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"You're cold.", Church muttered into your ear, as you've taken your place in the crowd. "Not even a question. 'What did he do to deserve this? Why should I do it?'. Burnt him to a crisp. That's vicious."
Your face remained a stone mask. You did not even look into the man's direction - your gaze was still fixated on the silhouette of the coven's orcish leader. You answered quietly, as to not attract undue attention:
"I was given an order, and I followed it."
The human smirked - he appeared to have some manner of an opinion he wished to share, but in the end he knew better - his leader was about to begin a speech, and gossip could wait.

"My brothers in darkness...", Nagaz began, stepping closer to the edge of his scene. His eyes quickly darted across the crowd. "I've gathered you here to deliver the greatest news I've ever had the pleasure to present. The Shadow Council is victorious once again. Our brethren in Kalimdor are reborn - the clan of the Burning Blade and the cult of the Dark Strand stand with us once again, returning from their defeats stronger than ever before."
You threw a side glance at Church and caught a smirk on his lips - he was not surprised by those news, and he appeared to be highly skeptical as well. Those cells were already defeated in a far more turbulent and uncertain time than now.
Neverthless, Nagaz continued.

"United in a single purpose, they've achieved something previously thought to be impossible. The Eye of Dalaran was restored to us."
The crowd erupted in mutter. Some gasped - a number of them in elation, but most - in shock. You were not quite certain what to think yourself - the Eye was Dalaran's crowning achievement, their most powerful creation. No matter how proud the wizards were of their latest schemes, those were dwarved by the times they could have created the artifacts like this. It was thought to be lost forever, but if the Shadow Council got their hands on it...
You weren't quite sure whether it was bad news or good news - but it was certainly news. It's been decades since these demon-worshippers achieved a victory like this.

A few openly cheered - some were more restrained, and simply raised their hands in recognition. Some allowed themselves sarcasting clapping.
"The deeds of our western brothers are great.", Nagaz continued long moments later, once he took in the sights of his followers' faces. "And they deserve the recognition for their success. But Argus Wake alone was never defeated - it alone traces its existence to the days of Gul'dan himself. We will not be outdone. The Strand and the Blade may have recovered the creation of the mortal wizards. But we..."

>>4866235
Welcome back SunhawkQM, was worried you wouldn't show up again.

"We have higher goals before us.", the orc stepped across the edge, peering down at the crowd. Most already knew exactly what he was going to say, and so did you. Still, Nagaz allowed the dramatic pause to reign in the cavern, until every pair of eyes inside lit up with ambitious sparks. Then, he finished. "The scepter of the Dark Titan, and the grimoire of the Last Guardian."

The Eye, the Scepter and the Tome. It was as if the history of the Second War was playing out again. Each of the three alone were powerful artifacts - just four years ago, the Scepter alone... But all three put together would allow the Legion's invasion for certain - or even destroy the whole world, if put into the wrong hands.
Once, they already did.

"The location of the Scepter is no secret.", the hierophant laid his eyes on you, for long enough for you to feel his heavy stare, and for others to recognize the significance of his silence. "And it will be in our hands, in time. For now, I want you to focus on locating the Tome. Find out where it was last seen, who was its last known owner."
"What about Alterac?", Church raised his voice from his place.
"Restoring Alterac remains on our agenda.", the hierophant didn't blink. "We will need foot soldiers, staging grounds, safe havens. Do not deceive yourself by thinking that one of these goals is somehow more important than the other. We will achieve both."

You've heard a murmur from somewhere in the crowd. If you suspected currently, the ambitious were already torn between heading on what could very well be a wild goose chase, and remaining behind and playing court mages to bandit lords. Both could potentially lead to power and glory - if you were lucky enough to be in the right place, in the right time.

"Iresoul. Tyranis. Lerent.", the hierophant called out and gestured briefly. "I need to convene with you. The rest - you are free to leave or remain."
Three left the crowd to join the orc in private - a swarthy human woman, a forsaken with empty sockets in place of eyes and an elf - not of your direct kin, but a child of the night - a quite youthful looking one too. So even the inner circle had an inner circle.

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EX 1, MOV 2, TWI 1, PRU 3, MND 2, DZL 0
Stress: You feel fine
Consequences: None
Fate Points: 0 (2 special)

The crowd parted - and some have already headed back to the gates. Most, however, have split into circles of their own - cliques of sort, where they were certain to discuss the recent revelations and plot. You were quite possibly a subject of quite a few of those discussion, if only because...

"So, the Scepter of Sargeras."
Somehow, you have found yourself alone with Church yet again. Looking you in the face with a raised eyebrow, the human smirked.
"You're looking forward to paying your people a visit, robbing their treasury? Or should I say, restoring things to their rightful owners."
"What makes you think I'll be involved?", you answered the question with a question.
"Your long ears do. You're perfect for it - infiltrating the city, dressing as the guard, robbing Quel'Thalas of its war trophy... It'll be like in one of those terrible goblin puppet shows."
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a cripple.", you answered dryly. "The spellbreakers of the Sunfury Spire don't recruit cripples, so I would look out of place. Nor will I be dancing around the traps, or making daring escapes."
"Oh, I suppose swinging on chandeliers is also off the table.", the human faked a frown. "Well, then the Scepter will have to remain out of reach for a decade or two."

>Actually, I'll still retrieve the Scepter. Not every day you steal the weapon of the most powerful being in the universe.
>Tome of Medivh, that's my goal. The knowledge contained within is impossible to overstate. No mage compares to the Last Guardian.
>I'd much rather build a working state than go on fruitless treasure hunts.
>Nevermind the artifacts, who were these three Nagaz took with him?
>I am not telling this faux-polite, witless, hairless ape a thing about what I might or might not do.
>[Mind Palace] Something seems off here. What's your game, Godfrey?
>[Write-in]

>>4866273
Had a busy week. I welcome all the veterans of the first part - and also all the new players.
One important change I've made compared to the last part - now Fate points can only add +2 to the roll (and not reroll), and they need to be declared together with the chosen option. This is done with the goal of speeding the game up.

>>4866358
>>I'd much rather build a working state than go on fruitless treasure hunts.

>>4866358
>[Mind Palace] Something seems off here. What's your game, Godfrey?
>I am not telling this faux-polite, witless, hairless ape a thing about what I might or might not do.

Give nothing away.

Personally I'd rather build up our power base in Alterac, we started something, we may as well finish it. I would like to get the staff eventually though, being a continent-buster does sound appealing, and cucking the hypothetical WoW Warlock Champion out of their artifact sounds even funnier. The problem with going to Quel'thalas is that while we may actually be accepted back into society as a re-integrated royalist despite that interlude revealing the Spire to being hunting us, if we go and steal the fucking Scepter of Sargeras we'll never ever be accepted into our homeland again unless we return either as a corpse or as a conquering usurper.

Also, I think we should be more deliberate in obtaining direct power boosts and taking credit for the work we do in Alterac, we want to be the figure that the Syndicate sees as helping them the most, thus aligning their interests with ours and gaining us influence and power. The reason I say this is because the Shadow Council have a endgame in sight that if seen to fruition, that's it, game over, the world ends and our homeland and people with it. So, lets take as much power for ourselves, I don't think we can afford to play the long game, get our money, promised contacts and influence, steal some artifacts for ourselves, then sabotage the Shadow Council and then follow our own goals afterwards.

>>4866366
It's okay, it's normal for QMs to take a week break between threads anyways, otherwise they burn out. I was worried you were gonna burn out when you said you'd be starting the next thread later that day or the next day.

As for the rule change, I'm fine with that, but I think the pace of the game will probably stay the same for a while, I think the slow pace was due to slow voter input rather than anything else. I wouldn't know though, perhaps you were waiting a considerable amount of time before starting to write while you were waiting to see whether we wanted to reroll or not.

Whoops, sorry meant to take off my name, but forgot.

>>4866358
>[Mind Palace] Something seems off here. What's your game, Godfrey?
>Actually, I'll still retrieve the Scepter. Not every day you steal the weapon of the most powerful being in the universe

Newfag here, do tell me if the scepter vote might have unpleasant complications.

>>4866476
It doesn't really, I just don't want commit to going after the staff yet. That and the anons and myself from the first thread seemed to be in vague general agreement to hide our true intentions from the Shadow Council, since we have our own as of yet undetermined goals to pursue. That and the Shadow Council are a bunch of demon worshipping cultists who intend to basically summon Satan and destroy the world.

>>4866524
It's actually a little bit more complex than that, we'll go into it soon.

>>4866524
Hmm, I see. Any particular reason those brainiacs want Satan to destroy the world they walk on?

>>4866358
Changing my vote (>>4866476) to:
>[Mind Palace] Something seems off here. What's your game, Godfrey?
>I am not telling this faux-polite, witless, hairless ape a thing about what I might or might not do.

>>4866527
Okay, it'd be good to get some lore from someone who actually is familiar with the greater Warcraft universe an has played WoW. I did read on the wiki that Sargeras was doing his demon invasion stuff with the intention to save the universe by destroying it because "existence is flawed" and because of the Void Lords and the Old Gods corrupting the universe and trying to subvert a world-soul, whatever that is.

>>4866571
See my post here: >>4866587

The truth is I have no idea, myself and many of the anons participating in the first thread were unfamiliar with WoW or Warcraft in general with the exception of Warcraft 3. I did a lot of wiki reading to be able to understand what was going on in the thread.

My best guess is that they either have good intentions and want to save the universe by destroying the universe (counter-intuitive, I know) or they want to destroy the Void Lord and The Old Gods, since that is their master Sargeras's goal. That or they are just power-hungry fel-magic addicts who believe they will be spared when the day comes for Azeroth to be conquered by the Burning Legion and they think they will be integrated into the legion or something. This is all speculation by me based on limited reading from the wikis, plus SunhawkQM may give addition depth to them or make changes to canon.

>>4866358
>>[Mind Palace] Something seems off here. What's your game, Godfrey?
Might as well pry.

>>4866358
>[Mind Palace] Something seems off here. What's your game, Godfrey?

Rolled 4, 4, 2, 6 = 16 (4d6)

Something bothered you, although you could not quite put your finger on what. Something to do with his tone, perhaps?

Mind Palace +2

Right now, you were in a cavern filled to the brim with warlocks. It was fair to say you've never seen such a large gathering of them in your entire life - so now was an appropriate time to indulge in a little thought exercise.

No matter who you were, and what creed you espoused, if you stood for yourself, for your order or even for an entire nation, being a warlock was all about using the dark powers for your own ends. Zealots who worshipped demons and considered bringing their coming forth their religious duty existed - but those were vanishingly few, and not even worth considering. The usual warlock was a creature of ends and means - of the sort where one has to justify the other.

The classification was purely a matter of scale. Of how lofty your goals were, and of how far you were filling to go. On the smaller side, there were plenty of possibilities - perhaps, one wanted to avenge the death of his family. Or perhaps, destroy a rival. Some people began with chasing a nebulous concept of "power", most often so they could lord it over the others. For all of those, dark magic proves a quick path, one offering significant power even to a novice. And if one truly reached out to the other side, he would not remain a novice for long. Whole armies of eager tutors lie in wait, offering all sorts of forbidden knowledge to a curious mind. The Burning Legion adored all warlocks, and cared little for their motivation.
"Quick" didn't mean "easy" or "safe" - fel did not suffer careless fools. But no matter what cautionary tales say, no matter the warnings of the wizened old masters, if a warlock respected the power he commands, if he was clever and cautious, that warlock would live to see his goals fulfilled.

But what if you aimed a bit higher? What if what you wanted wasn't power over your neighbours, but rather dominion over the stars? What if you were looking for something as humble as immortality? This door was open as well, to those of significant ambition and a broad enough tolerance of means.

The door's name was the Burning Legion. If one was to cast aside all the religious dogma and historical bias, the most appropriate way to describe them wouldn't be "a demonic horde". That's the definition corporal Sherman would give, if you ever asked. No, they rarely visited worlds with intention of destroying them. The Burning Legion should have been viewed as an empire. A highly militaristic, everexpanding empire hellbent on integrating every useful element into itself, while on the road to conquering the entire existence.
It might have seemed strange - even insane - to seriously ponder all the pro et contra of collaborating with interdimensional conquerors, but it was a question each warlock had to ponder at least once. Would you be willing to cast aside your humanity and become a cog in the demonic empire? No? What if you and your people became immortal? Demons know not the weight of time. Become useful to the Legion, and you could spend millenia, ruling over a world of your own.
To an outsider, this line of thinking was madness. To a warlock... You've heard your master say that the more you mastered the craft, the more it would seem a question of rational choice, one that you kept making every day in your life.

That was the scale. Where did you belong on it? You've had enough self-awareness to know that "the milder end of it" was not the correct answer. Even if you were using the Shadow Council for your own ends, you were still doing their bidding. Under their orders, you've just killed a man, who might have deserved it - or might have not. In the most charitable view of things, you belonged somewhere in the middle, closer to the "reasonable" scale.
But what of the others present? How many of them woke up one day and made the decision, that they fear death so much, that they'd prefer to bring about the demonic invasion? How many are that power hungry?

Perhaps, a fair bit. Maybe even the majority. But was it all of them?

"Where's your bluster?", you inquired, looking at Godfrey with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not certain if you're joking, or if you actually believe the Scepter is out of our reach."
"It's not a crime to see things rationally.", Church shrugged his shoulders. "The scepter is probably one of the most powerful tools in the world - even in mortal hands. It's not hidden in a museum, behind a glass. It's not in a vault either, at least not in one we could ever hope to infiltrate. You know where I would keep it?"
"No.", you admitted without a second of thought. "Where would you?"
"A hole in the ground deeper than any mine in the world. The only way to enter is an elevator. You're weighted as you come in and out. Only then you make it to the scepter - except it's buried under six feet of concrete. The guards are golems - can't be impersonated or bribed. No one who is not in the highest echelons of the state is even allowed to know about the place's existence. All the while a replica of the Scepter rests somewhere in the vault, where it's publically known to be."
"You've thought about it very thoroughly.", you allow a dry comment leave you.
"I know that your kind did. Because this is how you guard the weapon of the Dark Titan. You don't get sloppy."

