You are Ambrose d’Orchar, second son of the main line of the Orchar house.

The Rise of the Mist consumed your family’s lands and holdings, along with the vast majority of your family members. Newly impoverished, you were taken in by a southern branch of the family, the Orcayin. But their hospitality for you and your elder brother did not last. They killed your brother and framed you for the murder, hoping to secure their own place as the new main line once the Northern Crusade has resolved itself.

Fortunately (?) you have been given the opportunity at a pardon by joining the Crusade’s Forlorn Hope, Vulgrim’s Vultures.

Unfortunately (?) you have to follow the commands of a psychotic Hegstadi and share quarters with a menagerie of misfits, exiles and murders.

But maybe you’ll fit right in.

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>>27486635
>>27486635
((...4chan that image isn't even on my computer))
Or maybe not.

You grimace.

The sight of the Boundary less than a kilometer away from you is more than enough to set even a proper Lionsworn on edge. You glance around at the haggard souls around you. Very few of them want to be here, but that psycho seems overjoyed to be in command of something.

Speaking of that psycho...

Colonel Vulgrim is trying to address his “Vultures” for a rousing speech or some such rubbish. Who picks a name like that for a proper fighting unit anyways? Of course, this unit is anything but proper. Two hundred and forty nine of the least trustworthy individuals on the Continent, plus the last noble with a REAL connection to the House of the Lion. You didn’t have a choice in joining this Crusade, but you can’t help but imagine that you would have anyways, if only to see exactly remains of your homeland.

Vulgrim’s real eye focuses on you while his wooden one keeps rolling in its socket to stare at the interior of that empty skull of his.

“You, Hatchling!”

Oh right, and there’s that ridiculous thrice-damned naming scheme of his.

“Let’s see what you’re made of. I’ll even give you a choice. See, I’m generous to little baby birds that can’t even fly. You want to be up front, the first into the Mist? Or do you want to join the scouts on the slopes? Or maybe Your Highness would feel safer in the midst of the Vultures with Papa Vulgrim? What’s it going to be, Hatchling?”

>Vanguard
>Scouts
>Centre
>Something else…?

>Realize quest threads are part of the unholy trinity. Kill self.

>>27486669
Scouts

>>27486669
Scouts.

>>27486669

Vanguard. Nobles lead the way.

>>27486692
>>27486697
>>27486742
((Ten minutes is long enough for a baby quest. Writing now.))

You mull over the possibilities for a moment.

The vanguard is where heroes go to die, but a proper nobleman does not march behind others. The scouts… distasteful work, but then again, this entire affair has been distasteful from the beginning.

“The scouts, ‘sir’.” You try to muster as much sarcasm as you can for the last word, but the psycho is already walking away, head held high.

“Hah. I figured as much, Hatchling. I knew you wouldn’t want to see a real fight. Go find Magpie and Talon. You’re with them.”

The pickpocket and the poacher. Ugh. But at least there was a certain sense to assigning them to the scouts. Neither seemed like the sort for a proper battle.

The pair are stationed a ways up the slopes that flank the Lion’s Road. The girl-thief, Magpie of the Free City, toys with a set of rather sharp looking knives as you approach.

“Ooooh. It’s the noooble! Talon! We’re in the presence of royalty!”

The poacher, who you hadn’t even noticed from his vantage point in one of the trees, gives you a grunt of acknowledgement before going back to… whatever it is that he’s doing. Scouting, maybe.

>”Chat” with Magpie
>”Chat” with Talon
>Peasants aren’t worth the smalltalk. Remain silent.
>Other?

>>27487009
> ”Chat” with Magpie
Might as well get to know them.

>>27487009
>”Chat” with Magpie

Let's get to know the people who are going to be watching our back while we're out in the middle of the wilderness.

>>27487046
>>27487115
((Magpie it is!
Writing.))

“You there, Magpie.”

She looks surprised that you would even deign to address her. As she rightfully should be, but if you have to work with these two you should get a feeling for how long you can rely on them before they backstab you.

“Yea, Hatchling?”

You wince in annoyance, but you force a thin smile. These peasants probably can’t tell the difference between fake and genuine emotions.

“What exactly did a kid like you do to wind up in the Forlorn Hope?”

“Killed an asshole nobleman who got too handsy. I’m pretty good at killing noblemen. “

You aren’t sure whether or not that was a threat.

