No
New
K0mori
Servant Supreme
Option 1: 1 Vote (14% - Range: 1-14)
Option 2: 3 Votes (43% - Range: 15-57)
Option 3: 3 Votes (43% - Range: 58-100)
Fae Roll: 48
The lich sighs. "You'll go far, Agranne - so don't misunderstand - but there's a limit to what raw power can accomplish alone. If you were to lose that relic you carry, what else would you have, if not for your wits?"
"I've lost it twice before," you answer. "I know the consequences; that's why I didn't allow you to take it."
Kulka nods. "I can understand your reluctance to trust others, and I did underestimate you, after all, but I did as you asked, and allowed you to have your way. It's time for you to listen to me. But before we dive into it... Embryx, please find help for your sister," she says, using her cane to turn Wag over and get a good look at her necrotic wounds. "At this rate, she'll die from infection if we don't get a cleric."
Embryx quickly stops down and picks Wag off the snow-covered stone tiles, trying to be gentle as the goblin lets out a yelp from being disturbed. "Yeah, yeah, I've got her. Agranne - don't lose your head again, okay? We're almost out... We can figure the rest of it out as we go."
You give a nod, but feel numb as she departs. Eventually you turn back to Kulka so you can confront the truth with her. "...You already know how I feel about the Eldest and her Design."
She smiles in a way which might have appeared 'warm' before her body began to decay. "It's just a means to an end, I know. Embryx told me much of the story along the way and, well, your mind is rather easy to read; obviously Diala wouldn't have taught you how to guard it... Nonetheless, you know that the Eldest covets a chosen-of-sorts to carry out her will, and that troubles you. If she loses control of her little Terrorchild after only a single kingdom has fallen, what then? She might just turn on you. You've even seen the face of your would-be replacement, if I understand correctly."
"Trying to get under my skin again?" you ask her.
"...No matter how strong you are, there's no winning against a goddess," she warns you.
"Of course," you reply irritably. "I'm not worried about anything in my path between here and Zuklanar, but my blood sister's soul is in Syrith's hands. Even if I make it all the way there in time for the comet's passing, and even if I overcome the elders, it's Syrith who'll actually decide whether Rigatte can return."
Kulka gives a dark chuckle. "And it'll be tough to convince her if you've just killed her strongest and wisest servants, you know. But then again, she did place Diala in front of you just so you could destroy her, so maybe her plan involves a purging of the upper levels?" She taps her cane against the ground a few times in idle contemplation. "She can be utterly inscrutable sometimes, but you'd best be weary of misreading her."
"The only way to know how this turns out is to try," you reply, bleakly.
Kulka shrugs. "I suppose," she replies, uncomfortably. After a moment, she seems to make up her mind. "...I'll come along and vouch for you. The others will be preoccupied with whom they can resurrect and what sort of knowledge they could bring to the coven. Perhaps I can convince them that the coven would be better off if it doesn't lose its highest echelon. Moreover, it would be a spiritual blow to all of your sisters if you achieve what you have achieved and aren't rewarded for it."
The goblin's simple assessment helps to reinforce her earlier assertions about leadership, and you're relieved that she's on your side, after all. "Thank you sister," you reply, tiredly. "I guess I'll be seeing your talents in action soon, then?"
Kulka gives a ghastly sort of grin as she picks up her cane and holds it toward the sky. "How about this - a quick demonstration?" she offers, before giving her cane a slow, churning turn that leaves it billowing in shadow. The clouds above the castle keep begin to darken dramatically and unnaturally, soon appearing more like coal smoke than rain clouds. Soon, the city below falls into an oppressive blanket of shadow, and a steadily rising chorus of wails from its terrified residents fills the air. A wind with a wolf-like howl rakes through the castle bailey and ruffles your cloak, kicking up snowdrifts that mute every color in sight aside from the starkest blacks and whites, and the red of the blood that stains the ground here and there, the reddish glow of the Door in your hands, and the red of your eyes that used to be orange.
Kulka finally stops, dropping her cane's tip to the ground with a heavy thud as it pierces its way through the snow. "...This is a momentous occasion," she hums, proudly. "Thandan, and indeed all of Turadal, will fall beneath the eldest's shadow today. We might as well let the people know of our victory."