You straightened your back, putting more weight on your cane.
"So you're saying it can't be done."
"Not in this generation.", Church shook his head. "If the scepter is guarded by clever folk, who know what they're doing, there are two ways about it. Either we muster enough force for a direct assault, and take the scepter through overwhelming force, or we wait until your kind gets sloppy and stupid, and begins having ideas about using the weapon they have, instead of keeping it hidden away. And that's when it can be taken. Until then - no, it can't be done."

It was a random suspicion at first, but the more you prodded him, the more you began wondering - does this man even want the Scepter to be found? Where's the high of the recent victory? Does he want the demons to come, ushering the new age, or is he just fine with things the way they are?
You had no way of knowing for certain yet, and it would be stupid to operate on a hunch. But it didn't mean you've not HAD a hunch.

>He's on the middle of the scale.
>He's on the far end.
>Something is going on here, but I don't feel like my musings are directly relevant.

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>>4868095
>He's on the middle of the scale.

Try and get to know Church a bit better, if we can find ANY among this bunch who are reasonable and don't want to see the world subjugated then that is a win in my book. If we can find a friend or otherwise subvert some of these warlocks to our cause or at least to being more friendly to us than any of the other warlocks then we stand a much greater chance of sabotaging the Shadow Council or taking one of the Artifacts for ourselves and getting away scott free, when that time comes.

I tried to search the wikis as much as I could, but I couldn't find any reference to a grimoire or tome of Medivh's, I assume it is a artifact made up by the QM for this quest. Unless the grimoire of the Last Guardian does not refer to Medivh?

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Nevermind, the Book of Medivh is a real thing, I just couldn't find the entry on it.

>>4868095
>Something is going on here, but I don't feel like my musings are directly relevant.
I don't think we need to make this assumption just now. Should collect as much information as possible before we make up our mind so we're less likely to be wrong.

>>4868095
>>He's on the middle of the scale.

>>4868095
>>Something is going on here, but I don't feel like my musings are directly relevant.

>>4868303
I don't think this is 'making up our mind' about Godfrey, like the story post says, it is just a hunch. We are just determining which way that hunch swings.

>>4869706
Well, basic logic tells me that that choice wouldn't be there if QM didn't use it for something. Worth thinking through even if it's as simple as creating psychological profile of our character.

>>4869710
Fair enough.

Having reread the old posts with Godfrey in them from the first thread I don't think there is enough info to tell one way or the other. I base my vote off of this line...
>It was a random suspicion at first, but the more you prodded him, the more you began wondering - does this man even want the Scepter to be found? Where's the high of the recent victory? Does he want the demons to come, ushering the new age, or is he just fine with things the way they are?

Also, our character has high Prudence and Mind Palace, so she is fairly good at noticing facial details and behavioral tics as well as analyzing them, I figure the line indicates one prompt over the other, but that is probably my bias showing.

While I do think it best not to reveal our intentions with the Shadow Council, I also think we have to reveal SOMETHING even if it is meaningless personal details to get some of em to open up so we can analyze and judge them to see if they are worthy allies. Or perhaps not, maybe I'm just wavering on my stance on revealing nothing to these guys because of the latest story post, we can always find allies elsewhere in Alterac among the Syndicate or nearby local factions.

>>4869728
Sadly I can't help you, anon. Still too little info about WoW and this quest to understand much of that stuff myself. I'm just sticking with my vote (>>4868095) for the reasons mentioned previously. Yes, I'm a mobilefag.

*Sigh*, I'll switch my vote to...
>Something is going on here, but I don't feel like my musings are directly relevant.
...if no one else votes in the next couple of hours

Switching my vote...>>4868107
>Something is going on here, but I don't feel like my musings are directly relevant.

No, you settled down a few moments later. You've entertained the possibility of him using Argus Wake for his own ends just as you, but no matter how you've thought about it, it just didn't feel right. Maybe the reason for his tone is uncertainty, if the Legion would win in their inevitable third invasion? They've already been defeated twice, despite the odds seeming improbable - especially the second time. What if the Shadow Council succeeds in their goals of summoning the Legion, only to lose and get wiped out - this time, utterly?

Or perhaps, it's something else. With how you were recruited, it wasn't entirely out of the question the Wake could have infiltrators in it. Perhaps, from the Cult of the Damned, who broke away from their demonic masters a long time ago. Or maybe some secretive cabal of warlocks from down south. His accent wasn't local, you were certain of that - could he be from Stormwind?
You were perfectly aware of how ridiculous it would be to assume he's a double agent working for outside interests just from the way you've thought his tone sounded and his face looked. But it was a possibility, and not an unreasonable thing to watch out for. You've known nothing of this man yet.
One thing he definitely hasn't been, was an innocent sheep. No one in this place was.

Perhaps, you could try finding something out, casually. He approached you first - so he's clearly in a mood for a conversation.

>[Write-in]

>>4869973
Out of character question QM, how do human racial demographics work in Warcraft? Like, are black people from the Stranglethorn Jungle originally for example, or are they everywhere intermixed with every human population. If they are intermixed, was it always like that or was it a result of population mass migration or advancing transportation technology allowing mass emigration or what? I'm just trying to get a bead on if Church's skin colour means anything. That, and I'm going over the old posts with Church in it as well as trying to think of some ice breakers and conversation topics.

>>4870085
>Out of character question QM, how do human racial demographics work in Warcraft?
They don't. There are seven human kingdoms, and all of them are white. That's the short answer.

The long answer is, recent patches introduced black and asian people into NPC pool, but even now no major characters are black or asian. Wrathion's human disguise is some kind of brown, but no one in the world looks or dresses like him, except maybe centaurs, who are not human.
There's always been an asian NPC in Stormwind called Wu Ping, but it's a mystery about where he could possibly come from. There are people who look like arabs living in the deserts of Uldum and Tanaris, but they're explicitly former pirates, who moved into this continent and those deserts ten years ago at best.
There are those, who are explicitly and obviously coded black, or chinese, or native american, but these are not humans. They are trolls, pandaren and tauren respectively.

Basically, a whole essay could be written on race and Warcraft, and how it's a product of a different time. I advise not to think about it, at all.

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>>4869973
So, I don't know how to arrange these topics into a cohesive conversation, but I'll write-in a few icebreakers and some ways to try and guide the conversation towards a way of getting Godfrey here to open up.

>Write-in: "You fond of blueberries?" When/if he looks confused at us suddenly bringing something weird up gesture to his voidwalker.(?) Presumably he'll say something to the effect of being surprised we have a sense of humor or maybe he'll genuinely think elves refer to voidwalker as blueberries. Chat a bit and then guide the conversation towards who taught him to summon voidwalkers, try and get his mentors name. See if we either recognize the name or can guess his mentors origins from the etymology of his mentor's name. Maybe open up about our uncle if he wants to learn more about us or tries to redirect the conversation or have tit for tat.

Here's a different icebreaker or perhaps a conversation topic for later in the discussion.

>Write-in: "So how much did you make?" This is in reference to the aforementioned betting pool. Depending on how he responds we can either make a show of scoffing and seeming dismissive and ask him directly if he is only in it for the money, or alternatively we can pout and faux-whine about how we haven't seen a penny yet and presumably he'll laugh about us complaining about money or ask if WE are only in it for the money. While this is going on we'll be using our intellect to try and get as sense of if he is telling the truth about his motivation in regards to money or whether there is something deeper.

He's probably not from Gilneas because he said "As if it was a murder mystery, from one of those...Gilnean 'detective' books." implying he's not from there. So that crosses Gilneas off the list of places he's from.

>Write-in: Ask him if he likes reading. He'll probably roll his eyes and say that as a warlock he has to read a lot. We can mention that he mentions book clubs a lot and he mentioned Gilnean detective novels, so we're wondering if he likes reading fiction. Ask for some local Alteraci fiction recommendations, we have high Prudence after all, we are probably interested in other cultures. As before with the other write-ins try and determine his origins.

>Write-in: Ask him where he works in Alterac and what noble or syndicate member he works with. He obviously doesn't work in Strahnbrad currently, though he seems familiar with the people there. Maybe chat about what's on the agenda for Alterac and shoot the shit about various figures of relevence, what are the problems that need solving, maybe work on having a cohesive direction in which to push our respective attached noble figure or something.

Finally, when we first met Church it was mentioned that he (presumably it wasn't Sherman or a guard) said Nagaz with a strange accent, maybe that was just us thinking that he said "nagas" with an odd accent when he was really saying Nagaz and we simply didn't understand but...(1/2)

>>4869973
>>4870175
...if he did genuinely have an odd accent, lets try and remember and try and place where his accent is from, or just listen to him talk and try and place his accent. (2/2)

>>4870114
lol, okay, I figured. lmao

Anyone else got some write-ins? If I actually write multiple sentences or paragraphs of actual dialogue rather than just saying "say this" or "guide Church to say this" I will probably end up writing something melodramatic or cringe. Certainly there have been a few accusations of that going around whenever any anon wrote practically any large write-in in the previous thread.

I'll try and think of other topics to chat about with Godfrey, but don't count on it, I'm not that creative nor the best conversationalist.

>>4870114
Great to have you back QM! Happy to see my favorite war criminal is still alive and kicking back in Alterac.

>>4870184
I was one of those assholes, the uncertain ESL one. Can I just say that I love your write-ins this thread? The blueberries seem a bit weird and might lead to some interesting stuff, but I'll support all of them. If we have to choose one, I'd choose the questions about what the hell he is up to in Alterac.

Question for the other anons in general: we agreed on not telling anyone about the Scourge/undead we saw, right? If not, this would be a primo time I think.

>>4870184
I'm good at write-ins... as long as they don't involve conversation, lmao
>>4870484
Pardon my illiteracy, but what's an ESL?

>>4870586
English as a Second Language, meaning I am not a native speaker. I've got a Masters degree in English literature and linguistics so most things should be fine, but some weird choices for idiomatic language use could lead to confusion on either end, so I just wanted to get that out of the way.

>>4870484
Thank you. I guess I should explain the weird blueberry one. "Blueberry" is apparently a affectionate nickname for voidwalkers used by WoW players, at least according to the wiki. I wouldn't know, having never played WoW.

As for the Scourge stuff, while my stance on not helping the Shadow Council and exploiting them for resources hasn't changed we could reveal it as a display of our worth and competence. The Forsaken (if they are indeed the Forsaken and not the scourge or other rogue undead) could cause trouble for the Argus Wake's wannabe nation-builder initiative down the line, them clearing out the ogre's could mean they have an expansionist agenda which would put them into direct conflict with both the Shadow Council and potentially our interests. After all, we are trying to build up contacts in Alterac, that effort is wasted if the Forsaken take over Alterac and kill everyone we know there.

However, I am reluctant to support the Shadow Council in any capacity beyond token efforts or efforts that benefit us primarily. Aside from the obvious reasons for not wanting to support them, telling them about the undead could put us into conflict with the Forsaken (if that is who they were) and the Forsaken are steadfast allies of our people, the Blood Elves and our homeland of Quel'thalas, not to mention the Forsaken's leader is a former Blood Elf (now Banshee) if I recall correctly and she can get a bit...genocidal towards her enemies. It sort of is self-defeating to support a organization that is opposed to the allies of our homeland when we are a patriot. We'd have to jump through some kind of pretzel logic to justify that, probably through some utilitarian morality argument where the benefits to us and through us, our homeland outweigh the costs to our homelands allies and thus our homeland.

>>4870586
English as Second Language. (ESL)

If none of you have additional write-in's, it'd help the consensus process if you vote in support of my write-in's so the QM knows that there is voter consensus and is satisfied that enough voters are participating so they can keep the quest alive. The same applies in the future for any votes, even if there are votes in favour of your preferred option, it would help if you could vote in support of your preferred prompts or write-ins to speed things along or so we get enough votes, since most quests require at least 3 votes in support of a prompt or write-in in order to be valid, traditionally at least.

>>4869973
>>4870674
Supporting this one:
>Write-in: "So how much did you make?" This is in reference to the aforementioned betting pool. Depending on how he responds we can either make a show of scoffing and seeming dismissive and ask him directly if he is only in it for the money, or alternatively we can pout and faux-whine about how we haven't seen a penny yet and presumably he'll laugh about us complaining about money or ask if WE are only in it for the money. While this is going on we'll be using our intellect to try and get as sense of if he is telling the truth about his motivation in regards to money or whether there is something deeper.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9lgDsLsjxOY

Thread theme

>>4869973
>Write-in: "So how much did you make?"
Supporting this write in as well. I'd like to try get more insight into his operations outside the council, also.

>>4870184
The write in I gave you shit for being melodramatic wound up giving us one of the best moments from last thread, so don't worry about it.

>>4873322
As much as I'd like to take credit for the scene with us flashing back to digging up our old uniform and eating old shitty food, that was another anon, not me. I was the anon that did the big info-dump partway through and was award with the special Fate Points.

In the post you linked the reason why I say "Certainly there have been a few accusations of that going around whenever any anon wrote practically any large write-in in the previous thread." as well as commenting that any write-in I do may be melodramatic was because I also did a write-in earlier in the thread when we were talking to Sherman that two anons said was overdramatic. (which to be fair, it was) I think there were at least 3 different write-in's from different anons that people thought were some variety of melodramatic in that thread. It is as that one anon said, with how much we pontificate (whether externally or internally) we should've taken Soapbox Sadie, because clearly both the anons and the MC have a knack for the dramatic and the long-winded.

"So, how much did you make?"
"What?"
Godfrey blinked. For the second time in two days, you've taken him by surprise - the man blinked, having long moved on from the subject of coin.
"You've said you betted against the rest of the Wake, on whether or not I'll run.", you reminded. "How much did you make?"
"Oh, that.", dark sorcerer nodded quickly in recognition. "Twelve silver coins."
That wasn't a lot, especially in gambling terms. You've heard stories of people losing all their estate just by sitting at a table and throwing dice. You've read of men getting into the most dubious - often criminal - dealings just to have their debts forgotten, or even selling their wives and children. Clearly, this was not one of those cases.
"Just a friendly little bet.", Church seemed to have detected disappointment in your expression. "A little bit of fun. Money was not the point."
"Just this time, or at all?", you questioned.

