up the residual energies of Nanshe's apprentice or it might be something else entirely, you do not know.


Given the open nature of the situation you find yourself in I can do this one of two ways. I will present you with four broad 'goal oriented' options which Derryth and her people will pursue to the best of their abilities or I can simply turn this over to you to create your own plans of battle.

The first option will be easier to vote for but you may not get the exact plan you desire. The second option will likely be harder to coordinate but you will also get a much larger degree of control over where and how you use your assets.

The choice is ultimately up to you:


A) Go with a 'goal' based plan, (this will likely involve a number of rolls as the situation evolves organically and may not result in exactly the plan you desire.):

i. Alliance - In this option Derryth will attempt to get her wealth back and come to an understanding with Nanshe and the ghôls. As neither group likes the Watcher there may be a basis for some sort of short term working relationship here where Derryth trades the knowledge of how to hide from the Watcher for the return of her stolen wealth. Derryth will attempt to limit the knowledge of this 'alliance' to those in her 'inner circle' of supporters. She will attempt to keep Blackrock out of this. She will also attempt to make contact as quickly as possible.

ii. Negotiation - The ghôls might be willing to trade the stolen wealth for Nanshe. In this choice you will at first attempt to negotiate with them using their leader as a bargaining chip. If they return the wealth then you will return your prisoner. Again she will attempt to keep Blackrock out of this. At the very least she will keep the dwarves in reserve to minimize the chance of hostilities breaking out.

iii. 'Negotiation'/Ploy - In this option Derryth will use the negotiation as a ploy to let her more mobile forces sneak around and onto the plains where they will dismount and block the retreat of the ghôls. Once encircled your forces will strike at both the front and the rear of the enemy formation and attempt to kill or capture as many of the enemy as possible. She does not need to worry about hiding this plan from Blackrock or the dwarves. She is a little concerned though about splitting her forces given the odd magical traces she is picking up.

iv. Direct Assault - In this option Derryth keeps as much of her force together as possible while sending just the charioteers (twenty dwarves) around to cut off the enemy's line of retreat. The twenty charioteers will form a barricade to slow the enemy advance while the bulk of her force will march directly to the enemy. She will not need to hide this plan from Blackrock or the dwarves and it will give her the largest force possible to deal with any threats that may come up but it will also be the slowest to make contact with the opposing force.


B) freeform plans - Probably the option most people will be interested in, this is the option if you want to earn your stars and come up with your own plan of battle. It will give you far greater control over who you use and where. As the plans are proposed I will list them i,ii,iii and so on. Simply alert me when you have a plan ready to add to the list.


Things that you may need to know:

Spoiler

Your assets:

Individuals:

Derryth - Mentalist, receives bonuses if paired with Thaïs, see character sheet for details

Thaïs - Mentalist, receives bonuses if paired with Derryth, see character sheet for details

Lyssa and her Eagles (2) - Illusionist with elemental and animal spells, see character sheet for details

Berty Levy - Warrior, skilled small unit infantry commander, possibly insane, see character sheet for more details

Biliku - Warrior, Derryth's Bodyguard, quite skilled with a blade, see character sheet for details

Uttu - Warrior, Thaïs' Bodyguard, an excellent archer for one so young, see character sheet for details

Myora - Warrior, excellent defensive fighter and Infantry commander, maul, see character sheet for more details

Nanshe - As a prisoner: ghôl leader, her apprentice should be in charge of the opposing force, may be a useful bargaining chip. As an ally: may be able to negotiate on your behalf, may be able to win over her soldiers, a skilled mage with spells largely derived from those once taught by the dark gods, see character sheet for a little information

Troops:

Forty Royal Guards (Dwarves) - your escort, they would prefer to stay close to Derryth and Thaïs but given the situation will accept almost any order you give them. They are probably your best trained soldiers (highest morale), they are also very well equipped in heavy arms and armour.

Twenty Chariots - your escort's chariots, each is equipped with ten javelins (two of which have exploding tips). They are light chariots built for hit and run attacks and rapid deployment in the desert. They also serve as escorts on occasion which is how you wound up with them. They can be devastating on open ground but near useless on uneven terrain.

Your Carriage - If you packed them in it could hold ten dwarves though it is only built for two. It could be used to rapidly deploy infantry or to form a barricade. It is near useless on very uneven terrain.

Twelve Blackrock Grenadiers (Dwarven) - The largest dwarves are made into Grenadiers. They are not heavily armed or armoured but they each carry a full pack of cocktails and four charges. If given time they could lay down a mine field and they are quite good at holding a defensive position. It is very dangerous to position yourself in their line of fire, next to them or even behind them. More often than not you will want to give them a wide berth. They are excited to get a chance to kill a few ghôls and will probably be quite aggressive if given the chance.