“Uh… right. That’s all?”

“Yeah, the Free City wanted to make a show of punishing me, so they figured this was pretty much the worst thing possible."

“You don’t seem very upset about all this.”

“It’s better than prison. Worse people than handsy nobles in there.”

Before you can comment, a horn blows, signaling the advance.

It’s time. The Crusade has begun.
(cont)

You creep alongside Magpie through the sloping woods. Talon leads you, giving birdcalls (By the Celestial Lion you hate this shit) occasionally to keep you moving in his wake.

An hour passes at this slow rate of advance, until Magpie pauses and Talon falls silent.

“What is it?” You ask Magpie in a not-quite-a-whisper.

“The vanguard is entering the Boundary. Look.”

You can see it. Seventy five souls entering the Mist. You give a nervous glance backwards. You can still see thousands of banners waving in the distance. Thousands of heroes or thousands of sacrifices?

“We’re next. It’ll be half an hour or so before we…”

Magpie falls silent, not wanting to say it. Looks like she’s not quite as happy with her lot as she seemed.

Talon gives a call, and your steady forward motion continues.

-
The white wall of the Mist lies before the three of you. You stand there, in a line.

You’ve only been there for a moment when there’s a strange noise from within the Mist. Is that… screaming?

Suddenly, a wild eyed man comes bursting from the Mist, shouting his lungs out and waving a pair of axes. By the Lion, he’s running straight towards you!

>No time for talk! Let your rapier speak for you. (roll 3d8)
>No, you can’t soil your blade with this man’s blood. Your hand crossbow is better suited for this. (roll 2d8)
>Are you mad? This man could be friendly!
>Other

>>27487422
> Other
Get your crossbow out, and aim at him. Order him to stop, or you'll shoot him in the throat.

Rolled 5, 7 = 12

>>27487476
And if he doesn't, shoot him.

>>27487476
Seconding

Rolled 5, 7 = 12

>>27487422
>No, you can’t soil your blade with this man’s blood. Your hand crossbow is better suited for this. (roll 2d8)

Handcrossbow first, if we fail or don't hit him somewhere that stops him we'll use the rapier.

>>27487569
>>27487545
>>27487511
>>27487476
((writing now))

You draw your crossbow in your offhand and level it towards his throat.

“In the name of the Celestial Lion, STOP!”

He doesn’t. As he gets closer, you can see it in his eyes. If there was ever a mind behind them, it’s gone now.

With a practiced aim, the bolt pierces through his throat and punches out the back of his neck just as Talon skewers him in the torso with a javelin. The crazed man falls to the ground, dead before he even settles from his momentum.

As you take a moment to prepare a new bolt for your crossbow, Talon heads over to the corpse and takes a look down.

“Cormorant. One of ours.” He shoots you a worried glance, then turns his gaze over to Magpie.

“Injured?”

“I… I’m fine! I just didn’t think…” She takes a deep breath and swallows, then closes her eyes. After she exhales, she opens them again, a renewed determination on her face. “We have a job to do.”

Talon nods. “Scouting.” Without another sound, he plunges into the Mist, disappearing as soon as he crosses the Boundary.

>Follow him.
>Try to… ugh… comfort Magpie
>Examine the corpse
>Other?

>>27487759
>Examine the corpse

Make it quick, but see if there's anything amiss aside from the bolt through his neck.

And if he has loot we want we can pick that up quickly before moving on.

>>27487759
> Examine the corpse.

>>27487759
> Examine the corpse

>>27487797
>>27487883
>>27487891
((Writing.))

There isn’t much on the corpse, though you do notice that the axes he was wielding look particularly worn. From what you’ve seen, the Vultures don’t have much in the way of logistics, but still… nobody’s equipment was in this terrible of shape. Aside from the axes, there are a set of notes in a script that you can’t read. You’re a scout for now, so you supposed collecting information is your job. You grab the notes and stow them away for future use.

Then you face the Boundary.

It’s ominous.

You glance at Magpie.

And it’s the place of nobles to lead by example.

You walk forwards.

There’s a moment of cold realization just as you step into the Mist. The man you just killed was the first person to ever make it back across the Boundary.

The other side of the Boundary isn’t as fearsome as you had thought. The impenetrable wall of Mist gives way to something much clearer. The Mist is still visibly present, but you can actually see now. Talon is waiting patiently for you. Just a moment after you step into the thinned Mist, Magpie follows you.