The man chuckled slightly, shaking his head.
"That's a strange way to phrase that question, but I understand what you're getting at. No, I don't have too much need for coin. It's good to have, but in our business, when you need something - and I mean really need it - it either can't be bought with money, or will be provided to you."
"By the nobles.", you felt the need to state the obvious.
"By the nobles, by the Wake, whoever you can make your case to. Nagaz built an efficient book club and a good alliance. There's a lot of incentive to stay in Alterac and do something useful. Reputation, estates, libraries, safehouses... Even your new bloodstone amulet - it holds power, sure. It's about ten times as powerful on the neck of a member.
There was an expression you recalled from a goblin book you've read once. It was "living on company perks", and it seemed to fit the situation well.
"...so you can't exactly decide to strike out on your own, and take it all with you. ", he finished.
There was also a warning in his words - it was unsublte, intentional and targeted at you specifically.

You decided against making any comment on it whatsoever. Instead, you've changed the subject entirely.
"You seem familiar to the people in Strahnbrad, but I take it you don't serve the duke."
"No, no, no, by the stars, no.", Godfrey chuckled and shook his head. "Not your duke. His attack dog would make it a living hell."
You strongly suspected that it meant Mercer, not anyone else.
"I deal with the boy lord and his people, sometimes. But I'm attached to Ryson. He's the second most important man in Falconcrest's faction. Not at all like your duke - we're a bit more... Warlike, mobile. Expansionist - here's the right word."
What he was actually trying to say was, lord Ryson - if he was a lord at all - was the sort of the Syndicate leader who slept not in his ancestral manor, but in the ancestral manor of a Stromgarde's lord. Quite possibly after slitting said lord's throat.

>>4873322
>The write in I gave you shit for being melodramatic wound up giving us one of the best moments from last thread, so don't worry about it.
thread/post number?

"If you don't serve the duke, why did you bring me to Strahnbrad?", you questioned. You've already had a good theory, but you needed the confirmation from the man himself.
"There were a lot of reasons. It was closer, there was a vacancy there, while Ryson and Falconcrest have plenty of warlocks already. Oh, and I've thought the boy would love to have an elf."
You frowned. Church only raised his hands.
"'I'm not a thing to be gifted.', you don't need to say it. Anyway, it made perfect sense at the time - he's young and impressionable, you're strange and exotic, you'd be a great fit. Now, if I'd known at the time how... Special you are, maybe I'd consider other options first."
Your frown deepened. The sorcerer shrugged.
"But you've said it yourself, you seem to be doing fine. Maybe you'll even melt Mercer's heart, and teach him a valuable life lesson about not judging the book by its cover."

>[Dazzle] Carry on my attempts to have a normal, human conversation.
>Change the subject to political matters, matters of the Wake or Alterac.
>I need to know things. About people. The duke? Nagaz? Falconcrest? These are all just examples, there are plenty of those I can be curious about.
>What does he think I should do to advance my position in the Argus Wake?
>This may be awkward to bring up at this point, but there are undead riders in the ruins of Alterac City, and...
>[Write-in]
>I think we've talked enough. Duty calls.
>Spit Church in the face. Again.

>>4873491
>Spit Church in the face. Again.
covid go brrr

File: NotthesameGodfrey.jpg (127 KB, 900x698)

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>>4873491
>[Dazzle] Carry on my attempts to have a normal, human conversation.

May as well try and develop a friendship, or at least a amicable relationship. That, and we were trying to analyze him to see if he would give us any hints of any hidden motive or secret allegiance.

>Spend one of my special Fate Points for a +2 bonus if the Dazzle vote wins.

Regarding the other prompts, I think we can afford to push talking about political matters further back, we have barely begun to even settle into our position in Strahnbrad or begin our plans with the silver mine, so despite my saying it may be worth discussing, it can come later.

We are also already in the inner circle of the Wake, although it seems that this inner circle has its own inner circle and cliques, presumably to reach a higher position all we have to do is do well in our duties or contribute to obtaining one of the artifacts.

I'd still rather let the Wake get fucked by the Forsaken or whoever those undead were. The problem is that if we don't tell them now and deal with this problem early it could bite us in the back later, but on the other hand I'd rather not go up against the Forsaken and Sylvanas.

>"...so you can't exactly decide to strike out on your own, and take it all with you. "

Fuck, I was hoping for assets a bit more liquid. Like, not being a hobo and having access to lots of knowledge and being well regarded are nice and all, but we can't take a mansion and a library with us if we want to say...fuck off to Booty Bay, and our reputation with the Wake goes up in flames if we just fuck off. This is one of the things I was afraid of, it isn't quite the coercive "we'll reveal you to The Spire" or "we'll fucking kill you unless you do what we say and act like a slave" that I'm sure we were considering when Church first offered us to work with the Wake, but it definitely ties us to The Shadow Council and Alterac for the foreseeable future.

Here's what we have to do now imho, we have to make a choice to leave or stay, work honestly for The Shadow Council or betray them. If we choose to leave we can either do so immediately and go back to square one or we can work for the duke for a month or maybe more and ask for a stipend so we have some funds for the road. If we choose to stay the choice regarding whether or not to mention the undead in the Capital suddenly becomes a lot more relevant. We aren't getting a bunch of mobile financial assets working for the Wake, so any independent plans we have either have to be put on hold until after the stuff with the Wake is over or have to be done in parallel. In addition, we also have to choose whether to be evil and just say "fuck the world, I'm working for the Shadow Council" or whether to try and screw the Shadow Council even earlier than they get screwed in canon so we can move on and maybe take over their assets, plus getting those artifacts would be a big win too.

>>4873482

If I'm guessing what post anon was talking about correctly it was...>>4845844 and >>4849342

...from the 1st thread, linked at the top of the page.

>>4873511
It's a shame that an organization for evil egoists has been specifically designed to discourage independence and betrayal, innit.

>>4873546
Yeah, real shame. I was kinda hoping for a Bill of Exchange, or cart full of silks or hide or furs, or a bag full of valuable gemstones, perhaps a chest full of bullion or coins of the highest denomination, even a flock of sheep or bunch of horses. All of these things would've worked as a source of valuable, relatively mobile wealth which we could use to purchase our own underlings, property, land, capital goods, reagents, weapons, armour or we could invest in joint stock companies or other weird things that WoW schizo-tech allows. This would've been very useful if we had chosen to fuck off to be a criminal somewhere in Khaz Modan or Azeroth (the sub-continent) or go to a goblin city or Booty Bay or whereeverthefuck.

The Shadow Council really do know how to tie you down and make it so you lose everything if you leave, sadly for them that only makes me more invested in their downfall. Previously I was content with doing some work for them in exchange for warlock specific reagents and materials and some money and contacts, maybe at worst I was intent on fucking them once the artifacts got mentioned and I looked them up. Now, in order to pursue our still yet to be determined personal goals we kinda either have to leave or fuck them up. (Assuming our personal goals don't turn out to be simple revenge or insane power-mongering or causing the apocalypse, but that is up to anons in a future vote no doubt)

>>4873511
Supporting this.

>>4873491
>>[Dazzle] Carry on my attempts to have a normal, human conversation
Yeah we might as well try make some allies.

Rolled 3, 2, 4, 2 = 11 (4d6)

+2 for Bondweaving, special fate point used.

It was highly unlikely that you would ever call this man a friend of yours. But if he was someone you could potentially ally with, this would be the right moment for the first step. To hell with it, even if he was an enemy, it would be far more prudent to have some pretense of civility. Nothing good could come out of antagonizing Church further.
But how do you do both that, and attempt to discern his motives? You could ask him where he fits into the Wake, and how did he come to be a part of it - but that would be too unnatural of a turn for this conversation. He just made it about you. At best, you could make it about both of you.

"Speaking of books and covers, you've made quite a gamble.", you noted, rising your eyebrow. "What if I wasn't a hawk? You would have brought an outsider into your ranks. Perhaps even a spy. Come to think about it, you and Nagaz both have trusted me on my word."
You were making a bit of a gamble yourself. Now, how would he react to the notion of a double agent in the Shadow Council?
"I knew exactly who you are a minute after being in the same room with you, and your "word" was only a part of it.", the man smirked and shook his head. "Name-dropping Delrissa was not the reason I believed you either. You've had that look in your eyes. In a hurry, but with nowhere to go."
You narrowed your eyes slightly.
"A look? To me, it still sounds like you've made quite the bet on a..."
You hesitated for a hearbeat, trying not to use the word "hunch".
"...hypothesis.", you found yourself.

"Well, I did briefly consider the possibility of you being an infiltrator.", the man confessed easily. This was not something he felt the need to hide from you. "But that just didn't make any sense. If anyone wanted to send a spy to us, attracting attention like you did would be a great first step, that's true. Killing a man on command, with all due respect to Nagaz, is also something a spy would do. But you know what a spy wouldn't do, Hawk?"
"Do enlighten me."
"Test my patience, or try to violently break out. A spy would worm his way into trust, and what you did instead... Well, these things wouldn't be my first options."
You could have very well died in that cellar, a late realization came to your head. You didn't seriously entertain this thought before.
"So no, I fear you're no spy. You're exactly what you claim to be. Still, doesn't mean you won't be difficult."

"We got it wrong at first.", you admitted. "But ever since then, I've been nothing but cooperative."
"That's because...", Church began, but after a sideways glance, instead gestured to the side, attracting your attention. "Would you look at the way Cowl is eyeing you - amongst others. You're a real celebrity."
Indeed, in the distance you've seen a she-orc you've noted before. Standing with her own clique, to whose chittering she was paying little attention to, she stared right at you instead, judgingly and unapologetically.

"Most here still don't trust me.", you've guessed, not breaking the eye contact for several long moments. The same sentiment you've seen in her glare, you could sense from every hushed whisper in the cave - just not expressed as brazenly.
"No-no-no.", the human shook his head. "Don't get them wrong. They just don't like you. Everyone here - yours truly included - worked pretty hard to get into the inner circle. But a hawk enters the fray, and Nagaz shows special treatment."
There were a lot of things you could have said. "I never asked for it", just to say. It would be true. It also wouldn't get you anywhere.
"Do I sense some resentment in your tone?", you turned to face Church once more.
The dark sorcerer raised his hands and shook his head in a humorous gesture.
"Of course not. I just think that if such a star has graced us with her presence, I might as well bask in the reflected glory."
His face suddenly lost its false mirth, and he spoke - quickly and seriously.
"Meaning, I'll have a business proposal for you. A great deal all around. We both get to show off before the big man, you get to show the Wake you're the real deal, and not some upjumped bitch, and there might be some material benefit involved as well."

"I might think about it.", you answered carefully. "If you tell me the details."
"No, not now.", Church winced. "The last few days were pretty eventful for you already. I'll contact you through the amulet. Right now, I'd rather continue... Where were we?"
"You were saying something about me being difficult."
It was clear from the man's exaggerated expression, that he did not forget where you left off at all.
"Oh, yes. Just because you've not been sent to infiltrate the Wake, doesn't mean we'll have it easy with you. Plenty of things could go wrong, and you acting "very cooperative" doesn't mean anything in that regard."
Not a muscle twitched on your face.
"Are you saying I might turn traitor?", you've asked directly.
"Of course not. I'm saying that unlike the Strand, or the Wake, or the Burning Blade, you weren't exactly ever under the wing of the council. It was always politics, right? So things must already be pretty strange for you, and they might get even stranger. You might get temptations, like deciding that... Say, you'd rather go home and face court martial."

That jest did not land. You could not fake a smile even if you wanted to, and you did not.
"I rather like you...", Chuch continued, paying little heed to a change in your mood. "...despite your best efforts, so I'm going to give you an advice. Listen to what your head is telling you, and stick around. It's a great thing to love your homeland, but I don't think your homeland loves you back anymore. Or what, you're going to immigrate to Stormwind? Dalaran? With your eyes glowing with demonic corruption, and this aura of doom and gloom? You might not feel this way right now, but this is the place for you. Give it some time, and you won't recognize Alterac."

"Church.", you've spoken plainly and earnestly. "This would be a good time to change the subject."
"Of course.", the man didn't resist. He already said his piece, and he knew that his words reached you. They couldn't have not.

Even after this conversation, you weren't quite if your hunch was correct or not. Everything he said would make perfect sense no matter his loyalties and his agenda. But several things were clear - he did not entirely buy your show of loyalty, and for some reason, he earnestly wanted you to remain in Alterac. The case was quite persuasive - although, just for example, he failed to account for the possibility of you getting enough gold to retire to the golden beaches for the rest of your life, and never leaving your isolated paradise. But was him speaking some sense really a sign of looking out for your good?
The answer was "no", and you felt ashamed for even briefly asking yourself that question.

"I've actually said my piece.", the man shrugged lightly. "So you have my noble permission to head back home, if you like."
"What about my orders?", you blinked briefly. "I've thought I'll be getting them here."
The man silently tapped on his amulet with his fingertips. So for you, it seemed, the purpose of this meeting was mostly the initiation. And the hierophant of the Argus Wake probably wished to announce the success of the Council in person as well.

>There are still matters for me to attend to here, people to meet.
>What I really want to attend to is a pillow. It's time to head back to Strahnbrad.

>>4881481
>What I really want to attend to is a pillow. It's time to head back to Strahnbrad.

It's time to move on. We've spent enough time in this dank cave.

If anyone still wants to mention the undead we saw, now is the last opportune moment to do so. I don't want to mention it, but if anyone has a good argument for doing so then I'm all ears and willing to switch my vote.

It also seems QM wasn't lying about even failures leading to interesting outcomes, our failed breakout attempt when we were captured seems to have lead to Church believing us to be who we say we are.

Also, glad we're back, bit of a slow week for this quest.

>>4881481
>>What I really want to attend to is a pillow. It's time to head back to Strahnbrad.
We've got our token schmoozing in, any more would be pathetic.
>>4881504
Think we've been a bit slow when there haven't been enough votes. Hopefully things can pick up a bit.

File: Anotherquestdeadbeforethread5.jpg (18 KB, 554x435)

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It has been 3 days, I think the quest is dead. I'll archive this anyways when it hits page 10 in case SunhawkQM ever wants to come back to this. That is assuming QM doesn't come back all of a sudden or that we don't get a sudden influx of voters.

>>4887598
It's sad, but that's just how things are.

>>4881481
>>What I really want to attend to is a pillow. It's time to head back to Strahnbrad.

Don't know why this hasn't gotten much activity, it's a cool setup. Hope the QM is willing to keep going and hope things pick back up.

>>4887906
Post here more often, and things will pick up. As for now, it looks like the Hawks are back on the menu!