You look around at the apocalyptic scene - the dead, the undead, the chaos and the destruction, and feel a strange sense of satisfaction and pride. All of the anger and sadness laced into your childhood was invisible to the world until your awakening. Your pain had to be seen and felt eventually, and at last, the time has come.
"...I didn't realize your cane was an implement," you say after leisurely taking in your surroundings, a grin splitting through your face for the first time since you encountered Kulka.
She nods, sagely. "Anything can become an implement, provided you have the right material. This, however," she chuckles, "this is special. Most wands and rings and whatnot are fashioned from magika, or phantastika, if you can afford it. The former would last you a good ten years, and the latter a lifetime - but I have plenty more time than that, so my cane... is dragonbone," she explains with a dramatic pause and easily understood excitement. "It's the only thing I own that I'm certain will outlast me."
"Huh," you acknowledge. "I wonder if we could find a few souvenirs when we're done here. Embryx always seems to have her hands full with that mace and a wand. Maybe we could find a weapon that's also an implement."
Kulka nods. "I know a few places... but go finish the job, first."
You look back to the towering keep and wonder where in the structure the King and his family might be hiding.
1. Last Refuge - Roughly halfway up the keep is a set of three tinted-glass windows facing the interior of the castle, and by coincidence, the east, which you imagine produces a truly gorgeous light display in the early morning, when the occupants would fill in for morning prayers. Since temples are often the last resort of the hopeless, you figure the King will be sheltering there, and make a direct course for the windows.
2. Like a Meteor - The very top of the building is a vantage point for archers, and is the living quarters of many of the king's bodyguards, as the position is vulnerable to catapults and such. You imagine that, without the threat of a trebuchet or something along those lines, the King would be at the very top with as many bodies between himself and the bottom of the stairs as he can muster. You decide to try crashing down from above.
3. A Drain in a Dark Basin - You decide not to bother with any more flashy entrances or flowery speeches. You're going to re-enter the great hall, walk to the bottom of those deadly spiral stairs, and then draw in as much anima as you can siphon off of your surroundings until walking to the very top is as simple a matter as stepping over a few stone-cold corpses.
Option 2: 3 Votes (43% - Range: 15-57)
Option 3: 3 Votes (43% - Range: 58-100)
Fae Roll: 48
The lich sighs. "You'll go far, Agranne - so don't misunderstand - but there's a limit to what raw power can accomplish alone. If you were to lose that relic you carry, what else would you have, if not for your wits?"
"I've lost it twice before," you answer. "I know the consequences; that's why I didn't allow you to take it."
Kulka nods. "I can understand your reluctance to trust others, and I did underestimate you, after all, but I did as you asked, and allowed you to have your way. It's time for you to listen to me. But before we dive into it... Embryx, please find help for your sister," she says, using her cane to turn Wag over and get a good look at her necrotic wounds. "At this rate, she'll die from infection if we don't get a cleric."
Embryx quickly stops down and picks Wag off the snow-covered stone tiles, trying to be gentle as the goblin lets out a yelp from being disturbed. "Yeah, yeah, I've got her. Agranne - don't lose your head again, okay? We're almost out... We can figure the rest of it out as we go."
You give a nod, but feel numb as she departs. Eventually you turn back to Kulka so you can confront the truth with her. "...You already know how I feel about the Eldest and her Design."
She smiles in a way which might have appeared 'warm' before her body began to decay. "It's just a means to an end, I know. Embryx told me much of the story along the way and, well, your mind is rather easy to read; obviously Diala wouldn't have taught you how to guard it... Nonetheless, you know that the Eldest covets a chosen-of-sorts to carry out her will, and that troubles you. If she loses control of her little Terrorchild after only a single kingdom has fallen, what then? She might just turn on you. You've even seen the face of your would-be replacement, if I understand correctly."
"Trying to get under my skin again?" you ask her.
"...No matter how strong you are, there's no winning against a goddess," she warns you.
"Of course," you reply irritably. "I'm not worried about anything in my path between here and Zuklanar, but my blood sister's soul is in Syrith's hands. Even if I make it all the way there in time for the comet's passing, and even if I overcome the elders, it's Syrith who'll actually decide whether Rigatte can return."