Roll 1d8

Rolled 8

>>27488057
Rolling.

>>27488122
You know, I'm just not going to roll and potentially mess everything up after we got a roll like that.

Rolled 1

>>27488057
roll those dice

>>27488122
((hoho, writing again. Should be a shorter wait.))

>>27488140
Goddamn it.

>>27488160
I can't stop laughing at this.

>>27488140
((You get mercy today, since I jumped the reply gun. Besides, that was just a perception check. But next time I'll wait my ten minutes for sure, dammit.))

There's a strange smell on the air. It's neither unfamiliar nor unexpected, but it's quite strong. Blood.

You glance around, then notice the javelin that Talon reclaimed. The blood on the tip is evaporating into a red vapor that spreads out an thins.

And you realize: everything around you has a pink tint.

Talon has noticed it as well, as he is currently staring at the javelin like it just started talking to him. "This place is evil."

No shit.

>Advance according to the general plan, attempt to link with the rest of the Vultures at the First Boundary Gate.
>Take a moment to reassess.
>You know, maybe execution or life imprisonment isn't so bad, back out the Boundary.
>Other

>>27488257
> Take a moment to reassess.
Let Magpie recover from shock. Meanwhile, examine our surroundings. Is it like the normal world, just covered in bloody mist?

>>27488310
((Easy enough. Writing.))

>>27488257
>Take a moment to reassess.

"I have to agree Talon.

And the man who came back, his equipment was very worn, he had been in here for a while."

Take another look around, see if anything else is reacting oddly.

>>27488310
>>27488451

You take a moment to look around and reassess your surroundings.

On this side of the Boundary, the trees have started thinning out. From where you are you can just barely make out the rocky terrain of the Herald’s Pass. Aside from the blood-stained mist, nothing seems particularly out of the ordinary.

[CODEX: Herald’s Pass]
The rocky crags of the Herald’s Pass are the first sign of trouble within the official Boundary. Two years ago, the Herald’s Pass was home to the First Boundary Gate. When the Gate was built, nobody understood that the Mist was actually spreading, just that it was come to uncounted abominations. One day, the Gate stood as a looming sentinel, the Mist still several miles off in the distance. The next day, the Gate had vanished into the Mist, along with almost all of its Boundsmen.
[/CODEX]

You briefly mention the state of Cormorant's equipment to Talon. The poacher kneels down and examines the soil, glances at the terrain around him, then turns to you. “No sign of Cormorant.” Odd. If Cormorant came running straight out of the Boundary he would have had to pass through here… no matter. The poor man is dead now.

>Continue according to plan.
>This is not okay. This is very not okay. Leave. Now.
>Other?

Time and Space fuckery. Grand. I don't suppose we know exactly what sort of horrors attack from the mist?

>Continue according to plan.

>>27488582
>Continue according to plan.

>>27488582
Dead guy tried to leave. Don't copy the dead guy.

>>27488582
>Continue according to plan.

Advance cautiously, make sure Magpie is with us and not freaking out.

>>27488647
Seconding this.

>>27488626
((Just that they are extremely unpleasant and quite inhuman. Boundsmen don't talk much.))

>>27488626
>>27488637
>>27488643
>>27488659
((writing))

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Please include "Quest" in the subject field so I can filter you.

>>27488783
It was in the subject field.

Rolled 6, 2, 5, 1 = 14

You cast a glance backwards towards Magpie. She seems to be holding up pretty well for someone barely into their teens.

You turn back to Talon. “We need to keep moving, stick to schedule. The First Gate before nightfall.” The poacher nods almost imperceptibly, then advances towards the Pass. You follow, with Magpie just beside you. Every so often, you give a glance her way to make sure she hasn’t disappeared.

The woods break into rocky slopes after an hour or so, revealing the First Boundary Gate standing a couple of miles before you.

The three of you stop to regroup at the edge of the woods. You give an impressed whistle.

“It’s intact.”

Talon turns a sharp gaze to you. “Plan?”

Before you can reply…

((1d8, perception roll please. Taking the best of the first 3 or a 1 if one is rolled.))

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1.99 MB GIF

>>27488886

Hm, extension appears to be buggered. My bad.

Rolled 1

>>27488919
Rolling.

Rolled 8

>>27488919

>>27488943
What the fuck is with all the nat 1s today?