EX 1, MOV 2, TWI 1, PRU 3, MND 2, DZL 0
Stress: You feel fine
Consequences: None
Fate Points: 0 (1 special)

The road to the gateway was brief and unremarkable, and the travel through the immaterial world - short and as terrifying as ever. But by the end, you were in that very same room you've been pulled from, exactly the way you remembered it.

You were exhausted already when you woke up this morning. You traveled too fast for too long - and even now, you immediately leapt to work, scouting and learning about your surroundings, and sucking up to your new superiors, and killing men for them. It was exhausting - and you wished to rest. But not before you've carefully checked the traps you'd left on the window and the door and ensured that not a soul has disturbed your abode. Indeed, nobody has dared to invade your refuge while you were away - at least, no one who could be deterred by a door. Maybe, you'd have to conjure a second line of defense later - but that was a job for another day.

For now, you were too tired to even slip out of your clothes, or prepare your bed. With a careless motion, you threw your cane to the corner, leaving it to lean on the wall, and let your body collapse into the soft embrace of your bed, so the sleep could carry you off.

Yet the sleep was not in the hurry to come. Your mind was too preoccupied to allow oblivion inside, your troubles were all too unwilling to be pushed away into tomorrow, screaming and jumping around inside of your skull like a pack of imps.
Who were the undead you've seen through your farsight? Were they the remnants of the Scourge, here to reclaim the lost territory? Were they the soldiers of the Banshee Queen, ever expanding? Were they something else? Were they the enemies of Alterac, and more importantly, were they enemies to you?
How much time needed to pass before the two became the same? For how long would you dwell here, far away from home? Would it be long enough to see the Shadow Council's work succeed? Would it be long enough for you to become their loyal dog?

Who was he, the man who slept on this very bed before? Did he ever think the same sleepless thoughts, have the same doubts? How did he die? Was it an accident, another casualty of your dangerous craft, or is there something more to it? Was Church speaking the truth, when he said the duke's attack dog thinks it was a murder? Why would he think it's a murder? Your eternal chaperone, Sherman, did not appear to think the same way...

Murders, sects, politics, Falconcrest and Perenolde, mysterious priests and boy lords, it was all becoming a tangled ball of trouble, none of them commanding your concerns for longer than a minute, before your mind drifted to worry about another. You did not notice the moment when this cacophony shifted away from your thoughts and into your dreams.

Undead hosts were invading Alterac to look for you, and threatened to burn every village they've found, until the duke gave you up. You rushed to his throne, so you could plead to him for protection - but instead of the boy lord, you've found Halligan there, wearing Mercer's face. He was just crowned the king of Quel'Thalas - and he didn't wish to hear a word out of your mouth, not after the cowardly murder of Church, Nagaz and the entire Argus Wake.
He ordered his guards, the mighty elven spellbreakers, to seize you and throw you into the deepest hole in the ground, the one only a golem-operated elevator could reach. With a profane incantation, you've unleashed hellfire on them - and then turned and ran through the door.

They pursued you on horses, gryphons and giant bats - all the way across Thandol's Span - but you ran very fast, and eventually you managed to lose them. Then, after making sure the endless legions of the Syndicate and the Forsaken disappeared, you could finally take a breath and go back to your post.

"Lynestra Dawnstrider" is improving! Add +1 to one of her statistics (Exertion, Movement, Twilight, Prudence, Mind Palace, Dazzle).

Additionally, choose one.

>Detective Dawnstrider
Something is rotten in the state of Alterac. Double agents are infiltrating the Shadow Council, and a mysterious slayer has framed your predecessor for murder - of himself. Missing grimoires, secret invasions... The question is not in the presence of the conspiracies, it's in their number. How many around you are wearing false faces, and what's their endgame? You don't know - yet. But you won't rest, until you find out.
+2 to Mind Palace when the truth is out there.

OR

>The Nail
A battle was lost for want of a nail. Not the nail you have in your pocket, no - you were just too far away when it happened. You were far away from Exodar when it crashed too, and no paperwork that can prove otherwise exists - not after you've taken care of it. Many things will go wrong soon for many important people, and in your expert opinion, you're not the one to blame.
+2 to Twilight when committing or detecting sabotage.

>>4888067
Tossing up between Dazzle to round out a weakness, or Mind Palace to focus our more mental stats for the conspiracy angle. Speaking of,

>Detective Dawnstrider
At this stage I reckon we're needing to get a clearer picture of the play here before going in with active sabotage.

>>4888067
>The Nail
>+1 Exertion

I think we'll need the boost to both committing and detecting sabotage, at the very least I intend to sabotage the Shadow Council and our Twilight could use the boost, it is a low stat. Generally when you do sabotage, it is one of those things you want to do VERY well, lest you fuck up a critical part of your plan or leave evidence that incriminates you. Our Mind Palace is just high enough that I feel comfortable relying on it for detective stuff for now. It should get an average of 2 successes and even if it performs below average, at least it isn't likely to result in a bad failure.

As for my choice of Exertion, I just think having raw power as well as the power to coerce and intimidate is a very useful skill to have. In a fight after the initial blows have been struck, no doubt using the Movement skill or Twilight skill if striking from stealth, it will come down to raw power or perhaps tactical tricks of opportunity once in a while. We saw from our failure with Exertion when executing that man that we could definitely do with higher Exertion, that roll even had a Fate Point used and still failed.

>>4888080
I personally don't think Dazzle is the choice here, we already have Bondweaver for friend-making or socializing with peers, and with our Crippled flaw we aren't gonna be good at dancing at balls any time soon even with higher Dazzle, I think the first thread mentioned that flaws can inflict up to a -2 penalty on successes, so +1 Dazzle doesn't do much for us there. Though eventually yes I want Dazzle to be higher, the same with Exertion, I mentioned as much in the first thread, raw power and demagoguery are good paths to power. After those stats I'd want to boost the other skills that we started off skilled in, with perhaps the exception of Prudence.

The Nail also gives its bonus when detecting sabotage too, so that will help with the detective work a little.

>>4888067
>The Nail

>>4888855
We also get a +1 to a stat that you may want to weigh in on.

>>4888067
>>The Nail
+1 dazzle

>>4888067
Glad to see this quest didn't die off, QM. Loving the writing!

My vote's on Detective Dawnstrider and Exertion.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Roll 1d2 to break the tie?

1 Dazzle

2 Exertion

EX 2, MOV 2, TWI 1, PRU 3, MND 2, DZL 0
Stress: You feel fine
Consequences: None
Fate Points: 3 (1 special)

You woke up with a headache - one you tried to cure by crawling out of your bed and pouring yourself some water from the pitcher. When that didn't help, you've spilled some on your face too - but that couldn't just wash away a night spent in a poorly ventilated room. Although your present condition was more of a mild annoyance than any real hindrance, you could have lived with one less reason to wake in a terrible mood.

First things first, you've checked the wards on the door and the window again - and nodded to yourself, as you found that those still appeared to be undistrubed. Next thing, you've opened the said window to let some fresh air in - and breathed in a chest full of it. That did not quite help either.

At the very least, you did not feel the desire to crawl back into your bed - not after a whole night of nonsensical not-quite-nightmares, each more bizarre than the last. Which was quite handy, in a way - today was not the proper time to lie around, waiting for things to happen to you. No, the time has come for decisive action and taking control of your life.
You just didn't quite manage to decide yet, what this decisive action should look like.

>The matters concerning the mine and Falconcrest's men. I should take them into my own hands. It will make me look good, and Mercer look like a fool.
>I should speak to someone on the matter of the undead I've scryed in the mountains. Someone like the duke or his priest, not someone from the Wake.
>I should investigate the death of my predecessor, somehow. Learning his name would be a good start, as it's getting awkward to think of him as "my predecessor".
>I'm a member of the Argus Wake now, it's time to abuse my position. Church had some manner of a proposition for me.
>After some reflection on the recent events, I actually know exactly what to do - to escape from Alterac. Joining the Shadow Council? What was I thinking?!
>All of those options seem awfully rash. I should just go about my day, and see if any interesting opportunities come. Breakfast sounds good.

>>4890424
>Breakfast sounds good.

A happy Lynestra keeps the Spire away. Or something.

But for real...
>I should speak to someone on the matter of the undead I've scryed in the mountains. Someone like the duke or his priest, not someone from the Wake.

I personally want to deal with the mine/Falconcrest issue, but I suppose we ought to tell SOMEONE about this, lest we let this issue fester and wake up one day to discover that the Wake and Alterac is at war with a resurgent scourge or the Forsaken and we could've done something about it.

>>4890424
>>All of those options seem awfully rash. I should just go about my day, and see if any interesting opportunities come. Breakfast sounds good.

>>4890449
So, is that a vote for a passive approach or not?

>>4890454
No, it isn't I was just joking around. However I'll switch my vote to something else, since upon reflection it seems like this is a vote on what we intend to focus on in a concerted effort, not a selection of quick stop-bys or brief uses of time.

Switching vote to...
>The matters concerning the mine and Falconcrest's men. I should take them into my own hands. It will make me look good, and Mercer look like a fool.

I should really stop flip-flopping on the undead issue, but I can't make up my mind.

>>4890424
>>All of those options seem awfully rash. I should just go about my day, and see if any interesting opportunities come. Breakfast sounds good.

>>4890424
>>I should speak to someone on the matter of the undead I've scryed in the mountains. Someone like the duke or his priest, not someone from the Wake.
Specifically, the Duke and possibly Mercer - we know there's no love lost for the Wake there. The priest seems like too much of an unreliable drunkard at this stage.

>>4891064
You know what, I'll change my vote to
>All of those options seem awfully rash. I should just go about my day, and see if any interesting opportunities come. Breakfast sounds good.

The undead incursion didn't seem like something that needed to be immediately acted on - we'll grab breakfast and maybe scry the ruins again to get a clearer picture before needing to move.

File: 1611401217203.jpg (279 KB, 768x1086)

279 KB JPG

Rolled 2, 2, 5, 3 = 12 (4d6)

On the second thought, you've decided, to hell with this "decisive action" business. You've just settled here, what were you going to do? Ride out to the mine and purge it of wildlife with a wave of your hand, and then extract all the silver out with a wave of the other? Even if you somehow could do it, it wouldn't be done on a hungry stomach.

No, what you really needed is to break your fast. Rest your bones for a while, think on your situation really deeply, get some time to process everything that happened to you in the past few days. Maybe even involve someone else in your shenanigans. Then, and only then, would any sort of "decisive action" occur.

It was with this thought in your head, that you've unlocked the door and pushed it away, hoddling into the hallway on your cane - and meeting an unexpected sight.
"Did you decide to rest against this specific wall by accident just now...", you inquired. "...or were you waiting here all morning for me to wake up?"
The fair-haired woman in a long, loose shirt pushed her back from the wall, acknowledging your arrival.

"Yes.", Brooks nodded shortly. "Don't think too much of yourself. I was tired, and I've just happened to be here."
"...truly?", you blinked, not expecting that response.
"No.", the human responded a second late, clearly unsure if you were joking or not. "No, I'm not here by accident."

Of course, she was here for you. The only question was, for what possible reason?

(Mind palace +2)

This was such a stupid question to ask yourself, that you began wondering if the lack of fresh air did a number on your brain. If this was something urgent, she'd knock on the door and wake you up. It's not something urgent.
Think about it. So, she clearly knows Godfrey closely, so she's no stranger to warlocks. Now, Church was clearly getting on her nerves - but you are not like Church at all.
You are a woman - brave, tough, dedicated. A veteran of a doomed cause, the biggest suporter of the late monarch in the world. Sounds familiar? That's because it is. You have so much in common, the two of you. She probably even has an embroidery of king Perenolde somewhere in her chamber, or maybe a small picture, or at least a very, very patriotic locket - just like you.
And because you have so much in common, it's only reasonable that you've already become fast friends. The two of you even shared a political conversation already, that's not something one does with strangers. And you spoke of her favorably before her superiors, she noticed that. Yes, it clearly makes the most sense that...
Or maybe it goes even further than that. A village bumpkin like her has definitely never met an elf before. It wouldn't be srurprising, if she was utterly and hopelessly enchanted. On the contrary, it would be completely understandable. You've heard of many such cases happening, whenever one of your kind goes abroad.

This was exciting. In fact, without a hint of irony, this was the most exciting thing that happened to you in years. You've never had a friend before. You needed to show her how much you value the gesture she extended, and you needed to do it immediately.

>Voice my findings out loud, as I've often done. She'll appreciate my intelligence and deep understanding of human behaviour.
>Well, I was going to eat break my fast anyway. We should eat together. And while we're eating, we should discuss something personal. Or better yet, political. Like the first time we've met.
>Break my fast?! Alcohol is to the bonds of friendship is what water is to flowers. To the pub, immediately!
>I've recently considered involving someone into my shenanigans. This here is the perfect opportunity. I must involve Brooks in some crazy scheme. It will be fun.
>Well, she's here, so she clearly has something in mind. I'll tell her to take the reins.
>She's clearly physically attracted to me. I must make a move, subtly and gracefully.
>Openly denounce her. I don't need her, or her measly offer of friendship. I'm simply higher than that.
>[Fate point] ...are there any OTHER conclusions I could possibly make? I really don't want to say or do any of these things.

>>4891984
LMAO I can't help but feel we failed that check when I read "she was utterly and hopelessly enchanted". I think Lynestra may have a few screws loose and thinks a bit too highly of herself even for an elf.

>Break my fast?! Alcohol is to the bonds of friendship is what water is to flowers. To the pub, immediately!

Bit too soon to be involving Sherman here in any crazy schemes. Or attempting seduction. Or...a lot of things.

I assume the use of alternate choices or write-ins requiring a fate point is due to us failing the check and getting some hilarious misconceptions?

>>4891998
You assume correctly, you failed the check.

>>4892006
Worth it.

>or at least a very, very patriotic locket - just like you.

Oh, Lynestra, you dork.

>>4891984
>>Well, I was going to eat break my fast anyway. We should eat together. And while we're eating, we should discuss something personal. Or better yet, political. Like the first time we've met.
Soon enough we'll be doing each other's hair, swapping war crime stories - you know, friend stuff.

>>4891984
>>Well, I was going to eat break my fast anyway. We should eat together. And while we're eating, we should discuss something personal. Or better yet, political. Like the first time we've met.

As hilarious as totally overcorrecting into "lets get wasted together" is, we can remember Brooks feeling sad about Delvin's alcoholism. What sort of friend would inflict that on them?