Eight Blackrock Warriors (Human) - Mercenary sell swords that are in it primarily for the pay. They are quite skilled and are probably on par with the warriors used by the Legion. They are each armed with a sword, shield and a pair of javelins. They are amongst the fastest fighters in your entire force.

Two Blackrock Archers (Human) - These are the scouts that have managed to link up with your forces. They are your fastest soldiers and are capable of moving through rough terrain with a minimum of difficulty. Each carries a falchion and a bow and twenty four arrows. Each also carries a pair of fire arrows often used for signalling. They are professionals primarily doing this for the pay.

Five Blackrock Warriors (Maul) - Your heavy infantry. One maul is probably worth two humans and five ghôls as long as they are not overwhelmed. Each has a truly intimidating shield and blade with a fair amount of armour as well. Despite the weight of their kit they are capable of tremendous speeds over short distances. A charge by you mauls at the proper time could be the deciding factor. They enjoy the violence of battle but in general they have nothing against the ghôls, it is likely that a couple of them even fought alongside ghôls in the last war.

Your Intel:

​

--------------------------------------Rough Terrain Ends/Plains Begin------------------------------

​

x <---------- Where the scouts say the ghôls are. They are headed northeast​

The odd magical

traces--------------------------------->x

----------------Crows begin Here---------------

​

-------------------------------------------Rough Terrain Begins----------------------------------------- <---------Rough terrain also ends with the lines on either sides,

You will send your chariots around this side in the premade choices.
​

x <---- You are here




​

x (Blackrock Fort)
​

The Terrain ahead of you is too rough for chariots but you infantry should manage reasonably well. You prey are less than an hour in front of you and as far as you can tell they are not yet aware that you are following them. They are however surrounded by a screening force of crows which are likely to alert them before you move within striking range. Once they are aware of you they are likely to try and take up a defensive position if they can.

Enemy:

Crows - In the hundreds.

Ghôls - Approximately forty, one known mage apprentice, a handful with minor magical abilities. It would not be surprising if they had explosives or actual wight parts given that they are in the service of the Watcher. From Neel's report they also seem to be better equipped than most ghôls, with shields, helmets and actual armour.

Unknowns:

-Trace magical signals, may be from your prey, may be a trap.

-How close are they to the Watcher's Fortress? Nanshe is unwilling to say (she likely fears giving away that information and endangering her clan).

 

[Fangshi]

Party/Organizational Changes:

Party Changes:

Spoiler

Myora

Joins as Neutral Employee.

Nanshe

Joins as a Prisoner.

Berty Levy:

Gains Items:

One Broken Wagon Wheel

One litre lamp oil.

One jug bleaching solution.

Sack of aluminum

Bag of Charcoal

Twenty Sticks

Organizational Changes:

Spoiler

Nothing much to speak of really.

Rolls:

Spoiler

Several to determine where you would be relative to your prey when it came time to engage them. Other than that not much that Derryth would know about. Berty rolled not to fall when he made his jump but this is not the first time he has had to make a leap like that, would have been hilarious though if he fell to his death.

 

[Nevill]

Well, I am all for not engaging the ghols, instead trying to stage Nanshe's escape (no casualties, though) to have them abandon the gold on the plains and us pick it up. The magic signal is likely the one from the Watcher's creature. If we deprive it of its force of 40 ghols, well... things are not going to look well for it.

No idea if it falls under the Alliance plan, or under a freeform one.

The leader herself is not of much use as a bargaining chip. Those guys are soldiers. They know the risks, and they know the Watcher will skin them alive if they disobey. Trying to talk with them without taking care of that side of things first is not likely to bring much success, and will probably result in betrayal.

Also, the ghols can't be unaware about the pursuit. It's their sole purpose to draw us out.

Besides, this:

The enemy numbers about forty, all ghôls in close formation. They are making poor time due to the weight of your stolen wealth. Crows in the hundreds swarm around them through you have not directly come into contact with any of them yet.

Reminds me of this:

She has only seen him actively participate in one mission. His agent failed to acquire an artefact he desired from a Circle operating out of a village a day north of Stoneheim (about a dozen mages in total). The thin mage gathered up his retinue and attacked the village. He invited her to come along as an observer as they had been in the middle of a lesson when the news arrived.

First he set up a screen of crows to ensure no one would sneak up on him without warning. Then he had one of his slaves conjure up a thick mist one morning and went in spells blazing.

We probably have to consider the white mage is here.