Rolled 8

>>27488919
rollin

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1.94 MB GIF

>>27488939
((It's ok batman))

>>27488943
>>27488958
>>27488967
((pic related, it's me trying to prewrite the next post))

>>27488965
you have a ~ 3/10 chance of a critfail under this system.

>>27489072
((success))
You smell iron in the air. And you can hear it before you see it, lunging towards Magpie. Your reactions are fast enough that you not only shove the unaware girl out of the way, you manage to draw your rapier and ready it, drawing a gashing line across the beast’s side as it shoots past you.

As it lands and begins to recover, you get a better look at it.

It looks like something your grandfather would have told you a story about, some kind of fabled demon. It’s almost a walking pair of jaws, quadrupedal and about the size of a large wolf but with blood red flaky flesh and no fur to speak of. Speaking of blood, the smell of blood is back in the air and disgustingly thick.

Talon and Magpie are still recovering from surprise. It’s you and the beast.

>Keep its attention, engage it up close with your rapier. (3d8)
>Hand Crossbow, at range. (2d8)
>RUN!
>Other?

>>27489072
((Don't know why I quoted this in the quest post. For the perception rolls, there is no different between crit success and crit fails, just that crit fails override normal success and crit successes override 1 crit fail. If that makes sense.))

>>27489123
Let him taste the rapier. We need to inspire our squadmates!

Rolled 1, 2, 2 = 5

>>27489123
Fancy swording is a go

Rolled 1, 3, 6 = 10

>>27489123
forgot to roll for rapier

Rolled 4, 2, 5 = 11

>>27489123

Rolled 7, 7 = 14

>>27489123
Crossbow, while keeping the rapier at the ready.

"You two, move! Get to an advantageous position while I occupy this thing!"

>>27489162
>>27489178
>>27489194
>>27489207

((Rapier it is. Rolling for the beastie and then writing.))

Rolled 4, 2, 4 = 10

>>27489273
((how do I shot roll))

(marginal victory)
“Ready yourselves! There is no time to waste when glory is at our fingertips!” You dash forwards, your rapier at the ready. The thing leaps to meet you, and you barely throw yourself out of the way thanks to the agility that Espada Alta, the favored dueling style of northern nobles, emphasizes. Before the beast can spin about for another charge, you rush it, stinging it with a series of thrusts that connect but fail to produce significant damage.

The thing roars and, oddly, you have to fight the urge to roar back at it. That would be undignified.

Your allies are prepared now, Talon having drawn a massive bow and Magpie edging around behind the beast.

>You have it now! Charge and finish it! (3d8)
>Those teeth looked dangerous. Hang back and crossbow it. (2d8)
>Other…?

Rolled 6, 6, 6 = 18

>>27489427
>You have it now! Charge and finish it! (3d8)

Rolled 3, 5, 1 = 9

>>27489427
> You have it now! Charge and finish it! (3d8)

>>27489433
((my my what a special roll))

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>>27489433
>>27489479

Rolled 2, 2, 6, 4, 5 + 2 = 21

>>27489433
((Alright, going with this roll. Poor beasty.))

>>27489575
You can't roll more than one type of die at a time.

>>27489647
((so I have learned))


Overwhelming victory.
It roars again and this time you can’t help it. You roar back, and you feel a strange burning just above your heart that you can only describe as golden.

[TRAIT DISCOVERED: Heart of the Lion]

With a decisive lunge that almost entirely bisects it and a well timed set of flying knives from Magpie, the beast is thoroughly defeated. It slumps to the ground… and it bleeds.

It bleeds and it bleeds and it bleeds.

The air grows chokingly thick. You can taste the blood now as the thing keeps spraying blood into the air, the Mist greedily consuming the blood. The Mist is visibly darkening now… pink… light red… red… red…

Red.

((That’s all for tonight. Thanks for sticking around! Archiving, and I’ll tweet the next thread time at least a day in advance
@LionsRoadQM I’ll be around for a while to answer any questions about the setting / quest as well as for comments and criticism))

>>27489756
archive link?

>>27489776
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/27486619/

>>27489756
What does the trait do?

>>27489818
try this one: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Lion%27s%20Road%20Quest
(it's better as people can directly see previous threads (next time) and vote)

>>27489880
For the moment, that's a secret. But you are pretty sure that it wasn't //you// who roared.

>>27489920
Oh my, thank you! That is more much more convenient.