>>4892524
>>4892788
My bad, thought first reply hadn't posted.

>>4891984
I'll switch to...
>Well, I was going to eat break my fast anyway. We should eat together. And while we're eating, we should discuss something personal. Or better yet, political. Like the first time we've met.

>>4892788
You convinced me anon, I forgot about that. Though to be fair, I was half in "do it for the lulz" mode because of the silly tone of the story post, I also thought of voting to voice our thoughts out loud or having Lynestra make a move on Brooks "for the lulz" but it's almost certainly a incredibly bad idea. It would make me laugh though if we actually got to roll Dazzle and actually succeeded, that would be a shocking turn.

>>4891984
>>Break my fast?! Alcohol is to the bonds of friendship is what water is to flowers. To the pub, immediately!

You weren't actually quite sure for how long you stood there, talking with yourself, but it couldn't have been longer for a few seconds. Yes, a few seconds of playing with different possibilities in your mind, until you've settled on one in particular.

"Do you want to get some food?", you inquired, raising your chin.
Brooks blinked, glancing at you as if you said something wrong. For a moment you were concerned by her expression - but then came the rational explanation.
"'Get food'?", the alteraci echoed in confusion.
"It's early morning. I require sustenance. We can make it a mutual endeavor.", you explained patiently. "I don't think anything urgent is going on, you would have knocked. Or are you not..."
"Right.", the woman nodded to you quickly, correcting herself. "Food. Of course. I'm going with you."
You barely managed to resist a smile. Either this bond-making business was much easier than you've come to think, or you were a genius. In any case, you've already won a little victory, barely a minute after you've left your bed.

Your destination, when you were led to it, turned out to be the local barracks - which wasn't something you were completely unused to. The architecture was somewhat primitive - your people have erected much more pleasant sights when significantly more starved for resources and time than people of the Syndicate, and the smell here made you wish you could educate the locals on the importance of basic hygiene, but truth be told, you've eaten and slept in far worse places in your life, so you didn't complain - out loud or otherwise.
Other than the two of you, the place has been completely empty - so you've had some privacy.

Your breakfast was probably nothing like what the duke was feasting on right now - but you could stomach the porridge. In truth ,you could have stomached anything right now - the hunger in your stomach was killing you almost as badly as the sudden emptiness in your head, where all good conversational subjects resided just a minute ago.
Brooks didn't appear to be having the same problem as you - she was looking at you for several seconds now, clearly having something to say, something she was impatient to get to - but she was waiting. Almost like in a board game, now was your turn.

You're already sitting here, so you've almost made it. The hard part is behind you. Come on, say something clever.

>We're soldiers. Let's talk about war and duty, and kings.
>Let's talk about home. I can be very heartfelt when I talk about home.
>It's people that interest me. Whether Church, or the duke, or Mercer, it's not gossiping, if I don't say anything bad about them.
>I want to know about her. Ask her to tell me some things.
>This is an opportunity to get some strategic insights. I can bring up the topic of undead, without revealing that I know anything useful.
>Lament how I'm here now, and I want to be useful, but I don't know where to apply myself.
>She's no duke, but she's clearly curious about me to some extent, and she's terrible at hiding it. The only trick is not talking about yourself too much, and I can manage it.
>I'm really lucky to have a friend like her. I must inform her of that.
>"I've killed a man yesterday."
>I've got nothing. Look at her and inquire if something is on her mind.
>[Write-in]

>>4893273
>I want to know about her. Ask her to tell me some things.

Both the undead insights and the people gossiping prompts interest me, but as the story post says, it is our turn to bring up a topic now, however we cannot ramble into an endless stream of topics, much as I'd like to just copy-paste half the list of prompts, after all she wants to say something that is obviously important.

I'd probably ask about her next if she didn't have something bugging her.

Wait, nevermind that last line, I did vote to ask about her. derp

I need to sleep.

>>4893273
>>It's people that interest me. Whether Church, or the duke, or Mercer, it's not gossiping, if I don't say anything bad about them.

>>4893273
>It's people that interest me. Whether Church, or the duke, or Mercer, it's not gossiping, if I don't say anything bad about them.

>>4893273
>>It's people that interest me. Whether Church, or the duke, or Mercer, it's not gossiping, if I don't say anything bad about them.

Anyone specific you want to talk about?

>>4894941
I'm personally interested in what Church's relationship is with each individual relevant member of the Duke's court and with Sherman, maybe also try and gauge the Wake's intent by anything he or our predecessor tried to push or anything they seemed interested in.

Maybe show interest in how the Duke is handling being a ruler at so young, what are his interests, his policy positions, how good is he at ruling in his own way without his advisors or older, more experienced, but lower status nobles controlling him?

What's Mercer's story? He kick any puppies today?

So there's a story there between her and the priest, maybe see if she is willing to open up about that.

What's the deal with Ryson?

>>4894941
Yeah, backing >>4895016 in being interested in how Church got his position here. Is he Alteraci or another import wizard like us? Leaning into the awkward girlchats angle, talk shit about him - we're here to gossip over breakfast, aren't we?

"So, do you know Church?", you asked at last.
That was a good subject. There was so much stigma attached to the word "gossip", but none of it was appropriate right now. First of all, it's not as if he was a friend of yours. Secondly, you were not going to say anything that horrific about his person. What harm would be done?
"I can't say I do.", Brooks winced slightly. "It's more of... I'm aware of him."
"Not one of your favourites, then?", you prodded further.
"He thinks he's smarter than everyone around him, and that he's way funnier than he is. That, and he's up to something too."
"How do you know?", you narrowed your eyes. Did the woman suspect him of double dealing as well?
"He's from the Wake.", the woman answered shortly. She seemed to believe her answer was self-explanatory.
Your spoon dug into the colorless matter in your bowl. Sending it to your mouth gave you a moment to think.
"Are all of them 'up to something'?"

"They wouldn't be here otherwise.", Brooks opined. "Their leader, Nagaz, is an orc. Which I wouldn't normally have much trouble with - an orc is better than some piece of lordaeron trash. But he's the bad kind, from the Stormreaver clan. And you know what it means."
It meant, Nagaz has gleefully followed the most infamous warlock in the world, to such madness that even the Old Horde considered it too much. History books all agreed that the civil war between Gul'dan - and his Stormreavers - and the rest of the orcs was one of the main reasons the orcs lost, and by extension - Alterac did. No wonder she was sour.

"The remnant of the Old Horde.", you muttered. "Nobody told him he lost."
That sounded awfully familiar. Nagaz and the alteraci were far more alike than they were different, and perhaps far more alike than they were willing to admit. You raised your head and inquired further:
"But Church is from here, isn't he?", you lied. "Isn't he doing his patriotic duty?"
"All humans look and sound the same to you.", the woman scoffed. "He's not from here. He sounds like he's from Stormwind, but I don't know for sure. A lot of the Wake are foreigners."
"Which you natutally think is suspicious.", you guessed.
"No, I don't. The Argus Wake didn't originate here. They used to be really spread out, I've been told, so naturally when they've made an alliance with us and came here, there would be all sorts of foreigners and monsters. Many of them are orcs - Stormreavers, and others too. That's not suspicious, that's expected."
She stayed on that thought for a moment.
"I'd prefer if they were our people. But Church and his ilk didn't do wrong by us yet. I pray it stays that way, we've done good things together. Falconcrest might have made quite the gamble, but so far..."
She didn't bother finishing the thought.

"But that's just my opinion. If you want to hear about Church from someone who had more dealings with him, for your sake I hope you can bring back the dead."
You blinked, and asked the question you've already suspected the answer to.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that you'd have to ask Jarad about it."
"Who's Jarad?"
"Right.", Brooks muttered after a moment of visible confusion. "You've not been told. Jarad is the one who came before you. Everyone knew that him and Church were pretty close - I think they might have even been friends from before. And before you ask - no, I can't tell you that much about Jarad beyond the things everyone here knows. You'd have to ask the dead on that subject too."
"Because they died in the same ritual.", you've made an educated guess.
"Because of that. You could ask sir Mercer, or his grace, I suppose. But...", for a moment, she was silent, before changing in tone. "But we were talking about Church, weren't we? It's not much of a talk, if all you do is ask questions, and I answer you with trivia. Tell me what you think."

>I'm inclined to agree with her. Church is an arrogant blowhard, and I harbor some mild dislike of him.
>Strong dislike. I won't be forgetting that I was treated like an animal down in that basement.
>He's fine. A human.
>I quite like him, actually. You'd have to be a warlock to understand, but he's not the worst.
>No opinion. I've just not had much of a meaningful interaction with him.
>Insist on the subject of Jarad. Something is there.

>>4897907
>>I'm inclined to agree with her - Church is an arrogant blowhard. But I get the impression he's not nearly the worst in the Wake, at least he's just a dick. I don't even think he likes any of those clowns.

I figure it's useful for us to distance ourselves from the Wake with Sherman, making clear we dislike them too, and also given our vague 'somrthings off bout that boy' vibes we got from Church launch some baseless implications he's not a fan either.

>>4897907

Supporting >>4898547

I agree, if some warlock gives us shit about it after somehow hearing about it we can play it off as us just playing an uncertain newly inducted member who isn't yet sure she likes the Wake. We aren't the Wake's mouthpiece, it'd be best to mirror whatever sentiment our hosts already have of the Wake, makes us more likable probably.

>>4897907
>>He's fine. A human.

Rolled 1, 5, 5, 1 = 12 (4d6)

"I think there are far worse humans around than Church.", you answered a moment of thinking later. "Yours is the truth - he is a blowhard. And he's arrogant. And he's rude. And he's unfunny - which just might be the worst of his crimes. But - and you have my permission to disagree - he's far from the worst the Argus Wake has to offer."
Brooks raised her eyebrow.
"He is?", she questioned.
"By the warlock standards, he's tolerable.", you confirmed with a brief nod. "You could be dealing with a blood-crazed cultist, or an ambitious madman, who openly talks about his intentions of sacrificing everyone around him for power. There could be a lot of potential for downright dangerous behaviours. Fel has a tendency to give a push to those, who are already unbalanced."
"Not you, though."
Was that a smirk you were seeing? What exactly was she implying here?
"I'm as sane as anyone I know.", you scoffed in response. "I may have my quirks, but these are the same quirks everyone has. I don't allow corruptive powers influence my judgement. By the sun's graces, corporal, I'm not some back alley conjurer. I've been formally trained."
"Right.", the woman smiled briefly and shook her head. You didn't like her tone one bit.
You puffed your lips, and sat there for a moment. Then, you found yourself.

"So, yes. I have no doubt that the Argus Wake houses far worse people. In fact, I think he's aware of it. I think Church distrusts his ilk the same way you and I do."
Where were you going with this? You weren't quite certain yourself. Were you prodding Brooks further, to see if she also thinks Godfrey is treacherous? Or did you whole-heartedly believe it yourself now, and wanted her to think the same way? If it ever comes to a violent divide between different factions in Alterac, it would be quite beneficial to have both Brooks and Church prepared to be on the same side.

(Twilight +2. The Nail activates for social sabotage.)

"He distrusts them?", you saw corporal Sherman blink. What you've just said came as a surprise to her. "Did he tell you that?"
"No.", you admitted. "It's something I've gathered from looking at how he speaks of the others, how he treats them, and how he treats me, an outsider. Perhaps, "distrusts" is a strong word. "Dislikes" would be more appropriate - but in a situation like this, I believe those end up the same."
"Church dislikes the Argus Wake.", Brooks muttered under her nose, no longer speaking to you. Through her eyes, you could almost see the sparks inside her skull flaring, dots being connected. You spoke your words with such conviction in them, that even if she somehow ended up not believing you, she believed that you believed in what you've said.

"How do you know all these things?", she raised her head, throwing a look at you.
"Nobody told me.", you repeated. "I've made a conclusion, and I think it's the right one."
"No.", the woman shook her head. "To my knowledge, you've only met Church once, and you talked rather briefly. After that, he left, and never returned to the town."
She tapped the surface of the table with her fingertips, deep in thought.
"I was looking for you yesterday evening, and couldn't find you. Is that what you were doing? Having a secret meeting?"

That's right, she doesn't know you're initiated. The bloodstone amulet is in your pocket, not on your neck. The memories resurface in your head, and they come like a flood. The dozens of eyes looking at you, the hierophant and his speech, the Shadow Council's true agenda. And the agonized screams of that man, killed by your hand.

>That's right, I've met Church again. We talked privately about the Argus Wake, and other matters.
>I've met the Argus Wake, Church amongst them. The details of the meeting are secret. I hope she understands.
>I've met the Wake, and was initiated, with a rather cold reception. I've talked to Church, mostly about personal and political matters. In short, it was mostly a dull affair.
>I was initiated into the Wake, and they're quite an awful bunch. Church is the only one who seems even half-decent.
>I was initiated into the Wake. It involved killing a man. I'm not even sure if he was an enemy or not.
>Listen. There's something about the Wake's true agenda that you should know...
>Things happened. I'm not comfortable discussing them.
>You're mistaken. Church and I talked quietly for a minute, if you remember - that's when I've learnt all of this.
>Where I've been, and what I've been doing, is none of her business.

>>4899548
And yes, I'm aware that Twilight is only 1. That was a typo, the final result is +3.

>>4899548
I somehow feel this may be an important choice for later.

I don't think telling her the truth is the best idea unless she can keep a secret, open conflict between the Wake and the Syndicate would only weaken Alterac as a whole, at least before Alterac recovers enough to stand on its own. That, and even if the Duke upon hearing doesn't believe it and no conflict ensues, word could still get back to the Shadow Council, which would fuck us. Regardless, I'm tempted to be honest with our maybe-kinda-sorta new friend.

From what Sherman said, even though she and/or the Syndicate are suspicious of the Wake they are firm allies, so there is probably no need to hide that we are initiated and can be counted on as an official representative, though hopefully if they have a falling out us distancing ourselves from them lets us keep some trust.

>I've met the Wake, and was initiated, with a rather cold reception. I've talked to Church, mostly about personal and political matters. In short, it was mostly a dull affair.

Lets not reveal we killed a man unquestioningly or say something that may lead Sherman to ask for too many details, if we say it is secret or that they're awful she isn't obliged to not insist on knowing more anyways and our silence would be damning. So lets say it was dull and if she asks we can reveal inconsequential details of our conversations with Church.