Kulka gives a dark chuckle. "And it'll be tough to convince her if you've just killed her strongest and wisest servants, you know. But then again, she did place Diala in front of you just so you could destroy her, so maybe her plan involves a purging of the upper levels?" She taps her cane against the ground a few times in idle contemplation. "She can be utterly inscrutable sometimes, but you'd best be weary of misreading her."
"The only way to know how this turns out is to try," you reply, bleakly.
Kulka shrugs. "I suppose," she replies, uncomfortably. After a moment, she seems to make up her mind. "...I'll come along and vouch for you. The others will be preoccupied with whom they can resurrect and what sort of knowledge they could bring to the coven. Perhaps I can convince them that the coven would be better off if it doesn't lose its highest echelon. Moreover, it would be a spiritual blow to all of your sisters if you achieve what you have achieved and aren't rewarded for it."
The goblin's simple assessment helps to reinforce her earlier assertions about leadership, and you're relieved that she's on your side, after all. "Thank you sister," you reply, tiredly. "I guess I'll be seeing your talents in action soon, then?"
Kulka gives a ghastly sort of grin as she picks up her cane and holds it toward the sky. "How about this - a quick demonstration?" she offers, before giving her cane a slow, churning turn that leaves it billowing in shadow. The clouds above the castle keep begin to darken dramatically and unnaturally, soon appearing more like coal smoke than rain clouds. Soon, the city below falls into an oppressive blanket of shadow, and a steadily rising chorus of wails from its terrified residents fills the air. A wind with a wolf-like howl rakes through the castle bailey and ruffles your cloak, kicking up snowdrifts that mute every color in sight aside from the starkest blacks and whites, and the red of the blood that stains the ground here and there, the reddish glow of the Door in your hands, and the red of your eyes that used to be orange.
Kulka finally stops, dropping her cane's tip to the ground with a heavy thud as it pierces its way through the snow. "...This is a momentous occasion," she hums, proudly. "Thandan, and indeed all of Turadal, will fall beneath the eldest's shadow today. We might as well let the people know of our victory."
You look around at the apocalyptic scene - the dead, the undead, the chaos and the destruction, and feel a strange sense of satisfaction and pride. All of the anger and sadness laced into your childhood was invisible to the world until your awakening. Your pain had to be seen and felt eventually, and at last, the time has come.
"...I didn't realize your cane was an implement," you say after leisurely taking in your surroundings, a grin splitting through your face for the first time since you encountered Kulka.
She nods, sagely. "Anything can become an implement, provided you have the right material. This, however," she chuckles, "this is special. Most wands and rings and whatnot are fashioned from magika, or phantastika, if you can afford it. The former would last you a good ten years, and the latter a lifetime - but I have plenty more time than that, so my cane... is dragonbone," she explains with a dramatic pause and easily understood excitement. "It's the only thing I own that I'm certain will outlast me."
"Huh," you acknowledge. "I wonder if we could find a few souvenirs when we're done here. Embryx always seems to have her hands full with that mace and a wand. Maybe we could find a weapon that's also an implement."
Kulka nods. "I know a few places... but go finish the job, first."
You look back to the towering keep and wonder where in the structure the King and his family might be hiding.
1. Last Refuge - Roughly halfway up the keep is a set of three tinted-glass windows facing the interior of the castle, and by coincidence, the east, which you imagine produces a truly gorgeous light display in the early morning, when the occupants would fill in for morning prayers. Since temples are often the last resort of the hopeless, you figure the King will be sheltering there, and make a direct course for the windows.
2. Like a Meteor - The very top of the building is a vantage point for archers, and is the living quarters of many of the king's bodyguards, as the position is vulnerable to catapults and such. You imagine that, without the threat of a trebuchet or something along those lines, the King would be at the very top with as many bodies between himself and the bottom of the stairs as he can muster. You decide to try crashing down from above.
3. A Drain in a Dark Basin - You decide not to bother with any more flashy entrances or flowery speeches. You're going to re-enter the great hall, walk to the bottom of those deadly spiral stairs, and then draw in as much anima as you can siphon off of your surroundings until walking to the very top is as simple a matter as stepping over a few stone-cold corpses.
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