>>4899548
>>I've met the Wake, and was initiated, with a rather cold reception. I've talked to Church, mostly about personal and political matters. In short, it was mostly a dull affair.

Agree with >>4900155 completely, no need to go all open heart, even with our new best friend. We'll build up to it!

File: 1380488550074.gif (6 KB, 200x200)

6 KB GIF

Catching up with this quest right now. I just want to say how much I've been enjoying it. Keep up the good work, QM.

>>4901368
Same here!

>>4900155
Support!

Dead again?

"If you've not found me, it's because I was unexpectedly dragged out from my room by a magical spell.", you answered, and then sent another spoonful of porridge into your mouth.
You've used this strategic pause to take a look at the corporal's face - she was surprised to hear your words, but not shocked. Intrigued, more like - and impatient for you to continue.
"By the Wake?", she asked, leaning in slightly. "Or by... your people?"
"Corporal, if my people were to take me from my bed, they almost definitely would not place me back there again.", your face contorted in a grimace of unfeigned dismay. "No, it was the Wake. I was initiated into the inner circle."

As a proof of your words, you fished out the amulet encrusted with bloodstone out of your pocket - and let it dangle from your fingers, as you held it over the table. Brooks inspected it - but not thoroughly so. She was familiar with this thing.
"Jarad wore one too.", she noted off-handedly.
"Then master Jarad must have been very good at his craft, or very loyal to the cause.", you answered without much thinking. "This is an item of power with many uses. Communication being likely the most important one, as far as my..."
You hesitated for a moment.
"...superiors are concerned. But in any case, the reception was rather cold. Church told me that most of the Wake considers me an upjumped nobody, and maybe even a spy as well. It will take some time for me to integrate into the organization, and prove how indispensible I am."
Your eyes laid on her fce, and you let a meaningful pause hang in the air, before you said what you've both thought out loud.
"...so it's not that different from my situation here."

"Sir Egmund will come around."
A clumsy lie. She knew she was lying, and she knew you knew. This was an attempt to make you feel better, slightly more at home, nothing more.
"Maybe.", you weren't in the mood to argue.
There was a silence between you for a time - significantly more awkward and tense than before.

"Other than that, it was mostly a dull affair.", you then finished your recollection of the yesterday's events. "Meeting people, shaking hands. People told me how glad they are to have a sunhawk with them, but it was as if they've made an effort to show they don't mean it."
It's not even as if you were lying through your teeth. This was basically the truth.
"And Church?"
"Like I've mentioned, he was better. A little bit more earnest, more... Direct, believe me or not. We talked about many things, but nothing concrete. I strongly suspect that this is not the last time we'll meet."
"And that's it?"
It was almost as if she was not getting something she wanted from you. She was prodding you, and for a reason.

"What were you expecting? That we would be sacrificing goats? Begin our meeting with a prayer to everything dark and evil?"
"Yes.", the answer came fast, and it took you a little bit off guard. "At least, something of the sort. The way you're describing it, it was almost like a gala. Rumor-mongering and two-faced schemes, over wine and cheese."
Oh.
"That's because it mostly was.", you answered with a shrug of your shoulders. "Although there was no wine, or cheese, or any food at all. We, warlocks, are just mages who aren't allowed to build towers and mingle with the polite society. And mages, even those who are not nobility, often ape it. I'm actually surprised we didn't hold our meeting in a ballroom."
You paused for a moment, just enough for you to swallow the last portion of the bland human food, before you added.
"That's how I would hold it. Light, music, catering. We're not in hiding from anyone, why act like it?"

The woman nodded slowly - she appeared to understand your point, although she did not have anything to add.

Interestingly, that impatient spark faded from the corporal's eyes. She must have asked the question she wanted to already - what was bothering her has been, where did you disappear that evening? And that part, you handled beautifully. Splendid lies. Whatever were your goals there with Church, you seem to have achieved them too.
You felt a touch more confident, as this talk went better than it had any right to. The floor was yours again. Develop this conversation.

>I'm a part of an inner circle now. Is she a part of the inner circle?
>It can't possibly be that she doesn't know Jarad at all. It's not a big town.
>She appears to think that Mercer's opinion of me matters a lot. Why?
>Turn the conversation to the subject of the duke and others. Maybe say something along the lines of "At least they appear glad to have me", and see what she says.
>We're best friends now, and I still barely know a thing about her. What's her story, what's her endgame?
>[Write-in]

>>4904973
No, I was just regrettably too tired yesterday to write a post. This quest will live as long as there's so much as three people playing.

>>4901368
>>4903317
Glad to have you, will be even more glad to see you take a more active role.

>>4905089
>We're best friends now, and I still barely know a thing about her. What's her story, what's her endgame?

We may as well get to know our new best friend. Not that having a best friend is saying much considering we don't really have any other friends.

As for the other prompts, I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that she isn't a part of the inner circle, because while it was noted in the interrogation scene that she seemed to hold some authority, I doubt she controls entire institutions or holds major responsibilities beyond what her apparent rank would demand. A real life corporal would command a section, squad, or fire team depending on country, so there is no inconsistency in her seeming to hold authority over a small group of soldiers.

If she doesn't want to talk about Jarad, I feel like respecting that and not pushing for now, we can ask her again once our feelings of friendship have cemented further or once we fail to find information about Jarad from Mercer or the Duke.

Mercer seems in charge of the soldiers, his importance is self-evident, plus he seems to be a knight.

I'd want to get her feelings on the Duke and other next, but I wanna know more about her first.

>>4905095
I'm glad to hear it, most don't have that kind of dedication to slog through starting a new quest with low voter counts in the current state of the board, but it is the only way to get a new quest off the ground other than luck or being an established QM. I hope you aren't burning out.

>>4905332
I agree for the most part, but I think she's hiding something about Mercer. At least, there seems to be more than meets the eye there. I get the feeling that she mentioned him way too often to just be the guy in charge of the soldiers. I don't know though, I'm going off of a hunch here.

That being said, I assume that we have to choose just one as always, so unless other anons have something to chime in with or combining is allowed, I'll put in my vote for your choice.

Been following along since the very beginning by the way, I'm just very busy with changing jobs and some personal stuff at the moment. That, and I'm a dirty phone poster on this board, so I tend to write much shorter responses. Pretty sure this is a new record, actually.

One more thing: I'm enjoying the hell out of your dedication to this quest, anon. Great contributions. If you have any of those special fate points left, I think this might be a good time to use 'em. It's obviously your call, though.

>>4905089
>>Turn the conversation to the subject of the duke and others. Maybe say something along the lines of "At least they appear glad to have me", and see what she says.

>>4906400
I'd have to go over every conversation with Sherman or look for anytime Mercer is mentioned or is in a scene to see if he is more than meets the eye, but from what limited information we have I don't think there is anything unusual about him. The one thing that I would speculate is that I think he probably has some sort of past with warlocks or the Argus Wake, because I don't think he is just vaguely prejudiced against warlocks and foreigners. (well he is probably that too) Either that or he secretly is one and that is why he is interested in the belongings of Jarad. Considering Church was pretty tight with Jarad, I'm kinda surprised Church didn't just break into Mercers office and take his grimoire and say "fuck you and the horse you rode in on" when Mercer confronts him on it, or you know...steal it...stealthily.

There have been a few times where the QM has taken more than one option or combined them, but I think he prefers us to pick one so he can write a post that flows naturally and doesn't cram a bunch of questions one after another in a sort of "video game dialogue" sort of way. Not that I have any hidden insight into QM's thoughts. We can just ask further questions sequentially.

I hope your job switch and personal stuff goes well. If it wasn't obvious I'm not working right now which is why I sometimes reply minutes after the QM finishes a story post, otherwise I'd probably be doing QC in a lab somewhere.

Thanks for the compliment anon, I appreciate it. I try to act how I wish other anons would act if I were QMing a quest, contributing discussion, explaining my reasoning for choices, etc. I just wish the other couple of dedicated anons from the first thread were around so things wouldn't be so damn slow and I wouldn't have to worry about the QM getting fed up with the lack of voters. Though I understand people have shit to do and some people lose interest, etc, etc.

I have 1 special FP left, but we recovered 3 normal ones when we slept and upgraded, so we have plenty. I doubt any of these require a roll except maybe to press about Jarad.

>>4905089
All right, I'm all caught up now.

>We're best friends now, and I still barely know a thing about her. What's her story, what's her endgame?

"What about you?", you raised your head.
"Me?", the corporal was somewhat surprised by your question.
"I've asked you about all manners of people, except for yourself.", you clarified then.
You leaned back a little bit to meet the back of your chair, only to quickly remember that you're sitting on a bench.
"I've spoken about myself, and what I think, and what I want quite a lot - maybe even too much. But what of you? Where do you come from? What do you want?"
Brooks shrugged her shoulders. Her tone and her expression betrayed that she was not uncomfortable speaking on the subject.

"I was born a year after the war was over.", Sherman spoke, her eyes drifting away from you and somewhere to the right, to the empty space by your shoulder. "Alterac was already no more by that time, much of the kingdom laid in ruins, and the vultures at the Alliance were deciding what to do with what little remained."
That made her around twenty three, you've thought to yourself, meaning you were five years off in your estimates. Human aging was never quite clear to you.
"I was born exactly there - in what little remained, a little village to the south that no longer exists. My mother was a farmhand and a washerwoman at different times. I never knew my father, but he was probably some passing soldier from one side or another. Mother never talked about him."
There were several explanation for this uncertainty. You've settled both on believing in the most charitable interpretation, and never inquiring further on the matter. Meanwhile, the story continued.
"But it's not as if I didn't have a father. I was lucky to be looked out for."
"By father Delvin?", you asked.
The way her eyebrows moved alone confirmed your suspicions, without the need for her to speak a word.
"Did you talk to him about me?", she puffed her cheeks as if it would be a terrible thing, if you had.
"No, it's just something I picked up on.", you waved her hand. She seemed to believe you, and immediately, the tension was defused.

"Yes, it was father Delvin. He was a much different man then, full of...", she gestured, not quite sure what to say.
"Energy?"
"Life.", she settled. "He was very alive, has always been. From the way he told his stories, it seemed that he was everywhere in his life, and did everything too. He was in the war."
Somehow, this last bit seemed the most important to her.

"Everything important in my life, I've learnt from father Delvin. He taught me how to read and write..."
A shamefully uncommon skill amongst the humankind.
"...how to tell good from bad, why I should be proud in my country, even how to swing a sword. Said that times are too dangerous without the king's protection - that nobody is safe anymore. Mother didn't like it - none of it. Not even reading."
"Why wouldn't a mother want her child to know how to read?", you raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"She used to say that we're common, and should know our station. Keep our head above the water, but just that. She said that learning all those things would only make me proud, and want more from life than it would give me. And learning swordplay would get me killed, not keep me safe."
There was a particular comment you knew she wanted from you, and you indulged her.
"It doesn't seem like you grew up the way your mother would want you to."
"No, I don't suppose I did.", she smiled faintly.

"And how did you end up here?", you prodded further. "Did father Delvin guide you to the Syndicate too?"
"No, that was... The other way around. But it's not as if I just joined one day either.", the corporal pushed herself away from the table. Her smile became a touch wider, as she was remembering something pleasant. "Our village was poor, but we saw trade. From Lordaeron, Stromgarde, even Gilneas at first - before they walled themselves off."
"I wager, Allliance's terms of trade were entirely fair and even-handed?"
"They weren't, but that's not the point. One day, a man from Stromgarde was passing by. A fat man, with a balding head and huge pouch of gold on his belt. He drank far more wine than he should have, and he started talking. Loudly, about politics."
For some reason, at that part you felt like you should get offended.
"He talked about how we're all bad people. How we're a nation of traitors, just like the king. How the Alliance was too kind, how they should have just placed us in camps the same way they did to orcs."
"And you didn't take it well."
"Nobody did, but there wasn't much we could do. He had two bodyguards with him, and those weren't drinking. And even if we had beaten him right there, the Alliance would come down on us hard. People would hang."

Even as she spoke of this utter humiliation, Brooks' smile could not be wider and dumber. The story was just beginning.
"He insulted us all, he insulted the king, and all the while he was robbing us blind. Still, there was nothing we could do right then and there.", she shook her head. "But after he left... That was another deal. I've talked to some village boys who all thought the same way I did. That man was the enemy, and we had to fight him. We were his majesty's soldiers. Soldiers need uniform, so we've cut up the flag that father Delvin had hidden away, and fashioned ourselves some masks."
Something in your soul cringed from treating one's nation's flag in such a way, but perhaps, it was excusable, given the circumstances.
"And then we followed him on the road, and attacked him there. We've had clubs, knives, slings, even an axe. We weren't trained - but we had the numbers, and the surprise advantage. The fat bastard and his goons didn't know what hit them."
"You killed them?"
"We wanted to teach them a lesson. Murder wasn't something we planned. But things happen in combat.", she shrugged. "They died. None of us felt bad. It was better this way - if we let them go, they'd tell. Masks wouldn't save us. It would be obvious who's to blame."
"Was there no relaliation?"
"Some men came soon.", the corporal shrugged once more. "They sniffed around. They probably suspected what happened, but couldn't prove it. It could be anyone - orcs, trolls, gnolls... Alterac was a dangerous place. Alliance made sure of it."

This was all very enlightening, of course, and very vivid, but something has been bothering you for the last few seconds...
"Orange masks.", you remembered suddenly. "Do not tell me you've started the Syndicate."
"I won't, because I didn't. Wearing a mask was invented long before us, and an orange mask is just a given. We became a gang eventually, yes, but small time compared to some of the bigger fish. We've just had about seven people. Five, eventually. And then, came lord Dryden. The father, not the son. Lord Dryden, and sir Mercer with him, and their people. He said that he's heard of us, and he thinks we're great patriots. That he had people just like us with him, but there were even more out there. That was lord Aliden's new army, the Syndicate."
"So you joined."
"I did, and I never regretted it since. Taking revenge on the crooks and vultures is nice, but I much prefer the life of a soldier to the life of a highwaywoman. Highwaymen don't retake cities, or restore kingdoms, or protect borders."

The story seemed to have come to an end - any further details would likely come later, if there were any. Meanwhile, something was bubbling inside you. It was an opinion.

>[Write-in]

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>>4907698
I have to go do some yard work soon, so I don't have time for a full reply yet. However, we should keep in mind the opinions already expressed by our character in the first thread, we didn't exactly have high praise for Alterac or the king.

>"If you asked what I thought of you during your days as a brigand, I'd have called you just that, a common thief and bandit. But, you did well, choosing a higher calling. People may call the Syndicate a loose organization of robber-barons, warlords, and common criminals, and for all I know there is some truth to that; it wouldn't be unusual for local strongmen to coerce the smallfolk into handing them their grain, linen, and hard-earned coin for 'protection' in these insecure times, or to put their own individual visions for a united Alterac over the collective desires of their subjects. BUT it seems clear to me that the Syndicate is working towards uniting Alterac, securing the roads, borders, institutions, all things necessary to qualify as a working nation-state. Yes, the lines may blur between what is a legitimate tax and what is simply stolen wealth enforced by sword-point, especially when people are so poor and insecure, clearly there is coercion and perhaps what laws exist may be enforced less consistently than they were in times before or perhaps twice over by two different lord competing over who owns what land. These anxieties over whether the Syndicate are merely criminals or rightful government doesn't change the fact that you seem to be working towards a brighter future, the only one it has. This, in my mind is what differentiates you from a common gang member, the work towards greater purpose for the good of Alterac, its restoration, it's what legitimizes those 'taxes'."

Sorry for the block of text or redundant sentences, I dunno how to edit this before I gotta go.

I thought of asking about her mother or father Delvin or making a comment to the effect of 'if you were an elf, you'd be sixty-something' and remarking our confusion at her young age for her apparent maturity or something to spread out our opinions to cover everything she said rather than the last bits, but nothing is coming to me.

Anyways, I gotta run.

>>4907698
>"What an enlightening story. You did not strike me as a hooligan, though I will not admonish you for your apparent delinquency. It seems that you've become a fine patriot despite your disadvantaged background - much like myself, not so long ago. Tell me, where do you intend to go from here? Surely you don't dream of serving your nation as a 'corporal' forever..."

Part flattery, part genuine respect. Keep the conversation about her. It would help to have someone watching our back, and "Lynestra" honestly seems unhealthily lonely. Also, try to see if she has any ambitions or wants that happen to align with our own.

>>4907698

I'll switch to...>>4907820

It's much more elegant. Though perhaps make it clear that when we compare ourselves we aren't saying that we were from a disadvantaged background as well. If you feel it fits maybe you can mix in bits of my write-in as well or just leave this one as is, wouldn't want to spoil its brevity.

Oh god, they made the CAPTCHA even worse today.

>>4907782
Seems my IP changed, for once. I dunno why. This is me, M8sCCFo+/

>>4907698
Backing >>4907820 too, Lynestra being a snobby elf but still impressed by Best Friend is good.

No post today.

Rolled 6, 4, 5, 4 = 19 (4d6)

Often, it's not about the message, but about how it's said.

(Dazzle +0, Bondweaver +2)

"What an enlightening tale.", you've spoken mostly earnestly. "You didn't strike me as a hooligan."
"What is that supposed to mean?", Brooks furrowed her eyebrows. She did not like your tone, but that was fine. You could still save this.
"Don't misunderstand me - I'm not... admonishing you.", you raised your hand. "I'm just saying, that the image of you as a brigand has never occurred to me before. You seem quite disciplined, very rule-abiding, devoted to the cause. If everyone in the Syndicate has undergone this transformation, I don't think the day of the kingdom's restoration is far off."
The woman looked at you for a moment or two, squinting her eyes.
"You're buttering me up.", she finally stated.
"I am.", you admitted freely. "But that doesn't make the things I've just spoken any less true. You've just said it yourself - highwaymen do not concern themselves with everything you seem to. In this ignoble time, you seem to have quite a noble purpose. It's a credit to you, considering your... Disadvantaged position."

"You're making a lot of confident statements."
She didn't mean it. She liked hearing those words from your mouth, and this right now was a transparent attempt to fish more out of you.
"Corporal, I like to think that my true skill is not summoning demons or conjuring fire, but knowing people - which are noble, and which are wicked. And when it comes to you, well..."
You sat on your bench a little bit more comfortably.
"...the line between a toll and extortion is always somewhat blurred - especially so here - but be earnest with me, do you view what you do as stealing? Do you call it "loot" when you return to this town? Do you hide away some of it in your pockets, knowing there's no way the duke will know the difference? Or - and I'm just making a shot in the dark - you collect taxes for your liege lord, live on your wages and hope the rightful king ascends to the throne, so everyone else will finally recognize the legitimacy of your duties?"
"Do you recognize it?", corporal expertly turned it on you.
"When it comes to you - yes, because you're an idealist and a patriot. You approach the matter the right way.", you shrugged without thinking. "With the Syndicate at large, I've not seen enough of it to make a confident statement."

"Tell me something, however.", you changed the subject as soon as you've felt she was satisfied. "What do you plan to do after?"
"After breakfast?", the corporal blinked.
"After the restoration of Alterac. When the rightful king comes, the enemies of the kingdom are driven back, and you can rest easy. Don't tell me you plan to remain a corporal forever."
The woman smirked a little. She thought she knew what you're getting at.
"You're trying to make me some manner of an offer? 'Stick with me, corporal, and we will accomplish great things together?'".
You're not quite sure if she managed to get the impression correctly. You've once read that the voice you hear is quite different from the one heard by others - but you liked to think you don't sound quite that arrogant and snobbish.
"No.", you shook your head lightly. "I just want to know what you want in life. But if you want to accomplish great things together, I'll see what I can do."
"I want a knighthood.", the response came so quickly, it had to be earnest.
"A knighthood."
"Yes, with all the trappings - horses, squires, a coat of arms. With a dragon on it."
"A dragon.", you echoed again.
"And an eagle.", she added quickly. "And if things go really well, I also want a lordship. A town of my own, like this one - maybe smaller. And coin, for all manner of imported things."
"Would you like a crown as well?", you could barely contain a smile.

The woman fell silent. You weren't sure if she was joking, or if she was actually seriously considering the possibility.
"No, I don't think so. I'm not against responsibility, but there's such a thing as too much of it."
You inhaled, but didn't manage to quite think of a response for a moment.
"Well...", you finally nodded. "I'm glad that your appetites are reasonable. I'll... See if there's something I can do about it."

The woman's face soured. Not immediately and suddenly - slowly, after some significant thought. It was not something you've said. She fell silent - and it stood between you for such a long time, that you could not do anything but address it.
"Is it something I've said?", you've asked still, just in case.
"No.", Sherman shook her head quickly. "No, it's nothing. Don't dwell on it."

>I shouldn't pry. It's impolite, and I might cross a line.
>If I don't ask, I might regret it a thousand times more.

>>4911063
Finally, a good roll!

>If I don't ask, I might regret it a thousand times more.

I've previously urged discretion and politeness by not prying, but we just came off a good roll, I think we have enough trust to try and push boundaries just a little just this once. If there is another roll then we can always use a fate point for a +2.

Also I appreciate the light addition of the spirit of my write-in in the first post as well.

I couldn't help but smile a little at hearing our new best friend's ambitions.

>>4911063
>If I don't ask, I might regret it a thousand times more.

>>4911073
Even if we flub this now, we still have a lead to follow later.

>>4911063
>>I shouldn't pry. It's impolite, and I might cross a line.

obligatory complaint about the new captcha.

Rolled 5, 2, 6, 1 = 14 (4d6)

You've considered your options for a moment. You didn't know the corporal that well - and so, it would be very expected if she snapped back at you for being nosey. However, this had to be something interesting. And after this, who knows if you'll ever have the opportunity to find out what it was all about? She could well forget, or pretend to forget. She would say that it's inappropriate to bring it up weeks or months after it happened. She'd say it's none of your business.
But right now... Things were going very well for you. You had to grab the moment by its throat.

"Corporal, I've been around people enough to know that when people speak words like 'It's nothing', it is rarely nothing. In fact, I've never found it to be nothing."
Your eyes met. You're almost there, you just need to give her a little push. Continue the line of thinking that you know is not true.
"So if I slighted you somehow..."

The woman exhaled deeply, and shook her head in surrender. This was it.
"It's not that at all. I was just going to ask you, what you want to do after. But I realized then, it's a stupid question. Stupid and inappropriate."

This wasn't a lie. Not something she just came up with to deflect the question - you could see tell from the movement of her eyes, from the way her face moved, from the tone of her voice. Everything about it was genuine.
What just soiled her mood wasn't the notion of her ambitions being impossible, nor some hidden, yet uncovered by you, mystery that was eating at her from the inside. It was as simple as realizing that although she will have her home, you won't.

Really, what will you have when it's all over? Think about it, sunhawk. You're not in a hurry.

>She's wrong. I will have my home back. This is all just the beginning - with the scepter and the tome, I'll have the power. I'll have political capital. They'll beg me to come back. They'll give me a seat in the government. And a statue.
>I'll have coin. With enough coin, you can go anywhere you want, be anyone you want. I'll buy myself a house on a beach somewhere, and I'll live the rest of my life in luxury.
>Alterac is as fine place as any. If I can build this all up somehow, rid it of Nagaz and his ilk, I could make something beautiful.
>Power and coin is good, but there's more to life than that. They won't make me feel whole. I just want to be loved.
>The Argus Wake knows my desire. With the Legion's coming, my ambitions will finally be realized.
>I don't want to think about it all. My mood is now soiled too. Why did she have to bring this up?

So, for once I will refrain from voting entirely just yet, because I think that if anons have the time, this should be discussed at least a bit, I don't know if we can manage that with how few voters we have and with how often (not often) people seem to check up on this thread but it'd be worth discussing what our long term motivation is.

I'll start by saying that I'll split my thoughts into two threads, one being what I think is there natively in the character of "Lynestra" and the other being what I personally would rather see.

Having just briefly reread most of the 1st thread I'd say the moments that give the most insight into Lynestra are our first chat with Sherman, our talks with the Duke and his council where we revealed some things about ourselves, our inner monologue when Nagaz asked if we were a sunhawk and our discussions with Sherman in general, both in this thread and the previous.

I think that while Lynestra is obviously a fanatical sunhawk, a true royalist, a patriot, someone who loves her home and its beauty, and her people, it is actually, surprisingly up in the air of whether she would want to return home. You could argue she is too attached to Thalassian culture, her home and her people, but really, unless we decide to follow the path of revenge become power-mad the sunhawk's cause is dead and her talk with the Duke's council reveals how foreign and isolated she felt in Quel'thalas following her return home, so you could argue either way whether we would want to return home as "hero".

The moment when Nagaz asks if we are a sunhawk, plus many other individual lines reveal how lonely and isolated we are, so that is another major point of characterization to keep in mind.

I think the biggest argument for wanting to return home, powerful and mighty is simply our attachment to our people and the hypothetical possibility of Lynestra wanting to dictate Quel'thalas's policy and shape society in her own image, no doubt heavily influenced by her beliefs in the sunhawk cause and what she feels was wrong with society when she returned home.

The arguments for just wanting to be loved is in my mind very compelling but simple, we're lonely as fuck and I think it was directly stated that we've never had a real friend, ever, except for some kids we played with when we were young that we barely know. This is my preferred choice.

Wanting to be rich and in luxury is a good and obvious motivation, we've been dealt a hard lot in life, our ancestral home destroyed, our reputation in tatters, we are poor and crippled, it'd be nice to live in luxury for once. However, as we grow successful we are likely to grower wealthier anyways or have easy access to opportunities, so I dunno about this one.

Obviously, it seems most of this quest is going to revolve around Alterac except for when we fuck off to go find the artifacts, so wanting to build something historic is a good motivation, but I dunno if it is personal enough to be our driving force.
1/2

However, I'd be fine with having building up Alterac as secondary motivation accompanying something else. I could see it going well with any other motivation. Building up Alterac could go hand in hand with us having our own fief or as secondary motivation to finding love, after all, love is great and all but some people want to DO something in their lives and be responsible for great achievements in addition to being surrounded by friends and family. Or we could try and influence Alterac to be friendly to Quel'thalas, thus having a political motivation and a desire to create a more secure Lordaeron for the both of our peoples, plus it'd make a great ticket to returning home as a hero, unmolested by the "Spire".

As for the going full "evil warlock" and trying to become an immortal conquerer...well I'm not in favour of it and I don't think it fits with our character so far, but I'd be fine with it if we suffered some major loss or setback that occured organically over the course of the quest, something that pisses off Lynestra and players so much that they just say "fuck it" and go full whackjob, then I'd be okay with going fuck evil. It'd have to happen organically though.

I will say that I don't think stealing the staff, or stealing the scepter from whoever steals the scepter from the elves will endear us to our people, even if we have the leverage to coerce them into doing what we want by being so powerful that they have to obey us as Queen or die, that just doesn't seem ideal, I doubt we want our people to hate us or to fear for our life every time we pass by one of our kind.

Don't get me wrong, our character obviously has an attachment to her people and land, I'm not saying we should ignore it or not try to find a way back into the good graces of our people, in fact I think it is central to our character that we do, our backstory should mean something. I'm just saying I don't think the way back home is by using coercion or by having leverage over them via being super powerful. Though, I still want those artifacts, I just think we ought to find a way to do something good for our people as a ticket back home.

In summary to me our potential motivation are our backstory threads, split between our arguably unfinished business with The Sunfury Spire and those responsible for Kael'thas's death, and our general patriotic feelings towards our people, maybe any political disagreements with the way Quel'thalas is heading in regards to being a member of the Horde being a distant third thread in that branch. The other major three motivations I see are our loneliness and isolation, our desire for luxury after being screwed for so long, and the general desire to achieve great and historic things that anyone would have, or in another word; ambition.

Again, I prefer the "wanting to be loved" choice, as it feels the most personal to me and probably most deeply rooted as it has festered for a long time and hasn't had any outlet for a very long time. 2/2

Just to be clear, these are not all motivations the unnamed protagonist could potentially have. This is a very open ended post.

Sure, I assume write-in was always an option even if it wasn't listed. I just tend to use the prompts as a jumping off point for my thoughts or discussion, since it is easier.

I often don't go in a whole new direction with write-ins unless I don't see an option that fits with what I want represented among the prompts QMs propose.

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>>4913526
>>4913542
Honestly, I don't see the "megalomaniacal warlock" thing happening even if we experience some sort of personal tragedy unless memers vote for it. Lynestra already did something downright evil during the quest without becoming a mustache-twirling maniac, she is fairly grounded.

I agree that our long-term goal should be to find love, or at least form some meaningful bonds, given what I've seen of the quest so far. Lynestra's loneliness seems to influence her behavior in a way that isn't healthy, and I'd like to think that her low Dazzle is indicative of some sort of social ineptitude. She spits at people to convey anger, and her attempts at expressing her robust emotions come across as opinionated fangirling to listeners. We also seem to be in a position to get filthy rich, though that should be more of a benefit that we look out for while we're here than a priority since Lynestra seems comfortable with living an austere life.

If we're still feeling like nostalgic patriots, we could try taking on some proteges to form our own "Sunhawks" in Alterac, and try to restore at least some honor to the name with our deeds. It's true that the fight is over, but that doesn't mean that we have to let the flame die out. It would go hand-in-hand with helping out here, and it might help Lynestra cope with being the last one (or at least the last one that she knows of). This is a suggestion, though.

As for things of secondary importance, we should probably get our leg looked by a real healer soon since we're not on the run right now and we have at least some influence backing us. Hopefully it's something that can be remedied. The cane is swanky and all, but hobbling around isn't going to cut it if we're not going to be an isolated murderhobo anymore. I don't know why memers voted for a crippled protag but hey.

Regarding our involvement with the Wake (or really, the Shadow Council), an exit strategy would be worth considering, or at the very least, we should try not to get too involved. Aligning ourselves with them is useful, but they'll probably keep asking more of us if we prove useful to them, and I don't see a grand betrayal panning out at the moment. Again, this is a suggestion.

>>4913807
Funnily enough regarding the Shadow Council, I actually think we should be involved, just not really mass murdering innocents for demon rituals or anything. Church did mention that restoring the Alteraci economy is on their to-do list as they seem to want to use Alterac as a base of operations. I'm not sure, but I recall reading on the wikia that not only does the Shadow Council get fucked (WoW seems to have this odd habit of massacring its list of available interesting characters and crossing off entire buckets of factions that are necessary to keep the setting dynamic. How can you keep writing stories in the setting if you keep genociding races or killing all the factions?) but I'm pretty sure Alterac gets fucked again somewhere along the WoW storyline, that is of course if I am recalling things I read correctly.

Digressions aside, I think we ought to stick close to the Shadow Council in order to prevent them from getting their hands on the artifacts, we can prevent major disasters from happen by keeping them from doing huge rituals that blow up continents or whatever if we just keep them out of their hands, and preferably in ours. That, and we haven't extracted the value we were expecting from them yet, we haven't gotten any reagents, materials, knowledge, or property out of them yet.

I also agree with getting our leg fixed, it just doesn't make sense to stay crippled in character if we have the means available to get it fixed. Now, I understand that anons chose the crippled flaw deliberately in order to receive the benefits associated, we do get a Fate Point whenever it comes up, however upon reflection this doesn't seem worth it especially in the case of crippled, since we only get it for serious cases of it affecting us in meaningful ways it takes risking suffering a consequences of potentially serious levels in order to receive a FP, and more often than not we would be using that FP right away anyways on the roll to negate the up to -2 penalty we receive from that flaw. Crippled really fucks us not only in certain social situations, like bowing or dancing, but also fucks up our ability to retreat (this is a huge deal) and to chase, as well as the ability to generally do any acrobatic or athletic things, not to mention in narrative terms we just flat out move much slower unless using a summon to travel.

I'm fine with the sunhawk suggestion.

I agree completely with your thoughts on our long term goals and your thoughts on what our low Dazzle is representative of, I had similar thoughts.

The one thing I would add is that for returning home, instead of trying to gain political capital or coercing them into letting us back "or else" through the possession of artifacts, maybe we could try and just do a great enough heroic deed that they accept us back or through our reputation being so great among surround polities that they don't dare contradict us. I'd be down for a pseudo redemption story even if the redemption- (1/2)

>>4913807
-is sort of half-assed due to us choosing the terms of our "redemption" and the fact that no doubt along the way we will commit many more moral sins and at best will be sort of morally grey, rather than learning new lessons or being forced to repent directly to those we have harmed or something. This isn't necessary and is merely a suggestion, however I suggest this instead of the "I'll have the scepter and the tome and power, so they have to welcome me back" option just because I think it more likely for them to accept, whereas I don't see them letting us bullying them to let us back in, especially if it seems like we stole the scepter from them in the first place. I wouldn't mind a seat in the government of Quel'thalas though, but it isn't really essential, nor do I really see it as something "Lynestra" is just super enthused to do.

I'll wait maybe a day for more discussion to come in from other potential voters or any lurkers, then if my mind hasn't been changed I'll probably vote for the love prompt with the luxury and maybe the "make Alterac great again" prompts as secondary motivations.

(2/2)

Seems love seems to be popular amongst my immense player demographic, I have to clarify - do you mean adoration and respect, or romantic love, or both?

>>4913842
While all are desirable, I specifically meant love in the personal sense, romantic or platonic, it doesn't matter, but they would ideally be close personal bonds formed between friends, or lovers or what have you. I did not mean the respect or admiration of the general masses, such as those formed by crowds of the general populace towards a respected political figure or adored author or celebrity or a worshipped religious figure. Something to fill the gap in "Lynestra"'s heart given her lack of close personal ties, not the self-esteem boosting cheers of the anonymous masses.

>>4913825
>>4913840
I think that covers mostly everything that came to mind.

>>4913842
Any sort of dear relation, romantic or otherwise, I think.

>>4913451
>>Power and coin is good, but there's more to life than that. They won't make me feel whole. I just want to be loved.
To me, it's not a romantic love so much as wanting to get that old sense of being part of something again, a band of brothers. Lynestra has rose-tinted goggles about her time in the Sunhawks as the only time she actually felt valued. This kind of ties into the Make Alterac Great Again angle too - she's desperate to be a part of something again and Alterac seems like it'll do.

>>4913451
Well, we've had as much discussion as we are likely to get. I'll vote now.

>Power and coin is good, but there's more to life than that. They won't make me feel whole. I just want to be loved.

This as the primary motivation.

>I'll have coin. With enough coin, you can go anywhere you want, be anyone you want. I'll buy myself a house on a beach somewhere, and I'll live the rest of my life in luxury.
>Alterac is as fine place as any. If I can build this all up somehow, rid it of Nagaz and his ilk, I could make something beautiful.
>She's wrong. I will have my home back. This is all just the beginning - Something is brewing in the shadows. The Shadow Council is on the move, if I can intervene at a suitably heroic moment they'll welcome me back with open arms. Maybe even with a lucrative job as a "consultant" or a seat in government. Maybe even a statue.

These as secondary motivations, after all, it'd be weird for this to become a dating sim quest. I adjusted the "she's wrong, I will have my home back" prompt to my liking, but it isn't necessary if people disagree. Also, the prompt change is just the general idea, our whole ticket back home doesn't have to hinge on us intervening during a specific crisis involving the Shadow Council, more so the idea is that there is stuff stirring and we can find a way back home by doing something good.

Well, this seems like a pretty unanimous decision. The post will be in the third thread which is to follow soon (TM). I'm not dropping this quest, even despite hitting page 10 with 157 posts.

And before that happens, this is once again an appropriate time for feedback about all kinds of things - the rules, the plot, the NPCs, the protagonist, the sky is the limit.
Or you can make plans who to woo, you absolute fucking degenerates.

>>4915394
>Or you can make plans who to woo, you absolute fucking degenerates.
preferably another elf, that failing, a good ol manly man will do very much.

>>4915394
I just want to say I enjoy your writing.

That aside, I have some thoughts on the rules, as well as the pace of character progression. (as in leveling, not narrative) I said earlier that I had some thoughts on the flaws, so I'll start there. I feel as though the flaws sort of have no real purpose now aside from making our character more quirky and interesting, I also feel that they could hypothetically encourage very weird and obscure meta strategies to attempt to get a use out of them, this may take some explaining on my part to get through what I mean.

Lets go through a scenario. In this hypothetical scenario we are in the future, we have recruited allies such as Church, Sherman, other random NPCs of importance, etc, etc. We have decided to confront the Shadow Council directly, for the purposes of this scenario the artifacts such as the Scepter of Sargeras are not in play on either side. We somehow teleport ourselves plus our allies and a bunch of allied mooks into the cavern where all the Shadow Council inner circle are meeting. Lets fast forward, we have a fight, most or all of the mooks on both side die, we take some Stress and Consequences and it looks like we are losing. We decide to retreat, but our Crippled flaw inflicts a -2 penalty on our roll assuming we use Movement. (Hypothetically we could use Exertion to summon a mount or Twilight to hide behind dead bodies or fallen rocks or supply crates, but we have penalties for those too from Consequences and this is beside the point anyways) Now we gain a Fate Point, but we no longer can use it to reroll bad rolls and the +2 merely counteracts the -2 we get from the Flaw anyways, essentially rendering picking the Flaw to have been a seemingly strictly negative affair aside from Narrative purposes. We however, can do things such as deliberately do things that invoke our Flaws but have little consequence for failing the subsequent roll to build up a stock of FPs for later, more worthwhile uses of them. Unfortunately in my mind this only serves to encourage a behavior sometimes seen in players who play TTRPG's which have lots of these meta resources like FPs, in that we may be encouraged to do these weird meta strategies trying to pick up easy FPs and then saving them for a big fight. Maybe that is okay, but in my mind it is a slight problem because imho it seems to render our Flaws to be mostly negative save for when used in weird stockpiling strategies, and the utility of FPs is greatly weakened by the loss of the ability to reroll. (Though I understand why you would want to not have them anymore, as you already explained.

Next, onto some concerns I have about character progression, hopefully in less words than this bloated opinion piece.

>>4915394
I hope I can be quicker with this opinion of mine.

Basically, I just wanted to say that I think you should be careful with pacing the rate of our progression with the scope of the quest in terms of how long you intend for this quest to be in a meta sense. We seem to get a "level up" every time we rest after doing a significant amount of stuff, or after some degree of trials and challenges or what have you. So far this has happened once per thread, with significant variance between the post count in each thread.

I have no idea how long you intend to run this quest for or how much time you think it will take to get to the ending but if we continue at this rate we could be very overpowered by the standards of that chart from the Fate rulebook you posted maybe before the quest is even partway done. This may be mitigated by the fact that according to you we are actually weaker than a starting character in that system and by the fact that the Traits we obtain are situational rather than flat bonuses to our stats in their entirety and by the fact that we may not get flat "level ups" to stats every time we "level up", since the first time we leveled up we had the choice to reorganize our stats and pick a trait rather than level up a stat and pick a trait, perhaps you intend to alternate between the two or offer only the choice between a trait or a stat level up.

Or maybe you could extend the range of the chart from last thread, maybe instead of stopping at 8 it goes higher, I dunno.

Or perhaps after reaching a middle ground in terms of stats you can slow down our progression but balance that out with the option for us to gain equipment or circumstantial bonuses or extremely powerful bonuses from artifacts or something.

Perhaps this won't be a problem at all with your intended run time for this quest, who knows.

As for who to woo...I don't care, I'm fine with either sex or a person of any type, though I'm sure I'll develop my favourites, I sort of have already. I'm more bothered by the typical tg/qst meta discussion around waifus/husbandos or yuri/straight/whatever else than the actual choice of lover itself.

Finally I wanted to say I appreciate your dedication to running this quest and I am thankful that you aren't dropping it. I'll archive this thread soon, as with before.

Archived, don't forget to upvote the thread so that others know that it is good.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=The%20Last%20Sunhawk%20Quest

Related to the above, I wish we could revote for our flaws to make it more fitting.

>>4915731
I'm not terribly inclined to let you do that, but out of curiosity, what flaws would you have instead?

>>4915740
I'd replace Crippled with Offensively Elven as it fits us more. Maybe Soapbox Sadie too if others are for it.

>>4915731
I'd rather not retcon our flaws since they've already come into play. Crippled triggered when we had to bow before the Duke and Church may have had an easier time telling what we were because of our aura, though I'm not sure and we didn't get a fate point for that.

We can work towards fixing our flaws in-game and through in character actions, I like what they have done for us narratively so far, I just think that mechanically they could do with a buff.

Though, to quickly add on to the scenario I outlined above, we could use the attempt to retreat as a way to gain a bonus to a last stand or as a prelude to an assault as a deliberate ploy. Though it is kinda meta and awkward. For example, we could retreat, have Crippled triggger, use the FP to counter-attack and hopefully win. Though like I said, it is kinda weird and meta to have the full intention to run in character but out of character just use that as an excuse to get FP so we can fight better a second later. This is probably all rendered pointless however by the fact that we would likely suffer either Stress or a Consequence that would give penalties that would counteract or be worse than the bonus from the fate point anyways, assuming we failed the roll to retreat. So, this is still a problem.

>>4915394
Before the thread gets sucked into the void, I do want to say that I quite enjoy the writing. There are some grammar hiccups here and there, but I do not really consider that a problem.

>>4915740
Not to keen on crippled too desu. I don't feel that it adds anything to the story.

Am I the only one who likes crippled? To me it helps sell Lynestra's character as someone who's visibly lost badly in the past, but has managed to keep trucking and even keep up the outward projection of elvish snob and dedicated patriot. It's a great contrast that makes her more interesting, and it's not like it's badly affected us in-quest or really will, since if we're having to actually run for our lives we've already fucked up.

Flaws-wise my only real regret is not taking soapbox sadie, since that's how we've kind of wound up playing. But it's no biggie - you've done a great job writing so far QM. Hopefully with the next thread participation can pick up a bit.

>>4916026
I touched on this, but I don't mind crippled. It was cool when Lynestra was a lone traveler trying to keep a low profile, as she was simply stuck with the old injury, and it fit as a thematic reminder of her defeat. Now, though, she's at least somewhat connected. If nothing else, it's worth considering having someone take a look at the leg further down the line.

>>4916026
As I've already said, I'm fine with our flaws, I just think they need a buff mechanically. Maybe something like we keep the -2 penalties, but gain plus 1 to Twilight when feigning helplessness for Crippled or plus 1 to Exertion when intimidating for Dark Omens. Or perhaps reduce the penalty to -1 for the Flaws, but that creates a worse problem where Flaws are strictly a net benefit if you immediately spend your Fate Point on that roll, perhaps there should be a rule where you can't if that change is made. I dunno how to adjust it.